The Eye III

2nd Skyday of Bales

Ludmer and Anastaz it is still raining as you leave the village, Zoltan is trailing behind you. At the river the barge is about to embark. You hear a sad melody you immediately recognize: Bente, the acolyte of the Entombed Seer played it at his tomb. You pass a group of villagers in a small graveyard. Mira, dressed in a grey tunic and with a crown of wild flowers, plays the flute while a body is lowered into the grave. Before you is the swamp where the battle took place and you can see the forest that Anastaz scouted to the east.

Anastaz the Salt Knight

Anastaz mutters, "Safe travels, Knight," as he goads his horse east. When he arrives at the edge of the forest he holds up and waits for Ludmer and Zoltan.

Ludmer, the Trail Knight

Without wasting a word or a glance on Zoltan, Ludmer rides after Anastaz, taking in the environment. At the edge of the forest, he dismounts, takes out his red tinted looking glass and says: "Wait, Sir Anastaz. From here on out, we should move slowly and with forethought. Keep an eye on our environment and try not to destroy the trail." As he stoops down, the light falls through his looking glass, illuminating streaks of bright red in the mud. "One of them was already loosing blood on the way here. That is peculiar. But it should allow us to find their encampment by following the trail"

Anastaz the Salt Knight

"Lead the way, Trail Knight."

The spoors lead north, east and south

Referee

You enter the dense forest, old trees covered in moss standing in stagnant water. In the distant you hear shrieking birds and the growling of a lynx. The blood drops lead to a clearing, where the warband had split into smaller groups. There is more blood on the ground and there are signs that the fighters had rested for a moment probably tending to the wounded for the blood trail ends. But there are other traces: Snapped twigs, boots sunken into the deep ground, moss missing on the bark where a shoulder rubbed against it. The spoors lead north, east and south east.

Ludmer, the Trail Knight

"Sir Anastaz, Zoltan!", Ludmer calls out as he points towards where the three trails diverge. "What do you think? Which one of those three trails is the most likely to be the one that leads to the encampment? Which ones can we rule out and why? Consider the normal movements of a warband. People will step out to relieve themselves. People will scout ahead and return to the main body later to report. I ask you: where do you see the movement of a warband and which trails will likely lead to a turd in the woods?"

Kozamost

Heldris the Dove Knight

Still puzzled by the soldier’s account, Sir Heldris leaves the barn to find Timea. As he approaches the healer, he bows slightly. “Dear Timea, I wish to thank you for your cares. Without your expert medicine, I wouldn’t make it out alive from our bloody endeavour. I’m in your debt and my services are yours if the need should arise.”

Referee

Timea seems even more fragile between the tall porters loading crates and sacks back onto the barge. She grabs your right hand and looks at you intensely with her big browless eyes: "No my dearest Lord, I wish to thank you, without your bravery we would have lost all. If you find a smith to make you the most delicate silver arm to replace the one you sacrificed it would be my honour to pay for it." While she speaks there are shouts of warning as one of the porters drops a crate which cracks and spills straw on the ground. A single earthen jar rolls over the pier and is quickly grabbed by a guard who returns it, scolding the man. Timea had not taken her eyes of you and she hands you a jewell studded coin with the symbol of a gold fish: "Promise me Dove Knight that you take care of your arm as soon as possible."

Heldris the Dove Knight

"I will take good care of my arm, I promise. And as long as my right hand can wield a sword, I'll live to my oaths and defend the realm.” The Dove Knight holds the golden fish coin in his hand. “Thank you dear Timea, for you generosity and kind spirit.” He eyes the embossed golden fish on the coin. “Does this symbol represent the Merchant Guild? I will treasure it as a token of dearest friendship.” He adds, “before wishing you all safe travel, may I bother with another symbol? It seems that pulling the strings behind these thefts there was a masked figure, a Beekeeper. Are you familiar with it?” Before she can answers, Heldris eyes the earthen jar being secured behind her back. “Forgive my asking, but are you carrying something more valuable than mare wares? As to attract such bizarre attention.”

Referee

Timea lets go of your hand and bows formally: “I represent the Merchant Guildry of Szolnok and Mohacs from the Barowian Crown Lands, and yes: The Goldfish as a symbol of fortune and prosperity is our emblem. Unfortunately I am obliged by our rules to maintain confidentiality about our trade goods.” Her intense stare doesn't falter but she smiles slightly: ”A masked figure you say? That sounds terribly mysterious and a secret worthy to be uncovered by such a dapper Knight as yourself. The village of Bohut is famous for its honey and I have seen beekeepers there, but ..." her smile broadens "... I would be surprised if they turn out to be bandits."

In a forest east of Kozamost

Anastaz the Salt Knight

Anastaz rubs his chin, amused by this game. "The warband would likely make camp deep in the woods, so east could lead toward their camp. Southeast is more bog, perhaps a diversion. And north would be near Kozamost. How am I doing, Trail Knight?"

Ludmer, the Trail Knight

"You are a credit to the realm, Sir Anastaz", Ludmer says, pointedly ignoring Zoltan, who preferred to not engage in this learning experience. "I concur with your deduction. The way north would lead us back to whence we came. The trail leading southeast is the trail I would lay for horsemen dimmer than you or I..." piercing glance at Zoltan "...to get caught in the muddy bog, an easy target for an ambush. The way due east seems the most promising."

Zoltan

The boy returns Ludmer's piercing glance with a slightly bemused but sullen look. "My apologies, from what Sir Perilake told me of your skills on the trail, I presumed you had already seen the obvious." No sooner have the words left his mouth, than he breaks eye contact and looks down. "I apologise my lord. I will be quicker in my responses to your question and presume less." he mumbles

Ludmer, the Trail Knight

"There is no such thing as 'the obvious', squire. The obvious is the blade you parry. What kills you is the leg that trips you and sends you on your ass, defenseless to the next strike, while you smugly assume you have seen and parried 'the obvious'." Ludmer kneels down and plucks a yellow cat's mouth flower from the mud "Where have you seen that flower before? Was it on the lapel of the slain brigant knight? Was it in the medicine pouch the company's barber-surgeon has dropped as she fled, or have we seen patches of them wherever we found wet soil and brackish water? What is the 'obvious' you're seeing here, boy?"

Zoltan

Zoltan blinks slowly, and looks to Anastasz, then back to Ludmer. "Other than the trail that must lead back to the camp, given it is neither bog or back towards the village, I would say... it is obvious I have much to learn, my lord knight." He spares another pleading look at Anastasz, then bows his head nervously.

Ludmer, the Trail Knight

"Let's go and take the obvious path then", Ludmer mutters and starts walking, feeding the flower to his horse that had been watching the scene serenely.

Anastaz the Salt Knight

Anastaz follows behind Ludmer, placing a gauntleted hand on Zoltan's shoulder as he passes him.

Referee

You lead the horses east through the swampy forest to the other side where the trees make way to tall grass and sturdy sedges. The rain is a faint drizzle but persisting and once in a while one member of the party will sink deep into the mud so that at noon when you reach another forest everyone is wet to the bone. Ludmer is in the lead, methodically searching for clues, Anastaz and Zoltan behind him. Under the tall trees the ground is dry and the thick canopy protects you from the rain. Ludmer, the trail gets fainter, you suspect single members must have split up as they crossed the swamp. You assume not more than half a dozen are left in the group you are following.

On the branches of a tree nearby large grey birds are startled by the noise you make and when they take flight they flutter about in a strange spiralling circle before dispersing.

Ludmer, the Trail Knight

"There is fate at work here, my brothers knight. Let's proceed as quiet and carefully as we can. Notice how the trail has gotten thinner. Either they were lost by the main group, who pressed on, not thinking that they could feasibly turn around and abort their cause, or they broke off willingly, perhaps to scout ahead or perhaps to scout behind, constructing an ambush.

Zoltan, this is your chance to prove your mettle as a scout. Take one of the smaller trails and follow it, see where it leads. Once you've found something, report back to us as we follow the main trail. Be careful though. I'd much rather report to Sir Perilake that you've proven yourself capable by finding information and - above all else - surviving than having to report that you've been the failure you secretly fear your father takes you for after you've stupidly gotten yourself killed in the swamp by taking unnecessary risks and trying to be a hero. If you don't find anything in time to return to us by nightfall, please do abort and return in time to meet up with us further east along the bigger trail. I know that good Sir Perilake would never forgive himself if his squire got lost in the swamp.

Be swift, young squire. Be brave. And above all else, be careful."

Back into the swamp

Zoltan

The young Squire's face flushes, for a second, and then he composes himself. "Yes, Sir Ludmer." Zoltan checks the dagger at his belt, the cloth of his tunic still red with the blood of the men he fought yesterday."I will try not to let you, Sir Perilake or my father - rest his soul - down any further." He then carefully picks his way through the woods following the smaller trail with painstaking care. His hands grip the reins of his pony tightly however, the knuckles white with tension.

Referee

You ride back into the swamp eventually dismounting to lead your pony over the treacherous ground. After a while you find signs of a single traveller moving north, a faint trail between the tall grass. The stars come out as you arrive on a lush heath, a group of foxes hunting meerkats in the dimming light. You find traces of a campfire, the ashes scatterd but still visible to the trained eye. The trail leads further north but it is too dark to follow it.

Zoltan

Zoltan sighs, and wheels his pony to rejoin the others "A fool's errand. But for or from one..." He looks up at the sky. "I can only hope Sir Ludmer is in a better mood, for I fear night will have fallen before we rejoin them on the main path"