PlanetADnD.com

Val thinks it's late in the day. Or perhaps early in the evening.

***
Moving south shows that the village bailey should connect to the motte by a seventy foot long, ten foot wide, sloped bridge. A fifteen foot long section of the bridge is missing, as if smashed by a gigantic fist from above.

Nandar Keep is cut off from the village!

"Maybe we should plan on staying in this village for the rest of the night." "Are we in a rush to leave?" Asking Vic. "Vic can you ask Isaril if he thinks we should head out of town following that trail of foot prints or if we should camp out in the village for the night. Does Isaril have a safe sleeping plan for the night if we press on and follow those foot prints?

Let's scavenge some wood planks long enough to span the gap in the bridge from one of the worse off looking buildings while there is still light, then secure ourselves for the night. That way we have the supplies needed to reach the fort in the morning, and we will be rested and hopefully ready for whatever we may encounter. Hey Vic, check with the elf and work something out for the night. Having said his piece, Unbar pulls out a handaxe and moves toward one of the buildings in order to commence work on his plan.

Val remembers seeing hand axes in one of the buildings. He will go find the shop and bring back two hand axes so he can help Unbar.

While discussing plans, any of the adventurers looking beyond the shattered bridge see two windowless stone gatehouses [#12] set into the motte's eight foot high curtain wall. [#13]
The stone gatehouses have wood-shingled, high-pitched rooftops and between them stands a set of oak doors with iron hinges.
The keep [#14] rises over a dozen foot above the curtain wall, its east tower sporting a ballista while the west tower appears damaged as if by falling rock. While Unbar goes searching buildings for long pieces of wood to repair the fifteen foot missing section of bridge, Val heads off to the Lionshield Coster trading post [#9] and Vic goes to the drawbridge tower. [#2A]

======
Perception skill check for Unbar
Your choice of Invesigation or Perception skill check for Val
What will Vic say to Isaril when he finds the elf in the more northern of the drawbridge's pair of watchtowers?

"We are planning to try and span the bridge, and see of anyone survives on the keep." Vic thinks, he should probably see if he can signal anyone in the keep.

"Also, we have a lead on the source of the goblins, and there is also the track of footprints from those fleeing." Vic clears his throat.
"Would you like to camp together tonight?"

"Good idea. Rope line and grapple would be the easiest," Israil replies, nodding.
He looks up at the sun, not far above the skyline. "Tomorrow for tracking, but what lead?"

The elf smiles more enthusiatically, "I will keep watach here but would be pleased to join you for hot food. I have some healing left if anyone is still injured."

"I don't need any healing but I used up the berries you gave me. If you have more berries tomorrow I definitely take some."

Perception(2): [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17

Unfortunately Unbar didn't stick around for Vic's conversation with the elf seeing as he wouldn't understand it anyway.

"I think we can do that in what remains of the Inn. There is likely a survivor there that will need a meal. I will gather the fellows." Once in range of the others, Vic will use message to communicate with them. Telling them to meet at the Inn. I believe they can reply with one line.

=============================================

You point your finger toward a creature within range and whisper a message. The target (and only the target) hears the message and can reply in a whisper that only you can hear.
You can cast this spell through solid objects if you are familiar with the target and know it is beyond the barrier. Magical silence, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood blocks the spell. The spell doesn’t have to follow a straight line and can travel freely around corners or through openings.

The Message, perhaps fortuitously, works for both castings.

======
The recipient in each case may reply.
Traditionally it's always been 25 words (as the message) and the same for the reply, so that's what I'm going to go for here.

Vic turns up at the two-storey stone inn [#8] and locates some unspoilt foodstuffs in the kitchen.
A short while later the back door to the kitchen opens and Val enters.
The rugged fellow clutches a pair of newly acquired hand axes.

What next?

Once everyone has gathered Vic will go see if the one locked in the room wants to join them for dinner.