Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

For all of your Play-By-Post games.
User avatar
Vivid
Posts: 1350
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2020 10:52 am

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Vivid »

Lady Moira Sterling
Moira AT:
Raptage AT (prime):

From her centralized location, Moira let's out a series of whistles. Anyone in the group with whom she'd worked out their language of callsigns can interpret that she spotted erected pyres just to the North of town.
Flynnarrel
Posts: 6802
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:23 pm

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - First journey

Post by Flynnarrel »

Lloyd Millhaus
AT: 4 || Wounds: 7/7 || Casting: 6D6

Lloyd was frustrated as he exitted the mayor's house. The man was certainly cagey about the role of the 'Warden'. When he heard the whistles about the Pyre to the North he'll go there to inspect for himself.

Seeing that there was indeed a funeral pyre, Lloyd thinks through the implications of it and decides to act. He draws upon the woodland magics of Heartwood. He'll put a large patch of fertile, living plants to cover pyre and surrounding area.

If the villagers wanted a well-burning area they wouldn't find it among the live growth and if they were going to call Helmontra some other way to do battle with the Warden, then Willow's mother would at least have a more defensible position from which to fight.
Cunning: 6D6 = [6, 6, 1, 2, 1, 4] = 20
got the 2 needed to cast Fertile
"Something pithy this way comes."
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

Ericka Akcire


The woman blinks, her ears picking up the strange whistles. It takes her brain a moment longer to process them into signals she recognizes. Turning toward some of the people mingling in the area, she musters up enough mental fortitude to put on her persona. "They're are pyres to the North a ways, I've not seen those very often... Is the practice common, out here?"
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
Prof Weird
Posts: 430
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 9:36 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Prof Weird »

Sashura Vlasova

Something seemed - off - about that huge ashy area to Sashura.

Normally when a forest is burned, it recovers within a decade or two; Old Petram burned much longer ago than that.

Plus there's some flaming critter wandering about eating cows.

She decided to seek out some older residents to see if anyone that lived in Old Petram was still alive, and see if anyone knew anything about that ashen area. Then maybe take a quick look around out there.
User avatar
Gunmetal_Rainbow
Posts: 1736
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:56 pm
Location: Lake Country

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Gunmetal_Rainbow »

The ritual pyres cover a larger area than a single casting of fertile, even at it's strongest rank, will cover, but as Lloyd goes about his intended sabotage of the pyres, he does garner some attention from the guards who come to confront him. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Back with Ericka, the villagers are more open to talking about the pyres, explaining it is where the ritual will be performed whereby the warden will protect the village from befalling the same fate as old Petram.

Sashura doesn't have too much luck in finding folks who lived in Old Petram. It's easy enough to learn than the mayor certainly was, but Lloyd's already gone off with others to question the man, though they can share that the ashen lands is remored to encompass the lands of old Petram that burned and that they are cursed, to explain why the forest hasn't recovered from this particular scar.

Upon some explring the outskirts of the ashen lands, against the advisement of townsfolk, Sashura finds pretty much what one would expect; lots of ash, little to no signs of life, not even tracks. It seems even the villagers don't come out this way. There doesn't seem to be any sign of what made those flaming tracks from before.
Flynnarrel
Posts: 6802
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:23 pm

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Flynnarrel »

[Now that Lloyd's seeing it, could I get a description of the pyre, maybe even a picture?]
"Something pithy this way comes."
User avatar
Gunmetal_Rainbow
Posts: 1736
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:56 pm
Location: Lake Country

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Gunmetal_Rainbow »

The ritual pyres are a trio of raised platforms, about four feet off the ground built around thick stakes in the center of each platform and a set of steep steps leading up. The whole construction is made of what appears to be a fire resistant or even hardened kind of wood, seemingly designed to have bales of wood, kindling and the like piled under the platform and lit so that the flames can climb up to the platform where more wood would be stacked around the stake. The point of the platform seems to be to make whatever is strapped to the stake be more visible from further away. Each pyre's platform is roughly ten meters across, to give plenty of room for wood to be stacked while affording some room to move around.

Noteably, the platforms are all facing out into the ashlands.
Flynnarrel
Posts: 6802
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:23 pm

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - First journey

Post by Flynnarrel »

Lloyd Millhaus
AT: 4 || Wounds: 7/7 || Casting: 6D6
[That is much different than I was picturing in my head, thank you, GM]
Lloyd holds up 1 finger to the waiting guards requesting a moment. He taps Heartwood on the ground...
Cunning: [6d6=1, 1, 3, 6, 5, 4] 20
... and a gentle wind arises. The woodsman focuses on his companion, Dog, and whispers, "Need Backup, North side of town."

The magic of his Whispering Wind trick should bring his words to the mercenary. [GM allowing.]
[Whispering Wing is a Trick you let Lloyd take. He's not used it yet but this seems the perfect situation. It establishes communication for a minute with one person at L range, (though I don't know how far that is in non-combat terms). Up to you whether it works as Lloyd hopes it does. It'd also be good as Dog can get information from the guards as his remaining 'questions'. I assume getting arrested is a 'free' action. :) ]
"Something pithy this way comes."
User avatar
Arkrite
Posts: 3828
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 9:16 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - First journey

Post by Arkrite »

Grigor "Dog" Geddings
AT: N/A Wounds: 5/5

Dog, in the midst of chatting up the local kids for stories, flinches visibly as a voice whispers into his ear. With a grunt he quickly puts two and two together, tosses the kids the last of the apples he'd been bribing them with, and starts stomping towards the North Side.

"Coming. We busting heads or hunting monsters?" He asks with grin as he cracks his knuckles.
Flynnarrel
Posts: 6802
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:23 pm

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - First journey

Post by Flynnarrel »

Lloyd Millhaus
AT: 4 || Wounds: 7/7 || Casting: 6D6

"No fight if can avoid." Lloyd whispers back. "But here, North, is place for Warden, I think, to either fight Helmontra or be claimed by her - same thing maybe. I want you confirm details with guards. They we can decide what to do with whole group."
"Something pithy this way comes."
User avatar
Doctor Malsyn
Posts: 8175
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:42 pm
Location: Thunderdome, Texas

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

Ericka Akcire


Ericka tapped the holster of Gemini more out of nerves than anything else as she wandered around the dwindling crowds of Petram. There were some lingering questions in her mind, but it'd take her a moment longer to sort things out so she could ask the right ones.
Am I dead? Am I alive? The answer may surprise you!
------------
"What a week, huh?" "Doc, it's only Wednesday."
User avatar
Arkrite
Posts: 3828
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 9:16 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - First journey

Post by Arkrite »

Grigor "Dog" Geddings
AT: N/A Wounds: 5/5

Dog misses a step.

"I don't understand. Am I suppose to be busting you out, or chatting them up as they take you to jail?" Dog asks, honestly confused.
Flynnarrel
Posts: 6802
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:23 pm

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - First journey

Post by Flynnarrel »

Lloyd Millhaus
AT: 4 || Wounds: 7/7 || Casting: 6D6

"Need words, not muscle." Lloyd replies. "There are permanent pyres set in North. Built for repeat use. Mayor said that Warden 'protects' village. I think they summon Helmontra to 'battle' Warden which goes one-sided. I come to see pyres, maybe destroy. Guards see my intent, I think. They confront me. I call you. They look at me like I idiot because I'm now explaining this all to you. Get. Here. Please."
"Something pithy this way comes."
User avatar
Arkrite
Posts: 3828
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 9:16 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - First journey

Post by Arkrite »

Grigor "Dog" Geddings
AT: N/A Wounds: 5/5

"I'm not exactly dragging my heels here," Dog hisses back, "Wait, why in the hell am I whispering?"
User avatar
Gunmetal_Rainbow
Posts: 1736
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:56 pm
Location: Lake Country

Re: Tales from the Trails (Soulbound) - Ashes of Petram

Post by Gunmetal_Rainbow »

The guards aren't too inclined to have a friendly chat, given Lloyd's defacing of one of the pyres. It's going to take someone hours to scrape all that greenery off the wood to have it ready.

As for Lloyd, they're more inclined to shoo him off than detain or arrest him. The weilder is rather formidibal looking after all. It would be like a pair of rabbits trying to arrest a wolf.
Post Reply