Two horsemen ride up to a tavern...

It took her a second to take in the incredibly energetic young man. The array of meats and breads he lay out before himself was impressive, to say the least. She chews the food that's still in her mouth, and swallows, before speaking. "Pleasure." She looks him up and down. "Don't run into many people who believe." She takes a long drink of water. "As to what brought me here?" She tears off a chunk of bread, dunking it in some sausage gravy. "A girl." 

Kou cuts a bread chunk in half, filling it with bacon as he listens to Katrin. "I have not come across many believers myself, but I must admit that I'm  new to the faith. Are your people believers? I have always been curious about the experience of those raised as followers of Tempus."  He takes a bite of his bacon sandwich chewing thoughtfully and says " I formed my connection to the Storm God through my time at the Citadel. I learned a lot there but the knowledge almost feels clinical. I've often wondered if  those who were raised in the faith forge a more organic connection with Tempus."  Kou chuckles at Katrin's mention of a girl. " She must be some girl, most would not stay in a village like this without a great reason."

Thrandimir is among the last to come down from his room, after going through his spellbook for the day and fixing his beard. He glances about at the various states of his would-be companions as he gathers himself a plate of breakfast. This could be a profitable venture. Choosing to settle down near Katrin and Kou, since he has travelled with both before, Thrandimir simply listens carefully to their conversation as he eats.

Katrin sighs dreamily. "Yeah, she is." Shaking herself our of her reverie, she takes another bite of bread and gravy. "My family have followed Tempus for generations. To us, he's more than the god of storms. He blesses us at the forge, and the weapons and armor we create are made for his purposes." Katrin smiles. "The forge is our altar. It's always been that way, and it will always be that way. It's..... Something that can't be taught. It has to be experienced. Ingrained in your soul." Katrin stares off into the distance as if in a dream. She blinks a few times, looking back at Kou.  "Does that make sense?"

Kou listens raptly leaving his food untouched as Katrin speaks, as she finishes he bows his head slightly and says "Thank you, I truly appreciate your candor. I have not yet explored creation through Tempus, my studies have mostly focused on the storm and combat.  I have always enjoyed studying how others connected with the gods, even before connecting with Tempus.   I would be honored if you would allow me to observe you at the forge, when we have the time?"

Erika approached the Fireblade Tavern carrying a fully packed travelling bag. She had finished her chores for the morning to repay the family she was staying with, had breakfast, prepared her spells, and was now going to gather up the other adventurers. She opened the door, walking in with a skip in her step. She smiled as she saw basically everyone from last night awake and moving.  "Good morning everyone, how's the start of the day treating all of you?" She would first pick up a plate, gathering up some scraps of breakfast, walk over to the table where Kou, Katrin, and Thrandimir were sitting at, and pull up a seat.

"Good morning, heroes," Marianne says from the top of the stairs. She descends the stairs with grace and poise.  "Or at least, potential heroes. I guess we'll see." She stops behind the bar, and washes her hands in a basin, then prestidigitates them dry with a soft flash of blue light. "Where do you plan on starting? We've been assuming they've got some sort of staging area or outpost nearby, but we haven't been able to pinpoint the exact direction it's in." Na'arik descends the stairs a few moments later, carrying a map. He rolls it out onto the table, revealing a crudely wrought map of the area around the Fireblade Tavern. "To the north are the Baervale Hills," he says, his voice scratchier than normal. "If I were to guess, I'd say that's where the tribes are coming from. There's known to be lots of Orcs in there, after they were driven out of the plains to the south a couple hundred some-odd years ago. So it makes sense that their outpost would be between here and there." Marianne shakes her head and smiles. "Very astute map-work, you great, lumbering oaf. Well deduced." She sighs. "We've been here, defending the tavern, during every attack. So we never see where they run off to."

Thrandimir yawns and stretches as he cleans the last morsels of food from his plate. The old wizard pops his pipe in his mouth and chews on the end. "So who has experience in tracking? Katrin, Kou, can Tempus guide us on this journey?"

"Tracking?"  Milk dribbles down the side of Callahan's chin as he pulls his stein from his mouth, "I've tracked things before! Never orcs... or anything with legs... or anything that could survive out of water... but with the stars as my guide I can navigate us wherever we need to go. I'm sure of it!"

His question is answered soon enough by Na'arik, though not so quickly that he doesn't look to his ring again dubiously. It is, against all odds, still there. "These stars talk to you a lot?"  he asks the firbolg, eyebrow raised. Shifting in his chair, he can almost still feel the slip of snow beneath his boots and it forces him to take a second reluctant look at the map, finger jabbing to a point west of the tavern and glancing up to their hosts in question.  "What's over here?"   

Ascian can see the road west of the tavern continues to a dot at the tip of a river -- the city of Baervale, and then splits into a west and south road. The west road terminates in the forest village of Timbervale, and the south road follows the river down to the port of Riverside. "You're not from around here, are you?" Marianne asks. "Baervale is the end of the Heartlands Trivard, the main road that goes from Karnopolis to the Crossroads, and then to Baervale."

"The stars don't talk," he laughs, "though maybe I haven't listened hard enough, come to think of it..." Callahan watches as Marianne approaches, gesturing towards the crossroads on the map. "Sorry ma'am did you say Baervale? That wouldn't be the same one home to the Verdant Citadel, would it?"  Suddenly it didn't seem so far fetched the stars may talk. The orcs, the citadel, the scouting... would it truly be so unlikely all things could converge so neatly in one place?

"Yeah, just south of Baervale," Na'arik says. "About seven days walk from here, if you're into that sort of nature magic." Na'arik pauses, looking Callahan up and down. "Which I guess you probably are."

" Another new road to me, but then most of them are down here. It matters not, I am sure we will have no trouble, orcs, pah! I doubt they will be hard to find, for a group such as ours. After all we have a great and powerful mage, I do not doubt he has a spell or incantation to help in some way." The young tribesmen looks across at the elderly wizard eyebrow raised in expectation.

"Why, of course!" Thrandimir answer with a laugh, clapping his hands together. "Naturally, I shall lend my aid in this matter. Marianne, who in the village has been most touched by this crisis?"

Kou nods at Thrandimir's earlier question and says "While I'm not particularly skilled in tracking myself, I can bend some of Tempus's power to that endeavor. Though I'm quite curious to see your magic at work. After connecting with Tempus I spent some time studying the arcane, and always enjoy seeing new magic." He notices Cal's interest in the Citadel and says "Are you planning on visiting the Verdant Citadel Cal? It is truly a bastion for those who work the earths natural  magics."

Marianne's eyebrow raises ever so slightly at Thrandimir's question. "I suppose that would be the Hornsby family. Delilah Hornsby lost her husband in the last raid."  She gives some simple directions to the Hornsby farmhouse. "The roof was partially burnt away, so you really can't miss it."

Thrandimir's expression hardens slightly when he hears of the Hornsby family's plight and he rises from the table, grasping his staff determinedly. "Would anyone else care to pay the poor woman a visit with me before we set off to seek out her husband's murderers?"

Kou nods draining the last bit of his mugs coffee and says "I will join you." Tempus has granted him the power to channel divine energy to mend broken objects. With the God's favor he may be able to fix the family's roof.

Katrin hesitates a moment. She desperately wanted to see Rose before chasing orcs. Who knows if she'll come back alive. I'll see her tonight. But I can't leave without saying goodbye. Katrin clears her throat. "I'll go. But there's something I have to do first. I'll meet you at Delilah's house." She gets up from the table. Nodding to Marianne and Na'arik, she exits the tavern to go see Rose.

"No,"  Ascian replies to Thrandimir, standing and swiping his pack off the ground and watching Katrin go.  "But I will. It's on the way, isn't it."

" Of course, I will keep you safe great one, have no fear." Kaed replies to Thrandimir, smiling to himself but without malice.

Thrandimir gathers his belongings and prepares to lead the gathered adventurers across the village to the Hornsby house. "Anything further to say, Marianne?" The wizard asks before they leave.

She shakes her head, but says,  "I can't imagine their little staging ground is too far away. They never brought any vehicles to carry away the grain. If you can make it back here before nightfall, you'll have a place to stay again. Bring back what you find, please, and you'll be paid." The day of scouting, and perhaps fighting, lays ahead of the newly-formed group of adventurers.  Katrin makes her way to Rose's house. The morning air is crisp and cool, but the warm sun keeps her from shivering. She walks up onto the porch of the large ranch-style house and knocks on the door. The door opens, revealing a human man, his skin made like rough leather from years of working under the sun. He is old, but working in the fields has kept him lean. Despite all this, his face is kind, and he smiles as he sees Katrin.  "Ah, g'mornin' Katrin. Bet you're looking for Rose."  He turns back into the house.  "ROSE! Your girlfriend's here!"  He turns back and smiles.  "She'll be down in a second. You can come in." Katrin steps into the modest foyer and waits. It's only a few moments before there's the scuffing of boots at the top of the stairs. A smiling Rose, wearing simple field clothes -- a tan-colored dress with a brown cloth belted around her hips. She leans on the banister at the top of the stairs. "You're a bit early for the party."

Thrandimir nods to Marianne in thanks and sets out for the Hornsby house.

"Better than being late. Who knows what I would miss." She says, laughing. "C'mon, sit outside with me." Katrin walks out onto the porch, and sits on the steps, waiting for Rose to come outside. I'm coming back. I promise.  She grips her holy symbol tightly in one hand, that thought running strongly in her mind as she sends up a silent prayer of safety for Rose and her family.

Rose sits next to Katrin on the steps. "You're leaving today, aren't you?"

Katrin takes a deep breath. "Not forever. I met some people last night, and they've decided to look into the orc problem everyone's been having. And, I agreed to go." She takes hold of Rose's hand, pressing it up to her lips, and looks Rose in her sparkling emerald eyes. "I'm coming back. I want to be back for tonight. But I can't make any promises. I don't......" She wraps her arms around Rose, resting her head on her shoulder. "It's dangerous work. I'm going because I want to keep you safe. I don't know what I'd do if....." Katrin trails off, the end of that sentence choking up her throat. She unwraps her arms, and takes both of her hands.  "I will see you again. I promise." Katrin leans in and kisses Rose, wanting it to last forever. But she knew it couldn't. And she knew the others would be making their way to Delilah's house soon. It was time to go. Katrin pulls away, standing up, and taking a very deep breath.  "Oh, and I almost forgot something." Katrin reaches into her satchel, fishing around for a small box. Pulling it out, she hands it to Rose. "This is for you. I had my father make it the last time I went home. It's my promise to you."

Rose opens the box to find a small polished opal on a silver chain. She smiles and kneels on the steps, handing the necklace to Katrin so she can fasten it around her neck. "It's a beautiful thing for a promise," she says, turning and tapping Katrin's nose with her index finger. "You had better hold to that promise."  She steps back up to the doorway and turns. "We'll save a spot for you at dinner." She smiles and waves goodbye, and closes the door behind her. Katrin intercepts the group and they travel together to the Hornsby residence. Delilah is out on the porch of the single story home, sweeping what looks to be patches of burnt shingles and roofing materials. Half of the roof has been burnt down to the rafters, leaving the home open to the air. A few younger looking halflings are up in the rafters, hammering new crossbeams onto the slightly charred, but still intact supports. Delilah looks up as the group approaches. "Good morning," she says hesitantly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The path to the Hornsby residence was brisk but pleasant for Callahan, who spent the short journey relishing in the crisp air and calming sights of the village. As he walked he would occasionally pull a small crystalline object from the front pocket of his shirt, examining it briefly each time before looking around intently at the surrounding area and then returning it to its place.  When the makeshift party reached the outskirts of the Hornsby residence, however, a pang of guilt struck him seeing the charred shingles and rafters of the roof - scorched patches of grass grayed out in sporadic clusters below. "Oh dear..." Stepping forward towards the porch, he cleared his throat a bit before speaking, "Morning to you madame, I'm deeply sorry to see your lovely home in such a sorry state at the moment. I-that is... we , have come hoping to help if possible, though!"  He smiles gently, his eyes closing softly as he does so,  "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you be willing to talk a bit about what happened?" 

"Do not fear, we have brought with us Thrandimir the great and powerful, he will aid you." Kaed's enthusiasm seems genuine as he offers the services of the venerable wizard, with a theatrical wave of his tattooed arm. "My name is Kaed and I would be happy to assist you as well, although I know no great magics."

She leans her broom against the porch rail and motions for the party to come up to the porch. The furniture is sized for halflings, so Katrin is able to find an adequate seat. But the rest are left to stand or lean against the rail. Delilah sits on the porch swing and begins to tell her story.  "As you probably know, they came in the middle of the night. They were breaking into the grain storage." She pauses to gesture west of the house, where two large metal and wood structures can be seen standing about fifty feet away. The door to one hangs off its hinge, slowly creaking in the morning breeze. "Gary was an adventurer, like you, I presume. I made him settle down here. When he heard the banging on that night, he picked up his axe and went after them. He told me to call for help, but by the time they got here, it was too late. The orcs had run off, and Gary was dead."   Tears begin to well up in her eyes, but she wipes them away and clears her throat. She looks at Erika. "You were one of the ones that came running, yes? I don't blame you. You did the best you could. It's hard, with the town being so spread out like this."

Erika was leaning against the rail, looking sullen. Her head was lowered in shame  "Yes I was. I'm sorry I wasn't quicker, ma'am. That's part of why I have all these people. Hopefully they can help me get rid of the orcs."  She let out a long sigh.  "Did...did you see what direction they ran off? If not, one of us should...should go look for tracks." 

Kou walks up to Delilah and places his hand on her shoulder and says in a quiet but sincere tone  "I am truly sorry for your loss. I did not know him but I'm sure he that it allows him to rest easier knowing that he protected those he cared for. If Tempus favors us we should remove the threat of these savages once and for all, and avenge your husband's death. If there is anything else we can do to help please let us know" He looks at Thrandimir and says "I'm quite interested in seeing this spell, how do we begin?"

Slowly, but steadily, Thrandimir approaches the Hornsby residence, resting some weight on his staff as he walks up the path to the house. The wizard's jaw clenches slightly and his brow furrows when he sees the destruction that the orcs have wrought. Nodding quietly to Kaed in thanks for the introduction, Thrandimir draws close to the Delilah. The tall wizard towers over the halfling woman, but the soft smile that he offers her is kindly. "I am so sorry, my dear,"  Thrandimir rumbles quietly, crouching in front of the little lady and raising a hand to Kou to indicate that the monk should have patience for the moment. Delilah seems so forlorn and helpless in this state and the wizard reaches forwards to take her hands in his and brush some stray strands of hair back from her face. "I fear that to change the past is beyond even my magics, but I am here for you now and I promise that I will do what I can. Tell me... can you show us where he fell?"

She wipes her eyes. "Of course. Follow me." The halfling leads the party toward the grain storage structures. Directly between them, the ground is broken and scuffed by slide marks and the rapid footprints of a battle. Kou and Callahan can see several large drag marks that appear to lead to a softly smoldering pile of ash a few hundred yards from the farm -- likely where they dragged and burned the bodies of the fallen orcs.  Delilah points to the center of the broken battleground. "This is where we found his body."

Thrandimir nods to Delilah in understanding and squeezes her shoulder comfortingly, before entering the space between the grain silos where the battle took place. He gathers some ash from the ground and sits cross-legged in the middle, crumbling the ashes on the earth before him. Laying his staff across his lap, the wizard takes his spellbook from his bag and flicks through the pages. "This will take a several minutes," he mentions, glancing up at his companions. "Those who wish to may stay, otherwise feel free to check for tracks." Closing his eyes, Thrandimir begins to murmur a tonal incantation.

As Thrandimir begins his ritual, Callahan and Kaed make themselves busy, searching for more tangible indicators of direction. The ground around the battle is too scuffed and crisscrossed with tracks to be any use in finding their way. But after a few tense minutes of searching, they find several sets of tracks converging on a spot to the north of the farm. There, they find deeper ruts and hoof prints, indicating the use of a wagon. The new trail heads of towards the north, toward the Baervale Hills.

Katrin smiles to herself in amusement at Kou's words. If Tempus favors us. She was looking forward to helping him on his spiritual journey. Maybe that's why their paths had crossed.... She stands next to Delilah, watching the scene before her unfold. Her heart breaks for the halfling woman. She had known Gary only a little from her travels through the village. He was a kind soul, and fiercely protective of those in his care. She had no idea what the wizard was planning, and Callahan and Kaed were off digging through the ash for any kind of lead. Maybe they would find something. She hoped so. 

"So they had a cart, I guess this means they could have travelled further afield. It also means we have a way of getting the grain back without breaking our backs which is a plus. " He nods encouragingly to Cal, " Good job, by the way, I'll admit I was getting close to giving up, but you found us our clue." He slaps the druid on the back, possibly harder than he intended. "I like this, it is a good group I find myself travelling with. Many wonderful stories are sure to be told of us, Cal, finder of paths." If he is being internationally over dramatic it is not obvious.

As the others search for tracks, Ascian stays standing by Thrandimir to watch the ritual, brow creased. He knows little of magic and its intricacies, but if it's a mage he's searching for it seems wise to try and learn. He doesn't wait for the incantations to stop before asking flatly,  "What are you casting."

Thrandimir holds up his index finger to Ascian to indicate that he requires a moment of silence and the ashes in front of him sift and swirl in complex geometric patterns. He opens his eyes to look down at them, before glancing back over at Ash with a grin. "A divination ritual. We will find the orcs north of here, in the Baervale hills." His magic complete, the wizard glances over at the returning warriors. "Perhaps they also have something to tell us."

"Finder of Paths?" Callahan gives Kaed an inquisitive look, then turns and lets his eyes trace the trail from the tracks down the road back to the Hornsby home, "I'm not so sure I deserve such a title but I appreciate your... boisterous candor, Kaed, espouser of heroism."  He continues along with Kaed back towards the home, where he finds Thrandimir sitting on the ground. He quickly joins the wizard, taking a seat beside him, his large fur-lined coat fanning out behind him. A small wave of dust and ash blows back across the ground from the coat in a wave around him as he places a large hand over each knee.  "How goes your magic, Mr. Thrandimir? We believe we located some tracks leading north of here towards the Baervale hills."

"Agreed," Thrandimir declares, casting the ashes aside as he rises. "The orcs headed north from here to their staging ground in the hills. We should head after them, but be cautious. They are not to be trifled with."

The new adventuring party bids farewell to the Hornsby farm and heads into the softly rolling hills, following the arcane advice of Thrandimir and the cart tracks found by Callahan and Kaed. They quickly leave behind the green fields of the small farming community and find the more rugged terrain of unclaimed grasslands. The tall grass sometimes tickles the fingers of the taller among the group, and at times, Katrin finds herself well up to her shoulders in grass. Despite this, the path isn't a big trouble to follow, especially since it has already been blazed by the party's quarry. After a few hours of walking, Kou and Callahan catch the scent of rot on the breeze and most in the party can hear low, warbling calls coming from the crest of the hill in front of the group. 

Ascian follows after the others, though his attention is rarely on the path. Pale eyes spend most of the journey staring over the changing landscape and narrowed against the sun, attempting to remember – something. When the sensation finally hits he's almost relieved, until a second later the realization comes of where he recognizes the scent from. He stops dead in his tracks without warning. "We're close." He shifts his hold on his backpack. "There's wheat up ahead, and something worse. Like rancid meat. Can you smell that?" 

There was a particular trail of markings on the path Callahan had taken to, the weaving lines of the tracks etched into the dirt created an almost neat pattern of perpetually perpendicular curves. As the group followed behind him his gait adjusted to match its twists and turns. When it zigged he zigged and when it zagged he zagged. He didn’t mean to, but the further they went the farther the voices and sounds of his friends seemed to get, faded into the background of his thoughts. It wasn’t for what must have been about five or twelve seconds after the young, frail-looking lad had called for a halt that Callahan even realized what had been said. By then of course he’d gotten much closer to the creat of the hill up ahead. As soon as he realized it, he came to an immediate stop, snapping out of his daze to look back at the party. “Hey do any of you smell that?” He turns back towards the hill, trying to see the source of it more clearly...

Thrandimir's nose twitches, but all he can smell is the smoke from his pipe. "Tasagrad will scout ahead , " he declares, lowering himself down to sit amidst the grass. The tiny owl waddles down from the wizard's shoulder to rest on his forearm and Thrandimir whispers to it a for a few moments. Tasagrad takes off, flying silent as only an owl can, and the wizard's eyes cloud over grey as he sees the world through his familiar. "There are many slaughtered cows and some unopened sacks of grain," he narrates. "Axebeaks are feeding on them."

Katrin was startled by the small bird on the wizard's shoulder. She must have been too preoccupied to notice it. And this is how you'll get killed. Get your head out of your cunt, Katrin.    "Axebeaks, huh?" Katrin places a hand on the hilt of her sword. "Anyone wanna see some action?" A grin spreads slowly across her face. She's missed this. A sword in her hand and the adrenaline of conflict were a euphoric combination. She draws her sword, examining the blade as she does, her daydreaming turning to battle-hardened focus. By Tempus, we will make this village safe. 

As he sees the wizard sit down a smile breaks out on Kaed's handsome young face. His soft leather boots making no sound he walks with easy grace from his rearguard position towards the old man. Holding up his hands to placate any protests from the others he then reaches out towards the pointy grey hat of Thrandimir, where it sits upon his head. At the last moment the wizard twitches and Kaed nearly slaps him in the head, narrowly pulling back in time, he goes in again this time flipping the hat up and off the wizard's head without alerting him.  One hand goes out towards the others to give him a moment longer, as he looks inside. Sharp eyes notice a cloth wrapped bundle which seems to contain a strong smelling pipeweed. Intending to pocket the weed and replace the hat he leans back in, then pauses,  just after having slipped the weed into a pouch. As he leant over the old man his keen senses picked up the expected scent of clothes and stale smoke but there was something else, it took a few seconds to process it, it seemed almost fishy to Kaed, definitely not something he'd have thought to smell. It didnt seem to be coming from his clothing, but rather directly from the man himself.  Genuine confusion broke put over the face of the young tribesmen and he started, realising he'd been standing sniffing thr wizard for far too long. Unsure what to say to the others, some of whom had probably seen the whole escapade, he stepped back away, trying to fix his smile back on. Thinking to joke his way out of his discomfort he flips the hat up and onto his own head, waiting for Thrandimir to return to himself, an expression of pure innocence, which he hoped would ease any bad feelings, firmly set.