As Brunvoldt reached the valley, I had no idea whether the Giants would be there. So I'm asking the Oracle - 50/50, roll 80 = No. Were they attacked? 50/50, roll 28 = Yes. Well, I know who that was ...
Walking down the hillside into the valley, alarm and trepidation began to grow in Brunvoldt. He could see that the encampment was deserted - there was no sign of any life. Even from the distance that he still was, he could tell that violence had been done there - a lot of violence. Baskets were overturned and a couple of the yurts had fire damage, but from here he could see no bodies ... Well then, that made it obvious who the culprits were.
Reaching the settlement, Brunvoldt looked around, poking his head into the yurts, trying to learn what he could about what had happened. He was no expert tracker, but even he could make out the tracks that were everywhere.
Gather Information: +Wits; 5 +3 vs. 6 & 1 => strong hit => +2 momentum, now 10 (max)
The Hyena tracks confirmed the absence of bodies as the Varou being the attackers. Signs showed that some Giant survivors had headed north and that the Varou had pursued some time after that, but Brunvoldt couldn't tell how long had elapsed between the events.
Having learnt all that he felt he could, Brunvoldt went over to the packbison and penned a note for Firstmeet to read and then forward to Lady Sibila. Getting the rook from its cage, he attached the small tube containing his note to its leg and let the bird fly. Satisified that the bird was heading to its home at Firstmeet, Brunvoldt followed it.
Brunvoldt has learnt what happened to the Giants - they were driven off by the Varou - so this is
Reach a Milestone: dangerous vow "I will investigate the Giant tribe and report my findings", progress now 6/10
Brunvoldt is returning to Firstmeet the way he came - no shortcuts! - so that will be
Set a Course: +Supply; 6 +5 vs. 7 & 5 => strong hit => arrive, +1 momentum, now +10 (max)
Brunvoldt made his way safely back to Firstmeet. He avoided the tor where the beasts had attacked and was pleased to not encounter them anywhere else. It was after dark by the time that he reached the village and, being very tired, he went to bed in the temple as soon as the Wall-Wardens had admitted him.
In the morning, Brunvoldt went to speak with Torgia to give her more detail than he'd been able to put in his short note. That said, there wasn't really much he could add to the bare fact that the Varou had attacked the Giants and driven them away. Perhaps a more competent tracker could read more if Torgia decided to send one. Brunvoldt described the route he had taken to Torgia who made copious notes - she would almost certainly send someone it seemed...
As that was not his problem though, Brunvoldt repacked the few items he had unpacked the night before and, bidding farewell to Gunnhildr and Naila, set out for Templemount.
Brunvoldt returning to Templemount means that he will
Set a Course: +Supply; 4 +5 vs. 3 & 2 => strong hit => arrive, +1 momentum, now +10 (max)
Eventually after another uneventful journey and yet another night at Halfway, Brunvoldt arrived back at Templemount. At least the direct road to Woodstock had finally been built last year, so if he had to go there again, he wouldn't have to spend the night at Halfway.
Dismissing such musings, Brunvoldt concentrated on the business at hand. He returned the Bison and then reported to the Lady Sibila's secretary and made an appointment for the morning. That done, he dropped in on Mistress-of-Lore Gyda and handed over the tooth, claw, fur and sketch of the creature that he had encountered on the moor. As he had thought, Gyda was very pleased, even going so far as to consider the name he had given the the creature - Klatrer.
After he had eaten, Brunvoldt retired to his room to give Magnus a good brush. It might seem to others a strange thing to do with a Vagthund wardog like Magnus, who was fully capable of ripping out a man's throat, but Brunvoldt had long ago learnt that the ritual helped reinforce their bond and helped him to think. He had Temple-Houndmaster Gunnvor to thank for the insight.
Although he had played down what he had learnt about the Giants to both Torgia and Gunnhildr, Brunvoldt was very worried. For a Varou tribe to consider itself strong enough to attack Giants, let alone do it successfully, bode badly for the Templemount region. Especially now that they had driven off the Giants. It would not be long before they turned their attention onto the humans, after all the most important thing to Varou was their territory and they had always considered the Templemount region theirs ... It did not bode well at all. He suspected that he would be back to Firstmeet and its area in the very near future ...
But that was tomorrow's problem, or if he was lucky, the next day's and he could have a day relaxing in the Citadel-Temple. He brushed Magnus until the Vagthund got bored and decided it would be more fun to steal Brunvoldt's boots ...
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