-----As Raven begins speaking with the “crossbowmen”, they all indicate that they are all familiar with the weapon.
-----Sol nodded his approval, "Well, this should work. It seems most o' ye have at least held a blade. Those o' ye who do know how t'wear th' armour, I want ye t'show some o' th' others how it works. Fer now, we'll spend some time wi' drills. Raven take th' crossbowmen fer some target practice, an' I'll take th' rest o' ye through some basic swordplay. Those o' ye wanting t'learn th' blade, follow me."
-----The Gorian then leads the group to some empty space and began to take them through standard sword drills, partnering them up after an hour or so, and then have them softly test each other's skills.
-----Raven nods and then turns to face the men, "You men with the crossbows, come with me. Time to see how good your eye is." Raven tries to find a sturdy wall or a hill they can shoot at.
-----For the next couple of hours, Sol assembles his “village swordsmen” away from the peasant homes to clear spaces on the east side of the hill. There, he puts them through basic sword maneuvers taking advantage of the incline where these villagers may have to defend themselves. At first, Sol is surprised at the progress these fourteen men make at working out in their armor and using their weapons. They quickly catch onto various attacks and parries, although it soon becomes apparent that the main disadvantage for these people would be endurance. Some of the older ones soon tire and breaks for rest become more frequent.
-----As for Raven, he leads his crossbowmen and finds the stable walls beside the pigpen adequate for target practice. Garrison and Lovan lead Jyan quietly away and find refuge for the young mage in another stable that the peasants had cleared for the adventurers’ mounts. Rinda had already taken Thunder and the other horses and there the Huntress, the Storm Priest and the woodsman continued to question Jyan while the mounts rested.
-----Meanwhile the nine with the crossbows do an impressive job with improvised targets mounted into the stable walls with daggers. Raven counts most of the men as hitting their targets eight times out of ten. The ranger then takes his archers to different areas of the hilltop village to practice using the higher location to defend against climbing invaders.
-----It is the middle of the afternoon when Sol calls a halt to the training sessions and begins to think of the village’s defense. He and Raven quickly coordinate and find that even though the village is virtually without trees, there are quite a few large bushes that could be used for concealed places to watch. The dirt road that leads up the hill from the southwest could easily be covered. At the foot of the hill on its west side, a field of rough tangles dominated as did a patch of the same to the southeast. The land to the north, northeast and east opened up to flat plains while the flat land to the south and southwest continued until it gave way to swamplands two miles away. A small dirt trail descended the hill on its northwestern side, which lead to the ruins of another village perched upon another hill a mile in the distance.
-----By early evening, the heroes are able to figure out a night watch routine with the “over just a score” of fighting men. Though not a perfect troop for defense, the village should be well protected enough to hold off an invasion of a small troop.
-----The prisoners, only about 15 soldiers and drivers are left, are stored in the stable Raven had used for target practice with two of the villagers posting guard outside. Sol speaks more with the blacksmith seeing as how he appears to be of a “village elder” role. He tells him that the troops of Silvergard should be crossing the area in the next few days and if they can hold out for a few days, the prisoners could be turned over to Lord Howrun’s people.
-----As twilight takes over the sky and land, the blacksmith checks with the adventurers in their temporary lodgings in the stable. Seeing that everything is to their satisfaction, he bids them goodnight before leaving for his turn at watch.
-----Sol stands by the stable doors pacing. “I’m going out t’do my own patrolling,” he says to the others, “just t’make sure th’ men on guard are okay.” He starts to turn to head out.
-----“Wait, Sol,” Rinda says, jumping up to grab his arm. She then leads him back to where the others are assembled seated on piles of hay. “You and Raven have these people prepared. They can spare you for a while. You need to eat something and rest.”
-----The Huntress then adds, “I know you want to go out later, and Raven . . . and Whisper I suspect, will also. I will need to go as well as there is a full moon this night and I must pay homage to the Great Hunter.”