Soren smiles genuinely at the elder's reminiscing, bowing his head with deep respect.

"My thanks, wise one. Truly the ancient memories of the pack, legends of one such as Torleth Mindulspeer, all are preserved inside you."

He ambles over to Torleth's Treasures and circles the building as a bear might circle a tree looking for grubs hiding in the bark.  Trying to check whether he can see inside and/or identify anything of interest inside or out.  Anything left behind.  Reaching out to his natural instinct to perceive small details.

Soren's Perception plus Guidance:  22 + 2 = 24

Burr climbs the ladder on the exterior of the tower.  It is sturdy and strong, built larger than a typical ladder.  You suspect two people might be able to climb this side by side.  Reaching the top, Burr finds a stone rooftop made of different materials than the rest of the tower, obviously a replacement or upgrade.  In the center of the roof is a raised fire pit, 15' in diameter and stacked with several cords of firewood.  To one side of the roof is a large, waterproof tinderbox the size of a moving trunk.  As Burr looks around, he sees that the tower has a good view of the surrounding landscape.  Though neither the hill nor the tower are very tall, this stretch of land doesn't have many other raised features.  To the east there are more hills, dotted with farmhouses and beyond them, the dark mass of the Misty Forest.  But to the north, south and west there is nothing but flat fields, farmland and small patches of wood.  A fire atop this tower would be visible for many miles in all directions.  In fact, looking north, Burr would guess a fire here at night may be visible all the way back in Daggerford.

Soren, you trace a path around the building, looking for... something. [I think investigation would apply here as well as Perception... with the same roll your modified investigation result would be 17.]  The windows and door are boarded up but this building has been left to the elements for a long time.  There are a few gaps that have grown in the walls where boards have shrank or expanded and you are able to find several places where you can peek inside.  You are hit by the musty odor of decay.  Not the sweet, sickly scent of rot, but stuffy odor of civilization gone to mildew and mold. You're far from a structural engineer, but by the pinpricks of light you can see coming down through the roof, you can guess this building will not survive many more winters before it collapses.  The interior is empty... no boxes, no storeshelves... nothing.  The only thing of interest you can see inside is a staircase down.  The opening is framed in heavy timber but there is no vantage point here to be able to see down into the darkness.

From down by the Trade Way, there comes a sharp whistle.  "Volunteers!" the voice of Sir Rowan calls out.  "We are moving in 5 minutes!"

Burr nodded to himself, if things got desperate and they needed a bastion to retreat to they could do worse than this tower....he climbed back down and headed over towards Sir Rowan.

Eager to get moving, when Zefla hears Sir Rowan calling she immediately heads in his direction.  Once there, "Did you find any useful information from the townsfolk?  Nothing up there in the tower, just storage." she jabs her thumb in the direction of the tower.

Giles listens to Burr as well when he comes back down, looks back up at the top of the tower.  “It’s always good to have a place to fall back to.” he says to himself.  Just then, Sir Rowan calls and he says “Ok, back to it.  We have a ways to go before we can hit the sack.  I’m still rather sore, hopefully it is quiet on our afternoon journey.”  He brings his coin out of his pouch and flips it, looking at the result.  The four leaf clover comes up.  “Oh, if only…”. He ambles along with a half smile toward Sir Rowan.

Soren considers, as if a young bear wondering whether to stick his snout into a strange, seemingly abandoned, burrow as his mother calls him back.  Speaking of his mother, he knows he can use her fey gift to disappear in mist and step inside a location within Torleth's Treasures without breaking in.  But only once - then how to step back out when done?  And if there were danger, the ache in Soren's temples tells him that his own primal magic has waned for the day.  He reluctantly decides against it but wants to show the others.

He quickly calls Zefla, Burr and Giles over if they can hear him.  To any that come, he points out the view through the gap in the window boards and muses:

"The pack leader calls so we lack the time to do this but... this old den is said to have contained old magics and curiosities.  Seemingly gone now, but there is a passage leading below.  None seem to claim this place now, so it might be worth exploring.  No time now, but perhaps on our journey back?"

Zefla heads over to Soren when he calls out and peers through the gaps that Soren is pointing out.  "Ooh... that passage... might have something valuable down there.  hmmm.... might be nothing though.  Would be fun to check out sometime, yeah, maybe on our way back."

Giles comes over and peers into the dark, eying the area mentioned.  “Yes, we need to investigate that basement sometime, good thought Soren.  Who knows if some magical items or treasure could have been left behind…” there is an unusual gleam to his eye as he says this.  You can see the cogs turning in his head.  He snaps out of it and turns around, saying, “But duty calls for now.  Sir Rowan beckons … “ 

Sir Rowan is waiting down near where the short path to Gillian's Hill departs for the Trade Way.  Madame Bauer is there on a horse, and Jhon is beside him.  Another man is here as well.  He has the look of a farmer, dirty overalls and a deerskin jacket, with a fraying wool cloak tossed over his shoulders against the cold.  

"A change in plans.  Madame Bauer has picked up a lead of her own.  Her quarry may have been sighted east of here."

He frowns.  "While I am loathe to deviate from our primary mission, even for so critical an ally as Madame Bauer, we may be able to accomplish something as well.  Mr. Brush here," he gestures to the farmer, "has a farm near the location of one of the older attacks.  He claims there are fresh prints of a monster in one of his fields.  Its possible its related to our wolves... or perhaps not.  We will take a detour into the hills east of here.  Tourmaline will have a chance to pursue her lead and we will see if we can learn anything more about our beastly foe."

Rather than heading back to the Trade Way, you depart Gillian's Hill down one of the old cart paths heading east.  Not far from the village, the terrain becomes more difficult.  The path weaves between hills, or climbs them before descending the other side.  It is still farming country, with small homesteads doing all they can to utilize the tillable land.  You even pass an apple orchard that uses the geography to its advantage.  The trees are arranged on a slope, with shallow rollways between them, presumably to aid in collecting them at harvest time.  For now, the fields and gardens are empty, with the residents tucked inside behind warm stoves and fires as they wait for proper spring to arrive.

More than an hour passes while you walk and it is mid-afternoon when you cross over a long, low ridge line.  The ground before you slopes gently away and you see a cluster of farm buildings - a pair of houses, some sheds and a large barn - on the plain at the bottom.  A vast pasture spreads out on the other side, and beyond that the dark green mass of the Misty Forest.  The pasture is overgrown and ungrazed.  "We had to sell off the cattle last year.  Way out here, they just made us a target," Mr. Brush says.  "We'll pick up another herd next season, or whenever things in the world settle down."

"There is a trading post over the next ridge south of here," Tourmaline states.  "I'm told the thief was seen there."  

Sir Rowan nods, then turns to Jhon.  "Jhon, stay with the others and follow Mr. Brush.  He has been gracious enough to offer us lodging for the night.  I'm going to personally escort Madame Bauer on her inquisition.  We shall return before nightfall."

"Once you've settled in, go have a look at these tracks and see what you can learn from them.  Don't," he leans into the word for emphasis, "try to engage with the enemies without me."

"When we get back, we will all have a good night's rest and then resume in the morning - here, if you find something interesting, or back on the road south, otherwise."

Soren is fascinated at the glimpses of of the apple orchards, and even the farms on the rolling hills.  Not that he has never see them before, but he is still not accustomed to it.  Nature growing abundantly, yet constrained and orderly in a way that he suspects Silvanus does not intend...  not at all like the Misty Forest which lies beyond.  And yet these farmers such as Mr. Brush clearly care fore the land and its flora and fauna.

He listens to Lord Rowan Caskbow and Madame Tourmaline Bauer, thinking it odd to surmise that some thief with access to magic would choose to go to ground and hide anywhere near where they had shown their face already.  Nevertheless, he shrugs, assuming the pack leaders know how to hunt.

"We should begin following the tracks as soon as we can, while the sun is up."  Soren suspects that some in the group can't see in the dark as he can.

“Agreed.  If we need to do any sneaking around, I have a gift that I can pass on from my Lady.  I will need some light as the darkness grows, so we better get moving.  The light will probably make us an easy target.  I can stay in the back if you want me to.  I’m curious about this thief that they are hunting.”  Giles strains to see the direction that Lord Rowan and Madame Tourmaline are going.  

"Don't try to engage with the enemies without me." Zefla grumbly mocks quietly under her breath.  What does he know?  How do you find a hot lead and then wait??  

She follows the others to where the fresh tracks were supposedly found and as light is mentioned, "Yeah.. I don't see very well in the dark either I'm afraid.  But hey, I've got torches!"

" I'll follow your leads, I'm not as experienced at this as some of you.", Burr ventured.

As those following the tracks prepare to do so, and Mr. Brush shows the group where the tracks are, Soren attempts to both identify and follow the tracks (when everyone is ready to set off), excited to do something he loves.  Pointing out what he finds to all.  Reaching out to Silvanus for Guidance.

Soren's Survival plus Guidance:  22 + 4 = 26

Sir Rowan and Madame Bauer depart in a south/southeast direction, following the ridgeline.  

With the knight gone, Jhon seems to visibly relax.  "Alright.  Let me stash this gear somewhere and then we can get out and have ourselves a look."

The farmer guides you down the hillside toward his little homestead.  The larger farmhouse is well maintained and is clearly his primary residence.  The barn, likewise, is in good shape.  He leads you past both to a smaller house adjacent to the barn.  "This used to be my uncle's, and later his kin, afore they gave up the life and moved to Baldur's Gate.  Its small but you should all be dry and warm inside."  He opens the door and shows you in.  It is one large room, with a half-wall that stops short of the ceiling running down the middle.  On one side is a fieldstone chimney and hearth, along with a table and cupboards.  On the other side of the dividing wall is a single bedroom.  One single bed is still fitted with some dusty sheets.  There is also a bunkbed but it is without mattresses.

"If the ladies aren't comfortable sharing the space, there is a loft in the barn where some can stay."  He's not clear if he is suggesting the men or the women could relocate to the barn.

Jhon eagerly slouches out of his heavy pack and drops it on the kitchen table.  He removes the two pieces of his halberd, threads them together and tightens it.  The farmer points you toward the far side of his pature, near the looming forest.  "OK!" says the squire.  "Let's do this."

Soren is planning on sleeping outside anyway as he always does, so he listens dutifully but without interest regarding the sleeping quarters.

He looks worriedly at Jhon assembling his halberd.  An overeager young wolf too ready to sink his teeth into anything in sight?

"The pack leader cautioned us not to engage enemies until he returns.  I hope we will not need your longtooth weapon during our scouting."

Soren keeps his tone neutral, merely observing rather than challenging the squire.  He begins searching for tracks near the far side of the pasture, seeking to both identify, judge recency, and follow tracks, spoor, disturbed vegetation, or any other sign of creatures' passage that he can find.

(From above post 134) Soren Survival with Guidance:  26

Both barn and house are better homes than Burrs ever had so he's happy as he heads off to the barn telling Soren to wake him when he gets back for his watch, confident the wild man can take care of himself....at least enough to get away and back to them.

Zefla follows the group to the small farmhouse and as she looks around at the accommodations, she wrinkles her nose.  She knows what she has isn't much, but at least it is clean and comfortable.  This?  Is not exactly what she signed up for.  Outside on her bedroll is looking more enticing.. but if there is a werewolf out there...

She is broken out of her reverie when Burr starts heading towards the barn and telling Soren to wake him when he gets back for his watch, "What are you talking about?  We need to go investigate these tracks and see if anything might be out there.  I mean, the sun is still up, are you typically nocturnal?"

Quote from kqstark >>

Zefla follows the group to the small farmhouse and as she looks around at the accommodations, she wrinkles her nose.  She knows what she has isn't much, but at least it is clean and comfortable.  This?  Is not exactly what she signed up for.  Outside on her bedroll is looking more enticing.. but if there is a werewolf out there...

She is broken out of her reverie when Burr starts heading towards the barn and telling Soren to wake him when he gets back for his watch, "What are you talking about?  We need to go investigate these tracks and see if anything might be out there.  I mean, the sun is still up, are you typically nocturnal?"

 " Enemies will come at dark, I am sure of it, best we are all awake then. "

" Only things I've tracked are squirrels and rabbits.....my eyes will be no help now."

Giles examines the sleeping quarters and nods, saying only “I’ve had worse.”  He seems to gain some of Jhon’s enthusiasm when he mentions hunting the werewolves, in spite of the danger.  “Who will be our lead hunter, tracker?  I’m thinking with Zefla or Soren.  Let me bestow a blessing on you in an alternating fashion, if that is acceptable.  I will stay toward the rear, since I will need a light.  How exciting!”

Giles blessing :