The orc woman's eyes well with tears and she swallows hard to reassert control over her emotions. "You would give these horses to us freely?" She wants to believe, but there is hesitation to her words that says part of her thinks it is too good to be true. 

If Randa lowers her bow, the tiefling would do the same, though she would still keep her bow partially drawn and pointed at the ground in Randa's direction, but clearly not pointed at her. 

"We ask information in return," Vazo'yn speaks up from behind Jack.

"What can you tell us of the land beyond the river? What do you know of the Wind?"

He is glad to help the group fleeing the wind and gladder still there has been no violence, but the Fellowship's task is paramount. If they fail, whether the orc woman and her elderly companions have enough horses is irrelevant.

The orc woman starts forward but the male in gleaming armor grabs her shoulder firmly, arresting her forward movement. "Shara, no, you can't. We need you." She turns to him and places a comforting hand on his, then removes his hand from her shoulder. "It's the only chance we have to get the horses without risking our parent's lives."

"But..." he says, but the words die on his lips as she is already striding forward. 

As she makes her way across the field, stopping about 10ft before Jack, well inside the danger zone of the Fellowship's spells, she offers what she knows. She spends a few minutes outlining commonly known dangers to her people in the forest just before the mountains. It is filled with ambush predators, but the signs of their ambush spots are easy to identify for those who know what to look for. The mountains also have creatures known as thunderclasts, large, powerful scavenger animals with stone-like mallets for forepaws. They will generally avoid civilizations but will attack if hungry enough.

OOC: Nature checks can be made here for those with proficiency to know more about the thunderclasts. 

She also describes some of the details of the terrain, such as travel roads deeper into the peaks and areas of danger; there are some points along the road that are perilous. 

"... as for what I know of the Withering Wind, we know that it comes from deeper within the mountains. There is a peak we don't travel to; it is too dangerous. Avalanches of stones are common and the mountain quakes. Even the proud mountain goats do not walk the walls there. I... don't remember how I know this; I was too young to have ever traveled there myself before the wind turned against us. But I do know that the trees that line the mountain are all dead, but refuse to fall. Standing skeletons of what they once were."

Vazo'yn listens intently to Shara's description of the land, doing his best to commit it to memory to make their travel easier in the days ahead. He his unsure what a thunderclast is, but can tell they would be best avoided.

As she speaks of the forbidden peak, he knows in his bones that's where they must go. He turns to look toward the river. He can see no further than a few dozen feet across the water, but he knows a difficult and perilous journey lies beyond.

"Once we're across the river, how far will we be able to travel with the horses before the terrain is too precarious for them?"

Despite his earlier insistence on keeping their mounts, he starts to suspect they may have to be left behind soon anyway. Still, he watches Shara with his keen eyes, hoping she will not try to deceive him.

The dark-haired man visibly relaxes as the orc woman comes across the field to share information about what lies east of the river. Giving Vazo'yn a smile and a grateful pat on the shoulder for his support, Jack walks over to collect his steed, motioning for the others, the grim ranger in particular to come closer to listen, as he likely would be their guide to that forbidden peak. He hoped his fellows would not disapprove of the result of the negotiations. He knew they were taking a risk by turning over two of their horses but as far as he could tell they had valuable information in return. Also, even with the worlds fate in the balance he felt he needed to help those who were simply trying to save their old ones from the withering wind. As he returns with the steed he offers the reins to Shara with a warm smile. "We wish you luck on your journey Shara, may the withering wind claim no more lives."

Shara gratefully takes the reins from Jack as she responds to Vazo'yn. "I would not recommend taking the horses through the forest, though it is possible. There are pathways large enough for them, but those are also easy hunting grounds for many of the things that live there. Things like giant spiders that open trapdoors to pull prey under, constrictor snakes that fall from above, spirits that haunt the paths taken by people... It might be safer to go around, though it would take about a day longer."

She turns to Jack then, eyes full of earnest curiosity and gratitude. "What are your names? Other than the heroes who fight the Withering Wind, I do not know how to refer to you in my prayers."

Vazo'yn leaves Shara with Jack and walks back a few paces to the others. His expression is thoughtful as he thinks on what Shara has said of the lands beyond the river.

He looks around to see that his companions are spread out across the hill. Rather than call them together, he moves to a point where is his central to most of them. He reaches into his pouch of cards and pulls the deck out. He holds them face down; he does not need to see the faces, his fingers will know the right card when they touch it. He shuffles through them quickly before coming to a stop. His mind is filled with a sensation of companionship and common purpose. He turns the card over, knowing already what it will be.

Five of coins.

"The five of coins," he says quietly in the elvish dialect of his clan. In that moment his mind reaches out to his companions, attempting to forge a link between them all. His consciousness brushes against theirs and whispers a silent request for communion.

Should they allow the connection, his companions would then hear his voice whispering in their minds, "The spirits will allow us to speak to each others' minds for a time, though your private thoughts will remain yours alone."

He waits a moment before continuing.

"It seems we will have to abandon our horses soon after crossing the river. Even if we take them through the forest or delay our journey to go around, we certainly won't be able to take them into the treacherous mountains. I think it would be wiser to give them all to Shara and her people, otherwise they are likely to fall prey to predators once we leave them."

[[Casting Rary's Telepathic Bond on whoever he can reach within 30ft of himself. It's willing creatures, so of course anyone is free to refuse the connection.]]

Giles accepts the connection Vazo'yn has started, and listens to the message. He then responds back, telepathically. "That makes sense, my feet prefer the ground anyways. They've done their job getting us this far, let them go help those who are in need."

Giles walks up to the one called Shara, leading his horse. "Here. I don't know her name, but I've been calling her Cookie" he says with a shrug, and hands the orc women the reigns. "Be good to her, and she will carry you far."

He then moves back to where he started, allowing the others to continue to talk.

Shara gladly accepts the additional horse, Cookie. As she does so, the aasimar woman approaches and bows to Joy, hands folded in prayer. "May Pelor's light guide you. I am Kylie. I think I am one day going to be a champion of the Dawnfather, or, maybe I am now."

The others approach as well, except the tiefling that remains in the tree, but as they do, a scream is heard back by the four huddled people. Jack's Arcane Eye manages to see three men, humans and all in their late 40s to early 50s, leap from the shadows and grab the four older people. "SHUT UP!" One shouts as he savagely grips the dragonborn female by the neck, cutting off her scream with a guttural gurgle. The young dragonborn takes an urgent step toward them, but halts in place for fear of his family being harmed. 

"You givin way some horses? That's lovely. Why don't you give em ta us instead? I think we'd treat them better." He shouts to the Fellowship while he holds the dragonborn woman as a shield, knife held to her neck hard enough to make it bleed slightly. The others, not so viciously held by the throat, wimper in fear and anger, but seem easily overpowered. The three human men look hardy, with a sad state of clothing, but their knifes have kept their edge.

"What do you say? Maybe give us some of them shiny weapons you got too." He adds with a threatening snicker. 

( Sorry)

Ylis Initiative 22

Joy initiative: 16

OOC: waitwaitwait

Since nothing has happened yet, Ylis shouts, "Hold it buster!"

and casts Vortex Warp at lvl 4 DC 15 CON save vs being teleported into the river. Hopefully it dumps the rude choker man into the drink.

*So that's the plan. We pretend to give them the horses THEN we chuck them in the river.*

Hopefully they can save the people without anybody but the hoodlums getting hurt.

Riven doesn't flinch at the scream—but he does move.

The hostages seized, blades drawn, the man barking threats from behind a shield of flesh. The light from Joy’s spell paints everything in clarity, the shadows, his allies, are gone, burned away by good intentions.

“They waited until we were distracted. Until both the parties attention were consumed with the other"

He listens to the bandit's voice and hears the fear in his hostage's voice “I cannot reach them unaware, not like this. Not with half a dozen suns pinned above our heads.”

Another cry from the hostages. Especially the woman. His jaw tightens.

Riven shifts slightly, calculating. Watching.

Riven’s voice, a whisper at first then unmistakingly, Vazo'yn's followed by Gilles. He responds, “You want to help the hostages?”

And then a bond, a melding of minds as “Then someone needs to step forward and give them a reason to focus elsewhere.”

He begins to move, careful steps tracing the edge of the light, toward the thinnest shadow. There waits a coward who finds his courage only at the expense of the weak.

Randa stood unsure as to what was happening out of sight, she heard the other voices in her head.

Whats happening over there?

Randa took Rivens thoughts on board and nodded, she moved across walking slowly past the group they had been speaking with towards the top of the hill until those threatening violence came into view.

Vazo'yn's head snaps in the direction of the scream as it pierces the night air. He starts to move around the hill toward where the voices are shouting demands at them. He curses under his breath when he sees the blades held to the hostages' throats.

"Talk them down, Jack; the spirits guide your words," Vazo'yn's disembodied voice whispers in the minds of the Fellowship.

To Shara and her warriors, he says quietly, "Stay calm. We will keep your people safe."

Meanwhile he follows Riven's lead and slowly moves to a position where he will be ready if Jack's attempts at diplomacy fail.

OOC: Jack should still have Enhance Ability for advantage on Charisma checks and now also a D8 Bardic Inspiration.

The man throttles the dragonborn woman even tighter and her eyes roll back in her head. "You stop right where you are, girly." He shouts at Randa before she gets more than a few feet from her spot. He takes the blade from the throat of the dragonborn to point it directly at Vazo'yn threateningly, who also is moving in plain view, then places it right back at the semi-conscious woman's throat. "They getting some funny ideas, Hest. Knife one of em to show we mean business. Lightly lethal, because we a merciful sort." He smiles to the Fellowship as Shara and her crew glare and growl. There is a grunt of acknowledgement from one of the other bandits and some screams from the captured people. 

OOC: Riven, please give me a Stealth Check, with Disadvantage because you are in plain view of the bandit. DC will be 10, as the bandit has Lightly Obscured vision from the Dim Light to lower the DC. 

Randa immediately stops.

They will take the hostages with them. They have no choice in their minds. We can destroy them utterly the moment they release them.

She looked the men over.

" Apologies.  I just wanted to see the face of the one yelling......I now regret that decision."

Should I offer myself as a prisoner?  They don't seem very bright.