Murni stuffs the piece of cloth into his belt pouch and hustles back to the hiding spot with the gnomish woman.  

As he gets close enough for her to hear him, he says in Gnomish, "it's Murni, don't shoot.  I'm coming up to you now."

Once he comes up to her, he kneels besides her and sets down his hookhammer, and says gently, "please let me see your wound again?"

As Murni examines the bandages for fresh bleeding, he asks her, "what's your name?  How many are in your family, or how many were working the farm?  Where's the nearest farm to here?"

Her wound is bad - without real help (or magic) she's in danger of dying; you don't know how long however.

"My name is Mina...Longfurrow. My father and two brothers and I live here.  There is another family a quarter-day travel south, and several more near them. We're the northmost that I know of."

She squirms a bit and tries to sit up further.

"My father...? What about Winim and Radid, my brothers? Are they...?"

Murni sighs wearily, looks Mina in the eyes as he puts a hand on her shoulder, and says gently, "your father is dead, and there's no sign of your brothers.  The house is gone, burned to the ground.  The barn is standing, but all the livestock has been taken.  Our first priority is getting you to a safe place and find a healer for that wound.  I'm going to make a litter for you."

Murni stands and starts searching for two fairly straight pieces of wood roughly four to five feet in length.  Once he's found two suitable sticks, he gets his bedroll out and fashions a make-shift litter to carry Mina and his gear.  Finally, after he's satisfied with the litter, Murni gently places Mina in the litter and gets ready to move.  He loads his backpack at Mina's feet on the litter, and puts his hookhammer along side of her.  He hands her the unloaded crossbow so she doesn't accidentally shoot herself, or him while traveling.  Finished with all his preparations, Murni picks up the litter and starts trudging his way south to the other homesteads that Mina told him about.

It doesn't take long to make a simple travois and secure her. Although she is still conscious she is mostly silent during the ordeal, and before long you are on your way.

Thankfully, there is a track heading south from the farm, which makes the going easier. Your journey takes a half-day and, by the time you begin to see signs of civilization it is growing dark. A well-made fence parallels the track for a distance before opening into a farmyard. You see small children running near a chicken coop, chasing hens, and a female gnome is on the front porch scooping butter from a churn. She stops when she sees you turn into the yard and calls out over her shoulder.

"Farel, we have a visitor!"

You barely make it five steps before a rather tall and muscular male steps onto the porch. He has a short-bow casually not-quite-ready for use in his right hand, and a pipe in the other. The children seemling vanish, and the woman continues to clean out the churn.

"Ho, traveler!" he calls out to you. "A fair evening is upon us. What say you let me help you with your burden - it looks like you couldn't take another step with it!"

A well made threat, but a threat nontheless...

Murni stops and through heavy breathing says loudly, "I am Murni Nacklewick, and this is Mina Longfurrow.  She's wounded in a bad way and needs to be seen by a healer.  She says she knows the people that live here, and I thought it best to bring her to people known to her.  Her father is dead and her brothers missing.  Goblins raided the Longfurrow farm and burned down the house and took all the livestock."

There is just a moment of hesitation, then Farel (you assume) comes down the steps at a heavy jog and helps you lower the trevois. "Best leave her here for a moment, son. Saffy, my wife, will be along with..."

He is interrupted by his wife who has appeared by his side, bearing a small jar.

"Hush, you old fool... oh, Mina!" she gasps "Poor child, what have they done!"

She begins working at removing the dressing from the wound.

"Farel, water, now." Stern, but not frantic. Her husband puts a hand on your shoulder, then dashes off for the small well.

The bandages form a pile on the ground, and the wound begins to ooze fresh blood through the caked-on mess from earlier. Saffy opens the small jar and digs a dollop of clear paste out with one finger. She begins to work it into the wound, causing Mina to gasp as she does so. "Hush, child, this won't take long."

Farel returns with a bucket of water and one of the children appears with clean cloth - he must have told them to bring it while he was out of earshot. His wife wets the clean material and begins cleaning the area around the wound. Farrel hands you a ladle of water. "Here, son, you look a bit wore out."

He gently tugs your arm. "Let her do her work, you come have a seat on the porch and tell me everything."

Murni takes the ladle of water with a grateful nod and greedily drinks it down.  He dips the ladle again, pours it on his head, and puts the ladle back into the bucket.

He wipes the back of hand across his forehead to wipe off any excess water near his eyes, and simple says to Farel as he follows him to the porch, "aye."

Murni sits down in one of the chairs on the porch and takes off his breastplate and sets it down next to his chair.  He stands up and lets his shirt air in the cool evening air for a few moments, and then sits down.  He takes off his boots and sets them down on the other side of the chair.  

He  leans forward and says in a somber tone, "as I said, I am Murni Nacklewick from Waynottin to the southeast.  I came upon Mina hiding in the bushes and wounded.  I stopped the bleeding for a bit and followed the smoke to the burned down farm house, and her father's body.  The barn is standing, but it was used by goblins.  All the farm's livestock is missing, as well as her brothers Winim and Radid.  I am sorry, but Mina never told me her father's name.  In the barn I found this torn piece of cloth.  It looks like a patch or insignia of some kind."

Murni stops talking and reaches into his belt pouch and fishes out the piece of cloth he took.  

He reaches over and hands to Farel and says, "now, I'm no tracker by any means, but luckily the soil was moist and there was a lot of mud.  I found several booted and bare feet tracks of gnome or goblin sized persons.  However, there was one set of larger foot prints the size of a man or so."

Murni watches Farel's reaction to seeing the piece of cloth as he continues speaking, and questions Farel, "please, Master Farel, do you know her father's name?  May I please rest here till dawn?"

He leans back into his chair and says, "do you recognize that symbol on the cloth?"

Farel listens to your story, puffing on his pipe (he offers you tobacco if you are of a mind to join him). He takes the patch and looks at it closely.

"Hm. Well, that looks more than a little like the symbol of the Black Claws... a mixed clan of goblins and hobgoblins that gave us trouble a few years back, came in from the mountains and would raid farms from time to time. Haven't seen or even heard of them for probably 15 years. Once we killed off their Chief, Gobsmack, they weren't much for fighting anymore. They weren't really much for patches, though - they barely wore loincloths or chain shirts, much less had a need for emblems."

He hands the cloth back to you and resumes puffing.

"Mina's pa was a good man, name of Weel. Wife died a few years back, and his boys stayed on to help keep the farm up, well past marring age to hear some tell it (he casts a glace at his wife, still working on Murni in the yard). Good family, good boys. Murni spent the last few years being the mother of the family. It'll be hard on her once she realises what's happened."

He scratches his beard and pauses, gazing to the north.

"Well, I reckon I'd best warn the settlements to the south. I'll send Brownhop once the sun is fully down, he'll be able to spread the word. You can stay here as long as you like, young man, and we'll have some supper before long. I'll be glad of your hammer should the Black Claws decide they need a few more slaves tonight..."

Murni takes the offered pipe and tobacco gratefully.  He lights the tobacco while Farel starts talking, and puffs it up to a good and even burn.  He takes back the patch and stuffs it back into his belt pouch.  He sits and enjoys his smoking while listening to Farel.

Once Farel finishes, Murni takes a puff of smoke and says in a distant tone of voice, "the Black Claws, you say."

He shakes his head slightly, leans forward in his chair, and says in a more present tone, "Weel Longfurrow.  Well, Farel, the Black Claw tribe has made a serious blunder in timing and location as their wicked ways touched me.  I will kill many of this Black Claw tribe in the name of Weel Longfurrow.  I will stand guard with you tonight, and at dawn's first glow I leave to return to the Longfurrow farm and pick up those tracks hopefully.  Since their bodies were not found, there is hope that Winim and Radid are still alive."

Murni sighs heavily and leans back in his seat, takes another puff of smoke, and says in a resigned tone, "I'm glad to hear that you can warn your neighbors as soon as possible, as that takes one worry off my mind.  Another is the body of Master Longfurrow.  Do you think you can head over tomorrow and get his body for burial before scavengers take to it?  I want to follow the trail of these murdering bastards as soon as I get there, and burying him will take some time by myself."

Farel nods and stands. "I'll head out with you in the morning and deal with Weel. You stay here while I get write a letter and get Brownhop on the way. Saffy will probably be done shortly and she might need your help getting Mina into the house."

He disappears into the house, leaving you with your thoughts as the light grows differ and fireflies begin to appear in the darker bushes at the edge of the yard. It isn't long before Saffy calls you over.

"She's sleeping hard now, so we can get her into the house. She'll be fine in two day's time, physically at least. Good thing you found her when you did, though."

You help carry her into the house, a two-room affair, quite comfortable and clearly well lived-in. A fire is going in the hearth, and a cookpot is steaming away, ready for emptying. you place Mina on the lower bed of a bunk, apparently one of the children's bed.

"There, now, she'll keep fine there. I'll tend to her through the night, but for now we need to get food in you and the rest. Go out back and get Farel, I'll get supper on the table."

Out back, you find Farel finishing attaching a scroll tube to a large brown rabbit (as in quite big - not big enough to ride, but probably a good 25-30 pounds). It twitches its whiskers as you approach, and Farel scuffs its forehead.

"Ok, Brownhop, you know the way. Safe journey."

The rabbit sprints off into the darkness. Farel nods.

"That'll take care of that, then. Let's get some grub, eh?"

A genuine smile appears on Murni's face when he sees Brownhop.  He's always loved animals, and Brownhop reminded him of childhood animal companions.  

Watching the large rabbit take off into the growing dark, Murni says somewhat absently, "aye, Mistress Saffy says it's time to supper.  I'd surely appreciate a good home cooked meal about now.  I've had naught but a simple traveler's breakfast this morning, and a nibble of hard tack here and there while coming here."

Murni walks quietly back to the house with Farel for supper.

Supper is a somewhat muted affair, but you can tell that usually it is probably a noisy and chaotic affair. Good food, farm food - nothing fancy, but you won't be hungry again until lunchtime most likely.

After dinner, over pipes, Farel advises; "I'll take the first watch, since I imagine you need some sleep. I'll wake you around moon-set (2 am or so)."

Sleep comes easily and quickly, and although you have some bad dreams - almost flashbacks to your own days of captivity - in them, you seem to have some control over your captors, and are able to defeat them in a satisfying way.

About the time you find yourself in a deep sleep, Farel is gently waking you.

"Up, now, time to stand watch. There's some hot tea on the fire if you want a cup or three - it helps."

(make a Perception roll for me please)

Murni gets up and thanks Farel for the tea.  He gets dressed and puts on his breastplate.  He makes sure that his crossbow is in working order and loads it.  He sets it down next to him while he drinks a cup of tea.

===============================================

OOC: Murni's Perception check = 7.

((FYI - I will be out of town today through Sunday (back around mid-day on Monday) but I'll try to get updates during that time as best I can - need to keep momentum up!))

You pass the night without incident, taking an occasional walk around the property to stay awake and alert. Before long, the eastern skies begin to lighten, and you hear movement in the house.

Farel comes out in a bit, still stretching and puffing on his ubiquitous pipe. He is already dressed in well-worn leather armor, with his bow slung on his back. He shuffles off to his tool shed, calling over his shoulder:

"Mornin', Murni. Breakfast on the road if that's ok - wife's got some fruit and cheese, plus some hard bread from last night, and she's putting together a pack of goodies for your trip."

He rummages for a minute, coming up with a pair of shovels, handing you one.

"Alright, then, go grab the grub and we'll head out."