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Ladies, you may have my tent. I will use the bedroll I have and you can use the cot and the bedroll Robert has given you for a most comfortable night.
Gunner pulls up a log and sits down and will have some meat with water saying I will need to remember to brings flask of wine with me for such nights in the future as a nice red would have gone well with the excellent pheasant
Fezzan digs out a ratty bedroll to spread, along with a moth eaten wool blanket.
"Well at least it's not raining," he says to no one in particular.
Setting up his sleeping area, he looks around at the darkening woods with apprehension. "So is there anything out here that we should worried about? I know we're still close to town, but aren't there wolves and such out here?"
Elipho shrugs. ”Definitely wolves. Anywhere there are sheep there are wolves. Bears have woken up. Wild boars snuffling about for last fall’s acorns. Too far from mountains for lynx. Too close to town for fey.”
You settle in for the night. Although it isn't raining, it is chilly, so the fire is especially welcome. Robert's suggestion of a watch is probably agreed upon, and Elipho volunteers to take the first watch. I'm guessing Gunnar will selflessly offer to take a middle watch, and Robert is used to getting up with the sun, so the last watch makes sense for him. If Fezzen thinks to offer, or anybody thinks to ask him), he can have another middle watch, and then it depends on your collective sense of chivalry for whether or not you stick the ladies with a watch or let them sleep away in the tent like the delicate flowers they are.
None of that actually comes to anything yet, however, as Elipho's watch has barely begun and the rest of you are just getting comfortable in your bedrolls, when you hear the crash of undergrowth somewhere to the northeast. The crashes get closer and you hear a grunting, snuffling sound.
Round 1
Everybody is up first.
"What' that?" speaks the half elf as she ducks from undercover of the tent before realizing something was coming. She quickly pulled on her cloak to cover herself, calling out empathically for her bat to return to her in it's night hunt of bugs.
"Karthos protecta nostratta," she spoke a strange language before pulling what appeared to be a small piece of leather. An aura shined over her, offering it's protection.
Robert stands and gets his weapon ready but leaves his armor on the ground. He listens to the noise and says "That sounds like a boar, maybe two. I was hoping the fire would keep them away."
Fezzan scrambles to his feet and pulls out his knives.
"Boars?" He says nervously. "Martus says they can rip a man's belly right open."
Elipho scrambles to his feet and grabs his boar spear.
Euda's mood never fully recovers after learning that she had no real choice but to camp out in the wilderness with her new acquaintance, and she's even quieter than usual as they eat and set up camp. She does, however, smile warmly and thank Robert and (especially) Gunnar for letting her use their equipment.
When the noises draw everyone out again, she stumbles hastily out of the tent, still dressed in her fancy parade armor, and moves towards the edge of the light.
A large, husky boar wanders into the firelight. When it sees your group, it squeals, lowers its head, and charges Elipho as Eudamonia ineffectively throws some flowers at it.
The boar squeals again as it impales itself on Elipho's spear, but it continues on and gores at the man.
The other boar finds no impediment and rams into your guide, who gets a sick look in his eyes and keels over.
Round 2
You're all up.
Red: -15
Blue: 0
Gunnar and Elipho both spear the first boat, but it’s not enough to take down the crazed animal, who gores your guide nastily the young man gets a sick look in his eyes but keeps his feet.
A second boar rushes from the darkness and neither of you are prepared to stop it. Fortunately, your armour is up to the task and you are merely winded slightly by the impact of 200 lbs of pork.
Elipho: -9
Red: -22
Blue: -0
Everybody (including Gunnar’s main action) is up.
Yelling, half in terror, Fezzan swings around the fire to come from the boars from the rear and takes a swing with one of his knives:
But the boar's hide proves too resilient for the small blade.
Upset as her bat had yet to come from its evening jaunt out. She quickly moved near to support, summoning more of her knowledge of the arcane to help by attempting another spell.
"Frostetti" she calls out as a ray of frost to strike out at the boar.
”Easier said than done,” Elipho says as he backs up and stabs.
Elipho’s spear takes the boar in the chest. The creature wobbles and then Maria’s spell takes it down.
Robert moves up to the remaining boar and attempts to cut it with his scythe.
From her spot in the relative darkness, Euda nervously takes a deep breath and tries again to hit the boar with a handful of whirling blossoms.
The boar turns its head towards Robert’s tender exposed areas and its tusks come away bloodied.
Elipho’s spear thrust is turned by the creature’s thick hide.
Everybody is up again. You have the little porker surrounded.
Euda frowns at her own inaccuracy and at the decision before her: keep attacking from the darkness and risk bearing some responsibility for the boar’s continued attacks, or step into the light and risk being branded some kind of fey for her strange power. When she sees the blood dripping down Robert’s side the decision is made for her. She moves closer to the fire and the fight and hurls another handful of whirling flowers at the boat.
Fezzan steps forwards and attacks, still yelling...
"Accento!" cried out Maria as from her palm a magical force force like a small dart shot towards the boar. Trained in the art of evocation, she was near natural with spell of magic missile that it was almost second nature.
Robert again attacks the boar aiming for more accuracy this time.
Maria and Gunnar combine to really tick off the boar. Unfortunately, it has a taste for Robert and continues its assault.
Fortunately, it’s bloodlust doesn’t allow for precision and Robert easily avoids the creature this time.
Round 4
Elipho takes another stab at it.
Blue: -30
Everybody’s up.
William decides to go for broke and puts everything he has into his swing.
Robert’s mighty swing really slices the bacon. The boar is dead.
Elipho slumps to the ground, holding his bleeding guts.
Robert looks at the carnage and shakes his head and says "Looks like bacon for breakfast. Seriously though can someone look to Elipho's wounds?"
"I don't know the first thing about healing people," Euda answers, torn between feeling bad for the wounded young man and being relieved that she doesn't have to get close enough to him to care for him. "We could use the cot as a stretcher if he needs to be carried back to town."
"Look to your own wounds. You aren't bleeding that much less than me," Elipho says.
Elipho isn't able to see any useful medicinal herbs or plants nearby in the dark, and awkwardly wraps a strip of cloth around his middle trying to keep his insides on the inside.
"If anyone would care to help me, we should be able to field dress at least one of these boars. I didn't bring any salt but as long as we're back in town by tomorrow evening, it shouldn't go bad. The other one we should drag off someplace and leave it for the coyotes."
Fezzan lets out a sigh of relief once the boars finally go down, but can't help but look in horror at the blood sprayed everywhere.
He hunkers down next to Elipho and looks at the lads mangled midsection. "I don't really know much about treating wounds, but I've heard that it's best to keep things clean and not to wrap a wound too tightly. Let's get some water on the boil and see what we can do."
Maria looked to the young man with a grim face. The boar has sure gotten him terribly so, thinking that he would most likely need medical care greater than what most of them could provide without healing potions or proper knowledge of doctoral talent
With Nurse Fezzan tending to everybody, Robert and Elipho are both able to recover 2 hp during the otherwise uninterrupted night of rest. Maria and/or Eudamonia had to step in and take a watch shift to help out Gunnar, but nothing else comes at you during the night and you all wake up bright and early with the birds. The rising sun promises to carry a bit of heat with it this fine spring day.
The dogs' trail is fainter this morning, but is still there, still heading west (though angling slightly south). Robert and Elipho are still quite injured. How far do you want to push it today?
During that night Maria stays quiet, taking glances towards
Eudamonia in what seemed to be not the most friendly of ways. She didn't voice any thoughts, keeping Jervis back to her fold under her cloak as the morning would dawn again. Two of them were injured and without proper supplies things would be rather difficult if any other injury occurred.
"Mr. Macintyre. I know you disregard my opinion most likely but in my opinion further going with you and our guides injuries would be a daunting task," she says as she put her long brimmed cap back on. She looked more like that of a classic witch than a wizard, one that looked perpetually tired.
Robert eyes Maria and says "I'm the one going to be walking with the gash. I'll just have to grin and bear it. This isn't the worst I've been and still had to work. I don't think anyone else here can track the dogs, or am I wrong? If it comes to it I have 1 healing potion that can be used but I'd like to save it for an emergency."
"How much farther are you planning on going?" Euda asks Robert uncomfortably.
"Sir Eustus will be worried by now that I didn't return last night. Plus... well... you and Elipho could have died last night, which is bad enough on its own, but what would happen to the rest of us if you did? We don't know how to follow our own tracks all the way back to town; we'd be lost out here..."
Maria didn't look pleased, "Elipho is far more injured than you are and besides that we are little prepared to heal wounds," she says crossing her arms, "Besides the point at least know that if one of you dies I will surely be blamed for it, have that in your conscious."
”If you all want to keep going, I’ll come with, but we can mark this spot in the trail, go back to town, and try to pick up the trail chances are we’re about to lose it anyway. Unless this thief has a camp within a quarter mile of here, we’re about to break out into open hills then there’s nothing until we hit the Brook, or the Falling River to the north. If they’ve crossed either, we’ll probably lose them.”
"If we are heading back, go see if anything found the other boar during the night. We can travois it back to town. Clemis'll pay 40 gp each for these beauties."
Robbie studies Elipho for a moment and then says "Well, if you don't think we will find much today then we should head back. Let's dress these boars and take the meat back. We can see if Mr. Damasio will buy it. We can also get an update on the hunt for that criminal."
With the decision made to head back to town, you gather up the remains of the other boar, shooing a few flies off it but otherwise it was untouched, you lash some saplings together to make a stretcher and drag it back. Elipho guides you in a more direct route than the one you took, and the travois marks make it a lock that even Eudamonia could find her way back to your campsite. After an hour of bushwhacking, you come out into a stretch of open hills and pastures and twenty minutes after that, you're at the back wall of White Stag Farms. Soon enough, you wander painfully into the farmyard, much to the consternation of Mrs. McIntyre, who flutters like a mother hen over the boys' injuries (in between shooting accusatory glares at Maria). The upshot of it all, is that you soon find yourself in the back of the MacIntyre's cart, rumbling into town.
There are three likely sources of healing in town: Leeka the druid, Mistress Numidia the healer, or Banker Triarius the cleric of Abadar.
Mistress Numidia's potions or healing services can be bought with money, but she's also willing to trade potions for services, usually manual labour, such as spending a day tending her gardens or doing repairs on the hospital.
Leeka will also take money or else will accept a 'favour' to be completed at a later time. Nothing sinister of course and often in the form of 'next time you're in area such and such, find be a couple pounds of so-and-so herb'.
It's a fairly exhausting night for Fezzan tending the the injured and he's a little frazzled in the morning, as they pack up for the return to town.
"Well, I guess we should have headed back to town last night after all."
Later, jostling around in the back of the wagon, he tries to think about who to get help from.
"I think it might be best to try asking Leeka for help first. She'll probably be interested in hearing about the missing dogs as well."
He yawns and gives a stretch. "I need to check in with Auguster too. I don't think he's going to be happy about me cutting work to keep playing detective."
”I don’t mind spending a day tending Mistress Numidia’s garden, if it will help,” Euda offers, “but Leeka is my friend and it would be good to see her either way.”