Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

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Marullus
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Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#1 Post by Marullus »

Piers Garrett, cleric of Baudh, departs the south gate of the city at dawn on 07 July. He is leading two of the church's men at arms out the south gate to search on the west side of the south road for the fate of Provost Tyrrell and his companions, who sought the watchtower of Guhra the Goblin.
  • Piers Garrett, Cleric of Baudh
  • Rowine (NPC)
  • Crowegar (NPC)
  • Malenor the Elf
  • Dabney

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#2 Post by Jernau35 »

Piers Garrett

The evening before departure, Piers spends his time at the Golden Tooth tavern. He scans the barroom for folks who may have recently traveled the southern road, or know of happenings thereon. He's specifically looking for merchants and off-duty soldiers, but also keeps an eye out for travelers and fellow adventurers. He'll buy a few ales as necessary, but conscious of his depleted purse, will try to avoid this strategy with merchants, since he can't afford the more expensive drinks, and would probably only offend them with a cheap ale. He begins his search by soliciting the aid of Hyde.

"Ah, there you are Hyde, as busy as ever, the very Figaro of Gaul". Piers launches into another impromptu aria, this time ignoring any strange looks he gets.

Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!
Ve, kion frenezo!
Ve, kia amaso!
Unuope, ĉar kompato kalkaj!
Hej, Figaro! Mi estas ĉi tie.
Figaro tie, Figaro tie,
Figaro supren, Figaro malsupren.


Once Hyde has a moment, Piers orders an ale and asks Hyde if there are any folks in the tavern tonight who would know about travelling on the south road, and the risks of goblin attacks down there.
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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#3 Post by Marullus »

Peirs CHA [3d6] = 8

Piers has Hyde point out the laborers from the caravans who would be most likely to be open-mouthed about their recent transits up the north road and the most receptive to free ale. Piers plies them with free drinks and asks about how they were attacked, where the goblins retreated to, etc. He learns that goblin raids on the caravan are common and that sometimes they come mounted on vicious wargs. Guards are often enough to repel these with minor losses. He also hears of the devastating attack at the beginning of June, where units of skeletal warriors assaulted the caravans under the leadership of necromantic goblin leaders, devastating a large portion of the wagons. This is virtually unheard of, so quite the salacious tale for frequent retelling.

Taking careful notes on his slate, he is able to narrow down a rough area where these goblins likely came from and returned to:
Guhra.png
Guhra.png (19.59 KiB) Viewed 864 times

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#4 Post by Jernau35 »

Piers

Rested, and regretting at least one of the ales he supped the previous evening, Piers stands close by the south gate in the cool morning air with Rowine and Crowegar. He distributes the torches and extra rations he purchased for them. Then he stands, singing softly to himself as he waits for Malendor and Pendleton to arrive.

"Fare thee well to you fair Gaulish ladies.
Fare thee well to you ladies of Gaul.
For we've received orders,
for to search for some goblins,
and so hopefully,
we'll be back in three days".

2 extra days fresh rations and 8 torches each
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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#5 Post by Modric »

Malenor makes his way to the South Gate, seeing Piers shuffling about with rations and torches. Are we waiting for the verbose mage? Malenor says with a grin.

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#6 Post by Jernau35 »

Piers

"Unfortunately, no", says Piers. "He refused to come along unless I admitted he was equal in power to Baudh himself." Piers shakes his head, sadly. "He must have been a lot drunker than he looked".

"Still, that leaves more shares for us, eh? He grins at Malenor. Then he takes out the slate with the map he made in the tavern the previous night. "Take a look here. The tower we are seeking is somewhere over here, to the southwest. It's likely that the goblins will focus most of their attention on the road to the east. So I propose that we head directly west from here, over the plain, and then approach the tower from the north. What do you think?"

"Once we've found the tower, I'll consider that we have achieved our initial aim, and we shall return here to Gaul to consider our future options".
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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#7 Post by Marullus »

The sunrises are early here, about 4:30am at this time of year, but no soul is up quite that early. The party assembles as much of the city remains still sleeping, setting out at about 6:00am to get the most of their day. Agreed on their approach, the group of four sets out west and then southwest to reach the point that they should be north of the suspected location of the tower.

The morning has its normal chill, the air in the mid-50's after some late-night showers. It is currently partially cloudy, which is a nice break from the often-rainy conditions; looking at the clouds, you suspect you'll see some rain showers by afternoon, at any rate. You veer cross-country, but note that you're only veering slowly away from a beaten pathway that leads on further westward to Farrow Farm, even as you veer subtly southward.

You crest a ridge after about two hours of walking and pause in your progress. The ridge drops off sharply, a vale of tall grain-laden grasses below. Six creatures furrow troughs in the grassland below, the size of large sheep but with smooth black carapaces instead of fluffy wool. They are clearly ants, but of giant size, and move through the vegetation, their forearm-sized mandibles scooping and tearing up and consuming the plants for their hive. They are about 50-60 yards off from where you stand atop the ridge, but not far enough. They detect your scent and movement. They turn, making a menacing chittering sound and clicking their mandibles in angry warning.

The hive of these massive insects is unambiguous, about 100 yards further behind them. A bare mound of freshly extruded soil makes a new hill, the several-foot wide entrance just above on it the flat-face of another ridge.

Day: 07 July 2021
Time: 8:00am
Light: Partially cloudy
Temp: 57 F
Distance traveled: ~3 miles
Injury: None

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#8 Post by Jernau35 »

Piers

"What the..? Giant ants?" gasps Piers. "And they've seen us too. Look, I think we need to get away from them as quick as we can. They'll probably leave us alone and go back to whatever they do if we leave them alone. That's what regular ants do. If we provoke them, we'll have to deal with the whole nest".

Piers starts to quickly walk back down the slope to the rear, gesturing for Rowine and Crowager to follow him, and hoping that Malenor does too. He keeps moving at a good pace to make sure the group maintains a good distance from the ants, in case the ants decide to follow them. "If they do follow us, get ready to throw some rations down to distract them" Piers advises the group.
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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#9 Post by Marullus »

Rowine's bow is in her hands quicker than Piers would expect. Piers directs Rowine and Crowgar to retreat; there is a moment of relief as the insects do not pursue, content to guard their own hive.

They group continues their course, angling southward before reaching the Farrow Farm and heading cross-country towards their desired section of wilderness. They cross the rolling, grassy plains, rough foothills beginning to take root as they head south, the terrain becoming more undulating as the look west and southward towards the mountains.

Piers takes note of the coarse dark hair and heavy browlines of both Rowine and Crowgar; they confirm that they are in fact siblings dedicated in service to the church. He finds Rowine to be caustic and guarded, but Crowgar, the older brother, a bit more approachable.

The day passes with much walking but no notable disturbance. You figure you're about 2/3 of the way there when night begins to fall. Crossing the rolling hills, you see something white in a vale off to your right which catches your eye. You're still a bit distant, but it has the look of sun-bleached bones among the grasses.

Day: 07 July 2021
Time: 10:00pm
Light: Partially cloudy
Temp: 57 F
Distance traveled: ~20-24 miles
Injury: None

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#10 Post by Modric »

Malenor

Turning to Piers Should we investigate or leave the bones in peace?

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#11 Post by Jernau35 »

Piers

"I have to admit to being curious. On the other hand, since we are such a small group, we should probably make it our priority to avoid any unnecessary source of trouble".

"Having said that, there are only a few minutes of daylight remaining, so we should make camp soon. I'd hate to do so only a short way from a spot that could be a lair of some nocturnal creature. If we have sufficient time, perhaps we should at least inspect the bones without disturbing them. What do you think?"
How many minutes of light remaining before full dark? Is there likely to be a lot of moonlight?
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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#12 Post by Modric »

Malenor

"It may be worth scouting them out, less we have an unwelcome visitor in our camp."

As an elf, Malenor has infravision 60'.

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#13 Post by Jernau35 »

Piers

"Very well then. Let us act quickly whilst we still have a few moments of light. I suggest we try to approach the spot from higher ground, to see if there are any tracks in the grass around the bones. Or any other sign of possible inhabitants".

Piers begins to walk towards the spot where the bones lie, angling his path towards any slopes or dirt mounds that might give an elevated view of them. "Rowine, can you see well enough right now? Perhaps you should stay a little back and cover us with your bow, whilst the rest of us take a closer look. Does that sound like an acceptable plan to everybody?"
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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#14 Post by Modric »

Malenor

Malenor agrees with Piers' plan. He prepares his bow and notches an arrow.

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#15 Post by Marullus »

It is near mid-summer and far further north than you are previously accustomed. The persistent, almost daily rain showers continue, today being now exception; however, the noon-time clouds have parted, leaving only faint wisps in the sky above and random spatterings of drizzle. Though the sun has passed below the horizon, the ruddy-colored luminescence of twilight has never fully left the sky between dusk and dawn. It is not bright enough for full activity, but still brighter than a southern summer. Your mind ponders, feeling a moment of fear when these long days convert to winter opposites. The moon rose around 1:00pm and still hangs, half-full in the sky, promising additional illumination until almost midnight. (good question! Only half penalty, -2 instead of -4, for darkness)

Piers questions Rowine's eyesight. Her brow furrows and her shoulders tighten defensively. "I see jus' fine," Rowine retorts, a suspicious tone in her voice. "He just wants you to watch over us with the bow," intercedes Crowegar, placating her. "Oh," she replies, falling into a mollified silence as she pulls out her bow, watching over the group from the higher ground as the rest descend.

The party descends down into the vale - a sharp cliff-face on a hill to the south, a rounded ridgeline to the north, about 200 yards separating them. They see a distinct human skeleton, flesh picked from the ruddy-colored bones, lying in the field, weathered by months of exposure to weather and gnawing vermin. They spy a cave cleft-entrance in the facing limestone rock face to the south which is easily discernable by the dark soot-stains, a sign of a raging fire once within. Four massive canine carcasses, larger than wolves, lie in the field between you and the cave-cleft. They are rotted for many weeks, but less gnawed by vermin than the human corpse, perhaps due to some undesirability. Thickets of brambles grow on, around, and now from the canine bodies as well, an oddity as they are newer than the human bones but not thus afflicted.

Day: 07 July 2021
Time: 10:10pm
Light: Sunset (-2 penalty)
Temp: 57 F
Distance traveled: ~20-24 miles
Injury: None

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#16 Post by Modric »

Malenor

Looks like dire wolves. Wonder what happened here? Maybe the cave will hold some answers.

Maybe search the skeleton to see if there's anything on him or nearby?

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#17 Post by Jernau35 »

Piers

Piers ponders for a moment. "You're probably right about the wolves. The state of the bodies and the sign of a big fire in the cave makes me suspicious though. People set fires like that when they want to purify something unclean."

He nods in agreement to Malenor's suggestion to search the human skeleton. "Go ahead. I shall say a quick prayer for the poor soul. Then maybe we should move on to the cave? Do you mind leading the way? Your Elven vision will hopefully spot any current occupants".

Piers then turns to gauge how far away Rowine is. He doesn't like the idea of her being too far away in the growing twilight. If moving towards the cave puts her more than about 200 feet away, he will call her in closer.
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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#18 Post by Modric »

Malenor

Searches the skeleton and the area around it.

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#19 Post by Marullus »

(New PC Dabney is entering the game. If you want to pause a moment, I'll allow you to retroactively add him to the party before we advance if you both choose to do so.)

Rowine continues to watch over the group, keeping herself within about 100 yards to be effective with her longbow. The sun fades full to twilight as they work.

Malenor takes on the gristly job of checking the remains of the dead human. At least two months of rain, vermin, and rot make this difficult. He is dressed in plain homespun farmer's clothing and carried a satchel, all of which is beyond repair. If he had weapons, they've already been taken and his food and waterskin are both gnawed through. You find one salvageable item of interest lying deep in the grasses near what once were his fingers - A brass compass with a crack in the glass and which no longer points north. Inside its lid is a faint engraving,
To Clive,
Love,
M.


The cave opening before you is a narrow cleft, just high enough for a human to enter upright. Sooty black residues stain the stone above the cleft, showing smoke clearly sought this cleft as its way of escape in the not too distant past.

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Re: Expedition - Piers: the Fate of Tyrrell - 07 July 2021

#20 Post by Modric »

Welcome Dabney!

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