Session 19: The Road To Keep Everwinter (I)

After a night’s rest, we have finally begun our trip to Keep Everwinter for the Winter Solstice Celebration at the invitation of Countess Nadezhda Kouzev.
 
We have decided to go on horseback, eschewing faster, and more costly, modes of transport, and Commander determined that a rapid pace for the first couple of days would be good to give us some time on the road, in case there were delays.
 
Our first day of our journey was uneventful, weather favoring us, and our camp made easy by a magical dome provided by Grace. Our second day progressed with similar ease and efficiency, near the end of which, we found a small shack in a clearing with the odd details of a cast iron stove within.
 
It was decided that this would make a good location for the night, with Bait applying his talents at the stove for a meal. After some discussion, Grace and Points took watch, with their Elven ancestry limiting their needs for a full night’s rest. At some point in the night, with our two guards unaware, our mounts were attacked by a band of beasts.
 
We found signs of feline predators and scattered mounts and equipment outside in the morning. After attempting to track down the missing horses, we were able to locate two, but the rest were seemingly lost to the beasts, or the surrounding wilds. This was the same thing, as far as we were concerned.
 
Without additional mounts, there was no way we would make the celebration on time. After some counsel with Creeps via the Diplomacy Pouch, we located a likely town where we might acquire new mounts for the journey.
 
After a half-day’s travel, we made the outskirts of a small town. The people of the town seemed very shy and frightened, not surprising given our group’s rough appearance and ample weaponry, but it soon became obvious that we were not the source of their nerves, or at least not for the reasons we would have thought.
 
A speaker for the town announced himself and told us we should leave straight aways. Commander attempted to parlay, seeking information about replacement mounts. The townspeople were so eager to be rid of us that they offered a couple horses and a wagon if we would simply leave immediately – without compensation. Apparently they feared the return of some humanoid raiders (gnolls) and their pet demon. Commander attempted to offer our services in exchange for the horses and wagon, but they were not interested. However, as the conversation continued, that point no longer mattered as the raiders attacked, announcing their presence with the appearance of a huge tusked demon.
Obviously, our senior officers were much more than the raiders anticipated for resistance. The tusked demon was a ferocious opponent, but was ultimately felled by the combined efforts of our group.
 
Having killed all of the members of the raiding party, we continue our travels, now with a couple horses and a wagon more to quicken our pace.