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On the fourth day of Neth, the winterwinds are just starting to blow, but the morning has started out warm with the sun shining down upon the town of Kassen. Its the perfect day for a walk or, for the party, to start an adventure.
Each of you has been informed to come to town square at noon and to be ready to travel light, carrying what you absolutely need; weapons, armor, spellbooks and the like. Rations and other generic equipment will be provided to each of you before you set out.
As each of you arrive in town square, it is empty except for the other members of the group. Then the bells atop the Temple of Erastil toll their midday song, echoing throughout the quiet town of Kassen. As the peals begin to fade, the first of the townsfolk make their way into the square, dressed in black, as if attending a funeral. They slowly fill the square, moving quietly across the cold, hard ground, their eyes downcast and mournful. After a few moments, a murmur passes through the crowd as it slowly parts to let Mayor Uptal through. He leads the way with a tarnished silver lantern. Behind him, an old pony drags a cart laden with backpacks and supplies.
Once he reaches the center of the crowd, Mayor Uptal stops and calls out to the assembled townsfolk. “Once again the winter winds blow through the Fangwood, marking the end
of another harvest. There are wolves in the woods, howling at our walls, and serpents in our shadows, waiting to strike. Just as it was one hundred and seventy-four years ago, when Kassen himself left these walls to protect us, so it is today. Where are the heroes? Where are the brave folk that will venture out to Kassen’s tomb and retrieve the flame to keep this community safe for another winter?”
When the party steps forward, he presents each of you with one of the backpacks, filled with supplies, then continues to speak this time towards the rest of the townsfolk. “I present to you the brave heroes who will follow in Kassen’s footsteps to retrieve the Everflame! Some of them may not return, but I say to you that their sacrifice shall not be forgotten. Go, brave heroes, and do not return until you have the eternal fire.” With that, the mayor points to the south, the direction of Kassen’s tomb. The townsfolk begin waving goodbye with cold, solemn looks on most of their faces, though some of the younger children are unable to maintain the appearance of this solemn cerimony. The funeral like send-off is a tradition, thus the party is thrown the night before to allow the celebration to be vented early.
With the speech given and the somber crowd watching, the mayor then turns to look at the group once more. "Which of you will have the have the honor of bearing the latern and will be tasked with bringing the fire back to Kassen?"
The contents of the backpacks are listed below:
Beilin
5 days rations
1 small tent
1 winter blanket
1 full waterskin
1 torn piece of map
50 feet of hempen rope
Bandar
5 days rations
1 small tent
1 winter blanket
1 full waterskin
1 torn piece of map
1 box of tinder with three tindertwigs
Drosk
5 days rations
1 small tent
1 winter blanket
1 full waterskin
1 torn piece of map
1 labeled potion of cure light wounds
Manduzi
Naria
5 days rations
1 small tent
1 winter blanket
1 full waterskin
1 torn piece of map
1 small bottle of local brandy
Thindar
Velios
5 days rations
1 small tent
1 winter blanket
1 full waterskin
1 torn piece of map
1 labled vial of antitoxin
Tarlane:
Velios
** spoiler omitted **
Tarlane:
Inward Reflection
At the mention of who would carry the torch, Beilin perks up, it should be me. Then after a moment of reflection he decides that it would be a bad idea for him to be responsible for the flame on account of how many unusual things seem to happen to him especially when in a position of responsibility. Kind of like the time when the gates to Farmer Marls pig pen broke while Beilin was feeding the animals. It wasn't his fault the dirty swines trampled the neighbors prize tulips and then moved on to drag down a whole farmhouses linens through the muddy pastures, but to hear the town elders talk about it you would think I planned the whole thing training the pigs and what not. No if I carried the flame a giant hawk would swoop down and snatch the whole lantern, or a sudden windstorm would knock it out of my hand and extinguish it, better to leave this kind of responsibility to one of the favored sons of Kassen.
Beilin accepts the pack from Mayor Uptal graciously thanking him for the chance. The mayor pauses briefly as if questioning the judgment of allowing Beilin to participate, just for a second before moving on to the next youth.
Feeling a little uneasy about all the not returning and sacrifice comments the mayor made, Velios steps up and grabs his pack and thanks Mayor Uptal. Turning back towards the group he says softly. "Who wants to carry the flame? Maybe we should have discussed this earlier."
Thindar feels a bit more confident now that he's a bit more in his element than he was in the inn surrounded by townsfolk. The idea of travel and the wilds sets Thindar's minds to his training and his drive to prove himself.
"While I'd appreciate the honor of carrying the light, my eyes are . . . better in the dark, and I'd rather keep my senses as sharp as possible once we get the flame lit."
"I do not mind carrying it. I just wanted everyone's opinion before bearing the flame." Velios adds not wanting to sound as if he didn't want to.
"Maybe we should wait till we get to the flame before we begin to argue who should carry it."Naria pipes up whilst going through her supplies pausing for a moment to wonder if whoever packed it was having a laugh when she gets to the bottle of brandy.
"Maybe we should wait till we get to the flame before we begin to argue who should carry it."Naria pipes up whilst going through her supplies pausing for a moment to wonder if whoever packed it was having a laugh when she gets to the bottle of brandy.
"That is fine by me Naria, but I also meant carrying the lantern there." Velios adds with a quick shrug of his shoulders.
"Oh well I prefer to have my hands free so no thanks" She makes a few punch motions to emphasise her point.
Seeing Narias brandy makes Bandar go through his own pack. When he finds no brandy in his own gear, he coughs to get the mayors attention. "There seem te have been a misunderstandin', Mr. Mayor. Ya see, the wee one's gettin' the booze while i see none in me own pack. With the cold this time a'year one might think ya were tryin' te freeze us te death' afore we make the tomb." He says with a wink.
"As fer the lantern ther', i'm more fer hittin' things, than carry things." he says to Velios
Beilin struggles to organize the contents of his pack, as he does so he comes across the small torn fragment of the map.
"Eh? What's this now?"
He holds it up to look at before shrugging and sliding it into his pocket.
"hmm, maybe this will come in handy later."
After carefully repacking his bag he is also saddened not to find a flask of brandy. Once his pack is on and he is ready to go he will begin to fidget with his quarterstaff, twirling it around in his hands.
Continues to twirl quarterstaff..... occasionally emulating (probably incorrectly) fighting stances he has seen the young monks take during practice. It must be getting on close to noon now Beilin thinks to himself.
Velios turns back to the mayor "I will carry the lantern. Though I may not be the one who returns with it." Velios grabs the lantern and quickly places it i his bag. Turning back to the group "It would be best to get this show on the road."
Being a neophyte adventurer, and an overconfident one at that, I doubt Beilin would be the one to consider any special precautions unless I know that there are bandits or marauding orcs in the immediate area.
Knowledge (local)
In regards to a point man probably Thindar the ranger would be the logical choice, what say you all?
Manduzi takes his pack from the Mayor and bows respectfully. He busies himself with checking the contents of his supplies while his companions debate on the responsibility of bearing the lantern, taking special note of the piece of map, which he decides to keep closer to him and puts it in a chest pocket. Finally when he returns his full attention to the group, he places a hand on the narrow shoulder of Velios "It's a great honor to bear the lantern Velios. I vow not to let you fall." He states this with false grandeur, a tone of sarcasm only slightly audible in his voice. He leans in close to give a wink to affirm any suspicions Velios might have had that it was indeed sarcasm. He smiles and moves now swiftly to the side of Thindar"I propose that our large ally and I take point."
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The mayor nods his head as he hands the lantern to Velios, giving him a smile. "Good luck to you, son. To all of you. May Kassen's light lead you, and may you walk with the blessings of all the good gods."
With that said he steps back, walking by to grasp each of your hands and shake them. Many of the other townsfolk shuffle by to do the same, and though by tradition after this point of the ceremony they are all to return to their lives and leave you be until you have proven yourself to be citizens in your own right, most find reason to idle in the square to keep an eye on you.
"Well then shall we head off gents?"
Not really waiting for a response Beilin will begin to walk down the trail using his quarterstaff as a walking stick. He will glance back relatively quickly hoping the others are following, waiting if they aren't.
As he walks he fishes the torn piece of a map from his pocket, scrutinizing it for any clue, but for the most part it reveals very little.
Drosk has been silent throughout the ceremony and the distribution of the backpacks of equipment. "So this is how an adventure begins," the young dwarf thinks to himself. "I wonder if this is how it was for Father, or for Uncle Braggar..."
Drosk's musings continue along that vein throughout the subsequent discussions amongst his fellows regarding who would bear the lantern of the Everflame. Drosk is about to volunteer when Velios steps up to bear the lantern. "Ah, good," he thinks, "Velios is a responsible young man. He will be a good bearer."
Drosk shakes hands with the mayor and several other townsfolk. Drosk's Uncle Braggar grips the young dwarf in a tight bear hug for several moments as his Aunt Beryl looks on with tears of pride. The gruff older dwarf releases his nephew and clasps his shoulder. "Your father would be proud," he says, "I know I am." With those words, Braggar and Beryl bid farewell to Drosk and make their way into the crowd.
"Well then shall we head off gents?"
At Beilin's words, Drosk shoulders his pack and follows the young human. Seeing Beilin take a torn piece of paper from his pocket and examine it, Drosk pulls a similar piece of paper from his pack and says, "Hey, there was one of those in my pack, too. What do you think they are?"
After placing the lantern is his pack Velios hears Drosk's comment and remembers seeing the a piece of paper in his too. Taking the paper out, Velios puts his pack on, grabs his guisarme and walks over to Beilin and Drosk. "I have one also." Holding it out for them to see.
"I figured this might be a point of interest." he remarks, pulling out his piece of the map. "I'm guessing this leads us to our destination. Mine takes us on a trail through the serpent hills."
"Hmm mine looks like it's got a part of a town and a trail leading away into a forest, maybe the town is Kassen? Once we get out of sight of the town let's stop and see if we can fit our pieces together."
Untrained Knowledge Geography (bardic ability)
"Mine looks like mostly forest with a river and what I would think is the town in the corner." Naria says from her place in the group "Maybe we should try joining them all together to see what we get?"
"Mine marks a trail past an unknown lake and into the Serpent Gorge." Velios adds. "We should move outside of town then." Velios looks at Beilin nodding.
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You move just south of town and out of sight without much more fanfare, though a few people, particularly those younger then you who have not yet taken the trial themselves do give you nods.
Once out of sight you take a moment to try and piece together the bits of map you have been given.
Making intelligence checks as you try and sort out the various pieces...
Velios
Naria
Beilin
Manduzi
Drosk
Bandar
Thindar
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Though several of you show various levels of skill with the pieces of the map, the cleric proves to be surprisingly skilled with it, quickly finding matching landmarks and fitting the pieces together int he dust of the road so a more full image of the trail is granted, even going so far as to flip Velios' piece the right way for him.
Once all pieced together and in line, you end up with this:
"Ah Well done Drosk....I see it now. Well lets see if we can make it too the gray lake before nightfall then."
Looking a bit embarrassed, Velios scratches and shakes his head. "Aye, it looks like I would be heading north if I were on my own. Thanks Drosk."
"The Gray Lake sounds like a good spot Beilin, let us get on our way."
"Manduzi and Thindar, will you do us the honor of scouting the path."
If my experience growing up here and my general knowledge of the local area + my bardic knowledge leads me to believe either first hand or second hand that there is a shortcut through the woods. I will apply all of my charm and diplomacy trying to convince the group that we should take it, after all we are on an adventure who stays on the main road in an adventure.
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You can't think of too many smaller trails that could provide a shortcut through the woods, but there isn't so much in the way of underbrush that it makes for walking that is particularly more difficult than it would be on the trail. Pros and cons of the two:
Trail:
-Easy to follow directly to the crypt.
-More likely to encounter others, whether friendly travelers or bandits.
Woods:
-Could cut off some time.
-Could get turned around or lost.
-Unlikely to meet people, but more likely to encounter animals who would avoid humans.
The woods would probably be faster, but with chances of getting lost are more risky so you'll be much more reliant on survival checks.
"The Gray Lake sounds like a good spot Beilin, let us get on our way."
"Aye, let's get off our buttocks, and on the road instead o' sittin' 'round here."
Thindar moves about twelve "paces" ahead of the rest of the party, and starts to look around at the ground and the surrounding area.
For the GM:
If I happen to actually notice any tracks with that roll, I'll make a Knowledge (Nature) check to see if the tracks are creatures related to that particular skill,
And finally I'll make a Knowledge (Geography) check to make sure I can reconcile the map's features to what I see around me,
Thindar beings to wander off, looking around at his surroundings and down at the ground. To no one in particular, Thindar says absently, "I hope no one took me not wanting to carry the lantern the wrong way."
I don't see any need to wander off the path.
"Let's get a move on, it may be warm now but I bet it cools down a great deal once the sun get's behind those trees."
Pointing towards the dense trees to the west.
I don't see any need to wander off the path.
"Let's get a move on, it may be warm now but I bet it cools down a great deal once the sun get's behind those trees."
Pointing towards the dense trees to the west.
After Beilin mentions the weather after dark, Thindar takes a look at the sky and pays attention to the wind for a few moments.
Thindar being to silently berate himself for not remembering his mentor's teachings as well as he would like.
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Thindar
The only tracks that you find that seem very fresh appear to be those of an adult humanoid male who seems to walk with a cane of some sort. You'll notice the tracks several times throughout the day and into the afternoon.
The trip along the trail through the woods is actually a rather pleasant one, the mix of trees that still hold their pine needles and the red and gold leaves scattered across the ground is a beautiful one and the air is just crisp enough to be refreshing through the hike.
After several hours of walking, you are just nearing the broken glade as the trail narrows some, the forest growing more and more dense in the mile or so around the clearing. Up ahead a large tree has fallen across the trail, knocking down another tree atop it so it almost forms a barrier.
Thindar is so used to his mentor picking up on any track that he notices, he almost forgets to mention to the rest of the party, but then calls to the rest.
"Someone has been walking around here, probably someone with a walking stick or a cane. He's been all over around here. Most likely an adult male of one of the taller races."
At Thindar's warning, Velios readies his guisarme and slows his pace. "Everyone keep alert." Velios says in a hushed voice.
At Velios' warning, Drosk draws his warhammer and readies his shield, peering about for any signs of ambush.
Manduzi quickly draws his rapier, the thin blade slicing the air with a decisive thwack as he assumes his opening stance,a single handed low guard. Manduzi holds the rapier at his side, the blade pointed down. His feet shoulder width apart, just as Sir Drammot had instucted. The blade was like a natural extinction of his arm, the hilt held with the thumb pointing down the length of it to allow for smaller, tighter, more accurate strikes. Manduzi held the hilt tightly, but not so tight as to limit the fluidity of his movements. He inhaled deeply as he put his back against that of Velios. "Circle the Wagons." He calls out. "Leave a blind eye to no flank." He certainly didn't know if they had a fight upon their young hands, but he didn't plan to be ambushed.
Quickening his pace, Velios motions forward with his hand. "Let us keep moving to the lake. Heed Manduzi's word."