Crooked Yew and crocked bees.

[Jedion357]

Friar John comes to the cabin and notes the cacoon shapes and mutters, "This isn't going to be good," then slips into a short prayer, "St Ygg guide and protect us!"

He examines the curious cacoons and wracks his brain to see if he ever heard such a thing during his time in the monastery, especially while copying manuscripts

[1d20]
OOC: Apparently I still dont know what I'm doing with rolling dice on here
Input: To hit: [1d20]
Output: To hit: [1d20]=9

[Gomezthebarbarian]

Barba

After following Dougal back to the cabin, Barba witnesses the spectacle on the floor, her brow furrowing. She approaches Moriartus and speaks softly, “We should dig up the bodies and see if there’s anything that can shed some light on what happened here.”

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

While searching through the office records he speaks softly in response to Barba, "I am inclined to do just that. The good Friar John may object to disturbing the dead, though." He continues in a louder voice so that it carries into the main room. "Mr. Ben, please ask Mr. Crabtree how many hours yet of travel until we reach the Crooked Yew."

[Gomezthebarbarian]

Barba

The half-orc scowls and grabs Moriartus’ arm, ”Frakk the holy man’s sensitivities. This whole situation is disturbing. How can you humans bury your dead is beyond me, just so much worm food. Gah, promise me this, if I die a warrior’s death do not bury me and speak from your lips. Set my body on a bier of wood and let the flames take me.”

[Spearmint]

Jedion357 I think you are just 'test rolling' the macro. If you go to the Dice Roller forum it will give you a walkthrough in creating, linking and posting rolls for your character.

Quonundrum Moriartus not your Big Shiny Island character.


April 29th 1066

Logging Camp. Blackened Forest, west of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

11.30am.
Weather: sunshine but cloudy, light breeze.

The quartet of characters and accompanying hirelings investigate the site. Crabtree hauls the wagon over, leading the draft horse and taking the break to give it some hay. "Probably nine miles to go. We follow the track southwest for another hour then turn directly west. After s but we go straight through the forest. I would say we set a good pace and can cover it in around five hours." he reports to Moriartus who summons everyone together.

Ben n' Jake take a guard duty watching the camp from positions looking over the moor and the other side into the forest, walking the perimeter grim faced.

A suggestion is made to dig up the recently dead. You can act upon that. Certainly you have the available equipment such as shovels and spades.

Dougal. You can only think the tracks were made by some slithering creature, one with a short but wide tail. There are no claw prints so that rules lizards out.

Investigating the corpses, you come to a startling conclusion. These are not corpses. These are outer skins, shed and hatched out. "Exuviae." Friar John names the term for the remnants left behind. The victims must have gone through a process of ecdysis.

A search is made, turning out desks and stores for any reports on the activity. A blood soaked diary of torn pages is found. It reads typical noteworthy events such as the weather and lumber felled, shortage of supplies and the usual gripes among workers.

Then the writer details an attack by a roving band of renegade hobgoblin and ogres who were driven off but not without casualties. Work resumed and the watch strengthened. Then at night a couple of days later (it says at full moon so you think a little over two weeks ago), "creatures emerged from the Moor to storm the camp. Never seen their like before. Snake like humanoids.

Hissing in the night. Arrows in the dark.

Surrounded, we took refuge. Many were cut, many bitten, all suffered. After hours the creatures left.

Sick after celebration. Sweating, clammy, some feverish. Paterson sent for help. The weak crawl together. Lose hair, tightness of skin, moulting, itching.

Fever continues. All bedridden, plague besets us."

It ends with scrawled ramblings of a man losing his mind.

Barba wishes for a cremation as send off. The thoughts echoed by Two-Birds. "We should burn them. Burn it all."

next actions please

[Karaunios]

Dougal

"If these are just skins, nothing'll come oot of'em, but I think burning'em is the be'er way. Just in case.

Problem is, that we noo need tae start gathering a lot of wood and the smoke can be seen fae far awa. Yer decision, but I dinna want tae be easy target for hobgoblins, ogres or sarpents.

Either way, we're gaun tae waste a lot of time.

One last thing: if we come across these sarpents, dinna let'em touch ye. I think they turned the loggers intae them and it must hae been after being bitt'n or something."

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

Oops. Thanks, corrected.

"If it is within my power, Miss Barba, I shall certainly do so if such comes to pass," he says solemnly to the half-orc. Holding up the torn and bloody journal for the group to see, he summarizes its contents and the events leading up to the camp's demise. "It would seem Mr. Paterson was not successful in seeking help ..."

He prods one of the skin shells as Friar John explains what befell the men and the implication that several more of these strange creatures are now lurking the moor. "Fascinating." He also nods in agreement with Dougal's hypothesis, "Agreed. The camp was attacked on a full moon which suggests a form of lycanthropy, perhaps? The creatures used arrows, so they possess at least a modicum of intelligence to wield weapons."

"Friar John?" Moriartus turns to the cleric of St. Ygg and pauses, appearing to consider his next words carefully. "I think it is wise to exhume the bodies to examine their condition. There may be indications of how the infection is transmitted, or obvious physical markers to indicate one is afflicted by this ... disease."

Speaking to the whole group now, "I agree with Miss Two-Birds, we should burn the remains. However, we must leave soon if we hope to make our destination by dusk."

"Mr. Ben, Mr. Jake. If the good friar is amenable, please assist him with exhuming the bodies outside. Miss Two-Birds, Miss Barba. Please gather wood for a pyre ..." He looks about the room and regards the exhuviae with mild distaste. "We will burn these here with the cabin. Mr. Dougal, can you attempt to track the direction these renegade ogres and hobgoblins attacked from?"

He shuffles to the cabin's door, his staff thumping with a slight echo in the eerie cabin. He pauses at the threshold momentarily to puff lightly on his cigar. "I will do a quick search of the tents for clues or anything of value. Any questions?" If there are no objections, he states simply, but with the weight of the situation at hand, "Very well, let's get to work."

[Karaunios]

Dougal

Dougal nods at Moriartus' command. "Aye. Although I cannae promise onything. Twa weeks is a lot of time." and starts looking for tracks.

[Quonundrum]

Just wanted to note that if you (or your characters) disagree with Moriartus's decisions, feel free to push back!

[Jedion357]

Friar John, "Normally, I would not condone disturbing the dead. However, these were hastily buried and did not benefit from the rites of the dead and had no blessing to guard against resurrection as undead. We should exhume them carefully, one at a time to guard against surprises- I was just assisting in the post mortem care of an adventurer named Greygoose that animated as a ghoul in the very chapel of St Ygg the day before we left. So yes, let's exhume them and I will perform the rites of the dead for them altogether and perform a prayer of blessing as well. I recommend against a funeral pyre lest it draw attention but sometimes it is the only way to be sure that the dead do not come back and trouble the living. although these husks, as remains seem that the would not pose danger but rather that which left the husk behind is more likely the danger. However, a trench burial may suffice if we do not use the fire method."

OOC: by prayer of blessing Friar John will include the Bless spell as part of the rites of the dead

[Jedion357]

When the moment affords Friar John approaches Barbra and says, "Fear not, I will most certainly respect your wishes, should you fall and I be left, I will do everything in my power to provide your funeral pyre."

OOC: I'm still figuring a lot out not sure how to choose the prepared spells but pretty much as a default Friar John will take Command, Curelight wounds, and Bless as the three he would normally take as his daily default spells and change them up as the situation warrents.]

While preparing to exhume the bodies Friar John grabs the pot that is full of rotten food and hangs it off the back of the wagon. During tomorrow's devotions he will ask for Purify Food and Drink, cure light wounds and command.

[Spearmint]

April 29th 1066

Logging Camp. Blackened Forest, west of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

2.30pm.
Weather: sunshine but cloudy, light breeze.

Friar John sets about exhuming the dead bodies buried at the end of the logging camp. The older graves have bodies laid to rest in whicker type caskets, and wrapped in cloth shrouds. The latter seem more buried in a hurry. Just rolled in tarpaulin strips and buried more shallow. Though natural decay has set in, the priest can determine that none present any threat to being reborn as undead or show symptoms of moulting skins and turning animalistic. Their graves may be blessed and rites performed in a simple ceremony.

I have updated the Deities topic with information on cleric spell acquisition. Let me know in your personal forum if you have any questions

The cocoon skins of the deceased may be burned in situ in the wooden cabin or taken out a smaller pyre outside. Two-Birds will offer some Silvanus lament over the pyre and commit the spirits of the deceased to the afterlife. You can tell the mention of lycanthropy alarms her.

Dougal tries to track around the woods, looking for signs of hobgoblin and ogre incursion into the camp. You search around, taking time to study the land, look for any points where the renegades may have observed the camp, signs any tree has been climbed for advantage. You find one with a good view of the logging camp, climb up a few branches and pause to study.

As you do you notice two large creatures, they have wolf like bodies but their heads are bird like with large beaks and wide eyes. They slowly creep around the fringe of the camp a bowshot away.

actions Dougal please in relation to creatures.

Other actions by everyone else.



Everyone else is unaware of the impending threat stalking the camp.

[Karaunios]

Dougal

Dougal tries to make a bird sound, but loud enough to call his companions' attention. With some hope, the weird beasts won't pay any attention to it, being focused on their prays as they are. If it works, he will show two fingers at his companions and then point at the direction where the creatures are coming from.

[Jedion357]

After reburying each unfortunate Friar John says the usual rite and then performs the prayer of blessing [casts Bless] over the graves.

The work was sweat inducing so he drinks water and looks around visually checking the camp and his companions.

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

After completing a quick search of the debris strewn around the sundered tents, Moriartus checks in with Friar John and the autopsies. "The contagion is likely not fatal, at least in the normal sense, but no clue to suggest time from infection to onset of symptoms." He then confers with Two-Birds at the wooden pyre under construction. "Assuming this is a form of lycanthropy, is there anything we can do to protect ourselves from contracting it, or failing that, curing it?"

Having lived most of his forty years in Ironguard Motte, Moriartus is also not accustomed to normal animal noises, and certainly not those of the forest. He is therefore quite oblivious to Dougal's attempt to signal them with a mimicked bird call.

[Jedion357]

Friat John scratches his chin as he responds to Moriartus, "I never copied a tome on lycanthropy during my stint in the scriptorium at the abbey so I have no idea."

OOC: Friar John worked out an around the abbey being involved in the care of the giant killer bees and harvesting their honey would this be enough exposure for him to notice the bird call?

IC: Friar John wonders if he should not obtain such a tome to study if he ends up remaining in this region long. Perhaps if he did obtain and study a tome on lycanthropy he might donate it to the chapel of St. Ygg for its library if it has one.

[Gomezthebarbarian]

Dougal tries to make a bird sound, but loud enough to call his companions' attention. With some hope, the weird beasts won't pay any attention to it, being focused on their prays as they are. If it works, he will show two fingers at his companions and then point at the direction where the creatures are coming from.

Working on the pyre, Barba hears a sound...that of a bird call. An outcast for most of her life spent outdoors away from villages and towns of men, the sound seemed unusual. With this much activity within the camp, the place should be devoid of birds and most wildlife so she looked toward the source of the sound. Spying Dougal up in a tree, the half-orc saw him hold up two fingers and point in a direction near the camp.

"Heads up," Barba growled loud enough to those around her while retrieving her shield and drawing her broadsword. "Looks like we've got company." She turns to the twins and gestures for them to follow. She starts off in the general direction as indicated by Dougal, her eyes sweeping the land ahead of her with sword and shield ready. Barba will glance at Dougal here and there just to see if anything has changed.

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

Moriartus turns about at Barba's verbal warning, but doesn't immediately grok the reason for the alert. He nods at the Bennerjake twins to follow her lead if they look to him for confirmation. Cognizant of the important cargo they're guarding, Moriartus slowly climbs into the wagon to get an elevated view of the camp and to better position himself to defend it, if necessary.

[Spearmint]

April 29th 1066

Logging Camp. Blackened Forest, west of Helix. Duchy of Aerik.

2.40pm.
Weather: sunshine but cloudy, light breeze.

Dougal imitates a bird sound, a lesser spotted warbler, as he calls to those in the camp to warn them of impending dangers. The camp is not too large so high on the branches of a tree along the fringe, Barba is able to pick him out and understand his silent hand gestures for two creeping creatures stalking by the log piles. Advancing to check out the predators, she calls on the lumbering frames of Ben and Jake.

The pyre sends out a plume of smoke from the wet wood as the faggots are lit and the Exuviae skins of the metamorphed victims are dragged out the cabins to be incinerated. They burn quickly, a dry husks of shrivelled flesh. Friar John wonders on the lycanthropy theme. There is lore and he may know that the deity of Silvanus has a particular antipathy towards the unnatural instincts to change from man to beast under the influence of the lunar phases. Two-Birds and Moriartus add to the discussion. Crabtree cooks up some lunch for the group.

Barba checks again with observer Dougal to see if the dangers are nearby or have increased. She picks out the hand signals, relaying them back to the twins who pass the message to those behind.

"Two's company, stalking through the grass. Wait. Three's a crowd. Four ..."

There is a strange hooting rather than a howl which comes from the avian faced lupine as it leaps on top of a log pile. The sound echoed by some other creatures emerging from the wood. Dougal looks straight into some orange iris that dilate sharply in focus into a menacing black orb pupil. Spotted on his perch, an owl-wolf makes for him as the pack closes with those in the camp.

actions and attack rolls please.

Neither party are surprised so we move straight to an initiative roll, the highest acting first.

I just need the first player to post to include an initiative roll for the party.

[Jedion357]

Initiative roll

Friar John prepares his sling and winds up a looses a shot at the creature on the log pile:
attack roll
Damage

Friar John is staying within a short rush of the wagon and Moriartus but is ready to run forward in the aid of his compatriots.