Caden

"Thank you, Caden," flower-ear faces the fur-bone bundle towards you and squeezes it in a speaking pantomime. "My mommy was so sad," bows its head toward flower-ear and then they hug. Flower-ear then looks furtively at you, "Thank you. Please don't kill us. We got no shiny."
--------------

Alric

Left or Right? Shout? Other Act?
--------------

Hanalee

1:30 PM

From halfway in Livonia's Lament to the Old Graveyard is 3.25 miles. It will take 1 hour and 5 minutes if you go at a normal pace. You will arrive at 2:35 PM, barring interruption. Let me know if you want to change your pace.

Caden nods "Your are very welcome, I assure you I'm not here to harm anyone I'm not looking for anything shiny. Who is your mommy? She must be worried about you."

Alric

(Caden informed you and Bright Feather (and the npcs) about going off to the edge of the Old Graveyard to investigate something. You are pretty sure, you hope, he should be in there somewhere.)

retro insert: "Hello... Caden? ... Who's there?" You step into woodsy rough 5', favoring the left side of likely noise locations. You passively notice the acolyte and weaver do no follow you inside the rough.
---------------

Caden

"My mommy is the Badger Handmaiden. She let's me play in the flowery stone field while she waters the badgers. As long as we hide from you mangy tall ones, she said we'd be safe."

A bit braver from curiosity, she cranes her neck closer as to see you better through the brush. "Why do you not groom away the biting insects and instead let your hair fall off? Does it not itch your kind? Do you not like to be clean?"

Tooth-necklace & gnaw-bone just watch the exchange between you two in silence.
-------------

For simplicity, not Combat, I will start labeling these exchanges by Rounds. The next Caden+Alric+critters go around will be Round 1. Until otherwise indicated everyone else is maintaining their current activity.

(if Alric saw Caden come this way then he calls for him by name)

"Hello . . . Who's there?"  

Alric heads left if he has no other indications.

Everyone, Wherever You Are

from 2:30 PM onward

Main Street Downtown

Hanalee

"Hey, sugar. Your uncle's back in town. No more wild nights with the lasses for a while, huh?" A tavern belle you've partied with Georgette and others before crosses your path and drops the hint. News travels fast 'round here, as you remember. She saunters off, continuing on across the Main Street, letting you do your own thing.

[time & distance passes]

Main Trail, Old Graveyard direction

Phew, warm afternoon. Only a ridge or two more to get to the Old Graveyard. Ooh, there's where you snuck up all the way to Caden while he and the Grim Man had a standoff. Oh, that was some adventure talking that man down, and him and Caden didn't even see you till here! That means you're almost there, about 5 minutes more...
---------------------

Main Trail, next to Old Graveyard

Karnath

"Get off my claim! Go on now, git, git!" The sound of a chase further up the Main Trail.

You see a pair of native boys scramble over the Main Trail ridge North from here, coming hurriedly on down. They look Shoshone, but don't look exactly like the ones from town. The two boys are dropping some leaves, berries, and pinecones along the way.

They are being chased by a dour Easterner man, who stops his pursuit near the slope's crest and watches the kids run away. "And don't be snoopin' where you don't belong!" Arms akimbo he watches them head down before satisfied and turning back over the crest and out of sight.

"Oh, it's that warrior stranger for Grandma Spider, from the far South." One of the boys calls to the other and points at Karnath as they are running. "She's angry, too! We must run!"

They both look like they are fleeing punishment and speed on down the trail towards town, "Ahhhhhh!"
----------------------

Old Graveyard, Livonia's Monument

Bright Feather

You lightly hear a commotion coming from the Main Trail in front of you. You also lightly hear Alric calling into the rough vegetation at the Old Graveyard's edge behind you. So many distractions, and after such a peaceful stretch.

But y'know, this place feels alright, with its flowers and its distance from daily worries. You could see how someone could relax and rest here, rather removed from it all. It would be a good place for a song and memories of lost loved ones.

... But it didn't say you had to sing, the monument did. Did it?

Hanalee resolves to visit her uncle later in the day. But first thing's first--

Upon reaching the Old Graveyard, Hana will walk cautiously until she sees a familiar face.

still 5 minutes away from Old Graveyard

Hanalee

In about 2 minutes from now you'll see two native boys running down the Main Trail towards you, shouting from fear and dropping things in their wake. "Ahh! Angry miner and foreigner priestess!" "Hurry cousin, before they catch us!"

Caden pauses appraising the situation "Is there anything else I could do to help you?" he asks.

Round 1

Quote from: Arkansan;821207Caden pauses appraising the situation "Is there anything else I could do to help you?" he asks.

-----------------

Caden

The trio look towards the sound calling your name. They have a quick exchange in their strange language. Then flowered-one then turns to ask you hurriedly, "Why are you here? We were safe here. We got permission."

The other two back off a bit, deeper into the rough away from you. Flower-ear hesitates, but finally does so as well. "Why Caden? Why?" They hesitate now 10’ away for a response next turn, but who knows how long after that.
---------------

Alric

Previously Alric entered 5' in the overgrown, woody brush edging the Old Graveyard, leaving the acolyte and weaver behind. He took his action to Stealth, just in case Caden is in danger, talking for his life. (GM rolls for this previous action to keep things coherent and flowing — with ADV because it is unfair to deprive players the choice to their own dice. Rolled 15, +4 for DEX; Stealth is currently 19.)

This round he moves another 10' inside hugging to the left side of the chunk of hedge he was facing. The sounds are extremely close now, as if right on top of them.

There are three shapes directly in front of you Alric. They seem small, like your height, but through the dim blur not exactly a halfling silhouette. It is hard to see without either: Breaking Stealth and colliding into them, Searching 5' Directly in Front. What do you do, Alric?

One just finishes saying in distress, "Why Caden? Why?"

Where's Caden? Must be close. What did he do? Is he in danger, or endangering these three?

"Hey! Slow down kids!" Hanalee shouts to the boys. "What's going on?"

She stops to see what they've dropped, picking items up if she can.

If I hear or see Caden I will approach him. Otherwise I head off to the left hand side of the area I am moving through.

Quote from: Artifacts of Amber;821571If I hear or see Caden I will approach him. Otherwise I head off to the left hand side of the area I am moving through.

You cannot see Caden, you'd have to guess.

Though Passive Perception 14 is great, you do have Disadvantage in this Dim Light & Light Obscurement. That's -5 to your passive, thus 9. You would have to waste actions to Search (I'd allow either Investigate or Perceive here) the conversation sounds and that'll mess with your already low movement.

I assume you are using Stealth (2/3 Spd). It is also Difficult Terrain (1/2 Spd). That's 8' for you, or since I'm using 5' squares for secrecy convenience, 1 square Spd movement per round. Naturally, you may use your Dash action for an additional Spd movement per round, for up to 2 squares (10'). I will assume this as default as to speed up this encounter.

Please let me know if you are NOT using Stealth & NOT using your action for extra movement. Upon clarification, I will update your status in the round.

This will all matter for surprise collisions later.

Caden already knows where to look, having already collided with them and keeping an eye on each other as they mutually give one another distance.

Sounds good. then I default to heading left quietly.

Round 1 (repost)

Alric

Previously Alric entered 5' in the overgrown, woody brush edging the Old Graveyard, leaving the acolyte and weaver behind. He took his action to Stealth, just in case Caden is in danger, talking for his life. (GM rolls for this previous action to keep things coherent and flowing — with ADV because it is unfair to deprive players the choice to their own dice. Rolled 15, +4 for DEX; Stealth is currently 19.)

This round he moves another 10' inside hugging to the left side of the chunk of hedge he was facing. The sounds are extremely close now, as if right on top of them.

There are three shapes directly in front of you Alric. They seem small, like your height, but through the dim blur not exactly a halfling silhouette. It is hard to see without either: Breaking Stealth and colliding into them, Searching 5' Directly in Front. What do you do, Alric?

One just finishes saying in distress, "Why Caden? Why?"

Where's Caden? Must be close. What did he do? Is he in danger, or endangering these three?

Where have we deposited Mal during all this? Guarding Karnath? Bright Feather?

Quote from: Mr. Kent;821295"Hey! Slow down kids!" Hanalee shouts to the boys. "What's going on?"

She stops to see what they've dropped, picking items up if she can.

Main Trail, near Old Graveyard

Hanalee

2:32 PM

"Huh? Wha? We didn't do anything wrong! Save us from their anger! You're not gonna beat us, too, are yah?" They slow down and stop, but look backwards now and again as if still afraid of getting caught.

"We were just picking up some pine cones to roast and looking around outside town. Honest!" As you see some of what they've dropped as you go pick it up, this part is obviously true.

"Our clan's been visiting our cousins here at Haunted Sweetwater Camp, and man! have the elder's been right about the news how thing've changed. We got tired from the Brother Snake ceremony and took a break. We're not full adult Shoshone so we can; it's a lot of energy to maintain. It's sad to hear about the young mother, though..."