The wagons roll onward beneath the firs as Eldred redirects the Woodmen around the exposed flank. Tuiwen returns carrying the captured scouts’ weapons, with the Lean Beasts pacing close beside her.
Eldred
The column keeps moving. Bring those weapons here, and tell the guards what you found before the next signal sounds.
Tuiwen lays the crude blades and ash-marked bows across the lead wagon. Behind her, the bound Orc scouts remain secured at the hollow, watched by Woodmen sentries.
Eldred
An observation hollow above our road, then. They were measuring the wagons, not merely wandering. That silence will be noticed.
A horn calls from the eastern ravines, low and questioning. Another answers farther south, then breaks off abruptly, leaving the forest listening around the creaking wagons.
Eldred
They know their scouts have vanished. Double the flank watch, keep the wagons together, and let no one pursue beyond the marked ground.
The Woodmen tighten their formation while the Lean Beasts scent the eastern wind. Ahead, the road remains open, but fresh movement stirs beyond the fir screen, awaiting Tuiwen’s next command.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine where the enemy will strike next
“Tuiwen believes the horn to the east belongs to another orc scouting party. She estimates that the elf columns to the east have also heard the horn and can deal with it. The horn to the south is a bigger problem. She stealthily scouts ahead with the help of her lean beasts.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Stealth, rolled -1)
Tuiwen slips ahead of the wagons, guiding the Lean Beasts through fern and shadow. Behind her, the eastern horn fades beneath answering movement from the elven columns.
She leaves the road without disturbing its wet leaves, while the beasts widen their path and carry her scent into the wind. No bowstring creaks, and no Orc voice follows.
Tuiwen
The southern horn is the greater danger.
Beyond a screen of firs, Tuiwen finds a narrow rise overlooking the southern approach. Fresh ash marks lie between roots, and several crouching shapes move below with disciplined purpose.
She studies the route, the numbers, and the gaps between the enemy’s positions. The southern scouts are not probing blindly; they are seeking the road’s weakest passage.
The Lean Beasts remain motionless beside her until she withdraws. Tuiwen returns unseen toward the wagons, carrying a clear account of the southern threat and its chosen approach.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the wagon column from the southern scouts
“"Keep moving. The orcs will try to intercept you, but I will intercept them first." With the help of the lean beasts, she selects a position overlooking the orcs' approach and waits in ambush.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Stealth, rolled +1)
Tuiwen
Keep moving. The Orcs will try to intercept you, but I will intercept them first.
Eldred
Then I will keep the wagons together and hold the road. Return before their horns can summon a larger force.
Eldred signals the Woodmen onward. Tuiwen turns toward the southern approach with the Lean Beasts, leaving the wagon road beneath the firs and entering the fern-dark slope.
The beasts lead her to a low rise overlooking the Orcs’ chosen passage. She settles among roots and stone, concealed from below, while the beasts lie still on either side.
From the hidden rise, Tuiwen sees the Orc Scouts advance toward the road’s weak point. Their route, spacing, and signals lie plainly before her, while the wagons continue beyond their notice.
Eldred
She has taken the ground before them. The road will keep moving, and the ambush will meet the enemy instead.
Tuiwen waits unseen above the approach, the Lean Beasts silent beside her. The Orcs are entering the position she chose, and the Woodmen’s column passes safely beyond their reach.
Quest Complete
Determine where the enemy will strike next
Skill Upgrade: Survival Great→Superb
Quest Complete
Protect the wagon column from the southern scouts