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The party awakens the following morning, and after breakfast, a double-check of their gear, and a quick headcount, they meet up with Aleaha and enter the forest.

The forest is very thick with trees and there is no road or even a deer trail to follow. Maneuvering around the trees, shrubs, and bushes makes their progress very slow. Still, the place is a beautiful sight to behold. It is also rather noisy, as birds sings, squirrels chatter, and insects buzz.

Babushka, especially, can feel something special about this forest--and not just because it's the first she's seen in over three months. She can somehow feel the magic within the forest, as if this were a place sacred to the gods themselves. It just feels so...so...

"Boring!" Malika complains from high atop Lanae. She is once again wearing her normal outfit, which consists of little more than a bikini, boots and a cloak. She slaps at her neck. "And too many bugs!"

"I'll take bugs over the desert heat any day," Ulster retorts. "At least there's plenty of shade here."

"We mustn't waste time," Aleaha says. "We have a long journey ahead of us."
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It is now Summer Run 10th, Dream Dance at Fourth Watch (10:00 AM).

(OOC: Marching order? Remember to include the animals not being ridden in the order. Also, regardless, Aleaha will insist on being at the front)

"That perhaps I can deal with the bugs." Jerrard suggests next to Lanae who sits on the middle of the group.

Calling on a simple magic spell he creates an invisible shield around her, (I think that's within the realm of a cantrip) while he walks he casts armor on himself.

Suggest:

Aleaha
Babuskha/Haera and Jeremy with his Donkey
Locky on Ilvain
Imani / Artemis
Lanae / Malika, Jerrard
Ulster and Thuskar

Thoughts?

Locky swings her legs in a bored way, the bugs were interesting but after a while they got a little boring.

"It is boring isn't it!" She scratches in the armor, but still it was better than the desert.

Locky finds the magical chain mail to be quite comfortable, actually. It feels so light and well-balanced, that she almost could forget she's wearing it at all.

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Jerrard casts Armor on himself, improving his AC by 2 points.

(OOC: You forgot Dekker. And if Locky rides Ilvain, it will drop the party's movement rate to 3.

Incidentally, Locky now has the best AC in the group; AC 1, and that doesn't include whatever bonus the armor may have.)

(OOC: Locky will lead the two ponies then, while Babuskha has Dekker.

(Ok with the Cantrip?)

(OOC: The cantrip will work, yes, with a ten foot radius.)

To avoid any discipline problems between the male donkeys, Babushka will entrust Dekker to Ulster and Thuskar, they should be familiar with each other by now.
Otherwise, the marching oder is fine.

Jeremy sighs contentedly, "It is so good to get out of the town, I really enjoy the woods. It's so peaceful and generally quiet. The flying bug I can deal with, it's the ones that get into the fur," He taps his bearskin top, "That really get annoying."

Imani had changed her clothing that seemed to be more for the forest rather than the desert. As the result, she seemed rather comfortable despite the bugs. "I don't know. I find it kind of peaceful here," Imani says.

(I"m cool with the marching order, except Imani would rather like to be in the back of the group just in front of Thuskar and Ulster.)

(Agreed, swap the two, puts Jerrard in the middle anyway.)

"Is that better?" Jerrard asks, feeling the bugs disappear around him and the others nearby, he smiles smugly, the spell having worked better than he hoped. Glancing behind him he shakes his head at the warrior with the donkey.

Stepping up front he breaks file and walks near Aleaha, "How long do you think we will be at this pace?"

"This is really strange.." locky mumbles pulling both ponies, "The armor is so light, but..." Feeling the bugs vanish she looks a little downcast, "Oh.. They were something to look at. Malika?" She asks looking behind, "Could you tell us a story? I don't know many from your homeland.."

Aleaha sighs. "Much longer than I first anticipated," she admits. "I am not used to leading such a large group, especially one containing small ones. At this rate, it may well take over two weeks just to reach the next town, which is only 25 miles away. It will likely take almost four months to reach the other side of the forest."

"Kiri-Jolith's Sword!" Ulster swears.

"Hey, I did warn you guys that taking a boat to Silvanesti was the long way back," Thuskar points out. "That's why I suggested cutting through the mountains back in Khur."

"That's better," Malika says. She looks down at Locky and considers. "Give me a moment to think of one."

Babushka marches on, smiling when Jeremy voices his joy at being in the forest, she was feeling the same.

"It is not just us small ones who are slower than you, it's the donkeys and ponies as well" she tells Aleaha. As she leads Haera by the reins, she casually observes the forest around her. Are the plants mostly familiar or rather unknown? Are there signs of animals passing?

"Four Months?" Jerrard asks, "It is indeed a long way round, but perhaps the route will prove the best." The mage comments. "Thank you, have you any suggestions to help?"

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"Thanks!" locky grins, "I look forward to it."