Valko followed his usual morning routine but his thoughts keep wandering to this barrow. Despite his concerns of leaving Oona alone he is a bit excited about exploring the tomb.
As he explores, Boros will do his best to Avoid Notice.
There is a good bit of snow built up leading up to and against the slightly ajar stone door leading into the barrow. There are no footprints or other tracks in the snow. It would seem nothing has passed in nor out of the barrow at least since the last significant snowfall.
Sébastien casts Light on his shield, raises it, and enters the mound....
Detect magic on the entrance, and then wait for a couple more people to enter before he goes in. You know, to separate the two light sources and all.
With the light from Sébastien‘s shield illuminating the way Valkor attempted to push the stone door open all the way.
Boros heads on in!
Valkor pushes the heavy stone door open, and Shemar and Sebastien provide light as Boros slips inside the barrow. As expected, this is a burial mound. There is a small chamber inside, constructed of cobblestone and mud, with old timber framing. Built within the walls are a set of niches, two on the left, two on the right, and one on the far wall, each holding the remains of some long dead person. More importantly, however, the corpse of a recently dead person lies face down on the floor immediately at Boros's feet.
"Why does this fellow look more... Fresh, when there are no tracks in the snow outside? Suspicious."
No magic is detected within.
Sébastien nods in agreement with Shemar. The halfling begins peering about suspiciously.
Your eyes are sharp, allowing you to make out small details about concealed or even invisible creatures that others might miss. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus when using the Seek action to find hidden or undetected creatures within 30 feet of you. When you target an opponent that is concealed from you or hidden from you, reduce the DC of the flat check to 3 for a concealed target or 9 for a hidden one.
A little too eager to loot the tomb, Boros doesn't notice the fresh body until he's almost stepped on it. "Yikes!" Boros leaps back in surprise.
"Gods damn it, is that the grave robber" he wonders. He starts looking around, concerned about lethal traps.
Sebastien finds skeletal remains in the funerary niches. They are adorned in leather and mail armors, although these are rotted and rusted beyond usability. They seem to have ceremoniously laid to rest, with shield and sword lain on their chests, although these too are decrepit and unusable. The remains in the rear of the tomb seem to have been disturbed.
The body on the floor has most of its flesh remaining, and is dressed in blood stained leather armor and cold weather clothes. A short sword in scabbard is belted on his waist. Interestingly, Boros notes, his boots are missing. Boros also spots a few coins scattered across the floor.
No traps are found.
Society:
Looking over the ancient corpses, the woodsman is surprised to note that he actually recognizes the arms and armour.
"These are old Sunderlander and Zethinian styles. Ancient to be sure! Now, who is this newer addition to the crypt?"
Medicine:
Nature:
Valkor kneeled next to the corps to examine it closer.
Sébastien wonders about the burial mound. His keen eyes accidentally discovering interesting things.
Was there a big war about these parts in the last hundred years? Not really my bread and butter. More of a song and notes kinda fella.
The body appears to have once been a young man, in his fighting prime. Its hard to determine how long he's been dead, as the corpse is practically frozen, the burial mound with slightly open door is basically a meat locker. However, it appears that the cause of death is most likely an acute case of several stab wounds in the back.
.
"Of course there was a big war--the war Asternian revolution that drove out the Zethinians! I mean, maybe that was a few hundred years ago, but still."
Boros pulls out his dagger and starts comparing it against the stab wounds to see if he could figure out a cause of death.
”Lets see if we can find out who he is,” the monk said as he began to search the corpse.
"These coins on the floor look to be Zethinian, which makes them hundreds of years old. Why would these people be buried with coins? It looks like the corpses in the back were messed with, but those stab wounds don't look to be from a trap. And who, or what, stole his boots?"
Boros picks up the ancient coins. "Souvenirs," he says, flicking one at Sebastien and another at Danus. He hangs on to the third. "This was fun and all, but time's a wastin'."
Sébastien catches the coin from Boros. The halfing smiles, placing it in a pocket.
Somewhere there is a mystery related to ol' stabbed in the back here. But, we do have places to be!
The bard gathers anything of worth, prior to readying to return to camp.
Valkor searches the frozen corpse and spots a badge sewn into his leather armor. It is identical to the tag on the feral dog's collar, the insignia of Silverpine Watch.
All of the niches are occupied, all corpses in their rightful place, well, except for the new guy. Or, I guess, it's convenient to die in a tomb.
Sebastien grabs the guy's shortsword and everyone heads back to camp.
There, they find Oona has packed everything back up on the cart and is making final preparations to leave. Cato sits on a rock, still bound, head turned skyward, seemingly trying to make peace with the fact that he is about to be turned over to the authorities.
Seeing everyone arrive back safely, Oona waves you down and asks, "So, how'd it go?"
”Not well. We found the fresh corpse bearing the badge of the of Silverpine Watch,” he informed Oona.
Boros heads back and gives Cato a visit. "Come on then, back in the cart." He provides assistance to get the captive off the rock and back into the wagon.
Sébastien takes up his position by Elry at the carts rear.
Perhaps, those feral dogs were the silverpine watchman? He may have been ambushed by bandits out here.
He pointedly looks at Cato the Captive.
Shemar seems lost in thought. "Something strange is going on with the Silverpine. Is it simple desertion? Let's hope so."
Oona gasps at the news and grows increasingly concerned, "Let's get a move on, they may need our help."
Cato seems oblivious to Sebastien's accusations, as he climbs the cart with Boros's help and stares off straight ahead.
As soon as everyone is ready, she snaps the reins and the cart is back on the move.
Moving deeper north into the Silverpine Forest, the terrain begins to change, becoming more hilly, rocky, and the road begins to climb more noticeably, turning and bending to match the contours of the land. The bare limbs and green buds of deciduous trees gradually give way to evergreen silverpines, junipers, and firs of the deeper alpine forest. Over the next few hours, the weather grows gloomy and chilly; a cold wind blows down through the hills and trees from the north.
As the party rounds a sheer and rugged hillside, Danus signals for a stop. Oona reins the ponies in. Up ahead, there is a lumpy, furry mass lying still in the middle of the road. Oona looks worried, "What is it?"
Sébastien peeks out from the back of the cart. The halfling views that there's a lumpy, furry mass lying still in the middle of the road.
Casting Guidance, the bard cautiously Strides closer to the lump to Seek for any ambitious ambushes.
Your eyes are sharp, allowing you to make out small details about concealed or even invisible creatures that others might miss. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus when using the Seek action to find hidden or undetected creatures within 30 feet of you. When you target an opponent that is concealed from you or hidden from you, reduce the DC of the flat check to 3 for a concealed target or 9 for a hidden one.
Not more trouble, the monk hoped.
"another dog?". Shemar asks from the rear, peering ahead.
Standing next to the wagon, Shemar will keep his eyes on the side of the road while some of his fellows go to investigate the lump.
"Another trap, most likely," says a cynical Boros. He draws his weapons and advances in search of danger.
"Me and Tor will check it out, but be ready...just in case!"
Danus moves slowly toward the furry lump. When still a few feet away, he will have his axe in hand and Tor beside him.
"Hey there...are you hurt?" he speaks as he would to a small child or animal.
As Danus moves forward, it is plain to see the figure on the road is of another dead body, lying face down beneath a heavy but torn fur cloak. As a dead person, they do not reply to Danus's inquiries.
Coming up behind him, neither Sebastien nor Boros spot any signs of danger. In fact, Sebastien notes, the forest is eerily silent. No bird calls, chittering chipmunks, buzzing insects or the like, just the lonely whispering sound of the wind in the trees.
Sebastien also notes as he nears the figure, there are scuff marks in the mud and disturbed weeds near and around the body, marking the person's passage.
Sébastien kneels down to take a closer look at the scuff marks in the mud and disturbed weeds near and around the body.
From the look of things, the figure came from further up the road, probably within the last few days.
The halfling looks concerned in that direction.
I suppose that the Watch is located in the same direction.
Nature:
Survival:
"It is strange no creatures have attempted to feed on the body. Perhaps it was poisoned"
Medicine to check for poison: Medicine
"Does he also have the silver pine watch insignia? And what killed him? More stab wounds to the back maybe?"
This is not going as expected. At all.
"Crud, another body?" Boros continues to focus on the surroundings and more threats, clearly concerned for their safety. "Listen, blokes. We've found a bunch of starvin' stray watch dogs, then a dead watchman hidin' in a burrow, now another dead watchman just on this road tryin' ta run away. Now I know we're all supposed ta help Oona get her goods ta Hearth. But seems like we're getttin' real good signs that it's time ta turn 'round and head back home. This road just ain't safe enough for travelin'."
Valkor stayed close the wagon and Mistress Oona expecting another ambush.
Sebastien follows the tracks up the road a bit. From the long stride, it would seem the man was at a full run moments before he met his end. About 50 ft up the road there are signs of a struggle, and Sebastien notices something lying in the ditch off the side of the road. Also, he happens to see, the tower of Silverpine Watch is visible around the next bend.
As Danus checks the body, he finds he finds an middle-aged , bearded, human man. Beneath the heavy fur cloak he wears simple travellers clothes, no mark nor insignia on him, no weapons either. Although the cloak and clothes appear torn, there is no blood or wounds visible. The man's skin appears unnaturally pale and white.
Oona gasps as the mans face is revealed, "Oh no! That's Vilmos, my tinker friend I was telling you about! We usually make this trip together, but he insisted on leaving early this year. What could have happened?"
Seeing that the Silverpine tower was around the next bend, Sébastien sighs.
Walking over to the former Tinker, the bard examines him closely.
F!+@ing vampires! I hate undead!
Danus looks startled at Sébastien declaration.
"Vampires...they are real?? Will he become a vampire now that he was bitten?"
The ranger takes a step back from the corpse and calls Tor to his side.
Sébastien states.
There are multiple tiny puncture wounds on the body, nearly imperceptible as there is no blood nor bruising near the marks. The lack of blood altogether, and the man's pallid complexion indicates the blood has been altogether drained from his body.
The bard shrugs.
So, either he decided to take a Mosquito bath, or vampire.
"Let's assume giant mosquito's or vampire bats. Small flying bloodsuckers. If it's a vampire, and it's still around, we're dead. So, being the body, or bury it here? And where's his wagon?"
"Hold up, did ya all just say 'vampire'? That's bogus. Vampires aren't real. Don't get yerselves all worked up like that." The halfling who, just a moment ago suggested they ought to run away now feels called to show everyone how wrong they were. He follows the tracks forward and turns to see the spire of the tower in sight. "C'mon, we're almost there! Time ta get some answers."
”Yes, this talk of vampires can wait until we are safe in Silver Pine Watch,” the monk insisted.
Oona seems deeply troubled, "What about Vilmos? We can't just leave him on the road like this! We need to bury his body, in case he does rise as a vampire, or a ghost, or zombie!"
"I say we take him to Silver Pine. Bury him properly in a grave yard. Unless we think that he might rise again before we get there? No, maybe burying him here is the right thing."
Somewhat at a loss of the right course of action. Stay longer here and risk an attack from whatever got this guy or bring the dead man with us and have him rise and attack us...
Boros didn't really much care about the guy on the floor, but if Oona cared, he was willing to help. "Into the cart, I'd say," says Boros. "Cato can keep him company."
”For once I agree with Boros,” Valkor said while he helped lift the body into the cart.