Horace takes the scroll case with a nod of his head, and climbs the plank to the ship. He's carrying a rucksack made from some sort of leather and his ever-present rifle. As soon as gets aboard, he finds a quiet corner and unfurls the maps, his brow creased as he studies them.
__________________ Originally Posted by Piratecat:
See, that's the thing. A half-vampire gelatinous cube ninja of legend is patently absurd. An unkillable blob of midnight slime that haunts the crevices of an ancient inn, that leaves slime-covered and blood-drained carcasses behind it as it slinks back into the shadows, is just plain scary.
If you're trying for style without player metagaming, change physical appearance and never label anything. As the Shaman and other folks illustrated, everything can be more frightening when you don't know what the heck you're facing.
Adele has a hard time adjusting at first--the slightly uneven motion of the boat makes her a bit queasy. But by the second day she's recovered her vitality and spends her afternoon seated near the prow of the ship, impatiently watching the river roll past.
Grant walks aboard the ship, in all his noble finery. A rapier is at one hip and a pistol at the other. A small shield is strapped to his back. The sunlight glitters off his rings, and the finely crafted hilt of his rapier. He greets the captain with a smile and handshake. He stands near the railing once they are moving, feigning interest in the passing waters, while he discreetly scans the deck for any attractive and or rich women.
There are few other passengers on the ship; casual conversation with the crew reveals that Father Mikel offered a substantial payment for the ship to leave two days early. Indeed, the route you are on is the preferred trade route to the Maradal Prinicipalities; over sea down the Cyre River to Lake Cyre, then by rail from House Jorasko's home city of Ulara to the capital. Of course, you will be disembarking well before then -- before the river truly turns south, in fact.
Your travel on the Lyrander steamship ends abruptly, as you leave the Maria Vanatar in a small town that apparently sees just enough trade to justify stopping here, but hardly more than that. Digg's End is one of the rare permanent settlements in the Alindan Plains, for centuries the first stopping point of anyone who wants to try their hand search for ancient Cyran artifacts in what was once the Mournland.
A major earthquake in 782 AS (the current year is 830 AS) carved open a series of new chasms that many thought would lead to new discoveries. They yielded little, though, and the burst of activity has tapered off again.
Horace's map points you a few miles east of the town; apparently Aerdane's device crashed in or near one of the chasms that the earthquake carved out.
Doc disembarks, his clothes clearly marking him as a well-to-do city folk in this small, rural town. He does not act out of place, however, and does not make any obvious fool of himself.
Once everyone is gathered at the docks, he raises a question. Pulling the cigar from his mouth, he asks, "Perhaps we should ask obliquely about town for the latest word---perhaps a whisper of nefarious doings behind the cause of our journey may be revealed. I would have never have found the Irontown Fragment if it was not for some midwife in the town."
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
Grant steps off the ship, his knees wobble for a moment as they return to solid ground. "I agree Doc. We need information before we do much of anything. Gathering that would be area of expertise. Follow my lead okay?" Grant begins walking toward a nearby inn, waiting for the others to follow.
"I'm not much good with the speakin'. I'll jus' see about gettin' the horses fed and watered up and see how much the map is worth," Horace drawls, heading toward a stable. While there, he'll see to the horses and try to ask the stablehands about any flying ships they might or might not have seen lately.
__________________ Originally Posted by Piratecat:
See, that's the thing. A half-vampire gelatinous cube ninja of legend is patently absurd. An unkillable blob of midnight slime that haunts the crevices of an ancient inn, that leaves slime-covered and blood-drained carcasses behind it as it slinks back into the shadows, is just plain scary.
If you're trying for style without player metagaming, change physical appearance and never label anything. As the Shaman and other folks illustrated, everything can be more frightening when you don't know what the heck you're facing.
Doc nods at Grants suggestion. As Horrance begins to leave, he whispers to all, "Just do not say anything... out of place. Folks probably not expecting anything of a 'flying' variety. Let them mention it first, do you understand?"
Doc then follows Grant's lead, assisting in the questioning.
OOC: Doc can assist on a Gather Info check.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
Doc and Grant had very different methods in subtly asking questions at the town's only inn and tavern -- which seemed to serve as the main place for townspeople to gather when they weren't working. But they managed to play off each other well, and discovered a few things.
"I was waiting tables a three days ago when I head this loud BOOM. Everyone went outside to look, and something was falling out of the sky." A serving girl told Grant, delighted that he'd shown some interest in her.
"Don't rightly know what it was. It looked like one of those airships of legend were supposed to have looked -- if someone shot a hole in it." One of the handful of treasure-seekers that still came through the town told Doc.
"Heading out east? I'd be wary. Something's moved in from the south, or bubbled up from Khyber, or the Flame knows what else it could be." A grizzled frontiersman told Grant.
Oops should've posted earlier, was going to RP it out. I would've taken ten on the Gather Info check as well with my social intuition ability. That raise the check by 4 if it would help any. Sorry bout the confusion.
Oops should've posted earlier, was going to RP it out. I would've taken ten on the Gather Info check as well with my social intuition ability. That raise the check by 4 if it would help any. Sorry bout the confusion.
EvolutionKB
Really wouldn't have helped any; everything you could learn in town was learnable at DC 15. And, really, the module setup was a little bit different from the one I'm using, and had the PCs bypassing the town entirely...
Doc thanks the adventurer, and makes his way to the front of the town's small tavern, waiting for Grant. When they are all gathered, he shares what he found out. "If one person saw it, others might of as well. So expect some other 'interested' parties than the ones we are expecting."
If no one has any other preparations to make, he prepares to join Horrace with the horses.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
If the serving girl is at all pretty, Grant gives her a wink, and says, "Thanks for the tip, I'll see you when I get back in town."
At the rumor from the frontiersman Grant shakes his hand and says, "Thank you, be careful out there, you never know where evil things may lurk."
Once back with his comrades, Grant also fills them in with what he saw. "Obviously we are in the right area. The device was seen here, and dark things are stirring. They might not be connected, but they could threaten this place, and frankly, I don't appreciate what they might do here. Especially to the pretty ladies." He gives Doc a little nudge with his elbow and a wink to illustrate what he might have seen inside.
If the serving girl is at all pretty, Grant gives her a wink, and says, "Thanks for the tip, I'll see you when I get back in town."
The girl -- who's attractive in a 'girl next door' kind of way, especially with the half-pointed ears that deliniate Khorvar blood, but can't be much past twenty (if she were human, you'd guess she was sixteen or seventeen) -- blushes, nods, and gets back to work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EvolutionKB
At the rumor from the frontiersman Grant shakes his hand and says, "Thank you, be careful out there, you never know where evil things may lurk."
"You're right welcome, and don't you young fellows be worrying about me." He replies.
Adele nods slowly as she listens to Grant and Doc's report. "This hole in the hull...hmm." Adele quickly looks over at Doc. "Mister Lyrander, I have a question for you. I am not sure how high an altitude a device such as this would ordinarily occupy, but I assume that for any hole in the hull to be visible from the ground, by the unaided eye, it would have to be a fairly large hole, am I correct?"
"If the explosion came from inside the ship, then we could expect numerous pieces of the hull to have rained down across the village. I have no doubt something like that would have been made mention of by the townsfolk, so this information appears to confirm our suspicions of an external attack. In point of fact, it sounds very much like cannonshot, to me." She smiles as she rests her hand on the ivory-handled pistol at her hip. "You will have to trust me--I am very familiar with the basics of elementary ballistics."
Adele looks off to the horizon, her eyes wary. "I think we can all agree that time is of the essence, and we should be on our guard. Horace, are you prepared to lead us into the plains?"
"On our way out of town, we should all stop by the provisioner's shop and acquire some extra food and water. If there are survivors--and we should hope that there are--they will have been without supplies for several days. I pray that they at least managed to find some source of water."
Adele shoulders her pack and looks defiantly back at the group. "All ready then? Good. I suggest we move out as soon as Horace is ready. Oh, and Mister Grant? May I have a word with you?"
To Grant
"I know this may sound paranoid, Mister Grant, but we cannot rule out the possibility that someone in this village may be allied with our as-yet unknown assailants. Since Horace will be concentrating on the trail ahead of us, I would like to ask you to watch our rear. Your eyes are at least as sharp as his, and I have no wish to be caught off guard by an attack from behind."
"Doctor d'Lyrandar, or just Doc if you please," the Khovar corrected. It sounded like an automatic action, like breathing, done without thought. As they walked to the horses, the rest of his reply was less perfunctory. "Doubt any debris fell down here---it is possible fire or smoke from a distance would indicate a hole, even from some distance, just like wildfires are visible from afar. But, caution is warranted in any case."
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
"Doc is right, I think if debris fell from the sky, somebody would have said something. The hole still could be from a cannon I suppose though."
When Grant is pulled aside by Adele and the favor is asked he replies, "Yes no problem, there are probably things that would like to sneak up on us. Just know it would be better if we meet anything, that I move near the front, whether that thing be some necromancer or just a traveler. As far as allies here in the village, I have a contact here, I may be able to get some more information out of her on our return. Come let us get us some food and water then." Once they arrive, and Grant reaches into his money pouch to find it devoid of much coin. He says to Horace, "You are skilled at finding food in wild correct? Well, to tell you the truth I am not a big fan of rations at all. While you search for food in the wild, could you bring me back some as well?"
Riding to the east, Horace quickly realizes that he's coming to the end of his maps' usefulness. Clearly Aerdane's devise crashed somewhere around here...
Quote:
Originally Posted by boxed text
The mountain rising above Dig's End splits here, forming a narrow cleft that extends into the foothills. A triangular cave entrance pierces the rock wall at the rear of the hollow. Small, thorny bushes dot the shale-covered ground within the cleft, and many have found purchase in the rocky ledges overlooking the area. The distant roar of a massive waterfall is barely audible.
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