Having sensed the threat, you volunteer to go forward and scout the woods to find out who, or what, is there. Schera agrees, and he calls for three of his men, all trained army scouts, to accompany you. He and the rest of his command will remain here with the boats and wait for you to return.
(I roll a 6 and add 3 for Grand Huntmastery)
You brief the three Lencians to spread out into an extended line and to watch carefully for your signals before you scale the river bank and make your approach to the trees. They all seem to be competent scouts but you have your reservations. Had it not been for Schera's insistence, you would have preferred to have reconnoitred this copse alone.
Silently you creep forward through the snow, using the sparse undergrowth to your advantage wherever possible. You are less than a hundred yards into the copse when you spy a small cabin hidden among the trees. It comprises four white canvas tents attended by a dozen lean and hungry-looking human soldiers armed with longbows. A furled battle-flag stands propped against one of the tents and you signal to your nearest scout to join you, hoping he will be able to identify its chequered black-and-white design.
'They're League-landers of Ilion,' whispers the scout, staring at the campsite. 'I know that flag well. They're good mercenaries, these men, loyal to the King. We fought alongside them at Hokidat.'
You are anxious about going forward and making contact with the mercenaries. If they are as good as your scout claims, there is a real danger that they will fire first and ask questions later. You tell your companion of your fears and he smiles.
'Don't worry, Sire,' he says, 'I know how to contact them.'
The scout places two fingers to his lips and gives a long, warbling whistle. The sound makes the mercenaries turn and stare in your direction, and you hear one of them whistle twice in reply. Your scout then calls out a request that you be allowed to enter their camp. There is a long pause, then a heavily-accented voice replies:
'Show yourselves.'
Relief that you are human, and not Drakkarim, is displayed clearly on the faces of these League-landers when the four of you stand up and walk towards their camp. You receive a warm welcome from these soldiers of fortune, and two of them offer to escort you to their leader--Baron Maquin.
You and your scouts are taken to a lookout post on the banks of the river where you meet with Baron Maquin, the leader of this mercenary band. He is a tall man, clad from neck to toe in furs that are caked with frost. A battered silver helm hides much of his battle-scarred face, but you can see enough of his distinctly Ilionian features to know at once that he is a brave man, a man of honour. He regards you with a sceptical eye, having never before met a Sommlending lord, let alone one such as you. He questions you at length, and upon hearing your story, you sense that he is greatly impressed. In return he tells you briefly of how he and his men have come to find themselves here.
'This regiment is still loyal to King Sarnac,' he says, proudly, 'unlike the cowardly Stornlanders. They have broken their pact and now they fight 'gainst Lencia, alongside the enemy.' The Baron spits at the ground in a show of contempt for these treacherous regiments. 'My command has been left here to fight as a rear-guard. Our orders are to ambush any Drakkarim that may try to reach Darke by river. We believe there to be many enemy reinforcements at Konozod and our task is to prevent them from joining with Magnaarn.'
You remind the Baron that you have just come from Konozod and that it is virtually empty. There are no enemy reinforcements there. Respectfully you suggest that he and his men join with you in an attempt to reach Darke, where he could join once more with the Lencian army. He considers your suggestion, and after discussing it with his men, finally he agrees.
'But first,' he says, as he shakes your hand in friendship, 'you must summon your men to my humble camp. It will soon be dark and it is much too dangerous to travel this river at night. You could be ambushed!'
You send one of the scouts to summon Captain Schera and his men, and when they arrive they are treated most hospitably by the mercenaries who, despite their own hunger, unselfishly share out their meagre rations.
You stay here overnight and break camp at dawn. The Baron's regiment has suffered heavily in battle and now totals little more than forty men, and so you have no difficulty in finding room for them in the boats. Captain Schera is especially pleased to have these warriors aboard. Despite their losses, they are a cheerful group and they help lift the morale of his men.