-----Many of the buildings of Kulendra were small, although there were a few toward the center of the village that were large as barns. Perhaps a few of them might have been utilized as stables for blacksmiths. One in particular looked like it could be an inn from this distance.
-----Pil grunted and it was apparent that the big man was disturbed by what he saw and heard. “Too many t’be a’takin’ on,” he said hopelessly.
-----“Then maybe we ain’ got no business takin’ ‘em on,” Strolum snorted as he peered from the darkness. “May be we jest needs t’be sneakin’ our way in.”
-----Whisper had remained silent, well, more silent then usual, on the dwarf-like figure he had observed earlier. Haste only leads to ruin. Rash action would have led to unacceptable failure. And so he had watched. And considered.
-----The Elf had already made up his mind that he would enter the village to investigate further, and he nodded at the human's words. It would be likely that as the night progressed, the goblinoids would continue to dissipate, and it would make more sense to wait until somewhat later in the night before trying to enter.
-----Snapping his fingers, Whisper pointed to the darkened sky, and swept his arm in a short arc, mimicking the path and progress of the Moon.
-----“Must we continue to wait?” Jyan suddenly interrupts. The mage’s eyes glisten with anxiety and anticipation.
-----“If’n Sol be here, them hobgobses’s be feelin’ it by now,” Pil snorts menacingly.
-----“Ain’t no need t’be getting’ yer arse riled up,” Strolum says rolling his eyes at the big man. “Hard tellin’ where they be a’keepin’ them prisoners.”
-----Raven smiles silently in the dark at the idea of Sol charging into the humanoid packed village. The Hunter then nods toward the Elf and replies to his motion. “You’re right,” Raven says, “the moon’s going to be with us tonight. How long do you suggest we wait?”
-----Whisper considered Raven's question. It would need to be after Midnight. Turning, he raised a hand, with three fingers extended.
-----The Hunter then confirmed with a nod. So the wait began . . .
-----However, just before midnight a line of clouds was spotted off over the village to the southwest. As the time passed, the sky quickly became overcast, even effectively blotting out the moon!
-----Strolum especially was dumbfounded, murmuring that the storm priest, were he here, would have been proud.
-----So it was that just after midnight, the party gathered on the fringes of the brush to plan their first move. Raven found himself looking once again at Whisper to see the elf’s intentions.
-----Whisper held up a hand, pointed at his eyes, pointed towards Kulendra, and then walked the fingers of his right hand across the palm of his left in exaggerated care. "Rooftops." He said, quietly.
-----Raven nods at Whisper and says, “We may need to split up again and scout out this village before we do anything else. I’d like to know where prisoners are kept and maybe where any leaders are staying. If Whisper wants to scout from the tops of the buildings, Rinda and I can move closer on the ground.” Looking at Strolum, Pil and Jyan, he adds, “That means you three stay here for now.” The two warriors nod agreeably, and although Jyan’s expression was uncertain, the mage remained silent.
-----Raven then looks at Whisper and asks, “Does that sound good to you? We can meet back here in an hour or two and see where we want to go from there.”
-----Whisper nods, and begins to drift silently into the night.
-----Quickly now, the elf skirts along the edge of the field, keeping some of the vegetation between him and the village buildings so as not to give away his movement in the darkness. The night suddenly seems to feel heavy as if the clouds overhead hold the heat of the village bonfires and the feeling of oppression close to the ground.
-----Within a few moments, Whisper makes it close to an area featuring small houses, each with its own small planting field. Even in the night and the flickering shadows thrown by the fires, Whisper can see that the dwellings have been decimated. Some of the small cottages have been burned to the ground with a few of their partial wooden frames sticking up from the ground like blackened charred fingers. The small fields have been scoured as if the humanoid troops had gone through and ripped away the crops.
-----Across the way, just beyond two small farm plots, a large barn-like structure is surrounded by hobgoblins. At least, that is what Whisper surmised as a line of six humanoids guarded the two sides of the building visible to him. There might be more around the other side.
-----Beyond that, two more buildings, not quite as big as the barn, stand near what would be this human village’s square. These two buildings also host a small collection of hobgoblins guarding them.