"Sorry, I was too slow to move, I'll do better next time." She pokes gingerly at the wound on her leg, "I can walk, I'm sure someone will look at it when we get back." Ami reloads her crossbow and watches for any further danger while Kyrus readies the boar.
Kyrus smiles and begins to prepare the boar with his knife. It only takes him a few minutes to properly skin the beast, which he rolls up and attaches to his bag. He cuts off both tusks and offers one to Amelleanne. "Trophy for a good hunt," he says. Finally, he carves off some choice cuts of meat before leaving the rest for the scavengers. "Right then. Let's get back to everyone else."
Amelleanne looks a little bewildered at the tusk, but decides she'd be better not offended her companion and tucks the tusk away.
"Thank you." she heads back towards the others.
On the road, Meldar thanks each of you personally for saving his daughter and his cargo from the attack last night. Once you reach Liam's Hold, he buys a large meal for everyone, and presents the group an old map. "This map was discovered in far Scornubel a couple of years ago. I was going to sell it in Daggerford, but I want you brave militiamen and women to have it. Additionally, I have this magic dagger and potion to give as a small measure of our gratitude. Thank you!!" Delora and the animal handlers join Meldar in giving you a round of applause and shaking your hands again.
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The next day's journey is uneventful, and you see the caravan into Daggerford and safely to their destination. When you return to the militia building, a young runner finds you and reminds you to make your report to Sherlen Spearslayer once you have settled the mounts and stowed your gear.
Tyler gives the map a keen examination. He passes on the magic dagger.
Amelleanne eyes the dagger, but glances at Ulfric, perhaps the warrior would want to claim it for himself.
"You really are too kind, we did little that we would not have done on our patrol - and the company was welcome."
"Is very kind of you, sir! Was our pleasure to see you to safety. It is my hope that this parting will not be the last time we see each other." Úlf offers, shaking the hands of everyone in the convoy, just as he had done at their first meeting.
Once the mounts have been settled back into their stalls, Úlf takes up his axe, the one implement he is never without, and begins the trek to Spearslayer to give the group's report.
"Think nothing of it," Kyrus tells the merchant. He eyes the map curiously, though he doesn't take the time to go over it in detail yet. Assuming no one else desires to hang on to it, he stows the map in his pack along with the boar's hide and the tusk he kept for himself. "We were just doing our job. But I will thank you for the kind rewards. Hopefully we'll have a chance to speak again in the future."
With their business with the merchant concluded, Kyrus heads off with the rest of the group to report to the militia commander. "Good day commander," he says with a brief salute. "Reporting in. We had a relatively uneventful trip, though there were a few encounters along the Way. There's orc and goblin activity along the path, and we had to clear a few small camps that seemed to be raiders. No reports of major activity, but there's certainly a lot of them around. I'd suggest you have any other patrols keep a careful eye out. We wouldn't want them to get waylaid by the greenies."
Once their report is done, he turns to the group. "Well, I'm heading to the Lady Luck to say hello to Owenden and to grab a drink to celebrate a successful patrol with no serious casualties. Who wants to come with?"
Once the party breaks for the night, he heads back to his home and mounts the tusk on one of his walls and hangs out the pelt so he can clean it later. It will make a wonderful rug once he's had it prepared. For the next few weeks, he falls back in to his routine, heading out in to the woods to hunt down more game.
"Commander" Tyler salutes respectfully. "A small band of Goblins with an Orc between Liam's hold and Bowshot. We killed the Orc and some of the Goblins, the others fled." Taking his time to organize his report. "We met Meldar Far-wander and his caravan at the Way inn. He reported that he had been attacked by bandits on the way to the Inn. We escorted him back. While camped at night we were attacked by Goblins between The Way inn and Bowshot. We killed all the Goblins, and arrived back here today."
Tyler is happy to sleep in his own bed again.
It's has been said so far Commander, band of orcs and goblins are in the area So that should probably be looked into, we took them down relatively quickly. Other than that nothing too unusual Leon tells the commander clearly not caring much about reports and formality.
I would love to Kyrus, but i'm tired and have no desire to carry you home after you get drunk. that and i'm going out early tomorrow for a hunting trip it's been a while Leon briefly says his goodbye's as Lorelei and he head home for the night
Kyrus laughs. "Please! I don't get drunk that easily."
Tyler will take Kyrus up on his drink offer, and get a meal while he's there. "The cooking here is always better than mine." He says ruefully.
"Is not much to add to what others have reported, Úlf is sure! We met small groups of goblins and orcs in open field but they were not a true threat. We met man by name of Meldar, his daughter, and some other muscle he had hired to get him here safely. We were invited to join them and did so. We met more goblins and made them strongly regret this." Úlf reports to the commander before snapping off a crisp salute.
"I must confess that I am not used to life outside the walls of the town, but there did seem to be many Orcs, and Goblins on the route. Nothing that my companions couldn't handle, and with their experience they seem none too concerned about it."
To the others, I will have a drink to celebrate, but then I need to be getting back to check on my father
"Thank you kindly, Meldar. We hope to see you again," Brynderie says with a smile and firm handshake. She takes a long look at the potion.
"Greetings, Commander. As my fellow militia have already reported. The trip was fairly uneventful with a few encounters of goblins and orcs. We dispatched them with ease, but future patrols should be on alert."
Weary from the travel and nursing a bruised backside from the saddle, Brynderie says goodbye to her new compatriots and heads for the shop. After a long, deep sleep, she arises the next morning ready to get back to work. She opens the shudders on the shop and gets cracking on the backlog of work.
The commander listens to your reports, asking a few specific questions to discern details she deems important. "How far from the road were you when you encountered the goblins and orcs? Day or night? Did they have any clan markings? I take it no one else reported sightings or trouble with them? You did well on this patrol - not many newbies represent the militia as well. Well done! You may keep the dagger for your performance, but check that potion in to the armory. I'll see you on your next rotation!"
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The next few month are comfortingly familiar, as you continue your business and the townsfolks prepare for the approaching winter. Amelleanne’s long scar elicits many days’ worth of hushed conversation and questions about her ‘adventures’ outside the city walls. The other servants treat her with a mixed awe and newfound respect. Lady Bronwyn, the duke’s lovely sister, spends an inordinate amount of time grilling her about it, her eyes practically gleaming with envy. Kelson Darktreader, Master of the duke’s Hunt, also begins to notice Amelleanne after news of her time reaches his half-elven ears…
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As Ulf makes his patrols around the farmer’s quarter, he hears many things. That’s one of the key jobs as constable – to know what is happening below the notice of the rest of the town and deal with it accordingly. One thing in particular stands out from the usual ebb and flow of conversations and whispers…Baron Cromm Redhand has been hunting dinosaurs (and maybe lizard men) in the Lizard Marsh. Cromm’s holding is one of the farming hamlets surrounding Daggerford, with five families of around 20 people living there. The marsh is a tangled mess and the home of several otherwise rare creatures. The most significant of them are the lizard men, whose ancestors are said to have ambushed the boy whose actions gave Daggerford its name. There are also known to be a number of dinosaurs in the lizard marsh, including some nasty carnivores.
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Kyrus receives a strange letter from a woman named Laurel. She claims to be a cousin if his – apparently their grandmothers were sisters. She lives in a small town north of Daggerford called Falcon’s Hollow and makes her living as the town’s herbalist. She asks for nothing but a letter in return with some details about Kyrus and perhaps an ongoing correspondence.
"Not far off the road. Close enough that Leon's companion could scent them with relatively no effort. Both day and night. The first encounter was us stumbling across their campsite during the day. The second was our campsite being attacked after dark. And no clan markings that I recognized, but I also wasn't looking so it's likely that I could have missed something."
Kyrus frowns deeply when he finds a letter at his home. Not that he didn't know plenty of people who might want to contact him, but all of them lived in town and could simply come by to chat. He frowns deeper as he reads the letter. All his life, his only family was his mother. Granted, Owenden was like a brother to him now, but he'd never had a true blood relation since her death. He leaves the letter sit a few hours, considering what to do, before he decides to follow up with her request. That evening, he sits down and composes a missive to have sent out with the next messenger headed toward Falcon's Hollow.
I admit, I was shocked to receive your letter. My mother's mother passed on some years before I was born, and I know absolutely nothing of my father's mother. So to say that I wasn't expecting a letter from a cousin would be an understatement. Not that I'm displeased to discover a new relation. It's a joy to get to know you. At least, I hope it will be.
Ah, but I'm rambling. You wished to know a bit about me, correct? Well, I'm a simple man. I make my living off the land, hunting and trapping around Daggerford. It's a rather tiring profession, but extremely satisfying. It's difficult to describe the feeling of a long hunt in words. And, like everyone in Daggerford, I also serve turns in the militia to help keep the lands here safe. I've just recently returned from my first rotation in fact. Nothing difficult really, but I and my companions found ourselves confronting goblin and orc raiders. Hopefully they won't cause too much trouble, but we shall see I suppose.
I look forward to your next letter.
Your cousin, Kyrus
Úlf seems to take particular interest in these stories about Baron Redhand; when he gets into a large enough group of people that seem to be discussing the presence of the creatures in the swamp, he inquires further, curious as to why the Baron is hunting them, how many there are, if they have proven dangerous to the outlying farms, and any other information that might help him learn more about what's going on.
For her part Amelleanne tries to divert attention, insisting that she was scarcely any help at all and redirecting praise towards Kyrus, Ulf and the others and while she won't lie in stories she's forced to tell, she will emphasize the roles of the others and make it appear that she was little more than a bystander
Amealleanne will try and maintain contact with the others, finding excuses to visit them.
Tyler will be busy working most days, but makes time to see anyone who comes visiting, he generally spends his evenings at the Lady luck, having a quiet drink and talking to his friends.
After getting what information he can from the locals, Úlf heads for Spearslayer's office, hoping to see if he can learn a bit more about the apparent unrest in the populace and what might be done about it.
They face constant adversity from both the wilderness and the wiles of man. Wolves nip at their heels and cutpurses ply at their pockets. It is a testament to their strength that they even manage to survive at all.
Lauren is the local herbalist, using what she learned from her grandmother to get by. Her last letter mentions a patient with a new set of symptoms that Laurel had not seen before. Its a hacking cough that her usual remedies are not countering...but she is confident she will find something!
The weeks pass and before you know it, your next militia stint rolls around. As is the custom, you meet your watch rotation at the Lady Luck tavern the night before your duty. The same team is assembled again, minus one. Portia, it seems, has been transferred to a different rotation and is not with you tonight.
After your full day of work and then the evening's 'events' with your new friends, you collapse in bed to rest up for tomorrow's activities. However, you are awakened by the duke's men before the cock's crow. Still half-asleep, you get dressed and stumble into the stable area where you are given a cup of ale and a chunk of bread. You notice the other militiamen on duty yesterday are there, too. Before you can manage to ask any questions, the duke walks in, accompanied by Kelson Darktreader and Sir Llewellyn. The normally open and friendly duke is grimmer than he's been since he received news of his father's death at Dragonspear Castle. "Good people," he says, "I apologize for having roused you from your much-deserved rest, but I am facing a personal crisis, and I need your help. My sister, Bronwyn, seems to have been abducted by Baron Agwain, whom I hosted last evening." A murmur ripples through the group. All of you remember Agwain coming to Daggerford just before sundown. The duke continues.
"At this time I have no idea why the baron did this, but I intend to ask him, persistently, until I get an answer I like. However, first I must get my hands on the good baron, and that's where you all come in." The duke explains that Baron Agwain is from the Secomber region. Consultation with the temple indicates that the baron has gone home with his prize. The duke says there are three routes he might have taken. The first is to the north, avoiding Laughing Hollow. This seems the most likely, and the duke and his personal forces will follow that path. The second route is directly through Laughing Hollow. A group of militiamen will follow this route. The third possibility is across the river and along its southern bank, a route leading into orc territory. Kelson Darktreader will take some militia troops through that route. Sir Llewellyn will protect the town and the castle until the duke has returned. The duke realizes that the militia do not owe him any personal services; therefore, the duke will pay everyone who helps with this task 50 gp. He will also equip them from his personal armory. They may keep the equipment along with whatever horse from his herd they choose. If anyone is killed on this mission, his or her designated heir will receive the reward.
Tyler draws a chain shirt and a rapier from the armory, adding 4 flasks of Alchemist fire to his equipment from his shop.
He also adds 10 days of rations to his gear. "We'll need to travel fast and probably won't have time to hunt for food."
When he hears of the odd illness, he advises caution, asking her to take care not to fall ill from the disease herself.
The night before their next militia shift, he's woken, much to his surprise, by the arrival of men from the duke of all people. He can't even imagine why the duke might want something from him, but he comes along with the men without comment. He armors up, strapping his sword to his hip and slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder before heading out. His ale is untouched, but he downs the bread, waiting for whoever needs something at the break of dawn.
Needless to say, the Duke's story seems to warrant the early rise. "I see that this is a bit of an emergency then," he says. "I'm happy to help track down the lady, your grace."
"It will be pleasure to track down baron and recover your sister." Úlf answers with conviction, happy to be back on the rotation and seeing action again. "Úlf is no tracker, but is glad to give his axe in protection of those who are."
Leon and Lorelei go in with their own personal gear, Gather what you need, the two of us are ready
Kyrus fills his quiver from the duke's armory, but finds no weapon that can surpass his well used longbow. "Which militia teams are we to travel with? The one heading toward Laughing Hollow or the one headed in to orc territory?"
The duke assigns you the second route, the trail leading through Laughing Hollow. Soon enough all groups are on the way, riding hard to try and catch up with the kidnapper.
By mid-afternoon, the trail you are following leads to a small rise, the first of many approaching the hills that surround Laughing Hollow. Suddenly, a volley of arrows showers around you. A man in scale armor rises from behind some rocks at the top of the rise to one side of the trail. He looks down on you and calls out, "Go back where you came from, folks. The baron and his new lady want to be left in peace, and we aim to make sure they stay that way."
He is about 70 feet away from you.
Leon count's under breathe before talking back to the man There are 6 others decently hidden behind those rocks over there. paired off each 20 feet apart. Good strategy, but any seasoned hunter can see right through it. You attacked first, if we leave now or don't report back something favorable this could go bad for all of us. let us speak to the baron and his lady, figure this situation out. this is no time to be arguing amongst ourselves when there are other problems stirring
Kyrus immediately ducks down, trying to make himself a smaller target for the archers. "The baron has obtained his new lady through kidnapping!" he calls out. "Unless you want to be responsible for starting a war between our homes while there are orcs raiders on our very doorsteps, let us pass and try to get the baron to see sense! There's no way this will end well for anyone if he doesn't!"
Before leaving, Úlf requisitions a suit of chain mail, which he puts on as soon as he is able to.
Once the group has departed, he squints out at the figure in the distance, barely even able to make out that he is wearing scale mail. "Is too far away...I can make out nothing. There is no proof that she is even there, only his word."
"Agreed, but we have to try. If they're here to stall us, we lose little trying to get through without a fight. If he is here, we might be able to talk him down. Either way, it's wiser to try to talk first, and only fight if they refuse to let us through peacefully."
Tyler keeps quiet, looking around carefully to see how many there are?
Amelleanne sees little need to requisition anything more than another 20 bolts and an extra five days rations (plus the horses, somewhat distastefully).
At the encounter, Amealleanne see's no point talking further to the soldiers, she slips from her horse and draws her crossbow, marking a target
She speaks quietly to the others, I'm not good enough a rider to try and break through, not sure if anyone else wants to risk it
Bryenderie whispers, "Where are they? I don't see them..."
Stand down Leon says through gritted teeth, to Amelleanne.
There better armed and have more soldier's, fighting now would be a bad idea. Trust me i can see them clearly
"So then what is plan? Do we pretend to back off and follow? I do not think we would be well-received if we simply left and returned home empty-handed."
The one soldier responds to Leon and Kyrus. "Trust me, the lady came willingly enough. Now turn back like good dogs and go home. It would be better for you to say you never saw anyone out here and just let this go. Last warning..."
"You'll pardon me if I don't take your word for it." Kyrus replies dryly. "Perhaps we can settle this peacefully if you take us to the lady so she can explain it herself, then we can set things right with the duke and make sure that there's no misunderstandings between us." He reaches for his bow, knowing that they can't turn back if the soldiers refuse his offer.
Amelleanne will scan the surrounding area, is there any likely cover to find a way around, either to come at them from another direction or go around them completely?
Don't forget what Lorelei and i can do, guy's let's go an report this. Leon says low enough for only the group to hear