"This won't take but a moment, ma'am. I have yet to see the sight, so I shall accompony you. My name is Darius, what is your name?"
"Was Matthew one of the Laughtons, Karen? Maybe you could tell me what to look for? You probably don't want to see what's been done to them. I mean, I'm not going to stop you, but it isn't something I'd want anyone to see."
"If that is what you need me to do I'll do it." She answers Logen with less hostility than before, perhaps accepting his apology. Turning to Sir Gerard she confirmes: "Yes he was. I think it would be easier if I went to look, but could you cover the bodies?". At Darius' offer she nods and adds: "I would like to have someone with me, but as I said, I would like for you to cover the bodies."
"Sure." Gerard walks into the house and makes sure the bodies are completely covered. "Alright, you can come in now Karen." he calls outside.
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Logen lets Paschal lead the group in, lagging behind a little. He takes a scan of the village, looking for anything suspicious, like people acting strange or new people or lack of people. Then he follows the group in, and after Karen is given some time to look around he asks "Karen, pardon me but I have a question since ye won't be looking at the bodies. Did they wear any sort of jewerly like a necklace or ring that they hardly ever took off?
Frustrated by this piece of paper, Sir Voldniq continues to watch outside the building and keep an eye out for any more goblins or threats.
Upon seeing the dead bodies, Darius gags a little. "If... If you'll excuse me..." he says as he quickly heads back outside with Vaslo, Zeke, and Voldniq.
before following the rest inside Logen focuses his attention on the village and villagers and to the best of his knowledge nothing seams out of the ordinary for someone who has just been unexpectedly attacked.
As Sir Gerard indicates it's all right to enter Karen says: "Thank you for sparing me for that." Darius walks into the bedroom and soon hurries out pushing past Logen on his way.
Karen begins systematically searching the living room and turns towards the half-orc as he asks her. She thinks for a second and then answers: "Well Matthew had this sort of signet ring he never took off and Josephine had a pretty silver necklace with a small stone. Oh and Matthew wore a small key in a leather strips around his neck."
Searching the two bodies for the described item all of them are gone, perhaps removed. Damages to Matthews right ring finger might suggest some sort of trauma.
"Something tells me we're going to need someone to speak Goblin sometime soon. Can any of you do that?"
"Any luck finding the skin?" Gerard asks Karen, leaning on the frame of the house's front door. Responding to Darius he says, "Pfah. Why talk to the evil little bastards when you can kill them?"
Sometimes it is benefical to know thy enemy I am sure, but I have never had the need to learn Goblin speech. I am with Gerard that I usually just want them dead. Are we staying here for the night SGT, or are we pushing on?
"Skin?" Karen looks like she has no idea about what Sir Gerard is talking about.
Sgt. Wall contemplate Sir Voldniq's question and says: "I am going to head back to Castle Firrine while you press on, I have a grim feeling that there might have been more. Just to be sure that the hamlets further south/south-west are all right. You seam able to handle this."
Finally she says: "I ain't sure but I think Matthew showed me a piece of hide with drawings like these once." Thinking hart she adds: "He might have said it was an important map, but then again I could be grasping at straws." Gathering up some courage she continues: "I'll go look inside if you want me to but I heard the Laughtons are dead in there."
"Matthew's piece of hide, girl. With the drawings. The whole reason I asked you to go in there and search." Gerard says right back at her just as confused as she is.
"Ahh." Karen understands. "Well they used to have a place beneath this stone." she says while she walks over to the stone in bottom of the doorway between the kitchen and storeroom. "It looks like it might have been move recently" she contemplates while looking at it."
Gerard will examine the area thoroughly.
Well if we are to guard this village lets set up some defensive structures and make a plan for patrols and nightwatch. Voldniq says planly and begins to take a look at the village with new insight.
Searching carefully in the described area Sir Gerard notices that the stone in the doorway is indeed loose and that there is no dust in the corners. Removing the stone reveals and hole that is empty. There is an impression in the dust which is comparable to the hide described.
Shall we move south then?
Good Iomedae, I'm surrounded by incompetents. He turns to Logen, "As I was just saying a second ago, there was a map in here. The better question is can you see any tracks leading away from here?" Gerard asks Logen. Raising his voice he calls over the druid and his pet,
"Where do you need me, Paschal?"
"Can you track? If not I guess we should get ready to go. We need to either find the goblins and their probable masters, or move on to checking the next hamlet."
"Splitting up the squad doesn't seem like a good idea to me."
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Vaslo smiles a bit and moves up. "Logen we are the more silent of the group to be sure, but I worry about splitting our party as well. Even the stealthiest are spotted sometimes. If we were to be spottted... well you and I alone would fair poorly in combat against a force like we faced last time."
He then motions for Zeke.
In Elven: Zeke... Come, smell here.... yesss good boy, now find.
"If we do split up, I just have to say that I'm not the stealthiest, but I'm useful in combat."
"We shouldn't split the group. At least not yet. We don't need to be stealthy, we just need to find them. Last time you two running off ahead nearly got you killed and the rest of us were playing catch up."
Zeke has caught some scent from the stone and the hole. He eagerly begins to track it outside the house. Perhaps he is heading south?
"I'll follow!" Darius says while hurrying after Vaslo and Zeke.
If our scouts knew what scouting was I would be more at ease with letting them go alone, but since they feel the urge to run at the first thing they see we should probably all move together and soon as it is already mid-day.
Well I can at least appreciate your boldness. Lets continue that trait and give these goblins something to truely fear, a well organized attack team. If as we approach the hamlet the oppertunity for you to use your stealth ability presents itself we can decide from there, but for now lets make haste.
"Agreed! After the lion!" Gerard will do his best to keep up with the stalking lion. He has his bow drawn, with an arrow knocked.
At first Zeke is to eager for his own good. He quickly begins to distance the party as he follows the scent out of the city. Vaslo has to call out for the eager hunter to slow down. In a more reasonable pace the party continues to put the village behind them and head south.
The terrain is becoming increasingly steeper with more hills. From the top of one of these hills ahead of the rest Logen looks over the landscape nothing seams out of the ordinary. While Logen climbs the hills once in a while the rest follow behind Zeke in the valleys below.
After about an hours tracking you turn around a hill and an see what has properly been a temporary camp site for eating before heading on. The ground is littered with bones picked clean. The grass is stomped down. Based on what you see it would take more than 4 goblins and a dog to make this mess. Zeke continues on but suddenly he leaves the trail heading south and heads east a few paces before stopping and heading back to his south going path. It would seam two trails leave this camp site.
"What a mess." Darius says while observing the campsite.