[RP] SAS Mission ~ Operation Daffy Mouse

Cara was at home, which was strange as she spent more time away from home than she ever did at home and she was beginning to feel like a guest within the walls of her own house. Her travel pack sat against the wall by the door and Cara was standing in the middle of the room looking at the wilted flower plant that sat on her table. The poor plant had never stood a chance; she picked it up and walked outside. After planting the dying plant in the ground she moved to her shed and started gathering the supplies she would need for her trip.

This latest trip would be a little different…not the slow ambling travel she was used too. A very special SAS mission ‘Operation Daffy Mouse’ she thought with a smile. Her lieutenant Celdonea had just written to say that they would be moving out today to spend a lonely cold night somewhere between Bridgewater and Bristol. Not that Cara minded sleeping under the stars; she found the night sky fascinating and knew a lot of the constellations and stars by name.

Soon her travel pack and saddle bags were filled with corn and dried meats, a pot to put over the stove and a few autumn apples she had collected at Bridgewater and some tea leaves along with a few cups. Lastly she stuffed a bone in the bag for Outlaw. Catching her horse Sugar, she brushed and saddled her before tying on her bed roll and saddle bags. Thankfully with all the travel she did she knew how to pack light but well and Sugar would cope well with the weight of the supplies and her.

Checking the house was shut and paying the local lad to take care of her corn patch she headed down the road only stopping to check on Cue’s house ‘she missed him already and wondered how long it would be until she saw him again’. Seeing all in order she headed to the spot where she would meet up with Cel and Joe.

Before reaching the area she stopped and straightened her uniform and double checked that her hair was firmly tucked away under her hat. She patted Outlaw’s head and checked that the SAS cloth around his neck was straight. Soon she could see Cel in the distance and she waved… then quickly pulled her arm down wondering if that was how soldiers were suppose to behave. As they got closer Cara saluted “Report for duty, Lieutenant”

As Joesephus gathers his weapons and supplies together, he thinks upon this trip with excitement, instead of the nervous fear of his first patrol. Though the circumstances may be different this time, the journey remains the same.

He quickly steps out of his humble abode, shifts his pack on his shoulders, then picks up his staff, his shield and quicksteps to where Lt. Cel and the others are to meet.

Putting the past behind him, he whistles a tune, and sets off.

Celdonea met the other 3 soldiers down by the port. One a fresh recruit, the other two slightly more seasoned. She was excited about this trip, it had been a long while since she had traveled so far north, and she was anxious to have Chandrea back in Somerset. The dear girl had grit, was hard working,and always cheerful. She was great for enthusiasm in the Bristol squad.

Once they all had gathered they began the journey. The night was cool, but clear. They walked on many miles. When they got to Bridgewater, Celdonea assessed the soldiers in her mind and saw that they had the stamina to go further. Along the way she saw a lone figure.

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Yesterday, on the road you met Ladyathena.

It was a young woman and they chatted briefly. She was from Wiltshire and knew Graciebells, a name familiar to Cel. She looked cold, so Cel handed her a small shawl that was tucked in one of sacks.

They moved on until Celdonea could see the fatigue setting into them. She saw a clearing up ahead with a few large boulders along the edge of a forest. They would camp alongside the boulders. As she laid on her mat, with her hands behind her head staring up at the sky she pointed and asked Cara, What is that group of stars over there, in the Northeast sky??

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Yesterday, on the road you met Ladyathena.

Cara waved and said hello to the Lady Athena and waited while the lieutenant greeted the lady. The trip took them past the walls of Bridgewater and further toward Bristol, before they stop and made camp. Cara was scratching Outlaw’s ears when Cel asked her about the stars…her eyes drifted in the direction Cel mentioned “The white bull…Taurus” She lifted a hand and drew imaginary lines that connected the stars.



“All horns and little body…some say he is attacking the hunter ‘Orion’ and others claim the horns are a symbol of fertility and bountiful riches”

The night continued and soon they slept, not a very comfortable sleep as it seemed she had chosen the spot with all the stones that wanted to dig into her back…. The small group was woken by the lieutenant and after a quick breakfast they headed onwards.

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Today, on the road you met Ilaniol.
Today, on the road you met A group composed of Robinoflocksley and of Prototypeben.

She smiled and waved, calling "Hello Robin, Hello Ben." as the groups past each other. A little further onwards and they past a man who's name she did not know "Hello" a brief stop and chatter exchanged and she learnt the man's name was Ilaniol.

The stars were beautiful that night, and she liked learning about the different constellations. Cara was very knowledgeable about them. Cel wondered where she had learned this skill.

It was excitement about the trip that got Celdonea up very early the next day. They cleaned up the temporary camp, using a large fallen pine bough to sweep. They left no evidence that a squad had even been there. She pointed out to the two soldiers the techniques necessary to accomplish this.

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Today, on the road you met Ilaniol.

Once they were back on the road she Ilaniol staggering towards them. He looked exhausted and she wondered about him. She simply nodded as she was still annoyed at him for leaving the town of Bridgewater leader-less after making them so many promises.

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Today, on the road you met A group composed of Robinoflocksley and of Prototypeben.

They had also seen Ben and Robin. That had been a happy meeting. They told of their journey and Ben was excited about his upcoming wedding. She wished him the best with Cindy and they moved on.

Arriving in GC, Cel had first gone to the market. She consigned a pair of hose to an old woman selling wares from a broken down cart. She hoped to sell them fast, and the old woman had promised her a share of the profits.

Then Cel went to The Fisherman's Wharf. Here she greeted Felinaa warmly, planting a hundred kisses on her French friend's cheeks.

After that she went upstairs to find a room and take a rest. She asked Cara if she could please take Outlaw with her, as it was always cozy to have a dog to warm the feet.

Gloucester came into view and Cara looked toward the lake, if only they had time to do some fishing but the fish would have to wait. After settling Sugar into the stable she entered the Fisherman’s wharf, her eyes slowly brushing over all the guests but not finding the one she sought.

As Cel asked if she could borrow Outlaw for toe warming duty, she giggled “He is so big Cel he tends to warm the whole body, there is no chance of freezing with him around…He looks like he could do with a rest and I am sure he will go with you” She turned to Outlaw and rubbed him behind the ears “go with Cel boy and get some rest” she giggled at the funny look on the pups face “not to worry I promise to stay within sniffing distance or you have my permission to howl the tavern down” She patted him on the head before turning to Cel “He is all yours, he sometimes snores but it is not very loud…I am going to see if Cue is in his room”

Cue was not to be found perhaps he had gone fishing or found some work for the day, Cara instead spent a lovely evening in the tavern talking with her friends Rambar, Sogon and Felinaa. There were plenty of hugs given out and more than one group hug but finally Cara called it a night and headed up to her room.

Thanks Cara!

Come on , boy, here ya go now. Outlaw followed Cel upstairs to a room. Cel laid down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. Outlaw gladly jumped up. She petted him quite awhile letting her thoughts drift to another time. She fell asleep and while sleeping she began dreaming. The dream took her away, literally, she was flying and there were other people flying in the air, and they waved to each other and smiled and the sun was so warm. She had never been more peaceful in her life.

She woke with the glow of the dream still on her face and began to get ready for the new day. She went downstairs and met the others for a hot tea and some biscuits.

As they walked along, Cel told Cara and Joe about mailing the Count of Worcester. She explained to them about a law in Worcester that groups of 4 and up need to retain a pass from the County. Worcester is the only county in all of England that requires this, but Celdonea always thought it a courtesy to let counts and countesses know when she was traveling. It was her practice to mail them a day or two in advance of setting foot in their land. The Count Dranoel had written back to her and gave the group his good wishes for their travels.

This day the road was lacking travelers. They saw nobody.

After breakfast they had headed out again and along the way the lieutenant explained the rules of travel, how it was polite to let the Counts know that you were traveling through their county and the different laws that Worcester had. Cara decided she had best listen and remember these unique laws and the good advice. They entered the county of Worcester and Cara was a little disappointed to have seen no one on the road today, but soon she was too busy looking around...They crossed the bridge over the Avon River and they passed some interesting buildings on their way to 'The Evesham Town Hall Tavern'.

The Evesham Abbey Bell Tower

The Evesham Almonry House

Cara had been disappointed to not meet anyone in the tavern at Evesham, she did have company...Prince John who was snoring nosily when she arrived and was still snoring when she retired to her room.

In the morning they headed forward and after another day of seeing no one on the road they made camp and lay under the stars again. The night was cold and Cara was firmly tucked around Outlaw's warm body...the wind attempted to tug her blanket away but she soon worked out that if she tucked it under her body it would not fly away...at lest it was clear enough to see the stars.



Since Cel and Joe seemed rather quiet so she began randomly taking about the stars. "Do you see the stars shaped like a pot? That is the Plough...Father sometimes called it the Big Dipper and I have heard it called the Bear. If you can recognize and find those stars you should never get lost. It points to the north star." She drew her imaginary lines in the air showing the direction of the north star "finding the Plough can be confusing as it tips upside down and fades slightly at this time of year...but it always points to the North Star. The North Star sits in the tail of the Little Bear or Little Dipper. Do you see the stars that make up the shape of a smaller pot?" She paused as Outlaw pushed his big head into her hands demanding a scratch.

ooc: sorry I could not find one that had the lines of the Little dipper, but if you start at the North Star you should see it.

Celdonea looked up in the night sky and for the longest time couldn't make out a thing among the many twinkling stars. She thought it may be a trick that Cara was playing on her. She nudged against Joe to give her a little more space as they were packed in tight to stay warm.

• I see it!! I see it!!

She felt so rewarded to finally make out the two dippers that Cara was showing them.

After being nudged from a semi sleep state by Cel, Joe looks up and suddenly sees what the excitement is all about. "WOW, I never knew that. I can see them too! I was paying attention!" laughing at his own comments.

Cara smiled at the delight in their voices, her memory was a still a little cracked in places but she recalled the wonder and amazement she had felt as a child learning the stars. Her gaze fluttered over the star filled night…it was like reading a book where the words were not letters but shapes and patterns, they made sense to her…but still so much to learn. She smiled as a shooting star flashed across the sky before vanishing from view.

After breaking camp in the morning they headed forward toward Stafford County and the Capital City. As they neared the city they were stopped by the town militia, they exchanged names and the reasons for them being on the road; to Cara they seemed a little on edge as though they were expecting trouble. Maybe they were as there were a large number of people in the town militia group.

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Today, on the road you met the defenders of Stafford.

They continued their journey without any trouble and entered the city; Cara waved Cel and Joe onwards as she wanted to check out the market place. She wandered around hearing the mutters and whispers of the locals about trouble further north; finally deciding she would not find what she was looking for here she asked for directions to the nearest tavern. She found herself sidetracked by the local church St Chad’s, stepping inside she sat quietly in one of the pews….Outlaw sprawled at her feet.



Cara woke Outlaw and they made their way from the church to The Prancing Knot Tavern she frowned, slightly amused thinking the name an unusual one. She spent an enjoyable evening getting to know a few of the local citizens and other travellers to Stafford.

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Yesterday, on the road you met the defenders of Stafford.

Celdonea saw the Stafford militia ahead in the road. She found their presence very comforting. She found the leader and exchanged some information with them, she would share the pertinent parts with Joe and Cara later in the day. For now, they clapped each other on the backs, shook hands and bid them goodbye. The threesome made it to Stafford in no time at all and Celdonea watched as Cara and Outlaw headed to the marketplace. Cel was a little jealous, wishing that she could go with them but right now she had some other business to do in-town. She quickly sought out some council and the high command of the Stafford army. They told her about the excitement and terror further North. She gave them her word that she and her comrades would help in any way they could.

After the meetings of the afternoon, she quickly made her way to the Dancing Knot or Prancing Scot or whatever that tavern with the funny name was. She met a local soldier, Funn and a couple other locals whose names also escaped her now. She felt restless and beat, all at once.

Cel sought out Joe and Cara and told them to rest up tonight. They would need all the strength they could muster in the days ahead. This escort mission may turn out to be more than they all had bargained for.

She went upstairs now, and saw about getting a room to rest in.

In the morning they headed back out on the road to travel further north, the sky was grey this morning and soft spatters of rain began to fall. Cara pulled her hat firmly down and gave Sugar’s neck a reassuring pat though the mare did not seem to mind the rain, as she had a frisky step this morning. Outlaw ran his tail swinging happily it seemed to Cara that the weather was having no effect on the pup’s mood. They past a number of travellers on the road, the first group they past looked travel worn and weary. Further down the road, they past two more travellers who stopped and introduced them selves as Eve and Nelia. They told them the news that there had been an army in Beeston city, Cara looked toward the north wondering what they were going to ride into. They waved goodbye to the travellers and continued on their way.

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Today, on the road you met Scoopy, Scandalous, and Vevina.
Today, on the road you met Eve23 and Nelia.

As they entered the County of Chester they began to see signs of a large group having been here. Trees chopped down for firewood, areas of flattered earth where they had camped before they had entered the city. After getting clearance to enter Beeston from the town militia they made their way to the local tavern. The militia informed them that the army was no longer within the cities walls. A number of citizens gave them curious looks as they past and a lad pushed a parchment into her hand. Cara frowned slightly confused as she read the words…

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09-11-2009 : Revolt in Beeston! Maladicta has taken the power.
LONDON (AAP) - There has been a revolt in Beeston! Maladicta has taken the power

…”Wait lad…Was this revolt on request of the County Council?” “I Miss” The lad darted off leaving further questions unanswered. They rode on and found their way to The Hooters Tavern where she soon found out from some of the local citizens that the revolt was indeed approved by the County Council and the former mayor was needed to create an army. She sighed as she listened to argument after argument and nasty allegations against certain citizens of Beeston. She did not know any of these people so she found it hard to comment but a lot of their actions were confusing…Cara retired to her room hoping that later she would have a change to talk to Cel and gain her opinion on some of the actions taken by the citizens of Beeston.

On the road to Beeston they met quite a few strangers. Cel did not recognize any of them.

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Yesterday, on the road you met Scoopy, Scandalous, and Vevina.
Yesterday, on the road you met Eve23 and Nelia.

A few of them muttered about strife in Chester County, which coincided with reports that Cel had been receiving. Once in Beeston, they made their way to "Hooters" and spoke with the locals. Yes, there had been a revolt days before in Beeston, but that had been sanctioned by the council. The real dangers lay in the capitol city of Chester. Cel talked at length with Lucy Lawless and found out that a rogue army led by Roguelaw himself had entered the city walls of Chester without any resistance from the mayor Aravis or defenders. Seemingly , they had been welcomed in. But, the County Council did NOT approve of this measure and were quite vocal about it. Many on council disagreed about what to do. There was fighting in the streets, yelling and cursing at each other and seemingly no order or organization. Cel was confused about what her purpose really was in this county. There was no leadership or organization to follow.

Celdonea sent off letters to some of the officials in Chester and also one to Roguelaw. He had posted a missive on the town hall board telling anyone who wanted information about what his plans were, to send him a mail. So , she did a bold move, and mailed him. After waiting around half the day, Cel finally got a mail delivered to her. Much to her surprise , it was not instructions from the Chester forces or from the Black Duke, the only person to reply to her was ROGUELAW!!!! In his letter to her, he told of trying to come to agreements with the elected council , which didn't make sense to her, as he had been the one to start the aggression in the first place! She was shocked, more at council than Rouguelaw, that his army could waltz into the capitol city unauthorized, then start making demands. Her hope was that instead of engaging in mindless banter with this army, the Duke would take some serious actions. But this was not to be. The whole thing was a mess, and not one that she needed to get involved in.

She found Cara and Joe and decided it was best if they continued on with the original intent of this mission. To go and bring back their lost mouse, Chandrea. She also had communications with the Captain, basically saying the same thing.

If and when the Chester ELECTED council could come up with a definitive plan of action and communicate that with her or her captain. she would gladly help them. For now, the situation seemed hopeless.

They took off out of Chester as soon as they had provisions, and entered into Lancaster County in the night.

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Today, on the road you met Milka.

They passed a lone figure of a woman in a purple dress. She quietly passed them by with just a nod to acknowledge them.

Leaving the arguments and complaints behind them they left Chester and headed into County Palatine of Lancaster. They saw only the lady in a purple dress.

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The day before yesterday, on the road you met Milka.

They entered Lancaster county, the boredom was broken only when they were past by other travellers. The first person they past was Roderyk who seemed very pale, Cara stopped him briefly to ask if he was alright but he just waved her away with a “Fine, fine”. Cara was unaware that she would later learn that the man had caught a chill and died (Roderyk is DEAD), if she had realised just how sick he was she would have done more.

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Yesterday, on the road you met Roderyk and A group composed of Lavea and of Mjohan28.

Later in the day they past Lavea and Mjohan, they lady Lavea from Manchester was very chatty and told her life story with enthusiasm. Mjohan who was also from Manchester seemed a little more reserved than his lady friend.

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Yesterday, on the road you met Nyare and Zavier.

Next they meet Nyare and Zavier, Zavier the lord of enchantment spoke with an amusing accent that Cara found fascinating to listen too but sometimes difficult to understand. He came from Scotland, County of Ayr, Muirkirk and was escorting the Lady Nyare who was dressed in rags and travelling from her home town of Appleby.

Lancaster was busy, people coming and going in the taverns with lots of chatter and friendly waves. It seemed to Cara that they had only just arrived before they were heading back out on the road again. They travelled quickly as they were eager to find Chandrea. Outlaw was the first to spot the lone traveller, Gotham. The man was wearing bright blue boots and seemed unlikely to give them any real information about him self.

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Today, on the road you met Gotham.

Finally they entered Kendal which stands on the river Kent, the town was surrounded by low lying hills. Entering the market place Cara froze in shock for a moment as she had not expected to find her this easily. Slipping down from Sugar’s back she squealed “CHAND” before running and tackle hugging her friend in true Somerset style much to the dismay of the locals who cleared their throats and muttered "Nooo you cannot take her away...you will have to fight me for her”

Ooc: Since entering Lancaster County I have had two separate tavern conversations and one email saying something along the lines of ‘Nooooo you can’t take her and you will have to fight me for her. I am being to feel mean taking you away from them.

She was going about her regular day - a brief stint in the dark mine followed by a much longer stint in the tavern with several mugs of ale...to combat the dirt and dust from the mine of course - when she heard her name cried out. Turning quickly, she looked for the source of the voice. It wasn't long in coming; Chand was suddenly tackled with a flying hug. "Bones? You're here!" Grabbing her friend, Chandrea squeezed her tightly, before noticing that several of her new friends were muttering angrily. "Um...Hi everyone. This is my friend, Bones."

Several days passed while Chandrea prepared to leave Kendal, and her new friends. It was harder than she though it was going to be, but she knew that coming back to Bristol was the right thing to do...the thing she wanted to do. Soon enough, they were ready to head out. After sharing a last mug of ale - okay, several mugs - with her friends, they were ready to head out on the road again.

It had been along time since she had been on the road - not counting her trip up to Kendal which was more like being dragged along than actually traveling. The last time she was patroling with the SAS and was still walking. Fortunately this time she had Staf to ride. And the girl was doing better at riding. She no longer looked like a sack of flour in the saddle. She had a long way to go before she would be considered a good rider, but she was getting there.

It was good to ride with her friends again. Staf seemed to be in a better mood too, and was behaving himself far better than he normally did. Not that the good behavior could be counted on for the future.

As she tightened the girth on Sugar’s saddle her thoughts drifted to the relaxing days spent in Kendal. She had found Chandrea, which was a relief and her friend appeared to be on the mend despite all that had happened to her, this Cara had learnt was mainly due to the healing hands of Kitsada.

Lazy nights and days spent in the taverns had introduced her to many a new face that she could now call friend. Kit she knew and she was always fun and they had a long chat to catch up, she had meet Phylan35 who liked to whisper to everyone in tavern. Da-chris, Jah bless the chief marshal…she giggled as she had given him quiet the start when she had given a slightly different answer to a certain question. At lest it proved he was listening…his concern for his town was refreshing given that so many up north appeared to have given up. Schlobben and Jack, who drank and spent the night with talk of armies and war. Imshi the mayor of Kendal, she was delightful and Cara had enjoyed getting to know her, Imshi had given Cara a special bottle of black berry wine as an early wedding gift. Cara could not wait to share it with Cue, thoughts of the wine drew her back and she double checked that the bottle was well wrapped.

The movement of mounting her horse caused a little bit of discomfort to the back of her neck, Cara resisted the urge to rub the site. Imshi had been clear…Keep it covered for four days, change the bandage daily and no scratching. A soft smile played over her features as she wondered what Cue would make of it on their wedding night. Her thoughts drifted over many things as they traveled...the travel north, her time in Kendal, the days to come, but eventually they settled on the one thing she was longing to get closer to…Cuenedda. It was hard not having any word from him but hopefully she would be home soon, though she knew this was no longer just a simple escort mission. They had seen only one other person on the road as they rode.

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Today, on the road you met Vergamax.

Celdonea had been pleasantly surprised at the friendliness of Kendal. The people were outgoing and very hospitable. She read a lot of notices in the county of Lancaster, and could see that they were a sensible, caring lot.

She spent some time getting to know the people of Kendal in the taverns. Phylan of course being the most memorable. She told tales long into the night and was amazing story teller to listen to. She is also the one to set up a hot tub of water for Cel to soothe her aching muscles in. Even Joe couldn't resist the heat and sensuality of it. He climbed right in, before Cel was even out! Another frequent guest of the tavern, Pyrokar fainted!

Cel also had fun with Imshi, Arazyal, and Esh. The names themselves being musical and delightfuly foreign to Cel's ears.

They worked long hard days in the mines, and spent great relaxing times in the taverns.
When they at last prepared to head out, Cel knew that it would not be the last time she set foot in Kendal . She looked forward to the day when she could return.

She packed up Shooting Star's saddle bags wtih extra bread, and rubbed his long sinewy neck. She cooed soft sounds into Star's ear and laughed when they twitched. He was ready to go. She greeted the others at the appointed meeting place, and with determination in their eyes, they started down another dusty road.....

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Today, on the road you met Vergamax.

They camped on the road, all four of them and Outlaw snuggled together to keep out the chill of the autumn night. Cara wiggled uncomfortably but finally drifted off to sleep to the soft snores of Outlaw. In the morning after a cold breakfast they headed out again following unknown roads…The closer they got to Chester the more it felt like a blanket of dread lay across the land, just her imagination of course but with not much to do but ride her thoughts were trying to amuse her. They rounded a corner and the sound of hooves and many tamping feet filled the air…soon a group appeared over the crest of the hill. The faces of those in the army appeared bright but the air seemed to snap with their restrained tension. This division was lead by Elmix, Cara waited for Cel to talk to the commander then they were on their way again.

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Yesterday, on the road you met the army "KoP - 4th Division" lead by Elmix.

Another night on the road and another days travel, this time they stopped by a natural port and Cara spent some time attempting to catch a fish…given she had left her thread and hook at home her luck was at an all time zero. Having given up on the idea of having fish for dinner she headed back toward their camp. Cara smiled as she realized they were sharing their camp spot with Scottwojo but while he appeared friendly and greeted them warmly, he seemed to prefer his own company.

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Groups here
Armed Retinue of Celdonea, Foreverbones, Joesephus, Chandrea - Free admission - Belong Group of Scottwojo - Free admission - Belong

They cleared the camp site and headed back out onto the road...for some odd reason the road looked familiar, Cara looked at Chand and Joe and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Sure enough they were heading north again...she supposed that Cel had her reasons and would explain them later. The road was busy...almost to many travellers to keep track of, once again they saw the army lead by Elmix the faces of the solidiers still seemly bright. The other faces seemed to pass by in a blur and Cara was thrilled that this time they did not avoid the town of Preston but rode into the busy market place.

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Today, on the road you met the army "KoP - 4th Division" lead by Elmix, A group composed of FronzfromLordparkin and of Ormuzd, Adellia, and Rumd.
Today, on the road you met the defenders of Liverpool and Flister.

The trip had was only a few days old, and already Chandrea was tired. Riding so much was hard on her body, still sore from the events of the trip up north. She was also nervous, even though she was surrounded by the others. It was too much like her trip north, and the shadows in the bushes along the road looked sinister as if they were hiding something. She missed the people in Kendal as well, more than she thought she was going to. Fortunately, Cel, Cara and Joe didn't seem to mind her silence around the campfires at night. She still hadn't told them what happened to her, well, no more than the bare bones anyway. Chand wasn't sure what she was waiting for exactly, but she was glad her friends didn't push to hear it.

Chandrea was glad to see the town of Preston in the distance and hear that they would be spending the night there. She was a bit embarassed, since she had never been a soft town girl, but she was really looking forward to staying at the Inn instead of camping on the ground. It was getting late in the year and the ground was hard, and quite cool this far north.

The road was more crowded the closer they got to the town. After weaving their way through everyone they finally made it to the Inn and Chand gratefully found the room they would be sharing. Meaning only to bring her things to the room and shake out some of her clothes, the girl made the mistake of sitting down on the bed. It was too much for her tired body, and soon she was sprawled out across the bed, fast asleep.

She slept the entire night through and woke fully refreshed in the morning, though a bit stiff from sleeping with her boots on. Shaking herself awake, she went down the stairs to see about getting some breakfast and ran right into a familar face. Responding from a force of habit, Chandrea snapped to attention before remembering that Lt. Kulles was no longer her Lt. She also remembered that she owed him a hug, and ran to give him one. They sat and talked over breakfast. It was good to see someone else from home, and it knocked all of her homesickness out the window...well, at least her homesickness for Kendal. Now she was just homesick for Bristol and Somerset.

The short stay in Preston had been enjoyable and they stayed longer than Cara expected they would, but sure enough Cel collected them together and they were back on the road...northward bound.

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Yesterday, on the road you met A group composed of Lucky_fox and of Goddess and the army "The Steel Panthers" lead by Johnhawkwood.

Once more they passed an army 'The Steel Panthers', John Hawkwood stopped and chatted a bit explaining that this was Lancaster's army for the defense and protection of Lancaster only. To Cara that sounded wise as you wanted to be able to protect your county especially if many of your citizens were headed elsewhere to fight. They spent a quite night on the road before heading pass their original destination of Kendal and onwards to Appleby. They passed the defenders of Kendal and Ovidio who despite the cold wore no shoes or shirt, he appeared bright and cheery as he waved on his way pass them.

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Today, on the road you met Ovidio.
Today, on the road you met the defenders of Kendal.

Cara smiled as they entered the town of Appleby, she had always wanted to visit as the name just seemed to call 'visit me'. She was delighted to see they were staying at 'The Appletini', now that was a cute name for an inn.

Cara giggled...she was fumbling with her satchel buckle; it was stuck and refusing to open. She looked up to ask Joe for help and blinked...now where had he got too, she bent to look under the table for him. Her vision blurred "Oh *hips* shoot...I am drunk" she burst into giggles, now how had that happened? And where was Joe? "Wobbly *hips* chair?" she asked of the bartender who merely raised one eyebrow in her direction, she giggled "Oh shoot...I *hips* am drunk" she could not eat as she could not open her satchel and she was suppose to follow Cel today...she giggled well there was time perhaps if she slept a little.

"Come on Outlaw" she took a step forward to busy trying to get one foot infront of the other than looking where she was going, she giggled as her knees hit the side of Outlaw causing her to fall bent over her dog...she giggled "Silly boy" She attempted to get up and managed it, using Outlaw's back as a leaning post then sighed as she dropped into a seat that was close to the fire. Eventually her eyes drifted closed and she slept with her feet propped up on Outlaw's back.