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Gorax raises his head from shoveling in the bacon and bread, grease rolling down his chin. He smiles at Sia and burps before saying, "That's a plan, but I'd rather run at them than ride, not so good on a horse." In his eyes, you can see his excitement at the forthcoming fight, he puts his head down and eats with renewed vigor, if that were possible.
Yossian thumbs the string of his new bow as he listens to the discussion.
"We're relyin' very much on Sia gettin' her magic ter work. Didn't yer say yesterday, Miss, that it aint always reliable? If it don't work, yer goin ter find yerselves in the middle o' a group o' angry armed bandits. Sort of like pokin' the wasps nest.
I'm thinkin' maybe we should travel today and scout out the place. Then we can make ourselves a more solid plan - maybe attack at dawn when most o' them are asleep. Otherwise we'd best hope they're all bark an' no bite, like our guests in the midden.
Speakin' o' which, I think it's time ter set the hares a-runnin. Want ter come help me see 'em off?"
Oleg and Svetlana go about their business, getting the food ready and all the other day to day tasks that they need to do. While this may be a big day for the adventurers, it's just another day for them.
Sia glances at the bandits' leader, a grim reminder that some of these people just can't be saved. "Maybe I'd better, no offense. Anyway, scouting may have the same problem for you, although it's up to you if you want to risk it. We should still probably get moving just to be sure. Especially if we want to explore anything along the way.
Out at the midden, Yossian checks on the prisoners. He makes a great show of trying out his new bow where the prisoners can see.
"Fine work, this. Could drive an arrow right through a man's spine. Dead afore he hit the ground, he'd be. Make sure'n you're not around at sundown tomorrer, so as ter give me an excuse ter try it out."
He hands then down another pitcher of water and some hard bread from the breakfast table, before carefully unpegging the grille over the midden, and letting the men out.
"Oh, an' just in case yer were thinkin' o' headin' back ter that camp yer told us about, just be thinkin' - what will they does ter yer when they realises that yer ratted them out? No, I don't think ye'll be gettin' any welcome there. Now, get running an' keep running. Remember, I sees any o' yer after sundown tomorrer and having yer necks stretched'll seem like the easy option. GO!"
"Well, riding in of horses won't catch them much on surprise. They'll hear the gallops from half a mile away. Yossian has a good idea of catching them when they are asleep. Possibly at dawn."
Estruven walks over to Sia as she stares at the dead leader. "Sia is right, we ought to get moving soon. We never know what sort of encounters might lie between here and their camp."
"Calath, Gorax, what thinks you?"
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Gorax goes to Oleg and looks through the items he is tidying up and see a large wooden shield resting against the back wall of his shed. Grorav goes over, picks the shield up and tries it out. It rests easy on Gorax's strong left arm, "Oleg, how much for this? it would be very handy against those bandit scum.". Gorax, puts his hands in his pocket and brings out a few coin, with which to pay. "How nice of those bandits to provide the means by which I can stand up to them, ha ha ha!" he thinks to himself.
Gorax pays Oleg and returns to the group, just to hear Estruven call his name. "Yeah let's get off, the quicker we get to them bandits, the happier I'll be and if we come across anything on the way, I guess it'll just add to the excitement. I got a new bow and shield to play with, time to start using them."
"I agree, we need t' be off. We kin sort out th' tactics on th' road; th' camp is 'sposedta be a coupla days from here anyhow. One thin' I should say, though, is it won't do no good to put me [b]an' Yossian at th' back o' the bunch. Can't follow tracks from the back."[/b] Cal looks over at Yossian questioningly and asks, "You seem more th' up-in-yer-face fightin' type; y' wanna be th' one followin' the tracks an' let me be rearguard, or swap it around?"
"We definitely need one or both of you up front looking for tracks. I hate to ask who is better, but we need a reliable person up there."
Yossian grins at Calath. "Happy ter take point. I'll be makin' sure ter leave some extra prints fer yers to follow, so's yer won't be gettin' lost".
Sia nods as everybody weighs in, pulling out her spellbook to study. "All right. Yossian, you can take point for now. I still need to prepare my spells for the day, that'll take about fifteen minutes. Then we go."
[ooc]Anyone object to moving on to the next encounter?[/b]
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Gorax watches Sia studying her spellbook and with all the comotion going on, puts his chainmail on, saddles the horse, checks all is tight and secure, he's got everything he needs, his sword is still sharp and strong. He leads the horse out the gates to look at the rolling green countryside around , enjoying the last bit of pleasant peace. He waits until the others start to make their way outside, when he mounts his brown horse with white leg flashes and joins the party, riding next to Estruven, and in front of Sia and Calath.
Estruven bids Oleg goodbye and gives Svetlana a big hug. "Thanks so much for your hospitality. We'll be back sooner or later, don't worry about us."
She then saddles up her mount, packing any non-essential gear on her horse.
As everyone is busy getting their things ready and horses saddled (some of them newly supplied by the bandits you're going to hunt), Oleg approaches Calath. He speaks quietly with him for a bit, then claps him hard on the shoulder as he heads back off.
"Be safe!" Svetlana calls after. "We'll be looking for your return soon! Erastil watch over you!"
Oleg walks everyone to the gate. "There's few enough people to help you out in the wilds, but there is one. About a days ride from here to the east is a hermit. He's cranky, but he comes in here every once in a while to sell his potions. Could be he'd be willing to sell you some direct." And with that he gives a wave and heads back into the fort.
As for the bandits... Well they take off to the north before the adventurers have a chance to even get themselves together.
Calath nods at Oleg and whispers assurances back to him.
Once the group gets out of earshot from the fort, he says, "Oleg would like us to keep an eye out for Svetlana's weddin' ring. Those leeches stole it from 'er months ago, an' 'e says it bothers 'is lady nae t' have it. He says there be a reward, but fer my part I'd do it fer naught. They've treated us right, an' anyway, th' more money they have t' invest in th' fort, the better off we'll all be, I think."
Yossian leads the group out, looking less than comfortable on his horse, although the beast seems to respond well to his instructions. Often, he lets one of the others lead the animal and disappears ahead on food, his head bowed to the ground as he checks for tracks or signs of danger, although he keeps an eye out for opportunities to find game or other food too.
Perception:
Knowledge(Nature):
Survival(Tracking): +2 if humans are involved
Survival(Foraging):
They've treated us right, an' anyway, th' more money they have t' invest in th' fort, the better off we'll all be, I think."
"You're absolutely right, Calath. We need Oleg and Svetlana to prosper out here."
Sia spends a great deal of the ride in complete silence, looking down at her spellbook and notes every now and again and frowning. While she was enthusiastic about having them, now that she's actually riding one of the horses she seems a little pensive and slightly distrustful of the beast. At almost any noise from it, she grips her amulet reflexively, as if drawing some kind of inner strength from it.
The travel is easy, though a bit slow even with the horses. Yossian travels on foot much of the time to better see the tracks, and even then cannot travel too quickly for fear of missing one. The trail takes you across the plains and into the reaches of the Narlmarches, the forest that dominates the western side of this swath of land. As you travel rumors that you'd picked up in Restov about the woods start to come back to you. That it is haunted by the Fey... and worse. Still, nothing happens as you pass under the spreading branches and the hours pass on.
A quick lunch taken in a small clearing breaks up the day and still there is no sign of the trail that the bandits spoke of. As you are packing up the few belonging's you broke out and gathering up the horses that were left to graze...
Sia has still been quiet the whole time, though she occasionally starts to kick her mount into a faster pace before remembering herself. She eats her lunch in pretty much the same way, as if eager to get moving.
Just as lunch is ending, she suddenly winces and cries out softly as though struck by...something. She looks around, then gives Yossain a glare that could charitably be described as 'murderous' before returning to her task.
Yossian, happily chewing the last of his bread, pauses, mouth agape at the look Sia gives him. Dumbfounded, he wipes his chin, checks that he hasn't spilled honey down his front, double checks his flies are tied up, then shrugs, and continues packing up.
The afternoon goes much the same as the morning did. Weaving through trees. The canopy is thankfully high enough that when one's feet get tired, it is still possible to ride. Birds chirp happily in the trees, seeming to have already gotten word of the coming of spring. The sun even manages to pierce through the leaves and warm the air enough to make the ride a bit drowsy.
It is one of these times, when it seems easiest to just rest the eyes for a bit, that the calm is pierced by a loud cry from Gorax's horse as it rears up quite suddenly.
"Gorax!" Sia, filled with concern as the man falls so hard, tries to get off her horse swiftly.
Unfortunately, she herself starts to trip and fall in her rush, not being very familiar with how to deal with a horse herself.
Yossian, already on foot, grabs the reigns of Gorax's horse before it can bolt, spook the others or trample the fallen Gorax. He whispers soothing words into its ear, trying to calm it.
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Gorax, one moment riding along on the horse, getting more confident in his ability, the next he's flying headfirst towards the ground, arms and legs flailing about in the air. With a crash he and his armor hit the short green grassy, Gorax's thick skull scrapped along, digging a small trench in the dark earth, before coming to rest. Then it happened, the shield attached to his back, kept on its downward path, only to be stopped by Gorax's head, with a sickening thud. The hair on the back of Gorax's head begins to mat as the crimson red blood starts to drip from his black haired head. His mouth emits groans of pain and his eyes appear bleary.
Groggily Gorax gets to his feet, his body swaying slightly with the effects of the fall. He puts his hand behind his head to stem the flow of blood, which is already congealing in his hair. His shield, with blood red marks, the culprit in this assault, nestles on his back again. His eyes trying to focus, look into the distance at the brown bark of the trees, finding a point of reference to stop the swaying. Just like the old days in the ring.
His groans cease briefly as he speaks, "What happened? Where's that beast, what did he do that for? Never can trust those animals, wait til I get my hands on him. Oohh that hurts, oooh my head hurts!". And the groans of pain continued for a short while diminishing to nothing as Gorax regains his faculties. He looks around at everyone, "Now don't laugh, that wasn't funny. No really it wasn't." His step more steady now, he moves towards Sia who he sees having a spot of bother herself. awkwardly, he offers her his hand to help her up. Once she is on her feet, he starts to brush himself down and tidy his attire. Well at least make it comfortable and functional again, having his sword and scabbard in there rightful place, his shield ready to use if needs be.
Now on his feet again, he looks around to survey ground and terrain to see what might have caused the horse to make him fall.
Perception
Calath lends Gorax a hand to get him back onto his feet, and quickly inspects the damage. He says a prayer to Erastil, beseeching his God for healing for his companion. His holy symbol, a medallion in the form of a crudely-carved wooden stag's head, pulses briefly with silvery light, and the wound on Gorax's head closes over the course of a few seconds.
There really is no telling what made the horse panic so, or at least none that Gorax can tell, but it seems better now. It might be just as well that the day's travel is comming to an end, it seems everyone could use a bit of a rest.
By all estimates, if you camp in the woods tonight, you should be able to reach the camp by midmorning tomarrow. Assuming that you want to come at it during the day.
With all of the horses under control, and Gorax's wound healed, the party is once again able to head cautiously off along the game trail they've been following. It doesn't take long before they encounter a small stream heading south towards the Thorn river. In all likelyhood this is the same stream that the bandits said the path followed. If Your estimates are correct, that puts you just a few hours travel from the camp.
Picking a spot away from the trail (don't want any wandering bandits to stumble on you) a small camp is made quite easily.
Once the camp is picked out, Sia starts setting up her new tent. "I'll take the last watch, since middle is hell on setting up magic for the day. Anyone have any objections?"
"An' I'll take first, fer th' same reason." Calath nods. Once the camp is made and the watch order set, he finds himself a nice perch with a good view of the camp and settles in for his sentry duty with his bow strung and ready.
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Gorax, takes up the watch, whilst the rest get themselves ready for the evening, setting up the camp, gathering firewood and otherwise being busy. Gorax peers into the late afternoon/early evening green darkness of the forest, this time able to take in more of the color and sounds. Birds flit cheerily between bushes with the newly budding fresh yellow green leaves, their melodious songs caught on the breeze that rustles gently through the leaves. Shafts of golden sunlight streak through the covering of the forest, as if spotlighting the purple and blue blooms springing up around the dark reddish brown of the tree trunks. Occasionally a bush will quiver, the undergrowth will move, indicating the presence of small animals nearby, nature is at peace with itself.
Gorax quietly speaks to himself, "So this is what that old boy Jhanas meant, when he referred to the beauty of the forest, the face to be welcomed and cherished. What else was it? Oh yes, that face has many aspects you must welcome each, even those dark and angry faces. Strange old boy, still he's right about it being beautiful."
Gorax looks around to see Calath is the first to finish his preparations for the night, "Calath, you wanna take watch whilst I make my bed?"
Gorax, feeling relaxed and safe in this company, removes his armor and a great weight from his shoulders. His step, swift and nimble once more, it is as if the very act has increased Gorax's not insubstantial height. He quickly finds a comfortable spot, sheltered under a bush that he thinks should protect him from any adverse weather and unrolls his bed and blankets. Once finished, with these preparations, he kneels facing into the bush, closes his eyes and bows his head. It is time for Iomedae to hear his thoughts, his thanks and the little matter of guidance in riding horses and in the matter of victory over the bandits.
Standing up to his full height, he replaces the belt and sword around his waist, returning to his companions and helping in preparing the camp for the night ahead.
Gorax calls to Yossain "Good luck with the hunting, hope you catch a tasty treat!"
Over dinner Estruven talks about her tactics for the battle tomorrow. She explains that when they get to melee combat, try to stick within 30' of her and she can grant everyone a teamwork fighting ability that makes it so we each do more damage (1d6) while we flank an enemy for a few rounds of combat(only 3 rounds at this time).
"That's a good idea Gorax. We need to make sure someone with good aim has those on them to throw."
The evening passes with little event other than the discussion of the next day. The sky darkens and the forest turns all to shadow as the night animals start to come out. The watches go by in slow but uneventful succession and eventually the sun is rising on Sia's watch. The crickets go back to sleep, and the birds start to twitter once more. Morning has come, and with it the need for the finalizing of plans and the determination of paths. And probably some breakfast.
Yossian stares at his bowstrings, now tied into pretty knots. He sighs, resigned to an evening of unravelling them. He tries to catch Sia's eye with an accusatory stare, but when she doesn't respond, he chooses a moment when he can catch speak with her in reasonable privacy.
"A joke's a joke, Miss, an' goodness knows I'm all fer 'em myself. But using yer magic ter tie up my bowstrings like that - we're out in the wilds, Miss. It's dangerous out here. There aint no room for student pranks. This ain't puttin' a silly hat on the statue o' the regent, or stealin' wagon direction signs. A prank like that could get us killed out here, Miss. Just sayin' - yer should think afore yer does that again. I don't know what yer thinks I've done ter yer, but it's obviously something, seein' the look yer gave me at lunchtime. Best have it out now between us afore it festers."
Sia gives Yossain a very long, very hard look. "First of all, I didn't do anything to your bowstrings. It would have required hours for me to tie all of this, and I don't even know a spell that would do it. Secondly, if I were inclined towards that sort of thing, don't you think I could be a bit more creative? We don't have pigs to sniff out truffles, after all." She sniffs a bit herself. "At any rate, that stone didn't throw itself at my head, and that could have caused some harm."
Yossian quickly mentally reviews his, albeit limited, experience with women and their not-always-understandable ways, before deciding to risk it.
"Stone Miss? I ain't thrown no stone at you, at yer head or nowhere else. Why would I do that? Was that why you were, erm, looking at me like that at lunch, Miss? Cos yer thought I threw a stone at yer?"
Sia doesn't say a word, just invites Yossain to feel the spot in the back of her head where there is still a small swollen lump where the stone impacted. Once he's quite satisfied that, yes, someone clearly threw something, she says "And there was only one person standing where it came from, so yes, I don't think it's unreasonable of me to think you did it."