The line holds taught, the other two on watch have weapons readied.

DB: 22
Coljin: 15 (blessed, conc on bless, 9 rounds remaining)
Ulmwin: 14 (conc on expeditious retreat, 60 rounds remaining)
Dornikal: 12 (blessed)
Evar and Garvey: 11 (readied attacks)
Horsies: 10 (one draft horse still panicking)
Randerwaith: 7 (blessed)  <----<<<
Other NPCs: 6 (variously readied for danger)

Randy is currently swearing like an orcish sailor (in orc, no less) trying to get the panicking draft horse back under control.  He's forced to leave the defense to the others for the moment. 

Animal handling: 20

The horse moves to rear up, but Randy times a sideways yank on its tack just right, and catches the horse by surprise, rather than further panicking it, the massive horse eyes loll wide but fix on the ranger and his presence that commands obedience (or perhaps the horse 'understands' orc).

There is the fading sounds of hoofbeats.

DB: 22
Coljin: 15 (blessed, conc on bless, 8 rounds remaining) <-------<<<
Ulmwin: 14 (conc on expeditious retreat, 59 rounds remaining) <-------<<<
Dornikal: 12 (blessed) <-------<<<
Evar and Garvey: 11 (readied attacks)
Horsies: 10 (All horses in the camp calmed, two have fled into the night)
Randerwaith: 7 (blessed)
Other NPCs: 6 (variously readied for danger)

Coljin and his unicorn horn move over closer to where he thinks the beast may be hiding in the forest.  He will move so he places himself between the beast and the remaining horses.  Holding an action to attack if it shows itself.

Ulmwin rushes after the escaped horses. hoping to intercept the panicking beasts before they charge straight into the maw of some beast. Rushing faster through the help of expeditious retreat, he plays an idle calming melody to hopefully calm the beasts, and incline them to come in the direction of "home".

19

While everyone else places themselves between the surrounding forest and the woods, Ulmwin zips into the woods, experiencing the odd sensation of playing a tune with a slower tempo than that of his own feet under the influence of his spell. 

No horses immediately return to him, though the ones under Randy's care take a half step towards the departing bard before shivering their shoulders and settling even more firmly into Randy's calm presence.

Randy calls out to Evar. "Two horses bolted. I've got the others under control. Don't know if you've got a way to call the runners back."

Dornikal moves to put himself nearer to Ulmwin, who is probably placed himself between the horses and beasts.

"No one goes chasing those horses, if they come back great, but otherwise they are gone."

He calls.

"We've fought a hydra, but we're scared by one little beastie?!" Ulmwin yells in a somewhat indignant response, seemingly intent on rushing out still... But probably not as foolish as to rush out by himself.

"If we give it a taste with no hurt, it might just come back."

"She was hunting for her young. They usually hunt in pairs, so aye'd guess at least a pair more of'm out there. Don't make their hunt easier by going out to'm Ulmwin."

Dornikal suggests while asking Dumathoin for patience when dealing with gnomes.

"Displacer beast kits are valuable once trained... but the difficulty in obtaining them is what keeps the supply low. Never felt it was worth the risk.", Brucho muses.

"It's still not.", his wife says firmly.

"Of course dear, of course."

((Leaving things be and hoping the horses evade being hunted and return on their own? No displacer beasts show themselves to the camp, so we can exit turn order.))

Dornikal chimes in,

"Don't ye go chasing the beasts for coin. Safer ways Brucho!"

Dornikal would work to dissuade anyone from heading out.

Randy sighs and walks over to Evar. "With two horses gone, can we get all the wagons back to town?"

"Draft horses are still here.", Evar says tersely.

Randy nods. "In the morning, maybe Hank and I can try to track them down if they haven't come back... if they haven't run too far off or they didn't get eaten."

After about a quarter hour, Dornikal will wave everyone back to bed.

"Pull the horses in closer to the fire and we'll wake ye if the beast comes come back. Aye'd wager she is off eating horse though."

Ulmwin mutters something along the lines of "Could totally take em" and "What a terrible story", but makes no motion to go do heroics if nobody else agrees.

Bimmfur pipes up in response to Ulmwin's grumbling. "I think there was probably four... no, a dozen of them! And they tore apart two horses right in front of us and five more fled into the night! We barely got away with our lives! Did you see the fangs on that? There were as long as my arm, and sharper than any dagger!"

The young halfling is fairly vibrating with excitement as his two guardians try to settle him down.

Eventually things settle down, and during the last watch, one of the horses wanders back into camp, just as everyone is stirring.

"Well... one lost is better than it could have been... glad you all thought quickly," Kayleera muses.

Dornikal look gives a nod and smile.

"Let's put some distance between us and her. Hope she enjoys her horse. Never liked it mehself."

Dornikal will help decamp and get ready to roll, and if there's some time he'll quiz Garvey on different mortar mixes.

"The trick is to get the right lime to sand ratio. Four and half and half. Mix'm separate. Don't just dump five parts sand in and hope the lime will cut it, aye?"

He'll point at some sand,

"How's the grit on that sand? Good enough for mortar?"

(Too coarse, bad sand.)

Vaduta looks a bit uneasy at the mention of eating horse.

"That's by volume? Or dry weight? Most folks I'd seen just kind went by feel, it seemed."

INT: 13