As you prepare to leave, Master Dundragon and Nicolas thank you once again for your company and bid you farewell and good luck on your adventures. They tell you to be safe out there and wish you a safe return to Yartar, whenever that may be. Ander smiles as Krackle scoops up the leftover bread and encourages him to take it for a snack on the road. "Stale bread is the staple of all adventurers," he says as you depart. 

Assuming that you area now well fed and stocked with adequate supplies for your journey, the five of you set off towards Yartar's north gate. If you wish to stop at any one of a few food stalls and purchase some baked deserts or meat pies to supplement your rations for the road, there's certainly time for that. The average cost of such an item is about 1 sp. 

Walking out of the gates, you find yourself on the other side the town wall in the early afternoon hours of the day. There are a few other people coming and going during this time of day, some traveling to and from some of the outlying farms around Yartar, and a few who look like they're about to embark on a longer journey or trading trip. However, with differing traveling speeds and agendas, you soon find yourselves walking alone underneath the hot summer sun on the well-traveled stone pathway of The Evermoor Way. 

The terrain along this part of the route passes through farm fields, open grasslands and low, buttery smooth hills. Occasional, scattered buttes and low ridges rises up on either side of the trail, most of them about a half mile to a couple miles away from the path. The River Dessarin flows in a winding parallel track to the south of you, but from where you are now, it's too far away to be seen. Looking forwards, this slight, rolling, open terrain appears to continue for quite a few miles into the distance. 

(Dundragon mentioned giving us travel expenses -- did he pass along money for rations etc, or food, or something?)

On the way out of town, Lumen says, "I'd almost forgotten, but it'll take three days to get to Melton, where we're supposed to find someone who can tell us more about the goblins. Unless they take us for wealthy travelers and try to take us out on the road, in which case, we'll have found them without looking. Also, we're headed north, and Dundragon's errand with the dryad I think is that way, to the east. So we'll be backtracking to Yartar anyways. Anyone fancy a traveling song?" He pulls out his lute and begins strumming a quiet, but bright tune (kind of an acoustic version of Interstate Love Song by STP).

Chrys gives and encouraging smile to Krackle as he's hoisted onto Lumen's shoulders.  "Yer in good hands there.  An' while he ain't as tall as Silver, he's a might bit taller 'n me, so I think you'll have some fun up there."  On their way out, she grabs a meat pie for dinner; it's a good deal, and after this it's probably going to be hard tack for a while.

The summer sun is hot overhead, and combined with the soothing chirp of crickets in the grass, it'd be easy to fall into a blissful stupor as she walks.  Still, as soon as the crowds being to thin out, Chrys shakes herself out of that growing sense of sleepiness and scans the countryside for any signs of danger along their path.  Everything here looks idyllic right now, which is why she wants to keep it that way if possible.

(Perception: 11)

She takes a break from her vigilance when Lumen starts to speak of Melton.  "3 days ain't so bad," she says, "Not if this weather holds up, least."  Taking a look at her well-worn but well-loved equipment, she grins.  "I don't think anyone's gonna mistake us for money just yet, but that ain't no problem.  If they're brassy enough ta be attackin' the caravans travelin' through here, they'll probably be happy to take a group o' mercenaries on too.  Lumen, since yer most familiar with this road, ya should help me keep an eye out for trouble while we're walkin', right?"

She spares a glance at Kess after speaking with Lumen, then looks back at the half-orc.  If one was looking, one could almost see the question marks forming over her head as she tries to puzzle out their relationship, undoubtedly coming to the wrong conclusions.  Chrys also takes  a moment to check on Vesper -- who in her mind, was getting along really well with Lumen before he started showing a vested interest in Kess.  Then she squints at Lumen again suspiciously.  Oh by Duin's hairy balls, I hope we ain't gettin' into a love triangle here.  Is this guy gonna be like all those bards that go around charming all the pretty women around them with their nice words? she thinks.  He better not be planning on breaking any hearts on this journey...

(Chrys thinks she's being subtle, but she probably looks more like this.  If you really, intensely feel the need to roll something to see if you notice her face contorting, I think you can safely do it with advantage, LOL)

Krackle would smile wide as he is scooped up by Lumen. Once on the bards shoulders he would quickly work to position himself so that he was not too much of a burden for his companion. On their way out of town, he would quickly scurry down and buy an additional meat pie with Chrys before scurrying back up after placing it carefully on top of his old robe in his small backpack. As he quickly climbed up the back of the half-orc, he would quickly attempt to slip the remaining 6 sliver and 8 copper pieces from their performance into Lumen's the coin pouch... (Slight of hand! 13). Once on his shoulder perch once more.. he would try to slap his knees like a drum to the beat of the song being played as they traveled... squinting his eyes as they made their way in the bright sunlight. (Perception at disadvantage 3)

(OOC: lol... poor kobold eyes in the sun... that roll seems about right :P )

Vesper looks at Chrys as she makes that face. "What's wrong? Do you smell something gross? Do you have a stomachache?" 

"I bet she has to poop!" Krackle would reply quickly. "I have seen that face before... that is the face of someone that is poopin" The small kobold would reply very matter-of-fact.

(OOC: So DM... what are the chances of finding some sunglasses to buy.. or craft... that can get around my disadvantage in bright light?)

„Well, ye got one thing right, I am thinkin‘ ‚bout some shit right now,“ Chrys says evasively, stomping ahead of the group to concentrate on scouting and hide her beet red cheeks.  Gotta work on that poker face, she thinks.

((now that I'm not half-dead, time to write! Sorry for being absent the last two days.))

After adjourning from their meeting, Kess had momentarily broken off from the others before leaving and headed back to the Golden Eagle.

When she returned, she had changed out of her nicer dress from before and into one made of tougher fabrics. This dress was a dark blue spun of smooth wool, with a waist made of toning but flexible black silk, as well as sleeves that ended just above the elbow. Over that, she wore her coat of studded leather, which was lined with fur, and a matching set of boots and gloves as well as her stockings. The cut of dress still flattered her figure, but it looked to be more practical for travel and without restricting her movement as much as her other, more elegant outfit. She had also tied her long hair into a ponytail behind her with some cord, and she had bound her bangs back with a white scrimshaw hairband. Her scimitars still hung at her side,  but at a more accessible position, where she could draw them quickly if need dictated.

Regardless, beautiful as she was, Kess carried herself with confidence in her stride. Even as eye-catching as the scrimshaw hilts were, a seasoned warrior might be able to tell her wearing such blades were not for show.
 
Of course, when she found her companions, Kess also found that she was suffering from the tendency to join in the group's conversations at the worst possible times, as she heard Krackle proclaim with gusto that poor Chrys needed to, in a word, "vacate".

"Crackle," Kess stifled a giggle, if mainly out of mercy to Chrys potential embarrassment and in reference to the fact that Krackle was almost certainly a young child. "I don't think you intended it that way, but don't you think it a little rude to broadcast something that embarrassing about a lady?"

Not even the lady Battlehammers back in the Dale would be so brash as to communicate something like that; outside of an alehouse, anyways, Kess thought to herself. Dwarf or elf, ladies were ladies.

You continue to walk underneath the summer sunshine as the afternoon hours grow later. For the most part, the scenery around you remains unchanged. The Evermoor Way, which has now become a wide, beaten down track of bone dye, light brown dirt, (the paving stones ran for about five miles our of Yartar), continues to pass through fields of tall, knee to waist high grass. You haven't seen anyone in awhile, and in fact you've have had the entire road to yourselves for at least the past two hours. 

The air is clear, the only disturbance being a slight breezes that occasionally blows onto your faces from the east. It's not enough to cool down the heat from the sun, but at least it's not in your faces anymore. By now, it's dropped over your shoulders and is making its way towards the horizon. By this point, you figure you have about 3 more hours until sundown. 

At one point, you begin to detect a faint odor that blows intermittently into your noses with the breeze. It's the unmistakable smell of death, which is not necessarily a strange occurrence in the wilderness. Animals die all the time, and this kind of smell often means that there's probably an animal carcass lying nearby, possibly a deer. You've seen a few prancing through the grass throughout the day. 

At first it seems quite faint, but then it blows in with much more, offensive odor that increases in intensity with each step. Whatever it is, it's definitely up ahead and close to the road.

Chrys's nose wrinkles.  "Ugh.  Well, we were gonna need to find a campsite sometime soon, an' there ain't no way I'm beddin' down anywhere south o' that foul wind," she declares.  "Let's go check it out 'fore the sun sets, make sure it ain't nothin' dangerous... we're gonna have to get upwind o' that stench one way or the other, so might as well."

Krackle would look to Kess and shrug his shoulders. "What? I poop, you poop, we all poop!" He would say with a knowing nod. 

when the smell in the air began to change and Chrys mentioned finding the source, Krackle would carefully climb. down the half orc. "If we find something dead, I can help bury it. I am a really good digger! Then we wont have to smell it!" He would exclaim as he bounced his way to the front of the group with his nose in the air as if trying to follow it towards the source of the smell.

"Krackle," Chrys calls out after the kobold.  "Don't git too far ahead, and hide yerself 'fore you go chargin' off anywhere!  Might be somethin' big snackin' on whatever it brought down for an evenin' meal, and all the talkin' in the world might not convince it ya ain't dessert!  Or, she thinks more darkly, maybe we ran into some goblins early.  Not wanting to frighten the kobold, she keeps this idea to herself, but still quickens her pace in an attempt to keep somewhat close to Krackle.

The smell of death was something that Kess had known intimately, being from so far north. Icewind Dale was often not a forgiving place outside the walls of an of the Ten Towns, or even within them.

What troubled her, however, was that the smell was so close to the road. And so strong, at that, if the constant, festering fume  was any indicator.

She was about to call out at Krackle when he went to go skipping ahead, but stopped short as Chrys called out.

Kess did, however, narrow her eyes and attempted to steady her gait to keep her steps light and quiet, moving forward a bit but not too far from the group. She also moved her hands so that she would have her grip upon the hilts of her scimitars and draw them at a moment's notice, as well as listening carefully for what was going on in the area.

Perception: 22

Stealth: 13

Seeing as Chrys and Kess were getting ready for the possibility of combat, Vesper decided to cast Mage Armor for some extra protection. It can't hurt to have it on.

Lumen's music turns a bit more contemplative, and he finishes with a strum of "advance, advance/advance into the smell of death by the road" and inspires Chrys as she tries to catch up with Krackle. (In the next 10 minutes you can add a d6 to an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check after you roll it.) 

He tries to stay close to her and Krackle, encouraging the kobold to slow his advance. He's been in ambushes before. He's heard this story before. If he can stay within touching distance of the kobold for a spell, he will.

As you cautiously move forward, the smell becomes even more rotten, and you begin to hear a buzzing sound, like a swarm of flies, but even louder. Either the source is bigger, or there are just many more of them. 

After a few more steps, Krackle, who is out front with The rest close behind, spots a large shape lying in the grass. It’s a dead horse, it’s face twisted in the agony of its final moments. 

Instantly, it becomes apparent what the buzzing sound is. The body of the horse is covered with small flying creatures the look like a cross between a bat and a mosquito. They appear to be sucking its blood with long, sharp proboscis, as mosquitos would. 

Krackle’s presence clearly disturbeds them, and they all fly up in a frenzy, obviously attracted to the scent of fresh blood...

Everyone roll initiative. 

Vesper: 20

Lumen initiative: 13

((DM, since Kess had them ready, can she draw her scimitars as a reaction before entering combat?))

Initiative: 16

17