ooc it is probably about two hours until the sun sets

As they're walking out, Bayard will look up at the sky and get an idea for the time, "Perhaps we should head over there while there's light to see by and look around a little. After we see what's there we can work out a plan of where to wait to watch for the lights. Does anyone have a better idea?" The shift from drunken sailor to professional is marked and you can see him moving a little extra as they walk, trying to work through the alcohol he's been imbibing all day.

Nods to Bayard letting him know he approves. "No better idea here. I think scouting the area is smart. You go ahead and I will follow." 

Allorian purposefully lags a little behind and leaves the tavern a little after the others to separate from the group. Far enough back that he seems independent of the others with the intent on seeing if anyone is following them. 

"Aye, sound like a good plan, I'll come with." Tandal nods.

Caliban moves with the group, taking a position close to the back of the pack.  Willing to follow for the time being and ready to step up and help when he sees the opportunity. 

Moving north from the Breaching Whale, the party starts out just above the high tide line. Crossing the Gillesburg Road, the nature of the village changes significantly. South of the Gillesburg Road, the lanes in the village all run fairly straight, with the roads wide enough for two wagons to pass each other. North of the Gillesburg Road, the lanes meander through the village, with few of the lanes wide enough for even a single wagon to use.

There are more trees around each of the houses in this part of the town, and most of the houses appear to have decent sized gardens in their backyards. To the north, the Smiling Mermaid can be glimpsed, with the vegetation bordering the Gilles River visible beyond that.

Walking along the beach would provide little cover before one is within a couple hundred feet of the river.

“Let’s not be too hasty. Perhaps upriver, cross, then back down. Or wait til nightfall.” Xarrut looks upriver to see if it looks better that way

Catching up to the group- "Agreed Xarrut, we should move east and use the buildings and trees as cover to move upriver and then we can figure out where the lights are when the sun sets."

Bayard nods, "Happy to let you lead." 

(Given that he and Xarrut and Caliban {liking the Dune references, can't remember if I mentioned that btw} have been in town for awhile, would they know a good place to cross?)

“ I  agree as well, waiting until nightfall does seem like the best course of action,” Lucien said.

Moving further inland, it is clear that the vegetation north of the village will provide ample cover in case you want to watch the far side of the river. Moving through the bushes, trees and grasses growing along the river, you also come across the foundations of a number of long abandoned structures. 

But, looking at the river, it doesn't appear you will be able to cross it in this location. The muddy water is moving fairly rapidly, with the river being about 70-80 feet wide at this point. 

Bending down to inspect the remnants of the old foundations- "This was old town? Hmm, if they are smuggling or pirates I wonder if they are stashing anything when they offload it. We will have to get closer to where the lights were seen but lets stick to the trees and wait for nightfall."

Allorian will spend some time checking around to see if any buildings have cellars or basements. Investigation- 20

(It seems like we have a couple hours before sunset)

Caliban speaks up "Maybe some of you missed it but Bayard and I are human.  Seeing in the dark... not our thing.  If we wait till dark we might not be very helpful or stealthy as we trip our way through the brush.  Another option could be the 'we belong here method', we just walk in like we know the place and see where it leads us.  Of course I do not have a good poker face so someone else will have to do the talking.  It is just a thought I am good with walking in the dark, there is usually enough star and moon light out to at least make my way."

((OOC Ismenow - nice catch on the Dune references, I was wondering if anyone would see it)) 

Tandal looks around the surrounding area of the abandoned buildings for anything of interest.

Perception: 15

Bayard searches upriver a little further, checking for a good place to cross.
Perception: 26

On this side of the river, all that is left of most of the buildings are the foundations. Allorian does find a couple buildings that may have partially buried stairs leading down. Tandal doesn't find anything of interest on this side of the river, but, on the far side of the river, the buildings do appear to be more intact.

Bayard has little luck in finding an easy place to cross the river. About a 15 or 20 minute walk upriver, he does come across what appear to be footers for a bridge that has long since fallen down. There appear to additional footers on the far side of the river, but, if there were any supports in the middle of the river, they are no longer visible above the surface of the water.

What’s the spacing on the footers? If we find some planks, could we make it across?

Looking around at the others Allorian says- "Ok, seems like we need to find a way across the river or at least move farther downstream. I suggest we start moving that direction. We can find a place to meet up at if things go sideways. We could also discuss Caliban's suggestion about walking into the area as if its no big deal. I think this would require disguising ourselves as fisherman or dockworkers. Maybe scout it tonight and come back tomorrow. At this point planning too much seems fruitless."

The other side of the river is still about 60 feet away. The sun is starting to turn the sky a bright red as it descends closer to the sea. At this point in time, the only movement you see is the birds flitting from tree to tree and the occasional rabbit, squirrel or rodent running through the underbrush. To the south, you occasionally hear voices of people as they go about their lives, while birdsong is all you hear north of the river.

“I think swimming a sixty foot river that flows into the ocean sounds like a great way to drown. Almost as good an idea as getting on a dinghy to try to scout out a pirate hideout. We need a better idea. Further upriver perhaps?”

Xarrut rests his weight on his cane, and looks a bit frustrated.