Feeling better after a day of rest, Weylan takes a look around the abandoned encampment.
"It seems odd that lightning would strike so many times so closely. I wonder if instead of a sacrifice, the goblins got in a fight here. Perhaps with another of the local druids?" Weylan asks with a questioning glance towards Gravan.
"It could be, although I sincerely hope not. Calling weather this, um, severe down is no good for the forest or anything in it. Ah! I mean, look at these trees!" Gravan scuds around on the ground, straightening any bent saplings and righting uprooted bushes or small trees.
"Poor little plants. Poor big tree! No one I know would ever destroy a tree like this. They're like brothers to us. And much more agreeable than a regular brother! Some of the worst, ah, quarrels I've ever seen were between two brothers at the monastery. it was all fun and games until one of them tricked the other into eating a deathcap. The mood turned a little sour when he had to be reincarnated as a troglodyte. Try sharing a room with that! ...But I digress."
Spoiler:
Gravan is going to try a knowledge nature (+9) to see if this could possibly be natural, and if not he'll cast detect magic. Does Gravan know of any other druidic orders in the region?
"Well..." Inamar says uncertainly. "The only magic I see is here by the wolf. So I don't know. I suppose if there was a spell cast on the clouds, that would be too high for me to tell..."
She shrugs.
"It's interesting and all, but does it really matter? We still have to follow them, no matter what."
Gravan is going to try a knowledge nature (+9) to see if this could possibly be natural, and if not he'll cast detect magic. Does Gravan know of any other druidic orders in the region?
Spoiler:
Absolutely could have been natural, powerful storms are not unknown in Wildwood, though this was a particularly strong one.
Supposedly there is only one order of druids throughout the world, but in effect local circles are autonomous units and can conflict.
The local circle includes Tuor Felagund (the treant) Zallon (a dover druid), a swamp hag of some sort, a fey or elf of some sort, and one other Tuor has not told you anything about. Each of the Circle members may be alone or the head of a number of other druids. For instance Tuor is your patron. You have not heard that there are any druids among the goblins. The hag's swamp desmesne is closest to these parts of the goblin lands with the great river feeding into her marshes and bogs.
Druids can also go wandering or take on a solo hermitage or guardianship such as the Bloodthorne Guardian did. He was in contact with the Circle, but not anyone directly outside of the Circle until his lands were invaded and the Eye of Night stolen from his caretaking.
You are not aware of any other Circles or local hermit druids however, though you are sure Tuor knows of nonlocal Circles and has business with them.
Gravan furrows his brow as he cleans up the carnage. He speaks while he works.
"This looks like it could well have been just a regular old storm. At most, I'd guess that some, ah, magic could've been used to call down the bolts. As for this wolf... well maybe a few scavengers were here, at the carrion? Hmm. Inamar, you're probably right, we should move on. ...Now that I've finished fixing these poor trees."
"Although these tracks, I don't know what on earth they are."
Rooth snifs the air takes another good look aorund the dead wolf to me sure she didnt miss anything. 'We better start following them'.
Rooth starts moving after the tracks as fast she can while beeing alert, she snifs the air now and then taking breaths of humid air, her ears pointing forward catching sounds of birds. Her eyes moving from left to right spoting small animals on the way.
__________________ ~With Us Three Under Water You Will See the Beauty of the World~
The party heads out, the evidence of the force of the storm is abundant with downed trees and branches. The earth is damp and tracks show up more easily, goblin, warg, rat, and other.
After a few hours of travelling Rooth notes a split in the trail with markings heading down both trails. A smaller band of wargs and goblins seems to have split off down the left hand trail while the main band continues on the right.
The left hand band will probably move swifter than the main group.
Inamar looks one way, then the other, then looks at Rooth.
"Which way?" she asks. "I don't think we should split up..."
'Left small fast group' 'right bigger slower group'
'If we are out to kill them' Rooth lifts a eyebrown at them all 'we should pick up the speed and attack the smaller group fast and quick' 'then backtrack to follow the bigger and take them out with less bull headed tactics'
__________________ ~With Us Three Under Water You Will See the Beauty of the World~
I agree with Rooth says Syfer after a few seconds, the first thing he's said in quite some time take out both groups, that way we won't have to worry about more goblins when we find their camp.
"So...left first?" Inamar prods, swaying theatrically to and fro as she tentatively starts down that path. "Also...maybe we should consider not killing one and seeing if we can get it to talk?"
"So...left first?" Inamar prods, swaying theatrically to and fro as she tentatively starts down that path. "Also...maybe we should consider not killing one and seeing if we can get it to talk?"
Rooth passes Inamar by some feet and nods at the comment about not slaying them all.
__________________ ~With Us Three Under Water You Will See the Beauty of the World~
"Left path... right path. A smaller group is easier to deal with. Ah, and it's less likely that one can escape and flee to their camp. We should certainly capture one, or more than one. Plus, the quicker group is likely going to warn of pursuit. Perhaps we should, erm, make haste."
Gravan shifts into his wild form. "Well then. Left path. Shall we away?"
After more than a day of standing and following mutely, NR4ZN's voice rumbles to life. "With your approval Lady Inamar, I will use non-lethal measures only." With that, The robot turns towards the path on the left, standing just a fraction of an inch taller.
"Uh...okay," Inamar agrees, a little taken aback by NR4Z's sudden speech. After the initial surprise clears though she walks alongside the large robot, occasionally glancing up at it's 'head-equivalent-.
The party takes the left path after the swifter but smaller worg splinter group and heads down the trail. Weylan ranging, Rooth occasionally verifying that tracks continue on the path, then NR4ZN acting as point for the main party's travel formation.
Devastation from the storm is evident as the party eventually comes across two downed large trees, one lying diagonally across another, both blocking the trail and forcing either circumnavigating through dozens of yards of heavy brush on either side of the trail or precariously climbing over the downed trunks with the branches making this awkward.
Linear Mode
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