With arcane help from Pavel, the party is able to gather virtually all of the things that the dead horses carried. The team works together to gather the horses and to place the salvaged wares into the cart that Boris has been hauling.
Aubric confirms that the hill giant was a zombie and was long dead. That is concerning. It meant that there are hill giants about. It also meant that there was something that could kill a hill giant and turn it into a zombie about. Those were two bad things.
Whisper flies upward through the rain to look about. What Jaliera can see through her eagle eyes is that there are puddles all about. The rain was creating quite a soaking. But she also sees lights in the distance, they are coming from a village she can see in the distance.
Zindra moves up to the cart where most of the others are gathered and within earshot of everyone, "I would like to get into dry clothes and dry these off. I don't know about the rest of you, but Noarnar's Hold is less than an hour walk from here. They'll have a warm fire there.
The cleric is disappointed at the lack of anything nearby other than a village -- likely their destination. He shares his thoughts. "Does it concern anyone else that the closest thing to an undead Giant is the very village we're traveling toward? Not saying we shouldn't keep going there, but let's keep our guard up as we get closer for any other clues. I don't particularly fancy being undead, myself."
"I have always found ... towns and villages more dangerous than not. But a comfortable bed and a great meal to be worth the down sides" he offered. "Other than that, I agree that we need to be aware of what other 'threats' are coming."
With hearing that Noanar's Hold is fairly close, he will quickly say, "I'll scout ahead too. Jaliera's got us covered from high, I'll go by scent."
Shape-changing into a wolf he will backtrack a bit to get a sniff of the undead giant. With the disgusting scent in mind he will then run about 100 yards ahead of the group, keeping uphill from the trail to catch scent of any hidden undead that might be lurking around.
She will ask someone to tie Meadow to the back of the cart so she can ride and continue to scout through Whisper's eyes. She will watch the village but also the wolf that is Davroar.
"I agree we should be extra cautious. If there is a powerful necromancer around, who knows if the village ot hold have been affected. They could all be zombies."
[OOC Bring on 'The Walking Dead' or 'The Last of Us' ]
"An hour's walk or so to the town? Yeah press on for a warm bed and hot food then. Easier to rest up and recover." he said as he made sure his horse was ready to press on.
He leads the beast as they continue on mostly in deference to the possibility of the road bed being slippery. To aid in their travel he walks with the wagon casting his Mold Earth cantrip whenever needed so the wagon doesn't get bogged down.
DM The party makes its way along the muddy path as the weather eases slightly. It's still raining but for the balance of the trek it's a steady, chilly, dreary soaking rather than the driving deluge that pelted them as they got stuck in the mud slide. The muddy trek takes an hour and a half before they reach the fringes of the small hamlet that sat on the edge of the woods.
Initially they passed several stone cottages and small farms and soon enough they approach the center of the hamlet. On their left they can see an old manor nestled among old pine trees on a hilltop overlooking the sleepy village. Even from this distance they can see that the building has three stories, corner turrets, and rooftop battlements. One of the turret rooftops has collapsed, leaving a gaping hole through which birds and other creatures can enter. All the windows are bricked up, and the heavy oaken doors on the ground floor are closed. There are lights seeping through from any of the shuttered windows.
It wasn't surprising that the stone road was devoid of people in this unwelcoming weather. The path to the keep winds through the hamlet and at the first turn up the hill the party sees the The village's hunting lodge, the White Hart Inn. It's windows, like all the others in town, were shuttered. But there was light seeping out through the cracks and edges of the windows and from under the front door.
Aubric was very alert to signs of life. Or un-life, as they approached the town. He did his best to observe the stone cottages and small farms that they passed, to try to identify any signs of life that could be observed from the path they were traveling. Given the lack of any living people on the road as they approached, he remained skeptical and cautious.
"I want a warm fire and bed as much as the rest of you," he remarks. "But until I see a living creature, I'd suggest we remain alert."
He rode on the wagon, just jostling along. The rain didn't bother him any more than most other types of weather. He was thankful to have survived the landslide intact.
At Aubric's comment his eyes widen slightly. He hadn't thought of a town of undead, but given the state of the hill giant, it was a possibility. In turn, he kept his attention more focused.
There are signs of life everywhere. Birds, rabbits, squirrels and field mice scurry about normally. If there are people, they are not standing outside in the rain. When looking at the inn, shadows in light that seeps through the shuttered windows and under the door indicate that there is movement inside the inn.
Still in his wolf form, he will saunter along the path and then into the small village. Keeping to the sides he will work his way up to the front of the inn, letting his nose do its thing. Hopefully he can figure what might be on the menu tonight.
Aubric's tension eases slightly as he observes the signs of normal wildlife activity around them. The scurrying of small animals and the presence of birds offer some reassurance, but he remains cautious. As they approach the White Hart Inn, he notes the movement of shadows behind the shuttered windows, pondering whether the shutters are intended to keep things out... or in.
"The presence of wildlife is encouraging," he says in a low voice to his companions. "And there seems to be activity inside the inn. Still, we should remain vigilant."
As Jaliera moves to investigate closer, Aubric nods in agreement with her plan. He then turns to the rest of the party, particularly those who were injured in the earlier encounter with the giant. "If the inn is safe, we might want to take some time to rest and tend to our wounds," he suggests, adding, "As long as some of us keep a sharp eye out."
"I have a sense for such things." says the triton from horseback.
He steers his steed closer to the inn, fully intending to make use of its services, but first reaching out with his faith. For Arus it is like a horn sounding in the deep, reverberating off of the fair and the foul, each returning wave forming an idea in his mind.
On this occasion his divine sense might give the party greater assurance than Jaliera's scouting can.
[Divine Sense please. Detects fiends, undead and politicians within 60-feet.]
As they approach the inn with caution, Arus reaches out with his heart and soul to sense for malefic presence. The little cilia in his ears do not tickle him like they do when such malevolence is about.
Jaliera moves towards the closed windows and from where she is she hears the muffled sounds of people talking. Her eye sneaks a peek and she can see a dozen or so folks inside. They are eating and drinking.
Last edited by Neptune; Fri 14/03/202515:19 UTC. Reason: Added another visual aid
"Naught fiendish or undead in there." he says to his companions, nodding to the inn. "Alas, my divine senses can't rule out horrific food or stale beer."
The shuttered windows initially seemed a threat, but as the party investigates and seems to find the inn safe, he comes to realize that perhaps being outside is the more dangerous place to be, and the inn may actually be a good place to settle in and heal.
And of course drink. And the beverages Aubric favors are unlikely to be stale.
He follows the rest of the party inside, once again looking around to see if any urgent healing is needed.
She sends Whisper onto the roof to settle down on overwatch duty. Then moves to follow the other inside, visions of hot tasty food, warm baths, soft beds, occupying her thoughts.
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