Chapter Two: The Hippocampus on the Cracked Lintel

Yeah, I mean, honestly, I'm just gonna level you guys up at the end of each chapter.

Felor comforts himself by recalling that owlbears were said to be the blasphemous creation of the archmage Mergwyn, court wizard of King Artorias the Pretender, who conquered Tar-Eng generations ago with the help of the magic sword Exculpigor that he freed from the stone it had been sealed in, and that owlbears are generally not considered a part of Fjorgyn's plan for the Werld.

After a cursory search, Zangua accepts the loss of the crossbow bolt.

Ruling on the field is that a crossbow bolt in thick wet brown grass in pre-dawn light is not recoverable unless Zangua wants to make the party wait 20 minutes or more while he does a grid sweep...

Edited to add: ...but since Leth's arrows are still stuck in the owlbear's hide, he can retrieve them with no problem.

Ahead, the party comes across the half-eaten doe the owlbear was having for breakfast.

Any last business here before continuing to Five Stones?

Depending on how strict you are on rations and whether or not owlbear is edible, I would be OK with spending a reasonable amount of time getting some owlbear steaks. Mord's got 5 days of rations and 6 slices of waybread (does 1 slice = 1 days rations?) so I should be OK, and I assume everyone else has at least 5 days worth from their initial equipment loadout, but if not, it might be worth the delay.

ETA: Or venison, I guess.

Yeah, I haven't been strict about rations because you guys have mostly been traveling between taverns up to this point, but food sources could become an issue in the future. Maybe. idk

Mordred and Zangua carve up the dead fauna for meat before continuing on their journey.

The sun is high in the sky when the party reaches Five Stones, and they are exhausted. Cattle and sheep graze on the low hills around the settlement. The main house, the cottages, the barns, and the mill are all made of weathered, golden wood, and in the middle of it all stand the five tall menhirs that give the place its name. To the west, you can see the hills where the King's Cradle will be found.

You can either stop at Five Stones or keep going the last two miles to King's Cradle.

Critical success! Unfortunately Five Stones is a small, obscure place you only just learned about from Harmon Koal.

Felor remembers with crystal clarity that time a day ago when he learned about the existence of Five Stones, and adeptly surmises that it is a settlement of cattle and sheep ranchers.

You do kind of need a nap. You've been pushing your travel rate as hard as you can and if you got into another combat situation you might be penalized.

The main house at Five Stones is a two-story villa enclosing a small courtyard. The front door, painted dark orange, is slightly ajar.

Vad doesn't see anybody outside.

If you're just searching outside...

Neither of you see anything suspicious, save for the fact that there's apparently nobody out working or tending to the livestock.