A Merc's Life: Howl of the Carrion King [03]

Harnrey: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

A New Day Dawns!

The mercs awake bright and early. The high desert air still holds a bit of the previous night's chill. You make your way to the mess hall set up by Harod and Hadrah (the wrangler/cooks). The changes wrought in the defunct temple of Vardishal in the past couple of days are amazing. Walls and ceilings are being shored up, all of the refuse has been cleared. The industrious merchants and guards are even making inroads into the overgrown garden/courtyard.

Garavel enters and sits with you as you eat. The gruff major-domo allows you a few moments, then speaks.

"Our preliminary scouting of Kelmarane has revealed a few things that you might be interested in knowing before you begin your assault." He begins ticking off points on his fingers.

• Most of the building appear to be ruined and empty, but there is activity in places other than the Battle Market.
• Every few hours we see a patrol of four Gnolls walking the streets, but they don't appear to be on any sort of regular schedule.
• A ruined structure at the base of the hill seems to contain a large beast of some sort. It's impossible to make out details, but a squad of about half a dozen Gnolls armed with swords and crossbows brings large hunks of meat to this location three times a day.
• Every other day at noon, a group of four Gnolls brings a fat goat dow the road from the battle market to the ruined millhouse. They come out a few minutes later without the goat.

"That's all we've been able to glean. Hopefully it will be useful to you as you go about clearing the town for Lady Almah."

With that, Garavel takes his leave and you finish your breakfast.

[sblock=OOC (All)]There's a map of Kelmarane here: OP Current Task Page. It's a little difficult to tell from the map, but the town is on a hill, with the Battle Market (the largest building) at the peak. You are on the same side of the river as the bulk of the town.

Orientation:
If you start following the road at the bridge it makes its way past several buildings on the right. These buildings back up against the hill. The southernmost of these buildings is the one to which the meat is being delivered thrice daily.

The row of buildings just north of the compass rose are elevated above the road as it goes west; once it switches back to the east those buildings will be accessible on your right, with the row just north of that (the one with the 'T' shaped building with a dome) above you on your left. The road's final switchback to the west brings you to the top of the hill and the bulk of the buildings, including the Battle Market.

The mill to which the goat is being delivered every other day is the building just east of the bridge.

Everyone is rested, fully stocked on spells and ready to go with the following exceptions:

• I need Harnry's memorized spells.
• I need Houwlou's level up.
• I need to update all of the characters in my HeroLab program (two down, three to go) and to check and update the OP sheets for those who have trouble accessing the site (SD, I'm lookin' at you! )

[/sblock]

Keeland

Keeland enters humming a tune as he selects a hearty breakfast. He listens attentively to Garavel's briefing. "You are a wealth of information sir. I expect we'll have much to talk about as we digest both the food and the information." He considers a moment before continuing. "As long at they don't surprise us, I think we can handle a patrol of Gnolls. I'm much more curious about the beasts they are feeding. It seems likely to me that if they discover our work here they might unleash these whatever they ares on the camp."

Harnrey walks in with a tome under his arm. He starts eating his food while listening to the reconisonce report, absorming every detailfor rurther digestion. Whent he roeport is over he starts reading his spell book.

spells for the day:
Cantrips-
* Launch Bolt
* Caltrops
* Detect Magic
* Mage Hand
level 1-
* Low-Light Vision[
* Magic Missile[
* Orb of Acid (Lesser)[
* unseen servent
level 2-
*summon monster II
*bull's strength
*Acid arrow

double post

OOC - I want to be clear to be sure I have this right:

Orientation:
If you start following the road at the bridge it makes its way past several buildings on the right. These buildings back up against the hill. The southernmost of these buildings is the one to which the meat is being delivered thrice daily.

I'm not clear which row of building you are speaking of. Are you talking to the E or W of the river and headed which direction on the trail?


The mill to which the goat is being delivered every other day is the building just east of the bridge.

Same here. Unsure which building you are speaking of. Can you color code the building you are speaking of.

IC

"I say we take out the party bringing the goat. Whatever is eating this might get very hungry after 4 or more days of not eating. This group is unarmed?"

"If we take out more then one group of these, that should cause quite a stir with the creature in there" then with a moment of thought he continues, "If we attack the delivery group they will know to be on the guard for more attacks, however, if we take out their goat supply entirely, that would be an entirely different affair and most un-fortuitous for them"

Tsadok

Tsadok listens intently and then feels sadness. What exactly does Harney mean by taking out the goat supply. Surely he's not meaning to slaughter all their goats...

Finally he speaks to Garavel. "Does it seem to be the same men each time bringing the goats? Where do they get the goats and do the other men that bring the other creature hunks of mean get their meat from the same location as the goats?... meaning are the hunks of meat possibly cut up goat?"

Keeland

"I never thought I would find myself going into the trade of Goat Rustling. I don't think my mum would be proud, but it does seem like a good way to make trouble."

"And I wonder if there is a way to look at this person, if it is the same every time, and just bring the goats here to to that couple with the prize goat we rescued some time back"