Above & Below

Cadmael will help keep watch for danger during the trip:
Perception 11

Effort, leaving it to her familiar to be her eyes on their surroundings, takes it upon herself to train Pip whenever she can on the finer points of dodging.  Brask's head on method is all well and good when learning to attack, but Effort recognizes the fragile nature of Pip's constitution from her own experience, and knows the value of a good duck and roll.
Performance: 13 + Guidance 2

Seeing the others break off on their own of the day, Kurama will spend part of the day training, both his body/ fist weapon as well as his Ki, in preparation for whatever waits them deeper in the mountains. 

Perception Performance: 15

Brask and Pip set out early to go hunting while the rest of you finish packing up camp. After some time following the stream, they come upon a clearing and Brask clocks a small herd of white-tailed deer foraging along the far edge. He and Pip slowly make their way around, and he encourages Pip to take one down.

Pip's shot: Attack: 23 Damage: 11

His arrow sticks into the side of one of the doe, and as the rest scatter, it slowly stumbles to its knees. Pip leaps up in victory and races over, but the deer leaps up and, scared, kicks around in a circle until Brask comes over and puts it out of its misery.

When the rest of you catch up, Brask is already butchering up the deer to bring with you. Effort takes over practicing with Pip as you all slowly travel along. With her guidance, Pip starts to understand the basics of evasion and smart defense. The next enemy to attack Pip will roll with disadvantage.

In the solitude of the forest, Kurama focuses more than he's been able to in some time. He feels his Ki surging with power, and meditates to harness it within himself. Gain 1 extra Ki point - you can use this at anytime and it won't count against your daily count.

Burik, as serious as ever, spends his day watching your surroundings. Perception: 6

When the rest of you catch up to him, he's sitting in a small raised clearing that has a decent vantage point of the surrounding forest. "Look. To the south." He points off in the distance, and you're able to see a curl of smoke rising up into the sky. It's rather far off, but the color stands out against the otherwise blue sky. "Small...could be a campfire. It's out of the way, for sure. At least two or three miles to the south."

"Could be a town...or other travelers, right?" Pip looks around, not confident in his guessing.

"Could be. No way to tell from this far out."

"Hmm it seems you might be right Burik.  Though I don't see a reason to bother whomever it is unless they start following us.  What do you all think?"  Kurama comments to the group as he looks their way.

"If they do look to be following us, I can send Cadmael to scout after them," Effort says.  "If the group would prefer, I can do so before we take a rest this evening; Cadmael can see well enough in the darkness, after all.  But I must warn you, I will lose my hearing and sight for that time, for they are much too far away for me to do anything but concentrate on our bond," she adds, stroking the owl's head.

Effort pauses.  "To be honest, I don't feel the need to take such extreme measures unless they do seem to be making haste to track us, however.  That there is smoke in the air means they have struck camp for the night, just as we are.  Instead, I would suggest we retire early today, and wake even earlier tomorrow to continue our journey at a quicker pace while we have the lead.  Then we will see what that plume of smoke does after all."

Good to talk to folks.  Even peasants sometimes have useful news, says Brask, his tone suggesting this is quite rare.  But let's not bother.  They're pretty far off.  

To Pip:  Good shot.  He watches approvingly as Effort trains the goblin further, and doesn't interfere, instead walking with Burik and enjoying the fresh air.

"Fine with me," Burik adds. "No reason to stir up something where there's nothing to be stirred up."

You keep moving to the west for the rest of the day. As it begins to get dark, you enter a meadow with a clear view of the setting sun. And just below it, you can now make out the silhouette of the White Wind Mountains. They run across the entire horizon, and somehow seem more massive than the last time you visited them at their southern terminus. Still twenty or thirty miles away, you feel a bitter cold coming from their direction. You make it across the meadow, which stretches for about a mile and a half, before re-entering the trees and setting up a more sheltered camp. 

When you're ready, give me evening watch perception checks. Then someone roll me a d20 luck roll.

Effort Perception: 12 + Guidance 1
Cadmael Perception: 15

Perception: 15

Luck Roll: 14

Perception 7

The night again passes without incident. Cadmael, while watching the camp from above, runs into a few bats over the course of the evening, and Kurama sees a set of what seem to be fox eyes glowing at the edge of the clearing. Brask begins to doze again but a swift *bonk* on the top of the head from Cadmael keep him awake for the rest of his shift. Everyone wakes in the morning, rising to a sunny but again brisk day. Small tendrils of breath can be seen as you pack up camp and get moving toward the mountains.

By mid-day the hills are getting steeper and steeper, and moving across the peaks and valleys becomes quite tiring. The sun at your back feels wonderful, though, and helps to keep you moving. Eventually the trees become thinner and thinner. The vegetation as a whole is shorter and less dense, as rocky terrain begins to replace the sandy soils of the past few days. 

Let me know again what you'd like to do while traveling. I've been on vacation all week (sorry!) and will probably be scarce while traveling home the next two days, but by then we should be at the mountains and can get this next chapter moving full steam ahead!

Effort keeps an eye out any signs of the group being followed, still wary by nature.  Cadmael continues to scout for danger as they hike.  In her free time, Effort will try to show Pip ways of moving more stealthily when engaging with an enemy.  She's by no means an expert at this, but figures the little goblin could use every edge he could get.  She also gifts Pip one of her bags of caltrops (20) with a bit of tactical advice on how and when to use them.

Effort Perception 12 + Guidance 1

Cadmael Stealth: 16
Cadmael Perception: 6

Effort Stealth (for pip): 7 + Guidance 3

(edit: wow, only the owl's rolling well man.  At least he's our scout XD )

Smart bird, Brask mutters, resuming his watch and rubbing his head.

Brask is talking to Kurama, getting to know him a bit better.  He'll maybe try some sparring with him, as he's keen to learn more of how he fights.

Aside from that, Brask is also spending a lot of time with Pip, helping with his training as best he can.  Though they cannot stop and focus on it for a full day, they do probably manage a solid hour of running or archery practice every night before making camp.

Kurama will spend the morning sparring with Brask before moving spending the afternoon in a deep meditation trying to remember any details that could be useful before arriving at Whitehold.  While sparring with Brask he asks the Minotaur, "Where did you learn to fight?  You seem as skilled in weaponry as one of my friends from the monastery." h 

Performance? (for sparring): 0

History? (for meditation): 13

Brask and Effort spend time on-and-off training with Pip. It goes okay today - everyone seems a bit tired as you pushed hard yesterday and made good time approaching the mountains. He seems to imitate your movements and take in your lessons well enough, though. 

Kurama, as you walk and think about what else you might know of this place, you do recall Ryuu speaking of Whitehold in association with some kind of prophecy. The dark forces surrounding Oshait had given birth to many childhood tales of evil forces clashing with good right here on this plane and on this continent, but Ryuu said there was something real and tangible about those stories, and that one day there would be an unprecedented alliance that would be spell doom for the material plane as you all know it. And while Whitehold was only a physical location, there was something about it that would play a part in this story. Those are the only details you can recall.

The mountains on the distant horizon grow a bit taller as you travel west throughout the day. In a way, you forget they're even there as you push toward them until you finally stop in the late evening and pause to look up. They are truly immense. Towering peaks covered with snow and ice, you can see glistening, snow-filled winds blowing off of them. There is only one small stand of dwarf pine trees between you and the first rocky fields that lead up to the true start of the mountain range. Seems like a good place to set up camp before things get really, really cold.

As you do this, Cadmael continues to scout. There is again a small campfire off to the south. It's slightly more southwest than it was the day before, but still a long distance away. Cadmael estimates at least a mile, maybe more. The fire's origin is from within the trees, so he's unable to get a really good look at the source. 

Brask looks up at the mountains towering above him.  Huh, he says, for no particular reason.

Assuming that Effort shares the results of Cadmael's search, he growls in annoyance.  No.  This won't do.  No mysterious group tailing us.  We should go and get in their faces.  If they're stupid peasants, we scare them off so they don't get in our way.  If they're a problem, we destroy them.  He looks at the others.  We sort this out before it comes back to bite us on the ass.

"Though different than the peaks I lived near, it does feel a bit like home being so close to the mountains."  Kurama shares with the group as they take in the immensity of the mountain range.

Afterwards when discussing the group seemingly tailing them, "I agree Brask, we should discover who they are and discourage them from continuing on their current route.  I fear what we'll find in Whitehold and wish to avoid collateral damage to any innocents or those uninvolved with our current mission." 

"I also do not like this business of their camp tailing ours.  Though I do not think we should charge in and ask.  I think we should approach quietly and see who they are.  If they are mere adventurers, then we can walk in and ask their business.  If they are something darker... well then.  Let us get the jump on them," Effort agrees.  "Let us set off immediately before we make our own camp.  If they are friendly, or if it comes to blows, they have a camp conveniently set up for us already.  We will make use of it one way or the other."

Burik nods in agreement, and rubs his sleeve on the blunt end of his hammer. Pip checks his bow string in preparation and seems satisfied with the result. You all head off, slightly backtracking before having Cadmael guide you toward the camp. It takes less than an hour to get close, although by now the sun has dipped below the mountains and its final glow is leaving the sky.

Anyone approaching further, roll me stealth checks if you want to sneak toward the camp.

Stealth: 20

Kurama nods in agreement and then as quietly as possible makes his way towards the camp; though as he's not used to travelling in the wildness in low light, he inadvertently makes noise now and then as he steps on random twigs along the way.