"Perhaps they fell foul of the Good Folk and are recovering? Perhaps they are waiting here for... Oh no!"
The blood drains from Colm's face, making his visage now even more ghoulish.

"The people here, they are 'simple folk', they have all their needs met by the Good Folk.  They don't even have any..."
Colm's voice tailed off, afraid of breaking his own vow. He had already said enough but now exposition seemed worthless.

In reply to Colm Cernach (msg # 939):

“I can take a look, Chief, real quiet like.”

Deise will await an affirmation from Colm before stealthily moving to investigate the village and moot hall.

Sir Turren gently leads his horse to the van.

'Steady friend,' he tells his mount as he reaches Colm, Osric and others. Sees Deise vanish further afield.

Colm nods sternly, signalling Deise and Aphail to move forward.
"Wait here with the knights Lord, to prevent any from escaping."

Colm dismounts, giving the light of foot a head start, then motions Osric to dismount and follow him.
"Move slowly towards those two horses with me."

Colm unslings his shield and draws his sword, ready to advance with Osric.

Osric raises his shield, readies his hammer and advances through the cover of trees where possible.

In reply to Colm Cernach (msg # 942):

Deise will move away from the hiorses using the shadiw of wood and dusk, seeking to sneak behind the moot hall and listen of see inside.

Before leaving he will agree hand signals for Colm and Aphail.

"Watch for signals, aye. Closed fist is danger, open hand is good, fingers are numbers. Hand to neck, get yer weapons and start usin em."


00:03, Today: Deise rolled 1 using 1d20.  Stealth
This message was last edited by the player at 23:05, Thu 23 Apr 2020.

Sir Turren watches Osric go, mild concern on his face. He wipes the expression and turns to Leofwyn.

'M'lady have you a peach?'

In reply to Deise (msg # 944):

The sudden flurry of movement causes Giles to stir from his gloom and try to take stock of recent events. Addressing whoever is nearby “What Is to be done- Are we to follow or stay hidden?”

Leowfwyn watches the scouting party head out to spy. Absentmindedly, her hands become tense and fidgety, clearly trying to foresee all possible outcomes.

When Turren quietly asks for a peach, her fists relax and she turns to face him. "Always, my friend." And she reaches around and pulls a peach out of her saddle pack. "Here's one I prepared earlier."


Leofwyn smiles and throws Giles a peach as well. "I believe we're staying here for the moment."



After the scouting group has been gone for a few minutes, with a hushed voice she leans in and ponders aloud to Sir Turren, "I am curious as to why we've stopped, though." She glances to the two lone horses, "if it is indeed the huscarls - shouldn't we continue to beat them to Doron's uncle and the flame? And if it is not them, then all the more reason to make haste to catch up."

She looks back to where Colm and the others had disappeared from view. "Not that I doubt the Hearth Father... I am just..." her eyes then land on the prince as she says, "eager to be on our way."

Aphail nods in acknowledgment of the hand signals, and pads around behind Deise.  He has his bow in hand and has nocked the enchanted Luna Arrow.  Luna Arrow has been well charged (7 nights under the moon) and Aphail is intrigued to find out if it can put a man to sleep on contact?

15:31, Today: Aphail MacRoach rolled 3 using 1d20.  Stealth -3.

'I thank you,' Sir Turren forces a casual grin.





'You are right to question,' Sir Turren says quietly between bites. 'God gave you those wits and the free will to question everything around you. Trust your instincts, trust your heart and know my sword is yours if things goes awry here. Truth will prevail my lady, and you are on the path of it. I remain loyally in your shadow.'

Turren's breathing evens as he casts the peach seed aside. He un-shoulders his shield, but does not draw his sword as yet.

Caith, fed up with both humans and fey being cryptic, not to mention being told to be on her best behavior by a 'Laird Arse', simply nods in agreement, asks no questions despite the myriad of them in her mind, sticks to the path, and keeps her wits about her as she tries yet again to understand what she's dealing with without much information to go on.

Not being able to gather anything from the forest to eat or use for herbal curatives pains her greatly, but she cannot argue with Colm's logic in it, and with provisions in stock, and water supply assured by Leaf's powers, she has little choice in the matter.

The little grey mouse from the stable remains sitting in her warcoat's wolfish ear however, and she looks warily at the golden apples dropped, then picked up by Usopi, then at the acorn dangling from her hand.

The situation becomes more complex at the village, and she simple again, does what she is told to do, in this case, nothing but wait and watch, and hope yet again.

Her only response to Leaf's question is a quiet "There's trouble afoot, and nay knowing what be needed to deal with it without looking about first on the sly." and the expression of a woman who is growing resigned to spending her life now dancing attendance on a madman of a leader as swift to change in mood as the wind is to change direction.

It occurs to her there's more than one way of looking, but given she's already been told she is but a healer in this enterprise, and that the old man is the sorcerous sage, there is little she can do but watch Kores and his reactions, if any, most carefully.

Caith watches him from the corner of her vision as she pulls out a blackened egglike object from her robe with one hand, and the acorn on it's red woolen tether in her other hand and studies both, pondering the meaning behind both black oval seed cases in her hands.

The woods seem to close in around her as she wonders, but she still listens to the sounds around her, trusting mayhap her ears may know better than her eyes.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:15, Fri 24 Apr 2020.

Brannon frowns. "The Hearth Father has an obligation here. These folk have been good to us before now. And besides - I would fain know why these fellows have stopped here. If the Steward - or anyone else - sent them in our pursuit of us, why do they wait?"

In reply to Caith Cernach (msg # 950):

Giles catches the offered peach and nodding to Leaf says “my thanks”.
Turning to the Healer he quietly, and self-consciously offers “ the sea? Was that your riddle’s answer? My apologies if I ignored you earlier, I can only barely recall, I was stuck trying to make sense of the goings on at the tower back there. My dealings with the Fay are limited but always seem to end in anguish”

Aphail and Deise slip through the dusk seemingly unobserved and are able to make it all the way to the moothall.

It seems that all the villagers must be within the hall, as no one is out and about. The double doors at the main entrance are closed as is the single side door.

A single voice is speaking within, it is low and harsh and angry.

...............

Osric and Colm are making their way along the edge of the woods; they spot no one within the village.

..............

Osrics new horse at the edge of the village with the others seems to catch a scent on the wind and begins stamping its feet and shifting about...

In reply to GM (msg # 953):

OOC: is there any window or even a slit in the wall of the hall to peer in?

Deise holds a clenched fist in the air, but no other signal.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:33, Fri 24 Apr 2020.

OOC: Osric’s inexperience with riding horses wasn’t the only reason he dismounted. He figured he might end up meeting its owner and having some difficulty controlling the beast...
This message was lightly edited by the player at 09:05, Fri 24 Apr 2020.

OOC: No. Not in a building this old. There is a smoke hole in the roof and a gap between the roof and the walls.

 Similar design: https://upload.wikimedia.org/w.../Fyrkat_hus_stor.jpg

Ok thanks

Deise will attempt to climb up on the roof and peer through a gap.

Uthen is moving with the others. This fay stuff is beyond him. He is not exactly looking for a reason to swing his sword at things, but that is what he is trained for. He will have to follow the lead of those wiser in the mystical than himself.

Deise peers into the moothall and sees that much of it is crowded with frightened looking blond haired folk who bear some resemblance to the youths they saw bathing in the lake.

He notes both of Kilndeds huscarls are within watching a door each, he also notes a strange wooden contraption bound withing the beams of the roof...but what mostly grabs his attention is an old man bound to a table with coals from the fire being applied to his feet by a hulking figure dressed in scuffed and sooty armour of a breastplate, maille, gauntlets and greaves.

" Tell me, Old Man.  The secret of the passage."

" I must reach Nem and stand before my Lord when he wakes."




OOC:

19:38, Today: GM, on behalf of Deise, rolled 20 using 2d10.

19:37, Today: GM, on behalf of Deise, rolled 7 using 1d20.

In reply to GM (msg # 959):

Deise will look toward his colleagues holding up three figures and then grabbing his throat with his left hand.

If Osric can see Deise he looks at Deise, points at Deise, mimes shooting an arrow, then points at himself and Colm, brings his hands in, one from either side (to indicate breaching each door simultaneously) and then looks at Colm and shrugs as if to say “how about that for a plan Chief?”

Turren watches the dark horse uneasily. Looks to Caith.

Hushed. 'What do you think, m'lady? Do we calm him or avoid him?'

To the knights: There's no guarantee stragglers will come down our throat, perhaps we aught to slowly move in, bring up the slack - they may end up needing support if things go bad. If things are fine, we need not look hostile. What say you all?'

Colm whispers to Osric, _{"Three as expected, but being hardened warriors they will die hard.  Follow me and be ready to fight."}
Colm then sneaks towards the main entrance, weapons ready.  16:57, Today: Colm Cernach rolled 3 using 1d20.  Stealth.