'Tace' enters the stables with all their belongings and quickly packs them away into the carriage, before looking at the horses and trying to think back to what he was shown during the during to Ersta.
He is actually quite surprised when he approaches each of them in turn with his hand out tentatively and they both respond well to him. He does try to speak calmly to each of them, making sure to mention their names often assuming they will, react to the words Choco and Mocha. Look at that, the city boy is a friend to the animals.
And so a little less nervously he manages to prepare them for travel, asking for help when needs from those working in the stables, and making sure each of the horses has a treat if he can find an apple or carrot or the like.
Whilst outside, he watches what is going on, but without reacting, knowing that this must be difficult on the townspeople. He nods to the Commandant when she mentions immediately leaving, and looks in surprise as the Sergeant pause to speak to Zaba. More humanity from the Sergeant, I wonder if his words will sink in.
He doesn't wait for the Sergeant to climb up onto the carriage himself, so he is ready as soon as the Sergeant is.
As they pass through the town, he also remains quiet, somber even.
When the Sergeant finally breaks the silence, he is lost in his own thoughts of what might become of Emma. And of the fact she knows a lot about him and his situation.
"Yes, Sir. I will confess I liked Emma, and worry for her. Danger seems likely to be part of the job, but attachments like that I was not expecting", he replies equally quietly.
When Lieutenant Ubwipi is mentioned, he spends a moment trying to think who that might be, recalling the gnomish Lieutenant.
"It has only been a few days, I expect he has been busy dealing with the fall out from the cave in".
Arren keeps his eyes on the road as he drives the carriage, never looking at Tace when he answers about Emma. At first it seems the Sergeant won't say more, but then he gives a quiet hum of assent before adding, "This was different from any mission we've had so far. Attachments, as you say, don't come often. And that's the part no one prepares you for."
He falls silent for a moment, then says, still watching the road, "I hope time is kind to Emma. She deserves better than the hand she was dealt."
As carriage moves on, Arren finds the steady work of guiding Choco and Mocha a welcome distraction from the last days in Ersta. Even the prospect of the mountain pass feels almost welcome, though it promises its own share of trouble.
The horses follow Bryn as he directs without resisting much. Perhaps they wish to leave the stables too, or maybe the treats won their hearts. Whatever the case, by the time anyone arrives at the stables, the carriage is ready to move, and the horses are just a little agitated that they've been prepared already and now must wait there standing.
As he expected, Arren's message to the crowd wasn't received well. At first, they seem confused, but the expressions soon turn to anger and repulsion again, accompanied by a few slurs. "Does he think we're stupid?" One shouts, and in response, another answers: "It's only because of them that she's not here now! She's done nothing wrong!" The crowd is heated again, and Arren figures it's best to leave now before something happens. But between the people in the crowd, Arren sees Zaba briefly nodding, though he doesn't look very compassionate either.
After just a couple of hours riding westwards, the carriage reaches the foot of the mountains and begins ascending the mountain path. Ersta can no longer be seen, hidden behind the hills the crew passed on the way. The mountain path, the Commandant explains when she gives Arren directions, is mostly levelled, aside from a little climb at the beginning and the end. Nonetheless, even though Arren knows already, she makes sure to remind him not to tire the horses too much when climbing, and to be careful while descending, too. She also reminds everyone that this path is expected to be more dangerous than the route they usually take along the shoreline, though after encountering Emma and leaving with just a few scratches, this warning seems a little less grim than it did before.
The view soon changes from the tree-covered hills to the rocky mountains covered mostly by small shrubs and short weeds. There are small streams, likely caused by the recent rains, crossing the path occasionally, from which the crew can refill their waterskins. The water looks mostly clean. By late afternoon, it seems the carriage had climbed about as much as it's expected to, and the air here is just a little colder, but also less humid and therefore clearer. Despite the Commandant's warnings about the expected danger in the mountains, you've seen nothing more threatening than an eagle in the sky. The area is full of animals, from rabbits and marmots to chamois, but these mostly keep their distance.
By evening, the crew finds a small grass-covered plateau on the road where it is wide enough to set up camp without blocking the road, which also looks relatively safe - at least from any natural hazards. Although there's still a little time before the sun sets completely, the Commandant decides it's best not to ride the mountains in the dark, and there's no telling how long it'll be before they find another good spot to camp.
Setting up the tents doesn't take long. With a few logs bought in Ersta, a fire can be lit as well. Commandant Nattensbarn finds a spot flat and levelled enough to place her small table and work on, while the rest of you have time to do as you like.
You have about half an hour before the sun sets completely to do anything if you wish, as well as any time after that. The area where you parked for the night is open and wide (considering you're on the side of a mountain), so there's 30-100 metres to go in each direction while keeping a line of sight. The grass here isn't tall, reaching just about to your ankles.
Please roll in advance a set of three Perception checks, which I could refer to for the coming days. Additionally, anyone who watches during the night, please roll an additional Perception check.
'Tace' is very introspective during the ride to the foot of the mountain pass, but once they reach it and he notices the changing vista, his thoughts are drawn outward. Far more at home in a city, the views as they ascend are new to him.
He watches the flight of the eagle for quite some time until he remembers the dangers of the pass and focusses back on their surroundings.
It is at this time he decides to ask a question of the Sergeant. "I know you were young when you left Etana, but were you ever told stories of the Etanan druids? Could they be the source of the root do you think?"
When they stop, he does his bit in erecting the tents, and then expects to be told to do the majority of the overnight watch. Whether alone or paired he is not immediately sure, but prepares for being on watch nonetheless.
Perception 1: 17+5=22 Perception 2: 3+5=8 Perception 3: 15+5=20 Perception Watch 1: 17+5=22 Perception Watch 2: 9+5=14 Perception Watch 3: 7+5=12 (I wasn't sure if an extra perception was needed for each day roll, or just one so rolled 3)
Bryn doesn't have too much with him, and during the day travels light. Just his Armour, Short Sword and daggers (two on his belt, the small knife he had in Tus in his boot). He has his thieves' tools, and spell components concealed, he wears Tace's wedding ring around his neck on a cord, he has the small bag of fruit he found in Tace's belongings and the scar disguise ingredients if small enough to conceal (if not they are stowed and he might get them out if he has enough privacy to try moulding them).
He will mostly travel with Arren, but occasionally with the lieutenant.
"Stories of druids?" Arren thinks for a moment. "I've heard a few, but they were mostly that: bedtime stories to lull children to sleep or to scare them into being careful. Some were about good-willed druids guiding those who were lost. Others depicted them as being extremely unappreciative of intrusions. Some painted them as terrifying figures who didn't hesitate to punish anyone that harmed nature or its creatures. And a few told of druids losing their minds entirely, becoming forces that needed to be stopped."
"Be that as it may, stories always portray them as powerful as the wizards of old... but far more reclusive. So I'd say druids could very well be behind these roots. But for Olive to have met one that shared one of their secret powers?" Arren hesitates, brow slightly furrowed. "That sounds far-fetched. Rangers, on the other hand, seem easier to come across. Though I imagine it's easy to meet them without realizing it, since they tend to protect the druidic abilities they can wield closely."
The Sergeant pauses before adding, "Speaking of the root, it's been a few days since we cut it. Is it still fresh, or has it dried out already?"
Once they stop and set up camp, Arren takes a few of the thinner logs they brought from Ersta and scatters them around the perimeter. They won't provide much in the way of security, but if anyone—or anything—approaches during the night, they might step on a log and make a noise. This could alert those on watch, or even spook Choco and Mocha into whinnying. He makes a point of remembering where he left them so he can retrieve them before they depart.
Since the mountain pass is known to be dangerous, Arren suggests that he also take part in one of the watches himself, timing it so he can still get at least six hours of sleep. It could be the first watch, or the last one, just before dawn.
When it's time to sleep, Arren feels a little apprehensive, given how he felt the last days upon waking. But the last time they slept under the stars, he didn't feel watched, nor did he have any nightmares... In any case, he wonders how he'll fare tonight, and if the Corporal will be able to notice anything.
(ooc: Would it be feasible to try hunting a rabbit - while staying close to camp - and cooking it? Arren doesn't have any of the ingredients listed in the recipe book he got—such as carrots or potatoes ... I could have thought of picking a few from the stewpot!—but I imagine a rabbit cooked over a small fire, with a bit of seasoning, would make a better meal than standard rations.
Perception rolls: 8+3=11 / 1+3 = 4ouch! / 12+3=15. Watch rolls - adding 3 as @Volcano did, just in case: 19+3=22 / 6+3=9 / 3+3=6)
I've set up the sheet to illustrate this: - The "Equipment" section is what he usually carries most of the time. - The "Backpack" section is something he would pick if he expected to travel somewhere to investigate that place. Example: when they went into the forest to search for Emma. - The "Carriage" section contains the rest of his belongings, which he doesn't use that often.
* Driving the carriage: I think I'd remove the two javelins from the Equipment section. Not sure it is possible that he could be seated having those strapped on his back. The sword and shield though, sound more plausible. * Sleeping: Arren would doff the chainmail, shield, and longsword, though he would keep them very close—especially the weapons. The idea is that when he wakes up, the first thing he touches are his weapons, so he can pick them up super quickly, if necessary. The dagger, I'd say, he keeps on his person at all times.
Would it be feasible to try hunting a rabbit - while staying close to camp - and cooking it?
There are some in the area, though they keep their distance from the camp for the most part. They are also agile and small. How would Arren wish to hunt them? Whichever way you choose, roll a Survival check to see how successful (if at all) Arren is at hunting rabbits this evening.
Arren finds that staying alert is difficult, having slept very little the previous night. Nonetheless, he can stay up and watch partly through one of the Elves' trance and eventually retire for the night before the Elves swap. When he goes to sleep, the Commandant is still hard at work under the light of one of the candles that has burnt about halfway through. He would also be able to cook the game he caught, if he did. While nothing in the recipe book relates directly to rabbits alone over the fire, it's also simple enough that anyone could cook it to a satisfying degree. At least, considering the available means.
The night passes mostly uneventfully. Should Arren succeed at hunting, a wild coyote might be drawn to the smell, but they are driven away by anyone on watch at the time. Apart from a few other curious wild animals during the night that are easily scared away, nothing notable happens.
Arren:
When Arren wakes, he again feels watched for a few brief moments. If he had any nightmares during the night, he doesn't remember any.
Bryn:
Since Arren asked Bryn to watch over him during the night, Bryn is a little more aware of the Half-Elf during his trance, while they're together in the same tent. He notices the Half-Elf looks strangely stiff during the night, sleeping straight and still as a plank. It doesn't exactly look unnatural, but... people usually move at least a little during their sleep. If it weren't for his chest rising and falling, one could mistake Arren to be dead tonight.
The crew wakes up at sunrise or just before it, tearing down camp quickly before preparing to leave the area. Clouds hang over the valleys below them, a soft-looking blanket between the hills. But up on the mountains, even though the crew rested in a relatively low area, the air is clear and so is the sky.
The second day in the mountains is also mostly quiet, apart from the constant tapping of the horses' hooves and the wheels on the hard, rocky road. At some point, Bryn notices movement on the mountainside high above them. Expecting perhaps an ibex or some bird, he looks in the direction casually, but focusing his attention on the mountainside, he notices a Humanoid figure dressed in a pattern that matches that of the stone. It seems like the figure was watching them, because the moment Bryn turns to look at it, it notices and disappears behind a large rock nearby.
Should Bryn mention this to the others, they might stop the carriage momentarily to scour the mountainside for any other hidden observers, but spot none. Eventually, they move on, and despite being in a state of higher alertness, none notices any other such figures during the day.
As the sun starts getting low in the sky, the carriage is still going in search of a place to stop for the night. Nothing seems appropriate, and at some point, consulting the map, Commandant Nattensbarn decides to push onwards for a little more until they reach a small in marked on the map as a potential stopping spot. "Normally, we'd get to it before sundown if we left Ersta early in the morning, but since that was not the case, we'll surely arrive long after it is completely dark outside. It means we'll have to ride along this cliff here during the night, but I trust you three can see well enough to avoid dropping us all into the chasm."
You ride onwards until the sun eventually sets. As usual, the Commandant refrains from lighting candles inside the carriage, and so she stops working once it's too dark for her to see. From that point, the carriage rides on for a little under an hour before one of you spots a small sign that says "Ledge Lodge, 1km". From there, after a few more minutes on the road along the cliff, Arren, who sits at the front (perhaps Bryn too), spots a small wooden building built into the mountain on the side opposite the cliff. It looks old yet well-maintained, and on a sign nailed above the front door is carved the name "Ledge Lodge". The place is completely silent, though it doesn't look like a place that often accommodates many people, given both its location and size.
Next to it is a man-made cave large enough - though only barely - for the carriage to fit through, and deep enough to house two such carriages. At the end of the cave, there's a wooden trough and a hitching post for the horses. The trough is, unfortunately, completely dry. Aside from that, the cave is empty.
Once the carriage is in this unusual stable, Lieutenant Tireur hops off and, seeing that the Commandant remains in the carriage, peeks inside. "She's asleep." He declares in a low voice after taking a few steps away. "One moment without work and bam! Her body demands what it's owed. Why don't you two head into the inn and order a room for us, perhaps a good meal too? I'll hitch the horses here and then wake her up, joining you in a moment."
"I am not sure I am saying the one who gave Olive the root was a druid, just that the power behind the root might have come from the druids. I am not so familiar with rangers, but if you are saying they share similar powers, then perhaps that is it. I was also hoping you might have some stories of druids beyond those bedtime ones. It doesn't matter though, I guess we will never know", 'Tace' replies.
When asked about the root, he will take out the piece he has left to see the state of it.
Having watched the Sergeant sleep, 'Tace' will report back that he was unusually still. At least, he would have expected more movement. It might be normal for the Sergeant, he hadn't watched him sleep before.
During the following day, 'Tace' does his best to keep vigilant, especially after spotting the figure high above.
"It seems we are being observed, sirs", he says loud enough for both the Sergeant and Lieutenant to hear when he spots the person watching them. "But whoever it is doesn't want us to know they are there. Not a show of force or a warning at the moment".
When they are forced to travel after the sun has set, 'Tace' directs his efforts as the Commandant suggests. Making sure the carriage doesn't veer off the road. The thought of sleeping indoors and getting a decent meal offsetting the discomfort of such a long day seated on the carriage.
When they finally reach Ledge Lodge and can finally get off the carriage, he hops down and stretches. The lieutenant doesn't have to tell him. twice to leave the horses to him and head into the inn. "Yes, sir".
As he approaches, presumably with the Sergeant, he looks to see if there is any light or smoke to be seen coming from the wooden building. Obviously he would notice light before he gets close enough to see smoke, with the limits of his dark vision. He looks for any other signs of habitation as well, perhaps there are sounds to be heard if you listen for them.
Arren gives Tace an apologetic look. "That's about everything I know, I'm afraid. Druidism, rangers… that's not something I ever thought I'd be thinking about until just a few days ago, to be honest."
When the camp is set and everyone is resting from the drive—or working, in the case of the Commandant—Arren picks up his longbow to try to hunt a rabbit to cook it for dinner. Not being a knowledgeable hunter, he doesn't really know the proper technique, so what he does is try to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. He separates himself a bit from the camp, crouching and lying as still as he can, until he spots his target. When he does, he readies the bow slowly, nocks an arrow, and releases it. (Survival: 7+1 bumped +5 = 13) If he misses, he quietly accepts his failure—and the reminder that he needs more practice when time allows. If he succeeds, he'll be glad to share the simple dinner with his companions, sparing a thought for Emma while he cooks it.
The next morning, when the Corporal recounts what he perceived during his sleep, Arren furrows his brow in confusion. "Unusually still? I was expecting something along the lines of sleep-talking. I don't know... I'd think I'd shift a bit in my sleep, much like everyone else." The Half-Elf shakes his head, ready to dismiss the topic entirely. Why dwell on it? He had felt watched that morning again, but perhaps it was just tiredness. It will pass. Same as the nightmares. He hadn't had any last night, after all. "Thank you for watching, Corporal," he adds.
Regarding the figure the Elf had spotted, Arren indeed tries to spot it, but sees nothing. He doesn't like it one bit, but there's little they can do except stay alert for the rest of the journey.
Once they reach the Ledge Lodge, Arren nods toward Walnuts. "If only she would time her rest correctly, and in the right place." He recalls the Commandant saying she might consider improving her schedule when he asked, but it seemed she had deemed the request unnecessary. Or perhaps it was simply a task she didn't find that easy to master.
Arren is surprised to find an inn so well maintained in this place, though less surprised that it appears empty. He simply assumes few travelers take this particular road, preferring the longer but safer route into Pyorre. He doesn't follow the Corporal immediately. Instead, he pauses at the mouth of the cave, scanning the ground for signs that other horses or carriages have been here recently. He also also takes this time because he's not that fine with leaving a sleeping Commandant and a wounded Lieutenant entirely on their own, knowing that someone has been watching them a few hours back. After a brief pause, he falls in step with Tace toward the inn, ready to enter if nothing seems out of place. (ooc: Perception 16)
When Bryn reaches for the root, he doesn't find it. If there was anything else where he kept it, he might look around (if it is a bag) or even take everything out, but eventually, he concludes that the root is no longer where he last thought it was.
Arren finds that drawing the bow while prone is much harder than expected. If it were a shortbow, maybe it would be possible, but with his longbow, there is simply not enough space to fully draw the string back before his hand is blocked by himself or the ground. The alternative - shooting while lying on his back - isn't convenient enough either. Besides that, he finds that the rabbits are small and fast, not in any way similar to the stationary straw targets he is used to. By the time the sun sets, Arren has caught not even a single rabbit, and from that moment on, spotting the rabbits becomes harder, and they don't appear so often either. In the end, Arren returns to camp empty-handed, though he doesn't lose any of his arrows.
(OOC: I'm not entirely sure whether I stated it clearly, but the Commandant surely would have, so just in case, I'll add this piece of information. Consider this something the Commandant said during one of the times she talked about the mountain path.) While the mountain path is more dangerous, it is also still more often used than the alternative ways, at least for most merchants. The reasons for this are plenty, but mostly how much faster it is compared to the shore route. Besides, the shore route isn't particularly safe either (as Arren knows very well), and so anyone passing through either route needs someone to keep them safe. Since guards tagging along usually cost a lot of gold per day, it is not strange that the mountain path remains favourable. After all, if nobody used it, the bandits wouldn't have made it their home. The only reason the Commandant always avoids it is that her bodyguards aren't paid by her, and passing along the shoreline allows her to inspect more sites. Arren might think it also means she gets to have more time between visits to the capital, which she so dreads.
Since most merchants are also wealthy, at least a little bit, and would rather spend a night under a roof and with a good meal, inns along the mountain path aren't uncommon, and always a little expensive. They're not always full, but it seems they're full often enough to make the investment of living there worth it to some people.
The stables don't look like they've been used recently, but don't look abandoned either. There are still some excrement lying around the hitching post that haven't been cleaned, but they look dry. Probably a few days old, but likely not a lot more than that. And yet, the Ledge Lodge is silent and dark, and from the chimney that's jutting out of the building's front wall, no smoke rises. When Bryn approaches the front door, he finds that it is ajar. Looking inside, he neither hears nor sees any signs of life.
The inn is a small two-storied building. Like many others of this type, the bottom floor consists of a small dining room with one long table for all guests to dine together and a door that leads to the kitchen and the staff's quarters. The second floor is one large room with no furniture whatsoever, where travellers may sleep during the night. Arren would know that such places often keep a few bedrolls that ill-prepared travellers may rent at an excessive price per night.
But there's no sign of any soul in the Ledge Lodge, even on the top floor (should you climb to check). After inspecting the site, both Bryn and Arren notice that the door to the kitchens and the staff's quarters is also ajar, but calling/knocking on it receives no response, and if they open it to check if anyone's behind it, they'll find a small kitchen and a tiny room that at night may accommodate two adults and perhaps a child (though it might be a bit cramped). It is empty, but the kitchen looks messy, and there are still leftovers of a meal in it.
Bryn, with his particularly high Perception check, notices that the kitchen doesn't have leftovers inside, but rather a meal that's not yet prepared. Vegetables only half-chopped, a pot over a fire that died out long ago, what was probably a stew inside it has burnt long ago. In the small dining room, Bryn notices the place looks particularly disordered. Having been to plenty of taverns (usually to cheat people out of their coin, most likely), Bryn determines that there was some kind of brawl going on. The wooden chairs were thrown about for sure, and left where they landed last. There are broken glasses around the table, and the scent of uncleaned ale rises from the wood. There are even a few small stains of blood. Nothing that would be unusual for a tavern brawl between a few men that had too much to drink, but someone got hurt.
'Tace', after some searching, reports back to the Sergeant that the remains of root simply disappeared.
"I cannot explain it, but it has gone, sir", he says, and has no further words, simply shrugging.
'Tace' is a little suspicious as he approaches the door to the inn. Even if there were no customers, from what the Commandant had said the inn would still be staffed, and those staff would likely ensure the inn was comfortable for themselves as well as any late arrivals. I've got a bad feeling about this.
When he finds the outer door ajar he takes a closer look to see if the lock has been forced, then turns to look back towards the Sergeant, who he sees has not immediately followed him. And so he peeks inside, before opening the door wider to reveal the empty dining room. Ok, this isa little creepy.
Hi curiosity peeked, he slips quietly inside to look around, not disturbing anything so as to keep the condition as is for the others to see. Finding no-one in the dining area, he moves upstairs, checking not just for patrons but any signs of belongings.
As he descends, he sees the Sergeant has arrived, and gives him a shrug. "No-one upstairs", he whispers when he reaches the bottom of the stairs. "It looks like there was some kind of brawl in here. But there was no-one left to tidy up", he adds as he moves towards the only other door, that to the kitchen.
With no response to their knocks, he whispers to the Sergeant as he holds the handle of the door, "Shall I?". If the Sergeant agrees, he quietly opens the door and steps inside, his keen eyes picking out the half prepared food and empty sleeping area. "It looks like they were in the middle of preparing a meal when whatever happened, happened".
With not much else to see he heads back to the dining room, no longer feeling the need to whisper now he knows the place is empty, "This obviously isn't normal". He starts to take a closer look around the dining room whilst he waits for the Sergeant to give instructions.
(OOC: So during the above, Bryn is checking if the outer door has been forced and also for signs of patron's belongings left behind, along with a closer look at the area the brawl occurred. Perhaps something was dropped?)
Arren frowns when Tace discovers the root is gone. He would have expected it to have rotted, but though its disappearance puzzles him, he doesn't dwell on it. Another piece in a puzzle we may never solve.
"Not normal at all,"Arren agrees once he enters the tavern and hears the Corporal's findings. "Checking the stables, it looks like there were horses here a few days ago. That could match the timing of the half-prepared meal in the kitchen. Could they have fled in a rush? Sensed an attack and left? Though I wouldn't expect the upper room, nor the staff's room, to be so empty in that case."
He pauses, looking around the empty building. "I don't like this one bit either, but it's not like we’re going to keep travelling in the middle of the night. The Lieutenant should be done with the horses already. I'll go inform them—and take another look around the building, just in case there's any other door we might have missed, like a cellar, or the like."
As he exits the building, Arren also scans the ground surrounding it. Since they now know there's been a struggle inside, there might be traces of blood outside as well, or signs that someone fled in a hurry. If there are, they might tell them more of what has happened.
The lock to the front door doesn't seem to have been forced. The door looks in fine condition, more or less. Upstairs, he finds the room is completely empty. If the people left the place in a rush as he suggested, they either never got to place their stuff there, or had time to take it all with them first.
As for the small dining room, there doesn't seem to be much more to glean there. Broken glasses, stools scattered, one stool that was either hurled or used as an improvised club had one of its legs broken off, and the wooden bit lies about a metre away. Small stains of blood on the wooden floor. But nothing else. He notices many scratches on the wooden furniture, but there's no way to tell if they're not just normal wear that a place like this experiences.
Arren finds nothing outside. If there were any traces of any kind left by the people who were last in the Ledge Lodge, they were washed away by the recent rains. He doesn't spot any other doors on the outside, but his common sense tells him that, should a place like this have a cellar, it would be to store wine and food. As such, he'd expect it to be closer to the kitchen, though he didn't notice any other door when he briefly scanned the area earlier.
Should he or Bryn search the kitchen, though, they'll find a small hatch on the floor of the kitchen that one can raise to reveal a narrow flight of stairs that lead downwards to a small cellar. But it, too, is completely empty. Despite the strong scent of wine still lingering, the cellar is yet another empty room.
But before that, when Arren just steps outside, he sees Lieutenant Tireur accompanied by the Commandant, just exiting the cave. "What is it?" The Drow asks, and then, noticing the lack of any noise or lighting inside the lodge, he adds, "Is something wrong inside? Why is there no light?"
While Arren replies (or immediately after hearing the Lieutenant's question if he doesn't), the Commandant lays her backpack on the ground, rummaging through it in search of the lantern, the candles, and something to light them with. "Gods, it's so dark outside," she mutters to herself at some point. The moon in the sky doesn't offer a lot of light, and none of it can fit in the bag while the Commandant bends over it. Though to the Elves and Arren, it looks like any other night. Eventually, she manages to light a candle in the lantern and, now equipped with a light source, heads into the inn.
Commandant Nattensbarn takes a quick look around the dining room with a stern expression. If either Bryn or Arren tell her they've already looked through the place, she doesn't bother looking around herself. "I doubt anyone else will come here tonight, but just in case, stay alert." She walks over to the dining table, picks up one of the stools and brings it near the table. She carefully sweeps away any glass shards and other dirt from the table before sitting on the stool and taking out her work, laying the lantern on the table for lighting.
Walnuts sighs audibly, perhaps even intentionally dramatically, upon seeing the Commandant sit to work in this situation, but doesn't add anything and takes his bedroll upstairs before returning to Arren and Bryn. "It really is empty here, huh? I wonder if it's because of those people you saw today," he muses in a quiet voice to avoid disturbing the Commandant's work. "I suppose it wouldn't be strange if bandits robbed places like this occasionally, right? Though I'd imagine they'd be prepared for that. And in any case, where are all the people? You didn't find any bodies, did you?"
Also, please tell me in which order you wish to watch. The Lieutenant doesn't have any particular preference and would take whichever watch Bryn doesn't take. Arren may share a part of one of their watches.
'Tace' remains in the Ledge Lodge dining room whilst the Sergeant heads outside, pondering what might have happened but not having enough evidence to come up with a likely answer.
He turns to the door as the Commandant enters with the lantern, illuminating the room and giving him a better view. He waits as the Commandant looks around and then clears a space for herself to work.
When the Lieutenant muses over the people he saw, he shrugs, "We don't have enough to go on to say for sure, sir. And no, we found no bodies nor signs of injury beyond that of a common tavern brawl. That suggests that they either surrendered and were taken before any serious harm was done, or they escaped and hid. I assume from the fact they were cooking that they had patrons, although they may have simply been being prepared I suppose. Perhaps we can tell by the amount of stew they were making". On that last point, he wanders back in to the kitchen to check the pot and ingredients laid out to see if he can estimate how many they were cooking for.
On his return, he feeds back what he finds.
"Will we need a watch outside to ensure the carriage and horses are safe, sir?", he asks the Lieutenant, and goes to look to see if there is a place by the window that allows a good view of the approach to the cave the horses and carriages were in.
Aside from that, he will help tidy up, get some more light and perhaps a fire if told to light one. The smoke should hopefully not attract interest whilst it is so dark, unless someone was very close, in which case they would already know of their presence here.
If they did run and hide, the owners would likely return at some point. Perhaps prompted by lights in the windows, seeing as the bandits didn't stay. If there were bandits.
(OOC: Bryn would likely take the first watch, although depending on the answer about visibility to watch the horses and carriage from inside, there may have to be two simultaneous watches. In which case, he would suggest switching between outside and inside half way through the night, and trancing during his inside watch)
Arrendoes answer Walnuts when he asks what is going on, telling them what the Corporal found—or rather, didn't find—inside. When the Commandant mutters how dark it is outside, he glances at the night sky, then back at her. It doesn't strike him as darker than usual, though that may be easy to say for someone who can see in the dark. His eyes linger on her for a moment, wondering why she said that, but mostly assumes it's the exhaustion talking—as expected from one who eats little and sleeps less. He doesn't say anything, though. Instead, he returns briefly to the carriage to fetch his and the Corporal's bedrolls.
Once they enter, the first thing he does is gesture to Tace with the bedrolls—as if to say, since I had to pick mine, I picked yours too. Then, like Walnuts, he heads upstairs and leaves them there before going downstairs again and checking the kitchen with the Corporal. For a brief moment, the Sergeant hopes the hatch might reveal someone hiding —perhaps staying there while bandits ransacked the inn?— but the emptiness quickly ends that thought.
He adds nothing to the Corporal's words, having no other theory to offer. He only says, loud enough for them all, "I take it we are all going to sleep—or trance—in the room upstairs." A question that answers itself, since the sleeping quarters are on the second floor, but since the Commandant hasn't set up her bedroll there, he wonders if she intends to work herself to sleep at the very table where she is sitting.
In any case, his plan is simple: a quick light dinner from one of the rations, then sleep immediately. That way he expects to wake up to find the Commandant sleeping, rise hours earlier than usual, share a portion of the second Elf's watch, and still finish the full sleep cycle his Human half demands.
'Tace' will nod and offer his thanks to the Sergeant for collecting his bedroll. He is not entirely sure whether he will be using it yet, depending on how many watches they set and where, but he is genuinely grateful that the Sergeant thought of him.
Bryn finds that the burnt remains in the pot do not offer any insights. Where the ingredients were prepared, he notices that all there is are partially cut vegetables. Anything that was cut all the way probably went into the pot, but there are no uncut vegetables either. Since there's only enough space for two people inside the small kitchen, there is one carrot partially cut and one potato. Both have dried already where they were previously cut. Additionally, both Arren and Bryn notice that aside from the pot and the half-cut potato and carrot, the kitchen is also empty. No other pots, no plates, no cutlery, no pans and nothing else that they'd expect to find in a kitchen, though there is plenty of room inside cabinets and on racks where such objects were probably stored before.
"That's a good idea, yes." Lieutenant Tireur agrees. "Wouldn't want them taken while we're watching an empty inn, would we?" However, unfortunately, there is no way to see through the cave's wall into where the horses are kept. "Though I'm a little concerned, if something happens, it may be harder to alert everyone while they're sleeping inside. We'll have to be extra careful and make sure nobody sneaks up on us."
Neither the Commandant nor the Lieutenant tell 'Tace' to light a fire. Moreover, their firewood supply is limited and best kept for the nights when they have to sleep in the open. Strangely, though there is a fireplace in the inn and there are ashes in it, there is no firewood.
Commandant Nattensbarn has her bedroll in her backpack and would only take it out when she goes to sleep, Arren figures. Without asking her, there is no telling where she intends to sleep, but since she didn't ask anyone to clean the glass shards on the floor, Arren doubts she plans to sleep on the bottom floor. With that said, it is not uncommon for her to fall asleep while working, on her work. Though that is only a result of exhaustion and never her intent. If anything, when that happens, she usually ends up smearing the ink all over the page and her face, which usually puts her in a bad mood for the entire following day.
Bryn takes first watch outside while Arren sleep on the top floor and Walnuts trances on the bottom floor, on his bedroll in a spot he cleaned from glass shards first. It is chilly outside, but the mountain protects Bryn from any wind, and so the cold is mostly bearable. If he takes any of the wooden stools outside, he'll even have something to sit on. But aside from distant howls of wolves or perhaps some other canine, his watch is quiet until Lieutenant Tireur eventually comes to swap with him. By the time he goes inside, it seems the Commandant had already gone to sleep upstairs.
After going to sleep as early as he could, Arren wakes up while it is still dark outside, but he has no way of telling how much time is left before sunrise. He does feel well-rested, and yet the feeling of being watched once again lingers on him for a moment. Arren finds Commandant Nattensbarn sleeping in the same common room, some distance away, adjacent to one of the walls. As always, while sleeping, she looks tranquil, serene - two words that usually don't describe her well while she's awake. She had untied her braid, as she often does while sleeping, and if it weren't for the standard-issue military bedroll and the wrinkled uniforms she kept on while sleeping, there would be no reason to believe a woman who looks like her is a soldier.
Arren would see 'Tace' trancing where he chose to do so, and if he goes outside, he'll find Walnuts sitting outside on a wooden stool with his back leaning against the wall. "You're up earlier than usual," he states, "though I think there's not much more before the sun rises. You're welcome to sit with me, though."
Eventually, the sun rises, and the night had passed uneventfully. Commandant Nattesnbarn wakes when the first light from outside penetrates through the only window in the room, illuminating it in the morning's soft light. She quickly gets her things back into her backpack and goes downstairs. Though she seems sleepy still, and there is no doubt she could have enjoyed a few more hours of sleep, she's ready to move out. "Eat if you must, but be quick. The sooner we leave here, the sooner we're out of these mountains." And having said so, she exits the inn and heads to ready Mocha and Choco.
"Perhaps in case this situation occurs again, we could purchase a whistle, sir. That would be loud enough to alert each other, and perhaps even be enough to scare away would be thieves and bandits if the expectation is that help is on the way", 'Tace' replies to the Lieutenant when speaking of where to place their watches
He also does not consider using their own supply of firewood, and is a little shocked that the inns supply has gone as well. Every single item seems to have been taken with the exception of furniture and half chopped vegetables. Even if the owners had abandoned the place, would they really have done such a thorough job of packing up to leave? It would have required a wagon. And would bandits have wanted every plate and fork? And what about the bar brawl? Where does that fit in?
He does indeed take a stool outside to make his watch slightly more comfortable. He sits and nibbles a little on the dried fruit he found in Tace's pack. He once again employs his technique of warming his coat to protect him a little from the chill.
"All quiet, sir. Except some distant howling of wolves or something. Nothing that has come close though", he reports as he switches watch duty with the Lieutenant.
When he goes back into the Ledge Lodge, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he goes into the kitchen and uses his Elven trait of being able to see magic. Just in case something more is going here.
He spends the 10 minutes it lasts wandering quietly around the cellar, the kitchen and the dining room. He even makes sure he gets close enough to the upstairs room to sense anything that might have magic.
If nothing stands out, he will take a seat at the bottom of the stairs, leaving enough room for someone to descend. He leans against the wall and trances.
When the Commandant descends, he responds with a, "Yes, ma'am". Not following her out if the Lieutenant is still outside, and possibly the Sergeant too. He does quickly eat some rations, before collecting his bedroll, and the Sergeant's as well if it is still upstairs.
(OOC: Obviously if detect magic shows anything, there may be more to do during the night and in the morning)
Arrenwakes up rested, but restless. "Damn it," he mutters, sitting up and realizing he's felt watched once again. He'd told himself to ignore it, hoped that changing his sleep schedule might help, but it hasn't. He doesn't know why it's happening, how, and—worst of all—he has no idea how to make it stop.
Frustrated, and even a bit angry, he stands and dresses silently, picking up his armor and weapons as quietly as possible so as not to wake the Commandant or the Corporal. As he moves toward the door for his watch, he glances at both of them. One asleep, the other trancing. Seeing the Commandant like this always manages to catch him off guard: she looks so different from how she does when awake. The Corporal, meanwhile, raises another question in his mind: what does he even look like under that helmet? It's a strange feeling, learning to work with someone whose face he's never seen. One final thought flits through his mind before he steps out: what must his unknown watcher think as they watch him? If that's even what they're doing.
Before leaving the inn to join Walnuts on watch, Arren decides a quick wash will do him good. But he's not sure he'll even find water in an inn stripped of—or perhaps never stocked with—even the cutlery. (ooc: is there any water at all?) If it turns out the inn doesn't even have water, this will only increase his restlessness, which will be obvious to Lieutenant Tireur once Arren sits next to him.
"Good morning, sir." the Sergeant begins, "I had hoped that changing my sleep cycle would change ... things."Expecting Walnuts not to understand, he adds, "I've been feeling watched the past few days, right as I wake up. It's unnerving, if I'm being honest." Arren shares what he's sensed over the past few days and what the Corporal noticed while watching him, partly to get it off his chest for a while, but mostly because the Lieutenant is the person he trusts most on the team.
Once their watch ends and the Commandant and the Corporal are up and ready, Arren has already eaten and is mostly prepared to leave. He only needs to retrieve his bedroll upstairs. But seeing that the Corporal has already done it for him brings a faint, grateful smile to his face. He thanks him quietly and readies himself to depart.
(ooc: Among the broken fragments they found in the inn, is there any piece of mirror? If so, can we take a piece? It could be useful for spotting the person following us without them noticing, maybe?)
'Tace' enters the stables with all their belongings and quickly packs them away into the carriage, before looking at the horses and trying to think back to what he was shown during the during to Ersta.
He is actually quite surprised when he approaches each of them in turn with his hand out tentatively and they both respond well to him. He does try to speak calmly to each of them, making sure to mention their names often assuming they will, react to the words Choco and Mocha. Look at that, the city boy is a friend to the animals.
And so a little less nervously he manages to prepare them for travel, asking for help when needs from those working in the stables, and making sure each of the horses has a treat if he can find an apple or carrot or the like.
Whilst outside, he watches what is going on, but without reacting, knowing that this must be difficult on the townspeople. He nods to the Commandant when she mentions immediately leaving, and looks in surprise as the Sergeant pause to speak to Zaba. More humanity from the Sergeant, I wonder if his words will sink in.
He doesn't wait for the Sergeant to climb up onto the carriage himself, so he is ready as soon as the Sergeant is.
As they pass through the town, he also remains quiet, somber even.
When the Sergeant finally breaks the silence, he is lost in his own thoughts of what might become of Emma. And of the fact she knows a lot about him and his situation.
"Yes, Sir. I will confess I liked Emma, and worry for her. Danger seems likely to be part of the job, but attachments like that I was not expecting", he replies equally quietly.
When Lieutenant Ubwipi is mentioned, he spends a moment trying to think who that might be, recalling the gnomish Lieutenant.
"It has only been a few days, I expect he has been busy dealing with the fall out from the cave in".
Arren keeps his eyes on the road as he drives the carriage, never looking at Tace when he answers about Emma. At first it seems the Sergeant won't say more, but then he gives a quiet hum of assent before adding, "This was different from any mission we've had so far. Attachments, as you say, don't come often. And that's the part no one prepares you for."
He falls silent for a moment, then says, still watching the road, "I hope time is kind to Emma. She deserves better than the hand she was dealt."
As carriage moves on, Arren finds the steady work of guiding Choco and Mocha a welcome distraction from the last days in Ersta. Even the prospect of the mountain pass feels almost welcome, though it promises its own share of trouble.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
The horses follow Bryn as he directs without resisting much. Perhaps they wish to leave the stables too, or maybe the treats won their hearts. Whatever the case, by the time anyone arrives at the stables, the carriage is ready to move, and the horses are just a little agitated that they've been prepared already and now must wait there standing.
As he expected, Arren's message to the crowd wasn't received well. At first, they seem confused, but the expressions soon turn to anger and repulsion again, accompanied by a few slurs. "Does he think we're stupid?" One shouts, and in response, another answers: "It's only because of them that she's not here now! She's done nothing wrong!" The crowd is heated again, and Arren figures it's best to leave now before something happens. But between the people in the crowd, Arren sees Zaba briefly nodding, though he doesn't look very compassionate either.
After just a couple of hours riding westwards, the carriage reaches the foot of the mountains and begins ascending the mountain path. Ersta can no longer be seen, hidden behind the hills the crew passed on the way. The mountain path, the Commandant explains when she gives Arren directions, is mostly levelled, aside from a little climb at the beginning and the end. Nonetheless, even though Arren knows already, she makes sure to remind him not to tire the horses too much when climbing, and to be careful while descending, too. She also reminds everyone that this path is expected to be more dangerous than the route they usually take along the shoreline, though after encountering Emma and leaving with just a few scratches, this warning seems a little less grim than it did before.
The view soon changes from the tree-covered hills to the rocky mountains covered mostly by small shrubs and short weeds. There are small streams, likely caused by the recent rains, crossing the path occasionally, from which the crew can refill their waterskins. The water looks mostly clean. By late afternoon, it seems the carriage had climbed about as much as it's expected to, and the air here is just a little colder, but also less humid and therefore clearer. Despite the Commandant's warnings about the expected danger in the mountains, you've seen nothing more threatening than an eagle in the sky. The area is full of animals, from rabbits and marmots to chamois, but these mostly keep their distance.
By evening, the crew finds a small grass-covered plateau on the road where it is wide enough to set up camp without blocking the road, which also looks relatively safe - at least from any natural hazards. Although there's still a little time before the sun sets completely, the Commandant decides it's best not to ride the mountains in the dark, and there's no telling how long it'll be before they find another good spot to camp.
Setting up the tents doesn't take long. With a few logs bought in Ersta, a fire can be lit as well. Commandant Nattensbarn finds a spot flat and levelled enough to place her small table and work on, while the rest of you have time to do as you like.
You have about half an hour before the sun sets completely to do anything if you wish, as well as any time after that. The area where you parked for the night is open and wide (considering you're on the side of a mountain), so there's 30-100 metres to go in each direction while keeping a line of sight. The grass here isn't tall, reaching just about to your ankles.
Please roll in advance a set of three Perception checks, which I could refer to for the coming days. Additionally, anyone who watches during the night, please roll an additional Perception check.
Varielky
'Tace' is very introspective during the ride to the foot of the mountain pass, but once they reach it and he notices the changing vista, his thoughts are drawn outward. Far more at home in a city, the views as they ascend are new to him.
He watches the flight of the eagle for quite some time until he remembers the dangers of the pass and focusses back on their surroundings.
It is at this time he decides to ask a question of the Sergeant. "I know you were young when you left Etana, but were you ever told stories of the Etanan druids? Could they be the source of the root do you think?"
When they stop, he does his bit in erecting the tents, and then expects to be told to do the majority of the overnight watch. Whether alone or paired he is not immediately sure, but prepares for being on watch nonetheless.
Perception 1: 17+5=22
Perception 2: 3+5=8
Perception 3: 15+5=20
Perception Watch 1: 17+5=22
Perception Watch 2: 9+5=14
Perception Watch 3: 7+5=12
(I wasn't sure if an extra perception was needed for each day roll, or just one so rolled 3)
Bryn doesn't have too much with him, and during the day travels light. Just his Armour, Short Sword and daggers (two on his belt, the small knife he had in Tus in his boot). He has his thieves' tools, and spell components concealed, he wears Tace's wedding ring around his neck on a cord, he has the small bag of fruit he found in Tace's belongings and the scar disguise ingredients if small enough to conceal (if not they are stowed and he might get them out if he has enough privacy to try moulding them).
He will mostly travel with Arren, but occasionally with the lieutenant.
"Stories of druids?" Arren thinks for a moment. "I've heard a few, but they were mostly that: bedtime stories to lull children to sleep or to scare them into being careful. Some were about good-willed druids guiding those who were lost. Others depicted them as being extremely unappreciative of intrusions. Some painted them as terrifying figures who didn't hesitate to punish anyone that harmed nature or its creatures. And a few told of druids losing their minds entirely, becoming forces that needed to be stopped."
"Be that as it may, stories always portray them as powerful as the wizards of old... but far more reclusive. So I'd say druids could very well be behind these roots. But for Olive to have met one that shared one of their secret powers?" Arren hesitates, brow slightly furrowed. "That sounds far-fetched. Rangers, on the other hand, seem easier to come across. Though I imagine it's easy to meet them without realizing it, since they tend to protect the druidic abilities they can wield closely."
The Sergeant pauses before adding, "Speaking of the root, it's been a few days since we cut it. Is it still fresh, or has it dried out already?"
Once they stop and set up camp, Arren takes a few of the thinner logs they brought from Ersta and scatters them around the perimeter. They won't provide much in the way of security, but if anyone—or anything—approaches during the night, they might step on a log and make a noise. This could alert those on watch, or even spook Choco and Mocha into whinnying. He makes a point of remembering where he left them so he can retrieve them before they depart.
Since the mountain pass is known to be dangerous, Arren suggests that he also take part in one of the watches himself, timing it so he can still get at least six hours of sleep. It could be the first watch, or the last one, just before dawn.
When it's time to sleep, Arren feels a little apprehensive, given how he felt the last days upon waking. But the last time they slept under the stars, he didn't feel watched, nor did he have any nightmares... In any case, he wonders how he'll fare tonight, and if the Corporal will be able to notice anything.
(ooc: Would it be feasible to try hunting a rabbit - while staying close to camp - and cooking it? Arren doesn't have any of the ingredients listed in the recipe book he got—such as carrots or potatoes ... I could have thought of picking a few from the stewpot!—but I imagine a rabbit cooked over a small fire, with a bit of seasoning, would make a better meal than standard rations.
Perception rolls: 8+3=11 / 1+3 = 4 ouch! / 12+3=15. Watch rolls - adding 3 as @Volcano did, just in case: 19+3=22 / 6+3=9 / 3+3=6)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Arren's equipment:
I've set up the sheet to illustrate this:
- The "Equipment" section is what he usually carries most of the time.
- The "Backpack" section is something he would pick if he expected to travel somewhere to investigate that place. Example: when they went into the forest to search for Emma.
- The "Carriage" section contains the rest of his belongings, which he doesn't use that often.
* Driving the carriage: I think I'd remove the two javelins from the Equipment section. Not sure it is possible that he could be seated having those strapped on his back. The sword and shield though, sound more plausible.
* Sleeping: Arren would doff the chainmail, shield, and longsword, though he would keep them very close—especially the weapons. The idea is that when he wakes up, the first thing he touches are his weapons, so he can pick them up super quickly, if necessary. The dagger, I'd say, he keeps on his person at all times.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
There are some in the area, though they keep their distance from the camp for the most part. They are also agile and small. How would Arren wish to hunt them? Whichever way you choose, roll a Survival check to see how successful (if at all) Arren is at hunting rabbits this evening.
Arren finds that staying alert is difficult, having slept very little the previous night. Nonetheless, he can stay up and watch partly through one of the Elves' trance and eventually retire for the night before the Elves swap. When he goes to sleep, the Commandant is still hard at work under the light of one of the candles that has burnt about halfway through. He would also be able to cook the game he caught, if he did. While nothing in the recipe book relates directly to rabbits alone over the fire, it's also simple enough that anyone could cook it to a satisfying degree. At least, considering the available means.
The night passes mostly uneventfully. Should Arren succeed at hunting, a wild coyote might be drawn to the smell, but they are driven away by anyone on watch at the time. Apart from a few other curious wild animals during the night that are easily scared away, nothing notable happens.
Arren:
When Arren wakes, he again feels watched for a few brief moments. If he had any nightmares during the night, he doesn't remember any.
Bryn:
Since Arren asked Bryn to watch over him during the night, Bryn is a little more aware of the Half-Elf during his trance, while they're together in the same tent. He notices the Half-Elf looks strangely stiff during the night, sleeping straight and still as a plank. It doesn't exactly look unnatural, but... people usually move at least a little during their sleep. If it weren't for his chest rising and falling, one could mistake Arren to be dead tonight.
The crew wakes up at sunrise or just before it, tearing down camp quickly before preparing to leave the area. Clouds hang over the valleys below them, a soft-looking blanket between the hills. But up on the mountains, even though the crew rested in a relatively low area, the air is clear and so is the sky.
The second day in the mountains is also mostly quiet, apart from the constant tapping of the horses' hooves and the wheels on the hard, rocky road. At some point, Bryn notices movement on the mountainside high above them. Expecting perhaps an ibex or some bird, he looks in the direction casually, but focusing his attention on the mountainside, he notices a Humanoid figure dressed in a pattern that matches that of the stone. It seems like the figure was watching them, because the moment Bryn turns to look at it, it notices and disappears behind a large rock nearby.
Should Bryn mention this to the others, they might stop the carriage momentarily to scour the mountainside for any other hidden observers, but spot none. Eventually, they move on, and despite being in a state of higher alertness, none notices any other such figures during the day.
As the sun starts getting low in the sky, the carriage is still going in search of a place to stop for the night. Nothing seems appropriate, and at some point, consulting the map, Commandant Nattensbarn decides to push onwards for a little more until they reach a small in marked on the map as a potential stopping spot. "Normally, we'd get to it before sundown if we left Ersta early in the morning, but since that was not the case, we'll surely arrive long after it is completely dark outside. It means we'll have to ride along this cliff here during the night, but I trust you three can see well enough to avoid dropping us all into the chasm."
You ride onwards until the sun eventually sets. As usual, the Commandant refrains from lighting candles inside the carriage, and so she stops working once it's too dark for her to see. From that point, the carriage rides on for a little under an hour before one of you spots a small sign that says "Ledge Lodge, 1km". From there, after a few more minutes on the road along the cliff, Arren, who sits at the front (perhaps Bryn too), spots a small wooden building built into the mountain on the side opposite the cliff. It looks old yet well-maintained, and on a sign nailed above the front door is carved the name "Ledge Lodge". The place is completely silent, though it doesn't look like a place that often accommodates many people, given both its location and size.
Next to it is a man-made cave large enough - though only barely - for the carriage to fit through, and deep enough to house two such carriages. At the end of the cave, there's a wooden trough and a hitching post for the horses. The trough is, unfortunately, completely dry. Aside from that, the cave is empty.
Once the carriage is in this unusual stable, Lieutenant Tireur hops off and, seeing that the Commandant remains in the carriage, peeks inside. "She's asleep." He declares in a low voice after taking a few steps away. "One moment without work and bam! Her body demands what it's owed. Why don't you two head into the inn and order a room for us, perhaps a good meal too? I'll hitch the horses here and then wake her up, joining you in a moment."
Varielky
"I am not sure I am saying the one who gave Olive the root was a druid, just that the power behind the root might have come from the druids. I am not so familiar with rangers, but if you are saying they share similar powers, then perhaps that is it. I was also hoping you might have some stories of druids beyond those bedtime ones. It doesn't matter though, I guess we will never know", 'Tace' replies.
When asked about the root, he will take out the piece he has left to see the state of it.
Having watched the Sergeant sleep, 'Tace' will report back that he was unusually still. At least, he would have expected more movement. It might be normal for the Sergeant, he hadn't watched him sleep before.
During the following day, 'Tace' does his best to keep vigilant, especially after spotting the figure high above.
"It seems we are being observed, sirs", he says loud enough for both the Sergeant and Lieutenant to hear when he spots the person watching them. "But whoever it is doesn't want us to know they are there. Not a show of force or a warning at the moment".
When they are forced to travel after the sun has set, 'Tace' directs his efforts as the Commandant suggests. Making sure the carriage doesn't veer off the road. The thought of sleeping indoors and getting a decent meal offsetting the discomfort of such a long day seated on the carriage.
When they finally reach Ledge Lodge and can finally get off the carriage, he hops down and stretches. The lieutenant doesn't have to tell him. twice to leave the horses to him and head into the inn. "Yes, sir".
As he approaches, presumably with the Sergeant, he looks to see if there is any light or smoke to be seen coming from the wooden building. Obviously he would notice light before he gets close enough to see smoke, with the limits of his dark vision. He looks for any other signs of habitation as well, perhaps there are sounds to be heard if you listen for them.
Perception: 19+5=24
Arren gives Tace an apologetic look. "That's about everything I know, I'm afraid. Druidism, rangers… that's not something I ever thought I'd be thinking about until just a few days ago, to be honest."
When the camp is set and everyone is resting from the drive—or working, in the case of the Commandant—Arren picks up his longbow to try to hunt a rabbit to cook it for dinner. Not being a knowledgeable hunter, he doesn't really know the proper technique, so what he does is try to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. He separates himself a bit from the camp, crouching and lying as still as he can, until he spots his target. When he does, he readies the bow slowly, nocks an arrow, and releases it. (Survival: 7+1 bumped +5 = 13) If he misses, he quietly accepts his failure—and the reminder that he needs more practice when time allows. If he succeeds, he'll be glad to share the simple dinner with his companions, sparing a thought for Emma while he cooks it.
The next morning, when the Corporal recounts what he perceived during his sleep, Arren furrows his brow in confusion. "Unusually still? I was expecting something along the lines of sleep-talking. I don't know... I'd think I'd shift a bit in my sleep, much like everyone else." The Half-Elf shakes his head, ready to dismiss the topic entirely. Why dwell on it? He had felt watched that morning again, but perhaps it was just tiredness. It will pass. Same as the nightmares. He hadn't had any last night, after all. "Thank you for watching, Corporal," he adds.
Regarding the figure the Elf had spotted, Arren indeed tries to spot it, but sees nothing. He doesn't like it one bit, but there's little they can do except stay alert for the rest of the journey.
Once they reach the Ledge Lodge, Arren nods toward Walnuts. "If only she would time her rest correctly, and in the right place." He recalls the Commandant saying she might consider improving her schedule when he asked, but it seemed she had deemed the request unnecessary. Or perhaps it was simply a task she didn't find that easy to master.
Arren is surprised to find an inn so well maintained in this place, though less surprised that it appears empty. He simply assumes few travelers take this particular road, preferring the longer but safer route into Pyorre. He doesn't follow the Corporal immediately. Instead, he pauses at the mouth of the cave, scanning the ground for signs that other horses or carriages have been here recently. He also also takes this time because he's not that fine with leaving a sleeping Commandant and a wounded Lieutenant entirely on their own, knowing that someone has been watching them a few hours back. After a brief pause, he falls in step with Tace toward the inn, ready to enter if nothing seems out of place. (ooc: Perception 16)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
When Bryn reaches for the root, he doesn't find it. If there was anything else where he kept it, he might look around (if it is a bag) or even take everything out, but eventually, he concludes that the root is no longer where he last thought it was.
Arren finds that drawing the bow while prone is much harder than expected. If it were a shortbow, maybe it would be possible, but with his longbow, there is simply not enough space to fully draw the string back before his hand is blocked by himself or the ground. The alternative - shooting while lying on his back - isn't convenient enough either. Besides that, he finds that the rabbits are small and fast, not in any way similar to the stationary straw targets he is used to. By the time the sun sets, Arren has caught not even a single rabbit, and from that moment on, spotting the rabbits becomes harder, and they don't appear so often either. In the end, Arren returns to camp empty-handed, though he doesn't lose any of his arrows.
(OOC: I'm not entirely sure whether I stated it clearly, but the Commandant surely would have, so just in case, I'll add this piece of information. Consider this something the Commandant said during one of the times she talked about the mountain path.)
While the mountain path is more dangerous, it is also still more often used than the alternative ways, at least for most merchants. The reasons for this are plenty, but mostly how much faster it is compared to the shore route. Besides, the shore route isn't particularly safe either (as Arren knows very well), and so anyone passing through either route needs someone to keep them safe. Since guards tagging along usually cost a lot of gold per day, it is not strange that the mountain path remains favourable. After all, if nobody used it, the bandits wouldn't have made it their home. The only reason the Commandant always avoids it is that her bodyguards aren't paid by her, and passing along the shoreline allows her to inspect more sites. Arren might think it also means she gets to have more time between visits to the capital, which she so dreads.
Since most merchants are also wealthy, at least a little bit, and would rather spend a night under a roof and with a good meal, inns along the mountain path aren't uncommon, and always a little expensive. They're not always full, but it seems they're full often enough to make the investment of living there worth it to some people.
The stables don't look like they've been used recently, but don't look abandoned either. There are still some excrement lying around the hitching post that haven't been cleaned, but they look dry. Probably a few days old, but likely not a lot more than that. And yet, the Ledge Lodge is silent and dark, and from the chimney that's jutting out of the building's front wall, no smoke rises. When Bryn approaches the front door, he finds that it is ajar. Looking inside, he neither hears nor sees any signs of life.
The inn is a small two-storied building. Like many others of this type, the bottom floor consists of a small dining room with one long table for all guests to dine together and a door that leads to the kitchen and the staff's quarters. The second floor is one large room with no furniture whatsoever, where travellers may sleep during the night. Arren would know that such places often keep a few bedrolls that ill-prepared travellers may rent at an excessive price per night.
But there's no sign of any soul in the Ledge Lodge, even on the top floor (should you climb to check). After inspecting the site, both Bryn and Arren notice that the door to the kitchens and the staff's quarters is also ajar, but calling/knocking on it receives no response, and if they open it to check if anyone's behind it, they'll find a small kitchen and a tiny room that at night may accommodate two adults and perhaps a child (though it might be a bit cramped). It is empty, but the kitchen looks messy, and there are still leftovers of a meal in it.
Bryn, with his particularly high Perception check, notices that the kitchen doesn't have leftovers inside, but rather a meal that's not yet prepared. Vegetables only half-chopped, a pot over a fire that died out long ago, what was probably a stew inside it has burnt long ago. In the small dining room, Bryn notices the place looks particularly disordered. Having been to plenty of taverns (usually to cheat people out of their coin, most likely), Bryn determines that there was some kind of brawl going on. The wooden chairs were thrown about for sure, and left where they landed last. There are broken glasses around the table, and the scent of uncleaned ale rises from the wood. There are even a few small stains of blood. Nothing that would be unusual for a tavern brawl between a few men that had too much to drink, but someone got hurt.
Varielky
'Tace', after some searching, reports back to the Sergeant that the remains of root simply disappeared.
"I cannot explain it, but it has gone, sir", he says, and has no further words, simply shrugging.
'Tace' is a little suspicious as he approaches the door to the inn. Even if there were no customers, from what the Commandant had said the inn would still be staffed, and those staff would likely ensure the inn was comfortable for themselves as well as any late arrivals. I've got a bad feeling about this.
When he finds the outer door ajar he takes a closer look to see if the lock has been forced, then turns to look back towards the Sergeant, who he sees has not immediately followed him. And so he peeks inside, before opening the door wider to reveal the empty dining room. Ok, this is a little creepy.
Hi curiosity peeked, he slips quietly inside to look around, not disturbing anything so as to keep the condition as is for the others to see. Finding no-one in the dining area, he moves upstairs, checking not just for patrons but any signs of belongings.
As he descends, he sees the Sergeant has arrived, and gives him a shrug. "No-one upstairs", he whispers when he reaches the bottom of the stairs. "It looks like there was some kind of brawl in here. But there was no-one left to tidy up", he adds as he moves towards the only other door, that to the kitchen.
With no response to their knocks, he whispers to the Sergeant as he holds the handle of the door, "Shall I?". If the Sergeant agrees, he quietly opens the door and steps inside, his keen eyes picking out the half prepared food and empty sleeping area. "It looks like they were in the middle of preparing a meal when whatever happened, happened".
With not much else to see he heads back to the dining room, no longer feeling the need to whisper now he knows the place is empty, "This obviously isn't normal". He starts to take a closer look around the dining room whilst he waits for the Sergeant to give instructions.
(OOC: So during the above, Bryn is checking if the outer door has been forced and also for signs of patron's belongings left behind, along with a closer look at the area the brawl occurred. Perhaps something was dropped?)
Investigation: 19+5=24
Arren frowns when Tace discovers the root is gone. He would have expected it to have rotted, but though its disappearance puzzles him, he doesn't dwell on it. Another piece in a puzzle we may never solve.
"Not normal at all," Arren agrees once he enters the tavern and hears the Corporal's findings. "Checking the stables, it looks like there were horses here a few days ago. That could match the timing of the half-prepared meal in the kitchen. Could they have fled in a rush? Sensed an attack and left? Though I wouldn't expect the upper room, nor the staff's room, to be so empty in that case."
He pauses, looking around the empty building. "I don't like this one bit either, but it's not like we’re going to keep travelling in the middle of the night. The Lieutenant should be done with the horses already. I'll go inform them—and take another look around the building, just in case there's any other door we might have missed, like a cellar, or the like."
As he exits the building, Arren also scans the ground surrounding it. Since they now know there's been a struggle inside, there might be traces of blood outside as well, or signs that someone fled in a hurry. If there are, they might tell them more of what has happened.
(Investigation: 17+1=18)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
The lock to the front door doesn't seem to have been forced. The door looks in fine condition, more or less. Upstairs, he finds the room is completely empty. If the people left the place in a rush as he suggested, they either never got to place their stuff there, or had time to take it all with them first.
As for the small dining room, there doesn't seem to be much more to glean there. Broken glasses, stools scattered, one stool that was either hurled or used as an improvised club had one of its legs broken off, and the wooden bit lies about a metre away. Small stains of blood on the wooden floor. But nothing else. He notices many scratches on the wooden furniture, but there's no way to tell if they're not just normal wear that a place like this experiences.
Arren finds nothing outside. If there were any traces of any kind left by the people who were last in the Ledge Lodge, they were washed away by the recent rains. He doesn't spot any other doors on the outside, but his common sense tells him that, should a place like this have a cellar, it would be to store wine and food. As such, he'd expect it to be closer to the kitchen, though he didn't notice any other door when he briefly scanned the area earlier.
Should he or Bryn search the kitchen, though, they'll find a small hatch on the floor of the kitchen that one can raise to reveal a narrow flight of stairs that lead downwards to a small cellar. But it, too, is completely empty. Despite the strong scent of wine still lingering, the cellar is yet another empty room.
But before that, when Arren just steps outside, he sees Lieutenant Tireur accompanied by the Commandant, just exiting the cave. "What is it?" The Drow asks, and then, noticing the lack of any noise or lighting inside the lodge, he adds, "Is something wrong inside? Why is there no light?"
While Arren replies (or immediately after hearing the Lieutenant's question if he doesn't), the Commandant lays her backpack on the ground, rummaging through it in search of the lantern, the candles, and something to light them with. "Gods, it's so dark outside," she mutters to herself at some point. The moon in the sky doesn't offer a lot of light, and none of it can fit in the bag while the Commandant bends over it. Though to the Elves and Arren, it looks like any other night. Eventually, she manages to light a candle in the lantern and, now equipped with a light source, heads into the inn.
Commandant Nattensbarn takes a quick look around the dining room with a stern expression. If either Bryn or Arren tell her they've already looked through the place, she doesn't bother looking around herself. "I doubt anyone else will come here tonight, but just in case, stay alert." She walks over to the dining table, picks up one of the stools and brings it near the table. She carefully sweeps away any glass shards and other dirt from the table before sitting on the stool and taking out her work, laying the lantern on the table for lighting.
Walnuts sighs audibly, perhaps even intentionally dramatically, upon seeing the Commandant sit to work in this situation, but doesn't add anything and takes his bedroll upstairs before returning to Arren and Bryn. "It really is empty here, huh? I wonder if it's because of those people you saw today," he muses in a quiet voice to avoid disturbing the Commandant's work. "I suppose it wouldn't be strange if bandits robbed places like this occasionally, right? Though I'd imagine they'd be prepared for that. And in any case, where are all the people? You didn't find any bodies, did you?"
Also, please tell me in which order you wish to watch. The Lieutenant doesn't have any particular preference and would take whichever watch Bryn doesn't take. Arren may share a part of one of their watches.
Varielky
'Tace' remains in the Ledge Lodge dining room whilst the Sergeant heads outside, pondering what might have happened but not having enough evidence to come up with a likely answer.
He turns to the door as the Commandant enters with the lantern, illuminating the room and giving him a better view. He waits as the Commandant looks around and then clears a space for herself to work.
When the Lieutenant muses over the people he saw, he shrugs, "We don't have enough to go on to say for sure, sir. And no, we found no bodies nor signs of injury beyond that of a common tavern brawl. That suggests that they either surrendered and were taken before any serious harm was done, or they escaped and hid. I assume from the fact they were cooking that they had patrons, although they may have simply been being prepared I suppose. Perhaps we can tell by the amount of stew they were making". On that last point, he wanders back in to the kitchen to check the pot and ingredients laid out to see if he can estimate how many they were cooking for.
On his return, he feeds back what he finds.
"Will we need a watch outside to ensure the carriage and horses are safe, sir?", he asks the Lieutenant, and goes to look to see if there is a place by the window that allows a good view of the approach to the cave the horses and carriages were in.
Aside from that, he will help tidy up, get some more light and perhaps a fire if told to light one. The smoke should hopefully not attract interest whilst it is so dark, unless someone was very close, in which case they would already know of their presence here.
If they did run and hide, the owners would likely return at some point. Perhaps prompted by lights in the windows, seeing as the bandits didn't stay. If there were bandits.
(OOC: Bryn would likely take the first watch, although depending on the answer about visibility to watch the horses and carriage from inside, there may have to be two simultaneous watches. In which case, he would suggest switching between outside and inside half way through the night, and trancing during his inside watch)
Arren does answer Walnuts when he asks what is going on, telling them what the Corporal found—or rather, didn't find—inside. When the Commandant mutters how dark it is outside, he glances at the night sky, then back at her. It doesn't strike him as darker than usual, though that may be easy to say for someone who can see in the dark. His eyes linger on her for a moment, wondering why she said that, but mostly assumes it's the exhaustion talking—as expected from one who eats little and sleeps less. He doesn't say anything, though. Instead, he returns briefly to the carriage to fetch his and the Corporal's bedrolls.
Once they enter, the first thing he does is gesture to Tace with the bedrolls—as if to say, since I had to pick mine, I picked yours too. Then, like Walnuts, he heads upstairs and leaves them there before going downstairs again and checking the kitchen with the Corporal. For a brief moment, the Sergeant hopes the hatch might reveal someone hiding —perhaps staying there while bandits ransacked the inn?— but the emptiness quickly ends that thought.
He adds nothing to the Corporal's words, having no other theory to offer. He only says, loud enough for them all, "I take it we are all going to sleep—or trance—in the room upstairs." A question that answers itself, since the sleeping quarters are on the second floor, but since the Commandant hasn't set up her bedroll there, he wonders if she intends to work herself to sleep at the very table where she is sitting.
In any case, his plan is simple: a quick light dinner from one of the rations, then sleep immediately. That way he expects to wake up to find the Commandant sleeping, rise hours earlier than usual, share a portion of the second Elf's watch, and still finish the full sleep cycle his Human half demands.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
'Tace' will nod and offer his thanks to the Sergeant for collecting his bedroll. He is not entirely sure whether he will be using it yet, depending on how many watches they set and where, but he is genuinely grateful that the Sergeant thought of him.
Bryn finds that the burnt remains in the pot do not offer any insights. Where the ingredients were prepared, he notices that all there is are partially cut vegetables. Anything that was cut all the way probably went into the pot, but there are no uncut vegetables either. Since there's only enough space for two people inside the small kitchen, there is one carrot partially cut and one potato. Both have dried already where they were previously cut. Additionally, both Arren and Bryn notice that aside from the pot and the half-cut potato and carrot, the kitchen is also empty. No other pots, no plates, no cutlery, no pans and nothing else that they'd expect to find in a kitchen, though there is plenty of room inside cabinets and on racks where such objects were probably stored before.
"That's a good idea, yes." Lieutenant Tireur agrees. "Wouldn't want them taken while we're watching an empty inn, would we?" However, unfortunately, there is no way to see through the cave's wall into where the horses are kept. "Though I'm a little concerned, if something happens, it may be harder to alert everyone while they're sleeping inside. We'll have to be extra careful and make sure nobody sneaks up on us."
Neither the Commandant nor the Lieutenant tell 'Tace' to light a fire. Moreover, their firewood supply is limited and best kept for the nights when they have to sleep in the open. Strangely, though there is a fireplace in the inn and there are ashes in it, there is no firewood.
Commandant Nattensbarn has her bedroll in her backpack and would only take it out when she goes to sleep, Arren figures. Without asking her, there is no telling where she intends to sleep, but since she didn't ask anyone to clean the glass shards on the floor, Arren doubts she plans to sleep on the bottom floor. With that said, it is not uncommon for her to fall asleep while working, on her work. Though that is only a result of exhaustion and never her intent. If anything, when that happens, she usually ends up smearing the ink all over the page and her face, which usually puts her in a bad mood for the entire following day.
Bryn takes first watch outside while Arren sleep on the top floor and Walnuts trances on the bottom floor, on his bedroll in a spot he cleaned from glass shards first. It is chilly outside, but the mountain protects Bryn from any wind, and so the cold is mostly bearable. If he takes any of the wooden stools outside, he'll even have something to sit on. But aside from distant howls of wolves or perhaps some other canine, his watch is quiet until Lieutenant Tireur eventually comes to swap with him. By the time he goes inside, it seems the Commandant had already gone to sleep upstairs.
After going to sleep as early as he could, Arren wakes up while it is still dark outside, but he has no way of telling how much time is left before sunrise. He does feel well-rested, and yet the feeling of being watched once again lingers on him for a moment. Arren finds Commandant Nattensbarn sleeping in the same common room, some distance away, adjacent to one of the walls. As always, while sleeping, she looks tranquil, serene - two words that usually don't describe her well while she's awake. She had untied her braid, as she often does while sleeping, and if it weren't for the standard-issue military bedroll and the wrinkled uniforms she kept on while sleeping, there would be no reason to believe a woman who looks like her is a soldier.
Arren would see 'Tace' trancing where he chose to do so, and if he goes outside, he'll find Walnuts sitting outside on a wooden stool with his back leaning against the wall. "You're up earlier than usual," he states, "though I think there's not much more before the sun rises. You're welcome to sit with me, though."
Eventually, the sun rises, and the night had passed uneventfully. Commandant Nattesnbarn wakes when the first light from outside penetrates through the only window in the room, illuminating it in the morning's soft light. She quickly gets her things back into her backpack and goes downstairs. Though she seems sleepy still, and there is no doubt she could have enjoyed a few more hours of sleep, she's ready to move out. "Eat if you must, but be quick. The sooner we leave here, the sooner we're out of these mountains." And having said so, she exits the inn and heads to ready Mocha and Choco.
Varielky
"Perhaps in case this situation occurs again, we could purchase a whistle, sir. That would be loud enough to alert each other, and perhaps even be enough to scare away would be thieves and bandits if the expectation is that help is on the way", 'Tace' replies to the Lieutenant when speaking of where to place their watches
He also does not consider using their own supply of firewood, and is a little shocked that the inns supply has gone as well. Every single item seems to have been taken with the exception of furniture and half chopped vegetables. Even if the owners had abandoned the place, would they really have done such a thorough job of packing up to leave? It would have required a wagon. And would bandits have wanted every plate and fork? And what about the bar brawl? Where does that fit in?
He does indeed take a stool outside to make his watch slightly more comfortable. He sits and nibbles a little on the dried fruit he found in Tace's pack. He once again employs his technique of warming his coat to protect him a little from the chill.
"All quiet, sir. Except some distant howling of wolves or something. Nothing that has come close though", he reports as he switches watch duty with the Lieutenant.
When he goes back into the Ledge Lodge, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he goes into the kitchen and uses his Elven trait of being able to see magic. Just in case something more is going here.
He spends the 10 minutes it lasts wandering quietly around the cellar, the kitchen and the dining room. He even makes sure he gets close enough to the upstairs room to sense anything that might have magic.
If nothing stands out, he will take a seat at the bottom of the stairs, leaving enough room for someone to descend. He leans against the wall and trances.
When the Commandant descends, he responds with a, "Yes, ma'am". Not following her out if the Lieutenant is still outside, and possibly the Sergeant too. He does quickly eat some rations, before collecting his bedroll, and the Sergeant's as well if it is still upstairs.
(OOC: Obviously if detect magic shows anything, there may be more to do during the night and in the morning)
Arren wakes up rested, but restless. "Damn it," he mutters, sitting up and realizing he's felt watched once again. He'd told himself to ignore it, hoped that changing his sleep schedule might help, but it hasn't. He doesn't know why it's happening, how, and—worst of all—he has no idea how to make it stop.
Frustrated, and even a bit angry, he stands and dresses silently, picking up his armor and weapons as quietly as possible so as not to wake the Commandant or the Corporal. As he moves toward the door for his watch, he glances at both of them. One asleep, the other trancing. Seeing the Commandant like this always manages to catch him off guard: she looks so different from how she does when awake. The Corporal, meanwhile, raises another question in his mind: what does he even look like under that helmet? It's a strange feeling, learning to work with someone whose face he's never seen. One final thought flits through his mind before he steps out: what must his unknown watcher think as they watch him? If that's even what they're doing.
Before leaving the inn to join Walnuts on watch, Arren decides a quick wash will do him good. But he's not sure he'll even find water in an inn stripped of—or perhaps never stocked with—even the cutlery. (ooc: is there any water at all?) If it turns out the inn doesn't even have water, this will only increase his restlessness, which will be obvious to Lieutenant Tireur once Arren sits next to him.
"Good morning, sir." the Sergeant begins, "I had hoped that changing my sleep cycle would change ... things." Expecting Walnuts not to understand, he adds, "I've been feeling watched the past few days, right as I wake up. It's unnerving, if I'm being honest." Arren shares what he's sensed over the past few days and what the Corporal noticed while watching him, partly to get it off his chest for a while, but mostly because the Lieutenant is the person he trusts most on the team.
Once their watch ends and the Commandant and the Corporal are up and ready, Arren has already eaten and is mostly prepared to leave. He only needs to retrieve his bedroll upstairs. But seeing that the Corporal has already done it for him brings a faint, grateful smile to his face. He thanks him quietly and readies himself to depart.
(ooc: Among the broken fragments they found in the inn, is there any piece of mirror? If so, can we take a piece? It could be useful for spotting the person following us without them noticing, maybe?)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra