Tests and Trials

[NotStickFigures]

Jaq follows along after Kroshav and Ves watching to see who they all get to volunteer to assist.
His one question for them all, "So, since they are night time creatures, would it be better to go after them while they are sleeping during the day, or will they all three be together then?? Or are they solitary creatures usually?"

[spiderwrangler]

"Sure. Bralsa says if you and your 'tinny armor' are in, that she's in when it comes to dealing with those owlbears."

[Arch Lich Burns]

"What would ye do with tha man's belongin's?" Joe will help move the smaller stuff while they are digging.

[Rodgeir]

((Nature check from Jaq, city boy.))

Enrud waits for Kroshav to help him lift and as they move down the stairs says,

"She always did fancy meh." He chuckles and Mena opens the door for the pair of you and the coffin. Enrud gives her a, "Thank ye lass!" Before guiding the coffin around the side of the boarding house to a smaller building nearby. Using his shoulder Enrud pops up the latch holding the door. The insides of the building is filled with dusty boxes and assorted tools. Enrud indicates a spot on the floor and places the coffin down gently.

"Thanks for the help lad. Now bout yer hunt, like aye said last night, aye ain't inclined. Aye ain't no forest elfling and all dressed up an' tinny aye'm bout as quiet as a tin cup rolling down some stairs."

He pops open the coffin and pulls out the man's bag that Nezza put in and shoulders it. Heading out and waving Kroshav after him talking as they walk back to the boarding house,

"Aye know ye mean well lad but if Bralsa say ye need me aye gotta be concerned with yer chances of success."

Going inside the boarding house he sits at a table in the common room. At Joe's question he sighs wearily and opens the bag and pulls out the letter and says,

"We send it back. Aye just gotta figure out where this Mer Honal'Tinmal lives so aye can do that."

Jolly straightens from where he has been slouching on the table and looks over at Enrud. "Honal'Tinmal lives in Stenrek...one of the richest folks in town. What's he got to do with anything?"

((@Burns they'd already picked everything up.
@Spider persuasion to get him along.))

[NotStickFigures]

I cannot get coyote code to work at all today. So feel free to roll however for me!

[spiderwrangler]

((Anyone invested enough in dealing with owlbears to want to chime in so I can maybe get advantage?))

[NotStickFigures]

Jaq will speak up to help, he will explain how with the horses they were able to outrun them and use magic and arrows to damage them while staying ahead of them.

[spiderwrangler]

1d20+4 = [11] = 15
1d20+4 = [5] = 9

[Dlover]

I somehow imagine horses and arrows aren't suited to this fellow.

[Rodgeir]

((Seems like Coyote isn't working...so

Jaq nature: 1d20+1 = [10] = 11 ))

Jaq knows that owlbears are nocturnal and they can be found either allow or in small packs, normally a mother and her cublets or other near family ties. He isn't sure if they would den together during the day or find separate places to sleep.

Enrud nods to Jolly, "Thank ye. That saves me a bit worry. Next mail runner should be coming through tomorrow and aye can send this back to Stenrek."

He puts the letter back in the bag and turns on his chair to watch and listen to Jaq as he explains the the plan with Kroshav nodding along.

"Lads, these things aren't gonna be on the road during the day. They'll be back a ways in the woods and yer horses ain't going help ye. Aye ain't a hunter an' meh job is to keep Timmer safe as aye can. If aye run out on this aye ain't doing meh job." He is quiet a moment, "Aye can let the mail runner know to tell the folks he meets and tell all the towns about'm and that folk should stay off that stretch of road at night till a patrol shows up to deal with'm. How's that sound?"

[thinkslogically]

Assuming we all get back together at some point, Ves says to everyone:

"I would happily wait for that family to pass through if it would set your minds at ease. Provide an escort through those woods even, and post warnings for those that can read them. It'd cost us the day and we need to find somewhere else to camp for tonight. This place is too rich for another night's stay. For me anyway. I got my business to think about and my client."

[NotStickFigures]

"Enrud has a point, we go hunting for them, we will be in the woods if we are being stealthy, so our horses will not help. If we make a disturbance to get them to come to us, we will probably have them all attacking us at once, and whatever else we drudge up." Looking a bit guilty he looks at Lurn and Krosav, "I think the more this is explained, I'm with Ves. We put up warnings and let the patrols do their job. Us getting someone killed on this errand is not worth it."

[spiderwrangler]

Kroshav is obviously conflicted, scowling a bit as he scratches a brow ridge.

"I suppose... if it's the patrols job, they'll do it, right? I... I know we can't protect everyone all the time... but if Kirn and the little one, and their parents fell to owlbears and we did nothing? Don't think I could forgive myself. If we post warnings, let the mail runner know, and make sure that family makes it to Timmer... I think I could be ok with letting the patrols do their job."

((Given the pace we set, and the pace of the wagon, would *someone* know when they would likely be passing through the area we got ambushed by owlbears? How far behind us they are?))

[thinkslogically]

"If you're sending a runner to Stenrek, have them raise the guard there. Sending another east as well wouldn't hurt. Stenrek's getting back on it's feet, but should help. They were quick enough to try and jail us, so they've got the people. Might be an issue to the east we don't know about."

Ves breathes a gentle sigh of relief at Kroshav's decision. Her uneasiness isn't gone, but it's definitely improved.

"I'll ride out with you this morning to find the family if you want to. Take fast horses, and travel light. We'll pick 'em up if we can and bring them here. Can head to Timmer tomorrow, if Jolly's willing to delay the trip a little. Joe, how fast can your bird fly? Can he help?"

[Arch Lich Burns]

"Ah think he can fly as fast as a horse runs? Ah haven't really train'd him ta send messages but we can try. 'E prob'y willnae remember tha message thou, but perhaps we can use 'im like a pigeon. Were do ye want 'im ta trav'l? St'nrek?"

[thinkslogically]

"East probably, to Timmer. Theres a runner already going to Stenrek. We can go and warn the family now and mark warnings around the area we ran into trouble last night at least. Hopefully any patrols from Stenrek don't recognise us."

[Rodgeir]

((The normal passage along the road to Grenmyr is to stop at a village or town every night. The villages and towns are spaced such that a day's normal riding will put you near or at a village and there is normally a village that matches a day's walking. You've been actively avoiding staying in towns otherwise you could have done so every night. Kirn and co's wagon is at about walking speed so, if they were so inclined, they could stay in a town every night moving to Grenmyr. The town west of Timmer is a 4-5 hour horse ride away or a full day's walk.))

Enrud pauses, eyes narrowing at your discussion and interjects,

"What do ye mean arrest ye? What'd ye do in Stenrek. Also we don't send a runner, folks do that work. Every couple days one comes through from the Couriers guild and we send on our letters and what not."

((Edit: that'd put them around two days behind you.))

[spiderwrangler]

((Hmmm... that's a bit farther back than Ves is probably going to be willing to escort... We are in Timmer now? If we are able to take a day, Kroshav would be willing to undertake a ride to the town west (which we skipped over?) to alert them that there are owlbears roaming in between the two, and to make certain that they are telling travelers to take shelter in town at night.))

[NotStickFigures]

Jaq will answer Enrud's question, just so that Joe or Ves doesn't try, he's afraid they'll put a bit too much anger into the story.
"Those two, (He motions to Lurn and Ves) ended up getting a little too well-known by the common folks of the city for helping with some rioting in the slum quarter. Well, talk in the city travels quick, and can get exaggerated. It made them into 'folk heroes' of sorts. And all the talk of the 'heroes' who helped the city while the guards didn't help.... did not go over well with the guards or the governing body...So yep, they aren't exactly welcomed in Stenrek for a bit."

[spiderwrangler]

"I met them when they stopped to help a family being bullied by a shopkeeper.", Kroshav chimes in helpfully.

[Rodgeir]

((It's early in the day so Kroshav'd be able to make it to the prior town to the east, which was skipped, and back to Timmer before sundown. Charlie is gonna be tired though.

Give me a deception please NSF.))

"We 'eard bout Stenrek the day be ye showed up...what shopkeeper? In Stenrek?"

[thinkslogically]

((Ves isn't angry about it, just blunt ))

[Dlover]

They were quick enough to try and jail us, so they've got the people.

((And Ves kept blaming Lurn for having no idea when to keep his mouth shut. ))

[spiderwrangler]

"I'll go. Alone, if need be, though I'd welcome company. Any Stenrek folk have no reason to be looking for me though. Charlie should be able to get me there and back by night, but Lurn, if you're staying here, and don't mind lending me your horse, I'd be able to switch coming back."

[Dlover]

"Not in Stenrek, no, outside the last city back. As for the horse, I'll lend it to you, but take good care of it. The owner wants her horses back in good condition, after all."