Game thread - It begins...

"All right!" says Swaneke. "This is where it really begins. We'll make sure that Emil knows he can count us to get the important stuff taken care of."

The farmers just kind of shrug as you all head off further south in search of the brigands that had set upon Phineas two days prior. The woodcutter watches you all leave with the silent, taciturn expression he'd had the whole time. His donkey brays.

The journey is quiet, almost pleasant as you walk along the road. The lingering smell of pine fuses with manure from the farm you just left, a reminder of how from the city proper you actually are.

"Any place is as good as any place else," says Arnd looking around. "I'm starting to be kind of tired though. I feel like we've been on our feet forever."

"Yeah, but we can't stop now, not yet," Swaneke shoots back. "He was robbed a couple of days ago, but we only have three days to find the bandits and get back if we're going to help the farmer. I say we keep going, further."

The path is clear, and the night is slightly overcast, concealing the moon's light for periods of time. While it's not necessarily late but you've been walking all day, and you're not sure how far you have to go for clues.

At Arden's command, Arnd nods his head and quietly heads of to begin searching the area. Swaneke, however, lingers a moment, a bitter glare in his eyes. He looks as if he were about to protest, but then says, "shove it" and walks away with Arnd.

The two head off in different directions, scouting the area as individuals. Arnd makes for the forest, whereas Swaneke heads for the bluff. With the moonblocked the clouds, there is very little to see by. The buzzing of insects helps to remind you that the night is passing, but before the fire is lit it is deathly still, and even quieter.

You managed to set yourself fairly far out, and while there will be farms within a day's walk, there is little else. The further south you go from here, the farther out into what the city folk call the "Lawless Plains". Out here, it's basically just a sea of prairie grass and wildflowers. Law and order exist only where there's a settlement capable of enforcing it. Before Emil, it was a rite of passage for young soldiers to patrol this expanse and keep brigands away from the capital's civilized fringes.

-crack- -rustle-

(silence)

-rustle-

(silence)

There's a sound in the darkness just after Phieans stops speaking, and then silence. Neither Arnd nor Swaneke are back yet from their patrols.

There's a tangible hush all around you as the trio slinks into the darkness seeking the source of the noise.

None of you have heard any additional sounds, and you're fairly certain the noise didn't come from the directions Arnd and Swaneke set off in.