Thanks for checking this stuff over Abbey, I feel better knowing it's been cleansed before we add it to the provisions.
Excellent news about Yarrow! We should get ready to move everyone tomorrow. We can make a litter for Yarrow if we need to. Zdena and I were talking about heading deeper into the woods past the berry patch.
I still want to take out the rope bridge, but that will have to wait until we get everyone deeper into the woods and safe.
Sometime in the early morning
I can't make sense of this, I'll keep working on it though.
Ryll finds the other party members, and prompts Premek to explain. With some gestures and meows, he clarifies:
I watched our mouse who might actually be a rat. He was acting very sneaky at his tent, looking over his shoulder, and then took a piece of paper out of his boot to make a secret note. So, after he fell asleep, I took the piece of paper. I couldn't read it so Ryll made a copy, and then I put the original back in his boot. So, see if we can figure it out, but don't let our rat see that you are working on it, or anyone who might mention it around him.
Maybe the storyteller and I can work together on it? Maybe some guidance will help?
Premek stealthily enters Edran's sleeping area and reinserts the note into his boot, the man never stirs in his sleep.
Morning comes and the party assembles, after briefly looking over the note to no avail, You'll have to decide which direction to start moving the people in, and which direction you want the scouts scouting, and how you want to divide the group, if at all...
If we go through the berry patch hex, that's at least a known space that we've cleared.
Would it be feasible for the party to go ahead, maybe to the hex that is next to both 5 and 6? If so we could scout that hex and see if it will be safe to take the whole encampment to that hex on the following day.
Ok, the hex I was suggesting is marked with a question mark.
The question is whether we could get there while the villagers are making it to hex 5, and then meet them in hex 5 to tell them whether to continue one more day or not.
I'm good with this plan
I'm ok with this.
I'm just not sure we are fast enough to do it, and that the villagers will travel without us right there with them. But if it is possible, it's something we already discussed and I think it's a good way to get further from danger.
Good plan, Zdena agrees. She is poking around in some of the communal supplies, trying to pack a few things more efficiently for travel. Want to hang back and try to confuse tracks a bit, though. Knock down some shelters, bury the midden better. Can't hide it all, but worth spending an hour on making it hard to read.
She pulls out a small bag of Dust of Tracelessness from one of the packs. Huh. Don't even remember where we got this. Think that would help hide which way the whole group left? Supposed to be for smaller groups, but it might make our big trail look more like all the small trails scouts and herders been making.
She ponders a couple other items as well. Ryll, Malgrim, one of you want the magic backpack? I'll take this cloak if no one else wants.
Oh, these good too. Who wants which? She indicates a tanglefoot bag and a handful of scrolls.
Zdena also plans to try out her Camouflage talent again before setting out today.
Bunch of scent cloak might help if wargs try to track us, too. Some other good potions in there as well, even invisibility.
Huh! Might actually be able to sneak up on Hob watchtower with all that. Probably later, though.
Premek, you want to help break camp, or um... keep watch on the... main group for a couple hours 'til we catch up? Zdena stumbles a bit trying to avoid saying what Premek would actually be doing out loud.
Maybe I should stay with the mice and keep an eye on the rat?
Tak, szczur. She looks very confused for a moment, then adds, Yeah, the rat. Talking with you is *weird*, Premek.
Of course it is. Two legs think strange.
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*Humans* think strange. I think fine in Orc. Zdena retorts. But in neither is confusing.
Dawn breaks on the 27th of Pharast, cool, but sunny. Malgrim, Ryll, Zdena and Sighere spend time directing some of the dismantling of the camp, and the refugees, families, and friends from Phaendar begin their trek to the northeast. Aubrin looks as though she has finally regained her strength from her injuries, and takes point after hearing the plan, leading the villagers off into the morning tracing your steps from only a few short days ago.
Premek and the other cats keep close to the moving herd of humans, dwarves, and others. After several exhausting hours working through the dense undergrowth and tall trees the area of the bramblebushes is reached.
Lirosa, Taidel, and Aubren head into the woods surrounding the area, and a tense half hour passes until they return, declaring the area safe from predators and lacking in hobgoblins. Immediately everyone sets to work, putting up what few tents you have, creating shelter from the abundant vegetation in the area. Fires are kindled, pits are dug, and people begin to settle in after a long day on foot, and a longer afternoon providing themselves with a place to stay.
The remaining party spends much of the morning destroying all evidence they were ever there, scattering the magical dust after the departed townsfolk, and smashing scentbreakers once they themselves depart the now-empty forest glade.
You could roll to aid another which is dc 10 and adds a +2 to their roll, I’d allow a knowledge nature check to be used to help in that case
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As the group looks at the cleared site and the near natural clearing Sighere takes a moment and mutters a quick incant. His eyes glow for a second and he looks around. Caleb lands on his should and he mutters quietly to the owl then speaks up. Over there, just by that tree, still signs someone slept there...
Maybe.. no... yes... it needs to be fixed
Better safe than sorry. Thanks, Sighere. With that, Ryll sets about to try and obscure the signs of the encampment and the refugee's departure.
Sure Zdena, I'll take the handy haversack. I can put all the party loot that no one has claimed in it, and still have tons of room for my things.
Malgrim helps pack up things and break down camp, then works with Zdena to hide trails and make us harder to track.
Zdena looks around the clearing, pretty happy with how much was accomplished in a short time.
That's good as gonna get. Let's head out.
You spend several hours breaking camp and ensuring you can't be followed as easily. Satisfied with your work you follow the now-obscured trail of the refugees.
When you reconnect with the residents of Phaendar, Flemming approaches you, and with his thick Ulfen accent, holds out an old shortsword toward you. I found zhiss when we started building camp, it iz old, but still very sharp. We decided you should take it, zhee forest offered and vee vhant you to have it. he beams with pride as you take the sword from him, his long mustachios framing a grin.
Pressing on beyond the slowly growing new campsite, you head deeper into the forest, exploring as you go. Eventually you come upon a clearing in the woods, dominated by a large oak tree.
The roots of an ancient oak tree crisscross the ground like the tentacles of some subterranean beast. A shadow beneath the tree marks the mouth of a den dug deep into the soft earth. A tuft of pale fur clings to the edge of the hole, and a musky animal stink hangs in the air.
You hear high pitched yips, and thin, growling laughter as you approach the den.
As you get even closer you can see a half-dozen small, bluish humanoids armed with torches are menacing a wolf who is covered in several burns. One of the small humanoids is holding a wolf pup by the scruff of the neck, and it seems obvious that the mother is trying to get her cub away from the humanoid creatures.
Sighere may act!
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Seeing the wolf in danger Sighere leaps ahead. May the spirit of life protect us and the beasts . He completes his chant, spiritual energy invigorates the party.
You can consider the wolf an ally, but no promises she stays that way...
The mite in yellow pantaloons swings his torch at the wolf, attempting to further enrage her.
But the wolf sidesteps the mite's flaming attack, snarling in its direction.
Ryll swears under her breath as Sighere charges forward. Drawing her crossbow, she moves forward to keep him from getting killed, and shoots at one of the Mites (Green).
Ryll's crossbow bolt flies over the head of her target, smacking with a loud *THUNK* into the bole of a tree. The mite, startled by the interruption in their torment of the wolf, lets out a yip, and looks over its shoulder at the party.
The mite in the green vest turns and glares at Ryll, you see its eyes bug almost out of its head, it sticks its tongue out at you, and screams a word in sylvan. You feel a sense of dread threatening to wash over you...
The wolf mother snaps its jaws at the one in yellow pantaloons, jaws missing the mite as it ducks low under the bite attack.
Premek moves up, staying in the brush along the trail, and acid splashes the purple mite.
Then he tries to hide again.
Zdena moves off to the left of Sighere and Ryll and reaches for the unfamiliar cold iron weapon Malgrim had pushed on her in case of fey. Her eyes narrow as they lock onto the Mite holding the wolf pup.
Hey Ryll, cold iron for these guys.
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Cold iron? Thanks Zdena
Malgrim draws a dagger from their right boot and advances with the party. As they get closer they begin chanting and tapping a beat on their drum and pointing at the grappled wolf cub.
Hearing your approach, several of the mites glance in your direction, and seem to shift how they are standing, especially when they hear out Zdena call for their nemesis...
Premek's acid glob takes the purple hatted mite directly in the face, and sears much of the skin off its head, dropping it to the ground. The wolf cub wriggles free with this distraction, dropping to the ground. The red vested mite steps away from the dropped cub, focusing its rage on Zdena, and as its friend earlier, its eyes bug out of its head, it sticks its tongue out, and shrieks a word in Sylvan at her. The distracted mites continue to wildly attack the wolf mother, but with new enemies at their backs, the swings of their small torches go awry and the wolf continues to survive with no additional wounds.
Zdena flinches at the mite's shriek.
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Sighere steps closer again and this time his chanting takes on a harsher tone. He raises his hand a fire shoots forth in a broad arc.
Sighere bravely? steps forward, channeling the magic of the spirits. He brings his hands together and a fan of flames wash over the mites before him engulfing all three of them in its flames. Their skin blackens and crisps as they fall to the ground, unconscious or dead, at this range you cannot tell...
The wolf, seeing an opening, spins in place, growling and snaps its jaws at the mite in the orange overcoat, who, shrinking away from the firey fate its companions just met, causes the wolf to miss.
In response to the mites' shrieks, How rude! You don't want me to translate that.
Premek moves up behind a convenient rock, looking out long enough to let out a deep rumble directed at the orange mite.
To the wolf, who probably doesn't understand but you never know, come on, you got this.
Zdena moves toward the red mite and shrieks back at it as she slashes with the longsword.
Malgrim advances on the last Mite cold iron dagger in hand and stabs at it. Glancing warily at the wolf mother.
I hope she knows we're on her side.
Premek's rumbling causes the mite in the orange overcoat to fall to the ground, and Malgrim quickly makes short work of the struggling mite on the ground.
Zdena gathers herself, attempting to shake off the fear from the mite, and advances, sword held high. Her blade sweeps through the feeble torch defense of the mite, parting the torch, and the mite holding it, in half...
Heaving with effort, you and the wolf mother stare at each other warily over the corpses of the mites. The cub quickly retreats toward the nest where the remaining wolf cubs cower in fear.
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Our pack is strong, and offers friendship.
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