Infiltrating Bresnan's Ranch

[Spearmint]

May 2nd 1066.

Bresnan's Ranch, northeast of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

10.20pm. Cloudy, light rain.

The trio wait, listening for the sound of snapping twigs, watching for the movement of leaves being brushed aside, reflecting water droplets under the first rays of the silvery moon as their quarry passes by. The hunters passive aggressive watch, waiting to spring upon the stag if it suddenly appears.

And twigs snap, 'crunch, crunch, a moment's pause, a few more hurried steps this time closer then silence. A shadowy silhouette flits between the hollow of the creek, maybe 40 yards but upwind if your position. An animal head suddenly lifts startled after taking a drink from the waters, catching scent of the trio lurking nearby.

actions and any attack rolls please.

[maceo_the_escher]

Knatchbull steadies his crossbow and fires a bolt.

[tarlyn]

Fapp

A little overexcited and too aggressive on his sling shot, Fapp overcompensates and totally misses his intended target!

[1d20]=2 Sling roll

Dice gods were almost mean, but hey a 2 is not a crit miss !!!! LOL

Removed 1 stone from inventory

[Spearmint]

May 2nd 1066.

Bresnan's Ranch, northeast of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

10.21pm. Cloudy, light rain.

guys remember to include the weapon damage in your attack macro please.

The startled bright eyes reflecting moonlight suddenly jerk as a shaft of death rather than a ray of hope hurtles through the foilage and strikes the creature through the neck. Critically hit, the damage is fatal and the deer hardly takes a couple of steps before it collapses.

Knatchbull is congratulated upon his hunting success but as you near the corpse you see it is not the famed 'red stag', a Monarch of the Forest but a young roebuck. Still a prize and a feast of quality meat as the butcher's assistant can appraise.

Fapp eyes a lost pebble, ricocheting off several branches and disappearing in the undergrowth.

Marcellus "There must be herds nearby, scattered in the forest. Do you want to take this carcass back or carry on with the hunt?" he asks. You can tell he is keen to stay out and indicates the inclining hillside stretching into the dark. "The ridge is a few hundred yards away, the creek fed from the downhill seepage. The forest thicker on the other side then
it breaks into the wilderness steppes. I bet the others will go over the trail boundary too."

actions please

[maceo_the_escher]

Knatchbull

Let's take a minute and quickly string this one up and then continue. Our prize is still out there.

[tarlyn]

Fapp


"I'll help you, Knatchbull, nice shot, big guy! And sure. I'll continue on."

[Spearmint]

May 2nd 1066.

Bresnan's Ranch, northeast of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

10.30pm. Cloudy, light rain.

The trio drag their prize clear of the creek mud and using some thick cord from a pack tie the animals limbs and head down, hang the carcass up from a nearby low branch. It takes a while to do this.

A rustle of shrubbery nearby then a friendly green pale face in tinpot helm walks by. The goblin from the camp you noticed in the mess hall earlier.

"Hey what you caught. Nice eh. Not much in the way of antlers. Still pelt might be okay and the meat." He appears somewhat if a straggler, his hobgoblin companions running in ahead and leaving him behind. "Mind if I join you guys. Don't want to get lost in the dark."

"Ever the scaredy cat. Ok. You help them. I will check out the ridge trail ahead." Marcellus mocks the little goblin and with a nod creeps off up the hill towards the unseen ridge.

The goblin tries to be helpful, climbing the tree and securing the cords. He looks nervous, constantly watching behind him.

Knatchbull, an old hand at the abattoir needs little introduction to the art of dressing game. Leaving the carcass hanging at least a day helps the collagen break down post rigor mortis which then produces a more tender steak. The much anticipated venison stew may not be ready for a couple of days, but the wait, even three days is worth the benefit in flavour.

As you are about to move off, the goblin catches the hem of your cloaks.

"Just a minute. You need to know this. Osen told me to watch out for you. Bring you up to speed. The Manse mound is over a temple. Watch out the for the ... the ..." the goblin's speech goes gluttural as he spits blood, gagging for breath. An arrow piercing through his throat. He clutches vainly onto the last vestiges of life and bleeds out in the same fashion as the deer.

actions please

[maceo_the_escher]

Knatchbull instinctively grabs Fapp's shoulder and tries to push his companion to the ground as he also drops prone.

He whispers, "I knew this seemed too easy" and loads another bolt into his crossbow. "Now whadda we do?"

[tarlyn]

Fapp

Fapp almost jumps out of his skin as the goblin is murdered before his eyes and catches himself.

Sighing he turns to Knatchbull as he lies prone, looking around with his infravision in the direction the arrow

came from, whispering "Yeah, too easy for sure. We need to get out of here and back to town not the Manse, I fear.

And what did he mean by the Manse is on top of a Temple?" We should try to maybe get the beat on whomever is shooting at us.

[Spearmint]

May 2nd 1066.

Bresnan's Ranch, northeast of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

10.40pm. Cloudy, light rain.

The silence is not quite as deadly as the assassin's arrow. The goblin isn't the only one who hits the dirt as Knatchbull grabs Fapp and pushes him face first into the peaty soil. Scanning for dangers you only see two heavy breathing and sweaty bodies, your own contrasting to the rapidly cooling bluish aura radiating from the green skinned goblin.

Despite their fears, no more shafts are loosed from the forest darkness. You stand and consider options.

next actions please

[maceo_the_escher]

Knatchbull

"Can you look through the goblin's stuff and see if you find anything that might help explain what's going on? I'll keep an eye out."

"I know it's more dangerous but I sorta want to head back towards the Manse - we might be able to learn more. If this was all a setup they wouldn't expect us to go back in that direction and we might be able to see or hear something. But it could also get us goblin-ized" and he pushes the dead goblin's body a little for emphasis.

[tarlyn]

Fapp

Fapp accomplishes the grisly task of removing the sheaf arrow from the dead goblin and shows it to Knatchbull.

He will also search the dead goblin for anything of use.

"Does this look like arrows our buddy Marcellus was using?"

Thinking a moment as well, he adds in response to Knatchbull "Yeah I agree with you."

[Spearmint]

May 2nd 1066.

Bresnan's Ranch, northeast of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

10.50pm. Cloudy, light rain.

Fapp frisks through the pockets of the goblin. A few buttons, set of dice, a single gold piece (several teeth mark on it). He carried a short bow and a few arrows. The arrow sticking through his neck is a larger shaft, certainly coming from a longbow. You can snap the shaft and keep the fletched end if you had in mind to compare it with other arrows.

You are about to move off when the noise of talking voices is heard coming from the hillside towards the ridge trail. Marcellus and several guys walk down the hill. They speak of sighting the famed red stag but the wise creature was able to slip away out of bowshot.

"Well we have a least a couple of things." a hobgoblin carries a brace of turkey carcasses over his shoulder. They arrive by your strung up deer then express their shock and horror as they discover the goblin dead by the tree.

There is a brief discussion, 'what happened, when, where, how?' questions are asked. "Must have been an accident. He got lost and separated. Probably someone mistook him for game?

Must be what happened, right?"

"Clumsy goblin. Always in trouble." one hobgoblin sneers, unconcerned. The three hobgoblins each carry longbows as do two of the humans. It would be hard to point any fingers when tragic 'accidents' happen in the dark forest.

any actions or comments please.

[maceo_the_escher]

Knatchbull

Speaks to Fapp in a whisper, Well, now I'm really confused. When the goblin got murdered I thought this whole hunting trip was just a set-up to get rid of us but now I'm not so sure. If they were expecting to see our bodies too they didn't act like it. Good idea to hold on to the arrow so we can see if it matches any other ones we come across. I'm a little less sure about heading to the Manse but I'm up for it if you want to check it out. This whole situation is a mystery to me"

[tarlyn]

Knatchbull

Speaks to Fapp in a whisper, Well, now I'm really confused. When the goblin got murdered I thought this whole hunting trip was just a set-up to get rid of us but now I'm not so sure. If they were expecting to see our bodies too they didn't act like it. Good idea to hold on to the arrow so we can see if it matches any other ones we come across. I'm a little less sure about heading to the Manse but I'm up for it if you want to check it out. This whole situation is a mystery to me"

Fapp

Whispering to Knatchbull "We'll head back to the Manse but let's keep alert for signs of trouble. I'm not sure they are surprised that goblin is dead maybe it is just an

act to try to fool us. I'm still curious about the Temple, myself.""

[Spearmint]

May 2nd 1066.

Bresnan's Ranch, northeast of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

11.00pm. Cloudy, light rain.

You both chat together, hushed asides as the group of hunters pool together at the creek..There are two bodies to take back to the ranch, the otherwise partially successful hunt marred by the death of the little goblin. For one assassin, the hunt was very successful but then, it could all have been a tragic accident as suggested after all. Certainly there is no animosity on the trek back through the forest, the hobgoblin trio of tribal humanoids seeming to be on good terms with the ranch buddies. In fact it is Knatchbull and Fapp who are the odd ones out in the group.

Waiting at the gate is Gordo who is horrified at the sight of the dead goblin being carried on a makeshift stretcher. In the gaggle of voices which give question and answer, you have a moment to share what happened. A greater accounting may happen to morrow, certainly Mr Bresnan will be informed.

Then as the midnight hours draw in and the nightwatch close the stockade gate, the hunters each return to their bunk rooms. It has been an inauspicious first day on the ranch.

Marcellus and Grimwald are soon asleep in the twin bunk on the opposite side of the cabin. Probably easier for Fapp to take the top bunk of yours as if ever the weighty Knatchbull fell through the thin slats he would crush the halfling in his sleep. You room is sparsely furnished, simple pine cabinets and beds and a low table. A window overlooks the stockade interior through which you get a view of the parapets circling the cabins and every few minutes a guard rotates the walkway.

You sleep lightly, troubled by the incident and having to sort through various emotions and dilemma regarding Osen's task.

post any report you give to Gordo and include a 4d6 vs wisdom check as you listen in the the other testimonials in case you catch some information pertinent to your investigations.

[maceo_the_escher]

Knatchbull

Feeling surrounded by possible enemies and killers, Knatchbull keeps his version of the events to few details. He emphasizes his great marksmanship and downplays the goblin's death so as not to draw any more unwanted attention. He tries to make note of anyone discussing the Manse or anything about activities there.

[tarlyn]

Knatchbull

Feeling surrounded by possible enemies and killers, Knatchbull keeps his version of the events to few details. He emphasizes his great marksmanship and downplays the goblin's death so as not to draw any more unwanted attention. He tries to make note of anyone discussing the Manse or anything about activities there.

Fapp

Wary of everyone except his pal Knatchbull, the halfling retells the story of how Knatchbull expertly downed the stag, embellishing as much as he can.

He too will listen to what people are saying.

[Spearmint]

May 3rd. 1066:

Bresnan's Ranch, northeast of Helix, Duchy of Aerik.

7.00am. Windy conditions, light rain.
Effects: none.

the earlier Wisdom check didn't get you any clues as to who may be involved in the killing of the goblin.

The two characters give their testimony of hunting in the forest, stalking in the creek, catching the deer, the goblin sneaking up, a loose arrow. Unfortunate.

They can't be blamed as they were armed with crossbow and sling. In fact no one is blamed, Gordo lamenting sending enthusiastic but inexperienced people to hunt the red stag. The ranch owner Bresnan decides the goblin's body should be buried and in the morning a committal into the ground is arranged. A couple of the hobgoblins dig the grave, one of the other men erect a small wooden marker. The body is lain inside a wicker casket and carried to the grave which is outside the stockade and he is laid to rest. A few tokens are placed on top of the casket before the earth is shovelled back over it. The goblins bow, a wreath of flowers, a corn dolly, wood carving, some silver pieces, necklace of pigs ears. give me another 4d6 vs intelligence check to spot anything more interesting.

Bresnan prays, "May his god give peace to his soul. Amen and Amen. Now back to work." The epilogue is short, the prayer functional, the grave final. You both are given spades to shovel the mound of dug up dirt back over his casket as everyone else backs down the hillside. When you are done, you are tasked with ploughing the next field.

I will take you check here and any action or information it might provoke.

You are ploughing one of the fields on the ranch outskirts. By one side a field of half grown maize flourishes. On the other is the forest fringe. Some of the guys are in a gang cutting wood, taking lumber for various needs. You drive a pair of oxen, churning up the ground and collecting the stones to take away. It is hard labour as the ground has been fallow for decades. So it becomes back breaking labour and the sweat certainly runs as rivulets down your brows. Working in the field, Gordo checks you occasionally, giving tips, demonstrating best practice. He brings you a wineskin as he does his rounds. "Sad business with Greco. Poor little guy. Only been with us a couple of months. Must have been a shock for him to die in your arms right. He say any last words? Ask for his mother, pray to his god. Which one would that be? Not sure if Brother Gamdar baptised him in the moat like he did the others.

Well if you remember anything, anything at all, let me know." he says as he leaves to check on the other task groups.

You take a break. As you do you notice the lumbering gang have also stopping chopping and loll about. In the maize field you also see a furtive man. He looks one way and another, hoping his actions are unnoticed and he goes to a scarecrow, seemingly to fiddle with the pest controller's jacket, then leaves.

As you 'take ten' from ploughing, are there any other actions you would like to do?

actions and rolls please.

[maceo_the_escher]

Knatchbull

For funeral:


While on break:
"Fapp!, Did you see that guy and the scarecrow? I think he hid something in the vest. Think you can sneak over and check it out?"