What Adventure Awaits?

[Mark Chance]

Berm reads the note, while half listening to the hafling, "not a paradox persay, just a linear train of action. If you never try, you will never do, if you try hard enough you just might do, but not hard enough and you won't do at all."

Kaer suppresses the urge to chuckle at the halfling's ramblings, instead leaning in to read the note over Berm's shoulder...

The note reads:

I am confident this gauntlet will aid you on your mission. Wear it well. Pronounce the command word Crasath while injured allies are close to you. Positive energy released affects up to nine within about fifteen feet of the wearer. Beware: The gauntlet has only five charges left.

The note is signed by Gebbert.

 

[Scott DeWar]

"Kaeer, your breath stinks like old cheap beer"

Berm looks about and wonders who the best candidate would be to wear it.

 

[jkason]

Kaer Fegavas, human barbarian

"Kaeer, your breath stinks like old cheap beer"

"Because cheap beer is usually old, and who wants to spend lots of gold on beer, so never bother with pricey beer," Kaer says, unfazed. He skims the note and nods.

"Thanks to ya, and to Gebbert," Kaer says, smiling to the halfling. "Hopefully we won't even need what magic's left in this gadget, but it's nice to know we have it.

"Zanty, maybe you outta carry this. If we get in trouble, we'll want you hanging back, anyway, so you can keep it safe."

OOC: Alternately, Kaer as 'toughest' could carry it, since we might assume he'd stay up longest in a fight and could heal folks. Honestly, though, given that the channeling ability on the gauntlet isn't selective, I don't figure it matters a whole lot since we'll want to try to keep it for use out of combat

 

[Mark Chance]

And so Zantalus, Kaer, and Berm travel upstream, moving cautiously through the woods toward the Haunted Bailey. It quickly becomes apparent that much of the caution, or at least that part focused on dangerous animals, is unnecessary. The woods are quiet.

Too quiet, except for the buzzing of flies.

The trio finds numerous animals, all of them dead. Birds, squirrels, deer, mice, possums. Closer to the Bailey, dead reptiles and amphibians. The stench of rot hangs thick in the air, and so do the swarms of flies.

Shortly after mid-day, through the trees atop a rugged hill, the carnies see the Haunted Bailey. And, could those be birds circling above it?

 

[Scott DeWar]

"Well, this one way to deal with a rat infestation, I guess." berm looks about and scratches his head. "Do you think we should spend the rest of the day scouting about and enter the baily in the morning?"

 

[jkason]

Kaer Fegavas, human barbarian

"Well, this one way to deal with a rat infestation, I guess." berm looks about and scratches his head. "Do you think we should spend the rest of the day scouting about and enter the baily in the morning?"

Kaer nods. "Don't think it does us much good going in blind," Kaer agrees. "But first thing's first: if this is the source of the poison, what the hells are those things and how are they alive when every other critter's a stinky carcas?" He squints his eyes try to pick up more detail...

OOC: Kaer doesn't have any trained knowledge skills, though, so I'm not sure there's anything he can / should roll. Threw in a Perception roll, figured he might pick up some more details that might or might not modify someone's Know check: Perception (1d20+5=24)

 

[Mark Chance]

Kaer squints his eyes and studies the circling birds. They are some distance away, to be sure, and details cannot be detected, but Kaer can tell there is something wrong about the flock. The path of their flight seems too regular. Kaer doesn't notice any of the sense of play or spontaneousness he's seen with other flocks of birds in flight. With these birds, it's always the same orbit over of the Haunted Bailey, and none of the birds ever even come to roost for a rest.

 

[Scott DeWar]

OOC: can you do an aid another on perception?

 

[jkason]

Kaer Fegavas, human barbarian

Kaer relays his observations to the group. "Dunno what to make of it, really. Zanty, you figure it might be some kind of illusion? Or maybe they are real, but there's something forcin' 'em to circle like that. I mean, a real bird oughtta get tired after awhile, right? Nothing I know can keep going forever. At least, nothing living..."

 

[Herobizkit]

"Something is amiss, that much is true."

As if born from the forest itself, the olive-skinned fortune teller known as Shalaye glides into view. She looks... different, somehow. Changed. There is fatigue clearly present in her eyes. Her normally ribbon-laden hair is completely disheveled, bits of twigs and leaves caught within. When last you saw her, she had left the camp on one of her oracular journeys. She must have been in the woods for days.

She is wearing a short sword and long knife, with another knife tucked in a boot sheath. A shortbow is strung across her chest. She wears a snugly fitting chain shirt and a buckler on her wrist. She has also traded her Varisian robes for a hearty explorer's outfit. She looks more physically able, and no less stunning than before.

"Let us watch these birds to see what can be learned."

OOC: I've decided that my star look-alike is Emmanuelle Chriqui. Enjoy.