"Well, you don't need to go so far as to start spitting," Atal says.  "But giving Anaeris here, our resident tracker, directions that any woodelf could easily follow through on would be the biggest help we could get.  And you know, once the evening lifted, we might come back along this way too... with the rest of our party of potential customers."  With a grin, Atal gives a thankful nod to the shopkeep.

The eldery man gave Anearis little more description than the path being a mountain pass to the north west of their current location. Further he offered to show them the pass, if they were to return in the morning. 

Following the three leaving the cabin, the old elf shut the door behind them. It was nearly midnight, by the time they successfully returned to the camp where Kel and Ander had since been relaxing.

"Well, there's an upside and a downside to our field trip," Atal says to the others as he busies himself spreading out his bedroll to make himself comfortable for the evening.  "The downer... not everyone can handle the Scent of Truth... even though eventually everyone has to face it."  He gives Uthal a side-eye as he says this.  "The upshot... we met a crazy candlemaker in the cabin up there.  If you're willing to barter something for a candle of his, he's actually an ok kind of guy.  Though you really don't necessarily need to give him solid coin, he's not that picky."  Atal gives Anaeris a side-eye as he says this.  "The point being, once we made friends with him, he was more than willing to guide us to a shortcut to Castle Aaaaaaaaaaugh," the name purposefully mispronounced into a groan of pain, "tomorrow morning if we come back.  It will shave a lot of time off of our journey, but we wouldn't be able to bring the horses with us.  Then again, we wouldn't be able to bring the horses with us into the dungeon, either.  What do you want to do?"

"...anyway, that's how the Pale Flame typically goes for an outlander when they visit. I don't recommend the 'Hot Seat' session." Kel trailed off as the others returned to camp. They would find a small fire pit with a few stones around it, Kel's two-man tent set up and the tiefling coming to a standing position as they came within earshot. He gave them a small wave then returned to his seat on the ground, sharpening the end of his pike with his whet stone. Kel listened as Atal filled them in on the details of their side trek.

"I see. So we must barter for our passage to the castle, assuming the route does indeed cut down the time to castle." He shrugged, eyeing the pike and blowing a puff of metal dust off of it. He continued his work. "Very well, although it is likely the horses could be walked and the wagon abandoned by the wayside here."  He shifted his weight. "I will take first watch, if anyone volunteers for second just speak up." Kel took a few moments to prepare his late night snack from his gearbag, and use a small amount of his water to clean the bowl he let Ander drink and his cup from before stowing them both away with his mess kit. "I don't suppose you noticed if there was a stream nearby we could acquire more to drink?"

Uthal walks over and lays a hand on the tieflings shoulder. He lays down and pulls his large blanket made of animal furs from his bag. "I'll take the second watch. And I don't remember a stream, perhaps on the other side." 

((Kel has Vigilant Blessing: advantage on his next Initiative check))

”I can take second. Slept too much last couple nights anyhow.”

„Third is fine with me... I should be out of my Trance by then anyway,“ Atal says companionably.  „And sorry... was too busy trying not to get lost in all that dark to go looking for water.  Not a big naturalist despite the ears.“

The sun rose the next morning around the 7th hour. The rest of the night passed peacefully for the party, and those who stood watch over those sleeping had uneventful stands.

Anearis: 19

Anearis awoke from his trance feeling extremely well rested, having had a dream-like vision. Anearis saw in a village. It smelled like moss and the forest floor. It felt safe, familiar, and warm.  Every sense made it feel like home, except for sight.  The village did not look like his home. Suddenly black fog-like tentacles emerged from the ground, and began sucking the life-force from it. Anearis rushed towards the village, and as he did so, the tentacles retreated, and a stream of white light returned the life force to the village and the earth beneath it. Anearis awoke with a feeling of confidence and certainty that the path he was currently was not only for the greater good, but was the right thing for his own journey.  ((Anearis has advantage on next non-combat roll.))

Atalura: 17

Even with the limited time spent in trance, due to volunteering for standing watch for the sleeping party, Atalura also awoke feeling relaxed and well rested. She also had experienced a vision that night. Ura's was not as clear cut or focused. It was quick flashes, and never through her own eyes.  She was watching herself, on a ship, arriving at Cathaan. The ship then reversed and left, as if the scene was playing backwards. She then saw herself, much younger, an age that she herself could no longer even remember at this point. There were two blurry figures with her, though they had no details, Ura knew she knew them. She was on a ship with them.  Again this ship was going the wrong way, except it was going backwards to Theviranne, as if the continent was not the destination, but rather the point of origin.  That was it. Ura awoke, ready to start the day.  ((Atalura has advantage on next non-combat roll.))

Kel: 11

Kel slept soundly, though for only a short rest, as the party had not hit the sack, until late into the night, and the next morning came early.

Ander: 16

Ander awoke well rested and still in a good head space from the drink Kel had offered the previous night.  ((Ander has advantage on his next non-combat roll.))

Uthal: 6

In hindsight, Uthal may have decided to take all watches and not go to sleep at all that night. During his dream he had a vision from his patroness, or at least that is what it felt like.  Uthal had had visions before in which Selune offered guidance and blessing to him, and while this seemed to be one yet again, it left him with the exact opposite mindset and feelings that such visions normally bring about.

In his vision, Uthal saw a full moon, with Selune coming towards him, trailing moon dust behind her.  But as she grew closer, two large hands closed around her, the same way a child's hands close around a firefly as they catch it. Only the hands squeezed tighter, and the light of the moon slowly faded. Dark fog seeped from between the fingers, and a face appeared behind the hands, seemingly controlling them.  The face was Cedric's, and there was a sickening smile on his face.  While the face was Cedric's Uthal refused to believe that it was in fact Cedric, but instead someone else with his appearance.  The hands released and there was nothing, except that black fog. It began to move towards Uthal, like tendrils, reaching out for him.  The fog wrapped around him and grasped him as if solid, overpowering and holding him in place.  Then it began wrapping around his throat, choking the very life from him.

Uthal awoke, grasping for air and struggling for breath. ((Uthal has one point of fatigue, and disadvantage on all rolls for the next 12 hours))

Ura rose from her trance, feeling better than she had in days.  Pulling out her candle and sniffing it absently, she thought about her dream. 

Was that my soul in a previous life?  Is that why I was drawn to this place?  Was this continent really once my home? 

As she gathered her things together and packed them away, she couldn't help but wonder what she experienced.  Maybe it was the dream; maybe it was the strange meeting with that zany candlemaker.  Ura wasn't sure, but something felt different today. Restlessly, she lifted the candle once more to her nose, sampling her 'Eau de Guttar'.  "This would probably smell even better if it was lit," she mused aloud, giving the wax a tiny flick of her fingertips.

The next moment took Ura completely by surprise.  She narrowly avoided losing her eyebrows as the candle's wick sputtered and then flared into life out of nowhere.

"Yaah!" she yelled, loudly enough to rouse anyone who might have still been trying to sleep.  The candle rolled across the ground, sputtering out just as suddenly as it had been lit, leaving Ura to wonder if she was imagining things.  But no... her bangs were most definitely smoking, and besides the smell of burnt hair, there was a faint trace of oiled leather and something else trailing on the more acrid scent of fresh smoke.  Cautiously, Ura approached the candle and tapped it again with her finger.  She picked it up and hefted it in one hand when nothing else happened, pursing her lips in puzzlement.

"That felt... right," she said, staring at the candle with narrowed eyes.  Her gaze transferred over to the now-spent campfire, and she flicked her fingers at it.  "Cimu laucr si lof'u, flamu,*" she said to it, and the charred remains of the logs burst into a merry, crackling fire.  Ura looked from the campfire to her fingertips and back a few times, before a slow smile spread across her face.  "Might not have been a mistake coming to this continent after all."

*Anaeris and anyone else who can speak elvish would have heard:  Come back to life, flame.

Uthal is simply sitting there with bloodshot eyes waiting for everyone else to be awake. "Did the gods give you a blessing as well thief? Seems like you may have learned something in the night." 

"It feels like it.  Let's see," Ura says, plopping herself down to sit crosslegged by the fire.  "We don't have a lot of time to lose if we want to catch D'Armes, but it'd be good to know what my limits are, so..."  She points a finger at Uthal, sending him a message.  Maybe you should be nicer to that candlemaker fellow.  You look a little tired, too... did guilt keep you up at night?

Uthal simply looks back at her. "I feel no guilt. I will not buy things I do not need, no matter how much an old elf says I need them. It's." 

"Well if you say so.  But remember, he did agree to lead us through the forest.  He didn't have to, though."  She looks at the others, before unwillingly coming to her feet and helping with the horses and the wagon - specifically, pulling the wagon slightly into the forest and attempting to conceal it from the road as best she can.

(IDK.  Tell me something to roll here.  Deception (+1)?  Sleight of Hand (+5)?   Stealth? (+7) Here's a straight D20: 14 ) 

  "Are you guys ready to move on yet?"

 "I swear." Kel woke up with the words escaping his lips quietly, almost unsure he said them. He slowly sat up in his tent, he had stowed his armor to rest properly. It was a short rest but he felt as though he had more weight lifted than normal. The tiefling slipped out of his tent as he heard voices in distress (Ura), dressed only from the waist down in his vestments, and stretched. Seeing that there was no issue, he nodded to him ...Her! before turning to repack his tent and belongings. The gold in and on his body glinted in the light of the morning as he worked. He ate from his supply and sipped the dwindling water in his skein. At some short length he dressed properly and donned his armor and weapons, slinging his gearbag into position on his back. He spoke as all this was going on, weighing in on the conversation between Atal ...URA! Ura and Uthal.

"The Gods seem to be active..." he said offhandedly.

"You seem to trust this hermit by some degree with such a simple purchase."

"It's not as simple as you think," Ura said, pulling out her candle.  "You probably just smell oil and the nastiness of the city.  But I can smell my memories in here.  He shouldn't have been able to know that.  I think something in those memories unlocked this magic inside me.  Oh, I don't think I could ever be a great mage like the world-changing elves of old, but somehow... a little of my soul came back to find me." She shrugged.  "Maybe he knows something.  Or maybe he's just a crazy loon in the forest.  But he pushed me over the edge, and now I'm more than I used to be."  She smiled brightly, happy -- it probably looked weird to everyone else, since it was actually genuine and heartfelt.  And like most things valuable, it disappeared quickly, replaced by her more usual cynical grin.  "So... did Ander ever manage to wash his face?"  She looked over at the other man curiously.

Anearis awoke from his meditative rest feeling different than usual. Normally, his rest allowed him to recover his strength and restore his connection to the forces around him. Now, he felt...empowered, as if something inside him had been awoken. He remembered his dream. The darkness draining the village of its life force. In his dream, he felt compelled to intervene and fight the shadows. Like it was his purpose. Like he received a message from an unknown source, encouraging him to pursue the path he was on. Anearis felt as though it might have something to do with the candlemaker’s candle that he bought. It evoked a memory of home, which must have triggered the dream somehow.

He noticed all his companion were awake.

’’I see you have all awoken from your sleep. Are we all ready to resume our journey then?’’ Anearis said, more chipper than usual.

 "Let's get this over with." Uthal says in the voice of a man who desperately needs coffee.

Snuffing out the campfire with a simple cantrip once more, and giving it the same treatment as the wagon, Ura nods to the others.  "Let's begin anytime.  Anaeris, you'll probably have to help us find that cabin again.  All of the trees looked the same to me in the darkness.  If you ask me to do any scouting, I'd probably get us hopelessly lost.  I'm only good at that sort of thing inside an urban jungle."

Despite those words of doom, Ura is going to try at least to keep an eye out for a source of fresh, potable water as they make their way through the wilderness this time.

(Nature? 22)

Following the same general direction of the old man’s cabin from the night before, the party leads the horses through the trees.  It’s a little slow going considering the uneven ground and thickness of the foliage that the three horses are being pushed through, but otherwise a simple trek.  As expected, when observing the area the previous night, in the day light it’s a peaceful and rather inviting woods. The party can hear the occasional song from a bird somewhere off in the distance, but otherwise there is a general silence and tranquility. 

Approximately an hour or so into the walk, Ura recognizes the sound of trickling water, and the party comes upon a stream. It is the same stream from the night before, where Anearis had found the tracks that ultimately led them straight to the cabin.

Kel led one of the horses, helping to guide it through some of the more difficult areas as they trekked through the woods. He hummed a bit from one of his native songs, a story about a time before the light, about traveling through fire and through flames. As they approached the stream Kel smiled. "Ah, good. Collect what you can, if anyone has any doubts I can purify it tomorrow if you prefer not to boil." Kel allows the horse he is leading to drink as he fills his own waterskin from the stream. Standing again Kel glances to the others. "Not far now I suspect?"