Giles nodded. "East along the river seems to be our best option. Whether we can find anything significant in the area of this barren is another matter. Edenburg, make sure you keep your eyes out for anything that stands out. We will need to investigate, and as such you will be free to be loose formation while we travel" he said as he finished chewing the remaining pieces of his breakfast.

Now that they were out here in the plains of Al-Wazif, the idea of finding a small contingent of rebel forces seemed a rather unreasonable one and Giles felt his heart ache for one of the flying beasts that he had read much about, yet never witnessed in person. Gryphons, rare as they were, were used by some of the Megalos army or perhaps acquired to safisfy a higher noble's luxury desires. Eventually, as he was packing and making himself ready to travel the noble born Hind caught himself thinking too deeply and wishing too hard for something that wasn't with them and so refocussed his mind.

"Roderickson, you stay close with me, and we'll head north and east making a stop at the river late in the day before continuing east towards the nearest settlement.

This area isn't too inviting for us people and so it's best not to deviate more than a hundred miles from the river. "

Giles gives concise marching orders and the three men pack up and move out of the campsite without much ado, Edenburg riding mostly ahead of the group, though at times he wanders off route or in trail, and Rodrickson and Giles riding together as the main body of the party.  It is only an hours ride north to the river, where the three men refill their waterskins, let the horses drink and take a short respite before pushing off again to the east.

Throughout the ride, Giles chats with Rodrickson, who seems to be a smart young man, studied in languages and cultures, though no graduate of university.  Giles spends much of the time asking about the Muslims and through the conversation he gleans the impression of a highly functioning but quirky society that valued combat prowess as one of their pinnacle achievements of leadership...  The more he learned, the more reasonable the Captain's fears seemed of a breakaway clan starting a war in the hopes of glory.

By midday, the group breaks again to rest the horses and let them graze on the thin plains grasses.  Edenburg breaks out his own waterskin and drinks deeply.  Overhead, the clouds roll on, with only small spots of blue sky showing through in the infrequent breaks.

OOC:  Ok, you've done about another 20 miles so far on horseback and have broken for lunch.  You may opt to eat more of the rations that you packed or skip a meal if desired.  Also, roll vs. perception and PM me if you succeed.

Giles had found the journey somewhat dull. The landscape was samey and rather unpopulated with anything of interest more than ground and sky. The conversation had been relatively light, but he did make efforts to get the other men to open up a little bit about themselves. KNowing their previous encounter with harpies Giles felt that Edenburg and he had developed at least some level of the fraternity he had once seen his fathers men have but ultimately it was a tenuous connection at this stage and would benefit from extra strength.

"Not much around here that I see just yet. Might as well get our fill while we can. Make sure you eat enough and drink, we don't want to get stuck out of here or caught off guard. he said gently.

"Did you find anything of note Edenburg? he then asked.

As he was speaking Giles did a double take on the ground. A frown spread across his face and he let out an audiable sigh of interest. "Look, there... he said before getting off his horse and handing the reigns to Roderickson.

Giles, glanced back to Edenburg  and then back to the ground where a large portion of grass had been flattened down on a north-south trajectory. "Edenburg, this part of the ground looks like it's been flattened out by people walking, can you tell if it's from people? he asked, captivated by his own discovery.

Edenburg walks back towards Giles, letting his horse off to graze as he investigates the bent grass more closely.

"Not men,"  Edenburg starts, his voice slow as he traces the ground with a finger.  "Horses.  At least one of them anyway, you can see the corner of a shoeprint down here.  Looks like they were heading north, hard to tell how long ago, but a few days maybe?  With all the dry ground and no rain they could have lasted here for a while."

"What do you think Sarge?  We can still break for lunch, I don't think these guys are anywhere near here right now but that's not to say they won't come back through here."

OOC:  Sorry for the lag, expected delays based on RL.  So Edenburg basically thinks there were a few horses that were moving south to north most likely a few days ago.  No need to roleplay if you want to break here or not just let me know what you want to do with the group and whether you want to eat or not in the process.

Giles paused a moment after looking at Edenburg's tracks before considering their situation while also taking a moment's pause to stretch his legs. He had improved at handling a horse but still didn't feel comfortable for extended periods sitting in the saddle; noting that many riders had a similar bow-leggedness the man found the idea of comfort on the back of a horse slightly off putting.

Can you tell how many?

It's the best evidence we have had so far, so is worth investigation. While they may be more distant from us based on the age of the prints, I feel that works against us. More aged tracks means they've had more time to plan and execute any moves against Megalos.

We should ride, eat while we move. he said before stepping off to remount his horse.

There weren't many options available to the trio and it might well be the act of a fool to follow these tracks to nowhere, especially if they were traders or something innocuous. Similarly, on the other hand of that coin there was foolery in ignoring such a sign. Giles grinned to himself at how unfair life seemed to be; a lifetime of careful stepping and planning and progress could be undone with a single moment. In the act of deciding something as simple as this the fate of the southern part of Megalos could hang in the balance.

"Odd how life seems to thread into a greater picture... he reflected to his men before kicking heels and turning to follow the trail.

At the question of how many horses, Edenburg simply shakes his head.  "Hard to tell, I think it's probably three or more, but it could just be one that's come through a few times.  Not too many distinguishing marks on a horseshoe and there aren't all that many full prints with all this grass around.  But I'd say three would be my guess."

At the orders from the sergeant, Edenburg pulls a few rations of dried elk and pickled beets out of his pack and passes them along to the other two before remounting and prodding his horse forward.  "We need to be careful of riding them too hard," Edenburg remarks in a more informational tone than reprimanding.  "We want them to be fresh if we need them."

Northward the three ride, every so often, Edenburg stopping to dismount and ensure they are still on the right track.  For another two hours they ride northward until they find themselves  just off the river Makarem for the third time in two days.  However this time the first clue of the river is not the rushing waters and slightly greener hue of the shrub, but rather the far off sight of willow branches swaying in the light afternoon breeze.

"Whoa."  Edenburg, stops his horse in its tracks several hundred paces from the river, pointing off in the distance.  It takes Giles a few second to see it, but there is a whole herd of antelope which has come to the water to drink, which is now scattered about the southern side, many standing in the shallows and others idling in the shade of the various trees.

Antelope

OOC:  It is now about 1400 on the 9th of December.  You see about 30 antelope down by the river.  The three of you are still about 200 yards off.  The tracks that you are following continue north and seem to be headed directly to the river itself.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:42, Tue 06 June 2017.

Giles nodded as they headed back towards the Makarem, but then realised that maybe nobody would notice that in their current mounted state. "Okay, we can get to the river and let the horses drink, east and rest. he said while tonguing a piece of dried meat stuck in his teeth. Little irritations brought everybody back to reality, it seemed, and he had been dealing with this one for the past hour.

Edenburg's exclamation stopped Giles in his stride, drawing his attention instantly from the irritant in his mouth. He looked out across to the river and smiled at its grandeur. The whole place was quite peaceful, punctuated by the herd of crazing antelope.

"I can't imagine that would help the tracks..." he said wryly to Edenburg. But then maybe there was something on the other side he thought to himself hopefully between a percussive repetition of expletives in his head.

"It looks like the river there is quite slow, so maybe we can check the other side for prints, to see which direction the tracks go.

Those things aren't dangerous are they? They look placid enough for us to get close" came the winding thought before adding "Could probably get a good few meals out of one of them too.." he added with a small chuckle.

"No."  Edenburg replies thoughtfully to Giles's comment about the tracks.  "I can't imagine they will help much, but you are right about the other side, I doubt the herd crossed over to get here, so the other side should still be fine if our quarry crossed."

As Giles continues, Edenburg shakes his head lightly.  "No antelope aren't much of a threat.  They're grazers and mostly use their horns for showboating with each other during mating season.  Other than that they are downright skittish, won't let anyone get anywhere near them.  Fast little devils too, I guess they'd have to be with all the other things that aren't so friendly out here on the plains.  I'll see if I can get a shot at one of them but don't get too close.  The herd will bolt the second they sense a threat."

Edenburg dismounts, grabbing his bow and pulling out an arrow, knocking it to the bowstring as he holds it in place against the bow with the forefinger of his left hand.  The man slinks off towards the herd, closing more than three quarters of the distance before he hunkers down and pulls back on the bowstring, waiting several seconds, and then letting the arrow fly.  Giles can just make out the shaft landing a few paces short of one of the closer animals.

Good to Edenburg's word, the whole herd is moving in an instant, loping at a speed far greater than any horse is capable of.  It is only a few moments before they have run eastward almost to the edges of Giles's vision.

Seeing the opportunity foiled, Giles motions for Rodrickson to come along with them as he leads his horse forwards toward the water.

"Well, the trees will provide some shade at least for a moment..."  Rodrickson offers as the two walk closer.

"Yup."  Edenburg is saying as the two walk closer.  "Not only did I miss him by about a hundred feet, but you can't see shit over here for horse prints anymore.  There's cleft hooves everywhere.  What do you think boss?  Want me to go over and check out the other side while the horses take a break?"

Giles took mental note while Edenburg talked and tried to piece together everything he knew for another clue. The horse prints on the ground was a shaky lead, and there wasn't much to go on. He considered now, while Edenburg was talking, how difficult the mission was and how they might best pursue the possibility of a rebellion, of sorts. The land was wide and offered many hiding places to a smallish, or even sizeable, force and just three people probably weren't enough to cover such a large geographic area.

He spent more time thinking as Edenburg began his hunt and casually asked Roderickson his opinion on the situation "You're a smart man, Rod" he offered with grace "What do you make of all this? You know the minds of these people better than any of us, if you wanted to cause an insurrection, rebellion or war how would you do it? it was a casual question that Giles suspected would be answered in a rather bland manner but he felt at the very least it would make the man feel useful.

Giles felt saddened by the failed attempt to catch an antelope, he'd never eaten one before and the prospect of getting some fresh cooked meat had sent his palette into overdrive. Ah well, he thought. "At least some of us will enjoy our time here he said, indicating the horses to the other men as he feigned over-disappointment with a chuckle.

"Go over the river, yea, and check if there are any prints. Be careful though and only cross where it's safe. A spear we can afford to lose, but a life is a price too much. he said  leaning against the tree before glancing in and taking a deep breath as he surveyed the wider land in which they all now stood.




Did Giles bring with him the books? I don't recall exactly, but I figure roderickson could read the arabic ones, and the 'geography and environs' might provide some insight.

Rodrickson thinks over Giles question for several moments before he finally answers.  "Not with three people..."  He finally admits.  "The Wazifis are tribal people, some of the clans are only a hundred or so people strong and though they are united in a sense, some of the ones who live this far away from real civilization are essentially independent.  That also means there isn't a whole ton of trade so that they have to do a lot of the farming, gathering, cloth making and tool making on their own.  Putting up a sizable force would likely drain one of the communities pretty hard..."

Rodrickson pauses for a moment, his shoulders laying forward putting his form in an uncomfortable looking slouch.  "Still, If their goal is to start a war they are going to have to use a force that is sizable enough to cause some real damage.  I suppose if I had to do it I would set up twenty man crews to cause some havoc...  Of course, fewer numbers could still be used for softening.  Spying, scouting and the like.  I might even try to put in a compatriot into the Megalan army.  So long as you had someone that looked Megalan enough and spoke well enough it would be simple to enlist and there is no way in hell they would deny you Three Corners if you requested it... Or the other forts on the south border."  He adds as an after thought.

Once the two reach the river, Giles agrees to Edenburg's suggestion, and the man strips off his boots, and leather armor and undershirt, leaving only a set of undergarments that cover his groin and thighs.  Edenburg walks a few feet into the water, before diving across when it gets hip deep, powering himself across the flow with skilled strokes.  When he finally reaches the other side some several seconds later, Giles realizes that he is nearly a stones throw downriver...  Though the current seemed calm enough from the distance, he realizes that in the center of the stream it is quite brisk.

Edenburg makes his way up and down the bank for the better part of the next twenty minutes, at times stooping over to peer at the ground for long moments of study.  "I don't see shit over here!"  Edenburg finally shouts across the river.  "I don't think they crossed here unless they were trying to hide their tracks,  I guess they could have come out a lot farther downriver, but that doesn't sound too smart to do with horses.  Easier go straight in and out rather than chance getting caught by the current."

OOC:  It is now 1430 on the 9th of December.  You actually did bring all the books with you, and Rodrickson would have been able to tell you that the two in Arabic are titled The warrior's code and The Masters: A study of great warriors.  He wouldn't have had a chance to read them yet though.  The Geography and Environs are specifically geared towards the area north of the river, towards Raphael and Craine rather than south into Wazifi held lands.  If you are looking for insight and would be reading I'll sprinkle some tidbits in as the thread paces along.

F..." Giles almost exclaimed in frustration until a flash of his father came to mind and the memory sifted back into his thought of advice that an older brother was once told. It was about war really, but it applied in all situations where one was trying to lead men, now that the Hind-born reflected.

Food or no, it matters naught. A blade like wind will only gust you so far but an indomitable, an inexorable spirit would lead even the most humble men to great things the sentiment made more sense these days; men with fire in their hearts and happy thoughts could be carried to the heavens. The sergeant smiled and then offered some praise to Edenburg. "Good man, Edenburg, we now know they wouldn't have gone that way. Lets take a few moments more rest, make sure we're all well watered and then head more east towards the nearer towns.

As they were finishing up a belayed response came to Roderickson, carefully thought.You're right I fear. Sowing discord, like seeds is best done over larger stretches of land. Smaller forces are more easily managed, fed and maneuevered while still having a wider impact. he said while hoisting himself up into the saddle. Whisping his cloak around, the man opened a satchel and pulled out two books. "Roderickson, can you teach me to read this? he asked, offering the first book and began to slowly trundle his horse forward.



OOC: If i'm heading way off, or anything please do feel free to let me know. I feel there are nuances of the world, setting and intellect of my character that I definitely odn't have :)

So, the general plan is to head further to the east and head towards the Wazifi town, we'll keep an eye open on the way but ultimately, the problem may be tackled better via people rather than expansive plains

As Edenburg swims skillfully back to the south side of the river and goes about the motions of drying himself and reequipping his gear, Giles continues his conversation with Rodrickson.

"Sure, I could teach you to read it."  Rodrickson says of the books...  "The language isn't all that hard, there are some significant differences from Anglish though...  They write in the other direction and whatnot, but it isn't that hard to learn."

Once the crew is ready once again to leave, Giles pushes the group on again, making their way eastward back into Wazifi territory.  The three ride for another hour or so before they come to a stream, much smaller than the powerful Mackarem, but a few yards across never the less, flowing northward no doubt to rejoin with the more powerful river before making its way toward Keyhole Bay.  Dismounting, Edenburg searches the ground here again and makes a shout of triumph nearly as soon as he squats to look at the ground.

"I think we found our horse tracks again!"  He smiles as he looks back up at Giles.  "They are headed south this time, so I bet you they hit the river, followed it east for a bit and then came back down southward.  These are just about as old as the other ones, and about the same number of them so I imagine it's all part of the same trip."

OOC:  It is about 1530 on the 9th of December.  The small tributary that you came across flows northward, but isn't big enough to be a significant obstacle to your travel if you want to keep going eastward.  The tracks are headed southward parallel to the small stream.  Just let me know which direction you want to continue at this point.  Don't worry about heading in the "wrong" direction, unfortunately, you were given pretty nebulous instructions for this mission, and success in the mission is pretty flexible too (and for all you know the group you guys are afraid of may not even exist anymore).  I won't push you around to try and steer you in the "right" direction.  So long as all your men come back to the fort eventually, I think the Captain would call this a success, with any additional information being a bonus.

The man smiled and nodded to Roderickson Thanks, Roderickson. I think, so close to the border it's a good thing to know... he said as they waited for Edenburg.

The ride east was as expected, slow going and relatively uneventful until they happened upon an estuary. Giles let out a small chuckle to himself and before he could mutter words to himself about luck Edenburg had exclaimed about rediscovering the tracks.

fantastic! Good work Edenburg he said while kicking heels to bring the horse upon the tracks and get a better look for himself.

"Any of you know where this leads?" he asked, hoping that they might have some idea of the geography of the region. It didn't matter, as he'd already concluded, it was better to have something to work towards than be seemingly wandering these plains with no aim at all. What was the phrase? His father had told him once, something about idle hands making the devil jealous or something; he didn't recall. The sentiment, at least, was to have something to do anyway.

"Okay, we'll follow these and see where they head. It might be what we're looking for, and if not then the owners of this trail might have some information we can use.





Will follow the tracks.

This message was last edited by the GM at 00:24, Thu 25 May 2017.

Giles asks the other two if they know where the tracks lead, any settlements or otherwise in the area, but when the other two only offer blank stares, Giles resolves to follow the lead anyway.  afterall, he muses.  Following something is better than searching out blindly.

The three ride on for several more miles, with Edenburg at times dismounting and looking more closely at the ground below, or backtracking slightly to find the path again.  However, the day seems to be shorter than their trail, and within a few hours the sun is already starting to sink into the plains of the west.

"Look, over there."  Rodrickson points off ahead and to the right, towards an area that is mostly devoid of the plains grasses that have been ubiquitous for the past several days march.  "That field's been tilled!  There's someone that lives near here that's farming the land."

Giles looks over again, noticing now the shallow, even trenches that are dug throughout the field, rising and falling in the gentle hills.

"Yeah, there's something that's got to be close."  Edenburg points out over one of the hills ahead.  "Look, there's smoke coming over that hillside."  Again, Giles follows the direction of his man and finds indeed, there is a small tail of thin, gray smoke that collects above the hillside before blinking out of existence as it is caught by the gentle winds...

"What's the matter Ky?"  Edenburg asks his horse as the philly whinnies loudly.  He leans over and pats the animal gently on the neck.  "You ready to be done for today?  Ain't been happy for a few miles now, but I figure a little grazing and water and you'll be right as rain."

Indeed, it seems all the horses are unhappy... Giles reaches down to reassure Cutlass for the animals ears are back as he snorts angrily...

OOC:  It is now 1730 on the 9th of December.  Ok, so it seems like you are on the edge of some sort of civilization, but the sun is setting quickly.  You have about a half an hour of daylight left.  Let me know if you want to continue, camp, or do anything else you see fit.

The noble born, failed wizard patted his horse gently and felt a tang of empathy as it snorted with some dampened frustration at the amount it had to travel the past few days you're doing my proud, Cutlass he said with equal softness We'll rest now and you can eat some of this grass and drink some water he added before pulling the horse to a complete stop.

The man sported a wide grin as he flicked his leg over the haunch of his horse and dropped to the ground "Good work. We'll set up here and give it some small time, before investigating across that hill once night falls. If it's a village, they'll still be around in the morning, and if there's camp then we can have all information we need to make any further decisions he said, satisfied with the plan.

As he dropped the back to the ground, Giles handed over one of the arabic books to Roderickson, figuring he might enjoy something to occupy his mind for the time being and then, once settled, sat down and pulled out the items carried individually and began to look at them more closely. Giles felt with all too certainty the familiar pull of magic at his innards when he handled the Chakram and wondered what exactly it would do. Well, he'd test it at least if they managed to get into a scuffle. He hoped they had another pop at those bastard harpies again... It took a moment before Giles wished that he hadn't thought of them as the images of the claws smashing into his face returned with a painful reminder of the scars that now adorned his face. Not too bad, from what people had told him and what he could feel - but they did ache every now and then.

Fucking harpies he siad to himself as he rubbed his belly and face alternatively to get rid of the dull ache he felt.




OOC:

Okay, the plan is to shore up here and make sure we have plenty of rest.  When night falls, Edenburg and I can make a small excursion to the hill to see what's on the otherside. It's just a bit of recon to make sur eit is a village and not some camp.

Once we know it's a village (if it is) then we'll just go back and do our usual sleeping shifts and proceed in the morning

IF it's not a vilalge, then we'll make the decision when we find out

The three men settle down, striking their tent and preparing themselves for another night on the plains.  Scarce as the firewood is, and as close as the settlement is, Giles decides they will not make a fire tonight, especially given the fact that they have no food to cook, and even their dried rations seem to be getting scarce.  Though Giles is not want to start rationing food so early in their journey, he wonders just how much longer this trip will take them and how short on food they will end up being...

Even as the sun is setting, Giles feels the temperature plunge again.  Though he is used to a much colder clime, and indeed, at home it is probably well below freezing right now, it does not make the prospect of spending the night out of doors any more appealing.

"Well, come on."  Giles bids Edenburg and the two men rise up, Edenburg grasping his bow in his left hand and leaving his right empty as they start walking on.

"I got things all taken care of here sarge!"  Rodrickson says happily as he sits with his body leaning against his full pack.

With slow, cautious strides, Giles and Edenburg make their way up the hill, hoping to have a good vantage of whatever village or town lies so close.  But as they make their way to the top, it is not so much the sight but the sounds that make Giles anxious.

"[Language unknown: Acpl saund aime olis el anckpa on ulhat inewilthi ndedi wilerswit?  On onsnot'wilthaven ulpo ionastortnte preousset ck!]"  A voice speaks out from a few dozen yards, Edenburg crouches and Giles does the same before he can get a good look at the speaker.

"[Language unknown: Reavirdin manurelar conereticica ugh her fo ica ecant Hamad, union ome Ibrahim arome esncio il o n alldayred terea no sanprerut notla andeveion.]"  A second voice calls.  "[Language unknown: Ortillnce, ou unro'elpole ardintsti omncit ioce onanne t i, fopr manho o besa alsaurck eveughwit a ivsiio ncplte ut his.]"

OOC:  Test run for the language bits of RPOL to see if I like it and if it actually works without making things look ridiculous.  You hear at least two distinct voices, but you don't see anything yet.  You have made it about 50 yards from your camp, so Rodrickson and the horses are still well within view.  If you wish try and see what/how many are in the group, make a roll vs. stealth.  Also make a roll vs. Perception.  Otherwise you can sit in place and try and wait them out or attempt anything else that makes sense to Giles.

The moment he heard the voices, Giles had known the blunder of his efforts, no one presently within earshot could understand the arab voices. Instead, reflecting on his time at the magic academy, Giles signalled a pause and closed his eyes focusing his mind to remember the words and intonations of the speech.

He would take a minute or two to ensure that the conversation was committed to memory, making it almost like a melodic verse that would support its assimilation into his memory.


Then, after the voices had provided a sufficent pause in their cadence he dropped low as he could, spreading the cloak across his back wide to reduce any relief it presented against the ground and did his best to hold himself in darkness. He gestured for Edenburg to take the lead in their pace and did his best to follow, as he knew the man was a well practised stalker.

Interestingly, Giles reflected thudding that was beating a marching roll in his chest, sweat had started flowing more freely from his body and the man realised that he was scar... no, anxious. It would never do to admit fear.  The threat of this situation was much lower than both the harpy encounter and even the shield wall skirmishes he'd been part of as a younger boy, but somehow the clandestine slithering impregnated the air around him with the potential for true chaos and violence. Giles took a small breath and pushed on, seemingly having to take extra efforts to keep level.








OOC: I know that it's folly to try things unskilled, but I'm trying to be in the mind of the character rather than the stats of the character sheet...
Looks like I did alright on the stealth anyway, probably get a bonus for night time too.


10:46, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 7 using 3d6.  perveption.

10:46, Today: Giles 'J'naeth' Hind rolled 8 using 3d6.  stealth.
// my actual IRL words when i saw  the result of this was "oh thank god"

Giles motions for Edenburg to go on ahead and crawls slowly behind him.  Though he is unable to stops the grass from crinkling underneath his hands and knees, the noise does not seem to alert anyone over the sounds of their own voices.

"[Language unknown:  Notes tibean k ieich li!  Noast tr rom ieit e ti ateil u ndet ar larhisrutver.]"  The voice sounds annoyed, and as Giles crests the hilltop he can see the inky silhouettes of three people standing a few dozen yards away, down the slope of the hill.  Unfortunately, the darkness of the night, combined with the overcast clouds over their head blots out almost all of the light, but there is just enough to determine one of the men is crouching down, his attention on the ground below him.

"[Language unknown:  Hamo ma th tentss siplol res essedi n urwhpa!]"  The men's backs are turned, and it is hard to tell who is saying what, but there is no doubt that the tone has changed slightly and both voices are somewhat agitated.

"[Language unknown:  Saheed, Hamad u latromday, llnaal virticund forepefi stres t waill t allnteoul.  N onehoutra weweai unusfi aneksi ant beti ven acoul eealnt cenot.  En tin hipl p inaden peekioio, ceomho hoai chll menre esith k iveantrat u ckdiusos al t te liate iceeos ee esnc iltenool.]"  The third voice seems calm, placating even, and after a moment, the man crouching down stands back up.

"[Language unknown:  Plwi, eisaho t, is i Ibrahim ecneos waei ch diome ne whwh o o, for ave dimo al seto k p usho ear nitrofsa.]"  The voice has calmed, and after a moment where the man who was crouching brushes himself off, the three turn southward and begin walking away...

Trying to regain his bearings, Giles moves his vision farther out, and though he is still just barely able to make out a small, highlighted trail of smoke curling towards the sky on the next hilltop over, the area is just too dark to make out any details this far away.

OOC:  The men are starting to slowly walk away from you, down the saddle between the two hills.  If you wish to follow them, please let me know at what range, and roll again vs. stealth.

The man gestured at Edenburg to keep watch on them. He had the bow and would easily have a first shot if it were needed. Sadly, the sergeant understood nothing of the language they spoke, and hoped he remembered enough to relay it to their companion.

Having expressed his wishes for Edenburg to stay, Giles shuffled back along the ground and then once moved a way down got up and started jogging lightly back to the camp.

"Roderickson... tell me what this means." he said bluntly before reeling off a string of words and phrases that he didn't really understand, with the hope of gleaning some meaningful information from it. As he spoke, the man reflected that the people could have been traders, merchants or anything, but it had piqued his interest to see them arguing and inspecting the ground also. He had also considered approaching them as fellow travellers and just speaking, but should they be anything approaching threatening the element of surprise would be the greatest ally of the small group.

Having finished reeling off, Giles prompted the translator again What does it mean? he asked hurriedly.



OOC:

Recall the words for Roderickson.

If the are anything innocuous, then there's no problem really I'll just post the next bit.

If they are anything related to the mission, or interesting to it.. They'll prepare two horses and mount up as quickly as possible.

The goal, if they are something of interest (in terms of the investigation) is to use Edenburg as support, and then ride them down, corral them and use their mounted spear range superiority to convince them to provide more details

As the three men walk back southward, Giles slowly backs away from the top of the hill, making his way towards the bottom of the hill where Rodrickson waits.

"What?"  Rodrickson asks as Giles starts blurting out as much as he can remember of the conversation.  "Gibberish.  That's entirely gibberish."

Giles exhales forcefully, starting again, this time trying to repeat as many discreet syllables or words as he can.

"That's a name, Ibrahim."  Rodrickson says on the fourth or fifth word.  "That one is the or a."  Frustrated with the slowness and ineffectiveness of the process, Giles nevertheless continues.  "That's their word for bushwolves."  Rodrickson looks up as the last few words that Giles repeats.

"Think they were looking at tracks?" Edenburg offers, looking inquisitively at Giles.

OOC:  Sorry for the delay, and the frustrating results of your plan.  The average human can hold 7 items in their short term memory without chunking the information into bigger pieces of information.  So basically you remembered about 7 syllables of the speech, modified by an IQ roll that I made for you.  Over to you if you still want to act on it as you posted above.

"Fuck..." Giles exclaimed at his lack of sense and then resolved more strongly to learn the language.

"Well, anyway, we can't have camp so close to them, without figuring out who they are - or even why they're following trails.

Lets mount up and prepare. Edenburg, you're going to stand way out of range on horseback with your bow. If anything goes badly, use your judgement.

Roderickson, you're with me" he said concisely, before getting to his own horse.


The men, on foot, wouldn't be able to take on three of Megalos's own that were on horseback and had ranged advantage. But, while it always paid to be prudent, Giles wasn't intending on any engagement, only to find out who they are.

It would definitely be a poor effort in command for the group to be discovered mid-sleep and so paid to press any advantage that may or may not be required.



OOC: No problem, really, it was a long-shot anyway.


Okay:

Get on horses and wide flank the small group of Wazifi; the goal is to stop them moving in the direction they want to go, and cut them off. Similarly, it'll confuse them as to our origins.

While this is happening Edenburg will flank wider, with his bow ready, but not nocked.

Ultimately, we don't want to be threatening - but we want to make sure they can't get any reinforcements or anything like that should the conversation go badly.

Roderickson will have my spear just in case, if it does go badly, then he can just stay at full range and all out attack past them (without them being able to return the hit).

And so, giving only a few instructions, and leaving the majority of what Rodrickson had already prepared of their camp in order to increase their haste, Giles pushes Edenburg off on his own.  The man rides swiftly off to the west, intending on arcing back around to find the two others as they approach the youths, giving them a last resort if their efforts are met with hostility.  Giles takes Rodrickson, and the two ride off at a gate towards the southwest, hoping to pin the young men between themselves and the river... or at least blocking their way back to wherever they were going.

With a healthy kick to Cutlass's flanks to keep the speed at a good clip, Giles arcs his horse back around towards the southeast, scanning the surrounding hills for the three forms.  However, as he crests one large hill he first sees the village the three are going to.  Perched on a wide swath of high ground adjacent to the small river, there seem to be several large buildings towards the center and a dozen or more smaller buildings pushed towards the sides of the encampment, with a short wall of stacked stones surrounding the whole.

Feverish to find his quarry before they make it to the city, Giles gives another kick to his horse, turning due east now.  Giles sees them it seems right just after they had seen him, for he can just make out one of the boys pointing at him with an outstretched arm.  Behind him, Rodrickson crests the hill at his flank.

OOC:  Ok, you are about 50 yards to the southwest of where the young men are now standing, the city is about another 10 times that farther south.  Both of you have seen each other at this point.  Please let me know how you plan on approaching these guys.  As a note, since Rodrickson had already started unpacking some of the gear, I opted to have you set out immediately, rather than putting everything back away and wasting what little time you might have to catch up with them after your conversation.  You haven't seen Edenburg since he set out.

Village

Catching the eye of the village there was a sense of relief that washed over the man as he bounced in the saddle, rhythmically cantering into position. He didn't really want a fight right now, especially with only partially advantageous odds.  In all honesty, a village was more likely to leak information of value and allow them to restock their supplies.

Having caught the eye of the men walking towards the village, Giles had intercepted. He looked over at the men and then said to Roderickson "Stay close to me, I'll need you to translate".

Nodding his acknowledgement to the men Giles waved in a friendly gesture and put his hands up to show they were empty as he casually walked the horse over to the trio. He hoped that Edenburg had sense to stay out of view, just in case anything bad happened.

Approaching, Giles ran through a series of possibilities in his mind and prepared himself for them, it was odd that the strange tenseness had returned to his body, even if they were clearly in a better position than the Wazifi men. Appearing to look unthreatening and casual, Giles let his hips and body roll gently with the gait of the horse as they made their way forward and then called out.

"Hello! Are you three from the village over there?" came the innocuous question.



OOC:

Fantastic, that's all to plan.

And a village is definitely a good thing
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:55, Tue 06 June 2017.

The three young men take a few hesitant steps backwards as Giles approaches, though they hold their ground when Giles stops short about a spear's throw away.  At the closer range, Giles manages a better look at the three, though it is still difficult to make out detail without the light of day and the overhead clouds blocking out even the starlight.

Giles would guess that all three of the men are between the ages of fourteen and eighteen.  They wear long sleeved garments of thin fabric, rolled out to their wrists and down to their ankles, It seems that at one point the garments were a light grey or hazy white though the stain of dirt and earth is laden all about the garments.  Giles notices that the boys have some weapons of their own, one with a knife sheathed at his hip, another with a lash, though the third and youngest seems to be unarmed.

"[Language unknown:  Ondi ill was terouseve!]"  One of the boys shouts, "[Language unknown: Pa ateundoer essel e fipoas!]" another remarks, pointing at Rodrickson.

"They are noticing we are... Megalan."  Rodrickson interprets.  "I'm not sure that they speak Anglish, what do you want me to tell them?"

"[Language unknown:  Nt prhas ngek allcomati maat ouwh ovevirard!  Erto p taee om le on oertioint il wer p illthewhi is ic ce forpe iveof i acie aticpe ti has re!]"  The oldest of the boys shouts back at Giles, his hands raised up in the air limply, his palms outward.

"[Language unknown:  We atte er el ch etvor butmi.]"  Rodrickson answers calmly.  [Language unknown: T nc ingateill'oussan ngint ica icek icwit leneth ti k u era ioee.  M cestiv e orenc to whth t io.]"

The three shift uncomfortably, but the largest one puts his hands down, glancing back and forth between Giles and Rodrickson.

OOC:  I had you close the range to about 10 yards since you didn't specify.  The three have stepped back slightly but now seem to be holding their ground.  They do not look confident in their position.