read third - Day 12 - Leaving Stratia after repairs

[Bella]

(Day 12 after leaving Brinewall - This thread is taking place in real time.)

The caravan is finally finished repairing and the group is leaving the small town of stratia.

You have seen the raven a few times since staying here.

Perception checks as you are about to leave please.

[girdnas]

28 on perception...Jo is trying to think of a way to kill this bird during our 3 day stayover for repairs. On the first day, he attempts to find some scrolls that might help him do that. He also tries to convince Vanthus to send the Roc after it.

[Bella]

You would only see the bird once while in the town. As the Roc fly's at it, it uses a readied action fo fly into the surrounding forest to evade. It has not re-apepared since then (about 3 days to today, the day you are leaving the village).

As you are ready to pull out of town, Jo notices that you have a stowaway hidden in the cart with the provisions. At this point he say the top of a head with blond hair.

[girdnas]

Jo smiles to himself, and then he and Wo (his Dodo) look at each other, and nod simultaneously. The dodo hops over and nests among the supplies, effectively sitting on the stowaways head to conceal him/her. Once we are well on the way, perhaps around lunch time, Jo will surreptitiously place some food in the wagon. It won't be until nightfall and the wagons end that Jo attempts to ascertain the stowaways identity.

**Note: We are at max traveler capacity so unless this individual doesn't take up a slot (like Spivey) then we technically don't have room...I guess we could can one of the Drivers and make Sandru take the Driver position to make this work. That would lower our offense by 1. Personally, I'm all for more and diversely interesting caravan travelers. Just let me know and I will make the changes on the Caravan Sheet.

[Bella]

Since the caravan rules are written for 4 players, increase the covered wagons traveler capacity one. This should allow for two extra people not that you have 2 covered wagons and make up for having 6 pc's instead of 4.

As Jo goes to the supply cart at night, the orange glow of the campfire mixing with the hair on half his face, looks over the side to look at the stowaway. Two faces stare back at him, one a girl about 18 and one a girl age 9. Both look up at him and scream in sheer terror at the sight. They jump up and start tripping over the supplies in order to get away. The older girl seems protective of the smaller one.

[girdnas]

Jo screams as well, his hair standing 10 feet out in mock terror. Then he holds out his hand for them to stop, saying "BEWARE! The beast is near..." He looks around, then behind the girls, pointing with wide eyes. "There it is! Behind you!"

He is pointing at the most hideous beast, covered in black feathers and glaring with one huge eye above a curving rounded beak. His dodo. It squawks and spreads its wings in an attempt to look imposing, puffing its chest out.

Jo leaps forward, yelling he will protect them with his own life. Wo-jun plays along, leaping at Jo, beating him with his wings as Jo grabs his feet. Twirling and stumbling, Jo uses his hair to pretend to strangle Wo. Wo latches on Jo's arm with his beak. Jo spins in false agony, screaming "It hurts It hurts". Then he grabs Wo around the neck in a headlock and does a fake bodyslam. Wo leaps on Jo's back and bites his hair, slamming Jo's head into the ground over and over. Jo's hair responds, flinging the bird forward, but Wo lands like a gymnast and leaps back upon Jo just as he turns to run. Gripping his boots, he pulls Jo to the ground and starts to drag him away as Jo sobs and ineffectually clutches at the ground.

"It's too strong! Help me!" he cries to the girls, holding out his arms for them to pull.

[Bella]

The girls seem generally terrified of what is going on and the younger one has hidden her face in the older ones stomach. They are both making a lot of noise from screaming.

[ameiko]

"What the hell is going on?" Ameiko yells as she rushes over. Seeing the scene unfolding before her, she rolls her eyes and gets to a few feet from the girls.

"I don't know what you’re doing here but you need to keep it down." she says speaking softer to the girls, a small sense of urgency in her voice.

I can promise that no one here will hurt you, but evil things are out there" she says motioning to the woods "and they will find us if you do not stop screaming."

The older girl nods her head and calms somewhat, but she is still scared at being discovered and the fright she endured.

"Please do not mind Jo. He meant no harm. He and his bird share the same brain. Each has half of it in their head and they were only fighting to see who got to have a thought first. She says squatting down and holding out her hand to the girls.

"My name is Ameiko. The air is crisp and you are underdressed. Please join me by the fire. We have warm food if you are interested."

The older girl nods but remains silent. They both give a wide birth to Jo and the bird as they follow Ameiko to the fire.

[ameiko]

After the party eats dinner, Ameiko invites the two to stay in her tent for the night. She leaves her continual flame out all night to ease the younger girls spirits. She changes her watch to the third shift in order talk to the older girl.

In the morning, Ameiko calls the entire group over. "I have spoken to Janie and her young friend and I have decided that, due to her circumstances, she will continue traveling with us until at least Kalsgard. We will assess the situation again before we leave that city. Do you have any questions or concerns?"

(DM: Jo. the younger child will add +1 to any non combat role for the caravan. Janie is willing to help out and "pay her way" so to speak and can be trained in any caravan role where you already have at least one traveler to at least train her.)

[girdnas]

Jo would ask what their "situation" is exactly?

What is the child's name?

He would also have disappeared after the incident, but when the girls head to their beds that night, they will see his dodo watching them from between the wagons. When they wake up there is a "flower" made of tiny feathers on their pillows that could be used as a decoration for hair or clothing. There is a dead bug of some harmless but ugly kind on Ameiko's. It easily could have just crawled over and died while she slept...

Janie would most help us by serving as an Entertainer, under Ameiko's tutelage.

I have to point out that these two put us over our Traveler Capacity, even with 4 wagons...we were already at max. Did everyone get the PDF of the Caravan Sheet I sent out a week or two ago?

[ameiko]

(DM: lol I have not thought of the squirts name yet... let's go with... Annie... because she's an orphan.. and she is little... also, was the cap still over with the +1 traveler per covered wagon I gave ? Also, Ameiko starts to take Janie under her wing and train her on playing an instrament and singing.. she is a natural!)

While the girls are not around, Ameiko will tell bit of what she knows. "The girls were from the small orphanage is stratta. She claims that the headmaster constantly visited the children in their rooms at night for his sick desires. Janie was his favorite as she tended to protect the other children. She went to the local sheriff but they would never believe her as the man was very powerful in the town. The night before she left, Janie heard the muffled cries from Annies room. She snapped, took a knife and gutted the headmaster. If she stayed in Stratta, she would have been executed for murder. They are both very scared at the moment so please try your best to make them feel welcome."

[Wedge]

I can start teaching Janie to use a knife (or dagger or short sword). I'll try to get the details on how she killed the headmaster.

[Wakko]

I can entertain Annie with my puppet show, or teach her Tian. On some nights, I may appear to the younger one in my fox form.

[Bella]

It would take an additional two days, but the story you hear would be below.

Hearing the cries from Little Orphan Annie's room, Janie finally snapped. She ran down to the kitchen and Janie got a kitchen knife. Running back upstairs, she slammed into the room, jumped on the headmasters back, used her arm to pull the shocked mans head back and started to repeadidly stab him whereever the knife wanted to go. She tried to move the body but was not strong enough. She grabbed the hand of the hysterical Annie and ran out of the room past the cracked doors of the other students as they peaked out.

She ran to the lake and tried the rest of the night to wash the blood off. They stole some clothes to change into (none of which fit properly), and attempted to sneak back into towm. She got scared when she saw the sherriff leaving the orphanage. Her and Annie jumped into your wagon to hide and try to get out of town.

The rest you know.

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