presently… Chapter 1 — Investigating The Pyre

[iantruesilver]

ピレ
(THE PYRE)

 

After crossing Cougar Creek, it takes the group a little less than an hour to reach the their destination, first following Lost Coast road and skirting Ashen Moor along the edge of the coast, then skipping into a smaller path a bit less travelled when the main road turns south away from the water.  The path winds its way around and up the side of a small hill, then down into a valley after passing what looks to be a hastily abandoned campsite, after which it finally opens up to the coastline once more as it ends in a small plateau at the edge of a cliffside.

 

[[ Mood Music ]]

 

An archway of stone is set into the side of a small hill at the otherside of the plateau from the edge of the coast, overlooking the Varisian Gulf.  Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear.  The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunnel that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.

 

A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby.  A swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.

Edited March 30, 2023 by iantruesilver (see edit history)

[farothel]

 

Statblock

Darhana
Female CG Half-elf Ranger (Guide), Level 1, Init 3, HP 12/12,Speed 40ft
AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 15, Fort 3, Ref 5, Will 1, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 1   
2-handed longbow (60) +4 (1d8, x3)
Longsword +2 (1d8+1, 19-20/x2)
dagger (cold iron) +2 (1d4+1, 19-20/x2)
Studded Leather, light wooden shield (+3 Armor, +1 Shield, +3 Dex)
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 10
Condition: None

Darhana approaches cautiously, weapons ready.  If no danger present itself, she will investigate the dead animals to see if she can find a cause of death.

 

OOC

none

 

[Inash]

Neskas Weengoditin

Neskas quietly stands guard, ready to charge at any foe that shows in this tableau. 

Statblock

Neskas Weengoditin S NG Gnome Cavalier, [B]Level[/B] 1, [B]Init15[/B] 3, [B]HP[/B] 13/13, [B]Speed[/B] 15[B]AC[/B] 19, [B]Touch[/B] 12, [B]Flat-footed[/B] 18, [B]CMD[/b] 13, [B]Fort[/B] 4, [B]Ref[/B] 1, [B]Will[/B] 1, [B]CMB[/B] +2, [B]Base Attack Bonus[/B] 1   [B]reach Lance (-) [/B] 4 (1d6+2, x3)[B]  Longsword (-) [/B] 4 (1d6+2, 19-20/x2)[B]  Shortbow (20) [/B] 3 (1d4, x3)[B]  Scale Mail[/B], [B]  Heavy Steel Shield[/B] (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex, +1 Size)[B]Abilities[/B] Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 14[B]Condition[/B] None 

Snappy
M N WolfDog Mount (Charger), [B]Level[/B] 1, [B]Init[/B] 2, [B]HP[/B] 18/18, [B]Speed[/B] 30
[B]AC[/B] 17, [B]Touch[/B] 12, [B]Flat-footed[/B] 15, [B]CMD[/b] 15, [B]Fort[/B] 4, [B]Ref[/B] 5, [B]Will[/B] 1, [B]CMB[/B] +3, [B]Base Attack Bonus[/B] 1   
[B]  Bite [/B] 3 (1d6+2, x2)
[B]  Studded Leather Barding[/B] (+3 Armor, +2 Dex, +2 Deflect)
[B]Abilities[/B] Str 15, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 6
[B]Condition[/B] None 

Actions Crunch and OOC

 

 

 

  

[iantruesilver]

Looking around the scene of the dead animals, Darhana notices some scattered bones underneath one of the horse carcasses.  A quick examination reveals that these bones perhaps once belonged to a human.

[pdwalt]

Lars approaches carefully - looking for signs that other larger creatures have been in the area - his short sword in hand.   OOC Specifics   . Short Statblock|CisMale NG Half-Elf Rogue (unchained), Level 1, Init 4, HP 10/10, Speed 30 AC 18, Touch 15, Flat-footed 13, CMD 16, Fort 2, Ref 6, Will 2, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 0 short sword +4 (1d6+1, 19-20 x2) dagger +4 (1d4_1, 19-20 x2) javelin (3) +4 (1d6+1, 20 x2) studded leather (+3 Armor, +4 Dex) Abilities Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8 Condition +1 to attack rolls to those that threaten Shalelu; +1 perception to detect traps and to disable device skill to disarm them; +2 saving throw vs enchantment spells and effects; immune to magic sleep. low light vision

 

[TheFred]

Bianca Pohlo

"Oh... oh my..." Catching sight of the grisly scene, Bianca draws back in horror. "They, um, they were right about the horses... ugh. Could wolves have done that?"

And leave their food uneaten? It seems unlikely... but perhaps the workers disturbed them, and they fled? It seems a tenuous explanation - but what's the alternative?

 

[Wiz]

Noriko rides up, seeing the bodies, then as everyone is examining them, she turns to survey behind them to make sure nobody sneaks up while everyone is busy.

 

"Perhaps the human bones indicate their master was killed and they starved?"

[iantruesilver]

Upon some further investigation, Darhana finds that there are some deep laceration marks upon the bodies of the horses and ponies, which as far as she can tell doesn't look to be bite marks of any kind, nor does it seem like anyone ate their flesh.

 

Of whatever bones had been discovered, it looks like the remainder had been crushed under the body of the nearest horse.

Looking around, Lars finds no animal tracks leading to or from the equines, only a few imprints of what could only be described as skeletal feet leading towards the bloody scene where the horses had been slaughtered where they were leashed to the post.

 

On most of the corpses, the saddlebags are empty except for one, which is still laden with two days' worth of rations, a pair of large comfortable pillows, a quiver with 10 arrows, and two pints of lamp oil.

[farothel]

 

Statblock

Darhana
Female CG Half-elf Ranger (Guide), Level 1, Init 3, HP 12/12,Speed 40ft
AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 15, Fort 3, Ref 5, Will 1, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 1   
2-handed longbow (60) +4 (1d8, x3)
Longsword +2 (1d8+1, 19-20/x2)
dagger (cold iron) +2 (1d4+1, 19-20/x2)
Studded Leather, light wooden shield (+3 Armor, +1 Shield, +3 Dex)
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 10
Condition: None

"They were hit by a weapon, not a bite," Darhana reports, "and they haven't been eaten.  Which is kind of weird, as I would suspect crows and the like to actually start on a dead horse."

She next had a closer look at the skeleton underneath the horse, as that was even weirder.

OOC

none

 

[Naimless]

  

Kaichar

Looking around at the carnage, Kaichar sniffs the air. He doesn't like this scene one bit. Weapons killed the horses, and there are human skeletons? "If it were raiders, the workers wouldn't have gotten spooked." The big tiefling offers his two copper. "And it's wasn't animals...Then. What did it?" He ponders aloud.

Mechanics

Perception

[Wiz]

 

Noriko feels that their back is clear, so she rides Luci closer to the carnage, but not too close.  The young oracle doesn't want to spook her horse by riding next to dead horses, she dismounts and ties the reins off on a small tree, then walks over to the scene.

Looking around the mess of bodies, she looks carefully at the human skeletons under the horses and examines the fingertips to see if there is an sign of fresher blood on the bones, then looks at the lacerations to see if the human finger-bones might correspond to the slash wounds.

[pdwalt]

Not touching the tracks, but putting a finger near it, Lars says,"'something with skeletal feet went to  slaughter the animals - and no scavengers have come since, save for the flies."   OOC Specifics   . Short Statblock|CisMale NG Half-Elf Rogue (unchained), Level 1, Init 4, HP 10/10, Speed 30 AC 18, Touch 15, Flat-footed 13, CMD 16, Fort 2, Ref 6, Will 2, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 0 short sword +4 (1d6+1, 19-20 x2) dagger +4 (1d4_1, 19-20 x2) javelin (3) +4 (1d6+1, 20 x2) studded leather (+3 Armor, +4 Dex) Abilities Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8 Condition +1 to attack rolls to those that threaten Shalelu; +1 perception to detect traps and to disable device skill to disarm them; +2 saving throw vs enchantment spells and effects; immune to magic sleep. low light vision

 

[Inash]

Neskas Weengoditin

Neskas grunts as he keeps watch. "You thinking it's undead?"

Statblock

Neskas Weengoditin S NG Gnome Cavalier, [B]Level[/B] 1, [B]Init15[/B] 3, [B]HP[/B] 13/13, [B]Speed[/B] 15[B]AC[/B] 19, [B]Touch[/B] 12, [B]Flat-footed[/B] 18, [B]CMD[/b] 13, [B]Fort[/B] 4, [B]Ref[/B] 1, [B]Will[/B] 1, [B]CMB[/B] +2, [B]Base Attack Bonus[/B] 1   [B]reach Lance (-) [/B] 4 (1d6+2, x3)[B]  Longsword (-) [/B] 4 (1d6+2, 19-20/x2)[B]  Shortbow (20) [/B] 3 (1d4, x3)[B]  Scale Mail[/B], [B]  Heavy Steel Shield[/B] (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex, +1 Size)[B]Abilities[/B] Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 14[B]Condition[/B] None 

Snappy
M N WolfDog Mount (Charger), [B]Level[/B] 1, [B]Init[/B] 2, [B]HP[/B] 18/18, [B]Speed[/B] 30
[B]AC[/B] 17, [B]Touch[/B] 12, [B]Flat-footed[/B] 15, [B]CMD[/b] 15, [B]Fort[/B] 4, [B]Ref[/B] 5, [B]Will[/B] 1, [B]CMB[/B] +3, [B]Base Attack Bonus[/B] 1   
[B]  Bite [/B] 3 (1d6+2, x2)
[B]  Studded Leather Barding[/B] (+3 Armor, +2 Dex, +2 Deflect)
[B]Abilities[/B] Str 15, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 6
[B]Condition[/B] None 

Actions Crunch and OOC

 

 

 

  

[madMonk]

Sister Azura

"It sure sounds like undead. Those skeletons had to come from somewhere, and it hasn't been long enough for corpses to degrade that much. Do you think someone reanimated the people in this crypt?" The tiefling touches her holy symbol and begins to detect evil on one of the human skeletons, in case it's playing un-undead.

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by madMonk (see edit history)

[iantruesilver]

For all the observation and speculation based on a few fragments of bone, what can be readily seen at the edge sticking out from underneath the horse's carcass is no more than one a large triangular blade of bone, one a moderately large cylindrical bone with a relatively round joint tilted to one side at its end, and a few of what looks like ribs, now broken.

 

There isn't going to be much looking at fingers, or feet, or anything else for that matter without potentially moving the horse's body.

 

Azura Only

If anything here was evil before, there is no sign of it being so anymore.