D&D Game 1 - Session 5

DM:
You fasten down your equipment as best you can. Sticking to the
taller grass, you feel as if your presence will go unnoticed.

Darby:
I'm going to take the worn mountain footpath towards the fields.

DM:
Weeds and wildflowers have flourished among the crops. Fruit trees, herbs and grain
grow from wide earthen steps carved into the mountain. The wind swells behind you,
carrying dandelion tufts on the breeze into the bright blue sky above."

A fermented sour smell hangs in the air. The softened mush of rotten apples collects
beneath the trees, currently being feasted on by honey bees. You notice a ladybug,
clinging to your tunic sleeve. Gently, you free yourself from the clinging insect, setting
them down on a nearby blade of grass. The ladybug, swivels, slightly confused about
the new place it finds itself in. You stand up, dusting off your hands.

Darby:

INVESTIGATION (DC 13) "I'll have a look around for anything useful."
Int mod +0
Result of dice roll	2

DM:
Looking around the terraced fields, you do not find any items or tools
of use. Determined not to leave empty handed, you turn your
attention to the crops, hoping to find a nice meal. You pick some odds
and ends, storing them in your pack for later. Add one ration to your
inventory.

you see a stream and barn.

Darby:
Added ration.
I go to the barn.

DM

A chicken meanders between the paddock's fence posts, occasionally pecking at
stray bits of straw. The barn doors, painted a bright blue, are splayed open before you.

You walk to edge of the barnyard, leaning on a fence post as you look out over the
grounds. Not far from the temple's entrance, on the other side of the mountain
stream, you see a metal vault door guarding the mouth of a cavern. For a moment,
you could have sworn you saw something moving down there. Your eye is drawn by a
single plume of dark smoke, rising from somewhere off to your right.
You can smell it now. The scent of burnt wood carries faintly on the breeze. Passed
the cloud of fog, you see what remains of a merchant caravan smashed against the far
valley wall. Smoke curls up from behind one of the broken carts. "Is that a campfire?"
The smoke stops, as if the flames had suddenly run out of fuel or had been smothered
out. Noting what you have seen so far, you turn your attention to the open barn.
Slowly you creep up to the barn door, peeking inside. You breathe a sigh of relief
seeing that the barn is empty. "Bw-Bwak!" The chicken's shriek nearly frightens you
half to death. Glaring at the chicken, you take a moment to recollect yourself. Slightly
embarrassed, you circle around to the back of the building. You find a chicken coop
built to look like a fairytale cottage. You feel a little jealous of the chickens.

Darby:
use ANIMAL HANDLING
(DC 13) "Oh, hello! Could I please pet you little chicken?" Wis +2 mod
I roll a 19 - success!

DM:
You beckon the chicken over, clucking gently at her. The chicken,
keeping its distance at first, slowly approaches you. Deeming you not
a threat, the chicken settles in the dirt next to you. Finally you may
bask in the glory of the chicken's soft feathers. 

Darby:
use PERCEPTION (DC 15) "I wonder what I can see from up here." wis +2 mod
I roll a 12, +2 = 14... failed

DM:
Looking over the familiar scene, you notice a green spire, barely
breaching the fog's surface. Its faint glow shines like a lighthouse
above the cloud.

Darby:
Try INVESTIGATION (DC 15) "I'll see if there's anything good left behind." int +0 mod
Sigh, I roll a 14... barely fail

DM:
You pull the doors open, shedding light inside the barn. The stalls
have all been unlocked and opened. All you find is an old pitchfork
(improvised weapon) lying on the ground.

Darby:
I take the pitchfork
I'm going to look around again to see what I can see from here.
I roll a 20

DM:
Looking over the familiar scene, you notice a green spire, barely
breaching the fog's surface. Its faint glow shines like a lighthouse
above the cloud. Smoke draws your attention again, this time towards
the metal vault door. Someone has made a fire among the rocks.

Darby:
I'm going to Return to the terraced fields. 

DM:
A fermented sour smell hangs in the air. 

Darby:
I'm going to go to the mountain stream.

DM:
"A waterfall cuts through the mountain ridge, cascading down into the stream below.
The only crossing, an old wooden bridge, has collapsed. Jagged moss covered stones fill
the stream bed, making any attempt to cross a treacherous endeavor."

The bridge had been carved from a contorted white barked tree. Budding twigs of
yellow leaves have sprung from its crumbling stone foundation. On the other side of
the stream, a winding narrow path climbs up the valley wall towards a cavern
entrance at the top. You can faintly hear the sound of a hammer striking metal over
the burbling stream. It seems to originate from somewhere inside the cave.