Hoard Of The Dragon Queen

Quote from Faux_Beau >>

Camping for the night, I assume.  How far are we away from our destination when we’ll get further instructions?

 (To Storm: Pretty much that there. Didn't want to further stir things up with the 'cultist' likely on guard that evening, despite some retroactive temptations to start up another and maybe sneak into their wagons for a so far uncertain reason.)

The night goes uneventful and morning comes.

As Kissa divvied up the groups breakfast of wattle damper and finger limes and burdekin plums from her rapidly dwindling dilly bag supplies.

Her voice kept low she queried, " So....tell me exactly what is happening here.  I wasn't given much in the way of info and you mob keep sneaking off near every night, theres some bad folks I gethered that....and some of em can look like other folks...but whats your actual plan?"

After seeing to the usual morning rituals both of the figurative and literal type, Nobody and Yanda eagerly sat down for breakfast if nothing else required more immediate attention for mage and familiar pair. They are taken aback for a moment at the slight tonal shift over breakfast, but quickly lean in a bit to share their thoughts after swallowing their latest morsel. "W-well... T-technically the plan is to simply follow them for now until they eventually -- p-possibly break away from the caravan to do their own thing, I-I-IF I remember the debrief correctly. Any other work aside from that is... w-well admittedly rather risky extracurricular information gathering. M-mostly, as far as I'm concern, to better prepare ourselves for the eventuality of their splintering off, as w-we will have to yet follow them without cover and d-discover where they mean to go and what they mean to do with their current shipment of... a-again, th-this might be me misremembering a bit, but less than legally acquired goods among other things."  He'd say quietly once a moment a presented itself out of earshot of their boss and his daughter.

"S-so in terms of hard plans, that's.... m-mostly the gist of it, really. For now, at least. But if something every comes of our again extracurricular  investigation, that may or may require some amendment of the plan." He further explains before looking to his seniors on the mission.

The caravan sets out along the Coast Way, the travel is uneventful. You get to the area called the Troll Claws which are mostly high steep grassy hills with a few, higher elevations. You come half way thru, and approach a small forest, and for some reason, or none, the caravan stops, its midday.

Confused, Nobody looks first to his compatriots within easy sight and to any other guards protecting other wagons, hoping to see some measure of confidence, if not unconcern on their face. Failing that, he'd look to Yanda and nudge him a bit, waking the dozing flying monkey on his shoulder before whispering a request. Annoyed but a bit excited to stretch his wings, Yanda flies up 30 ft and would begin making his way towards the front of the caravan to see what was the hold up. As that's happening, Nobody looks again to the party from the back of his horse and says, "I-I don't like the feel of this fellas. But I sent Yanda ahead to try and s-see what's up." 

Fargen hops off the wagon, "I could use a good stretch, but I'd like to know why we've stopped.  Perhaps a bit a trouble..."

Fargen utters a daily prayer of aid to his allies (+5 max hp Nobody, Kissa, Thufir)

Kissa had backtracked a little in her scouting so wasn't at the front of the caravan when it stopped, she padded out of the woods to see what was what.

As she did so she recalled one of the Ancestors to her mind.

3

Stirring on his warhorse, Thufir looks to the others and says, “a stop is always nice, but it seems a bit out of place. Let’s see what’s happening up front.”

"I-If it's all the same, I'll stay with our wagon and provide support through Yanda if it comes to it. Hopefully it's little more than a fallen tree or a broken wheel." Nobody replied, not at all sounding convinced by his own vocalized hopes. 

Fargen joins Thufir, "I am aching for a good fight.  Maybe today the cult makes it's move."

In the distance you see 4 flying creatures  that look like eagles. You think they are near the lead wagon, circling above.

Kissa continued approaching the lead wagon.

Fargen gives a whisper of Moradin's guidance to identify the creatures and their interest.  He quickens his pace, "What's this now, let's get a closer look."

Perception: 23

Although not exactly keen on the idea, if Yanda was still in range for telepathic communication and remote viewing, then a reluctant Nobody bids him to fly closer to the front, but at an angle by which the flying monkey might at least yet use some of the wagons for cover should the need ever arise duck into hiding. All with the express purpose of getting close enough to either better identify the birds, or see what had them circling the front ahead of the party. That way, Tymora willing, he might at least warn at least one of the party members who chose to have a closer look with a quick message if at all possible. Or failing that, have Yanda run interference if the situation looked especially dangerous with a bit of frantic warning gestures after regroup with the advance team.

Fargen

Nobody/Yanda:

Fargen squints his eyes, "Looks like some kind of wicked eagle stag.  I know little of the abominations of wizardry..." Arcana: 11

Nobody, Yanda gives you a picture, and you get in your head, that these are Perytons, a very dangerous creature that have fetishes' for human hearts.

Fargen see's them but is not sure.

“Does this mean we need to scare them off? We’ve got a pretty big band here,” Thufir says from his steed, looking back towards the caravan as whole. “Would they really try to attack so many of us?”