As the dire wolf lunges violently at Burik, with razor sharp teeth bared and ready to rip through the dwarf's flesh, Effort fires an eldritch blast into the soaring beast. It catches it in the neck and sends it spinning into the dirt next to Burik. It's huge tongue hangs out of its mouth as the beast lies motionless. 

You're out of combat.

The father runs out of the house. He inspects the scene, seeing his fallen sheep and all the dead wolves. "Well, that didn't take long," he says. "Any time the animals get loose these wolves are here within a day or two. Hopefully now that this big one is dead we can keep the others at bay."

He helps you clean up inside while the mother makes up some baked treats for the road. One of them is a lemon curd pastry that is quite good. Brask eats his share before you leave the kitchen.

Effort will take the time while eating her pie in the kitchen to roll a hit dice and recover HP: 5

"Are we ready to continue our journey?" Effort asks the others as she feeds the last of her pastry crust to Cadmael.  Pastry tasty, she hears him say to her.  Don't get spoiled, she chides him in response.  Bringing her attention back to the others, she adds quietly "Or did either of you wish to stay for another day and help the farmers as they rebuild, in case more animals attack?"   She phrases it diplomatically, although technically what she's really asking is if the party wants to rest for another day at the farm to recover from the wolf pack attack.  "We may lose the trail of that supposed baby golden dragon if we do, though... that is, if that trail isn't lost already." 

Nah says Brask, mouth full of pastry, at Effort's suggestion of staying.  He swallows and takes a swig of whatever there is to drink.  Let's get going. 

He addresses the peasants: Make sure you skin those wolves and get the meat as well - that should pay for your barn repairs.  Normally we charge for taking care of pests like that, but I was in need of a good fight, so we'll let it slide - this time.  Good luck to you.  He gets up and walks out, ready for the day's adventure.

(Brask will also take this as a short rest, if that's okay.)

When the party does eventually set out, Effort will ask Cadmael to scout for the party once more, sending him into the air.

Cadmael Perception: 18

Everyone can take a short rest if they'd like. I'll assume you start out the day's journey at a relaxed pace.

The farmers thank you again and the father sets out to work on the wolf carcasses. You make your way back to the main road and once again head east. The warm sun on your faces is a welcome treat after such a chaotic twelve or so hours, and you all walk silently for a bit soaking it in. The landscape slowly grows from long stretches of flat fields and forests to more hilly terrain. The trees and animals you encounter are mostly the same, but you can definitely tell that you're moving away from the expansive riverlands that Lovilra sits in the middle of. 

Around mid-day, you find yourselves cresting the top of a rather steep hill. As you reach the top, the tips of the White Wind Mountains come into view. They're closer than most of you have ever seen them before (save for Burik), and they're impressive. What you can see is only a tiny fraction, as they span most of the continent, but regardless, they seem never-ending. 

Reinvigorated by the sight, you press on until late afternoon, finding yourselves quite tired. Cadmael soars above, surveying the valleys between the hills, and is able to spot a freshwater pond with a small stream running between two of the larger hills in the area. He scans the surrounding hills for any signs of trouble, and it seems like a safe bet for a meal and a bit of rest for your weary feet.

"There's a freshwater pond and stream nestled between two hills over that way," Effort points to the small valley.  "Cadmael didn't sight any trouble from above... it'd be good for us to take a break there."  She winces.  "My feet are killing me, we might even just camp out there for the evening, if it looks safe enough."

Hit die:  13

Yeah, says Brask, whose wounds are mostly healed but still hurting a little, especially the bite on his leg.  Rest.  Water.  He wanders over to the stream, drinks and refills his waterskin, then sits down heavily.  The mountains are... awesome, I guess.  Never seen them so close.  He goes quiet, looking at the view, impressed.

Effort also takes the time to drink deeply from the stream, wash the sweat and dirt of travel off from her face and neck, and refill her waterskin.  The mountains are overwhelming at this distance, but she can't help but be wary still, thinking of the creature that had set the barn on fire.  "Where would an injured baby creature hide itself, if it were scared?" she murmurs thoughtfully, standing up and turning around in a slow circle while studying their surroundings.  Waving her hand, she touches her forehead and murmurs, casting  guidance on herself.

Cadmael, help me deduce, she instructs her familiar as she searches.  Where would you hide yourself if you were injured?

Investigation: 18 plus 1

Hit die: 6

Burik sheathes the flaming greataxe again, and carries it on his back as the continue their journey. He never looks back as they leave, and often just ends up staring into the middle distance until the mountains come into view. "Wait till you get closer Brask, then it's really a sight."

When the news of the stream and pond come back, "Stop? But we've barely been walking a couple of hours..." Burik then looks to the sky and the sun, "Oh... Yes, I suppose you're right, I was miles away..."

He'll then head to the stream, fill his waterskin and take a long refreshing drink from it before sitting down and watching Effort look around the area.

Cadmael circles around above the pond, looking out in the direction of the mountains. This was the direction it was headed, he flaps a few times toward the east. If it is from the mountains, it was far from home. Why go back? Perhaps just an instinct upon being scared or injured at the barn. But hiding somewhere known is always better than the alternative...and I bet there are plenty of places to hide up there.

Your time at the pond passes by uneventfully. Everyone enjoys the cold stream water and a bit of time off their feet. Actually, a little more time passes than you realize. By the time everyone is ready to start traveling again, it's late afternoon and the sun is falling to your backs. It's not quite to the tree line yet, so you still have a bit of time before nightfall. The landscape appears to be more steep hills to the east, but you could at least get a bit closer to the mountains before the sun fully sets.

Let me know if you continue to travel, how and where you set up camp, any other activities, etc.

"Let's get closer to the foot of the mountains," Effort tells the others.  "It may be very nice here now, but I feel too exposed in the valley like this."  She looks to Burik.  "You're the one here most familiar with the mountains... where would you recommend we camp out?"

As the group continues to travel onwards, Effort continues to rely on Cadmael's efforts to scout for them.  Thankful for her familiar, she's at the same time made painfully aware by his competence how ill-equipped she is to survive in the wilderness on her own.  A city can be just as harsh of a place to scrape by as any wilderness, but at least there she is dealing with known quantities.  Here, everything feels foreign and strange.  She gauges the height of the trees in the forest by building-stories; every leaf and flower is, while nice to look at, a potential bed of insects, poisons, and rash-inducing saps or nectars.  The call of the creatures in the wilderness are both unsettling and unfamiliar.  Unhappy, Effort wraps her cloak more tightly around herself and tries to ignore the aching in her feet, reminding herself that she has a greater purpose on this mission no matter how much she might miss the comforts of civilization.

Cadmael's perception for dangers on the trail: 10

Burik, you would know that the hills get steeper and steeper until they level out in a bit of a plateau before the mountains. The trees thin out but then come back in full force on the plateau - this time a thick evergreen forest that lasts for miles until the foot of the mountains and the eventual climb in elevation. You haven't yet reached the end of the hills, though, so it's up to you all how far you want to travel and where you feel safest camping out.

Cadmael soars a bit higher than before, trying to see over the hills and into the surrounding valleys. Off to the north he spots a herd of deer feeding on the outskirts of a small stand of trees. A few other birds fly by, but otherwise, there's not much for him to report. As he reaches the highest he's comfortable with, he can see over the tallest hills and way off in the distance, the dark green line that must represent the pine trees of the evergreen forest. 

Brask whistles from time to time as they walk.  At one point he looks over at Effort and the expression on her face.  You worry too much.  You probably think too much too.  It's not a good habit.  He resumes his whistling.  Performance 5

Occasionally a whistle sneaks out, but for the most part, you're just kind of spitting a little. It dribbles down the fur on your chin. Effort tries not to stare.

Brask genuinely believes he's a great whistler and that everyone is impressed.

 "... doesn't even have the proper sort of lips to do that," Effort mumbles under her breath as she tries not to stare in odd fascination.  When Brask glances over, looking pleased with himself, Effort fumbles for something resembling an encouraging smile and gives him a thumbs-up.  Marginally, she's aware that she probably looks about as good as Brask sounds, and wonders how deep they are collectively making the furrows in Burik's brows dig at this moment.  Still, she is grateful, because with whatever Brask is trying to do with his mouth, it's certainly more than enough to distract her from her own pessimistic thoughts.

"The treeline is still a good distance away," she says after taking a momentary pause to check in with Cadmael.  "I don't think we're going to make it before nightfall, so it'd be in our best interest to start looking for somewhere sheltered enough for the evening."

Yup, says Brask, and he starts to look around for somewhere sheltered near a stream.  Perception 13

As you all start to look around, Brask finds a small clearing next to the stream in between some stands of oak trees. It lies at the bottom of one of the valleys and appears sheltered from the elements. The day has grown a little cooler, and each time you crested a hill you noticed the winds accelerating. It doesn't seem like there are any imminent storms, but the afternoon has turned the sky from blue to gray.

Effort will set up one of her her (only) bedroll near the stream.  After inspecting the trees carefully, she will attach her bell to the rope she has, and carefully wind it close to the ground around a couple of the trees near the camp perimeter, so that the bell will ring if something trips the rope while trying to approach their camp tonight.  Afterwards, she will call Cadmael to roost in the nearby trees and keep watch over the camp while they prepare for dinner and bedding down for the evening.

"We should take turns holding watch when we rest," she says to the others.  "If a direwolf is bold enough to attack while on the relative safety of the farmlands, I can only imagine what chances a creature of the forests might take with us out here.  I can volunteer for a later shift if need be.  Well, I won't be of much use, but Cadmael can help me keep watch, and he has excellent night vision."

Brask looks at the sky.  He sighs.  Yeah, shoulda bought a tent.  He starts to make a campfire, picking up sticks here and there around the clearing.

As they get the camp ready, he speaks to Burik.  Another one that doesn't speak much.  Don't think I'm complaining, I hate chatter as much as the next minotaur, but... You got something on your mind?