LIST: Threads
Find the lost Caravan
LIST: NPCs
Higgs is waiting in Hallow Creek to take over the next leg of the journey to escort the caravan to Daggerford. The caravan is now overdue by several days at Hallow Creek. Higgs is preparing to set out along the highway to meet the caravan on the road. He’s currently waiting at The Golden Mug inn on the west side of town.
Check for modified: = 5, yes, altered scene.
Fate chart: “Does the caravan arrive in town as Higgs is preparing to set out?” Very unlikely. = 62, No.
Fate chart: “Does a member of the caravan arrive in town as Higgs is preparing to leave? 50/50 = 80, No.
Fate chart: “Does a traveler arrive with any news of the caravan?” 50/50 = 89, No.
Screw it. Moving on.
Higgs sets out along the road. It’s early morning and he doesn’t know exactly where the caravan is. He sets out on his horse, Cinder.
Fate Chart: Is the caravan less than a day’s ride away? 50/50 = No.
Higgs has enough trail rations for three days.
End Scene.
Scene 2:
Higgs is riding along the road. More than a day’s ride away, he’s coming to the end of the Degar Vale and into the rolling plains beyond. It’s now close to nighttime and he’s preparing on making camp.
Check for modified: 5, yes, altered scene.
Fate chart: Does Higgs encounter other travelers on the highway? Somewhat Likely = 32, yes.
Higgs is setting up a firepit just off the highway. Normally he’d camp further away from a main road but he doesn’t want to risk missing any part of the caravan that might pass. He sees a group of people approaching along the highway.
Fate chart: Are the travelers weary of him? 50/50 = 32, yes.
Two of the travels move to the front of the group, one with his hand on the hilt of a sword, the second nocks an arrow on his shortbow.
Higgs doesn’t draw his sword -these look like normal folk walking along the road. He waves at them and introduces himself, explaining that he’s a hired sword from Hallow Creek and was expecting to meet a caravan along the road.
Does this relax the travelers? Diplomacy Check, DC20 = 11, fail.
He asks if they are part of the caravan that set out from Lothros. “No.” Higgs decides this is likely true, since the caravan he was suppose to meet was a wagon caravan, and this group looks decidedly “light” in the cargo department.
He then asks if they saw or have any knowledge of a caravan along the highway.
Diplomacy Check, DC15 = 12, fail.
The travelers claim they didn’t see or have any knowledge of any caravan along the highway. This is a moderately well traveled road, and Higgs doesn’t quite believe them.
Sense Motive Check, Opposed Roll, 14 bluff vs. 11 sense, fail.
Higgs bids them farewell and eyes them skeptically as they continue along the road.
End Scene.
Scene 3:
Higgs sets out in the morning along the road, looking to find the lost caravan.
Check for modified: 4, yes, interrupt. Event Focus: 5 = remote event. Event Action/Subject: Increase/Ambush
Remote event, doesn’t (yet) effect Higgs directly. Travelers he encountered the previous night were ambushed and slaughtered on their way to Hallow Creek. There’s been an increase in bandit activity along this road now. Add thread “Increased Bandit Attacks”.
Higgs continues to head west along the road.
Fate Chart. “Does Higgs encounter the caravan along in the morning?” 50/50 = 65, No.
Now Higgs is starting to get worried.
End Scene.
Scene 4:
Higgs and Cinder and continuing their travel west along the river highway. He’s now a day and a half out of Hallow Creek.
Check for modified: 4, yes, interrupt. Event Focus: NPC Action. There are no current NPCs in the list, skip, move on.
Fate Chart: “Does Higgs find the caravan this afternoon?” Likely = 32 = yes.
Now thoroughly out of the Vale, higgs can see the caravan in the distance.
Fate Chart: “Has the caravan been raided?” A Near Sure Thing = yes.
Fate Chart: “Are the purps still there?” Given that Higgs has travelled two days, making the caravan 4 days overdue, I’d assume highly unlikely, but knowing the increased bandit attacks, perhaps they’re just ambushing people here. 50/50 = 47, yes.
Fate Chart: Is this going to be an easy encounter? 50/50 = 97, exceptional no. Yikes.
Not only are the raiders still at the location of the caravan, there’s quite a few of them. More than Higgs can take on himself. Higgs decides that discretion is be better part of valor, and moves off the highway somewhere harder to spot. Given that he’s now in the planes this might be difficult.
Fate Chart: Do the bandits spot him initially? Given that they’ve now set up a camp there, they likely have lookouts posted. Likely = 10, exceptional no. They have no idea he’s there.
Higgs finds a secluded area and decides to wait the night out. Given that he wasn’t spotted, there’s little chance he’ll encounter anyone during the night.
End Scene.
Scene 5:
Higgs is going to take another quick look at the bandits in the caravan, and if he can get close, he will. Otherwise back to Hallow Creek.
Check for modified: 1, altered scene.
Fate Chart: Is Higgs spotted by someone? 50/50 = 34, No.
Fate Chart: Have bandits left? Unlikely = 97, exceptional no.
Higgs looks out over a rock outcropping, and sees more of what he assumes are raiders have arrived during the night. There’s now a sizable force making camp. This is big enough to be a raiding force. Higgs decides to head back to Hallow Creek. He’s about two days out.
Thread Updated: Bandit Force.
End Scene.
Scene 6:
Higgs is on his way back to Hallow Creek, along the river highway. He’s been riding for a day, approaching the Degar Vale.
Check for modified: 2, yes, interrupt. Event Focus: PC Negative. Event Meaning Create/Military.
While riding along the river highway Higgs happens upon a group of moderately armed men. They quickly surround him, preventing his escape. Higgs doesn’t draw his sword, as these men don’t look like bandits. They start asking him a barrage of questions -who he is, what he’s doing out here. Higgs answers truthfully, telling them he’s a hired sword out of Hallow Creek that was suppose to meet a caravan for the second part of its overland journey to Daggerfield. When the caravan did not arrive, he set out looking for it. He tells them of the rather large contingent of bandits he encountered. They then inform him of a group of travelers they encountered slaughtered just inside the vale, and ask him if he knows anything about them.
These men are clearly skeptical of Higgs, and not very responsive to his questions. He has nothing to hide so tells them the truth.
Diplomacy Check, DC20 = 2, fail.
Despite his honesty, they don’t believe his story. They demand that he turns over his weapons and accompany them. Seeing little choice in the matter, Higgs complies. They bind his hands, but leave him on his horse. They also confiscate his pack containing his supplies. Bastards.
When they’re done securing them, he asks again who they are.
Diplomacy Check, DC15 = 18, success.
The men inform him that they’re mercenaries out of Cear Ebor, hired to deal with increased raider attacks on caravans between Lundy and Daggerfield. Higgs is curious. Cear Ebor is a day’s travel south of Hallow Creek, and not on the main trade routes, yet no information about drastic increases in bandit attacks reached Hallow Creek.
Thread Updated.
Fate Chart: Do the mercs decide to go look for the bandits Higgs told them about? Very Likely = 71, = yes.
Higgs, now somewhat a prisoner, ends up riding back the way he came.
End Scene.
Scene 7:
After camping for the night, Higgs and his “companions” make their way west along the river highway.
Check for Modified: 9, no.
They approach the location of the caravan from the same direction Higgs did.
Fate Chart: Are the bandits still there? Very likely = 83, Yes.
Fate Chart: Have their numbers decreased? 50/50 = 6, exceptional yes.
There’s not too many raiders still around the caravan, but lots of smoldering fires indicate that there were more there overnight. The mercenary captain is more inclined to believe Higgs, as one of his major claims has now been confirmed.
Fate Chart: Does he believe him enough to unbind him? 50/50 = 53, No. Jerk.
The mercenaries decide to attack.
Unfortunately, Higgs is still bound. So he may end up sitting this one out.
First round. There’s good visibility from the camp, so the bandits see everyone coming.
As a full round action, Higgs attempts to unbind himself.
Escape Artist, DC15 = 9, fail.
The mercenaries run at the bandits, firing crossbows before drawing their swords to engage. They’re met with a hail of archery fire.
Higgs again attempts to free himself.
Escape Artist, DC15 = 6, fail.
The next round is spent with the mercenaries and bandits engaging in close combat, with little effect.
Higgs once again attempts to free himself.
Escape Artist, DC15 = 2, fail.
After the third round, nearly everyone managed to land some solid hits.
Higgs once again attempts to free himself.
Escape Artist, DC15 = 3, fail. Damn, these ropes are good.
After round four, the mercenaries finally manage to kill one of the bandits.
Higgs once again attempts to free himself.
Escape Artist, DC15 = 7, fail.
After seeing two of his compatriots dropped, and surrounded by three mercenaries, one of the bandits tries to run and gets cut down by the mercenary captain.
Higgs once again attempts to free himself.
Escape Artist, DC15 = 15, success.
“About bloody time.” Higgs manages to untie himself, but looking around and seeing the status of the battle -and without a weapon- he’s not sure what good he can do.
One of the mercenaries cuts down the last bandit.
Two of the captain’s men are wounded, but functional.
End Scene
Scene 8:
After the skirmish, the five men take stock of what’s around them.
Check for Modified: 10, no.
Higgs doesn’t attempt to escape, and waits for the mercenary captain to tend to his men and approach. He sees that the ranger undid his bonds, but has not made any attempt to escape or take a weapon.
“Do you believe me now?”
Diplomacy check, DC5 = 6, yes.
The mercenary captain agrees, and decides that Higgs was telling the truth. The captain formally introduces himself, his name is Harald Long. There’s evidence that quite a few men camped in the immediate area overnight. The bodies of the caravan members have been moved to a small depression just south of the ambush point and burned.
Fate Chart: Are any of the bandits defeated still alive? 50/50 = 16, yes.
They decide to try and interrogate one of the captured bandits.
Diplomacy Check, DC25 = Take 20 = 21, fail.
The bandits are not keen on talking. Long suggests taking one of them back to Hallow Creek and then to Cear Ebor. Higgs agrees, and has a quick look around before leaving.
Fate Chart: Is there any useful information to be gleaned from what’s left of the caravan? Unlikely = 48, no.
Higgs finds nothing helpful.
Update NPC List.
Update Threads.
End Scene.
End of Session One:
Chaos: 5
LIST: Threads
Increased Bandit Attacks
Large Bandit Force
Information about increased bandit attacks.
LIST: NPCs
Harald Long - Mercenary Captain
