Finn will gather wood as requested, making sure he stays within sight of the cave and stones.
Getting a fire going is easy enough. Cath'rinne brought some supplies you said? I suppose that suffices for the night. The beds in the cottage are comfortable enough; not like home, but better than what the druids had to offer. What do you do next?
The stones are clearly cut and arranged by people. It could look like ruins from a building, but the proportions are strange. It would be a large building, but not quite a castle; yet the doorways are a lot to wide for a common house.
Cath'rinne will assess the level of the magical aura both in the cave and arround the strange stones. This is a non-fatigue InVi base 2, +1 touch effect. She'll also spont a Piercing the Magic Veil effect and concentrate to check both the cave and the strange stone structure. Rolled 21, or 10, so the aura as long as it's not negative shouldn't impact the result. Costs 1+2 fatigue to do.
Assuming no regio is found, they share some simple supplies in the evening. In the morning, Cath'rinne does some cleaning to ensure they leave as few traces of their presence here - and arcane connections - as possible before leaving.
Cath'rinne suggests to Finn they should head East. "There are hamlets in that direction as well as a fortified town about a day away. I'm not sure where we are, but maybe we can figure it out if you talk to people and I fly about looking for landmarks. Try and get some food and water along the way from a market or farmer if you can. If not, I'll forage. I'll keep an eye on what you do, and you can attract my attention by waving if necessary - but not in a hamlet. You're better than I am dealing with mundanes."
Cath'rinn can sense a magic aura of three covering the cottage, ruins, and cave. The total area is about 80-100 paces East/West and about 50 North/South. The aura does not cover the road. There is no sign of a regio.
On the hill, you find the road blocked by a fallen tree just East of the cave. The tree must have been cut recently using tools. I don't think you have spent much time investigating the hill yet.
For the record, there are hamlets and villages in both directions, but the only town within a day is to the East.
They reach the first hamlet in about an hour. People look up from their work to watch, but empty-handed wanderers raise little concern.
Finn will try to talk to the peasants, using English or Gaelic, whichever they respond to, to try and buy food and a water skin using the money he made entertaining the crowd further south.
Assuming that Cath'rinne keeps a discrete distance, the villagers are keen enough to talk to Finn.
Did you come through the woods to the West? Did you see the goat thieves? You did not have any trouble? Vicious they were.
The villagers are happy enough to sell a water skin, or even two, for good coin, but they have no food to spare. The Winter has been harsh, with raiding armies more than once.
Finn will buy the two full skins and pay, with thank, the peasants before carrying on along the road in the hope of finding somewhere that can accommodate him.
You get the same answers in every village and hamlet all the way to the town. The Winter has been harsh, war has been raging, warlocks marauding, and food is scarce everywhere. You can try a bargain+communication if you don't care to write out a plea in long-hand.
Cath'rinne took some time to investigate the hill before departing. There is a second tree cut down and pushed almost out of the road just West of the cave, probably cut down only yesterday. Marks in the gravel shows how it has been pushed and dragged out of the road after falling. She also finds a broken arrow and spats of blood in the road.
Finn roles 10/13/16 with 0/1/2 confidence to buy food.
Cath'rinne will check if a magical aura also extends on the hill, and check the blood splat for clues with Whole from the part.
Finn has no luck in the villages, and it is a hard day's hike to get to the fortified town, which turns out to be known as Corbridge. At least it gets them a location on the map; they could find Castrum Antiquum a week or two before Hamish and Nauvi get there.
Corbridge gives a little more opportunity to buy food. With a little bit of confidence (one point), Finn manages to get an evening meal. It is a very expensive vegetable stew and it tastes horribly. but it fills their stomachs for the night.
There is no aura. The blood gives the view of handsome man in his twenties. He does not look native. Mediterranean, maybe.
"Finn, I think we had a battle involving a member of the Order on top of that hill. Let me know if you hear anything in the villages on the way."
Finn will entertain any crowd he can gather using his Storytelling skill, telling a tale of legends of the British Isle. Hopefully he can earn enough coin to get some travelling supplies.
Com 3+Storytelling 6+roll 3=12.
If the crowd seems impressed he will sit with a group and ask “So friends, any war news of this area? The battles have been harsh on the lands I have travelled through”
Finn's story is well received, and earns him enough supplies for the next day. Put two confidence into it, and it can last to Castrum Antiquum.
Some of the townsfolk are deeply concerned about a group of goat thieves who passed through the other day. Others point out that they do not actually know they were goat thieves, but they sure weren't up to any good. Good that they passed through quickly.
The giants were marching South last Winter. «I know, because I was out hunting. Luckily, they did not approach the town.»
And unsurprisingly, there is the story about Janus the Incinerant Warlock and Wulfric the Witch Hunter, whom no man can kill.
We are just glad that it has calmed down over Spring, and with some hard work, foraging has made up for some of what we lost in Winter.
Finn will spend the two confidence to buy the extra rations. He will thank the people for their time and prepare to move on to Castrum Antiquum.
They move on the next day. With no horse and no cart, and with Cath'rinne's aerial views, they can make good pace through the forest. Do they take their time to investigate on their way?
If not, they will be the first to arrive in Greyvale. They find the ruined turret where the covenant was supposed to have been, and Angus, the village elder, in the village below.
While the villagers are happy enough to gossip, they do not want to accommodate anyone. They have some food for sale, mostly dried cod which they have bought at wallsend, but it is expensive. The wanderers are referred to the little hamlet an hour or two away on foot, and the villagers promise to send other travellers the same way.
Next arrive, in order, Hamish, Nauvi, and Betula. Benedict has long left the group, to travel in bear shape without delay.
Now, if you want to investigate in depth, we roleplay it. Otherwise you will learn that the Old Wizard visits the village at more or less regular intervals, but nobody knows where he lives. You also learn of the other group who stayed at the hamlet until one or two or three weeks ago.
I am flying about. Per+Awa 8 on whether I see things worth investigating along the way.
Cath'rinne stays inconspicuous arround any mundanes and leaves any social interaction to Finn.
Does Finn report back on what he learns along the way. Also how often does the wizard come?
Old ruins, like the wall, often hide something, but there are miles of it, so where would she start? Much of the forest and hills would be the same. If she could spend the season, she would almost certainly find an aura or something else of interest.
Most months at the full moon.
Finn will report everything he learns to Cath’rinne every night when they camp together.
Well I'm not spending the season there at this point. Just flying through. If she doesn't see something on the way, I suggest we move to the point we're together and the old wizard arrives.