Thorin walked through the gates and looked about shaking his frame and letting the snow fall from him. He looked up at the sky as though to curse it. But though it was foul weather, perhaps the weather would be with them. Many animals hibernated in winter, this might make the trek to the lost hold easier than it might be in summer.

He made his way towards the local tavern if there is one if there is no tavern he'd make his way to the local inn. When in civilized lands it often paid to have a visit to such to hear the latest gossip and rumors.

He hoped that there was something left that might help against the orcs. He hated orcs more than anything.

Passing through the gates of town, the halfling carried a cat in his arms as he walked the streets of the town in search of refuge from the chill that had been in the air. It had been quite a journey to get here, and he knew that it was far from over. Three more days of walking would be required to get where he was going, and while the trek to this particular town had been relatively uneventful Perrin assumed that the next leg would be a test of his skills and his nerve.

Wandering about until he got directions, he made his way to the the inn and approached the counter. "How much for room and a meal for the night? Might need an extra blanket for this one," he said while holding up his cat for the innkeeper to see.

Watching the dwarf and halfling, the crow creature tilts his head. He moves along side of them, some of his face hidden beneath his hat. Shuffling his backpack, Tai whistles and looks around before entering the inn. Taking a seat upon the floor, the warrior places his swords upon his lap, with his clawed hands resting upon them. Odd man.

Furrowing his brow, the barkeep wipes down a section of the bar. Inside, there are a few tables and chairs. A fire burns in the fireplace. There are three people near it, and they seem to be playing cards. One of them which looks human watches the dwarf, halfling and kenku. He grunts and goes back to playing.

The keep rubs his chin."Yah part of the crew eh dwarf?" He then sits down, washing some mugs. His attention goes to the halfling."Whatcha want for food? As fer the night, 5 silver for the night. Five silver per room iffin you dont sleep all that together."

"I personally don't eat much. Some bread and fruit will be fine with me, and perhaps a saucer of milk for my cat." As he speaks, Perrin rummaged through his bag in search of his coin pouch, and finally finding it he pulled it out to double check how much he had. "Is there just one bed in the room or multiple? That answer will tell us if we need more than one room."

"How much for an ale and a bowl of stew?" Thorin asks, he knew he only had enough coin left to stay just one night in a private room. "What's the price for sleeping in the common room?" he added a bit gruffly, it was a sad day when a dwarf was so poor he couldn't even afford a room.

Working on his mugs, the keep mutters something."Five silver for the night. One bed. And iffn you want to sleep out here, you'll find yourself sleeping outside. Don't want people sleepin' in the main room. Course there's the stables...." He rubs his chin."Mug eh? 5 coppers. And that be 4 silvers fer a meal a'piece."

"Well, nine silver shouldn't be a problem for me. How about the two of you? Are you able to cover the cost of a room," Perrin inquired as he glanced over at the dwarf and the kenku.

"That's more than I have!" the dwarf protests. He knew he had only 8 silver coins and a few coppers. "How much to sleep in the stable?" he asks the innkeeper. He didn't like the idea of having a debt to pay off, but he needed to eat and that would use half his funds and the drink would cost him his coppers. Hopefully morning meal was cheaper.

As the keep is about to speak, a older man enters with a halfling who is writing something down. They two talk and the man looks over at the dwarf and his allies."Excuse me! Excuse me! May I have a word with you?" He motions over to a empty booth and the halfling moves over to the keep. They talk for a moment in a whisper. The man seems aggrivated but when the halfling pulls out something from his belt, the man grumbles and nods his head.

"Please if you may?" Althon sits down.

Thorin moves over to have a seat, he might as well hear what the man had to say. He didn't have much else going at this time. "What is it?" the dwarf asks as he takes a seat.

"Yes yes. Alright." The man wipes his brow and sits down."With you being a dwarf what do you know of the great dwarven smith Durgeddin? Now what I ask is rather important." The halfling rushes over and pulls something from a leather backpack. He puts it on the table. The man gently adjusts it and pulls gently apart a cloth revealing the a broken blade, or rather its hilt. He points to the side of it, revealing a dwarven language."I am a collector of sorts and can provide you a map. For each blade found baring this symbol and if returned I am willing to pay 500 gold plus the cost of the blade. Interesting is it not? I do have the wealth, mark my words and the mayor Sir Miles Berrick can speak to you about this as well. And there be a dwarf Kheldorm Tolm. He runs the dry goods area."

http://files.gamebanana.com/im...ds/54c395fade3f3.jpg

OOC Anyone with Dwarven language can attempt to read it.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Tue 06 Nov 2018.

The samurai opens his eyes from his sitting position and slowly stands, hands upon his blades. He walks over to the table and sits down, indian-style with his blades at his sides seeming to ignore the chair. Odd indeed.

Thorin will look upon the blade. He will look at the words to see what they say. He does not yet respond, he was a dwarf he had heard of the place otherwise he wouldn't have come this way. It was best not to answer until he read and perhaps knew more about this venture.

Glancing back and forth between the proprietor of the establishment and where his companions seemed to have moved off to, Perrin let out a sigh. "Apologies. We'll be back in just a moment. I think," he said before rushing over to the booth that the new arrivals had taken up space in.

Sitting at the table, he glanced over the blade to read what was written there. "So how many are there that we need to collect, or is that something that is unknown?"

The man rubs his chin."There could be many or there could be one or two. No matter in this but if you return with the blades, you will be rewarded. And a map! Perhaps one of you can draw one up?" He leans back, awaiting a response."Do you agree on this? Also if you do, your rooms and proper gear will be provided as I can tell you seem worse for wear am I correct?"

"It sounds like a plan to me. Though, I am not much of an artist, so any map that I draw probably won't be the prettiest." Perrin looked over at his companions to see if they were in or were going to veto the idea.

"It seems on the surface to be a fair deal. I could certainly use the lodgings and a meal, and perhaps a bit of something to keep the cold away. Now are you wanting only the ones stamped with Light or are you wanting any dwarven blade we find, I might like to have a few of my own, you know being a dwarf." Thorin says.

"If you have some dwarven blades you wish to be taken by me so be it. There could be many or this could be the one. And of course if you want to keep them be my guest. But I will not pay for anything not given to me of course. You can go to the dry goods area and some supplies will be given to as of tommorow. I will make arrangements." The man nods his head and slowly gets up, motioning for the halfling to pay for the rooms."If there is anything else?"

The kenku shakes his head. He just sits there, hands upon his blades. Slowly he takes them out and begins to polish them. Tai bows his head to Althon perhaps out of respect.

"Can't think of anything else at the moment," stated Perrin as he scratched his cat behind the ear. Glancing over to Thorin, the sorcerer waited to see if the dwarf had thought of a question that he hadn't.

Watching the dwarf, the man rubs his chin. He stands up, the halfling at his side."Good day to you, good day. I will be here tommorow first thing. Make sure to check on some belongings at the dry goods area and if you wish speak to Sir Miles Berrick. Oh and I suggest you go to the temple and speak to Sister Alonsa. Could speak to the sergeant as well. Bid you good night." He turns to leave, the halfling at his side. The keep nods his head, pocketing something.

"Thank you for your help." Thorin says "We'll see you in the morning."

Giving a nod as the man left, Perrin turned to his companions. "Since we have some time, perhaps we should inquire with some of the people he mentioned for more information about the area. Bandit activity, monster sighting or other occurrences that we should be made aware of before we venture out tomorrow. What do you think?"

"Well I think I'm just going to enjoy my meal and warm my feet. It's been a long slog to here, and I'll want to be fresh in the morning, sides who knows how long we'll be in the ruins, this might be the last good meal we have for a while, might as well enjoy it." Thorin says.

"Suit yourself. If you change your mind, I'm going to head to the temple first. If one of the priests sensed anything incredibly evil down there, I'd rather know about it beforehand," stated the halfling as he made his way to the temple to see what this Sister Alonsa might know.

"As you wish" Thorin says as he turns his attention to his meal and ale. "I'll be here if you need me."

The Inn:
With the agreement at their hands, the dwarf waves the others to the task leaving him alone in the inn. The samurai nods his head and leaves with the sorcerer, feeling the dwarf is indeed safe.

More people enter, perhaps their shifts are done or want a drink. Not a single dwarf. He has two drinks, and relaxes.

The Temple:
The temple is a small area. A female human lies before a alter, seeming to be in prayer. Near him is Landor, meditating as well. There are no other people in the room but there are two shut doors on either side. Sunlight comes down from above, a window above the alter. The samurai follows from behind, tilting his head.

Thorin as he drinks will keep an ear open to hear what the people might be saying. Usually the locals knew more about what was going on than kings and queens. They felt most comfortable talking about such things with food and drink about.

The light from the window shines off of Landor’s polished fullplate armor. The shield on his back seems to stare down the visitors as they enter the temple. Upon hearing the door close, he stops praying and rises to his feet. He welcomes them with a big smile. “Hello. What can we do for you today?”

"Hello there. My name is Perrin, and this is my associate, Tai Chi. We were wondering if someone here could provide some insights about any evils that may be lurking in the caverns below. We plan to venture down there tomorrow, so any information could prove useful," stated the halfling as he approached the pair at the altar.

The Inn:
Nothing happens in the inn. They talk amongst themselves. One of them, a farmer by his clothing slams his hand against the table. He stares at the fireplace, eyes narrowed. One of the other villagers kneels next to him, and seems to try to comfort him.

The Temple:
The woman keeps praying for a moment before speaking."I have not heard of the caverns being evil. But I have tended to several farmers who were attacked by orcs. Brother Landor assisted me. Some lived, some perished." She stands up and turns towards them.

Thorin decided to take interest in the angry man calling to him with kindness in his voice for a dwarf "Why does the fire bother you so, have you lost something recently? Is there something we could do to help you?"

In reply to Perrin Stryfelaughter (msg # 32):

Landor bowed to the two of them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Sister here does give an accurate account of some of the dangers you will face. Knowing this, you still wish to go into the caverns?”

He steps forward. “If so, please allow me to accompany you. I do not wish there to be anymore bodies to bury. We have lost many as it is to those creatures. From what I know, they seem to be coming from a place called Stone Tooth.”
This message was last edited by the player at 22:12, Fri 23 Nov 2018.

"It will have to be discussed with our third associate, but I don't see it as too much of a problem to have you tag along. We have traveled quite a ways, so orcs aren't going to be enough to make us turn away." Perrin extended out a hand for the man to shake while glancing over to Tai Chi for any reservations he might have.

The cleric shakes his hand. “I understand if you three wish to not bring someone you don’t know along. In either case, my prayers to the great sun god Pelor will be available to you should you be in need of them. May I ask when you plan to head out to your destination?”

The strange samurai looks over at the halfling, shrugs and sits down crosslegged with his sword. He whistles a few times and nods his head towards the cleric. Odd man indeed.

The Tavern:
The man turns towards the dwarf, watching him with tears in his eyes. He turns back to the flames, warming his hands. Two of his friends-both human and by their clothing farmers, try to console him. They watch the dwarf at times and he is silent. One of them speaks."He was out in the fields and when he returned home, it was in shambles. His wife and son were both gone and there was blood..." The man looks at his friend and then the fire, sobbing.

The Temple:
Sister nods her head."You can go if they will allow it. And what is this creature? Not to be rude or whatnot. Just seems odd." She motions towards the kenku.

Thorin wanted to know more he spoke to the mourning man "Ah loss of kinfolk can trouble a soul. Where did this happen? How long ago? Perhaps we can help you. If there were no bodies it is possible they yet live, if much time has not yet passed."

"We plan on leaving tomorrow with the one who hired us to retrieve some things that are down there, so you may have to convince him to allow you to come along as well. Don't know him well enough to know if he is a fan of surprises," responded Perrin to the cleric.

Turning to the Sister, a curious expression appeared on his face. "Tai Chi is a Kenku. One of few words, but trustworthy nonetheless."

“Who is this man I must speak to?” the cleric asked.

The Tavern:
The man nods, patting his friends back as he cries."Been bout two days. We searched but they seemed to be gone. We dare not go into the forest to the north."

The Temple:
The woman kneels down to the Kenku who grips his sheathed blades. She tilts her head and smiles."Tai Chi? Interesting name." She goes to touch his head but he moves away and watches her. The woman stands up."Pelor will show you the way. Do you need anything? I do have some things that may aid you."

He nods to the priestess. “Any assistance you can provide us would be more than welcome Sister.”

"You know what? I don't recall his name. He may have said it before I got to the table, but he is supposed to meet us before we leave. We can suggest that having a man such as yourself would aid in achieving the goal that he wants," responded Perrin as watched the exchange between the Sister and Tai Chi.

"I second the notion of any aid is wanted."

Landor lit some candles in preparation for the darkness of night that would be coming soon.“Where and when should I meet you tomorrow then?” He thought about something. “Are there any others in town that you have spoken with about what awaits you at your destination? Perhaps some have already attempted something similar to what you are going to do.”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Fri 30 Nov 2018.

A whistling sound comes from Tai Chi as he slowly stands up, putting his blades upon his sides. He bows his head towards the cleric and Sister and turns towards the halfling. He looks around and points at the ground, tilting his head.

"Well, you could meet us at the tavern in the morning before we go to collect what gear will be provided," stated Perrin as he looked over at the Kenku. Cocking an eyebrow, he gave a nod before returning his focus to Landor.

"The one who hired us suggested that we may want to talk to the sergent or the mayor for more information, but I don't know if either of them has ever been where we are going before."

He scratches his chin in thought then shrugs. “Perhaps not, but I’m guessing the sergeant may know the immediate dangers and obstacles between here and Stone Tooth. He may also offer an escort to get us there if we ask nicely. As far as the mayor goes, it is probably best that we make him aware of what we are doing in and near his jurisdiction as a courtesy.”

"So you believe they went into the forest?" Thorin says. "I'll see what we can do on our travels to find out what may have befell them. Did you gind any other information while looking for them that might be useful in tracking down the culprits?"

"Have you met them before? It may be wise to have a familiar face there to explain the situation to the two of them just in case their is any resistance to the idea," responded Perrin at the mention of jurisdiction. He hadn't even thought to let someone know that they were going somewhere or to inquire about a potential escort for part of the journey.

He shakes his head. “Unfortunately, I don’t. I just got into town a couple of days ago to check on the Sister and the temple. Most people do find me pleasant to talk to if you need me to speak on your behalf.”

The Tavern:
Shaking his head he then responds."Nothing. Just a blood trail but it ended quickly."

The Temple:
Sister speaks"Here." She pulls out four potions."There are two that will heal you and two that will protect you from the elements for a short time." The woman turns her head."I never met the seargent. I know the mayor but in brief but I can tell you where they are." She pulls out a map of the town and points out where they should be.

"Well when my fellows return I'll tell them of your need, and perhaps I can convince them to take the time to venture into the forest and find your family. I might can pick up the trail." Thorin continues to console and question the man.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:07, Mon 03 Dec 2018.

"Thank you for your kindness, Sister. We'll make sure to put these to good use," responded Perrin as he took possession of the potions. It seemed that good fortune was on his side on this day, and he hoped that it would extend to the morrow. "So where would the two of them be at this hour? It is probably best to inform them as soon as possible."

Landor nods and bows to the priestess. “Thank you for your kindness Sister. May Pelor’s light shine upon you always.” He starts walking towards the door. “Shall we go back to the inn and see if the mayor and sergeant show up or do you want to try the mayor’s residence or the wall?”

Thorin nodded to the man and then returned to his own meal. He would then eat in silence waiting for the others to return. Then he could ask them to help this man.

"Thank you again, Sister." Turning to follow the cleric and the Kenku, Perrin thought over their options, and he came to a conclusion. "We should probably return to the inn. If we are to talk to the mayor, it is probably best for all of us to be present, so we must retrieve Thorin."

Landor nodded and headed to the inn. “I’ll let you two introduce me to your companion.”

The kenku nods and departs with the group. A few minutes later they arrive at the inn/tavern. Thorin is sitting alone, drinking some ale and eating some food. Two of the men seem to be talking to him and he nods as they go back to their meals as well. One of them looks like he was in pain or crying, head slightly lowered and he stares at the lit fireplace. The barkeep nods to them as they enter, wiping down some mugs and then the bar. A waitress walks over and picks up some misc dishes and mugs.

"Come! Sit down" Thorin calls to his friends "Ah have a woeful tale to tell you and the opportunity for us to do something more than seek treasure!"

Thorin will wait until his friends come, "This man has lost his family, something took them into the forest 2 days ago. He says there was a blood trail but he lost it. Ah might be able to find it again. Ah was thinking we could take a detour on the way to our dig and see about his family."

Walking over to Thorin, Perrin was about to introduce Landor when the dwarf started talking about a missing family and going after them before going in search of dwarven blades, and there were some reservations in his mind about doing that. "I like the notion of helping out a poor soul as much as the next person, but do you have any more information to go on? Description of the creature's appearance, sounds it made or markings that it left. Something to let us try and get an idea of what we are dealing with."

"That being said, this is Brother Halbrek, and he has offered to accompany us on our trip to find these treasures. And he suggested that we inform the mayor and the sergeant of our intentions before we proceed since we are in their jurisdiction. We can even inquire with them about what may have taken this fellow's family."

The cleric clicks his heels together and bows to the Dwarf. “A pleasure to meet you. You may call me Landor. I agree with your friend here about inquiring more from the mayor and sergeant. The mayor may know more about the local legends and the sergeant will be able to tell us if this has happened before and suggest a course of action. My best guess is that it was orcs. The Sister at the temple mentioned that orcs were going after farmers.”
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Fri 07 Dec 2018.

The group gathers up after talking about what happened and decided to find the sergent and the mayor. After a few hours of searching it begins to get dark. Two men watch the odd group and walk up to them. After a brief talk they show them where the mayors house is and bids them good tidings. They stand before a decent sized home, looking as if it was two stories. A light can be seen from behind closed shutters as they stand outside.

Landor approached the mayor’s house and knocked on the door. Gently but loud enough to be heard before stepping back amongst the others.

Perrin trailed behind Landor as they approached the house. He was going to let the good Brother do as much of the talking as possible just so they could make a good impression upon the official.

The samurai and the ranger wait as the door opens. A eldery man opens the door, and seems surprised at the group standing there."Hello?" His wife appears behind him as well.

The cleric bows respectfully to the man and his wife. “My apologies for interrupting your night good sir. My associates and I are going to be conducting a search party in the surrounding area in the morning to look for some missing people from your town as well as making a venture up to Stone Tooth. We just wanted to make you aware out of respect of your position in town. We may not have seen you in the morning tomorrow, so we just thought we would tell you now before it got too late.”In retrospect, it would have been better to come in the morning, but they were here so he made the best of it.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:07, Fri 14 Dec 2018.

"Best go to the dry goods area. The man there will help you out. Are you going after the raiders? Praise to Pelor." The man nods. He looks over at his wife, and she nods as well. Rubbing his chin, he turns back to the odd group that has comes to his home."Many thanks. I will send word to the guards here. I cannot spare anyone unfortunatly."

Landor smiles and bows to the mayor. “We greatly appreciate it. We shall report to the sergeant in the morning to ask for more details on these raiders before we go out. Better to be armed with as much knowledge as possible. May Pelor’s light always guide you in the darkness.”Landor kneels and says a small prayer to Pelor over the mayor’s home for protection.

As he rises, he turns to the group. “We should get some rest then go to the dry goods supply in the morning. With the mayor’s blessing, we should find what we need there. Then we will see the sergeant who will most likely be at the wall in the morning. The guards will already be informed of our mission, so hopefully information and any supplies we need will be ready for us. Then we set out to find the raiders. It will delay our trip to Stone Tooth, but we cannot just stand by and let the injustice of the raids continue. If nothing else, I’m sure you will be compensated for your trouble and be praised as heroes.”

"Wait. I can send word to the seragent. No need for that, no need. As for supplies, I can only provide what the man wishes to part. You will need to supplies the rest, I am afraid. It does indeed take time." The mayor rubs his chin."Do you lead them?"

The samurai shakes his head and makes a whistling sound. He sits down indian style waiting.

Landor shakes his head. He motions to the rest of the group. “It is more of a group endeavor. I just recently joined. I just offered to speak to you for them.”

Thorin had accompanied the other two. Listening to the mention of raiders he asks of the Lord Mayor "Raiders you mention, how long have you suffered from Raiders? Do you know anything about them?"

"I had rumors of orcs attacking farmsteads. Taking all they can and burning the rest." The mayor sighs and rubs his chin. He looks over at the dwarf.

Standing back during the conversation between the mayor and Landor, Perrin just kept his eyes on his surroundings. His ears perked up about the discussion of the orc raiders. "Perhaps if we can get a map of the area, we can mark where these raiders have hit then we can find a pattern of their movements or some potential spots that they might hole up after they have attacked a farmstead."

"That sound like a good idea, by knowing where they have hit we might be able to find out where their base is." Thorin says to Perrin's idea.

"They are from Stone Tooth. Perhaps you should investigate there. They hit random farmsteads and there's no rhyme or reason." The mayor leans against the doorway and seems tired.

The samurai whistles and tilts his head.

Landor turns and bows to the mayor. “Thank you for your time and generosity. We shall be going now. Have a good night.”The cleric turns to leave satisfied that they are on the right track.

With the group knowing where to go, they head back to the inn to rest. Come morning, they eat and drink, then head over to the dry goods area. As they enter, they see a dwarf. He moves some dry goods from one pile to the other, helped by a young human. He turns towards the group and grunt."Yah not from these parts are yah? Welcome to me shop. Tolm's the name. Got dry goods, gears for all sizes and shapes. Keep yah safe or as safe as you want tah be. How can I help yah?"

The kenku whistles and looks around as the dwarf looks at the odd creature.

"Good morning, sir. My name is Perrin. My companions and I are looking into the orc problem in the area as well as doing a retrieval job for a collector, and the collector as well as the mayor directed us here so that we could adequately prepare ourselves for what situations we may run into," responded the halfling as he looked around the shop.

"That fool got yah to work fer him? Well I got some gear fer you all paid for." The dwarf brings out several winter outfits and puts them down on the counter.

Landor takes one of the outfits and puts it on. “Thank you. Has he tried to recruit others to help him before? It sounds like this isn’t the first time you’ve heard of it.”

"Some fools left. None bloody came back. Not saying you won't. Probably killed. Or captured." The dwarf grunts and pulls out a cigar. He lits it up and leans against the counter.

Michael took out a sheet of paper, some ink, and a pen. “Would you mind describing those who went before us? Should we find them alive or their bodies, we could return them to their families for a proper burial.”

The dwarf shrugs."I can't bloody remember every damn face that walks in here. Nor do I want to bother with it. I sell dry goods and other gear. An' not all of them came here from what I recall." He stares at the cleric."So take the gear, all payed fer and be done with it."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:31, Sun 23 Dec 2018.

“Fair enough. Have a good day.”He scoops up his gear and goes to leave.

Thorin takes his winter coat and nods at them.

He follows Landor out.

Following suit, Perrin dons the winter coat and trails off after his companions.

About a hour passes and the group can make out a farmstead. They get there and see the door is open with dry blood upon the door and the floor. Upon entering there is more blood leading upstairs and a pool of it near the backdoor. Its in shambles as well. The backdoor is closed as well and there are no bodies.

"Well there certainly was a fight here, even as the old farmer told us. The snow is going to make it difficult to pick up a trail, but we'll give it a go." Thorin said though he doubted it would be easy or perhaps impossible to track with the snow, still if the blood colored the snow red it might leave a better trail than normal he figured.

02:20, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 8 using 1d20+5.  Tracking (note +7 vs Orcs instead of +5).

Thorin shakes his head as he looks about. The trail had indeed gone cold around the farmstead it seemed. He look at the others "Do you pick up anything?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:22, Wed 26 Dec 2018.

"Personally, tracking isn't my thing. I could get Raja to attempt it, but I'm not sure how much of a scent there is left to track." Not to mention the possibility that his cat might trail off for something that smelled considerably more appetizing than the smell of orcs. Perrin glanced over to Landor and Tai Chi to see if either of them has any ideas.

The kenku glances at the dwarf and halfling who are inside and wondering what is going on. He makes a chirping sound and decides to check upstairs. The samurai starts to head up them and goes silent as he reaches the top.

OOC
Make a Listen and Spot Check

Thorin says "Well we might as well look for clues in here first, see if perhaps they left anything behind that might help us identify the attackers, then we can check for tracks away from the house to see if we can pick up the trail."

He'll search for clues.

09:30, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 22 using 1d20+10.  Search.

Landor nods to the Dwarf and whispers, “I’ll check upstairs as well.”He follows the Kenku upstairs as quietly as possible and waits for the sign from it to go further.

10:41, Today: Landor Halbrek rolled 1 using 1d20.  Search.
10:40, Today: Landor Halbrek rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Spot.
10:40, Today: Landor Halbrek rolled 21 using 1d20+4.  Listen.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:47, Wed 26 Dec 2018.

"Then I suppose I shall assist down here," stated Perrin as he began looking around for anything that might lead them in the right direction.

13:03, Today: Perrin Stryfelaughter rolled 11 using 1d20+1.  Search Check.
13:03, Today: Perrin Stryfelaughter rolled 16 using 1d20+1.  Spot Check.
13:03, Today: Perrin Stryfelaughter rolled 19 using 1d20+3.  Listen Check.

Downstairs:
The dwarf doesn't find anything but notices a blood stain leading out from the back of the house and one from the front in two directions as if someone was trying to protect both sides. Some of the blood leads upstairs where the kenku and human dissapear up them. The halfling hears something bang against the floorboards hard and when he looks up he notices blood coming down from it!

Upstairs:
As the two come up the stairs they hear something being dragged upon the floor. In seconds, the samurai looks at the cleric and motions for him to open the door, hands resting upon his blade.

Landor nods and readies his mace before opening the door and rushing in alongside the samurai. “In the name of Pelor stop.”

Upstairs:
A massive orc has his back to the cleric and samurai. He stands there with a greataxe and holds it high above his victim. It looks like another orc but something seems odd. He looks broken and defeated, lying in a pool of blood. With a growl from the orc it brings the axe down upon the foe. Within seconds, the samurai dives into the room. In a swift move, the blade is shove through the creature. The orc stands there looking dumbfounded and drops the axe to the ground with a clatter. Tai twist the blade and goes to shove the beast off of it. The orc hits the ground with a loud thud near his victim. Whistling, he wipes the blade off upon the dead orcs body and sheathes it. He watches the man and tilts his head as if expecting him to start another fight.

Downstairs
A massive thud echos into the room where the dwarf and halfling reside at the bottem of the stairs.

Landor rushes to check the wounds of both orcs to make sure they are really dead and not playing possum. “Good work my feathered friend. Although I wonder why the orcs would be fighting each other. Most curious.”

The orc on the ground manages a groan and opens one eye, the other swollen shut. His various cuts and bruises evident, he looks at the dead orc and snorts with grim satisfaction.

He then looks up at the samurai and speaks fluent common. "thank you..." he groans in pain as he moves, then closes an eye, breathing heavily.

Landor backs up slowly. His mace is at the ready as he expects the orc to attack. “Why were you fighting each other?”

Raising his hand, the samurai goes to gently press it against the mace of the cleric while keeping his hand upon his sword. He whistles and looks at him then back to the downed half-orc. He points at him and the other down creature he took down. Whats he doing? He goes over to the dead orc and points at his head then back to Gar.

The orcish figure on the ground grimaces....he had faced this persecution his whole life, but it still hurt. His one eye opened with a gleam. "I am not like him!" he goes to sit up, but winces.

"Use your eyes human....i have orc blood, but also human. Your samurai friend seems to know the difference!" He looked up and down the man, hand on his mace, not afraid, in fact more angry than anything.

"The family was kind, took me in when no one...." The half orc realised he was alone, looking around. Then he looked at the man. "Did you find him? Did his wife and children escape?"

Landor decided to trust the samurai and put his weapon away. He then walked over to the half-orc and placed his hand on his shoulder. “I am a servant of the mighty Pelor. By his divine light , you shall be healed.”The cuts and bruises on the half-orc began to heal until there wasn’t even a scratch on him. Gar could feel a relaxing warmth from the cleric’s touch as if he were bathing in the afternoon sun.

OOC: Using Touch of Healing feat to heal 6 wounds this round. Will continue to do so until at half hour or more then cure Light wounds spell.

The half orc flinched at the healer's touch, but felt the warmth of the magic diffuse his body. He could feel the pain diminish, feel the tightness of swelling subside....he could even open his other eye again!

The half orc sighed and opened his eyes, a smile on his orcish features. "My thanks, healer." He sat up, the blinding pain now just an ache.

He looked at the dead orc with seething hatred in his eyes, but gave no other emotion. He looked at the samurai with a smile. "Nice work...but i would've liked to feel some pain myself."

He stood up, stretching, and walked over, grabbing the great axe the orc had, hefting it. "If i had this, might have had a chance against the eight or so of them."

<OOC: You will notice that Gar has quite a few scars on his body (He's wearing a short sleeved vest and trowsers)....his arms, etc. He even has a scar on his face from his forhead, down his right cheek to below his right ear>
This message was last edited by the player at 05:16, Fri 28 Dec 2018.

Thorin goes to see what's transpiring upstairs.

As he enters upstairs he'll ask "What's going on here?"

He'll then notice that the one orc is dead "Ah good work."

He'll see the other orc healed by the healer's touch he'll grab his sword. "We have found no one, I encountered the farmer in town. He said they were taken into the forest. What do you know of the orcs in the forest?"

The half orc sighed, relieved for the news the farmer was alright. He looked at the dwarf."stay your blade dwarf. the farmer had me working with him for the past few weeks. i was working in the barn when they jumped me....about 8, maybe more. i fought...that's my way, but too many too quick."

He looked around. "if your going after them, i want to come. i iwe it to the farmer. his wife was kind and fed me well, and his kids were trouble, but lots of fun" he smiled at the thought of the kids. Then hardened. "if they hurt them, i will beat every last one of them sensless. if they killed them, then nothing in faern can stop what i will do to them"

Thorin looked warily at the half breed. "Only good orc is a dead orc." he states.

"I suppose you being a half breed and all if you want to join us and hunt some orcs that would be fine. We'll need to pick up their trail if we are going to get them. This one having stayed behind they must not be to far away." he continues.

He then heads downstairs and goes outside to look tracks outside the house.

01:10, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 22 using 1d20+5.  Tracking.

Gar looked at the dwarf, his knuckles going white where he was grasping the axe. He was half orc, but even though he hated orcs, he wasn't always keen on his human heratge....in fact most races thought little if him because he looked more like his orc parentage than human.if a dwarf (or anyone) threatened him, he wouldn't back down....he was a warrior, first and foremost.

"careful dwarf...."

With him agreeing to accompany to the hunt, Gar snorts. "let me get my armor and gear and I'll be ready." he leaves the house, going to the barn, and retrieved his gear. He stood near tai with a nod and Landor.

Trailing in a little late to the conversation, Perrin listened as the others discussed their next move in finding the perpetrators of the attacks against the farms in the area, and it seemed that they were now one more in the pursuit. The halfling was okay with the addition of the half-orc since it meant another body to keep anyone from getting too close to him when weapons were drawn.

"Then I suppose that I'll be the one to say 'Welcome to the team'. My name is Perrin," stated the sorcerer with a smile on his face.

The half orc, now armoured  in a  chain mail shirt with leather and chain breeches and boots, and one shoulder paultron that has an image of a boar skull painted in black. At his hip a kukri and in his hand the greataxe. Despite his bruises, he wore a grim look. He nodded the halfling in acknowledgment. "I have had many names....but you can call me Gar. Gar Irontooth."

Landor listened to the conversation and agreed with the group consensus. “Well met Gar Irontooth. I am Landor Halbrek,  servant of Pelor. Revenge is certainly warranted, but do not become something that the children would be afraid of. I don’t know them, but I’m sure they would want you to stay as you are.”He tried to impart some wisdom on the halfbreed. Too many times before has he seen revenge corrupt and change good men.

Tapping his blade, the samurai whistles and stares at the half-orc. He points at him and makes sure he stays between the ranger and the barbarian as if protecting the dwarf. The dwarf of course is his friend. THe half-orc he just met. Upon stopping at times the kenku shakes his head as he faces the dwarf and sighs.

Gar smiles at Landor. "I welcome you pelorite, as well as your wisdom. As much as I would like to drink from the skulls of those who threaten the family, the children think me friend and I do not want my anger to scare them."

He looks at the samurai and smiles. "You have nothing to fear my silent friend...you saved me from death and I owe all here that. If I wanted to punish the dwarf for his words, I would do it in the honourable way and challenge him. I would only raise my axe to him if he done so first."

The half orc chuckled. "As blunt as his words were, they are true....I look more like my fathers race than mothers. I could almost pass for a orc, and because of that his opinion and that of landor's initially are common. Yes, it makes me angry, but I can't change that"

The samurai seems to get more emotional. He points at the dwarf and then the half-orc, then raises his hand up and drops it. He whistles again and then follows the dwarf as the man finds the track leading to the north and into the wilderness, motioning the others to follow. Strange how the kenku makes little sound as he moves.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 01:09, Sat 29 Dec 2018.

"While we are walking, you said there were eight orcs, correct? So should we presume that there are now seven left or do we go with the worst possible scenario and that we will be facing a small army of them," inquired Perrin while looking around as they walked.

As gar walks, his axe over his shoulder, he looks at tai. "Damn that bird is quiet!"

He looks at Perrin with a sniff. "I don't know exactly how many there were. I know there were a few attacking and beating me....five, maybe six. I know there were others too. Heard noises, screams." He screws up his face at the thought. "If i wasn't suprised and had my axe, they would have been fine....damn lax since being with them. I guess it was my own fault though. I swore I was done fighting, but it's what I do best."

He couldn't help but smile to himself. "The little girl Chloe asked so many questions...about my scars, how I was so strong. She even caught me practicing behind the barn. She eventually asked me to teach her, that was only a few days ago." His look became distant and more serious. "She had the heart of a warrior, that girl."

He shook himself out of his memories, and looked at Perrin. "There were at least eight, but maybe more. Swords there skewered one, still impressed by the way. So if he's not back soon they will either be on guard, or send scouts back. If they have the women and kids, they'll be moving slow...even if they try to push them."

Landor would follow the others into the forest. He asked Gar. “Do you know what defenses they have or how many might be put in a scouting party?”

The half orc shook his head. "I'm not from around here so wouldn't know. I left my tribe when I was very young.....too human for them would you believe so have no memory of it. I grew up in the human world." He snorted at the thought. "Most orcs are wild and ruthless....they want to fight and kill. Not really a mind for organisation."

He looks at them with a wry smile. "I share their hot blood, so my fighting and she upbringing is more barbaric by human standards. The way I see it is they're worse than that"
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:52, Sun 30 Dec 2018.

The group converses as they move into the wilderness. The dwarf takes point, changing directions at times and finds blood stains upon the trees and bushes. Something is burning. He stops, motioning the group to keep low. Four orcs have a small camp. One of their backs is towards the group as he kneels down, trying to warm his hands in front of a fire. Two of them are relaxing by the flames eating something as it hangs over the fire. The fourth is patrolling.

OOC
Make a Hide check. I will give you a +2 bonus because they don't know they are being followed and cover.

Thorin freezes in his tracks and lets the others know. Looking about he finds a suitable bush to hide behind he believes and takes up a hiding place while the orc patrolling is still coming this way. Thorin has his short sword in hand prepared to take out the guard as it passes his hiding place.

11:11, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 25 using 1d20+11.  Hide.

When the Dwarf held up his hand to stop and crouched down, Landor stepped back 15 feet. He had no delusions that his very shiny full plate armor and metal shield would be good for hiding. At least if he was farther back he wouldn’t be as readily seen. It was time for quiet and taking out the patrolling ork. He had to wait for the pros to finally notice them before running in.

Do I still need to make a hide a check if I’m 15 feet back or at least have a bigger bonus?

Gar, close behind the dwarf, noticed his body language before his signal, and branched off to the left, keeping his huge axe low. He knew that for silence, the axe was ill suitable, but if need be he would use his hands.

...still, he let the dwarf focus on the guard, his focus was on the three at the fire, ready to jump if need be

<Gar Irontooth rolled 19using 1d20-1 ((20))

Woohoo, natural 20!>.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:38, Mon 31 Dec 2018.

Everyones hidden very well. Well almost as the cleric moves back and tries to hide, his armor getting the attention of the orc. He growls and moves towards them, throwing his javelin while in Orc telling them to get up! It lands no where near Lan!

OOC
Initiative
Also, since the group wasn't seen they get 1 action.

Landor snaps a large twig as he is backing up. He facepalms himself and quickly casts a spell. He whispers a prayer that causes him and his allies to feel a surge of courage within them and a certainty with the precision of their weapons. “Pelor we ask for your blessing.”

21:12, Today: Landor Halbrek rolled 13 using 1d20+1.  Initiative .
OOC: Cast Bless on all allies. Everyone gets +1 to attack rolls and saves versus fear

Thorin sighs as Landor makes to much noise. Resigned that they'd have a bit less surprise than initially thought he charges from the bushes to the nearest orc stabbing with his short sword.

02:06, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 27 using 1d20+8.  Charge Attack vs Orc during free action.

02:07, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 28 using 1d20+8.  Roll to confirm critical on charge attack.

02:08, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 11 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 2,6.  Short Sword Initial Damage (first die sword, second sneak). +2 more forgot to add in my favored enemy bonus damage so 13....

02:08, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 9 using 1d6+3 with rolls of 6.  Critical Damage. Plus 2 more forgot to add in my enemy damage bonus so 11...

That's 24 points to the orc :), hopefully he doesn't survive the surprise round :)

02:09, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 9 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 6.  Initiative.

Gar, hearing the snap of the twig and the call of the orc. He grimaced and grasped his axe, roaring as he jumped out of the bushes to the three around the campfire, swinging his axe as he went


<OOC:Gar Irontooth rolled 14 using 1d20+8.  Charge attack - Greataxe. (Suprised round) - I am assuming this is a miss but will put damage in case

Gar Irontooth rolled 8 using 1d12+5 ((3)) - Damage Greataxe

 Gar Irontooth rolled 19 using 1d20+1.  Iniative. (Now why couldn't  that roll have been my attack *sigh*>
 

Glancing around at the others in the group as they did their thing, Perrin took one look at the orcs in front of him and set his eyes on one of the other orcs around the campfire that isn't already being targeted by one of his allies. Getting within range, he said a few arcane words while waving his hands before launching an orb of acid at the orc his eyes were focused on.

Action: Cast Acid Splash vs. Orc. (AR: 15 vs. AC) Wasn't sure if the Bless went off first. If so, then it would be 16 vs. AC.
Damage: 2 pts of Acid Damage.

04:41, Today: Perrin Stryfelaughter rolled 19 using 1d20+3. Initiative Roll.
04:54, Today: Perrin Stryfelaughter rolled 15 using 1d20+4.  Ranged Touch Attack vs. AC of Orc.
04:55, Today: Perrin Stryfelaughter rolled 2 using 1d3.  Acid Splash Damage.

The kenku moves fast. He leaps into the air drawing his blade and lands behind one of the orcs. The orc turns as he gets the blade down the middle of his head. Blood spits out from him as he falls to the ground.

The orc who saw the cleric looks stunned as the dwarf runs at him and gets him in the belly, twisting and pulling his blade. It looks down at the dwarf and collapsed.

Lan casts his spell upon the group.

One of the orcs by the campfire turns as a greataxe is slammed into his face. He stops moving immediatly.

Perrin fires off a acid bolt into one of the orcs and he's hit but gets up looking aggrivated but he turns towards the halforc and gulps.

The last orc doesn't go for his weapon as the half-orc and kenku killed his friends and the dwarf watches in the distance. He raises his hands as if to surrended.

Thorin cleans the blood off his blade as he walks towards the campfire. "You have one chance to live. Tell us where the family that was taken from over there" pointing in the direction of the farmhouse while speaking orc. "Tell us and you might live." he continues in orc as he strides toward him.


OOC: Language groups don't seem to be set, I'm speaking in Orc. I want to make sure he can understand. 12:54, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 10 using 1d20.  Intimidate Check. Unfortunately I don't have a good Diplomacy or Intimidate.

The orc grunts and goes to stand up without his weapons. He points northwards and speaks oddly in Common </red>"Stone Tooth."</blue>

Thorin changes to common with a series of questions "How far? What sort of sentries do they have? Is the family still alive?"

Gar stands behind the dwarf, an intense look on his face as he looks at the orc, seething hatred in his eyes. He hears the stone tooth mountain area and snorts. Thorin, a step ahead on the questions, held his togune.

The orc snarls and stares at the dwarf. He then turns and goes to flee not answering the questions! It seems he wants to escape!

Gar, snarling back at the orc, dropped his axe and sprang for him, expecting the orc to act in some way. he had thought maybe an attack, but fleeing wasn also not surprised with him being outnumbered.

He quickly dashed around the dwarf and jumped on the orc, tackling him full on.


<OOC: Gar Irontooth rolled 12 using 1d20+1.  iniative.
Gar Irontooth rolled 20 using 1d20+6.  attack - grapple.>



This message was last edited by the player at 02:30, Tue 01 Jan 2019.

The samurai moves in front of the fleeing orc, and draws his blade holding it up to the throat of the orc. The orc is then slammed into the blade as Gar throws himself on top of him. The blade pierces the neck, passing through it and almost hits the half-orc.

Tai whistles and pulls out his sword, sheathing it. He makes a gutteral sound, like the orc and copies him. Odd.

Gar looked at the fallen (And near headless) orc, and got up, brushing himself off. He looked at Tai with a approving smile, and then the others.

"Oops."

He shrugged and picked up his axe.

"At least we know where to go now."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Tue 01 Jan 2019.

Thorin seeing the others already haven taken care of the orc. He looks down at the orc and sheaths his sword. "Like I said only good orc is a dead orc." Thorin says. "Let's be on our way, this might of been their sentries when they don't report in then they may raise an alarm. I hope the wife and children are alive."

"Hopefully, that and that there aren't too many more orcs waiting for us. Taking them by surprise was a stroke of luck. Best not to rely on it pressing onward," commented Perrin as he waited for the group to proceed forward.

Everything happened so quickly that Landor couldn’t stop them from killing the orc. They could have overpowered it, but they weren’t as forgiving and merciful as him. The deed was done. Next time, he would try to save any of them that would repent. He hung his head, sighed, and looked in the direction the orc was running. “Shall we?”

"Aye, if only some wouldn't step on a twig now and then." Thorin says "But not everyone is a hunter, and everyone has their place. I'm sure Landor will prove invaluable as we go forward."

Thorin takes out his bow and keeps his eyes peeled for any enemies that might appear. "We'll have to be careful. They may have other patrols out."

23:10, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 15 using 1d20+3.  Spot (note +2 more vs Orcs).

23:11, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  Listen (note +2 more vs Orcs).

At the comments of the dead orc, gar frowned at thorin. "you mind not saying that dwarf....makes me think I'm gonna have an atrow sticking outa my back." there was a hint of warning in his voice.

At his other comments of continuing he just nods, shouldering his axe. "if their groups are small like these, then we may whittle them down yet. but have to admit, barely got a sweat with that group."

"Well your half human, so long as that half's in control you'll be fine lad. The bad blood between me and orcs goes back many years. Perhaps before you were born. They raid and steal. Take from others without working. They need food they steal from farmers, they need weapons they steal from dwarves. They want art they steal from elves." Thorin says then he stops in his tracks turns back and heads back towards the orcs. "You know it occurs to me we didn't even search those orcs maybe they had something on them like a map. Perhaps we should see that first before venturing to far off."

Go back and search the bodies.

23:38, Today: Thorin Diamondgut rolled 28 using 1d20+10.  Search Orc Bodies.

Gar snorts at the dwarves comments. "Your not th' only one with issues with orcs. I was beaten and left for dead by my orcish kin....would have died if someone hadn't found me.  I was but a child then...but that didn't matter. Because i wasn't 'orc' enough, i was a problem. problems are destroyed. So ye don't need to point out the orc blood and how bad it is....but remember, that humans are capable of evil's too"

He gazes into the distance, remembering some distant memory.

"I don't see myself as orc or human....i see myself as Gar. But orc's are part of me as much as human, so if ya keep comparing me to them, we may have issues. If ya accept me for who i am, dwarf, we will be fine."

<OOC: Just standing up for himself....nothing personal (As i know the orc comments are)>

"Ah you are fine boy. So long as you don't be going to attack me, we'll be fine. That is a sad story of your childhood. We shall be united in our hatred of the orcs then. That is good and all will be well in that." Thorin says as he is searching.

OOC: I'm just playing up the fact that orcs are Thorin's favored enemy :).

Gar smiles at Thorin. "I can't guarentee i won't attack ya, but if i do, it'll be my fist. have to say, your not bad for a crusty old dwarf. Maybe we can make a game of this...who kills the most orcs!"

The warrior gleams with a smile, the looks at the one he tackled. "I guess i can't claim that one....Swords there killed him, i was just gonna beat him sensless. Guess that makes us even at one apiece."

The kenku watches the group and speaks as if he was a dwarf."Fine boy." Once Gar has spoken he repeats in the same tone as the half-orc."Apiece." What in blazes? And he speaks the same as Landor!"Shall we?"

The other orcs killed have the basic gear and nothing odd was found amongst them.

OOC
You find:
2 Falchions
2 Longswords
4 Javelins
4 Studded Leather

Gar looks at Tai with a grin. He looks at the dwarf with a shrug. "Thought he was mute..."

He looks at Tai. "If you want to take part, then you'll be leading swords...ye saved my life with the first, then two others." He again looks at Thorin. "His skills, gonna be hard to beat the bird!"

"A contest, that sounds good." Thorin says "1 apiece since I met you then it is. Now if we are to have a contest, what will be the prize? Shall we have it run til say my first born son is of age, typical for dwarf contests of this nature? The loser will throw a feast for the winner, how's that sound?"

As the Kenku speaks up "Ah yes you can join in as well."

Looking over the items Thorin says "Well no real clues here. Shame really. He picks up one of the longswords. I might be needing a slightly longer blade. Other than that I don't see much of use here. I suppose we should be off on our way pick up what you need lads."

Landor watches as the contest is made official. “And I will keep score as an unbiased observer. It is unfortunate that they didn’t have a map. Of course they do seem a little unorganized to think about making a map for themselves.”

Gar smiles. "It's a deal."

The half orc looks at the weapons and shrugs, picking up a long sword. "Not my style, but me got fetch a nice coin." He straps it, and a falcon to his pack.

"That sounds fine Landor." Thorin said. "It's a deal."

"Tis a pity that orcs are more magically inclined," commented Perrin as he looked over what had been found on the orcs that had been slain. "So I guess I shall just be satisfied with not being skewered by one of these javelins."

"Orcs are as dumb as a box of rocks. Heck I'd say a box of rocks is smarter than the average orc." Thorin says to Perrin's comments. "I'm afraid that given their general stupidity the lack of arcane items may be evident in our adventure this time. Still it's possible they may have a few things they have no idea what they are."

"I wouldn't underestimate my enemy. They might just surprise you in how much they know about such things," responded Perrin as he stared at the dwarf. "So shall we collect the rest of their belongings and press on?"