Edrukk will fill Kesten in on the details of the battle at the temple, taking the opportunity to put the story to put the story in epic form and get Berenkor's thoughts on needed refinements. The part involving the red headed bard is particularly well crafted, and Edrukk is quite pleased with the outcome of it.
The gathered assemblage listens enraptured to Edrukk’s tale of the battle at the temple, and everyone applauds loudly as he finishes. ”Bravo! Well done, Master Igmar!” Berenkor enthusiastically compliments the dwarf bard. ”Truly I have never heard a finer tale! I only hope I can retell it at least half as well when I share it with the folks who pass through the trading post!”
Suny continues to skip and bounce around Oleg's trading post being her bright and cherry usual self.
While traveling back and forth between the wagon and Ol' Nell, Suny catches the barbarian's eye. "Um, Suny? While I'm sure the guards and the former bandits around here appreciate your....openess, you had probably better cover up a bit, alright?"
Suny nods at Karthas' suggestion...and puts on a hat.
Ol’ Nell looks up at Karthas’ statement and does a double-take upon seeing Suny walking about the trade yard au naturel. The elderly woman opens her mouth to say something, pauses, glances suspiciously at the nearly empty jug in front of her. ”THINK I MADE THIS BATCH A LITTLE TOO STRONG!” she whispers loudly to Oleg. ”I’M SEEIN’ NAKED ELVES WITH HATS ON TRAIPSIN’ ‘BOUT TH’ YARD!”
Everyone sitting at the tables glances up and exclaims in surprise at the sight of Suny wearing nothing but a hat. Oleg’s eyes fly wide open, only to be covered by Svetlana placing her hand over them. ”My goodness! We all seem to be suffering from a mass hallucination! That’s some strong stuff, Madame Hardesty!” Berenkor exclaims in mock surprise, pouring another glass for himself from Nell’s jug. Kesten Garess coughs loudly and averts his eyes respectfully. The Hardesty twins squeal with delight and rise to their feet ready to copy Suny, only to be ushered into the main house by their elder sister Vianne, who gives Karthas a disapproving look.
Yelena raises an eyebrow. "Are you certain you have the body to go gallivanting around like that?"
Suny pauses, "Whut d'ye mean? T'is th' only body I got?' She blinks in surprise at the question.
Svetlana walks over and gently places her arm around Suny’s shoulder. ”You know, I just remembered that we got in a shipment today that included some clothes that Eseldra ordered before she left suddenly. She was about your size… Would you like to take a look?” she asks as she guides Suny into the trading post’s main house.
Oleg summons Gilbert and Mik and has them bring a wagon around into the yard. ”Here you go. Tonight we’ll get the wagon loaded up with whatever you need and we’ll have the horses ready for you at first light,” he says to Karthas, Euron, Edrukk, and Yelena.
Once he has all of the jugs loaded on the wagon, Karthas makes one final comment to Ol' Nell having noted her earlier relief that he was only ask for some of her "medicine". "Have no worries, Nell, we'll have the conversation you thought we were going to have should I make it back from dealing with this Stag Lord." he says, adding a wink.
”Aye. Well, if ye manage t’ get rid o’ th’ Stag Lord an’ make it back here alive, I’ll happ’ly have that little talk with ye,” she replies, giving Karthas a wink back.
At the dawn of the next morning, Euron stretches and begins preparations for the journey south, checking the horses and wagon a final time before finally ensuring his own mount and companion are ready.
To whomever is within ear shot while he is brushing down his own elk, he nods and reveals his thoughts. "I'll probably leave the elk somewhere on the outskirts of the fort. Not a fan of the thought, but it might look a little suspicious otherwise."
Once everyone has departed and headed south, he realizes that he may be posing as a prisoner as well.
"Hmm. Might be best if once we find out we're near the fort if we size it up first. Then we can figure out our approach. If it's as big as a fort, might even be someone could get up close an get a sense of how many men there are guarding it before we go turning ourselves in."
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Oleg considers Yelena's request and asks Svetlana if they have anything that would serve Yelena's purpose. Svetlana asks Yelena to summon her companion, and eyes the creature critically as she considers the options. "We have a large bolt of black tent canvas that Bokken ordered - not sure what he had planned for it, but he insisted it had to be black. Anyway, I don't think he'd begrudge you using it seeing as how you're planning to go against the Stag Lord. Vianne and I can sew it up into a serviceable hooded robe before morning. Will that work?"
"And I've got an old scythe in the tool shed that you could use," Oleg suggests "Your Sparklelord could look like the Specter of Death, come to claim the Stag Lord and all of his rabble," the trader suggests.
As good as their word, Svetlana and Vianne have the large hooded robe ready when the group heads out in the morning, and Oleg happily offers the scythe to Yelena.
Suny wanders off with Svetlana, completely surprised and bemused at peoples reaction to her actions. Suny is quite happy to simply claims couple of shirts. One of which she wraps around her waist as a simple skirt.
Once back out in the wilds Suny begins to practice her 'Prisoner' routine. Asking every one else for hints and tips. (^_^)
Call it Fate. Call it Luck. Call it the Will of the Gods. Whatever it is, the four days of travel from Oleg’s Trading Post to the Thorn River crossing pass uneventfully. Euron and Karthas guide the group along the same path that they traveled in the opposite direction only a couple of weeks earlier, skirting the edge of the tangled woodlands of the Narlmarches before heading due south through the rolling hills and twisting valleys of the Kamelands. At the end of the fourth day they arrive at the crossing where the Thorn River flows into the Shrike. The party camps in a copse of trees upstream from the crossing, lulled to sleep by the sound of the Thorn rushing through the rapids below the crossing and over the steep falls into the deeper and wider Shrike below.
Fireday, 20 Gozran
The fifth day out from Oleg’s finds the group traversing through uncharted territory. Their only knowledge of the area is that the Stag Lord’s fort is located on a hill overlooking the point where the Shrike River flows into Tuskwater Lake. Fortunately, the bandits of the region have been kind enough to create a well-worn path leading south from the crossing within view of the wide, swiftly flowing river. Euron’s trained eyes quickly spot the tell-tale signs of a group of horses and wagons having traveled the path a couple of days earlier - likely another group of bandits heading to the fort to deliver their tribute.
As dusk begins to fall, Euron motions for the party to halt as they approach a bend in the path. By this point along the trail the Shrike River widens into a broad mouth nearly 500 feet in width as it flows into the deep waters of Tuskwater Lake. The nature priest hops down from his elk mount and studies the ground intently before raising his nose to the air and breathing deeply to take in the scents on the wind. With a frown he motions for the group to wait as he and Niko lope up the wooded slope rising to the right of the path.
You and Niko ascend the hill like ghosts, neither leaving any trace of your silent movement. Peering through the foliage at the top of the hill, you see that the path that the party is traversing bends eastward around the hill and passes south through a narrow valley before winding its way up another hill with a partially ruined fort perched at its top, approximately 300 yards away from your current position. There is no vegetative cover in the valley or along the pathway ascending the hill, and the remaining hillside surrounding the fort is devoid of shrubbery save for isolated thorny vines and periodic large boulders. At the base of the hill, lining the path, are six large stakes each bearing what appears to be a small body impaled upon its top; even from this distance you can tell that the bodies are those of kobolds.
The wooden palisade wall surrounding the fort is sturdy and in good repair, standing 15 feet tall and consisting of logs set no further apart than six inches. The only visible gate in the palisade is located in the center of the northern wall. The fort has three watchtowers, one each at its northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern corners. Each watchtower is 20 feet high (with a peaked roof arching another 10 feet above) and surrounded by a 2-foot-high wooden railing wall that grants those within the tower cover from outside attack. It appears that at least one bandit is stationed in each watchtower.
The fort is well lit, with torches strategically placed to give maximum light coverage with the minimum number needed. Several people can be seen moving about the yard separating the palisade from the interior structures.
During the trip, Edrukk tries to pin down the details of their story, so as to avoid difficulty later. "We need a good story as to how we captured you folks. I think something along the lines of blending truth and fantasy is in order, but making sure things are based on truth as much as possible to help keep the story straight and to cover our asses as we don't know what the Stag Lord has heard as far as news. I say we keep pretty much to the script of what actually happened from the time you started advertising for replacements, skipping over the battle at the temple, and adding a bit at the end of how me, Yelena, and her companion were standing watch one night, and backstabbed the rest of you, figuring the reward from the Stag Lord would be more than the reward from the authorities. Sparklelord can carry a few weapons without arousing suspicion, so I would say one weapon for each 'prisoner'. When we get inside, Sparklelord insists on staying with the prisoners while I and Yelena use the alcohol to work our way into the Stag Lord's chamber and 'negotiate' a proper reward for it and the prisoners. That gives us flexibility, ensures that the you guys can get your weapons reasonably quickly, but shouldn't arouse too much suspicion at the same time. And, Suny, while I'm sure the bandits would more than appreciate the view you shared at the fort, I think showing too much might make things more difficult than they need to be, so lets go with only half naked and all the important bits quite safely covered."
Suny listens intently to Durgen's talking and reasoning. She nods at his assessment of 'appropriate behavior'.
"Okeys, so a rilly big shirt, kind'a thing then?" She asks helpfully, looking around amongst the group for such a piece of apparel. She giggles,
"Ye could all-a-ways say ye done caught me in'a net." (^_^) She jokes.
"Hands bound in front? Or behind?" She wonders.
Suny dutifully hands over the great, curved blade she uses.
"Here ya go!" (^_^)
Karthas looks to the rest of the group, "I suppose I need to hand this over to one of you guys." The Kellid says holding out his greatsword. "Gods know I damned useless in combat without it."