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Wing and Sword: Life During Wartime
- Thread starter The Shaman
- Start date
The Shaman
First Post
“Gaspard, have you finished looking around here, the cemetery and tomb?”
Vidal looks down at the ground. “Oui. There were tracks all around, but it looks like they brushed them away before they left.” He reaches down for a handful of sand, lets it play through his fingers. “The wind helps, too.” He nods to the diminutive legionnaire, and heads off to where Normand and Marcel are examining the dead donkey.
Pamuk considers the scene before the two legionnaires. “Arzew?” The Turk shrugs. “Lt. Gaspard, my platoon leader, took me with him to train rappelé officers arriving from France. Try to keep them and their men alive.” He shakes his head. “A lot of talking about the viets. Not enough soldiering.” Pamuk nods toward the cemetery, and the two legionnaires walk carefully around the low walls.
The cemetery is small, with a total of thirteen headstones – two of the graves are raised sarcophagi constructed using stone slabs. Searching (as opposed to simply looking around) the whole cemetery would require forty-eight Search checks in total. Taking 10 on each check would require roughly five minutes to search the area – taking 20 would require about an hour-and-a-half. You can also divide up the checks, taking ten on bare ground and taking twenty for specific features, for example. Let me know how Raffaele wants to approach this.
Pyotr glances back at the captain and the other legionnaires, opens and closes his mouth, and looks up to see Nedjar looking straight at him. “Something wrong? Did you see something?” the Algerian asks. I’ll resolve the results of Pyotr’s skill checks shortly.
Normand and Marcel will have to hang out for a moment until I hear from Raffaele and Pyotr.
Vidal looks down at the ground. “Oui. There were tracks all around, but it looks like they brushed them away before they left.” He reaches down for a handful of sand, lets it play through his fingers. “The wind helps, too.” He nods to the diminutive legionnaire, and heads off to where Normand and Marcel are examining the dead donkey.
Pamuk considers the scene before the two legionnaires. “Arzew?” The Turk shrugs. “Lt. Gaspard, my platoon leader, took me with him to train rappelé officers arriving from France. Try to keep them and their men alive.” He shakes his head. “A lot of talking about the viets. Not enough soldiering.” Pamuk nods toward the cemetery, and the two legionnaires walk carefully around the low walls.
The cemetery is small, with a total of thirteen headstones – two of the graves are raised sarcophagi constructed using stone slabs. Searching (as opposed to simply looking around) the whole cemetery would require forty-eight Search checks in total. Taking 10 on each check would require roughly five minutes to search the area – taking 20 would require about an hour-and-a-half. You can also divide up the checks, taking ten on bare ground and taking twenty for specific features, for example. Let me know how Raffaele wants to approach this.
Pyotr glances back at the captain and the other legionnaires, opens and closes his mouth, and looks up to see Nedjar looking straight at him. “Something wrong? Did you see something?” the Algerian asks. I’ll resolve the results of Pyotr’s skill checks shortly.
Normand and Marcel will have to hang out for a moment until I hear from Raffaele and Pyotr.
shadowbloodmoon
First Post
Pyotr looks at Nedjar. "No, I was going to say something about our current situation but thought better of it. We have other things to worry." He then pointedly returns to his watchful routine.
The Shaman
First Post
Nedjar looks at Pyotr quizzically but doesn’t press the issue. The two legionnaires follow the far wall of the gorge, both men scanning the terrain carefully. Warily picking his way along the toe of the slope, the Ukrainian spots another narrow trail, little more than a couple of boot-widths across, descending the rock wall from the clifftop overhead. Looking at the Algerian para, Pyotr sees that Nedjar has noticed it as well.
Following the narrow footpath with his eyes, Pyotr sees that it climbs the cliff without switchbacks, strking down the exposed face – unlike the trail that the legionnaires followed into the gorge, there is little cover afforded by the rocky slope. There is no sign of movement either along the trail or on the clifftop overhead.
Arriving at the tomb, Normand and Marcel find the captain and the sergeant in quiet discussion. Both listen as Marcel reports his findings. “Give those two a hand,” Kat orders when the medic is finished, tilting his head toward the cemetery where Raffaele and Pamuk are searching. “See what you can find over there,” he continues, pointing at the ruins marking the spot where a building once stood.
Approaching the ruins, the outline of the small structure can be made out from the remains of the walls that form the only remaining corner of the building. A small tree, wizened and stunted by the desert heat, stands were another corner may have been at one time, the brick walls all but vanished down to their foundations in the sand. Spots checks, please.
“Watch your step,” Capt. Martini warns. “It’s likely that there is, or was, a cistern under the floor, probably in one of the corners. It may be filled in, or it may just be covered up.” The officer and the sous-officier resume their conversation, Capt. Martini pulling a map from his leather case as they speak.
Raffaele and Pamuk walk cautiously through the small cemetery, examining the graves in turn. Drawing close to the first sarcophagus, Raffaele sees that it is in decent shape, the rocks slabs that make up the sides and top chipped but not broken. Not so the second sarcophagus – the top and one side are cracked. Crouching beside the stone, Raffaele notices that one of the pieces on the broken side of the grave appears that it could be removed from the slab, possibly opening a hole in the side of the sarcophagus.
“Barzini.” A few meters away Pamuk holds up two rifle shells, covered in dust. He rubs them against his pant leg, and holds them up again – the shining brass glints in the sunlight.
Following the narrow footpath with his eyes, Pyotr sees that it climbs the cliff without switchbacks, strking down the exposed face – unlike the trail that the legionnaires followed into the gorge, there is little cover afforded by the rocky slope. There is no sign of movement either along the trail or on the clifftop overhead.
Arriving at the tomb, Normand and Marcel find the captain and the sergeant in quiet discussion. Both listen as Marcel reports his findings. “Give those two a hand,” Kat orders when the medic is finished, tilting his head toward the cemetery where Raffaele and Pamuk are searching. “See what you can find over there,” he continues, pointing at the ruins marking the spot where a building once stood.
Approaching the ruins, the outline of the small structure can be made out from the remains of the walls that form the only remaining corner of the building. A small tree, wizened and stunted by the desert heat, stands were another corner may have been at one time, the brick walls all but vanished down to their foundations in the sand. Spots checks, please.
“Watch your step,” Capt. Martini warns. “It’s likely that there is, or was, a cistern under the floor, probably in one of the corners. It may be filled in, or it may just be covered up.” The officer and the sous-officier resume their conversation, Capt. Martini pulling a map from his leather case as they speak.
Raffaele and Pamuk walk cautiously through the small cemetery, examining the graves in turn. Drawing close to the first sarcophagus, Raffaele sees that it is in decent shape, the rocks slabs that make up the sides and top chipped but not broken. Not so the second sarcophagus – the top and one side are cracked. Crouching beside the stone, Raffaele notices that one of the pieces on the broken side of the grave appears that it could be removed from the slab, possibly opening a hole in the side of the sarcophagus.
“Barzini.” A few meters away Pamuk holds up two rifle shells, covered in dust. He rubs them against his pant leg, and holds them up again – the shining brass glints in the sunlight.
Normand silently follows orders, watching his steps, making sure the ground is solid under each foot before putting on his full weight down on it.
OOC
spot check (1d20+1=9)
OOC
spot check (1d20+1=9)
shadowbloodmoon
First Post
Pyotr stops to look at the trail, scanning for any boot prints or other tracks. Not seeing any, he turns to Nedjar. "I'm going to follow it, see what's up there," he says quietly.
Search: (1d20=4)
Search: (1d20=4)
Still crouching Barzini nods affirmatively to Pamuk and points emphatically to the apparently removeable stone in the sarcophagus.
Barzini waves to Normand and Marcel and Kat and points emphatically to the apparently removeable stone in the sarcophagus.
Barzini takes a look around for enemy observation of his activity, but is far too interested in the sarcophagus to actually see anything.
SPOT = natural 1 +4 http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=627799
Waiting for the choc to close up, Barzini looks for traps around and in front of the apparently removeable stone in the sarcophagus.
SEARCH = 19 http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=627791
OOC: Raffaele knows construction techniques (Craft Structural +4) as well as camoflage (Hide +5) and demolitions (Demolitions +5) if any of these would be synergistic bonus skills.
Barzini waves to Normand and Marcel and Kat and points emphatically to the apparently removeable stone in the sarcophagus.
Barzini takes a look around for enemy observation of his activity, but is far too interested in the sarcophagus to actually see anything.
SPOT = natural 1 +4 http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=627799
Waiting for the choc to close up, Barzini looks for traps around and in front of the apparently removeable stone in the sarcophagus.
SEARCH = 19 http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=627791
OOC: Raffaele knows construction techniques (Craft Structural +4) as well as camoflage (Hide +5) and demolitions (Demolitions +5) if any of these would be synergistic bonus skills.
The Shaman
First Post
Nedjar gives Pyotr a quick nod of assent, and Pyotr begins picking his way up the narrow trail. It’s not quite steep enough to require his hands, but the Ukrainian feels the steepness in his quadriceps and gastrocnemiuses nonetheless. It takes a few minutes to reach the top, with Nedjar following a half-dozen meters behind, making the utmost attempt at quiet as he moves. There are no signs of previous passage in the thin soil other than the occasional tiny footprints of some animal, perhaps the small lizards that scramble over the rocks as Pyotr makes his way to the top. Reaching the rim, he crouches down and inches forward, using the rocky ground for cover as he peeps over the edge.
The top of the ridge is a bit flatter than the one to the west from which the paras approached the gorge, topped with scattered rocks and a small bush in a hollow here and there. Looking along the length of the ridge in either direction reveals no sign of movement. The former partisan notes that the ridges on either side of the gorge extend to the crest of the hills the legionnaires have been following all day, about a kilometer or so distant – if one wanted to reach the tomb from the crest, Pyotr observes, one would have to descend along one of the two ridges to avoid the steep cliffs at the upper end of the gorge.
Pamuk sees what Raffaele is pointing to, and nods, shoving the rifle shells into a pocket, and crouches down. With backs turned to the cemetery, neither Normand nor Marcel can see Raffaele’s wave, but the motion catches the sergent’s eye, and he begins walking toward the Algerian’s position, as the captain watches from near the tomb itself.
Raffaele turns his attention to the stone itself, and the ground beneath it. Observing carefully, he can find nothing that suggests a trap.
Normand and Marcel step carefully into the ruins of the building, expecting at any moment to feel the ground slip away beneath their feet. Instead Marcel catches sight of something much more sinister – the sand moves near Normand’s boot as the big legionnaire takes a step, revealing the shape of a snake under the surface. Marcel and Normand: Initiative, please.
The top of the ridge is a bit flatter than the one to the west from which the paras approached the gorge, topped with scattered rocks and a small bush in a hollow here and there. Looking along the length of the ridge in either direction reveals no sign of movement. The former partisan notes that the ridges on either side of the gorge extend to the crest of the hills the legionnaires have been following all day, about a kilometer or so distant – if one wanted to reach the tomb from the crest, Pyotr observes, one would have to descend along one of the two ridges to avoid the steep cliffs at the upper end of the gorge.
Pamuk sees what Raffaele is pointing to, and nods, shoving the rifle shells into a pocket, and crouches down. With backs turned to the cemetery, neither Normand nor Marcel can see Raffaele’s wave, but the motion catches the sergent’s eye, and he begins walking toward the Algerian’s position, as the captain watches from near the tomb itself.
Raffaele turns his attention to the stone itself, and the ground beneath it. Observing carefully, he can find nothing that suggests a trap.
Normand and Marcel step carefully into the ruins of the building, expecting at any moment to feel the ground slip away beneath their feet. Instead Marcel catches sight of something much more sinister – the sand moves near Normand’s boot as the big legionnaire takes a step, revealing the shape of a snake under the surface. Marcel and Normand: Initiative, please.
