SG #2: A Turn for the Worse

Jessica Windrivver walked quietly along side the oxen pulled carts deep in thought, even though it was not clear what she was thinking about, but it was very obvious that she was feeling the weight of her thoughts. The way her eyes glared vacantly in front of her with the occasional movement from side to side looked like she was desperately searching for the answer to a very perplexing puzzle that she was asking herself.

Only really Neville, the human Wizard, noticed this as he passed by the intersection of the carts on the opposite from Jessica. Why he didn't mention this to the others before he left is one of those unanswerable questions; perhaps it was out of respect to her privacy or just him not caring. Either way, if he had said something before leaving, it might have meant Jessica was more focused for what was about to come.

Rather than continue with this job, Neville decided to call it quits, tired of Killick Kahn's never ending stories of how he was orphaned as a boy. He began walking back the way they had just traveled passing the end of the carts and his travel companion, Mad Man Mark.

"Where are you going?" Mad Man Mark shouted after him. "Neville?"

Without a word Neville continued walking away, torn between loyalty to his friend or see the task he agreed to do through to the end, Mad Man Mark took out his purse of 75 Gold Pieces Jessica had paid the travellers to transport the mining gear to Phandalin. As he stopped to look at the coins the carts begin to pull away from him. Mad Man Mark looked up from the coins to see his friend walking one way and the carts going the other. With a deep breath, Mad Man Mark clenches his fist around the purse and runs towards the carts. With a light toss he throws the purse onto the back of the rear cart. Shaking his head, Mad Man Mark catches up to Neville, leaving them to disappear along the High Road as the carts with our other travelers veer off to on to Tribor trail that heads East through the Never Winter woods straight to Phandalin.

The Tribor Trail is a route that is well known along the western coast of Faûren for being a quick way to get to the East; however, more often than not people choose to ignore it. This is mainly due to its being infamous for the crooks and criminals that like to ambush unsuspecting travelers to take their loot. Even though it is well known, many people avoid talking about it because it can lead to fierce debate because of the frontier town of Phandalin that lies mid-way along it. Many argue that it is a town ridden with criminals and will only add to the problems the trail faces whereas others argue the opposite; building a town with families and good people in it will allow more policing of the trail, helping solve the problem. Either way it was only a question time could answer and for now the only option was to remain vigilant along its path.

It was clear that no one had been traveling along the dirt road in some time as grass was beginning to fill in any tracks that had once been made. With that said the road remained reasonable smooth for our travelers. With Neville out of the seat at the front of the carts Demelisa had hastily taken advantage of the opportunity to take his spot and help with the reins of the oxen. For Killick this was great as he got to re-tell his tale of being orphaned once again. Demelisa kindly nodded along to his tale, accepting this as the cost for taking up the seat; for her it was better than trying to keep up with the carts on foot with her half-ling height.

“There looks to be a sharp turn ahead,” shouted the monk Thero, who walked slightly ahead of the oxen.

A short distance a head of the carts the path slowly began to narrow towards the corner with the woods thickening on either side making it near impossible to see beyond 10 feet into the tree line. Feeling a need to be cautious, Demelisa tried to bring the carts to a stop. However, her little experience with animals showed as she tugged the reins of the carts resulting in the oxen jolting forward at a higher speed.

Ragnar the druid, who earlier that day was having a pleasant conversation with the cows, suddenly found himself rolling on the ground as the oxen charged past. At first, he thought he might have offended them with something he said, but quickly he spotted Demelisa and Killick struggling on the reins to slow down the oxen giving him a brief sense of relief.

The sudden movement of the carts was not appreciated by the others who were on top of them. Most only felt a rough jolt waking them from any thoughts they may have been having; however, the Elfish Ranger, Ralnar, took a solid blow. Too busy watching the woods, he lost his footing in the rear cart causing him to fall, slamming his head onto the corner of one of the boxes they were transporting, leaving him unconscious. Reagyn, a purple skinned Tiefling who had been sitting in the rear cart, quickly checked the severity of his wound. After a quick inspection she just let go of his head without a care saying, “He’ll live.”

Jessica, who stood next to the carts, found herself knocked to her knees by the rear cart slamming into her shoulder, dislocating it. As she tried to get back to her feet she instantly felt the agonizing pain of her shoulder, realizing the problem. Rather than showing the pain it was causing her, Jessica just took a deep breath in, allowing her to slowly climb back to her feet in time for Selina to arrive. Before the pink skinned elf can see how Jessica is, she takes her uninjured arm and slams it into her dislocated shoulder. With a loud pop, Jessica is able to move her left arm again. Selina just stares at Jessica, who looks unamused with the chaos that is happening.

All the while this is happening, Thero, who nears the bend, has noticed on either side of the tracks steep embankments starting to form. Crouching as low as he could, Thero made his way into the left embankment, using it for cover as he went around the sharp bend in the road. Cautiously he peeked over the edge of the embankment, looking to see what would await them if they had just gone straight round. About 100 feet from the turn lies a horse struggling to get back up onto its feet. Hoping to use a stealthily approach in case it was a trap, he continued along the embankment; however, after a few paces forward, Thero finds his attention drawn back towards the bend where he can here the yelling of Killick and Demelisa.

On the cart, the two struggle for control of the oxen, arguing over how you are meant to make them stop. Their voices echo throughout the woods, killing any element of surprise they might have had. Juan the one armed bard was enjoying the ride very much, but growing weary of the arguing, decided to step in by reaching over the two of them and giving the reins a very light tug. His gentle touch brings the oxen to a natural stop just before the bend. Smiling proudly, Juan climbs out of the front cart, making his way to the bend.

Palming his face, Thero turns his attention back to the struggling black horse. Something seems to be moving underneath it, moving a little closer, only spotting some sort of pink frilly night gown. Not entirely clear as to why, he thinks to himself that underneath the horse could be an old woman….

With one of the team unconscious and two venturing off on their own, the travellers feel things may be taking a turn for the worse.

Come back next time to see how the story unfolds!