[D&D 4E] Patient Zero: Day 2 of Outbreak - Let's Run Some Red Lights!

Kevin R Brown

THE PRESENT STATE OF THE URSB



PANDEMIC LEVEL



Current Party:


Baern, Dwarf Cleric of the Raven Queen
Melisha Oran, Half-Elf Invoker of Moradin
[strike]Dirigible the Dwarf Invoker[/strike]
Dale, halfling aerialist rogue
Kalimac, Halfling Paladin
Chim Daggerface - Kobold Rogue
Karem Tiphareth - Deva Invoker

Kevin R Brown

St Gerome - 07:13

It's a lovely summer morning.

A pleasant chinook blows through the streets of St Gerome, and the staff of the town's Inn - the Black Elephant - have left the windows of the main lobby open so that the guests may enjoy the phenomena. The establishment is not particularly active at this hour, with most guests still asleep and only a skeleton crew running services.

Six figures - two dwarves, a half-elf, a kobold, and 2 halflings - serve as the exception to the rule, already awake despite the hour and 'The most comfortable beds in the North!', mingling casually in the lobby and being serviced by the one or two chamber maids that pass by.


The chamber maids, of course, are also happy to deliver the first gossip of the day as they chat to one another in passing.

"Did you see the wagon last night?"

"The one that stopped in front of the temple just across the road?"

"What do you think happened to all of those guardsmen?"
"Where did they arrive from?"


OOC: Baern, Melisha Oran, Dirigible, Dale, Kalimac, Chim Daggerface - you are the initial party of six, and situated in the lobby of the Black Elephant. There's tables, a bar, the chamber maids can cook you up some complimentary breakfast, and all in all it's pretty nice, casual morning. This is a social encounter for now, so feel free to trash talk, flirt, dine, smoke and investigate to your heart's content.

OOC text should be made in orange font.

And don't worry - the zombies are coming.

IAmUnaware

I suspect you made a mistake in the characters there. You included both of my characters (Melisha Oran and Skark) but you didn't include Dale, hotran's halfling rogue.

Kevin R Brown

Your suspicions are affirmed. Whoops!

Correction made.


Back to your regularly scheduled zombie apocalypse.

soxbox

Chim moves about the room, ducking into shadows behind pillars, his hands darting out occasionally to grab bits and pieces of food from passing maids. He sits down at a table near the others and starts to greedily gorge himself, all the while keeping his hood drawn tight over his head. A maid wanders over to offer to read him the breakfast menu, but begins to walk away in puzzlement as he loudly slurps down a pile of beans off the table.

A reptilian hand darts out and grabs the maid's wrist at the last moment. "You speak of guardsmen? Where do they come from? Do they seek someb... ummm... why do you think they came here?"

Dibs on being the guy who starts out as a total dick and either gets his comeuppance or redeems himself in a noble sacrifice.

Brody

Always the early to bed, early to rise type of dwarf, Dirigible is of course wide awake, and nomming grumpily on a bowl of cereal and ale. Slightly interested by the conversation, he tries to listen in a little more.

Dibs on being to old for this shit.

IAmUnaware

Melisha's ears perk up at the gossip, looking as always for a good deed to do. Of course, she'll attribute it to the hands of Moradin working to improve the world, but if she should happen to earn a night's lodgings or a purse full of gold in gratitude, well... that'd just be Moradin's will at work.

In particular she focuses on the barmaid who spoke of the guardsmen. She intends to wait until the stream of free information dries up before making a spectacle of herself.

Dibs on zombie double agent who devours you all in your moment of weakne- I mean, dibs on totally normal girl who couldn't possibly be a threat and should be left alone with each member of the party sequentially.

illgottengains

Kalimac had been sleeping soundly for about 14 hours. He yawned loudly as he clanked down the stairs in his plate mail. His legs still ached from marching into town alongside a merchant's caravan last evening. He remembered the generous merchant, offering him this suit of armor for his valorous effort to defend the merchant and his goods from brigands.

The helmet-less halfling rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and took a seat at a table. Aside from the armor, the merchant also provided him with some coinage, after all, the merchant would have nothing and might even have died if not for the brave little halfling. Kalimac hailed a waitress and asked her for hot tea, bacon, lots of bacon, hashed potatoes, a loaf of bread, an apple, and two pancakes.

He waited patiently for his first breakfast while sipping his tea. When he overheard something about a temple and slain guardsmen he suddenly remember, and vividly, what he had been dreaming about last night... A road winding through vast grassland lit by a half moon. Kalimac could hardly see over the tall grass but he could hear strange sounds. It was almost like someone trying to breath through, or talk even, a choked windpipe. The noises coming from either side of the road somewhere not too far but not close enough for him to see. The leather straps of his falchion soaked through with his palm's sweat. He was wearing his new set of armor. The holy symbol of Avandra clanking on the steel breastplate.

He snapped back as the waitress, carrying three plates on one arm and the pancakes in her other hand started to set the table. Kalimac smelled the fresh bread and hot bacon and he nearly drooled. Instead he grabbed a knife and a fork and went to work.

Kalimac's a halfling paladin. He likes flowers, walking, food, and smiting evil.

Kevin R Brown

The maid snagged by Chim affords him only slightly more civility than she would a rat that just pooped in the morning porridge. Her wrist is immediately yanked away.

"Well, if I knew, I wouldn't be asking the question, would I? Thilthy little baby-snatcher. If you're so eager to find out what business a wagon full of injured soldiers is doing in town, why don't you save us your stink, take yourself outside and start poking your nose around the temple of Kord across the road that they're staying at?"

The bigoted outburst draws a heavy silence from the other staff, most of whom choose to simply continue doing their morning duties and look away. The maid herself simply shakes her head and heads to the kitchen.

hotran

Dale watches one of the prettier barmaids walk past, and massages his forehead, trying to will the leftover poisons, a gift of last night's revelry, from his body. "I'm only in St. Gerome so often, why not have a bit of fun?" he thinks. Joanna and her mates had been off much earlier, leaving to him to munch away his excesses alone.

As he noisily slurps the latest in a series of mugs of strong tea, he overhears the maids discussing the the odd wagon and strange guardsmen, as well as Chim's question. He walks over to the bar to get a refill on his mug, but watches and listens to see the maid's answer.

Dibs on Drunken-Master-Zombiebane-Style....guy

soxbox

Chim hisses at the maid and pulls one of the daggers from his sleeve into his hand (though still keeping it concealed by the sleeve) and starts to rise from his chair, but then looks around and thinks better of it, instead wiping up the last of his beans off the table and quietly muttering to himself. "Stupid woman .... grumble grumble .... dagger ... grumble grumble ... right in face ... teach her good ... then who stink of baby eating?".

It really feels in character to just stab her in the face and then go and hide somewhere, but I don't think that would be constructive at this point.

IAmUnaware

Melisha gets up, leaving her tea at the table, and starts toward the door. That bit about the temple of Kord was all she needed to hear. Unfortunately, she's not particularly quick on her feet, and she uses her spear as a support while she hobbles toward the door on her unsteady legs.

Kevin R Brown

If I could have Melisha make a perception check, please.

3cl1ps3

Baern sits quietly at his table, tucking into a plate heaped high with all kinds of food. His warhammer and holy symbol rest on the table in front of him, and the chainmail under his black robe clinks every so often as he shovels food into his mouth, clearly not a morning person.

Dibs on being the obnoxious loud guy who enjoys beer, long walks on the beach, and murdering the undead.

Brody

Somewhat taken aback by the outburst, Dirigible gulps down the last bit of ale, making sure to get all the cereal with, attempting to mumble about a general lack of manners in young people. Setting his bowl down with a thud, and following it with a bit of coin, Dirigible groans and grumbles his way to a standing position. "Maybe we will," he anounces, casting a scolding look at the maid. Nodding to the kobold, and then noticing the young half-elf's hobble to the door, Dirigible rushed to hold it open for her.

I'm a little rusty with the whole RP deal, apologies.

Kevin R Brown

No problem, Brody. You're doing fine!

If Dirigible is headed to the door, I'll ask you to make a perception check as well. You can use the dice roller at either Invisible Castle or Orokos.com.

illgottengains

Damn! They're starting to leave already! Kalimac scarfs down his pancakes tosses the loaf of bread and the apple into his back pack, eats more than half the hashed potatoes, and grabs the bacon strips in his off hand. He gets up and leaves some silver for the food, a flower for the girl, grabs his heavy shield and trudges off.

"Hey! You going to the temple? I follow not kord, but anytime a temple of a just god is attacked one puts such matters aside!" Kalimac half shouts as he jogs noisily toward Melisha.

"Hi. I'm Kalimac Proudstepper! Maybe you've heard of my cousin Milo Proudstepper? He went on an adventure out at this keep and he got stuck in the shadowfell! Well, until he came back, he did."

soxbox

Roused from his homicidal musing by Melisha hobbling through the room, Chim thinks he may have spotted an easy mark and slips out of his chair and skulks around the room to follow.

Perception: 1d20+0 6 - I have my eyes only on the money.

Kevin R Brown

Same goes for Kalimac, and anyone else headed for the door. Perception checks all around.

3cl1ps3

Baern notices the others leaving and hears them speaking of gods. Not wanting to be left alone in the inn, he finishes wolfing down his food and grabs a roll to go, grabbing his gear off the table and following them out the door.

Perception: 1d20+4=20

Brody

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2319582/ 1d20+Perception skill? 17+5=22

illgottengains

http://4e.orokos.com/roll/11371

3cl1ps3

Baern quickly catches up to the others and begins hurrying outside. "There is a child screaming outside. We must go, and quickly" he says, rushing out the door in the direction of the screams.

Brody

Dirigible's rush to open the door turns into a rush out the door, joints creaking and chainmail jingling. Looking up and down the street quickly, he reassuringly strokes his warhammer.

hotran

"Temple of Kord..." Dale thought; "...didn't one of Joanna's friends say something about heading over there bright and early?". He couldn't quite remember through his current....hazy state, but that and the Chim's outburst were enough to get him up and headed for the door, mug in hand. Besides, he wanted to say goodbye to Joanna before heading further up river.

Perception Check: 1d20+5 = 14

illgottengains

"What? I don't hear anything."

soxbox

Chim stands around confused as his mark and two heavily armed men go speeding down the street. He pauses a moment to admire the fine workmanship of the inn floor, glances back to the rude barmaid and then decides to wander down the street to figure out what all the fuss is about.

hotran

As he passes through the inn door, Dale sees the dwarf that had been shouting about a screaming child run off towards what he remembered as being the direction of the Temple...and his cousin's home. He shook his head, trying to shake away his grogginess. "Probably nothing to worry about", Dale thought. Still he picked up his pace a bit as continued down towards the road to the Temple.

Have I gone far enough for another check? If, so

1d20 + 5 = 15

Brody

Following the young whipper-snappers as they take off towards the temple, Dirigible draws his hammer and rod. Nothing good could cause a child to scream like that.

I figured we would be waiting for the cripple to catch up.

Kevin R Brown

The temple is directly across the street from the Inn, so no need to go running off just yet. I'll just wait for Mel's next post before describing what the party sees as they look out the Inn and across the street.

IAmUnaware

Sorry about delay, guys! Mel's Perception check: 1d20+3=14

Melisha nods her thanks to Dirigible as he holds the door for her, and then nearly topples over as everyone rushes past her. She manages to barely maintain her balance and then continues to hobble out the door, looking for the cause of all the excitement.

Kevin R Brown

The door of the Black Elephant is opened to a scene of the mundane. Across the road from the Inn is the local temple of Kord, and parked in front of it is a single axle wooden wagon - a translucent blue spectral steed being used as it's locomotor idly pawing at the dirt.

For those heard the screams as they approached the door, they appear to have faded away. The wagon appears to be stained with blood, though that's hardly unusual for any vehicle that would've been bringing wounded for healing.

Brody

Do we just ignore everything past exiting the Inn then?

Kevin R Brown

Yes, please.

3cl1ps3

Baern pauses, perturbed at how quickly the screams faded. He turns to the others. "I wasn't the only one hearing that, was I?"

hotran

Works for me.

Dale approaches the temple, trying to remember exactly were Joanna and her friends said they had to be in the morning. Try as he might, he can't remember; given his condition, not so surprising. As he walks closer to the Temple entrance, he sees the empty wagon. "Guess they brought them inside.." he thinks. Figuring the temple is as good a place to start looking as any, he starts making his way inside...

IAmUnaware

"Hearing what? I didn't-" Melisha stops midsentence and her eyes open wide as she sees the spectral horse. She hasn't been traveling long, and she's certainly never seen anything like this.

After she recovers from the initial shock, she continues toward the temple. Obviously all the excitement is coming from within.

3cl1ps3

Baern shrugs and follows the others into the temple, clinking with every step.

Kevin R Brown

Dale walks over to the temple doors and presses against them, but perhaps to his surprise, they do not open.

"I heard them barring the doors earlier amidst some commotion,"

The spectral horse says with an impassive tone, looking at Dale as the halfling attempts to enter the Holy temple.

"It probably won't be too much trouble to force your way in - but I wouldn't expect anyone to come to welcome you in if you just stand there and knock. Just saying."

hotran

Dale blinks several times, just to make sure he is at least fully recovered, if not comfortable, after last night. He's heard of talking horses, but he's never heard from one, and isn't exactly sure what constitutes proper protocol.

"Umm....right. Who are "they"? And what did you pull here? And....and, um...pleased to meet you?"

IAmUnaware

Melisha is spooked when the horse begins to speak and she jumps into a defensive posture, holding her spear point toward it. She calms herself after a moment and continues toward the door, but she keeps a wary eye toward the horse.