The kid looks from Sahar to Merlan, then over at the dead beasts, then back, clearly on the verge of hyperventilation and stricken with fear, but he tries to speak, "Ra...Ra....Rad...Raden. Raden." He takes a breath, less haggard than before, and repeats, "My name is Raden."
He nods, then shakes his head, "I can ride... but never a horse before. Usually on aurochs back, to make sure they go the right way."
He looks around, then says, "I.... don't know how I got here... or where the goats are..... I'm going to get in so much trouble."
Sandy will move slightly away, knowing he doesn't look the most hospitable and looks for the aurochs or signs of the tracks. Because Raden has either been completely kidnapped from his shepherding duties, or that the creatures have wandered off/ or are eaten.
Lysander doesn't see any sign of goat tracks -- there are some large hoofprints in the dried mud, but they're days old.
Eloen dismounts to fetch her arrows and notes, "I suppose the hide could be removed, but it would take a while. Have to get in under the armored shell and cut the connective tissue from the inside. Tricky, bloody, exhausting work."
Sahar nods approvingly as the boy regains some spirit. "Well met, Raden. Now you can say you've seen a creature most have never seen and never will see! We should take a scale or claw for you to show the folks back home. Do you live near Rustknoll? We will be going back there and can take you with us, then set out from there to find your home." She eyes the lad closely. "Come to think of it, what was the last thing you remember?"
More bait, she thinks, trying not to show her anger at someone endangering a child to lure the party to their doom.
The boy looks skeptical, but his face lights up at Sahar's suggestion, "Wow! A claw would be amazing. Could probably make a sword out of it! Or at least a dirk." The reminder of home, however, quickly grounds him, "I was out on the field - a little later than usual, had to wait for Da to open the pen after searching for the orcs. Nothin' weird, just watchin' goats and clouds until Henar -- he's a buckling -- perked up at something and started bleating. Went over to try to see what it was that was bothering him, and it was like all of a sudden, the tired from not sleeping -- 'cause I was worried about Da -- hit me at once. Tried to shake it off, but, fell asleep next to Henar... Hey, he was sleeping too!"
The kid pauses, then shrugs, "That's all I remember, but then I woke up on those rocks over there. Not as comfy as a warm goat. Not where I fell asleep, an when I looked 'round there were no goats anywhere. Started trying to call 'em -- kept hearing them in the grass, but couldn't see 'em anywhere... and the bleating turned... ugly... scary... it wasn't right anymore.... and it was always behind me.... and then the rocks started shifting, like someone hit 'em with a big hammer, but from underneath -- so I tried to hide in the grass as quiet as I could before you found me."
"That was smart, Raden. You ran when we told you, too, another smart and brave thing. I'd say you earned your claw, and maybe a tooth, too, if we can get it. I'll go check the big one. You stay here near Tiny and Sharisa, and they can keep an eye out for danger." She rubs her horse's nose and directs Sharisa's attention to the boy. "Guard young Raden here. This is Sharisa, Raden. She'll follow you and keep you safe."
She heads in the direction of the larger animal, catching up with Eloen where the archer is searching for arrows to scavenge and beckoning her to join Fiona near the huge corpse. "Did you hear what the boy said, Eloen? It sounded like there were goats in the grass around him? That's what we encountered with the great lizards. It sounded like we were talking in the grass when we were nowhere near. I think it's that same fey that someone saw before we got to the farm where we met you." She nods at Fiona. "Interesting reading? The boy "fell asleep" and woke up here, with goat noises all around and no idea how he arrived in this place. That thing staked him out as bait, as one stakes out a goat for the fahd -- the leopard -- to lure it in to the hunters. I am becoming irritated with this creature. Is it working with the orcs?"
Merlan grins hugely.
"Well done indeed Raden! You've had quite the adventure! All the other lads will be quite jealous! And when you tell them you've SEEN the land-shark, and lived to tell the tale, I reckon even your Da will be impressed!"
Merlan stands up to his normal height, (so he's about looking the lad in the eyes now), and stretches a little, then reaches for his pack strapped to Tiny.
"You did VERY well indeed. Being able to think and follow instructions when scared silly is excellent work! Not everyone can do that you know. Say are you hungry? Fighting monsters and spellcasting always makes me hungry. Would you like some?" Merlan says, taking a bite of his ration sweetmeat and offering it to Raden at the same time.
"Go ahead. I've got plenty. Enough for hungry halflings and boys too! You just stay here like Sahar said. Tiny will watch you, and Sharisa will watch Tiny. Just like you watch sheep. We'll get you back home."
Merlan grins at the youth once more, ruffles tiny fur, and the boy's hair, makes sure the lad has enough rations to keep him busy eating and not thinking for a good while, and joins Sahar and Fiona in time to hear the Sarenraean Warpriests final statements.
"Yes. It is,... unacceptable. I KNOW the Fae. Heck I was practically raised by them after my parents,... Yes. I know them quite well. But THIS lil f#@$%^ is really beginning to tick. Me. Off."
Merlan's face looks more serious than it ever has since you met him. Even Squeaks, still atop his hat perch, glances downward at his 'master' with,... concern?
The boy nods at the praise -- though the expression on his face makes plain that he's not really sure how to react... but he quickly accepts Merlan's food -- and his nervous expression lightens as he moves close to the riding dog and horse.
Once her arrows are retrieved, Eloen gets to the messy business of butchering the massive landshark, with an eye toward removing one of the claws and fangs as requested for the brave young lad who suffered through this ordeal, then the armored plating.
"This will take a while," she warns the team, "and it's going to be very bloody. If someone could fetch a bucket of water that'd be most appreciated."
Costin stands by while the others speak to the child, and then chimes into their conference. ”Most suspicious. Fey meddling and orc mischief in the same tiny town? I don’t accept that that is a coincidence. What do we know if this fey creature?”
Fiona grimaces as she hands the parchment to Sahar. "Empty," she replies. "Probably a scroll or something. Seems like you were right and there was someone else here."
"Quickling. Very fast. VERY. Fast. Makes it essentially invisible unless you have the eyes of a hawk, or detection magics. Has a penchant for 'mischief', like baiting out scared young children or dragonkin eggs for monsters to devour, hoping that the beasts will kill US when we try to save them."
"Yes. We've dealt with it a couple of times now. I enjoy a good prank now and then. A cut bowstring or a sewn-shut spell pouch is all in good fun. But THIS little deviant is working his way to the top of my 'Deal With SOONER Rather Than Later' list!"
At Fiona's words, the halfling reaches for, and fails, to touch the parchment as it is passed above his head from warrior to priest.
"Um, Can I see that for a moment? Please? Even if it is a used scroll, the parchment is still reusable. And it may provide us with a clue. If any magic remnants are strong enough to still read."
Once he finally gets his hands on it, Merlan murmurs a simple charm, and STARES at the page intently for a few moments,...
Merlan detects a faint aura of transmutation that's weak and too far unraveled to identify - but that would confirm that it was likely a spell scroll.
Merlan shrugs, and rubs his eyes briefly.
"A spell scroll. But can't tell what was ON it. Transmutation I think. Could have been anything. Most likely an Ant Haul, or a Reduce Person spell. Something to make a Human lad easier for a tiny, fleet-footed Fae to carry away. I wish Uncle Stickbeard were here. HE'D teach the lil' bugger a lesson in manners."
"So what are we going to do about it?" says Eloen as she is busily severing connective tissue to dig out claws and armor plates from the landsharks.
"That's a good question. We can't see it. That's why I was suggesting... uh, what I suggested in the meeting earlier." Sahar looks around warily. "In the meantime, we need to finish our trip to get the last set of straps... we hope. Should we do that, or take Raden back?" She hmms. "It knew we were coming here today to bait the trap."
"Yes. Yes it did. Despite our 'precautions'. I DETEST dealing with 'clever' opponents. They always think they're smarter than I am." Merlan grumbles at the end, echoing Sahar's wary glance around.
"Well. He IS clever. I'll give him that much. Having underestimated us once before, he upped the ante'. Using the child as bait, even if the landsharks didn't finish us, he has burdened us with an extra responsibility. He has observed us enough to realize that we are NOT a bunch of hardened, souless mercenaries with no compassion. He KNEW full well that we would not leave the child alone out here. OR desire to bring him into yet more possible harm by carrying him with us towards the drop and yet another potentially dangerous encounter. Not as dangerous as the landsharks, but still."
Merlan shrugs.
"We need to get to that drop. Time is essential. And while it may be a simple trek there and back, it IS possible we could run into another band of Orcs."
"The lad's been through enough for ONE day I think. We need to get him back to town and arrange for him to get back home. ONE 'Tale-of-A-Lifetime' per day is enough for any lad his age I'll warrant."
"Splitting up is probably not the best idea. Especially since we DON'T know what is waiting for us at the drop. Or if there are any other 'fun surprises' waiting for us on the way back to town. But I would rather not take the lad towards more potential danger. I'd like to take him to town where he is safe."
Merlan and his dino-bird exchange glances. The feathered reptilian shakes his head, as if he already knows what's coming.
"That said. I will bow to the will of the group. There IS an argument to be made that with a chance of encountering UNfriendly Orcs in either direction, that the lad would be much safer with our entire group than with a portion of it. I suppose." The halfling scratches his chin thoughtfully.
"If the lads willing, lets take him with us.... We can keep him safe and show him some sights." Sandy says softly, leaving the unspoken problems of what to do if the child has become an orphan. He knows all too well how long it will take to arrange for the child to be placed with someone, along with all the questions that will be asked of the "Heroes" by the untrusting villagers.
Costin looks at the child and smiles. "He seems a spirited youth. I am sure he could behave while we complete our errand."
"I agree. He can ride with me on Sharisa, who is well-trained and can take him from danger if need be," Sahar offers, smiling at Raden. "You can hang on behind me and Sharisa will carry us as smoothly as the wind. When we finish our errand, we will go back to town and start from there to find your farm. I wager your goats are fine, since they are not here, and your family doubtless worried."
She pulls off her waterskin, uncorks it, and offers to pour a stream over Eloen's gory hands. "I have no bucket, sadly, nor do I see a well. But this will help."
"Seems risky," says Eloen as she continues her work, "but if we are constantly playing catch-up to this quickling, we'll never get anything done."
She holds out her hands for Sahar to rinse them off. "Thank you. Normally one would drain the blood from the carcass first, but there's no practical way to build a rack to hang this beast."
"Well, there you have it then!" Merlan pipes up cheerfully, also including Raden in on the conversation.
"Between the speed of Sahar's horse, 'Tiny' to protect you, Squeaks to keep an eye out for danger, and the force of a full half-dozen mighty, magical warriors, you will be safer than your sheep in their pen! We'll have you home to your farm in no time. Where I'll wager your tale will be SO fantastic, that your friends and family will likely not believe it!"
The mage jabs a thumb at Eloen.
"Lucky for you, you'll have PROOF. And not only is a claw an excellent memento, but in the hands of those OUR size, it's as good as a short sword! Well, good as a long dagger anyway."
The decision made, it takes only a few minutes to convince Raden to mount up and stay with you -- his desire for an 'adventure' seems to have won against his fear and nervousness... at least for now. (The tooth-dirk seems to be at large part of that).
Fortunately, this gives you some time to apply curative magics, in order to ensure that you don't arrive to the message drop bloodied and weak, given your initial plan to ambush the orcs coming to search it.
You consult the map and head off -- more of a west-north-west direction from here -- still trying to make the drop before dark, though now you have to press to do so and your window has narrowed. You see the sun descending as you move, the skies now ablaze with pink and orange -- but there's still too much sun visible over the horizon to call a sliver when you get to where the map inidcates -- though, honestly, you might have almost ridden right past it -- it seems mostly more of the same of the rocky/scrub terrain you've encountered the last few hours (though the mix of stone to grass is definitely being won by the rock, now).
The hard ground here shows signs of being worn -- as if two rough paths cross here, forming a crossroad -- one that's marked by a surprisingly large stump -- almost as tall as Merlan (more shockingly, almost as wide, too) -- to the north-west, and a strange pile of stone, one that is deliberately stacked, about 50 or 60 yards beyond it -- just a little farther than you could hurl an axe or a dagger....
Fortunately, there's no sign of any orcs just yet.
Fiona begins looking around, looking for both the drop spot as well as any promising places to set up an ambush.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Fiona looks around and is a little worried about how open things are here -- the stump and rockpile could provide cover and concealment, but only if you could be sure which direction someone would be coming from. Still, worst case, there are still a few places where the grass is high enough that one could probably hide by lying down -- especially if done next to a rocky outcropping.
,...
The hard ground here shows signs of being worn -- as if two rough paths cross here, forming a crossroad -- one that's marked by a surprisingly large stump -- almost as tall as Merlan (more shockingly, almost as wide, too) -- to the north-west, and a strange pile of stone, one that is deliberately stacked, about 50 or 60 yards beyond it -- just a little farther than you could hurl an axe or a dagger....
Merlan dismounts Tiny, giving the pooch an affectionate pat and murmuring for his noble steed to 'stay'.
Then the halfling casually ambles towards the stump. Squeaks cranes his neck forward as well, almost reaching past the hat's wide brim.
Sahar prays for bodily health before they set forth, pulling the boy up behind her.
When they arrive at the crossroads, she dismounts, telling the boy to stay in the saddle, and Sharisa to defend her young rider. "The mare will defend you or bear you away to safety, so just hang on!" She pulls her bow sheath from the saddle and affixes it to her belt in case her horse makes a sudden exit. Then, with a reassuring smile at Raden, she turns to examine the surroundings.
Bending to investigate the ground near the stump and rock pile, she searches for signs that Orcs might have been working at either of them, or tracks on the ground that might indicate some sort of traffic unusual near a rock pile or stump.
Merlan approaches the stump and finds that there's a large deep divot in the top -- the worn, withered wood within is at least 8 inches below the edges. And, what's more, the stump's also got a hollow below -- starting at what was a natural knot.
Fiona approaches impatiently, and joins in Merlan's search -- and sighs as the halfling points out the things that she was able to notice from a distance. Still, there's something there tugging at her attention.... whether it's just a feeling or... wait -- no -- there's a square of bark on the tree about 2 feet to the right of the knot that's... slightly darker... and... wait... there are straight lines around that - as if it'd been carefully cut out and replaced.
While Fiona is making her discovery, Sahar searches for tracks -- there are signs of many footprints -- enough that the ground has worn down here to make the quasi-crossroads described above... Discouraged, she heads to the rock pile to take a look, and finds fresher tracks -- ones that can't be more than a day or so old -- they're humanoids in boots, and heavy -- looks like orcs -- and, something big with clawed feet or talons. Looks like 5, maybe 6 if the clawed creature is a mount.
"Claws and boots over here," Sahar calls to the others, pointing at the ground around the rock pile. "I don't see anything special about the rocks, but maybe someone else would."
Just to be thorough, she chants a quick, quiet ritual to help her see into magical realms.
Sandy comes over with Kruss in tow, "Claws & boots? Some sort of riding beast and orcs? Maybe we can find where they came here and where exactly they were fiddling around."
The young man gets in very close and investigates around the rocks and the tree stump in case the cache is hidden beneath or there's a mechanism. The creators of these places seem most ingenious.
The rockpile is large - almost 15 at its widest point, and ranging from 18 inches to 30, depending on what point. Most of the rocks that comprise it are at least the size of Merlan's head -- though none are so round -- in fact, most of them appear to be jagged, as if they were broken or cut by something.
"Oooo. Well, THAT'S fairly clever." Merlan admits cheerfully, when Sahar and he finally notice the careful cutting work on the stump.
"YOU should have spotted that, nature-bird!" The mage brightly admonishes his scaled & feathered companion with a smile. Squeaks responds with a short hiss, probably the equivalent of a humanoid 'Humph!'.
When Sahar wanders off to explore further, Merlan also chants his own Mystic Detection charm. In a moment his eyes are glowing with a faint blue light, and he is peering at the stump once more,...
"These rocks just look like where they camp whilst delivering messages - not sure if there's any more clues. Personally I think that tree area might be more fruitful..... If only I caould talk to plants." Sandy sighs softly.
Costin has a look around, but is not as perceptive as the others. "Have any of you found anything of real interest?"
"There is magic in here, though I am not sure this is the cache. Protection and, um... transformation. Yes." She looks up at the druid from where she kneels examining the magical auras. "Do you think it is worth investigation?"
Merlan's spell reveals no magical auras -- once his companions step out of his line of sight, anyway.
Fiona studies the removed bark pattern on the stump, then calls, "Someone get the Elf over here. There may be a trap, and I'd rather trust her eyes than mine."
Nonetheless, she looks it over as well while she waits for Eloen to arrive.
"Her name is Eloen," Sahar says with a look at Fiona. "And I can use you here, Eloen, once you are done at the stump. There is magic here, but I'm not sure what."
Sahar continues to concentrate on the auras and decipher the spells in use.
"Merlan, can you look at these rocks and see what spells are here? Something is going on. But it might be a snare, so best look and not touch until we know specifics, or until Eloen can tell if it is a trap."
”Perhaps I could take a look,” Costin offers to Sahar. He attempts to discern the magic auras.
(abjuration)
(transmutation)
"The knot hole, probably is the key - you stick something in it and it opens the bark square and shows a cache." Sandy guesses, haphazardly - knowing he has some skill with lockpicks, but isn't an expert.