Swordslinger

[Townopolis]

Eastern Farms

The eastern farms have been most recently attacked, so Rina's investigations soon take her there. There, the farmers are living out of shacks built from the wreckages of their homes. Yet, they continue on.

There is little to find out among the farms. The Black Dogs have struck, pillaged, and left.

Leaving the farmlands behind, Rina searches methodically for any tracks. Eventually, she finds them, heading northeast from the farms. It is an old trail, but still just discernable. ((Rina takes 10, gets 16 on track))

Southern Farms

The farmer looks up as Murdoc approaches, shading his eyes from the sun to see him better. Seeing the glint of armor, the peasant seems about to flee for a moment, then, seeing that Murdoc is alone and doesn't seem to bear any of the identifying marks of the Black Dogs, the peasant relaxes.

"Can't say so, but that same t'you." The farmer replies flatly, squinting at the armored man as sunlight glints off him.

Central Farms

The farmers have much and contradicting things to say to Elia. Sometimes there are a handful of riders, sometimes twenty men on foot. Sometimes they aren't even men, but orcs. Sometimes they come from the northwest, other times the northeast. About the only thing they can agree on is that they attack with abandon, sweeping through like a cloud of men and steel. There is no sense that these bandits are very organized, but strong enough to get away with it.

Finding a cart and horses to draw it is surprisingly easy. About one in every three farmers has a small cart and a horse for taking produce to town, and they are used to renting it out to their neighbours. Elia is even able to find one farmer willing to loan the cart and the draft horse used to pull it for free, with promises of its safe return and the end of the Dogs, of course.

((15 Gather Information))