As the others discuss transportation, Sigrun will approach the youngest person she can find who has the Blackscour taint and attempt to invoke the Healing of Torag to see if her divine powers will even work on the sickness.

OOC: If she can heal someone with her divine gifts she has an obligation to stay. She can probably cure that many people (1d4) each day if she spends all of her energy doing it. If she can't do it, then she will go with the others to find the ingredients that will.

BTW: If we had a wagon with four horses could we travel 120 miles each day? Just being silly, really. The Apaches always seemed to be able to catch the stagecoach with ease.

OOC: The healing does not work.

*If* you could gather four horses, yes. And *if* you could travel on road. Yes.

Probably is as you will see most of the area that you will travel goes through dense forest. Which will likely be rough terrain.

Okay, do we need a wagon or cart to haul all of this?  How much stuff is it?  If it's making medicine we might not need like huge quantities of it and the horses might do.

Can we borrow a plowhorse?  One of us can't ride a horse, might have to double up.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Wed 20 Oct 2021.

OOC: While you don't know what the material itself looks like a quick talk with Jackdaw would tell you that you can carry it in a backpack. So no need for a cart.

Jackdaw frowned at the thought of a wagon and shook his head. "We do not need a wagon, I think." He gave a small shrug. "If we need to secure transportation, horses should be fine, for speed more than anything else."

Serafina discretely leaned over to Camara.  "I think we are going to have to take the horses for the sake of mobility.  I am... fair, upon a horse.  We could ride double, but take two horses, resting each half the day."

So basically, my vote is the 4 horses.  Assuming this solution works for Camara.  Serafina's only a d6 Riding, but hey.

OOC: Where would you like to go first? You have three different options and you are unsure where the hut is.

Sigrun has no experience riding a horse, but she's willing to give it a try if it means they get help sooner for the villagers.

As they get ready she reviews again their options, speaking with the others in snatches of conversation as the animals are brought forward, saddles and bridles are put in place.

"Elderwood moss from the oldest tree in the valley -- Camara knows where it is.

"Ironbloom -- mushrooms from the old dwarf forges -- Menzer knows where they are.

"Rat's tail -- Ulizmila, the witch that lives deep in the woods might know where -- but where is her cottage and is she still alive?

"Milon Rhoddam at the Lumber Consortium Camp knows every inch of those woods."

She will ask Camera and Menzer where the tree is and where the old forges are. If they are in the same direction, that would be a stroke of luck. And she repeats the healer's suggestion that they speak with Milon.

"She said it twice, so it is probably important."

OOC:
Well, it depends on the relative locations of each option. Do we:

  -Go to the furthest and work our way back?
  -Take the closest one as they come?
  -Make our way clockwise/counterclockwise?

If the locations are mostly in a single line from Falcon's Hollow I'd say take them as they come. If they are more distributed in an arc from the hollow I'd vote for picking one end and working our way around.

Oh, and Menzar will need to double up with someone on horseback. Small and no die in riding...

<img src="https://i.ibb.co/5KSWfPP/SWPF-Hollows-Last-Hope.jpg" alt="SWPF-Hollows-Last-Hope" border="0">

Guide:
A= LUMBER CONSORTIUM CAMP
B= ??
C= FOREST ELDER
D= ??
☆= LUMBER CAMPS

Let me know if that image doesn't work
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:23, Thu 21 Oct 2021.

Looks like lumber camp is on way to at least one location and Intel may save us time?

[OOC: Is B or D the tree?]

OOC: C is the Forest Elder Tree
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:16, Thu 21 Oct 2021.

Looking over the sketch map drawn in the dirt (?) Sigrun used her dagger to point out a possible route.

"We ride from here to the Lumber Consortium camp along the road, say 10 to 12 miles. From there we strike through the woods to the Elder Tree, and then on to the ancient dwarf monastery. Faster than going around the woods, and we have to go into the woods anyway to reach the elder tree.

"Hopefully Milon can tell us where to find the old witch's hut in the forest."

"That seems reasonable.  If there's any intelligence, it may speed this task up.  If it's safe to go to two places at once, that'd be ideal.  Which is why I suspect that won't be the case."  Serafina considered.

OOC: Keep in mind if you are going around it will take longer. Going across the river will require you to have a raft of some sort and it will be a dangerous to cross but it does speed up the process.

"Agreed. It can't be more that 10 miles to the camp. Should be easy enough. We find this Milon and head into the woods. Either to the tree or the hut, whichever is next on the path." Menzar scratched his chin as he contemplated the map further.

"If we had a raft," he traced along the line of the rivers, "We could just ride the current back into town." Cracking a grin he adds, "We'll need to be on the lookout for one of those."

Camara asks, "Which of the three camps is Milon at?"

She then points to the three lumber camps on the map.

Then she inquires, "There is no bridge across or ford to cross the river in the forest?"

[OOC: Now that I'm awake, B or D is the witch.]

"Looks like we'll have to skirt the river to the northeast in the forest, but that's still the most direct route to the elder tree," says Sigrun. "Unless Milon knows a better way."

OOC: I'm assuming the sketch map does not have mysterious letters superimposed. Is it a sketch in the dirt? Or does someone have an actual map?

OOC: You would be correct. The letters are not on the map itself. You only know where things are because you have knowledge of them. However the lumber areas are marked so that is not an issue.

No bridge across the water. You would have to physically build a raft which would take time and then if you made it across without anything happening then you could proceed on foot without horses the rest of the way.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:50, Fri 22 Oct 2021.

Jackdaw looked...only a little uncertain. He was no skilled horseman, though he had ridden before and knew enough to not get tossed off or kicked. Mostly. A raft, though, that was not his area of expertise. His people had some boats but there were specific craftsman for that.

He gave a shrug. "I can swim, but I'm no raft builder."

"Times wasting," Sigrun declares. "Let's get on the road to the lumber consortium and deal with the problems as we face them."

She will approach whatever mount she has been provided with gentle caution.

OOC: I'm hoping that in a world where horseback is a primary means of transportation that we can at least ride the horses at a normal trot (canter?)without a specific skill level. Skill rolls will be required for unexpected events and be made vs Ag at a penalty? Also, someone with skill will have to show us how to deal with tack -- saddles, bridles, and the like -- when we camp at night? Do we have someone with at least a d4?

OOC: No roll required for getting on a horse or just causally riding. Fast riding, jumping, etc would cause a roll.

"Agreed! Would you happen to have space for a gnome, Little One?"

---

OOC: Menzar isn't particular about who he shares the course with.

So in order to move this part I think its safe to say your heading to the Lumber Consortium first. Please continue the next part of the story in Chapter 2.