(Adventure) Rivenblight's Castaway [Creamsteak judging]

"At least we know something," says Velbrik bleakly. Addressing Garret's question, he says "No. We didn't arrange anything before he went out on his own. I guess that pretty well marks us as novices."

"I have four days worth of food, too. I can push on as long as you fellows are willing. I think we should keep going regardless; it's already been a day since he vanished."

Velbrik take the nonlethal damage and keep moving, if the others can still keep going and it comes to that. When it comes to making the next check:

"Huh. I should have thought to do this before," he says dully, obviously tired. "A little rhythm might help you focus when you're weary. It's something they taught at my college, though I haven't really ever needed to use it before."

He begins reciting a story about a pair of lost buffoons fruitlessly chasing each other around a forest. In response to the glare from Ioleta, he shrugs, grinning slightly, "It's all I could think of," and continues with the story.

Using inspire competence, for +2 competence bonus to the survival check. I believe aid another is an unnamed bonus, thus stacking with inspire competence.

Just when he was about to give a piece of his mind to the bard for talking nonsense while he's concentrating on the trail, Garret finds his mind clearer and easier to focus as the bard speaks.

Impressed by the effect of the bard's voice, Garret continues tracking, hoping to find the missing ranger soon, as he knows his legs will give up soon, wherever he likes it or not.

OOC: Good idea.

Jaan nods in agreement with Velbric.

"I help Garret if you can keep and eye out for trouble," he says to Velbrik and Ioleta.

Beyond the wall of brush, Garret sees someone ran (the boot marks are deep) stumbled, and fell. Where he fell there's blood, and a deep impression (as if he lay there for some time) and numerous other footprints, as if one or more beings stood around whoever lay there. All of this is somewhat hard to discern, as whoever was here last tried to conceal any marks. There are two trails, now. One is older, involves only one person, seems consistent with the one you've been following, and is most likely Troi's. It heads back through the wall of foliage and then continues along Troi's previous heading.

The second trail was made by at least two people, one of whom was probably carrying a heavy load (again judging by the depth of the bootprints). It continues to head south. Which do you want to follow?

doghead, since Jaan helped Garret, that counts as our of activity for him, too. You made the the Con check.

WizWrm, I'm assuiming Velbrik's just keeping up a constant patter to continue inspiring.

Jaan looks to Garret, then the sky. The end of the day is approaching.

It seems unlikely that Troi was one of the group that left here. Why would one of them have run in the other direction if Troi was overcome or captured.

"So there was a fight. Troi was wounded, but he also managed to wound or kill one of the attackers, who was carried away by his friends. If you think that those," he says to Garret, pointing to the tracks made by the one man alone, "are Troi's, then we should keep going. Particuarly if he is wounded. I doubt that it is Troi who has been covering the trail, so it should be easier going from this point."

I can inspire competence at +2 three times per day for 2 minutes each. I don't know how that would work in conjunction with the survival checks for tracking, but Velbrik will want to be able to affect the maximum number of checks possible.

Velbrik furrows his brow. "That would be suggesting that the fellow who was unhurt just decided to pick his friend up and leave when his friend got wounded. That doesn't make sense. Furthermore, if that's the case, then why would Troi let him go, especially since the bandit would be virtually helpless carrying his friend? To warn us? But then his trail continues away from the wagon, and if there's only a single trail going that way, that means he wasn't following someone else. And he couldn't have been wounded at that time, if we see no blood along this first trail. There's no reason for him to continue on."

"I think it's more likely that these two trails were not both his. He left the wagon down the path we've been following, was shot at by an errant arrow, then continued down that way," Velbrik says, gesturing toward the single trail, "And then he ran into trouble somewhere along that line, perhaps when he was intercepted by bandits following a nearby, parallel trail - where they shot the arrow from. He backtracked, trying to get to help, but was shot down when he got to this juncture. Then the bandits crossed his trail here, picked him up, and backtracked themselves, back to wherever they had come from. That seems consistent with what we've found, and would suggest we ought to follow the southern trail."

Jaan considers Velbriks description carefully. It does make sence. The damn thing is like one of those puzzels his grandfather is so keen on, but just gave Jaan a headache. He looks again to Garret and Ioleta to see what they think.

Garret Tealeaf

Nodding at Velbrik's description of what might have happened in here, Garret adds "What Verrick says makes sense, especially since the tracks have been masked. I'd say we should go south"