Re: Chapter 2.2 - Summer Campaign (515 AD)
Heading to the east for about a mile, the group then heads north once more. The terrain becomes a bit more open, although more hilly. They make good time, skirting the base of hills and taking advantage of the reduced number of trees.
After a few hours, it is time to stop once more for the night. Camp is made in a defensible position with guards and watches. The night passes uneventfully.
Based on a rough estimate of the enemy's movements, you would guess that you should be about an hour or two behind them if they kept to the same pace.
The party gets up before dawn, has some cold rations for breakfast and heads out as soon as it is light enough to see, hoping to get ahead of the raiders. After traveling north for about an hour, they come upon a road. And by road I mean single-lane dirt track heading East-West.
Since the raiders are almost certainly to the west and roads mean civilization, the group heads west. They pass a few farms but no signs of life, or indications that raiders have been here. A little over a mile down the road, they come to a small village. Basically a small collection of buildings next to the river.
There are a large number of people in the streets, seemingly having a debate of some kind. Seeing the group approach, an older man who seems to be in charge comes forward while the others cheer.
"My Lords," he begins, "bless you for arriving so quickly and with such force, our small town is honored by your response," he bows low.
This is all rather baffling and it takes several minutes before the confusion is cleared up. It seems that everyone in town went to bed as normal last night but woke up this morning to find that Ole Whalen, who runs the ferry, is dead (his throat was cut) and the ferry, which is usually on this side of the river, is on the other side of the river.
There is a rope that goes across, which is used to guide the ferry, but there is no way to get the ferry back here without sending someone to the other side. The closest crossing is Gloucester, which is about 10 miles north of here. (On the Main Game Map you are South of Gloucester along the river where it bends in a semi-circle to the west.) The river is fairly narrow here but that also means that it is moving quite quickly.
The townfolk sent a runner to their lord, seeking help an hour ago and then you showed up. They have not seen nor heard anything about any raiders. They are the southernmost settlement in Gloucester. This is a lesser-used crossing, mainly used by smaller groups or those who wish to avoid the expensive tolls at Gloucester.
As the knights and townsfolk try to figure out what is going on, Sir Sejanus notices some familiar-looking hoof prints near the ferry dock. Sir Sejanus gets a check in Awareness.