Machines of War

[INWranger]

Bow range of him when he presumably tries to saddle his horse and ride away.

[madtinker]

There are trees in the way, so you can't get a clear shot. It seems he dropped the saddle when he heard Vicciano scream, and jumped on the horse bareback, and is galloping away at full tilt.

[INWranger]

Find my own horse and ride after him. I may have to track him the next day if I lose earshot of him.

[madtinker]

You apparently left your horse about a half mile away. You will need to make a survival check just to begin following him.

[INWranger]

Yeah, even my keen half elf ears can't do anything a half mile away.
track
(1d20+5)[18]
see which direction he went in
(1d20+5)[10]

[madtinker]

He's riding south and east.

[INWranger]

So away from Fort Nebo, Bushton, etc. Get on Night Whisper and track him down. I either need to find out who his employer is and have him bug out of the operation, or failing that find out who his employer is and then kill him (the slender man).

[madtinker]

Make some more survival checks. Add in your favored enemy bonus for humans.

[INWranger]

Keep going on him, looting the camp can wait for a day or two.
Survival
(1d20+7)[19]
(1d20+7)[25]
(1d20+7)[24]
(1d20+7)[11]
(1d20+7)[14]

[madtinker]

As the forest changes to scrub and the soft ground becomes rockier, you are forced to dismount and proceed on foot to avoid losing the trail. As the sun peaks over the horizon, the ground has become mostly hard rock, and you have lost your quarry.

[INWranger]

Go back to the camp. Hopefully nobody else has found it and taken any clues that might still be there.

[madtinker]

You've gone some distance from the camp, make a survival check to find your way back.

[INWranger]

survival
(1d20+7)[23]

[madtinker]

You find your way back to the camp easily enough. The first thing you notice is the absence of horses. The second thing you notice is the absence of Vicciano's body and his gear. In fact, there doesn't appear to be anything useful left at all.

[INWranger]

Go into the closest town and ask around if anyone found the camp and the goodies associated with it.
(1d20+7)[27]

[madtinker]

You are back in Oldshire. No one has been out in the woods: they are all busy boarding up their homes. Rumor has it that a full legion of troops is headed this way from Lafierre, and people want to be ready to take flight if the battle goes poorly. As you pause, you suddenly notice how fatigued you have become.

[INWranger]

Jaster isn't too worried, as they are part of the same country. Better trance, he won't be any good anywhere without some rest.

[madtinker]

You find a place to rest, and when you arise four hours later, the sun is high in the sky.

[INWranger]

Grab a bite to eat from my rations I have and see what is going on outside.

[madtinker]

You find Captain Kairn on the parade grounds. When he sees you, he starts talking to you without taking his eyes off his men. You know, these incoming troops could use a good scout. But as much as I'm spoiling for a fight, it don't make it right. I think that fellow Lundgreen wasn't in his right mind. So you have your choice: I could say a few words to the commanding officer of the strike force and he'll pay you handsomely to scout the Reds for him, or you could try to figure out who was behind Lundgreen's attack, and I can't guarantee any payment at all.

[INWranger]

I am already pretty sure I know who was behind the attack, the problem is proving it. The madman that attacked is a half orc I have been trying to track down for the last week, along with his two confederates. I killed one of them last night and then tried to track the other one down. When I got back to their camp to look for clues it hadn't been just looted, it had been scrubbed clean. right now it is my word backed by the nearest of circumstantial evidence. How did they find out so fast about the recent skirmish?

[madtinker]

Military procedure is to send runners if any action takes place. Ol' Orion (the king) doesn't look kindly on aggression of that sort.

[INWranger]

Roughly how long until the strike comes?

[madtinker]

Oh, at least a day or two.

DM only

Spoiler

Show

Vicciano should have rolled a bluff check to play dead. (1d20+9)[14], sensemotive - (1d20+9)[27]

go ahead

[INWranger]

Talk to the commander. I will take the job.
Jaster wants the opportunity to go back to Bushton and look for clues. Also, scout the area for the army. See if there is anything funny going on still. Something is wrong. The camp couldn't have cleaned itself up. There had to be someone else. Go back to Bushton and see what is going on. Stay more hidden and see what they are doing.

[madtinker]

As you approach the border, you realize that the guards have probably been replaced and are on high alert.

[INWranger]

Take to the woods, see if I can find a trail, or press on towards Bushton.

[madtinker]

Are you on foot or horseback?

[INWranger]

Horseback.

[madtinker]

Being as the canyon is fairly at this point is fairly narrow, and the brush isn't very tall, it's unlikely that you could sneak a horse past the guards in the daylight.