Play@YSDC

Aethelwulf shrugs again. "I don't think we can find out anything else here," he says.

OOC,I'm sorry, I was away in London and hadn't had as much time as I'd thought I would. Insight roll (30% skill) about the priest: [dice]0[/dice]

You return to the inn where Burgholf awaits with a message from Olaf the Golden, he has sent word attesting to your trustworthiness to the lord, but he is not stopping or coming to the village, the river loops around and if you head roughly due East when your business is finished you will come to a series of rapids where he will have to arrange portage, you can catch him up there.

"Thank you," says Aethelwulf. "Once we show this to the lord, perhaps he will allow us to leave and catch up to Olaf."

Valbrand agrees, "We should see the lord as soon as possible. The sooner we get back to the ship the better."

Burgholf promises to send a message to the keep and arrange a meeting.

It is well after dark when there is a disturbance in the Inn. The beautiful Brun wakes you saying Ulfric (the head guard) has asked that you meet him outside the gates.

Brun adds I hear that something has happened to Dragan!

Garpur quickly rises at the commotion. "Dagan? There has been a change?" He hesitates to say what he suspects... that Dagan has died.

Aethelwulf quickly straps on his armor and gathers his things, having a feeling that there may be trouble.

"No" says Brun to your dissapearing backs "I think he has run off"

By the gate, you find a blearily-eyed Ulfric and the gate guard trying to calm down a number of farmers led by a man you recognise as Dragan's father. You are just in time to hear the end of his conversation. "...then I woke up and he was not in the house, the doorway was open and my wife's best butchering knife was gone there is no sign of him around the house, you must call out the guard and search for him before the forest takes him."

Seeing you Ulfric smiles somewhat and turns back to Dragan I cannot turn out the guard for you but I will aid you and I am sure these three men will help in exchange for a good word to the Lord

"I will help," says Aethelwulf, stepping forward.

Garpur leans on his short spear. "I also will go look for the boy. Can one of the guardsman spare me a shield?"

Valbrand nods, "I'll help too."

Ulfric looks somewhat surprised at Garpur's request for a shield. "The boy is lost or has wandered off in a fever we are not facing a Warband unless you know something I don't?"

OOC:   If Gapur wants a shield then Ulfric hands him one leant against the wall by the gate for the gate guard.

Ulfric splits those gathered into small groups, sending some men home to get their dogs ( a breed of mastiff) and then sends them off into the night each with a specific area or landmark to search near. He also sends a man to get Father Gregor this man also heads off into the dark rather than into the town. He sends the three of you back to start searching out from Dragan's home.

"Let us see if we can pick up his trail," says Aethelwulf, looking around for any signs of tracks.

OOC,Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill) outside [b]Dragan[/b]'s home: [dice]0[/dice]

Garpur shakes his head but takes the shield. "I don't know that there's any danger outside but it's dark and there have been raiders and other things happening. It's better to be safe."

He makes a semi circle around Dragan's home looking for signs of passage.

Tracking,Track 50 [dice]0[/dice]

Valbrand also looks for signs of tracks or more drag marks, but doesn't find anything.

In the dark you don't find any evidence of tracks however just as you are about to give up you here they baying of hounds as though they have picked up a scent.

Aethelwulf grunts and begins to head towards the noise of the dogs.

Valbrand moves to follow Aethelwulf. As he's leaving he asks Ulfric, "Do you have hunting hounds searching for the boy?"

Garpur follows the others in the direction of the hounds, keeping a wary eye out for any danger.

You travel some distance Ulfric seems to get more and more concerned as you approach your destination guided by the baying of the hounds.

"It plays out like some Saga I think the hounds may be in the old burial place where they buried there dead before we made them good Christians"

As he says this the baying of the hounds turns to a yelp of pain and then silence and Ulfric picks up speed running. towards what looks like a small wooded rise you can see a number of figures standing nervously at a gateway (simply two large upright stones on the pathway) and a couple of people bending over someone who looks as though they are having a fit