"Thank you for you assistance Svetlana."
"Sounds like a fine plan Queslin Branomonrik says with a nod as he moves to ready that detestable beast as he calls his horse.
Finally, one hour after breakfast, the group rides out from Oleg's, in a general westnorthwestern direction. Along the way you somehow manage to appoint someone to take up the task of cartography, how the decission got made isn't recorded.
Taras keeps pretty silent and close to Michael, who left Hobson and Kay back at Oleg's, just in case again.
The land around is generally describeable as plain. Some snow still covers the grassland, small patches of trees stand leafless in groups of 2 to 7. Other parts of the land have been hilly against this close to featureless plain.
For starting the map, this is a really easy place. Not much to take record of, but that's a problem on itself: How much or how little do you take record of, if there's so little to someplace?
Coming to the westernmost part of the 150 or so square miles you covered this day, there is a bit of change in the scenery: the fringe of the wood marks the last bit of land you map today, when the sun is close to setting (in about an hour and half).
In hindsight, this was a really boring, uneventful day, compared to the last couple of days, with the bandits rallying the Outpost, and you fighting the bandits at their camp.
Setting up camp on the edge of the forest is done in a common effort, with Taras helping as good as he can, under the watchful eyes of Branomonrik, Devlin and Delfey and whoever else has close watch over him.
Michael talks to Taras through the day, not prying into his past, just letting him tell what he wishes to and keep the secrets he wants.
At the camp, he pitches his tent and offers to take the first watch.
Big Ern falls asleep immediately after eating. If someone wants him to keep watch, they'll have to shake him awake.
Queslin will take a middle watch.
Majet offers to take the last watch.
Devlin and Delfey shall assist Majet with last watch.
During their watch, Devlin asks Majet how she managed to end up a "student" of Erns, keeping as quiet as possible so as to NOT wake him.
"Well that's not exactly what happened if anything he was learning things from me but he's uh not exactly all there if you know what I mean"
Devlin chuckles and says, "I've noticed.
Agerron has a frown through most of the day, and audibly sighs when the group stops to make camp. "I'm a warrior, not an explorer," he mutters. "If the entire trip is this boring, I may have to look for a few bears just to stay sharp."
"I will take first watch," he announces to the group. "Gods know it can't be any more boring than riding in circles looking at trees and grass all damned day."
Taras is not much of a talker, doesn't speak much of his time as bandit and much less of the time before.
What he cares to think about is his believe. He strongly worshippes Calistria, which none of the other bandits he knows does.
The night goes by much without any dangerous situations (except someone nearly strangling Big Ern and his snoring). Only wolves howls have at one time alarmed the watchkeepers, but they have been far off and haven't closed in on the group.
The next day presents itself much like the day before: cold after a night with a clear sky; windy, if just to anoy you; and cloudless sunny to make you feel hot, if you were out in the open.
Michael:
Failure means, your tent crashes upon you, as soon as you try to get out.
Success: you notice the instability of the tent and can nimbly avoid the crash.
No harm done either way, but failure makes for a fun laugh from the rest of the group.
Dex check:
Early morning, and pretty much everyone is awake, when, with a snap of a branch Michaels tent comes down upon the man.
He was just about to come out of his slumber and might have caused it in his drowsy state, or someone played a prank on the paladin.
However it happened, the man is now tangled in the clothing of his tent, lying clearly awake on his belly.
Taras is one of the first to laugh out loudly.
Michael finds the whole thing as funny as Taras and laughs so hard snot comes out of his nose and he lies their too weak to untangle himself. When he finally extracts himself he grins and complains loudly about cheap workmanship.
Big Ern snorts with laughter. "Nice move, Rube! Now if only you could get the Stag Lord into your tent, we'd have him caught in a jiffy!"
Majet attempts to keep a straight face at Michael's accident but fails miserably.
Queslin shakes his head while grinning. He walks the perimeter while the camp wakens.
As Michael emerges from his collapsed tent, Devlin runs over there, grabs him by the shoulders, lefts him up and ask, "Are you all right?! Are you okay?! Do you need a hand?!" After which, Devlin steps back and he and Delfey stand up straight, noses high in the air with their hands out and clap softly, but rapidly.
After this, they both laugh, then Devlin asks, "But seriously, are you okay?"
Michael thanks Delvin and accepts his hand, "I am fine, but before I check the tent, was this a practical joke or have the pixies got it in for me?" He looks around and grins at the others as he asks. He recovers the broken tent pole to inspect if it was natural causes or sabotage that spelt its end.
"Pixies, eh? As long as those little bastards are givin' it to the Stag Lord just as hard, more power to 'em." Big Ern winks in the direction of the forest.
Agerron is awakened from his own sleep at the sound of the tent coming down. Quickly grabbing his blade, he relaxes when he notices the cause of the commotion, and chuckles a bit. At the mention of pixies, however, a frown crosses his face. "We sometimes had to deal with those fey in Numeria," he says. "Pains in the a$$, if you ask me."
Devlin walks around, checking Michael's tent, and the branch, to any sign of tampering.
"FeY" Snorts the dwarf in disgust "Worse then drunken elves, no offense" he says to Queslin. "Well come on lads best untie Micheal, even if he does look like a hog ready for the spit" he says with a laugh
Although Devlin notices no signs of tampering, Michael himself finds a small nick right where the post broke.
A bit later the camp is cleared and you are on your way to map the next piece of land.
You are going to get close to where you rode along to the Thorn river camp, and the whole day is going to be full of trees.
Michael keeps an eye out for a suitable replacement tent pole and an eye on his companions for which one of them cut through the old one.
Good enough for me -- Big Ern wants to be close to the action, but not too close to any hard work (as Queslin suggested).
Not a quarter of an hour has passed since you left the place you camped on, when you hear a rather loud, booming noise erupting from the woods edge in front of you. (About 150ft. to the treeline)
From the sound it's:
After hearing the booming sound from the forest ahead Devlin says, "Probably just a couple bull elks fighting. Be ready in the event they decide to charge us." After pulling his horse to a stop, he scans the area ahead of the group.
"Elk? Delicious! Let's take one of 'em. What do you guys think?" Agerron readies his bow.
Know:
"It's about time for a snack, I s'pose. Watch out, though -- elk gives me the ass-splatters something fierce. Tastes pretty good, though," Big Ern volunteers cheerfully.
Knowledge nature
"....Is it not a bit loud a noise for an Elk to be making?"
"....Is it not a bit loud a noise for an Elk to be making?"
Devlin looks over at Majet at this and says, "Why? What do you think made the sound?"
Knowledge: Nature
Queslin comes closer to the group and joins the conversation. "Yes. It is a bit too loud. We should be careful."
Perception +2 v Humanoid (human)
With Queslin going back to the group you are now about 170ft. away from the treeline.
A bit further to the south, maybe 240ft. from the closest of you, something enormous steps out from a shadow. You'd estimate it being over 8ft. in height and about as long as well. On top of it's head it's got a pair of antlers with which it simply can't go too deep into the forest, as broad as they are.
Taras, at the end of the group, simply says: "Oh my..."
Devlin looks over at Majet at this and says, "Why? What do you think made the sound?"
Majet points at the huge thing emerging from the shadows
"How about that?" she suggests "A Megaloceros if I'm not mistaken. Might be best to avoid it."
Michael swears loudly, before adding, "now that is one big arse buck!" He nods as Majet speaks, "you don't have to tell me twice,".
"Man, that thing's head would look amazing on the Krakenov brothers' wall. But I'll be damned if I'm going to drag it back home."
"Starshine!" Queslin says quietly. "That is a marvel of nature. Stay calm, don't make any sudden moves, and stay inside of the treeline. In fact, we might want to back up slowly and put more trees between us and him."
As you slowly and carefully retreat into the woods, the monstrous ancestor of an elk doesn't follow you, but bells at you, loudly.
The rest of the day is pretty dull in comparison.
You crisscrossed about half of the land you managed to cover the day before, with woods being rather dense to mostly clear, trees pretty much everywhere.
Besides a few squirrels and the occasional rabbit and deer there's not much you encounter, but a good eye and swift arrow bring you a nice lunch.
As a group you have no problems making camp for the night.
Queslin is drawing a map that's slowly taking shape and can be called 'reasonable', though being first in the group to ride out and having to chart the map later on is a tedious workload.
Having to check the landscape ahead for dangers and making (mental) notes for the map and checking the map for already explored territory (as to not ride someplace again) sometimes leads to the elf sitting in his saddle and looking a bit confused. It didn't slow you down yet, (thanks to Delfey and Taras having to follow on foot) but it's only a matter of time until that happens, it seems.
At least Queslin has something to do, all day long. Being first he also was the first to encounter wildlife, which brought you the lunch.
The rest of the group pretty much just followed along, sometimes wondering where the elf would lead them to, often thinking they would ride in circles.
Taras once, just after lunch, asked Michael, why they do just that.
Agerron rides along in boredom. He spends his time trying to stay a ways away from Big Ern; while he doesn't mind the abrasive personality all that much, the smell makes him a bit nauseous.
To no one in particular, he occasionally comments, "Gods, I was not meant to be an explorer. We should be going after the Stag Lord! We could do this work anytime."
Michael keeps fairly quite, making small talk with Taras. He has no idea on the mapping and when questioned by Taras, he just shrugs and comments that he has no idea, but the charter asks for mapping. He shows Taras the charter.
He takes it upon him self to look after all the horses at every stop.
Big Ern loudly blathers on for hours about anything that crosses his mind (including idle boasting, a catalog of his venal desires, and various intimate details about his physiology), regardless of whether anyone is listening or not.
He also shares his rotgut booze with anyone who wants a swig and he complains vociferously about the quantity of food they're eating.
Devlin spends that majority of his time speaking with Majet and Michael, and doing his best to ignore Ern. He trusts Delfey to keep an eye out for things he should be made aware of.
Majet happily engages Devlin and Michael in conversation.
Sometimes in the afternoon of the day:
Riding through the woods, suddenly and out of nowhere, Big Ern's saddle skidds to the side and down the horse he is riding on, pulling the enormous man with him to the ground. Thanks to the soft ground in the woods he's not injured.
Perception DC 19 (sound):
You manage to hear a restrained laughter, seeming like it's coming from high above and a bit to the side of you.