D&D Adventure #5: Oakgate Complex

[Shada]

Threader's pretty satisfied with them fleeing. As long as they're not in our way anymore.

Have they left behind whoever's buried in the ground in their haste to flee?

[Mr. Johnson]

Thoon's the one with the moral complex, he'll dig it up.

[Grimmie]

All three quickly mount their horses and dash off towards Arrow at speed, looking over their shoulders to check to see if any of you are giving chase.

They leave behind a longbow and a couple of quivers stocked with arrows. There's also a little bit of animal feed discarded by the post the horses were tied to, but not much else. The flagpole seems to have been pretty quickly erected, guy lines barely holding it upright in the autumn wind.

There are two shovels Bill keeps tied to the side of his cab, and he hands one over. It doesn't take much digging though, it's a shallow grave and the body within looks pretty fresh. A young, blonde haired half-elf woman in a rose pink dress lies a little askew in the grave, the arrows used to kill her still sticking out of her shoulder, ribs and gut, her dress wet with huge red blossoms of blood.

Her purse seems to have been tossed on top of her, it's open.

[Mr. Johnson]

Resting one arm on his shovel, Thoon glares off into the direction the trio of bandits went. They got away, but Thoon doesn't forget faces very easily.

EDIT: Since nothing else can be done about it now, Thoon sets to digging the woman a better grave by the side of the road, could the rest have a look through her belongings to see if there's any way to identify her?

[Mr. Johnson]

Also, I feel like maybe I'm taking the lead too much, please tell me if I'm going too fast or ruining the game for others.

[FatherJack]

Also, I feel like maybe I'm taking the lead too much, please tell me if I'm going too fast or ruining the game for others.

You're fine, it's good to keep it moving rather than stagnate.

[Grimmie]

Yup, feel free to lead things. It helps to move things along, which is especially important while we're playing on the forum.

Quickly examining her, it seems as though rings have been hurriedly removed from her fingers. Her purse is empty apart from a letter addressed to a Ms Peridot offering work as an artist in Highmeadow at the Bardic College. There's nothing else on her.

[Grimmie]

Alrighty, Bill kicks the wagon off again, the students show their gratitude and share a little of their trail rations with all of you - it looks as though the university sent them out with a pretty good selection of food compared to the average "dried meat and flatbreads" bundle you usually pick up from market stalls. There are wax coated cheeses, little chalk textured pills that taste like lemons and peaches, crystallised fruit and savoury crackers in amidst the rest of their food.

Arrow's a pleasant little village, and you have to travel through it to carry on towards Oakgate. The cottages in the village centre are covered in wandering purple-flowered vines. A few of the students have a short discussion about the history of Arrow, and it turns out the vine is of an almost extinct variety, but it flourishes here, creeping up through brickwork and winding around a dried up ornamental fountain. As you pass through, you might catch a glimpse of some of the King's Bowmen, whose studded leather armour appears to be carved into the shape of interlocking leaves, a damn sight nicer than the scruffy armour you saw those strangers wearing.

Any business here?

If not, you veer off the main road and start south towards Oakgate. It's a forest that Thor is probably familiar with from his woodsman days, a dense deciduous forest crowded with red and orange-leaved oaks, elms and maples. The wind starts to die down a little now that you're in the shadow of a hill and the woods. You wind your way up the hillside, along the dirt path, and the trees begin to thicken. The canopy overhead makes things dull on the ground, and the sunset gets baffled by the shifting leaves. Eventually you come to a set of stone steps, though they're easily forty feet wide and framed by enormous trees that seem to stretch into the evening sky. At the end of the steps is a pair of warped, cracked, branchless trunks that arch in towards each other, the eponymous Oakgate itself. This is about as far as Bill can take you, and he stops his oxen, allowing them to rest after the long journey.



Nobody's quite sure who built the original gate, but giants are often cited as having a hand in its construction.

As you approach, a portly eagle owl sitting atop the gate gives a loud, low "HOOT!", and a little charm attached to its ankle lights up, illuminating the path beneath. It swoops down, does a circle overhead and then lands on the ground, squealing expectantly and hopping towards whoever's nearest.

[Shada]

Hoot hoot yourself, you flying rat.

Threader attempts to walk past the owl to have a closer look at the oak gate.

[Dog Pants]

Aww, lovely picture Grimmie. Is that me holding hands with Glibberig and Orovan?

I'll approach the owl if none of the foresty types beat me to it. Probably from the university.

[Grimmie]

Threader, the gate is enormous. The wood down by the base of it seems a lot smoother than that out of arm's reach, presumably worn down by people running their hands along the surface on their way in. Unusual text is carved deeply in to the bands of wood facing inwards. Orovan recognises it as "vaguely druidic" if he goes to inspect it, though it reads like the equivalent of a Modern English reader trying to read Old English.

Forenrond, the owl seems to be pleased when it's acknowledged, and it slowly turns around before launching into the air with a few flaps of its great wings. It flies back through the gate and down a path a short way before perching on a branch, as though it were leading the way through the forest.

The students have finally finished offloading their supplies and join you on the hill, eyes wide with wonder.

[shot2bits]

As you approach, a portly eagle owl sitting atop the gate gives a loud, low "HOOT!", and a little charm attached to its ankle lights up, illuminating the path beneath. It swoops down, does a circle overhead and then lands on the ground, squealing expectantly and hopping towards whoever's nearest.

I don't know if i have any skills to check out the charm but would a Knowledge: nature roll be any good for seeing what this little fellas all about? or just what type of owl it is?

Either way here's a roll

Knowledge: nature
Roll(1d20)+3:
13,+3
Total:16

Threader, the gate is enormous. The wood down by the base of it seems a lot smoother than that out of arm's reach, presumably worn down by people running their hands along the surface on their way in. Unusual text is carved deeply in to the bands of wood facing inwards. Orovan recognises it as "vaguely druidic" if he goes to inspect it, though it reads like the equivalent of a Modern English reader trying to read Old English.

is it legible enough to me to get the gist of it? he'll go have a read of it if it is

Also did anyone pick up that note on the girls body we dug up?

[Grimmie]

I don't know if i have any skills to check out the charm but would a Knowledge: nature roll be any good for seeing what this little fellas all about? or just what type of owl it is?

It's an Eagle Owl all right! The charm looks like a little orb shining with a yellow light - "Spellcraft" skill lets you identify active spells though, and Detect Magic would reveal any auras.

is it legible enough to me to get the gist of it? he'll go have a read of it if it is

It seems to be some sort of list of "protectors" of the forest through the years, or if not protector then "watcher". It's sort of ambiguous.

Also did anyone pick up that note on the girls body we dug up?

I left it open to whoever wanted to grab it, to move things along. Let's say you pocketed it.

[shot2bits]

whats the last name on the list? I'm assuming that would be the latest, i guess there's no indication of when the last person stopped their "watch" is there?

[Grimmie]

You don't recognise the calendar, so you're not sure if the watchers ceased long ago or if they're still going. A more senior druid might know. The last name is Onbre Oakguard.

[Shada]

This sure is a bunch of trees alright. Let's follow this bloody owl then.

[Dog Pants]

Yep, follow that bird. I'll leave Humbug with Bill.

[Mr. Johnson]

I love owls!

/helpful

[Grimmie]

The owl leads you down a path for a while, stopping every fifty feet or so to let you catch up. The deeper you go into the forest the darker it gets, until you get past a particularly thick group of trunks, and golden sunlight starts to break through in the near distance. The owl gives a final hoot and flies into the light.

It's the dig site. At various points around the forest clearing there are little circular lanterns that fill the entire area with daylight, allowing the students to work late into the night without stopping - particularly useful for some of the university's elven students, who can forgo sleep all together. Tents of dark fabric are pitched to one side, presumably for the other common races who can't afford such luxury.

You catch sight of the huge owl swooping down from a branch overhead to settle on the shoulder of a Half Orc wearing mustard-yellow robes (dijon, if you're wondering).

Students diligently work at tables, dusting off statuettes and pots with brushes, turning pages of books, laying out parchment. A Gnome briefly lifts his head out of a deep trench (deep for a Gnome, any way) and nods in way of welcome, before turning to a muscular Half-Elf standing atop the stump of a stone column in scale mail.

We've visitors, Quartermaster!

[Dog Pants]

The column is wearing chainmail?

Where the white women at? I thought we were an odd bunch.