A Strange New World

[Jemal]

I believe I've said it before, but if I haven't: Please don't use "I" or "HE", use names so I don't have to wonder "WHO does that?". B/c otherwise I'll just use your posting name.

BTW, Avan wants to sleep at noon? Perhaps a short break for lunch, but...

IDM:
28 miles N of Forest Grove,
Noon, Day 2.

Sulli detects no magic, and Avan detects no Evil as they study the blade, but it is extremely well made and sharp. As Ember reaches for it, Yvonne pulls it away and chides her, and accidentally hits an inch-thick sapling with it, slicing easily through the tree and leaving no marks on the blade.

You do however, notice an etching on the side of the blade, almost unreadable until the sap from the tree runs into it. The etching is the name "Carlos", and pent remembers the one man in town who always wore a sword... an adamantite short sword, to be particular. Carlos was one of the veterans who was supposed to be travelling with your group, but dissapeared the night before you left.

 

[Gurdjieff]

Yvonne

"No magic, no evil, but a fine sword still." Yvonne tucks the sword away, thinking it might come in handy. "Let's enjoy lunch and move on. We might as well make this day as useful as possible."

 

[Argent Silvermage]

[OOC: Sorry had my times confused.]
I hate to say that we should keep moving but we should. It does not look as if our enemy slows. But we seem to move faster and may be able to catch up. The Elf stands fussing with his mount, a worried look on his face.

 

[Timothy]

"Yes, once again, you're probably right. We can expect some heavy resistance, because apparently they captured Carlos too, and he was pretty good with that shortsword of his."

"Let's hurry up and catch them, but keep an eye out for any traps too"

 

[Jemal]

28 miles N of Forest Grove,
just after Noon, Day 2.

As you prepare to leave there is a rustling from the path that has been cut heading north (The one you've been following). Quickly getting ready for battle, you are all vaguely surprised when 2 small males come stumbling and staggering out of the forest, very bedraggled and bleeding from many places. They look up and you recognize Tom and Tim, a pair of young halfling twin brothers (18 yrs old) who were part of the new city. Upon seeing you, Tom screams something in halfling (Anyone who understands Halfling - "NO, Please, no more!") and then faints. Tim looks at you and tries to say something before falling to his knees beside his brother.

And no, they don't detect as evil or magical.

OODM: BTW, I'll be including the position/time/day in all my DM posts but you guys don't have to worry about copy/pasting it in yours. Just thought I'ld make it a bit easier on you guys.
And for those that are wondering, 18 in halfling is the equivalent of 14 y/o humans.

 

[Timothy]

OOC: Halflings? Yipee! One is called Tim (TThat's me) and one is caled Tom (The default name for all my halfling characters) YIPEE.

IC: Ember says, in common.

"Greetings young halflings, you look awful. What happened, we can help, but we need information, tell us"

 

[Keia]

Pent tries to remember (actually he wouldn't need to try, but - you know) if Tim and Tom's family owns him money. He won't mentaion anything about it just yet.

He will quietly make is way to where the young halflings came from and explore that area.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Avan will race to their sides and lay on hands to them both, 4 points to each of them. Rest Tom and Tim. We have you now. Avan will look at the wounds. Were they caused by weapon or by claw and fang?

 

[Gurdjieff]

Yvonne looks at Tim and Tom, and walks over to them after Avan has done his healing. "Let me see those wounds" she says, as she examins the wounds. "What happened to you?"


[OoC: Untrained heal-check I assume, I knew I forgot a skill]

 

[Jemal]

28 miles N of Forest Grove,
just after Noon, Day 2.

Tim looks up at you with obvious relief in his large brown eyes as you rush over to help them. Yvonne finds that they are both suffering from minor wounds, but that their main problem is exhaustion and lack of food/water, which cannot be cured by magic.
Avan lays a hand on each of them and all of their cuts close up and their bruises heal, though they still look weak. The wounds seem to be from claws. Tom continues to sleep while Tim begins to explain what happened.

He explains in a shaking voice that the town was attacked by a group of rotting corpses. They killed most of the people in town, and burnt it to the ground. The survivors were tied up and waited there for a few hours while a tall man dressed in black crushed diamonds and sprinkled them over the remains, turning them all into skeletons... It was about that time that the brothers fainted, and when they woke up they were being carried by some other members of the town.
The people were allowed only what water they could get themselves during the brief rests taken by their captor's human leader.
Last night was the first time they had stopped for more than an hour, while the man in black tortured people to death and skinned them.. sometimes before they were dead. During that time Tom had managed to slide a hidden dagger out of his sleeve and free himself, Tim, and Carlos, who had been keeping an eye on them. Carlos had told them to run into the bushes and not come out until they saw real people, then rushed off to recover his sword and try to kill the leader.
The brothers had to fight their way past a single Skeleton, which they managed to escape with minimal wounds, and hid in the bush. They don't know what happened after that, and when they heard you talking in the clearing just now is the first time they came out.

Pent remembers that the Halflings owed him about 60 gold (The whole community of halflings usually bought things together). When he goes to investigate where they came from, he finds a lot of broken branches about 10 feet away from the trail that continues north.