I hesitate a moment before replying, looking uncertainly between the older woman and the others.  Are they thinking they don't got a real choice in this...?

[Insight: 10+5=15]

You recognize her her tone as she addresses her family a strong element of this is for your own good; we'll talk in a minute.  She doesn't sound afraid, but for all her courtesy to you, she clearly isn't genuinely happy to oblige.

"If we'd be putting you out at all, we'd be happy to move on," I say politely. "We don't want to impose."

I watch with growing agitation as Mari and Astra detach themselves from the group and approach the farmers.

Hells again.

I permit myself a moment of calculation.

Acting outside the chain of command, which we were explicitly ordered to obey.  Disrespecting a superior office ... in tone if not word.  Recklessly endangering the team and the mission.  The lash, at the very least ...

I glance sidelong at Leatherleaf. 

Demonstrates minimal initiative.  Runs the team ... democratically <the word alone sends a wave of mild disgust through my system>.  Why was she retired? 

Would registering an objection make a difference?  Would she even do anything about it?  The chaplain seems unconcerned and content to follow her lead.  Probably promoted over his ability.

No.  Focus.

Doubt leads to distrust.  Distrust leads to death.

Stamp it down and focus.

I suppress a sigh and choose to focus, instead, on the farmstead.  Before I was simply scouting and measuring the threat level of the occupants.  But now I am looking for tactical advantages and weaknesses the buildings and environment provide in the event we are attacked.  Or need to attack.

[Perception: 12+13 = 25]

I suppress a sigh and choose to focus, instead, on the farmstead.  Before I was simply scouting and measuring the threat level of the occupants.  But now I am looking for tactical advantages and weaknesses the buildings and environment provide in the event we are attacked.  Or need to attack.

[Perception: 12+13 = 25]

Weaknesses: it's in a hollow, the surrounding taiga provides cover for those approaching, the buildings are wooden, and the arrangement of cabin and outbuildings may block lines of sight.

Strengths:  the barn is tall, and could be used as a lookout point; the buildings are sturdy, the farm would be difficult to spot unless you stumble right on it (as you did!) and therefore is unlikely to attract untoward attention.

The road to Irontown is well marked, and well maintained.  It looks like I'll make good time.  I pause and study the road and surroundings.

[perception: 14+7 = 21
Insight: 13+9 = 22]

"If we'd be putting you out at all, we'd be happy to move on," I say politely. "We don't want to impose."

"Oh, no," she says.  "Quite all right."  She gestures everyone toward the barn.  The large main door is open, and you can see inside easily; the animals are all currently outside in their pens, grazing at the last of the fall scrub.  Inside the barn is airy, too new to be cobwebbed or grimy, and smells strongly of fresh-cut conifer.  "There are a few stalls," she says, "but you'll probably have to hobble or tether the rest of the beasts.  Ladder to the haymow is there, well is over there," she points. 

The presumable Theda returns, lugging a kettle of something.  "Mother," she hisses, as she sets it down with a sloshing clump - you smell some kind of meaty soup or stew - and Mistress Sattler says, "Excuse me, please," and the two women step away from the party.    Astra and Pepper can just barely overhear them, though.  "Are we going to have to welcome every heavily armed group of worrisome weirdos that wanders by?" Theda asks her, perhaps rhetorically.  "How do these mercs keep stumbling across us, anyway?"

"It's only the second group," Mistress Sattler points out.

"Two too many!" Theda says, and Mistress Sattler chides her, "Calm yourself.  We won't give them any excuse to misbehave, and hopefully they won't recall that we're in the middle of nowhere where they can do as they please."  She leaves her daughter - daughter-in-law? - to rejoin your party.  "Soup," she offers, pointing to the kettle.  "Can we offer you anything else?"

The road to Irontown is well marked, and well maintained.  It looks like I'll make good time.  I pause and study the road and surroundings.

[perception: 14+7 = 21
Insight: 13+9 = 22]

The road, as befits the pride of House Orien, is well-maintained, if not the broad thoroughfare of a more prominent highway.  Last month it would have been crowded with harvest season bustle, but now the traffic is light, the occasional supply wagon of freight not urgent enough to merit a ride on the lightning rail, or halflings bringing specialty goods up from the Talenta Plains, and a few sojourners plodding by on horses, like yourself.  Irontown and Vulyar are not the sorts of metropolises to attract crowds of travelers, and the Mourning - the destruction of Cyre - has knocked out much of the international travel to this region, but commerce and life does continue. 

You don't see anyone acting oddly or suspiciously - most travelers simply look bored from the road.  A courier in Orien livery atop a fast horse breezes past you at high speed, heading north as well.  You could push north at a good clip yourself - your horse is fresh and in good good health and good spirits - or you could approach other travelers, asking after road gossip.  Or you could do some other action of your own devising, of course.

"Two too many!" Theda says, and Mistress Sattler chides her, "Calm yourself.  We won't give them any excuse to misbehave, and hopefully they won't recall that we're in the middle of nowhere where they can do as they please."  She leaves her daughter - daughter-in-law? - to rejoin your party.  "Soup," she offers, pointing to the kettle.  "Can we offer you anything else?"

"No, I think that's all, thank you," I reply. "Please do let us know if there's any way we can repay your kindness."

"We aint gonna take your food," I say abruptly, mind on too many lean winters of my own.  "Not without paying.  You want coin, or for us to work?"

"Coin works," I say quickly, "we don't want to take any work from anyone."

"Coin works," I say quickly, "we don't want to take any work from anyone."

[lazy Val, lol]

"We aint gonna take your food," I say abruptly, mind on too many lean winters of my own.  "Not without paying.  You want coin, or for us to work?"

"Coin works," I say quickly, "we don't want to take any work from anyone."

Mistress Sattler nods.  "All right," she says, eyeballing.  "If you'd like to pay us a bit in the morning, we'd gladly take it, but don't feel obliged."  The more insightful among you can tell that this is secret code for pay us or don't pay us, just don't rob us blind or worse.  The offer seems to have marginally improved her level of trust, though.

"Right," I say, still not entirely at ease with this, but not seeing what other choice we have at this point.  "Well, you all... you have a good night.  Let us know if the ghost's giving you any trouble."  I turn and head for the barn, tugging along my lizard.

"Right," I say, still not entirely at ease with this, but not seeing what other choice we have at this point.  "Well, you all... you have a good night.  Let us know if the ghost's giving you any trouble."  I turn and head for the barn, tugging along my lizard.

"We'll take our leave, then," Mistress Sattler says, dragging a still stormy-faced Theda off.

Once the farmers have left us alone, I say quietly to Pepper, "You hear what they said about another group, too?"

As they leave, you overhear Theda protest to Sattler, "But if they're not highwaymen, why is that one guy dressed as a highwayman?"

"Let's hope they're nice highwaymen, dear."

Once the farmers have left us alone, I say quietly to Pepper, "You hear what they said about another group, too?"

"Indeed.  We shall confer with Leatherleaf later on how she desires them to be interrogated."

"Assist the Valenae in securing the mounts.  Loosen their harnesses but do not remove them in the event we need to evacuate.  We will most likely confer over a meal, then we shall post watches.  I am going to check the security of this barn, I shall return shortly."

[Stealth: 18+14 = 32 to say that to Astra without the farmers overhearing.]
[Acrobatics:  16+13 = 29 to climb into the lofts of the barn (and onto the roof if there is a way)]
[Perception: 15+13 = 28 to look for hazards in the barn, sniper/firing/ambush points and places where people could come in/out to try and ambush the team]

[Stealth and acrobatics were successful.  You're on the roof.  I'll take that PER check going forward to give you early warning if someone shows up (and doesn't beat it with a stealth check, of course).]

[scanning the panorama, what do I see?]

I consider pointing out that Leatherleaf said we was all to take care of our own lizard and everything, but instead give a slight sigh and go to help the masked corporal.

"We aint gonna take your food," I say abruptly, mind on too many lean winters of my own.  "Not without paying.  You want coin, or for us to work?"

"Coin works," I say quickly, "we don't want to take any work from anyone."

"Besides payment, I could offer to bless their crops and livestock. Perhaps that would reassure them?"

"Besides payment, I could offer to bless their crops and livestock. Perhaps that would reassure them?"

"Would it, uh... help?" I ask, a bit doubtfully.

"I believe it could help. The gods do listen to our prayers."

Instinctively, I fish behind my beard for the golden disc of Kol Korran and clasp it in my hand.

"No doubt the farmers here have offered up their own petitions to Arawai, asking for bountiful crops and healthy offspring for themselves and their animals. The addition of one more voice petitioning in their favor would no doubt be well received, by the farmers themselves and by the gods."

"Do you pray to the gods, Astra?"

"Sure," I say, shrugging, then with a bubble of carefully concealed amusement, add, "Since we're just starting out on this journey and all, should offer something to the Traveler, at that."

[Bluff: 19+2=21]

[scanning the panorama, what do I see?]

Back the way you came, to the south, you see seemingly endless patchy taiga, punctuated at the horizon by the modest mountains south of Deepdark - not Karrnath's most imposing range, but scenic enough. 



To the north, you can see, at the very hazy edge of your vision, the delineation where the trees and brush stops in an artificially even line, giving way to smoothed land, cut back and tamed from the highway and lightning rail line.  You can't make out any detail that way just yet, but hey, at least you're headed in the correct direction!