(You all earned a long rest.)

You take your leave in the bright light of a noontide sun. Except for a few warriors on watch duty, who nod to you respectfully as you pass, the encampment is asleep. Messengers have been sent to request reinforcements from the nearby settlements, in the unlikely event of a renewed assault. Garumn's Keep has stood strong this day, and it will be many months before the Thirteen Lords attempt a second siege. 

You depart the keep via an underground tunnel and emerge into the warm light of day. Before you stretches a vast open plain, and beyond that the rising smoke of Cheesemill, a cozy hamlet populated by halflings and humans who ply their trade as farmers and brewers. The warmth of the sun eases your strained muscles and imbues you with a feeling of relaxation and contentment. 

The northern kingdoms are yours to explore.

Grum takes in a deep breath as he emerges from the tunnel.  It feels good to be out of the keep and into the open, free to wander and roam.  Then he remembers he has companions now, and whilst they certainly don't come with all the trappings of full civilisation, he realises he will need to adjust somewhat - to consider the requirements and the business of others.  It is an interesting thought.  He would have assumed he'd feel more constricted than this - not quite free to roam where he pleases.  But he also recognises that travelling with a group, new-formed friendships forged in the heat of battle, brings with it its own form of liberation:  the freedom to pursue his own specialist skills, rather than attempt to be all things for the sake of his own safety.

He looks out across the plain to Cheesemill.  What he might previously have seen as a chore, a burden, a restriction, does not feel that way to him this morning. 

"We have a message to deliver, do we not?  We travel to Cheesemill?"

"Yes, something of a battle report."  Kelric stretches out happy to be out in the open again, not minding having the road ahead of him once more.

Not needing much sleep, in the very early morning, Misha got up.

She yawned a might yawn and stretched, getting up quietly. Used to a high protein diet, her stomach rumbled loudly, protesting how here there was not much food in the last few days. She ate what she could, from whatever was available, and before putting on her armor, found a corner and did some of the daily exercises she always did every morning to unwind, untighten, and get ready. She lifted and moved heavy barrels, or whatever else she could find, repeatedly, making sure she put them back where she found them, amidst a few strange stares most likely. 

Wet with the reward of hard physical work, she cleaned up, and started to put on her armor. She made sure everyone was ready to go, got on one knee, and said a silent prayer to Bane  with her head down. Time to take report to Mill of Cheese.

Making their way outside, Misha took a moment to marvel at the landscape. Wherever she went, it was always beautiful to see different places, and this occasion was no different. The sun hit her face, and it felt good. Ready to conquer the day, she gave everyone a look of readiness, but when she looked at Tasha, her smile went wider, and she winked at her. 

As they walked, Misha asked Jill and Tasha to tell her more about each of them.

Oni almost winces at the sight of the noon sun, not used to its presence. He walks toward the back of the group with his hood over his head and contemplates his place with the group. I don’t have anywhere else to go and I’m tired of running. I trust anyone still hunting me will be no match for this group so I might as well take advantage of that. I’ll probably have to get used to the sunlight, but I don’t think I ever will.

Your journey across the golden plains is relatively uneventful, compared to the events of the previous night. It seems that the cold fingers of winter have not yet reached this secluded sanctuary of summer. A lone eagle circles overhead, and the golden trees shed their last amber leaves as a warm wind whistles through the tall grasses. You take a brief rest underneath the branches of a particularly large specimen, the cool shade bringing some relief from your hours of travel beneath the relentless sun.

A rustle in the tall grasses catches your attention, and a moment later a lion leaps onto one of the large boulders which are scattered across the plain. His dark eyes, like liquid gold, regard you intently, but without hostility. The lion exudes an aura of pride and grace, and you find yourselves entranced by the beautiful creature. 

Taking a slightly defensive position Kelric watches the beast awestruck by it.

Oni slowly reaches for the crystal in his pocket and is prepared to use it. He watches the creature and appreciates its confidence and beauty. He doesn’t want to look too long if he senses any type of magic from the creature.

Arcana: 18

Previously:

"As I told you before, I come from a village very far from here. My parents were priests of Kelemvor. They were kind people who made sure that the village's dead were ready for the afterlife and that those who remained in the world of the living did not fear death more than they needed to. One morning, I awoke to find that my parents were slain, but not by a human. I feared that whatever took them might come back for me, so I fled. I was only 12 when my parents died and if I am a toothpick now, I was less than a toothpick then. It didn't take me very long before I got lost in the woods and very hungry. I thought that I was going to die in those woods and I would have if I wasn't picked up by the people who taught me how to fight and survive. But eventually I left them when I saw that they had goals of their own that didn't match mine. I've been living by myself ever since." That is my story, although I left a thing or two out. Hopefully that'll satisfy Misha's curiosity.

Right Now:

Jill slowly backs up to the two rangers "You seem to be reasonably familiar with the wilds. Do either of you think that you can keep this lion from doing us harm as we pass by?"

I'd like to perform an animal handling check to see if I can make out the lion's intentions.

19

The lion's intentions are a mystery, but Grum can see that it is not hostile towards you.

”I suggest we try to walk away without provoking this beast. I am not the best at sensing magic and this beast is acting rather strange.” Oni slowly stands up making sure his movement is slow and his voice is calm.

Grum bows deeply to the lion, showing due respect to this magnificent creature, at home here in the plains. 

"Well met, majestic one. I hope that you and we alike can rejoice one day in peace and victory over the hateful offspring of the Thirteen Lords."

With that, Grum backs further away, slowly, still bowed, then slowly continues towards Cheesemill

The lion bows it's head to Grum. Silently, it turns and disappears into the tall grasses. In it's place rests a single white gauntlet. 

Before:

Natasha had managed to find herself a comfortable position (aka curled up into a little ball) on the floor of the keep to rest, knocking out faster than she had anticipated. Regardless, it was the best sleep she had in a long time, her body had been begging her to rest, even if it was for an hour or so.

She rose just as Misha had been moving barrels, the elf’s eyes lingering for perhaps too long on the paladin’s biceps before she caught herself staring. She chided herself, ripping her gaze away to focus on getting her hair to comply with being in two braids (she redid them a few times due to getting distracted) and readied herself for the journey her and her new group of friends had ahead of them.

When they emerged from the underground tunnel and Natasha felt the sun on her exposed tanned skin, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. She reveled in the moment, stretching her arms just as she caught Misha’s gaze followed by a wink but only responded with a crooked smile and immediately turned her head to avoid the paladin seeing her blush once again.

When Misha asked to know more about her and Jill, the ranger had let Jill speak first, giving her a moment to think about what she would say. When it came to her turn, she made it short and simple.

”I lost my parents due to a pillaging of my village. My older sister, Nadia, and I grew up in an orphanage. The two of us had found ourselves being seen as the older sisters for all the smaller kids so we often would steal food to help feed them all. Eventually we learned how to defend ourselves, and the older we got the more I yearned for adventure and that’s how I ended up here! Alive because of you all.”

Now:

The lion was indeed a magnificent sight, Natasha’s mouth left slightly agape was she observed it’s beauty, but before she could really do anything, it turned away and left a gauntlet in its place. She stared at the object, but didn’t move for it, glancing over to Grum instead. “Is that yours, Grum?”

"I believe it is, for now. But if it turns out someone else can make more use of it than I, I'll happily pass it on later."

Grum takes the gauntlet and looks it over closely. 

Oni goes to cast Mage Hand to investigate the gauntlet but watches as Grum walks over to inspect it, so he doesn’t cast it. Instead he readies himself in case it is somehow trapped or cursed.

"Are any of you capable of detecting or identifying magical auras? It might help us learn if this object has magical abilities or some kind of curse attached to it."

"I've never had much arcane training and I don't plan on dealing with higher powers anytime soon."  Kelric shrugs his shoulders "I think we should continue on I'm sure that if Grum spends enough time with it he should learn its properties."