GM Chadius 1-10: Tarnbreaker's Trail

Game Master chadius

While Mira keeps scanning the caribou for a bell, Yohann tips off Purrlock. Purrlock calmly approaches the caribou, who watch him for a moment before losing interest. He quickly picks off a bell.

Savan's so stealthy he is able to lead the herd around a bit to a spot closer to the rest of the team. He picks off another bell.

Savan's Critical Success reduces the DCs to locate and secure a bell by 2.

With two bells in hand, you realize why they didn't ring loudly. There's a lot of fur stuffed inside.

Dahila approaches you. "Looks like you got 2 of them. 2 more to go. Or you can call it for the day."

To spot a bell, one PC must find a bell by making a DC 10 Perception check. The bells are unexpectedly quiet, so you suffer a -2 Circumstance penalty when looking for them.

Once you spot a bell, make a DC 14 Stealth or DC 13 Nature check. If you failed to spot the bell, you suffer a -1 circumstance penalty on the next check as you have to spot the bell as you approach.

Each PC can choose to get a bell OR make an Aid check to assist someone. Purrlock and Savan have already acted, so they cannot participate.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

sigh :)

Perception: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 8 - 2 = 17

Katniss spots a caribou moving through the snow with a small bell hanging from its neck.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

She moves sneakily with each step placed with careful control as she closes the distance. With a quick, precise motion, she reaches forward and snatches the bell free from its strap.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Katniss closely inspects the bell, and she notices it’s been filled with fur. She studies its texture and color and realizes that the fur matches Gruen's Bear Fur Cloak.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 8 - 2 = 15
Elara managed to spot one caribou with a bell with her keen eyes

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
She approaches slowly to the caribou to get the bell, keeping low with soft steps.

Katniss and Elara have no trouble collecting the last two bells.

"Let me see 'em." Dahila collects the bells. "Yup, good job, you get full credit. I'd better put these back on the caribou and get the next team ready. Good job."

You return to the checkpoint and help set up camp. By the time you finish, most of the teams are returning. Jori of the Bluetongue's Brawlers has a few bruises on her arm. Apparently she blundered onto the field, scared the caribou and triggered a stampede...

You can speak to the officials and make a Diplomacy check to learn more about overland travel and details of the next trial.

You can speak to any of the teams and make a Diplomacy check to improve their opinion of you.

DC 18 Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Yohann wonders why the bells aren't so easy to hear. He picks one up and gives it a shake, then peers inside. Instead of the expected rattle, he finds the interior packed with fur that is enough to muffle the sound entirely.

"This fur’s familiar… It looks just like the bear fur on Gruen’s cloak." He frowns thoughtfully. "Which team was he with again?"

Purrlock again goes to schmooze with race officials.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Katniss, exhausted from the day's activities, slips into her tent and settles down to rest.

argh and I keep forgetting my Lead bonus... though I think it's not going make a difference yet...

If someone has healing or even a potion, I bet you can go follow up with the hurt member of the Brawlers. Maybe Medicine in the place of Diplomacy.

Savan returns to see how the Two Houses team fared with the caribou. He brings a warm drink to offer them. "Steen, Unn, how did you all fare today? This one was harder than I expected."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Purrlock is able to talk to another official about the race routes. "Tomorrow you're getting to the Whitegold River crossing. Good luck, every year someone falls into the drink and nearly freezes."

The entire group gets a +1 Circumstance bonus on checks to reach the next checkpoint tomorrow.

Savan visits the Two Houses team. Unn is already lying on a cot, exhausted. "Those caribou kept running away from me, I had to practically chase them down to get a bell."

Steen chuckles. "It's all those chemicals you use, honey. You probably smell like poison."

Unn grunts. "It's only poisonous if the concentration is too high."

Steen laughs and turns to Savan. "Sorry, we go through this all the time. I'm not a thief, I'm a lockbreaker. She's not into poisoning, she's an apothecary. We have to be specific about our titles or people get the wrong impression." He sighs. "Good to see you didn't get trampled, Savan. If you ever need some help from us, feel free to ask. Although at this rate, I think we'll be asking you for help!"

Savan feels the Two Houses team have become quite Friendly thanks to his efforts.

A caribou carcass lays on the ground, kissed frozen by the air. Something tore it apart, but what?

If you want to examine the body, make a Nature or Medicine check.

If you want to look for animal prints or clues, make a Survival check.

Yohann scans the ground and nearby undergrowth, searching for any footprints or disturbed terrain that might lead him to whoever left the caribou’s carcass behind.
Survival (T) to Track: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Yohann notices large bear prints in the snow, moving away from the checkpoint and into the wilderness beyond. It may be a good idea to keep note of it.

If you have Hunt Prey or a similar ability, you can use this to keep track of a bear of immense size.

Large bear prints might confirm what attacked the caribou. With this discovery, he marks the bear as his Prey. After finishing his inspection, he returns to the others and shares what he found.

"Bear tracks in the snow leading from this checkpoint straight into the wilderness," he warns as he points into the direction of the track. "Stay sharp. If it’s still nearby, we could be next."

Nature: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Savan looks down at the Caribou corpse. "Wouldn't a bear drag the kill off to eat it?" He glances up at the Power Rangers.

Purrlock bends down to study the carcass.

Medicine: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Savan looks down at the Caribou corpse. "Wouldn't a bear drag the kill off to eat it?" He glances up at the Power Rangers.

"That might be true. We might be dealing more than a bear, possibly?" Yohann responds, now with uncertainty on what he just tracked.

Mira crouches low near the carcass, brushing frost from the torn hide. Her eyes flick to the bear tracks Yohann found, then back to the ragged wounds.

"These prints are big… too big to ignore. But Savan’s right—why leave the kill behind? A bear drags its prey. This feels wrong. Something else is at play." as she analyzes the carcass and determine if the wounds match a bear—or something else.

Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

Purrlock and Mira conclude the caribou was slaughtered by large claw marks, coming from an animal of immense size and strength. Yohann notes the large bear prints, but it is truly a mystery.

That's all the information you can get off of here. I'll fast forward a bit to tomorrow morning.

The snow died down overnight, but fog fills the area instead. "Wakey wakey! The Whitegold River awaits! Look at all this fog- it's calling for you!" Dahila sticks her head into your tent and wakes you up. "Tied for first place and you're still asleep? Fangs of the Rhemoraz are nipping at your heels, they woke ME up to see if they could leave!"

As you emerge from the tents, you can see the other team is dismantling their tent and packing up to move again.

Time to travel for another day. Pick a skill that will help you traverse the landscape for the rest of the day. Relevant skills might be Athletics, Nature, and Survival, but if you can explain other skills I’ll allow it. Thanks to Purrlock you all get a +1 Circumstance bonus to this check.