Chapter 2

[Windstar]

"Thank you grandsire, I am sure we all appreciate it and will conclude our business as quickly as possible" Tora turns and starts heading in the direction indicated by the Reeve, she notes that he does not move back the way he came, but towards the marshes.

"Why in the name of Ollarda am I staying with these lost souls, well I guess they do need someone to guide them" Tora wonders to herself.

[outrider]

Dabril notices that nobody is walking with him. He turns at the group. Now what? what are waiting for?

* Dabril looks around *

perception

with that he continues to walk toward the hut.

[TheBlackDragon]

Not wanting to be left behind, Khaela continues forward with Dabril.

"Pardon my ignorance on the subject, but what exactly are we doing here?"

She walks beside the Wizard as he moves away from the others.

[outrider]

Dabril shakes his head. I really dont know but Im still waiting to get paid.

[Windstar]

***OOC***
***Due to the player that had some of this info being MIA, and the fact that I had assumed you all would have gotten it and more from them and me thru the game, I am posting the opening info for this adventure so that everyone is on equal footing on what brought you here and why. Originally you were asked to help a friend find a friend who had gone missing, Doria. Some of this you know but I included it to give you a better feel for the adventure***



The Shadow Marches are inhospitable at the best of times,
and your mission here has decidedly not been the best of times.
Although you have finished the business that brought you to
this wretched place, you still must make your way back home.
Fortunately, you have a friend in the region: Doria Veledaar, a
Tharashk inquisitive. Doria is visiting her family in the village
of Blackroot, and has extended a standing invitation to stay with
her when you pass this way.


Your journey through the Shadow Marches has left your cloaks
and armor covered in mud, your clothes soaked with sweat.
Hungry insects buzz about you, and the air is warm and wet.
Your destination is Blackroot, a village tied to the Dorrm and
Veledaar clans. The sun is beginning to set when the settlement
finally comes into view. Like most villages in the Marches, this
small community offers few amenities and no dragonmarked
house services. There is no central authority in the Shadow
Marches, and the village reeve is responsible for administering
justice in the local region.
Blackroot draws its name from the darkwood trees that thrive
in this region, their tangled roots rising up from the soil to all
sides. The ground here is relatively solid for the Marches, and the
village sits atop a rocky rise. Its huts sit directly upon the ground
instead of being raised on stilts above marshland, as is common
elsewhere in the region. Orcs, humans, and half-orcs work
together in the nearby orchards or pass along the main street.
None of them seem particularly pleased to see you.
Within moments, you are approached by a lean and muscular
orc. His skin is weathered, streaks of gray seen in his long
black hair. He bears no weapons and wears loose peasant clothing,
but he carries himself with confidence. "Greetings," he says.
"I am Toraash’Dorrm, the reeve of Blackroot. I don’t know what
brings you here, but we’ve no inn, no tavern, and no time for
strangers. I suggest you move on."


History DC 5: The Shadow Marches are not a recognized
nation. Rather, the Marches are an independent
territory whose established relationships with its neighbors
and the outside world come largely from the presence
of House Tharashk. The folk of the Shadow Marches have
a reputation for xenophobia, and outsiders are rarely welcomed
here.
History DC 10: Orcs make up more than half the
population of the Marches, though humans, half-orcs,
and other races also dwell here. The Shadow Marches
are composed of two distinct cultures—the orc tribes that
first settled these lands and the clans formed by later
human migrants.
The orc tribes are an insular society, though humans
and half-orcs are sometimes accepted into an orc tribe if
they can prove themselves. The tribes are territorial, and
typically attack trespassers on sight. Thankfully, their territories
in the central Marches see few visitors.
Closer to the outer edges of the Marches, mixed clans
of humans and half-orcs are more accepting of the outside
world, mostly through their association with House
Tharashk. The clans have more in common with the
folk of "civilized" Khorvaire than do their kin in the
orc tribes, and they demonstrate a greater level of trust
toward outsiders.

[Windstar]

As you makeyour way towards Doria's house, you notice that the townsfolk are tense and slightly hostile. But you sense it is not directed at the party. As you near her house you notice the door is slightly ajar.

**Need Arcana, Perception, Streetwise and Insight checks from those that have them, if they are a untrained class skill you get a -2**

Tora's checks:

* Perception *

* Insight *

* Arcana *

* Streetwise *

[HowwwwL]

*OOC - Sorry Windastar, ignore my previous post and use this one...*

Morganna walks with Sys'lex in the direction Toraash pointed. She noticed the door ajar. "Sys, looks like we might get some action today after all..." (Perception)

She noticed a townsperson closeby. "Excuse me, have you seen anything odd around the house up ahead?" (Streetwise) She looks intently on the townsperson's body language as she speaks. (Insight)

As she closes in on the door, the hairs on the back of her neck start to stand up. "Sys'lex, something doesn't seem right..." Morganna concentrates on the house, trying to sense the presence of Magic within..." (Arcana)

* Perception *

* Streetwise *

* Insight *

* Arcana *

[Windstar]

The lady you ask turns to you in common "No I haven't, I mind my own business and ye may do well to do the same"

She seems very tense as she goes on and though the words have some sting to them you can tell it is not directed at you.

[kitsune1842]

Targ follows along with the others silently reaching back so that one of his hands is on his axe in case he needs to bring it to hand quickly. He is not good with people, and the sum total of his arcane knowledge is that he was made with magic, so he keeps his eyes out for other things going on as opposed to watching the people.

* Perception *

[TheBlackDragon]

Khaela pauses in the street, observing the people around the group and the house in front. Trying to get a sense of the crowd's mood she doesn't actually speak to them, only observing from a distance all that she can see. (Perception) (Insight) (Arcana) Skipping Streetwise

* Perception *

* Perception *

* Arcana *

[Windstar]

Tora makes a trip around the house, pausing every so often. She returns to the group, "There does not seem to be any signs out here of foul play, other than the door ajar."

As you made your way to the house you notice there are a number of empty houses standing within the village. Morganna senses an ambient aura of mystical energy surrounding the village and recognizes a powerful concentration of arcane energy somewhere within the area though she can not pin point the exact location. The party overall has the distinct feeling that there is more to Blackroot, Doria and her families disappearance meets the eye. Many of the residents are fearful of something and the tension is not just from your arrival, it is as if anticipating some imminent challenge or threat.




Morganna needs to do another Arcana skill check in order to sense the direction in which the arcane energy is flowing from.

[HowwwwL]

Morganna speaks, "I sense a magical presence here... Be wary."

* Arcana *

[outrider]

Dabril looks at the wariness that his comrades are showing. Shakes his head, prepares a magic missile spell and opens the door preparing to jump back.

* jumps back *

athletic

[TheBlackDragon]

Khaela stays back a distance from the house, leaving the more combat seasoned to enter first and see if there's anything out of the ordinary about this place.

She continues to look all around, constantly focusing on random people in the area as if studying them.

"I'm not much of one for arcane magic, only what I've studied about it from books... what I do know is a concentration of arcane energy around a run down house isn't a natural occurrence, someone drew the energy here. Be cautious."

[kingbee]

Wary of the situation Darren follows along. In elvish he tells Deacon, “Check it out.” The Red Wolf circles the party smelling the air and ground for anything strange.
*perception check Deacon*
Darren looks at his cautious friends and for the first time realizes there odd combination of powers. Calm returns to him as he is reminded of the fact that most creatures prefer easy prey and they would be anything but. Any attack against them here would be met with enough force to tear much of this village apart. Darren smiles to his nearby companions, then scowls trying to look as imposing as a 4”1’, 85lb Halfling can.

(occ not sure of Deacons Perception bonus, Just that he has the skill)

* Deacon perception *