Prologue: The Barony of Harkenwold

Carlos - incredibly - has a pensive look about him - "Oh, he believed us. At least he believed enough ta make him doubt, s'why he lost it. I'd give'em some time, then come back when we got sumthin' ta show fer it."

"You think so? Hmm..." Kathryn ponders this new possibility while she drinks from her waterskin to wash down the taste of cake. "I certainly hope he doesn't break the truce. That's what I'm more concerned about; although, from what we learned about him, I don't think he would."

Fifteen minutes later you are back at the fort, where you find many of your allies have been waiting for you to return, with Sorsha, Illyana, and John curious what eating dinner with the goblins was like, while the elves are relieved you returned in one piece, but it's dark now and people are tired from recent events so everyone soon breaks up into smaller groups to find what rest they can.

It is into this environment that you find yourselves for the next few days while you wait for the exchange.

Hunter tries a bite of the pie with a fork from his mess kit, and holy crap, it really is good. He decides to join the rescued elves and offer them food, not telling them where he got it from, but they're wise to it regardless and turn up their noses at anything related to the goblins. Instead, he takes his food plate to John.

"Wow, this apple cake sure is good!"

"Yeah, Shorkan made it."

"Really?" He looks at it in confusion. A moment later he shrugs and stuffs more in his mouth.

The red ranger returns to where the rescued elves are staying, and finds Kathryn keeping them company, and a sleepy Noble receiving a belly rub from a young adolescent.

Kathryn & Hunter:

Over the next few days, Ser Kathryn meets with every soldier of the Alliance, practicing her elven with the Moondancers, learning ambush tactics and techniques from the Rangers, talking to Mozeric's men about the differences between their cultures, and teaching some of the militiamen how to fight in formation. She makes a point to learn everyone's names—or at least try to—and to get to know them a little. After all, she's the leader of the Alliance, even if it's only in a nominal capacity.

Of course, she also spends a lot of time with the elven refugees who are still recovering from their time with the Daggerburg goblins. She listens to them when they need an ear to confide in, but also talks to them and distracts them from their dark thoughts when appropriate. Everyone gets a free hug too, if they wish for it.

Although she isn't very much of a storyteller, when people gather around the campfire at night to share a few drinks, Kat tells everyone about her first adventure at Eyton's Grove and how she met Lady Eninahes of the White Well. She doesn't downplay her own heroism, as she feels it would be somewhat immodest to do so, but makes sure that everyone knows how her companions were crucial to determining the outcome of this mission.

Finally, she also talks about her quest to free Eninahes from her curse and urges everyone to tell her about the Legendary Thief, if they know anything.

Note: she practices her Performance skill by playing her flute as accompaniment to Sorsha.

OOC:

Carlos and his beard spend some time with the Iron Arrows, providing whatever company and cheer he's able. Then he spends some time with Zoe spending time with the Iron Arrows, because why not.

He keeps Gorduin company now and then, making sure the man isn't too daunted by his newfound goal to reconcile with his daughter.

He also writes to Cousin Walter letting him know of the latest with him, the Moondancers, the Irons Arrows and the Goblins.

Then he downs a pint of Dwarven Scotch and calls it a week.

Hunter has to come out of war mode for the first day, and reports to the Rangers for stuff to keep himself busy, but it's certainly not as bad as sitting and waiting for friends disguised as slaves in a camp full of monsters to pull off an ambush.

He joins on lookout to help give a stern staring at the goblin camp. He goes out ranging for nuts and berries, bagging deer if he can, and keeping an eye out for honeycomb as a nonessential. In fact, he tries to find some to give to the refugees as a novelty highlight in their time at the fort.

He practices his swordfighting technique with Gorduin, and tries to get in some more practice being sneaky if any of the Rangers, Hush included, would like to teach him. He decides to take Noble with him wherever he goes during the day, but whenever he is at the fort the pup has free reign, and Hunter encourages him to lay around with the refugees.

Every day he checks in with the refugees to ask if they have any requests for him when he goes ranging, and to ask if there's anything he can do, even if he's not sure what. He'll also tell them stories, and answer any questions they have about his family and about tieflings.

While he's out ranging with Noble, he probes for how Shandalar is doing (in general), and lets the pup ramble on with a nudge here and there.

He also pops the idea to Kathryn that the Thief (reborn) might be related to her by blood.

Finally, he gets a little writing in as an afterthought.

And so life continues over the next few days at the fort. The Rangers practice their skills constantly, drawing onlookers to their shooting contests and melee drills. Leo and Yorenan oversee this training with good humor, willing to answer questions when asked or allowing some of Mozeric's men to join them for their practice. Their dedication is inspiring, leading the Warlord and Terron to hold drills of their own, anything to keep their men and women from getting bored and if they get to show off for a bit for their allies all the better.

Hunting parties leave in the morning and come back in the afternoon, it's a constant battle to keep such a large force fed but thanks to the Moondancers and Iron Arrows (mostly from the other village), the supplies keep coming in.

As for those Iron Arrows still recovering, they are given a lot of attention and love, visited by many, entertained by Sorsha and Illy, and on their way back to health thanks to Mari, Zoe, and Hunter as well as an army of volunteers. It will be some time before the worst off will be able to eat solid food again and there's no way within the time limit that they will be able to walk out on their own. After meeting with the other leaders, Terron and Symania throw themselves into finding a solution, finally settling on building pull-sleds from wood and rope. They take up a collection from around the fort, setting their men to constructing them for the next 14 hours in shifts. They will be ready to go when it's time.

The party does its part, spending time with the refugees, getting to know the others gathered here at the fort, and, through your efforts, the bonds of the White Well Alliance are greatly strengthened.

Kat is everywhere, has a hand in everything, and is looked to more and more as not only a symbol, but as a true leader in her own right. She finds her opinion sought out more and more, to the point where she is always invited to any meeting requiring decisions from leadership. The one moment she takes for herself is practicing her flute playing with Sorsha, who is happy to help her work on her technique. Kat finds Sorsha to be a serious and disciplined teacher, at odds with the happy-go-lucky persona she usually projects but the bard is never mean, and Kat finds herself highly anticipating any praise her teacher might give her. It doesn't come often, but it always feels like she earned it.

Carlos spends his time volunteering to take care of the refugees but his attention goes beyond his shift as he's always quick with a joke and will often visit with the elves well beyond his own shift. His efforts earn him many friends and a kiss on the cheek from Zoe. He finds Gorduin very nervous about approaching Mari, finally talking the lug into trying on the second day. What follows is an awkward exchange between the father and daughter, ending in a equally awkward hug. But given no one was punched, Zoe, Carlos, and John and are all too happy to give him the double thumbs up as he's doing it. Alcohol is scarce in the fort, but Mozeric is able to scrounge up some Scotch from somewhere on the promise that they'd share the bottle. Mozeric tells Carlos about his wife and daughter back home and about his remaining son, a newly promoted officer in his forces here. He's quite proud of his family and a surprisingly doting father, all too happy to share embarrassing stories about his kids. The evening ends when Mozeric passes out, quietly crying for his two dead sons in his sleep.

Hunter spends much of his time hunting or practicing with the Rangers. Yorenan teases him a bit about his sloppy sneaking, leading Hush to agree to teach the Tiefling. Her techniques for teaching him to sneak are very different from his Uncle's, forcing him to dance while holding a sack of grain while she looks on with a switch. It's awkward, and whenever he makes any noise she wacks him with the switch just hard enough to sting without leaving a mark. Under her tutelage, he finds that his form has improved and that he has a much better understanding of his own center of gravity. Even his sword lessons with Gorduin are much easier, drawing praise from the old elf.

Hunter notices that Yorenan and Hush are spending more and more time together off hours, going for walks and the like. At one point he finds his uncle teaching her dragon chess, at another he finds Hush teaching Yorenan sign language. He finds it creeping more and more into their interactions, to the point where they can communicate simple ideas to each other without help from him or by having to write anything on a piece of paper. Hunter finds Drow Sign, for that is what it is, to be surprisingly complex, allowing one to communicate complex ideas in real time while making no noise. At the end of the training, he finds he's started picking that up too.

Shandalar spends her time training with the Rangers to an intense degree, throwing herself hard into the training. Clearly recent events have had a great effect on her, but instead of seeking out others, she's steadily become more withdrawn and angry. He'd like to approach her about it, but events conspire to keep him busy. Anything he does about it will have to wait until Harken.

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On the day of the hand-off, the goblins approach on warg mounts, escorting a group of about thirty Iron Arrow survivors, made up of men, women, and children. Ral's men keep them together but are never mean about it, Shorkan looks quietly on as Rall yells up to you, "Ser Elwin! We are here just as we agreed. Would you like to inspect them up close before taking custody of the remaining elves?"

"Greetings, Ral!" Kat exclaims from up the palisades. "We would like to inspect and talk to them, yes. I will come down with a retinue; is that acceptable?"

The General is in much better humor this morning than last time you guys saw him and he calls back, "You can indeed. Permission granted!"

Five minutes later, the doors to the fort open and Kat leads out her retinue made up of Carlos, Hunter, Zoe, John, Illy, Yorenan, Sarah, and Bill. Those with medical training move forward to inspect the slaves under the watchful eyes of the rest. It's a slow process, requiring some translation on the part of those who speak Elven, but ten minutes later the health of the former slaves is confirmed. For their part, the Iron Arrows are very nervous and restless, long past ready for this ordeal to be over.

Hunter thinks back to what his grandmother said. Why isn't Shandalar talking to anyone? If she weren't pissed at him, he'd do it, but He-Who-Knows save him if he has to be the one. He resolves to ask Symania what to do, if he can do anything. Hell, he's desperate enough to read the book he found in the woods.
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For his part, in the Elven language, Hunter reassures the elves that no one will hurt them now, and that they will soon be safe behind the walls of the fort.

He switches to Nerathi to speak to Ral and Shorkan. "This is all of the Iron Arrows that Nesme handed over, right?" he asks, bearing in mind that the elven tribes are not strictly made up of one race.

Insight 4
For lies & omissions in their replies.

"No other Iron Arrow was left behind, right?" Kat asks the elves in their language.

Shorkan answers, "This is everyone, by Reshar and the gods I swear it."

"By Bane, so do I," adds in Ral.

A few of the elves say that everyone that was with them is here but that they don't know anything about any others.

When they swear by their gods, Hunter gives them a nod. "Good enough for me."

"Looks like everything is in order," Kathryn says before turning to the rest of her retinue for confirmation. Once they've nodded back to her, she faces Ral again and says, "Then as leader of the White Well Alliance, I, Ser Elwin, relinquish control of this fortress back to the Daggerburg. It will take a few hours for our people to move out, but we should be gone by the end of the day. Until then, I'll ask that your forces wait at your camp; I'd rather avoid any other confrontation between our people."

Leaning on his hammer, Carlos adds - "An' we got the folk Velfrack din' get fer dinner, better they don' get a heart attack." - he cracks his neck for pause - "That ain't a joke, i din' think anyone could get so thin an' still draw breath - even the Fairfolk."

Ral says, "Whatever you decide to do with them I'm sure they are in fine hands now. But here, take this." He pulls a locket from his pouch and offers it to Kathryn. "Inside is a sending stone, one of a pair. It was Shorkan's suggestion, as a way to keep diplomatic lines open. This way we can contact each other easily, in case of an emergency or a misunderstanding. You should always be able to reach me, Shorkan, or one of my officers when you use it."

Kathryn takes the sending stone from Ral and examines it from all angles before putting it in one of her pockets. "It's a good idea," she says. "This way, we can resolve any misunderstanding if the truce is at risk of being broken by one of our people." After a moment of silence, she then adds, "If our business here is done, I'll go back inside the fortress and we'll start packing immediately. Good day to you, General Ral."

"Good day to you, Ser Elwin. Safe journey." He signals for his men to turn their mounts and starts riding through them in order to lead them away. Shorkan, however, rides closer to Kathryn and hands her a small scroll of parchment. She says, "A gift. Safe journeys Ser Elwin and good luck." She nods and rides to join Ral at the head of their unit and they ride away.

When Kathryn unrolls the parchment she finds Shorkan's recipe for apple cake with the word "Enjoy!" at the bottom.

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Everyone is ready to move out by eleven, all the leaders having voted to eat a late lunch when you are all safely in Harkenwold territory. There's a lot of stuff to move, especially with Mozeric refusing to leave any equipment for the new occupants of the fort. "You'll thank me later when we start training up your new recruits," he says determinedly.

The hours pass, and after a break for that late lunch out in the Wold, you are met by mounted scouts on the road east to Harken, there to escort you back to the main village. You finally arrive at 4:30 pm. The village is busier than usual, with a great many elven tents set up in the fields surrounding the village on all sides, with still other temporary shelters being built even now. Someone has had the wherewithal to set up larger chow tents to serve the food needs of the refugees and you guys find the Silver Nail and Meradith's place have been repurposed for medical needs for the duration of the crisis (likely at great expense Jojo notes aloud).

Under the direction of the scouts you leave the soldiers and refugees behind to make your way with the rest of the leadership to Stockmer Keep. It's a long walk up the hill after walking all day but you guys manage to make it without your feet being too sore. As you enter the courtyard, you are greeted by a familiar face leading a handful of castle servants.

Steward Lonetree:

The Steward says, "Welcome home everyone and greetings to the new faces! Lord Stockmer bids I welcome you in his place, as he is predisposed at the moment. For those that don't know, I am the Steward, Marsden Lonetree. While you are our guests, please come to me for any requests you might have. In the meantime, these servants will see you to your lodgings, so please go with them while I speak to Ser Elwin and her friends in private." He indicates for the party + Leo and Symania to follow him into the keep itself, quickly leading you out of the main hall and up the stairs towards his study.

When you guys are quite alone he offers all of you drinks before saying, "I know you were probably looking forward to a bath after your long journey, but Lord Stockmer wants you at hand so that you can speak as soon as his meeting is over. He's had daily meetings with the Lord Warden of Fallcrest and the High Master of Hammerfast since this all started." Lonetree sips his wine as he settles into his overstuffed chair.

Hunter scans the tents for a triage among them, but makes a mental note of the food tents too. Man, got so much stuff to do. He leaves his hyena behind with the elves in the courtyard when he joins the steward, and gratefully takes a mug of weak wine when drinks are offered.

Kathryn beams with happiness at Shorkan's gift and thinks of shouting "thank you!" to her, but decides against it when she looks at the refugees standing beside her—they've been through a lot and getting friendly with one of the hobgoblins might upset them. She'll find another way to thank the mercenary.

For now, she goes to help the Iron Arrow refugees walk inside the fortress and rejoin the others.
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Kathryn is visibly affected by the sight of so many refugees in Harken, but quickly puts on a brave front when the party gets closer to the village. Once they're inside Lonetree's office, she gladly serves herself a glass of wine, needing something to decompress after the last few days. What the steward tells the group about Lord Stockmer however immediately catches her attention. "The Lord Warden and the High Master are here?"

Lonetree shakes his head and says, "No, nothing like that Ser Elwin. They've been speaking through sorcery, with magic mirrors. It's expensive and exhausting for their court mages, but you can talk a great deal longer than through sending stones. It's taking a terrible toll on Lady Emily."

"Ain't gonna be a dull moment fer a while, that's fer sure." - Carlos remarks while sipping his wine.

"That's true. I hope Lady Emily gets some rest soon..." Kat wrinkles her brow in worry and looks down at her cup before she asks, "While we wait, is there anything we can do to help?"