[IC] JM's A Bit of Trouble (Book 2)

[jmucchiello]

Jurad and a few other men and boys help you get your horses into the stable quickly. They have to walk the horses around to a back door, the only "easy" entrance to the inn. The stables are boarded up tight and filled with farm animals.

In the inn's main room where there are maybe 20-25 people huddled together along with folk listening from the stairs to the second floor. The windows and doors are boarded up. When you are all in, the open back door is closed and six men move several heavy sand bags to reinforce the door. Everyone is glad to see new faces but they are still worried. Surina recognized Doran, the innkeeper, from her family's wine business. He nods at her.

"Everett," the mayor says, "I fear your cousin did not reach you since you arrive with such a small group. Mackinez attempted to make a run for Bit a few days ago."

He pauses in silence. "We don't know when it started, but people in the outlying farms started disappearing. Like the just packed up and left. At first we thought they'd gone to Bit for the festival. But then we noticed a few days after they left, their farms were ransacked and everything that wasn't nailed down, was taken.

"A few nights ago, whoever is doing this started hitting the houses closes to town. Then the stirges game. They killed folk trying to cross the bridge. Some folks fled south toward Homestead or east to East End. We don't know if they succeeded. At night is sounds like dozens of wolves roam the town. We've been boarded up in here for the last week. Sometimes they pound on the windows and doors all at once. Sometimes the night goes by without anything but howling sounds. You've got to try to put a stop to this."

 

[Thateous]

Everett puts his hand on his head and massages his temples as he try to digest all the information."No, I never made contact with my cousin but his skiff washed up on the bank in Bit which was just enough warning to get me here, just not with the platoon of troops required to rectify this situation." he finished with a sigh before turning to the group. "Well we have discovered the cause of Leed's Crossing's absence from the festival. Do you think we could get these people to safety?" It seems trouble comes at night, so perhaps if we can hold out till dawn we can escape." he looks to the mayor and adds "We took care of the insects at the bridge."

 

[EarlyBird]

"Stirges, kobolds, wolves, and worse?!" Keth gives a short exclamation at all the troubles that have plagued the small town. "We should rest and be ready if there is a nighttime assault. Is this everyone from Leed's Crossing?" he asks looking over the large assembly.

OOC: Checking to see if Keth can get a short rest here in the inn, before any trouble rears its ugly head. LOL If so will spend a HD

EDIT: Spent HD 1d8+2=4

 

[jmucchiello]

"Kobolds?" One of the men says, "We haven't seen any humanoids but we knew there had to be intelligence behind this. And kobolds aren't usually this organized. I fear there must be someone or something else involved." Looking at the man, he is probably a priest. There is a small chapel in town.

"True, Kendrel," says the mayor. "I fear there are only 50 of us still in town. 14 men, 17 women, and 19 children. Two of the adults are unable to walk. We are all here in the inn as we all fit here, although some folk have to stay in the rooms upstairs, mostly the ones with children.

"At first we thought people had fled. But we have seen some blood at some of the nearby farms. Some folk put up a fight. But we have found no dead bodies. Even the wolves our bowmen have shot, their bodies aren't there in the morning."

GM: A short rest should be no problem.

 

[Zadolix]

"Ye must be running short on foodstuffs and drink for all these lubbers no? Do ye need assistance procuring supplies for the folk?" he said to the Mayor. He unpacked half of his rations and handed them to the Mayor. "Here, take these dried meats, keep ye children fed".

Zadolix stood by Everatt, looking up at the noble elf "I fear ye cousin may have met his fate at the hands of the creatures, but there may yet be hope. Don't stop digging till ye hit gold as they say. We met yet find him."

Turning to the party he said "Aye Keth be right, we should rest and ready ourselves. It be nightfall soon. Maybe we could move the folk upstairs to safety and wait for their coming at the main door. We can't let the folk live in terror."

 

[jmucchiello]

"Your kindness is greatly appreciated, sir Dwarf." The innkeeper Kendrel says. "But we did manage to raid a few larders before the enemy did. We can stay here for a month at least at our current size."
"Hopefully, we won't be here that long," the mayor Jurad says. "We have a spare room upstairs where you folks can rest after your journey." After looking at you all closely, he adds, "And battles."

 

[EarlyBird]

"Some rest before the sun goes down then," Keth says turning to thank the mayor. "We may have a long night before us."

OOC: I rolled and added the link in my above post, currently 8/10 HP. Did anyone notice if the boats at the bridge were intact? Witht he stirges gone these people may have a chance to flee.

 

[jmucchiello]

GM: I am not aware of anyone looking at the boats before you moved on.

"If you go upstairs to rest, be mindful of rooms 3 and 4. Our bowmen are sleeping during the day so they can watch out the windows at night." Says the mayor.

 

[ArwensDaughter]

Surina nodded at her companions who were heading upstairs to rest, saying, "I was lucky in our engagement with the stirges, and am still feeling rested. I'll stay down here." Then she approaches Doran: "Doran, it is good to see you, though I am sorry it is under such circumstances. Is there more you can tell me about what is going on? Had you heard any odd rumors in the weeks leading up to all this?"

OOC: If I understand correctly, Doran is the Inkeeper (per post #271) and Kendrel is the priest (per post # 274), and that the reference to Kendrel as the inkeeper in #276 is a typo. After Surina's conversation with Doran, if there is time, she will approach Kendrel (the priest), introduce herself as a paladin of the church, and ask him for insights on what is going on.

 

[jmucchiello]

GM: I need to pay more attention to the names of NPCs, I guess. Yes, 276 is wrong.

"Surina, what are you doing in these parts?" Doran asks. "Last I'd heard you'd gone off for some religious training. Though it doesn't seem like you've gone the route of the priesthood.

"Oh, but the attacks, we think, were done very subtly. There's something very intelligent behind whatever is happening." He shakes his head. "Slowly and carefully, the outer farms were taken like a pot slowly coming to a boil. The thing is, there's been no bodies. None. Who would kidnap a town? Are they dead? Who knows? But initially, they were all taken away alive."