Through the Veil of Madness: Dungeons and Dragons Game

[Jonas]

The village of Esk is situated along the Sun Road. This small to mid-sized hamlet has been mostly unchanged since the fall of Nerath. It subsits primarily through farming and making trade with those who choose to take the longer Sun Road over the shorter—but more bandit-riddled—Moon Road. One of the more curious traditions in Esk is that every villager has at one point in their life taken up adventuring as pseudo rite of passage. These stints last anywhere from a week to a month before the villager returns, regales friends and family with stories, and then settles down. A side-effect of this tradition is that Esk’s inhabitants have a cordial respect for any adventurers who happen to pass through. While this does not translate into villagers going out of their way to offer help, it does mean that they offer a healthy respect to any adventurers who happen to pass through. This is where your story begins.

Benden Hathrow, a local farmer, has been suffering these past months. His chickens keep dying. On random days—but no more than once each week—he would find portions of his flock dead on the barn floor. There is no apparent physical cause and arcane interference has been both theorized and disproven. Fortunately, Benden has other livestock and crops to sell so the loss of chickens is not putting his livelihood at risk. However, in the past two weeks the number of losses has almost doubled, causing concern. Hathrow has circulated a call for help among nearby villages.

Perhaps you are a resident of Esk getting ready to go out on your own coming-of-age adventure. Maybe you are in need of quick money and were in one of the outlying villages when Hathrow’s plea reached your ears. You might owe Hathrow a favour. It might even be possible that you just didn’t have anything better to do. Whatever the cause, each of you has decided to help Benden Hathrow find and stop whatever is killing his chickens.

You are outside Benden’s barn, and the farmer has just finished relaying the basics of his situation (the second paragraph). Feel free to ask for details or look around. This will let you all get a feel for each other.

One last thing. For this encounter only, I am requiring all of you to type your posts in third-person. This is to help you all get used to each others’ names and appearances.

Now then, what do you do?

[Dragyn]

The Monks of the Order of the Stone Fist hold that helping others is an ideal way with which to train their bodies, and therefore help to attain perfection of the mind.

As a wandering monk of said order, Aroth Blitz has wandered into Esk in search of a person in need.  It wasn't long after arriving he heard of Farmer Hathrow's requests for help.

He now stands in front of the barn. ((I asssume the Farmer is here, as well))  He stands slightly taller than the farmer, though he is built broadly, his wolflike features made all the more apparent by the contrast.

Adjusting the spear tucked between his loose shirt and backpack, he crosses his arms across his chest, and looks around, observing his allies in this venture.

[Digital Vulpine]

Dexter looks around at the others, a patched, worn cloak concealing much of his slight frame.  Quite aware that he's the shortest in the group bar the dwarf, he stands with his back a little more rigid than he normally would.  He keeps his distance from the minotaur, though trying to avoid making it look like he does so on purpose, as he'd rather not let on that he finds it unnerving.  Though the wolf creature is unusual, at least it's not nearly so massive.

A local, good friend, and customer of Benden's, he felt that it was only right to help out a neighbor in need.  Besides which if the chickens kept disappearing like that, Benden might have to start charging more for eggs, and that would be mighty inconvenient.  The longbow strung across his back indicates his status as a volunteer in the militia, though he has never actually been called into service.

[William Swiftfoot]

Alexander looks at the situation and ponders. A Gleaner of Esk in his off-time, such perils affecting a farm of the town troubles him. The forest green sash of his tunic blew in the wind, as he rubbed his chin. With the farmer permission, he began to look over the chicken coop to try to figure out how the chickens have died.

[Jonas]

Alexander: Benden has kept the most recent victims and shows you the dead chickens. There is no sign of physical trauma.

"I had Jules Dire take a looker when he last passed though--the mage who lives up the road. He couldn't find any arcane meddlin' either." The farmer says with a dejected sigh. "This'd all be lot less troublin' if I actually knew what was doing the damn thing."

One odd note: despite having died almost a week ago, the chicken shows no signs of decay.

[Digital Vulpine]

Dexter strokes his chin with one hand and looks at the chickens Benden brought out.

"That's curious alright.  They don't have the looks of something that suffered a plague either.  Might they have gotten into some poisons?  I reckon some of those wouldn't leave too much sign of what's done it."

After looking around some more he asks,

"Is there any place where they seemed to die most often?"

[William Swiftfoot]

"Have there been any reports of ghasts or other meddiling spirits around?" Alexander asks as he looks over the chicken to see if he can determine the physical cause of death.

[Geary]

Zen'Ral stood, like a statue, with a small white book, an unrecognizable symbol on the front. He held his spear in his right hand, his book in his left, and a tan robe over the leather armor he wore for protection. He watched astutely as the chickens were being brought out, calmly flipping to a specific page in his book before speaking up, reciting an excerpt from the passage. "As I gazed upon the villagers, forced between the boundary of life and death, sorrow overwhelmed me. Their figures posed in every day activities, and their expressions of joy and satisfaction, they were frozen in time and could never thaw out. Even though no stench of it remained, this was clearly the work of the wicked. Of that, I have no doubt."

[Tvorsk]

(( I hope this is all right with you, Jonas? ))

"Ista, I am going! Right through this door!" - a voice sounded from Benden's house, followed by a startled woman's shout. A tall (tho not nearly as tall as some of the other adventurers) fox-like being ran outside holding his belongings, chased by "How do you DARE to push me aside?!" and an empty pot.

Rynvoor dodgded skillfully and approached the group in slight haste.

"I'm going with them, Benden", he said to the farmer. "I'm all right now, and I owe you more than this after how you and your" - he made a quick look towards the house - "amazingly considerate wife helped me..."

He grinned showing quite a lot of teeth, and added "Besides, I couldn't stand you running out of poultry."

Then, realizing he's just in pants and own fur, he snickered and started putting on his scale armor. It seems like it was recently repaired, some parts of it looking much newer than others.

(( Btw, is it assumed that everyone else in the adventurer's pack already knows each other? ))

[Jonas]

((everyone should be aware of each other's names and the basic reasons they have for helping Benden.))

Benden scratches his head. "Haven't had any ghasts or such 'round this area in years. Big church march cleaned out the surrounding hills and everything. You all are welcome ta take a look in the barn if you think there's a creature responsibel though. I've given it what looks I can but maybe there'll be something I missed?"

He pauses as Rynvoor shoots out of the house. "Oh, glad you could join us. If you'd like to start earning your tail around here then now's as good a time as any."

[William Swiftfoot]

"A scouting of the barn this nightfall sounds like a good idea. Hopefully even prevent more issues." Alexander says as he continues to examine the chicken corpse.

[Dragyn]

Aroth takes the rising commotion without comment.  He nods briefly at Alexander's assessment, affirming his agreement with it.

((No, Aroth's not a silent monk, but he is a somewhat quiet one.  I've had fun playing silent monks before, but I want to try one that is just reserved, rather than sworn to silence.))

[Digital Vulpine]

Dexter nods as well and looks toward Rynvoor.

"Good to have you with us, Ryn.  Looks like we're going nowhere for now though, we're going to be on watch tonight.  We'll arrange shifts, but one thing, Ben; it's important that you do everything just as you've been doing, so it's easier to see where things go wrong and if someone or something is involved, we don't tip them off."

[PrincessToyTime]

(By the way guys if this is allowed I am a Gray fox, I believe Jonas told me it was alright).  

A stout, short, tough male Fox clad in chainmail armor stands before the farmer. "I come from a military school who believes assisting those in need and helping your fellow man comes first! I will gladly lend you my aid Benson!" As he salutes to him. "We will do whatever we can to help!" as he finishes with a warm grin.

[Tvorsk]

The latecomer grinned to the cloaked ranger, "Well, I'm happy to be here too... especially after Ista decided this morning that I should stay in the guest bed after that wyvern accident for another few days."

As the shorter vulpine snapped out his words, Ryn's ears perked... he then looked in the voice's direction and tilted his head.
"Really weird guy for a Gray... to undertake war studies like this...", he thought, then sighed. "Ehh... probably just what he thinks seeing someone like me not in a magician's robes... and he's definitely having the right attitude for the military... up to and including mixing up names."