Darkwood--Deepening Dusk

[Vynarkus]

[ooc] -
Spot checks to keep it in sight.
Ride checks to keep up with it. (speed 60 x 5 from the RUN feat)
Survival / knowledge (geography) / knowledge (nature) checks to find places where I can take short cuts to gain on it (or at least to predict places I might lose ground, and avoid them).

[ooc]Good ideas. Vynarkus will do the same, and he will also try Knowledge (local) to try to find shortcuts while in the city...
... even though he isn't trained in any of them.
(yes, this is all out of character, but it does give more details on what I am trying to do, so I think it should go in here.)[/ooc]

[Seven Words]

Skyseeker is the only one who knows the area well enough to find the tie-saving deviations from straight-line pursuit, and she does so as fast as humanly...make that, elvenly, possible.

Slightly less than an hour later, you come across a man, dressed in Heshic style, standing at the side of the road....

[Earthfriend]

He looks at you quietly, his face wrinkled from long years beneath the sun. Then he squares lean shoulders within the patched cloak of furs, and says, "Do you follow the Beast for sport, or to rescue the Halfling?"

[Led Pighp]

You see a young Heshic man, in the white and blue robes of a scribe of Serloth. He bears no obvious arms, but his horse is geared for quick riding like a Heshic raider.

"The halfling, Beauregard is his name, is our friend. We would certainly like to see him returned quickly. But I see no reason to limit myself to one reason for pursuit. Do you know anything that will help us catch up with the thing?"

Remembering his manners, he adds "I am Led Pighp, lay servant of Serloth. These are my companions."

Gesturing at the human paladin of Missaryi, "Marrik".
Gesturing at the elven female, "Skyseeker".
Gesturing at the human female, "Laurel".
Gesturing at the human male, "Vynarkus".

He continues watching the manticore flying away to the north, but stays to hear what the stranger says, in case it will help.

[ooc] - I'm just going to assume that the party has already joined back up somewhere in transit, and that we're all here now.

[Vynarkus]

Vynarkus had already galloped past the stranger, but when he glances back and sees Led talking to him, he sighs, stops, and turns in his saddle, knowing that he cannot hope to take on the Manticore on his own, and needs to wait for the others.

"I'm sorry, Beauregard." he mutters, just barely audible if anyone tries to listen.

[Earthfriend]

The stranger nods solemnly to each member of the party as Led introduces them, his gaze coming to rest finally on Vynarkus.

"I saw the Beast land near here, and hand off your friend to some people on horses. He was alive, but unconscious." The man continues to regard Vynarkus as he speaks, his Common laden with a heavy Heshic accent. "My name is Barak Windblown. The creatures you chase have prepared well for pursuers. I heard the Beast being instructed to circle back and attack when it hears the horn, and three bugbears and one human are waiting to start an ambush, a little further down this road."

Barak speaks clearly so that all may hear. He wears soft deer-skin moccasins that are strapped to the knee and home-made leather pants. A tangle of fetishes and tokens hang around his neck on rude leather thongs, and a small pouch hangs against his hip, supported by a simple leather belt. A hunting knife is also suspended from this belt, his only obvious weapon. A large leather satchel sits at his feet.

"The Mistress has thrown our paths together for a reason, it would seem. I would aid you in recovering your companion."

[Led Pighp]

"We can either kill three bugbears and a human, and maybe a manticore... or we can try to sneak around them and chase after the riders."

"Which do you think would be faster?"

[Seven Words]

With a glance upwards, Skyseeker says, "Trying to go around would likely avail us naught. The manticore would spot us easily. However, by pressing on we may well draw the would-be ambushers into pursuit of us, denying them the advantage."

[Barak Windblown]

"If we could silence the one with the horn, then the Beast would not know to attack until after the ambushers are dealt with. Perhaps then we could lay a trap of our own for the creature," Barak says. "It is likely the human bears the horn, rather than one of the Bugbears, but I do not know this for truth. Nor do I know how we might silence him before he gives wind to it."

[Seven Words]

SKyseeker nods in agreement. "In the woods here, Led and I are rather adept at stealth. We could look for the hornman, kill him, and bring the rest in pursuit, perhaps?" she says rather tentatively, looking to Led for approval, being careful to not seem to speak for him.

[Led Pighp]

Led nods in agreement. "We can either lead them back to the group, or the group can charge in once we've killed the human. I assume the human will have the horn, not the bugbears."

"Can a bugbear even blow a horn? Do they have lips?"

[ooc] - knowledge (nature) check, to know if bugbears have lips that could seal on a horn's mouthpeace.

Led considers the horses, and notes that Barak is on foot. "I think that Skyseeker and I can run fast enough to stay ahead of the bugbears to lead them back to you. And these horses aren't combat trained... they wouldn't react well to bugbears being slaughtered, if you were to use them to charge into the battle once the hornblower was down."

"So, assuming that everyone is in agreement, would you lead us to this ambush, friend? We'll lead them back to you. Most of them, anyway."

[ooc] - This is a deviation from some offline conversations that were had. I found the rule on mounted combat and realized that untrained horses would be a serious hinderance.

www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttack ... ntedCombat

[Earthfriend]

Barak nods, yet there is something uncertain in his voice. "They lie in wait a little farther along this road, but I know not exactly where, for I did not follow them to see. I have no skill for such things." Barak fidgets, uncomfortable at this admission.

ooc: oops - wrong avatar, my bad! sorry.

[Seven Words]

Skyseeker smiles, and hefts a javelin. "Fear not. Lead us to where they stood and spoke with the manticore, and I will follow their trail. I will target the hornman first. Should he survive, Led can close with him to finish, and we'll be off."

Marrik nods somberly. "I simply wish we knew something of their abilities, their strength. I do realize that no matter who had witnessed this, we would not know." He now steps off the road, finding a tree nearby that he can actually conceal himself behind. "May Her Light illuminate your path" he says in benediction.

[Barak Windblown]

Barak grunts an assent, moving to the centre of the path.

"There they stood,"he says, guesturing about 20 feet further on from the party, "and spoke with the Beast, before moving off."

Then he moves back to Skyseeker and Led, touching each lightly in turn whilst gently holding one of the many tokens hanging around his neck.

"May the Mistress watch over you and dull the blades of your enemies," Barak says.

ooc: Barak casts mage armour on both Led and Skyseeker, assuming that's okay with them...

[Seven Words]

Skyseeker kneels, and briefly examines the ground. "This is easy enough to mark. Led, if you would parallel me from within the trees?" she asks, before assuming a nonchalant air, and casually sauntering down the road, surreptiously glancing down frequently to make sure she can still see the tracks.

[Led Pighp]

Led says nothing, and simply moves into the forests a ways, then vanishes from sight.

[ooc] - Hide and Move Silently checks, of course. Listen and Spot for enemies as we move. Spot also on Skyseeker, assuming she'll do some Green Beret-style bad-assed hand gestures when we get close to the enemies.

What? We're both scouts... if druids can have a language and rogues can have thieves cant, scouts should have hand gestures like in David Lynch's "Dune".

I'm just saying.

[Laurel]

Laurel's hands have been full with both Hardy and Garvin; for some reason both seemed restless. "With the chance of a manticore returning, we need to do something with Hardy and the horses, or they will surely give our location away. Any suggestions on how to quiet them?" she asked, looking at the two Heshics.

[Barak Windblown]

Barak turns towards Laurel. "I would suggest securing them further back down the trail, with some feed." he says, secreting his large satchel at the base of a venerable oak. "Should the Beast return, they should be safe enough while it deals with us. Luck to you, and to us all," he finishes with an obscure grin, then he moves off after Marrik, hiding himself about 20 feet from the Paladin.

[Laurel]

Catching Vynarkus' eye, Laurel grabs the reigns of his horse, as well as Led's and Marrik's [ooc]I think Marrik still has a horse?[/ooc]. Clicking her tongue softly, she led the four horses, as well as Hardy, back down the path to a deep shaded copse. It took some clearing of a gap amidst the bushes and trees to find an opening the horses could fit through, but patiently and slowly, one by one, the mounts and pack steed were secreted within, where sweet smelling growing clover and generous handfuls of feed settled their stamping hooves.

Seeing them settled and secured, Laurel drew her bow and nocked an arrow [ooc]knowledge arcana or whatever would apply to see if any particular arrowhead material would be more effective against bugbears than others, please[/ooc], making her way back to where the party waited in ambush, then found a well sheltered spot in which to hide herself, on the opposite side of the road from Marrik and Barak. Silently, she waited for a sign of return from Led and Skyseeker.

[ooc]In case things get really nasty later, just how long has it been since Laurel called upon Cerana's help? My time sense is very confused at this point...[/ooc]

[Seven Words]

Silent as a midnight breeze, and as easily seen, Led glides through teh woods.

Skyseeker finds where the tracks leave the road, fortunately onto the same side as Led already is, and begins moving stealthily herself.

They (Sky and Led) find where the ambushers are waiting. However, one is missing. There are 2 Bugbears, wearing well-used breastplates and wielding massive Great Axes, and one human in nondescript clothes, with a horn in hand, a small flute or pipe at his belt, and a shortbow in his other hand. Sky makes an imperative gesture, indicating something about the bow...the ready arrowheads have an odd oily sheen to them...poisoned?