Quote from LuckyTab >>

 

At this moment the wolves are kind of looking about nervously as they are not comfortable in the open during day. Agatha, you have enough time to ask for a question or favor before they return into the woods.

 

Agatha: basically the wolves are on their way back into the woods, and you have enough time to either ask them another question about something they may know about, or you can ask them to do a simple task for you. I'm referring to your Speak with Animals spell.

Leto, looking around, you do not see anything unusual. However, being much closer to the wolves now, you can tell that  in addition to their burn and slashes, you also see what looks like a rope burn around their necks.

Hansel starts towards the keep at a slight jog, stopping for a minute at the fence to hop it and within a few moments you see him vanishing between the buildings of the hamlet. After about a 15 minute jog, you arrive at the keep, a little breathless as you've already been on your feet walking for a few hours and the keep was further than expected. As you catch your breath, a young man holding a spear walks up to you. "Hey, aren't you one of the new folk whose supposed to be on patrol?" You quickly relay what you have seen to him, and he looks at you a bit unsure and says, "its not my place to judge, Brom is still on duty, so I'll take you to him." He turns around and leads you a short way into the keep, to where you assume is a guard house. As you follow you realize something, it seems the spearman you are following is actually holding a sharpened stick, with the tip painted to look like a speartip. Upon arrival, Sgt. White dismisses the boy, and hears your report. "Well, your lot is about to be replaced anyways. I'll see if we can't get a small group of volunteers to take a look when the guard changes." Make sure you all come back here for some food and stay close by. We might be needing you again it sounds like."

(Nah, Agatha's just happy some of the wolves can carry on doing their thing elsewhere.)

Agatha looks to those that hung back with her. "Nah, 's'all good." She gives a mischevious grin. "Might be a city gal, but don't mean I ain't good with animals."

((Did Hansel also make it back to report to us about what he reported to them?))

Leto will relay the information about the rope burn, saying "It seems as if someone may have tried taming these creatures before you Agatha. Though perhaps less kindly."

The wolves quickly disappear into the thick underbrush of the forest. And you all resume your patrol of the well worn path. A while later you meet up with Hansel, at the end of the fence line, and the last few hours of your patrol are uneventful.

About a hour before noon, a small band of men arrive to replace you.

Hansel thanks the group for replacing him. "Well that was fun," he says as he goes back to his bedroll. 

Assuming we are again provided with some food Leto will use prestidigitation to flavor it all like some serious gourmet food and pass out bowls again. He'll also ask any guard that brings them their rations "So what did White end up doing about the troops we discovered out on our patrol?"

As a note, to get food and such. You’ll have to head to the keep. They delivered your last meal because the kitchens were already closed.

I’ll assume you all take a short rest at your hut and then head to the keep for lunch. Upon arrival at the keep you all see a makeshift dining area set up in the courtyard, where a few servants are having out a black bread and cheese to the few dozen gathered there.

The guard you ask happens to be the same one who showed  Hansel to the guard house. “Brom called for volunteers and a few men familiar with the woods left not to long after your friend did. They should be getting back any time now”

Leto will respond "From whom might you be expecting trouble? There must also be a reason a group like us was hired to patrol. What can you tell us about what, or who, we might need to deal with on our patrols?"

((When the patrol returns after I'd also like to hear their report))

Draconovich eats silently while listening to all of this. Finally he speaks up. "I too would like to hear what they have to say and I am also curious about this group deeper in the woods and who they may be as well as to why they are camped where they are"

The young man says, “Thanks to the civil war, it could really be anyone. If it’s in the woods, it’s probably just some elves. I mean it is their woods after all... although it wouldn’t explain the smoke you saw. We would have received word if any nobles or merchants had decided on marching on us, but I think we are far enough from the capital that shouldn’t be an issue. I’m of the belief it’s some poachers.”

DM to the party: do you all want to wait for the scouts to return, they are already late.

Quote from LuckyTab >>

The young man says, “Thanks to the civil war, it could really be anyone. If it’s in the woods, it’s probably just some elves. I mean it is their woods after all... although it wouldn’t explain the smoke you saw. We would have received word if any nobles or merchants had decided on marching on us, but I think we are far enough from the capital that shouldn’t be an issue. I’m of the belief it’s some poachers.”

DM to the party: do you all want to wait for the scouts to return, they are already late.

"Well hopefully it's nothing big... by the way, when are those scouts due back? I'd like to hear what they found." Leto will ask.

((@all. if they are late, clearly we could go look for them. But are we being paid enough to do so? We completed our patrol for the day...))

Hansel eats his food and listens to the young man. "I don't care much for the affairs of elves or nobles though it is fun to smack when they are whining about something. However, I'm more than willing to teach some poachers a lesson." 

"It makes no difference to me" Gnash says while eating.  "As long as the food keeps coming and the pay continues I will do as they ask."

Quote from Paladin54 >>

"It makes no difference to me" Gnash says while eating.  "As long as the food keeps coming and the pay continues I will do as they ask."

 ((inside the double (( )) I meant as OOC chat... btw))

To Leto the boy says, “Really, they should have been back by now. I don’t know what’s been keeping them. The men who went were all experienced woodsmen, they knew the woods just about as well as the elves.”

((as far as pay goes, that’s for you all to decide))

"Well, that seems foreboding..." Leto will reply "Perhaps the camp my friend's bird scouted is something more to worry about after all." Turning to the group Leto will say "What do you all think of this? We were hired to patrol and do the odd job here or there. Though as many commented on, the two gold for a month isn't really enough for me to put my neck on the line for."

Hansel glances at the boy as he stands up. "Do you know if there is any supernatural forces at work? Devils or demons?" 

Draconovich looks at the others and thinks for a moment before speaking once again. "I could send my Gryfalcon to scout once again and see if it can see what the status of the scouts are."

Agatha shrugs. "So the scouts are skivin' are they? We could give 'em wot for and maybe rescue 'em if they're lost." She advises the group.

((OOC: I'm fine either way. Agatha is happy just to sit and eat, but is also raring to do something interesting.))