The decision is made over lunch and it doesn't take long for the four adventurers to get prepared.  Having just recently travelled to the Temple, they know the way that far, and already have such items of tents, pans, sleeping rolls, and the like from previous journeys.

Last minute preparations are made, and contact with the distraught sister Minnow to let her know you've decided to at least investigate a bit, for which is deeply moved.

The first day of travel and the first night are easy and well familiar.  You simply make your way to the campsite above the Temple.  There you find friendly scholars, a warm fire, and a well established campsite.  It is pleasant evening amongst young bright minds who are happy to see you all.  They of course, knowing Delta, ask for her to entertain them with a song or three.

The next day dawns with cooler winds coming from the sea, with the promise of light showers in the morning.  Your way forward is unknown, only you are to travel till you reach some wetlands and then turn North towards the mountain and follow a stream/river.

ooc: for the journey, please give me a general single file marching order, and also a night watch plan.

Thrilled at the request, Delta sings a few tunes, The Carpenter and the Nun, Seven Sisters Godiva and part of one she is writing about the temple and the goddess, into which she adds Bre'al and Jimma, and for the first time she adds a little about Vala and the embrace of the Goddess, hoping her friend won't mind. In the saga, the embrace is gratitude for the way for mighty warrior swung her blade to defeat the vile captors.

She had brought the scholars a small cask of the blueberry cider, and for once allowed others to do the cooking, opting to relax before the challenge ahead.

When discussion of a watch comes up, Delta requests to be first, to allow her to rest more fully for her magical studies.

"I would prefer a watch in the night; third or fourth slot is fine."

"I will take watch at dawn," Matthias replies. "The better to attend to morning prayers and to seek divine guidance."

On the issue of marching order, Matthias is agreeable to any location and does not have a strong preference one way or another. His outlook can be stated to be similar on the watch rotation--if someone else absolutely insists on taking last watch, he compromises.

The party sets out following the coast in a near eastern direction.  There are few real paths here, occasionally open ground or animal paths make the going easier but it slow none the less.  With cloaks pulled tight against the light mist and cool breezes from the sea, the day slips by.  At the end of a long day, you have still not found any sign of a river or stream coming in from inland but you have noticed growing mountains in the far to the North.  Somewhere within them, you imagine is the nunnery.

Setting camp for the night,  Delta, Tanyl, Vala and then Matthias take a peaceful watch.  Still close enough you can hear the distant sea, and it passes without incident.  Breaking camp, the third day of your journey begin much as the last did and remains so until noon when the mists break and the sun returns.  It is shortly after you break for lunch that you begin to encounter small rivulets of clear water and within an hour, the trees give way to great fields of marsh grasses, and small shrubs and the ground begins to get too soft to walk on. The insects and birds clearly rules this part of the land, it has its own smell, sounds, and is strangely beautiful.

Forced to retreat somewhat, you turn North and follow the edge of the wetlands for the rest of the day, but as it narrows, they are beginning to give way to a true water source.  Finding a suitable spot the party begins to settle in for the evening.

ooc: Will you have a campfire each evening??

A creature of comfort, Delta would like a fire, of course, but she will defer to the wisdom of Vala or one of the others should they suggest against it.

"Unless it's cold I don't need a fire; it may keep away insects and animals, but it would attract other attention."

Tanyl shrugs.

"Insects are a known problem; it could be best to deal with the known problem and let whatever happens happen."

If the cook wants a fire, a fire it is, or so an old fable goes.

A medium fire is comforting in the wild and this close to water, it gets chilly at night, and so the party maintains a campfire.

During Tanyl's watch, he hears some loud buzzing, and sees three of four giant horseflies hover around the campsite.  Knowing how bad a small horsefly hurts when it bites, he's pretty happy when these catch a whiff of smoke and move on, they are size of cats and could probably suck the blood out of man in a matter of minutes.

The rest of the night passes quietly, though when Vala relieves Tanyl, she notices the fire is built up a bit larger than before.

"I hope the bugs don't become larger or more numerous as we advance," Tanyl frets, knowing full well that they are likely to do both.

The next day of travel is a pleasant one, the stream is wide, clear and relatively straight and though there are no defined trails, the trees are sparse enough and the grade slight enough that it goes by easily.  You occasionally spook wildlife, birds, deer, rabbits, and the like.  Another night passes uneventfully, but the next day, the travel begins to slow. The stream narrows and flows faster, and the land begins to rise and become rocky.  You pass many beautiful waterfalls, and occasionally are forced to swing wide away from the stream in order to continue upwards.  It is during one of these times, away from the stream, that you find a path, well used and it leads up into an area of trees and high glades.

It is here you see what looks like an injured animal tangled in a netting of ropes, from a distance, it appears to be a large animal, and is bloodied as well as tangled.

"We should put the poor thing out of its misery" Delta says, though she looks to the others and does not make an effort to do so herself. Even injured, it might be too much for her.

During the trip, she chats with any small burrowing animals who will answer her calls.

"Can you talk to this animal?" Tanyl asks as he tries to identify its species.

As Tanyl moves a little closer for a better look, his heart sinks.  It appears to be a white horse, more specifically, a unicorn colt, it has several arrows in its flank, and its horn looked to have been cut off, it is flailing in the tangled net.

Matthias' heartbeat races when he sees the trapped animal. After the shock has subsided, he looks at the snare to try to determine what sort of animal is caught within. The cleric maintains a respectable distance between himself and the snare, but does draw closer if necessary to get a better look.

Upon drawing closer and getting a better look, Matthias is overcome with emotion...
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Mon 29 Mar 2021.