Intelligence (Nature): 13

The way to Tourmaline is comparatively new to Dixie and that fact causes some uncertainty. Although Blackbur seems to know the adjacent civilized settling and what kind of danger might wait for them on the way, his assurance does not help her to relax. There can be a forest nearby which is impenetrable at night, unmarked landscape claimed by unfriendly creatures, a lake infested by water dwellers or a clan of bandits waiting for potential victim!

Dixie keeps doodling on the map in order to mark important landmarks. Then she licks her index finger then holds it up, rubbing it with her thumb as she tries to figure out the current way of the wind and the amount of moisture in the air.

"Hurry up Dixie!", calls Mistral urgently. "We cannot afford to dawdle".

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Sirithal moves with relative ease through the snow, the cold causing no discomfort. Once set on a path, a billow of steam pours from his robes, moving behind the group.

'With somewhat fortunate timing I was able to summon assistance last night. It will help ensure we are not followed...'

Sirithal has his familiar, Ssat'ral, flying behind the group initially, to make sure they're not being followed. 

Perception for Ssat'ral: 8 (passive 10)

 

 “Good work, Sirithal.” Blackbur appears reticent in his praise.

Hurdrak looks into the distance.  He turns back and looks at the town, where the captain was.  He grips his sword hilt tight and says, "we best be on the move.  Sooner we gather allies, the sooner we can get justice for the Captain."

Dixie steers the patrol mostly true, but finds herself consulting with Mistral and his star map, as the meager twilight dwindles. They cannot be far from Tourmaline, and indeed a slight course correction should place them back on track!

The faintest scent of danger blows in, as dusk settles, warning the patrol of potential danger, lurking out of view. (Someone make a percentile roll. There is a 40% chance (01-40) of an encounter, prior to reaching the relative safety of town).

93 

“This area is safe as houses. My old patrol route, monsters and miscreants learned not to bother here.” Blackbur brags a bit.

Speaking of safehouses, Blackbur rediscovers an old rock shelter he had used with his old patrol, before the neverending winter. Still unoccupied, still safe. A discreet cleft in the small granite boulder, still a bit above the snow pack, leads deeper down to an area where a patrol could spread out and rest. Another small crack in the ceiling of the hidden chamber could serve as a chimney, or possibly as a means for emergency egress.

Not a bad place for a benighted patrol to stay, and it is an option worthy of consideration...  but what’s this? The earlier whiff of potential danger resolves into the smell of an otter, which some in the patrol might be familiar with. It is coming nearer, perhaps even approaching the shelter. 

“Lo, the ice is melting..”

It is an older code, but it checks out. The countersign, known to Blackbur, is “Aye, slowly from the floe.”  The otter must be pretty sure they are not foes, as he approaches them, weapons sheathed. ”I am Loki, ranger and friend to the Mouse Guard. If your patrol is up for it, there is a gang of stoats nearby. Five wait in ambush, along the Tourmaline path. Waiting for you, like as not. Wise you were, to abandon the main trail.”

“It is good to meet a friend, Loki... where we’ve come from, the Guard finds friends in short supply. It is important we don’t let that stop us from doing our duty, still. It will be good to face a problem that steel can solve.” 
He gives a formal half bow. ”Aye slowly from the floe. Now let’s go help some stoats regret the misery they inflict.” 

"Wait", calls Mistral. "I am Mistral, and I call nature herself to do my bidding. Sometimes, She deigns to fulfil my humble requests. However, I have never faced a stoat in battle before. What of their tactics? Do they have a weakness to exploit?"

Dixie quickly marks the safe house on the map since she considers this a significant addition to her document. She has been late to respond to the quest of the newcomer, but when she responds she does so with a renewed curiosity, "A gang of Stoats, you say? Where do we find them out? Couldn't we wait for the night to end or is it really urgent?"

Sirithal nods to Loki. ‘Well met. It is good to meet an ally upon the trail..’ he whispers softly.

‘What do you know of the ambush?’

”Don’t know what tipped them off to your travel plans, if you are, indeed, their intended targets. And I’m afraid I don’t know how long they will remain where they are, or where they have moved their camp to. Their behavior has changed.”

 “You see, I was charged with infiltrating their band, and I thought I was making headway with their leader... but on my last visit... ‘tis strange. They were like wild beasts, wrinkling their noses, barking and screeching and showing their teeth; one even unleashed its foul musk in my direction.”

”On my previous visit, they were considerably more receptive, for a group of vicious killers, at least. This time, I don’t even think they could speak, and I feared for my safety.”

The river otter is larger even than Dixie, and considerably longer, though some of that is tail. Armored, and armed with sword and axe, Loki should have little to fear from a lone creature the size of a stoat. 

”They are ferocious beyond their size, cunning, calculating. Don’t let them grapple you, or get behind you. Their scent glands can be distracting, but not truly harmful. That’s all I can say, really, about facing them.”

"Are we ready to take on a band of stoats, or would we be better off spending a night in the safe house? And, perhaps Vidame and his Eminence are behind these stoats, and maybe even, behind their changed behavior. We need to tread carefully here." Whiskers ponders. 

Sirithal looks over to Blackbur ‘Your call, but I don’t like leaving known enemies out there, and if they’ve been placed in our way we may learn something…’

“Two birds with one stone... if we get them, it’s good for everyone. We eliminate a danger, and we can make them tribute for the owl til we manage to get that sorted out.” Blackbur is looking around to the others. “I believe this is an obvious choice, but... I am happy to listen to alternatives, advice on the methods, and such. And should any of you decide this isn’t what you signed up for with the guard, then... I won’t stop you.” He looks particularly distressed as he says this last. 

"We can get the upper hand if our advancement is sneaky enough to startle them out of their ambush, they will be flabbergasted to face sudden attack"- Dixie advices the party at the same time reconsidering the attire and physique of the Otter Ranger. He seems confident of his own words and actions yet unsure of the generosity of the Stoat Leader and the gang members. There must be something unusual about the change of behavior of the stoats which Whiskers has pointed out earlier.

"Sooner or later, I can not but face the result of my crime, either as a form of execution or a tribute to the Great Owl. Until then, I wish to make my life useful, I'm up for it!"

"Let us strike them before they strike us", opines Mistral. "We cannot be sure they do not know of this safe hole. They may even have followed our otter friend here", he adds ominously.

”If we are agreed, then, let us go at once. This new behavior of theirs is erratic, unpredictable. Oh, and when I said don’t let them grapple you, it is not the grappling so much, though their claws are sharp. If they get to your neck, it is over. They don’t go for the throat- they get behind and go for the spine!”

“Anyway, if you’re up for taking these critters out, I will lead the way. By the time I could rouse a patrol from town and return, it could be an opportunity missed.”

"Do lead the way, Ranger Loki! We must not wait any longer"- Dixie requests for navigation with a polite tone, when she adjusts the feathered cape around her body to take advantage of it's sneaky attributes. "But I fear of something worse than fatal injuries, that would be the freezing water of the lake that's situated somewhere near. We do not want to find ourselves in the middle of fragile ice shards that can easily break under the force of heavy weight"