Tests and Trials

[spiderwrangler]

"Oh, it's a rental horse? Did you get the insurance? Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Well... guess I'll see you guys tonight? Any able to make some quick "Danger, Owlbears!" signs?"

[thinkslogically]

"I'll come. Towns don't really suit me anyway, and you could use the extra eyes. I'm not fighting them though. We see them, I'm running. I like being alive."

[Rodgeir]

((For NSF-
Jaq deception:
1d20+5 = [11] = 16 ))

Enrud pats his beard as he processes Jaq's story.

"Haven't heard anything bout no riots but likely folk were stirred up from being put out like that. Haven't heard nothing official either way."

Enrud responds to Kroshav's question about making signs,

"We got plenty'a wood but not much in the way of paint, lad."

Nezza comes down the stairs with a basket in her arms full of soiled cot sheets. She eyes the gathering but doesn't say anything as she goes outside.

Enrud looks at Lurn and says,

"Ye wanted to help put that dead fella in the ground? Now ye got time it seems. We can get to digging him a hole in the 'yard north'a the wall."

((@Dlover, Bend isn't a city, more of a smallish town actually. The only city back would be Stenrek.
What are Joe and Jaq doing?))

[spiderwrangler]

Kroshav nods gratefully at Ves.

"Not sure paint is something we're carrying either... Oh! I have an idea. Where can I get that wood?"

((I'd like to be able to have a pair of posts and boards that can be nailed to them, idea is to heat some bar stock or scrap at the forge and wood burn a warning into the board. It's related to his proficiency and backstory... so surely even an INT 7 can have a good original idea now and again? ))

[Rodgeir]

((As long as you spell 'warning' and 'owlbears' wrong seems completely reasonable.))

Enrud pushes away from the table and says,

"Got some by meh place. Yer needing planks?"

He guides you to a cabin/house and takes you around the side where there is a stake of irregular boards and planks.

"This what yer looking for?"

[thinkslogically]

((I figure Ves would know about common road markings and symbols that could be read by travellers, you know, like just a warning marker. I guess a drawing would also do? Like a tent with an X through it or the like.

Either way, we don't need paint so much as just anything to draw attention to the warning - little flags or cloth, rope, chimes, carvings, a cairn of stones in the middle of the road, crossed sticks/branches. Anything like that))

[Rodgeir]

((Ves would know the common symbols for danger to mark the roads, but they would be vaguer than what Kroshav is planning. There isn't a specific symbol for OWLBEARS that is feasible to make with sticks, carvings, stones. Unless you write it out with stones on the road, that'd work.))

[thinkslogically]

No, but there might be a symbol for "monster", maybe? Like "danger, monster (x3), don't camp" might be enough.

[Rodgeir]

((Hm. Sure, why not. It is reasonable there would be a symbol for each of those. Now you get to come up with them!))

[NotStickFigures]

Jaq will offer to ride with Kroshav and Ves if they wants and deal with the signage.
He will assist and make 'recommendations' on how to spell owlbear if needed.

[Rodgeir]

((Everyone knows it has a Q. Or two.))

[Arch Lich Burns]

Joe pulls out a pen and paper and she starts to write down.

Urgent!
A pack of owlbears has been seen on the path from Stenrek and

She looks up "Wha was this 'ere town name? I nev'r did catch it."

Once she gets her answer she fills it out and continues her letter.

Need assistance in disposing of these creatures, they are very dangerous and we fear they may get closer and closer into town if not taken care of. Please send your best arms to deal with these creatures.

Joe shows Ves the letter she has so far. "Anythin' else Ah should add?"

(Sorry, I kinda forgot this with everything else going on.)

[Rodgeir]

((Not a problem.

You are currently in Timmer which is nearly right in the middle of the east/west road up along the forest below the mountains in the map. Stenrek is several days away and there is a lot of space between Timmer and Stenrek. So Joe would probably write between Timmer and the nearest village to the west which in this case would be:))

Hok helpfully adds,

"Skogsur's the village before Timmer if ya are heading east! Been there a couple times with my ma when she was deliverin' babies."

[Arch Lich Burns]

(Ah okay that makes sense. Joe will do that.)

[spiderwrangler]

((And to the west?))

[Rodgeir]

((The village after Timmer heading east would be Feltan. So West to East (of the places you know): Bend, (villages you didn't stop at), Skogsur, Timmer, Feltan. After Feltan is Uppner and then Tall, which is where Ves is heading to. That burnt up a good share of the place names I had prepared and hopefully didn't just confuse you more. ))

[spiderwrangler]

"This what yer looking for?"

"Sure, those'll do."

Kroshav selects four boards, if any are pointed on one end and seem sturdy enough to be pounded in the ground, he'll take them, if not, he'll borrow a hand axe from someone and sharpen it and head over to the blacksmith with the others (?).

"If we burn the marks in, they won't wash off if it rains or the like. I'll ask the smith if we can heat some bar stock to burn it. Ves, you know the marks, if you're not wanting to handle hot metal, you could scratch the marks on there and I'll try to follow them?"

[thinkslogically]

"Sure. Ill mark them with charcoal for you at the smithy."

((Will come up with symbols later ))

[spiderwrangler]

If there is banging of hot metal, Kroshav will approach and quietly catch the eye of the smith, but not interrupt their work, letting them get to a heating cycle before speaking up. If there still doesn't seem to be anyone around, he'll call out a greeting and listen for a response.

[Rodgeir]

Kroshav rummages through the scrap wood pile and pulls out a few short, sharpish posts before heading to the smith's, Enrud following curiously behind him.

"Where ye heading?"

Kroshav, Jaq and Ves find the smith just starting to tie up her thick, treated leather apron when they arrive. A stocky teenager has their back to the trio when they approach seemingly preparing something near the forge. The smith looks between Kroshav, Ves, Jaq and Enrud and opens her mouth to say something when the teenager yelps. She looks over her shoulder at him and gives a shake of her head.

"We 'aven't even started yet and ya burned yaself? In the Forgekeeper's name ya gotta be more carful!" The teenager turns and puts his hand in a bucket of water by an anvil. After a few seconds he sees there is an audience and he quickly pulls his hand out of the water and straightens.

The smith turns back to the trio and asks Enrud,

"What's the word Enrud? Ya or these folks need something mended? Can probably get it done today, no rush orders an' I'm so gods damned tired of fixing axe heads."

Enrud gives a shrug and gestures with his head toward Kroshav, "Ask'm, he's gonna save some folks from owlbears."
----
The medicine woman approaches Lurn,

"What do ya need for ya rights for the body? We can get it sorted before we dig'm a grave."

Jolly looks unsure of what he is supposed to do now.

((So Jaq is riding along, right? Lurn is hanging out to plant the unfortunate guy and Joe is...?))

[spiderwrangler]

"Good morning, I'm Kroshav Xjindraakvar, and this is Ves and Mar'lin. Sorry to bother you, but just wondering if we could borrow a bit of space in your fire and a chunk of bar stock to heat up. We're wanting to make signs. To warn folks about the owlbears. Errr... we got here late last night, had to fight our way past... well, mostly it was just fleeing past a pack... flock... three owlbears. Wanting to go back west and plant signs and warn the next town so no innocent folk get ambushed like we did."

► Show Spoiler

1d20+4 = [17] = 21
((If anyone helping to confer advantage.))
1d20+4 = [18] = 22

[Rodgeir]

She looks at Enrud and raises her eyebrows. Enrud shrugs and says,

"He was putting together a group to try an' kill the owlbears ten minutes ago till he got talked out of it."

She grabs a pair of thick, padded leather gloves and tosses them to Kroshav.

"Huh. Go ahead, should be plenty hot for what ya need."

[spiderwrangler]

"Thanks."

Kroshav picks out a thin enough piece of stock to be able to trace the pattern once Ves marks the designs on the wood.

[NotStickFigures]

Yes. Jaq will go sign placing rather than dig a grave.

[Dlover]

"The full rites would be excessively costly, requiring 25 gold pieces worth of silver, powdered. For a simple burial, a pinch of salt and a palm-sized stone would be plentiful. I'm assuming you would choose the latter."

Ceremony is an insanely expensive ritual to cast, considering how limited the effects really are.