The knight does not seem surprised, his reaction is completely neutral, but he asks «do you have any missile weapons? Bow, maybe?» There is presumption in his voice, he is merely assessing the capabilities of the companions.
Mikilos replies "Again I have no skill with such things, my skills are those of movement and retrieval not war."
«Ah. In that case, you should take a spear. If we are up against something big, you use it to fend it off. Keep it between you and the beast, and support it against the ground. Running is not always a bad idea, but not always possible either.»
Sorry, assuming that the grogs found some spears. If they didn't, please cancel this dialogue.
Ha! Ser Giorgios, I am a lady but not a Lady, if you take my meaning. Thanks for the compliment!
Maia smiles at Miklos's words, That is just as well, as we are to move, find and retrieve!
To Georgios, in a low voice: Ser Knight, I can use a sword without puncturing myself too often, but it might be best to use my bow, and keep clear of gnashing teeth. What is the measure of these men, do you think they can handle the spears? she points at the grogs.
Sir Georgios answers Maia whispers, lowering his voice even further, «I have not seen them in battle, so I do not know. They do well enough in general, and I trust that they will choose the right weapon for the situation as it arises. The technique for using a long spear against a huge beast is relatively simple. You don't wield the weapon, but trust the beast to wield itself, so to speak. If that's what we are up against, the long spear is, as you said, the right weapon even for those more skilled with a sword or axe. Same for you, I agree that you rely on your bow first and foremost, but please be prepared to use the spear if the situation dictates it.»
[tab][/tab] Maia's attempt to calmed down the boy had failed and the father does not want his son out there tonight, has he not suffered enough. The red cap understands and backs down, the youth is clearly too shaken to be of any help. Instead she talks to old Tasha about Telonia. It seems they are creatures of the fae, dark and twisted, living in caves and coming out to deal mayhem and murder (for more information, look here, third posting under fae realm).
[tab][/tab] Under the direction of sir Georgios the guard quickly goes to the barracks and returns with an armful of short spears tipped with iron heads. Seems all the guards are using spears and are familiar with them. Sturdy hafts with somewhat polished tips, these are standard spears used by most inexperienced army recruits. The guard quickly passes the spears around. The teamsters take them apprehensively, like being handed a dead snake, while the scout looks at it bemusedly and ties it on his back like a javelin. He moves competently to the fore to track, speaking very little greek as he is a northern slav.
Maia again approaches Ser Giorgios: "Ser, these telonia Tasha mentioned...the lore says they loathe the sight of the Lapatos Cross. God is indeed on our side, as you said, but we are ourselves on the wrong side of the mountain!" She laughs at this, but sobers quickly "They cannot cross water, and there are streams, fordable streams nearby. We must be prepared to find a spot to defend until the dawn arrives. If the lore is correct. she finishes grimly. If these things are about, we cannot afford to form a hedge of spears, they may simply surround us, and sally forth from holes in the ground. I... should stop talking now or I might just turn back, I could use a drink! Maia grips Ser Giorgios gauntlet tightly for a moment, as if to reassure herself, and hastily moves to the front of the line to consult with the scout, she can see perfectly in the dark.
«Hmm. Maia», sir Georgios asks, «is it the holy cross these telonia fear, or is it just the site at Lapatos?»
Sir Georgios rides over to the pack horse and opens one of the packs, under the pile of spear. Fumbling a bit he draws out a crucifix the size of a shortsword. It is nothing fancy, but the symbolism is clear. He hands it to one of the teamsters. «Hey, carry this, and hold it high.»
Then he returns to Maia. «We are going to be fine. You know these fords, right? Please, halt us and point out the key points we should aim for if we need to flee. We'll stop and agree on meeting points when we get there.»
If this is too much to find in the pack, the teamster is sent to pull out the make-shift cross at the Aegis boundary instead. SG call 
The knight turns towards Miklos again, looking him over. Does he accept the spear offered him, or not? «Are you ready?» he asks, «It will be good to have a watchman at the back. Will you take that role? Is that ok?» He watches carefully for the answer, not only the spoken words, and then he turns to Maia and the scout, «Maia and Bogdan [*] is there anything else you need to check, before we go? Have you got the directions you need from the teamsters?»
Sir Georgios tries to get the party in order, so that they can leave. He presents the plan first as a proposal and is open to suggestions, especially from Maia. In front is Maia and Bogdan, as they know the way. As long as the terrain is open and it is possible to ride past people on the track, he places himself in the middle, together with the shield grog. Behind him are the two teamsters, one with the pack horse and one with the cross, and finally Miklos as rear watchman. «We will stop and regroup when the terrain changes and we can no longer pass each other on the path,» he says, «and we should stop and take account before we cross running water as well. OK?»
[*] That's the Slavic shield scout. To difficult to write without a name for him ...
Miklos refuses the spear "It will get in my way". He indicates his acceptance when asked to bring up the rear of the party with a simple nod.
[tab][/tab] Despite the advice of the teamsters, sir Georgios rides his charger while his pack horse is in the care of the animal handlers. Shorts spears and cross are readily passed around. One teamster literally hugs the cross as protection, while the other leads the pack horse. The guardsman purses his lips and passes a torch to Miklos while he keeps another on his shield hand, the takes position next to the knights horse so that it won't fumble in the dark and break its legs. The scout and Maia are up front, it seems neither needs or wants any light, while at the rear Miklos is keeping watch (though he sees very little of the front because of the torches).
[tab][/tab] Between the two springs, the river has overflowed but it is still fordable. The scout has tracked the mule over the other side, easily finding the tracks of its passage as the youth had said. He fords the river, the freezing water reaching his thighs but reaches on the other bank safely. Looking around he starts going into the brush and uphill, towards the base of the Towers and away from the river. It seems the animal fled towards the barely perceived path that exists at the bottom of the massif and headed deeper into the gorge. The rising moon throws the massive stone walls into blue and silver hues, while the trees (conifers and early leafing deciduous) cast long, deep shadows into the night. A lone wolf howls in the distance. The party moves on...
The knight calls a brief halt to take note of the site. «Remember, the Telonia will not cross running water. If we need to retreat, we return here and cross the river, and halt there to regroup.» He pauses and looks around, to see if anybody else wants to comment.
Then he rides off the path, just to get a better view ahead. Is there room to ride safely, or does the wood get too dense? Riding in the dark is not in itself dangerous or particularly unusual, but it all depends on the terrain. If it is necessary, he will dismount, and pass the horse to the teamster to lead. As long as it is safe, he will ride.
Maia speaks to the men in Vlach and in Romanian: Heed the ser, and keep torches burning. Might as well gather some nearby brush, for light and warmth in the eventuality. She looks at them earnestly In pairs! Nearby! She then smiles Hopefully we'll be back at Meru Mudi in a couple of hours and drinking cider.
She also crosses the ford, taking care to stay as dry as possible, and follows the scout, senses alert.
Miklos keeps a keen eye tothe side and rear of the direction of travel, wary of ambush.
[tab][/tab] The northern bank of Voidomatis inside the gorge itself is a narrow strip of land caught between the Towers of Astraka and the river. Closest to the rushing water, well worn rocks and sandy patches are shaded by deciduous trees, willows, water maples, sycamores and poplars. The terrain uphill turns from rocky to fertile and this band of land becomes furiously contested by grasses, wild-flowers, shrubs and low trees, a treacherous place to walk with many pitfalls and breaks in the land hidden by vegetation. Higher still the rains and melting snows wash away the top soil, leaving behind rocks, boulders and broken stones from the massif above, poor soil for but the hardiest plants and conifers, until pretty much near the walls themselves almost no vegetation grows. The goat path hugs the massif and though difficult to navigate, it is travel worthy. It would be difficult for large animals to go through the brush, certainly slower.
[tab][/tab] The scout (and Maia) forge ahead, avoiding any pitfalls and natural hazards even though its night. The man is intent in tracking the mule, moving swiftly and backtracking frequently to recheck the trail. The strange mountain woman instinctively knows which path to follow and advises the turb and companions on how to avoid any dangerous features of the land in a low murmur. Sir Gorgios quickly finds out that it is better for him (and the torch bearing grog) to use the goat trail near the massif instead. Even walking the horses through that brush at day would be hazardous, why take the chance.
[tab][/tab] It is approximately a mile downriver from where the party forded, towards the eastern end of the gorge, that the advancing scout raises his hand in warning. On this side of the river, the massif forms a break, like a knife making a deep nick into the rock and making a spacious cleft, and the goat path branches; one path follows the river, the other heads up through a rockfall, broken stone shards brought here by seasonal raining. While most of the party is still behind, and the torches still concealed, the scout and Maia advance a bit to get a better look at what the man has found. In this desolate, sparsely covered place the moonlight reveals the carcass of the mule you seek.
[tab][/tab] The animal is clearly dead, resting on its side, a figure looming over it. Half of the packs is still tied on it, while the others lies downhill a distance. You are too far away to see its head but it appears it lies in a strange position. Its eyes are gouged and the tongue seems ripped off by the amount of blood spilled. While its belly is intact ( a strange thing for those who know of how predators hunt and eat prey, they usually start with the soft portions of their food), there are deep gouges on its back and flanks. The beast the youth described is hunched over its hind leg, feasting. Tall as a lean, hunched man, it is naked but for a girdle around its loins made of furs. Its skin is dark, like sepia ink or watered ashes, made darker and bluer by the moonlight. Dark, thick, matted locks, long enough to cover the eating face, seem to be the only hair on its body. It eats nosily and with gusto, the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh barely heard above the rushing of the river waters. While its still turned towards its meal you can clearly see its fingers end in vicious claws. Not the demonic form Kostas described but still a dangerous creature....
SG, please correct any misconceptions I might have straight away. I have been guessing a bit:-)
From the vantage point on the goat track, the knight assesses the situation. From horseback, slightly higher in the terrain than the scout, he gets a good overview. He considers to charge directly at the weird creature, but the terrain is too rough to do so, at least in the dark. Quietly, he reviews all the alternatives, including alternative escape routes. Is it possible to flee across the river straight downhill? Or is it necessary to return from where we came to ford it? Remembering that the old woman at the covenant said that the Telonia are never alone, he looks carefully for possible hiding places and tracks into the area.
Satisfied that he has learnt what he can, he dismounts as silently as he can. Constantly watching over his shoulder, ready to turn and fight if the situation changes. He passes the reins to the teamsters who have followed behind on the goat track. They are told to stay behind. He gestures to Miklos, making sure that he has seen what is going on, «we need you to keep watch. Shout if anything approaches.» Then he asks the grog, «can you handle the torch in a fight? Or leave it with the teamsters?» He gets his long bow and quiver from the pack horse, and readies it, with the shield on his back and the mace in the belt.
Finally, he turns to Maia and the scout, what seems to be their intention? He gestures with the bow towards Maia across the twenty paces of shrubs and bushes which separate them, in a suggestion to approach within range. He looks twice, to see if the scout has a bow too. He can't remember. Then he watches their response ...
Miklos will move away from the main group as indicated by Sir Georgios to ensure he has as good a view of the surroundings as possible while being as concealed as possible. He will pay no attention to the creature even if he can see it as the others have it covered.
Maia will also have her bow in hand, and is moving as silently as possible. She looks everywhere with her otherworldly sight, trying to spy hidden creatures. Is the feasting devil aware of the group that has gathered near it (they have torches)? She will look to ascertain positions of key members of the sortie (Miklos, ser Giorgios, the scout), as well as mark the lost equipment. She looks to see if there are any sizable logs near the shore and near the creature, that might be rolled into the river with a good push. If so, and if the creature appears to be lost in its gorging, she will look for a stout length of rope, signaling calm/patience to ser Giorgios, Miklos (if she can spot him), and trying to signal her intentions to the scout. She needs a loop, perhaps a teamster can help with that. If she can speak to ser Giorgios, she will relate her plan.
[tab][/tab] The carcass and predator are off the north trail into the dell, quite a bit above the river. Following the trail west it is about 150 meters to the banks, while towards the south incline its longer, more like 200 meters. This part of the gorge is mostly rocks, shale and low hardy bushes, there are no logs or trees. The packs are split into two bundles, on still on the poor animal, the others scattered some meters below. Sir Georgios, the guard and the teamsters are on the goat trail hugging the cliffs to the north west, and hidden by the roundness of the stone sides of the Towers. Thus the torches have not revealed their position yet and have no direct line of sight, having halted when the scout raised his hand. Maia and the scout are in front not needing lights, crouching behind a sizeable boulder and watching the creature eat, both with their bows out. Miklos has separated from the team, giving them space and keeping an eye on the surrounding area. He is almost immediately lost to the others, his stealth skills making him almost invisible in the night.
[tab][/tab] As of yet the Telonio has not sensed you and is continuing its grizzly feast, its back turned towards you.
(So far the torches have been hidden by the natural curvature of the cliff. Should the bearers move forward the light will be apparent. Moving closer to the creature requires dex+stealth vs 9, and going up the closer you move. Maia and the scout are around 40 paces from the creatures, the rest further behind)
The knight will move very slowly forward on the goat trail, to give Maia time to prepare whatever she is preparing before the Telonia becomes aware of him. The grog is instructed to leave the torch with the teamsters and follow, but not too close. He pays close attention to both the Telonia and Maia. When Maia appears to be ready, assuming the Telonia does not run after her first, he will quietly advance [*] to within longbow range (30 paces), and shoot. If the Telonia moves first, he is ready to shoot at once when it is within range. Depending on the speed of the Telonia, he is planning to shoot once or twice before he draws mace and shield.
[*] (Dex 1 + Stealth 2 + Stress 8 = 11)