current chapter Chapter 1: Greenest

[SerakHawk]

Priest continued his rounds finding himself only one patient to check on. This one had given him the most grief and had refused most treatment the night prior. Priest insisted to at least see the wound, not serious as it was he still cleaned it with his magic. Given the general cleanliness of the caravan group it was likely Priest would need to clean it again.

 

The kenku slides up next to Gurruk and waits for a lull in the conversation before tapping the bugbear's arm.

"Last night fight good fun, Not me, I'm afraid." Priest tilts his head and points at Gurruk's leg where she was cut.

"Tending of my wound. It heals well?"

Priest nods and starts poking around at the leg avoiding the bugbears gait while getting a look at the wound. After a short prod around he casts a simple cantrip and cleans the area around the cut.

"It heals well!"

[Colin]

The caravan finally organized into a loose line, some of the paid passengers and merchants moving to the wagons they had been riding or walking beside, as the excited conversations began to wind down. The caravan master, a kindly, matronly-looking human woman in a bright orange tunic and brown trousers, climbed atop the front of her wagon and settled in before casting a look back over the rest of the wagons. She did take a moment to dig out a pair of worn pair of pliers to the excitable goblin hired guard with a raised eyebrow, then yelled out, "Alright folks, let's get this caravan a'moving!" She suited words to actions and snapped the leads to the pair of oxen harnessed at the front.

 

“We make good time and we’ll be in Greenest by twilight, or right after sunset!”

As the large wagon began to slowly roll forward and accelerate up to the oxen's walking pace, the subsequent wagons followed suit until the entire caravan was on the road again. Excited but hushed conversations still took place here and there in the caravan amongst small groups, but most of the noise was the surrounding forest and groaning wood of the wagons as they hit the occasional bump in the dirt road. 

[Vladim]

Alexandra was glad to be back on the road, and moving. In fact, she was more than glad: she was eager, and the caravan-master's promise filled her with excitement and anticipation. She could not wait to get to Greenest, and part of her hoped that she might even be speaking to her parents on that night. Another part feared that it would not be so easy. Who knew what kind of trouble they had meddled with this time?

 

She suppressed that last thought. There was no point to worrying herself to death. One step at a time.

 

She looked to the others at times, exchanging glances and smiles. Only now she was getting to know them, but she felt confident in her assessment that they were good peoples. And the dwarf seemed to have finally solved his tooth issue? It seemed like it. That was good, she thought, as she was eager to sample whatever else he could bake for them.

[Ironblaze]

Gurruk grunts at the cleric. "Heal good. Better than arena medic. No remove scars, yes?" The bugbear picked a bit of bagel out of her teeth before continuing. "Scars important, tell story of foes beat. Bird have noteworthy scars?"

 

As the wagons kept lumbering along, she did her best to keep a walking pace alongside the wagons, not wanting to take space from the cargo or folks with smaller legs as well as not making the oxen pull her weight as well as their cargo. Important to respect the animals, no point making their work harder than it needs to be after all.

[Gwyn-finity]

Les Hiddins

Goblin Figher 2

AC 12 HP 25/25 Speed 30ft 

DV 60ft FOTS [x] SW [X] AS [X]

---

Les accepted the pliers but had another plan to test first! As the convoy began to walk, she took the rolling pin and examined the teeth set into the wood. With an excited growl she clomped her molers around one of the teeth and began to gnaw and pull at the exposed tooth! "Thish gnewng tchnique hsh b'n p'sh'd d'wn f'r G'N'RASIONS!"

[Dmitri_Ravenoff]

Kai began to walk alongside the slowly trundleing caravan. He kept a decent pace, but with the occasional short foray off the cart path, he never got too far ahead of the wagons. 

 

(Did I see the goblin slip away into the weeds? I wonder if she is scouting further ahead? It matters not. She will return for the dwarfs breads come mealtime or she will not.)

 

[Veradux]

Kavene -- HP:16/16 -- AC: 16 -- AttacksDagger: +4, (1d4+2)
Light Crossbow: +4 (1d8+2)

Sneak Attack: +1d6 -- Active EffectsPassive Perception: 11 -- ResourcesSpell Slots:
1: 2/2

---

Having been asleep longer than needed, Kavene doesn't wake up until the wagons begin to move. Having covered himself with a tarp and tucked uncomfortably between bundles of cargo, he finally makes himself known as he sits up on the first major bump in the cart. Looking around with half-open eyes, he slowly wakes up to the realization that the caravan is moving.

He takes a few moments to find himself, forcing his bedhead into something resembling tied back and slipping on his heavy-duty "work" apron and gauntlets. He had been fairly lazy the whole trip, what with being little more than a sawbones, tender, and spotter-of-"that plant isn't edible, dwarf". Though with that attack the previous night, he did show his uncanny aim with his small arbalest.

...even if he never actually got up from sitting.
 

"Did I miss anything important? Does anybody need... anything?"

Blinking repeatedly as his eyes water and adjust to the afternoon sun, he pulls out his glasses and peers over the group for any signs of... well, anything unusual.
 

[Colin]

The trees began to thin out from dense forest to more moderate growth over the next several hours, scattered stumps serving as sign of woodcutting activities here and there. The sun was low in the sky, almost twilight as the trees finally gave way to sparse growth and the edge of the forest. In the distance was Greenest, smoke rising over it, except at second glance there was a larger amount of smoke than should have been present. “Whoah, hold the caravan!” Came the shout from the front, and all the wagons ground to an abrupt halt. 

 

In the sudden silence that followed as the wagons settled, a roar could be heard in the distant sky. As caravan members began to spread out, the sight of Greenest became clearer. Fires burned on several buildings, and bodies could just be seen running through the streets. A large, winged shape swooped down upon the large town’s keep before climbing back into the clouds.

 

At the front, the caravan master was standing in her wagon’s seat and eyeing the besieged town. “I know not what is attacking the town, but we’re not going in there!” She called back to the rest of the caravan. “Get these wagons turned about, we’re headed back from where we came, to report this to proper authorities. They can deal with it!” She suited actions to words, using the cleared out land on either side of the road to start turning her wagon around, other merchants starting to follow suit.

[Ironblaze]

Gurruk pulled her weapons with what could only described as glee. "Arena no have smokebirds. Always want to kill one, feather good trophy!"

With hardly a care a more sensible being might have hesitated running towards what is presumably not a "smokebird", Gurruk began loping towards the apparent battle.

[Veradux]

Kavene -- HP:16/16 -- AC: 16 -- AttacksDagger: +4, (1d4+2)
Light Crossbow: +4 (1d8+2)

Sneak Attack: +1d6 -- Active EffectsPassive Perception: 11 -- ResourcesSpell Slots:
1: 2/2

---

Finally hopping off the cart, he shades his eyes and peers off at the flying beast.

"Smokebird? Never heard it put like that. I guess you'll have to find out if they're the feathered or featherless variety. But maybe don't charge in wildly alone?"

Sluggishly following the bugbear, Kavene tries to get her to slow down but clearly lagging behind.

[Vladim]

She gazed up towards the sky in fear and disbelief. She had pushed thoughts of more dangers at the back of her mind, but even then, at worst she had worried about another bandit attack, or a hostile reception from the locals. This was beyond even her grimmer imaginings.

 

She could not turn back now, of course. No question of it. Gurruk seemed eager for a fight, but she would be content to gather survivors, and find her folk. Nevertheless, her path lay in the same direction. But before making haste to the city, she had a few words for the caravan master.

 

"Wait here for a while!" she pleaded to their employer, her voice colored by urgency and desperation. "Hide under the trees, else you and the rest will be easy pickings for the beast! And there may still be some that we can help. As soon as it is safe again, then you can go. It's dangerous to move right now!"

 

She did not wait to see if she would listen. There simply was no time. Instead, she marched onwards, joining the others, but perhaps moving less heedlessly than they had. She cast fleeting, apprehensive glances to the twilight sky, and tried not to stray too far from cover or a hiding place if she could help it. But she was as determined as the rest of her companions.

 

OOC

Even if this is not her strong suit, I'll make a persuasion check to convince the caravan-master to hide and wait for a bit, instead of moving out immediately. The logic being that it is to dangerous to move in the open.

 

I don't really expect her to succeed, but it's more for characterization than anything.

 

[Dmitri_Ravenoff]

 

Having been scouting a small distance from the trail Kai stood in stark amazement as the huge shape swooped back up into the clouds, seemingly leaving a trail of destruction and panic in its wake.

(Smoke bird? Does the furry man mean a Phoenix? or maybe even a Dragon?) Kai attempted to focus his eyes and see more through the clouds of smoke, but seemed to have little success at such a distance.

 

As the caravan master begins pulling the carts around further, Kai notes Gurruk drawing weapons and heading toward the carnage. (We were hired to do a job, but there are people in need in that village. This is a test of honor vs duty.) After a few moments thought (Honor wins. I cannot stand by and let those people suffer while we run away like cowards.)

With that thought finished, Kai begins to make his way toward the flaming town in the hopes of being able to help the villagers in need.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Dmitri_Ravenoff (see edit history)

[AbsentWizard]

With three bagels left on his bandolier, the dwarf baker was checking on his swollen dough-children when the signal to halt causes his donkeys to stop, which causes his cart to stop, which causes him to get a solid thump about the middle from the back of said wagon. He spends the next minute doubled over, braced against a dusty wheel, and trying very hard to remember fondly a time when he knew how to breathe.

 

The first thing he sees when he straightens up again is the whole wagon train coming back down the road.

The second thing he sees is a greenish figure, rapidly fading into the distance towards all the unnecessary fire.

 

"My rolling pin! Damn GOBLINS-!"

 

Baking forgotten, dough-children abandoned, and cave frog pills straining to keep the lid on his anger, Tun takes off towards the fires at a stubby-legged run while feeling for his hatchet.

[SerakHawk]

Priest having sat with the now shrinking bugbear rouses himself and starts off after him. The fire in the distance would likely have many injured in need of aid, and he was bound to help those who couldn't help themselves. The kenku sees Kai and a group of others ahead of him and yells back his intention.

"Tending of _ wound. We can help!"

Edited August 27, 2022 by SerakHawk (see edit history)

[Colin]

The group’s rush towards the town saw them arrive by twilight, and as they drew closer they could hear the sounds of battle, screams of townfolk, and screeches and roars from the force that was presumably attacking the town. Flames from some buildings threw some light in the growing gloom on the streets as they approached, and the road into the town split into three routes that headed further in.

 

OOC and Greenest Map

Please choose the path taken into town, and let me know what preparations are being made by each character as the edge of the town is reached.