OOC: I'm still here. I think I was waiting for El Jefe to bring us to the rock so we could speak with the animals.
OoC: I saw a (then) recent post by LiquidBlue in another thread, and left a reminder for him there thinking he would soon see it and check this thread.
OOC: Alright, that's 2/3 for returning to the RDI. We should probably wait for El Jefe to give the go ahead. We'll wait a day or two for him, and if there's contact by then, we'll just... say the bandits were found to be his own guards and they're being punished. Does that sound alright? It's annoying, we got through all the pre-XP stuff and now we return empty-handed. Bugger.
OOC: Alright, that's 2/3 for returning to the RDI. We should probably wait for El Jefe to give the go ahead. We'll wait a day or two for him, and if there's contact by then, we'll just... say the bandits were found to be his own guards and they're being punished. Does that sound alright? It's annoying, we got through all the pre-XP stuff and now we return empty-handed. Bugger.
This certainly feels to be a dead-on-the-vine enterprise. I'm all for heading back, too.
While we'll have no pay or treasure, I do believe LEW has a "time spent" XP reward, though, meant to make this sort of thing sting a little less; so, it's not entirely for naught.
The group makes the trek to the site of the robbery. The animals know nothing, they were more concerned with food and mating. The group decides to continue to the next town, to look for more clues. Upon arrival, they are greeted by the gate guard, "Hail! Are you the investigators hired by Sir Scodi?" Aye, is the reply. "The bandits were found, good men. You are freed from your contract, Sir Scodi has offered to finance your trip back to Orussus. He thanks you for your time and apologizes for any inconvenience he has caused you. A wagon caravan is leaving today. You can leave with them. Carry on, good folk."
OOC: I hope I'm not stepping out of line by orchestrating this.
I'm still here. Any hope of reconsidering? By my count, we're down 2 players, and we have a DM who is quite guilty of procrastination by way of distraction. Would a few quick posts change things around?
OOC: There you are! I'm all for playing this thing out. It just felt like everybody, especially the stand-in DM, had lost interest. Not that I blame you, Boss, it wasn't your quest to begin with. But if you're ready and willing to go on, so am I. It would take far longer to go back to RDI, get a new group, and wade through another exposition. So if you're up for it, so am I.
Joru announced that he would stay behind with Dae, reducing the travellers to three that day. Eanos, Quarion, and Alden all made the journey down, across, and up the great pit of Fallon, and out the gate on the other side. The road beyond was unfamiliar to Alden, but the traffic was so great and the road so well marked that even a simpleton could have followed it. The trio stuck to the road this time, winding its way past farms, meadows, and woods as it meandered through the rolling hills outside the city.
Eanos and Quarion observed that progress was much faster on the well-trodden road than it had been over the crests of the hills beside it, and an hour before noon they had surpassed the previous day's progress. They passed several twists in the road that were covered by close hills, and a few rocky outcrops, but couldn't convince themselves that they had found the place that had been described to them as the scene of the ambush. Just as they were considering a stop for lunch, they came across a promising boulder, one that had probably rolled down the nearby slope eons ago to land beside the path of what later became a road connecting great cities.
Just as they were considering a stop for lunch, they came across a promising boulder, one that had probably rolled down the nearby slope eons ago to land beside the path of what later became a road connecting great cities.
Eanos stops, pointing to the rock. "Well, even if this isn't the proper spot, the rock will make for good shade to rest and eat under once we're done searching, yes?"
Alden winces as Eanos announces their presence. Still, too late to formulate plans now. He holds up one finger for silence while he skirts around the outside of the boulder. Just in case the bandits just hang out here normally instead of waiting for notice. He does his best to keep out of sight while he checks for anyone on the other side.
ooc
Hide +6, Move Silently +6
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
Quarion waits quietly while Alden surveys the area. He doesn't expect the man to find anything, but he lets him do what he must. When Alden has finished looking around, Quarion comments, "If this is indeed the site of the robbery, I am surprised. This road is well traveled, we have passed many humans carting wares in both directions. It is difficult for me to believe that this crime was both isolated and unwitnessed." He shakes his head. "On second thought, perhaps I am not so surprised, even if there were witnesses. Humans are the only creatures who would allow their own kind to be so violated without intervening."
The proud elf steps to the edge of the road and stands very still. Turning, he says, "You both should eat. I have been feeding all day. Be quiet, if you would. I will return shortly." With that, Quarion Holimion walks away from the road to speak with animals of the wilderness.
Once he feels that he's far enough away from the bustle of the road, Quarion sets about finding a tree. He has sent Garma away, knowing that most animals won't find a wolf very attractive. He figures his best bet will be a bird of some sort, hopefully a bird of prey. They are the most intelligent of the winged beasts and have excellent sensory perception. In Quarion's experience, other birds see much but see very little. He tries calling the various birds native to the area. He considers offering some food, an excellent way to win over animals of all kinds, but hawks prefer their prey hot and living. Quarion respects that. As he wanders, he slips into a bit of a trance, feeling the flow of the green around him, hoping his connection with nature will aid his summons.
OOC:
Boss, I don't know how you want to handle this. Quarion has Handle Animal +8, Knowledge (Nature) +8, Survival +10, and Wild Empathy (animal Diplomacy) +5. I know nothing about finding a hawk, but I imagine he could do it. In the event that no hawk can be found, I guess I'll make a Knowledge (nature) check to think of another animal to befriend and question. Once he finds a suitable animal (one nearby, capable of seeing the events, and somewhat intelligent), he plans to charm it and speak with it.
OOC: Mmm... okay, I'm sorry, this isn't going anywhere. We've given it a few tries, the ol' heave ho, but it's not taking off. I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anyone, especially not El Jefe. I really admire your DMing skills, and I completely understand that this is not a priority. So let's return to the RDI, and maybe, just maybe, El Jefe will have his own quest waiting there. If not, we can always join another group. I'm thinking we'll just say this:
Quarion successfully finds a hawk. The hawk is haughty and proud at first, but Quarion wins the regal bird over with reverence and praise. The bird tells the druid of the robbery it witnessed while searching for food. Some of the guards turned on the others and hid the goods, to return for them later. Quarion thanks the noble hawk and returns to the others with the good news. They return to the city to accuse the guards with their new information, but they are too late. Somehow, Sir Scodi has already discovered the guards' plot, and they have been arrested by the city guard. The goods have been recovered. Sir Scodi apologizes profusely for dragging the adventurers all the way from Orussus for nothing, but there's nothing he can do. He offers to pay for their journey home, and he splurges a bit on the carriage and the dining arrangements. The companions, disappointed, don't put up much of a fight.
The trip is far more luxurious than the previous one. The companions are glad to take a load off their feet, after all the walking they did, and even Quarion enjoys the food. They make it to the Red Dragon Inn in about the same time it took them to travel the opposite direction. Both journeys promised adventure. Hopefully, this second journey will lead to it.
OOC: Again, no offense. How much experience over time should we get? If the Boss can verify whatever that is, we can officially move on.
For time spend adventuring, 50XPs will be assigned per level per month, to a maximum of 400 XPs/month for PCs level 8 and above. This modified amount will be effective for XPs assigned after this proposal is accepted, however, PCs adventuring on 05-29-05, 03:03 PM (GMT) will get the higher of the revised amount per this proposal, or 100 XPs/ month. Thus this proposal will not reduce the XPs to be awarded to any current adventurer.
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