Victor shuffles his feet slightly and draws his cloak a little tighter about his shoulders, his breath frosting slightly in the air. Now that they are heading out his greatsword has been shifted so that it hangs from his hip in a position that makes it easier to draw but limits turning without knocking things over, probably why he had it across his back in town.

He nods along as the others speak, silently thinking to himself, "It's probably not a good idea to go out on a night patrol for his first go at this, but I suppose a trial by fire will help him decide if this is something he can handle... Lathander guide me and help me protect my companions."

His brief pair finished, he adds to the conversation, "Yes, if everyone looks out for each other then we should be fine."

He looks up at the sky and rubs his arms briefly, stamping his feet a couple of times.

"Well the sooner we set out the sooner we return and can share that ale at the inn, it's only going to get colder as the night draws on."

Having looked the others over and considered it he suggests, "How about you two," he nods to the women, "take the lead, we'll put Wendel in the centre where he can see everything and I can cover the rear?"

"Happy to take the lead on this." replies Carmen, and she strides out with her shield strapped on and spear ready for use.

Helga nodded in agreement to this and followed the lead of the others, keeping her eyes peeled for any nefarious happenings. They had a long night ahead of them and she intended to make sure her companions survived it.

Victor lights the hooded lantern that hangs from his belt on the opposite side from his sword, bathing them in a warm light and casting his long shadow back against the frosty ground behind him. The horns seem to grow and wave in the flickering glow.

With a slight smile he gestures for Wendel to follow the other two before picking up his polearm and falling into step behind them.

You travel west to the perimeter road. Just as you begin heading north toward the watchtower, Wendell notices a small light suddenly appear to the west, on the road back to Alemakia, and move slightly left and right, as if someone just lit a lantern and started waving it. It is too far away for you to make out any details, but it might be worth looking into.

It was nice to have at least some sort of light source out here, and Wendel wouldn't complain about who was holding what or when. If Victor offered him a torch to hold at some point down the line the half elf would gladly hold it.

Seeing the other light source in the distance did bring something to mind for him though. He pointed to where he saw it, "Say do you lot see that over there? Looks to be a lantern someone else is waving back and forth. Could be a signal of some kind? Also, since it is so dark and there aren't many light sources... Do you think we stand out out here?"

Victor squints into the darkness in the direction that Wendel indicates, not so sure that he sees anything. He hands him a spare torch and says, "If you think you see something, we should go investigate."

He thinks a bit about the half-elf's point about standing out and shrugs, "It's probably for the best that we stand out so that the guards at the watchtowers know we're coming. It would be a shame to sprout a few arrows because they thought we were sneaking up on them."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 03:48, Mon 25 Jan 2021.

Carmen heard the chatter behind her, and when prompted to look out west, it was true! There was definitely a light source from afar. Silently she cursed herself for missing it, but she also appreciated that this was why a group was required for patrols. The more eyes the better!

"It could be a ruse to draw us closer, but I agree, more looking into is required."

Wendel took the torch and tilted his head as he mulled over the tiefling's counterpoint. He nodded and shrugged. "A fair point."

It seemed the waving light was deemed worth investigating. He felt a flutter of excitement as the group turned to reroute but tried to quell it telling himself it was probably nothing. Still, having a torch in hand made him feel more confident, with the benefit of some added warmth, if only a little.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:33, Mon 25 Jan 2021.

Helga was tempted to offer to go alone and scout it but the group seemed to have agreed to all take a look. But she was weary. "I have bad feeling..." The half orc mumbled.

"If you have a bad feeling then perhaps you and Carmen can approach alongside us but hidden just out beyond our light, that way if it is a problem you will have the element of surprise?" Victor suggests, "It's too far for us to see who they are yet so they probably don't know that there are four of us."

Helga looked legitimately surprised her muttering had been taken into consideration and she faltered slightly. "Um- Yes. Is good idea. Yes. Is good plan." She stammered then quickly shut her mouth.

"All apart from me being unable to see in the dark...." thinks Carmen.

"Sure thing! I'll do my best to keep up. I'll just follow Helga and hopefully I won't trip on anything. Better to be safe than sorry, but I would be concerned if I saw a group split up and approach from two directions if it was me holding those lights in the distance. Would it be more friendly to approach as a group instead?"

Victor makes a one handed gesture, palm up, indicating he is uncertain.

"If they see, maybe, but I suspect that if we can't see them they probably can't see us. There are benefits to both approaches, you should do what you think is best."

Helga bit at her bottom lip slightly. "May not be best idea to send one with no vision into darkness... Or send little squishy man into danger..." She pointed out gently, not wanting the other to be upset with her.

Looking to Wendel and recalling that this is his first time doing something like this he puffs his cheeks with air and lightly blows it out between his lips.

"Together then, after all, Zariel teaches that four fingers are strongest when they are clenched in a fist."

"I thought plan was to avoid punches." Helga mumbled.

Wendel let them decide how to go about approaching without to much input of his own. He held his hand up, the one not holding a torch, and made a small tight fist to emphasize Victor's statement. But quickly let it fall back to a non fist hand at the big woman's mumble.

"Probably best aye. Oh, and I'm not squishy, Helga. I'm crunchy." The tone of his voice was a half breath away from a light laugh and the smile in it could easily be heard. Keeping the body moving, holding the torch, engaging in banter, it all helped keep the spirits up and the body warm. He hadn't said anything but he was glad they decided on a united front. It meant more wind breakers and ambient body warmth for the middle guy. He could get used to this stuff. Maybe a night patrol wasn't so bad after all.

Helga couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter at the other's joke. "Yes. Crunchy little mischief maker." She bantered back.

Victor can't help but laugh as well, a smile spreading across his face.

"If I might make a suggestion, I'd be delighted to be the talker. I've got a real knack for persuading people usually. I mean, it's not without a bit of talking that we all ended up together....right?" asks Carmen, and the glowing smile she used for special occassions seemed to break out effortlessly.

Victor shrugs, "I can be pretty convincing myself, but by all means take the lead," he gestures towards the light in the distance indicating that they had best move on.

The group moves forward together. Before long you see the shape of a cart, and not long after that, recognize that a mule is hitched to it. It's at around this point that you hear a deep voice shouting "Hey! You from Smith's Gambit? Can you help a dwarf in a bind?" You then see that the person holding the torch is a hefty, middle aged dwarf, with grey hair and a braided grey beard, decorated with many-colored gems that sparkle in the torchlight. He leans on a heavy crossbow. You can see now, that his cart leans to the side, one wheel lying on the ground nearby.

Helga frowned sympathetically. "Yes. We help." She went over to the laid wheel and picked it up.

"You're not far from Smith's Gambit," Victor answers with a friendly wave, "what happened here?"