IC: The Dragonshard War [Eberron] [4E] [Paragon] #1

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard replies telepathically, Coincidentally, the professor is traveling to see the same person we are. The look on Gerard's face suggests he is highly skeptical that it is mere coincidence. I'm not convinced.

He nods in the direction Muricia had come from and asks, Everything ok with Adisa?

[Dacia Brabant]

Muricia d'Vadalis

Hmm? Oh, no it wasn't Adisa. Some Tharashk tracker had a message for me from the king of Q'barra, she replied to the group. After a lengthly pause she continued, Seems he got his hands on 300 head of griffins and now he wants me to come train them up, along with their riders, for the coming war--assuming we can't stop it first. Told him I'd hear him out next time I'm in the area.

[Felhammer]

The train continues to rush ever eastward. The Professor eventually leaves the cabin, returning to the car from whence he came, thus leaving the party, with their two cabin-mates, all alone. Night eventually comes. Then day, then night. Eventually the party arrives in Vedykar. It is a ndecently sized town, by Karrn standards, that - like the train - is brimming with lots of extra people. Mostly soldiers, knights, retainers and government officials but also lots of civilians. Some fleeing the east for fear of what the war may bring, others heading towards the east, hungry for opportunity.

House Jorasco's offices are flooded with soldiers, loading up carts full of crates marked as, "Healing Potions". The various taverns and inns are likewise chalk full of people. Many less-than-reputable people are wandering the streets selling "antique" jewelry for far less than market value. Many passerby seem lured in by the potential for a good deal.

The party heads over to the House Orien Stables. Unlike elsewhere in town, the stables are relatively devoid of people. Lots of carriages sit in long rows next to the building, with many horses grazing the fields nearby. A very tall, swarthy-skinned man walks up and greets the party. He wears fine red robes with an exquisite golden belt. Half his head is shaved, revealing a bight purple dragonmark. "The name is Tarn, how can I help you?"

[Merilan]

Caimhe had let a disappointed noise to Gerard when he snatched the liver away, her tail wagging back and forth, but... caution was, perhaps, advised, yes. She'd proceeded to stay for most of the journey in canine form, though she was back in human form by the time they'd reached the Stables. "Do you prefer to stay the night and start our journey in the morning, or proceed onward?"

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Hmm? Oh, no it wasn't Adisa. Some Tharashk tracker had a message for me from the king of Q'barra, she replied to the group. After a lengthly pause she continued, Seems he got his hands on 300 head of griffins and now he wants me to come train them up, along with their riders, for the coming war--assuming we can't stop it first. Told him I'd hear him out next time I'm in the area.

Gerard smiles and nods appreciatively, You must be a skilled hand to draw his attention Muricia. You do your house proud.

The rest of the ride, Gerard seems preoccupied with his thoughts. He had grown up hearing stories of King Sebastes, the nobleman that defied the monarchs and founded Q'Barra to keep the Kingdom of Galifar alive despite the warring nations. He wonders how the fledgling kingdom will fare with Valenar on one side, and Karrnath and the halflings on the other. Hopefully, it will not come to that.

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Do you prefer to stay the night and start our journey in the morning, or proceed onward?

Gerard gives Caimhe's question some thought, I got some sleep on the Rail, but I could do for a full night's rest. How do the rest of you feel?

[Felhammer]

Tarn scratches his head, "Well you aren't going to find any lodging in the city. Way too many people here. I'll let you sleep in the old barn, if you would like. Let's say 10 gold a head?

[dariathalon]

Koebu

The halfling stands near the rear of the group, he seems to like to allow his presence to go unnoticed much of the time. "My vote is for continuing forward. Every moment brings the potential for war a little closer. Looking back on this moment, I'd like to think that I had done everything I could to stop it. A comfortable rest tonight may be somewhat less comfortable to live with in the coming months should we fail. I do not delude myself into thinking this is a mission I could undertake alone, so I will go with the group's wishes though."

[Merilan]

Caimhe chuckles and says, "... to be honest, I was more thinking about our chances of being ambushed on the road at night rather than our comfort. But, we're no ordinary group of adventurers. But, that's spoken as someone who's comfortable sleeping on the floor."

[Dimers]

Lee

The warforged pipes up, "My chassis is designed for long wear. I am comfortable continuing quickly, and can watch over the group's rest at night." After a moment, she adds, "I like your color scheme, Tarn."

[Geckus]

Takashtai

“I have no objection to pressing on quickly;” thinking of the Professor that they had met on the train, she adds, “it may allow us access to our quarry before other parties seek to occupy her time.”

Looking over at the (presumably) scion of House Orien, she asks, “How much for the use of a carriage capable of transporting six, plus a driver, for the trip to Karrlakton?”

[Dacia Brabant]

Muricia d'Vadalis

"Five plus the driver," Muricia interjected. "Adisa and I may not be able to outpace the Lightning Rail, but we certainly can keep up with a carriage."

"Kweeeh!" her griffin cried out in excitement, shuddering and ruffling her feathers. She'd been cooped up for far too long: it was high time for her to soar.

[Felhammer]

"Well you can leave right away, if you would like. It will be twenty gold per day of travel, plus minor expenses for the driver," responds the man.

After the gold has been transferred, the party boards a black carriage. It is not the fanciest model but also not a hunk of junk. There is enough room for the whole party. The seats are comfy but not too comfy. You would likely want to get out and stretch after a few hours of travel. The Driver introduces himself a Rogbert. He is a thickset, balding halfling with a large handlebar mustache.

The road is bumpy and rocky once you the city has passed out of view. The night passes with relative ease. As does the morning. The party has lunch in a field, then continues on their way. Just as the sun falls on the first day of travel, Rogbert screams, "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" He jerks the reins, careening the carriage off the road! The horses wind up running into a thicket of trees and get stuck. The halfing screams, "Man down! On the road!"

The party rushes out of the carriage to investigate. There is indeed a man on the road. He looks beaten and bloody and half-dead. He groans softly, clearly he is still alive. As the party flips him over to his back, they find a deep wound in his chest, probably caused by an axe.

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard's nap is abruptly interrupted by the carriage careening off the road into a thicket. Is everyone alright?!

The halfing screams, "Man down! On the road!"

The party rush to investigate, and find a beaten man with a deep slashing wound in his chest. He is alive, but barely. There is little Gerard can do to heal him, so he leaves his care to the others and begins to search for tracks, or any signs of the attacker. It is doubtful the man survived in this condition for too long. Takashtai, if you can reach Muricia, ask her if she can see anyone lurking around or fleeing from up there.

Spoiler: Perception

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Take higher of the two.
(1d20+14)[17]
(1d20+14)[19]

[Dimers]

Lee

The warforged strides silently to the victim and begins to treat his wound and murmur comforting words. "Help is here ... you'll be okay, you'll survive this, just keep breathing as steadily as you can." She's clearly practiced in this sort of thing -- a stark contrast with the likes of Slasher, who would be far more likely to cause an axe wound in a stranger than to fix one.

Spoiler: mechanics

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My Heal skill of +16 will auto-succeed at tests to stabilize, grant second wind or grant a save, if any of those is appropriate. But I'd like a roll to see whether Lee judges the wound bad enough that magical aid is needed immediately: (d20+16)[31] If second wind doesn't do the job, my herbal healing power won't help either -- it only heals by triggering second wind.

I'll just use passive Insight/Perception to determine if something is 'off', like this man is actually bait for an ambush.

[Merilan]

Caimhe hops off the carriage as well, but as she's not a healer like Lee is, her attention is more around them to sniff out any trails or ambushes. She even transforms into her wolf form to help sniff such a thing out.

Spoiler: Action

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Perception, I suppose? (1d20+10)[28]

[dariathalon]

Koebu

Seeing that Lee was quickly tending to the man's injuries, Koebu called out, "If healing magics are needed, let me know. In the mean time I will watch for trouble. Fenti, defend Lee." At the halfling's summons, a reptile stands up on two legs next to Lee from the road. Fenti's general shape is the same as always, but this time he seems to be made from the dirt and rocks of the road he sprang from, with a few tufts of grass sprouting out at odd angles from his joints.

As Fenti appears, Koebu is busy climbing up on the side of the carriage, like a little monkey. He kneels on the roof, eyes scanning the surrounding terrain.

Spoiler

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Perception - (1d20+15)[24]

[Felhammer]

The area around the party lies in a gully, so little of the surrounding terrain can be seen from their vantage point. Caimhe is able to pick up a trail, however. Smells like dinosaurs. Tracks are leading out of the gully. Muricia heads up into the skies. Off in the distance, she spots what looks like seven halflings riding raptors racing away at top speed. They are probably a mile out at this point. Koebu and Gerard look around the gully and fund a dead horse stashed away in a thicket of trees. Its throat has been cut. There are not any drag marks, so those who killed the horse must have lured him into the bramble and then killed him.

Meanwhile, Lee's great knowledge of mundane healing sees the soldier bandaged up. He is still groggy. He keeps mentioning that he has a message over and over and over again. However, he seems quite delirious as he also rants about his wife, his children and the purple sky.

[Dimers]

Lee

Lee responds automatically, "Magical aid does not seem necessary. Please be advised : the victim seems unlikely to return to full sense within minutes, though hours is possible." She searches the man for any identifying paperwork -- or for a written note, since his delirious moaning is so insistent about having a message to deliver. Even if unable to address him by name, she asks softly, "To whom was your message going?"

[Dacia Brabant]

Muricia d'Vadalis

Muricia swooped back down and relayed what she saw to the party.

"Looks like seven halflings on raptors making a break for it! They've got about a mile's head start! Shall I pursue?"

[dariathalon]

Koebu

Koebu swings down from the top of the carriage and scampers over toward the horse he'd spotted in the brush. "If you can point them out to me, and give me 10 minutes, I can do a little magic that should slow them down some so it will be easier to catch up to them. You may be able to catch up to them, but I doubt that the rest of us can unless we use some magic or are willing to track them until they rest," Koebu calls as he moves. When he reaches the horse, he begins looking it over to see if the message Lee mentioned might be hidden away in saddle bags or something.

[Merilan]

Caimhe looks up, then towards the rest of the group as she transforms back. "I think it's unwise to pursue at this point while we've got injured. We can't risk our carriage being left undefended either, especially in-between destinations like this. We'd best spirit this man to safety and get his story; we can gather the truth of the raptor-riding halflings then."

She leans down gently and looks to Lee. "Let's get him to our carriage and have him rest on the seat..."

[Dimers]

Lee

Lee nods at Caimhe. "The casualty can be moved without danger of further harm." She skirts around Fenti with a glance up as if confused by his nature. As she helps Caimhe lift, she replies to Muricia and Koebu, "I do not foresee catching the suspects given the resources currently available to us. If Rogbert judges the carriage roadworthy, continuing to Karrlakton is recommended."

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard frowns at Muricia's news of seven Halfling riders, and he nods in agreement with the others, The halflings of the Talenta Plains are not to be taken lightly, he says, looking in the direction Muricia indicated, I wonder what brings them this far into Karrnath. He glances at the injured man, With luck, he may be able to tell us. The closer we get to Vulyar, the closer we get to the Plains. We should be wary. That said, Gerard goes to help get the carriage back on the road.

[Felhammer]

Koebu finds a scroll case in one of the horse's saddle bags. He pops the cork and unfurls the scroll. It is a letter addressed to the King of Karrnath, addressed from the King of Q'Barra. The letter offers an alliance between the two countries against the elves. The Q'barrans are offering a 40% stake in the mine to be split between the Karrns and the halflings of Talenta.

[dariathalon]

Koebu

Koebu brings the scroll case and message over to where the others have gathered. "Those riders probably know something useful to our mission. They don't appear to have chosen their target at random, and to target this specific individual shows that they are tied into the web that this potential war lies precariously upon. I understand your reluctance to go after them, but I don't think their attempts to interfere with this message can be ignored." He hands the scroll to Gerard with a gesture indicating it should be passed around.

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard reads the scroll and frowns, Always someone a step ahead of us, he mutters, passing the scroll to the others. He clasps his hands behind his back as the others read the letter, pacing back and forth.

King Sebastes is trying to prevent all out war. But the halflings do not want King Kaius to even see his call for an alliance. The terms seem fair to my mind. Houses Jorasco and Ghallanda must either believe very strongly that the mine sits within the borders of the Plains, or that they can force the issue with Karrnath behind them.

We need to send word to the Ambassador as soon as we reach Vulyar.

[Felhammer]

The dwarf driver, with the help of the stronger members oft he party, liberate the carriage and the horses from the thicket. The horses are particularly... Grumpy about the process, as there were prickly roses in the bramble.

The party gingerly loads the injured man into the carriage. The rest of the journey is rather uneventful. The party arrives in Vulyar when the dawn arises on the next day. The party stops at the House Orien Waystation, the good driver accepts his pay and helps offload the injured soldier. Soon after, two female halflings come running out of the city gate. One is older with salt and pepper hair, the other is younger with strawberry blonde hair. The two women immediately assess the man's injuries and begin to heal him. More halflings come rushing out, this time with a cart being pulled by two clawfoot raptors. They load the soldier into the cart and wheel him into town.

The older woman looks up and says, "He had been poisoned. It is good you brought him here as fast as you did. Another half day and he would be dead. My name is Idari, by the way," she extends her hand to shake whomever's hand is closest "Were you attacked? "

[Dr.Samurai]

Gerard

Gerard shakes his head, We were not, but we came across this man on our way here. He flashes his badge, identifying himself as a Sentinel Marshal of House Deneith, Thank you for your help Idari, I am Gerard d' Deneith. I'd like to speak with him as soon as he is able to have company.

[Merilan]

Caimhe pads along with a little nod, rubbing at her forehead and quietly nursing the half-mask she has on. "Indeed... by halfling riders on the plain. It was a rather sordid attack, and it was only fortunate we were there to aid him when we could."

[Dimers]

Lee

The warforged stands quietly, looking around with uncommon curiousity. She keeps only half an ear on the conversation while reviewing what she knows about the town and the people the party needs to see.

Spoiler: mechanics

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History checks? My 'passive History' would be 28 if such a thing existed. When there's a question about how much a PC knows, I prefer to have the DM roll -- I shouldn't know how well my character did, I figure. But I'll roll History, Religion or whatever myself if so directed.