[Carrie] Chapter 4: Internal Strife

[Throndir]

Perception: 15
You barely managed to picked it out, but you heard them.

"Yes ma'am! We tried our best to keep catch her, but she was too quick." The guard said, you noticed this was the same guard that stepped to the side just when you were near the exit.

"Great, just great!" The first Lamia shouted. In a quieter voice she continued. "I'm not starting my leadership of the lamia priestesses with the hero unaccounted for. When are the others coming back?"

"They should have dropped of Synithise and the others maybe an hour ago. They'll be coming back in another few hours."

"Leave a few people here, send some people into the mates' homes, see if they've seen the hero. Reach out to the dullahan and the batfolk, tell them we're looking for the hero, but nothing else. That'll come in due time. Everyone else, start searching the woods."

[Erynn]

Stealth:

Rolled 1d20+8 : 8 + 8, total 16

Perception:

Rolled 1d20+8 : 9 + 8, total 17

As Carrie listens to the conversation, she notes three things. First, she notices that Misophe is, in fact, the individual that had followed the guards out into the woods, and that she doesn't appear to be taking any responsibility for Carrie's sudden departure. Indeed, she seems to be blaming her subordinates for her own failure. Carrie's gaze hardens upon seeing this sort of behavior, becoming instantly appraised of the reason Synithise was her peoples' leader and the reason that more than half of those who had populated the tunnels had chosen, or had to be forced, to leave with her. Misophe's leadership skills were amateur-hour, but as evidenced by the second thing that Carrie noticed, Misophe was clearly a skilled manipulator. By choosing to limit the information that the other tribes of Thura Forest received, she had tipped her hand, allowing Carrie to see clearly that she was a dishonest individual. The third thing that Carrie noticed, however, was the most important. The individual who had stood aside and allowed Carrie to pass earlier knew how long it was going to take for those who had gone with Synithise and the others to return. This told Carrie that she knew the location of the drop off point. The fact that it was a drop off point concerned Carrie greatly though. She knew that generally, one doesn't drop a person or group of people off somewhere without expecting them to be picked up at some point.

Carrie decides at that point upon a course of action and moves from cover to cover to position herself so that she will be able to quietly make contact with the guard who had allowed her passage once they depart in order to contact the bat-folk or dullahan as instructed. All the while, Carrie continues to watch those present for any gaps in their search that she may potentially pass through unnoticed and to listen for any further conversations that may prove helpful.