by badams30 » Mon Dec 31, 2012 2:30 am
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....