Dystopia (IC)

[Apollyon]

Arcturus greets the gnomes in all of the languages that he knows, looking for a response indicating familiarity with the language.

[Cheetah109]

Krylius

Krylius, gripping his glaive, says to Arcturus (in elven): "You're greeting them? Alright, I'll leave the negotiations to you. But if they don't drop those weapons in a few seconds, I''ll give them a greeting of my own. And I guarantee they will not like it."

[Rannil]

Forest Explorers:
The gnomes keep on talking gnomish and start to gesture with their spears back to the way the group came from, as if they are saying that the three need to leave. They do seem to understand you, but refuse to talk anything but gnomish

Village Explorers:
"Before the mountain we lived off fishing. But now all boats are gone because of the villagers trying to cross the sea in search for help. Next to fishing we had a few wild game to hunt on and we gathered herbs and berries, but mostly we traded fish for other supplies. We still fish, but without boats it's a lot slower. Wild life also seems to starve out...
As for the disappearing, I have no idea, I can't imagine that our friends just left us here for dead, maybe they arrived but failed to send back up. Or worse, they all died, but that also seems so... unlikely.
The disease? I don't remember much. It started with coughing and turned into a fever.
Other inhabitants, we weren't the only ones on this peninsulas, there was a little gnome village at the other side of the forest. But that's now where the mountain is. We haven't seen or heard from the gnomes since then."

For everyone that made a sense motive check:

Spoiler

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As soon as she mentioned the gnomes you realize she is lying about them. When she was talking about the past she had this dreamy glance in her eyes, as if she was reliving the past. But when she mentioned the gnomes she doesn't has that look.

[Illven]

Um Guys we might not be immune to this plague, are they carriers, and worse what about Annia

[Anders Celsius]

"Thank you for your kind answers" replies Nekka bowing courteously and approaches Luci and Sir Levonaaro and talks to them in private "I feel we got all we could use in here, but if you are willing to ask more, feel free to do so. Something tells me we've got to gather more information on those gnome former neighbors, she didn't sound very sincere on that subject. How about talking to the villagers while we search for a place to spend the night and let Annia rest? As for the plague, we might indeed not be immune to it. What do you suggest? Camping outside the village?".

[Illven]

We have to, if we're already sick, staying inside an open house is no worse than an open field. And we should cut our exposure to it as little as possible

[Anders Celsius]

"Very well. What about Annia? Should we bring her with us or leave her here? In any case, we should gather information while we search for a good camping place."

[Illven]

I want to, but we shouldn't, moving a broken bone, more than necessary is bad.

[Rannil]

Liana looks up. "Judging from those whispers you are done taking to this old lady. Go explore the town a bit, maybe secure a house if you need to stay the night here. Double check the roofs, you don't want those falling on you,now will you. And don't worry for your lady friend, she is in fine hands her. It's not like I am going to eat her.
Also because our hunters didn't hunt today so we can't offer much food. Maybe the ladies in the field have more luck, but then the best we can offer are berries, plants and nuts. maybe a spare fish if we are truly blessed."

[Cheetah109]

Krylius

Seeing that the gnomes can understand at least some language, Krylius speaks up, "You had best stop pointing those sticks at me. I do not want a fight...at least not with you."

Krylius keeps his glaive ready, waiting for the gnomes to respond. He says to Arcturus (in elven), "I'll defer to your judgment here. What should we do?"

[Rannil]

Forest Explorers.
One of the gnomes steps forward, shakes is head and says in fake sounding broken common. "Flee. go. Or we fight will. No city, Flee to big rocks!"

[Illven]

It's okay miss, some of our friends went hunting. Do you know how long Annia will be asleep for.

[Apollyon]

Arcturus looks at the gnome who spoke Common and replies, "We are not looking to fight you or go to your city. We are looking for a group that passed by here. Have you seen them?"

When he references the group, he indicates the wizard's tracks.

[Rannil]

City group:
At the mention of your friends being in the forest the old lady looks a combination of surprised and annoyed, but that look quickly disappears again. "More friends? I hope they are careful in the forest. Nasty beasts lure there." She shakes her had. "Well your woman friend could wake up any moment, I don't know how long she has been unconscious, but I don't think a broken arm prevents her from waking up. Maybe she has fallen asleep, we should worry if she isn't awake tomorrow."

Forest group:
The gnome nods. "They smart. They hide. They trap. They carry their wounded. They not threaten us. They safe from evil village. You flee too! You hide too!" One of the other gnomes makes a few gestures and as sudden as they came they retreated back in the forest. You her vague. "No follow, forest no safe."

[Illven]

Why do you seem annoyed miss. We're gathering all our resources. More people can still fit in one house?

[Apollyon]

Arcturus asks Krylius in Elven, "What do we do now? It might be worth getting the others, if it's really as dangerous as the gnomes are saying it is."

[Anders Celsius]

"Oh, that was the kind of answer I was hopping to hear when I asked for other inhabitants on the whereabouts", explains Nekka, with a little surprise and impatience "it is very important that you warn us from the possible dangers that lie around this lands, and describe them the best you can, maybe we can give you a hand with them, we have noble, courageous and powerful warriors in here" he says, with a gesture of hand indicating his companions in general. "Perhaps we should regroup with our friends and search for evil to be cleansed in this lands".

[Cheetah109]

Krylius

Considering both what the gnomes said and what Arcturus asked him, Krylius ponders for a few seconds. Eventually he turns to Arcturus, his face revealing that he is still rather deep in thought. Almost as if talking to himself, he says:

"If we trust what those gnomes say, then the forest is rather dangerous. But the village is evil, then. It didn't look evil so much as decrepit to me. But if it is evil, then the others could surely use our help."

Suddenly, Krylius gets a look of concern on his face, and says in a voice full of resolve, "We should abandon this tracking. If those gnomes speak the truth, then the others are in far more danger than I would have guessed. Besides, I don't want to run into those traps that our marks have supposedly set up."

[Rannil]

City:
The old woman looks surprised. "Annoyed? That concern deary. The forest is a dangerous place, but it's all the normal troubles. Beasties, getting lost, nasty plants that make you trip and break limbs. Still we always send four hunters, just to be safe eh."

General:
A few hours pass.

When Arcturus and Krylius go the village they encounter their party (or part ) setting up camp outside the city, not trusting the strange atmosphere that lingering around these seemly normal friendly people. Annia is still unconscious but the group decided they couldn't leave her with the old lady, how nice she seemed. She is safely lying in the middle of a camp. It's only a hour to sun set and both groups have a lot to discuss and make plans for this night, and tomorrow...
You haven't seen any of the villagers since you "left" the town.

So what are you going to do this evening and night?

[OMG PONIES]

Luci/Eliza sleeps the night away, without a care as to who takes watch.

[Illven]

Okay who hear is a magic-user, I need to recover spells, so I can't stay on watch, I do want a double watch if possible, the old woman seemed to lie about some gnomes around the town. Also there was a plague awhile ago in town

[Apollyon]

While everyone is discussing watches, Arcturus states, "I want a full 8 hours of rest. I'll take 1st watch, or if someone would prefer, I could take last watch."

To anyone who cares to listen, he inquires, "Any luck with the town? Krylius and I got a little ways into the forest, then we encountered some forest gnomes who told us that the forest was heavily trapped as we followed the wizard and his minions. Unfortunately, I don't speak Gnomish, so communication was not easy at all."

[Cheetah109]

Krylius

Krylius looks at Sir Levonaaro and informs him: "Whoever told you about the gnomes was most certainly not lying. We ran into them in the forest. And how active a watch do we need? The answer to this determines whether I need be incapacitated for a period of four hours or eight."

[Illven]

No she was lieing about there being gnomes that lived in the mountains or something. She said they had little contact with them

[Anders Celsius]

Nekka do Kalle

"Indeed, she said that they didn't have had much contact with the gnomes, but it did sound like a poor lie. I wonder why is that.
Tomorrow we should inquire on the villagers, talk to them isolated and privately, and later on those gnomes, don't you think?
I would like to take the first or last turn too, if possible, to strip out of my armor just once. It's a pretty annoying process. I think that if we take 3 turns of 4 hours each, there will be no problems. We have 5 fine gentlemen to let the lady rest, so we can take turns with 2 watchmen in each, while I stand alone in mine.
That way I can take the first watch, while our friendly elf and the lost lamb take the second, and with Sir Levonaaro and Arcturus taking the final one".

[Illven]

As long as I spend eight hours asleep to recover my magic, I'm good with any plan. I also agree we should question the villagers and the gnomes, does anybody know gnomish.

[Rannil]

Night starts falling and soon only the first two that guard the camp are awake. It's a nice night, not to cold, no sign of rain and no wind, it is almost relaxing. The first four hours are quite unremarkable. At some point Krylius notes a shade near the forest, but then the moon shines more brightly and it turns out to be a dear. Also he hears a wolf howling.

When the current watch wakes the other two something happens. Both Kurakar and Nekka hear a twig snapping, Kurakar also sees a shade, vaguely humanoid (medium sized), diving on the ground.

[Fable Wright]

Seeing the shadowy figure, Kurakar whispers, Stay here. I'll check it out. and then dashes towards the shadowy figure. (My next actions will be dependent on what I see.)

[Rannil]

The figure turns out to be one of the young males from the village. It looks like he tripped and felt, but suddenly Kurakar is surrounded by the other three, all armed with their spears. They seem to smile, almost devilish, and it reminds Kurakar of his former wizard master when he was happy.

"You guys are awake? That doesn't matter, surrender and I promise you won't suffer." One of them says, but it sounds like he doesn't suspect you to surrender anyways.

____
That means initiative time, unless you want to surrender.

[Illven]

If we're asleep, do we roll to?