Grandt, House Leary man-at-arms, Abalene, the Northern Hawk Owl, 4 Leary House Guards, Caenn, the Juvenile Scribe arrive, following Fairen.

Scribble, a Delicate Social Butterfly arrives, following Delilah.

Renn, the mousy, scholarly brunette have been dismissed.

Morgan, a roguish looking gentleman have been dismissed.

Caenn, the Juvenile Scribe have been dismissed.

Anya, the cool as an ice cube Champion apprentice have been dismissed.

Puff, a dainty yellow-green canary arrives, following Arcadia.

\There are people going missing in the Gray Forest. There are rumors that others are as well. People who set out to travel to a known destination and were reported as never having arrived. Gennette Greymire's daughter, Cassia, is one of those people. She reported it to the Inquisition, but there are a number of other things taking up their time than her one child, so she's cobbled up what money she can to hire the Explorers to see what they can find. She knows the route her daughter was going to take, and asks the Explorers to travel along it to see if they can get any clues. So, that's where the Explorers, and those allies they brought with them, find themselves now - on the path in the Gray Forest that Gennette sent them on. Basic introductions have already been made, and the party has been out in the forest for about two hours.

There are people going missing in the Gray Forest. There are rumors that others are as well. People who set out to travel to a known destination and were reported as never having arrived. Gennette Greymire's daughter, Cassia, is one of those people. She reported it to the Inquisition, but there are a number of other things taking up their time than her one child, so she's cobbled up what money she can to hire the Explorers to see what they can find. She knows the route her daughter was going to take, and asks the Explorers to travel along it to see if they can get any clues. So, that's where the Explorers, and those allies they brought with them, find themselves now - on the path in the Gray Forest that Gennette sent them on. Basic introductions have already been made, and the party has been out in the forest for about two hours.

One of those allies did tell Lou that he would be available if called upon. Which is how Thorley, with his heavy armor is travelling with the group. He's about as quiet as a gaggle of geese at mating season as he clatters and clangs with each step. And he makes sure to keep Delilah, who isn't as heavily armored close by. Eventide rests at Thorley's side as always, while the knight has the Duskblade held in a loose grip. "Last time I fell off a horse in full armor, I had to spend two weeks with the mercies. Not that it wasn't fun, but I ain't keen on repeating the experience."

Caspian is no rider, so he is huffing it, the man dressed to the T with leather armor, and knives on his belt. The great part is? He knows everyone here! No introductions required! He looks over to Thorley and the man's armor, shrugging as he says, "Lets hope we don't have to ford any creeks. I'm not sure what the lay of the land is out there, I don't go hunting." He walks in front, because he is a confident man who is well armed ready for action!

His pace is slow, he is looking about for clues; dropped items, blood, dead women lying on the side of the road. Anything that might hint at to the fat of the poor woman.

As a point of fact, a folded red and black ankle-length coat rests in the top of Delilah's pack. Those used to witnessing her floating about in various forms of exquisite silk dressed pinpricked by stars might not even recognize the copper-haired scholar in her leathers, her coiffed braids wound in a way to avoid anyone having a handhold. No complaints arise from her while moving along the path, smooth-paced alongside Thorley, looking as perfectly comfortable out of doors as at the Ambassador Salon. Moreso, perhaps; trees never judge rank. "I can imagine not. The landing sounds terribly unpleasant," she murmurs, eyes sharp to the flanks of the path and wherever bushes melt away into the underlying dusky state common to nearly all woodlands. Furtive noises or the total lack thereof are as much something she seeks as evidence of a tuft of cloth on a bent twig, a deer path that suddenly widens without reason.

With that cloak drawn up, she can be particularly easy to lose track of.

Arcadia looks rather odd -- she's dressed partially in glistening seasilks, and partially in tattered leathers. Though, to those that know her, such a contrast is not uncommon nor remotely out of character. But that helmet. Big, bulky and steel, painted red with flames. It stands out from her wardrobe. Tufts of matted blonde stick out from beneath it, and she traipses along beside Fairen, bubbling with excitement, a crossbow hitched to her hip. Somehow, she's convinced him to bring her along, and she's in adventure-y heaven.

Miranda is considerably more quiet than Thorley being in non-heavy armor, after all. Nothing like leathers to make a girl be all... stealthy... compared to the walking tin cans, of course. She can ride, but whatever is easiest and quietest. The idea is for a rescue mission, but she is happy to walk if that's what's called for. She looks around as they walk, trying to stay alert and look for anything that might give a clue as to what happened to Cassie or where she may have gone. She takes a point on the side of the group, happy to let Caspian lead. And introductions around to those who needed it.

Every good, successful adventuring party needs a skilled Scholar. Who better to perform the duties of a Scholar than the Magister of the Academy himself. Not particularly a warrior in any sense of the word, Marquis Fairen Leary has with him his squad of Leary Guards, and Abalene perched up on his shoulder. Grandt, his lead guardsmen has taken point specifically around the Marquis, with two guards on either side of him. "I've spent a good portion of my life in the Gray Forest, but never too far from Leaholdt or Arx, myself." He notes, then he grins over at Cady, shaking his head lightly. "You're already having too much fun."

Delilah checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 38 higher.

Caspian checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 11 lower.

Fairen checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 26 higher.

Thorley checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 8 lower.

Miranda checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 2 higher.

Arcadia checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 2 higher.

The helm, apparently, is a few sizes too big for Arcadia's head, as she keeps having to nudge it up from falling over her eyes. Still, she's smiling. "I have wandered much farther out then you ever have," Arcadia peeps up to Fairen, pale blue eyes drifting about the familiar foliage of the Gray. "It is vast, never ending... But I know a good bit of it. I've been running around this half of it, too, since I've come to Arx."

The problem with heavy armor? There's no searching around in it. Thorley will have to rely on others to find clues as the knight clatters along the path. "All I see are trees and the path ahead, Lady Delilah. You will have to be my eyes for trouble."

There are some wild boar nearby that seem to be making an awful lot of racket. This may be the cause of distraction of Caspian and Thorley. Wild boar are dangerous creatures that could more than easily do harm to the party if attention is brought to them. Thankfully, they don't seem to be paying much attention to the Explorers.

Miranda and Arcadia spot a place in the road where there's definitely something odd. It looks like small trees and bushes have been smashed. There might be something more to it though.

Delilah and Fairen seem to notice that not far away from where Miranda and Arcadia are noticing the broken branches there's a ribbon on the ground a bit further into the woods, and some scuff marks on the ground. The ribbon is the same color and style as the one Cassia's mother described in detail to the Explorers.

Broken branches are great clues! The ribbon is better, but missed in favor of the more obvious clue, ahem. Miranda idly points it out, "Look, seems the branches are broken here." Her voice is soft, but pleasant. "A scuffle here perhaps?"

The boars do catch a lion's share of Caspian's attention, the man resting his hand on the pommel of his knife as he watches the boars, not moving, making sure that they aren't going to charge them or anything. Seeing Thorley is also spying the boars, he wonders quiety, "Do boars eat people? Do you think her body might be over there?"

Rolling on her heels, Delilah pauses often enough. She nods to Thorley's concern, a smile briefly tracing her mouth for a blushed moment or two. "A specialty. One concerned by danger must always be aware of it." Slim fingers pull the weight of her cloak around her somewhat tighter. The orbit around the warrior never varies far, her a wood-nymph shadow to him and Caspian. Still, though, there comes that point when she ventures ahead of Arcadia and Miranda, light-footed and quick. Any hint of evidence might be a trap, something that causes her to look around sharply for any sign of impending leaps or boars, wolves or shavs bashing through the undergrowth. "She may have been pulled this way. The separation could imply a skirmish, and then going off the path so?" Her fingertips gesture at the space, though it's to Fairen she surrenders any claiming of the ribbon, unless he opts not to.

"They may have gored her, yes. Eat her? Perhaps." Thorley says quietly.

Tapping Cady on the bicep, Fairen points in the direction of the ribbon. "Further up." He muses, then quickly glances around the area around them. Spotting that ribbon, he starts to move towards it, just as Delilah points in the same direction as him. Stepping up, he reaches down and secures the ribbon, showing it to the rest of the group. "I don't think she was eaten." He notes, his guards moving around him to keep him safe, all looking out to scan for danger.

Fairen checked intellect + animal ken at difficulty 20, rolling 13 lower.

Caspian checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 20, rolling 8 lower.

Arcadia checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 30, rolling 14 lower.

Delilah checked intellect + animal ken at difficulty 20, rolling 36 higher.

Miranda checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 20, rolling 0 higher.

Thorley checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 20, rolling 2 higher.

Arcadia checked wits + animal ken at difficulty 20, rolling 3 lower.

"Well, you're probably right? If you are not, then this is a depressing end to our trip," Caspian says, watching the boars, until his attention is grabbed by the broken branches and ribbon, lifting his brows. "Probably a scuffle." Caspian examines the height of the broken branches, trying to determine if animals or people passed through here.

"Nyuh," Cady whimpers out, her arm wiggling in surprise at the tapping touch of Fairen's finger. She scrunches her nose and peers up at him. "What? Oh..." Her eyes track the gesture to the ribbon, and she posts up beside the small group forming around it. "If it is not bloody, they probably did not eat her... whatever -they- are." She rubs at her nape, and murmurs: "Perhaps it is Abandoned, then."

Miranda looks from the broken branches to the ground, checking for a trail or footprints. She also looks in the direction of those branches, letting others look over the ribbon, to see if a path has been made - such as other broken branches or tufts of clothes.

"Hogs are indiscriminate omnivores according to Scholar Vestren," murmurs Delilah, apropos of nothing. "Presume safely anything porcine would consume you, given the opportunity. The same, I am told, applies to Farhaven stock cows." Her entirely formal, authoritative tone might be perceived as wholly reliable. Clearly. Right down to the elevated wisp of a smile. The ribbon receives a look over from her for evidence of unraveling, weathering or stains. "Would we thought to bring a hound. Alas, the old-fashioned way for us." Which means someone else scouting on point, for all that she appears fully capable of doing so. Nodding to Cady, she falls in behind Miranda. No reason not to seek further evidence of passage, and special attention paid to points off the path -- and higher above. You never know what lies in the treetops.

Carefully looking at the ribbon in his hands, Fairen seems to inspect the ribbon for tears or signs of blood. At Delilah's spurt of boar information though, he peers up and arches his brow at her, nodding his head at her. "Well, we at least have a trail. Stay away from the boars then, at least. Should we follow it, or are you all wanting to stand fast for a moment, adn gather more clues?"

"Standing around here yammering about what boars shit out or not isn't getting us anywhere. Lady Whitehawk, you seem to be on point with this, which way would you suggest we go?" Thorley states. Way to throw Delilah under the carriage.

"I nearly had my pinky bit off by a boar outside the Leaholdt when I was about, oh... Fourteen?" Arcadia leans back into the heels of her boots, her weight rocking upon them with an idle and restless energy. "Its tooth clamped rather tight, and my nail turned purple." She glances down at her hand, and her pinky finger twitches and curls into her palm. "I shot it in the skull with my crossbow and cried about it for months." She glances up at Fairen, her ears lowered, her energy deflated. "Do you remember that? I felt so very terrible, even though it bit me." She lingers there beside her elder Cousin, letting the others figure out the next move.

Caspian checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 18 higher.

Delilah checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 18 higher.

Caspian checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 16 higher.

Fairen checked perception + investigation at difficulty 30, rolling 22 higher.

Miranda checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 2 higher.

Thorley checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 5 higher.

Arcadia checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 4 higher.

Everyone notices that there is a definite trail moving through the forest. It seems to be going toward the west, which is densely populated with trees. The trail seems to be along a path that's generally used by deer.

Caspian is able to tell that this particular trail, though made by deer, has had human activity lately. There are heel marks of boots, and scuffle marks of something large, like something being dragged deeper into the forest.

Fairen and Delilah find other signs of human activity. Bits and pieces of cloth have been snagged on bushes or tree limbs, which provide the group a trail to follow, at least at first. With all the searching, and discovery of evidence, another hour has passed.

"Delilah, look at this." Fairen says, showing the ribbon off to her. "Blood. No tear marks... It must have been dropped. Cassia might have hit her head or something. Or... Where else does a woman keep a ribbon, and might have taken an inquiry to?" He asks, looking up at Delilah for an answer and then over at Cady and nods his head. "Yes yes. Focus." Looking around more, he spies those clues and points the group in that direction. "Look. We need to hurry. She might be badly injuried. Let's go."

Standing at the front, Thorley's armor protects him from the worst of the underbrush and branches. Though it's scuffing his armor. His poor squire will be working for days to get the buffs out of his armor. Using his sword, he's cutting a path for the others to follow behind. "Look, you wanna take a turn whacking at the brush?" he grumbles, but yes, he's speeding up his efforts

"Yeah, there was something dragged through this path," Says CAspian back to the group, looking up to Fairen as he speaks that. "I think it's more then injured. She was kidnapped. Maybe bandits, shavs...or even worst. We should hurry." And with that, he begins down the trail.

"Rushing could also let us miss something. Be patient and we will find her." Miranda is not overly chatty, moving along the trail that becomes evident until such time as it is not. She seems positive, certain the child will be found. "Ribbons can be worn anywhere. The hear, a dress, the shoes." She smiles at Fairen a moment, "Whatever our fancy is."

"Heard once that Ladies gave them to knights they favored in tournaments. My wife? She gives me her bloomers." Thorley rumbles as he slices at the limbs and brush to clear the path for the horses. He's going to need a good long soak after this is over.

Stuffing that ribbon in his pocket, Fairen moves on down the trail as it is being opened up to him, following along with the group. They may, after all, need the ribbon. Just in case. Then he peeks over at Miranda and arches his brow at her. "I think we've collected every bit of information we can here. Keep looking as we travel the path, of course, but there is no use standing around." Though he chuckles over at Thorley. "Bloomers? My wife gives me vases. Thrown at my head."

"A girl commonly woul have it in her hair, here," Delilah indicates the crown region with her fingertip in response to Fairen. She nods to Miranda. "Quite right, Miranda. She might wear it over her ear in a bunch, the end of a braid." Not heavily weighed down by clanking armour, her leathers allow for an ease of motion. Caspian's discovery leaves her frowning, swiveling to view the evidence for herself. "Do you think that belongs to a girl alone? Could it be another target carried this way, and maybe she accompanied them or fled ahead?" Her smile returns, briefly so. "Lady Iliana gave the best impression of how to do so at the gala. I owe her and you tea after this for such insights. Tea with scones and strawberries. Maybe clotted cream."

"There are no limits to fashion," Cady opines, picking up the pace when the leaders at the head of the group do.

Miranda laughs softly at the notion of bloomers being thrown.. then grins at the vases. "I trust you men know how to keep your ladies happy, then, though Lord Fairen may wish to keep his agility well trained." She does move on, continuing to look for trails - clothing, hairs, ribbons.. where there is one, there may be more. She looks to the trees as well, in case any branches should be low enough to climb.

Delilah checked perception + investigation at difficulty 35, rolling 19 higher.

Arcadia checked perception + survival at difficulty 35, rolling 10 lower.

Fairen checked perception + investigation at difficulty 35, rolling 8 higher.

Thorley checked perception + survival at difficulty 35, rolling 5 lower.

Caspian checked perception + survival at difficulty 35, rolling 1 lower.

Miranda has rolled a critical success!
Miranda checked perception + survival at difficulty 35, rolling 37 higher.

The trail runs cold for a little bit, but Fairen and Delilah are able to continue to spot the human bits and pieces that snag along the way - a piece of thread here, a strand of hair there, a missing shoe. It's like Cassia understood she might not come out of this, but desperately made a way for people to find her JUST IN CASE. And then, the trail starts to get wider, and it's easier to see the signs. Or, rather, it becomes harder to miss the signs. There's clearly human activity in this area. Just what kind though, remains to be seen.

"We'd love to have you over, Lady Delilah." Fairen notes with a soft smile towards the Whitehawk Lady, then he chuckles over at Miranda. "It's taken me six years of marriage, but I've finally learned how to keep my wife happy. Don't breath." He says, then grins at his terrible humor, giving Thorley a playful wink. Though he quiets down as he starts to detect those signs of human activity ahead. "Hey, get down. Quiet quiet."

Get down? Caspian ducks at Fairen's instruction, getting down low in a squat as his head turns around, looking to Fairen, then around him, looking to try and see what he sees. No luck though, this man is no eagle eye.

Miranda can see those same tell tale signs of people like the rest of the group, but she suddenly stops and gives a sharp. "Shh! Quiet." She seems to be listening a moment, head turning one way, then the other. "Voices," she whispers, pointing ahead. Then a moment more of listening and she shakes her head, "Can't understand." Then she points behind them and adds in a whisper, "Dogs."

Clearly being avian in the Crownlands brings its advantage. Hawkeye in green, and Eagleye (https://i.redd.it/5uhp0jgpdai11.png), also in verdant shades, make the most of their path. Miranda's miracle awaits to be seen. Behold them in their marvelous acuity, and pray tell that no danger descends upon them from behind the sheltering blades of Thorley and Caspian. No chance of her dancing ahead twenty yards, melting out of the woods, laughing at her discoveries. Her cheer vanishes away like mist, blown off as she halts to pick up a scrap of cloth. Not that shoe, though her eyes narrow harshly, Delilah's expression achieving a result of grim consideration. She pauses, looking at Thorley. "No child should experience this. Who has her, that she feels so desperate? This is calculated." Her gaze flicks to Miranda, held in place. "Can you repeat a word? We might know it."

Cady's hands move nimble and quick, her restless and seemingly endless energy driving her to fiddle with every petal and leaf she passes. She plucks one particularly dry and dead leaf from a hanging branch, letting it crumble in her fingers as she moves through the trampled overbrush, boot soles kicking up dirt as she goes. She has the idle nonchalance of a kid on a field trip, and her eyes drift about with no particular purpose. But that all changes in a heartbeat. "... Hnuh?" She hunches her shoulder and comes to a halt at Fairen and Miranda's warnings. An instinctive swish of her arm draws her crossbow into her grip, and her finger curls readily around the trigger.

"Last time I saw something like this is when Violet told us what happened at the Tragedy." No, Thorley is not going to adopt another child. They each added one child to the relationship already. The knight frowns, settling into a defensive stance as he prepares to hold the line if needed. Or rush ahead.

Miranda takes a moment as Delilah asks her to repeat what she's heard. She says it quietly, clearly not sure what she's saying. The sounds are there, but they make no sense. She doesn't speak the language, clearly, so the accent is off and the placement of emphasis is all wrong and for all she can tell, she's repeating baby words. She glances to the others to see if they recognize anything she is saying.

The words Miranda reveal to him don't quite bear any meaning to him and Fairen frowns deeply, shaking his head. "Not a clue." He whispers back, looking to Delilah to see if she recognizes the words have any meaning to her, frowning for a moment. Though he does look back at Miranda and arches his brow at her. "You said dogs? Can you see them at all?" Even as he asks, he carefully peeks through the foliage to see if he can spot any figures.

Delilah's head shakes, the unfamiliarity of the word evident in the angular lines of her features. She drops her hand to the leather belt slung around her hips, the weight of a pretty but unimpressive dagger a comfort of sorts. Not nearly so much as a beautiful sword or a crossbow, the way that Cady's delectable weapon might be entrusted to hold trouble at bay. Quantifying the risk ahead of them requires a careful approach, and she inclines her head, glancing askance at Fairen. "What can we use to avoid the dogs?" she asks quietly.

Cady's head hovers just below the top of the swaying green overbrush, and she peers through it, using the nose of her crossbow to nudge aside the plantlife. Her eyes tic left and right, trying to get her own view of the dogs originally spotted by Miranda. "Where?" she murmurs, peeking down the sights of her mechanical bow as she searches. A brief 'hrm' from her at Delilah's question. Cady glances to Fairen as well. "Hide our scent somehow, maybe? Like in the storybooks..."

"Shit. I left my jerky at home." Thorley rumbles, realizing exactly how useful that would be now. The things you pick up in RPGs and forget to put back into your inventory. "Anyone got any dried meat on them?"

Caspian shakes his head back to Thorley, saying, "I doubt that would work. Lets just get a little closer and see what we can see. If she's there, we have to get her out," Caspian whispers, pointing ahead.

"There are definitely dogs ahead." Fairen whispers with a frown as he peers through the foliage. "I can't get a good count, but I can see an encampment." He murmurs, then looks over at Caspian and Thorley. "Wait wait. If you get too much closer, they might see you... Or those dogs might smell you. Cady, you're a sneaky little pain in the rear. Can you get any closer? I swear if you get caught...." He shakes his head, then looks at the rest of the group. "Cady can sneak up on them, I'm sure of it."

Miranda shakes her head at the others. She didn't see anything, after all. She looks forward, then, and follows Caspian, this time, though she moves forward, not yet moving her hand to her saber to pull it free. Not getting too eager to pull a sword out unless she intends to use it. She pauses and looks to Fairen, then to Arcadia in question. She does stays to the side of the group, watching the front and back.

Delilah stands briefly on tiptoe, strafing the trees and the shadows between the trunks for a better view. She follows Fairen's guide on that, nodding absently to him. "You are quite right. I cannot be sure how many are out there. Large enough to be a concern." The recommendation given, she turns to Cady. "Are you comfortable going forward there? If you have skill for it, then you might be best suited." Her smile lingers faintly, encouragement, a success against the nerves ratcheted up by similarity. She remains much in the heart of the group, clearly not about to go traipsing out there. "I imagine marching in there to negotiate is not a likely outcome, either, is it?"

Arcadia's shoulders roll, and her eyes twinkle. Fairen's suggestion has her excited. "I could do it... Maybe," she murmurs, her confidence fluctuating. "Though, what if I can't? What's the backup if I step on a particularly loud bug or something?" She bites at her lower lip, and then looks to the rest of the group. "Does everyone think I should try? I can't see anything but the hounds from here, and it honestly wouldn't be my first time sneaking around Abandoned."

Caspian looks to Arcadia, stroking at his chin, "If you think you can do it. If anything happens, run, and we will run to you rescue you."

Miranda lifts a brow at Arcadia, whispering, "Only you know what you are capable of. If you believe, you can do it. Do it. We will not abandon you."

Thorley checked wits + leadership at difficulty 20, rolling 9 higher.

Arcadia has rolled a critical success!
Arcadia checked dexterity + stealth at difficulty 30, rolling 83 higher.

"Don't worry, Cady. I'll bore them to death with random, various facts that they likely won't care for. Put them right to sleep." Fairen says towards Cady encouragingly, smiling at her softly.

"While Acadia is heading about, we should spread out." Thorley responds quietly. The knight frowns. He's seen too many pirate villages and hovels. "We should fan out and surround the camp. If we come in from all sides, we can ensnare and capture them before they have a chance to spirit the child away. Archers can be to the front and back to create a cross-fire, and the rest of us can close in from the sides."

Lou GM Roll checked perception(3) + survival(3) at difficulty 83, rolling 55 lower.

Miranda takes a moment to remove her saber from its scabbard, silently. She moves off the main trail/road and uses a tree nearby to crouch by, waiting and watching.. waiting for Cady and watching for problems. Like.. dogs. Or... uhm... people.

Miranda wields A ruby-garnet rubicund saber.

Caspian's words get a firm nod of her helm-covered head, and Miranda's a smile. Arcadia is bolstered by the support of her group, and her expression sets with focus and determination. "I can do it," she says to them... and herself. She hitches her crossbow back into the locks upon the side of her belt, and she ducks to the left, a faint and muted patter of feet heard before she's gone -- just a faint glimmer of gold hair disappearing into the overgrowth of dark, shadowy greens.

Caspian gives a small nod of his head to Thorley, noting, "One of us should remain nearby in case she returns to here. I can do that, I'll cut off anyone trying to use this path to carry the girl away." He whispers that to the man, drawing his knife.

Caspian wields Thrall's Fury, a diamondplate seax.

Delilah's in absolutely no rush to go traipsing through the trees on her own. With Cady turned to a literal ghost, her task falls to trying to gauge any disturbances, though she slips alongside Thorley with him squarely between herself and the shav encampment. Caution means living again to fight another day. The scholar throws a worried look to Fairen, briefly, the corner of her mouth marred by a significant bite. "If all else goes bad, meet up near that big forked tree we saw an hour or some back."

Caspian looks to Thorley and his heavy armor, then notes, "Actually...you should do as little moving as possible. You stay and wait for her."

Cady's disappearance was subtle, but her reappearance is not -- it is abrupt, and perhaps a bit startling. Her messy blonde head pops out of a bush of weeds, and she's... chewing something. "There is a delicious apple tree right next to their encampment," is the first thing she reports back. Then, a pause. She hunches down, rejoining the group, body covered in brush and loose foliage.
"There's about eight shavs, and three war dogs -- ones bred for fighting, big and nasty." She takes another bite of her apple, the juice dribbling down her chin. "And a cage. Cassia's in there, and two others. An old man and a boy, both shav'arvani looking but prisoners nonetheless." She squints, trying to think of what else else she saw. She frowns when she remembers. "Oh... And there is an altar. Covered in blood. And a man in strange robes..."


Miranda groans from where she listens to this report. Strange robes. Bloody altar. "Well that can't be good," she whispers. "So. Maybe a distraction and a rescue plan?" She suggests. She looks to the others, "I'm good with Ruby." She smiles and lifts her saber. "Not fantastic with stealth."

"That I can do," Thorley responds with a small snort, and then the report comes in. The knight frowns beneath his armor. "Acadia, if we cause a distraction, can you get to that cage and open it?" he asks her, studying her eyes for the honest answer despite what she may have done."

"Good plan." Fairen whispers to Delilah with a nod of his head, then he moves carefully to follow but then stops and looks over at Arcaida as she returns with the report, mentioning the alter. "Can you describe any of the runes to me?" He asks, arching his brow at her. "You said one of the shav's was in robes? Strange how? And did you see any daggers or knives?"

"Fuck," says Caspian with a wince, shaking his head as the notes, "Just what I was afraid of. They're cultist of The Slaver," he says, looking in the direction of the village, "Or they may even be ones with stolen names. Ether way..." He looks to Delilah, "Sounds like a good plan."

The diminutive quirk of a smile is a short-lived bloom, come and gone in the space of a breath. A blink might be trusted to render the expression scarcely known. "Leave the altar to the marquis and me," says Delilah quietly, the conviction lingering along her whisper. She runs her thumb in a circle against her wrist, gloves pulled higher. "I too would be interested to know. What you saw of the altar, the man."

"Can we discuss the altar after we saved the prisoners?" Thorley asks, growing a little agitated by the second. Kids are his soft spot, and he looks like he's ready to charge in there as a one man army if he has to.

"I... Could. Yes. It's right on the outskirts, too. I could stay in cover." Arcadia gives a brief glance towards Thorley, and then looks over her shoulder to Fairen. "Runes? I... I don't know. Daggers -- yes." She crouches now, forearms rested upon her knees. She glances between Delilah and her cousin, looking a bit helpless. "It was just strange, I don't know! It definitely appeared to be sacrificial. I didn't see close enough..."

Miranda watches folks talk, waiting patiently, but also impatiently. "The cage, what's it made out of? Do we need a key? Can break it open?" All asked softly, but that could determine the way the rescue could go.

Arching a brow at Caspian, Fairen pauses for a moment in consideration, then looks over to Thorley and nods his head in agreement. "That's a fair point. Do you think between all of us we can take out all -eight- shav's and -three- dogs?" He asks towards Caspian and Thorley, arching his brow at them. "I mean, I can't do much more than offer a prayer or throw books at them."

Leave it to the knight to try to take command. Thorley frowns at the group in general. "So we're sending Arcadia in to rescue the other. If you're an archer, get ready. The rest of us? If they're in anything heavier that what I'm in.." he looks to Arcadia for verification, I say we move in, make the distraction and get Arcadia on the rescue."

Miranda offers, "Sir Thorley and Grandmaster Caspian and myself can manage the distraction and battle. Lady Delilah and Sir Fairen handle the robed shav and the alter. Cady takes care of the prisoners?"

"I don't know about Lady Delilah, but we don't need to beat them, we just need to hold them off long enough to get the prisoners out of the cage," Says Caspian back to Fairen. "We just need to beat them up enough to where they can't chase us effectively. Kill their dogs and wound some of them."

"Sounds like a plan." Thorley rumbles. And then, he's turning and drawing the Eventide. The black blade glitters in the darkness, and the knight starts to move forward. Large steps move him closer to the encampment, sure that dogs won't be able to bite into his rubicund armor.

Thorley wields The Eventide Blade.

Delilah wields rich burgundy dagger edged in iron gray.

Arcadia nods solemnly. "I'll wait until the guards and dogs are distracted, and then beeline for the cage. The chaos should be enough of a signal."

Delilah shakes her head. She pulls the dagger from her belt, nothing nearly so pretty as what the others possess, and a simple useful bit of manufacture. The hood over her hair plucked up covers her face along with the standing collar of her mantle, together casting her in a dread sort of darkness. Gone is the blithe young woman, replaced by something infinitely less recognizable. "Burning their altar would probably take too long. At least having a look at it will tell us something more."

Arcadia checked dexterity + stealth at difficulty 20, rolling 12 higher.

Arcadia checked dexterity + legerdemain at difficulty 25, rolling 23 higher.

Miranda nods, "Let's do this, then. Gods blessing on all of us." She smiles, then it fades and her game face is on. Mostly, she's not frowning or looking serious, but determined and moves along, going forward along with Thorley the tin man.

Once everyone is ready and such, Caspian moves in with Thorley, and once they are in the clearing, Caspian raises his diamondplate blade and charges for the nearest foe, ready to hack with his blade into his chosen enemy.

With this attack plan, there isn't much that Fairen can really do to help. So, he does the only thing he can really think of. He prays. It's not likely to do -too- much, especially against human enemies, but it's really about the best he's got that he can do to contribute.

Caspian goes for one of the nearest dogs, because he did say they needed to be taken out to escape. The little mutt hopefully doesn't have much time to react as Caspian goes barreling out of the bush and thrusts his dagger into the beast.

Caspian checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 45 higher.

Miranda checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 17 higher.

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 1, 4, 8, 9, 10, 10

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 1, 2, 4, 4, 7, 9

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 2, 2, 6, 7, 7, 10

Once Thorley is in the camp, he raises the Eventide allowing everyone to see the black blade, and bellows, "BEHOLD, EVENTIDE! IF YOU DO NOT SURRENDER NOW, YOU WILL ALL BE FLAYED BY IT'S DEMONS FOR ALL ETERNITY!" Failing their surrender, he will switch to the Duskblade to move on the attack. Whether or not he's bluffing about his sword.. that remains to be seen.

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 3, 6, 7, 7, 8, 9

Miranda will go after another dog, for a similar reason as Caspian - dogs can be vicious and catching them off guard is hard, but worth it. And they don't want to be hunted down and followed by the animals.

Thorley checked command + intimidation at difficulty 30, rolling 10 lower.

Thorley checked willpower + intimidation at difficulty 30, rolling 3 lower.

When the rally to charge into the fray comes, all of the Leary Guards draw blade except one, who stays near the Marquis for defense. The rest charge, weapons draw and letting out a resounding Leary Army warcry. Two guards move to take on the hounds, while the remaining two guards move to take down the figure in robes.

Thorley checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 14 higher.

Lou has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 2

Thorley comes crashing through the brush and trees, screaming at the top of his lungs. The cultists look at him, and give him a very perplexed look. However, he does manage to distract them enough that Caspian and Miranda go unseen as they move into attack, as well as the Leary guards. The dog Caspian attacks has no chance, and is cut clean through the heart, where as the person or dog that Miranda attacks is severely wounded. Likewise, both sets of Leary guards are able to wound their targets. The cultist in dark robes lets out some very angry screams that Arxian party cannot understand, which gets the rest of the camp into moving order, each grabbing their weapons to fend off their attackers!

Lou GM Roll checked perception(3) + survival(3) at difficulty 42, rolling 13 lower.

Lou GM Roll checked composure(3) at difficulty 30, rolling 12 lower.

No resounding screams here; Delilah waits for trouble to find her, if it feels the need to do so. With the prayers of the marquis in hand, hopefully the sharp-eyed scholar will not be entirely threatened. Attention lies firmly upon the robed cultist. An open opportunity and she might just act. Otherwise this is an exciting placeholder pose.

Lou GM Roll checked wits(3) + survival(3) at difficulty 25, rolling 17 higher.

Meanwhile, Arcadia is able to slip over to the cages, while everyone is distracted, and get the locks undone. The prisoners are surprised at first at this stranger who has come to their seeming rescue, and don't quite know what to make of it. The boy, scared by Thorley's rallying cry, starts to cry himself. The girl who looks like might be Cassia seems to realize what is going on, and pulls herself together. She mumbles something to the group, and starts to usher the middle-aged man and the teenaged boy from the cage, muttering quiet reassurances as she does. She has scrapes and bruises, and a bit roughed up, but is otherwise unmolested.

Thorley wields the Sanguine Duskblade.

Caspian checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 43 higher.

Miranda checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 2 lower.

Thorley checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 12 higher.

"Quick! Fall in on the altar! Protect the altar!" Grandt, the leading Leary Guards men calls to the rest of the soldiers, weapon pointing towards the newly readied cultists. "Fall in! Defensive position!" He echoes out, and the guards all quickly rush to the altar, forming a semi circle around it, waiting for the cultists to come at them. "Come get some you Shav bastards!" This is one Abyss of a distraction party right here, threatening to destroy their altar. They practically are begging to be attacked by the remaining cultists.

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 3, 4, 7, 9, 9, 10

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 1, 1, 6, 7, 8, 8

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 1, 2, 4, 4, 8, 9

Lou GM Roll checked dexterity(3) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 28, rolling 7 higher.

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 3, 3, 6, 8, 10, 10

7 inflicted and Miranda is unharmed.

Assuming Miranda went after a dog, he goes turns his attention for the nearest cultist, running up to the shav and squares off with him. He's a duelist, use to fighting, and it shows, the man hacking at the cultist with speed, precision, and lethal force.

Miranda will attempt to finish off the dog she was already dealing with but falters, instead!

Cady slips the bent hairpin back into her belt after using it to crack the crude, stone lock on the shav'arvani cage. She smiles at the three, Cassia especially, and puts a finger up to her lips as if to tell them to keep quiet. She moves to the side, guiding their passage into the safety of the shadowy overgrowth at the outskirts of the camp. With them safely tucked away behind her, she pins her back against a nearby tree, crossbow now wielded in her grip. Her eyes target the chaos inside the encampment proper, taking stock of the situation from her distant cover. She picks a shav at random, and lines up the shot....

Arcadia checked dexterity + archery at difficulty 30, rolling 7 lower.

Lou has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 1

Lou GM Roll checked dexterity(3) + athletics(3) at difficulty 30, rolling 2 lower.

Miranda attempts to attack the dog she went after the first time, but instead the dog jumps out of the way and twists so that he bits her hard on the arm instead! That's got to hurt! Caspian gets in close, using his expert duelist skills, and manages to more or less eviscerate the cultist that he was fighting. Thorley is able to severely wound the cultist or dog he was attacking. The Leary guards are able to dispatch the dog they were attacking, but the cultist priest attempts to flee the scene and doesn't quite manage it. He's injured more severely, and stumbles, but isn't down for the count yet. Delilah's shot goes wide, narrowly missing one of the Arxians. The priest calls out to the others, who look like they were ready to fight, but instead all but one turns and runs. The remaining one tries to help the priest, presumably to rescue him.

Cady's shot*

Lou has rolled 1 6-sided dice: 6

Lou GM Roll checked dexterity(3) + medium wpn(3) at difficulty 30, rolling 20 higher.

Thorley checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 39 higher.

Seeing Miranda is having a little trouble, Caspian turns from his ded cultist and moves up on the side of the dog, rushing it and thrusting his dagger towards the beasts's side, trying to plunge it into another heart stab.

Caspian checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 15, rolling 56 higher.

Caspian checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 30, rolling 22 higher.

Lowering his shoulder, Thorley charges forward, roaring his disapproval at the guard. The guard starts to raise his blade, only to find his chest run through by the knight's blade, slamming into him and knocking him backwards as he turns to Delilah to clear the path for her. "Go!" he barks at her.

Delilah little cares for any threat spinning her way, and she shadows behind Thorley to allow the man's bloody sabre to claim its due from the unwelcome shav threatening her. That steel blade in her hand has a sharp edge, not nearly the reach of another, but a defense to herself. Her breath echoes sharply out when he collides with danger, and she darts wide of danger, swinging on a wide path to intercept the priest if he tries to go beyond her. It's not a perfect solution, but an effective one.

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 5

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 8

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 9

Fairen has rolled 6 10-sided dice: 2, 4, 4, 5, 8, 10

Miranda reacts out of instinct when the dog goes to attack her, putting her non-dominant, non-weapon arm up. The dog's bite gets her forearm, near the elbow and she howls in pain. The howl turns to rage and a grunt as she lifts her saber to nail it... only to see Caspian kill it. She kicks the dog away after freeing her arm and looks around, holding her wounded arm still at her side.

Lou GM Roll checked dexterity(3) + dodge(3) at difficulty 30, rolling 7 higher.

With the battle over, Grandt gives the call. "Secure the lead cultist!" He orders, and they rush to the man, pointing blades at the man's head. One sheathe's their blade and steps on their back, reaching down to grasp at their hands, working to bind them.

Wulfwin, the Ambitious Squire have been dismissed.

Caspian moves in to dispatch Miranda's dog with an effective, fluid twist of his hand, delivering a final blow to the beast. Thorley expertly dispatches the cultist that remained behind, while Lord Fairen's guards just barely manage to capture the priest and detain him. Look it there, there's a nice cage that's now open for him to be shoved in! That ends the battle, for now. But that leaves the camp to cleared out or dismantled, and the other cultists are still lingering in the woods as they ran away. At this point, though, the hour is late and it's growing dark. There is no moon tonight, so that will make travel difficult through the forest.

"Hey, you okay?" Ask Caspian back to Miranda as he flicks the dog and human blood off his blade before sheathing it, giving Miranda a smile. "I don't see any blood, it probably didn't pierce your armor." He looks around a moment, then decides, "I don't think we should linger, they might be calling for reinforcements. We should leave and hurry back to Arx before nightfall."