Adventures Landing - Waylayed

[Trogdor]

Scout nods approvingly at Kenyon's kindness towards Arborus. It follows the nod with a bird whistle to tell Arborus that Kenyon is a friend. This interlude concluded, Scout returns to the more important matter at hand.

'œThe obvious reason to take the ring is to pretend to be the envoy,' Scout opines. 'œI'm sure there are many harms that someone could do in the name of House Denieth. Was there someone in particular you were to meet or some package you were to retrieve? That would be a likely target for deception.'

"But come," Scout gestures onward. "Let us contiue to the battle site. If information is to be had, that is its most likely source."

[tigersrule]

Glad that the owl has good taste in people, Kenyon smiles at it and then continues towards the battle site, looking for information, etc.

Responding to Scout's query, he says "From what I remember, we were hired by the Brelish govenment and were supposed to escort this carriage. I was the member of the House Deinith that was the attache for the expedition, but I don't remember where the carriage was destined for. We left Sharn and everything looked OK, until the attack. Now, I'm missing my ring, which showed my association with the house."

[Wayloss]

Days later the jungle has done much to cover up the signs of the battle. Scout clearly remembers the scene that he found but the area looks much different. The driving rain purged the blood from the road, and the weapons and armor were cleared away already by Scout's labors, Scavengers have taken care of the rest. Dense jungle pushes in from all sides here though a days travel farther away from Sharn towards the capitol Wroat will find you quickly leaving the rainforest into more deciduous forest and into farmland.



Kenyon can find no reason that this particular spot was chosen as one of ambush. There is no decided tactical advantage, and their behavior was odd. The ambush reeks to Scout and Kenyon as something decidedly military. There was an objective, a plan, and it was executed nearly flawlessly. Kenyon though, lives to put the clues together.



The Jungle grows hot and humid as the sun continues to rise.

[tigersrule]

Frustrated that he can find little evidence, Kenyon says "Well, we have to move one way or the other on the path. I'd say we continue along the path that the convoy was going and hopefully, we can make good time. Maybe we'll run into someone that can help us."

Thinking for a moment, he says "Scout, your name conveys that you are skilled at reconnaissance, so do you want to lead and possibly detect any ambushes before they occur? I don't want to run into those brigands before we have time to prepare."

[Trogdor]

"I'm afraid that my name is more related to what I was meant to do rather than what I actually do." The general absence of body language on Scout's part makes it difficult to tell what kind of tone it wants to convey. "But I do have a suggestion."

"We have been assuming that there are no surviving witnesses to what happened." Scout turns its head to survey the battlefield. "That may not be entirely true. It seems true that we are unlikely to find and human witnesses. But the jungle is full of life. And I would be surprised if there were not many animal witnesses to what happened."

Scout moves towards the perimeter of the battle site and begins examining the jungle. "I shall attempt to find just such a witness and see if we can learn something from it."

Display

Scout will look around to see if it can find an animal that nests in the area and might ahve been around to see what happened. It will be particularly concerned with finding an animal that might not have just run away. Birds of prey seem a good option.

In any case, Scout has Knowledge: Nature at 12 to try and figure out what kind of creature would be best to ask. Once a likely creature is found, Scout will use Speak with Animals to ask some questions.

[tigersrule]

Confused for a moment, Keynon says "OK. I'll keep looking around the battle site and see if anything interesting comes up. Let me know after you find whomever or whatever you want to speak to. If you need my help, let me know."

[Wayloss]

Scout thinks long and hard about what has happened, the construct quickly remembers the night before finding the bodies, the storm was surly a thing of nature's beauty but in the fury of the rain no predators would be out, save those that do not hunt for instinct. Most of nature's creatures would be huddling clear away from the wind and driving rain. Staying dry and preventing hypothermia would be the largest part of their instinct.

Display

Knowledge Nature 12 + 11 =23 Success. There are a few predatory birds in the area but the ferocity of the storm they were all sheltering, more then likely.

Suddenly Arborus becomes distraught. The owl hoots in alarm, and takes wing across the road. His movements startle something in the bush and both Kenyon and Scout can hear something moving in the undergrowth on the opposite side of the road from where they came.

[tigersrule]

Hearing something moving, Kenyon moves away from it and draws his swords, prepared to fight, if needed. He'll try to move back far enough to be able to charge it, to start the battle, but far enough back that it can't attack him right off.

As he moves, he whispers to Scout "Any idea what that critter is?"

[Trogdor]

Scout stood in the shadow of a large tree - it never hurt to be careful - and stood stock still, listening at the sounds in the undergrowth. Perhaps it was a badger, or a racoon, or maybe even a small jungle cat. Any of those might well have been taking shelter in the brush from the rain the night of the attack and might well have seen something. If it could approach the creature and talk to it, the warforged knew that much might be revealed.

Of course there was also the possibility that it was a man making the noise, perhaps one of the very men who attacked Kenyon and his group, come back to perform some forgotten task. With that thought in mind, Scout shifted one arm to rest on its weapon, just in case.

Display

Listen to see if Scout can figure out what's making the noise. Animal friendship and Speak with Animals if it's a beastie.

[Wayloss]

Ambush

Initiative: Scout 12; Kenyon 8; Emerald Claw 5 Ambush round'¦

Scout clearly hears the sound in the forrest, he spends a moment listening and just as he determines that there is more thn one sourse of the sound he realizes no animal makes this sound. He hears a faint metalic sound then three clicks. Suddenly three crossbow bolts leap from the foliage across the road.

Display

Listen 3 +2 =5 Fail! They gain an ambush round, but I'm not denying you dex bonus

Three crossbow bolts rip across across the clearing, well make it two bolts. A click and a snap as well as a curse lets everone know one crossbow broke. One of the bolts also sails harmlessly into the foliage. The third is shot with skill and catches Kenyon in the shoulder and knocking him back. . The wound is a flesh wound, but hurts.

Display

Two attack Kenyon, 2 +'1' Fumble, 2 +11 Miss Critical Fumble. Crossbow breaks. Second Attack 3 +18 =21 Hit, 3 Damage!
Attack #3 at Scout 2 +3 = 5 Miss

Round 1

Initiative: Scout 12; Kenyon 8; Emerald Claw 5

Display