The Wilds - Back on the Road

It seems I missed posting the last couple turns (mostly because the party was in town and dealing with logistics for their next trip). Summary: went back to town, collected a modest reward, got their map copied by the local scholar, found out what a few magic items were, and bought supplies and mules for a longer trip beyond Stonefinger. Durego also gained a level, the only party member to do so (he had very lucky rolls on starting bonus XP). We'll pick up at their departure from Auslaug...


Start Date: June 28, Year of the Badger, dawn
Start Status: To Brekkevale!
Start Location: Auslaug

The Turn

It takes close to two days to gear up and get organized (and to get the copy of the map made - Solig is very grateful for the gift of the original, but he's slow as mud). The buying and selling goes without a hitch, and dawn on the 28th sees the party on the road to Brekkevale. It's a cool and cloudy day. Dagmarten is grumbling about rain again. The party's new mules prove to be a handful, especially Rocky, who's a most cantankerous beast. Bert and Sue are much more pliable, and Rawon's unnamed mule is a welcome, if surprising, addition, allowing a better distribution of the loads among the beasts. By the end of day one the group has only made 16 miles along the Ironway, but the mules are settling down, and Jonquil seems to have some aptitude dealing with them.

Day two is a repeat of day one, except warmer and with rain. You set a slightly better pace and reach Brekkevale by early evening. Leaving the majority of the party outside the palisade wall, Maro, Grit, and Locky make a quick circuit through the village, stopping at the lone tavern, The Red Rock, Hajna's General Store, and mayor Dagfin Lukasen's house. Their queries about a barn to rent produce only one name, Gnupa Hol, a gruff old farmer that lives west of Brekkevale. He's got a rundown sheep barn on the edge of his property, and word around Hajna's is that he's always short of cash. Mayor Lukasen assures Maro that he's trustworthy, though not the friendliest sort.

With this information in hand, the party traipses through town trailed by a string of curious kids, who follow them for half a mile or more west. Maro tosses the boldest among them a few coppers, and asks about the trail to Stonefinger. Several are quick to point the way, a side track that leads away from the cart path, across the pastures, and into the woods beyond. Rawon and Urúvion take careful note of the trail's location.

Finally the party reaches the Hol place. It's a bit of a dump, and Gnupa is, as promised, rather unfriendly. The glint of silver brings him around, and he agrees to rent the party his barn, the acre of pasture around it, and the rights to gather and cut wood in the nearby stand of trees for 2 SP a day. Maro is feeling generous and pays 2 GP for the first 10 days. It's getting dark fast, so you hastily follow Hol's surly directions and settle in to your new base camp. The barn is mostly sound, apart from a few gaping holes in the roof and walls, but the pasture looks good, and there's plenty of dead wood in the grove. There's also a good-sized fire ring outside the barn, with a bunch of old stumps and rocks scattered around it as seats. Everyone is fairly happy with the setup, and as true night falls, you settle into your usual watches.

The rain breaks during the night, leaving warm and cloudy weather in its wake. Everyone is up early, excited by the prospect of exploration. There are mixed feelings about how to approach your departure though. Some feel a reconnaissance trip with light gear to find a good location near Stonefinger for a forward camp would be smart, while others want to head out en masse. Decisions, decisions...

End Date: June 30, Year of the Badger, dawn
End Status: Base camp
End Location: Hol's barn, near Brekkevale

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