"Ah, now I understand.", says Glynogan.  "I do have another of those I could let you have at the same price I mentioned before,"

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(OOC: for the shortsword, add thrown (30/90).  I think in the D&D Beyond character sheet view, in the equipment section there's an option to customize items, but I'm not sure whether it does those properties or not ... seems fairly basic from the few times I've used it.  Otherwise just assume you can throw it a bit farther than a dagger because of the extra weight, but no difference to hit or damage)

Oli joins up with the others after buckling the short sword to his hip and moving one of his daggers to hide it in his boot.

Erolith continues scanning the area and is awaiting the rest of the party to begin our journey.

"I'm all set to go," The Black Rose announced confidently. He turned to the rest of the group and asked, "Are the rest of you ready as well?"

Tarton replies, "I'm right as rain now I've got a decent dagger and sword."

As you gather out in the street again, you notice that the morning sun has now risen high enough to cast the long shadows of full morning along the street.  The street behind you leads back, eventually, to the Riverkin's Arms.  Before you, a little way down, is the beginning of a spiraling tangle of streets and alleys leading downwards.  There, the air is beginning to richen with the mingled sounds of trade and travel and just plain living that fills the main trade district of Llandovion on a near-daily basis.  That way, at the very bottom, are the Land Gate and the River Gate; it would probably be useful to go out one or the other of them as you depart ;-)

 The cross street on which you stand, Little Twyrch Tywyth Street, is as if to spite its name a substantial thoroughfare midway up the hill Llandovion is built on.  It runs at either end into more peaceful and substantially built sections of the town: the Sacred Fane district, which concentrates not only the temples and priests but scholars as well, lies to the east.  At the end to the west, the fortress-looking Council Hall and well-planned layout of the buildings and streets around the city's governmental and administrative center testify to the proximity of Cricket Tor and to how far out on the frontier these lands are.

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(OOC: Erolith, please make a Perception roll to see what you might have seen ... )

Perception roll = 19

Without warning Erolith bolts from the storefront and heads towards the market. “This way!,” he calls to the party.

Artifex let's out a joyous laugh, bolting after Erolith. "So the chase has begun already. How thrilling!" They say as it's hand slips into their pocket.

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Is it possible for me to ready a spell while we run? Specifically Magic Stone, to be activated if we get cornered

Tarton takes off towards the market and asks, "What are we looking for?"

"I suppose the trouble decided to make an early appearance, even before we've left the town," he chuckled, his words ringing out as The Black Rose broke into a run.

Racing around the corner, you enter a street who slopes downhill a few hundred feet before splitting in two like a 'Y'.  The right hand turning is by far the larger and is lined with a mix of modest homes and shops, with the shops growing thicker and the houses less frequent near the point it curves out of your sight.  The street to the left is narrow and quiet, and shortly ends in a tangle of narrow, quiet lanes and alleys ... quiet enough, in fact, for you to hear the sound of shuffling, irregular footsteps echoing up to you from somewhere in the tangle.  The echoes confuse the sound, but it seems as if the shuffler is hurrying away.

No one is about in the upper reaches of the street where you are, or in what you can see of the left hand turning.  There are a few strolling peddlers and some other pedestrians you can't identify at this distance down closer to the right-hand street's curve.  A few are looking up at you curiously as you come dashing around the corner, but they don't seem particularly concerned about you.

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(Several options here, two of which involve rolls.  Should you want to catch up with the maker of the shuffling footsteps, you could try sneaking up behind them and waiting for them to slow down {Stealth roll, DC 12} or just run them down {Athletics roll, DC 11} ...however, if you try to do both, the Stealth characters will be rolling with disadvantage)

(Sure, n.p. if anyone wants to ready spells, small weapons, etc. so long as they're logical as something you could do that while running)

“This way!” Erolith calls to the rest of the party. “Capped bloke with an odd gait to his step. Look for a furry neck!”

Erolith dashes to the left towards the alleyways.

Athletics roll = 8

Stealth roll = 18

"What did he do that we need to chase him down?" Tarton asks while running after him as quietly as he can.

Stealth rolls in log: 23 and 21; Athletics roll in log: 10.

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Accidentally rolled acrobatics before athletics so you can ignore that one (though I wish I could keep the natural 20).

"Ah, so we're the hunter rather than the hunted. In that case..." As they speak, they tap their heels together, a small tattoo of a dragons wing on its ankle glowing red as their speed nearly doubles, pushing it ahead of the others. "Kyshuf Ath Aerdrie Faenya!"

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Casting expeditious retreat, putting Artifex at 90 ft of movement a turn. Any chance this could give me any kind of benefit for athletics? If not no worries.

The Black Rose continued his swift pace, each footfall a testament to his determination. Amidst the rhythm of his run, he strove to keep pace with the party, aware that his attempt at stealth was moving towards a more average execution. How poor his stealthiness was, he was not aware.

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Athletics roll = 16

Stealth roll = 5

Quote from DragonHunters >>

"Ah, so we're the hunter rather than the hunted. In that case..." As they speak, they tap their heels together, a small tattoo of a dragons wing on its ankle glowing red as their speed nearly doubles, pushing it ahead of the others. "Kyshuf Ath Aerdrie Faenya!"

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Casting expeditious retreat, putting Artifex at 90 ft of movement a turn. Any chance this could give me any kind of benefit for athletics? If not no worries.

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Roll Athletics DC 11 twice.  If you fail the first roll, you got the extra speed but couldn't dodge and duck around corners moving that fast and therefore have no benefit from the spell.  If you succeed though, roll the second Athletics with advantage)

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First check: 16 Second check with advantage:13

Your footsteps fall into an intricate rhythm as you run, some providing a rolling beat and others whispering softly and seldom heard, like whispered voices under the tale told by a talking drum.  Soon, you come out in a shadow-dappled courtyard at the end of a narrow alleyway.  A hooded figure stands leering at you across the court from the shadows cast by the back wall of a tavern it is leaning against; there are no visible doors or windows in it.  The buildings surrounding you mostly show their backs to this courtyard; there are in fact no doors here at all but one narrow portal at the top of high steps to your left, securely locked and held closed with a rusty chain looped through the bar across it.  As you dash into the space, the figure sways to its feet and cackles, pushing back its hood to free two long, supple ears that turn towards you instantly.

The figure's furry muzzle twitches with amusement and its whiskers quiver; you are reminded of nothing so much as El'Arairah, the druidic god of leporids* and rodents. It does not appear to notice Erolith or Tarton as they glide smoothly around the corner, seeming to flow along the walls rather than running past them; but it stares at Artifex and The Black Rose and laughs.  "Is this all Lee-sheets-to-the-wind is sending out to hunt over goblins' kitchen middens for treasure?  Won't get as far as the goblins, a pack of kobolds could take you guys.  I don't know why they're wasting my time ... "  It crouches and draws a wicked-looking dagger from somewhere among its garb.  "Oh well, might as well get this over with."

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Roll initiative, s'il vous plait; and if you beat 20 (the lucky bastid), go ahead and post what you do.

*the rabbit family

Artifex takes in the scene, still grinning as they catch it's breath. "Whatever you may think of our abilities darling, you're still out numbered. Are you quite sure violence is how you want to play this?"

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Init roll: 17