RED OAK: ARCHIVE

[Woe]

Huw can keep the full winnings. It's well worth the price of the future goodwill, and nobody is feeling stretched for coin (save Talin, who is used to being penniless and carefree).

[Woe]

Sample answers to the villagers:

Freya: "Yes, we know now that we were crazy. But we're also lucky, and that kept us alive." She'll embellish the story a bit for children to ensure they don't sneak off and try adventuring on their own. The embellishments are scary but simple, and any parent would probably know untrue -- snipes, giant sea turtles capable of swallowing a house, and giant ghost aquatic bears.

Tiana: "My father is a horticulturalist. That means herbalist. The plants aren't very valuable, but they're rare and will remind him of home. We didn't go in there looking for these but I'm very happy to find them in time for his birthday."

Kilian: "Win some, lose some. Next time we're out, he should bet we'll return."

Kilian: "Yes... we definitely had the power of the divine protecting us. Thank you very much for your prayers."

Freya: "Sad. Goblins running amok through the landscape. Forests hacked to pieces on barren hills. Ogres living in houses that once belonged to people like you."

Talin, Tiana, Freya: "No."
Kilian (with a scary look in his eye): "Sure, but say your goodbyes to your loved ones. We were lucky to come back. We won't be that lucky next time."

Kilian: "Why, did you lose one recently?"

Freya: "Hard to say, since we didn't spend much time in there. But there was a very grumpy, very stinky dwarf..."

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Answers to Emlin:
"Sir, here's what we found. We started down the Swell and found signs of goblin hunting parties here and here." Talin said as he referred to Tiana's map, making sure that C10 is included in the report. "We also heard odd howling -- not normal wolves. I don't think they were worgs but to be honest sir, I don't think I've heard a worg before." He waits for Emlin to nod before continuing. "We surprised and killed an ogre here, living alone. Fine bit of magic from Tiana here, by the way. It appeared he had frequent guests of smaller statures. We then proceeded first along the upper river then cut across to the middle river here. Tiana encountered a strange beast -- a bat-like creature with the protub... protrub... nose of a mosquito. Tiana killed it with a throw of her dagger. Any idea what that is sir?"

(Talin waits for a reply, then continues on)

"We hooked back along this path," leaving out the lake and the note transported by the eagles. "We saw more eagles on the south side, and sir, crazy as it sounds, I swear it felt we were being watched by them. They weren't normal eagles sir. We also found a dead goblin here, likely killed by eagles."

"I'm not sure what we encountered in this area, but it was loud and quite worrisome. Imagine a bear roar you hear from miles away, yet sounds as if you're right next to it. We heard it twice, once close enough where we thought we were in for the fight of our lives."

"Aye, and strong set of fortifications given we had no time to prepare a proper defense with stoneworks and trenches!" Kilian adds helpfully.

"Here's where we encountered the boneset, and we heard some music and shouting. We investigated that area but aside from recent tracks, didn't encounter anything. Sir, the lady mage asked us to avoid others if we could so we didn't investigate closer." Talin says apologetically. "And here was the bear. Fortunately it already had a kill -- small animal, we didn't stay to look -- and back home the following day."

"Ranger Moss, if you give me a parchment and some ink, I can transcribe you a map of your own." Tiana offers.

He deliberately left out the lake as well as Huw's stay.

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Not sure yet how long to stay in Red Oak. Probably under a week, though it depends on the interlude.

Tiana will see whether she can get the plants to her father* who will know what to do with the boneset. She will also send an encoded report back to the Mages' Guild as well as a similar report to her father.

Freya will first try to determine the value of the ancient artifacts, then find a curator or merchant interested in such trinkets. Beyond that, she's very interested in learning from the Red Oak rangers. She won't go out into the field, but tries to pick up what she can of Red Oak woodcraft.

Kilian has some soul searching to do still. He's doing better now that he has something to occupy his mind other than dwelling on the past. He'll spend some time with Prester Will, some time at the inn sampling the wares, and some time with the local guardsmen training and inspecting fortifications if they're open to it.

I assume Talin will have leave in the next few days. He'll spend it with Fido, falconing, and sampling the wares at the inn.

* I assume father is living in Moon Isles now. It'd be right expensive to send plants so maybe he can offer her a broker in Brant.

[Woe]

100' rope
2 weeks rations, each
lantern + 6 flasks of oil
42 (?) more arrows
food for Fido

Weather check: as we move into the highlands, will we need tents?

[Longman]

Quite a lot to work through here.

Good role-play. Probis...Probis...made me laugh. (The rangers do know what that is - a stirge, although they haven't been seen in a long time.)

I also take your point about scaring the kids. There's some 15 year-olds starting to act like they could handle themselves in there. You won't be very popular if one of them gets killed while emulating Talin.

Just a note: the elves are not very well accepted yet, as everyone is a bit mistrustful of their magic. So, most of the role-play is actually being done by Talin and Kilian. The elves have made friends with the Carr family so most of the 'elf' role-play you did was probably with them.

Having said that, giving the rangers a copy of the map was a popular move. If you keep doing that you will probably ingratiate yourself. Just be careful not to use magic in front of people.

Yes, Kilian can hang around and check out the fortifications. He finds Prester Will a bit disturbing. Prester Will is of the view that going into Boldenwald will actually corrupt your soul. Also, he dislikes the elves. The young vicar, Christopher, is a much nicer person.

Talin has as much leave as he likes get Fido ready for the next big trip. Stay...good dog. Attack the goblin...good dog. Etc.

Emlin wants Talin to go back and investigate the gulley area where you found the sack. Did you tell him about that? He'll give you an escort of 3 rangers just to go down to that hex. He wants to know who is going in and out.

(I should add that there is another smaller town near to that hex, called Tor Manis, about 18 miles south of Red Oak, just off the main hex map. I am doing a mid-scale map around Red Oak so you can see that. Another hex map to the south will come too, in good time.)

There is an elf-mage in Brant called Rillow Ember. He can get the plants to your father, but also, he could buy them off you, or, make the potion from them, anyway.

You can send letters to him in Brant, they should be OK. (I won't charge for that, too fiddly.)

Unfortunately the cost to get the plants themselves to Brant will be almost half the cost of going yourself, and you would hardly trust the coach drivers to keep them alive for 12 days. Two of them are doing fine in your cottage though. (The one in the sack died). The dead leaves are pretty dry by now.

For the grave goods - there's a merchant in town who can give you 15gp just for the bronze, small gems and decoration value. You do find out that there is a merchant in Nore (4 days) who could give you a proper price, though. You aren't sure how much, but a lot more than 15gp. Nore is a larger town, and there are both elves and dwarves there.

(My best advice as DM is to keep everything and wait til you go to Nore and Brant on a big trip.)

I am starting to keep track of your upkeep from the day after you get back - Wed April 30. 10gp a week. I'll charge you at the end of the week.

Can you keep track of the cost of all the new stuff you purchased? Fido is 20.

Also, we might as well start using the skill rules now if you have made definite choices. I've decided woodscraft is actually based on either intelligence or wisdom, the highest of the two. So both Talin needs a 11 and Freya a 12 or more. A combined roll is 8 or more.

One more thing - did you want to take anything for Tiana to animate?

[Woe]

I didn't mention the sack, though that was oversight more than anything else. I did mention the music and shouting, so Moss has the information he was curious about. Happy to have more rangers help investigate. The party will be ready to leave in two days time (three days total in Red Oak). They'll keep the artifacts until a trip to Brant or Nore. Would Huw's family be willing to care for the plants? Tiana is willing to pay one of the younger kids a few silver for his trouble (or whatever going rate would be).

I did want to get some things for Tiana to animate, then forgot to add it to the list. I'll update the shopping list, distribute the new equipment, and dock the party the cost of loot. 5gp for staying in town. Do I still pay 10gp when I'm not in town?

[Longman]

I'm going to charge you 7.5gp for this week as a compromise.

If you keep working up your friendship with the Carr family, you can stay there permanently in a small cottage they have, and we can forget about upkeep. I don't want to get too bogged down with it.

In the meantime, they can look after your plants for free.

I have you heading out again on Friday May 2, with whatever extra equipment you have put on your sheets, plus, a dog, and a party of 3 stout rangers (1 1st level, 2 NM with woodscraft) to assist you in the first hex or so.

Good luck and may the dice roll with you!

PS - the mountains are not so high that they have snow on them or anything. There is more rain though, and more wind, and it will be a few degrees colder. It's up to you about the tents. You really don't know what it is gong to be like.

[Woe]

Tents it is. That's going to drop everyone's encumbrance to heavy unfortunately. No easy way around that, as I've already spread the weight to a point where nobody has extra space. The good news is, they'll eat their way back to light loads.

[Longman]

OK what are your actual move rates for each character. 30 or 20?

If all or most of you are only 20, that's only 4 EP a day until you eat some of your rations!

[Woe]

It's back to 30'. Tiana is carrying a heavy load (no armor + heavy load = 30'/rd). That, Talin leaving some items at home, and hotbunking the tents got me back to 30'. It's not ideal but I'm comfortable with it. Eastward ho!

[Woe]

First part of next chapter: we'll take the rangers over to where we heard the singing. We'll move carefully but not the explore rates -- 1 EP/hex.