Tree Lords II

[Breila]

Babushka nods. "Let us go." she says. While approaching the odor, she carefully looks for any signs of a struggle or something being dragged somewhere.

Tacking check, 1d20=5, success.

[JadedDM]

Babushka, Imani and Thuskar leave the camp to track the source of the odor. Sure enough, Babushka finds evidence of something being dragged away, and leaving behind blood in its wake. She guesses, by the size, it's probably a deer. What's more, there are tracks of at least a dozen, if not more, people--elves, from the look of it. It would be a simple enough task to track them back to their source.

[HorizonsDream]

Imani looks around for a few moments before she turns back to the gnome. "Do we follow?" she asks softly.

[Breila]

"This is strange" Babushka tells Imani and Thuskar in a whisper. "The tracks look like a hunting party that killed a deer, but who would leave their kill to rot? If we're lucky, we might just find entrails not eaten by carrion lovers, but if we're unlucky, we might find a dead hunting party. Let's proceed carefully, and be prepared for the worst."

She moves on very, very cautiously.

[Jerrard]

Jerrard starts a small fire, and prepares a meal for the group, he enlists Malikas help where he can.

[JadedDM]

Babushka, Imani and Thuskar follow the tracks for another ten minutes, before they come to another small clearing to the south. This one holds a small stone shrine of some kind, damaged by the ravages of time itself. There is nobody around, at least visibly (they could be inside or behind it), but the scent of decay is much stronger here.

(OOC: So it's understood, the party members are to the north of the structure.)

[Breila]

"Very strange" Babushka mutters. "Do we investigate alone or do we tell the others what we've found?"

Does the track leads obviously to the structure, and to which part of it (The door to the east, for eyample)?

[JadedDM]

(OOC: The tracks lead right to the structure, and seem to spread out in all directions, including the east door, but also to the west and all the way around to the north.)

[Breila]

(OOC: Now I'm confused, we come from the north and the tracks lead "all the way around to the north"?)

[JadedDM]

(OOC: Typo. I meant to say they lead all the way around to the south. )

[HorizonsDream]

"Thuskar, why don't you go back and tell the others what we found," Imani says. "We can stay here and explore a little bit more."

[Breila]

Babushka nods at Imani's suggestion. "But let's be careful. Let's stay under the cover of the trees and walk around the clearing once, see what we find."
She will also look if the tracks continue south, away from the building.

[JadedDM]

Jerrard does what he can to prepare a meal. However, all the party has is dried rations and some vegetables and fruits that Jeremy rustled up, so making a meal with them is no easy task. Further, Malika tends to prove more a hindrance than a help, as she really knows nothing at all about cooking.

Thuskar nods and starts to head back. Ten minutes later, he returns to camp. "They found some tracks, and they led us to some small stone shrine in another clearing," he says. "They sent me back while they investigate more."

"A shrine?" Lareth says, mildly surprised. "I'm not aware of any such shrine in this area. How very odd," the elf comments. "It may be some forgotten wayward point from before the Nightmare."

Meanwhile, Babushka and Imani slowly circle the entire clearing once. As the gnome suspected, there are more tracks leading south, away from the building. This area has seen a lot of traffic, and fairly recently. She is left with the impression that whoever is leaving these tracks comes and goes in different directions in groups, then returns some time later.

[Jerrard]

"I've done what I can, is stew acceptable?" The mage asks, stiring the stew slowly as Thuskar reappears from the trees, "A Shrine? Would it be worth investigating Laureth?"

"I am still very tired. I will wait here." He adds, making what he can of the meal.

[Jenara]

"I want to look!" Locky says with a giggle, "Can I come and look?" She asks Thuskar, grabbing her Hoopak standing up. "It sounds interesting and who knows what trouble Babuskha is in without me."