"Thank you, Alexis. That's, as usual, a lot of valuable information. So... not recognized. Thus, no foreign aid to be expected." He continued to trot forward slowly.
"I've no idea. At some point, subtlety loses its effect. I don't know when that point will be, however. From a tactical standpoint, marching up to a fort with four men and suggesting you are the rightful owner... has no positive outcome. Understating our claim is likely going to be of value."
"Well, we gain nothing by not attempting to communicate. In the worst case, we end up fighting, but maybe this pseudo-lord will allow us entry peaceably, and it is possible he may even support our efforts. Shall we?" Aris nudges Bruidal slightly and speeds up, just a little bit.
Astor sped his horse up to a cantor to get back to the fore (if only slightly), and then maintained the speed necessary to stay in a similar position to Aris. If they ran into a pit or the like, he was certain his horse would be more able to respond than the average horse. Likewise, they were more likely to fire on a closer target if at all. He strapped his shield to his arm as they rode forward.
Alexis tries to stay near the front of the group as they approach the unknown flag, keeping Astor close enough he could move to the front in case of combat but trusted herself more than him when it came to negotiation.
Faun brings her horse up to a trot, careful to stay behind Astor. She could sense Ornmeil'lon's unease; a sentiment that she shared. Newcomers flying unknown flags were an important, and possibly dangerous, development.
"Perhaps we should approach them with some subtlety," she suggests. "Until we know what sort of people we're dealing with, maybe we should downplay our claim."
"If you'd like some of us could hide while one advances alone to talk to them."
"Better to keep us together than split us up. I don't trust me to do the talking, and I'd prefer not to risk anyone more explicitly important to our endeavors."
"I highly doubt all four of us will be able to sneak in so if you split up then we've no real choice but to walk up to the gate."
If no one further objected Alexis would take the lead and try to talk to anyone that showed up since no one could agree.
"That was what I meant, yes." He said... and then frowned as she rode out in front once more. He sped the horse up once more, "Why does everyone seek to be in front of me today?"
"Because you are dressed in full plate on a warhorse with more weapons than any of us, it's ill advised to enter a peace room armed to the teeth. If you'd like to try then I'll wait."
Alexis slowed down to let Astor lead.
Astor just sighed, and slowed down to let her stay in front.
As you ride closer, it's possible to see that the flag is two figures crudely painted onto a large piece of green cloth, rather than a properly made flag, some sort of rampant elk or stag facing what is almost certainly meant to be a woman, depicted in a lewd manner. The gate to the fort is closed, and it looks like the earth was recently dug up nearby, as though the gates had long been left wide open.
A head pops up on one of the four towers which make up the corners of the fort and a woman's shrill voice calls out, "Who goes there? The Trading Post is all closed up today." The face the voice belongs to looks unwashed and far too unkempt for the parade-quality leather armor she appears to be wearing, a uniform if ever you saw one. She vanishes for a moment and then a second head appears, a man wearing the same uniform, with a bow in hand. The woman then calls out again, "Camp out for the night and we'll maybe be open for business tomorrow!"
When the man and woman show themselves, Arisl'arial reigns in her horse. She speaks quietly to her party-members. "Well, it would appear the trading post is occupied, and with those gates shut, I have doubts we could take it by force. Is anyone here skilled at negotiation? I believe that is the most expeditious way of getting inside."
Alexis matched Arisl's volume."I've had plenty of practice on wordplay, if you'll allow me to try."
If no one objects she would try to speak to the people on the wall.
"Alexis Crownguard." She introduces herself. "My friends and I are seeking shelter for a short time, surely allowing such a small group in can't be unreasonable? Rumors of bandits near here are common and I don't know if we could survive if they attacked us at night."
Faun trots up next to Astor, keeping an eye on the man and woman on the wall. They were wearing uniforms, but something wasn't right. "Deserters?" she asks.
Astor made a motion to Alex that was mostly a 'be my guest' equivalent.
"I can't be sure." Astor shook his head to Faunlara. "I hadn't heard anything about this place, to be completely honest. It could be Deserters, or it could be bandits themselves. No self-respecting soldier would be wearing dress uniform while in such a state.
The woman is clearly being deceitful, but also seems a bit less hostile as she continues refusing, "Look, I can't let you in, right? Orders is orders, and the Post is all closed up. Why don't you go make camp and I'll go talk to uh... Sir Ismort?"
The man also standing up on the tower growls at her and says, "He hates being called that, and he's busy. Go bother Happs instead." He then continues glaring at all of you while the woman vanishes to somewhere else in the fort, returning with a man wearing much the same uniform, a medallion of some sort, and with a large longbow slung over his shoulder.
"What's going on? This is a trading post, not an inn. You got anything to trade?" He seems especially interested in how well-provisioned you all are, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "I could maybe make an exception for a few crowns though..." At this point, Alexis is absolutely certain something fishy is going on, and that his offer is entirely insincere.
"I'm certain we can come up with something for trade I'll speak to my allies about an offer." Alexis lowers her voice so that only the party can hear.
"Well they certainly don't mean well, if we get inside we'll likely be attacked but we can't really just leave. Ideas?"
"I agree. I would recommend just leaving regardless, but I fear not everyone inside is an enemy. I could, perhaps, look up a spell to make one of them more friendly, but I have a feeling the only one worth talking to is this 'Sir Ismort'." Thumbing through her spellbook, she finds the incantation for Charm Person and memorizes it, allowing Vanish to fade from her memory.
"If we can make him friendly, we may be able to get the gates open without paying. Unless anyone else has any ideas?"
"From my point of view, diplomacy is the only option." Astor offered with a shrug. "So it is either that we talk or that we leave. It is unwise to stay nearby, I think, though."
"Ask them if we can talk to this knight. Perhaps he'll be more conducive to letting us inside." Aris flips her spellbook closed and shoves it into her bag.
"I don't think Diplomacy will be an option here but I will try.
If no one else speaks up she would return to those on the wall."We have coin for shelter, would a meeting with this Sir Ismort be possible?"
The new man, apparently named Happs, given the earlier discussion, seems quite impatient with the quiet conversation you have, but perks up quite a bit when Alexis offers coin, "How about five crowns apiece, and another each for the horses?" There isn't a fine enough inn in all of Restov as to get away with charging such outrageous prices for a single night's stay, but he continues, "As for Sir Ismort, he's... busy. Already having a meeting and no idea how long it might last." He leers at this last bit, and looks as though he's told some sort of joke, though it's hard to say what might be so funny, which is even more disturbing since the two others up on the tower laugh at what he said, the woman adding, "But he might make an exception all the same!"
"What do you all think? This seems like a dangerous situation, and having them open the gates may make it worse. However, I would guess that riding off at this point could result in them tracking us down and attempting to kill us, or worse, take us prisoner, in the night. Options I see are to enter and be prepared for the worst or to ride off and set a trap for any pursuers. Any other options?" Aris looks at the others nervously, suddenly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"It would seem that any of the options are bad, but simply staying here is the worst. I don't trust this. He mentions it being a trading post, but then denies us, even when he sees that we have much in the way of supplies... which means we are the perfect targets for trade. I would prefer we did not go in, unless we were prepared for things going very wrong. It would likely be better to do the latter. It is not as though we need lodging. I... don't know, though. I don't want to view every situation as a potential battlefield, that's been my life for the better part of a decade. Do we see any other options?"
"It is very likely a trap I don't really see any options besides stay or run."
"If we are not comfortable with assaulting this place, I suppose backing off and keeping a good watch is the best option." Aris remounts and, turning Bruidal away from the fort, begins riding away.
"Assaulting a fortified position, even freshly fortified is a very poor idea. We would have to get in, and we would have to be looking at it from the perspective of invaders. While we technically have the right of way wherever we go here, I'd prefer to make friends, not enemies, to begin with." he states, having never gotten off of the horse, waiting to see what the others wish to do.
"I am inclined to agree with Aris," Faun adds, moving her horse to follow the mage. "We don't have enough information to act accordingly. The last thing our fledgling nation needs will be a faux pas before it is born."
"As you wish, I suspect we will have to deal with them in time no matter our actions here. What is our next destination then?" Alexis followed the group.
"I leave what we do next in the hands of our military expert. Back with the Ambers, I was never in charge of watches. That task always belonged to Delnok. It was also his job to pick safe places to camp, but I suppose if we have angered 'Sir Ismort', such safety may only be an illusion. My maps will be of little use for such details regardless, as the rivers have no doubt shifted courses several times."
Astor turned to follow behind. "As for watches, the best people to watch at night would be those with elf sight. It is also beneficial that you require less time for adequate rest. That means that without doubling up on the watch, we can have an eight hour night shift. Do you each trust your eyes enough to watch alone?" he asked, as he followed along behind them. "And are you alright with being outside the tent during this time? If you feel that they will leave their fortifications to attack us, then it is wise to have our eyes where they do not expect them."
The surrounding terrain is a broad expanse of plains, stretching off endlessly into the northwest in the direction of Brevoy's capital at New Stetven. Finding somewhere suitable to camp is quite simple, although it might be more difficult to find somewhere that isn't surrounded by waist-high grasses, shrubs, and other flora, which means it would still be possible for someone to sneak up on your camp if they're willing to crawl slowly enough to not give themselves away. As you turn around and head off to make camp elsewhere, the man named Happs jeers and calls out, "Yeah, that's what I thought. Come back when we're open for business!"
"It seems reasonable to me for us to split the watch according to our advantages, as it were. Faunlara and I can see better in the starlight and moonlight, while you younglings would be best suited to dusk and dawn. We should take the darker portions of watch and leave you the sunset." Aris stops her horse. "I have no idea which direction would be best to go in, but the road may no longer be our friend."
"If there are roads, I'm going to accept them as my friends." Astor smiles, the smile a little crooked. "Because anyone who is maintaining that level of order out here... is doing a lot better than that trading post. The watches sound good to me."
Once they set up for the night Alex would be fine with taking a watch order.
The rest of the day is rather uneventful as you put a good amount of distance between yourselves and the fort. The sun sets soon after you set up camp and make arrangements for the watch, but the sky remains mostly cloudless, so the elves among you should be able to see quite well in the bright starlight even before the moon rises or after it sets.
About three hours into the first watch, Astor spies two figures approaching from the direction of the fort, moving close together and traveling at a fast walk almost approaching a jog. Neither has a light, and they stumble every now and then in the darkness, which helps to give away their approach.
Astor sighs. "Diplomacy, or rouse the elves?" he asked Alexis quietly. "The stumbling makes me worried they're in actual danger or injured." He looks over the opposite direction with a slow scan to make sure that they aren't being flanked.
"No point leaving them asleep, wake them and I'll try to see if they are hostile." If the figures came close enough she would call out to them. "Are you looking for something?"
Astor moved into the tent through the tent-flap, stating loudly enough to be heard "We have guests approaching from the fort, most likely. I'm unsure if your presence is necessary, but I am certain it is preferred." If speech isn't enough to rouse the two, he'll actually move to rouse them at arm's length.
Aris blinks a couple of times before seeming to snap into consciousness. "Mmmmmmph. From the fort, you said? I will be out in one moment." Clad in her underclothes, she looks around for her robe and pulls it on before poking her head out of the tent. "How ready should I be-actually, I will prepare for anything." She emerges with her spellbook in hand and a dagger strapped around her narrow waist.
One of the two, possessing a feminine voice you might guess to be just a few years into adulthood, calls back in response to Alexis, "H-h-hello? Are you the ones who came calling at our trading post? Oh please, you have to help us, and they can't be far behind!" As the two figures stumble closer, the elves can clearly see by the starlight that one is a burly man with a well-trimmed beard who, in spite of the cool night air is shirtless, probably because the second figure, a young woman, is wearing what must be the man's shirt over a tattered dress, ripped in several places, her decency maintained only by the shirt. Neither appears to be armed or carrying anything that could be a weapon, unless it's concealed under their clothing. Despite the woman's claim that others are likely close behind, Astor sees nobody else approaching, either from the same direction as these two, or from any flanking direction.
Astor would head back out to preserve the elves' modesty as well, with a slight sigh and a roll of his eyes.
"Trust them?" He asked Alexis as he moved over to retrieve a rested horse, putting a saddle on it, and latching it into place quickly. Getting them off their feet was a priority, and they'd quickly find the horse unfriendly if they tried to bolt with it while he lead them back, but he'd wait for Alexis's suggestion before he decided to walk out and offer the horse, or ride out instead. He leaves his lance, either way.
"Did you wake the others?" Alexis cast detect magic as she moved to help the approaching people herself. "What happened at the trading post?"
"Yes." he said as he got on the horse, and road out to hand it off. They looked worse than he'd initially seen, as they came closer.
Aris follows the two humans, perhaps ten yards behind but hurrying to catch up. As she sees the condition the woman is in, her heart grows heavy. "Oh my. Are they alright? Actually, that question seems foolish; let me find one of my spare outfits, that should be a start. Besides, it looks like he's cold." She turns and runs back to the camp proper, digging through her bag to find a shirt and some breeches that are still mostly clean, and waits for Astor and Alexis to bring the newcomers in.
Faun wakes quickly from her trance, alert and awake. She looks to Ornmeil'lon, trying to determine the problem and see that her ward was safe. The druid grabs her bow and lightly trots over to where Aris was standing.
"Who is pursuing you?" she asks the couple, her voice even despite the excitement.
Neither of the two actually appeared to be injured, even the young woman, who in spite of the poor condition of her clothes doesn't appear to have a single bruise on any part of her skin which is visible, nor is her clothing at all stained by blood. They appreciate being allowed to ride the remaining hundred yards to the camp all the same however, their feet clearly tired from the long trek in the dark.
The young woman is the first to speak up, "It was those damned bandits! They been preying on us for months, stealing all our trade goods and making all sorts of horrible threats, and now they've gone and taken the whole trading post from us!"
The bearded man, who appears to be her husband, hugs her comfortingly from behind and fleshes out the story, "I got a charter from the Swordlords last year giving me ownership of this old border fort so long as I fix it up into a nice trading post and as an inn for travelers along the South Rostland Road. Married Svetlana here and made the move, never once thinking there'd be any real trouble once we were all settled in, but not two months went by before a local band of brigands learned about my new trading post. Once a month they would come by, clean me out, and then be gone until the next month, but then a week ago they came back early, and in force. Hadn't been so many since the first time they came, and now there was a man in charge, instead of that vile woman that stole Svetlana's wedding ring right off her finger."
Svetlana picks the story back up after giving the gruff-voiced man a quick kiss on his bearded chin, after quickly saying, "Better they took that ring than you. That new leader's probably the only reason we're alive though. He had the whole lot of them convinced he was uh..." She blushes and avoids finishing the thought, instead simply moving on after a brief silence, "...when really he was making sure we stayed fed and healthy. It's right odd how such a decent fellow could fall in with a lot like that, and end up in charge no less, but I guess he's got his own troubles and can't keep them under control, because he set us free tonight, pointed us in this direction, and said to warn you that some of his men would try and slit your throats in the night!"