"Have we the tools to dig? Or perhaps rocks for a cairn or wood for a funeral pyre? Or at the minimum, three handfuls of dirt to send them on their way, and coppers over the eyes to pay the Boatman?"

“That might draw attention to us.  I suggest we leave them as they are and move on.”

"I understand your empathy for the dead, but we have responsibilities to the living now."

"Perhaps Patch can say a few words to see their souls on their way?"

OOC: Real busy sorry for short post.

Renia draws a handful of coppers  from one of her belt pouches. ”I can supply the coins,” she says, ”It’s appropriate they come from one of their own.”

She glances over at the fallen Denagothians. ”What of them?” she asks.

Greyband looks grimly at the fallen and sighs. "I fear you are right. Come, let's press on to the fell city. The humans among us should put on the uniforms."

He does so, himself, as the party moves on toward Geron.

"Agreed-the dead should stay as they lay.  Moving them or altering them would draw suspicion."

"Agreed.  If there eyes on us, best we play the part of unconcerned mercenaries." said Killian.

Patch had been very quiet, perhaps distant, his thoughts far away. Hearing his name, he turned his attention back toward the ugly scene. The boar he rode was pawing at the dirt, clearly wanting to root through the carnage.

"I agree, leave them be. I will petition the Great Mystery to assure the souls of these fallen that their remains are no longer of use to them, and that they ought to continue toward that which lies beyond. Go on ahead, J.D. and I will catch up..."

Patch dismounted and began forming a small alter of flat stones before kneeling and muttering the words of some unknown prayer.

Neuken smiles, pleased (although surprised) to have so many agree with him about something.

Orin seemed a little grumpy about it.  He didn't understand what discovery they were worried about, since they were in friendly territory and had dealt with the invaders already.  It seemed disrespectful to the dwarf to leave the valiant defenders as pickings for the crows.  But he couldn't do it all himself, and so grudgingly accepted the decision.

"I don't like leavin' them like this," he grumbled from the top of his horse, scanning the fallen men.  "They deserve better."  He almost slid down to help Patch but in the end refrained, uncertain whether he'd be intruding on the rites and prayers.  So instead he lowered his head in respect and said no more, nudging his mount forward when the rest were ready to ride on.

Renia leads the company away from the clearing, casting a last, regretful look at her fallen comrades before departing. She leads the adventurers down the narrow road at a quick pace, striving to reach the edge of the mountain range by dusk. By sunset, the party finds themselves amidst the first tall spires of the Mengul Mountains, the air having taken on a sharp, cold edge.

---

 The night passes without incident, though the adventurers are awoken on a pair of occasions by distant howls that do not sound as though they belong to wolves.

The party is ready to resume their trek at first light, the cold and the thinning air slowing their mounts progress somewhat. The low land trees have yielded to tall pines and firs, which cast long shadows across the trail in the hours following dawn.

At mid morning, the company reaches a turn in the road. Beyond it, the trail presses through a narrow gap between a pair of tall, jagged rock formations, the stone the color of charcoal and almost entirely bereft of trees and shrubs. As they face the forbidding pass, they see no movement ahead, but some of the horses nicker nervously, pawing restlessly at the ground.

Greyband slows his mount to a stop and looks at the formations. "So, maybe I'm getting older or paranoid, but I say we tie up the horses and investigate those outcroppings by foot before we ride between 'em."

When he was sure the others had indeed ridden on and gotten out of sight, Patch stood and shook his head sadly, speaking to his boar companion. "There will be much more of this sort of nonsense won't there be? Killing instead of debate, carnage rather than scribbles upon parchment... Such a waste of time."

The tall cleric removed his dilapidated hat with a bony hand.


Replacing the hat upon his graying head, he turned from the scene.

"Eat quickly J.D., we've much ground to cover to catch up with the others..."

With a grunt of acknowledgement, the huge boar trotted over among the dead bodies... to dine.

~~~

Patch dismounted and peered toward the pass. "Whether it be a pair or a thrane, or the number of both hands, an ambush is what you believe? Boulders, stones, logs perhaps? Nets, pits, or metal traps?"

"Why don't we wait here J.D. and let these young stalwarts scout the way"

Jayanti raises his right hand at a right angle, clenching to a fist, then points down the trail.

"Trouble ahead." He speaks in hushed tones.

"Glint of weapons deeper among the rocks. Unmistakable."

[Edited per DM description]
This message was last edited by the player at 12:37, Tue 13 Aug 2019.

Greyband grins and nods to Patch. "THAT kind of trouble," he says in a low tone. "Jayanti, how thick is the wood? Can we ride in or should we go in on foot?"

"Glint of light on weapons or armor, perhaps.  Or a message being sent.  Either way it is an ill omen." Killian agreed with Jayanti's assessment.

"Unless we want to try evasive tactics our only other choice is to move forward and remain vigilant.  Perhaps we should ride in a defensive pattern with out more vulnerable folk in the center?"

"Was this one of the scenarios we considered in the discussion about uniforms?" The cleric asked drily. "I'd much rather not have any holes poked in my cloak... I might be required to patch it!"

He chuckled to himself and patted the huge boar.

"I would think that if the advance squad had already dispatched the boarder guards, then these will certainly be adverse to our passage. There is, of course, the prospect of bribery... Perhaps we can buy our way out of this?"

Orin nodded at the comments about the flashes of light, shifting gingerly in the saddle.  His backside hadn't gotten used to such travel just yet.  "Aye, there were two of 'em.  Not sure if it was a signal or not, but I know how to find out!"

He dug into a belt pouch and pulled out the largest, shiniest silver coin he could find.  Glancing up at the sky, he did some quick geometry with only a minimum of smoke appearing from his ears and did his best to catch the sunlight off the coin in an attempt to signal back to whoever was down the trail.

"Clearly the know we're here.  Maybe this is the all clear signal?" he explained to the others.

“Or I could light the woods on fire with them in it.  That’s always worth considering.  Perhaps not the wisest approach, admittedly, but it would probably eliminate the threat.”

Moving to the side and looking for a tree and some shadows Jarder is planning on 'disappearing' into the shadows if things get dicey....

“Alternatively, I could one of you invisible, if one of you would like to do some scouting.” He almost sounds bored.

Killian stays vigilant while strategy is worked out.

As Orin sends the reflected light down the narrow path, a pair of heads appear just above a loose boulder on the western formation. Both are human males wearing rusted chain mail.

”The Hidden Lord’s breeches!” one of the two declares, ”That isn’t Odgof and the scouts!”

Four more brigands, two male, two female, appear from behind the jagged rocks on the eastern formation, their expressions similarly shocked.

15:55, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d6.  Surprise.

The brigands are surprised.

Those that have revealed themselves can be targeted with missile weapons. Anyone seeking to engage them in melee combat will need to climb the slope of one of the two rock formations to reach them. Doing so will take one round.

The brigands are AC 4.

Well played, Orin!

"Poor fools. Let's make this easy for everyone."

Jayanti gestures and casts Sleep at the brigands.

If any of the brigands remain standing, Greyband fires at one of them. He then starts climbing the rock to get at them, shortbow in hand.

Shoot at a conscious bandit, if any; miss.
14:21, Today: Greyband rolled 4 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 3.  Shortbow on bandit.