A Familiar Adventure Chp 1: Even Humans Get Ticks

[Nestor]

Kerbi stares at the cat for seconds, then finally blows the breath he'd been holding between his lips.

"My apologies, cat" he says, resignedly. "I should have known better than to ask such a thing from you."

Kerbi looks around the room, seeking inspiration.

[Does the door have a lock or other way to secure it? Is there a window that Kerbi could use to exit without being seen?]

[Dustland]

You begin to look around the room, assessing how secure it is. The door has a simple wooden latch; you figure that sorry cat could get through it with a solid charge, a human could probably shove his way through. There are no windows on the second floor either, so getting out that way is not an option.

Sloat watches you as you pace the floor in agitation. "Listen, Kerbi, if you really want me to, I'll stay with her, ok? I just don't know what all I can do if he returns before you, but I'll give him something to think about. I suppose I could get her out of here if need be, take a walk through the shadows you see..."

"Walk through the shadows? Like you did with that rat?"

"Ya Kerbi, I think I could manage it, I just don't know how far I could take her. The next room over, or up on the roof or something, but it may be enough to lose him. If he comes back of course."

You start to think about the possibilities of Sloat's power when he interupts your thoughts, "So, what am I supposed to do if she wakes up?"

[Nestor]

Kerbi ponders the question with a frown, idly scratching under his chin. The implications of the "if" bother him.

"She may need help when she wakes up," he says. "You can explain the situation to her and hope for the best."

As he speaks, the plan forms in his head. It's not perfect, but no plan ever is.

"All right," he explains, trying to put more confidence in his voice than he feels. "How about this, You give me directions to this place and I'll go check it out. You stay with her. I'll put some shims on the door frame to jam it closed. That should keep the curious away. If someone is insistent enough to break through the door, you can do your shadow thing and hide her."

[Dustland]

Sloat nods his head, though he still looks uneasy. He gives you directions to the old manor; it seems simple enough to find, take the King's Middlin' Road north for a while until you come across the failed lemon orchard that borders the estate. The only real problem is that Sloat has no idea how long it will take you to reach the place. By the looks of him, ol' Vanishing Sloat rarely walks any great distance and you suspect most of his traveling is done by slipping through the shadows.

[I'll skip to Kerbi's arrival at the estate unless you wish to do something else before he heads out. Summer only awakens enough to moan about how tired she is, then falls back into a deep slumber.]

You leave the quiet inn, suprised to see the sun coming up over the horizon. The night sure has flown by! Despite your lack of sleep, you feel energized to know that you're doing something more than sitting in a room watching Summer (die?). You shake the thought from your head and set out on the road.

You quickly pass beyond the small farms that surround Tidewater and find yourself alone on the dirt path winding through the lightly wooded terrain heading north. The sun reaches it's peak and begins to dip towards the west; you begin to grow concerned about the time and quicken your pace, panting away in the warm sun. An uneasy thought filters in; what if the man didn't return to the estate? What if he's still in Tidewater? With Summer?

You growl uneasily to yourself; all you can do is trust in Sloat to protect her if your gut is wrong. The smell of lemons, old and sickly but lemons none the less, interupt your thoughts. At last!

You trot cautiously along the tree line that suddenly gives way to a long, broken stone wall that runs two hundred yards along the King's M. Road. In the middle of the wall you can see a rusted iron gate (closed) and over the ten foot wall you can smell the lemon orchard...and rats. The wall seems to turn back into the woods at either end, though it's hard to tell from the road if it stops somewhere in the oak trees or if it surrounds the estate in it's entirety.

[Nestor]

Before attempting to scale the wall or open the gate, Kerbi pauses to sniff the air. Perhaps he can catch a whiff of Summer's scent from the mystery man and ensure this is the correct path to take.

Rolling for Sense of Smell:
[bash="Scent"]5 = 1319333709 [/bash]

[Dustland]

You sniff about the wall, the gate, the road...not a trace of your master's scent, just the smell of dirt (which smells like the dirt from the man's boots), lemon trees, and rats. Lots of rats.

[Nestor]

Kerbi sighs. It just isn't going to be that easy.

He examines the gate and wall for the easiest point of entry, whether it is a convenient break in the wall or clambering over the gate itself.

Once over the wall and in the estate, Kerbi once again pauses, this time to assess the lay of the land. He knows he's trespassing in the rats' dominion, so he waits a few moments to gauge their reaction.

[Dustland]

You climb over the dilapidated wall easily, dropping quietly to the ground on the other side. Before you is a roughly rectangular orchard, 200 yards wide and three times that long with an overgrown carriage path running up the center. You can't make out what lies beyond the riot of twisted lemon trees and brush. The wind rustles the thorny branches above you menacingly as the sun continues its journey towards the horizon.

You wait to see what, if anything, the rats will do. You can make out numerous entrances to burrows dotting the ground and the larger, dead trees appear to have nests dug into them as well. The smell of rats is almost overwhelming. After a few minutes, you realize you've come over the wall undetected, probably due to rats' aversion to being caught out in the daylight you figure.

[If you want to cross the orchard undetected, it will require 3 successful stealth rolls, Difficulty 14 each. If you come up short, don't forget your Hero Points/Hero Dice, if you want to use them!]

[Dustland]

Hits 100, Hero Points 4, Hero Dice 1

[Nestor]

Kerbi takes a calming breath. the grip on his weapon tightens. He moves like a furry ghost through the leaf-strewn yard.

Stealth Roll 1:
[bash]3 = 585751004 [/bash]

Stealth Roll 2:
[bash]3 = 1240178107 [/bash]

Stealth Roll 3:
[bash]3 = 2096564812 [/bash]

[Dustland]

[Bravo!]

You move cautiously along the orchard, following the overgrown path for the most part, pausing and listening often for signs of alarm but you seem to pass the rats unnoticed! You reach the end of the orchard and see that the path goes up a shallow ramp into another, equally overgrown area.

You trot swiftly up the ramp, keenly aware of how exposed you are for a few yards until you reach the top and slide off into the weeds and brush. Once again you check your backtrail and no one (or thing) appears to have marked your passing.

Near you is a pool of water, surrounded by cut stones. You sniff the water then begin lapping up the water (as quietly as a dog can?) to cool your parched throat and calm your nerves. The cloying scent of the rats seems to be confined to the lower orchards; it doesn't seem the rats come up here at all, which you find even more unnerving, knowing how rats like to roam...

Suddenly you notice something peering at you from atop a broken stone wall, a rocky, winged creature with a mouth full of jagged teeth sits quietly, unmoving. You grasp your weapon and see that there are at least half a dozen other fiendish, stony creatures scattered atop the stone walls and pillars that must have once been a magnificent garden.

[Nestor]

Kerbi stands still, his ears flattened. He waits for the strange beasts to react to his presence.

[Should I roll some sort of Notice roll to get a better view of them?]

[Dustland]

[Sorry I guess I left the scene a bit open ended. If I ever ignore the "smell aspect"of an encounter, feel free to roll you Enhanced Sense:Smell (I believe it would be x5). That being said...]

You lay still, peering through the riot of weeds and plants at the stony figures. You smell the air cautiously but you don't detect anything unusual around you. After what feels like ages, you begin to creep up to the nearest figure, weapon firmly grasped in your paw. As you approach, the hair on your back finally settles back as you realize it's some hideous statue! Looking around, the garden must have been decorated with the grinning stone demons.

You take a moment to calm your nerves again, lap a bit more water, then move through the garden, following the winding paths further into the estate. You begin to wonder how many fleas and ticks you're picking up tromping through the weeds when you turn the corner of yet another stone wall and see a blackened building before you.

It must have been a grand mansion at some time but charred timbers hold up rotted walls overgrown with ivy now. The grand entrance is still intact (though stained from the smoke and ages of dirt), complete with massive wooden doors that stand ajar. Most of the windows are gone on the near side of the structure and gapping holes make the door unnecessary if you choose to avoid it.

Just as you begin to step out onto the open field that strecthes for the last hundred yards to the building, you hear a terrible screech off to your right. You spin in the direction of the noise, weapon in hand, and you hear it again. Something is screaming in terror off in the woods that border the north side of the field and manor!

[Nestor]

Kerbi hesitates, torn between his duty, his concern for Summer, and the instinctive desire to protect.

The spell is broken on the second scream, and Kerbi is off, speeding through the yard towards the noise as quietly as he can.

[Dustland]

[Roll your stealth please as Kerbi approaches the woods where the scream originated from; scent too!]