They are decent but not great, of course they aren't familiar wth the Boat, ad even you find it has changed a little since the complete overhaul.
Regardless, you manage a fairly east trip and pull into Zila, where your apprearance is quickly noted. You are given good rooms and the leaders whant to know what your plans are... in some detail.

Maybe you should make some social skills rolls.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 854):

Not having any social skills, Mustafa does not care to meet too much with the leaders. He notes who those in power are, and what positions they hold, both in reality and in name, telling the leaders that he plans to travel around and observe, and attempt to encourage others in their loyalty to the Duke.

Well we will call it Intelligence Aquisition and I just rolled a 5 for you. There is a great deal of manipulation going on by people looking to ensure they have good positions at the end of this...

Lileth does some chatting with the women who work in the catle and they think at least one man is sending information to the current King of Zenther, trying to get a good position in the failed invasion.  There are quite a few loyal and hard working men and women here, but these sorts greatly  threaten the Duke's success.

Between Lileth and yourself you gather about six names and some background on what each is doing to look out for themselves first. Several are quite senior and jockying to make potential competitors look bad ... or do poorly.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 856):

Mustafa will write a letter, as detailed, using invisible ink for the most part. He will detail the outright traitors in normal ink though, and what evidence he has for their treason. He will take it to his cousin (in person) in the fishing boat to return to the Duke after sealing the letter with his ring.

He will then wait for a week to watch things, before heading to Liliths village. They will be almost paranoid in watching their backs.

There is some under current and you are offered assistance in preparing for your trip ... several times.
At the end of the week you head out one fine morning and just out of sight of the twon walls Lileth pulls you off the road.
I have a really bad feeling about this, I doubt we will ever make Freeland if we go down the road.

In reply to Lileth (msg # 858):

"Oh, I agree. Let's take a detour, and scout along the path, so we can see who has been sent after us. I would like to let them find us, nonetheless, so we can lead them into an ambush...their deaths, whether by execution or in combat, will send the kind of message in both ours and the Dukes favour."

As part of his 'almost paranoia' mentioned previously, did he identify any loyal troops that he had worked with before?

The troops all seem loyal, it's senior leaders who are playing politics and other games.

I think we would be wiser to just let them sit and wait, I also think we need to be very careful, as they may well have assumed we'd try to slip away. Put yourself in their shoes, how many paths might you watch? I am certain that both Frump's and Snidely's castles are watched. We probably should have left with your cousin.

In reply to Lileth (msg # 860):

"I do agree they will watch all of them. But my cousin is in enough danger carrying the letter. We do not need him killed because of us. But with just two of us donning the clothes of the commoners we should be able to hide well enough. They cannot be everywhere, and a couple of commoners are like looking for a needle in a haystack."

What routes through the forest nearby are there? Looking for large sparesly populated areas, which should be common with so few men to work the land. Even today the number of single women on the land are about as rare as gold nuggets, and we have a lot more machinery for the heavy work.

Well the road south travels through or near small villages on the higher ground tothe East of the swampy ground that is going toward Frumps lands. There are limited ways to go that way, so likely a bad choice.
On the East side, there is a road that skirts the coast, passes through small fishing villages and snakes around to Snidely's castle and beyond.
Otherwise, you'd move south on the main road and then head off to either side, depending on where you wish to go. Between the main road south and the Coast, there are a few individual farms, some hunters & woodcutters cabins and little else. To watch this area you'd need to have a considerable number of people watching along a road or clear area nd some extras to watch the concealed areas that someone would try to use, if trying not to be seen.
Setting this up would take a day or two and could require well over 150 people.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 862):

The coastal option,and then by boat, would be playing to Mustafa's advantages, but then, most know him to be a seafarer, so that would likely be expected.

I assume that mobilizing that kind of force as required for the road south (should that have been north, towards the coast?), would have been noticed, and was not? In this case, that would be an option. But there is another option as well...the swamps, but by small boat, rather than using the few paths through there. This would have the advantage of making it treacherous for horsemen as well. Are there ways through he swamp by light boat or rowboat?

At this stage trying to evaluate the two options of the swamp and off the road where the hunters and woodcutters cabins are.

Well if there are ways through the swamps and people know them, you would be surprised, as you have no knowledge of such... never even heard a rumor like that.

You'd guess the men could have been drafted from any number of placeswith out any opportunity for you to know about it. That said, if they are like the soldiers you brought and led, few are scouts or woodsmen. Likely none are silors, but there is the issue of who is and whose side they are on.

Lieth thinks she is a better woodsman than anyone in this army.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 864):

Right, then head through the woods, with a mental note to send a few capable scouts to find a way through the swamp in future. Want to summarize what rolls I need to make, and what rolls I need to make when if they fail?

Actually you have no real skills in sneaking through the woods, fortunaely, Lileth does and guides you carefully and succesfully past several scouts and watchers. It take a bout two days, but you slip the cordon and can move a bit more freely and a good bit more quickly.

It still takes anothr two days toget the the Freelands, but Lileth knows where o go, how to go and you are soon safely past the watcher and safe. The next day, you get to ger house, which you have to reopen and make habitable ... which isn't such a big deal in her siple andrustic home. Her bed is comfortable and big enough for two.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 866):

Stealth is the primary skill for sneaking anywhere, and at 12, he can hold his own, though he would never be a master thief...but his skills in fixing stuff up (carpentry, Masonry, etc) would help make the place even more homely than before.

Once they are set up, he will discuss with her the best way to go about talking to the leadership again.

Stealth is for sneaking,but in a local area. tracking is a broader knowledge, the sort a woodsman or Scout would have.

You can certainly fix a few things up, but her small stone house is definitely comfortable but rustic. Nothing fancy, but rather comfortable in a simple, efficient way. For one or two it's just fine. Guests and or children would become uncomfortable quickly, with privacy being almost impossible.  Lileth knows this ... and she invited you to stay there the first time ... a point to ponder.

Lileth handles getting a meeting arranged among those who would need to be there to make decisions. It will take several days to gather everyone.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 868):

The simple lifestyle is one Mustafa also enjoys, and it occurs to him that Lilith was interested in him from the start, though why he is not sure, but he is happy it was like that.

While Lilith organizes, Mustafa will scout around to get the layout of the place.

It's a small circular village with several arms radiating down the trails into the village.
There are small merchants providing most of the needs one would have.
There is seldom any competition beteen merchants, as there isn't enough population to support it.
Th cnter is a market place that is roughly cicular with a large firepit and stone benches around it, of to one side is a common well.
As you noted, quite a few houses have their ow well and there s a rudimentary sewage system as well.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 870):

Right. What about approaches to the village by spies or hostile forces?

Well you have been in the mountains here, the slopes around them are reasonably steep and there isn't much to hide behind. It would be a great place to slip and decorate a good bit of mountainside with your body parts.
As for forcing a large force up the narrows vallys... you could do it until the troops decided they were interested in dying for nothing meaning ful.  It would be a Thermopylae type of battle. There are likely enough defenders around to hold quite a few of these valley's andyou get the feeling the locals have made plans to do so if it comes to that.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 872):

Ok, so highly defensible and secure with good scouts, though we managed to sneak in, so still some gaps, albeit it local knowledge is required to exploit them.

Will work with Lilith is getting the meeting to happen...and try to cook her the occasional meal!

You got in with 4 men, almost lost them and were captured.  Can you imagine trying to bring any significant force in that way?

Lileth also cooks quite well, although your recipes and techniques differ.  You both have fun doing things a bit differently.

Come the next day, the leaders start showing up around noon and there are a steady trickle of them up to supper.
Aftr supper, the fire is lit and people begin to gather. The leaders are on the stone benches and everyone else stands or sits on the ground.
You and Lileth are given a bench (about 3' long) and the locale leader introduces you both and briefly summarizes your travels over the past months.

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 874):

With Lilith, I got in with a lot less, indicating the risk just one traitor poses...

Mustafa will let him finish, then add that they were also married... with the Duke himself as witness. He will go on to describe what the Duke offers, and what he expects in return.

In reply to Mustafa Zephyr (msg # 875):

With Lileth, you went through a series of check points where you were verified by Lileth. I just didn't go through it all...

The locals already had been clued in to the marriage, but the leaders circle smiles and claps.  They are all ears when you mention the Duke's terms. There are some nods and at least one who shrugs and says For what, I pay no taxes now, why pay the new guy?

In reply to Finger of Fate (msg # 876):

"You also have no-one you can call upon for help or support now, in case some asshole with an army comes calling...you are essentially living as outlaws, even if you are a more just society than most around. This will recognize you and grant you legitimacy, so that if any of the nobles around do want to attack, they will be the rebels, not you."

There is more discussion.
What other benefit might we gain by joining in his realm?