Prologue: The Barony of Harkenwold

Kathryn happily hugs each and everyone one of her family members and laughs with them as they say goodbye. When it comes to her father however, she considers his words very seriously and whispers to him, "I won't forget, I promise." She then shifts her attention to her mother, who's been standing apart from the others since they've come outside. She walks up to her without hesitation and says, "Goodbye, Mom. I'll be back soon."

She then embraces her and says, "Love you."

Judy stiffens at the unexpected hug but she doesn't fight it. Ever so slowly her hands come up to Kathryn's back and she hugs her back. After a while she says "Your armor hurts," causing Kathryn to break the hug. However, Judy says with tears in her eyes, "I love you too. Come back soon."

"You can count on it," she says with a smile.

She walks towards her friends and mounts Carrot, ready to resume the journey back to Harken. After looking one last time at her family members, she waves at them and exclaims, "See you later!"

She then pulls her horse at the head of the column of Rangers and elven warriors and advances east.

And so at 12:40 pm, the troop sets off for Stockmer Keep, a 3 hour walk. You guys pass through Marl, the smallest village in Harkenwold because of its distance from every trade route. It's made up of a scattering of small cottages with a citizenry of 243 men, women, and children. There's one small pub for the locals called Marl Pub, more of a sign for outsiders than anything. The owner and Elder of the village is one Gavin Gardner, a gregarious halfling popular for his ale selection and his family's cheese making operation. A small smithy is next door, specializing in supplying the needs of the nearby steadings. A scattering of different artisan shops round out the industry, from the aforementioned cheese crafters to a brand new candy making shop. You guys are challenged when entering the village by militia men, but Leo smooths this over pretty fast. He even takes the time to speak to Bill, the master at arms from Stockmer Keep who earlier led a militia force to the village to defend it. He looks particularly relieved and takes the time to congratulate John on his good work. The young man sits much straighter on his horse after that. Kat and Hunter both note that the road leading to and through the village and on to Harken has been considerably improved since the last time either was in Marl, likely a byproduct of increased trade with the elves.

Speaking of the elves, this is the first time many of them have been in Harkenwold or to a static village in general, and the culture shock is readily apparent. They stare in wonder and confusion at the numerous cottages and the people, mostly humans with a scattering of halflings, busy about their business in town. The villagers themselves stare right back, surprised to see Woodsinger elves marching through their town with Rangers, launching the rumor mill into high gear. As for Hush, she walks with her hood up, surrounded by Yorenan and his fellows, and honestly, she couldn't have asked for a better distraction as all eyes are on the Moondancers. Fortunately, you are out pretty quickly before any misunderstandings might occur.

As you guys march, the day heats up, easily climbing into the low 80s (26.67 to 27.78 C for you other guys), a fact that pleases Zoe to no end. You guys pass the occasional wagon coming back from Harken, their day of deliveries coming to an end. Yorenan and his team all sigh in relief when you guys finally arrive in Harken Village, the weariness of their recent ordeals finally showing as they let their guards down. There aren't as many people out and about at 3:40 pm so there isn't anywhere near the commotion that there was walking through Marl. However, the elves are very impressed by Stockmer Keep up on the hill, quietly talking about it in Elven all the way up the winding path up the hill.

When you guys emerge onto the area behind the castle, the horn is blown by the guard on duty. When you guys get to the gate, you are expected and allowed in straight away, to find Lord Stockmer, Lady Emily, Griffin, Holly, Ludmilla, and Steward Lonetree all waiting for you along with a good portion of the castle staff. As you enter the courtyard, the Old Man himself leads a cheer for you all.

Old friends and new are all visibly affected by the welcome. Leo claps Bjark on the back and they both have a good laugh, with Eida and the twins all content to smile and wave back at the crowd. Yorenan laughs and smiles at Hush, who flushes in pleasure and grins back. Bill laughs with Sarah, while John looks a little embarrassed but pleased just the same. Even Gorduin is smiling, probably the most honest thing you guys have ever seen him do. Meanwhile King Munchers hugs the contrarian elf's neck and chitters in victory. Zoe hugs Carlos and waves at the castle staff, while Jojo does his two favorite victory poses, drawing applause from Symania. He grins at her, blushing a little bit, and she grins back. Febe hangs back, content to let you guys enjoy the cheers, for while she did help, it was a very small amount of help by her own reckoning, making this your guy's moment, not her's.

Shocked by the welcome and the applause, Hunter nevertheless beams with pride and accomplishment. He looks around at everyone, and his smile weakens a little when he looks at Ludmilla again, but otherwise he enjoys the moment.

Once Kathryn has arrived in the courtyard and dismounted her horse, she immediately lunges at Griffin and holds him in a tight embrace. Holly is next on her list of hugs of course, and she treats her sister-in-law with the same familiarity she displayed towards her other siblings earlier today. Once that's done, she looks at the crowd that has gathered here and respectfully nods at Lord Stockmer and Lady Emily, acknowledging that yes, she and the rest of the party accomplished the mission they had been entrusted with.

She will be ready to give a full report once Stockmer asks that they speak in private. But for now, it's good to let everyone rejoice a little.

Completely used to being squished against Zoe by now, Carlos totally hugs back. Then feeling shy of the spotlight, decides to use her as cover by grabbing her waist and propping her on his shoulders just like the last time they were here. - "There, ya can stand out fer a while! I'm just gonna go incognito like one o'them rogues."

He proceeds to walk around like nobody's business.

Zoe giggles in delight and enjoys the unexpected ride as much as possible, at one point the duo racing Sophia and her father Jack around the courtyard, drawing cheers from the staff and the Stockmers. Lord Stockmer himself makes a point of shaking all of your hands and telling you what a good job you did, before inviting you to a private meeting. He asks you to gather with Lady Emily, which you guys do. Lord Stockmer, with Lady Emily translating into Elven, addresses the crowd thus:

"Friends, new and old, welcome and well done. Though this past week has been a trying time like no other, we made it through by working together, through bonds of fraternity and oath, and an ever present dedication to the common good. But also, I want to share my deepest condolences to the Moondancer Tribe and to their friends and loved ones that we lost, not only this day, but at the terrible ambush that took place earlier this week, for it was truly the first battle of this conflict in which we find ourselves this day. Although your brethren made the ultimate sacrifice, take solace in the fact that they died standing for our shared values, for our right to life, liberty, and peace with dignity. I hope you all will join us for a banquet in your honor this night, not only to celebrate our great victory, but to celebrate the dawn of a new era of cooperation and Alliance between our peoples. Steward Lonetree shall see to your needs. Do not hesitate to come to him with any requests or concerns while you remain our guests. Now if you'll excuse me, I must speak to your leaders in private. The gods bless you all, and three cheers for the victors!"

After leading the cheers one more time, you guys follow him back to his study. Those that were invited are: The party, John, Leo, Yorenan, Ludmilla, Lady Emily, Holly, and Symania. In addition, Symania brings Gorduin as she's unwilling to let him wander about on his own causing trouble for anyone. For his part, Gorduin is very relaxed, more comfortable here than he ever was among his own people. Your weapons are taken at the door by Stockmer's pages, with promises of seeing them to your rooms or back to the elves as appropriate. After figuring out the drink situation, Stockmer says, "So before we finalize our alliance, please tell us about the battle at the fort and its outcome. We know the gist, but sending stones aren't great for fine details."

The allure of a feast over glory and accolades earned battles with present preoccupations in Hunter, but he hides it all behind a smile. When he hands over his bow to the pages, his tail twitches when he notices that Kathryn gets to keep her sword, but doesn't address it.

He ruminates over the wine he asked for until The Old Man asks what happened during the battle.

"Yes, Lord Stockmer. We used the Harken Rangers to ambush their workers fortifying the north side, while another squad of rangers waited for the wargs to show themselves and did likewise. They baited the goblin patrols sent out to investigate while the rest of us met at the western gate to firebomb it, and the main enemy forces came out from the south gate to meet us in battle. We were not prepared for the wizard. He flew out and hit the elves engaging their men with a ball of fire that took a bite out of the elf warriors. It...annihilated Terron's second squad, but then Symania shot him out of the sky. After that, we got in and we made sure no one else died, and made them pay for every life lost. Once we surrounded the hobgoblin warlord and his remaining forces, he decided it was time to negotiate a surrender."

He numbers the casualties suffered by the Harken Rangers and the Moondancers for the baron.

"Their leader is Warlord Mozeric, Prince of the Iron Kingdom of Vronden. I'm not sure how much the Rangers have told you about the idea of a possible alliance between the Rangers, the Moondancers and the rest of the Vale, but I'm meant to be its ‘leader‘. This way, the Harken Druids won't be able to oppose the alliance without making an enemy of a Fey Knight. That's why I was the one negotiating for a truce with the warlord—although Symania and the others helped a lot too. Here are the terms."

• The Warlord and his men swear by Bane that they won't shed anymore Valian blood.
  
• They will pay reparations for the lives lost at the Battle of Two Creeks by sharing their expertise and skills with the White Well Alliance until Shadowmire is defeated.
  
• They'll leave the Vale forever once Shadowmire is defeated.
  
• All slaves are to be released.
  

Furthermore, Kathryn will give to Sockmer the document Alani entrusted to her that attest the Moondancers are indeed willing to join this Alliance.

Carlos strokes his beard - "So, imma jes gon' say what's sorta been kept ta fine print so far, but the Warlord man was surprisingly... well, honorable. I mean, he was most likely settin' up that fort as a prelude ta invasion an' all, but he a far cry from the cannibalizin' soulsuckin' lizardman and his bullywug pals. Seems Shadowmire takes all kinds, so long as they'll fight for the cause."

Hunter passes a questioning glance at Carlos. "If we bear in mind that this warlord intimidates the weak and accepts little girls as tribute, that sounds about right."

"So you would be the figurehead which we all rally around. I have no objection," says Lord Stockmer, "You are also a safe choice because you are an unlanded noble with very little political power outside of this Alliance. This will be key to getting the smaller settlements like Winterhaven, Nenlast, and Mistwatch to join though it may be a problem when trying to convince the dwarves of Hammerfast. They are the largest and strongest community in the Vale and might resent not being the leaders of any alliance that might ask them to join."

Ludmilla says, "You believe this hobgoblin then? If we be going for this, where would you have them live? Surely not in one of the villages?"

Symania looks a bit uncomfortable as she says, "Not with us either. I know it's a lot to ask, but I still believe we could use their expertise. Another few weeks and I don't think we could have taken the fort without a lot of reinforcements."

"Perhaps they could remain in the fort then along with a suitable garrison? It would make for a fine defense against any further incursions," suggests Lady Emily.

"Aye, it would. But that has issues of its own," says Leo. "For one, we have no professional soldiers to garrison it with which means calling up militia. The folks of Harkenwold aren't use to long deployments and lack the stomach for it. The other solution would be to hire mercenaries, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that none of us are particularly rich enough for that. And two, that fort is located on Iron Arrow lands, we'd need their permission first and why would they be willing to do so when none of us are?"

Symania says, "Acting Elder Alani is searching for them even as we speak. It's strange that they would let goblins on to their lands without a fight. We found none at the fort but these goblins are mercenaries themselves, they may have been setting up the fort while the Daggerburg goblins continue the fight against the Woodsinger Clan. We honestly need more information."

Zeiss:

"Then we wait for Alani to return then," Kathryn states. "Hopefully, nothing bad has happened to the Iron Arrows. We are already too few as it is... which means we'll need to recruit more people to fight in the upcoming war. Which also means we'll need money to pay them. Luckily, Jojo has contacts with the Golden River Guild down south; we could help supply everyone with food, weapons and armors. It'd also be it a lot easier to do if the Alliance members also agreed to a trade agreement."

"Of course, Kathryn. We'll do whatever we can to help," says Jojo. "I'll be happy to join the Alliance in the name of my guild, so long as we get favorable trading rights with all members."

Hunter's tail twitches. "We still need something to do... Harken would garrison the fort if they had men to spare for the job, but they don't."

He undulates his tail reflexively like a metronome off-rhythm. Then, he stops and asks, "What about Hammerfast? Could we ask the dwarves in Tor's Hold to put in a good word?"

Stockmer nods enthusiastically, "A good idea. We don't need to approach all of the dwarves, just Clan Ramirez, our trading partners. The other clans can hardly complain if they provide some soldiers to defend their trading interests, now can they?"

Ludmilla, Emily, and Leo all smile and nod. Emily says, "I'll contact Elder Bran as soon as this meeting adjourns."

Carlos' beard stroking intensifies - "Hmm... i could write a letter to cousin Walter, he actually the nephew of the Clan Ramirez head honcho over there. He a good guy, just don' ever ask about his catapult. He'll never shut up."

Emily says, "Thank you Carlos, that would be greatly appreciated."

Stockmer says, "Then I think that is all we can accomplish at this moment. I'll have the Steward draw up a formal treaty for all of us to sign and then we'll see what comes of Elder Alani's investigations. This meeting is adjourned."

And so everyone shuffles out of Stockmer's study for now, and is released to their own devices until the feast, which is at sundown in just over 4 hours. The time is now 4:20 pm.

Hunter is off to grab a bath right away. He sends Noble off to the pens to go clean up. The pup's nose can guide him.

Ah, soap and suds. Ain't nothing like it. Hunter relaxes in the bath, but takes no longer than necessary. When he's done, he returns to the courtyard to find Noble again.

Kathryn tells Zoe she's going to take a bath and that she could use her help taking off her armor. She's welcome to join her too, of course. Although Kat is not as talkative as the last time they went to the bath together, visiting her family has done wonders for her mood and she almost looks serene when floating in the water.

They soon leave the baths and regroup with the rest of the party to complete one last task; to find Sophia and learn more about "Taibi".

After everyone has had a much needed bath and gotten an even more needed change of clothes, you guys meet up in the courtyard before making your way through the feast preparations. There are so many guests that tables and benches are being set up outside, along with a little area for some kind of musical performance. Meanwhile the elves are trying to stay out of the way and are relaxing, singing, and dancing in the southern part of the courtyard and that's where you find an enraptured Sophia, who is sitting in her mother Mia's lap while they both clap along to the music.

They are sitting on a wooden chair that Mia has brought out of their nearby house, which abuts the stables. In the stable Sophia's father Jack is brushing down Carrot, whistling along to the elven music.

Hunter decides to let Noble go play, and casts Thaumaturgy on himself to create a melody that compliments the music to signal the approach of himself and the party.

"Hey Mrs. Bluemane, we're back. How's it been at the Keep?"

While Hunter talks to Mia, Kathryn greets Sophia by waving hello to the little girl.

"Hello Mr. Thrul, and welcome back everyone," says Mia.

Sophia says, "Hello!" She waves with both of her hands at everyone, but especially Kat and Zoe.

Mia smiles, before continuing, "It's been busy as of late, what with the battle against the goblins. Our horses are in higher demand than ever before, running messages to the village elders. We've been doing our best to keep them strong and healthy. But what about yourselves? I'm glad to see all of you safe and sound. It sounds like it was a right dangerous fight from what little I've picked up from the elves."