Nodding, Divok knew all too well that he would need to rest also. "Tomorrow then, when we have had a chance to sleep?"

"Patrol is not the kind of adventure we came to do. I think I leave now for hunting bigger game. Was good group, though. We thank."

-> to Jessop

Looks like Sovok and Walter are keen to go again. I'm happy to try with 3 members.

The three of you who remain together set out for another patrol. As you round the southeast watchtower, you see smoke in the direction of the road to Amelakia, not far from the town.

"Interesting. I wonder if it's a campfire or the act of somebody attacking a roadside caravan and burning it!" says Divok excitedly. "Come on, lets go find out!" he adds, and he has a spring in his step as he starts to run on over towards the direction of the fire.

Walter is right there with Divok, heading toward the source of the smoke. "I wonder what it could be!" He exclaims, matching the druid's enthusiasm, faced with the opportunity to discover something new and exciting.

Sovok?

Sovok strides along with the others, readying his Maul to his hand as he moves.

As you get closer, you see that the smoke rises from a burning wagon in the middle of the road.

Divok had expected this, but he wasn't prepared mentally for potentially finding a dead burning corpse in the wreckage. He mentally communicated with Sovok. "You take the left, I'll take the right." he projected, and he found himself approaching from an angle to the right as he raced forward.

Just making sure sovok and Walter are still here :)

Sovok moved in from the left, his great hammer ready to smash anything foolish enough to challenge him.

Walter hung a little back from his two new friends as they flanked to either side, keeping ready in case something would reveal itself to be a threat.

The wagon is tipped over in the middle of the road, and still burning. Around it, you see a number of dead bodies: a horse, caught in the blaze of the wagon it is still tethered to; A human man, in scorched robes, his staff lying broken and charred at his side; Four strange humanoids, with lizard-like features, but bright red skin rather than scales.

Divok wasn't familiar with these creatures, but he knew that if they had attacked the man in the wagon it was highly unlikely that they would be friendly. Keeping to the trees, he attempted to get closer before unleashing a whip of thorns at the closest one.

HP: 15/15 | AC: 13 | Spd: 30ft. | Wildshape (BA) 2/2 (SR)|
Spell Slots: | Druid(1) | 3/3 |
Action: Thorn Whip hits AC 13 for 3 damage | Move:  Closer to within 30' of lizards  | Bonus: N/A
07:39, Today: Divok Gezaha rolled 13 using 1d20+1.  Initiative. – [roll=1625614798.09145.356698]
07:39, Today: Divok Gezaha rolled 3 using 1d6.  Damage. – [roll=1625614779.31471.356698]
07:38, Today: Divok Gezaha rolled 13 using 1d20+4.  Thorn Whip. – [roll=1625614709.82035.356698]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:43, Tue 06 July 2021.

The humanoids are already dead. Based on where the bodies lie, it looks as though they died fighting the man.

Divok advances, curious to see if there might be any chance of saving the man.

He too, is dead. His robes and flesh alike are battered, torn and burned. The leather satchel hanging from his neck fared a bit better, though it, too, has holes scorched into it. Coins, broken glass, and some spilled liquid are free to spill where they will, though something larger can be glimpsed inside. The other dead creatures still grasp broken iron bars. In the burning wagon, you can see five cages, warped by the heat and broken. Five cages, all empty.

This was all quite strange. Divok wondered if the cages had once held these lizards captive for some kind of circus show or even for sale to unscrupulous bidders. The fact that five of the cages were open, but only four dead creatures were around the man spoke of the potential for one to be still alive. It could be leaving to try to survive, or it could head into the settlement to look for food. Either could be bad.

"Let's take the satchel for now. The fire should hopefully take care of the bodies and the possibility of scavengers reduced, but I think one might be loose still." he says mentally to Sovok.

Divok starts to closely inspect the area to see if he can find tracks at all.

07:25, Today: Divok Gezaha rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Survival. – [roll=1625700318.46393.356698]

Walter also surveyed the scene with astonished eyes. Oblivious to any possible threat from anything and everything he tried to soak in all he saw. Idly he mused to his companions. "What do you think happened here?" He made his way closer to inspect the dead bodies with a morbid fascination.

More coins and glass spill out of the satchel, as well as a sour smelling red liquid, which doesn't seem to melt. It would seem that there had been a healing potion in the bag, but it had been broken during the fight. A trail of melted snow, now frozen into ice, leads away from the road, into the woods to the northwest. You can follow it effortlessly.

"Makes sense to keep the remains of that healing potion in a new jar or bottle if anybody has a spare." suggests Divok. He doesn't have the tools for such a task. "It looks like the survivor went this way though. If we are reasonably quick we could catch up to it."

He looks at the coins on the floor. "I think I'll just take some of these though." he says with a grin on his face.

Walter nods eagerly as he spies the path heading off in the distance. "Let's go." He moves along the iced path.

Sovok follows the others, his massive maul ready for conflict.

Frustrated at the lack of a potion bottle going spare, Divok empties his waterskin and scoops up the frozen potion before he heads off to track the fleeing enemy.