So that mainly leaves us with either build a bridge or route around. Mort's vote is to route around and sally forth.
Mort: *popping his arm back into his shoulder socket, it was only a little out!* "Well, not that I don't love a good drumline, but I don't fancy our chances if we sit around and loudly construct a bridge for days. I fancy the chances of our lost hunting party even less if we delay."
An attempt to swim seems likely to end with Mort down river
Mort: "As the least strapping...well unless you count.. *indicates the straps holding a bit of his calf to the leg bone*..anyway, as the least burly one here, I say we head upriver and try and find a more likely crossing. At least that way if we run into trouble we are all together for it. Besides, I'm not sure muggs can swim at all."
Guile: "Someone could pull you across with rope if you don't think you'll be able to make it.
In fact, I'd suggest that everyone who attempts to cross has someone on the bank ready to pull them in, and perhaps have the rope anchored to a tree."
Which direction does this river run with respect to the hunter's trail?
Ugh. Knots
"I know I had some training with knots, mostly surrounding the use of rope for the detention and eviction of convicts or the Runed from the city.
But I was never so good with them.
Perhaps Zariya had the same?"
If you didn't pack rope out of your starting gold, then you won't have any, as the standard adventuring kit doesn't come with it.
Guile has some because the wall guards thought it would be funny to pack him a grappling hook.
So the plan is to travel to the point that the log is exposed in the water (150 feet into the river) and then have someone tied up to brave the current to reach the other side? So I'll need Dex+Background to not slip off the log, DC 10, and whoever tries to swim the rest of the way will need to give me a second check of Str+Background, DC 15.
Not sure my guy Guile knows how to swim.
I'm not even sure who in the town -would- know how to swim, as its not a skill you'd rather need if you're stuck in one city. I guess people who interact with the river that runs past the town might know?
Anyway the only reason Guile would know how to swim is if they taught that at wall-guard school.
Additionally, Guile's intending on shimmying down the log whilst hanging on with his hand-axes, assuming that the log is thick enough and strong enough to withstand that.
Guile may have a -2 in Dex because that's what the dice rolled, and I have enough positives in every single other characteristic that it felt like cheating to make that one better.
Figuring that so long as he's getting wet anyway he may as well go first, he slides bodily onto the log.
"Now, after I don't fall off this thing and make it to the middle, you guys can let go of your end of the rope and I'll tie it to the log before attempting to swim over.
Or something.
If I fall in, just head downstream and hopefully you'll catch up."
And so Guile starts shimmying his way down the log, towards the river.
Attempting to use his handaxes as handholds as he does so.
Geth roll 1d20+3 for not falling off logs
Geth roll 1d20+5 for 'swimming'
Making it to the middle, Guile signals the others to release the other end of the rope.
This end still has the grappling hook attached, because largely it was a pain removing it and Guile didn't want anything tangled in his armour that could perforate him.
After pulling the grappling hook through the river to him, he quickly ties the rope off on the log by wrapping its tines in the rope.
Then he starts his desperate attempt to claw his way through the rapids.
Before jumping in, Guile quickly recalls the advice given to the wall-guard trainees by one of the invited guides. If you want to swim, you just need to remember these three things:
First! Cup your hands and push as much water as you can as fast as you can. The more water you push the faster you'll go.
Second! If you're swept into a current, curl up into a ball so that the rocks don't hit you in the goolies.
And finally, DON'T BREATHE THE WATER!
Shortly after, Guile reckoned that a more practical course may have been more useful.
On the other riverbank, the others watched as Guile swiftly disappeared from view.
Aside from the still-slack yet moving rope, there was almost no sign of Guile. Although his crossing was punctuated by loud gasps as his head breached the surface from time to time.
After a rather too long and troubling absence of this breathing, Guile could be finally seen dragging himself out of an eddy on the far side of the river, before collapsing heavily on the far bank.
Guile, after coughing out some water and getting his legs back under him, he ties the rope off to a nearby tree, which allows the rest of the group to make their way across. As the last person makes their way across the river, Bud notices a set of large paw prints near the bank, with a few smaller sized ones nearby. They seem fresh, judging by how soft they still are....
The hunters before left clear marks for others to travel and the group follows them south. Before dark, the group comes across an old fort. Despite the years, the ground is littered with rusted weapons, broken siege machines, and black metal wires meant to trip incoming forces. It seems that someone has repaired parts of the wall with trees cut and dragged to give those inside some protection. There is smoke coming from a chimney on top of the fort. There are a few people standing outside, but it takes Guile only a few seconds to realize that these people aren't hunters, they are Exiles. Their clothes are fur, with bits of rusted metal tied to it to give them some sort of protection. Some of the people in the fort's yard are training to use swords, maces, and bows, others are sparing with each other. Walking through the yard is a blue scale Dragonic, wielding a massive hammer and tower shield with a three-headed dragon painted on it. "Keep your shield arm up! Push forward when ya swing! You're more likely to fall backwards dodging an attack than you are pushing forward to hit someone! That's it! Now, slam him with your shield. It's not just for defense, everything you have and are is a weapon."
Sorry about rolling the crossing there; I thought everyone else was rolling to cross also (at least the log Dexterity bit), and I wanted to move the crossing along.
Potentially I could use my 5 token here to bargain with the Exiles, but I'm not sure how much everyone else wants that.
Guile tenses as he peers into the clearing.
"Exiles", he hisses, fingering his sword.
"Criminals the lot of them.. although not so much nowadays, since we've been turfing out the Runed.
Still, desperate enough a bunch to try charging the wall.
Probably desperate enough to try and take our equipment away from us.
Not sure if we want to go around simply killing the convicted unless threatened though. But if our men are in that keep...
Maybe I can challenge their leader and get some info that way.
The city's sigil is probably worth the spare spit to them."
Can we go around a check the area past the fort to see if the hunters left any marks. Maybe they bypassed it as well or came and went, before the exiled showed up.
If we don't find anything, wait till dark and then sneak in and see if we can spot the hunters in the fort.
Maybe creep for a closer look.
If they put someone on lookout, maybe we grab em and ask them some questions.
Anyone have any idea who that scaley feller is?
How big is the fort. And how near to the building does the cover get?
The fort is mostly one building, there was more but they were leveled long ago. The new wall of trees just surround it. There is about 10-20 yards of clearing between the treeline and the wall, and 50 yards between the wall and the fort. Right now, there is a good 30 or so people in the yard, but most seem green, easily taken down. But that still leaves about 10 or so that seem to know how to fight, plus the Dragonic Leader.
Guile nods in agreement to searching the surrounds.
"We should probably ensure the hunters didn't leave this place before we attempt to infiltrate it "
"Okay, so let's circle around the west and scout down that way and south of the camp a bit. If they avoided getting captured I recon they probably didn't just turn around and head home."
???
Do we know without searching that the hunters did not leave this camp?
Like is it worth circumnavigating the camp to check for more hunter symbols?
Posts
"I don't think this is working."
Mort: *popping his arm back into his shoulder socket, it was only a little out!* "Well, not that I don't love a good drumline, but I don't fancy our chances if we sit around and loudly construct a bridge for days. I fancy the chances of our lost hunting party even less if we delay."
If so then I'm thinking swimming is the quickest
Mort: "As the least strapping...well unless you count.. *indicates the straps holding a bit of his calf to the leg bone*..anyway, as the least burly one here, I say we head upriver and try and find a more likely crossing. At least that way if we run into trouble we are all together for it. Besides, I'm not sure muggs can swim at all."
In fact, I'd suggest that everyone who attempts to cross has someone on the bank ready to pull them in, and perhaps have the rope anchored to a tree."
Which direction does this river run with respect to the hunter's trail?
Ready to go if we get someone across! Assuming tying a rope around me isn't a roll.
The trail runs northeast/southwest while the river is going west to east.
"I know I had some training with knots, mostly surrounding the use of rope for the detention and eviction of convicts or the Runed from the city.
But I was never so good with them.
Perhaps Zariya had the same?"
Guile has some because the wall guards thought it would be funny to pack him a grappling hook.
I 100% back this plan.
I'm not even sure who in the town -would- know how to swim, as its not a skill you'd rather need if you're stuck in one city. I guess people who interact with the river that runs past the town might know?
Anyway the only reason Guile would know how to swim is if they taught that at wall-guard school.
Additionally, Guile's intending on shimmying down the log whilst hanging on with his hand-axes, assuming that the log is thick enough and strong enough to withstand that.
Guile may have a -2 in Dex because that's what the dice rolled, and I have enough positives in every single other characteristic that it felt like cheating to make that one better.
Figuring that so long as he's getting wet anyway he may as well go first, he slides bodily onto the log.
"Now, after I don't fall off this thing and make it to the middle, you guys can let go of your end of the rope and I'll tie it to the log before attempting to swim over.
Or something.
If I fall in, just head downstream and hopefully you'll catch up."
And so Guile starts shimmying his way down the log, towards the river.
Attempting to use his handaxes as handholds as he does so.
Geth roll 1d20+5 for 'swimming'
This end still has the grappling hook attached, because largely it was a pain removing it and Guile didn't want anything tangled in his armour that could perforate him.
After pulling the grappling hook through the river to him, he quickly ties the rope off on the log by wrapping its tines in the rope.
Then he starts his desperate attempt to claw his way through the rapids.
If you want to swim, you just need to remember these three things:
First! Cup your hands and push as much water as you can as fast as you can. The more water you push the faster you'll go.
Second! If you're swept into a current, curl up into a ball so that the rocks don't hit you in the goolies.
And finally, DON'T BREATHE THE WATER!
Shortly after, Guile reckoned that a more practical course may have been more useful.
On the other riverbank, the others watched as Guile swiftly disappeared from view.
Aside from the still-slack yet moving rope, there was almost no sign of Guile. Although his crossing was punctuated by loud gasps as his head breached the surface from time to time.
After a rather too long and troubling absence of this breathing, Guile could be finally seen dragging himself out of an eddy on the far side of the river, before collapsing heavily on the far bank.
Guile, after coughing out some water and getting his legs back under him, he ties the rope off to a nearby tree, which allows the rest of the group to make their way across. As the last person makes their way across the river, Bud notices a set of large paw prints near the bank, with a few smaller sized ones nearby. They seem fresh, judging by how soft they still are....
The hunters before left clear marks for others to travel and the group follows them south. Before dark, the group comes across an old fort. Despite the years, the ground is littered with rusted weapons, broken siege machines, and black metal wires meant to trip incoming forces. It seems that someone has repaired parts of the wall with trees cut and dragged to give those inside some protection. There is smoke coming from a chimney on top of the fort. There are a few people standing outside, but it takes Guile only a few seconds to realize that these people aren't hunters, they are Exiles. Their clothes are fur, with bits of rusted metal tied to it to give them some sort of protection. Some of the people in the fort's yard are training to use swords, maces, and bows, others are sparing with each other. Walking through the yard is a blue scale Dragonic, wielding a massive hammer and tower shield with a three-headed dragon painted on it. "Keep your shield arm up! Push forward when ya swing! You're more likely to fall backwards dodging an attack than you are pushing forward to hit someone! That's it! Now, slam him with your shield. It's not just for defense, everything you have and are is a weapon."
Potentially I could use my 5 token here to bargain with the Exiles, but I'm not sure how much everyone else wants that.
Guile tenses as he peers into the clearing.
"Exiles", he hisses, fingering his sword.
"Criminals the lot of them.. although not so much nowadays, since we've been turfing out the Runed.
Still, desperate enough a bunch to try charging the wall.
Probably desperate enough to try and take our equipment away from us.
Not sure if we want to go around simply killing the convicted unless threatened though. But if our men are in that keep...
Maybe I can challenge their leader and get some info that way.
The city's sigil is probably worth the spare spit to them."
Can we go around a check the area past the fort to see if the hunters left any marks. Maybe they bypassed it as well or came and went, before the exiled showed up.
If we don't find anything, wait till dark and then sneak in and see if we can spot the hunters in the fort.
Maybe creep for a closer look.
If they put someone on lookout, maybe we grab em and ask them some questions.
Anyone have any idea who that scaley feller is?
How big is the fort. And how near to the building does the cover get?
"We should probably ensure the hunters didn't leave this place before we attempt to infiltrate it "
If the camp is south of us
???
Do we know without searching that the hunters did not leave this camp?
Like is it worth circumnavigating the camp to check for more hunter symbols?