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OOC--I do believe that each of you is carrying two skins...one with water, one with wine. Perhaps some wine will revive the monk. Also the company has some healing ointments given by Claire of New Wickersham's hospital.

Tamerlane will memorize Read Magic in place of the prior Magic Missile spell he had cast earlier and then cast it on the vellum sheets at his first convenience,

jcftao wrote:OOC--I do believe that each of you is carrying two skins...one with water, one with wine. Perhaps some wine will revive the monk. Also the company has some healing ointments given by Claire of New Wickersham's hospital.

Ah, you're right: the party received that stuff upon leaving New Wickersham. I overlooked it because it's not in the character sheets and Alexander never received it because he joined later... Fredrick should be good, then

Frederick will take a long pull of his wineskin [gaining 3 additional hit points]

OOC--Frederick, please note that you have 4 hp currently.

The morning comes bright and early. You prepare a simple breakfast from your rations. Both children are eager to partake in the meal. They shiver a bit and warm up to the fire.

Frederick is looking a little better this morning, though if observed carefully will show signs of last nights battering by the hill giant.

Tamerlane spends time studying his spellbook while the company eats and then prepares to break camp.

Casting a read magic on the scrolls reveals the following; The scroll has three spells. Two first level spells...sleep and light...and the other sheet of vellum is a scroll of protection from arrows.

What do you do now?

After breakfast Alexander packs and puts on his backpack, slings his shield onto his back and knocks the dust off his clothes: "We'd better get going, Ulfstead seems to be no more than a ghost town now... I suggest we travel further down Cormandy Road to carry on our mission." He looks pensively at Peter and Belle: "I don't feel comfortable anymore with sending the children back to the warm hearths of New Wickersham on their own, not with the risk of any Hill Giants lurking about... Should we bring them along and find them some other safe place to stay on our way?"

Milton sheathes his new dagger. I don't revel in taking the tads along with us myself. This is far too dangerous. Yet, I'm hopeful that the next town will have life yet, so let us keep them with until then. If it too is razed, then perhaps some of us take them back to New Wickersham and report back as well. If there be good folk remaining, we can leave the tads in their care and have them make the journey back.

You realize that it is a four hour trek back south to the ruins of Ulfstead. From there it is 12 miles back to New Wickersham or about the same to the town of Harkbone to the southeast.

The mention of the town Harkbone stirs the children. Peter cries out, "please don't take us back there!" Belle begins to tear up, "the mean men there hurt our father..."

What are your actions?



++++++++++++++Status++++++++++++
The only injured party member is Frederick, the monk 4/7

Alexander kneels down and reassures the children: "Not to worry, we would never put you in danger." Turning to the rest of the group: "Whether we move to Harkbone or back to New Wickersham, it will take us the remainder of the day. Judging from what these children tell us, the soldiers in Harkbone weren't exactly treating the townspeople well: chances are we will find the town to be pillaged just like Ulfstead." He proposes: "I suppose we could split up, sending out some of us on a recon mission to Harkbone and the others to bring the children to New Wickersham. We could meet back in Ulfstead after. Either way, we need to get back to Ulfstead first, we can think things over and decide once we arrive there." Alexanders mutters to himself: "If only I had my horse, I could have gone and brought the children back to New Wickersham, scout ahead in Harkbone and all be done with it well before the day was through..."

Wouter wrote:"If only I had my horse, I could have gone and brought the children back to New Wickersham, scout ahead in Harkbone and all be done with it well before the day was through..."

This is a stark reminder of the lean times--those hard winters where people had no alternative than to butcher the horses.

The journey back to the ashes of Ulfstead takes much of the morning. You pause for a short respite. Frederick is stoic but you can tell the travel is wearing on him.

To make matters worse, it is lightly raining.

Either direction that you travel will still take many hours on foot.