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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Woas" data-source="post: 5150946" data-attributes="member: 16317">Well, I got some time.The patrol set off from Lockhaven with the mission to deliver mail on the 'long road' to Pebblebrook with stops along Shaleburrow and Barkstone.En route to Shaleburrow the patrol was task to help trail blaze and reestablish any roads (replace landmarks, post detours, etc) after the wet and mild winter. They did well enough, using weather watcher to actually come up with that previous fact that winter was mild and mostly just wet (the player passed a weather watched test an I allowed them to pretty much tell us how winter went).Eventually on the way they came upon an area where a murder of crows had taken up residency in a number of trees that last year's road went through. The alpha-crow swooped down and was fascinated by the shiny metal clasp the mail bundle was kept together with. I told the patrol that the crow was being pushy, eying the metal clasp and if they did not protect it and run this crow off it would make the mail all unorganized at best (slowing them down in each town trying to re-sort it out) or at worst lose the mail all together!This lead to our first conflict. The goals where that the crow wanted to the shiny object. The mice wanted to drive the crow away.Unfortunately the crow won after pushing around the mice and receiving a nasty gash on it's beak (a return villain for sure!), but only barely having just 1 point of deposition left itself. I believe the compromise was that the crow got the metal clasp but in a way that was not immediately detrimental to the mail. (a simple resource test in Shalebrook could find them a sewer-mouse to sew a new (but less fancy) clasp on).After a quick visit in Shaleburrow handing out the mail the group was off again to the Patrol Leader's home village of Brookstone. The player of this mouse was really interested being able to visit her home.Along the way the patrol heard some commotion off the trail. After some investigation a lady-mouse stumbled out from under some leaves asking the patrol to protect/hide her because there were bully-mice chasing her. The patrol hid her, not sure what was going on when a dozen or so harvester mice busted onto the scene, following some trail they believed to be from this lady-mouse.The harvesters demanded the patrols attention, claiming they where on the hunt for a thief-mouse. They described this so-called thief who they claimed was stealing some of the early harvest, which matched the description of the lady-mouse the patrol had just hidden. After some mediation, tempter calming and truth gathering the patrol admitted to knowing the where-about of the so-called thief (why, just over here under these leafs in fact!) determined they would escort the thief/lady along with the Master Harvester back to Brookstone (as they were headed there anyway) as the other harvest-mice were wasting precious time and needed to get back to harvesting.Once in Brookstone the Master Harvester went straight to the authorities. The patrol brought the accused thief to her home where they met her sister and children to talk and understand the situation. Apparently the accused thief's husband was banished from town for theft and she was blacklisted because of this and was forced to steal grain and food for her children (whom her sister watched and cared for while she was out doing this). The patrol mouse who's home was here at Brookstone recalled the event and knew it was true. But you see the thief mouse wasn't much of a field mouse so she mostly had to steal from pre-established harvest areas and thus the reason her run in with the harvest mice. After the confession the patrol started to form some thought on the issue as to what to do when at the door came a knock. The Master Harvester returned with the constable and other up-and-up mice of the community demanding the thief be brought out of her home so that she may be placed in a holding area until her judgement was passed. The patrol was washed with sorrow for the thief-ladies plight so acting quickly stalled the crowd that had gathered at the front door while one of the patrol mice helped the thief sneak out the back door and flee, leaving her children in her sister's charge and vowing to send word where she was so that the children could be brought there.The crowd caught on eventually and there was much name calling... the patrol was accused of 'Guard sanctioned theft' and such things. The patrol felt the negative vibes in the community for what they did so they quickly handed out the mail, said quick hello's to family and departed to Shalebrook.On the road to Shalebrook the patrol again heard some commotion ahead of them. As they ran forward to scout they came upon a scene in where a stream hadn't quite flooded but was running much faster than normal from snow melt. A number of mice were attempting to rescue a mouse who had fallen in trying to cross the rushing stream. As they assessed the situation and came into the scene, the patrol came to realize that it was none other than the Master Harvester who had fallen into the stream in his attempt to track down the thief who had crossed here just recently.The attempt was made to save the Master Harvester. Each patrol member removed their cloaks an a make shift line was formed. The mice grabbed hold onto the line on the bank as one brave patrol mouse tied an end to himself and waded out to try and help. But the stream was too strong! And the patrol mouse could not grip the Master Harvester! His paw slipped and the Master Harvester was swept down stream! It was a solemn moment for the patrol as they tasted true defeat.Apologizing for the loss, the other mice expressed thanks for trying to help and that the patrol did their best and the two groups parted ways. Finding a safer route across the stream, the patrol headed to their last stop Pebblebrook. Along the way they espied a mouse up high in a tree seemingly unconscious. Making contact and yelling up to the mouse, they discovered it was none-other than the thief mouse. She coughed and wheezed a lot but was able to tell the patrol that she had been set upon by an owl the other night and that her leg was broken and she was very hurt and could barely move. The owl had left her here, probably to eat her later and to please help!Forming a plan as to how to carry the mouse down from so far high up, the patrol again used the versatility of their capes to build a little hammock that they would carry the thief-mouse down in.Starting the long climb up, the patrol mouse reached only half way when from high in the branches that bone-chilling squelch rang through the woods. A FLYING DEVIL!! Out on the hunt during the early dusk, the flying squirrel made it's presence known and delighted in the idea of 6 yummy mice.The thought of a flying devil put the fear of mice-god into the patrol! The patrol mouse who was half up the tree jumped off as all the patrol mice ran for their lives (used nature to find hidey-holes the squirrel couldn't get to) leaving the thief lady alone, unable to defend herself up in the tree. As the patrol lay in their hiding spots, safe as long as they remained still, they were forever mentally scared by the screams of the thief lady being eaten alive as the flying devil swooped in to steal the owl's hastily left meal.</blockquote>

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