Kulan: Knightfall's Heroes of Carnell Game [IC]

[Knightfall]

Quinn walks over to the sobbing lad and places his hand on his shoulder, a strange gesture for the heart-of-stone gladiator. He starts to say something , but his eyes fail to see what needs to be said so he closes his mouth and sighs.

Being near the ground as the weeping boy is, it is a dangerous thing at this time, so Quinn is in a guard position over Sir Ghal more then anything.

Quinn senses are not wrong about Sir Ghal. While he had always appeared so stoic, Quinn now sees that the man is indeed still just a lad at heart. He's probably only 25 summers old (or maybe a bit younger), which would make him a novice in the arena in Quinn's home city, Sulinon. Of course, the City of Coliseums makes its sons and daughters grow up fast.

Raius stands next to Quinn and looks at his friend and mentor. Quinn see that he too is likely quite young. The soldier kneels down next to his friend and tries to encourage the man to get to his feet.

Caerth ignores the dead boy - not that he doesn't care, but nature is about living creatures and the dead are just food - and walks up to the privy. The half-orc sniffs, trying to discern the smell while his eyes move over the ravaged body. At first glance, it seems a ferocious animal is responsible, but what sort of animal attacks a man just outside a castle guarded by countless dangerous soldiers?

No, the druid is sure something is amiss. Either the culprit is not an animal at all, or it was staged to look like it was. Looking around, he seeks tiny creatures that may have witnessed the attack; animals like mice, birds or, if no other option presents itself, bugs. Insects are notoriously unreliable, but it's better than nothing.

Whatever did this was intelligent but feral. The 'metal spike' embedded in the old man's heart turns out of be a worn fire poker. No animal did that.

OOC: Not sure if I can roll something for smelling the air? I'll roll a d20 just in case, and you can add the relevant numbers: [roll0] Also, making a Knowledge (nature) check to see if Caerth recognizes the injuries as being made by an animal of sorts: [roll1]

OOC: We'll say it is a Survival check. 12+16=28

Caerth gets a clear smell of something mammalian in the air. It smells very familiar. He last smelled that stink in the tower on Gurnard's Head. The air smells of wet rat mixed with spittle and blood. The deadly injuries match what would be typical of an attack from a massive ratlike creature. More than likely a wererat did this to Lord Ebal. The question is did Hornauer follow them from the island and kill this man for some unknown reason? Looking at the bite and claw marks, Caerth can tell that the wererat that did this was quite large, maybe larger than Hornauer.

OOC: If I find an animal nearby, cast Speak with Animals to find out what they have witnessed.

Caerth finds a very frightened family of mice in a hollowed out hole under some tree roots, but they won't talk to him if Screech is nearby. One hoot from the owl and they disappear deeper underground. There is an old snake slumbering under a log. She isn't very useful for information, however. She just hisses at him. Caerth finally finds help with a pudgy raccoon that is eating some leftovers that were tossed into a ditch.

"Saw a scary rat," it shudders. "Very big. Walked tall on its back paws. It came in the night and hunted the smelly hole. Killed the old animal but it didn't eat it all. A lot leftover but too smelly in there." It chews on an old apple. "Was very scared. Stayed hidden until light returned. Eating now. You have better food?"

Phar shakes his head at the carnage. He stares at the young man, but has no words to comfort such grief. Instead he appeals to the young man's sense of duty. "Your father would want you to be strong. Help us discover the villain behind this act and render justice."

Sir Ghal remains sitting quietly for several moments while Raius tries to comfort the man. Finally Raius looks at Quinn and then at Phar. "He begs your forgiveness. He did not mean to act so unseemly."

Sir Ghal breathes in deeply and lets Quinn help him to his feet. The young man's face is grief-stricken. But there is a determined stare in his eyes. "I-it has been hard on father and I since my mother passed two winters ago. She caught a deadly sickness and not even Aeron could save her." He looks at Caerth. "I was angry at him for a long time, but I know he did his best. And now this... I a-am an o-orphan now." He moves towards the privy but Raius blocks his path.

"I don't think you should," the soldier pleads. "There's stoicness and then there is being foolhardy. You don't want to see him like that."

"I must." Sir Ghal steps past his friend and moves slowly down towards the privy. He pauses to watch Caerth talk to the raccoon. Then he steps up next to Phar and Aureus (who is trying not to retch due to the smell). He grief quickly becomes despondent rage. "This, this is unholy! What could have done such a thing. Wait, what is that?" He points at the long piece of metal piercing his father's heart.

This said he moves to examine the remains of the Lord. He pauses to study the spike. Perhaps I can learn something of the killer from his tools?

The spike is a fire poker. It has been shoved right through the man's chest. It was likely what killed him. Phar can't tell if the bites came before or after it was used to kill Lord Ebal.

"That's my father's fire poker," Sir Ghal fumes. "It's from his room. I hadn't noticed it missing when we went through the room." He sighs suddenly. "Father often used it as protection when out here in the night. His gut noises often made him seek out this privy to have more privacy. It was prideful but understandable."

The man's legs buckle and he covers his face. "Gods, the smell!" He staggers away back up the hill. "It's too much!"

"Calm yourself, Ghal," Raius says. "You need to go back inside and tell Lady Pendour what has happened. We will find out more here and report to you once we have a clear lead. You are only making yourself sick here."

"Per-perhaps your right," Sir Ghal replies. "I must tell Her Ladyship. Raius, please take charge of my f-father's body. Once you have learned all you can from it, take it to Aeron for a more detailed examination. And..." He looks back at the privy. "Clean him up and wrap the body as best as you can."

"I will. I promise.

The only son of Ebal family stands stoically, unable to move towards the manor. A fine mist rises up from the ground to turn the morning sun hazy. A distant crow caws.

OOC: I had forgotten that Raius was with the PCs. (My bad.) He arrived on the scene last.

BTW, think of this scene as something out of a dark Shakespearean play like Macbeth or Hamlet. There is an eeriness to it all and the sense of old ghosts looking at them from somewhere hidden.

 

[JustinCase]

Reaching into his backpack, Caerth finds only dry trail rations, but he presents it to the raccoon nevertheless. "Thank you, little friend. I will get you some better food."

The druid stands back up and turns to the others, a strange look in his eyes. Anger and confusion mix with shame and determination, and the half-orc's expression is not hard to read. When Sir Ghal stands to move back into the manor but is transfixed, Caerth unceremoniously says, "An animal would have eaten more of the body. It was a human rat, a wererat. Hornauer, or another of at least his size. We should've killed that one."

Walking back inside without another word, the half-orc finds his way to the kitchen and grabs some morsels of food, ignoring the protests from Marabelle, and returns to the raccoon to feed it. Saving a few crumbs, the druid drops them near the entrance to the mice family's hideout.

 

[Scotley]

Phar receives the news with his head hung in shame. "A poor decision on my part to leave him. It seems we may have to return sooner rather than later to deal with the threats that remain in that place."

 

[Knightfall]

Reaching into his backpack, Caerth finds only dry trail rations, but he presents it to the raccoon nevertheless. "Thank you, little friend. I will get you some better food."

"Hard food. But good." The raccoon gnaws on the hard rations with vigor.

The druid stands back up and turns to the others, a strange look in his eyes. Anger and confusion mix with shame and determination, and the half-orc's expression is not hard to read. When Sir Ghal stands to move back into the manor but is transfixed, Caerth unceremoniously says, "An animal would have eaten more of the body. It was a human rat, a wererat. Hornauer, or another of at least his size. We should've killed that one."

"So the vermin followed you here," Sir Ghal growls. "I will gut him myself!" He looks at Caerth. "Can you track him? Or should I get the hounds? I don't want to endanger them or their handlers, if you can follow the vermin."

"I... search," Aureus says to Sir Ghal in best attempt at Common. The hutakaan rogue looks for traces on the ground that would show the wererat's footprints. "Here." She notes to both Sir Ghal and Caerth.

"Well done, Miss Aureus," Sir Ghal commends. "We are one step close to finding this fiend."

OOC: Aureus' Search check > 1d20+13=16 = success | Caerth gets a +2 bonus to his Survival check to track the wererat.

Phar receives the news with his head hung in shame. "A poor decision on my part to leave him. It seems we may have to return sooner rather than later to deal with the threats that remain in that place."

"Unless we manage to track him down now," Raius replies to Phar. "If he's here, I doubt he's done yet. But why kill Lord Ebal? Was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Raius looks towards the manor. "And did he get inside?"

"I will have the guards check every room," Sir Ghal heads to the doorway back into the manor. "I will be back as soon as I can. Wait, if you can. If not, go after the vermin."

"This fog is going to make it tough," Raius notes that the mist is thickening. "We shouldn't wait very long or we might lose our chance."

"Then go," Sir Ghal orders. "I will gather a few of the guards, so we can outnumber this Hornauer beast," he says while looking back to Raius. "We will come after you. Blaze a trail for us to follow."

"Yes sir!"

Walking back inside without another word, the half-orc finds his way to the kitchen and grabs some morsels of food, ignoring the protests from Marabelle, and returns to the raccoon to feed it. Saving a few crumbs, the druid drops them near the entrance to the mice family's hideout.

"Ooh, yummy," the animal coos. "Thank you, thank you!" The raccoon has soon ate everything that Caerth has given him. It stays near the big druid even when Aureus is showing the half-orc the footprints she found and follow along at a close distance, hoping for more food.

The ground is soft near the privy and there are clear prints around it and back towards the manor, but Caerth is sure they aren't headed that way but came from there. The prints are simple to follow to the north for roughly 300 feet, as the ground is soft and muddy. After that, they are harder to pick out in the gloom and firmer ground of the wild fields surrounding Carnell.

OOC: JustinCase, roll a Survival check (with that +2 bonus) to track the wererat. The DC at this point is 18.

 

[JustinCase]

OOC: Hmm, making a Survival check with +18, when the DC is 18... I'm guessing I make it. [roll0]

Nodding at Ghal and Aureus, Caerth follows the tracks of the wererat.

"Seems it came from the manor," the half-orc mutters as he walks along the prints, careful not to step on them and obscure the trail. Then he moves to the north, following the clear footprints and then seeking more clues in the gloomy fields.

 

[Scott DeWar]

"From the manor??" Quinn wrinkles his brow in confusion, "How does a were rat from the tower end up coming from the manor?"

 

[JustinCase]

Caerth shrugs, having no more answers than Quinn. It didn't make sense.

"Different wererat maybe," the half-orc ventures.

 

[Scotley]

"I think it is too soon to make many assumptions about who or what we face. Lets just see where the tracks lead and take things as we find them."

 

[Knightfall]

Nodding at Ghal and Aureus, Caerth follows the tracks of the wererat.

"Seems it came from the manor," the half-orc mutters as he walks along the prints, careful not to step on them and obscure the trail. Then he moves to the north, following the clear footprints and then seeking more clues in the gloomy fields.

Despite the gloomy weather, Caerth easily follows the tracks across the land.

"From the manor??" Quinn wrinkles his brow in confusion, "How does a were rat from the tower end up coming from the manor?"

"If this thing has been in the manor," Raius notes. "Carnell could be dealing with an infestation. Sir Ghal will find the truth of it, I hope."

Caerth shrugs, having no more answers than Quinn. It didn't make sense.

"Different wererat maybe," the half-orc ventures.

The footfalls left by the wererat are deep and even in several paces. And the stride is long. Caerth quickly puts the villain's height well above 6 feet due to the stride and his weight at more than 200 lbs. due to the footprints' deep impressions. Remembering Hornauer's animalistic features, Caerth is now 100% sure that this is a different wererat. Hornauer was more lithe and slippery looking while the one Caerth is following is likely a brute.

"I think it is too soon to make many assumptions about who or what we face. Lets just see where the tracks lead and take things as we find them."

"Agreed," Raius replies. "When we find the thing, I hope my blade will be good enough to hurt it. I've heard you need silver to kill werebeasts." Raius draws his blade. "It does have a minor enchantment on it, however."

As Caerth continues to follow the tracks, Raius takes the rear to watch the group's back with Aureus. Quinn takes the second spot in the order wih Phar just behind him. It doesn't take long for the tracks to shift slightly to the east and meet up with the main road going north. Caerth almost loses them at one point, but with Aureus' help they find that the tracks move west again, off the main road onto a dirt trail that leads to an old farmstead. There is barn that has fallen down and an old house that looks like it could do the same in an instant. There are no other signs of animals and Caerth hears no birds or insects.

"No one has lived here in years," Raius whispers to them.

The tracks seem to lead behind the old house and down into a deep gulch. There is an old ramshackle hut near the bottom. Light from inside the hut barely cuts through the gloom to the group's eyes. If the wererat is down there, there is no obvious sign of him other than the light. Caerth can detect no whiffs of smoke from a fire or other smells. And if a stream once ran through the gulch, it is bone dry now.

"I'm not sure about this," Raius says quietly. "There could be other werebeasts around. It could be a trap. I think we should wait for Sir Ghal."

 

[JustinCase]

While following the tracks, Caerth mutters to himself. Eventually, he declares, "Must be a different wererat. Heavier, larger. Dangerous."

When they reach the house and barn, the druid whistles and calls his owl companion, briefly describing what they are looking for and asking Screech to scout the area, and the owl flies off silently. Caerth himself stands for a moment, finding the lack of animals disturbing.

"Bad feeling about this. Probably a trap," he agrees with Raius. Nevertheless, the half-orc unslings his bow, places an arrow on it loosely for easy drawing, and moves into the gulch towards the ramshackle hut.