Garsthaliel "That is sound. Is he easy to find, or do I need a guide?"

Mayor Frardun seems momentarily taken aback at the elf's bluntness. Then he lowers his head. "My predecessor urged us to ignore him. After he passed and the threat became... tangible, I tried to speak to the wizard, but he turned me away. My hope was that an unfamiliar face might be able to reach him." The man gives a grim smile that might say he might agree - though not too openly after the elf's questions - but is also desperate.

Sigurros "Siggy" Sifdottr "Why else, it's a wizard with foul magicks! Reason is plain enough to me. I would argue that we hit the beastmen first before they can hit us. Jump 'em, knock a few on the head, and cut back before they know what hit them! Then, while they organize, we can fortify the village and train up those willing to defend it. My own two copper, anyway," Siggy says.

Sigurros "Siggy" Sifdottr Siggy jumps in with food, quickly trying to satisfy her wolfish appetite. Between bites, as the younger ones ask about adventures, she realizes that she needs to earn the trust of these villagers, and starts regaling them with a tale of a great fight, where not only did she leap over the shields of her friends to get into the thick of the foes, she spun about with her axes felling all before her without catching a scratch, only to have to tend to the wounds of the fallen afterwards! Wrapping the anecdote up, she remarks, "Had I known I needed to cure them of their wounds, I wouldn't've wounded so many!"

For me at least, these are the options I think Siggy would go for:

Garsthaliel "Tell me why you ignored this wizard's warning? Have you not enlisted their aid once the threat proved real?"

"Oh," the man's eyes widen as he steps forward and takes the outstretched letter, "I didn't think anyone would answer our call. Thank you for coming, our need is great. But first," he gestures to a woman standing among the crowd, "you must be hungry. Amile will show you to the tavern. We will prepare a couple of rooms, and a meal for you." At the Tavern I wanted to allow you guys time to RP resting if you want, or to ask more questions about the village and villagers, but I don't want to slow down the forward action either, so I opened a thread here: Feel free to post, or not. Questions you ask the villagers, or things you say to rally them, may help the end battle, but won't be essential. After you've been fed and shown your rooms, the man you met at the beginning collects you. "I'm the mayor, Thomas Frardun. Sorry for not introducing myself before. I'd been losing hope that anyone would come. And not everyone here believes in the threat, so it has been hard to get much done. Anything I can do to help you though, I will." He leads you into a house at the center of town. Just off the well-built - if somewhat spartan - entryway is a room stocked with some provisions, a few old weapons, and a central table with a map of the area. There, he lays out the options he has thought of. Preparation Here are a few threads you could follow up on. Pick 2-3 Fortify the town. An L shaped road is the main way in and out of the small town. There are only smaller alleyways off of that. The buildings are mostly wooden, and the tavern and mayor's house are the only two-story buildings. There is also a small church made of stone. Take the fight to them. A scout found a place in the woods where the beastmen are preparing for some sort of ritual. You might be able to catch them off-guard - knocking a number of them out of the fight early or buying you more time to prepare - but there's a chance it might just provoke them. Gather the farmhands. There are two large farms in the area who are refusing to help prepare for the attack. They don't believe it is real, and think it is a competitive ploy by the other to draw workers away from the harvest. Convincing them of the danger could bring more strong men into the fight, as well as whatever else they could be made to spare. Visit the wizard. There is an old man in the area who is said to have magic. He has been warning the town of the threat for a while, but they didn't listen to him at first. Move to safer grounds. In the woods nearby lie the ruins of an old border fortress. It would likely be easier to defend, but would require moving everybody, along with any supplies, and defending them along the way. Train the troops. There are already a number of villagers who are willing to help - along with whoever else you might convince. Giving them some basic training could save lives or even be the difference between winning and losing. Rally the veteran. An old veteran lives just outside town. He has so far refused to help, saying that his fighting days are behind him. He has a lot of experience and could help keep whatever militia you put together in line. ____. feel free to suggest anything else, the mayor seems pretty open. OOC I've been looking at this for the last week or so getting ready to get back into it. In classic RPG fashion my original plans were too complex, so I'm simplifying things to hopefully take a little of the pressure I put on myself off, and to help us get through it. Thanks for the last push to post.

The tavern seems to have once been a house, rather more well-furnished than you would have expected from the town. "Our founder," explains Emile, with a feint, melodic accent that sounds like it could be from the northern coast, "he passed, childless, and his will specified that his house should be used for travelers, to attract interest to the town." The building currently lies vacant, save for you and Emile. You enter a parlor filled with chairs and tables. "Have a seat," she says. "I will bring you some food in just a moment." As you wait, villagers start to filter in and sit nearby. Some watch you, almost suspiciously, while the younger ones ask about your adventures.

Sami Sami stands behind his fellow travelers. He tries to keep his words brief during the introduction while maintaining a stoic and professional posture. "It is good to arrive at this lovely place." Actions .. OOC ... Stat Box Attributes: Strength: 13 Intelligence: 11 Dexterity: 9 Willpower: 12 Constitution: 9 Charisma: 14 HitPoints: 5 AC: 15 Save: Physical: 15 Reflex: 15 Mental: 14 Luck: 15 *Shield: Dmg: 1d6 Shock: 1 AC/13

“We have travelled far, sir, and it was not an easy journey. I believe we saw something of your problem along the way. If you are so kind as to provide us with some food, we will listen to your tales of these beastmen. Perhaps we have the skills and arms to make a difference.”

Sigurros "Siggy" Sifdottr Siggy, less silently, says, "We come for work, and we come for lunch! Ideally the latter and then the former. It's been a good walk and a light stretch of the arms, and I'm famished!"

Garsthaliel silently smiles, takes the bulletin out of his tunic and holds it up for all to read.

As you approach the village, a child spots you and runs toward the center of the small town. By the time you get close, there is a bit of a commotion as people gather to see the outsiders. A middle-aged man pushes through to the front. He looks your group up and down. "Well met, strangers. You approach a curious way - most choose the main road. Can I ask what brings you here?" The villagers don't look scared - either of you or anything else - merely surprised. OOC I can't find it anywhere, so either I'm blind or I meant to bring it up and didn't, but you received this job by means of a bulletin that was mailed to the town you were last in; informing you of the danger, asking for help, and promising the village would pay what they could. One of you, whichever wants to include it in their post, has the bulletin on them.

Sami Sami nods along while trying to keep up with the others. "Both of you make good points, I just hope the villagers are a bit more friendly than the beastmen." Actions .. OOC ... Stat Box Attributes: Strength: 13 Intelligence: 11 Dexterity: 9 Willpower: 12 Constitution: 9 Charisma: 14 HitPoints: 5 AC: 15 Save: Physical: 15 Reflex: 15 Mental: 14 Luck: 15 *Shield: Dmg: 1d6 Shock: 1 AC/13

Sigurros "Siggy" Sifdottr "Perhaps those in the village know something of food," Siggy says in response. "Nothing quite works up my appetite like knocking someone on the head!"

It is! \o/

Garsthaliel "Perhaps those in the village know something of what we just observed."

A couple posts a month is still a posting cadence, right? 😬

Deciding the odd, supernatural, somewhat disgusting occurrence was - probably wisely - something to get far away from, the group makes quick work of the rest of the trail and puts the forest behind them. A grassy valley spreads out before you. Ahead, you can see the village in its mid-afternoon bustle, not yet having noticed the approaching group. On a short hill, 2, maybe 3 dozen houses of timber and thatch sit arranged loosely around a slightly larger stone building.

Yes she did, sorry. It's been a while since I ran anything where I tracked ammo, but now that I think about it, it could be a good idea here. For that scene, all can assume they recovered their ammo/throwing weapons.

Garsthaliel looks up and to the side. "Five are watching us. They went up that way."

Sami Sami recoils at sch an unnatural sight, "Umm What..." He follows it for a few steps partly memorized and partly stunned. "I uh do not know if following it is a wise idea..?" he asks the group. Actions OOC Stat Box Attributes: Strength: 13 Intelligence: 11 Dexterity: 9 Willpower: 12 Constitution: 9 Charisma: 14 HitPoints: 5 AC: 15 Save: Physical: 15 Reflex: 15 Mental: 14 Luck: 15 *Shield: Dmg: 1d6 Shock: 1 AC/13

Was Siggy able to find the axe she tossed?

Sigurros "Siggy" Sifdottr Siggy makes a sign to ward off evil. "Whatever that is, it certainly isn't natural. What do you think it's doing?"

As the group advances with extra caution, Garsthaliel's words prove true. At a clearing shortly ahead, the group finds more signs of beastmen: undergrowth trampled, the mangled carcass of a deer, and the silence of a scared forest. Two tracks seem to have lingered for a while and then lead toward the failed ambush. Five more - one set of which are noticably deeper than the rest - head upward along the rocks overlooking same path the group had just came from. No tracks show ahead toward the village - it appears the pack came from deeper in the forest. Further on, Sami notices the bits of blood and flesh still on his shield... oozing away. They hit the ground and seem inexorably drawn back toward the clearing, moving around anything that gets in their way.