Hoard of the Dragon Queen [IC. 2014 rules]

Draylin

"Something is not right," he says with a concerned look towards the house. 

Meanwhile, Montar, Thistlewick and Leosin also make their way to rejoin the party.

Draylin

"All is not well at the farm," he tells the group as they join.  "It is probably good that you decided to keep the group together, although I fear for the village if we are too long delayed.  Perhaps the least threatening among us would be the best to initiate the greeting."  Pausing to glance down at his blood stained shirt and belt bristling with the hilts of a half dozen blades, he offers a shrug and dejected look.  "I would likely run away from myself in such a state."

If more charismatic, and less bloody, folk offer to do the talking Draylin drops back to assist Leosin, offering his arm and shoulder to ease his brother's burden,  

Montar is as of yet unharmed, but decidedly less than charismatic. He defers to others.

Draylin

***Thanks to being snowed in I finally had the time to just sit here until I figured out how to put images in on the forum.  Below is what Draylin looks like.***

Tam looks at her boots, but knows that a good reporter steps up to the plate. "I'll go talk to them. You all wait here, but be ready for trouble." With that she goes to the door and knocks.

The conversation inside and the clatter of plates die off the instant Tam's knuckles hit the wood. There is a long stretch of uncomfortable silence before the rogue hears a frantic shuffling just behind the door.

"Have you lost your mind?" one of the voices whispers intently.

"Ma, do you think a bandit would just knock? They’d have smashed it down by now!" another whispers back.

The voices dissolve into an unintelligible, hushed argument before a heavy latch rattles. The door creaks open barely an inch, held fast by a security chain that keeps it from opening fully.

A single, wary brown eye peers through the gap, taking Tam in from head to toe, lingering on the crossbow and her travel-worn clothes. The woman's face pales visibly. "Who are you?" she manages to ask, her voice trembling. "What is it you want with us?"

A good reporter always asks the question everyone else is afraid to. Tam thinks to herself. And she also reminds herself that truth is on her side. She's not trying to harm anyone, she just wants to help.

"Hi, my name is Tam. Tam Merriweather. I'm a reporter for the Waterdeep Times. I was on my way to Greenest to cover the story of the dragon cult rumors when I was attacked and captured. She shows off the scrapes on her wrists where she was tied up. I barely escaped with my friends from a group of raiders who were headed to Greenest. We stopped in to warn you and also to see if you could point us towards town, so we could warn them as well." She licked her lips and looked around, intent on identifying who was a resident of the farm and who was a visitor. Which one of these people was not like the others?

When Tam mentions Greenest, the woman's face loses even more colour. She lets out a shaky breath, but before she can speak, a familiar voice calls out from the depths of the house.

"Waterdeep Times, you said?" A chair scrapes harshly against the floor, followed by hurried, uneven footsteps. Mara steps aside as a different face appears in the narrow gap... one Tam recognises instantly.

"'Tis you!" Ann exclaims, her teary eyes going wide. For a second, she looks like she might faint from the sheer shock of it. "You're alive!"

The door slams shut momentarily as the security chain rattles and snaps back, then it swings wide. Ann – the woman from the loot tent – stands there, her hands trembling.

"Are you alone? Did something happen to the others? Best hurry inside!" she says breathlessly, beckoning her savior in. "I'm sure my neighbours wouldn't mind if you catch your breath. Right, Mara?"

Without waiting for a response, she opens the door fully, revealing a room much busier than Tam expected. Beside Mara stands an older woman stirring a massive pot on a stone stove, and nearby the young girl from the barn watches with wide, curious eyes.

But then, something moves in one of the corners and Tam realises it's the two young boys who had been forced to dig latrines at the camp. They are now sitting on the floor, hunched over wooden plates of steaming stew. At the small table, the two gnomes from the armoury tent have also found refuge. The husband has all but collapsed in his chair, his face pale as his wife carefully bandages a wound on his arm. She looks up at the door, her bruised face revealing her shock.  

Tam's face brightens and she calls back to her friends. "Come in, the other prisoners of the camp made it out." She embraces Ann, letting all of the stress and tension of the past few hours wash over her and she nearly collapses. She feels light headed and she looks for a chair to sit down on. This is all too much.

"In the chaos we weren't sure if you made it out," Tam says. "We're so glad you are all safe. I'm not sure we saved everyone." Tam looks at her own feet shamefully. 

Hearing that, Ann's face brightens with a look of pure relief. "Please come in, everyone! All of you!"

There are three unoccupied chairs around the table and a couple of benches lined against the walls. The young girl rushes to clear stacks of raw wool from one of them, making space for the unexpected guests. 

The main room is initially dim, save for the light coming from the open window and a single candle burning on the table, but seeing the crowd, the older woman moves to open the remaining shutters. Daylight and fresh air flood the room, cutting through the dimness.

She casts a worried, sidelong glance at the woman called Mara who remains strangely silent, before turning her attention to the party.

"Anyone hungry or thirsty?" the older woman eventually asks.

The house smells of stew, freshly baked bread... and well, just of a home. 

Tam realizes she hasn't eaten or had anything to drink in a long while. "I'm starving," she says before she can stop herself.

"How did you all get here?" the ever-curious reporter asks.

Draylin

Them monk sighs audibly when Tam is well received.  Offering his aid to Leosin, the battered monk begins to walk to the quaint farmhouse.  

When they arrive he greets the others with a sincere smile, but urgency in his demeanor.  "Your hospitality is most gracious and well received.  We need to move to Greenest with all haste, lest we are returned to the chains, or worse.  The cultists move as we speak, and we have already encountered some who were specifically after escapees..."  pausing for a moment, he looks to the party.  Most are injured, all are exhausted.    "Perhaps we could rest briefly then depart.  Our company does need to heal up a little,"  he says.  He rolls back his shoulders, wincing visably where the goblin's arrow struck.

***OoC: insight on Mara:  20  if she is still acting 'quiete' or odd*** 

"Yesss, I would like to know that myself," piques the Gnomish Lord in addition to Tam's inquiry, settling against the wall next to the hearth after striding in like he owned the room. His wound still hurt, but his curiosity trumps the pain. Looking to the couple he'd met in the weapons cache, his voice squeaks slightly as his tone holds a neutral inflection: "Last I remember of you, you were awaiting our distraction to escape. As I recall, we'd all escaped in a similar time frame. How have you all come to this place with such haste?" Reconsidering his words, Amadeus clarifies, "I am not one to look upon serendipity and feel left wanting, I assure you. I'm merely curious as to what means you managed to beat us here?" As he speaks, however, he simultaneously covers his wound. His suspicion is still prevalent, and his better judgement tells him to hide his weakness until he's certain these unfortunate souls are trustworthy. Until then, he does his best to dissuade any inclination that he is in need of first aid. 

Montar enters, but tries to keep out of the way. Accustomed to long hours standing over the forge, he forgoes a seat and instead takes up a quiet guard near the door, watching out the windows at the same time. (Poorly, apparently: perception 7)

The old woman begins pouring stew in wooden bowls and passing them around. "Here, eat this, you look like you're about to faint," she says, offering a bowl of stew to Tam.

The young girl springs to help, offering warm bread rolls. Montar watches as Mara leaves the house for a few minutes, before returning with a bucket of fresh water from the well. There is nothing else out of the ordinary that catches the dwarf’s attention.

Observing Mara, Draylin doesn't see anything that would suggest hidden malice in her actions, but she looks extremely uncomfortable. However as he watches her, her brown eyes looking far away, the monk senses her fear isn't of the party. She looks like a person who's just received grave news about a loved one.

"We arrived shortly before you did. Barely had time to catch our breaths," the female gnome says, tying the bandage ends into a neat ribbon. She bows her head to Amadeus. "Thank you again for standing up for us, sir. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
Ann nods in agreement.

"Tis true. I was just telling my neighbours about you lot. Once you left me in that tent, I waited for you to come back. I ate the strange berry that you good sir gave me," she says, nodding towards Thistlewick, "and kept glancing out. Suddenly, I saw Max and Moritz here," she gestures to the two boys, "darting between the tents. I realised they had no chains, just like me! I don't know if it was the berry, ‘cause I never tasted anything like it before, or the hope of freedom, but my mind cleared. I could finally think again."

She sits back down, clenching her hands tightly on the table. To keep them occupied, she begins peeling an apple. "I ran out and followed the boys and we hid near the entrance. Then... the whole chaos started. I almost died right then and there from fear. One of the tents went up in flames, everyone started screaming and running around. I thought that was the signal you mentioned."

"That’s when we snuck out of the armoury and found them," the male gnome adds weakly. "Groups of bandits were running and screaming about a missing prisoner. We figured it was now or never... and just got lucky. There was so much chaos that the raiders missed us, and the kobolds were too busy with their own arguments to care."

"So they found out eventually their special prisoner was fake."  Leosin shifts on the bench, his hands cupping a bowl of steaming stew. He offers Montar and Thistlewick a nod of apreciation. "Still, your plan and your illusion probably saved our lives."

"At first, we took the main trail," the female gnome continues, shaking her head, "but we heard voices and threw ourselves into the brush. We got all scratched up and bloody. My man tore his arm on a rock. We heard goblins screeching about 'finding and killing the gnomes,' so we just kept running. We was terrified."

"Once we got out of the plateau and the rocks cleared, I realised I knew where we were," Ann continues. "I've spent my entire life running around these hills and fields, there's no place quite like the Green Fields. We cut straight through them running as fast as we could. That's why we made it here a bit earlier than you, 'specially if you followed the main trail which winds around the fields for the most part. It takes much longer to reach Greenest, and that's where the raiders lurk to ambush folks. Our farm was right on that trail... maybe that's why it's no more."

Ann sniffs, wipes a tear from her cheek and blinks rapidly. "If you're here now, you must have got lost at some point. How lucky to find Mara’s place! I am glad, at least I can proper thank you now." she smiles gratefully at each of you, then her face goes sour for a moment. “I just hope that Bushek and Danea got to run too. They were on feeding duty and I never saw them in the chaos. I hope they are okay.”

The two gnomes nod silently in agreement, their bruised and scratched faces showing genuine sadness.

"Hearing this story, Lady Luck must be smiling down upon you all today. I'm glad we have our deary neighbour back. I'd be glad to offer you some warm food like you helped dear Ann here," the old woman says, taking the moment to finally look up from her stew. She spots Thistlewick's bloody attire and blinks shocked. "Oh my, some of you are hurt. Maddie will get you some more water to clean up. Do you need anything else?"

Montar nods back to Leosin, but is otherwise silent. He's content letting his apparently more talkative new companions speak, but is ready to press for moving on to Greenest quickly if no one else does.

Draylin 

"Your hospitality is well recieved, yet I fear we must be on the move quickly.  We all need to get to Greenest before the full encampment moves against it.  Can you good folks guide us there by the quickest, safest route possible?"

Draylin 

The half elf's brows furrowed briefly.  After a moment he added, "I mean, Anna, if you know the way to Greenest that bypasses the main trail, our odds of making it without incident jumps drastically."

As the group discussed the best strategy to get everyone safely to town Draylin's eyes bounced from bowl to bloody wound and back to bowl.  A growling tummy settled it.  He took the nourishment before tending to his arrow wound.  Too bad we didn't free a bard he mused; if we make it to Greenest we'll have a hells of a tale to tell.

Thistlewick bows to the crowd.  "The food and drink is most appreciated.  I hope I can repay you properly some day.   However, this short rest burns TIME we have little enough of.  We really must be off to Greenest as soon as possible.    A guide would be most welcome.  As would a mount for our badly wound friend."

He picks up his dishes and carried them over to the 'dunk bucket'.   "Now, what can I do to help while the others prepare to depart?"