Chapter 2: The Woes of Reuna

[AleBelly]

Date: August 22
Time (approx): 11:15pm

For those that took items, please ensure you update your character sheets...

The party feels ill at ease staying put, and decides to proceed south along the road into terra incognita.

GM rolls dice

The party is thankful for their light sources, but they can't help but feel they are easy targets. The darkness from the moonless sky and encroaching woods envelops them. The evening's previous encounter and lack of sleep leave them jittery and jumpy. Gerd laments the lack of arrows, knowing in the back of his mind it takes days to make quality ones anyway.

After two hours of walking most of the party is the furthest they've ever been from home. It is then they spot some light in the distance. As they cautiously draw nearer, they identify the light as a village. A path leads off the road a couple hundred yards to the first collection of homes. Light from the hearths within leaks from their shuttered windows. The village is utterly quiet, the only noise coming from crickets around them on the road.

Actions?

[max_vale]

Smelly Seth will look at the village and then back at the group at large and say, "So....should we bother checking to see if anyone's home?" the beggar asks half-heartedly.....

Frank Fruitcastle walked with a dazed and forlorn look in his eyes...."Does it even matter?....I can't believe those.....things just butchered everyone....butchered HER.....", he reels a bit as a clod dirt hits him in the back of the shoulder....

Tanya Snaresetter wipes her hands from hurling the dirt clod even as she glares at Frank. "EVERYONE misses Betsy Frank, but she's not the only one who got axed by those damned dog-men.....everybody liked her and I'm sorry she's gone, but right now we've got to worry about those of us still breathing, so quit yer bitchin' and get to helpin'".

The three of them will watch the village closely, but look to see what the rest of the group wants to do. If they want to explore the 'town', they'll do so, but if they want to make camp out in the wilderness, they'll go along with the majority.

[ybn1197]

Perheal seeing light from the hearths looks to the others. "People, our people..." he says gesturing.

With the elf's pleading, Dilton will look slightly above the houses for smoke from chimneys. "If there are people... unafraid... there will be cooking fires and fires for warmth."

Booth and Abney stand torn between the idea of a warm place to bed down for the night and the danger that this place was already invaded.

[GreyWolfVT]

Wil "if we're lucky it's people afraid hidin in their homes. If we're not lucky it's an ambush." comments on the new situation.

Torben "We seek shelter is anyone home?" he calls to one of the buildings.

Lars for the moment remains quietly alert watching their surroundings and then the buildings.

[Samwell Turleton]

Ingrid Bloom
Ingrid spends the time walking in the darkness reflecting on the earlier confrontation. When she hears sounds in the woods they bring her focus back to the situation walking in the darkness and she feels ill-at-ease over how easy it might be to see the group walking this way. She fidgets with the pommel of her sword anxiously and tries to stay in the darkness away from the torch light.

Samuel Root
Samuel is close to Perheal when he hears their comment people, our people... and nods in acknowledgment. We should warn them of the danger from our nearby village. He continues cautiously towards the nearest village houses.

Monty Booth
Monty, long past the adrenaline of the encounter with the fire breathing chicken, is feeling his age. His tired legs feel as if they will be especially sore in the days to come. He keeps his eyes and ears alert, wary of any sounds and movements from the darkness, but then takes a moment's pause to lean on a tree while doing so.

Elsie Hornblatt
Elsie prefers to walk in the darkness, outside of the light of the lanterns and torches. She keeps her eyes looking outwards into the woods when the group sees light. She offers to walk in the darkness to peer through the shutters of the window to see what she can see. She then proceeds to take that action without other people's input.

[AleBelly]

Date: August 22
Time (approx): 11:25pm
Conditions: Dark, clear 59F/15C

After some indecision, Samuel continues towards the village, and others follow, gleaning what they can from their surroundings. Smoke wafts into the pleasant but cool summer air from many of the chimneys they can see. The road opens up into a grassy, muddy town square with three outlets (including the one they came in). It is lit with lamps, so appears to be under some maintenance. The other two roads are lined with several homes before leading into farmsteads beyond.

Just before reaching the town square they draw even with the first two residences, on either side of them. They see nothing alive and hear no noise save the sound of their boots on the ground beneath them.

Actions?

[AleBelly]

Any actions?

[GreyWolfVT]

Wil tries to open the door of the nearest building.

Lars watches their surroundings as Wil tries to open the door.

Torben waits to see if anything happens if the door does not budge he will move to the next building and try opening that door instead.

[Samwell Turleton]

Ingrid Bloom
Ingrid is going to move towards the town square and try to stay in shadow looking into the square and its outlets for any signs of danger.


Samuel Root and
Elsie Hornblatt
Samuel and Elsie are both near the first two residences. Elsie is peering through the shutters of one home trying to see what she can of what is inside. Samuel will help Wil at the other. As Wil checks the door Samuel will check if windows are open.

Monty Booth
Monty finds something else to lean against and lets the other people be nosy. He keeps an eye on the path they arrived from in case anyone or anything followed them.

[ybn1197]

Perheal watches Wil and Lars and nearly squeals. "People," he claps his hands, "this is a law abiding village as far as we know and it is nearly midnight. We can not go breaking into these peoples houses. For all we know, they are fast asleep in their beds, completely unaware of us."

Abney looks at Torben as he calls out to get someone's attention. He shrugs and picks up a pebble from the road and throws it at a window in the house Wil is trying to gain entry, hoping to wake someone before Wil does.

Dilton and Booth look about for an inn or a tavern, somewhere the community would gather in one place if necessary.

[Samwell Turleton]

Samuel Root
Samuel hears the pebble bounce off the glass and freezes in place, ducking away from a window he was trying to test the lock on.

[max_vale]

Smelly Seth the beggar prepares himself for monster to come boiling out of the houses our nearby woods while saying in an incredulous tone to Perheal; "Seriously mate? After ALL we've been thru today, THAT'S where your mind is? On what the LAW might think? Just in case you forgot, most of our fellow villagers have been KILLED today.....so, I think some people might forgive us for seeking some shelter.....", Seth takes a breath. "Still....I suppose we don't want to get fellow villagers trying to kill us too...so be careful people"....

Tanya Snaresetter will keep her attention on the woods surrounding the village, just in case anything or anyone was waiting to trap them with the 'snare' of an intact, comforting looking village....

Frank Fruitcastle takes a deep breath and joins the people looking for an Inn or Tavern in the village.....

[AleBelly]

Some of our adventurers move into the town square as others attempt to enter or look inside the houses. They find the doors of the near two houses barred or locked. Others look in through the cracks to glean information, but it's tough to see between the wooden boards covering the windows.

Perheal watches Wil and Lars and nearly squeals. "People," he claps his hands, "this is a law abiding village as far as we know and it is nearly midnight. We can not go breaking into these peoples houses. For all we know, they are fast asleep in their beds, completely unaware of us."

Smelly Seth the beggar prepares himself for monster to come boiling out of the houses our nearby woods while saying in an incredulous tone to Perheal; "Seriously mate? After ALL we've been thru today, THAT'S where your mind is? On what the LAW might think? Just in case you forgot, most of our fellow villagers have been KILLED today.....so, I think some people might forgive us for seeking some shelter.....", Seth takes a breath. "Still....I suppose we don't want to get fellow villagers trying to kill us too...so be careful people"....

There is some movement within the two homes, but the party's attention is drawn to the town square, where 5 human-like forms quickly form from the mud in the town square! They silently begin moving towards the party, looking as if they will attack!

Actions?

[ybn1197]

Dilton
"Oh bloody hell. As if the short dragon men and the flame breathing chicken weren't enough; now mud-men?!"

Booth
Holding his shovel out before him, he takes a couple of steps closer to the human-like forms. "We don't mean no trouble, we're just looking for a place to rest our heads for the night and then we'll be on our ways."

Perheal and Booth stand still, hoping the lack of lighting will keep them unnoticed till others find out what manner of creatures these are.

[greyarea]

From the deep shadows one of the houses next to a barrel and a discarded crate of rotting vegetables, a beggar rises from the muck. Mud cakes his robe and he holds a large club. Groogonés the mendicant takes said club and bangs on the barrel three times.

From the two nearby houses that showed some activity, three villagers emerge, weapons at the ready. Two elves slip from one home, and a halfling steals out from the other. They say nothing as they prepare to engage the mud men.

Groogonés the mendicant Makes a series of hand signals to the three, as if directing the attack. He punctuates his orders with his club. If any of the new strangers to town look at him, he will raise a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture while scowling.

Birdsong Mithriltongue the elf charges with his staff, leaving a trail of leaves fluttering from his Lincoln green outfit. He silently screams as he bashes at the nearest mud-man.

Orlop Albatross the other elf tips back his tricorn hat and lets fly with an arrow, aimed at another mud-man.

Shopco Outcrier the halfling pulls out his short blade (now on sale!) and charges in. His wide feet splat mud but it’s the only sound he makes. He engages a third mud-man.