IC I

[Rex]

Drust

Drust has 9gp and 8sp he can chip in.

[hammerHead]

Preacher Cardigan

Agreed, whatever gold is required, the preacher can chip in. Start with 10gp.

[GreyWolfVT]

Nerith goes in for another 20 gp with the Preacher towards a second mule. deducting another 20 gp. "That's about all I'm gonna be chippin in if we want that third mule the rest of yah will need to come up with the coin."

[hammerHead]

Preacher Cardicus

I can pay 20gp toward a third mule, says the preacher.

[thirdkingdom]

Yarthmonth 10, AC 1000
Hex 28.22

The adventurers set out first thing in the morning. There's no bridge crossing the Hillfork, and no ferry, either. The land on the west side of the river is hilly, but lightly forested with a mix of what looks to be pines and firs. To the north of Penhaligon, on the western side of the river, a taller hill -- almost a mountain, but not quite -- can be seen, looming above the hill country. "There's no ferry because there's no folk that live on the other side of the river," a farmer informs the adventurers as they stand looking at the river. The party has no choice but to ford it.

It takes some time, but they finally find a spot where the swift running spring waters of the Hillfork widens out and becomes shallowed. Gear is lashed to the mules, and the companions wade across, the water coming waist high in the middle of the river. They cross without incident. The sky is clear and it promises to be a warm spring day.

The party, now on the western side of the river, find themselves in gently rolling hill country, forested with enormous pines, firs and cedars. The trees are ancient -- they likely haven't seen an axe for centuries, although there's signs that the residents of Penhaligon have been harvesting some of the easier to reach trees. It takes a bit of time riding north and south along the river until a likely trail is found, and the party sets off*.

It's a peaceful walk through the woods. The ground is covered with decades of pine needles, which provide a soft cushion for walking, and the trees are old and far enough apart that there's virtually no undergrowth to have to compete with. The party maintains their map as they travel. Before long, however, they exit the narrow band of pines and find themselves back in rolling hill country, dotted here and there with groves of trees. In subhex 0606 they startle a bouquet of pheasants from the grasses as they walk; hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of the birds, take to the sky, winging this way and that. In subhex 0406 they spy a herd of what looks to be fifty or so wild horses, grazing as they slowly walk along.

In subhex 0306 Lothgar calls a halt. There are tracks on the ground, tracks of small but booted feet, wearing crudely made and knobbed boots. The woodswise cleric doesn't think whatever made the tracks lairs in this hex, but they likely dwell close by. It seems the preponderence of the tracks lead to and come from the north.

There's a 1-3 chance of disaster:: 1d100 76
See map, below. Each subhex is equal to 1.6 miles, face to face. I've marked your path -- i.e. the most navigable trail you've found, and most suitable for a road -- with the dotted line. As per my remarks OOC, your movement rate is halved while trailblazing in this manner, so you can travel nine miles per day. Note that the tracks discovered in subhex 0306 were found as a result of Lothgar's Outdoorsman background.

Hex 28.22 Player's.png (136.34 KiB) Viewed 3083 times

Penhaligon is in subhex 0807.

[GreyWolfVT]

Nerith thinks on the tracks a bit and decides "Well I suppose it is a good thing I hadn't decided to take a slightly more northerly route. Other than booted feet any idea what made the tracks? Was it the gnolls as rumors would have us believe?" he asks Lothgar.

[thirdkingdom]

Nerith thinks on the tracks a bit and decides "Well I suppose it is a good thing I hadn't decided to take a slightly more northerly route. Other than booted feet any idea what made the tracks? Was it the gnolls as rumors would have us believe?" he asks Lothgar.

He's not sure. Gnolls are big, he knows, easily a foot taller than Man. It looks like these tracks were made by humanoids shorter than Man, by at least a foot.

[Rex]

Drust

"Perhaps goblins. No matter, we need to be very aware of our surrounding from here out to avoid an ambush I think. I will bring up the rear if no one minds, my tracking skills aren't so great anyways."

[Darkmane]

Lothgar

I could probably track them, but it may not make sense to do so... I'd say I should either track them for a pace to make sure they aren't waiting just off the road, or maybe we should just go faster down the road a bit?

[GreyWolfVT]

Nerith "Perhaps we just keep track of the tracks and stay a bit south from them or we just alter our trek a bit more southerly to avoid them all together."

[hammerHead]

Death to the humanoids, bursts the cleric! Then he adds, uh, sorry, that's not our primary mission. I know. I know. And then he trails off nervously into some kind of prayer.

[thirdkingdom]

Lothgar

I could probably track them, but it may not make sense to do so... I'd say I should either track them for a pace to make sure they aren't waiting just off the road, or maybe we should just go faster down the road a bit?

Looks like there are two options here. Votes?

[GreyWolfVT]

Nerith "Perhaps we just keep track of the tracks and stay a bit south from them or we just alter our trek a bit more southerly to avoid them all together."

already expressed my vote, essentially I say leave the tracks alone for the most part move a little further south and continue on monitoring for any further sign of the tracks again.

[Darkmane]

Lothgar

Lothgar kicks a little dirt over just one of their tracks.

For my say, I think we should just head on down the road... these things don't look worth the trouble. No glory.. and probably no treasure either.

[hammerHead]

Preacher Cardicus

The road goes ever on. This is true, but we only have to worry about the one we're on. Agree with Lothgar, says the now calmer cleric.

[thirdkingdom]

Yarthmont 10, AC 1000
Hex 27.22

The adventurers mark the tracks on their map but decide to push on and not investigate it further. They travel onwards and leave the boundaries of hex 28.22. They camp for the night in subhex 0604 of hex 27.22.

I'll need a watch order for the night, please.

Hex 27.22 Player's Map.png (104.34 KiB) Viewed 3047 times

[hammerHead]

Preacher Cardicus

I'll take first watch, presents the cleric.

[GreyWolfVT]

Nerith "I'll take last watch then." he offers right away so as not to be stuck with the second watch shift.

[Rex]

Drust

"I don't mind second watch."

[thirdkingdom]

Yarthmont 11, AC 1000
Hex 27.22

A watch order is established, the camp made as defensible as possible and the mules secured for the night. The adventurers spend a night under the clear spring sky, unmolested. Even though the stars are the same ones they've been sleeping under for the past fortnight they seem different -- wilder, perhaps, more fickle and less caring -- now that they have left the narrow band of civilization running through the heart of Karameikos and ventured out into what is still, at this point, very much unclaimed and untamed wilderness.

Continue on the projected path?