Quote from GrantFromCanberra >>

(Pre-post in case something goes bump in the night - if nothing goes bump it stands)

The next morning Father Pat rises with the dawn and walks outside and looks at the sky. "Ah" he says "its a beautiful morning and were it not for this endless white muck" here he kicks at the snow "I'm sure that this would be good farmland." He then turns to where dawn is breaking and says "Oh Lady of the Harvest, this worker of yours needs your help. Can you provide me with one of your harvest helpers so that we may all proceed faster to safety in order to carry out your will. As he finishes his plea (casting Find Steed), Hrain's horse Vihar gives a whinny which something responds to in a very deep snuffly whinny from around the back of the Long House and for anybody who is watching they see the largest horse they have ever seen walk around the side of the Long Horse. It is a Shire Horse stallion standing approximately 21.25 hands (86.5 inches) at the whithers and probably weighing excess of 3000lbs. It is a deep black in colour and has a rough coat with white feathers on its fetlocks. On its face it has a white blaze that looks like a head of wheat. The horse walks up to Father Pat and lowers its head. As he scratches its ears, he rests his head on its muzzle almost as if he is communing with the horse. Father Pat turns to anybody who is there and says "his name is Sampson and Chauntea has made him available to me to assist us in carrying out her will."

When the time comes to bid farewell to Haldur, Father Pat turns to Hrain and says "Cap'n, he was one of yours and you know best how he should be fare welled but he was a soldier first and foremost and as an old soldier permit me to say a few words to a young soldier who died doing his duty." After (and assuming that Hrain grants permission) Hrain has fare welled Haldur in the appropriate manner, Father Pat turns to the sky and bellows out in his best parade ground voice "Oh Lady of the Harvest, the Home and the Hearth, many thanks for the Sampson he will be a valued companion as I seek to go about doing your will. BUT I also expect you to look after this young soldier's soul  and if one of your sisters decides to take him for hers I expect you to keep an eye on him, otherwise when I get there and that may not be long now, you're going to wish you had taken better care of his soul when you had the chance."     

When the time comes to leave, and Father Pat is mounted on Sampson, he leans down to both Nicknack and Folzi he says "there's plenty of room up here if you want to join me, save you getting your feet wet in the snow." 

(BTW Sampson was a real horse and according to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire_horse the tallest horse ever) 

P.s. Haldur had 10 gold pieces too

As the others get ready to depart Hrain repeats his request to Folzi to get them moving and he will catch them up.

Once they have moved out the captain moves Haldur's body to the pyre he constructed and prays again, while the party get distance. Then, lighting the torch and the the pyre he stands to the side sword raised in salute as the body is burned away. All the words having been said the day before he climbs up into Vihar's saddle and departs after the others, their tracks clear in the freshly fallen snow.

       Folzi nods to Hrain, but first heads over to the body of their fallen comrade. He lets out a long, heavy sigh as he rolls his neck.  He then offers a quick, yet sincere, "Thanks... I hope you're in a better place than us now." Without a word, he heads off to lead the rest of the group out of the small village. 

When the time comes to leave, and Father Pat is mounted on Sampson, he leans down to both Nicknack and Folzi he says "there's plenty of room up here if you want to join me, save you getting your feet wet in the snow." 

How and with who (ppl riding together) is the party moving out? Also how far are you getting away from the camp before Hrain lights the pyre?

Father Pat mounted on Sampson - with or without other riders as that is still to be determined - will bring up the rear.

     "Nicknack, go ahead an enjoy the ride. I will make sure we're going in the right direction from the front." Folzi grumbles something again about the cold as he makes his way out of the village. He stops not getting out of sight of the Sunite captain remaining behind to light the body. 

(Not sure what the conditions are like for visability, but I say no more than 100 feet or so, is when Folzi stops to make sure Hrain follows.)

Nicknack clambers up onto Samson, pulling himself up by climbing one of the stirrups. Settling himself, he takes out his spellbook, tucks his cloak tightly around his neck, and settles into his studies.

OOC I imagined Folzi putting as much distance between the settlement and Hrain before waiting, so whatever our benevolent DM sees fit, at which point Hrain will fire up the pyre jump onto Vihar's back and ride off after them.

OOC: Who's grabbing what out of Haldur's gear? I'd say waiting a good half hour for the first group to get away then ride hard for a 1/2 to catch up the half hour head start then the time it takes to catch up!

Works for Hrain. 

Hrain wouldn't leave the gold behind but would leave the rest of his belongings behind, although he wouldn't stop one of the others from taking it. 

Hehe... Folzi isn't leaving good gold behind. Also, he grabbed a handful (4) of crossbow bolts to refills his case to 20.

OOC: I will NEVER make y'all worry about ammunition unless it's for firearms. Just FYI. Saute the Maze yes because it's obvious you can't get ammunition from anywhere but scavenging it. Even then I'll consider it.

OOC:The party moves ahead via Folzi instruction and guidance but Hrian will follow finding the party how? 

Ooc: Folzi isn't leading the party that far ahead that they would be out of sight of Hrain.

The fire burns behind the group in the distance as Hrain catches up via his steed. Folzi and Lyra are on foot while Nick and Pat ride on Sampson with Hrain on his steed. The day passes uneventfully and the party travels for miles before a sudden change in the distance around dusk finds them pausing in their trek. Smoke. Several plumes of smoke bellowing in black clouds ahead of them from the direction of the harbor where Folzi has been leading the party.

Father Pat being a master of stating the bleeding obvious - a relict of his days in the ranks - says "hey Cap'n is that smoke ahead?"

     Folzi's heart sinks as he catches sight of the fires possibly coming from the direction of the harbor. "From one fire to another...," he shakes his head in disbelief. The gnome begins to beseech some higher power, "Please... Just let there be one boat. I dont care what it is. I'll row us all in a dingey if I have to if means getting out of this place."

(How far off are we? What time if day?)

OOC: I'd say with folks on foot too about 2 hours (8 miles) ahead until the harbor but another 1 hour before full dark. Y'all have been walking 4 miles per hour and walking nearly the whole day so you've covered roughly 30 miles (8 hours) but on horseback however y'all could have covered twice that!! I'm assuming y'all stayed together tho and no forward scout!