Ranger Trials

Looking back at the forest he has wandered for so many years Stee feels a slight sense of loss. But then turning back to look beyond the familiar hills and woods of his youth a thrill enters his heart. His trainer says it is time he learnt for himself just how much he has learned and what more he need to know. Stee is to leave his hove for at least a year before returning. Having spent his time preparing for this day Stee considers his two options

The Hunt for a Legendary Beast:
Tales of a legendary beast roaming the wilderness with occasional sighting by the townsfolk. A few of the locals believe the beast to be responsible for recent troubles in the woods and offered a reward to any who will track down and either capture or slay the creature.

The Bandit Camp:
Rumors of travelers on the main road falling victim to a group of bandits who have set up camp in the hills between this area and the main trade center. A few of the regular tinkers, merchants, and minstrels have been long overdue and the bandits are suspected of being the source of the issue. Though not true local of the area the missing individuals are commonly respected and their delay or disappearance is troubling.

Shall you head west to try and track the beast or north to investigate the bandits?

Here are some basic game guidelines.

Ste heads into the wilder stretches of the hilly woods stretching out his legs ans he stolls through the cool morining air. Heading first to one of the areas the "beast" was spotted you then rove the land searching for clues of the beast. Leaving the known lands behind the area is still very familiar with trees, rocks, and streams being much the same but your intimate knowlde gained from years of wandering the lands about your home become less and less useful as the day wears on.

Roll 2 tests.
Use your background for to guess/anticipate where the beast might visit
User Perceptive to notice traces of an unfamiliar beast
Both roll with advantage,3d6.
Dice Roller Guide
I allow story content to enhance rolls at time so if you have any ideas, for thie test or latter, add details you feel are relevant and/or intersting

Stee wanders for half a day looking for likely spots and any trace at all. Following a hunch you start looking for dark, secluded, areas with water in them or nearby. Finding a gurgling stream in a gully you follow it from the top as it winds through the hills. As you do you see a track of unusual size and shape in the mud by the stream. Success? Continuing you follow the deepening ravine to its end in a grotto surrounded by thick tall trees making the entire thing hard to notice much less approach. Sliding through as carefully as possible. Roll a standard save test the move through the tangled growth surrounding the gully without getting snagged.

Crouching low you scan the area below you in the grotto around the spring. You spot some tracks that look to be like a large cat of at least your size. However their arrangement is odd but at this distance you can't quite place what makes you think so. You also spot a caverns entrance off to one side of the spring. This seems to unlikely to simply be a beast.

The woods around you are calm, the regular noises of insects and birds as well as other small creatures reassures you, slightly, for if a large beast were present they would shy away from where the beast is. Now as you stand atop the lip of the grotto and looking around it almost appears manicured as if the very land and plants themselves were arranged to hide this place.

Circling the grotto you find an easy(ish) descent a short ways down the streams ravine. Moving along the stream towards the grotto and cave you scan the area carefully. Whatever it is seems to almost intentionally try to walk on stone to hide it's tracks until in the grotto itself. The grottos is about 20 feet wide and 50 long with the spring at the far end and the cavern about 2/3 of the way back on the east side You see no track save those of the beast and realize what is wrong with them. At times they appear normal as a large cat but other times there are only 2 foot pads as if it stand upright. Though possible for a cat this seems unnatural and would be difficult for a cat to maintain.

Roll me an Perception test, advantage = 3d6 from your trait

I forgot you swapped out tracker, so your earlier test for tracking should havee been 2d6 but it works out anyhow so just for future refference let me know if I make a mistake like that. I am running multipe players here sna my loose track or mix things up .

You look around and sniff the air of the grotto as you listen for moment or . . . anything out of place. Other than the tracks you find not trace of the beast. The grotto smells of damp earth and rotting vegetation but there is a faint animal trace. As you look around you recall stories of how the very nature of fey is magical and through not all can do magic their presence is often enough to alter things over time. Those they like may have good crops or their animals will birth healthy offspring. Unsure if such stories are simply folklore or have a seed of truth this grotto seems to support their ability to shape their environment.

The pring burbles up out of a small cleft stone about a foot up from the base of the grotto. It smells fresh and clean. A slight sip tells you it also tasts clean and is guite cool. As you squat down to take a drink you hear a noise and tune..

Out from the cave you see, first a set of long multi pronged horns, then a large dark and motled fur covered head. Percing green eyes gaze at you as the small creature exits the cave. It is about 3 feet long and 2 feet high at the shoulder and likely has to hold its head down so that its antlers do not interfere with entering and exitng the cavern.

As soon as it exits the cave it stands upright and you realize it is wearing a neclace and belt with a pouch at its side. As it stands up it grown larger until it is now about 8 feet tall and is glowers down at you with a snarl.