Interlude in Red Larch

[kjc]

Nahin - Elf

Seeing Rory: By the gods, your fast! He will say with a smile kicking out a chair for him.

[greyarea]

Marcus, paladin

Marcus smiles seeing that the man is gone. He orders some pheasant and mead (if they have it) and joins the others. He will ask the bartender and barmaid if they know the man who attempted to "guide" the party.

[badams30]

Marcus - as you approach the table, the man in brown robes pauses to glance back at the party one last time, then departs through the front door.

You question the barkeep and servers, and they all claim to have never seen him before. Your server adds "Never seen the man, but he's been coming here for food and drinks for the past 3 days. Keeps to himself, I don't think he's said more than four or five words to anyone... kind of a creepy sort, if you ask me."

Shortly after the brown robed one leaves, Buck arrives and waves as he sees you all, then approaches and takes a seat, ordering some ale and some food. He says "anybody find anything out?"

[Spanningtree]

Nahin - Elf

Waiting for someone else to fill Buck in he finally speaks up: Strange things afoot, an individual passing himself off as a local guide came to chat with those at the table. Marcus sensed evil from him though.... I just sat down and fed him a line of horse pucky and he steamed off. Might be an agent of... holding his hands up. Nahin will order something to eat (meat n'tatoes). He'll keep a keen eye on the crowd.

[kjc]

Engage the "wayback machine":

Marcus, you intently examine the room and it's occupants, and all seems normal - except for the man in brown robes. You can feel the palpable evil about him. Almost on cue, as your sense reads his aura, he casts an icy stare your way, then returns to his meal.

Jayce - Fighter
Jayce is lost in thought for a moment (remembering the above from Red Larch). "Hmmm, two evil men, both dressed in brown robes..."
OOC: @badams30: Do the two men appear to have the same tailor?

[badams30]

Engage the "wayback machine":

Marcus, you intently examine the room and it's occupants, and all seems normal - except for the man in brown robes. You can feel the palpable evil about him. Almost on cue, as your sense reads his aura, he casts an icy stare your way, then returns to his meal.

Jayce - Fighter
Jayce is lost in thought for a moment (remembering the above from Red Larch). "Hmmm, two evil men, both dressed in brown robes..."
OOC: @badams30: Do the two men appear to have the same tailor?

Observant, grasshopper. Very observant.

Both the man from Red Larch and the one here in Triboar wore brown robes that were very sturdy but nondescript. They appeared similar, but you aren't certain they are the same. While the men looked very different, they did have roughly the same build. After sharing your thoughts with the others, you can't be sure he was one and the same, but you all agree that the similarities seem to be more than a coincidence.

[Atomic Ray]

Han Overfist, augur of Tymora

(Han is pleasantly pleased with himself and seeks to provide some attention to his patron for the good luck...if no shrine then he will find an gambling hall and if none he will find a calm open spot and roll some dice...Tymora is fickle but appreciates any meaningful effort in her behest)

[badams30]

The Triboar Arms slows down quite a bit shortly after the mysterious brown robed stranger departed, and Buck finishes his meal and rises to his feet... "Well, I'm going to turn in, we've got an early day tomorrow, and for most of it the going will be rougher than the days past. Get some good rest, you'll need it." And with that he departs to the room to sleep.

Grinkle leaves to go check on the horses and wagon, and Dak accompanies him. The innkeep smiles politely and asks for any last orders, as he says he's going to close the kitchen. You are welcome to stay downstairs and converse as long as you keep it down, and he shows you were the water is in case you need some.

Any precautions for sleep time? The door to your common room is lockable as well. Let me know any actions before morning, and then we'll get the show on the road... You'll be heading out of town on the mountain road and off a hard trail before noon. The rest of your journey will be on rutted tracks and paths of unknown quality and Buck has estimated you'll reach the manor in roughly 3 days assuming you don't get serious delays.

[Spanningtree]

Nahin - Elf

Nahin will make sure that the door is locked and take standard watch rotations that include checking on the horses and wagon.

[badams30]

On the Road Again...

You all hit the sack (some later than others..) and the night passes without incident. Before you know it, Buck is rousing you all awake, and you note the sun hasn't peaked over the horizon yet. "Mornin' everyone. Time to get going. Ol' Grinkle has been getting the horses ready, and we've got some warm food to take with us. Most of our journey today will be flat trail, and it will just start to get rough toward the end of the day. I want to press hard, 'cause there's a nice campsite I'd like to stay at." He gets a serious look and says "I don't know who or what is up in the hills, but I'm playing it safe. This campsite has one trail in and out, and our backs will be to a canyon wall. No sneaking up on us..." He smiles and says "Well... let's get moving!"

Within 30 minutes, you are saddled up, and heading out of Triboar. You notice that the caravan is leaving at the same time, heading north on the main tradeway, the same direction you are going... for the moment.

About 20 minutes outside of Triboar, Buck motions toward a set of wagon tracks on an obviously seldom-used path to your left. "Here we go, boys. take a left..." as you turn, some of the caravan guards good naturedly wave and shout, "You're going the wrong way!" Within a few minutes, the caravan has continued on, and you are threading your way down the old path. Almost as soon as you leave the main road, the path becomes bumpy, and occasional rocks jut out from the trail and surrounding terrain. For now, the ground is mostly flat, with tall grasses and occasional stands of trees. But for the most part, it's prarie.

At about lunchtime, a cold wind starts to blow, and snow flurries start to fall. Very light, but snow, nonetheless. Marcus, your dagger keeps you comfortable despite the chill and the cold nature of your plate armor. The rest of you don your parkas and you notice Buck constantly scanning the skies. He looks angry, and keeps muttering about "unpredictable weather."

As the day winds down, you start to leave the prarire and enter some rolling hills, very barren, very open, and those of you with a tactical sense feel very vulnerable on the trail in open view of the high ground above. Buck keeps scanning the horizon, and says little. Just as the daylight is starting to fade, you see a large opening in the hillocks, a flat piece of land that has nearly vertical cliffs to the sides, and one entrance and one exit to the clearing. Buck's smile tells you all you need to know. "Ah, here we go. Let's pull it in for the night, boys." You back the wagon and horses to the wall of the canyon, and pitch the large tent that is in the wagon. Before the tent is staked down, Buck and Grinkle have a large fire burning and water is starting to boil for coffee. As you settle in to warm by the fire and wait for dinner to cook, Buck pours coffee for anyone who wants it. He points to the firepit and says "From the looks of the pit, this place hasn't been used in a few weeks. I don't see any trace of our missing, though." He looks up at the walls of the canyon, and says "No one can jump us from up there... unless they can fly or climb like a little spider. That's about as secure as it gets here. We still need to be on our toes, though. Probably need double watch, or at least two on each watch - one sleeping but ready, and the other alert."

Any special precautions or actions before you all turn in? It's been snowing lightly all day, but the wind has kept it from accumulating. It's darn cold though, and the wind lightly cuts through all but the heaviest gear....