R1: Hired Hands (nimisgod judging)

[Dungannon]

The party rises and equips itself for trouble. You move quickly yet alertly toward the commotion. Whatever happened, it's over by the time you arrive. Dimly lit by the light of a torch flickering on the ground, you see the remains of a brutal attack. Two horses lay dead in the road. Nearby you see the crumpled form of a man, covered in blood and not moving.

 

[Patlin]

Tor quickly moves to the fallen man, checking for any sign of life.

 

[LogicsFate]

Valan pauses for half a step to glance around for others, he then moves to the fallen man

 

[IcyCool]

When he arrives, Gideon will stand alert and strain his eyes and ears against the darkness, trying to see or hear anything.

 

[Dungannon]

Tor reaches the fallen man. He's barely alive. When he feels Tor touch him, he turns slowly toward the fighter. "they...took...him...help..." the man gasps out, then dies just as Valan kneels down beside him.

Meanwhile, Ragnikyr and Kerrz take in the rest of the scene. The bard notices crossbow bolts in the horses, black ones like the one found at the site of the caravan attack.

Kerrz, looking over the horses with Gideon, motions the others over when he discovers something else. "The brand on these horses is the same one I saw on the animals at Mr. Travers'."

Gideon, keeping an eye out for anything in the surrounding darkness, can't help but notice what looks like a trail left by a bleeding person being dragged. It heads off to the South.

 

[IcyCool]

"There's a blood trail that leads to the south. I can't tell if they're on foot or horseback in this light." Gideon looks back at Tor and the fallen man, not noticing that the man is dead. "Will he recover?"

 

[Patlin]

"No, he died, but first he asked for help for someone else. The villains who did this must have taken a prisoner, we must pursue... and quickly!"

 

[IcyCool]

"No, he died, but first he asked for help for someone else. The villains who did this must have taken a prisoner, we must pursue... and quickly!"

Gideon's face hardens when he hears of the man's death. At Tor's suggestion, Gideon speaks up, "If they are on horseback, it's unlikely that we'll catch them. Here's the blood I can see," Gideon points. "But I'm no tracker. Can one of you follow this trail?"

 

[Patlin]

"What we lack in skill we must make up for in speed." Tor says.

He takes off running down the bloody trail (40' base speed.) If he heres the sound of a struggle, or of a body being dragged, he'll head toward it. (Listen +5.)

 

[IcyCool]

Not about to let Tor go alone, Gideon takes off after Tor, trying his best to keep an eye on the trail.