Thromm progressed in his usual motif; stumping along solidly. As the morning scum slowly wore off his soul, he started to hum an old Dwarven tune. Eventually, it occurred to him it had been a song his mum used to sing around the house when he was a lad. The memory caused his to trail off for a bit but then he started humming again. The tune now had a slower, deeper sound though.

Once at the river, Thromm went about trying his best to scour the riverside for signs of a tunnel.

Thromm rolled 18 using 1d20+10.  perception.
Thromm rolled 16 using 1d20.  investigation.

The gentle breezes rustling through the thick grasses that carpeted the rollling hillsides made for a pleasant, relaxing scene, even for a city lad like Tegan.

He jammed the butt-end of his javelin into the earth and leaned on it, glancing over in the direction where Zenphar was looking after the Elf had called out that he had glimpsed some Blink Bunnies.

The paladin tried to remember what the notice that Zenphar had referred to had said, but was unable to recall it. Tegan reckoned that at the time he had not considered such creatures to be much of a threat when compared to bandits and an ambushed caravan, and had not bothered to put them on his To-Do list.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:13, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

Ukhtusk marched along with the others in the morning sun and remained generally expressionless. When Zenphar said he wondered if Elaria would like the chance to study the blinking creatures, he paused, nodded his head in agreement to some internal suggestion, then with sudden strength of arm heaved his javelin at the foremost of them straight and true.

---

OOC:
13:29, Today: Ukhtusk rolled 25 using 1d20+6.  Attack, javelin, blink bunny.
13:30, Today: Ukhtusk rolled 8 using 1d6+4.  Javelin damage.

Nthanda has stopped when she noticed the blink bunnies, but Zenphar alerted the others first. "Folcard Fairbarn wanted those, offered a reward for them, and higher alive," she says just as Ukhtusk launches a javelin.  Cautiously, as much to keep out of her companions' fire as to prevent spooking the bunnies any more, she approaches the group hoping to get close enough to see them better.

With a run up Ukhtusk hurls his javelin at the blink bunny.  The javelin strikes the two foot long rodent killing it instantly.  At this the other magical rabbits start to teleport away.  There appears to be about seven other blink bunnies disappearing.

The pack of bunnies were a lot further away, but I didn't want you to waste such a good roll.

"Well done, Ukhtusk! You have sent a tiny bunny with a unicorn horn to meet your god! I am sure he will be pleased."

Zenphar turns back to the river bank looking for any sign of a way to cross the river.

“Grummsh not care… Ha. HAHA. But Corellon happy somebody here hit target from distance! HAHAHAHA.”

The halforc walked over to the slain bunny, laughing as he went, to retrieve his javelin and his trophy.

Assuming that Ukhtusk collects his prey he will find that the Blink Bunny is very large for a rabbit, and while mostly covered in white white fluffy fur, its belly is bright yellow. The horn coming from its head is as black as obsidian.

As the group approaches the river there is no sign of any tunnels or hidden boats.  Something catches Nthanda's attention as she spots something above the water.

Nthanda smiles to herself as the group approaches the river having given up on catching alive bunny as soon as they started blinking away.  With her usual confidence she steps out into the river and walks ten feet out into the water without sinking much.  "There is an illusion covering a ford here, the river is easily crossed," she says with an admiring smile.  Whomever placed this illusion was very smart.  The smile fades as a serious thought occurs to her.  "That also suggests they have a talented spell caster among them.  We must be cautious," she adds.

"Well done, Nthanda," Tegan said, nodding to the Drow when she quickly figured out how the bandits safely crossed over the river.

Turning to Zenphar, he asked the scout "Is there any need for stealth, here, do you suppose? If not, I shall lead the way, much as I would were I opening a door and stepping into a room where foes might be lurking."

Zenphar follows Nthanda onto the river, amazed at the subterfuge at play.

"How did you spot this illusion, Nthanda? I was looking at the river for some time and it looked to be as deep here as anywhere else!"


"I always prefer to move quietly and remain hidden if possible. But with this group that is not really a viable choice!

I will take the van with you, as we don't actually know where we are going and I might be able to find some tracks."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:56, Fri 15 July 2022.

"I have a knack for seeing magic, close up.  A gift from a friend," she replies to Zenphar as she finishes the crossing with the others.  As the company orders themselves to move on she moves into the second row.  "I shall stay right behind you two."

Travel is slow across the magically hidden ford, but the party make it across the river.  On the other side you can see the hints of the camp fire high in the mountain peaks off to the south.  From here the country side rises steadily before the mountain dominates the area.  The forest thickens in the higher altitudes.

Anyone trained in Arcana can take a DC17 check to better understand the magic.
Anyone trained in survival can take a DC15 check to look for tracks.

Thromm trudged across the ford as was his modus operandi. "As if I needed more reasons to distrust magic?" The dwarf spat into the river the raised his eyes to the barely perceptible campfire. He hooked his thumbs into his belt and grumped, "That's likely to be quite the trek. Perhaps best our stealthy friend there scout for us a bit, eh? My great gallumping self need not wander into a bandit ambush if I can help it. Like as not, they'll hear me and Tegan coming a league off." Thromm slapped his paunch and then started moving toward the forest.

After crossing the ford Nthanda crouches down to examine the magic better, trying to work out the ebb and flow of the spell woven there, intrigued by its permanence...

---

08:46, Today: Nthanda rolled 24 using 1d20+4.  Arcana Check.

Zenphar looks about for tracks, and spots something.

"There's something here to follow!" he says.

---

Zenphar rolled 15 using 1d20+4 for Survival to locate tracks.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:56, Fri 15 July 2022.

Though Ukhtusk was distracted by the horn of the blink bunny — maybe it could make a good spear? — he looked up from his prize long enough to see something of interest. “Hmmm. That right there. That strange, hmm?”

---

OOC:

20:26, Today: Ukhtusk rolled 21 using 1d20+3.  Survival, tracks.

After studying the illusion for a few minutes, Nthanda stands straight and faces the others, curious as to what sort of tracks they found.  "The magic here is very old," she says keeping her voice quiet.  "That is somewhat comforting, for I would not like to face the wizard who cast it.  This is powerful magic indeed, but I daresay it predates the Keep," she explains, adjusting her hood and ready to follow the others.

Tegan was quite surprised to hear Nthanda's conclusion about the magicks that she had found. Not that he had ever been around magickers much to speak of, but he had no idea that magicks could last for as long as these apparently had.

"Interesting," he remarked to the Drow. "It makes me wonder how Black Torgal came to know of this crossing. Seemingly the garrison was unaware of it."

Ukhtusk and Zenphar pick up the signs of something moving from the hidden ford to valley between the two peaks.  The tracks look old are possibly a week or two old.

Nthanda turns to face away from the mountains, letting her hood conceal her face.  "We've been spotted, there was someone about 400 yards ahead who ducked out of sight," she says keeping her voice even so it doesn't carry beyond her companions.  "It makes sense they would have a lookout watching the river and the ford," she adds.

“Humans. Boots there! Follow… run!”

Ukhtusk started running towards where Nthanda pointed as he followed the tracks in the ground.

"So much for stealth!"

Zenphar runs after Ukhtusk, keeping his eyes moving about the trees, looking for a possible ambush.

"Gods above, Uhktusk, so may not have as long a leg as you." Huffing, the hefty dwarf nevertheless trudged as fast as his feet could carry him along behind the taller folk. It seemed that subtly and stealth were lost thoughts indeed. Even spotted, though, they still had options. A scout reporting back could not report on what they had done between spotting them and getting back. Thromm immediately wanted to find a likely place to set up an ambush, but his heaving chest and pumping legs precluded such action until such time as their company stopped and he had finished catching up.

Tegan didn't much care for running in full armor. It could be done if necessary, though, and he wasn't about to let the others hurry off and leave him, not when they might stumble onto Black Torgal and his lads.

He figured that the bandit leader was the sort to be grumpy when visitors dropped in on him unannounced.

And so he mentally shrugged, and set off after the others . . .