Terror on the Farm

[GaryD20]

The party awakens early the next morning eager to be on their way. After a quick breakfast they gather up their gear and make their way out of the Inn, just as the first light of the morning begins to peek over the horizon. Still stretching stiff muscles and rubbing sleep from their eyes they head north along the Old Road toward Hainault Farms. 

As the sun rises birds begin to chirp and sing. The combination of the warmth from the sun's rays and the songs from the birds make the trip a rather pleasant one. In no time at all the farm can be seen off in the distance. 

Nearing the farm, the companions notice that the once merry song of the birds has stopped. An eerie silence hangs in the air. Then suddenly a scream rings out, followed by alarmed shouts. Several figures can be seen moving urgently about the farm. 

The party steps up its pace and arrives to see the place in chaos. A half eaten cow can be seen, its blood and gore splayed across the ground. A short distance off there is a man that seems to have suffered a similar fate as the cow. Another man, this one surrounded by several others, is being attended to by them. Whether dead or alive is uncertain. 

As the group of adventurers approach, an old man looks up and eyes you curiously. He says something to the group of men and then heads your way. 

"I'm Aelric Hainault," He says running an inquisitive glance over the party. "Might you be the adventurers we've  been searching for? Pray tell you are from the looks of you or I'm no judge." The old man scratches at his beard. He looks concerned, angry, and sad all at the same time. "Pray tell you are?" 

 

[Malkavian Grin]

"Aye, that we are," Gemlia said as the group rushed toward the scene of chaos. She grimaced at the sight of gore, then immediately wondered what could do that to a cow.

"We come at th' behest o' that board in town. Says ye need help with--" the cleric continued, but stopped as she saw a man being tended to. She shuffled toward the crowd.

"Make way a moment! Let me see if I can help," she said, pushing her way through. She'd inspect the man, and his wounds, to determine whether she could help save his life. If he was already dead, she'd instead speak a prayer to the Forge.

OOC

I don't know how skill tests and stuff works in this system. Is Gemlia able to help the man? Even if that's just stitching him up, she's probably better at it than farmers.

 

[jokomaisu]

Mortimer Davorus

Mort broke into a cold sweat as soon as he heard the unsettling scream and panicked shouts from the nearby farm.

Was the creature there now? Attacking in broad daylight?

As they rushed toward the farm, he positioned himself as best he could in the center of their group. He was not prepared for a fight, mostly because he had never been in one.

When they stood before Aelric, his attention was immediately drawn to the corpse near what was left of a cow. So when Gemlia broke off to tend to the other body on the ground, he joined her, only so that he could then quietly slip away from her and go inspect the dead body (and satisfy his morbid curiosity).

Edited April 19, 2023 by jokomaisu (see edit history)

[cailano]

Kharn watches Gemlia rush off to tend to the wounded man. Then he approaches Aelric.

"I'm Kharn Stonehelm," he says, putting weight on his clan name. Not like he expects people to recognize it, but like he wants them to remember it. "What did this to your people?"

[eltorin]

Mordel

Mordel listened silently while Aelric spoke. "This much people gathered, something must cause serious trouble for these poor folks..", he was thinking. "Good sir, while I can't tell if we are the adventurers you're searching for, we are indeed that, adventurers". Just then, Gemlia breaks off to tend the fallen man, and while Mort joins her, Mordel thinks it's best to stay back to talk to the man possibly in charge. "What caused this commmotion, if I may ask? We're here to help, any way we can."

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by eltorin (see edit history)

[guitarist]

Gray Greencastle

  
Gray gazes emerald eyes upon the grizzly scene!

“Yes, we come as adventurers, seeking to help any way we can.  Tell us what happened!”

 

Character Sheet

Gray Greencastle, Human Fighter!

[GaryD20]

Gemlia pushes her way through the crowd surrounding the fallen man. Mort follows along in her wake. Arriving at the man the dwarf drops down beside him and begins to look him over. She can see no obvious injuries. No blood or wounds. Nothing. The man (not much more than a boy really) looks up at her with large frightened eyes. His Adam's Apple bobs up and down inside his throat.  No words come out just small clicking and choking sounds as he tries to speak. 

"Paralyzed he is!" Says one of the bystanders. "Can't move a lick!"

"Stiff as a board!" Says yet another. "Damndest thing I ever seen!"

The crowd then erupts, drowning Gemlia in questions.

"You a healer?"

"What's wrong with him?"

"Can you help him?"

...................................................................................

Aelric looks at Kharn somberly. "That I cannot answer. Whatever it is, this is the first time it has killed a human." He turns his head and looks over to the half eaten body of the dead man. "Poor Larz." 

He turns back and takes in Mordel and Gray as he speaks. "It's been livestock and farm animals up to this point. Whatever this thing is it comes at night. Always at night. Never makes a sound. Never hear anything. Just discover its destruction when the sun comes up." He turns to face the treeline to the west of the farm. "We believe it comes from the forest. And we believe it burrows. Travels underground."

Aelric glances around at the three companions. "Any ideas what that might be?"

 

 

[Malkavian Grin]

Setting her shield down, Gemlia tried to find a wound but couldn't. She could feel the desperation in the boy's eyes. Stupid Human he may be, she couldn't just turn her back on him.

"Shut yer damn yaps! I can't e'en think with all th' noise," she barked at the crowd.

Gemlia looked back to the young man with pained eyes. She softly pet his hair and said softly, "Shh, shhh, calm down, calm down now. Yer safe, aye? It's scary, I know, but it will pass," she lied. In truth, she had no idea if he'd recover.

She looked up at the crowd again. "Make yerselves useful an' get me a cold, wet cloth! And some mint leaves! NOW, DAMMIT!"

She continued to show her ultra-gentleness to the young man, petting his hair to reassure him. "I'm Gemlia. Cleric of the Living Forge," was all she said in response to being a healer. Using her other hand she put her fingers on the man's throat to check his pulse.

[GaryD20]

A couple of the men in the crowd scatter at the angry orders of the healer. They return several minutes later with the requested items. While they were off fetching, Gemlia checked the boys pulse and found it to be strong. As is the boys breathing. Paralyzed his body may be, there is nothing wrong with his vitals. He just seems to be scared out of his wits and on the verge of panic.

 

[cailano]

17 hours ago, GaryD20 said:

 

Aelric glances around at the three companions. "Any ideas what that might be?"

 

 

Kharn shrugs. "Dead, soon enough. It comes here every night?"

[eltorin]

Mordel

"This is rather curious, but I can't say I can recall anything like that. That's a peculiar behaviour, even for a nocturnal animal or other being. Does it sound familiar to you, perhaps?", says Mordel, looking at this companions.

"It also seems to poison the good people here. Maybe we could form a plan to lure and trap it somehow, though admittedly, I am no hunter myself."

 

[guitarist]

Gray Greencastle

  
Gray agrees wholeheartedly!

“Yes, let’s figure out a way to lure it out into the open. We can set up watches and warn each other, gang up on it when it appears!”

Gray looks for good hiding places and vantage points.  To keep close eyes out for pending danger.

Character Sheet

Gray Greencastle, Human Fighter!

[jokomaisu]

Mortimer Davorus

Not learning much by looking at the half-eaten corpse, Mort decides to rejoin the others.

"I think a trap is a good idea. If this thing burrows, perhaps we should use a large net to cover the ground and leave out some bait," he says as he walks back to the group.

As Mort comes around from behind Aelric, he gently places his hand on his shoulder - a seemingly empathetic gesture, but more so to draw his attention. Something Aleric said had been bothering him and he wanted to make sense of it.

"If this creature only comes out at night and never makes a sound, it seems to me that one would certainly be inside by sundown to keep safe. I assume that's what you all have been doing, right? I wonder then... why was Larz outside last evening?"

[Malkavian Grin]

Putting the cold rag on the young man's forehead, Gemlia did what she could to calm him. "What's his name? He have family or close friends 'ere?"

The Dwarf didn't want to admit that she had no idea how to help, if even there was help to give.

Taking the mint leaves, Gemlia rolled a couple up. "This'll help, aye?" she said, looking the man in the eyes. She then stuffed the rolled leaves into the bottom of his cheek, as if lining his gum-line.

"At this point, he'll have t' ride th' rest o' it out. I need some o' ye t' step up an' take care o' 'im, 'stead o' gawking like a buncha mudders."

[GaryD20]

"Not every night," Aelric says. He furrows his brow in thought. "A couple nights a week usually. It's odd though. One night it will come and kill a single animal. Then the next time it returns it kills three or four. Some nights it attacks this farm. Other nights the next farm over. And on some nights it will attack both farms." 

He raises a hand and waves it about indicating the surrounding farmland. "We believe it burrows underground. We've found holes in the earth. Sometimes just one or two. Other times more."

The old farmer looks back to the three companions. "No, we refrain from being outside after dark as much as we can. I'm not certain what Larz was doing outside. Perhaps he heard something." Aelric shakes his head slowly. "I'm just not sure." He points a long boney finger at the boy Gemlia is tending to. "That's his son. Maybe he can tell us. If he lives..."

****************************************

"Barth!" Someone calls as Gemlia tends to the boy. "The boys name is Barth!" 

The crowd parts and a woman emerges from it's midst. "I can take it from here," she says to the dwarf. She then turns and orders some of the men to get the boy inside the farmhouse. 

As Barth is picked up and carried away the woman turns to face Gemlia. "Thank you," she says before turning and hurrying off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by GaryD20 (see edit history)