Difference between pages "Treborg in Mid-to-Late June" and "An Unpleasant Discovery"
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| − | + | '''The DM:''' The morning of the 25th of June is a beautiful, clear, pleasant day, as nice as you might desire for this part of the world. The sun is shining, the ground is dry and the wind is a mere 2 knots out of the northwest. There are a few small puffy clouds, but no sign of rain at all. The air is clear and the various denizens along the cart path to the wilderness are beginning to recognize you, nodding as you pass. You climb up the familiar track off the road, the cart wheels banging over the rocks as you take the best route, with Treborg's bay falling out of sight. | |
| − | |||
| − | + | Yet, as you reach a point about four miles from the village, you find the carcass of a cow laying slaughtered on an open rock. As Embla has skill as a butcher, you can see at once that it's a domestic cow, not wild. That while the principle meat has been cut out, by someone who doesn't know what they're doing, much of the meat has been left. Judging by the meat, this was done last afternoon or evening; and it looks as if someone cut away about a yard of the cow's hide, but left most of it behind. | |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Embla Strand]]''' Oh dear. We should get to the bottom of this - it's too close to home to ignore. Are there any tracks or traces left behind by whoever did this? Does the cow have a brand or something that would indicate an owner? |
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' You see no brands, but the cow must come from near Treborg. There is no other settlement or group of farms in this part of Ryfolke. A look around will reveal that the skin or chunks of meat were apparently dragged over the ground away from the carcass. You can't track, obviously, but this trail is obvious; anyone can see it. It strikes you as odd that anyone would ''drag'' meat ... as though it were too big to carry properly. |
| − | '''[[ | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Embla, shall we two follow the trail? |
| − | ''' | + | '''Marcule:''' In |
| − | ''' | + | '''Marcule:'''"I agree this is to close to home we had better investigate before something nasty appears at our door." |
| − | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Out. | + | '''The DM:''' Action? |
| + | |||
| + | '''Marcule:''' I do my best to follow the trail and proceed forward | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' We go with him. I know we can't speak for Pandred but can we assume she stays with the cart? | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' In general, presume that players who are not here to be following along, but having a pee or some other such thing when the fight occurs. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' the trail continues on for about three quarters of a mile before the dragged parts have become dried by the landscape; you haven't the skill to follow the trail that would still be there, but now can't be seen. You guess there must be more than one, as occasionally there are as many as three blood trails. Moreover, they're not trying to hide their passage, either. They are making a straight line for a group of ledges straight ahead from where the trail stops, where the earth-and-rock plateau rises about 75 feet over a series of easily climbable steps. You couldn't take the cart there, however. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' I don't wish to miss the action but I'm also loathe to leave the cart. You three go on ahead, carefully. Whistle if there's trouble. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' I'll have to wait for them to say they do. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Of course! | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Marcule:''' I encourage Vafrandir to keep his whistle close and make my way up the steps. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Embla Strand]]''' I follow, readying my whistle. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == The Footprint == | ||
| + | '''The DM:''' as you climb up into the ledges, you find that they're filled with small troughs and dips where water has gathered. It hasn't rained in a couple of days, so most of these are empty, and only a few inches deep. Yet you can also see that there's silt along the bottoms of these, where there are hoof prints. Then, Marcule stops in surprise, when he sees the plain outline of a foot, not wearing a shoe or boot. A foot about as large as Marcule's, and definitely not a gnome's foot. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' Plainly I lost everyone. Please, if you're not going to check every 20 minutes, simply mark yourself "out." It's no big deal if you do, I won't judge. But I will know there's less reason for me to check every ten minutes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' I'm waiting by the cart. Can I still see the rest of the party? | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' They would probably be clustered together, peering down at something between the rocks. It's 2 pm for me, so I'm Out. Better luck tomorrow. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' No problem. Just curious. Out. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Marcule:''' "this foot scares me" What do the strides look like?. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Embla Strand]]''' 14:04, 26 January 2021 (MST) My apologies. Out. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' In. | ||
'''The DM:''' Out. | '''The DM:''' Out. | ||
| − | '''The DM:''' In. | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' In. |
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' In. Just you and me, Vafrandir. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Hm, I've worked myself into a bind, haven't I. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' I've already committed to watching the cart, but I don't want to do nothing. Let me think. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''The DM:''' While we're here, explain to me a few things; why do you feel you need the cart; why are you loathe to leave it; and why not bring Oddsdrakken along to watch it? Maybe we can work out a compromise. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Odds is helping with the clearing of the land, if I recall correctly. I don't believe you would screw us by having something happen, but at the same time if someone is stealing food or hides (poorly), then it's possible this is either a trap or that there's others about from the same band who wouldn't say no to a free cart of food. | ||
| − | '''The DM:''' | + | '''The DM:''' bit of an overthink there; it looks more like a few somebody's grabbed a cow from civilized land, cut away all they thought they could carry (the dragging on the ground suggests they're overloaded) and are on their way with it. No attempt to hide their trail was made at all and it was as straight as an arrow. Doesn't look like a trap (and both assassins in the party would tell you so). |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Very good. In that case, I'll continue up towards the others, see the footprint, and observe that "It looks like a human or elf child's." We will proceed carefully up the steps. |
| − | '''The DM:''' | + | '''The DM:''' You might think so at first glance, but then you'll notice that there are claws on the end of the toes and a point in the silt that might be a back claw. Ledges; these require some minor scrambling, but nothing requiring a [https://wiki.alexissmolensk.com/index.php/Scrambling_(sage_ability) sage ability]. |
| − | ''' | + | == Beyond the Footprint == |
| + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Interesting. That raises the stakes a bit. We'll continue up the ledges. Are there any caves in the rock that we can see from here? | ||
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' Not immediately. But this is a place you haven't ventured into yet; towards a mountain you've seen from a distance, but which is now beginning to dominate the eastern horizon. Ahead is a low ridge, about half a mile from you, reached over a gentle slope of about one hundred feet up. It looks to be the nearer edge of a mountain caldera; in modern parlance, where a glacier has pushed up the ridge in the last ice age, only to vanish now. You're characters wouldn't understand that, but I need to describe this in a way that you can see. It's called a "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque cirque]." |
| − | '''[[ | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Understood. Is the trail still obvious? |
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' No. You're continuing in the approximate direction the trail was following. |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Very good. Continuing, at a careful or wary pace. |
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' Climbing to the top of the lip, you have either Marcule or Embla move ahead to look over the lip and see what's in the cirque. The whole circle is a square mile in size, about 640 acres. There's a small lake, or tarn, about an acre in size, of clear water; this tarn is in the center of the caldera, about 700 yards away. A herd of small cows, no taller than Marcule, are scattered over the area to the right of the tarn. These are called rothe; they dwell both above and below ground. You can't see any camp, but there is a steady curl of smoke arising from beyond the rothe. Two thirds of the cirque are contained in the arms of the mountain, a modest peak about 3,500 ft. high. The other third makes the ridge you're presently crouched upon. |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' What kind of ground cover is there? |
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' Much [https://www.123rf.com/photo_153818186_glacier-landscape-in-finse-norway.html like this]. |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' With little mountaineering ability among us, how does the descent into the caldera look? Could be tricky. |
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' the image gives the appearance of the ground, not your relative position. The "caldera" is below you; you're on the forward lip, looking down into it. The 3rd image down on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque cirque] link shows the "formation of cirque" ... you're standing on the "zone of abrasion" looking down into the depression (not technically a "caldera," since there's no volcano, but I'm struggling for terms); the mountain is across the resulting hole, which is not completely filled by the tarn. |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' Understood. I had in my mind that we were on the headwall. So it should be no problem to descend safely. |
| − | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' May we stop here today? I don't want to get into something sticky without the rest of the party. Must be one of those weeks, I suppose. |
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' Apparently. Have a look at the blog; I just posted something interesting. Out. |
| − | '''[[ | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' It's always interesting. Out. |
| − | :''' | ||
| − | '''The DM:''' | + | '''The DM:''' In. |
| − | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' | + | '''[[Vafrandir]]:''' In. Hoping to wait a bit to get the others caught up. |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Pandred]]''': In. |
| − | '''[[Pandred]]''': | + | '''[[Pandred]]''': I'd like to pop out my pocket telescope and see what there is to see. What's up with the smoke? |
| − | ''' | + | '''The DM:''' Looking at it closely, it seems to be about the size of a campfire. It is blocked, however, by several lumpy boulders and striations between you and it, so that all you can see is the smoke. |
| − | ''' | + | '''[[Pandred]]''': How close is the nearest boulder? Could we approach from a nearby slope for a slightly higher vantage, even one of the lower sides? |
Revision as of 11:36, 28 January 2021
The DM: The morning of the 25th of June is a beautiful, clear, pleasant day, as nice as you might desire for this part of the world. The sun is shining, the ground is dry and the wind is a mere 2 knots out of the northwest. There are a few small puffy clouds, but no sign of rain at all. The air is clear and the various denizens along the cart path to the wilderness are beginning to recognize you, nodding as you pass. You climb up the familiar track off the road, the cart wheels banging over the rocks as you take the best route, with Treborg's bay falling out of sight.
Yet, as you reach a point about four miles from the village, you find the carcass of a cow laying slaughtered on an open rock. As Embla has skill as a butcher, you can see at once that it's a domestic cow, not wild. That while the principle meat has been cut out, by someone who doesn't know what they're doing, much of the meat has been left. Judging by the meat, this was done last afternoon or evening; and it looks as if someone cut away about a yard of the cow's hide, but left most of it behind.
Embla Strand Oh dear. We should get to the bottom of this - it's too close to home to ignore. Are there any tracks or traces left behind by whoever did this? Does the cow have a brand or something that would indicate an owner?
The DM: You see no brands, but the cow must come from near Treborg. There is no other settlement or group of farms in this part of Ryfolke. A look around will reveal that the skin or chunks of meat were apparently dragged over the ground away from the carcass. You can't track, obviously, but this trail is obvious; anyone can see it. It strikes you as odd that anyone would drag meat ... as though it were too big to carry properly.
Vafrandir: Embla, shall we two follow the trail?
Marcule: In
Marcule:"I agree this is to close to home we had better investigate before something nasty appears at our door."
The DM: Action?
Marcule: I do my best to follow the trail and proceed forward
Vafrandir: We go with him. I know we can't speak for Pandred but can we assume she stays with the cart?
The DM: In general, presume that players who are not here to be following along, but having a pee or some other such thing when the fight occurs.
The DM: the trail continues on for about three quarters of a mile before the dragged parts have become dried by the landscape; you haven't the skill to follow the trail that would still be there, but now can't be seen. You guess there must be more than one, as occasionally there are as many as three blood trails. Moreover, they're not trying to hide their passage, either. They are making a straight line for a group of ledges straight ahead from where the trail stops, where the earth-and-rock plateau rises about 75 feet over a series of easily climbable steps. You couldn't take the cart there, however.
Vafrandir: I don't wish to miss the action but I'm also loathe to leave the cart. You three go on ahead, carefully. Whistle if there's trouble.
The DM: I'll have to wait for them to say they do.
Vafrandir: Of course!
Marcule: I encourage Vafrandir to keep his whistle close and make my way up the steps.
Embla Strand I follow, readying my whistle.
The Footprint
The DM: as you climb up into the ledges, you find that they're filled with small troughs and dips where water has gathered. It hasn't rained in a couple of days, so most of these are empty, and only a few inches deep. Yet you can also see that there's silt along the bottoms of these, where there are hoof prints. Then, Marcule stops in surprise, when he sees the plain outline of a foot, not wearing a shoe or boot. A foot about as large as Marcule's, and definitely not a gnome's foot.
The DM: Plainly I lost everyone. Please, if you're not going to check every 20 minutes, simply mark yourself "out." It's no big deal if you do, I won't judge. But I will know there's less reason for me to check every ten minutes.
Vafrandir: I'm waiting by the cart. Can I still see the rest of the party?
The DM: They would probably be clustered together, peering down at something between the rocks. It's 2 pm for me, so I'm Out. Better luck tomorrow.
Vafrandir: No problem. Just curious. Out.
Marcule: "this foot scares me" What do the strides look like?.
Embla Strand 14:04, 26 January 2021 (MST) My apologies. Out.
The DM: In.
The DM: Out.
Vafrandir: In.
The DM: In. Just you and me, Vafrandir.
Vafrandir: Hm, I've worked myself into a bind, haven't I.
Vafrandir: I've already committed to watching the cart, but I don't want to do nothing. Let me think.
The DM: While we're here, explain to me a few things; why do you feel you need the cart; why are you loathe to leave it; and why not bring Oddsdrakken along to watch it? Maybe we can work out a compromise.
Vafrandir: Odds is helping with the clearing of the land, if I recall correctly. I don't believe you would screw us by having something happen, but at the same time if someone is stealing food or hides (poorly), then it's possible this is either a trap or that there's others about from the same band who wouldn't say no to a free cart of food.
The DM: bit of an overthink there; it looks more like a few somebody's grabbed a cow from civilized land, cut away all they thought they could carry (the dragging on the ground suggests they're overloaded) and are on their way with it. No attempt to hide their trail was made at all and it was as straight as an arrow. Doesn't look like a trap (and both assassins in the party would tell you so).
Vafrandir: Very good. In that case, I'll continue up towards the others, see the footprint, and observe that "It looks like a human or elf child's." We will proceed carefully up the steps.
The DM: You might think so at first glance, but then you'll notice that there are claws on the end of the toes and a point in the silt that might be a back claw. Ledges; these require some minor scrambling, but nothing requiring a sage ability.
Beyond the Footprint
Vafrandir: Interesting. That raises the stakes a bit. We'll continue up the ledges. Are there any caves in the rock that we can see from here?
The DM: Not immediately. But this is a place you haven't ventured into yet; towards a mountain you've seen from a distance, but which is now beginning to dominate the eastern horizon. Ahead is a low ridge, about half a mile from you, reached over a gentle slope of about one hundred feet up. It looks to be the nearer edge of a mountain caldera; in modern parlance, where a glacier has pushed up the ridge in the last ice age, only to vanish now. You're characters wouldn't understand that, but I need to describe this in a way that you can see. It's called a "cirque."
Vafrandir: Understood. Is the trail still obvious?
The DM: No. You're continuing in the approximate direction the trail was following.
Vafrandir: Very good. Continuing, at a careful or wary pace.
The DM: Climbing to the top of the lip, you have either Marcule or Embla move ahead to look over the lip and see what's in the cirque. The whole circle is a square mile in size, about 640 acres. There's a small lake, or tarn, about an acre in size, of clear water; this tarn is in the center of the caldera, about 700 yards away. A herd of small cows, no taller than Marcule, are scattered over the area to the right of the tarn. These are called rothe; they dwell both above and below ground. You can't see any camp, but there is a steady curl of smoke arising from beyond the rothe. Two thirds of the cirque are contained in the arms of the mountain, a modest peak about 3,500 ft. high. The other third makes the ridge you're presently crouched upon.
Vafrandir: What kind of ground cover is there?
The DM: Much like this.
Vafrandir: With little mountaineering ability among us, how does the descent into the caldera look? Could be tricky.
The DM: the image gives the appearance of the ground, not your relative position. The "caldera" is below you; you're on the forward lip, looking down into it. The 3rd image down on the cirque link shows the "formation of cirque" ... you're standing on the "zone of abrasion" looking down into the depression (not technically a "caldera," since there's no volcano, but I'm struggling for terms); the mountain is across the resulting hole, which is not completely filled by the tarn.
Vafrandir: Understood. I had in my mind that we were on the headwall. So it should be no problem to descend safely.
Vafrandir: May we stop here today? I don't want to get into something sticky without the rest of the party. Must be one of those weeks, I suppose.
The DM: Apparently. Have a look at the blog; I just posted something interesting. Out.
Vafrandir: It's always interesting. Out.
The DM: In.
Vafrandir: In. Hoping to wait a bit to get the others caught up.
Pandred: In.
Pandred: I'd like to pop out my pocket telescope and see what there is to see. What's up with the smoke?
The DM: Looking at it closely, it seems to be about the size of a campfire. It is blocked, however, by several lumpy boulders and striations between you and it, so that all you can see is the smoke.
Pandred: How close is the nearest boulder? Could we approach from a nearby slope for a slightly higher vantage, even one of the lower sides?
