[LPF] Kaedyn's Quest

[jackslate45]

Once Ru was done with searching the body, Umthrim picked it up and carried it back to the road, lest it be forgotten in the weeds to decay by itself.

"What if they were not normal horses? Is there some spell for magical horses? Might explain where they vanished to?"

Once Ru is ready to move on, Umthirm nods and says "Ya, let's get going."
[sblock=OOC]
My brain is blanking on anything smart right now, sorry. I feel like we are missing something, but I can't focus on anything except work. GAH!
[/sblock]
[sblock=mini stats]
Umthirn
AC: 17(Touch 17, Flatfooted 14)
HP: 52/52

Initiative: +4 Movement: 30'
Perception: +11 Sense Motive: +11 Acrobatics: +10 ( +5 with jump checks)
CMB: +8 (10 w/ Grapple) CMD: 23 (25 vs Grapple/27 vs Trip & Bull Rush)
Fort: +7&% Reflex: +7&* Will: +8&
& +2 vs. spells, poison, and spell-like abilities
% +2 vs poison/drugs, +4 vs alcohol
* Evasion

Stunning Fists (DC 16) 5/5
Exploit Weakness against Target: No
Bonus To hit Active (DC 10+ (CR/Hardness): +2 to hit / Ignore DR
Bonus to Defense Active: +2 AC/Reflex/Sense Motive
Immune To Fatigue

In Hand: Unarmed Attack: +7 1d8+5+1d6 or +7/+7 Flurry: 1d8+5+1d6

Consumables Used:

[/sblock]

 

[Systole]

Rhas sighs. "Well, let's get the bodies out of the road, at least. Then we'll follow the tracks, as it's all we've got to go on for now."

[sblock=Mini Stats]Rhas Ironeyes

AC: 18 (14 flat-footed, 14 touch)
HP: 55/55
CMB: +7 CMD: 21
Fort: +6 Reflex: +5 Will:+3
Weapons: Heavy Crossbow (+10 or +8/+8, 1d10+6, 19-20x3) or Dwarven Waraxe (+7, 1d10+3, 20x3)

Perception: +13
Initiative: +4

Reliable Strike: 1/1

Weapon in Hand: Heavy Crossbow (+10 or +8/+8, 1d10+6, 19-20x3)
Conditions in Effect: None

Used Items:
None
[/sblock]

 

[perrinmiller]

~ Day 15, 11:54 - Miles North of Thornbury ~

After depositing the body with the arrow in its back with the others, you investigated the other set of tracks.

The caravan guard, as evidenced when Ru and Umthrim found him, was not as far from the road. He had an arrow stuck in his arm, but the killing blow was a deep cut from his collar bone to his navel that made a bloody mess of his chest and nearly decapitated him.

There was a few prints near the body on the west side, but after searching around a bit more the duo could not find any more. It appeared that a gnoll killed the guard with an axe or sword, but left no tracks coming or going.

Thuvian thought about the conundrum. “There could be a number of explanations in the magical realm. Maybe there are no tracks because they did not leave any. I have a spell to fly and also know of simple spells that can create floating disks to carry things.”


[sblock=Tactical Map]

[/sblock][sblock=Combat Information]

Party Status:

Ru:        39/39 HP remaining; 
Damaris:   27/27 HP remaining; 
Thuvian:   27/27 HP remaining; 
   Nora:   13/13 HP remaining;
Rhas:     55/55 HP remaining;
Umthirn:   52/52 HP remaining;
  
Spells Cast: 
Abilities Used:
  Ru: Ki Pool 0/3; Rngr Foc 0/1
  Damaris: Bard Pef 0/12; Spells 1st 0/4, 2nd 0/2;
  Thuvian: Dark 0/1; Blind Dark 0/7; Spells 1st 0/5, 2nd 0/4, 3rd 0/3
  Umthirn: Stun Fist 0/5
Conditions in effect:

[/sblock][sblock=OOC Note]I rolled Knowledge Arcane skills for Thuvian to provide some possible clues. I would caution against metagaming them though. [/sblock]

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, rangerish human ninja

Ru helps Umthirn with the second body, taking it to where the party has placed the others, then he sighs.

"Maybe," Ru concedes to Thuvian's greater magical knowledge, "But if they have spells like yours, Shadow, why are they slumming around raiding pretty fabric? And I still don't understand those gluttons not taking a drumstick or two to snack on along the way, if you catch my meaning?" here he glances to the bodies.

The Rhat'matani takes a brief survey of the area, considering.

"If they did use magic, could you or Princess see it? Is it the kind of thing we could follow?" he asks, including Damaris in his query now. "If not, I'm pretty much out of ideas, I'm afraid. We can wander further up or back the road, but by and large, I don't know how to find dogs that haven't left a trace we can find. We passed that other trail a while back, but if they're able enough not to leave a trail, I can't imagine why they're following something as easy to find as a road."

[sblock=mini stats]

Ru Brike
AC: 19 (Touch 14, Flatfooted 15)
HP: 39/39

Initiative: +4
Perception: +7 (+8 Traps) Sense Motive: +5
CMB: +3 CMD: 17 Fort: +6 Reflex: +10 Will: +3
(conditional: +2 vs. divination effects)

Wakizashi: +8, 1d6
Wakizashi (TWF): +6/+6, 1d6/1d6
Nunchaku: +7, 1d6
Shuriken: +7, 1d2
Conditional Attack mods: +2d6 Sneak Attack (when denied Dex), +1 Dirty Fighter (flank), +2 Attack / dmg vs. Ranger's Focus (1/day)

Conditions:None

In Hand: Wakizashi x2

Ki Pool: 3/3 remaining
Ranger's Focus: 1/1 remaining
Shuriken: 9/10 remaining
CLW Wand charges: 45/50 remaining

Used: 15 days' rations[/sblock]

 

[soulnova]

"Maybe we are not looking this right... what if... I don't know, what if they have a hidden den around here. Underground perhaps?" Damaris will cast Detect Magic and look around the place where the horses' tracks disappear first. If nothing comes up, she will ask Ru to lead her where the other tracks stop and check there too.


[sblock=OOC] Knowledge Arcana 1d20+8=21

Spellcraft 1d20+9=16 [/sblock]

 

[perrinmiller]

~ Day 15, 11:54 - Miles North of Thornbury ~

Scanning the area, there were no active auras for Damaris to find. Though, she knows that was hardly revealing. It would take an overwhelming magical aura to still be present after an hour.

Thuvian asked, “So they did not hide their tracks in that direction.” he gestured to southeast where you brought back the driver’s body killed by an arrow.

“But there are very little tracks by the butchered guard. They did not conceal the tracks here on road, either. We have not found any tracks left by the escaped driver yet, either. Does this suggest anything to you all?”

The wizard was smart, but tracking gnolls and understanding their tactics and methods was not something he had experience with.


[sblock=Tactical Map]

[/sblock][sblock=Combat Information]

Party Status:

Ru:        39/39 HP remaining; 
Damaris:   27/27 HP remaining; 
Thuvian:   27/27 HP remaining; 
   Nora:   13/13 HP remaining;
Rhas:     55/55 HP remaining;
Umthirn:   52/52 HP remaining;
  
Spells Cast: 
Abilities Used:
  Ru: Ki Pool 0/3; Rngr Foc 0/1
  Damaris: Bard Pef 0/12; Spells 1st 0/4, 2nd 0/2;
  Thuvian: Dark 0/1; Blind Dark 0/7; Spells 1st 0/5, 2nd 0/4, 3rd 0/3
  Umthirn: Stun Fist 0/5
Conditions in effect:

[/sblock]

 

[Systole]

Rhas peers at Thuvian. "The tracks to the northwest ... are the no' the escaped guard? If not, I'd guess this is all some sort of setup. Or there's magicky shifting about involved, wi' other planes and such."

[sblock=Mini Stats]Rhas Ironeyes

AC: 18 (14 flat-footed, 14 touch)
HP: 55/55
CMB: +7 CMD: 21
Fort: +6 Reflex: +5 Will:+3
Weapons: Heavy Crossbow (+10 or +8/+8, 1d10+6, 19-20x3) or Dwarven Waraxe (+7, 1d10+3, 20x3)

Perception: +13
Initiative: +4

Reliable Strike: 1/1

Weapon in Hand: Heavy Crossbow (+10 or +8/+8, 1d10+6, 19-20x3)
Conditions in Effect: None

Used Items:
None
[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, rangerish human ninja

Ru sighs again.

"If you're asking me, I'm inclined to believe our little victim back in town may not be anything of the sort," Ru responds to Thuvian. "It's already clear the gnolls didn't or couldn't hide their tracks when they were giving chase. I certainly don't imagine a common caravan guard would have more advanced abilities in that regard than career raiders: If you remember, he said he escaped by running as fast as he could for as long as he could. So unless our little man back at the village had magical powers he wasn't sharing, I don't imagine he hid his own trail.

"Which means he wasn't hurrying, and / or he had help in masking his presence.

"I'd say we should warn Thornbury, but Destrani made it clear he didn't need our help," he says with a shrug and a colder turn in his tone. "I spent most of my childhood getting spat on for being the wrong kind of person; I'm not wasting my skills on someone doing the north's version of the same thing to me now."

The swarthy Rhat'matani's gaze rests a bit longer on the soft-hearted Damaris as he makes his declaration: Please don't ask me to, Princess.


[sblock=mini stats]

Ru Brike
AC: 19 (Touch 14, Flatfooted 15)
HP: 39/39

Initiative: +4
Perception: +7 (+8 Traps) Sense Motive: +5
CMB: +3 CMD: 17 Fort: +6 Reflex: +10 Will: +3
(conditional: +2 vs. divination effects)

Wakizashi: +8, 1d6
Wakizashi (TWF): +6/+6, 1d6/1d6
Nunchaku: +7, 1d6
Shuriken: +7, 1d2
Conditional Attack mods: +2d6 Sneak Attack (when denied Dex), +1 Dirty Fighter (flank), +2 Attack / dmg vs. Ranger's Focus (1/day)

Conditions:None

In Hand: Wakizashi x2

Ki Pool: 3/3 remaining
Ranger's Focus: 1/1 remaining
Shuriken: 9/10 remaining
CLW Wand charges: 45/50 remaining

Used: 15 days' rations[/sblock]

 

[Systole]

Rhas looks at Damaris and gives a nod in Ru's direction. "I'm inclined to agree wi' him. If Captain Whathisbloodyname has a wolf in the fold, then by my way o' thinking, it's a wolf he's bought and paid for, right proper. Let him keep it."

[sblock=Mini Stats]Rhas Ironeyes

AC: 18 (14 flat-footed, 14 touch)
HP: 55/55
CMB: +7 CMD: 21
Fort: +6 Reflex: +5 Will:+3
Weapons: Heavy Crossbow (+10 or +8/+8, 1d10+6, 19-20x3) or Dwarven Waraxe (+7, 1d10+3, 20x3)

Perception: +13
Initiative: +4

Reliable Strike: 1/1

Weapon in Hand: Heavy Crossbow (+10 or +8/+8, 1d10+6, 19-20x3)
Conditions in Effect: None

Used Items:
None
[/sblock]

 

[soulnova]

Damaris sighs and shakes her head. "Look, Ru, I understand the Captain has a stick deep up his-...*ehem*... but the thing is, those people are not to blame for his actions. My village had our share of globin problems and I know they need the warning. We still have to take the road back that way, so if we are passing... I won't force you to talk to them or anything, but I can't let it pass just like that. I'll do it. I'll tell them. " she says in a resolute tone, there's no talking her out of it.

"Even then, that doesn't explain where the gnoll went after this... I believe they are still around here"