When the main party gets to the scene of the fight, Mal checks the Orc over for the kind of gear it is wearing.
How well equipped is this orc? Is the gear battered and worn or in reasonable condition.
Also how much does his purse contain, a lot indicating good pickings recently or empty indicating a barren run? I’m sure the local villagers could do with it more than some people here.
It is a smallish orc. Its weapons and goods have been stripped already.
Anther run to his father’s body. “He is still warm”, he yells.
Brin needs some more light to make out the scene. Sadly the elf left no clues. Merry dismounts to help Brin. He offers to light his lantern.
Thoroncir dismounts, too, leaving his horse Seafoam to forage. He draws his sword. “Friend Ghan, will you follow me, or stay here to tend to any hidden wounded from the orcs’ foul attack? I must needs follow the Elf-lord, for I think my sword may soon be needed.”
After getting Ghan’s answer, Thoroncir runs after Gil-Gandel as quietly but as quickly as he can.
“No thank you, Lord Brandybuck. I’ll trust to the eyes of those more acclimated to the dark. If I were setting the ambush, I would have left a scout behind to report back. No need to make it easy for them to know our strength. If they can spy either you or Lord Gimli, they may run before we can reach them, and that might prove fatal to the hostages.”
How thick is the forest, and how bright is the night?
Gwaelur defers to the pathfinders suggestion and dismounts, tying his ponies to the nearest tree and unpacking his battle axe and war shield. He has sobered on the journey and has grown quiet in anticipation of the fight.
Gwaelur: “I see well enough in the night, Pathfinder. Tell me what I need to look for, we are too close now to let them slip away through carelessness.”
Ghân slides off Moose, checks there are no wounded to help and asks Moose if he would like to guard the mounts left here.
(If Moose wants to follow and slaughter orcs instead, Ghân asks him to be as stealthy as he can be… :smack: )
I assume Mal has confirmed the body was an orc, not a Uruk-Hai.
Do we need to make a tracking roll to follow the orcs and Gil-Gandel?
Do we need light to make that tracking roll?
Ghân is happy to follow Thoroncir and the others, provided the party know where they are going.
Is there starlight for Ghân to see by?
As Brin asks, what are the conditions? Are the humans going to be bumping into trees and branches? :eek:
Thoroncir realizes that Gil-Gandel is too far ahead, you will need to wait on the others, but it looks as if Brin, Merry & Gwaelur are ready.
How thick is the forest, and how bright is the night?
Between Merry, Gwaelur and Brin you determine the wagons were taken into the woods. The woods appear not overly thick in this part, horses could get through however the amount of light is minimal for human eyes. It will make tracking difficult, though the Wose is at home in these woods and sees better than any normal human in the dark.
**Anther begs the Wose to check on his father. **
The orc appears smallish and is being checked quickly by Mulligan.
You do need to make a tracking roll to follow the orcs. Gil-Gandel will be tougher. Brin needs light to make that tracking roll. AS mentioned, Ghan will be okay.
Gil-Gandel is looking for either a rear-guard left behind to report on any pursuit, or the main body of the enemy. If he finds the former, he will trust his hide’n’sneak ability to get him into position for a back-stab with the longsword; if the latter, he will commit all he can of enemy numbers and disposition before heading back down the trail to report.
Brin: If we were up north, I would be fine finding a way to the encampments flanks, but this land is new to me, and it is too dark for me to find an appropriate way through the underbrush. Perhaps it would be better to follow the tracks as quietly as possible and hope that the orcs have lit fires for the night.
The wose has some tracking abilities, right? And he should do well in the forests and underbrush. Do we have the time to send him on a quick information gathering mission through the brush? Would that be too dangerous or time consuming?
As already mentioned, Ghân is checking the wounded!
If he can help Anthor’s father he will (as before, use precast Goodberries first, then CLW and Neutralise Poison, or any herbs I have as necessary.)
Ghân tells Gwaelur that his healing comes before anything but self-defence.
Once that is attended to, he is happy to scout if the party want. He can track in woodlands.
So Ghân can track by starlight? 
Ghân tells the party " Moose states he is surprisingly stealthy for his size, and will accompany the party to kill evil orcs."
Deor runs up to Anthar, hopeful that Anthar’s father has survived.
*Check Anthar’s father for signs of life. I’m quite impressed with how easily the Druid healed Anthar, and I think if this man is alive at all, the Druid can likely help.
*If Anthar’s father is alive, get Ghan over here as quickly as possible!
Mal let’s the rest of the party know about the Orc, slightly disappointed that there was nothing more to find.
“Any chance the Moose can track the orcs by nose?”
Theogrim takes the opportunity to bard his horse and don his own chain mail.
<OOC>
Just for Info: given that I was using Mal as Mulligan Took’s nickname, this could prove confusing with a certain other Mal in the game, so I think I will leave it as just Mulligan 
</OOC>
Looking briefly up from Anthor’s father, Ghân asks quietly if Theogrim + his horse can see enough to travel safely through the forest when it’s dark…
Gil-Gandel has cautiously gone about ½ a mile from the road and finds no signs of the orcs yet. The have at least an hour’s head start even moving at a slow wagon pace. It should be easy to overtake them, but it might take a while yet.
Brin: If we were up north, I would be fine finding a way to the encampments flanks, but this land is new to me, and it is too dark for me to find an appropriate way through the underbrush. Perhaps it would be better to follow the tracks as quietly as possible and hope that the orcs have lit fires for the night.
Gwaelin: “The wose has some tracking abilities, right? And he should do well in the forests and underbrush. Do we have the time to send him on a quick information gathering mission through the brush? Would that be too dangerous or time consuming?”
Deor runs up to Anthar, hopeful that Anthar’s father has survived. He checks Anthar’s father for signs of life and calls Ghân over quickly.
Ghân rushes over to check the wound! He sees that a cure light or two should get him to the point where he could eat berries. (-5HP)
Ghân tells Gwaelur, “My healing comes before anything but self-defense. Once that is attended to, he is happy to scout if the party want. He can track in woodlands.”
Ghân tells the party, “Moose states he is surprisingly stealthy for his size, and will accompany the party to kill evil orcs.”
Merry: “I think the elf, what was his name again, is already seeking the orcs for information for us. Let us start along the trail, Ghân can quickly catch up.”
Mal let’s the rest of the party know, “The Orc is small and disappointedly already picked cleaned. Any chance the Moose can track the orcs by nose?"
Ghân quickly casts a cure light (7hp) with Deor’s help and he comes to as his gashing wounds magically closes at Ghân’s touch. Ghân can now hand him 6 berries to be fine.
Deor is amazed by this strange magic, so unlike his own fledgling skills.
Ghân does not think Moose can track by smell.
OneCentStamp, I assumed Theogrim was already armored. There was time and help to do so before you left.
My horse should be able to hold to the trail if we don’t go too fast.
Ornan suggest, “Some of us should stay mounted and trail behind. I would think the lancers would be good choices.”
I need to point out that I have erred a bit. Most of what Moose has said has been in moose, not Westron. I failed to make that clear.
It would seem to me, that the pathfinder Thoroncir and myself should take the lead and allow Moose, Ornan, and Theogrim to stay to the rear as our mounted assault force (Moose being a mounted assault force all his own). Deor, Mulligan and Merry can stay to the middle, and Ghan can catch up to us when the healing of Anthor’s father is done. Hopefully the elf will have made his way back to us by then with some information on the orcs.
If Anthor is willing to come along he should likely join the ranks of the second line, but I would understand if he wished to stay with his father. It would also be good to have someone stay with Ghan and ensure that he makes it safely back to the party.
As I said before I am no master of strategy, but we must get started soon, and my axe is hungry for orc meat.