Qalendar nods, That went as expected. Looking around at the others, Shall we follow? Or just let them confuse themselves without our help? He looks around their surroundings as he continues talking, The only difference will be the effect on one's conscience, but I imagine that might mean something to some of you.
The mages all seem to have at least some level of martial training and the older among them are doing their best to organize people. With that said, it appears that they are mobilizing for a retreat rather than a defense and, if asked, they all suggest that they are simply waiting for those (like Gyda) who are not currently present to return before they attempt to relocate elsewhere. It seems quite clear that they do not want to camp with undead right at their backs.
I wonder...if they could have moved safely, then why did they stay so close to a place they knew nothing about? Qalendar frowns as he watches the people organize. These people did not know...but someone did. Interesting.
"They didn't know until the goblin told them," Martin whispers, annoyed, "And now we have to deal with them pointlessly relocating. More work."
The organization seems fairly solid though they have very little in the way of arms and armor. The packing is efficient but if you all mill about and attempt to listen to the chatter, the mages are clearly concerned about finding another place where they can settle for a moderate term. It seems that the prevailing suggestion is that they keep on the move to avoid being caught by the king's forces but people are optimistic that Gyda will have a better solution when she returns.
"Well if we had made an alliance with the crazy undead elf, we wouldn't have to worry about random undead wandering into camp, but we didn't, so here we are. I would have hoped for a little more backbone from people willing to traffic with devils"
This has come up before. What makes one think that these people lack for bravery? The other false conclusion I at least understand, but there's been no indication that these people are cowards. Or do you mean curiosity?
Qalendar makes no move to speak to the people.
After a few hours Gyda returns and the group of mages nearly immediately begin to move out. There is a bit of an organized frenzy of activity as everyone rushes out of the caverns. It is clear that they have an idea of the direction to march, but the level of concern about shelter is almost palpable. Assuming no one interferes, the group begins to move through the forest in the direction of the portal you used to get here in the first place. The marching is organized, even amongst the children, and it seems that everyone knows and understands their place. While concern is still clearly present, the moving mass is far from a panicked rout.
"So... we guard these cowards as they march, then?" Martin asks the others when they have a minute alone.
Qalendar smiles slightly, though not in mirth. Perhaps we should ask them them why they believe moving is preferable. I expect that they might know more about this situation than we do. It may be that we are too ignorant to know the danger we were in. He shrugs, and continues, But we can also keep assuming things.
In either case, yes, we guard them.
The mages march with intent and the more they move, the more they seem to organize and focus. Once they have marched a mile or so beyond the portal area, they stop to begin to set up a makeshift camp for the day. The frustration and the movement have caused them to not really seek your counsel, but neither are they especially attempting to shut you out.
"Great idea Qalendar. Why don't you step forward to talk to them, so we don't have to make assumptions anymore. "
Qalendar shrugs, Very well.
The young man approaches Gyda and the group of mages. Where do you plan to lead these people?
Gyda appears to be speaking with those nearby but turns to Qalendar as he approaches.
"All I can think of is to travel through the woods for a few days and then attempt to cross the plains as quickly as possible. Without the shelter of that settlement it will not be long before the King's scouts run into us if we stay in one place. We'll probably try to move every day and perhaps push ourselves until we cross the plains and reach more cover in the swamps on the other side."
Qalendar frowns, While I do not share my compatriots view of your...reasons, would it not have been prudent to ask us exactly what we found in the ruins rather than leave before getting a full account?
The young man shrugs, We are here to help you, whatever you decide.
Gyda looks over everyone else and then back to Qalendar.
"I was told that you found hostile undead in the ruins. We decided that if the King ever found us we would begin to move and attempt to evade pursuers and so we put that plan into place. Do you believe that we could defeat the undead? We have very little in the way of force of arms at our disposal."
The undead are the symptom, not the source of the danger, but I understand your concern. I do not know if you could defeat them, we have no idea how many there are. We can only tell you what happened and then you can use your judgment to decide whether staying on the move, or attempting to stay, is safer.
Qalendar looks up and away for a moment, seemingly distracted. He seems ready to say something at any moment, but the silence draws on. Suddenly, he continues, First, we need to ask some questions. The young man scratches his nose, You had never encountered the undead before? No one had been curious enough to explore the rest of the ruin?
Gyda shakes her head. "We had only explored the area near our camp and found a number of things to further our studies. We heard the moans from deeper inside the ruins but felt that we already had enough enemies than to probe deeper. We post guards but until your return knew nothing of what was lurking and have never had any conflict with them. But if there are intelligent undead spellcasters that you tell me are hostile, I do not want to risk the further dwindling of our numbers standing beside them."
There are undead, and they are unstable. But they are the result of some...tragedy. It is possible you will find what you need to stand against your King in their ruins. Or you could find yourself sharing in their doom. The one creature named the place Nala'nyr, do you know it?
Qalendar frowns, That they never came out to you is curious. The one we spoke to would not have allowed you to stay had you become known to her. There are a few possibilities. He holds up fingers as he lists them, The intelligent one we came upon clearly did not know, though seemed uninterested in anything outside the city proper. Perhaps they as a group simply did not know? He pauses, They could be cursed to remain in the city. Another pause, They could be tied to the effect that we found at the center. It certainly appears to be the cause of their...current state.
In any case, we can tell you what we know. And you can decide what to do from there.
Gyda seems a bit frustrated by the whole situation but does listen carefully to what you tell her.
"If we may be under threat now that they are aware of us, perhaps it is best that we move. Unless we can safely use the place as a defensible position, I would prefer to make our way out."
She seems a bit dejected but continues, "What about our larger predicament? What is your plan? If it were not for the threat of the King's patrols we could simply establish a settlement away from ruins filled with undead."
"Unstable?" Martin sneers. "I think you mean weak. They merely stood around, talking about the past, and leaving themselves wide open to being brought down by a few amateurish attacks."
Qalendar smirks and shrugs, You think incorrectly. I rarely say what I do not mean.
Gyda pauses and watches the brief disagreement, clearly assuming there is more conversation to come. When she hears none, she simply speaks up again.
"If you have no specific plan in mind, I might suggest doing what you can to make some small allies. Especially if we are on the move, some small contingent of men-at-arms would be extremely helpful."
"Sure. But you know the geography of this area best. Where should we go next?"
Gyda looks around, thinking for a moment. It is clear that she was hopeful that the rest of you would have more suggestions and she frowns a bit, but starts speaking once she gets an idea.
"Well, there are two likely options. Assuming you cannot just overthrow the king, then you'll need support. Getting it from the nearby towns will be difficult. Their tendencies match the king more than ours. But if you can find - or take - a village, that will allow us to entrench ourselves much more successfully. The other option is to travel south to the villages that have not yet been conquered. They are more likely to side with you against the king, but their force of arms is limited and they are unlikely to provide us with substantial defense...at least not initially."
You know more about these people than we do. What do you think has the highest chance of success?
"I think that the southern villages might be the safer bet to begin with, since you are travelling with your families. It is a solid short term solution. We can take a look at the other town, or perhaps remove the undead to allow you to return to your previously safe and secure position."
"Yeah... as far as attacking a well-defended Northern village, we'll let you know if that becomes an option, but we shouldn't promise that until we get a good look at the villages in question."
Gyda shakes her head, "I wouldn't suggest you attack one of our villages, simply that turning one to the cause would be of great value. Though difficult."
She pauses before continuing, "If you wish to travel south, that is certainly fine. But the border, and the unconquered villages, are quite a distance away. Given that we need to avoid any that might be aware of our existence and take interest in returning us to the king, we would move quite slowly. I fear that it would be unreasonable for us to join you there - returning with forces once you have somewhere secure or sending word so that we may take our time in getting there may be the better options."
Qalendar spends any spare time examining the spellbook and other magical items they found.
"You know these lands better than any of us," Martin replies, with an emphasis on the last word, "So I'd be satisfied to follow your judgment on this one."
Gyda pauses for a moment, thinking about her answer. "We can make it on our own. I suggest the southern villages. They are the most likely to support you in your cause against the king and even if you seek a diplomatic solution, the king only understands force. If you can bring an army, of whatever size, then I suspect that the king, or at least his advisors, will listen to you."