[Game Thread] Westward, ho!

[lcg16]

Arienne welcomes the break, eager to stretch out her legs, and lie down and not have to carry all of her heavy plate armour for the moment. Finding open space on the grass to relax on, the young knight has her horse go off grazing as she grabs her own set of rations, and sits to watch the spectacle of the karadrachs...and swiftly deciding to turn around after seeing it, just so she didn't lose her appetite.

Groaning, she urged herself to eat her meal, already unappetizing enough as it was, made purely from trail rations, and try to relax. There'd be more days of riding ahead, so she had to make the best of these breaks when she could. She shakes her head as one of them urges to go exploring the hills, and says, Not in this armour. I don't think I'd like to run up hills without a horse beneath me, if actually given the choice. She shudders, remembering that specific drill...

[Davion]

"I would advise against venturing out on your own Maurin.", Davion says as he dismounted and proceeded to search his bags. "Interesting probably means dangerous by my thinking. Only go in if you are ready for your first test of the road.", the cleric added, exercising a bit of wisdom. He also made a mental note not to go swimming any time soon, especially not in these waters. Davion proceeds to have a quiet lunch, if possible. (Supplies accounted for.)

[ButtMonkey]

Maurin feels quite foolish then says "you know, I probably need a break anyway, but don't fall asleep on me now...I have the first watch".

[Tyche]

Captain Juoni rises and begins putting away her things. She begins speaking, to no one, in particular:

"I suppose you'd like to know where you're all going...besides the Mon, that is."

She shooes lieutenant Perseus from the blanket and folds it a few times.

"The problem is that I don't know. My orders are merely to bring you safely through the Sazor to port in Kel, from which point you will debark for the Mon. You will receive your specific orders once you arrive in the west. The Society does not make a habit of advertising its intentions before it is necessary, even to its own people. If you were captured en route by our enemies, specific knowledge of your objective could compromise the mission. And children, trust me...we have enemies. Our ignorance while moving overland is one of the things that protects us. A Seeker on the way to report has nothing to tell besides the name of a city."

Finally, the captain reattaches her saddle, and mounts the horse with typical Sazorian grace. She speaks a few unintelligible words to the animal in the Huk tongue and waits for the other Seekers to ready themselves.

"We sleep at an outpost tonight. It is another forty miles from here, so we have no time to waste. Although we will not leave the official boundaries of Trionosis today, we will soon cross over into the Sazorian plains, which many Huk tribes claim as their territory in spite of the treaty. Most Huk are peaceful people, but do not let your guard down. Let's go."

[ButtMonkey]

"Perseus"Maurin whispered to himself,"nobody has called me that in a long time".

[Ken]

Wayland was munching, or more like crunching, through his daily allowance of rations, having since dismounted and taken a seat in the grass, when the young Maurin spoke:

Originally Posted by ButtMonkey

"Perseus, nobody has called me that in a long time".

The sorcerer, dressed in his company uniform and leathers, eyed the man curiously. He paused from his crunching and gave a quizzical look to each of his immediate peers. Wayland was sure that he hadn't slipped into another day-dream as Juoni spoke, and was certain she hadn't mentioned the name Perseus. He hoped the odd looks he gave the others would be returned and ensure him that he wasn't going crazy.

The talk of "enemies" of the Society had sparked an interesting chain of thoughts in the young sorcerer. All through his training he knew it had been necessary because someday he would be fighting to defend himself or to take something from someone who did not wish to relinquish it to the Society, but he never imagined that the moment may be fast approaching. Wayland had fallen into the steady day-to-day routine of the academy and had ignored the fact that his graduation marked his entrance into a new way of life. This fact was, however, becoming more apparent to him. The young man still had no fear for his well-being, but it began him thinking about his lessons and how he only had a scant recollection of what they were actually meant to teach...

Wayland stood and swallowed the last bit of his rationed ration and dusted the crumbs from his hands and lap. Soon finding the reigns of his steed, he mounted and prepared to ride.

[bernyleung]

Handsome Jack cleans up his things and packs away his hand drum before carefully mounting the riding horse again. "Pardon me, Captain, but I thought that the Huk had no particular disagreements with the Trionosians. Would we, who operate under their auspices, likely to be hindered by any current border disputes?" He stretches his back and tries to loosen his neck for the long ride until nightfall.

[ButtMonkey]

Maurin saw his colleagues give him confused looks. Had they heard the remark about his first name? Putting that aside Maurin says "so, how did any of you get tangled up in this society?".

[bernyleung]

Jack slows down his horse's pace a bit until he is more or less side-by-side with Maurin. "Same old story. Ain't no work for a lone mercenary without a local war. Didn't want to sign up for another tour of duty in some petty duke's peasant-harassment forces, so I decided to do something different. I heard the Society could use people with military backgrounds and a smattering of skills, so here I am. You?" he asks his question with a smile.

[Jordan]

"Alright alright i'm coming!" Jaca stand up from his resting place and mounts his horse with a yawn and a stretch. "Lets be off then."

[Davion]

Davion rides along, listening to the conversation a bit before adding his own reply.

"My parents suggested I go out and explore the world, to share my gift and be of good service. I met a man along the road a few days out and he steered me in the direction of the TTS. Strange he was now that I think of it. I don't recall his name or what he looked like, it is all a blur, but then again, that was three years ago. Now that training is done I am anxious to see what I can make of this land."

The cleric adjusted his spear into a safe position, strapped to his saddle and did his best to keep a swift enough pace to make it to the outpost this night with the others.

[lcg16]

Arienne didn't need to be warned to remain watchful. After all, she had easy access to all her weaponry from the saddle, and was capable of fighting mounted or on foot. She had not a care for the local squabbles of this region. Getting on her horse, she easily rode on, prepared for battle, taking the fore of the group, something she was accustomed to doing no matter who she rode with.

She turned to address Maurin curiously, shrugging, Tangled up? My tutor was a former Seeker. To be trained as a Knight, short of entering the order of Morshka myself, this was my best option for learning to be a warrior. No lord of D'Aubigne could be one without being a proper warrior. After all, our lands are dwelled in by both Ken and Kassril. I have chosen to be here.

Turning about, she continued to push the pace of her horse, eager to get to the outpost...

[Tyche]

"The Huk are not a single people, Jack. There is no border dispute, but the fact of the matter is that Huk tribes in the east often hunt in Trionosian land. The Trionosians and the Huk are friends, but that does not ensure the safety of travellers passing through the plains. Though most Huk are honorable, some tribes will steal anything that is not nailed down. In case you are wondering, I am a San Sazorian, myself - a direct descendent, on my father's side, of a colonel and brigade commander in the Aarinosian cavalry who died in the Shadow War."

Juoni breaks off the conversation as soon as she had started it, and spurs her horse on ahead. After three hours on the road, she points wordlessly to a thin plume of smoke rising from beyond the top of the nearest hill. At the top of the hill, Juoni pulls up her horse and holds up her hand in a fist, indicating for the others to stop. She moves her horse quickly into a group of trees and motions for the others to follow. The source of the smoke is clear; it is coming from the roof of a small circular stone fort sitting at the crest of the next hill.

"This outpost is not supposed to be occupied!," she says, seemingly taking moral offense at the notion that she should be impeded on her journey. She turns to Jaca.

"I don't suppose you can scry, can you?" The fatalism in her voice suggests that she already knows the answer. "Very well, then. Lieutenant Perseus..."

...she looks the rest of the group over and shakes her head quickly...

"...you're with me. If you do anything stupid, I will kill you, myself. I just want to get a look at who's in there. If we have to fight, we won't do it alone. The rest of you: sharpen your spears."

[Ken]

Wayland, against his usually lack of motivation, was the first off his horse. He tied the reigns to a nearby sapling; one large enough to convince the horse that it was restrained but would provide little resistance if it actually tried to free itself. Perhaps the sorcerer had done this in anticipation of something happening to the horses or, even worse, something happening to him and the other Seekers where they could not make their way back to free them. Of course, it could have also been that Wayland was naive to the matter entirely and was convinced, much like the horse, that the sapling would be enough to restrain it.

In either case, the sorcerer double checked his vestments, assuring they were all in proper order in the event they had to fight... or flee. Wayland gripped his staff tightly as he watched Juoni and Maurin head towards the building. To be honest, he was a bit nervous. Real danger was much different than training scenarios!

[bernyleung]

Upon Captain Juoni's cue, Handsome Jack stays mounted and draws his sword, keeping his attention on the fort on the next hill, as well as the road leading up to it.