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13th Age WM] Tracking Thieves Takes Tricky Tactics! Adventure Thread!
Grunt's Ghosts
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
After a night of drinking, planning... well... really just a night of drinking, August, Taneli, Varg, and Valdo met at the north gates of Havenhold just at first light. Most of the town was sleeping, although there are a few merchants setting up their shops. After grabbing what they need, the four set out to find the thief. The rumor didn't say where he when, other than a general direction, so the group started going north east. Along the way they passed the small farms that doted the country side beyond the walls of Havenhold. Being early spring, most of the crops were nothing more than mounds of dirt and small sprouts pushing desperately out of the earth. By late morning, the group found themselves at the tree line that marked the start of the woods. They knew that the mines where south of where they were, and that the thief wouldn't have gone back there, at least they didn't think he would. Where would one start looking for a thief?
@MagicPrime @Endless_Serpents @Boozer @Carnarvon
@MagicPrime @Endless_Serpents @Boozer @Carnarvon
Anyone wanting to buy some last minute goods can do so. Mostly it's just general goods. But the stables are open for those wanting horses. Prices found in the core book, page 57
For those who think they can track someone down or looking for clues as to recent movements in these woods, I'll need some sort of Tracking/Investigation checks.
For those who think they can track someone down or looking for clues as to recent movements in these woods, I'll need some sort of Tracking/Investigation checks.
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August downs the shot with the rest of the crew and turns back to the Keep, placing another coin on the bar and gets the attention of the Keep once more. "Eh, do you have those trail packs still bundled up back there? I'll take a 4-fer wouldya please." (48GP left)
The keep makes audible grunt and reaches into the cabinets below the bar. He produces four neat little bound packages, each about the size of a small loaf of bread. Each one of these packs would contain enough food to keep someone going on the road for about five days. Mostly Pemmican made with dried fruits and beef, along with some basic Hardtack. The pemmican was surprisingly palatable, but without a bit of water the biscuits could be hard to get down. Between the rations and Augusts experience in the woods both as a boy and as a scout - staying fed in the woods wouldn't be hard, even with the extra mouths to feed.
"Let's head to the North gate. Those shoe polish thugs are prolly still rousing up there boys -- and we need to see if I can find a trail before they muck it all up."
**I am going to motion to the group and head out the door while stuffing the trail packs in my backpack. Heading directly to the north gate.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
27/27
Taneli takes the lead, being rather comfortable in the role of front-line warrior and his knowledge of the roads and wilds of Havenhold. He makes idle smalltalk with August, as he's interested in socializing with anyone who can find jobs that don't involve back-alley murders. Many of the men he's worked with thought that talking made it more likely to be ambushed, but any one-eared goblin could hear the march of mailed boots on dirt. Small talk is also good at keeping otherwise curious beasts away, Taneli thinks to himself. Better goblins than bears, his father would say.
Galo, his bittern familiar, and his packmule, Alda, follow behind him.
Taneli uses his Traveling Guard background to search for any worn or hidden paths that might tip them off. (I'm assuming Wisdom for searching).
Geth, roll 1d20+5+3
"You keep looking around there Taneli, I will check this way near the fields."
August lowers into a low squat on the ball of his feet and ganders at the loose dirt that makes up the road. This time of year, and this time of day more people would be heading IN to the City than out. And anyone running away from The Boss would be in enough of a hurry to leave some nice deep tracks -- or so he thought.
Geth roll 1d20+5+3 for Scout (Tracking)
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Valdo turns to the sky, reading clouds and the flight of birds as one might tea leaves. He frowned, and readjusted his makeshift armour.
A bloody knife. A weeping beast. Chains. Teeth.
His mother's blood granted him just a peep at the web that weaves between souls, though never much use beyond filling him with dread.
"Fine weather for a quest!", he calls to the group, or himself, "and no finer group to exact justice; the Captain will be pleased."
Going to let Boozer say something before we press on.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Also before we go too far, everyone roll for your Icon Relationship points.
Edit: It's also possible if you roll a 6, you can spend that roll to "Influence the Story" since we are using Joshmvii's Relationship Token system. So you could make up a place and say your character has been there because of Blank Icon and recall that adventure there.
August rises up following the tracks with is eyes. He chews on the razor grass and mulls over memory thinking about where they might be heading in that direction. Admittedly, August's memory wasn't that great, but he had patrolled and scouted a good majority of the surrounding area of Havenhold.
Geth Roll 1d20+0+5 for Lore Scout
Geth Roll 2#1d6 for Relationship Guide Positive
Geth Roll 1d6 for Relationship Captain Ambiguous
**Snake Eyes.... damn.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
"Now then..."
Geth roll 1d20+0+1 for Lore
Geth roll 1d6 for Captain Positive
Geth roll 2#1d6 for Banished Ambiguous
Geth roll 1d6 The Banished (Positive)
Geth roll 2#1d6 The Runes (Ambiguous)
"Well... looks like we didn't get ahead of the Boss' Boys, so that puts a kink in the works. But they are gonna be moving pretty slow when those woods get thick, so we might be able to still get ahead of em. The only thing up that ways is Dryad's Grotto. That old cave were the tree roots are growing down. Might be a place to start lookin..."
He gathers up a handful of the dirt rolls it in his hands for a second then throws it off to the side.
"Good a plan as any I guess?"
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
"'Nother of those trail packs fer me, along wit a pouch of yer finest leaf my good man." Varg said expectantly. When the Keep didn't move a muscle beyond a raised eyebrow, the half orc showed him the gold with a grumble.
--
Varg followed the more experienced trackers, and while he seemed more concerned with his pipe then his suroundings, looks could be deceiving. Still, the half orc couldn't help but snort out a laugh when the young Valdo sang about justice.
Once August had come up with a plan, Varg nodded his agreement. The half orc might not admit it, but he was a bit keen to cross paths again with the Dryad after all these years. "Sounds good Auggie." he nodded, with a gleam in his eye.
Geth roll 1d6 for The Boss Ambiguous
Geth roll 1d6 for The Dryad Positive
Geth roll 1d6 for The Guide Positive
-5gp for 8 rations and lots o pipeweed
Apologies for the delay, long day at work.
Edit - might be too early, but maybe it makes sense to use my 6 chit on the Dryad's Grove?
Was thinking maybe Varg spent his misspent youth learning the in/outs/shortcuts of the Grove. For some reason the Dryad took a shining to child Varg, if only from afar. He probably caught only the occasional fleeting glimpse, but there is still a warm relationship there.
Not familiar with the system, thoughts?
PSN: Boozer_777
Valdo tries to think of another place these men might be going but the best he could think of is rumors of Banished camps in the area. But he didn't know where any where.
The group continued on, following the trail of footprints. About midday, as they made their way into a small clearing, they found the ruins of a stone building. Most of the walls where gone, just rubble on the grounds. But the remains of a campfire said that someone had been here very recently. The Boss's men's footprints when everywhere as it appeared that they searched the campsite as to clues to who had stayed here.
So you can search the site yourselves (another Investigation Roll) or follow the Boss's Boy's footprints out of the site if you want to try to catch up to them.
Sorry, I didn't see this originally, you could spend it to say you know exactly where that is and that footprints seem to be heading that direction. That falls under the the "Influence the Story" and bam, that's where they are going. I'm totally cool with running with that.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
I do think it would be good to add a one or two line description to each of the icons.
PSN: Boozer_777
August kicks around the campfire a bit and rolls one of the larger logs out from the ashes. He takes his grandfathers hatchet from the leather frog on his belt and gives the coal log a few strong strikes to crack it open. The color and the heat at the inside of the log would be a strong indicator of how long ago this fire was still burning. After checking the fire, he takes a look around the general area. Keeping an eye for significant disturbances. Divots in the ground from tent spikes, mushed ground from a bedroll, black smears of shoe polish on the grass or a clearing in the leaves where someone simply proped their head on a backpack. Even the smallest detail could give more information if they were on the right trail.
Geth roll 1d20+2+5 for Scout (Tracking)
**Oh fun...
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Content that his friend August would spot any clues well before himself, if indeed anything could me made out of the mud and wet logs, Valdo decided his duty was to access the skills of the other fellows in his band, for when battle plans or in the moment decisions needed to be made. Knights would lead soldiers in wars long ago when the world span beyond the horizon, and he was a knight now, just about, so this was likely what he should do.
"Varg, Taneli, regale me," Valdo smiles warmly, "From whence do you hail and what are your professions?"
After a pause in the air he adds encouragingly, "Talking tends to make a journey go by quicker."
"I dunno fellas... I don't see jack here. The Boss's goons have made a right mess of it. I guess we should keep following those bootprints. Try to catch up to 'em."
August pulls back his hood, scratches the back of his head a bit perplexed and kicks a chunk of the charcoal off into the grass. He looks to the other members of the group for a bit of input before heading deeper on the trail.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
27/27
"Seems smart enough to me, August... we're going to have to catch up to them eventually." Taneli shrugs with a smile.
So I'd like to go with the plan above. I'll use my 6 chit with the Dryad to influence the story to say that everyone is headed to the Dryad's Grove, and thanks to Varg's familiarity with the area, the group will reach the thief before the boss' men do.
"Profession... I used to nick the odd shiny for the Boss, now I do it fer me and mine." Varg said to Valdo, puffing out his chest with pride. "It keeps a roof over me head and leaf in me pipe."
Taking a look around the half orc said "Ah these are near me old stomping grounds. Almost felt more at home in the Grove than the marshes." Varg said wistfully.
"If we head this way through the brush we could cut past the worst of the thorn maze. You want to light a torch to keep the creeper vines away though. Bloodthirsty they are." The rogue added.
PSN: Boozer_777
27/27
"You know, I haven't actually ever had a job with The Boss, Varg. Well, that's not exactly true." Taneli feeds another small fish to his familiar, who chokes it down eagerly. "I was hired on for an expedition, since I told them I had been that way before; I didn't realize they were with The Boss until the return trip, when we didn't find anything..." the half-elf scratches his chin. "I don't think I've seen any of them since, either."
Taneli turns to Varg. "What made you leave his employ?"
Just a note, I'd like to change my The Banished +1 (Positive) to The Demoniac +1 (Positive), if that's alright with you, @Grunt's Ghosts .
He's a cheap bastard ya' see." Varg added helpfully.
"And the last job din' go so well... seemed like the right time to strike out on me own."
PSN: Boozer_777
The tracks seem to head north east still, but Varg knew that their path would push them northward towards the Dryad's Grove. Once they got through the Thorn Maze, a massive collection of strange bushes that seem to be filled with magical plants that attacked the stupid and foolish. The group, however, would have to go through only a part of the Maze with Gary's directions. Heading straight north from the campsite, they so found the brush to thicken and their path slowed slightly. Around them, large vines with sharp thorns wrapped around trees and threaten the group.
As they cut through, they suddenly stopped when they caught a glimpse of a creature made from bark and covered in the thorns moving swiftly through the brush. It hadn't seen the group yet but it seemed alone...
So you guys are cutting through the Maze slightly, and see a dryad. Not The Dryad because this one looks less human, more tree-like. It appears to be alone. You can roll stealth to sneak pass it or you can engage it or try to talk with it, although you aren't sure it speaks. Basically I'm handling this as a group thing so if 3/4th of the group passes their stealth check, the group passes because I hate it when the heavy armor knights cause stealth to not be an option.
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
August catches sight of the creature first, and freezes immediately. His eyes tense up slightly and a bit of a furrow crosses his brow. He motions back to the rest of the group with a palm down gesture to get them to hunker down for a second. Looking back he starts to reference his memory of all the creatures in the wood -- some friend, some foe and some in between.
Geth Roll 1d20+0+5 for Lore, Scout
A 1 then a 2. If I roll a 3 next I get a prize!
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Better to slip through unnoticed.
I think I have the roll correct. Let me know if I messed it up.
Geth Roll 1d20+9 for Stealth ( dex 3 level 1 background 5 )
PSN: Boozer_777
"Better safe than sorry I guess...."
Geth Roll 1d20+3+1+5 for Stealth (Scout)
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
27/27
Taneli thinks conversating with a spiked tree monster would be most enlightening, but consults his Casual Blood Pact With The Runes before doing so, trying to recognize if this is something he'd be able to talk to.
I'm assuming intelligence, otherwise replace the +3 with the appropriate modifier.
Geth, roll 1d20+4+3
27/27
With the snap of his fingers and softly intoned verse, the arcane warrior summons an Alarm* sprite. He instructs it to warn him if there are ever more than four people (e.g. Varg, August, Valdo, the dryad, and an owlbear) within sixty feet of him. "Keep your weapons stowed", Taneli says sternly to the group, "but leave your hands upon them." He enters the grove.
Taneli walks forward, calling out politely. "Excuse me, madam? Might I have a moment of your time?" he says with a polite smile. His bird stands on his shoulder with its head peaked.
Cantrip Mastery
If you want to do something particularly cunning or surprising with one of your cantrips and the GM isn’t sure whether you could pull off that use of the spell, roll a normal save (11+) to cast the spell the way you envision it.
I'm assuming, along with the Cantrip Mastery talent, that this is an acceptable use of the spell; I can roll if you'd like.
A dryad? No, a woodwose perhaps, but far more bestial than he'd thought. He knew a thing or two about trees that moved, it was the basics of a childhood in a wood.
He'd better get a little closer, without frightening the creature, in case he need to cleave it in twain.
Geth roll 1d20+4+1 for Stealth (I think that's right)
Okay that's pretty funny so let's say I'm approaching in a non-aggressive manner, but I'm totally seen.
Since Taneli when to talk to the dryad and Valdo failed his stealth roll, that's only 2/4 successful stealth rolls, so the group fails to stay hidden.
27/27
The half bows deeply, sweeping an arm out to complete the gesture. "Of course, we mortals use names to mark our time; I suppose one who is timeless is also nameless?" Taneli's eyes narrow into an inquisitive look, taking her proportions to draw in his journal later. "I am Taneli, my compatriots and I are seeking others who have gone into the woods; though I suppose the comings and goings of mortals are beneath one such as yourself." Taneli smiles.
"I do not mean to take of your time aimlessly, however. If I am not mistaken, these lands are of The Dryad's Grove." Taneli places a hand over his heart. "I would hope to find our quarry and leave without going where are not wanted, and certainly where we do not belong." "As I am sure you are well aware, the careless fall of a mortal's footsteps rarely goes where it supposed to."
This seems like a fun place to use my 5 of the Runes. Taneli loves nothing if not bargaining with forces outside his ken. :bzz:
"For our sake, and for the sanctity of The Dryad's Grove, I beseech thee. Would you, in your wisdom and power, escort us to those we seek, and safely out?"