@William

The vulture follows its way to the farmhouse. The raven that it is tailing doesn't seem to pay it no mind. It swoops in through a crack in the wood that boards up the windows. Herbert stops immediately, hovers for a second, then flies above the roof. There it perches. It spies a small hole in the roofing and peers its head in. It relays back to you what it sees ((a PM hehe. I'm trying something new))

 @Sparkles

The elk struggles in your grasp. You try to pet the elk, to first let it sniff your hand and reach out for it, but it doesn't seem to soothe it. It bellows again. The road is cold enough that you see the condensated huff out of its nostrils. This time it wrenches itself free and leaps past you, its limp only stopping it momentarily as it runs off. It gets itself lost in some dead bushes and you can't see it no more.

 Herbert flies up in the air.

The raven comes out again, stuck a few seconds in the hole, but nonetheless flies out. It hovers above the man. The man is wearing Kesselwald royal guard attire. It is the typical green button-up polo with leather slacks. The ironed on badge reveals his position as 'captain.' 

"Hello there, friends…" He wrings his hands, then looks up at the sky. "you’re travelling on a royal road." He pronounces each word with a pause at the end. "In these troubled times it falls- we need- um, to- As loyal servants like ourselves-" He gestures to two more people who come out of the farmhouse with the same attire. It is too far to tell their ranking. "to keep these highways free of reprobates and outlaws?"

He nods, "Yes, I’m afraid we’ll need to collect a fee to ensure your safe passage to the capital.” He looks up again. "All the horses," he winces, "all the booze... (we are a teetotaler town), and six pounds of food, and 25 gold. Each."

Sparkles curses (something she only learnt recently from Will) and tries to look out into the bushes for the elk, though she's aware there's likely something occurring back at the wagon with the ravens and doesn't want to spend too much time over this beast. Perception: 19

William pauses upon getting the report from Herbert. With a wide toothy grin he nods approvingly towards the vulture that gives a small nod and flies back towards his master. "Hold up!" William shouts as he makes his way towards the man wearing royal attire. "A little birdie told me that you might be trying to pull a fast one on us... " The undertaker days with a sinister grin. His piercing green eyes looking the captain up and down. "A little birdie also told me that you got a lot of loot stashed upstairs on the building over there... and you know what... I don't think I'm the only one here getting information from little birdies..." William adds as he slides his gloved hand inside of his long leather coat. His hand finds the long carved bone wand inside and grips it tightly.

in his mind he attempts to call out to Syed "Hey buddy, the raven speaks common, there are treasure chests upstairs in the room the man came out of. The bird seems to be bossing this guy around. pretty sure we are being robbed.."

ooc: not sure of William is able to talk to syed that way! so he might just be standing there looking goofy

Quote from Wreckzors >>

ooc: not sure of William is able to talk to syed that way! so he might just be standing there looking goofy

 (OOC: William cannot speak telepathically with Syed if he has not the feature himself, also Syed's telepathy has a range of 10 feet currently. Syed spoke with William via Message, though and William may reply via that channel. That was some time ago, arguably, and the reply window may have expired - even though I'm not aware of an official response window but my understanding of the spell was always that you have to reply immediately if you wish to do so at all.)

((I'll say yeah you can respond that way but because it was a while ago the 'wires' of the message made it kind of choppy. Instead Syed hears 'Hey buddy, the raven speaks common-' then something akin to elevator music like you logged into the wrong channel then ' the bird - boss - *static* -free shipping!' ))

[Dude I love the idea of us accidentally connecting to some random magical chatroom, especially since magic is so rare lmao. Kinda reminds me of kids thinking they can get onto police call lines if they intercept it with a walkie-talkie]

Zeren hears Williams words and recognizes the supposed guards as bandits.

Pointing his sword at them Zeren moves into a fighting stance.

"Run for your lives or instead of pockets full of gold you'll find your guts full of my steel. I won't hesitate the rid the world of bandits like you."

Without looking over his shoulder he calls back to the rest of the group.

"We're about to be attacked!"

OOC: Intimidation roll 9

Syed listens to William's message but only catches fragmented bits of it. However, he understands enough to know that something is seriously wrong. He manoeuvres his dog to a better vantage point, taking in the scene—Zeren's threatening stance, William's ominous grin, and the so-called "royal guards" making outrageous demands.

Recognizing the danger, Syed quickly decides on a course of action. He scrambles into his backpack and produces a light crossbow. It's an awkward fit, but he steadies it as best he can. Syed isn't one for direct combat and feels that bringing the crossbow might not have been his brightest moment, especially against armed bandits, so he resorts to what he does best—magic. He administers to himself a small magically infused shot to kickstart his adrenalin (guidance).

Kolette looks at the scene about to open and says, "Wait, patience please! We don't want to kill you, and you don't want to be dead." She holds her arms open in a non-aggressive manner.

"You say you want food? Fresh water?" *sniff* "Maybe get a little clean?" 

She holds up a finger, "Watch," and slowly casts Goodberry "See? magical food, one will feed you for a day! and,  " she slices her hand for 1hp then eats a berry "They can heal your wounds."

"I will help to heal your ills if you let us pass."

Persuasion check 10

Shayara was beginning to understand how life on the mainland was. This wasn't the first time she had encountered such trouble. When first coming into port she had unwittingly given into similar demands from equally unscrupulous man. 

If this is the way things work around here I will simply have to learn how to deal with these types. I am a crafty woman I can evolve.

Gentlemen,  our dear friend is right. We dont want any trouble and surely you can see that the odds are not in your favor. Come now let us join you for some food. The heavily armed man over here is as good with a skillet as he is with a blade.

The young woman leans on her staff with baited breath her dice rattling softly as she twirls them in her closed hand.

Persuasion:

25

((AHAH thanks I was like what what would be silly now it's magical chatroom courtesy of the A.Academy TM radio))

((Can't think of anything right now but here's the current map with the men closer up because ))

Thanks! That map is very helpful. I assume the location of the building mentioned to me by Herbert  (or other buildings) isn't really important to any potential upcoming fights? 

(I didn't realise that the ravens remained so close.)

Concentrating on his spell, Syed remains cautious about the birds and shoots worrying glances towards the approaching riders. Hiding half inside his backpack, he grabs a small dagger, that seems more like a longsword in his hands, but keeps it out of sight for the time being.

Seeing that the bandits are intent on charging them Zeren retreats back towards the rest of the group. It's not cowardice, simply the good sense to realize that the further apart the group is the harder a time they'll have supporting each other in the fight.

"All together now! Kill them all and leave their corpses for the crows to peck at!"

Zeren's hunger for life energy gnaws at him, building his bloodlust as he prepares for battle. His pointed teeth lengthen within his mouth. They're hidden behind his helmet but he has ways of sinking them into his foes if he needs to. For now he intends to rely on his longsword, the blade feeling like an extension of his body.

 @Syed

The ravens stop arguing once they hear their masters. They perk up and fly down, hovering outside and  watching the inside of the caravan and the backpack (and you by that exhaustion) with glossy eyes filled with mischief.

@William, Kolette, Zeren, and Sharaya

"A little birdie...." The captain says, tugging on the reins of his horse as the horse rises, its front two feet rearing. "... easy girl." He pats her muzzle. He then looks up to see your vulture, but tries to keep attention to his own flying friend. He coughs to clear his throat.

"I am Captain McCoy. These are my men, Sergeants Hosh and Sanna." He gestures to the other two.

"We need enough stock to recover. The lands here are tough and we do not get many provisions down this way. The stuff you speak of is rations for our daily needs and some fees we have not yet sent back to the castle." He remains upright and stoic at this accusation. The two other men come on their horses and stop behind him.

At Zeren's sword, the horses step back. Their masters rein them in. "We are of the royal guard. You can not be speaking to us this way."

The captain watches with intention at the deer-woman. His eyes widen at your use of said berry. McCoy nods, his face softening, "Oh? Actually -" There are some whispers in the back from the other two guards. "A goodberry," one can be heard saying. Captain McCoy then looks up. The raven hovers. "- I am... sorry. That would not be enough." He scrutinizes her for a second, "Are you with the Academy? You are not wearing the designated robes... or rings for that matter." He looks behind him, "Now that is a level five violation. I am afraid this matter can only be solved with an upping of the fines."

Then Zeren roars his battlecry and the men stand there for a second, unsure of what to do.

"Wait... Raymond... Farmer Raymond McCoy?" Eren gets out from the side of the caravan, holding their needle and thread.

"I-"

Then a cackling is hear from up in the air.

"Crows...?"

The laughter gets more contagious as the men there start mimicking it with stiltness. A robed figure descends from the sky. Their wings raise the unsettled dust up from the ground. It causes a thick dust haze. The wereraven thug hovers above the elk corpse. "I would like you to say that again please."

@Sparkles 

The elk cowers in the bramble, still favoring its right hoof. It brays but it lets its head towards you and lets it pet its muzzle. Behind it you catch something shimmering in the distance, stuck in between the dirt. You find a small mound of coins including 3 copper and 1 silver pieces.

At the sounds of a confrontation, a kenku emerges in front of you, its head and body engulfed by one long black robe and hood. It plays a low whistling tune, clutching a scythe and walks forward. The elk shrieks at this appearance. The kenku just chortles, kicking dirt onto the coins.

Quote from Wreckzors >>

Thanks! That map is very helpful. I assume the location of the building mentioned to me by Herbert  (or other buildings) isn't really important to any potential upcoming fights? 

 ((AW thank you!!! it isn't important right now but maybe later!))

"Well violence it is. Pelor forgive us the blood we will spill today."

OOC: A map would be helpful =)

Quote from SunDial365>>

@Sparkles 

The elk cowers in the bramble, still favoring its right hoof. It brays but it lets its head towards you and lets it pet its muzzle. Behind it you catch something shimmering in the distance, stuck in between the dirt. You find a small mound of coins including 6 copper and 1 silver pieces.

At the sounds of a confrontation, a kenku emerges in front of you, its head and body engulfed by one long black robe and hood. It plays a low whistling tune, clutching a scythe and walks forward. The elk shrieks at this appearance. The kenku just chortles, kicking dirt onto the coins.

Syed watches the two ravens with a growing sense of unease. Their glossy, mischief-filled eyes are locked onto him, and he knows they are more than just ordinary birds. Their sudden stillness and the way they hover outside the caravan, as if waiting for something, put him on edge. He grips his dagger tightly, but he hesitates to make the first move, knowing that violence might escalate the situation beyond control.

A scowl appears on the face of the wereraven when no one takes the bait. "Very well..." he coos, "Blood it shall."

Eren (who had been fixing up the caravan) and the captain exchange glances.

"Mudface!" "Yes, sir."

"Lead the men."

"...Yes, sir." He shrugs at a very dumbfounded Eren who now carries their own crossbow.

The bandits take out their weapons. The thug flexes his fingers over his mace.

Going with block chunking!

Party goes first in whatever order of posting then the bandits (the ravens too count)

@Syed

"Little one, we've got company," Eren calls out to you. 

@Sparkles

"I'm prepared to fight, and who are you?" The kenku laughs, mimicking your voice perfectly. He twirls his scythe in mid-air then places it upright up next to him. He makes a 'come at me' gesture with his free hand. The elk nestles by your side.

Syed's eyes narrow as the situation escalates. The tension in the air thickens with every passing second, and when Eren calls out to him, his instincts sharpen. The ravens hovering near the caravan have pushed him to the edge, their menacing presence no longer tolerable. "Time to teach these birds a lesson," Syed mutters under his breath. With a quick glance at Mellow, his mastiff, he signals the command with a subtle nod. 

In a flash, Syed leaps toward the raven on the left-hand side, his small frame moving with surprising speed and precision. His sharp teeth bared, he aims to sink them into the bird's feathery flesh. Simultaneously, his mastiff charges forward with a deep growl, its powerful jaws snapping toward the raven in a coordinated attack. Syed's heart pounds in his chest, but his mind is clear and focused. He knows that this move could either neutralize the immediate threat or ignite an even fiercer battle, but he is prepared for whatever comes next.

Move: Syed jumps at Raven 'N'; Mellow engages, too
Action: Syed attacks with Sharp Tusks @N, hit 24 for 4 piercing and 1 psychic damage; Mellow attacks with a bite @N, hit 7 for 3 piercing damage