Immersive Ink

Faengol the Elf Medium and Leudigar the Tracker leave their heavy packs at camp in order to travel as swiftly as they may, and set off at dawn in search of the next high ridge or crest in the south-east.

They scamper up inclines, and down slopes, and run at pace across slanted faces of rocky ground. Thusly do they ascend several ridges in their search, with little intelligence to tell, so turn more to the east during the mid morning--Leudigar having suspected most of the previous day that their heading was too far in the south.

By midday they have crested a tall and barren ridge of broken rock that commands a broad view of the hills for miles around. Here they rest to sup and drink from the frugal supplies they have brought with them as they survey all the hills, and crests, and ruts that splay out from their position. The ridge they sit upon is part of a wide and ancient ring of natural stone, split and worn by a thousand years, which yet conceals a clutch small lakes amid a forested plateau that lies beyond it in the east.

Across that plateau, perhaps six miles off, Faengol and Leudigar spy a flat face of rock on a hillside that must surely be a built wall. Faengol even fancies he sees the outline of a gate; and a path winding through some of the hills to its north. This must surely be the mountain fastness!

"We're too far south," Leudigar confirms.

Our scouts spend the afternoon scampering back to camp as hastily as they may, arriving in the late afternoon to share their report...

Wilderness Exploration Turn 3

Directions were not specified so the ref assumes that Leudigar and Faengol set off to the south-east.

Faegol can cover up to 12 hilly miles each turn (being four 3-mile hexes). Leudigar's better movement rate is moot assuming our scouts want to stick together. As in dungeon exploration, a wilderness exploration turn comprises two moves. Thus four hexes per turn is two hexes in each of two moves. The referee plots a plausible route in 3-mile legs: south-east, then east, then north-west, then west (arriving back where they started).

The weather conditions have already been determined (below); clearing, so visibility will be good.

* The ref dices to determine whether the company's progress is detected by Hezmog's scouts: d6 → ?

* The main company is not on the move, so there is no possibility of becoming lost.

* The ref dices to determine whether an encounter occurs this day: d6 → ?

* The ref dices to determine what Leudigar the Tracker or Faengol the Elf Medium might spy: d6 → ?

A third day's supplies are consumed. Four days of supplies remain.

What then for the upcoming 4th turn?

Having wasted more than enough time searching for the damned place, Leudigar says,"Let's circle back to camp and let the others know we've found it." He is hopeful that the lakes and forest currently between them might be used for foraging and hunting to great success when the need for food comes.

If there is no opposition from Faengol, Leudigar immediately heads off in a direction that should take them to camp in the quickest fashion.

ehiker133 wrote:Leudigar shrugs,"Leave the rope here at camp. If you trust them to watch your back, then you can trust them to watch your rope."

Once Faengol is ready, Leudigar heads out in a southeasterly direction, looking for the highest ridges to use as viewpoints for locating the goblin fortress.

I did indicate the initial starting direction... I should have been more specific with a searching plan, though.