[If I were to determine how recent those tracks are, what kind of check would you want?]

[If I were to determine how recent those tracks are, what kind of check would you want?]

[Tracking is usually perception, yeah?  I could be persuaded that nature also works.]

[Perception (tracking): 1d20+13+4: 5+13+4 = 22 to determine how many days old the singular pony tracks leading to the east are.]

[Do we know when the General's son and his party were dispatched to retrieve Object 17?]

[Does Leatherleaf know Palatine has gotten this info from the horse?]

[Perception (tracking): 1d20+13+4: 5+13+4 = 22 to determine how many days old the singular pony tracks leading to the east are.]

[Do we know when the General's son and his party were dispatched to retrieve Object 17?]

The tracks look to be about a day old. They're now dusted with snow, but still barely visible.

General ir'Dulinch said his son's team was dispatched about three months ago.

[Does Leatherleaf know Palatine has gotten this info from the horse?]

[No.  Not yet.]

Huh.

"You're a good you, yes you are," I reassure the pony, as I scratch its ears.  I feed it another hunk of ration loaf and return to the cluster fu ... team gathered around the Corporal.

"A singular horse rode off to the east from here  about a day ago," I inform the Major quietly, "The General's son and his team were dispatched over three months ago.  This could be relevant to our mission."

[Stealth: 1d20+13 = 11+13 = 24: to whisper this information to the Major and keep the Corporal from hearing or realizing it]

[Stealth: 1d20+13 = 11+13 = 24: to whisper this information to the Major and keep the Corporal from hearing or realizing it]

[So far so good, assuming Leatherleaf at least stepped off a bit from the NPC corporal.]

[Stealth: 1d20+13 = 11+13 = 24: to whisper this information to the Major and keep the Corporal from hearing or realizing it]

I wonder what they're talking about. Could be imp...ooh! Big birdy thingies! Neat.

[Perception check to overhear: 1 + 7 = lol no]

As Leatherleaf moves off to listen to Pepper, the corporal repeats, louder, for everyone's ears, "We all got our orders, yeah?  Time to go follow yours, eh?"  He makes a little shooing gesture with his hands.

[Insight check into whether he wants to tell us but can't, or is just being obstructive, or whatever: 14 + 15 = 29]

[Insight check into whether he wants to tell us but can't, or is just being obstructive, or whatever: 14 + 15 = 29]

He's not scared or even really worried, more harassed.  You get the strong impression that, all things being equal, he'd be inclined to help you out...if it didn't mean sticking his own neck out or breaking any confidences.  There's some fellow feeling there for your group, a camaraderie of misfits.

[7 successes (intimidate, insight, perception, 2x diplomacy, bluff, religion) vs 0 failures

On your next success, please let me know whether you want your earned clue, or if you want to go "double or nothing" and try for 12]

I wander over to check out the big birdy thingies. With my back to the Corporal, I conjure the best facsimile of the General's voice I can manage, whispering in his ear, almost inaudibly, "help them".

[Ghost Sound + Bluff to emulate the General's voice: 20 + 15 = 35]

I wander over to check out the big birdy thingies. With my back to the Corporal, I conjure the best facsimile of the General's voice I can manage, whispering in his ear, almost inaudibly, "help them".

[Ghost Sound + Bluff to emulate the General's voice: 20 + 15 = 35]

[8 successes - skill challenge completed and one  encounter completed toward leveling up!]

The corporal jumps, looking around, eyes round.  "Okay, look," he says.  "I don't know nothing about nothing.   But you lot seem like good sorts, and I don't want nothing that goes wrong with your expedition to be on my head, right?  The thing is...since Captain ir'Dulinch's expedition went lost, this - " he waves around at the supplies and the mounts - "has happened four times.  My partner gets sent off on some errand, I get this stuff delivered to pass on to a team, the team rides off, that's the last I see of them.  Now, I don't know where they end up, but I'm just saying, maybe their trails are fresher than the Captain's, and if you follow their trails, maybe you find something out..." he pauses, and adds, "and maybe you be more careful than they were, eh?" 

He looks around at them, and crosses his arms, expression hardening.  "Now get out of here.  I wasn't joking about how important it is all of us take our orders serious, and I got not one more word to say, besides 'godspeed.'"

I grab Corporal Valenae's arm as we head over to the big lizards.  "Sir, you gotta get the others to try'n find that partner of the corporal's before we get on with things," I hiss.  "Something really ain't right about all this and we're going in blind.  If it was just me, before, I'd never take this job."

I look at the Soldier. She's been right so far...

"Thanks mate," I say, very friendly like, "you may have just saved our lives. Do you know where they send your partner?"

[Diplomacy: 8 + 12 = 20]

Okay, so I guess subtle ain't exactly his thing, huh?  Well, I sure ain't talking to Sergeant Hellsbeast, and the captain don't seem too interested in what I got to say.  Which leaves... ah, fuck.  Fine.  Fine.

I leave him to think and go over to the Sarge.

"Excuse me Ma'am, should we be wondering where the Corporal's partner was sent?"

I leave him to think and go over to the Sarge.

"Excuse me Ma'am, should we be wondering where the Corporal's partner was sent?"

I motion for the Corporal to follow me a few paces away from the group, turning our backs on them.

Do my eyes turn a darker shade of green when I am containing my anger?  Perhaps the Corporal knows.

"Pepper."

"I am to be addressed as Pepper.  Leatherleaf has ordered that we are now on mission.  To that end we are to dispense with military courtesy and acknowledgement of rank.  We are to address each other with common, civilian names."

"That, Valenae, is the difference between making it out of this alive, or joining those other teams in whatever fate befell them."

"Understood?"

Maybe the snow on the ground is colder than my tone.  Maybe.

"Now.  To your question.  His partner headed east.  Is that relevant to our mission?  That's for Leatherleaf to decide.  *Should* we be wondering?  There isn't a soldier in this army, in the entire history of armies that isn't left wondering.  We *should* be following our orders and leave it to higher paygrades to earn their keep.  A team will kill itself before any enemy does if its soldiers can't bring themselves to trust their commanders."

Having been blatantly eavesdropping, I let out an involuntary snort at this.

[Passive perception 20 and you didn't say Pepper was whispering, so I gather Astra'd have no trouble hearing?]

[The inference is that the conversation is intended to be private.  Backs turned to the group and all.  But Passive Perception 20 is pretty damned good.]

[I figured since Astra was actively trying to listen in I should actually be rolling for it, so make that 24 lol]

I look at the Soldier. She's been right so far...

"Thanks mate," I say, very friendly like, "you may have just saved our lives. Do you know where they send your partner?"

[Diplomacy: 8 + 12 = 20]

The corporal stares at him.  "Away.  So he doesn't see you lot.  Now, what did I just say?"

"You said you wasn't gonna say any more and we should go away, sir," I reply promptly, watching Corporal Valenae wander off towards Sergeant Hellsbeast.

"You said you wasn't gonna say any more and we should go away, sir," I reply promptly, watching Corporal Valenae wander off towards Sergeant Hellsbeast.

He nods exaggeratedly.