"Well, no sense in keeping this lot alive, I say," Ulmarr said.
"Then you sir can do the deed," the cartographer says.
Assuming there were no objections, Ulmarr would draw his dagger and quickly proceed to do the deed. Once it was done, he finished wiping the blood off his blade before sheathing it again, "Right then, shall we be on our way?"
"Do you not wish to do something with the bodies?" Artemis asked as she even offered him a rage to wipe the blood from her blade with.
"Old blood," Izússavar shakes his head. "They think they are the 'old blood?' In my day their ancestors were little better than apes, wearing leaves for clothes."
He looks at the others.
"So what now? Do we press on, or investigate this cave?"
"Well, I doubt we've got the time to give them a proper burial, don't want to hang around here too long, might run into more of this lot," Ulmarr said, taking the amulets, perhaps they could be better identified by others later, "I say we press on to the ruins."
"We could burn the bodies." Artemis suggested. "Would give them better burial than allowing the animal to have at them."
Ulmarr shrugged, "As you wish," he said, signaling to the others in their group to start getting a fire ready, as he too began getting some wood together.
Once you burn the bodies you continue north with the survivors of the caravan.
You arrive at a small village about an hour before dark. The village has a high wooden palisade with towers at each cardinal point. There is only one gate into the village and the wall is set up so that anyone approaching has to walk straight towards the south tower for at least 50 ft with no cover. You see half a dozen orc heads in various states of decay on stakes leading to the gate.
The merchant claims to have contacts in the village and suggests you spend the night here.
"I agree with the merchant. It would be best to rest here than in the open. How much further do we need to go to reach the location?" Artemis asked as they made their way to the gate. "Surely it can't be too kuch further?"
"We're probably still a few days out," Ulmarr stated, "But yes, this seems like a good place to stop. At least, they don't seem to be a fan of orcs..."
Sense Motive on merchant, just in case:
..."Surely it can't be too kuch further?"
"Perhaps they have maps here. Or the locals can tell us how far we have to go."
Izússavar approaches the village (assuming he is unchallenged), and he enters with the others.
You enter the village unchallenged, as the merchant knows the guards at the gate. The merchant also says that the only place to stay is the inn, run by one Marcus 8 fingers. The innkeeper or one of the locals should be able to draw you a map.
"Well then, to the inn?" Ulmarr said, as he headed for the inn.
"Well, there should be no trouble with having a fire there. Let's meet this Marcus."
"It isn't like we've somewhere else to stay." Artemis said as she opened the door when they came to the inn so that the group could file in. "At the very least it should be warm no?"
"Welcome Imperials, we don't get many of your kind up here. mostly local brew on tap. We made some bread yesterday and there is some stew if you wish. 2 Silvers for a room and 1 silver for a drink and supper. It is warm by the fire if our weather is not to your taste. Varin, you have more friends than usual, got some extra special cargo this time?"[/b]
"No Marcus, these travelers helped us out of an awkward situation with some rather uppity elf bandits. Seemed like some kind of cultists."
Ulmarr put down some coins for room and supper, "That normal around here? Elf bandits, I mean," he asked the innkeeper.
Artemis dug out her own coin to pay for dinner and a room. "I only remember finding orc tracks, so I didn't think that elves would be common bandits..."
"Perhaps the velves have better woodscraft than the orcs, and conceal their tracks."
"I am looking forward to a hot meal and a chair by the fire. But I would also like to hear about the people of these parts, and what daners there might be up here."
"I have never heard of Elf bandits threatening travelers in such groups. your friends are right that elves are not common bandits and often have better woodcraft than elves.
"As for other threats, the orcs are the biggest organized threat but wild animals are a big threat as well."
"Yes, we found a small base of theirs." Artemis said as she took a seat to make herself at home a bit. "Though we have not run into any orcs so far, which may be luck... or odd."
"Indeed," Ulmarr said, taking a seat as well, "Have there been any other unusual going ons in the area of late?" he asked curiously.
"A bandit hide you say? Was there anything worthwhile stashed there?"
the innkeep turns to the Dragonblood "A hunting party did go missing a few days back, we assumed the orcs or a bear got them."
"We took anything that was worth while." Artemis said. "Mainly rations." She added with a shrug.
Artemis gave a small sigh when she heard that they had a hunting party go missing. "Any idea where about they went missing?"
"Do hunters go missing often around here?"
"They had sought the trail of a great boar in the forests north of here. Such a creature could feed this whole village for days."
Artemis looked to Ulmarr, a look on her face that seemed to be a bit of confusion. Had they themselves not come up from the south? Could the bandits they saw be further north?
Ulmarr shrugged, he supposed it made sense that there would be bandits further north, where the reach of civilization grew even weaker.
"Well, we should probably try and get some rest soon. Got plenty of travelling to do tomorrow," he said.
"Yes. We'll be sure to look for those hunters when we go that way, but we have a long march tomorrow."
Izússavar prepares to turn in.
The night passes uneventfully.
The morning is chilly and foggy and none of the villagers seem sad to see you go. Strangely the track north seems better established than the track you came in on.
"I suppose they don't trade much with the Empire up here. Let's get a move on," Izússavar says as he helps load the animals.
"Yes, let's," Ulmarr said, helping to load up as well as he got ready to move out.
"You think they would have enjoyed having company." Artemis said as she ensured everything was squared away before she took her place among the group. "But I guess in such odd times even those who would be welcomed are met with distrust." She commented. "Yes let us depart before we're met with worst."
As you head north on the trail you come across evidence of a recent camp about an hour north of the village. It is abandoned now, but was clearly used last night, and is it far to clean to be an orc camp.
”Too clean to be orcs... more of those elves perhaps?” Ulmarr mused. He cast detect magic and searched the area.
Perception:
"Then maybe they really have come this far north." Artemis commented as she looked the camp over.
"Or it could be bandits of the human kind no?" She asked.
”Could be,” Ulmarr agreed, ”This far north, who knows?”
"Strange they would camp so close to the village. Why not just press on an extra hour and then stay indoors? Perhaps they were watching the village, but did not want to be seen?"
The tracks are very similar to those you found around the attacked caravan. As you look around more carefully, you see that their night watch was clearly positioned to watch the track coming up from the village. The site was used for at least 2 nights by 4 or more individuals. There is a trail with day old tracks that heads mostly south and a bit west. The most recent tracks head north in parallel with the existing main trail.
"Well, looks like they're headed North, just like us," Ulmarr said, getting ready to proceed again, "Might be we'll meet them on the way. We'd best be prepared."
"You heard him." Artemis said as she looked back to the main group. "Keep your eyes open and your weapons close." She advised. "We may see more than we expected."
"I wonder if they saw what they expected to see? Well, may as well keep moving."
The rest of the day and that night pass uneventfully. Shortly after you get moving again you see signs that someone was on a hill about half a mile north of your camp observing through the night.
Ulmarr gave Artemis a nudge, and tilted his head towards the hill, "Looks like someone's been watching us," he muttered, "Shall we go pay them a visit?
"If we force march a bit we might be able to catch up to them."
Artemis paid Ulmarr a slight glare when he nudged her, only their friendship kept her from reacting as many other Junos would. "If we force march it could wear out the group and lead us into a trap... a small force could check everything out while the rest moves along." She suggested.
Ulmarr looked back at Artemis blankly for a moment, before realizing his mistake, ”Oh... sorry,” he said awkwardly, briefly reddening with embarrassment , ”Uh, anyways, the three of us are likely the best equipped to deal with trouble, we can move ahead of the main group and investigate whatever this is.”
"I forgive you Ulmarr." Artemis said. "You forgot yourself for only a moment, happens to the best."
"Very well. You, Izússavar, and myself shall take a look. The rest can continue on and we shall catch back up." Artemis agreed.
"Well, then, lets be off," Ulmarr said, going to inform the rest of their group of the plan, before beginning to head towards the hill.