GREYFORGE: ARCHIVE

[Longman]

POSTED by GRENDEL:

(Sorry, starting to realize we're probably waiting on me to kick off our next expedition.)
--

With groggy eyes, the weary fivesome will meet up at the stables to pick up Lord Elkminster and Henry with his cart, elk, and supplies.

"Well, we'll start slow and make it to the old village by nightfall" Chevo will tell the group.

"We could name that bloody town by now" Cholum will add with a chuckle.

"Hopefully we run into another Troll! Eh Henry?!" Thann will try his best to look tough to his cousin, though his eyes tell the others that he actually would rather have no part in any wandering troll's day.
--
The group will depart down the main road, branching off on the side trail to the East at H05. They will continue on this trail until the old Inn at N04. Regardless of EP left, this will be where they'll intend to camp out for their first night out.

[Longman]

Reply:

Please check the new map in Greyforge Campaign notes thread. It shows where you have previously been.

You had planned to head out on the main road on Tuesday May 27th - but the 3eather is so bad you decide to wait til the following day. On the Wednesday, the wind has dropped, and you move down the main road as you had planned.

D03 - nothing, place read if Milly wants. Its an old battelfield.
E04 - nothing except the ruined buildings that are here
F04 = nothing
G05 - nothing
H05 - you enter the hex cautiously because this is where you got attacked by a troll last time but there is no sign of one here.
I06 -nothing

3EP down. So far, Cholum has seen no indication of any beastie tracks except animals.

J05-N04 up side path - nothing happens along the side path.

When you get to the First Crossroads Inn, Cholum finds pretty clear evidence that something has been back here in the last few days. They look like both goblin and bugbear tracks. There are quite a few of the goblins - he's not exactly sure how many of them but thinks a party of maybe 10-15, with a wolf. The tracks lead down into P03 - towards uppers. The bugbears may have been with the goblins, maybe not.

Going to stay the night?

[Grendelthebrave]

We'll count on the Goblinoids having departed, hopefully not to return this night.

The gang will do their very best to quietly set up in their favourite basement. LE and Henry's Elk will get parked in such a way that if they need to book it they can run straight east.

Cholum will take first watch, and look around for signs of bugbears still being in the area, or returning. If he spots anything, he'll wake the group and they'll move on.

Thann will take second watch, and Chevo last. (It'll be a short night. If that results in fewer EP for the next day, then so be it.)

Those on watch will focus most of their time around the Elk, not wanting a repeat of the previous stay in this place.

[Longman]

Your delaying strategy has worked well! I can no longer remember if there was supposed to be encounter tonight so I have had to re-roll...and there isn't.

Overnight, in the basement, Milly has another dream. This time it is in a underground area, and she is carrying a lantern.

She feels instinctively this is beneath the temples at Mt. Awen again - although really she could be in any dwarf-made UG area. She imagines herself running (in terror) from something behind her - only to find the floor collapsing beneath her - a pit trap - and then she is hurtling towards the bottom, many tends of feet below.

She wakes up at this point, with a shout. She has never had a dream of being in such direct physical danger before and does not quite want to find out of she could be injured while in a dream state.

On the plus side - she would probably recognise the place again.

That was Wednesday the 28th. The following day, the weather is good, and you have a clear 6EP in front of you. Remember that you lost the path just to the east of the logging camp.

What do you do?

[Grendelthebrave]

*Just realized I wasn't subscribed to this topic... whoops.

The group will head off straight east. J03,R03,S03... Hopefully they'll spot the trail, or some semblance of the trail as they travel eastward. They'll continue East along the '03s until they reach V03, or they hit the trail.

If they find the trail, they'll hammer along it as rapidly as their short Dwarf legs will take them, and take the southern leg of the path at W04.

[Longman]

You start in N04.

In Q04 on the path - nothing. P03 - nothing. Q03 - this time you do manage to find the path, and you have not been on it very long when you (Henry) hears a strange yelping sound, off to the north side of the path.

"Tis a lesser spotted dumbear!', says the animal expert. 'Well, it could be. Oh, the furs of that bear be worth a small fortune. But she's as elusive as the devil. And as rare as a warrior's razor, that animal be, on our side of the mountains! Not one has been seen in many a year.'

He also admits that it could be something else. Like, a normal bear cub. He has never actually heard a dumbear, only been told what they sound like. (He's a bit odd.)



Do you stop and hunt for the dumbear, or leave the animal alone and keep going?

[Grendelthebrave]

Chevo scratches his beard contemplatively. "A Dumbear you say? His eyes widen as he feigns knowing what the strange dwarf is talking about. "Aye... this could be worth quite a nice bit of gold! How be they for eating?"

Cholum nods, then holds his index finger to his lips, indicating quiet to the rest of the party. He then jestures at Thann pointing in a direction to the West of the bear, and Cholum scurries East to circle around the potential Dumbear.

Ideally, the sneakers will potentially push the bear toward the waiting party members. Chevo will drive his axe into a nearby tree, ready to grab, and will ready his shortbow to fire at anything non Dwarven that gets pushed from the trees.

Thann and Cholum will be using their bows as well, and will engage if they are discovered, and will cry out to the party if the bear flees in the wrong direction.

[Longman]

The result of all this teamwork is that within about twenty minutes you have a dumbear, semi-adult, standing about 3' tall, wrestled to the ground, and several of you have some scratches and bruises on you.

Thann estimates its value to be about 200 gold. Henry thinks more like 160. But, that's as a fur animal. If you found a female, and bred them up, you could have a real money maker.

Now what? Travelling stealthily with a 3' yowling bear will be almost impossible. If you kill it, the fur would be easy to carry.

2ep down for the day. Still in Q03.

[Grendelthebrave]

"Blast it all. Who told you to take it alive?" Chevo scolds Thann and Cholum.

"Well, unfortunately we've bigger fish to fry on this expedition." Chevo says as he walks over to the bound dumbear and slits its throat with his axe.

Milly looks a little horrified as this takes place, but Chevo tries to maintain a stoic visage. "Clean this up" He tells Cholum.

After Cholum finishes dressing the dumbear, the party will continue along the path to the East, R03, S03, T03, U03,V03, V04, W04, and set up camp in X04.

[Longman]

Gory, unsentimental and truly dwarvish. I like it.

R03 - you do not get far, maybe half a mile into the hex, before there is another similar noise coming from further away from the path, this time. Yes, it's another dumbear!

Regardless of what you decide to you I will progress you a bit -
S03 - nothing.
T03 - you can hear a party of something coming along the path ahead of you. They are round a bend and still about 300 yards away. You catch some sounds of movement and possibly conversation, or maybe it is grunts and growls. You do not know if they are human or not. They sound too low-pitched to be goblins.

3.5 ep down, or 4 if you decide to attempt to catch the second dumbear. Whatever the case, you still have to deal with the next encounter.