Chapter One - Into the Shadows

[Marullus]

Keeping track...

• Rodrigo is in the tavern
• Lothien is waiting outside of town for Rodrigo
• 3of4 walked off by himself southeast towards site #2, not following the paths on the map
• Kura ran off alone northwest following a scent
• Awwrak, Sade, and Qelnaar are standing (temporarily with Lothien) outside town as this happens

...are 3of4 and Kura really intending to split up the group by posting unilateral, independent actions?
I just want to make sure before the rest of us roleplay into chasing them, and the consequences of their doing so.

[Enoch]

Once 3of4 walked off, we were already split. Kura did explain what he was doing and asked the others to come...but yeah.
Unless someone tells him not to, he'll follow the trail he found.

[Bluehorse]

sorry in was under the impression we were heading to site 2

[Marullus]

Awwrak waits for Sade and Qelnaar to weigh-in, his own opinion about camping in the forest already voiced and 3of4 ready to act on the group's decision.

[Rex]

Sade

"Lets head to the clearing." She gestures towards the trail to clearing 2. "Meet us there." To Lothien.

[Enoch]

Kura lows and whoops as he watches 3of4 walk off and hears Sade's suggestion. He looks back and forth between 3of4's retreating form and the woods to the north-west, clearly agitated. When his lowing seems to have no effect, he turns to Sade.

"Wrestle.

"Wrestle, yes! If I win, we follow the trail. If you win, we follow the metal man."

Kura hops up and down, his teeth bared in a grin, excited by the prospect.

[ybn1197]

Awwrak waits for Sade and Qelnaar to weigh-in, his own opinion about camping in the forest already voiced and 3of4 ready to act on the group's decision.

Sade

"Lets head to the clearing." She gestures towards the trail to clearing 2. "Meet us there." To Lothien.

"I must concur. We have already roused the constabulary to our presence in a negative way," Qelnaar says. With a nod to Lothien, he follows Sade to the clearing.

[Enoch]

His tail drooping, Kura lopes off to the northwest, alternately stopping to sniff at the ground and to look back at the forms of her companions.

I'll follow this trail for a bit and see where it leads.

[Rex]

Sade

Sade chuckles as you heads down the trail, whispering to Awwrak, "Our Gnoll companion is energetic, but maybe not the wisest, asking to wrestle a Monk is perhaps like me asking to have a tracking contest to decide something."

[Marullus]

Awwrak

Leaving Lothien behind at the edge of town with directions to rejoin along the southeast path to the woods, Awwrak shuffles along on his talons, trying to keep up as he watches the town fall out of sight behind the last hill.

When Kura challenges Sade for leadership of the group via wrestling match, he bristles, standing up straight, his crest of feathers puffing out on his head. When Sade brushes it off and keeps walking, the bird does so as well, relaxing as the tension passes. He respondes to Sade, "Even so, his challenge as a predator is not to be dismissed. It shows he lacks respect for you and you will be forced to face that sooner than later. Do not let it fester until the situation is dire."

As Kura then lopes off, Awwrak looks concerned. "I'll keep an eye on him and lead him back to your fire," he says to Sade. "I have concerns regarding an evil druidic presence in these woods. We can discuss by the fire when I return." Now beyond the sight of the townsfolk, Awwrak shrugs out of his cloak which falls between his golden-brown feathered wings. He unfurls his wings and spreads them, stretching and standing upright with great and apparent relief, his full span almost twenty feet. With a powerful downstroke, he launches himself into the air and soars upwards, following the gnoll before he gets out of sight. He tails the gnoll, watching discreetly from far above, riding in the currents in the clouds in case he gets into trouble. In the sky he resembles a great eagle soaring on the breeze far more than his approximation of the earthbound Ravenkin. His graceful movements aloft are in sharp contrast to the hobbling discomfort he has exhibited walking thus far, then he dissappears in a cloud.

Stealth [1d20+4] = 20+4 = 24 Perception [1d20+6] = 17+6 = 23

[Rex]

Nice rolls.

[jemmus]

Lothien takes off his pack, sits down, and watches for Rodrigo to emerge from the tavern.

[Radrabbit]

3of4, Sade and Qelnaar reach what seems to be the clearing they were looking for after a few hours.
It's about fifty yards across and quite open except for one very large tree does stand pretty much in the center of the clearing.
As you get closer you see much of the bark has been roughly ripped away, claws or teeth of some kind seem to be the culprit.

Actions?

[Rex]

Sade

Sade will examine the clearing and tree, trying to make sure the area is secure. "Maybe a bear?"

Perception [1d20+6] = 16+6 = 22
Survival [1d20+4] = 10+4 = 14
As needed roll [1d20] = 14

[Radrabbit]

It does look like claw and teeth has done most of the damage.
Although you do see several places where a bladed implement seems to have left some cuts in the tree

[Radrabbit]

After about ten minutes of examining the clearing, you hear something above you.
A few seconds later Awwrak lands in a cloud of dust.

[Bluehorse]

3of4

Still carrying his tree trunk, he walks to the gathering at the tree. This is unnatural. I detected no threats on my perimeter sweep. Is this fresh?

Perception [1d20] = 8

[Marullus]

Awwrak perches on a branch in the solitary tree at the middle of the clearing. He looks over those he knew before and his new allies as well. "News. And some urgency."

"We found a pack of dead gnolls, those Kura scented. They were sacrificed in a circle of standing stones." He straightens back up and continues. "They were slain over a day ago. No craft I know could save them. Their internal organs and their eyes taken out and stolen, their bodies wrapped in spider silk unnaturally - with their arms and legs spread wide." He flutters his wings, perturbed, taking a moment to look once again over the surrounds. "They are sacrifices for dark ritual, likely a summoning of something far darker. There are evil druids in these woods which I hoped we could all look into... it seems we found them sooner than expected. With the bowels and eyes already taken the summoning must be soon... I expect within two days, by the new moon. They have stolen the innards and taken them to a different ritual space."

"The Drudge. That is what the foul druids are rumored to be called," he looks around for Lothien, then pauses, disappointed. "It is what I hoped to speak to you about when we set camp here. We found them faster than expected. I do not wish their summoning to succeed."

He flutters his feathers, agitated. "In the henge of stones, we uncovered a secret hole. Stone steps going more than 50' feet down. It is an hour for you to walk there."

[Paladin]

Rodrigo emerges from the tavern with a triumphant grin, looking this way and that to spot his companions. Catching sight of Lothien, he ambles in the same direction and glances down. "Hello, amigo. Forgive my tardiness. Mirata was most engaging. And..." He discreetly pats the spot where he's tucked the map away. "I talked the young lady out of her map. It may be a worthless fake." The bard shrugs. "But it might not. It'll give us something to do in our copious free time," he finishes with a chuckle.

[Rex]

Sade

"We should head there as soon as everyone is together. Then we can see what we can learn."