"No, no, definitely not hobgoblins," Kyra says, keeping her voice as calming and soothing as she can. "We are not staying! This is your land, we respect that! We are going away as fast as we can, yes? Just going that way."
She points, the direction that they need to travel.
The troll seems relatively calm and content to watch you go.
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Okay, it's a day and a half later and you have left the woods. You are looking down the valley at the Marideth river and its lone bridge in these parts, and the looming shape of Fangwood Keep beyond. The bridge over the Marideth seems to be the only place to easily cross the swiftly flowing river, though it is also obviously well within sight of anyone stationed on one of the keep’s ramparts.
Kyra looks unenthused at the idea of swimming across the swiftly flowing water. Not her strongest suit. Though perhaps if she unbuckles her armor it won't be so bad.
"The bridge is right out, at least by daylight. Far too visible. Are we getting wet, then?
About thirty yards across.
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Saki was happy to see the woods left behind them, not the least of all because she definitely did not want to get in the bad books of anything else that claimed the forest as their territory.
Crossing a river did not seem like the most enjoyable of activities, however.
"What if we wait until nightfall?"
"I'll raise my glass to that plan," Kyra says, looking at the river distrustfully. "It's too broad across for a single rope even to reach... very easy for a horse, or a person, get swept away by that current."
The party finds a small copse of tree where they can shelter from the summer sun and from which they observe the bridge. Twice, small patrols in Molthuni armor cross the bridge. Something about them seemed odd, but you couldn't say what, exactly. Something about their gait? They marched as well as any Molthune legion, but it just didn't seem right. Hard to tell from this distance.
Dusk begins to settle over the valley. It will be twilight in an hour and full dark in ninety minutes.
Talhaearn can see a low bluff a little way upstream. It would be difficult to get out of the water at that point, but it might protect any swimmer from view. Alternately, he can see a stand of willows that come right down to the shoreline about a mile upstream.
Once the sun began to drop, Kyra recruited Saki's help in unbuckling her own armor. She won't try and swim wearing it. Protection against blades or arrows does her little good if she's at the bottom of the river.
"Do we wish to try and leave the horses here, do you think? It runs the risk of their being discovered... but getting them across the river will be its own problem."
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Saki likewise has Kyra return the favour, although she seems ever so slightly hesitant to go without her armour. She distantly and darkly mutters something about shadow demons, shuddering to herself.
"It may be best to keep them here, but hauling across our supplies - such as our armour - is going to be a problem either way. Perhaps if we lead them across to those willows down the bank...."
Kyra looks wry and rueful at that. "I've no particular skill with animals, so it won't be me trying that. How much rope have we got between us? The rope that was in the climber's gear we bought, aye, but aside from that? If we can lash enough together to span the river, we can haul our gear-- I agree it's not ideal, but I know no better way."
So what'll it be?
Kyra nods to Saki and will knot their lengths of rope together, giving them hopefully enough rope to bridge the river.
"It seems the strongest of us should swim across with the rope, yes? Then the others until one person remains on this shore. Gear can be tied to the rope by that last person, and hauled over... then the last person, if we are willing to leave the horses tethered here, out of sight. This way even if the current is much stronger than we fear, the rope should provide an aid to weaker swimmers, or keep our first swimmer from being entirely swept away."
Kyra starts placing her armor and other odds and ends into her pack. It will be far from waterproof, and she doesn't enjoy the thought of trying to dry off her gear on the other side, but she cannot think of a betteer way to cross.
"So who will try it first?"
[Whaddya say we just get across the river?]
The swift-moving Marideth river is 90 feet across. For those of you with 30 ft of movement, that's six Swim checks at DC 15. Unless you are excellent swimmers, that seems very dangerous.
Tal's first attempt gets him away from the shore and into the deeper water... but it becomes quickly apparent that the current is swift and that crossing this way will be dangerous, even with the rope. Frowning, Kyra suggests that they scout for an easier crossing-- perhaps the current is slower.
Searching upstream, the party finds a feasible rout across after a few hours of searching. It is a ford where the river runs shallow over a rocky bed.
"Much better," Kyra says with a sigh. They can wade the horses through this-- and she and Saki can wear their armor, without a chance of drowning. She will help Saki re-don hers, and also do the same with her own, before leading the horses across.
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While they stalk the river edge looking for a better place to cross, Saki has various flashbacks to her days on the road as a child, and why she is incredibly happy to be largely city-bound for the most part nowadays. The comforting cold of her armour upon her skin is much more pleasant to being practically naked as well.
"Let's hurry to the fort while it's still dark."
The terrain on the far side of the ford is a trackless forest and is far harder to get through, forcing the quartet of heroes to bushwhack their way forward, leading the horses as often as riding. It takes nearly the whole night to return the five miles back downstream. As the heroes draw close to Fangwood Keep once again, they douse their lights. Seoni, Kyra and Saki are essentially blind, though Talhaearn can see quite well by starlight.
The half-elf leads the team through the last vestiges of the forest until he hears male voices up ahead near the wood's edge. No lights can be seen.
Kyra is getting thoroughly tired of branches to the face before Tal whispers at them to stop. She knuckles at her eyes, and strains her ears to listen.
The actual words are impossible to make out, but the cadence and timbre of the of the voices makes it clear that the speakers are several hobgoblins. It sounds as though they will pass close to where the heroes are now. If one of the horses should make a sound...
Kyra glances to the others in the near-absolute darkness, pointlessly-- nothing can be seen-- and eases her scimitar from its sheath with a thin exhale.
"Hold," she whispers, as quietly as she can. Their only chance of avoiding discovery is if they can all be quiet as churchmice until the hobgoblins pass by.
Of course, she would step on an easily-broken twig, in the darkness...
With a 2? She stepped on a duck. ;-)
The hobgoblin patrols stops and turns toward the offending sound. Then a shout as you are seen. They form up and rush forward, en masse.
<- Don't know what it really is
Initiative Order
Saki
Talhaearn
Hobgoblins
Kyra
Seoni
Saki, Talhaearn, go!
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Saki draws her ioun torch out of her pack from where it was secreted away in an inside pocket, covered up such that the light would not escape. She holds the stone up to her forehead, and it immediately starts to circle around her head, lighting up the immediate area.
Waiting for Talhaearn.
Saki's light illuminates the forest path and reveals three armored hobgoblins. Talhaearn's elvish eyes can see one more behind them who looks like the leader. The soldiers wear leather armor and carry swords and shields, while the archer carries a composite longbow. The sergeant wears scale mail and carries a longsword, a whip and a heavy crossbow.
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Like a well-trained machine, the archer and sergeant advance and fire at the humans. Saki's heavy plate armor deflects a shot meant for her heart. Kyra's does the same. Then the legionnaires charge past their fellows and stab at priestess and paladin from behind their shields. One sharp hobgoblin blade pierces Kyra's armor and cuts her shoulder, while another grazes Saki's wrist.
Everyone, go!
Kyra grunts between her teeth at the bite of steel. "We must end this fight quickly!" she hisses to her colleagues. "Our light will be a beacon to the keep!"
She prays there is enough tree cover to partially block the glow as she swings her own scimitar in answer.
Kyra's need to keep hold of the reins of her horse and keep it from bolting limits her effectiveness in combat!
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Saki lights up the clearing just in time to largely dodge out of the way of the incoming hobgoblin's blade, scoring only a slightly painful wound on her wrist as a result of it. Gritting her teeth, she maneuvers into a defensive stance, surprisingly agile even within the heavy plate armour that adorns her body. She then carves her glaive through the air at the nearest enemy.
Kyra's hissed warning leaves Saki feeling sick in the pit of her stomach, but she also knows that the alternative was being gutted, unseen, in the shadows...