A character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, a Constitution check (DC 10, +2 per extra hour) is required. If the check fails, the character takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from a forced march becomes fatigued. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue. It’s possible for a character to march into unconsciousness by pushing himself too hard.
the day begins to wind on, the sun moving closer and closer to the horizon upon your right, casting your shadows ever longer, thin black gossamer strands ever reaching towards the large expanse of the trees of Cormanthor. You pass various traffic upon the route, farmers and lumberjacks, a rare wagon train of unknown ore stacked high within the numerous wagons pulled by an equally numerous donkey train. 32 heads in all, each donkey harnessed to the long lines, walking with a confident and steady tread.
one of the train guides, stopped upon the side of the road to watch the load animals pull the tonnage, looks upon sparklefoot with a knowing look.
got yerself a big un huh? the rothe. I can only image what we'd be able to pull if we had half as many as them upon this train. he walks up to the train and tugs upon a single leather lead. a quick jerk, and a self assured nod. yup. still tight he steps back wont do to allow the harness to slacken. makes the donkeys right terrible and stubborn. a firm, consistent hug upon their frames keeps them content. he looks at the giant bovine that harness there you have on him. i do say, that does look good. should do you well, though not intended to carry loads like you have. a pulling harness you have. oh yes, a solid harness, much larger than ive seen, even for the mighty draft horses. Know this though he steps close to hellig Youll catch the evil eye from some others upon the road for having this animal harnessed. not cuz they care, but because they care that they dont have him harnessed to a wagon. Be ware. he nods his head briefly to everyone and starts walking next to the train once more.
another hour passes, and traffic begins to thin out, yet you hear a slight jingle jangle upon the wind. You glance around, looking for the source, only to have it begin to materialize behind you. A brown blob, not half mile back, its hard to say what until it gets closer. and closer it gets, quickly!
a pair of horses, brown as molasses, with brilliant pale manes, move at a fast trot. bolts of sparkling light catch off the setting sun at even intervals upon their chests, and the jingles grows louder as the team pulls closer. the heavy snorts of exertion fills the air as they trot closer and closer. you see a man sitting up high, a strange head and shoulders, floating oddly, until he resolves into a solid form as he, with the horses, get closer. Black hair and pale skin hang loosely upon the man, a pained look upon his features. behind him, a wagon with a tarp upon it. You have enough time to see him lift a hand high into the air, and suddenly, the harsh crack of a whip snaps out!
the horses pick up their pace, and the man leans up high, shaking his fist at the lot of you MOVE THAT MISERABLE PIECE OF CRAP! he snaps his whip three more times. twice at his team, and one, as he passes to the side of the party, he snaps at Sparklefoot.
Ceirn occasionally looks around as he trudges forward.
Keeping the bovine as a slow enough pace that the dwarves could keep up, Naomi would whistle Thistle closer as they approached traffic. Nodding to the muleskinner, as she walked past what the man had made sense.
As time passed, Naomi heard the sound of bells. Calling Thistle back to her side, Naomi looked over her shoulder and saw the matched pair approaching. Wanting to make room for the wagon Naomi began to pull the bovine to the side. Frowning when she heard the whip crack, she choked up on the lead rope telling the Rothe "Easy Girl." Frowning as the driver yelled at them, Naomi resisted the urge to make an obscene gesture, keeping both hands on the lead. When the man turned and aimed his whip at Sparklefoot, she cursed under her breath and noted the man's face in case they meet again.
Ya know, we should really rest the rothe to feed and water it. Aghh grumbles along, muttering in dwarf,
Cretin. Hellig considers returning the favor, but the only ranged weapon he has is a bow, and the man's horses did nothing to deserve getting shot. Instead he just grimaces and moves forward to help corral the rothe if it bolts.
at the crack of the whip, sparkfoot bounces high into the air, landing with a hard thud.
" That was a Hand!!!" Priscilla says as she turns points at the wagon.
" A chained hand without its body!!!" She pulls out a sling buller and drops it in her sling she seemingly producted from her sleeve.
Ceirn looks up from where he was glancing at a patch of grass and says, "What? There is a hand without a body? Where?"
[B]"On the wagon with the veggies!!!"]/b] Priscilla says pointing towards the wagon.
They got a corpse in the wagon? Augier scratches his head. Well I don't know if we should go forcing them off the road. Might be a bounty under or something bringing back a target.
"Its on the Cart!!! In the veggies!!" Priscilla says dropping a bullet into her sling and begins to whirl it over her head!
Priscilla will whirl her sling over head and when it has a nice rthymn she lets loose. Lettinf her sling bullet go for the driver.
Naomi attempts to grap at the lead as sparklefoot bolts. She catches it, but unfortunately, Sparklefoot has enough of a jolt to her that forces the lead to run through Naomi's hand, leaving behind a severly warmed (to the point of painful) palm.
Even though Hellig has the line on the startled Rothe, the Paladin doesnt have the speed to cut off the startled animal.
Sparklefoot runs off to the west, trotting and moooing a loud moo! Your amazed once more at the sheer speed that the Rothe exhibits, and floored at how it's doing it.
Priscilla's sling sings true, and the stone bullet sings through the air, and impacts with a loud crack upon the man's skull. His form slumps out of sight, and suddenly the horses,( feeling their reins run loose), begin to gallop away!
he must be stopped! helna yells out in agreement to Priscilla.
the dwarf unsheathes a blade from her bandolier. She looks at the man for a moment, gauging distance. She runs forward a few feet and then launches the dagger far into the air...
the dagger sails high and falls gracefully from the sky. It disappears out of sight, in front of the wagon. A couple thundering steps of the horses pass and then the wagon driver falls off the wagon to the ground. he lays still, unmoving.
Seeing the same the halfling saw, Naomi felt the bovines lead slip from her hand. Realizing she couldn't catch the cow in time, she thought that she might be able to turn the wagon. Turning to Thistle she points towards the horses commanding "Thistle, Flank!" Hoping a attacking wolf in front of the horses would turn the wagon.
Raising an eyebrow as Priscilla hits the driver in the back of the head, she watches Thistle chase after the wagon.
Seeing the dwarf hustle forwards, Naomi moved as quickly as she could. Watching as Helna throws her dagger at the slumped over man practically invisible due to the wagon, as the horses run full gallop away. Naomi considers telling the dwarf it was impossible but didn't want to sound mean. Then as the body fell off of the wagon Naomi turned and looked down at the dwarf, raising her other eeyebrow.
Wow that hot! Amazing! Im better then I thought
" Okay lets grab the cart, The get Sparklefoot!" Priscilla says as she bolts towards the cart.
As she runs she pulls out her rope and begins to fashion a lasso. While she does she then sets to spin it in hopes of using it to wrangle the wagon and climb onto it.
Augier looks at the cow and to the man who is now on the ground. Well committing murder and robbery is a rotten way to end the day! Knowing that he can't catch the Rothe, Augier hurries over to the man.
Hezekh rushes forward to help arrest the cart.
" If we heal him its just a bit of assualt. As for the Robbery we are check to see why thier are so many bodies?" she syad as she stops and thinls.
"Maybe we should go after Sparkle.foots. Also he could be a murderer, we dont know just asking questions, you know once hes conscious"says the petite halfling with a makeshift lasso
Ceirn will go look for this hand to see what his companions saw.
Thistle manages to hamstring the left horse with her flank attack, catching a lucky blow upon the animal's unprotected rear haunch. the Horse falls to the ground with a bellowing neigh, forcing the other horse to twist and turn. Leather straps snap as the fallen horse collapses, and the wagon rolls with a heavy bounce over the equines body. A loud snap, as if a giant had picked up an oak tree and broke it over his neigh, echo's off the treeline, rebounding weirdly off the tall boughs of Cormanthor. The tarp, stretched upon the back of the wagon, tied down with thin twists of twine, rips free, and its disgusting cargo is sprayed out from the wagon bed. Body parts, hands, feet, legs, torso's, men and women, parts and bits are hurled upon the road and into the ditch in a grotesques display. Bodies, chained down to the wagon itself, bounce around, falling limp upon the wagon. more severed hands and feet dangle from chained manacles over the wagons edge.
The horse, after rolling over the injured horse, comes to a stop.
the horse that was ran over, begins to scream mightily, flailing it's head about, yet it's body doesnt move.
"There is...more then one hand. What foul group is behind this..." Ceirn says as he looks over the gruesome scene.
Priscilla goes over to look at the fallen man and begins to tie him up.
Once she feels secure she will then see if she can wake them.
Augier is aghast at the carnage.What in blazes is going on here? He rushes over to get to the man. Can someone heal the horse or end its misery?
Not sure why Thistle didn't move to the front of the horses, which was the opposite side she was on, Naomi moved beside the horse. "aggghhh I will heal its wounds" Saying a quick prayer, she tried to heal the horses wounds.
All thought of the rothe forgotten, Hellig moves to the downed man, steel drawn. He holds his sword pointed at the man's face, then looks him over, trying to discern his condition.
Not sure why Thistle didn't move to the front of the horses, which was the opposite side she was on, Naomi moved beside the horse.
"side", and not "opposite the character, who currently stands 'behind' the horses. Sorry...sheesh im saying that a lot lately. ugg.
the sound of the horses baying cuts off immediately as Naomi's healing spell lays gently upon the injured equine. Its cuts and abrasions are healed, but still it lays upon the ground.
a wet, wheezy sound comes from the wagoneer's blood stained lips, a sickly noise that is further magnified with the silencing of the horses pain.
He wears robes, brown in color. a visible red stain upon his back where a dagger sticks out from. Sandy blonde hair, unwashed, scraggly, lays limply upon his skull, thin and patchy. Small creatures, lice and mites, crawl over his scalp and around his ears. dirt, thick upon his neck, flecks off onto the ground. A stench, of body odor and decay, assails your nose. his feet, jutting below the robes hemline, have a strange green tinge to them, with angry veins standing stark red upon the strange man's skin tone.
[spoiler=priscilla]Your hands feel greasy after tying the man up.[/spoielr]
"Ewww I need a bath!!!" Priscilla says as she tries to wipe her hands on the grass. Her face and lips gagging because of the nastiness of this human being.
" Well do you want me to stick around and put the screws ro the guy or should I get sparkle foot?" She asks as she seems unphased by the rest of the scene.
Shaking her head, Naomi turns towards the others, "This horse need more healing than I can provide."
" Holy Hellig, See if you can help the horsey. Me and Arrgh can wait for this guy to wake up. Maybe bind his wounds. Though after we dose him in water and liqour" She says still hivering looking at the dagger.
Aggh makes sure to put his manacles on the man. He smells just as bad as I do. I have a healing potion if you want him healed.
"When we heard of the issues in the town, no one seemed to know what was happening. A cart full of dead bodies...or pieces...might provide some hint of what we face. It might be a good idea to find out for sure before we move on." Ceirn says as he looks away from the sight towards the man driving the cart.
Helna looks dispassionately at the injured horse. seems a waste of healing upon it. But alas. Not my call she shrugs simply The horse and wagon looks to have stopped over there. I'll go grab it and bring it back here. Ceirn, would you be a good man and go get Sparklefoot?
Without waiting for a reply, the dwarf walks over to the wagon, staying out of sight of the horse. She climbs onto the wagon and sets the brake before leaping down and slowly approaching the horse.
Hearing Helna give orders, Naomi looks away from the wounded horse. Knowing what should be done, she decides she doesn't want to be there to see it. Calling out to Ceirn, "I'll go get Sparklefoot." Looking down at her gloves she realizes she'd have had rope burns if not for them, Smiling she continues. "We're bonding, he seems to like me." Looking down at her wolf she calls, "Come Thistle"
Walking out the the field she moves slowly around to the bovine's head, "Come on Sparklefoot, the mean man with the whip has been dealt with." Moving up to the beast she reaches for the lead rope, hoping the beast will come easily.
Agghhh keeps an eye on the bound man.
Hellig sheathes his blade, but as he moves toward the horse, he says "The man's near death, I doubt he'll trouble us, or anyone else,much more."
He approaches Helna and the wounded horse.
Ceirn begins looking over the cart and the remaining horse for any brands, signs or other obvious tell tale signs of who owned this cart and horse before them. "If we wish to keep the horse or cart we should make sure that there are now signs of who actually owns it. Whoever would cart such a grotesque load will not be happy if they notice us with their possessions." he will say to those with him as he searches.
Given it's condition, its size, the lack of proper clerics in the area... this isnt a human, nor a humanoid...
but still its difficult to accept.
Helna, who has been standing near the wagon, asks out loud there's so many of them. the body parts...
just as you lean back, you hear a whisper help..help me...he-he- helll... it drifts off.
" Damn Agggh, I must be a better shot then I thought!!!!" She says with a little smile and then winces.
" I killed him didnt I!" She seeths and then shivers.
" I just, he..the bodies..." She said a bit worried she actually had murdered this man.
I could give him a potion to heal him if we want to drag him in for justice.
Leading the calmed bovine back to where the others are inspecting wagon, horse, bodies and captive, Naomi asks. "Anyone find anything interesting?"
She gestures towards the wagon, "We may be able to hook Sparklefoot up to the wagon." She wrinkles her nose, "But If we do that, I'd rather we dump the bodies and prestidigitate it really good before we climb in."
"Someone is still alive!" Ceirn calls out and waves to those who might have someway of aiding an injured person. "There is also a mark here...does anyone know whose mark this is?"
Ceirn steps back and is pointing to where he heard the person so those who might help can get in.