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>>/4365/
>>/4366/
>>/4372/
>>/4376/
Speed=3 (+.25) [1d20=19], Time expected = 12.3 hours, total distance expected = 40 miles
Encounter rolls: [1d20=1,9,18,15,6,20,15,16,3,10,12,6]
[06:00]
The caravan begins just before 06:00 and the rattling clank of the steel wheels against the cobblestone streets becomes a grinding roar of steel wheels crushing gravel on the High Road.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Veml911bZG8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=40-22y1mBZY
The horses prance with excitement pulling the cart with ease coming down the grade from the Neverwinter cliffs to the lightly forested planes.
A half dozen refugees are standing just outside of view of the guards of the southwest gate begging as the carts pass.
Further down in a low spot off the road, a few dozen refugee tents are erected haphazardly.
As you pass an old woman begs to spare her grandchildren "please, take them with you, they'll starve here, here is where we die, take them where they can live."
Gundren slows the horses and looks down the women and dirty children from his perch. He grunts, pulls his coin purse from his belt and tosses it to them. "There's enough for you three to enter, get registered and eat, then if you care about them take them to the orphanage and work like you've never worked before. I'll check in on you when I return."
"I'll never forget you, kind sir," the old woman says and runs with the children toward the Southwest gate.
Several others rush up.
With a "heyah!" the horses pull the cart to action and the grind continues. The steady, unyielding and uncaring clop of the horses pull the cart forward.
Sildar says to Gundren, "I envy the horses, look at them, unfazed by their plight. The horses have it easy, they'll sleep well tonight, their ignorance shields them from thoughts of this tragedy."
As you pass you hear a guard reading a proclamation to those who are gathered, "all refugees who lack means to enter must not loiter and must disburse hereafter or be judged."
Ashley sees this and spits toward the guard, so this is why there's a rise in bandit activity.
...
Dispite what's happened, Ashley crawls in the back and is soon asleep, completely ignoring the noise, vibration and anything else. To the rest of you, sitting in the cart is as uncomfortable as sitting on a gravel quarry industrial rock tumbler.
Not even 2 miles from Neverwinter and the carts have spread out far enough that the next is visible only as a light dust tail.
[1d20=3,9]
On the raised gravel foundation of the High Road, some protection is offered by the height and especially when riding the carts. At first you all ride with Gundren, the high views offer some incentive to offset the rough ride.
A mountain lion, approaching with stealth, brazenly hops onto the back of the cart. [1d4=1] Catching Yulya off guard, it lunges for her neck.
[1d20+4=1+4] The cart hits a large stone just as it jumps and the puma misses terribly, tumbling on its back to the ground below and narrowly avoids being run over by the cart. Startled, it runs off East toward the forest.
Gundren looks over at Yulya, "well now that's something you don't see every day, I heard rumors of the animals acting strangely but that puma takes the cake. The animals are acting strangely indeed. Be vigilant." He wipes his brow, the event has shaken him more then his words would indicate.
[09:00]
Ashley awakens with a loud yawn and stretches, That's better, what did I miss
She hops down and walks alongside one of the horses, watching the muscles of their legs pull against the reigns.
[11:00]
Ashley's watching the road ahead walking a normal pace alongside the horses and kicking rocks occasionally with her black dyed boots. She notices a glint of something along the side of the road, she rushes over but finds only an old hilt of a sword ground into the gravel.
The rest of the ride was uneventful.
