Judging by the stars and the moon, it is about three hours after midnight when the party exits the confines of the woods, following the trail of the kidnapped children and their reptilian captors.
More than one of the party are beginning to get tired, as most of them have been going for almost twenty hours.
The trail continues towards Droskar's Crag, a mountianous mass, visible as a great shadow against the night sky.
"If that's where they're going, I suggest we find a good spot to observe the crag from and camp for the night. We could take turns watching for any sign of activity."
"A very good idea. You all try to get some sleep and I'll take first watch." Nodding to Rall, Balnar continues, "I'll wake you an hour or so before dawn so's I can get a little shuteye too."
If you're keeping watch, make a perception check.
Although tired, Balnar keeps a vigilant watch.
When it becomes Rall turn he rubs the sleep out of his eyes and tries to keep focussed on the task at hand.
Although tired, Balnar keeps a vigilant watch.
The party settles down and because they are tired, sleep is easy to find.
Soon after the other's are asleep, Balnar hears movement. A creature stalks the party just out of sight. It moves stealthily, but not stealthily enough. Over the snoring, especially that of the halfling, there comes now and then again, the sound of careful footsteps and rustling foliage.
Readying his axe, Balnar scans he darkness for the one who is stalking the group.
Readying his axe, Balnar scans he darkness for the one who is stalking the group.
Whoever or whatever it is, they remain out of sight. Close enough to be heard but never close enough to be seen.
Bowen removed the ears of the one he killed and placed them in a tree to dry so he could retrieve them on their way back.
As they begin moving along the trail Bowen tries to keep the follower just within perception as often as he can during the trip trying not to let the beast know his awarness
He found it only slightly amusing that he was not included in the night watch but that bothered him none. As he lay down to slumber he makes sure all his equipment for a fight is within grasp then thinks better of it and holds his scimitar in his grasp.
Though he finds himself unable to sleep knowing that the final goblinoid is still on the loose. So he lets his half closed eyes wonder through the darkness trying to appear asleep.
Two hours pass. It is now about five hours after midnight or an hour or so before dawn.
Balnar hears whatever, or whomever, was observing the party move away.
At what he judges to be an hour or so before dawn, Balnar nadges Rall awake. "Keep an ear open," he murmurs, "I am pretty well certain we were followed by that 3rd one but for some reason he does not want to make a move."
He waits a moment or 2 for any reply Rall has then gets himself settled for some hard earned sleep.
At what he judges to be an hour or so before dawn, Balnar nadges Rall awake. "Keep an ear open," he murmurs, "I am pretty well certain we were followed by that 3rd one but for some reason he does not want to make a move."
He waits a moment or 2 for any reply Rall has then gets himself settled for some hard earned sleep.
When it becomes Rall turn he rubs the sleep out of his eyes and tries to keep focussed on the task at hand.
Another couple of hours pass without event. The sun breaks over the horizon and the land begins to glow a verdant green.
The mountain to the west appears to be covered in a fog but the area around the sleeping would be rescuers is clear, though dew is everywhere.
"Can we pick up their trail?" Rall asks the ranger hopefully.
"Their trail, Shoanti, can we pick up their trail?!" asks Rall before sitting down and hiding his eyes as he feels ready to weep with exhaustion.
The sun rises slowly into the morning sky. There are no more encounters or noises out of the ordinary through the rest of the watches.
Rising from the ground Bowen tries to stretch his sour and tired muscles back into place. It has been to long since he had stayed out after a day of fighting.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he finds the trail extremely hard to pick up this morning. "I'm beginning to think if we do not hurry I may not be able to follow it much longer, the age of the tracks is growing."
"Best we give the magic users time to rest. We are probably going to need every advantage we can get."
"zzzz...Not my shoes ... they're mine ... zzzz," mumbles Rall.
Yawning, Arla rises sleepily from the ground, offering a pat to the large grey dog beside her. Stretching, she takes a few moments to wake up properly, before moving over to Bowen.
"I can try and help you pick up the trail, if you like."
Though Bowen has trouble finding the trail, Arla does so without any difficulty and soon the party is moving westward again, towards the mountain.
Travel across the green grass through light copses under the sun is vastly different than the previous journey through the sunless woods.
Only about a mile from where they camped the trail turns northward and as the party continues to follow it, they clear a rise and behold, squatting at the foot of the imposing mountain, a ruined monastery just north of them. Ancient gnarled trees grow around it.
Made of simple stone blocks, worn smooth with age, the stout building is starting to fall apart. It is clear that sections of the slanted shale roof have collapsed and portions of the outer wall have crumpled.
Tall grass, strange weeds and wild thorn plants cover the field between the monastery and the party. There is a slight indication of a the beginnings of a path from the woods towards the monastery. Not suprisingly the party is already on this path. This path ends at the ruined front doors of the monastery. A yard of sorts is just visible on the other side of the collapsed double doors.
Rall will try to slip quickly and quietly towards the door of the monastery without being seen. Once there, he will try to listen through the door and then search the door for traps.
Balnar stays with the casters for just now. This is too good a spot for there to be an ambush to take the chance.
A razorcrow atop a statue in front of the doors caws at Rall as he creeps close and then flaps away. There are two statues on either side of the fallen double doors. At least... there were two statues. The one on the right is little more than rubble. The other can still be seen to be a five foot tall statues of a dwarf holding aloft a hammer.
The doors are untrapped and it seems clear that there is a regular path over them.
Beyond the doors Rall can see a grass filled yard.
Rall, believing the coast to be clear, signals the rest to follow.
As the party moves past the statue and the double doors into the small yard of the monastery all is silent except for the sound of their own footfalls.
Tall grasses, waist high on the humans, and stone debris have overtaken the yard and the scene is one of abandonment and desolation.
There are the remains of a stable in the southwest corner of the yard, a collapsed pile of rotting timbers and moldy straw.
A squat three story tall tower on the southeast side of the yard is entered through a single door. The walls of the tower appear to still be sturdy.
Just north of the tower, the yard wall has collapsed, leaving a ragged hole into the wild. There is a door, north, out of the yard just next to the collapsed wall into the building proper.
There appears to be some sort of break in the weeds and grasses near the north western corner of the yard.
A set of double doors lead west out of the yard, into the largest part of the two story monastery.
Arla steps into the yard, glancing around herself at the ruins of the monastery.
"Where would they have gone from here..?" she muses out loud as she moves around the yard. Seeing the break in the grass, she moves over to the north-western corner to take a closer look, wondering what would cause this area to be clear of plants when the rest of the yard is full of them.
Arla steps into the yard, glancing around herself at the ruins of the monastery.
"Where would they have gone from here..?" she muses out loud as she moves around the yard. Seeing the break in the grass, she moves over to the north-western corner to take a closer look, wondering what would cause this area to be clear of plants when the rest of the yard is full of them.
There is a well here. Just north of the well is a corpse.
Arla suddenly stops on spotting the body next to the well, her eyes widening slightly before she places a hand on the scruff of Ash's neck to keep him close by. Turning back to the party, she hurridly beckons them over before moving towards the corpse to see who, or what, it once was and how it died. She hopes it's not one of the children that they were searching for..
The corpse is in a bad way. It was a man, but its now in an advanced state of decomposition, being mostly skin and bones. Arla surmises that some very large animal was responsible for the death of the man. He has likely been dead for several months, maybe even a year.
Rall inspects the stable: Perception (1d20+4=11)
Rall inspects the stable: Perception (1d20+4=11)
There are the skeletal remains of a pony among the grass weeds and rotting timber.
Some of the bones have been gnawed.
Rall inspects the stable: Perception (1d20+4=11)There are the skeletal remains of a pony among the grass weeds and rotting timber.
Some of the bones have been gnawed.
Unless interupted by the party, Rall takes 20 and searches the stables thoroughly for traps, creatures, and tunnels. I will move rotting hay and search under fallen planks.
Bowen looks around examining the area for any signs of tracks to see what uses this area and what may have brought the children here.
1d20+6=25
Bowen looks around examining the area for any signs of tracks to see what uses this area and what may have brought the children here.
There are tracks leading to all three of the doors, though the greater portion head towards the double doors. The children's tracks are here as are the tracks of their reptilian captors.
There are also numerous canine tracks, likely wolves, though there are some that are much larger that the typical wolf.
Rall meanwhile begins to minutely search a hundred and fifty square foot area (10x15) for secret doors or the like. It might take him a while but if it is there, he will no doubt find it.
Rall meanwhile begins to minutely search a hundred and fifty square foot area (10x15) for secret doors or the like. It might take him a while but if it is there, he will no doubt find it.
There are wolves, worgs, bears, gnolls, cats, snakes, boars, giant lizards, and gigantic vermin, all very capable of killing a man.
This looks to have been the work of a canine however, so Arla surmises it was either a very, very large wolf or some monstrous version of the same type.
"What's this then?!" asks Rall picking up a clump of what turns out to be dried horse's s&&&. "Ah ... never mind. Call me if you find anything."
As the others stand and stare, Rall reaches the conclusion that there is nothing underneath the collapsed stables of any worth.
Rall stands up, brushing the horse-s%~% off his hands and then realizes everyone is staring at him ... Defensively he asks: "Well? Did any of you find anything?"
"Well, besides the fact I'm never shaking your hand again I've found some rather large canine tracks with the normal wolf tracks. But the big thing is the children are here too. I think we have taken enough time away from the children lets hurry."
"Oh. I found out there used to be horses in the stable. But your news may be more ... relevant."
Rall follows Bowen's lead.
"There's a body near the well - a man. He's been dead a good while.. months, probably. It looks like the work of a huge canine of some sort.." Arla says, moving back through the tall grass to join the others.
As Bowen talks about continuing the search for the children, Arla nods in agreement. "We should keep careful watch if those canine tracks you found are recent. The wolves already know the taste of humans, it would seem."
"Okay then, ... so we've ALL found out something interesting," Rall says with only a hint of embarrassment. "Shall we go after the children now?"
"A very good idea. Would you like me on point? I have a bed feeling about this place."