Thistle will head out to the barn to don her breastplate and hang all her weapons on herself, then prep her pack and saddle her horse. She will lead the latter out to the yard, ready to go.

As the group makes their way out of Zashier's farm, you head NorthWest along the Kings Road. (Marching order? Who is leading this motley crew, and who is bringing up the rear?)

Yokini is riding Gomol today so that she can spend the time fiddling with her glove while letting the mule follow along behind the others. She would be toward the back if not last. She is not paying attention to anything but her fiddling.

Raddunth is on his riding horse. He is willing to be towards the front. Or at the front, but would need navigation from someone who knows where the party is going.

Despite the differences between human and loxodon, Raddunth sees many similarities in mannerisms between himself and Zashier. He suspects they may have had similar backgrounds (except for the part about being enslaved).

He also notices the pieces of handmade leather gauntlets and cap being worn by Zashier. "If your leather armor is in need of repair or modifying, I would do the work for you, in payment for the stay at your farm. I have skill with the tools of leather." (His fur vest and shorts show a terrible sense of fashion, but the workmanship of the items is rather good.)

Lem enjoys the breakfast wordlessly, and when people start leaving he moves outside. He's wearing a blue-purple cloak over a standard-issue army chain shirt, and doesn't have any bags with him. He claps once, calling out, "Shadow," and a white furry pony trots over, with a small saddlebag. He hadn't even bothered to post Shadow.

He hops on and peers into the sky. His eyes open wide in realization and he snaps once, and a raven appears on his shoulder. "This is Moon, everyone. My familiar. Ini, you remember her, in her favorite form. She doesn't like books, or rather books don't like her, so she's been resting on her own plane for a while." He turns to the raven with a half smile. "Feel like spreading your wings?" The bird launches herself into the air, rising in a slow, wide spiral up to about 100 feet above the party. She'll range out higher and farther every once in a while, but she's keeping a lookout for anything interesting, and Lem will dip his sight and hearing into her from time to time when she is close enough, asking her about her flight, laughing at her jokes, and displaying more social graces with the bird than other people. 

While traveling the well-worn ground of the Kings road, barely a mile outside of Zashier's farm, up ahead of you (about 100 feet away) you see a small cottage on the side of the road. It seems old and untended - likely one of the many abandoned dwellings that dot the landscape. As you draw closer, you also see a barricade stretching across the entire 30-foot width of the road. Two tall, broad-shouldered people stand in front of the barricade.

How are the two people armed? What kind of people are they? Human people? Are they aggressive, relaxed, nervous? Are there more than two, perhaps hidden off the road? Tell me more...

(Thistle will have put herself and her horse at the front, being passively perceptive...)

Perception: 21
Insight: 7

You are about 100ft away, so it is hard to make out too many details. They look like they are wearing armor, they look rather large, and they have red skin from what you can tell at this distance. You are unable to tell how well they are armed at this distance. Do you continue forward, do you discuss, do you go around?

Thistle will continue forward until either 30’ away, or they call out. At 30’ she will stop to reassess the situation. 

Raddunth always goes forward... unless told to stop, by others saying he needs to be cautious instead of blundering ahead.

Seeing Thistle stop at 30', he will do so as well.

Assuming the group continues forward cautiously, you begin to notice a few more things. 

The two people in front of you are male Tieflings, and behind them is a hastily thrown together roadblock with a gate in the middle. The two tieflings are wearing tattered Fallcrest City Guard uniforms.

Thistle, with your perception: 

 The two figures look up at you and pull large cudgels from their back, practically in unison. The Tiefling on the right, with a singed mustache, strides forward and holds out a hand to stop you. The other Tiefling with beady black eyes shouts:

“Halt! In the name of the Watch, there’s a toll to pay. 10 gold per head, for use of the King's Road. Pay the toll, or face justice.”

Thistle laughs, and holds a hand out to stay Raddunth.

"Oh, please. You're as much City Watch as I'm a gnarled wizard. You've got clubs and maybe a few friends hiding in the woods, while we're mounted, armed, and armored, and have mages to boot. How about this, tell us about any kobolds you've seen recently, and we won't dismantle your little tax collection operation. My name's Thistle, by the way."

OOC > Feel free to roll whatever you need for me, I have to go to a staff mtg.

Quote from Mingofaust >>

Thistle laughs, and holds a hand out to stay Raddunth.

Raddunth looks a bit shocked, as he was behind her (not in her line of sight), and she held out her hand just as he was tensing to act... She may be part witch, but she appears to be a good one.

"What? Ah, nah man. It's fine. Thick hide, remember. Yea, see, most of the rest of these is mostly for show, on account of my sister, who I love dearly, threatening to break me over her knee if I didn't go without'em." Zashier admits with a chuckle. "Only reason I ditch the shirt is because I don't have enough to afford them getting torn up from some inevitable conflict of interest. But thanks, man." He finished his reply to Raddunth, sounding genuinely thankful for it.

At seeing Lem's ride after which, Zashier looks back to the barn, scratches his head with his trunk, then mumbles something along the lines of 'Don't be the straw' while falling in line after the others.

Later that day....

"Now hold on, mam." Zashier would say as he make his way up the front. "Are you saying that these gentlemen are impersonating members of the City Watch, in the presumable attempt to harangue and potentially harm passerbyers, and are thus a threat to the peace?" He asked nonchalantly, but with an expression that grew more hardened towards the end of it. Unless somehow deceived at that point, or somehow convinced to hold his piece for at least a while, Zashier would nod, pull the heavy headed half-spear from a back sheathe and say, "It is my most unfortunate duty to inform you gentleman, and or ladies, that what you are doing will no longer be permitted. If you would kindly lay down any and all arms, I will see to it that you are brought in alive to receive due justice. Or barring that, be given a swift death." 

When Gomol stops his forward movement, Yokini looks up and tries to peer around the horses ahead of her to see what the hold up is. While she's distracted, a tiny flame appears at the end of one of her gloved fingers. Once it catches her attention, she looks down and begins waving the hand and then blowing at the flame to put it out.

With Zashier and Thistle both attempting to diffuse the situation, I will allow one to "help" the other. Zashier, you have the higher Intimidation modifier, so I will grant you advantage on Intimidation.

Zashier intimidation: 12

The two Tieflings, turn to look at each other - you notice single braids down each of their backs - then back to the group. They stand their ground, and the one who spoke earlier says:

"The toll. Pay it, or leave."

They are still 30 feet from you.

(Does Lem have any memory of this kind of vigilante highway toll robbery being a normal occurrence?)

Lem casts mage hand if it hadn’t been up already and sends it closer to them at or low to the ground, sifting ghostlike through the taller grass. He looks for a stick that he could grab closer to the tieflings, with the goal being having it ready to drag along the palisade to create a rattling noise to spook the tieflings and to divide their attention. If he can get the mage hand on the other side of the palisade that would be great.

Before moving the stick and making noise, he will also use minor illusion to create an image of a five-foot tall/wide dangerous-looking spider perched on the top of the palisade, black fangs glistening and looking ready to pounce on the tieflings, but the spider is completely stationary and itself silent. Lem would be relying on the noise from the rattling stick to give the simple ruse a bit more life.

(If Raddunth knew they were going to Intimidate, he would have joined in. That is his thing. But it is too late now.)

"Pay or leave? I return your words to you. You should leave now, or you will pay the price. You will have fewer bruises if you thieves confessed to the real guards. 10 copper, for our entire group including steeds, would have been the right fee."

Raddunth Intimidation 22

As Raddunth enters the conversation, nudging his mount forwards, you see the two Tieflings lose their ferocity. They see this giant of a man who seems to get larger with every step, covered in furs. The one with the singed mustache actually urinates himself out of fright. He drops his hand, and moves to the side. The other tiefling, with the beady eyes, averts his gaze and looks down:

You are right, sir. We apologize for the intrusion. You may be on your way, and lets just forget the whole thing...

He also steps back to make room for the party to pass.

As Zashier takes over, Thistle walks her horse to the side. She nods to herself as she sees the braids, and redoubles her efforts to look for ambush, but she has abdicated the speaking role to Zashier and Raddunth, gods help us.

Perception to discover ambush: 21