OOC: You figured that mess out? Gosh. I'll have to come up with something better if we're REALLY going to confuse you. ;D

OOC: LOL, I surprised myself to be quite honest. Hey, I even returned the 1 Mage Armor to the store (which I had deleted, because it was out of stock.)

Anyway gotta go IRL so I'll be back tonight or tomorrow with a briefing from Truz. Seeya guys.

Phil gratefully accepted the dagger Arkades offered him. "Thank you father, I really appreciate it."

The dagger had a thinner blade than his old hunting knife, but it had a nice balance to it and fit his hand perfectly. He hadn't realised how naked he'd felt without his knife until he sheathed the dagger in his belt. He practiced a few times at getting it out quickly without it getting stuck before he was satisfied.

He turned to the others, as ready as he'd ever be. "Northport it is, then."

"I'm afraid I'm not so well informed about this trip, perhaps you could fill me in?" He then went on asking them a whole lot of questions, like: "How many will be traveling in total? Do they have special needs, like elderly people moving slowly, or wounded people? Any children? Carts, horses, luggage? What about food, water and shelter?"

The cleric waved his hand dismissively, but a wink from beneath the darkened cowl of his robe belied the gesture. "You are welcome, my son - in my youth, I was never without a good blade. Nothing better than a stout, plain dagger for getting into and out of trouble!" He watched Phil skillfully toying with the dagger. "I see this is not your first time with that weapon, my son. I take it you are experienced in the arts of war?" His fingers played with the carved head of his cane as he stood beside Phil.

"I appreciate your concerns, newcomer. Phil, is it?" inquires Truz.

"We cannot say for certain how many will choose to follow. We are not forcing anyone to come with us, though they would be foolish not to.

"In the end, I suspect we shall have something along the lines of 90 total. Of those, 17 guild members, 12 I might count as children and 19 elderly, a small herd of cattle and approximately 10 wagons, each the size of 3 men.

"We shall have more than enough food and water to make the journey, and enough for 3 days thereafter. Among them we have a handful of fishermen and gardeners, so I suspect as long as the ground is fertile and water unspoiled, we should be quite alright."

"Leave all these arrangements to myself and the Ringmaster. The trip should be short and without complications. I want you to concern yourself with your primary objective here. Your team will enter the city as an advance party. You must secure it for our use. The rest of us will stay back to guard the vulnerable."

OOC: OK, here we go! The local map will always be on post 1, as are other details.

The journey to Northport is quick, and you thank your lucky stars, for your feet still ache. How much worse would it have been to trek across the entire continent?

You arrive at the outskirts of the city around mid-day. The sun shines down on you from overhead. Visibility is high.

The reports about the city's condition are verified. Rubble surrounds you on all sides. There is nothing of interest here. You glance at each other in silence, saying more than words.

Slowly and carefully, you set out from A10 northeast towards your destination (F1). The road here is rough, debris lines the roads. Your movement speed is slowed somewhat as you traverse this troublesome terrain.

Objective: Secure the town of Northport for the use of the Legion and the surviving citizens of Northbrook.

OOC: As you move, the map will be updated to reflect your surroundings and any building, object or person you might spot.

Round 1 moves (in any order)

Arkades may move up to 1 space and/or take an action
Vir may move up to 1 space and/or take an action.
Lucas may move up to 2 spaces and/or take an action.
Phil may move up to 2 spaces and/or take an action.

"I'll scout up ahead," Lucas said before moving up (move east two squares). Lucas will search anything that seems out of the ordinary.

Map is on post 1, page 1. Will update after each round of moves.

You move twice east. Nothing out of the ordinary here. More bland rubble. You hear the sound of children playing to your north.


Moves remaining for round 1: (IN ANY ORDER):

Arkades may move up to 1 space and/or take an action
Vir may move up to 1 space and/or take an action.
Phil may move up to 2 spaces and/or take an action.

OOC: I see. (I wasn't sure if actual trip there would be part of the game or not. If it were, I'd suggested an advanced scout or scouting party (to try out the wilderness skills of my ranger =P) to keep the slower moving, more vulnerable civilians safe.)

OOC: Bummer. I believe there would have been more wilderness travel if the group had chosen a destination that was a bit further away. The roads from Northbrook to Northport are easily traveled, as they were, at one time at least, sister cities.

Nevertheless, we're in the outskirts of the city (really, more like a town) now, so you might still have some wooded areas to move through. (Not trying to give anything away :P)

Phil made sure his dagger was within easy reach as he scanned the area in front of him. He didn't know what to expect so he tried to keep his eyes open for anything, hoping to find an elevated point that could provide him with a better view of his surroundings.

"Ok," he said to Lucas, "I'll go this way" he said to the others before carefully making his way through the rubble, first north and then north-east.

OOC: Camouflage/Hide takes one turn to "switch on", right?

OOC: Yes, it takes one turn (will count as your action for this turn, if you wish.)

Phil strode silently forward north, then northeast. Though the sun was high in the sky, he managed to conceal his movements by walking alongside the facade of a ruined building.

OOC: You are not fully hidden, as it is simply too bright out. However, from your current location, it would be difficult for anyone to spot you.

As was the case with Lucas, you see nothing here but the rubble of a ruined city. However, you confirm his report that there are children in the area. To the northeast, you hear the sound of children laughing and playing.

OOC: Map will be updated once the round is finished.

Moves remaining for round 1: (IN ANY ORDER):

Arkades may move up to 1 space and/or take an action
Vir may move up to 1 space and/or take an action.

OOC: No, that's ok - just wanted to know in advance - if I fall behind the others it doesn't help much that I'm hidden (unless someone is creeping up on us from behind, of course), better to get a bit ahead and figure out the lay of the land.

IC: Phil relaxed a little at the sound of children laughing; there didn't seem to be any immediate danger, at least not in that direction. The limited visibility made his hearing all the more important, but he was used to using all his senses during hunting.
"But this time you might be hunting humans, not animals," he told himself, "you can't predict humans".

OOC: How does the Call Animal Ally skill work? If it's a noisy combat situation, I'd think most animals would've fled, unless they're part of the fight - how long range has this call? If the called animal is far away, won't it take a significant amount of time for it to be able to join in? Would it be one single crow that would answer your call, or a flock of them? (the latter would be quite effective, I'd think.) Does the ranger have the ability to sense nearby animals (before trying to call them) and if so, can this ability be used out of combat as well? I'm thinking that if I'm able to sense animals but sense none, chances are someone's scared them away (ready to ambush, or unaware).

The cleric moved warily northeast, keeping back from Phil. "I am right behind you, my son. Do you hear that? Perhaps peaceful people are here after all!"

Phil replied to Arkades in a slightly lowered voice, "yes, father, the area sounds peaceful enough". "If you don't mind noisy kids," he thought wryly to himself.
"There should be some adults around, though, keeping watch" he said over his shoulder, "and they might not welcome the sight of armed strangers." He looked down at his travel stained clothes. "It's a good thing you're with us; they will listen to a man of the cloth - if we're going to settle here, we'll need all the help we can get". Phil looked around at the all the rubble; rebuilding the city would take years and years.