Scene VII: The Scorned Path (Scum on the Trail)

[Stormbringer]

Having abandoned the wreckage of the downed balloon, the Bean Bunch mounts their bicycles (Cumflutter and Doc having put their respective pets in their saddlebags) and begins pedalling down the trail that connects Palace to Groutbight Docks, known as The Scorned Path.

The seven-hundred-mile journey to Groutbight will take roughly two weeks, and the gang is ill-supplied for the wilderness, so they will have to forage and hunt game along the trail.

Half-way between Palace and Groutbight you know there's a little town called Hopeful Creek. You believe this is your only hope for re-supply and proper rest...but you've got to make it through a gruelling seven days of sleeping rough with no camping equipment (save some means to light a fire), no food, and little water, so foraging and living off the land will be essential...

After the adventure in Palace, the narrow escape in a balloon, and surviving the storm, the Bean Bunch are hungry, thirsty, tired and thoroughly worn out. The day is drawing to a close. The gang will need to eat, drink and sleep. You still have water in your canteens, sufficient for today, but no food.

PCs may do the following events this evening:

1. Hunt (for fresh meat; the bigger the game, the more food for everyone)
2. Forage (find d4 food rations [berries, etc.] OR a source of water)
3. Alternatively, you could agree to butcher Rufus and not worry about finding food... ¬_¬

Anyone who hunts or forages needs to take a WITS test...

[Wrathbone]

I think water is the priority, so I’ll forage for it:

19 + 2 = 21

Incidentally, while we’re on the road I’ll ride next to Doc, who materialised from a dog, and sheepishly ask “You a demon?”

[Sly Boots]

Doc covers his moment of fluster with a harrumph. "Well, ah... you see..." he eventually begins. "Well, when you're as experienced a medical man as I, you don't limit yourself to only the common practices of what we call, uh, civilised medicine. It just so happens, that in my travels I took it upon myself to seek out the ancient wisdom of the native peoples of this land. Who... uh... have mastered the ability of what you layman might refer to as transformational energy. That is... uh... to say that after many years of study under their most learned shamans, I have acquired the ability to transform my physical body into that of my... um... spirit animal.

"Now that can take many forms," he continues, warming to his theme. "An eagle, perhaps, or a wildcat. In my case, that happens to be a canine. And so, through focusing my skill through a suitable, er, foci, such as this stone tablet here, and speaking aloud the correct incantation, I can change into the form you saw today. It takes a lot out of me, though, so it's something I can do only so often. Ahem."

In case it's not obvious, Doc here is using his Bluster ability, so that's a 3 and a 16 on the 2d20 (so 2 and 15 for Wits) to see if anyone actually believes him

[Wrathbone]

CK understands nothing about this. He's a meat and potatoes man, and will thus blame what he witnessed on his overuse of laudanum.

[Sly Boots]

As for his camp activity, Doc will take Jinx out hunting for game.

Only an 8 (9-1) on the Wits roll, though. Not sure if taking Jinx out might confer any kind of boost to that roll?

[Sly Boots]

CK understands nothing about this. He's a meat and potatoes man, and will thus blame what he witnessed on his overuse of laudanum.

[Animalmother]

Cumflutter announces to nobody in particular that he'll shoot any man dead that tries to eat Rufus. He'll bring the pig on a food forage and use his powerful snout to find berries and edible roots.

3 + 2 on a D4

[Mantis]

Scrancher hears the Doc's tale and wants to use his "You ain't foolin nobody" skill to suss out the veracity of it.

2 and a 16 (-2)

[Animalmother]

Probably a bit late to suggest it now, but we could have made a tent or tents from the remains of the balloon.

[Stormbringer]

Probably a bit late to suggest it now, but we could have made a tent or tents from the remains of the balloon.

That's actually an excellent idea.

Everyone make a WITS test to see if you can make a portable, useful, four-person tent out of the balloon remains.

[Stormbringer]

Scrancher hears the Doc's tale and wants to use his "You ain't foolin nobody" skill to suss out the veracity of it.

2 and a 16 (-2)

You see right through Doc's story and you know he just found that tablet in an outhouse this morning.

[Stormbringer]

I think water is the priority, so I’ll forage for it:

19 + 2 = 21

You find a nearby spring of fresh water.

[Stormbringer]

As for his camp activity, Doc will take Jinx out hunting for game.

Only an 8 (9-1) on the Wits roll, though. Not sure if taking Jinx out might confer any kind of boost to that roll?

I'll allow Jinx to give you a -2 DR on it...but in this case that's still not enough. You do have an Ace if you wish to re-roll it?

In either case, pass or fail, you still roll me a d8+3...

[Sly Boots]

Scrancher hears the Doc's tale and wants to use his "You ain't foolin nobody" skill to suss out the veracity of it.

2 and a 16 (-2)

You see right through Doc's story and you know he just found that tablet in an outhouse this morning.

[Sly Boots]

As for his camp activity, Doc will take Jinx out hunting for game.

Only an 8 (9-1) on the Wits roll, though. Not sure if taking Jinx out might confer any kind of boost to that roll?

I'll allow Jinx to give you a -2 DR on it...but in this case that's still not enough. You do have an Ace if you wish to re-roll it?

In either case, pass or fail, you still roll me a d8+3...

I'll use an ace, feels like finding food might be quite important... ¬_¬

That's a 13 on the die, so 12 for Wits.

That's a 4 on the d8, so 7 total.

For the balloon salvage roll, that's 16 so 15 for Doc.