14:40, Today: JACK rolled 22 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 16. Survival.

You easily pick the trail back up a little downstream on the other side of the bank about five minutes later. As you are walking, you notice the soldier's tracks meet up with a small foot-path made up almost entirely of goblin tracks.

The soldier's ropes are laying on the ground here, cut. There is no blood. It looks as if they all proceeded back north a along this footpath. The forest obscures everything around you after about 60-70'.

It is now 4:45pm. The sun is beginning to hang low in the sky.

...damn. Jack continues on, carefully. He wants to see what's going on.

You proceed for 15 minutes. The path is easily followed, but does not end.

How long would you like to continue?

I know this is probably a bad idea, but I'm curious now >.>

An hour, then.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:57, Tue 22 Feb 2011.

DAI is seeming somewhat restless...he looks to ZEIG on his words, before pacing a little more.

"If we were to go after him...let's face it, none of us could track him if he left the road...and it's been hours...perhaps we should just set up camp here to wait?"

He was obviously slightly uncomfortable standing still but...made it clear leaving now could possibly be worse for their chances of actually metting up with JACK again.

Zeig becomes more and more agitated, long since abandoning any attempts at occupying himself with arranging the nearby rocks and twigs.

"...I suppose it's all we can do."

"...Jack you idiot...just let the forest have him."

Vil paces back and forth, his weapon in his hand rather than in his sheath.

JACK follows the path. He attempts to both hide parts of his body as he follows the path as well as quiet his footsteps. Move Silently / Hide checks are always hidden, always, and your characters always assume they are doing their best.

JACK maintains his slow, careful course while keeping an eye on the tracks. The path he's on merges with a few others to make a slightly larger path. Up ahead, in the dimming daylight, he thinks he sees palisade-style walls, although somewhat crude. He has yet to see any actual goblins or other creatures.

The main group of the party remains waiting on the road to the south. It is now clear camp will have to be made within the forest itself, and the sooner the better. The stench of rotting spider corpses has caused them to move further upwind (south) by about 100'.

It is now roughly 5:45pm.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:45, Wed 23 Feb 2011.

"...Fuck. He's really going far." Jack looks back the way he came, before continuing on determinedly.

The crazy adventures of JACK:
[Private to JACK: You continue to creep up to the palisades. The forest around this place is much, much more thick than it was along the road. As you get closer, you notice several things.

The palisades are about 8 feet tall and are fairly tightly bound together and seem to be very firmly set in the ground. There is a path all around the outside of the wall. Up and to your left is a crudely constructed tower with a platform on top. You look down the wall to your right and find another tower, with another platform on top of it. On top of that platform is a goblin pointing at you.

You then hear shouting--lots of goblins shouting.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:58, Wed 23 Feb 2011.

00:01, Today: JACK rolled 11 using 1d20 with rolls of 11. spot.

Can I see the missing guard?

The crazy adventures of JACK:
[Private to JACK: No, you cannot see the guard on either one of the towers or above the palasade walls or in the forest around you.

several goblins are crawling up ladders to the towers now. Most of them have javelins, some of them have small crossbows.]

All right, it's time for me to book it.

Jack starts running full speed back the way he came.

It is now 6:30pm. The sun is almost down. Roland makes a comment about the party's stupidity to camp in the forest.

[Private to JACK: A couple of javelins land at your feet as you turn to run. As you run back towards the river, for a short while you can hear many, many goblins running behind you on the path.

You manage to outrun them, most likely. You make it back to the road, and begin to move as quickly as you can back towards the party.

Roll a Spot check.]

00:33, Today: JACK rolled 14 using 1d20 with rolls of 14. Spot.

Zeig visibly shakes under the effort of restraining himself.

If we haven't set up camp already I definitely start now.

Sara suggests using two tents. One would have been fine, but JACK might show back up. Hopefully they conceal the party's location from anything in the forest and allow everyone to get some rest.

Zeig nods and gets to work setting up a tent, anything for a distraction.

DAI moves to set up the second, following Sara's advice. He is visibly worried about JACk's absence, on Roland's comment he pauses a moment before looking over, and sending an icy, wordless glare from under his veil in an attempt to shut him up, before going back to setting up the tent immediately.

22:20, Today: DAI rolled 14 using 1d20-1. Intimidate (worth a shot?).

OOC: Not...as bad as I was expecting...also making me realize I think I want to take some cross-class ranks in intimidate later on...but that's just because I'm a black mage...scaring people comes with the job title >.>

Roland seems to be a little apprehensive about speaking a whole lot more and pushing his luck.

[Private to DAI: You get 4+INT skill points as a Black Wizard, by the way, allowing you to shore up any skills you might neglect earlier on. Not to mention at level 8 (assuming you go INT at 4 and 8) you start getting one more skill point a level from there on as well.]

Both of the tents are now set up.

While tents block out sight, sound, and scent to the outside world, you can still hear quite well inside of them, as well as observe shadows outside. If someone remains awake you should be able to hear things poking around outside basically as well as you could otherwise.

Sara suggests VIL, ZEIG, and DAI keep watch in one tent over the guards. She will stay in the other and hopefully await JACK. Roland and the other guard have no complaints, and seem to be willing to be drug into one of the tents as quickly as possible.

"Sara, the last time we left you this whole mess started.  I'd never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you.  Dai, you don't mind keeping Sara company, do you?"

Zeig is noticeably tense, but tries to reassure the group.

"Jack will be here, it won't be too long now.  I'll take first watch."

DAI nods at Sara's words, VIL and ZEIG might be able to sense some unease in him but, he tries to hide it. He drags Roland into the tent, staring daggers into the back of his head as he does so.

OOC: It worked? >.> Awesome...

"I'll be right next to you in the other tent. If you want, we can all stay with the guards until JACK arrives."

ZEIG's comment made DAI freeze for a second, before he started busying himself with checking his gear. Sara's offer was met with a silent nod, as DAI merely looked down at the scroll he had found earlier...he seemed to be deep in thought.