30 Nuzyael 720

[GM]

Time: Beginning of 1st watch to Mid 1st watch

Not long after the day has started a light drizzle begins to fall, apart from the noise it creates the canopy of the trees and the sail seem to offer enough protection to prevent any water from gaining access.

The drizzle soon changes to a steady rain which continues to fall for some time until Jurri and Barak are awoken to take their turn on watch.

Kugald and Algared waste no time in returning to their waiting beds and are soon sound asleep.

Packing up their gear they take their turn near the treeline some twenty metres away from the campsite and manage to find a suitable vantage point to watch from while remaining out of the worst of the rain.

[GM]

Time: Early 2nd watch.

The warband is woken by Jurri and as you wake you can see that the night is starting to lighten as the first rays of the morning sun begin to rise above the mountains to the east.

The warband with growing practice quickly pack up the campsite and have the sail stowed aboard the boat along with the rest of everyones equipment.

You each go about your own morning routines, washing the sleep from your face, giving your clothes a quick brush off and breaking your morning fast with some dried fruits and some smoked fish, with the boat stowed you are ready for the day.

[Kugald Daas]

"Right, let's head off as quickly as possible and make as much distance as we can. Algared, you have the tiller. Barak and Borygg, bows if you please. Perhaps you could both trail a hook and line as well, to try and supplement our dwindling rations. Jurri and Vidar, you've got the oars. I will take the bow with the pole. What do you think guys? Should we use the oars to make better time and risk the noise, or only use them if necessary to get us out of trouble?"

Kugald packs away his armour and equipment in the bottom of the boat again, wearing only his tunic, with his cloak nearby if it rains again. He boards the boat at takes up his spot, prepared to push the boat out into the current once everyone else is aboard.

TTYL

- Kerry

[GM]

Time: Early 2nd watch

The boat is pushed out into the river with Algared at the tiller, Kugald at the bow, Jurri manning the starboard oar, Vidar the port, Barak and Borygg begin to prepare some lines for fishing after they have got their bows strung and their quivers close to hand.

Algared steers the boat along the western riverbank, with the oarsmen providing enough speed for steerage.

The boat has travelled some several hundred meters downstream when Kugald spots some sort of watchtower that can be seen cresting s small rise on the western bank. As the boat contiunes to make it's way downstream it soon becomes obvious that the watchtower is in fact the uppermost level of a gatehouse.

The rest of the gatehouse is at yet still not visibile due to the rise of the land.

[Barak Daas]

"Kugald, we're better off rowing now we have light to see."

Barak baits the hooks with some scraps of dried fish, and trails his line behind the boat.

"When we stop for the day, some can try fishing from the bank whilst I go hunting and foraging. It might be worth someone coming with me if you know the difference between a truffle and a deathcap. We also need to find some beetle grubs, or similar, to bait the hooks."

[Kugald Daas]

Kugald listens to Barak, and then nods his head. "Given the risks, I think faster is better." He looks at the others, "Let's run out those oars and start rowing."

Spotting the tower, he pitches his voice just to carry far enough to reach the men on the boat, "I think that is Stronvik, the first hold after the corner. We are on track. I think if we row, we should be past quickly. When we get to the point in the river where there are holds on both sides of the river at the same time...Sjornel to the west and Onstad to the east, we will be half way to Froyaheim."

Kugald looks up at the sky, trying to judge how much longer they can travel before the sun fully crests the mountains and illuminates the river fully."

TTYL

- Kerry

[Barak Daas]

"Those names mean nothing to me" says Barak "I've never been here before. Do you think we're making good progress then?"

[Jurri Grebel]

OOC: What is the (approximate) speed of the current at present?

[Guest]

Vidar digs in for speed as Kugald calls for it.

[Kugald Daas]

"Barak, I would say we are about 5 leagues...give or take...upriver from Froyaheim. We have probably travelled about 5 leagues from where we took the boat in Lihea. So, I would guess we are about half way. We made good time in the dark. Once it gets a little lighter, I think we should lay up for the day. What does everyone think? East shore...where the Ivinians definitely are...but where we could spy on them and get a little info, or west shore, where the Ivinians MIGHT be, but it is possibly still Menglanan held, and we might find support and possibly some food? It would certainly be safer to hunt on the west bank. Either way, I think both sides of the river will be mostly farm land and open."

TTYL

- Kerry

[Algared]

"I would say west bank Kugald, it would be much better if we can confirm whether Menglana still holds the west bank. if menglana still hold the west we will be able to get better knowledge of how the campagin has faired, as well as likely find information regarding the Storzar. It is possible we could also gather enough boats to either reinforce the Dass or pull them retrieve them. Having friendly held ground would make resupply easier as well. Lastly if Menglana holds the west bank then we can raise the sail and increase the ground we cover as we seek out the Storzar and then retreat to Ygesdram.

You know if the Dass leads his host back over the trail, then they will be in need of supplies if we could organise supplies taken to the copper mine or further along the trail it would give relief."

[Barak Daas]

"I vote for food, shelter and safety" says Barak "...so that is the west bank."

"We should aim to pass a thran and then pull in, may be now. That way we know where it is, and hopefully they won't know where we are. We can then spy out the land - if they appear to be friendly we can openly trade our silver for food and the equipment we need. If they appear in Ibanvaal hands then we poach a lamb and some chickens. Who knows we may even get our hands on a loaf or a pie from an outlying farmstead."

[GM]

Time: Early 2nd to Mid 2nd watch

The morning weather is kinder than during the night. There is little to no wind which does little to aid your sailing but improves the temperature which is still cold, but the clouds appear to be breaking up and while still dark and sinister they are at least letting the blue sky through.

You seem to travelling about 4kts now with the oarsman pulling along.

As the boat rows downstream, the view of the approaching thran improves. As the rise passes by your port side the ground rises slowly away from the river to the west and you are able to see a thran of around thirty buildings or so, most appear to be clanhouses. Sitting atop a slight rise to the north of the thran is a thranhold. The gatehouse sits along it's eastern face to view up and down the river. A market square can be seen near the centre of the thran and most of the buildings seem to be gathered around it.

Rowing along the river you are about thirty to fifty yards from the thrans shoreline giving you a good view of the thran and the thran a good view of you. Along the shoreline you see approx half a dozen men preparing a vessel for the days fishing, it is the only vessel visible within the thran. People are going about their morning routines some gather water from a well near the market square, several can be seen carrying firewood for the clanhouse hearthfire, herders are preparing flocks of sheep to take out to graze, while others seem to be going about their own business.

As you row by, you can clearly see that most of the boat crew stop what they are doing and watch your progress while some of the other inhabitants continue to go about their business not even offering you a second glance while a few others also watch your progress along the river.

There does not seem to be any alarm sound, nor is there any sign of panic and none seem to be concerned by your arrival....

[Jurri Grebel]

(OOC: Okay, so if strong rowing has us up to a whopping 4kts (~7.4kph or approximately 7.4 leagues/watch), we know the river current is at least somewhat less than that speed. If we are where Kugald thinks we are, we have *roughly* a watch (4 hrs) worth of river travel ahead of us.)

Jurri: "We don't have far to travel, but at the pace we are going, we will have to find food soon. I suggest we get food when we stop as Barak says, and then finish the trip in darkness tonight. If Froyaheim has fallen, we don't want to be seen. And if Froyaheim hasn't fallen, we would do better not to be seen either."

[Algared]

"The River seemed to be flowing at around two knots, if we have a lenght of line with knots tied along the lenght we could better judge our speed, Though I think rowing past this thran only to beach and walk back is more dangerous than had we pulled in. As is we will need to leave some to guard the boat and those going into the thran are likely to arouse suspicion.' Algared shrugs, Rather than beach the boat we drop off a watch to trek back while the other watch anchors a little from the shore an fishes. or if we beach it we leave Barak and one other to guard the boat, that will give Barak a chance to check the boat for any small repairs we may need. It would also be an idea to make a list of items we could use besides food supplies. Some parchment and ink wouldn't go astray be worth building a rutter up, if I could draw with any degree of skill that would I'm sure make it much better, and a some physcians tools, and maybe a tool used by a shipwright if Barak can tell us what would be best to try procure."

[Barak Daas]

"I wouldn't bother with the shipwright's tools - if she is that badly damaged we need a shipwright then I am not the man for the job. I was think we might do with a proper sheet to keep the rain off at night, some light rope to tie it in place and maybe a small net to fish with."

"Do we pull in now at this thran rather than sail totally past it then?"

"The reason why i thought it best not to row in to the thran, Algarad, was the boat we are in. Fisherfolk are a close knit community. They will know each others boats and the crews. They'll recognise the boat and know we are not the crew. They also know the owner would not have willingly sold the boat - it is their livelihood and life. Therefore we've stolen it or forced the owner to sell... They won't like that and there are more of them than us. If we row past they might not recognise the boat. If we enter the thran from the road then they might not connect us with the boat at all."

[Algared]

"Hrmm Good point Barak, then we row past them. I was thinking we probably should have just followed the road you found last night, if we intended to walk into the village. My concern is that people may recognise those entering the village on ask the qestions why we didn't just pull in." Algared ponders as the thran drifts by and after a moment speaks again, "We could continue down till we see smoke from the next thran then pull in, scout it on foot if desired. I wouldn't expect the next to be more than a watch away if we were following a road." Looking towards the rest of the band he adds, "So what do you think, if we now drift and use the oars for course correction we'd probably cover the distance in a watch, the river seemed to be flowing at at around two knot, under oars we'd lkely cover the distance in half a watch, since we seem to be travelling four knots under oar."

[OOC: Using mathematics for the conversion of knots to leaugues and basing assumptions on what he knows of the distance between thrans from general knowledge or experience.]

[Barak Daas]

"Rowing for two hours would be tiring, but doable. I don't mind taking my turn at the oar. That is if anyone else can keep pace with my stroke."

[GM]

Time: Early 2nd watch - Mid 3rd watch

With the sun now cresting the mountains to the east it sheds it colourful hues throughout the clouds. Turning the sky shades of purple, orange and red.

You quickly pass the thran hidden within a small cove on the western bank. The woods and trees to the east gives way to the pastures, meadows and fields, interspersed with stands of trees. While the terrain on the western bank remains unchanged with fields, pastures and meadows dotted with stands of trees.

You continue to drift and row north along the river. Passing several small fishing boats, none of which seem to pay to much attention to your passage.

By high sun you spot another thran on the western bank, this one seems similiar in size to the first, however, this one is located upon a broad beach (some one hundred yards wide) between thirty foot cliffs to the north and south. The ground rises towards the west away from the riverbank.

A thranhold (with a typical gatehouse) sits towards the high ground of the thran. A small dock is located towards the southern section of the thran along the riverbank. The inhabitants seem to be going on with their business and you do not see anyone paying you any particular attention.

As the mountains to the east retreat away from the river, the mountains to the west begin to close in.

[Algared]

When the first signs of a thran are noted curses that no area to pull in prior to sighting the thran was sighted. He indicates his intention to dock, inorder that they may replenish their supplies and aquire a tarpaulin or tent before continuing their passage along the river, and either raising the sail or allowing the the current to take them and using the oars only to correct their course. He suggests that they also try fishing since any fresh foods will be an asset.

'Maybe we should claim that we are the priests, skalds or both their entourage on a pilgramage if asked." Algared says as he as he ponders, he is silent for a moment and then lists their objectives counting the off on his hand.
"We want the name of this thran and those between here and Froyby, if we can learn of obstacles along the wayt all the better. Not to mention the supplies so; Food first, tent or tarpaulin second and other needs third in our list of needs.... if Sarajin blesses our travels then Menglana still holds this bank. If we learn other we fall back to the boat and row clear before raising sail. I know we wanted stealth but it seems resupply and information are where we lack and it also seems non have paid us any attention thus far."

[GM]

Time: Mid 3rd watch

With the sun rising higher into the blue sky, the thin wisps of cloud seem to be clearing and a slight breeze from the north gusts occassionally.

The current from the river attempts to drive you past the thran, however, with all hands to the oars the boat turns cleanly and heads for the small dock.

As the boat nears the dock, two men dressed in woollen tunic and woollen leggings approach the dock. As the boat nears, Borygg throws the men a line of rope, the shorter of the two men catches the rope and ties it off to a bollard on the dock.

With the boat being secured the taller man looks questioningly at the boat "Good day to you travellers. What business have you here?" he asks.

[Barak Daas]

Barak will move to close to where the painter is tied off on the boat, then he'll busy himself (in a non threatening way) with some routine task with his hunting knife, such as sharpening it.

[Algared]

Time: Mid 3rd watch

With the boat being secured the taller man looks questioningly at the boat "Good day to you travellers. What business have you here?" he asks.

Listening closely to the man's voice for any distinction that would identify him, and hearing none but also knowing an answer is required says, "Good day to you friend. "My companions an I seek provisions and other necessites if that is possible."

[GM]

The taller man turns his attention to Algared.

"Are you the Dagen's men?" he asks

[Kugald Daas]

Kugald stays where he was sitting, in the bow of the boat. He is wearing just his tunic and leggings. Around his waist is a belt with his pouches and a dagger. His sword, shield and other weapons and equipment are still in the bottom of the boat.

The taller man asks Algared, "Are you the Dagen's men?"

Kugald says nothing, obviously the man assumed that since Algared was piloting the boat and the first one to answer his question, he must be the leader or at least the spokesman for the group. Kugald does nothing to change that assumption; instead he sits quietly at the bow of the boat, one hand holding the stout pole he had been using to guide the boat. He subtly watches the two men out of the corner of his eye, ready to use the pole as a staff. He also watches the thran and keeps an eye out for any other men coming down to the dock.

While he watches, Kugald thinks to himself, what a clever question. If Algared says yes and the west bank is still in Storzar hands, we are screwed. If he says no and the west bank is in Ibanvaalese hands, we are screwed. Kugald smiles slightly and says to himself, “I hope Algared chooses well.”

TTYL

- Kerry

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