---

---

The night passed and morning dawned on Sandpoint without further incident.  As the hour of ten approached, each of you made your way to the Goblin Squash Stables, where a beaming Daviren Hosk informed you that you should select a steed from among his finest beasts and that Aldern Foxglove himself would be making the purchase!  Daviren seemed very excited about having such a noble (and reputedly wealthy) customer.

But it is not only the prospect of profit that has lifted Daviren’s spirits today; it is your reputation as goblin hunters!  As you inspect the horseflesh and have your chosen steeds saddled and bridled with the finest in tack, the hunter kept asking you about your exploits during the goblin assault, how many goblins you killed, how they died, and whether you managed to obtain their names prior to their passing.

Only the arrival of Aldern Foxglove stemmed the tide of Hosk’s questions; when the noble appeared he bowed and moved back inside the building to his office.  Aldern greeted each of you warmly, informed you that he must finalize the sale with the horsemaster, and disappeared into Hosk’s office.  The noble was accompanied by two menservants and the seemingly omnipresent Tarvis.  Tarvis briefly inspected the cinching on each of your steeds to ensure it was done properly, then directed his companions to mount their horses even as he did the same with his own.

Aldern emerged from the stables, beamed a smile at the group, and leapt astride his large black destrier with the practiced ease of someone who had spent a great deal of time in the saddle.  “Shall we go, then?”  He offered, favoring Liseth with a special smile as he did so.

Aldern eagerly led you and his three servants out of Sandpoint, west over the Undercliff Bridge and along the southern banks of the Turandarok River.  It is only a mile-and-a-half ride to the Tickwood Forest, which is just north of the upthrust limestone escarpment known as Devil’s Platter.  Aldern informs you that the ride will take around half an hour.

The man proves to be a charming conversationalist, well read and possessing a seemingly endless array of stories about the high life in Magnimar.  After about fifteen minutes of sharing stories and laughs, the subject moves to the heroes who rescued him from the goblins.

“So,” said Aldern, looking back at them, “now that we are hunting companions, we should get to know each other better.  Where are you all from?”

---

---

Kellan had woken up early, the anticipation of the days hunt, the excitement of being assigned an investigation, and his date with Shayliss later in the day all urged his limbs to action in the dark hours of the morning. Bathed, trimmed and well fed on a breakfast of porridge, honey and corn cakes he had donned some sturdy work clothes and ran a whet stone over the blade of his pole axe before setting out.

He had fed Hakon four flakes of hay while he oiled up the tack and brushed the beast down. Loading his chain mail in one of the saddle bags, he filled the other with a meat hook, a few sharp knives and a few sacks in the case that they were successful as well as his normal day pack. He was just cinching things up when ten bells rolled around, looking eager to get going.

He had sat out during the selection of the horses, but was on hand to offer any opinions or advise should Pisca or Cato have desired any and was surprised to see that the fine white horse he had seen during he festival belonged to no other than Liseth herself. With the new horses saddled up he trotted out Hakon and felt the horse's eager energy as they rode out towards the Tickwood,

Kellan was just taking a sip from his skin when Foxglove asked his question, smiling a little.

"I was born and raised in Sandpoint...I have never really known anywhere else" he answered simply.

Cato was completely unsure how to prepare for the boar hunt ahead.  He had certainly been on boar hunts in the past, but didn't want to advertise the fact that he had grown up as a noble scion.  But he didn't want to ruin the rest of the hunt for anyone else, either.  He figured the rest may not have been on a boar hunt either, and Aldern would probably have servants carrying enough supplies to make it through.  Cato just brought his crossbow, and enough food and water to see him through lunch if need be.

The completed, Cato headed down to the stables.  He actually didn't know anything about horses, having always trusted the grooms at his family's stables to pick out a horse.  He pretended to give the horses a cursory inspection, but relied on Kellan's and Liseth's advice when it came to actually choosing an animal.  As the group set out, he found himself astride a medium-sized gentle chestnut mare named Frolic.

Cato's blood ran cold when Aldern, no doubt making friendly conversation, asked the group where they were from.  Cato could lie about such a thing, but on the off chance that anyone in their hunting party knew of the town he falsely named and pressed him for details or local contacts, his lies would be quickly exposed.  Korvosa was large enough that he could plausibly admit to not knowing anyone else who had lived there.  After Kellan finished, Cato quickly responded.

"I'm from Korvosa, and wandered across Varisia before ending up here."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:03, Tue 08 Oct 2013.

The early morning tracking expedition with Pisca didn't reveal too much in the way of information; Liseth was sad to find.  But she was sure to locate Sheriff Hemlock and share everything that she did discover with him before going off on her own to prepare for the day's ride.  It was too bad that Kerr couldn't join her after all; but neither he nor she were about to argue with Father Zantus when he said that he needed help cleaning up the mess in the Boneyard.  Kerr had volunteered to stay behind and help Father Zantus; after all Liseth was the one who had been invited to share in the hunting trip.

Before making her way to the Goblin Squash Stables Liseth stopped by the market in order to purchase some small provisions for the ride as well.  She did already own some traveling rations and other food, but that hardly made for a decent picnic.  So first she bought herself a knapsack then filled it with two loaves of bread, two ripe tomatoes, an onion, a pound of sliced beef, a block of cheese, and six apples.  Satisfied that everyone should be able to enjoy a decent picnic now, Liseth made her way directly to the stables.

She arrived wearing the same white dress as the day before, though it had been cleaned since then.  The extravagant necklace was not worn around her neck, and her hair, rather than being allowed to hang loosely, was tied behind her head in a ponytail.  The food-stuffed knapsack hung from her shoulders.

Liseth was thrilled to meet all of the horses that Daviren Hosk made available for their perusal, but she knew that she wasn't going to need a new one.  After all, she already had Heily.  Before going to retrieve her from the stables though, Liseth shared with Kellan and Cato what she and Pisca had learned from examining the area outside the Boneyard wall, "So, there was a ladder leaned up against the wall that they used to climb over, and we managed to follow their tracks back to a clearing in the woods that they used as a staging area for their attack.  I couldn't tell just how many goblins there was, but there was several of their monster dog tracks too."  She frowned, "We didn't learn anything else about the mysterious person that was with the goblins though, or find any leads on..." Liseth looked around to make sure that nobody else was listening.  After all, Sheriff Hemlock didn't want everybody to know.  She lowered her voice just in case, "Any leads on where they took Father Tobayn's remains."

After that she gave all of the horses a good inspection, perhaps surprising everybody present with just how much she knew about horses.  Liseth was quick to point out the qualities of each horse; its breed, how healthy and strong it was, whether it would grant a smooth and comfortable ride or a rough and jarring one, its personality (she didn't want any mean horses after all!), and other general information about caring for the horses.

Heily was given a nice brushing before Liseth walked her out to meet everybody.  The pure white horse was absolutely resplendent.  "This is Lady Heilagr, but all of her friends call her Heily.  Say hello Heily."

Heily dipped her head down and gave a whinny.

Then Liseth's attention was captured by Kellan's horse and she walked to the two of them, with Heily following behind her.  "That's your horse Mr Storval?  He's so handsome!  And strong too.  His name is Hakon?"  Liseth reached her hands up to stroke Hakon's mane, "Hello Hakon."  She turned to Heily, "Hakon must be as big as Drake, don't you think Heily?"

Heily gave a snort and her head shook.

"You don't think so?  Drake is bigger?"  Liseth looked between Hakon and Heily, "Maybe.  We'll just have to get the two of them together sometime!"

"Oh, hello Mr Foxglove."  Liseth greeted the nobleman after he made his appearance and smiled at her the way that he did.  He's not scary.  He won't be scary if you don't think that he's scary.  He's just being a polite gentleman.  She still wished that Kerr was able to come with her.

Liseth needed a little help to climb up into Heily's saddle; her small stature made it difficult for her to get atop Heily without assistance or a stepping stool.  Once she was seated on Heily, Liseth stored her new knapsack in a saddlebag.  When the group set out it became apparent that the girl, despite her love of horses, had very little riding skill.  She sat up straight in Heily's saddle and kept her hands on the reins, but rather than lead the horse Liseth allowed Heily to carry her; gently whispering to the horse to subtly guide her.

When the conversation turned to where everybody was from, Liseth was ready to respond when Kellan answered first.  His answer wasn't very surprising, she already knew that he was from Sandpoint.  Then Cato answered.  She was a more curious about Cato and his answer didn't alleviate the curiosity much.  She knew that Korvosa was a large city, the largest in Varisia, and his terse answer didn't explain much.

Then it was her turn.  She hadn't really shared with anybody in Sandpoint where she was from.  Not because she wanted to hide anything, but no one had really asked.  They had all just accepted her as Father Zantus's new acolyte.  "I'm from Galduria.  Well, not really Galduria, but a few miles outside of the town.  My family has a manor there, on the shore of Ember Lake.  Though I spent almost as much time at the nearby Temple of Sarenrae as at home when I was growing up."

OOC: I suppose an estimated value on the foodstuffs will need to be deducted from Liseth's funds.

Also, Knowledge (Nature) and/or Handle Animal to help Pisca and Cato pick out nice horses?  Not Heal though; it isn't polite to look a gift horse in the mouth!
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Tue 08 Oct 2013.

The early morning trip to the far side of the Boneyard wall hadn't been all that disappointing to the gnome.  After all, they found a ladder which proved that at least some of the miscreants who'd come over the wall couldn't climb much better than she could.  Finding the dog tracks clinched it, though.  If the goal had been a real attack on the town they would have sent these dogs in too.  It could have been much worse.

"Pony!"  The gnome knew little enough about horses, but that never stopped Pisca from voicing an opinion about something.  And that never stopped her from knowing what she liked.  Pisca made a beeline for a chocolate brown pony with white socks and a white star marking her nose.  "You are so beautiful," said the gnome as she stroked the soft hair of the pony's neck.  "I want this one.  I'll call her Annette Hannigan Pickleberry Cloud Manners, or Nettie for short."

And so Pisca set off with the boar hunting party mounted upon her pony.  Today she was dressed in her Shoanti leathers with one exception.  The big hummie-sized Cinderlander hat had stayed behind.  Instead, the gnome's strawberry blond hair was bound up in a dashing scarlet headscarf worthy of a most dreaded of pirates that ever dared the Fire Swamp.  It's been no secret that the gnome had been raised in Kaer Maga.  But what was new -or, perhaps not so new- was her familiarity with Korvosa.  Pisca pounced as soon as the young wizard named the city as his own.  "Cato!  Do you know my Great great great great uncle Geezlebottle?  He's an instructor at Theumanexus College in East Shore.  I can imagine you must have tried to apply there.  Unless you went to the Academae."  The gnome's mention of the rival -and bigger- institution of arcane learning, her voice grew dismissive, disdainful and full of distaste.

Fortunately for Cato, the gnome continued to yammer on, introducing Kaer Maga as the freest city in all of Varisia.  She spoke of growing up with her Aunt Hattie who loved all things Varisian and ran a little parlor in Down Market where she gave Harrow readings.

---

---

Aldern Foxglove nodded and smiled, following intently along with the others’ history as he guided them closer to the Tickwood Forest and its impressive boars.  For a while he was content to allow his companions to do most of the talking, just asking for a clarification here or making a short interjection there so that they knew he was paying attention.

He raised an eyebrow at Liseth’s description of her family’s estate.  “Your family has a manor?”  He asked with a note of surprise.  “Are they landed gentry of some sort?  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, given how well-manored you are.”  He winked.  “And in Galduria!  I have a business associate who attended the Twilight Academy.  Did you ever visit?  He describes it as, if you’ll forgive me,” the noble could not hold back a smile, “a magical place.”

He turned to Pisca.  “Your aunt gave Harrow readings?”  A brief cloud passed over his features, then vanished.  “Do you have the skill?  Have you met Niska Mvashti?  I know she is quite talented with the deck.”  He coughed.  “Or so it is rumored.”

OOC:  Thanks to Liseth’s expert assistance Cato has picked out a nice horse; Pisca chose Nettie from the heart.  :)

---

---

Kellan suddenly felt very, common. It was not a bad feeling per say, he was proud of what he had accomplished, and of his family and Sandpoint, but he was suddenly acutely aware of the kind of company he was keeping. Liseth had apparently come from the well off, and Cato had come from Korvosa and was schooled in the arcane to boot. Pisca, while not seeming to come from money did possess stories of far off places and family members who taught at institutions, exciting stuff.

And of course there was Foxglove, who had been willing to buy four of The Goblin Squash's finest stock without a blink of an eye just after paying for a custom banquet with generous gifts. He silently wondered what that sort of life must be like, what Foxglove and the rest of the nobility had been doing when he was pitching hay, harvesting crops or mucking pens as soon as he could lift the shovel.

Kellan was sure that there was some lesson here, Old Deadeye probably had a thing or two to say about an honest days work, and he was the god of the hunt after all. Suddenly Kellan smiled in nostalgia as he remembered Proudsnout, the massive legendary boar who was said to walk by Erastil's side. He had loved tales of Proudsnout as a boy, even if the church itself did not possess much literature on the beast he had imagined several of his own scenarios with his siblings while feeding the hogs on his families farm.

That sealed it for Kellan, he was suddenly itching to start and full of a good natured competitive spirit. If Foxglove wanted a boar, he was going to need to get down in the dirt and brush to beat Kellan to the prize. Hakon seemed to sense the change in his riders demeanor and responded in kind, stretching out in his gait and pawing at the grass when they paused.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:16, Tue 08 Oct 2013.

"*Gives* Harrow readings," Pisca corrected.  "Harriet Tenpicky is one of the finest Harrow readers in all of Varisia.  Me, though, Aunt Hattie has tried to teach me.  But I had the wrong sense of decor for it," she added.  About Madam Mvashti, the gnome said nothing.  Though whether that was intentional or not was unclear.

"Thank you, by the way, Aldern, for buying Nettie for me."  And the gnome stroked the pony's neck for what must be now and uncountable number of times.  "She's such a beautiful pony."

"Err, how exactly is boar hunting supposed to work," she asked, and her eyes scanned the forest for any animals who might just happened to be boars.

---

Perception check, please.  For boar.

Liseth wasn't sure what to think about Mr Foxglove's reaction to learning of her family's estate.  Even Kellan looked as though he was caught off guard by the information.  She had never really thought about things like that before; how other people would react to her family's status.  Everyone in Galduria already knew them and coming to Sandpoint was the furthest from home that she had ever traveled.  But being nobility had never been important to her; and Liseth started to wonder why so many people put so much stock in things like that.  Would Kerr think that it was important?  She hoped not.

She nodded to Mr Foxglove's questions of her, "My family owns lands near the manor and along the shore of Ember Lake."  She paused to think, "Um...I don't know exactly how much land though.  You would have to ask Daddy."  Liseth changed the topic to the question about the Twilight Academy; she didn't know much about the estate's affairs anyway.  "I have visited the Twilight Academy a few times.  When my Uncle Cedric was still studying there.  It was...very different.  Sometimes a little spooky.  Uncle Cedric tried to teach me things about magic but I never really understood what he was talking about."

"Daddy didn't like Uncle Cedric much,"  Liseth frowned, "I'm not sure why.  He was always so nice to me.  Maybe because he's a wizard.  Like Mr Crispin.  Although I never saw Uncle Cedric throw acid before."  A pause, "Maybe that's why he left on his travels..."

"I've never thought of being nobility as anything special though."  Liseth changed the topic again, "Everyone is just who they are.  Daddy always said that it isn't money, lands, or titles that make people noble anyway.  But what they do, how they act; how they...treat other people."  She seemed unaware that stating something like that could be interpreted as quite the insult to a nobleman.

At the mention of Harrow readings, Cato perked up.  "That's right, Pisca.  You and Lunk were in front of me at the Sandpoint Festival outside of Madame Mvashti's tent.  I remember you weren't in there very long, and never had a chance to ask you about it.  I never had a Harrow reading before that, so didn't have any basis for comparison.  Brodert certainly thought it was a waste of time, but I thought it was..." Cato went silent for a second, trying to find the right word.  "Well, interesting at the very least.  I think she might have predicted the four of us battling goblins, though it's much easier to judge her predictions as accurate in hindsight."

---

---

“You are most welcome, Pisca,” Aldern replied gallantly to the gnome’s thanks. “And may I say that you are quite becoming mounted upon your noble steed.”  He gave her a wink before turning to Liseth.

“I knew you came from a landed family!”  Aldern looked at the young acolyte triumphantly.  “And I am well aware of how the nobility generally act, Miss Thoradin.”  He nodded, then sighed.  “More than most, actually.  And I must agree with your father that the nobility of the person is not necessarily reflected by their title.”  He grinned.  “Although I have to hope that members of the nobility are not completely irredeemable when it comes to personal virtue.”

The nobleman gave Cato a searching look as he discussed his Harrowing.  “Madame Mvashti is well known for her talent with the deck.  If she gave you a reading, it would be good policy for you to pay close attention to what she said.”  He looked over at Pisca in surprise.  “Did you have a reading as well?  If Madame Mvashti Harrowed you both, I would be a little astonished if she did not predict your meeting.”

Aldern shook his head, as if to clear it.  “But your readings are your own, to share or keep as you wish.”  He sounded as if was reciting a well-known truism.  He was silent for a few moments, as if pondering something of great importance.

The hunting party was now entering an area notably thick with trees.  As the forest deepened, Aldern waved a hand around at their arboreal surroundings.  “Now is the time to answer Miss Pisca’s question!  Boar hunting works like so.”  He addressed the whole group as he held out his hand, into which Tarvis placed a wicked-looking longspear.  “The plan is this.  We shall find one of the famous Tickwood boars.  We shall carefully approach it.  These beasts are ill-tempered and quite territorial, so it will no doubt charge us.”

Aldern held up a hand, as if he expected outrage or objection to such a bold plan.  “Fear not!  For Mr. Storval and I are going to do most of the dirty work.”  He grinned and nodded respectfully to Kellan.  “When the beast charges, Kellan and I shall impale it upon our polearms.  But boars are tough; that may not be enough to kill it.  So Cato and Pisca can attack it at range while Kellan and I hold it at bay.  If things go terribly wrong, Mikel and Josin,” he nodded to one of the menservants; the other one seemed to have disappeared, “will jump in and help us; Liseth can heal any injuries.  Once the boar is dead, we will proceed triumphantly back to the Rusty Dragon to enjoy the fruits of our conquest.”  His voice brooked no doubt that such a triumph was in the offing.

“Are there any questions?”  Aldern looked around as one of the manservants came racing back down the path, bringing his horse up next to the noble’s and talking to him in a low voice.  Foxglove’s face broke out in a radiant smile.  “Outstanding!  You’re a good man, Josin,” he said to his retainer before wheeling around to face the party once more.  “There’s a boar not too far ahead, rooting around to the left of the path.  Shall we hunt?”

---

---

This message was last edited by the player at 05:55, Thu 10 Oct 2013.

Cato found himself nodding along as Aldern explained his views on nobility.  How had his opinion of the man changed so much?  Cato sighed.  His life might have turned out much different if his own family could have been more like what Aldern was saying.  Though it sounded like the man's families might have had its own demons as well.

Cato blushed at his potential faux pas regarding the Harrow reading.  "Sorry, Pisca.  I didn't realize that Harrow readings weren't meant to be shared.  Of course you don't have to tell me what happened.  I was just remarking on an interesting coincidence."

Cato listened with half an ear to Aldern's explanation of the boar hunt, trying to look interested.  At least he wouldn't have to control a pole-arm.  Cato's own father had tried to make him do that a few times before giving up in disgust.

Cato carefully took out a bolt and loaded his crossbow.  "I'm prepared.  Let's just hope we don't have use of Liseth's healing.  We're the heroes of Sandpoint, after all."  Cato gave the group a wide grin.  "We shouldn't have trouble with a simple boar."

"Harrow readings are like any aspect of fate, Cato."  Pisca withdrew her attention from the surrounding forest.  "Some things are best kept to one's self.  Some things you want to share with people.  Sometimes only certain people.  That's why reading the cards is a responsibility as much as it is a skill or a gift.  Those who hold the keys to destiny carry a heavy burden," said the gnome, reciting words told to her by her aunt.  "There are charlatans out there, but most readers treat things very seriously.  They hold the have great respect for the cards."

Pisca swung her leg forward over the horn of the saddle and slipped from Nettie's back to the ground.

"As to Madam Mvashti," the gnome shrugged, "First the seed, then the trunk, then the leaves on the breeze," the gnome replied.  "Wherever the leaves may be blown, they're still of their tree."  The gnome turned to her pony then, leaving things as though fully explained.

"You stay here, Nettie," she said, stroking the soft pony nose.  "This sounds dangerous, and you're a gentle pony.  Aren't you?"

"Alright.  I'm ready to go."  The gnome drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and began creeping in the direction that Aldern Foxglove had indicated.

"Everybody can achieve redemption, Mr Foxglove."  Liseth seemed to have missed that he was probably joking.  This was a topic very close to her heart.  "Some people require a lot more work than others, but no one is irredeemable."  She grabbed the holy symbol that she always wore around her neck, "Sarenrae teaches that if even your greatest enemy can be redeemed, then they should be."

Liseth looked at Mr Foxglove's spear when it was handed to him.  She pointed at it from the back of Heily, "That looks a lot like the spear that Nivlak uses when he hunts for boars.  See the cross guard just past the spear point?  That is supposed to keep the boar from being able to reach you after you stab it."  She placed her hand back on Heily's reins, "See, Boars can be really mean, and usually stabbing them only makes them meaner.  So if you use a normal spear, they can run all the way up the shaft and still get you with their tusks.  Sometimes they can still get past the cross guard though, especially if it is a big boar.  That's what Nivlak says anyway."

She merely nodded when Mr Foxglove laid out his plan for the hunt.  She certainly hoped that she wouldn't need to heal anybody, but Liseth also knew that boar hunting was very dangerous.  Lots of people used dogs, and there was good reason that hunting boars with a spear instead was considered a test of bravery.  An enraged boar could easily kill an unlucky hunter.

"Oh, already?"  Liseth was disappointed at how quickly a boar was located.  She was actually looking forward to spending more time riding through the Tickwood, maybe even enjoying a pleasant lunch in the forest shade before the hunt really started.  But she did feel excitement and anticipation, as well as a bit of apprehension, at the drawing confrontation.  She always had wanted to go along on a boar hunt before, and here she was.

Liseth watched Pisca dismount Nettie then looked down at Heily.  Heily had never been on a boar hunt before either, and she wasn't as bold as other horses like Drake and Hakon.  Liseth wouldn't want Heily to be scared of the boar when it charged.  But being on foot was very dangerous, especially for Liseth since she was so slow and awkward thanks to her cursed legs.

Stroking Heily's beautiful mane while she thought, Liseth decided that she would stay with her horse.  Heily shouldn't panic if Liseth was sure to keep her away from the boar when it charged Kellan and Mr Foxglove.  But Nettie might get into trouble if she stayed behind all by herself.  Liseth spoke to Pisca before the gnome disappeared into the underbrush, "Ms Freemish, Nettie should be tied to a tree before we go.  If she hears us fighting the boar up ahead, it might spook her and she could run away.  Then we would have to find her in the forest."

With that Liseth said a prayer, "Erastil, greatest of all hunters, grant us your blessing that our hunt may be swift and successful.  Bless the boar that we seek and know that we bear it no malice."  Then her hands rose into the air as she called down a blessing from Erastil.

That done Liseth had Heily slow so that she was behind Cato's horse Frolic and well behind Kellan's and Mr Foxglove's horses.  She didn't plan on actually getting close to the boar, and hopefully Heily wouldn't become frightened.  Keeping that in mind, Liseth leaned forward and gently whispered encouragement to the pure white mare while continuing to gently stroke her mane.

OOC: I cast Bless.  I hope that it takes less than a minute for Kellan to engage the boar!

Also, is it possible to use the 'Push an Animal' function of the Handle Animal skill for me to get Heily to act as though she had combat training for the duration of the encounter?  Looking at the DC on the action, success is unlikely anyway.  But I would like to try.

Kellan listened as Foxglove explained the process, nodding here and there at certain points. Dismounting he walked over and hefted the boar spear, taking in the balance and weight. He felt at ease with poles arms in general and felt a faint surprise at how light the weapon was in relation to what he normally carried.

Looping Hakon's reins around a nearby branch, he took a long draw from his water skin then donned a set of supple leather work gloves. Pausing to take in the sights and smells of the forest, he listened to the faint breeze rustling the branches and the calls of the various woodland birds, watched a squirrel clamber up the side of an old oak. It all seemed a fitting backdrop for Liseth's prayer, and in turn he closed his eyes and dipped his head in respect and affirmation of what she had said,

Looking over eventually he gave a knowing smile to Josin. The servant seemed to have taken care of the difficult work of finding the boar and left the party with an event that seemed to Kellan more like a "boar kill" than a "boar hunt". All the same the young guardsman felt eager to get going, waiting for the others to ready before they started trekking up the path.

"Lysa," the gnome explained to the human, "if I tie Nettie to a tree she won't be able to run away if she's scared.  I wouldn't do that to her.  And if she runs away and gets lost, of course we'll have to go look for her."  Very curious, the way humans think sometimes.

"You're ... you're ...  Wait.  You're not going to attack the boar from on top of your horse, are you?" she called after the others.  "Isn't that two against one?" Pisca continued, ignoring the fact that it was already several times that number against the lone boar already.  If that's what we're after, we might think of digging a pit so that we can lure the boar inside and then stick it with spears from above.  Much safer that way," she suggests.

Then the gnome turns her eyes to the forest around her, peering about for spies that might be listening, lest they reveal the boar trapping plans to the boar herself.

---

Perception check, please.

"Well, I suppose we could run it down with horses, but if it get's into the thick brush we would have to dismount anyway" Kellan mused as they walked "Digging a pit would take forever, and I'm not sure what you would bait it with...acorns maybe?"

His eyes scanned the ground for sign as they walked, glancing up and and then for the boar that Josin had spotted. "If you wanted to be sporting I suppose you could face it one on one, toe to toe, but if you want pig tonight the spear gambit is the surest way to dinner"

Kellan's tone made it obvious that he was on the side of having pork for his evening meal

"You, you, you, and you."  With a stern look, the gnome pointed a finger at four distinct spots in the surrounding foliage.  "Ssshhhh.  I'm watching you," she said in warning.  Then she snapped back to her bow, increasing the tension on the string as she tracked to her right.  Her attention was directed at a rustling of the bushes in the distance to the front and slightly left of the party.

"Doesn't look as though we'll have to lure it after all," said the gnome.  "Though I think I could probably have made the sounds of a truffle vendor."  Then, "Hmmm.  That sounds like a big animal," she added.

---

---

“Don’t be too sure of that, Cato.”  Aldern Foxglove gave the wizard a grim smile.  “The mighty boar has bested the hero and the commoner alike.  Largely, I think, because the hunters did not respect their prey.  This is the boar’s country; we are hunting it on its own turf.  If there is anything we should NOT do, it is to take the boar lightly or assume that our victory is guaranteed.”

The noble looked at Liseth with a mixture of fondness and sadness as she expounded upon her belief that, with enough work, all could be redeemed.  “Unfortunately, not everyone can be saved, Miss Thoradin.”  He dropped his head, as if borne down by the weight of whatever thought had occurred to him.  He looked up with a glint in his eye.  “And I believe that is a good thing, because there are many whose acts do not entitle them to such redemption.”

Aldern’s high spirits returned as Liseth explained the use of the hunting spear.  “That is it exactly, Liseth.”  He beamed.  “Nivlak is clearly an experienced hunter.  Is he a relative?  You should heed his wisdom in such things.”

He then turned his attention to Pisca.  “Digging a . . . pit?”  The noble’s raised eyebrow and dismissive tone clearly communicated what he thought of that idea.  “Where is the sport in that?  No, we must hunt in the traditional fashion; man versus boar.  And woman versus boar.  And gnome versus boar.”  He grinned.  “Just as the gods intended.”

They approached the area where Josin had indicated a boar was foraging.  “But no, we shall not be fighting the beast from horseback; that is a sure path to injury for both us and the horses,” Aldern continued his boar-hunting seminar as he dismounted.  “At least Kellan and I will not be.  Tarvis here will be leading the horses to safety while we encounter the boar.”  He handed the reins of his steed to his aide.  “You three,” he indicated Cato, Liseth, and Pisca, “are welcome to stay mounted, but I don’t recommend it unless you are experienced riders.  If the boar spooks your horse, you will need some skill to keep it under control.  Give your reins to Tarvis if you wish to proceed on foot.  As our fearless gnome has noted, I believe our quarry is in the bushes just ahead.”

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This message was last edited by the player at 06:19, Fri 11 Oct 2013.

"Take care of Nettie, please," called Pisca to the minion of the human noble.  Then she crouched low in the grass and began creeping further to her right, hoping to get the drop on the animal.

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Stealth check, please.  Also ...  Is a Ready Attack possible?

Kellan glanced to Pisca then lowered his spear, stepping off to the left of the path and beginning to crunch softly over the duff littering the forest floor. He was hunched over, brushing stray branches out of the way with the haft of his weapon as he approached the area where Josin claimed to have seen the boar.

Inwardly his heart rate was beginning to pick up as the excitement of the hunt took hold. His eyes were fixed on the undergrowth in front of him just waiting for something to come charging out.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:04, Fri 11 Oct 2013.

Cato cautiously dismounted his horse and handed the reins to Tarvis.  He nodded to Aldern.  "Yes, I probably wouldn't be able to fight from horseback, especially if Frolic here got spooked."  Cato gave a lopsided grin.  "I was barely able to stay mounted when we splashed through that stream earlier today."

Cato stretched his legs a little, and quieted down, eyeing the foliage ahead for signs of a killer boar.  It was hard to keep Kellan and Aldern in front of him and the expected path of the boar, while at the same time keeping a clear line of sight for his crossbow to be used.