(Casual D&D V) The Tourne

[Guilt Puppy]

Xiao finds the three long tents are all essentially the same inside: There is a short row of hammocks which tie from the center post to the pole supporting the tent sides. There are twelve of these "bunks" in each tent, six per row and two rows high. Hanging from hooks on the opposite side are a mixture of belts, weapons (mostly shortswords), and gear sacks; the most common seem to be dark brown leather sidepouches of a fairly decent size. Clothing and other small personal items sit in nets hung from the center poles, as well. Xiao notes that these hooks supporting the hammocks and sacks as well as to hold the tent sides in place are all the same, such that all the poles used in the tent's construction are identical and interchangeable. At least a half-dozen circular gouges of turned dirt are visible about each tent, suggesting that the crews involved had trouble placing these poles.

Missing from all the tents, however, are there inhabitants. A few stools, food scraps beside them, form a semi-circle about the campfire, as well as the numerous still-visible bootprints all suggest recent habitation. Indeed, from the remnants of the fire there is a vague but friendly scent; if he could not blame his imagination, Xiao would swear they'd been baking sweet almond bread. Around the camp fire, however, Xiao does note three more small mounds of gouged dirt, two by the stools, and one about six feet behind them.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Seeing Raven and Xiao disappear in the direction of the camp Nurthk reluctantly decides to follow suit. After collecting a couple of critical pieces of equipment he descends from the carriage and strides after his colleagues.

OOC: spot check = 17

 

[DrZombie]

When Xiao motions noone is there, Raven's paranoia, usually a small but insisting voice in the back of his head, starts playing the drums.
He looks his raven in the eye and says "get Nurthk"

He draws his bow, nocks an arrow and carefully walks over to Xiao.

 

[doghead]

ic - Casual

"There is no one here," Xiao informs Raven. "Take a look. Funny little hills of dirt here, and here as well," Xiao adds, pointing to the two mounds near the stools, and the one a little further away."

"Perhaps Raven should also check tracks. They have not all just popped into forest for pee-pee at same time. Xiao will wait here. Watch for trouble."

Xiao keeps an eye open for trouble while Raven does his thing. Xiao draws air in deeply, trying to identify the scent coming from the fire. "Smell like almond," he mutters to himself. "Something else smell like almond, but Xiao cannot remember what."

Unsatisfied, Xiao steps over to the mounds. He considers them from several angles. He crouches down and sniffs the air. "Humm." But for the moment he doesn't touch them. Perhaps someone else will have an insight.

 

[hellrazor111]

Arriving shortly after Nurthk, 2 arrows nocked in his bow, Cray starts to look carefully for tracks, then attempts to identify the almond smell.

ooc- (smell)11+knowledge(nature) 9, (where tracks go)19+Track(survival) 9,
http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1194945

(find tracks)spot 17+11(9+2)
http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1194960

 

[Guilt Puppy]

Once Raven calls for Nurthk, most of the Tourneans come forward as well (save for Brich the archer and Rattmes the driver). As each approaches they seem to become more silently perplexed by the situation. Only Katter has one soft utterance: "By the crown..."

Xiao: After some investigation, it doesn't seem that the scent is necessarily coming from the fire, as it is pretty uniformly noticeable throughout the camp.

Cray: Aside from, of course, almonds, there is a certain deadly poison (called "bitter aucasian" or simply "bitter auc," made by processing the ashes of the non-native aucasia root) often noted to have an almond-like smell. The sweeter, baked element of the scent, however, bears no relation to anything other than itself, as far as Cray can tell.

Looking for tracks, Cray does not have trouble finding them leading into camp, from the road to the south. It appears that more than a few horses came and plenty of weight was borne by the carts, and their path is generally easy to mark. In fact, Cray finds himself able to guess with some confidence at the direction of nearly every visible mark left behind by their movement - they all head inward to the camp, or indicate movement within it. There is no sign of anyone having left the camp, in any direction.

He additionally notices about fifteen more of the gouged mounds near the carts, most of which are significantly larger in diameter and less pronounced in height, due to the finer grain of dirt there.

 

[doghead]

ic - Casual

Xiao shrugs his shoulders. Tracks in, no tracks out. And no people.

"Magic," he mutters to no one in particular. "Or flying creatures," he adds after a moments contemplation.

"Time to have look and see at mounds," he announces. "Or under mounds to be precise more."

[sblock=ooc]The mounds, are they soup bowl sized? grave sized? Do they look deliberate, or more the result of something else, like a giant dancing a gig in the campsite.

Xiao's intention is to dig into the mounds to see if anything lies beneath the dirt. He will probably hold off a bit until the others (Fendric, Oliver and co) have had a chance to have a look around as well. Don't want to get too far ahead of them.[/sblock]

 

[DrZombie]

"Burrowing creatures." Raven says, exchanging his bow for his two-handed sword.
"This will be trouble"

He then takes a carefull look at the largest mound, proddiong it a bit. If nothing happens, he will get a shovel and starts to excavate.

 

[doghead]

ic - Casual

"Burrowing creatures? Bu/row/ing. Bur/row ... eh."

Xiao stands up and glances around at the ground around his feet. He steps back from the mound.

"Flying is better. Can see flying coming."

Xiao frowns.

"Should Raven really be digging?"

[sblock=ooc]OK, I'll shut up now. Let the others have a chance to get a word in.[/sblock]

 

[hellrazor111]

the almond smell reminds me of a poison, but the scent smells too sweet

afterword, while walking around the camp

Looks like whatever did this is gone, and we should follow it, suck an evil act should not go unpunished