[RP Story] Van Leader's Log

On the morning of the 15th day in the 7th month we gathered in Shadowprey village just as the Trolls finished securing their wagon which will join our caravan to be dropped off at their village in the Stonetalon mountains. Soon after, my crew completed the loading of one of our wagons half full of fetishes, mojos, and other Troll related bobbles of which the Forsaken might have use of. The other half is planned to be filled with the loot of the long road. Our other wagon is left empty for the Azerite cargo I have arranged to pick up. The hired protection showed up before completion and I recorded their names for this caravan log. Aerril, a fellow Deathknight; Ellison, an axe wielding Hunter; Rudis, a Rogue in every sense of the word; Tombskulker, a Hunter with an undead raven and hound; Ahmanette, a Priest and fishmonger. Tombskulker offered to drive the half-loaded wagon in the rear, the Trolls took the middle, and I was on point in the empty one. Aerril and Ellison protected the rear, Ahmanette and Rudis protected the lead. With the assignments made we were ready to depart, it was fewer help than I had hoped, but I was thankful none the less. The caravan moved out of the village without fanfare and onto adventure.

On the road we first came into view of the Gilklis clan centaur. There was no threat from them so close to the village, but I dare not take the caravan on the open plain for they might take the opportunity. Next we came upon a signpost pointing up the bluff where a small Alliance outpost keeps watch over Horde activities in the area. I stopped the caravan and proposed we raid the outpost for two reasons. Firstly, because Alliance armor and weapons are better than any other which we might loot along the way. Secondly, because I didn’t want our caravan to be reported and some Alliance opportunist hears of us and decides we are easy pickings. Rudis offered to scout the outpost to gauge their strength, he reported two venders, a guard, and a flightmaster. He also came back with a music box which I added to the inventory before asking the others if we should move on or raid. The majority decided to move on, they made a good point that it would take all the protectors and that would leave the caravan vulnerable to centaur attack. I Just hope my concerns for leaving them alone won’t come true.

After the short stop we continued and soon enough we were entering the demon inhabited ruins. Though it was dangerous, it was the safer option, and the road stayed on the edge which allowed us to avoid the thickest part. As we got deep enough where the darken sky with random falling inferno blocked the light of the sun, that’s when a demon gate came to life and during the brief opening a few demons made it through and spotted us soon after it closed. The succubus jumped up into the air to descend upon us while the doomwarder and felhound charged straight at the center of the caravan. Ellison lobed an axe at the doomwarder, knocking it’s helm off and stunning it for a few moments. Ahmanette thrown up a shield which prevented the succubus form landing on top of the Trolls, but the felhound made it in before it touched ground and managed to bite Ellison. Tombskulker was speaking Tauren to her kodo trying to keep it from freaking out and damaging the goods. The shield faded and the succubus fell next to Ellison which caused the felhound to attack at our priest. Ahmanette smote the succubus with a holy blast and burned Ellison in the process. The doomwarder got up to charge again when I had to turn away to calm my kodo, and when I turned back, I could see the undead pets finishing the felhound off and Ellison burying another axe into the demon’s skull. I looked for my two protectors and seen Aerril on guard in case my wagon was attacked, but Rudis was just having a smoke. The doomwarder managed to bury his axe into the axle of the front left wheel of the Troll wagon. The Trolls made a quick fix on it until we could arrive at the resting spot. Ahmanette had to apologize and heal her damage done to Ellison.

Just before we had exited the ruins, a falling inferno landed too close to the caravan between the last two wagons. Everyone engaged the inferno to kill it before its flames burn the wagons. All of us drivers had to regain control of our kodos so I did not see all the action take place, but before turning away, I did notice Tombskulker’s undead raven fly away from the inferno and Ahmanette launch holyfire in the direction of the bird. As I was regaining my control, I heard someone dying, and later I discovered it was the summoner who directed the demon to fall on us. I looked up towards the direction of the scream, seeing Rudis throwing crackers at the inferno and the bird flying at the priest in attack, she must have singed it with the blast. My attention was on the kodo once more and I calmed it before returning my gaze at the fight, which by then Aerril and Ellison had brought the inferno down onto the cloak of Rudis. The undead hound, protected from the flames by its collar, started sucking the fel out of the construct. The protectors finished tearing it apart while the Trolls and my crew were splashing water on the parts of the wagon which the flames had licked. The rear kodo had been punched and we bandaged it up quickly and got out of there.

The ordeal in the ruins had set us back a couple of hours because we had arrived at Smeed’s camp later than expected. Everyone had to pitch in on making more suitable repairs so that we can make it to Karnum’s glade before dark. The camp had provisions for the kodos and resources for the wagons. As I was paying Smeed for the help and finalizing the details of the Azerite deal, I kept an eye on the last wagon for thievery, because after the last battle, I noticed the Tombskulker keep the inferno’s core rather than add it to the cargo. Regardless, after the short rest, repair, and swapping for fresh kodos, I left my wagon with Smeed before gathering everyone up and heading out once more.

It was a smoother ride on the fresh green fields created by the glade. Halfway through however, a wheel came off from the rear wagon. Tombskulker blamed Ellison for her incompetence and a heated argument was escalating fast. Blades were being drawn while Aerril and I worked together to get the wheel back on and then deescalate the situation. Ahmanette tried to calm them down, but they both were mad at her reckless holy casts. Rudis was no help and the Trolls must have thought less of us in that moment. We got moving again and we had arrived into the trees as the sky was already dark. We stopped in the north side of the village since it was more of the Horde side of the Cenarion circle. The Trolls and my crew secured the wagons and I paid the protectors based off their deeds. After all was done, I took inventory of the cargo and found that not only did we not gain any loot, save the music box, but some of the cargo is missing. If Ellison and Tombskulker come back in the morning, I will ask them about it.

Tonight, after writing this log, I will see about purchasing another wagon and some goods which the Tauren in Sunrock retreat might enjoy.

4 Likes

(I wonder if it would be better to generalize the battle parts. Still, nice to see stories about things happening instead of things imagine as happening.)

2 Likes

Day two of our trip started off well enough, the crew had finished securing the wagons before sunrise. I purchased a fourth wagon for the caravan, the cenarion circle left it half full of druid type goods for a decent price. I will sell it to the Tauren cheaply at our next stop to help make our stay more pleasant. Not long after sunrise did the protectors arrived. Arril is the only returning soul from yesterday, and though he is not a Forsaken, he is a Deathknight who has shown more concern my brethren than most of my own. I still plan to confront Ellison or the Tombskulker about the stolen goods should they show up tomorrow. More souls came to aid the caravan than had been yesterday, I record their names. Floemarch, a fellow Deathknight; Croogie and Remington are sharpshooters, though one is more rogue than the other; Jacob Annister, a priest; Billy Highman, provider of blood vials and lyrics; Loira, a frost mage; Mahieu, the rat rider; and Leopald, a true knight. I assigned positions as the crew lined up the wagons. Billy volunteered to drive the wagon of druid goods for the Tauren and Remington offered to drive the wagon of Troll goods for the Forsaken. Jacob and Aerril protected Billy, Loira and Floemarch protected Remington, and protecting the Darkspear wagon is Mahieu, Croogie, and Leopald; the three also charged with protecting me after I pick my wagon up. With the roles settled, cargo secured, and brief given, we departed Karnum’s glade without fanfare.

Not an hour later did we arrive at the Goblin hut on the edge of the grasslands past the grove. We stopped and I went straight to my wagon to check and make sure the promised cargo was present. After I was satisfied, I tipped Smeeds college to avoid conversation, climbed into the wagon, and got the caravan rolling again on towards Sunrock retreat. As the road took us in view of the ruined encampment, we kept an eye out for cultist inhabiting it. We were halfway in passing when I heard the commotion, I looked back and seen three Centaur charging at the rear, a fourth one falling dead by a shot Remington had fired. Loira shot some ice bolts and catches one, Floemarch circled around and drove blades through one of the two, it gave a final swing at Her head, but she ducked in time. Croogie sent her mechanical pet L.A.N.C.E out to attack the last free Centaur, combined with Floemarch’s blade attack and another shot by Remington, the Centaur exploded in blood. Jacob killed the frozen Centaur with a holy attack while shouting “Confess your sins heathen!”. The threat was ended and only Croogie had a cut on Her arm. We kept moving and encountered no problems from the cultists as we left sight of them and entered the narrow pass into the Stontalon mountain valley.

I remember seeing the trees at the end of the pass as we made the last bend before everything went black. Mahieu used a blood vial to help revive me, which she received from Billy earlier. By the time I came to, two attacks laid dead and Loira was flying off in the direction of where gun shots were being fired. Apparently, I was shot in the head, an Orc warrior came down on us and Aerril deathgripped him, While Leopold and Croogie hacked at him. While I was out and the warrior being fought, an Orc Rogue had attacked the rear. Remington, Floemarch, and Annister handled that threat with Aerril joining in. The shooter had traps set and escaped before Loira got to his location, she did find a rifle though. After the fight, the protectors took what body parts they wanted and Annister took the soul of the warrior. I was too dazed to care about the carnage, Aerril seemed a little troubled by it though. After checking the cargo and ourselves, we continued into the valley, stayed clear of the lava that still burns there, and stopped in a clearing at the base of the mountain pass. The crew watered the Kodo and attached chains from the two lead wagons up to my abomination I summed fourth. The rear wagons are light enough for the Kodo to pull them up the steep path. Remington took time to inspect the rifle and came up with some information which his guildmates will use to help track the shooter.

We made our way up the steep path, it was slow going, the rocks shined a glorious orange by the late evening sun. As we approached the top of the path, I could hear someone shouting in Tauren language. Two boulders started rolling down at the caravan, quick as death, my abomination dropped the chains and thrown itself into the path of the rolling rocks. The two kodo held their respective wagons as my abomination was turned into a pile of gore. It managed to stop one boulder, but the other was only knocked off course and headed straight at the third wagon. Billy acted fast, rather than sacrifice his kodo to stop the boulder, he cut loose the reigns and the Kodo got out of the way as he jumped out of the wagon. It rolled backwards and started to turn before the boulder caught up to it and smashed the left side, the druid cargo spilled out down the mountain side as the rock rolled on to the last wagon. Remington also cut loose the reigns, but the boulder was slowed from hitting the third wagon, so instead of being smashed, the yoke had been the only damage sustained. The perpetrators, which I believe to be Grimtotem, were long gone and there was no time to follow them. The crew attached the two kodos to the broken wagon and we finished traveling the narrow path. We made it to our distention earlier than yesterday and I had more pay to give out. I settled the debts, gave thanks, and started negotiations with the Tauren. Though I lost the goods to give them, they seemed impressed that Forsaken had decided to save the lives of the kodo. I confess, I would not have done so, am I a bad soul?