Time to leave
Jovik and Jokad shift again, for the hundredth time, the pain in their legs seems to be part from keeping such uncomfortable positions for so long, and part from the damp in the soil that has seeped through to the bones.
It is time to go. They have discussed it, and agreed. There is little shelter here, and in truth it won't be possible to scout this place out forever without raising some alarm. You are getting ready to leave, waiting for the area to clear of any activity (a caravan that arrived two hours ago at the neighboring mill is getting ready to leave back to the forestry trails).
Jovik rubs some warmth into his hands. It is late afternoon. The sun has spent the day hidden stubbornly behind some clouds. The only good news is that the rain has held off so far.
Jokad taps his companion. A carriage is approaching at speed. Two black horses; quite magnificent, well kept beasts that suggest at a wealthy owner, pull a fine covered carriage behind it. The carriage does not hold any signs of station, but the thin glass windows are pulled up, and a red curtain blocks any views to the interior.
It moves fast to the front of the sawmill. You watch as a young man (similar age to yourself) appears very quickly at the door of the mill, pushing the heavy wooden door open, and tipping his head in a half bow. He stands there waiting. The carriage stops dead, the horses flicking and steaming from their hard ride. The driver stays seated, holding the reins, while the door to the carriage on the opposite side from you (so the side that faces the now open door to the sawmill) opens. You can see black booted feet jumping to the ground, moving to one side. Your view is obscured, but you guess that the first person is helping a second person out of the carriage.
There is muffled conversation, snatched and without pleasantries (DC 25 listen to hear a bit of it), before two of them men (the one that opened the door of the mill, and the one that was inside the carriage that you haven't had a proper view of) head inside. The one with black boots moves to the front of the carriage now. He is wearing fine scale armour, each leaf painted black with a thin red line down the middle. He wears a dark red cloak, and has a neatly trimmed beard. His face is handsome, but there is no smile or warmth as he speaks with the driver of the carriage, just the formal orders of a man used to giving orders. After a few moments the driver nods and begins to turn the carriage towards town.
The warrior stretches his back and neck, as if stiff from the journey, and turns towards the sawmill, throwing one last glance back over his shoulder as he opens the door and slips inside.
OOC: Back to town to pick up the other two? It is a short trip. You could go there and be back here by nightfall, or you could elect to return to town and come back here tomorrow morning (if you need to buy equipment), or you can stay here just the two of you.
go. I had logged in to check on that loot haul to not find ENWorld. So I will get on that. But yeah, I think everyone will check in here on Tuesday or Wednesday.
