Feint Whispers Chapter #6: A Modest Proposal

[jasamcarl]

After recieving treatment from Bhartus and upon a good night's sleep, our heroes are feeling much better..

Bhartus is at 27hp, Tarowyn at 29, Jericho at 35, Whitney at 17 (Full), and Norri at 16. Bhartus expended 8 charges from his wand (be sure to keep track of this for me, Krug).

It is already near miday before the members of the party are sufficiently rested. The four goblin corpses still line the trail. The sun pierces fiercly through the forest canopy.

Tarowyn: the tracks are still relativily fresh in the trail.

OOC: hope no one minds that I skipped to the next day.

 

[Mirth]

Tarowyn: the tracks are still relativily fresh in the trail.

"Thanks, Priest," Tarowyn mutters to Bhartus as his many wounds are healed. Turning to Norri, he comments, "More than just scrapes. Those gobs almost chopped the Fist off at the wrist."

The next morning, Tarowyn crouches on his haunches and watches the rest of the Fist awaken, "The trail awaits..."

 

[jasamcarl]

The Fist continues down the trail. Noon comes quickly, though you would not know it as the thick canopy becomes more ardent in blocking the sunlights path to the floor of the forest. You can feel your steps become more strained as your realize that your path is gradually to a higher elevation, the soil under your feet becoming more rocky. Despite this, the woods are all the more dense and yet strangly more lifeless as well. The only sounds are the squaking of crows and the flapping of their wings.

By mid-afternoon it is clear that you are headed into the foothills of the Serpentcoil. Suddenly you see eight large figures emerge from the tangle of tree trunks from some 150 feet up the trail accompanied by the sound of horses hooves hitting rock. The are riders, heavily armed and armored, bedecked in the livery of the noble house of Evenwood, a vestige of honor that works against the easily spotted exhaustion of both horse and rider. Its only when they are nearly on top of you that they stop and each member of the Fist is able to recognize some of them as the riders who interecepted them at the edge of the Evenwood. Conspicuously absent is their leader, Galvan Evenwood, nephew to the Lord.

Halted 10ft infront of Tarowyn, one of the riders, a gruff bearded fellow, speaks, "Declare yourselves, strangers of the Evenwood.." he squints at the party before recognition washes over his features, "Oh, Duvik's freebooters. What business do you have in these goblin-infested woods? The vermin are both everywhere and nowhere..." he looks all most paranoid as he allows his gaze to scan the woods "We've been especially wary of the Crow-feast tribe; they have a company of elite scouts stalking these woods at night.." he focuses back on the party, specifically Jericho, his dark brow furrowed, "Answer, D'orite. How do you still live this far from the keep? What are you here!?" he is almost shouting.

 

[Krug]

Bhartus mutters under his breath. "Since when were we freebooters? Pah!"

 

[Festy_Dog]

"...they have a company of elite scouts stalking these woods at night.."

"We were attacked by them last night, managed to drop about half of them though, they're further back where we came from if ya wanna look-see," Norri chimes in.

 

[Tokiwong]

"We are here to clean up the mess, I have nothing to prove to ye," Jericho replies, folding his arms.

 

[jasamcarl]

"We were attacked by them last night, managed to drop about half of them though, they're further back where we came from if ya wanna look-see," Norri chimes in.

Ignoring Bhartus' grumblings, the knight looks down over the head of his warhorse at Norri, "YOU bested them little man!? Those verman may be small, but I shouldn't be so quick to pass judgment on faint of stature!" He feigns a laugh, eyes darting quickly to the left and right at the trees along the path, "That's good though! Lord Galvan was leading us in search of those scouts...so we can put them to the sword. They've been mounting raids on lumber and hunting camps and taking the poor commons to use in the goblins' ungodly rituals, giving souls over to fiends!! The gall, to disgrace the honor of the Lord Evenwood in such a fashion! The Lord Galvan is back up the trail with our infantry, making sure all that we didn't miss any of those pests!!"

Everyone but Tarowyn detects untruths in the knight's statements. Namely that he is not out here to hunt goblins and neither is Galvan Evenwood.

OOC: just in case anyone had forgotten, because i did, the party is out in search of a bear that had murdered a woodsman or two. Seems like a small matter, I know.

OOC2: oops. Just noticed not everyone had posted. I'll try not to post ahead of anyone in the future; don't want someone to get lost.

 

[Festy_Dog]

Norri's head tilts to the side, and he raises an eyebrow. He looks to the others to see if they had noticed the same things he did.

 

[KaintheSeeker]

Whitney crooks an eyebrow and looks to the others from her spot on her horse, the lady's look saying that she isn't too impressed with the gentlemen's story. Mist peeks from her spot in Whitney's cloak and makes a more verbal asertation as she yowls softly, sounding like she's snickering at the lie.

 

[Tokiwong]

Jericho places his hands on the hilt of his blade, in a relaxed pose, "See anything of a bear in these parts, we are really just out here trying to find a wayward and murderous beast..."