Finding D&D - 7

Not wanting to spend away the party's adventuring time with more description, having established the setting I hurry through a back-and-forth where the farmer is ready to slaughter one of his pigs, provided he receives compensation. Einrugg's equipment includes an iron wedge and tongs, worth more to the farmer than coins, While Olivia suggests surrendering Lisandro's backpack, as what he has will fit into Galatea's tote. After further negotiation, the party surrenders a pipe, four iron spikes and a pair of leather gloves, which a roll tells me fits the farmer's hands. The pig is slaughtered and put on a spit.

One pig won't go far among the party and 56 children, but it's a mouthful for each; the party learns that Qitai is just seven miles away, perhaps too far for the children to travel, but not for half the party should they choose to go on their own. It's agreed that Zhan should go — he knows the road better than any of them, having trod on it more than once, and Einrugg too, as he has the party's formerly best charisma, now superseded by Zhan's. As the sun passes the zenith both head off, with neither player noting that they automatically trust one another, both being party members, though they met only that morning. I've had parties and played in games where these meetings need to be role-played and deeply examined, but on the whole it merely wastes game time and arrives at the same conclusion as skipping over it all. I consider it a good sign that Jason forgoes the temptation, as it helps me understand what sort of player he'll be.

Galatea laments that the trained hunter, Zhan, isn't around to scare up more meat; Olivia suggests that Lisandro's owl should be able to find game, if it's nearby, and sure enough the die indicates this is true. Together, leaving Piotr with the children, these two hike in the direction of the goats that Pacheco has seen; another die is rolled to see how long this takes and it happens that the goats are luckily moving towards the two. Once they are spotted, hundreds of yards away, Olivia has Lisandro tell Galatea to sweep round while the mage shelters in a small crevice; seeing through the owl's eyes, Lisandro and Galatea drive the goats towards the mage. The die says this works and when the first goat comes in range, Lisandro drops it with a magic missile. "No hunting skills needed," Olivia says proudly, though the characters must rely on the pig farmer, name still unknown because it isn't necessary, to skin and clean the animal.

Continued on The Higher Path