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Getting a good nights sleep isn't too hard in Moosburg, as it's quiet by dinner time and by sundown you'd swear 99% of the village is asleep already. You awaken to an overcast day, slightly chilly, and with a light breeze. As good a day as any to start your adventure.

You gather your gear and head downstairs, and those of you who've met Theobald see him smiling and with a mountain of his gear next to him at the large table, with the innkeeper and the wizard Sigfried sitting next to them. Theobald waves and says "Good morning, friends! Master Kane, I heard about you, nice to meet you!" And he hands a small sack to Kane, inside is a week of normal rations and some very good smelling fresh bread. "I figured you might want some extra food. My grandmother just baked that bread!" As Theobald makes small talk, several plates of warm and good smelling food is placed in front of you. As you eat, Sigfried unrolls a faded scroll. It's a map, apparently of the area (basically the same map on the map thread) He points to the village you are in.

"Here we are, good old Moosburg. You need to go up here somewhere (and he points to the general area Northwest in grids 0508, 0608, 0509, 0609.). The tower, or whatever is left, should be in this area. It's been almost 100 years, so there's no telling what the terrain is like. There use to be a trail here (pointing to the bend in the river at the junction of grids 0809 and 0810) immediately after the small footbridge. The bridge is still there, Theo knows exactly where it's at, that's the best place to start your search. The old trail that was nearby was marked by a direction stone, hopefully it's still there. From everything I've read, the trail was basically a straight line northwest, and naturally cut through some small hills and terrain features. I've asked all the woodsmen and hunters around if they've seen anything, and no one has seen so much as a figment of a trail, so you've got your work cut out for you. Thankfully, you've got Theo with you, he knows the weather and wildlife around here, so I'd listen to him." He rolls the map back up and says "It's pretty quiet and sleepy around here, I don't think you'll find any problems on your way, but be careful. If you run into trouble, there isn't much we can do to help, and all we have is an informal town militia, and they can't go outside the town limits, so don't bite off more than you can chew, eh?"

Sigfried stands up and dusts off his robe, and pats Theobald on the shoulder. "Take good care of them, lad, okay? And don't overdo it. No shame in coming back to reequip if needed. This thing has been out there 100 years, so it isn't going anywhere." The mage pauses for questions as you finish your breakfast. If no questions, we'll hit the road!

Kane grunts in acknowledgment when Theo hands him the food. He looks to Sigfried "Fine lad," he says, winking broadly.

After Sigfried's explanation of the map, Kane comments: "Welp, you're payin' us to look, so let's get lookin'."

He doesn't have any further questions and is ready to start the journey.

Zapolas


Zapolas nods at Kane, "Yes, I'm anxious to get started as well." the Elf adds, cheerily. When he thinks no one is looking, he snatches a couple of crisp bacon strips and a bit o'that fresh bread from his plate and into his pockets... thinking he'll need a snack on the way to that food-bridge!

Albrecht finishes his breakfast, and, confident in the group's assignment, prepares to set off.

Your party sets off, following the hard packed dirt trail north out of the village. Several inhabitants wave at you, most shouting well-wishes to you and your guide "Good luck, Theo! Take care!"

You follow the trail along the swift moving river for about 3 hours, seeing nothing except for the occasional squirrel or rabbit. After an uneventful march of about 3 hours, Theo says "The footbridge is ahead. It's mainly for hunters and horseback riders, so it's seldom used." Moments later, the thick vegetation clears to reveal a small stone footbridge (about 8 foot wide with low sides, about 40 foot long, spanning the river. It's got a light covering of moss on it, and judging from the light scuffs, it is only seldom used - sometimes by wildlife. You cross, and the trail north becomes suddenly much more narrow and overgrown, and overhead canopy of the forest obscures much of the sunlight, reducing your visibility by about half.

About 10 minutes after you cross the river, Theo raises his hand and says "Okay, we're around the old trail junction. It should be on the left side of the trail somewhere around here." The first 2 hours isn't too bad, but after pulling at bushes and undergrowth, it starts to get tedious. Finally, after about 3 hours of searching, Kane trips on something solid - once he regains his balance, he sees a perfectly square piece of moss-covered granite protruding from the freshly uncovered ivy. It's square, and has a deep, bold arrow pointing generally northwest carved into its surface. Stepping past the stone into the thick treeline, it takes a couple minutes to adjust your eyesight, but once you do, you can make out a narrow cut between two small ridges about 1000 feet ahead, and the trees lean over the natural path, and you can just faintly make out what looks like a very old and unused trail meandering northwest.

It's slow going, as it's obvious that the trail is long gone, and Theo is using terrain features to deduce where the trail was. You lose the path a couple times and have to re-trace it, but as evening approaches, Theo says "We should set up camp soon, it gets dark early under here. I'm pretty sure we're getting close, hopefully we'll be where we need to be tomorrow." You find a nice level patch of ground, and Theo quickly sets to work pitching the tarp between a couple tall trees, and soon there's a small fire crackling going.

You rest your tired feet and start eating your rations, and it quickly gets dark under the tree canopy, and soon the night noises of crickets and other unseen critters serenades you all.

Theo starts stringing his twine and bells in a circle around your campsite. Any other precautions before calling it night? Watch schedule if any?

We've can have four watches: first (evening), second (night), third (late night/early morning), fourth (morning).

Kane will take the third watch (his alertness should hopefully help in the dark).

I think Zapolas should therefore take 2nd watch where his darkvision will be most useful?

Then it's up to Albrecht whether he wants first or last watch, and Theo can take the last remaining watch.

kipper wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 29, 2023 1:50 pm

We've can have four watches: first (evening), second (night), third (late night/early morning), fourth (morning).

Kane will take the third watch (his alertness should hopefully help in the dark).

I think Zapolas should therefore take 2nd watch where his darkvision will be most useful?

Then it's up to Albrecht whether he wants first or last watch, and Theo can take the last remaining watch.

Agreed.

We'll just plug Albrecht in for first watch, and Theo for last. Theo is quite happy to take whatever shift he's needed for and pull a double shift if asked.

The night is quite uneventful, and just before the sun starts to poke through what little openings exist in the canopy, a loud crashing and snorting comes from the north edge of your campsite, from behind some thick scrub bushes. Theo is on his feet with sword drawn, and the loud noise wakes the rest of the party immediately. Theo leaps up, standing between the prone party members, and the source of the noise.

Out from the bushes stomps a very large, grumpy looking moose, with huge antlers. He stomps and snorts, his warm breath turning to steam in the faint light. He stands still, eyeing the party, Theo stands equally still. Theo says quietly, "If we don't do anything, he'll likely be on his way. We're close to a natural trail and he probably is used to walking through here and didn't expect us."

The moose snorts a couple more times for good measure, and starts to slowly sidestep to the left, toward the rough trail. Moving at a crawl, he doesn't take his eyes off the party.

Actions?
Theo seems content to let the moose go on its way, and the moose appears to be taking his leave. If you want to engage the moose, you can, but Theo is the only one fully equipped at the moment.

Kane remains as still as a statue.

Zapolas


Zapolas is frozen with fear; without moving his head, his eyes look to and fro for a large tree or rock to get behind should this beast charge. He has heard that Moose are very territorial.