laid back apocalypse

“Yep! Bill is good to go!” Hawke says with a wide smile. “Anythin’ else we may need before we head out?”

“Oh!” Ebele puts up a finger and smiles a little sheepishly. “I forgot to have my healer’s kit replenished. If that’s not too much trouble... it should be quick! Otherwise, I am ready.”

During the horse purchasing escapade, Xalkas finished his meal and moved outside Helm at Highsun. Where he will be sitting in the morning light on the steps waiting for the rest of the groups return.

T'chal'fronack'zcinicker absently corrects Reghys, "T'chal'fronack'zcinicker."

Grabbing Xalkas, with hopefully Hawke doing the 'horse' stuff like hooking it up to the wagon, T'chal'fronack'zcinicker, waits for the group to get moving. He then takes his place up on the drivers seat, next to whomever will do the actual driving, and gets ready for a long ride. 

Kerric:

Relieved that they are ready to go, Kerric will move with powerful but smooth strides alongside the wagon as they travel, eyes and ears alert for any danger along the way.

Perception:  23

With a topped up healer's kit, Ebele was ready to go. A thought would pass her mind, and she'd start patting her nose. She assumed Reghys would also make themselves cozy in the cart but... "Are you going to drive Reghys?" The blind monk would lean in to whisper to Hawke, "Or are we the next candidates?" Her head would tilt before a small amused grin would grow across her face.

Glad of a place to sit and continue reading, Xalkas clambers into the back of the cart and sits cross legged with his back leaned against the drivers seat and his nose affixed to his book while absentmindedly puffing on his pipe. 

Once a driver is figured out you pass through town onto the Cairn road heading towards Wormford  the morning and afternoon pass easily enough covering about 15 miles 

  (4 hexes - you are at the ai is in Cairn  it is now about 6pm

OOC:  Did Kerric note any signs of the delegation (tracks, wheel ruts going off the road, etc?)

Hard.to tell.  No new wheel tracks. But numerous traces.of horses.   General road type traffic

You can give another perception check when/if stop for evening. And before setting off again if you do stop

Kerric:

Keeping an eye out for a good place to pull off the road and camp, Kerric says, "We should be about halfway to Womford.  Should we stop for the night?"

Perception:  17

You find a nice pull off on the (your) left that looks like a frequently used campground   you also notice a little further up on the hill something that appears to be some cairns

"I would like to go enjoy the sunset from up there, if anyone wants to join me." With that, Reghys is heading up to the cairns.

Hawke snorts at the prospect of having to drive when Ebele points it out. “That’d be a ride that’s for sure.” He chuckles.

On the road, Hawke is sure to inquire Bill every now and again on whether or not he would like to take a short break from pulling the wagon to graze a bit. Otherwise he would try to keep up small conversations with the group, though they can tell he really isn’t any good at it.

Once they settle down, Hawke leads Bill to graze for a bit before hitching him safely. When the satyr advises them on where they planned to head, the kalashtar pipes up saying, “I’ll go with ya! Havin’ company while view in’ the sunset is the best.”

Xalkas spends his time in the back of the wagon tinkering away at making a music box for Ebele and a fire starter for himself. Finishing up as the group pulls off the road to camp for the night. He quickly hurries after Reghys, not wanting the Satyr to go off by themselves. 

Ebele would go to take a step feeling a sense of desire to follow, to see the sunset, but then would stop herself. She’d decide to stay back with Bill and the wagon. The monk would contently keep an ‘eye out’ here while the others bound off to bond over the beautiful view. A small smile would rest on her face as she’d listen to the hooves, long strides and smaller pitter patter steps head off on their evening stroll, wondering if any others would join them.

Glad for the company, Reghys makes a race out of it, before realising that Xalkas had little chance of catching up. Not wanting to win on those grounds, they hop back and pick a somewhat protesting Xalkas up and put him on their shoulders, before the satyr's surefooted goat's hooves find their way again, now racing the much taller druid on a more equal footing.

Acrobatics,  if Hawke wants to compete: 15

At the top of the hill, Reghys lets the now loudly protesting gnome back onto the ground, before laughing and laying on their back, watching the clouds drift by, with orange lighting from the setting sun outlining them against the almost purple sky. After a couple of moments, the satyr would sit up and take a deep breath, trying to smell the earthy scents of the surrounding hills, and the smell of old stones and moss from the cairn. As they take in all their surroundings, Reghys is looking around from their vantage point, trying to get an idea of the surrounding lands.

Perception: 20

Never one to back down from a challenge, Hawke does indeed join in on the race with Reghys. He does look impressed when he sees the satyr run along with the gnome at his shoulders, letting out a boisterous laugh. “I dunno if that counts as cheatin’ but I’ll allow it! As along as you allow this!”

Mere seconds after he says that, he begins to run on all fours. His salt and pepper hair begins to grow at his back, fur now crawling up his exposed arms and face as he began turning into a Dire Wolf, trying to keep up with the two!

Athletics: 9

Whether or not he wins wouldn’t really matter to him. He flops down, exposing his belly to the two, hoping to earn some belly rubs after that exertion before taking a good look at the sights before them.

Perception (at advantage for Keen Hearing and Smell): 22

Kerric:

Smiling at the antics of the others, Kerric stays behind and focuses on properly setting up the camp, considering how position the wagon and horse for best visibility of any potential nighttime threats and the best way to set up watches.

Speaking softly to Ebele, he says, “Well, if they are trying to flush out any cultists or bandits, that is one way to do it.  I can finish up here if you want to go up and join the others.”

On a barren hilltop a few miles from Red Larch, you find four freshly dug shallow graves. The earth scraped out for the holes is piled nearby, although hastily gathered stones cover the graves. The faint smell of death hangs in the air, and several vultures circle overhead

looking around the horizons:

You have a good view of the surrounding hills from this vantage point. Several miles to the west you can make out the tiny outline of Red Larch, and the thin dark line marking the Long Road. Several miles to the north, you see a slender old tower circled by large birds. Nothing else is around here.