Ida smiles and helps Darwin get situated. She's well aware that they are suddenly in a difficult position, and is ready to get out of the area immediately. She is skeptical of this entire arrangement. The empire has it's reasoning to keep Antonius paid to produce his suits, but no one else would respect that arrangement. They would simply want the coin which could be very difficult to transport effectively with their small party. Antonius didn't seem bothered by the idea of just the 5 of them heading back, but Ida was becoming nervous. Too many people were there. Too many people saw. And it was a long journey back with too many people knowing where they were headed.
"Antonius, would it be fair to say that you are now a key part of the defensive strategy for the Empire? And that to delay your production, or to attack you in any way would be seen as an attack on the empire? That to prevent you from doing your work would be almost an attack on the Emperor since he commissioned you?"
Antonius smirks, 'Well, Dame Ida, that wouldn't really be for me to say but one would think so, wouldn't they?' his tone is obnoxiously loud, and he makes a point to emphasize calling Ida a Dame, and he looks squarely at the Marshall as he answers.
The Marshall didn't get to being the highest ranked military officer in the Empire by being a simpleton. He understands completely.
'Should you be accosted on your roads home, the criminal responsible would be dealt swift and violent justice.' he announces, also projecting his voice unnecessarily. 'That concludes our business. I will expect the first shipment of suits in a month and a half. And try not to be quite as late with it this time.'
"Thanks Ida", Darwin says getting settled on his mount.
He was grateful for the display by the Marshall at Ida's encouragement, but it was a lot of coin, enough to easily disappear out of the reach of the Marshall and his lackies. He would not feel safe until they were back at Haukberg.
He spurs his horse and guides it over to Antonius as they leave. "Antonius, maybe a carriage would be more discreet? We could get one at the town close by, and at least anyone told to look out for 5 people on horseback would have more difficulties finding us", he whispers, loud enough for the others to hear, but they were far enough away that it would be beyond anyone else's hearing. "We could even take a longer route home?".
Antonius ponders the suggestion as he rides, 'No.' he says with a shake of his head. 'A carriage would merely make us an easier target. It is much harder to defend yourself when trapped in a box.' he concludes, 'And the route is set. If we alternate and get waylayed then we will be lost. If some Ill fate should stop us from reaching Haukberg before the end of the Tenday then my partner will know something has gone awry, he will launch a search and rescue mission, with every town we pass through as markers to narrow down the site of out misfortune.' he explains.
'I had entrusted our route to him. He will check with every town along the route to see if we have been seen, when and travelling which direction. If he take a wider road from Wiesenberg then he will think that we hit trouble between there and the next town, while in reality we could be hundreds of miles to the south. No, we stick to the plan.'
He smiles, 'Besides, the Empire's main roads are safe and I have no fear of treachery from the Marshall now, who else would make him his suits?' he chuckles. 'Come, we shall take an easy pace back to Wiesenberg, it should be about a ten hour ride, then we can drink and rest well before setting out for Haukberg.'
You all cruise past Einfallton a short time later and set out on the road to Wiesenberg.
Darwin follows along without further question, but is a little unsettled. He keeps a wary eye behind them, turning often in his saddle and looking back along the road.
After a while he decides to keep an eye out for squirrels to keep is mind occupied. He had always liked squirrels.
After travelling approximately 20 miles of the distance, the only sound for a long time has been the clip clop of hooves, so it is quite jarring when a new, but subtle sound joins.
Hamish feels the sting on his next and goes to swat at whatever bug stung him before realizing Antonius is falling and every else seems to be woozy. He suddenly feels like the pain wakes him from a dream he didn't even know he was having, the past couple of days having passed in a blur, the forced ride, the magical armor, the tense exchanges, the eerily empty borderlands. Hamish swings his gaze around trying to see what has happened.
Toryn and Ida simultaneously follow Antonius in falling from their mounts, unconscious, leaving Darwin and Hamish alone.
A group of Orcs, approximately 10, of them suddenly appear. They are clad in dirt and long grasses and rise from the grassland around you, having been hidden by laying flat in their camoflage.
One barks a laugh, he shouts to another orc in Orcish before saying 'Hail. Dismount and disarm, we have no quarrel with you.' he says to the still conscious pair. His common sounds broken and disjointed, with a gruff and gutteral accent.
Hamish glances around at his fallen companions, and briefly at Darwin (who is likely far better at speaking with the orcs) and then rasps as loudly as he can, "Then why ambush us? Why not approach and speak your intentions clearly?"
The Orc grunts and gestures to where Antonius lies unconscious, 'you, no, him, yes.' he rolls his neck. 'Come quiet, come loud. Makes no difference, you come all the same.' he produces a club that he slaps against his free hand.
The Orc scowls, 'No Barn-ah-bus' his tongue tripping over the unfamiliar word, and you get the distinct impression he doesn't realize it's a name.
'Elf who ride north then ride south, with a human, a dwarf, a half-n-half and a Halfling. We take back to Chief.' he thumps his club again to illustrate his growing impatience.
Without taking his eyes off of the orcs, Hamish tries to bring forth the worry he feels and weave it into a spell, subtly pointing his finger at Darwin and transmitting the message: I don't think we have a lot of choices other than to go with them.
((Not sure if this requires a Sleight of Hand check or something else, but Hamish is trying not to arouse suspicion or anger.))
The Orc actively growls. 'Chief want Elf alive. Chief want others to not get to town.'
Hamish notes that every Orc is now holding a weapon but each of them has another weapon at their hip. They are each holding a simple bludgeoning weapon, such as Clubs and Light Hammers, there is even a Net. Every weapon at a hip is a Martial weapon with a touch more lethality.
Darwin slides down off his horse and carefully takes his dagger out of the sheath at his belt with just one finger and a thumb.
He gently places it down a few feet in front of him and backs away. “I’ll want that back”, he says, his mind racing. He had hoped he could trick or confuse that orc leader but it hadn’t gone well.
“Can I at least check my friends are ok?”.
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Ida smiles and helps Darwin get situated. She's well aware that they are suddenly in a difficult position, and is ready to get out of the area immediately. She is skeptical of this entire arrangement. The empire has it's reasoning to keep Antonius paid to produce his suits, but no one else would respect that arrangement. They would simply want the coin which could be very difficult to transport effectively with their small party. Antonius didn't seem bothered by the idea of just the 5 of them heading back, but Ida was becoming nervous. Too many people were there. Too many people saw. And it was a long journey back with too many people knowing where they were headed.
"Antonius, would it be fair to say that you are now a key part of the defensive strategy for the Empire? And that to delay your production, or to attack you in any way would be seen as an attack on the empire? That to prevent you from doing your work would be almost an attack on the Emperor since he commissioned you?"
Antonius smirks, 'Well, Dame Ida, that wouldn't really be for me to say but one would think so, wouldn't they?' his tone is obnoxiously loud, and he makes a point to emphasize calling Ida a Dame, and he looks squarely at the Marshall as he answers.
The Marshall didn't get to being the highest ranked military officer in the Empire by being a simpleton. He understands completely.
'Should you be accosted on your roads home, the criminal responsible would be dealt swift and violent justice.' he announces, also projecting his voice unnecessarily. 'That concludes our business. I will expect the first shipment of suits in a month and a half. And try not to be quite as late with it this time.'
Ida winks at Antonius, thankful that the message was understood. She mounts and prepares for a long ride.
"Thanks Ida", Darwin says getting settled on his mount.
He was grateful for the display by the Marshall at Ida's encouragement, but it was a lot of coin, enough to easily disappear out of the reach of the Marshall and his lackies. He would not feel safe until they were back at Haukberg.
He spurs his horse and guides it over to Antonius as they leave. "Antonius, maybe a carriage would be more discreet? We could get one at the town close by, and at least anyone told to look out for 5 people on horseback would have more difficulties finding us", he whispers, loud enough for the others to hear, but they were far enough away that it would be beyond anyone else's hearing. "We could even take a longer route home?".
Antonius ponders the suggestion as he rides, 'No.' he says with a shake of his head. 'A carriage would merely make us an easier target. It is much harder to defend yourself when trapped in a box.' he concludes, 'And the route is set. If we alternate and get waylayed then we will be lost. If some Ill fate should stop us from reaching Haukberg before the end of the Tenday then my partner will know something has gone awry, he will launch a search and rescue mission, with every town we pass through as markers to narrow down the site of out misfortune.' he explains.
'I had entrusted our route to him. He will check with every town along the route to see if we have been seen, when and travelling which direction. If he take a wider road from Wiesenberg then he will think that we hit trouble between there and the next town, while in reality we could be hundreds of miles to the south. No, we stick to the plan.'
He smiles, 'Besides, the Empire's main roads are safe and I have no fear of treachery from the Marshall now, who else would make him his suits?' he chuckles. 'Come, we shall take an easy pace back to Wiesenberg, it should be about a ten hour ride, then we can drink and rest well before setting out for Haukberg.'
You all cruise past Einfallton a short time later and set out on the road to Wiesenberg.
Darwin follows along without further question, but is a little unsettled. He keeps a wary eye behind them, turning often in his saddle and looking back along the road.
After a while he decides to keep an eye out for squirrels to keep is mind occupied. He had always liked squirrels.
Perception: 11
Toryn listens to all this but, having already died twice in such a short time, keeps his mouth shut on his opinions
After travelling approximately 20 miles of the distance, the only sound for a long time has been the clip clop of hooves, so it is quite jarring when a new, but subtle sound joins.
Antonius suddenly topples from his horse.
You each feel a prick in your neck.
Everyone, make a constitution saving throw.
Hamish feels the sting on his next and goes to swat at whatever bug stung him before realizing Antonius is falling and every else seems to be woozy. He suddenly feels like the pain wakes him from a dream he didn't even know he was having, the past couple of days having passed in a blur, the forced ride, the magical armor, the tense exchanges, the eerily empty borderlands. Hamish swings his gaze around trying to see what has happened.
Toryn and Ida simultaneously follow Antonius in falling from their mounts, unconscious, leaving Darwin and Hamish alone.
A group of Orcs, approximately 10, of them suddenly appear. They are clad in dirt and long grasses and rise from the grassland around you, having been hidden by laying flat in their camoflage.
One barks a laugh, he shouts to another orc in Orcish before saying 'Hail. Dismount and disarm, we have no quarrel with you.' he says to the still conscious pair. His common sounds broken and disjointed, with a gruff and gutteral accent.
Hamish glances around at his fallen companions, and briefly at Darwin (who is likely far better at speaking with the orcs) and then rasps as loudly as he can, "Then why ambush us? Why not approach and speak your intentions clearly?"
The Orc grunts and gestures to where Antonius lies unconscious, 'you, no, him, yes.' he rolls his neck. 'Come quiet, come loud. Makes no difference, you come all the same.' he produces a club that he slaps against his free hand.
Darwin looks at the lead Orc with a confused look on his face. “What do you want with Barnabus?”, he says pointing at Antonius.
”And what have you done to our friends?”.
Deception: 19
The Orc scowls, 'No Barn-ah-bus' his tongue tripping over the unfamiliar word, and you get the distinct impression he doesn't realize it's a name.
'Elf who ride north then ride south, with a human, a dwarf, a half-n-half and a Halfling. We take back to Chief.' he thumps his club again to illustrate his growing impatience.
Without taking his eyes off of the orcs, Hamish tries to bring forth the worry he feels and weave it into a spell, subtly pointing his finger at Darwin and transmitting the message: I don't think we have a lot of choices other than to go with them.
((Not sure if this requires a Sleight of Hand check or something else, but Hamish is trying not to arouse suspicion or anger.))
Darwin gives Hamish a subtle nod.
”Oh the chief just wanted the Elf, yes that makes sense, you go ahead and take the Elf and we will be on our way with our two friends and our horses”.
The Orc actively growls. 'Chief want Elf alive. Chief want others to not get to town.'
Hamish notes that every Orc is now holding a weapon but each of them has another weapon at their hip. They are each holding a simple bludgeoning weapon, such as Clubs and Light Hammers, there is even a Net. Every weapon at a hip is a Martial weapon with a touch more lethality.
“This is very confusing, are you saying you want us all to come and see the chief?”, Darwin asks.
”If that is the case we accept your kind invitation, which way is it?”
'Dismount, disarm.' the Orc instructs again, the club now held lazily in one hand.
Darwin slides down off his horse and carefully takes his dagger out of the sheath at his belt with just one finger and a thumb.
He gently places it down a few feet in front of him and backs away. “I’ll want that back”, he says, his mind racing. He had hoped he could trick or confuse that orc leader but it hadn’t gone well.
“Can I at least check my friends are ok?”.