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"Thank you for bringing it to our attention. We will investigate what can have caused such anxiety among the livestock", Linah says in a serene tone void of woes. "We should ask Grall and Nuveril to help look for tracks nearby", she says to Khalid.
"I suppose that would be in order, let's go see if they would be willing to help."
Approaching Nuveril and Grall, at separate times if need be...
"Would you provide your expertise on a matter? Hadrod has noticed that livestock appears to upset about something or another. Would you mind accompanying us to see if we can find tracks or anyother sign of what may be bothering the livestock?"
Perception:
Survival (Track):
Fail
Linah seems to be in a calm and peaceful mood the next day as she checks on the health of Khalid, Sajan and the mercenaries wounded in yesterday's combat.
At breakfast, a concerned looking Hadrod approaches Linah and Khalid. Cry pardon your emminences but there's something I thought you should know about. Something seems to have scared the animals real bad during the night. They're still not quite settled down. My poor Rombard has been in such a state. None of 'em are hurt and all are accounted for but gods save me I worry about what could 'ave frightened them so.
"Thank you for bringing it to our attention. We will investigate what can have caused such anxiety among the livestock", Linah says in a serene tone void of woes. "We should ask Grall and Nuveril to help look for tracks nearby", she says to Khalid.
1d20+3
You notice that Grall's hide has been taking on a reddish hue over the last few days. Maybe it is the sun dying his hair but you can swear that he doesn't pant as much as he used to...
Of course Khalid, I will help where I can.
Grall goes over to look at the area around the animals. He starts with their dung. After a good sniff and a little taste he gives the area near here a good sweep asking the others what they have seen to add to his observations...
Linah seems to be in a calm and peaceful mood the next day as she checks on the health of Khalid, Sajan and the mercenaries wounded in yesterday's combat.
At breakfast, a concerned looking Hadrod approaches Linah and Khalid. Cry pardon your emminences but there's something I thought you should know about. Something seems to have scared the animals real bad during the night. They're still not quite settled down. My poor Rombard has been in such a state. None of 'em are hurt and all are accounted for but gods save me I worry about what could 'ave frightened them so.
"Thank you for bringing it to our attention. We will investigate what can have caused such anxiety among the livestock", Linah says in a serene tone void of woes. "We should ask Grall and Nuveril to help look for tracks nearby", she says to Khalid.
1d20+3
The area in the vicinity of the animal pen has had a lot of recent traffic from the herders and others from the group but this is only little inconvenience for trackers of your skill. However, your search reveals no unusual tracks near the pen. You could widen it but that would obviously take a fair bit of time.
Grall will continue his search for the source of the problem until something else comes up or we have another plan. He now no longer worries about the heat of the day so he will continue to look during that time as well.
"Did you not recognize the demon which we slew?" Nuveril asks, as they search the area around the livestock pen. "I knew it when I heard its evil voice in my mind. It was the demon lover of that witch who abandoned us, the one that masqueraded as a being of light. I have little doubt that we will find her face behind the veil of the woman who sent the gnolls to track us." She looks up. "She could have another. Perhaps it flew overhead and spooked the animals; that is why we cannot find tracks."
Arjun watches from the rear of the group, feeling that his academic background is not as useless as he thought in the hinterlands of the desert...
Nuveril has no insight into the most tactically sound mode of exploration, but anything that provides her the opportunity to kill more gnolls sounds good to her.
Nuveril has no insight into the most tactically sound mode of exploration, but anything that provides her the opportunity to kill more gnolls sounds good to her.
Grall expands his search area but after another half an hours painstaking examination again finds nothing that could explain the animals apparent disquiet.
The rest of the group concludes a plan to continue exploration of the town and you scatter to make your preparations.
Before you leave Garavel suggests that you hear an update from Dashki on the situation in town following yesterday events. Almah appears to have worked through whatever was bothering her the night before, she wishes you luck and warns you to take care.
After you fought ém they were buzzing round like flies all day. A big group, hyena scum and their dogs, was moving around 'ta the south. Small groups too, in and out of the town but more out unless they came back after dark.
I've been watching today since sunnup and so far haven't seen a hair of ém. No patrols... I don't like it. They're planning something or I'm a goblin.
You depart the monastery taking the now familiar route north through the high rugged hills. You see no blink dogs this time but you can't shake the sense that they are still around and it seems as if you can vaguely hear the sound of barks on the wind.
About twenty minutes later, at the point where the high hills meet the lower rolling ones, you come across the body of a hyena laid out next to some rocks. It looks recently dead, no more than half a day and even in the less harsh morning heat the corpose is already starting to spoil. Its flanks and throat bear several of what look like bite marks.
Continuing, you make your way down to the flatland and further north toward Kelmarane. From a few hundred yards out the lower town looks quiet, just as Dashki said.
The White Tiger smiles at you and the world seems to warp and shift.
The next morning you remember only fragments of your lessons but it feels like a great deal of time passed in a single night. What was taught to you on the other hand you remember vividly as well as the basis of the Tiger's Code:
- violence is sometimes necessary, but the ki mystic derives no pleasure in its infliction and the mystic knows that violence leaves its mark on the doer as well as the victim;
- knowing and understanding is the true root of perfection.
The Tiger was as good as his word and you feel fully in tune with your ki for the first time in your life.
As an initiate of the White Tiger, Sajan gains 1/2 a ki point.
Strange, I was just remembering something about inherent bonuses for Sarenrae only and it was making me miffed. Thanks!
We struck a mighty blow and left the demon's corpse as an example. We should continue to strike fear into their hearts and assault the village once more...
About twenty minutes later, at the point where the high hills meet the lower rolling ones, you come across the body of a hyena laid out next to some rocks. It looks recently dead, no more than half a day and even in the less harsh morning heat the corpose is already starting to spoil. Its flanks and throat bear several of what look like bite marks.
Nuveril kneels down to see if she can detemine what made the bite marks.
Nuveril glowers at the halberd. "It is an accursed weapon. If it cannot be turned to our uses, it must be destroyed."
"Oh, you needed something looked at? I would be more than pleased, sirrah."
Knowledge (arcana)
Spellcraft
Nuveril skillfully examines the scene. From the way paw prints appear from nowhere you would say a few of the blink dogs ambushed a hyena making its way south.
Arjun has no problem identifying the halberd. It has a minor enchantment +1 and is made from some non-terrestrial black metal that adds an extra +5 to its hardness and +2 damage to sunder attempts.
.
Grall is fine with assaulting the Tannery...or whatever else you suggest :)
Something occurs to Grall, What if the superrrstitious one is rrright. What if they did use some otherrr flying crrreature to scout the arrrea and found out wherrre we arrre camped. Should we trrry to deterrrmine this firrrst? Trrry to see if they arrre prrreparring for an assault on us?
We have all day. It would be... wise to secure our surroundings first. We can attack at sundown.
"Ha," Nuveril gloats quietly, "the ancestor-dogs are still helping us. This must be one of the gnoll's animals which was trying to track us."
"Stop it", Linah says to Nuveril in a collected and yet stern tone. "Sabeen did help us to clear out the temple. She fought side by side with us against the pugwampis. If she and the demon was in alliance then would surely have tried to strike us down right there and then. The gnolls we've met earlier has also been oblivious to our presence. If Sabeen acts with the pack at Kelmare they would have been ready for us."
"But you do have a point that whatever frightened these animals could have been flying. Maybe it's the same thing that flew over the tannery as we slew the giant snake", she adds as Linah drifts of in thought.
"It eases my mind that we have found allies in the spirit dogs", Linah says as Nuveril explains what's transpired with the hyena.
"I agree with Sajan. We should take our time and study how the gnolls act after yesterdays assault."
You return to the monastery taking plenty of extra time to keep yourselves concealed and look for tracks and other signs of gnoll activity. You see plenty of tracks, both gnoll and hyena, but nothing from the last twelve hours or so.
You make it back to the monastery and engage in your own activities (seemingly ignoring the heat Grall continues to scout around) for the hot hours before preparing to set out again.
A sullen Dashki confirms no sightings of gnolls outside the upper town. They seem to have ceased all regular patrols as best as Dashki can tell. Noone in the group seems to know exactly what this can mean although several suggest it might be because the gnolls are gathering their forces for an assault. You note several increasingly worried faces around the group, particularly the servants and herders, as this theory spreads around. Linah finds that several of the former are starting to trail her around when not actively ordered to do something else.
I worry about those groups Dashki saw leaving. Surely the Kuldis here will be seeking reinforcements, muses Garavel. He orders everything still inside the wagons to be brought inside the monastery and as you leave you see both pact guards and mercenaries pushing the wagons into tighter positions and working further on the makeshift defences.
Arjun helps with preparations as he can. "Perhaps we should reconnaissance the town once more, to determine if they are massing their forces for an assault as Dashki has suggested?"
"If we leave here, they could attack in our absence," Nuveril frowns, obviously agitated at the thought of missing the fighting.
"If we leave here, they could attack in our absence," Nuveril frowns, obviously agitated at the thought of missing the fighting.
"We need to know what the gnolls are planning. We can not afford to wait for them to gather their strenght.", Linah replies but without her usual calm. The idea of an assault on the monestary is obviously troubling her.