Will tells you that they could make it back to the Highland Inn and General Store by nightfall (maybe), but you can tell from how he is eyeing the woods he's wondering if there are more wolves out there.

Nozamara nods "They will pick off the wounded ones." She looks at the twins and Stella. "You can rest overnight with Hunting Claw Clan and we can help you back to Northwood's Rest tomorrow." 

Merric pipes in after surveying the current situation..."Never be thinkin' this be comin' from me mouth, but I's got to agree that stayin with Nozamara's group o' orcs be the best thing for all's us..."

After a little pause, he adds...

"Hey Nozamara...what's your clan got for eating? You's got sausage?  I gots some cheese here I be trading ya!"

Everyone in the party agrees without discussion. You spend the night in a cave full of orcs. The next morning you are able to head to Northwoods Rest. Nozamara and a few orcs accompany you and the injured townsfolk.

Sen wakes up rested, pulling off his hat that was covering his face. He will stretch and pull his wide-brimmed hat on and gathers his pack up. "Well, I guess it's time to go find this witch. You all think it's the same witch was came across in the forest with all those goblins dancing about?" 

Will Macgregor shrugs when you mention something about a witch with goblins dancing about. "I don't know. You'd probably want to ask Joseph about it when we get back."

Merric, Dathyra and Harivaldr are caught in an uneasy feeling where they have more faith in the Orcs of the Hunting Claw Clan than they do in the townsfolks that came out to "help" them. Yesterday's confrontation is not mentioned outright. Patrick is not sure why the Orcs are helping them. 

"It is not charity," Nozamara assures him. "If you had managed to get yourself killed on Hunting Claw land, there would be no explaining. The humans from the Northern Reach would put a bounty on us and drive us from these lands."

The party makes it back to the Northwoods Rest and they find several astonished townsfolk watch as you make your way into town. Nozamara stops at the outskirts and makes eye contact with each of you. "You fought with courage. Good hunting."  Though it went unsaid, the contact and the words seemed to form an understanding that you would let the townsfolk know that the Orcs are not cause of their woes.

[[ After the long rest in cavern, go ahead and level up. We're sort of down a character and we haven't really added any NPC's and still a little squishy and.. why not? ]]

Joseph sees the send off given to by Orcs?!?. Patrick limps by, his tail between his legs. Not getting much of an explanation from Patrick to you. "What was that all about?"

Dathyra was getting rather tired of this constant back and forth between the two main inhabitants of the area. If they intended to get to the bottom of this mystery, they needed everyone's cooperation.

"Just that things are a little more complicated than everyone would like to believe," she said, answering Joseph's question. "It seems that the orcs are victims in this situation as well. Non-native creatures are starting to migrate into this area as a result of...whatever force is at work here. In short, the natural order of things is out of balance for some unknown reason. We intend to find out what that reason is."

"PATRICK!" yells Merric, hoping to catch his attention before he leaves and feeling a wee bit bad for him.  "Thanks you and yers for coming to help! That be very brave.  You's may be have had the wrongs idea in yer's head bout's the orcs at da time, but ya's didn't have all the story and put yer safety asides and rushed in anyways. Somtin' to be proud of yerself fer, regardless of da outcomes.  Might I be buying ya a brews or two laters to show me thanks?!?  First couple rounds be on me!   Whatever be going on here abouts seems mighty evil and ain't be done yet.   Have no doubt we may be needin' ya again so we needin you to keeps yers under your leadership!  Wadda ya say?"

Persuasion: 19

Patrick sheepishly assents to Merrics request.  "Aye Mr. Merric, your giving me too much credit. I'm not too proud of my actions and I'm lucky to be around for that drink." He settles in next to the halfling. "Although, your money is no good today." He signals to Joseph that he'll be picking up the ale for the halfling.

Will chimes in, making sure Joseph knows that they were luck indeed. "I'm telling you Joe, It was the dire wolf pack that runs up near the crazy witch."

Joseph nods to Dathyra, "You're on to something. Those wolves usually roam in a little valley, I think its call Elpam's Vale."  Durven is back from making the ale deliveries to Knob Noster. He comes closer when he hears Joseph mention Elpam's Vale. "Seems like that crazy coot has always lived up there since anyone can remember. I think there is a hut near the stream. Trappers used to come back and talk about her. Always muttering to herself, and the wolves, and sometimes the plants."

"Well be soundin' like we gots a plan then, no?  Let's be all havin' an ale or two, be getting a good meal in our bellies and get out's there!"

Harivaldr nodded at Merric's statement. "It's definitely our new best lead, does anyone know how far away it is? If we have to camp out in the wilderness I'd rather we all be prepared, and if we can avoid spending the night with the beasts of the forest that'd be even better." While the party was under a proper roof and out of the woods, Harivaldr untied his wolf-gnawed boot and tried to assess the damage, attempting to repair it if possible.

Durven takes a look at Hari's boots. He raises an eyebrow in question but can sense that now isn't the moment to ask about it. "Elpam's Vale is probably half a day's travel. You follow the Maple Stream north and it will take you right there." You recall that the game trail you followed yesterday cut across a stream.

"I think there are several things we need to be prepared for," Dathyra added. "Honestly, up until this point, we've really only been lucky. We do not seem to have a sense of how to use our strengths together. If we are going to challenge whatever is waiting for us out there, perhaps we need to think of a plan of attack."

"Whats you gots in yer thinkin' Dathyra?  I be mostly for stayin' hidden to sneak up close so the blade or bow can do it's work.   I don't haves too much to be addin to the likes of yer spells or magics, but could be keepin the enemy away from ya.  Me weapons and skills are yers if you gots a plan!"

Harivaldr grimaced at the sight of a rather raggedy tear where a wolf's tooth had pierced his boot. He could already tell he was going to need more than just a needle and thread for this one... With that out of the way, he set the holey boot aside and considered Dathyra's assertion. She was, as seemed to be the norm, correct, so he added his two copper to the conversation.

"I'm a bit of a mixed bag, speaking frankly. I can hold my own in a melee," he patted the hilt of his sword, "and I have my share of magical tricks as you've seen. It's mostly illusion and other trickery though, not much in the way of proper battle magic. I can stop a man cold, I have a few means of moving people about, I can get people's attention, put them in a torpor and the like, and, of course, the illusions." Here the skald snapped his fingers and summoned a minor illusion of a wolf chasing its tail on his shoulder. "Other than that... the rest of my talents lie in storytelling and performance... or perhaps deceit, if we need it."

"I nots be likin' the thought o' a pack o' wolves biting me heels and dragging me down, though the last ones fell easy nuf!   Something to be tanglin' them up or keepen em outs of the battle would be o' help while we slice em' up.  If we could be hidings from a distance to shoot em' dead before they get's too us be even betters!.

A witch though....that something be giving me the shivers...

Thinkin' we can get the surprise on em', Sen an m'self can maybe be trying to sneak up a bits closer to either then wolves or the witch and maybe gets to shooting em' with some arrows before they get's a chance at us.  That be the signal for you big noisy folk to comes a runnin' and start some magics?  Or we tries to draw em closer in for an ambush or trap?

I'm not likin' the thought of being out by meself, but I could try to sneaks up alone and do some spying on em'.  I's pretty quiet when times be needn' it.  The rest of ya be a little noisy though...yer feets are all too big!

We gots any way to be talking to each other when we's far apart?  That be helpin a lots."

Sen will say nothing to Patrick. Sen is visibly annoyed he is still there and hasn't run off with his tail between his legs. 

"Yeah," Sen spit on the ground, "we can hit them from a distance. At least make em a bit uncomfortable before they get close. And when they do," Sen pauses for a moment taking a few whip cracks, "we hit them hard. I don't think we can afford not to." 

"Caution does seem to be the best way to proceed. It's hard to know what this witch may be capable of right now." Dathyra pondered Merric's question before turning to Harivaldr. "I once knew someone who was gifted in illusions like yourself. He frequently used a spell to communicate across minds for when others were too distant or to conceal information he didn't want others privy to. Is that something you also could do?"

"Can't say that I have that particular spell, but I might be able to do something similar to it." Harivaldr stroked his beard for a moment, then quietly flourished his fingers, cast another minor illusion and threw his voice to a point right next to Dathyra, where it whispered, "Like this?" He continued normally. "It's not mind to mind, just an illusory sound, but if nothing else it gives me a way to share information with anyone in about a thirty foot or so distance, maybe a little farther if I make the noise-" he cast it again, making his voice seem to come from behind Merric at a normal volume, "-louder."

He thought for another moment, then added, "Skirmishing's all well and good, and given how few of us there are it's probably our best bet if we have to deal with an overwhelming foe, but if we do get into the thick of it, and I mean really in the thick of it, we'll all be better off standing together where we can cover each other than splitting up. We did so well against the wolves for precisely that reason, best we don't forget it, aye?"

Durven nods appreciatively at your sound tactics. "I could take you all upstream. I mean I'm sure you all can find the vale just fine on your own. Just thought I'd offer. I've got some connections here and I can help protect them."