Prologue: The Barony of Harkenwold

As the little girl flies off, Carlos can only say - "That was... inordinately adorable."

Then gets on his trusty steed Judy and rides off with the party.

Perception 16

Int 7, because Carlos dumb.

Noble growls. Hunter pulls out his bow and aims it right at the spot from where he heard the noise.

"My name is Hunter Thrul. The lady with the shiny armor is a Shiere knight," he warns, "and we are entering these woods on behalf of Lady Emily. Show yourself!"

Kathryn searches her surroundings for a potential ambush, but sees nothing. At least not until Hunter points out where they are. She immediately puts her hand on the handle of her sword and waits to see if whoever is hiding will come out.

Carlos draws his Hammer - "The horses are on loan, but if you hurt my Judy i hope you like pancackes!"

There's a bout of whispering coming from the bushes before someone, a male, quiets everyone and then emerges from the bushes. He's soon followed by three others. While their leader does hold a strung longbow in hand, the others are resheathing their swords as they walk out.

The Leader:

Moondancer Guard:

"Please, put your weapons down. If you travel on behalf of Lady Emily then you are the force from Harken sent to relieve Yorenan and the Rangers, correct?" His accent is on the thick side but he speaks Nerathi well enough to be understood and his word choice is good. As he talks, he walks closer, to get a better look at Kat. After staring her straight in the eyes for what seems like an eternity to her but is only a moment for everyone else, he places his hand on his heart and says in Elven,

Elven:

He switches back to Nerathi, "I am Folan of the Moondancer Tribe. Hunter Thrul has introduced himself, but not the rest of you." He looks at Kathryn and then the rest of you expectantly.

Except for a few words that she learned over the years, Kathryn doesn't know Elven. She can however infer from the tone of Folan's voice that he is greeting her, and she responds to him with a gracious nod. She lets go of her sword and introduces herself to the scout. "I am Ser Kathryn ‘Elwin’ Amblecrown, and I'm on a quest to save Lady Eninahes of the White Well from the curse that holds her. But you can just call me Ser Kathryn, Folan of Moondancer. I must apologize; I haven't learned how to speak elven yet. My knighthood was, um, quite recent."

Hunter nods yes to Folan's question, and although he is openly leery of the Moondancers, he puts the bow away.

Carlos withdraws his hammer - "Name's Carlos Jalapeño de Muerta, on a quest to help ya'all out."

Zoe lowers her hand from the the throwing position and puts away her dart. "I'm Zoe, a cleric of Avandra. If you have any injuries or are in need of guidance don't hesitate to ask."

Jojo says, "I'm Joshua Jordstad, Representative of the Golden River Trading Company here in the Vale. My card." He hands it to one of the guards who looks at it, confused.

Folan doesn't miss a beat and bows to Kat. "Forgive me Ser Kathryn, I did not know. I said 'Chosen of the People, we welcome you to our Home. Know the peace of family and the joy of new found friends.' It is the traditional greeting for a Shiere Knight. In the future say 'Blessings to the People, may their generosity to their Champions be blessed tenfold.' That isn't the only answer you can give but it's probably the most neutral. But please, follow us to the cabin. Yorenan asked us to intercept you and bring you straightaway." He whistles and two more guards appear from the branches overhead, landing to the rear of the party. One of them almost falls down, but he manages to catch himself at the last moment. His partner, a woman, facepalms and the other guards range from bemusement to stark disapproval. Folan himself frowns and shakes his head before saying, "The trail widens ahead. We can walk and talk from there if you wish."

He starts leading the way. The trail does indeed widen after the dip and a rounding course between two great trees.

Kat listens attentively to the elf and memorizes the greetings. "Thank you, I'll remember that."

She then lets Hunter ask his questions.

Folan nods at Kat to acknowledge her thank you before replying to Hunter. His voice takes on a grim tone. "Zoras, one of the Senior Hunters, is leading the group. His nephew was one of the those slain in the attack. He's demanding that Yorenan turn over the Drow. He wishes to execute her for her part in the massacre. So far, Yorenan is refusing, arguing that her conduct warrants further investigation. Before we were surrounded, he hoped to take her to Stockmer Keep for safe keeping so he could conduct the investigation without having to worry about her."

"Uh, hold on. Surrounded?"

"The Drow woman was badly injured, so Yorenan set our course for one of the cabins the Ranger's keep in our lands for emergencies. That evening, when we tried to leave, we found ourselves surrounded by a large number of my people. They were angry, and while they didn't fire any arrows or spells at us, the Rangers did have to return to the cabin to dodge the thrown rocks. They've been stuck there ever since."

"How many rangers are with Yorenan right now?" Kathryn asks. "And how many with Zoras?"

"So you side with Yorenan, then? What exactly does the law say?"

Insight 13
for his answers and his feelings about the drow and Yorenan/rangers.

"There are four Rangers with Yorenan, so five total, Ser Kathryn." When Hunter asks his question, Folan looks uncomfortable, looks at his men, and then lowers his voice. "Please don't ask me that, this situation is hard enough already. My mother is sworn sister to Yorenan's own. He's like a brother to me. He asked for my help and so I've helped him. But our people are still dead and one of their murderers yet lives." The pain of divided loyalties is obvious in his voice and demeanor. "What Zoras asks for is the way we'd usually do it. But it's not so simple this time. If a member of the tribe asks for a trial, then one must be provided. But the Elder has secluded himself on a "religious retreat" and is not here to hear Yorenan's request, and so, that leaves it up to the senior members of the tribe by vote. So far, there has been no consensus. And so this crisis lingers. I fear for Yorenan and his men, but I fear for my people more. They'll take the cabin without a doubt, but if they attack, the Rangers will do incredible damage before they fall."

Kat notices that Folan hasn't answered her second question. She ponders why for a second and then shrugs it off.

"Most of us are born into the tribe. But you can marry in as well, and, from time to time, we accept new members that prove themselves."

"To the east there is a glade, the Glade of the Moon Maiden. It is a sacred place, where only Elders and priests can go."

Kat's ears perk up a few seconds late.