The Wrong Guys IC III

[Savannah]

Rana watches the surrounding halflings suspiciously, trusting Audric to talk to Mari.

[Cardea]

Tayet

Tayet eyes the figures in the distance, and picks Cape off of his shoulders. Motioning to his eyes and to the figures, he sets Cape towards them, to get a better idea if those are the horses. Moving to the back of the group, under guise of adjusting harnesses, he speaks out words of power under his breath.

Spoiler

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Casting Speak With Animals. Four minute duration.

Cape Spot Check: (1d20+18)[36]

[Ajadea]

Mari's eyes narrow but she says nothing as Cape takes off. Some halflings take note of his subsequent loud screeching, though they do not seem to do more than jump slightly or stare up.

Tayet

Spoiler

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Cape reports that there are two small two-legs and three big-four-legged things coming this way, one brown, one black, and one all spotty. There is a tall thing on the back of the black one, all shiny and gray.
----
Cape can give one more report before the spell ends.

[Cardea]

Tayet

Tayet nods. Giving one last command to Cape, he lets the bird fly off again.

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Commanding him to make closer observation of the shiny and gray tall thing.

Cape Spot Check Deux: (1d20+18)[36]

[Strawberries]

Audric approaches slowly so as to not frighten anyone, rubbing his shoulder a couple of times - Rana and Tayet (What is he anyway? Is he a druid like her?) have done a pretty good job, but it still feels sore.

"We... thank you for your hospitality" he says, formally and a bit stiffly. Somebody has tried to stab him during the night, but despite Rana's suspicions, he doesn't want to start pointing fingers against someone who seems to be helping. And thank Aldaran, he was the only one who suffered any damage. "I am glad none of yours got hurt in the attack. We will be departing as soon as the horses get here. And...ah, Mari," he lowers his voice "Please take care of Eri. Make sure she is safe. It is not her fault, but..." ...she is dangerous, to herself and all of you. he almost adds, an almost automatic reaction coming from his training. He stops himself before he can say it. "...I am worried about her" he finishes instead. It is true, at the very least.

[Ajadea]

Cape returns and settles on Tayet's shoulder. He continues to call for some time, but in a quieter tone.

Mari seems to soften a little. "Dinnae worry your heid aboot Eri. Sae lang as she stays wi' us, nae harm will come tae her."

Rana, and anyone else looking around notices that Eri has been quietly shepherded to the far end of camp along with all the other children by a portly woman in a red dress. The woman makes repeated motions, as if to hush them. "Jess, if ye dinnae mind, can ye go an' see aboot the bairns? They took tae ye a sight better than Granny Bendibrook an' I dinnae need 'em underfoot when thaur's horses aboot."

Jess pauses a moment before nodding. She heads over to the halfling children, who seem delighted that the tall halfling from the city and her pet cat have come to play with them again.

Tayet

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The gray thing looks like a two-leg, but in a hard and shiny shell of gray. It is perching on the back of the black four-leg. It carries a big pointy stick, as long as you. There is a shell on its back, flat and too small to hide in. The shell is blue with a yellow flower design. The petals of the flower are shaped like triangles. The shiny gray two-legger doesn't seem to be noticing Cape.

Sense Motive DC 15

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It is fairly obvious to anyone who takes the time to look that Mari's motives for getting Jess out of the way have little enough to do with children.

[Cardea]

Tayet

Tayet feels his heart pump faster and harder, adrenaline and panic rising in his mind. He motions for Cape to fly up, and wait for a signal to come down. He moves behind Rana, trying to keep the edge of panic out of his voice. [Sylvan]"Person coming, Cape says. Design on its 'shell'. It sounds like a sun, I know it, and we need to go. And hide. Now."

[Savannah]

Rana's entire body goes stiff. Shadow, sensing her distress, raises his hackles and begins to growl at any strangers that come close.

Rana turns sharply to Mari, looking for an instant as if she's about to strike the halfling, then stops herself. She shakes her head. When she does speak, she sounds slightly sad, "You'll need to get them farther away than the edge of camp, you know. Don't try to stop us."

Turning to the rest of her party, she grabs Audric's arm and begins to pull him away from Mari, away from the direction of the approaching riders. She speaks quickly, a note of tightly controlled panic in her voice, "We need to go, now, now, now! The horses are a trap! Grab anything you can't live without and run!" Rana follows her own advice, snatching up the sack at her feet and pulling Audric along as fast as she can.

[Cardea]

Tayet

Tayet pulls Morrison close, embraces him by the neck, bracing himself for the coming moments. He pulls a quiver from his rear flank, replacing his own. He motions for Rana and Audric"Get on. Morrison carry two of you. He is good horse. I can move without him. You cannot. I can hide. You cannot. No one catch me for many year. One cannot catch me now."

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Tayet is swapping his batch of Dragonsbreath arrows with Swiftwing.

[Strawberries]

Audric takes a second to register what Rana is saying. When he does, he turns to Mari with a betrayed expression "Why would... We did not ask anything from you. Why would you sell us out? " He shakes his head at Tayet. What about Llaars, and Antal?

It isn't a difficult decision to make. The other people have horses as well, they're not going to go very far without some kind of distraction "You go, now. Grab everyone. Keep an eye on Antal. I will cover for you. " His tone says clearly don't argue with me now, we don't have time.

[Cardea]

Tayet

"He is...!?" Tayet nearly screams. "You will cover for no one." He grabs Audric by the armor near his neck, pulling him towards him. "You are shutting mouth. You are getting on Morrison. You are taking Antal. Llaars does not have glow, does he? You are Paladin. You keep weak protected. You are better man than other Paladin dream to be. You be keeping Miss Rana safe. I am Ranger. I will catch you, long before approaching one does."

"This is plan, friend. Please go."

[Savannah]

Rana nods to Tayet, grabbing Morrison's reins from him. "How long do we have before they get here?"

At Audric's statement, Rana sighs in exasperation. "Get on the gods-damned horse, Audric! They'll kill you, too, now, after..." she trails off, not wanting to expose his secret right now. "Antal can ride with you. Llaars is in no danger from them and Jess may be able to protect Eri. Cary my sack and I can become a ghost as well as Tayet can." She holds the bag out to him.

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Without encumbrance, she can run. With woodland stride and trackless step, she can run at full speed through the undergrowth without leaving any trail.

[Cardea]

Tayet

Tayet looks from Rana, to Audric, to Rana again. "Time is running. Audric, trust me to keep Miss safe? I will find you again, she will be in your arms again. But we going now, she on horse, or she on foot."

[Ajadea]

Audric takes a second to register what Rana is saying. When he does, he turns to Mari with a betrayed expression "Why would... We did not ask anything from you. Why would you sell us out? "

"Sell ye oot?" Mari says, disbelieving. "I let ye in me camp, share me bread and me hearth wi' ye, pull ev'ry string I got tae gie ye where ye needs be going, ne'er askin' whit brings ye haur right up in th' wake o' th' whole city burnin' tae nae but coals and ye think I'd sell ye like that?"

Then she freezes. Slowly, a dawning realization spreads across her face. She waits for you to stop arguing before speaking again, voice icy and venomous as the poison purged so recently from Audric's veins. "If yer th' sort that flees frae e'en th' soldiers o' th' sun, 'en I shoods hae killed ye when I first laid een upon ye. As it stands, I gae ye th' safety ay th' hearth, an' ah wilnae break that trust or throw ye out. But go on, run, if ye must. Th' lads wilnae follow, an' I wilnae sell ye. I hae my honor. Yer friends will be safe here. The big man be nae harm, and Jess an' Antal be kin tae me. Ye three though, ye be neither. Leave these walls, an' there be nae more safety. If I see any o' ye walkin' these plains again once ye leave, ye'll nae be walkin' much longer." She draws her sword, but does not point it at anything in particular. In the sunlight, it looks very, very, sharp indeed. "Do we hae an understandin'?"

[Savannah]

Rana stops, frowning. "You...you didn't...? Damnit!"

"How many are coming? Could we draw them off the camp and defeat them?" she asks Tayet.

[Cardea]

Tayet

[Sylvan] "Two small folk, three horse, one Paladin." Tayet says. [Sylvan] "Can make shot from very far. Special arrow more better at range than normal. Have special fire arrow, for close. But don't know if shootin' Paladin make small folk attack."

[Strawberries]

Audric looks at Rana incredulously "No. Rana, no, we are not going to attack them.", he says firmly. Especially not if they are paladins, as Mari has seemed to imply. "If you go. I may... I might be able to explain. They might be able to help."

[Cardea]

Tayet

"No! No talking! Fight, I shoot them. Flight, I don't shoot them. Neither one do we 'taaaalk'. Last one talk, you know what happen. Last one fight, you know what happen. No more brothers on hand, yes? You have options. Rana go on horse, or Rana come with me." Tayet says. "You talk? Someone dying."

[Strawberries]

Audric looks torn for a second, before making a decision. He can't risk another fight with a member of the Order, not after what happened last time. He takes Rana's bag off her hands and Morrison's bridles from Tayet, motioning quickly at Antal to come closer, so he can help him get up the horse. He'll pretty much have to just hold tight to him, given the size of the horse compared with the Halfling, but there's unfortunately no way around it.

"We are going, but we are not... we were just trying to do what is right." He can't help but say to Mari. Even if he doesn't exactly know what that is anymore. "Tayet, take her and run. Run, don't fight. I'm trusting you on this." If Antal allows to be lifted on the horse he will mount after him, with one last warning to Rana and Tayet"Rana, keep him safe." Not that he doesn't appreciate Tayet's offer to look after her, despite the strange way he worded it (and he will definitely think about that some other moment), but he has never seen him fight, while he's confident that Rana can take well care of the both of them.

[Cardea]

Tayet

Tayet gives Audric a stern glare when he tells Miss to keep him safe. But brushes it off as he gives one last embrace to Morrison. He makes the motions, trying to get the horse to take instructions and direction from Audric, and to run. He lets go, and turns to Rana. [Sylvan] "Lets go."

[Jallorn]

Antal's long silence is finally broken, I want you to know, Mari, that I believe you. And that is why I will respond with a greater vow. Should I find that any of these friends I have made, or Eri, are gravely harmed as a result of your actions, I will bring a reckoning or die trying. This I swear by every god I refused to worship as a child, every god I will never serve; may they seize the opportunity to damn me should I fail to keep this vow... hmmm, may have overdone it a bit. Letting Audric pull him onto the horse, he pulls from his purse ten gold pieces, and tosses them to Mari, For the trouble, past and future.

[Ajadea]

Mari catches the coins out of the air in a single deft motion. "If I fail them sae, I'll hain ye th' blade fur th' deed." She sheathes her sword with a rasping sound. You can feel eyes on your backs as you leave.

The group scatters.

Tayet, Rana, Cape, and Shadow flee to the northeast, disappearing into the undergrowth until it is as if they are part of the wilderness. Silent. Invisible. They run directly towards Everdras Ridge, hoping to make up as much lost time as possible.

Audric and Antal, riding Morrison, have the advantage of speed instead of stealth and so head directly east. The hope is that taking a longer route will allow them to evade pursuit and ensuing awkward explanations. However, given that neither stands in favor with the gods, hoping for luck in their endeavors may be more than a little futile.

Tayet, Rana, and associated beasties

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Having decided not to 'taaaalk' with oncoming paladins, you head directly for Everdras Ridge. Traveling through the wilderness is not inherently a hardship for you, and travel is swift. The sun is shining high overhead when you catch a glimpse of the road from the top of a swell. It is dusty brown, much like everything else around here. On the horizon to the west is a small black mark where you know a city once stood.

Shadow begins to bay, clearly having noticed something of interest.

Tayet: Roll Hide and Move Silently

Handle Animal, Spot, Survival, Knowledge (nature), and Heal are relevant checks at this point.

Audric, Antal

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You ride for hours and hours. No pursuit is evident.

Morrison obeys Audric's commands without hesitation. The bracken increases slowly into a thin and scattered forest around the sixth hour of riding, all short and gnarled things with dark leaves. If anyone is pursuing, it is not evident.

Another two hours of riding and your steed's pace slows to barely a crawl. It is late afternoon and you are only barely closer to your destination. Exhaustion from the antics of last night/early this morning fights with every instinct in your body telling you that day is a time of action. If you rest now, it may well be another full day before you reunite with the others. Or you could push yourself and the horse even farther, risking potential damage in hopes of making up lost time.

[Savannah]

Spoiler: Woodsy Group

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Rana quickly grabs Shadow and shushes him, before glancing around to see what he's spotted.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Conveniently, Rana has all of those skills....and a disturbing number have a +11 bonus

Handle animal (1d20+11)[20]
Spot (1d20+11)[19]
Survival (1d20+13)[19]
Knowledge (nature) (1d20+11)[20]
Heal (1d20+9)[10]

[Strawberries]

Antal, Audric

Spoiler: Horsey group

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Audric gets off the saddle almost immediately when he sees that Morrison is starting to get tired to carry the both of them. He's the heaviest one, he reasons, they can cover a bit more road today if he walks beside the horse - even if it's going to be slower.

He hasn't said much to Antal during the ride, although the Halfling can probably tell he's very worried. "Do you think Eri and Jess will be safe?" he finally asks. Did we do the right thing in leaving them there?

[Ajadea]

Spoiler: Not-Horsey Group

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It doesn't take you long to silence Shadow, or figure out what troubled him. the wind blows strongly from the north - from the road - carrying the scent of... something. Something very bad. From here, it is too far for you to see, and your noses are not keen enough to smell what he smells. But you have enough experience with animals to know it is distressing him.

[Cardea]

Spoiler: Non-Horsey

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Tayet

Tayet signals for silence, as he moves forward. Keeping behind trees and bushes, he stays low.

Spoiler

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Hide: (1d20+9)[11]
Move Silently: (1d20+9)[28]

[Ajadea]

Spoiler: Tayet

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You sneak up to see what Shadow has caught wind of.

The first thing you notice, once you get close enough to smell, is the foul stench. Burnt meat, with just a hint of wood smoke and rotten flesh.

Then you see it.

Some sort of wooden thing - you want to say a small cart, if only due to the lone wheel sitting in the middle of the road - has apparently been melted, burned, and warped beyond all recognition, all at the same time.

The poor dwarven owner of the cart has fared no better - his skinless, boneless, torso dangles from a tall spike of wood, ten feet up. His remaining lung flaps in the wind. You don't know where the lower half went.

If it was a cart, it was big enough to be pulled by a beast of burden. There is no such thing evident, dead or otherwise.

[Jallorn]

Spoiler: Neigh group

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Tempted snark, Antal recognizes how bad an idea that would be, and instead says, Sure, why not? Realizing his choice of words isn't much better he adds, Nothing to do about it now, so might as well be optimistic about it.

Antal is tired. Woke up early, wrestled an attacker, and now an early-morning ride. He begins to drift off in the saddle, though he's not so far gone that Audric couldn't stir him.

[Savannah]

Spoiler: Woodsy

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Rana holds Shadow, waiting silently for Tayet to return.

[Strawberries]

Spoiler: Antal, Audric

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Because we left two sorcerers alone with paladins approaching Audric is about to snap, then Antal finishes the sentence and he just nods, recognising the coping mechanism for what it is. "I'll pray to Aldaran that you are right" he says instead, almost under his breath.

He notices Antal nodding off, but he doesn't make any move to stir him if there isn't any danger. Instead, he takes hold of Morrison's bridle to make sure he can still direct him and keeps walking beside the horse, allowing Antal to rest if he wants.