Try the Shcleich range as well. A german company, but their range is carried by nearly all the main stores hear in Australia, so I figure you'd have similar luck where you are.
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"You have something you'd like to add Varlis?" Khronos asks of the mage. The four of them were planning quickly now, things snowballing faster and faster. Khronos would certainly like some feedback from a man with as much knowledge as this mage. He was hoping Adar would respond soon as well, the boy new stuff aobut the goblins that could be vital but he was strangely quiet. Kaelynne too was keeping her peace, perhaps she was still concerned about her son. She would need absolute focus in the upcoming encounter for the plan to work. The big knight hoped she would snap out of her reveree soon. He turned to Varlis, wondering what the man had to say.
Khronos looks at the assembled group before answering "We strike hard and fast. Two of them are sleeping, and hopefully still will be. Varlis drops the sleep effect on them to try and drop the second goblin. We move in and take them down. The dog dies, no matter what. Trained animals are not going to respond to us. If we can capture one or both goblins then we do so. I would like to get Teven across the other side of the group if he can get there safely. If not, then we all charge as Varlis drops the spell. " He was firing ideas fast and furiously, as the plan and excitement built together. He tethered the horse to the nearest tree and marked its location, so they could come back after this raid. "Any questions? Any other ideas? Speak up now, please. We need to do this quickly before this opportunity vanishes"
"Agreed, do we have any magic that might help us here?" the knight asks of the wizard and warlock. "If not, I guess we charge and capture as fast as possible." He turned to the scout "Would it be possible for you to track around the other side of them to prevent escape if our approach alerts them?" The Half Elfs blood began to beat faster as the addrenalin pulsed through his heart. Another battle, but this time they would call the shots.
Time seemed to drag interminably onwards in the woods. It seemed an age since Teven had scouted ahead, yet still the ranger hadn't returned to report. Khronos began to worry, concerned he had been discovered or stumbled into trouble he could not extricate himself from. As Gratitude spoke, he nodded thoughfully. This young man was rapidly proving his worth as a "coucilor" for the group. He had aquitted himself well in combat as well and his grasp of the tactical game chess was impressive. Adar, as always quiet and introspective stood just behind her, probably brooding on the events of last night. Maybe even thinking of things to come. With a start Khronos realised the boy might be about to face the very goblin tribe that had held him captive so many years before. What would that do to a boy? He didn't like to dwell too long on it. Varlis, the young father was a brave and well spoken man. His knowledge far outstripped Khronos' own and so he had been surprised when this mage had been the first to vote for fight. It was an assumption the half elf had made, thinking the teacher would rather talk than fight. His decisiveness would be vital in the upcoming fight. If numbers went against them, it would be Adar and Varlis who would be dropping the vast numbers with their magics. Kaelynne came last in the party. It was for her that he truly hoped his decision was the best. They had voted, of course, but the burdon of guilt lay heavy on his heart. She had walked away from camp, leaving her young son alone in the care of strangers. Well, she and he would be fighting side by side at the front. Between the two of them and their mighty weapons, they would bring down a harvest of pain for the Goblin raid last night. Desna willing, everyone would be coming back to the refugees tonight. He turned to the front again. Time passed.
Khronos moved through the woods, enjoying the sound of the animals and the wildlife as a new discovery in his life. Despite the potential dangers, the discovery of new sights and sounds still thrilled the big knight. His eyes moved about, searching for signs of danger in the trees but his training really didn't prepare him for such tasks. He was too easily distracted by the small movements of leaves and the twitching of wrens through the branches to be truly effective at spotting danger. He hoped Teven was better at this. Behind him, the horse he led nickered softly and nuzzled at his back. He stroked its nose quietly to try and keep the animal calm and quiet. With luck, this horse could be used to sow dissaray into the enemies camp as Gratitude had suggested. IF Teven's scouting report made this unlikely then they would tie it off and attack without risk to the creature. His big fear for the animal was the wolves. While goblins were scared of the noble steeds, wolves would proabably attack it on sight. Maybe they'd be tethered or penned? The Javelins he'd scrounged from the goblin raid last night now hung in a sling over his back. It was the only ranged weapon he had apart from his dagger. Really, it was up close and personal where he shone. Well this morning would certainly test that theory to its limit. He again turned his eyes out towards the woods and waited for Tevens return.
Khronos heart lurched at the obvious concern Kaelynne held for her son's welbeing. He felt keenly the weight the others had placed upon him by nominating him as the default leader. He was not the most intelligent amongst them, he certainly didn't understand tactics even half so well as young Gratitude and he suspected that Kaelynne was the better fighter. "Do not place such great faith in my judgments, I beg of you. It is good that you speak of your concerns Kaelynne. I have thought of the crofters and the danger that faces them if we leave. They still have a core of axemen and archers. They have the advantage of large numbers. It is a brave or foolish enemy that attacks such a lerge carvan while its folk are ready and no true animal will willingly appraoch unless given no other choice." He stated carefully, looking at the faces of the others. "My plan is for us to leave this morning, with Teven leading the way to the camp. We give the crofters half a day's rest while we make our way to the goblins. They strike camp and move as the sun hits it's zenith, but take a more easterly route. Teven has already gathered a cadre of scouts who can work in his place." His speech was slow and methodical as the plan resolved itself to the others. He had been thinking on this all morning and hopeed it was sound. "I vote we leave mother magpie in charge of the folk, perhaps with some support. I'd suggest Jonas Jensen as a steady man but there are those as would see it as nepetism and cause trouble. Maybe one of the troublemakers could be given a role as leader for the moment to appease hi.. them" The knight bit off the word at the end, trying to calm his smouldering anger at last nights confrontation after the battle had ended. "When we find the camp, be it to barter or to fight, the crofters will be half a day away, moving away from this camp. We will either by our victory or fight for it. I cannot of course ask you to accompany me, for it may be we're all killed in the attempt. I do believe it is our best option. I don't want to see us whittled to nought through night raids. I certainly don't want to see any of the young ones taken during a raid. I am a simple man, and the man who trained me gave me a simple tennet. Attack is often the greatest defense. He charged a troupe of light foot once, to save an old woman and her sow on the road. An amazong man. However I am not he." "I see no other viable option. Fleeing will have them nipping at our heals and slows our escape from the False Gods men. Bartering will probably fail according to Adar. These creatures are evil. They think of nought but food and the chaos they can cause. If some of you choose no to come, then I perfectly understand. I stand by my vote though"
Khronos listened to the disucssion of the others around him, taking on all their points before he himself spoke up. He would like more input from Adar but the young man was a little distant and quiet. The advice he had given so far was superb though, and helped to form his next words. "We'll never strike a deal that will last with these goblins. I am reluctant to expend resources of horses and dogs on an attack. Horses in particular will be needed to move this caravan. However maybe we can spare at least one. Sending it charging through a camp seconds before we attack may give us the edge we need." He turned to young Gratitude, nodding at his idea of more information. "I am not suggesting we charge blindly into melee Gratitude. We have Teven who can probably observe the camp unnoticed for a while to give us intelligence. The risk of tipping off the tribe by a capturing raid is too high. We strike hard and fast, cut the head from this serpent and leave. We also can't afford to have the Crofters delay by more than half a day at most. Otherwise we bring the wrath of the false gods forces down upon us." He draws a deep breath, weighting the choice of words for what they will mean to those around him. "I say we fight"
Listening to Adar's words, Khronos' hopes sink a little deeper into sadness. It would seem a fight was inevitable. "Well then Adar, as the only one with real knowledge of our foe, I feel we must listen to your advice. From what I gather, negotiations are useless. We must destroy this threat or at least make them so disorganised that they pose no threat to us any more while the caravan moves though the forest" He looks around the group, judging their responses. "Unless we have other ideas I'd like to call a vote. Those in favour of assaulting the tribe?" He waits for responses.
"Aye Gratitude, you make a good point. My worry is that we five will not be able to tackle the goblins alone and I'm loath to risk any of the other villagers. I'm also concerened with being held up too much and having to fight on two fronts. That is not something we'd win." The tone of his voice was serious yet ponderous as he tried to factor everything together. He looked down at Kaelynne's young son and across at Varlis. "We also need to consider that some of us have more to lose if we start a conflict we can't win or walk away from." "Adar?" he asked, turning to the young warlock "Would the goblins honour any agreement we made or trade willingly. Would they respond to fear? Or should we accept the fact a fight is inevitable?" He watched the camp preparing to move and realised they'd have to make a decision soon. He also had to say a prayer for Hareh.
As the morning light glimmered hauntingly through the branches of the forest, Khronos listend to Tevens report. The air smelled of woodsmoke and damp earth, a smell the paladin would normally relish as a sign of travels to come, but now hinted at worse things. As the scout finished off his report, Khronos clapped him haertily on the shoulder. "Thankyou my friend. Once again you have completed a great service to us at even greater risk to yourself." He crouched down to where his morning cookfire still smouldered and poured a steaming mug of coffee for the Scout. He also offered him some of the oats he had cooked, a warm drink and meal to consume after a long night. "Please drink and eat, get some ret. It will be a few hours before the camp is prepared to move. I will tell the others what you have discovered and then we'll plan." he pauses briefly and considers his words before saying "My gut tells me we should strike them before they discover our movements and hit us in force. We could attack, or if possible barter a truce and passage through their lands. I am thinking we'll be followed by the false gods troops before too long, and I would like nothing better than to leave a Goblin tribe in their path. However this may not be possilbe." He shakes his head, the details of such plans beyond his simple reasoning skills. "Rest, Teven. Meet us when you're ready and we'll plan our next strategy" The big knight then moves through the camp, checking on people he has come to know and care for over the last 5 years. Jonas and Elizah looked tired, their two children huddled and uncertain in their small tent while th parents cooked. They still held a modicum of distrust for Khronos after witnessing his brutal rage last night, and that more than anyhting stung the Paladin. The trust of a child was not easily re won. He moved to Jonas and patted him on the shoulder, offering encouragement and thanks. Next he went to check on Hareah's widow, informing her he would have a prayer for her husband before the troupe moved out. Then he asked the rest of the leaders to gather with him and make plans for the day given Teven's report.
"Aye, the symetry of that plan suits me fine Gratitude." Khronos says smiling broadly. "Let us hear what Teven has to say on his return from scouting and we'll plan for the use of this gold and Varlis' spells"
Khronos collected the gear he had found on the goblins. The crude weapons he smashed to the best of his ability and buried the pieces. He then moved to Kaelynne and showed her the gold and silver he had collected. "I think we should use at least part of this to help Hareh's widow. I know we aren't in a place to trade or barter now, but hopefully we will be sometime soon. There will be others who will need this type of money soon as well. We should keep it safe for the moment, and maybe discuss with the others how to use this." He looked at the woman who had done so well in the battle and looked so worn now "How are you holding up?" he asked, offering a friendly ear if she needed it.
Seeing everything had settled at last, Khronos reset his own bedroll closer to the edge of camp. He then donned his armour, readying to start his double watch for the night, knowing sleep was not going to come easily. The underlay chain shirt pinched at his bandaged arm and he winced slightly as the wound flared pain again. Flexing the fingers of his hand, he got the blood flowing through the arm again and loosened the bandage slightly. The blood had stopped flowing from the wound, now he needed the healing of his body to get to work. He looked around and saw Gratitude, Varlis, Aran and Teven all conversing on the side of the camp, probably planning the scouting and the raid. He frowned, hoping Teven was prepared for a night scouting attempt in the goblins home woods. No matter what, Khronos was hoping to be ready the next time an attack came. Tomorrow marked the third morning of their trip. Tomorrow was the day the forces of the false god would attack Woodcroft. Tomorrow would see the death of his friends and the place he'd sworn to protect. Sighing deeply, Khronos stood from strapping his leg greaves and gave an exploratory swing of his big axe. The arm seemed to be working fine, it would hold up in battle. Tomorrow was another problem, for now he looked around the camp. He noted that the bodies of the dead goblins had yet to be moved. Thinking they may attract vermin or other scavanginf beasts he moved over to them. Seeing Adar had scrawled writing all over the ground near the magic using goblin, he paused. Killing the goblins in retribution might be good for now, but tricking them into attacking the pursuit of the False Gods forces was a more refined idea. He would work on the concept. Meanwhile he looked over the corpses for anything useful, including the weapons they'd brought. Maybe some of the smaller crofters could use these strange slicers they used. The weapons were crude but certainly effective. He also looked over the dead wolf, trying to determine if its pelt could be salvaged.
Khronos eyes widen in surprise at Kaelynne's initial touch. His body stiffened at first then he relaxes into the hug, accepting the gesture and returning it warmly. "Thankyou Kaelynne. It's been a long few days, but we will get through this." he too turns to continue directing and resettling the camp when the embrace is over. For some reason it's as if a big weight had lifted from his shoulders and he felt light hearted again. He smiled.
"Agreed Gratitude. Calm it is. We light more fires to better see and maybe set a double watch. The fires will not give our position away any more than the fight earlier did, and has the bonus of providing us with better light." Khronos says, his fingers twirling his beard thoughtfully. "These are frontiers folk, and not unused to hardship. They will pull through this. Let's get them settled" He stands and gestures for the other two to help him direct the villagers to their new posts. He smiles his thanks at them both for the guidance they've given him.
Having checked on the safety of the Jensen's and bound his wounds, Khronos moves back to Gratitude and Kaelynne. "Sorry for my absence, how do you think we should proceed?" he asks. He also briefly fills them in on Tevens plan to backtrack the goblins to check if there is a larger force following them. "I admit my skills in planning mass defense are limited. I have only ever been in one large battle and my mentor planned our strategem on that day. Do we stay this night or do we travel? I will need to tell the crofters soon so they can get resettled." He leaned down and picked up the Knight from Gratitudes chess set, turning it over thoughtfully in his hand before handing it back. "We could use some knights about now" he says quietly.
Kaelynne looks up from her now reasonably settled son and feels suddenly guiltstricken at seeing the others planning. Quickly she gets to her feet and makes her way over to Khronos "I'm sorry, I had to settle Uriel, I couldn't put that burden on anyone else, and then Agreis.. and Anya.." She exhales sadly and looks pained for a second before shaking it off "Is there anything I can do to help you and the others?" "If young Uriel is fine, we need to plan our defnses here. If I might ask you both for a moment of indulgence, I need to dress this wound, and 'd like to check on Jonas Jensen and his family. I was a little angry and swinging a big axe when the children awoke. I need to repair some of that fear I believe." He leaves the two to discuss plans with the campsite and moves over to the Jensen family. Realising he's still carrying a big axe covered in wolf blood and matted fur, he lowers his weapon to the ground and unslings his shield. A piece of bandageing gets wrapped around his arm to stop the blood flow. Then he squates on the floor to be more head height with the two children and opens his arms wide, hoping they'll give him the hug he needs. It's been a long night and the love of a child goes a long way to relieve the stress and burdon of guilt he felt about Hareh's death.
As the crofters settle and everyone is accounted for, Khronos turns to the leaders gathered near him. He speaks quietly so none of the villagers can hear him "Teven is planning to track backwards and see if there are more of these goblins nearby. If that is the case and we feel we can handle the situation, we might just go and pay them a "visit". If we can pursuade them it's too dangerous to strike us we may not get raided again. If there are to many, then we see if Adar can give us a clue on how to warn them off." Khronos looks over the where the young warlock has started patrolling the perimiter and frowns in concern for the man. "I would stick everyone of their heads on a pike and grind their tribe to dust for what they have done this night, but I doubt that would be possible. Plus, it would upset the children" he sighs, releasing the pent up frustrations the last few days have brought him. "Varlis, could you check on Adar and see how he's holding up. I believe Teven was going to talk to him as well. Gratitude, I think you may be able to help me better plan our camp to prevent attacks such as this casuing people to flee wildly into the woods. We need a rally point, maybe a light or fire in the centre, the wagons near that. I don't know really, you seem very capable at long strategy and planning from all I've heard. What say you?"
Khronos stares silently at the man for a long moment, his face grim and his clothes still bloodied form the attack. A slow trail of blood winds it's way down from the torm muscle of his bicep and drips unnoticed from his hand. The blood pools thickly at his foot, an indication of the severity of the wolfs attack, yet Khronos has ignored it thus far in order to direct the people he has sworn to protect. Blinking his eyes he suddenly smiles at the man and speaks, so all can hear him within a few feet. "Yes Stanislev, we remain here this night. We'll set a double watch and we'll be more prepared. We'll move the camp to better prepare for defense so we cannot be picked off in our sleep. We'll be ready." "We shall bury our dead and in the morning we shall pray for his safe passage to Desna's paradise. The we shall move on" "What we won't do is rush off into the night, trailing a group of 100 odd people through the woods, in the dark. Goblins can see in the dark. We can't." "If they come at us again, we shall defend ourselves and make everyone of them suffer for the affront. Have no doubt my friend, I will defend you to the best of my ability" The tone is neutral for the entire speach, neither overly firendly nor overtly hostile but certainly not the same tone Khronos usually uses. He steps forward suddenly, and leans down to talk more quietly to the possible trouble maker "We may be planning to scout and raid the goblins tehmselves, as a message not to interfere with us. Perhaps you'd care to help us on this mission? We must be quiet about it" More loudly again he states " or Maybe you'd be best served organising the family groups around the wagaons and repositioning those for a better defense. Perhaps speak to Kaelynne and Donaar as they will possibly plan our defence from this point on"
As Khronos is directing the crofters and trying to get them back under control he hears the voice of the young warrior who helped them that night. Turning to Gratitude he smiles and bows low. "Thankyou for your efforts tonight Gratitude. It would seem the elders underestimated at least one of the crofters. You are welcome to grab whomever is willing to help bury the dead. I will of course do a reading for the family if they so wish. Can I advise we also bury the goblins and the wolf, but only after we take what useful items we can from them." To Teven, the big Knight says "I am torn between tracking these fiends down myself or staying here, Teven. I ask that we first get the crofters settled and a better arrangement for defense organised before we entertain tracking these things." " I think we have to stay here tonight, as moving this many people and animals through a dark wood is to invite disaster. I leave the decision to track or not to you, my friend. Talk to Adar as well, he has some knowledge of the goblins in these woods, but please be gentle, the experience wasn't good." He nods in the direction of the young warlock, hoping tonights events hadn't shaken him too badly.
Khronos moves to one of the wathc fires and grabs a burning brand before hopping onto the backboard of the nearest wagon. He calls to the crowd, trying to make his voice heard over the din "Good people, we need calm! The immediate threat has been dealt with and now we must look to ensure we're all accounted for." He waves the torch to increase its effect and hopefully gain the attention of the more panicked people. "Gather your families or friends and meet at wither of the wagons so we can assess the situation. IF there are some who are missing we need to act now before the darkness makes it to hard to find them." he turns then and speaks to Varlis "Varlis, I may need your help with the children. Can you and your wife see what can be done to help calm them and get them settled with their families?"
Leaving Teven and Gratitude with the fallen crofter and his wife, Khronos stands and moves over to Kaelynne. Ignoring her protestations he gently places a hand on her shoulder and channels his faith into her body, causing wounds to heal and blood to stop flowing. "It would seem the elders of woodcroft were right to trust you Kaelynne Cooper. You held two wolves and two goblins at bay while the rest of us scrambled for position. My healings are a gift from Desna to be used on those as need it most. Don't hide your hurts from us, please. We will need your strength in the days to come." He smiles down at her and her son, before standing again to try and brig some calm to the panicked crofters. He would tend to the wounded more after some sanity had returned to camp. He also neede to thank the young axeman who had proven to be more capable that h had believed. Gratitude may be key to their success in the future.
Fight was run well. The map helped amazingly, especially given the nature of 4th edition combat and pbp in general. Was nice to get some xp too :) I figure they'll be quicker as we get to know rules better and less interruptions (real life got in the road of a few of us there). Overall, good job Pat, I'm enjoying it so far. Cheers
Khronos breathes hard as the battle finally ends. The carnage around him is mostly goblin, but one of the crofters lies dead near his feet. He bends briefly to check their vitals, but there was no hope. He says a quick prayer for him, asking Desna to watch as he moves to the next realm. Looking around, he realises a number of his companions are injured and he himself is bleeding. He calls to his companions "Does anyone need assistance? I can offer some minor healing if required"
Seeing that most of the enemy are dead or well in hand, Khronos moves to support those he can. He positions himself around the trees and then charges the goblin still hassling the lone axeman.
Khronos stands, calling a thanks to his two friends. He again calles a challenge to the wolf in front of him and swings the axe in a mighty blow. As he does he yells to his companions "Kaelyn, drop back so I can give you some support. Donaar, don't get drawn too far out. Adar, Varlis see if we can't bring that damnable magic user down" With the initial shock and rage of the battle subsiding, the big Paladin is starting to think more clearly. He is again handing out orders, oblivious to how it might make others think of him.
Khronos watches as the goblins fell one of the archers on the periferal of the camps lighted areas. Gritting his teeth he makes a tough decision. He knows he cannot reach the two axemen fast enough to help and he can see Kaelyn is sore pressed as well. However, there are two wolves directly attacking Adar, who is in no real position to be engaging creatures up close. "Axemen, to my position" he screams as he charges through the milling crofters and rushes up to the wolves attacking the young warlock. "You will fight ME you damnable things" he screams at the snarling creatures, focusing his fury at the death of one of his charges into a potent challenge, marking the wolf nearest to Adar with the riteous brand of Desna. The rage he feels twists his normally serene face into a mask of terrifying fury. Eyes bulging and opened wide, he brings the great axe up, ready to smite the foes of his people.
I don't have any interrupts either. I do have a big battleaxe though. Hopefully it'll interrupt somethings plans.
The sounds of screams and the howling of wolves drags Khronos back to wakefulness from a fitful dream of flames and pain. He rolls to his feet, grabbing the great battleaxe he laid beside his bedroll as he does so. Standing on the balls of his feet and looking quickly around the clearing, the big Paladin also straps his shield to his arm, before calling to the Jensens. "Jonas, grab the children and get them onto one of the wagons. You and Elizah stay there and help keep the children together. Take a light with you." He looks where the sounds of wolves are baying and then turns towards the area where the horses and mules are found. "Wolves woudn't attack a group this big without reason" he says quietly to himself. Something else is coming.
Here's my skill challenge Pat diplomacy Diplomacy (1d20+10=23) dilomacy diplomacy 2 (1d20+10=13) religion religion (1d20+5=16)
Khronos moves back to his prepared offering, taking heart in the number of people who have gathered to pray with him. He feels the presence of Varlis standing near him and he nods his thanks to the mage. Raising his voice only slightly, allowing the natural baritone to carry it across the clearing and cut through the mild chatter, he begins. "My fellow travellers, thank you all for joining in this prayer and offering to Desna, our guide and protector on this journey. For many of you here, this point where we stand represents the furthest you have been from your homes. It is a place of transition. From here we leave behind that which we know and the small comforts of routine. Instead we take up the mantle of change and the unknown. For many this is a strange and disquieting time, and you may be challenged." "Desna teaches us not to fear the unknown path, but ot relish in its new discoveries. She is a goddess of travel and of good fortune. She believes in the power of hope, for always there is a chance for success." "I have amongst a small few of you some mutterings about our destination. Let me talk now of the the Fable of Ethan, from the book of Desna. When Ethan led the Three Prophets from their homes, they questioned him on what possible destination could be so important for them to leave the ones they loved. Ethan replied "It is not the destination that is important to a journey, but the reasons why you travel"." The big Paladin pauses here, his gaze moving around the gathered crofters, meeting their eyes with his. He then looks to the children being held in the arms of their parents and the elderly who made this trip. "Hark those words my friends. Why do we make this trip? We make this trip to preserve our children. Without or children their is no future." He looks to Kaelynne, holding her son and smiles, drawing encouragement form the tableu of the little one playing with his mothers beads. "We travel to preserve our venerable elders, those able to journey with us, for without them we lose our past." He looks now to Grandma Magpie and nods acknowledgement. "Without a past to learn from, and with no future to aim for, we are as leaves tossed on a breeze. Our only goal for this is to preserve those we love and the life they have chosen to live. A life that shall not be accepted by the False god and his followers. We have no set destination nor path, except that dictated to us by necessity. We travel not to a goal, but away from inveitabilty. We travel towards hope." With those last words Khronos turns to the tree behind the offering and draws out his elven dagger. The bladed weapon gleams in the light of so many cam fires, even as he carves the butterfly rune of Desna into the trunk of the tree. "Desna, mark this location as a holy place. A place of transition and choices. A place where a journey truly began" He turns again to the gathered crowd "Blessings of the Godess to you all" With that, he ends the service and moves toward the other leaders, leaving the table of fruits and small amount of silver coins behind as offering to Desna.
"Right you are to worry Adar. I had not forgotten the threat of those who dwell in these woods, I just had not got around to thinking on this while we got the caravan moving. I believe it may be best that you and Donaar make plans on how to defend us while the rest of us see to settling the camp tonight." The half elf turns to Teven and speaks "Thank you friend, I shall tell the crofters just that. We need only be happy that we are given the opportunity to escape with our lives. With Desna as our guide, we shall surely find a place worthy of settlement by those of her faith." He speaks with strong conviction, believing every word he has spoken. "Now, if there are no other matters for us to discuss, I would like to call a prayer for the people before we break our bread this night. I normally dine with the Jensen's but tonight I would like to share my food with those of you who care to. It would be good for the crofters to see us working together and getting along. The offer is open to you all". He looks around the group, waiting for a response.
Khronos follows Varlis back to others. When they tell him of their discussion he looks confused for a minute then laughs heartily. "I thank you for the vote of confidence but I must say you have msread my intention." He notices the old woman still hovering near the group and says warmly "Old one, thank you for your advice. We shall discuss our options as a comittee and talk to the crofters tonight after the evening's prayers. Now if you would be so kind, could you please check on the Jensens for me, their young daughter strained her knee this afternoon and her mother carried her a fair way. I'm sure she would appreciate a hand right about now" As she walks off Realising he has once again taken charge, Khronos blushes deeply and turns to the group around him. "I'm sorry. I do not intentionally take command, I just say what feels right at the time." a deep sigh, then "Varlis, I can lead these people in matters of the faith. Of that I am confident. Everything else we've done so far I have felt as a child walking in the darkness. While I say what I am thinking, what I think may not always be for the best. You are far more conversant in the ways of the arcane and of knowledges I can begin to comprehend." "Donarr is trained to lead people in battle. When the time comes to cross blades with those who will stand in our way, It is to him we should all turn for advice" "Teven is a tracker, and a man who risked everything to save us and those we love. He is who we should listen to for advice on where to travel" "Adar, though young, has lived through things in these woods that none should endure. His knowledge of the threats within these trees will aid us in determining our paths and how best to deal with danger" "And Kaelynne, well Kaelynne is my strength. She raises a son on her own, having lost one who is dear to her. When this burden was thrust upon her she stood up and took it without complaint and still manages to care for the little one. I look to her when I am struggling and take faith in our choices" "No, we are a comittee and I would like to see us stay as one. Accept my thoughts or argue against them as you will." "Now, Teven, what do you feel is the best place for us to aim for as a final destination. Let us give these people something to hope for."
"Sometimes the destination is less important than the journey old one." Khronos quotes the book of Desna. "I understand the fear and resentment our people have, yet at this stage we have no clear goal except to escape those who are determined to slay everyone. I have no words that will placate the crofters. I am a Paladin and will not lie to those I serve. Others here may know better than I in how to deal with this situation, in the meantime I shall lead us in prayer again this night when the camp is settled. Maybe in their faith, the people will find the solace they seek" With that the Paladin stands and moves to the edge of the camp, preparing a small table with an offering of fruits and silver for Desna to take as a blessing for the journey. Soon he will gather those who choose to worship to him and together they shall carve a rune of finding on the tree to mark this as a holy site to the goddess. He's aware that this may be leaving a trace of their journey for those who follow them yet he feels the significance of the event may mean more for getting the caravan safely away than trying to conceal their movements. Besides, 150 odd people plus assorted pack animals leaves a trail a blind kobold with a bad leg and mange tail could follow.
Khronos agrees to run things pretty much as yesterday. Khronos encourages a couple of the outriders to set a perimeter around the area where the kids are playing so they don't wander off. He smiles at the sound of childrens laughter but his mind is constantly checking the speed at which the group is travelling. If the groups start getting slowed becasue of the game he'll ask Varlis to bring them back in. Once again the half elf works is way around the caravan trying to inspire his fellow travellers and checking for despondancy or dissent.
At some point during the day he will introduce Elizah Jensen to Kaelynne and suggest that the two discuss care arrangements for the children. Given the burden that Kaelynne has in being a nominated leader and also being a single mother, he's hoping the two will work out an arrangement to give the eladrin some downtime. When next Teven enters the caravan from his scouting trip, Khronos offers to share food with the man, as a sign of growing trust and an offer of at least one friendly companion on the trip.
"From what we know of the region then I agree with Teven's assessment of the situation. We need to follow the forest edge and get into Ustalev as soon as possible. They may send the light cavalry to try and harry us but we should manage that with the number of archers we have available to us." Khronos says to the other leaders that have gathered. "What say the rest of you?"
Khronos looks at Jonas and grins broadly before replying... Spoiler: "While ever we draw breath there is hope my friend. Desna believes in the power if luck and hope. We travel to remove the advantage that our enemy had. Now we may find a place that is better suited to our defense. The leader of the group following us may decide to stop, or come down with a disease, or die in an accident or at the hands of those who remain at the village. The false god himself may die, for he is no true divine being and is subject to the laws of nature just as the rest of us are. Yes Jonas, we have a chance, of that I am sure"
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