4 On to Phandalin

Thank you, Lady Tatiana, that is most generous of you, Alex responds to the offer of the healing potion, which he will accept barring anyone else's objection.

The night is passing without incident, then just before second watch will be woken Tatiana hears what seems to be a great rush of wind through the trees. It seems to be just a gust from the south at first, but then another swirl sweeps through coming from the north west. A few more moments pass before, in the distance, a great roar is heard. The roar is followed by strange cracking noises. Then silence....

Tatiana looks to Decklan to see if the other can recognize the sound. She tries to estimate the distance and direction of the roar to gauge whether it indicates a potential threat, or an imminent one.

"...the hell was that?"

Tatiana's voice is soft, as if speaking any louder might attract the source of the noise. "Whatever it is, it sounds big. There were rumors of a dragon flying above these woods; perhaps there is some truth to them."

Tatiana can tell that whatever made the roar was far enough away that the camp is not in immediate danger. The beast flew close but whatever it caught was a distance away. From your studies you know it could be a dragon, there are also other possibilities, you can’t be sure.

Decklan you hear the roar and the crack and only then connect the rush of wind to the possibility of a flying creature.

The roar is far enough away as not to wake anyone who is asleep. It comes from the east, the direction you will be traveling in the morning.

"I think we're safe for now," whispers Tatiana over the crackle of the campfire. She closes her spellbook and tucks the tome into her vest, then moves to her tent. "I will retire for the evening. Please wake Alex and have him assist you."

Before she closes the tent flap, she pauses. "And... thank you, Decklan," Tatiana says, and retires for the remainder of the evening.

Decklan watches Tatiana slip into her tent. After she's gone, he looks to thy sky in the direction the roar had come from. "Whatever it is, I hope it stays good and far away from us."

With that, he moves over to wake Alex. Nudging the man in the side, Decklan growls, "Wake up. You've got watch."

The remainder of the night passes without incident. The day is cloudy but it’s not raining, yet. Is there anything you would like to do before breaking camp.

In the morning, Raven will ready the oxen. He feels more in touch with the beasts than ever before.

Tatiana quickly secures her possessions thanks to the assistance of her Unseen Servant. The greater efficiency allows her more time to ward herself and her pack with magical Alarms, and provide Ammos with the opportunity to see to Sildar and Gundren.

If Decklan did not mention the noise from last night to everyone, Tatiana reports the incident. "I cannot definitively say that it was the rumored dragon., nor if that creature noticed our campfire. It is best we remain alert on our journey and include the sky in our watch."

Rumored dragon? Trakomak is surprised about such rumors. You believe there is a dragon around Phandalin and still going there?
Trakomak realizes he have underestimated Tatiana. But he believes in no rumors and will tag along the party toward the Phandalin if you don't have any objections. Safer together.

"I don't place much in rumors," says Tatiana, "but last night's disturbance is still evidence that something large and predatory roams these woods. And yes, we push on for Phandalin. Our benefactor requires assistance that we cannot provide; hopefully such can be found there."

She then asks of Sildar, "Have you been to Phandalin? I imagine it must be a small town, so far from the main road. What might we expect?"

Alex listens attentively as he stows his meager belongings and prepares to move on.

As Raven was hitching the oxen, he listened to the discussion about dragons. The young man worried about the two friends who would make a good meal for a hungry dragon. Hopefully they would not encounter such a beast on the road.

"They are well rested, so hopefully we will make good time today." keeping to business discussion rather than adding to the worried talk of dragons.

"No point worrying about maybes. If we run into a dragon, we're fucked anyway. If everyone runs in different directions, maybe some of us get lucky and get away. But I'm not letting a maybe control me," Decklan says with a shrug, his usually harsh tone making it sound almost like a challenge.

He gets up on the bench seat of the cart and settles in, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was up all night. I'm going to relax for a bit."

Tatiana sees to Sildar and Gundren, assisting Ammos in whatever he needs to prepare the injured duo for the journey. She expects Ammos to ride with Decklan while she is ready to walk alongside.

Sildar shakes his head at Tatiana’s question of if he’s been to Phandalin himself. "I’ve never been, but an associate of mine is there. I’ve been tasked with helping him get the town on its feet."

"Phandalin is a town of hard working folk, they are good people. If a bit ruff around the edges sometimes." Gundren gets a hint of his old simle before it slips away.

---

Everyone packs up and the group heads out. The oxen pulling swiftly along the trail begin to get a little antsy after only twenty minutes of travel.

Raven you notice that the ox ears are searching as their nostrils flare and huff, their eyes are fixed on the curve of the road a head.