Joseph shakes his head.
“We’re being paid, and handsomely, to do a rather simple job. So far as I can see, we’ve been treated honestly by our employer so far - I have no particular reason to doubt the Doge just now.”
Harald and Giacomo round up the rest of the horses, packs, and other belongings. Maria is still out cold and Umberto still looks panicked.
Are you heading straight back? Interrogating either prisoner? Forging on to Milan to see if they want to make a counter-offer?
Taye eyes the sorceress skeptically… He puts away his crossbow and equips his morningstar. If the sorceress shows any signs of consciousness I want to immediately cast [COLOR=Blue]Daze on her.[/COLOR]
“We should return these two to the Doge as soon as possible. Our employer implied these two were more formidable than they have so far displayed.”
“I concur. We should ride hard to the doge. If any of you magic users or you, sir Alchemist, have a spell or potion that dispels fatigue, perhaps we could ride hard through the night. The sooner we dump these prisoners off, the better.”
“We will have near three days of hard ride before us! Brother Esu will surely make an appearance. We will need to schedule a watch, I think. This Doge had better be as generous as he claims. It would be a shame for his guests to escape.”
It’s still mid-morning; you set your ambush quite early in the day. With the long summer evenings, you can get at least ten hours’ travel in before dark, after which time you’ll be quite exhausted, I’m sure.
Any other thoughts?
clip clop clip clop clip clop “Are we there yet ?”
“It’s fortunate we’re a large group. We’ll need to do double watches on these two when we make camp. We should put them in Zachary’s wagons, as the sight of a pair of bound and gagged prisoners may elicit curiosity from local law enforcement, and it will be difficult to explain things to them.”
After a long day of riding, the group prepares to make camp in a clump of trees just off the main highway. You’re past the bridge over the Po river, and you snuck your captives through Piacenza without incident, hidden away in the cart. It’s nightfall and you’re all quite exhausted. Do you have particular plans for making camp this evening?
Well, I’m up for taking first watch while the skraeling go for a widdle nappy-nap. Way I figure, Taye and Solsken might do with a good night’s sleep, but Jakeemow, Joseph or the… hefty one can relieve me in a few hours. How 'bout you, swill-peddler ? Need a nappy-nap ?
“Taye will take the last watch if none object? I need to clear my thoughts and allow my power to replenish. I will take a look back the way we travelled before I settle down. To ensure we don’t have any potent followers.”
Taye will spend the next three rounds casting [COLOR=“Blue”]Detect Magic the way we came.[/COLOR]
Yes, recharging my spells. My bird shall make some periodic recon flights before nightfall to ensure infiltrators aren’t sneaking up on us…
I’ll take the first watch with Harald. I think I still have all my spellslots, so I can use silent image to disguise the bound forms of our prisoners as a bundle of logs or something for as long as I’m awake.
You don’t detect any magic in any direction around you.
Zachary brews up nothing more sinister than a pot of something hot and bracing to settle the nerves after a trying day. Being unhurt and with nearly all his firepower at his disposal, he loyally volunteers for the middle watch while wishing he could just sleep through until the dawn.
Can I get a watch schedule for the night? Taye has already volunteered for the last watch.
Harald slams his hand into Zachary’s back with the enthusiasm of a bear that just found the fattest salmon it has ever seen
"That’s the spirit ! turns to Joseph as we both start setting up the campfire You know, in my country, days can last for months, and we Swedes often go for weeks without sleeping. Of course, in the Winter we sleep the whole four months. That is a true fact what you can ask anyone who knows the far North. I’n’t it true, Solsken ?! Oh, he’s snoring already. Pfff. Weakling. Religion, you know ?
Well, fetch a few more logs and I’ll tell you more about my people, then. You see, we’re not like…"
[long monologue full of tall yarns, sprinkled with atom-sized kernels of truth]
[QUOTE=appleciders]
Can I get a watch schedule for the night? Taye has already volunteered for the last watch.
[/QUOTE]
I’d suggest Harald + Joseph , then Zachary & the Brute, then Giacomo, then Solsken+Taye as the dawn guard, in ~3h shifts.
That way everyone gets their full allotment of spells back, except for Zachary who seems OK with that.
Laughing heartily…
“ha ha ha ha ha. Taye needs no companion to stand a watch. At nine years of age Taye was required to look into the Abyss and face Marilith. I did not flee nor flinch. The night holds no terrors for me. Though, I have heard that northmen have been unmanned by the winds passage through the trees.”
My bird does a non-perfunctory recon flight at first light (which becomes a standing order, BTW).
“No one doubts your courage, good sir. But we have two magic users of some power to guard, in addition to keeping watch. However, if you think you can do both tasks alone, you may take the next to last watch, and I will do dawn watch with Solsken.”