Thatch quickly pulls up his bow and readies an arrow, but is frozen in place at the sound of the squealing sow.  Before he can react, the sound is matched by another group of pigs off in the distance.  He breathes a sigh of relief and lowers his bow as the pigs move off to join their brethren.  “That was a lucky break, they came out of nowhere. It could have been worse, but they likely alerted any camp within miles.  We will have to move forward quietly.”  Thatch follows his own advice and keeps moving, keeping his eyes open for any signs of a camp ahead of them.

(Famh maintains the spell for its full duration (1 minute); if possible, she will have the sound move as we move so it's always at the 30' maximum away from the group)

Cainneach whispers back to Famh, "Brilliant work!  I'm glad you know more than I about these beasts, you've saved us from what would have been quite a struggle.  Thatch is right, though, these damn pigs have made enough noise to raise the dead.  Stay on guard."

Perception 20  (staying on guard)

Famh looks troubled at Thatch's observation.  "I didna think o' that.," she whispers after the noise has ceased.  "But at least it's no the sort o' sound ye would normally connect wi' travelers.  Well, none on twa legs anyway.  Wi' luck they'll think nothing more than that twa rival troops o' swine met in the night and had a battle ower territory.  And perhaps if they are alarmed, but dinnae think o' human travelers, they'll be talking louder themselves."   She stops her own talking after that and follows the groom's lead in moving quietly forward through the darkness with eyes and ears open.

=========

Stealth 18

Perception 14

Famh nearly curses as she stubs her toe on an unseen rock in the dark and stumbles loudly into whoever is nearest her.  Then she sighs in morose resignation.  "Well, they didna know there were human travelers near.  I wonder if a trow left that lyin' aboot?... But o' course I'm being silly, that's from ane o' the old stories.  They're said tae be squat faeries wi' nae legs that roll aboot the countryside at night movin' things.  Like that rock."  She subsides into silence again, moodily nursing her toe.

The companions walked on through the night, tired and with sore legs from the constant upward climb, even Salt began to show signs of lethargy.

The light was just beginning to show in the eastern sky as they topped the last ridgeline before  the hilltop fortress of the Marrowglen manor house, ahead they could see the outlying buildings beyond the ancient earthwork walls that surrounded the stone manor.

Two men stood ahead on the road,before the gates that covered a breach in the earthworks, watching them approach through the drizzling rain........

Thatch: “That was a lucky break, they came out of nowhere. It could have been worse, but they likely alerted any camp within miles.  We will have to move forward quietly.”

"Alerted them ta quarreling swine..." Vardi mutters "...Nay us." as she calms herself by reaching up to pat Skoggi, who is still staring off into the undergrowth at the new threat, but quietly now. "Nay a beast of the Islands, min kjempende gutt*, but nay always an enemy either." the Lyften lass reassures him, then subsides into silence as she tries to feel her way quietly forward in the dark. 

...If they wanted quiet trackers, then wha the Nilfheim am I doing here? About as quiet as a cartload of fool's bells driven by a madman down a rock-strewn road. Would have been better ta send Skoggi, nay me... Vardi silently dispairs to herself as she attempts the impossible again.

OOC: Stealth 8 with disadvantage. Perception 13.

The less than silent in step warrior lass collides with Famh, puts out a hand to steady her then sympathetically murmurs "If anyone does hear us over this lot, then maybe they'll nay think we're hunting them, aye?" before traveling further. The lore of local fey she files away for later thought, for 'Trow' and 'Troll' sound suspiciously like kinfolk to her own tale-filled ear...

When the gates of Marrowglen hove into sight, Vardi looks to Ori for further orders.

(Edited for later addition, colour text, and translation.)

*"My fighting lad." translated from the Mercian.

Quote from OisinmacCameron >>

Quote from OisinmacCameron >>

Bleary-eyed and downhearted from the retinue's failure to find either Morag or any sign of her abductors, Famh looks at the two guards at the Marrowglen manor's entrance.  She wipes her dripping hair from her eyes and turns to Ori.  "I'd hope Sir Almeric has come here by now, and left word tae expect us.  Ye're standin' in for him now, and it seems e'en here i' the terrible savage wilds o' Thuland the highborn folk do prefer things done wi' at least a sneeze o' protocol and ceremony.  Sae it's only fitting ye have a herald." 

Before anyone has a chance to recover from the stunned horror the bare idea of Famh as a herald, ambassador and organ of courtesy inspires, she is already moving forward with her short staff, dirk and sgeain dhu all openly visible in nonthreatening postures.  She calls to the guards, "Guid morning, sers.  We are the retinue o' Sir Almeric, a visitin' knicht i' the household o' Baron Aldred.  He's left us i' the charge of our Sergeant-at-Arms, Ori," she indicates the big man with her hand, "to perform a task for him while he rode ahead tae speak tae your laird Sir Robert.  Has he left word o' our coming?  His final command before he left us wis tae meet him here this morn wi' our report."  Even as she speaks, she is going over what she observed the last leg of the march, in case a clue (such as tracks veering off from the road) was missed in the weariness of the moment.

=========
Perception (general marching) 6

Investigation (looking about anywhere we may have stopped for any brief halt or rest) 15

 

 (and of course I'm forgetting the main roll of all, seeing how gracious and courteous Famh really can be this lovely morn ... Persuasion 12)

Thatch pauses as they top the last hill and see the buildings and walls of Marrowglen before them. “Huh, they must have made the town last night.  I thought for sure we would find them at a camp.”  As he considers his next move, he is caught by surprise as Famh steps forward to announce the party to the guards standing at the gate.  Ready to look the part, he steps up and stands next to Ori, presenting quite the picture standing next to the tall man, and puts on a serious expression.  He hesitates and adds "We are to meet a party of riders that was supposed to arrive just ahead of us.  Have you seen them come through yet?"

Cainneach chuckles both to himself about the thought of the little trows and in sympathy for Famh and Vardi's misfortune and attempts to move quietly through the glum night.  "I wouldn't worry too much.  I think you're right that even folks out and about at this hour would have enough sense to head away from a boar fight", he suggests reassuringly to the pair.

When Famh steps forward to issue her well-formulated declaration to the guardsmen, Cainneach is too wet, too tired, and too worried about Salt's sad condition to put up any form of protest.  Not that the forester minded being out of doors in the elements, but rather that being on the march prevented the party from availing themselves of any sort of shelter that nature might provide.  The sooner they can get out of the soaked, frigid night, the better.  He imagines Ori is probably feeling the same!  Cainneach scans the area around them, then focuses on the guards.

Perception 22  (any signs of a trap or ambush waiting for them?)
Insight 21  (how are the guards feeling about what they've just heard from Famh?)

(Oof, didn't mean to ignore Thatch, just took too long to write my post as usual.  I dare not edit it, however, given my unfortunate tendency to pick up overzealously applied 'manipulated dice roll' labels.  I didn't even edit the last post it showed up on, how could it possibly have been manipulated!)

If two men, one young a bleary-eyed and the other older and ignoring the drizzle completely, found anything out of sorts by Famh announcing the group they gave no sign of such.

But both turned towards Ori as Famh indicated him, the older one spoke, " Aye, we've haid word o' ye.  Head up oot o' rain....ye've got lodgings in the manor."

" Ye lot look scunnered, get up and get a piece in ye."

The younger man was obviously tired from his watch but he regarded the group with some interest as did his older companion as they passed.

The ancient ring of earthworks was topped with a wall of aged wood as the group noted as they passed through the gate.

Looking up to the manor via the steep muddy road, as they passed the main gates they noted they were manned within by four more older men who waved them through in a friendly manner...the area between the bailey with an enclosed stables and low barracks was bare and afforded views all the way down the steep surrounding hillslopes.

To the right within the gate was a wood and daub reinforced blockhouse guarded by a man in full maille, an old man with a stump where his left leg should have been sat on a stool outside it.

The manor was an imposing building up close, its martial aspect only slightly marred by the lines of washing at its side and the chickens roosting on the window sills. Behind the stone edifice they noted rather ramshackle but solid looking buildings of aged timber.

The guards outside the outer door of the manor waved them through and they noted a pair of large double wooden doors off of the courtyard within a long with a number of other doors.

Quote from EtyenAndiros >>

 

Perception 17  (any signs of a trap or ambush waiting for them?)
Insight 19  (how are the guards feeling about what they've just heard from Famh?)

( All clear.  They seemed to have already deducted who you were before Famh spoke.)

WIP, bad timing of post!

Quote from LAXGunner >>

Thatch pauses as they top the last hill and see the buildings and walls of Marrowglen before them. “Huh, they must have made the town last night.  I thought for sure we would find them at a camp.”  As he considers his next move, he is caught by surprise as Famh steps forward to announce the party to the guards standing at the gate.  Ready to look the part, he steps up and stands next to Ori, presenting quite the picture standing next to the tall man, and puts on a serious expression.  He hesitates and adds "We are to meet a party of riders that was supposed to arrive just ahead of us.  Have you seen them come through yet?"

The older man looks to Thatch as they moved up, and looks confused.....the younger man beside him looks doubly so.

" I thought you were meeting wit' Sir Almeric? Only ones who came up here other than that crazy friar are the latest batch of winter watch last evening....."

" Do you know these folks?", he said turning to the young lad beside him.

" Nae, I dinnae.", said the young man with a frown.

The old man grimaced, " Well, I dinnae ken nought. Get up at manor and settle in, you'll catch yer death if ye dinnae warm up soon."

Famh steps in swiftly (and, she hopes, smoothly) upon seeing the guards' dubious reaction to Thatch's question.  In her broadest Thulish dialect, she explains, "Aye, thon was part o' whit Sir Almeric askit us tae dae.  He wantit us tae see gin we coud find these folk i' Hightoun, as a crofter said he'd seen thaim thare, but gin we missit thaim thare, then we were tae see gin they'd come tae the manor here i' between the time Sir Almeric arrivit an' the time we did."

=========

Deception 15

((yipes!  Morkaanades really frowned on that fib ... 8-0  ... ! )

Cainneach:  "I wouldn't worry too much.  I think you're right that even folks out and about at this hour would have enough sense to head away from a boar fight."

Vardi flashes a grateful grin to the hunter in agreement, then concentrates on where her feet are going.

Later...

Thatch: “Huh, they must have made the town last night.  I thought for sure we would find them at a camp.”

The Lyften lass mutters "Mayhap we'll find some sign of 'em here then, 'less they cut past town ahead of us ta camp?" in like puzzlement, then takes her cue from the small scout's sudden smartening up standing next to Ori, and attempts to look alert and soldierly herself, despite the stress and stains of travel through the night. 

Famh's heraldic greeting to the guards at the gates catches her off guard, but as she seems to know what she's about, the warrior woman simply does her best to keep up with what's going on, and keeps an eye out for trouble. 

Later...

" Nae, I dinnae.", said the young man with a frown.

OOC: Vardi makes a Perception check for a Total of 7. 

The old man grimaced, " Well, I dinnae ken nought. Get up at manor and settle in, you'll catch yer death if ye dinnae warm up soon."

"Aye ser." Vardi says in cheerful agreement "Standing out here is fair freezing ma wits ta ice, along wi' tha rest o' me!"

Quote from OisinmacCameron >>

Famh steps in swiftly (and, she hopes, smoothly) upon seeing the guards' dubious reaction to Thatch's question.  In her broadest Thulish dialect, she explains, "Aye, thon was part o' whit Sir Almeric askit us tae dae.  He wantit us tae see gin we coud find these folk i' Hightoun, as a crofter said he'd seen thaim thare, but gin we missit thaim thare, then we were tae see gin they'd come tae the manor here i' between the time Sir Almeric arrivit an' the time we did."

=========

Deception 3

" Betwixt Sir Almeric and yerselves? Nae, no one that I saw.", the old man said waving them on with a perplexed expression.

The sun begins to creep over the horizon as they enter the courtyard, as they do so a rather scarred and tired looking old soldier comes out from the double doors that presumably lead to the manors hall.

" Come in, we've some food to break your fast and then you can get some bunk time if needs be..."