# The legacy of the Banehills



## Tangent Loki (Mar 12, 2008)

The mounts pawed the ground anxiously.  For miles around the peaks of the city of Tricondus could be seen, and the black keep that arched its towers toward the sky like grasping claws.  

It had once been ruled by vampires.  Driven out by the first of the kings of men.  The first of the Banehills.

Outside the gates of the keep were a motley assortment of folk, among the beggars come to petition daily for bread, but they were here with purpose.  

Each one of these marked five, had clutched a summons, sealed with the regent's seal.  

The King is dying.  Ten years ago the Prince went missing, but rumors now infest the land that he lives, and will return.  No one has heard from Deepgreen in a few months, it is on the edge of this kingdom and shares a border with the elves of legend, although few claim to have seen them in the intervening centuries.  

One of this group is a man, inflicted with the curse, or as he views it blessing, of lycanthropy, his powerful orcish muscles worn stronger by the might of the beast within him.  The bear is his totem.  His name is Wolf.  

Nearby a girl stands, tomboyish and young.  She has worked in many fields, and studied in many locales.  Raised a ranger, bred a wanderer.  She studied with the monks near shadow mountain, for a time, the longest she ever rested, then sought out the masters of the mental arts, wherein she learned to float above the earth, rather than to set he feet on it.  She spent time in a school for swordsmanship, but dropped out after her first lessons.  She is torn by wanderlust.  

A pace up closer to the gate, is a woman in the shadows, more cat than human, plying her trade, a coin here, a bauble there.  Her hands work they're magic, claws much more dexterous than any knife at cutting purses. 

dressed in clothes of sable-black they are fine.  He knows the dark streets, and is used to the noble clients.  next to him there is a small boy wide-eyed and plain looking.  He wears an ornate dagger at his hip.  He is a master of spells as well as the sword.  

They meet a gruff voice at the door and are ushered in to the marble halls.  Their guide ushers them past scores of guards in plate mail.  It is a hot summer day.  They pity the poor soldiers.  

The make their way into a cloistered sanctuary.  A soft voice instructs them to wait.  The guide leaves.  

from behind a statue emerges a cowled shape.  He lifts it to reveal himself.  It is the Regent.  Benedict Chaultier.  As the king lies dying of a consumptive illness and the Prince's bastard heir is too young to rule it is he who has assumed the mantle of leadership.  he has not been a good ruler, but he has not been a bad ruler.  taxes have not been changed, but there are less patrols these days.  Less aid coming from the crown to secure the outlying territories.

He addresses them in his voice, soft as whisper-silk.  

"I surmise you know why you are here?"  Benedict asks.

"Let me put it in the clear" he asserts.  "The Prince has been presumed dead these last ten  years.  this you know.  he went to slay whatever the creature was that was threatening the people of Deepgreen.  He apparently succeeded, but it cost him his life, He was never seen again. "

He pauses.

"There are rumors spreading from Deepgreen that he lives.  That he has been seen.  A shadow here, the glint of armor there.  The flash of the Banehill sword."

"I need you to find him.  I need this to be done quietly.  He needs to be brought back home.  If he is alive conducted in secret so we can arrange his triumphal return.  if he is dead, to be arrayed in state at the proper time."

"you have all shown prowess in your fields.  I am well connected and have eyes everywhere."

"Will you help me? "

The question hangs in the air for a brief moment as eyes meet across the void.  Before assent can be given it is known.

"you will of course be paid.  here are two thousand crowns, each now.  More when you complete your mission.  You horses have been given provender, there is food and bedrolls strapped.  Make for Deepgreen and from there begin your search.  although I do not believe you will be well received there.  they haven't sent tribute in the last two months."

"Raid, come with me."

The rest step out of the room.  And are guided to the horses.  Wolf's Pegasus has received a fine brush down.   

They split up into the marketplace.  to hit up the bazaar's for last minute supplies.  Valence, the little girl, goes to get potions, and is joined in her quest by wolf.

The female catperson curls up on some hay to rest.  

meanwhile Raid and the regent confer.


[D]
--------------------------------------------------------------------(bars are for secret info, to keep in the player mindset skip between the lines, one player only present)


"Raid" smiles the chancellor. " There are certain factions in this government willing to pay well for the prince to return dead."

"This is your specialty is it not?"

Raid answers " it is".

"then make it so".  Another down payment of a thousand crowns, more on your return of course.  

"And here" he says tossing a bag, you might want these.  

He whirls and leaves the room.  

Raid examines the bag, inside are some stale smelling crackers, salted.

He looks up quizzically.  Then ties them onto his belt and makes his way to the stables.  

[/D]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


They make their way out for the first day.  It is slow and un-eventful the sun bakes down wearily , and they eat their rations. 

The second day is more troublesome.  there isn't much road banter happening.  No one wants to begin introductions.  

the third day is different.  About mid morning they spy a boy on the road.  He is please and clammy.  Barely a whisper wheezes from his lungs.  It has words to it.  he is crying 'help me'.

Immeadiately at worry for plague, the party fans out.  Raid continues passing by on the side of the road.  His boy-servant, Acacius, moves forward, fingering the necklace he wears, His page-like glasses glinting in the sunlight.  He notices an asp curled about the boys legs.  

before he can act a sling stone whirls through the air striking the asp.  

A smile caress the boy's face.  He sings:

for the kindness you showed this day
the fauns will help you on your way

and vanishes into the summer heat.  

There is nothing but tall grass and a few scrub trees as far as the eye can see.  it is savannah land.  

Valence immeadiately begins to look for deer.  

The rest of the party ponders for a few miutes.  then mounts up and continues the journey.  

That night rain is coming.  Hard rain.  They search for a place to stay.  passing a twisted and blackened tree stump, that looks hollowed out and ten feet in diameter.  If it hadn't been so damaged it would have dominated this part of the plains.  They look for other shelter.  they continue, and try the surrounding hills, striking off the path to try to find an animal cave.  They find only one what is only small enough for a few dogs.  

Wolf flies ahead.  he scans the surrounding country side, neither he nor his pegasus able to find much.  They go back towards the others and see the stump.  

They head towards it. landing a couple hundred feet away.  Wolf begins to approach it cautiously.   Into existence before him whip two vaguely human shapes.  Composed of swirling eddies of air.  They are frantic gesutring for him to stay back from the tree.

he tosses them a gold coin, and backs off.  They continue to ward him from the perimeter of it.  

he leaves.  

He returns to the rest of the adventurers.  Who have located a grove of trees.         

The pegasus finds his way comfortably under the boughs.  the horses are itched and everyone settles in.  During the first watch the party cannot help but feel they are being watched, something is just outside of sight and sound.  Just outside the campsite.  Wolf is wakened in the night to two sharp squeals, upon investigation he finds the bodies of two goblins.  

In the middle of the night.  the Catperson sees a shape enter the glade.  it is raining now hard.  

he leaves five pheasants.  He draws a few runes on the ground.

he leaves, ducking quickly out of the grove and into the brush.  

The catperson moves over to the tent of Raid.  She whispers softly two him.  Purring into his ear.  

he awakes.  

She takes him out and explains what she saw.  The rain is making a mess of the writing.  he sketches it quickly and grabs a few of the pheasants.

If he has to be woken up in the middle of his rest and meditation he feels he should be amply rewarded.  

he goes back to sleep.


----------



## Tangent Loki (Mar 12, 2008)

the next day is stormy and uneventful.  The summer rain drenching all of the supplies.  

during the night they hear the step of booted feet.  the Catperson goes to investigate.  The bear following as a bear shortly thereafter.  

they see stout man shapes, black, wearing fine armor with capes or excellent make.  There are five of them marching.  

They sense her present and form a defensive line.  Large mauls facing out in every direction.  

The heads of them gleaming in the rare moonlight.  

She steps up, having been noticed.  and begins to try to talk to the creatures.  Their beady black eyes set in large jawed black faces.  

They are stouter than men.  

She steps forward.  One of them with a more ornate looking hammer than the rest steps up to meet here.  The bear readies himself.  She offers food.  He looks at her.  Not understanding the many tongues he has tried to speak to him in.  But it doesn't matter.  he swings his hammer which erupts into flame.  

The bear charges.  his roar shatters the stillness of the night and his claws rend deep into the flesh of the druegar leader.  As them sink in they grasp and his charge becomes a rolling grapple, massive bear arms pinning and slicing the poor wretch into shreds.  

The others act.  One chants something in their foul tongue.  And another grows to match the size of the bear.  His mace slams in denting a shoulder of the powerful bear's build.

a third also hammers into the bear, and the fourth winks out of sight.  

The catperson slashes her rapier out of its sheath and scores a hit on one of the creatures, leaving a ragged tear across its cheek.  It spits.  

The bear finishes mauling their captain, and turns his attention to the big one.  two claws rend flesh and a bite tears a gouge out of his leg.  His hammer rocks into the bears abdomen. 

A lazy claw decapitates the flanking one to the right.  

The remaining one launches a quick few hammer strikes at the cat, expertly parried and turned back by the agile rapier.  He smashes a globule to his feet.  

The stench is awful.

then winks out of sight.

Wakened by the sounds of combat, the rest of the groggy party makes their way to the site of the battle.  The cat and the bear are busy wretching and moving away.  

valence makes her way into the could and begins to vomit.  

while vomiting the cat attempts to strip the bodies.  the bear circles out the the wind.  

choking valence calls a creature born of though from the elements of air.  it increases the ambient wind while buzzing and glowing softly.  soon the cloud is dispersed.  

valence hardly notices as a quick hand snaps the amulet around her neck, and hurries off.  

After they loot the bodies, taking valuables as they can.  they find their possessions in disarray.   Some scattered food.  Sacks look like they have been rifled through.   but very little is taken.  

At this sight, valence reaches us protectively to clutch her amulet, only to find its familiar shape and weight missing.  

"we need to find them now!" she whines.  

"How we find?" replies wolf.

"Lets look for tracks" she responds. 

They search for an hour but find nothing in the tall grass.  They move camp a little ways up the trail just in care something might be watching and waiting.  And they settle back down.  

The morning is a flurry of argument.  

Who did what and when.  Valence gets to shouting.  The catperson notices something at the edge of the clearing.  A booted foot sticking out from the tall grass.  She saunters over to check.  A dead druegar is there.  In its possession is a few of the missing rations.  

Otherwise it is stripped.  Its body is covered in tiny slashes.  Some of them forming elaborate swirls and a few z’s.  All of the cuts look precise and practiced.  

Valence goes into a frenzy of searching for the amulet.  But before long gives up.  Realizing that it must not be here.  

The next day wears on slowly.  In the mid-day heat they see a small form of caked mud standing in the roadway.  

As they near they make out vague man shape.  Twigs poke out of mud at odd angles in a vaguely human shape.  A sow man made of glopped mud.  

They approach the figure.  A few languages are tried.  It stands silently.  A coin is flipped to it.  It makes no movements.  They proceed around it.  They notice a few hundred feet down the road there is a procession crossing.  A tall orc at the head, his hair is shaggy and matted, a long sword waits at his back, as well as a dozen goblin archers.

The party prepares for battle.  Wolf mounts up his Pegasus and takes flight wheeling a few hundred feet in the air above the oblivious entourage’s head.  

Raid takes to the high grass not far behind the trailing goblins.  

Acacius also takes flight to hover between them all.  Valence prepares to run as well as the catperson.  

Raid gives the order.  He is the first to charge in weaving a spell into his sword strike it roars forth a fan of flames missing the entire grouping.  

In the air a shape is changing and falling, at an alarming rate wolf descends into the front of the group, his ring taking the barest of effect on his fall until it slams him to a stop the last second before the ground.  

Valence and the Cat both charge in to the fray.  

The procession is baffled by all of this, too shocked to even move.  

Wolf mauls through the orc.  It splatters to the ground in a sodden heap, both arms are firmly held in the bears massive paws, torn from their respective sockets.  

Raid sends another flourish through, this time crisping a few of the unfortunate goblins.  

The rest continue their approach.

The goblins break in every direction.  Running into the tall grass in an attempt to escape by any means possible, one is caught in Wolf’s massive paw, its neck snaps in the force of the grasp.  The ones nearest to raid, dart around him in the confusion, making for the other side of the road.  

Valence charges into another group of them using her newest trick a spinning roundhouse kick to hit four of the fleeing goblins at once.  

The cat person’s rapier slashes down a third.  

The goblins continue their run.  Raid corners two and lets a jet of flame consume them backlit by the witchfire as it burns.  

One reaches the edge of the visible field and Valence pulls back her bow and lets fly an arrow.  It arc and takes the goblin in the back, it thuds to the ground.  

One of the creatures make it off of the map.  

They begin to pile the bodies and search for things.  A grinding noise is heard and small broken golden chains emerge from the mud creatures mouth.  It crumbles into the earth.  

They search the bodies finding nothing to interesting.  Some poor rations, a few empty satchels, some stones and bones.  Poorly made bows and arrows are in their possession, and the fine looking blade and amulet of the orc.  As well as a journal.  

Wolf appropriates the belongings of the orc, and several goblins.  
“My kill.”  He warns any offenders.  

The rest pile the bodies for burning.  

  Valence begins to have second thoughts, concern marking her face as bright cheer had done scant moments before in the thrill of battle.  

“why did we do that?” She asks

“Because they are foul creatures and my blade was not yet wet this Journey” Replies raid.  

“Seems like a poor reason to me.” Retorts valence.  

“What do you have for it?” ends Raid.  

A figure is seen approaching on the horizon.  A shape mammoth hurtling through the air also along the road.  Wolf mounts up to go meet it.  The shape is a creature with the lower half of the body built like a dragon.  Thick scaly, with four massive, legs, the upper portion is that of a man with two taloned hands, and wings that sprout from his back like sails.  His skin is covered in tiny plates of gold.  That look more than formidable as armor, as well as the shimmering silver plate which covers him as armor.  He has a long glaive clutched in one hand.

“What ho, who you?” queries wolf.  

“I bring aid and a message for Acacius”  Booms the creature.  

It lands carefully.  Among the group and deposits a small stone, vaguely white, in the hands of Acacius.  

The boy has a faraway look in his eyes for just a moment.   He sends the message to raid as well.


----------



## Tangent Loki (Mar 14, 2008)

failure of double post


----------



## Tangent Loki (Mar 14, 2008)

[D] [/D]

They form a new marching order and begin to wend they're way.  

The day is full of scattered rainstorms.  It is hot and miserable.  

The next day promises to be bright and dry.  

In the night a hissing noise is heard.  Wolf goes to check it out.  he sees a small darting creature spraying acid on a monster composed of rock.  It's feeble attempts to ward the creature off, or crush it in its massive paws play out to the logical conclusion.

It melts into goo.  The small creature stalks off.

They sleep peacefully.  

In the afternoon they spot a tree by the side of the Road.  Both of the native fliers, the dragon-centaur and Wolf are high up in the air.  

But those on the ground notice a shape under the tree.  it is a smallish man with fair skin.  He has blonde hair, and a quick smile.  He leans nonchalantly on a tiny blade.  It is of equisite craftsmanshio.  He has a flowing vest and a small burnished shield on his left arm.  

around his neck hangs a very familiar amulet.  

Valence's eyes widen in surpirse.  

The creature sings out;

'I have won this fair and square 
but to win it back if you dare
you will face a test of three
the first of challenges is me

the second is to come in dreams
and the last a challenge of things unmean
so pick up your sword and draw to duel
let's begin the play, you silly fool.'

with that he swings his sword up in a flourish.  Patiently waiting for Valence to make a move.  Unseen eyes of the fey also watch this gatherng.  


  Valence charges her blade pouring her psionic focus into it it glitters with an inner light, the deep crystal refracting the mental power imbued in it.  She steps forward and takes a swing.  her blade slices quickly, but the fey is a little faster, rolling under the arc of the blade, it comes up slapping her hard on the rump.

  Valence calls upon some of her powers and disappears, reappearing a few feet away, winking through the astral void in an instant.

  The fey launches into a swirling twist evading her ready sword and slaps her on the cheek.    

  Valence launches a low thrust, which misses the wildly darting fey, and twists it into a wide slash at his side.  But he is up and over the blade in an instant, leaping higher than one would expect for his small frame.  Valence winks out again.

  The fey laughs and darts back in to her, rolling again under the blade as if it were nothing but a curtain door.  He slaps out again.  Valence can feel sweat starting to form on her face.  This fey is tiring her out.

 She launches another two cuts, rapid slashed downward with the flat of her blade.  

  The fey easily dodges them, stepping back as they descend, his blade following in their wake to slap her again.  He also sends a few stokes slashing at her feet, causing her to begina a little dance to avoid the knifing blade.  

  She winks out again.  

  Now she is really beginning to feel tired.  Her responses begin to slow.  And very soon she can feel fatigue aching in her bones.  A few more slashes.  She is too tired to call upon her mental reserves.  She collapses into the dust.


  As she falls, the fey, smiles.  He stabs his sword into the earth and calls ' I forfeit'.

   He drops the amulet on her, retrieves his blade and walks back behind the small tree.  He disappears. 

  Where he left the quickest eyes spot some mushrooms.  Odd colored, with a lightly glowing fluid just inside the cap.  It is quickly harvested and added to the store of existant fluid.

It is a few hours until Valence will be back among the wakeful.

They find a tree a little ways down the road with a stream nearby.

Everyone settles in for a nap during the hottest part of the day.  

Wolf moves from the tree to the river to the tree to the river.  every few minutes.  

Until on one of these routine trips he is interrupted.  As he approaches the water a stream of bulbbling tar spars across his back.  It melts down into his flesh.  He can scarce turn before it has again sprayed him.  He lets out a scream.

It is a small creature its beady black eyes and long talons on its feet, perched precariously between its eyes is a small nozzle-like snout, it is the color of leather. 

It hisses at him.  

he draws his axe and begins hacking.  It tries to claw him with its feet.  The dragon-centaur, wheels around in the sky and descneds rapidly to the flight, his glaive burtsing into flame.  

He impales the creature among the axe-strokes of wolf.  

it dies.  

He wonders if he can make it into a waterskin.

But decides against it.

They move back to the part wolf nursing his wounds.  

They travel on.  

The night is uneventful, but valence's dreams call to her.

she sees
[D] [/D]

She wakes up to find her amulet melted into slag inside her bag.


----------



## Tangent Loki (Mar 19, 2008)

The morning was long and warm.  The summer sun giving the fields the cast of gold, and the weary part trudged on.  They were three days to forests edge, a three week journey from the Capital of Tricondus, from whence they had departed.

The town was moderately sized.  It was on a trade route from Deepgreen.   It had an inn, a blacksmith, a tanner’s and a dozen lodges.  It was probably home to only about five hundred people.  

They made their way to the inn to seek lodgings for the night.  It was a large structure, twenty five feet high and maybe a hundred across, with a depth nearing to fifty.  Attached was a stable of half of those proportions.  Wolf entered first.  

“I need stabling for my horse and what’s the strongest ale do you have here?” Wolf demanded.

“ Well, the strongest ale we have is Treant’s Beard, but its not likely that ye can down a whole tankard.  In one draught.  I recommend something a little lighter, its hard on those not so used to it’s bark.” Smiled the inkeep.

“I’ll have that. “ hastily marked Wolf.  He’d be damned if he turned down a challenge.

The innkeep came back with a foaming mug, over a pint of the liquor.  

Wolf slugged it back, he saw stars dance before his eyes, and was barely able to remain upright.  He was very buzzed.  He had a discount in his remaining drinks and slogged down some regular house ale.  Drinking slowly, he passed the next while.

Raid sauntered up to the barkeep to ask “ what would you be having, sir?”

The Barkeep whispered conspiratorially, “ it is ale that’s yer fancy?  Or wine, or brandy?  As fer myself if I was to drink something It’s be some o’ the tear.  Dryad’s tear by name.  It’ a wee bit more pricy though.  Than most you’ll find but it, if I may say is worth the price. “

Raid replied, “I’d like a bottle then”  

The innkeep moves and pulls a bottle from the shelf.  He uncorks it and smells the aroma.  And pours a mug and leaves the bottle on the counter for Raid.  The liquid is a deep burgundy almost blue as it is looked at.  It smells of wildflowers and berries.  With a faint touch of honeysuckle.  The light taste upon his tongue is teal.  It tastes teal, if color can be personified in taste.  

He spends the evening at a table in the back. Turning his ring on the locals as they come in using its magic to read their thoughts.    

He leaves the rest of the bottle with the innkeep for later.        
The catperson tries to get the attention of a group of woodsmen in the corner.  She is unsuccessful over the course of the evening.  Wolf eventually retires out with a keg to the location of his new friend the centaur half-dragon.  Who introduces himself as “Lord of the undefeated horizon”. 

Acacius nettle valence into a drinking contest.  They will start with the house ale.  And move their way up to the pricier stuff.  Every three drinks graduates them a level.  The drinking begins and both are able to hold their liquor.  Around the second tier Valence begins to appear as if its taken some effect upon her but she is still keeping her head about her.  Acacius seems unperturbed.  Upon the next tier it is acacias who is beginning to look a little worried.   And by the third tier it is acacias who first drops under the table, but valence is deep down in her cups.  At the point where she is no longer coherent.  

They are both unceremoniously dumped into the same room.  Everyone else makes their own ways to retire for the evening. 

The next morning is bright, and acacias finds himself being laid upon.  He quickly makes his way to the door and beings his chanting.  Calling upon is innate magic to cloak him once more in his guise among flesh.

Raid is already downstairs and at breakfast.  

Wolf and Horizon are still out sleeping at the edge of the woods.  But over the course of the morning everyone gathers to come and eat breakfast.  

Wolf request employment from the innkeep with “ Is there anything we could do around here?”

The innkeep puzzles for a moment.  Then replies “ No tha I rightly know of.  Well ye might try your hand to catch ol’ nessie, she’s a rumored three hunnnerd poun catfish living in the pond.  I’d pay ye some money certainly fer that fish.  If It is ye can catch her.”

While the catperson, Wolf, Horizon, and valence are planning their fishing expedition Raid has other business.  

He asks the inkeep, “do you know where I might find the priest of this town?  And his name? “

“The priest?” huffs the barkeep, “ I think it be Cassius, but I’m no tha sure.  He lives near to the end of town out near Maude’s house, but ‘round this time he’s probably visitin’. So ye might try around old man Murray’s I think e’ll be ere about this time.”

“Thank you” said Raid, who made his way first to the preist’s house and having onto answer found his way to Old Man Murray’s.

He find him there, but he is busy and he is told that they could meet tonight at Caelan’s home.

Meanwhile the other group has made a plan.  They will lower wolf into the water using a stine and rope to see if they can find the fish, which they will then wrestle to the surface, making use of Horizon’s great strength as a counterweight.

The first dive in unfruitful.  

The second is also slow going and unfruitful.

On the third an enormous catfish is found.  

An epic struggle commences.  Wolf in his half-bear form initiates a grapple, but this is the beasts home, and it does not wish to leave.  They strain with Horizon’s wings clapping through the air and manage to drag it fifteen feet up from its one hundred feet depth.  It fights back with renewed strength pulling the rope down twenty feet.  They again struggle and it rises twenty, and then it pulls the rope down forty, and keeps its thundering pace.  

Soon Horizon is swimming in the water, it does not look good.  But amidst the struggle wolf continues to punch the fish into unconsciousness.  They then drag the fish out of the water where it suffocates and dies.  

Wolf attempts to change back but his body will not respond to his demands.  

He is now stuck.  Until the morning.  He grunts out to the remaining group “ tell them I war, urr, involved, Wolf’s catch.”  

“me too” says Horizon.

And they make their way back into the forest.

The fish is received with much gladness and quickly hauled off to the tanners to take of it as is best possible an adornment for the wall of the inn, soon to be renamed the belly of the beast.   A plaque will be placed beneath it with the names of the adventurers.  

The price they demand? Free stay and ale at the inn on their next journey through.  

They will always be welcome at the belly.  

  That night Raid makes his way to Caelan’s.

Caelan’s home is that of a simple parish priest.  His house is spare, the walls homey.  It is suffused by the amber light of candles when Raid arrives with Acacius.  A simple meal has been prepared; lightly herbed chicken and some greens.

They eat.

Raid asks “ what can we expect as we venture forth into the woods?”
Caelan replies “ I dona know.  If it’d be about the parish ye be askin then I could tell you the wonders of maude’s troubles with the gremlins.  I could tell you about old man Murray’s trouble’s with the rabbits.  He’s been here longer than the town you know.  But I mostly concern myself with the people here.”

Raid questions “ who do you serve?”
“The god of roads.  But he has hasked me to end my journey here.  this is were the road is to end.”
“a pity we would be much obliged if you would travel with us for a time.”
“ I would I could.  But thy need me here.”

“Onto a new question, then, what do you know about a blue liquid that grows on the bottom of mushrooms, we saw some of it on or way here, and were not sure of its properties.”

“Fairy wine, some call it, it is powerful magic.  Earth magic.  But none can see it unless the fey be they who will it so, have ye had dealings with the fey o the road?”

“yes we have, a little bit actually”

“Well the fey between here and the capital be plains fey, you’ll not be seeing more of them past here.  It sounds like they’ve done right by you though.”

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“well, I learned to cipher as a child but I have this one book of elvish words, the old high speech that I’ve never been able to cipher, I get most languages but this one’s been giving me trouble, you wouldn’t happen to know someone who speaks the old tongues do ye?”

“I infact do myself ay I have a look? Maybe you can help me as well, I too have something, inscribed on the ground by the fey, but I have been unable to make it out would you have a look?”

“certainly”

He looks over it providing a transcribed copy of the verse.  

--
--

”What do you make of it?” asks raid.

“I dunna make anything of it.  It was written by fey, who can tell what it means.”

“I think you have missed some of the meanings“ says Raid looking over it again.
He provides a new translation

---

“Ooh and ye missed a spot” exclaims Caelan . 

--

“think I have it now” remarks Raid.
 --

“That look right.  At least I cannot find any more of it” adds Caelan.

“well, you have been most hospitable tonight care to join me for a drink at the Inn?” offer Raid.  

“ Ah, I dunna think I’m up for it tonight friend” placates Caelan.

“It’s my treat, I have most of a bottle of Tear there that I’d love to share.” He offers again.

“when you put it that way, I’d be happy to join you” Caelan smiles.

They proceed back to drink.

When they depart Caelan blesses them both “May the god of roads watch over you, and keep your pathway light” he intones.  

The next morning the group is getting ready to ride.  They still have a prince to find.

Raid requests they wait until midday.  “I have business.” He explains.

Wolf replies “ fine we leave at midday, if you not here we leave without”

Raid makes his way to old man Murray’s.

Old man Murray’s house is a queer place, built of four strait walls with jutting eaves that curl slightly upwards.  It was definitely not built in the same tradition of the surrounding lodge-houses.  It also smells of old.  Raid knocks gently.

The old stooped man answers the door.  His eyes wide and his hair unkempt.  It smells of age and dust inside, shelves line the walls, there is a comfortable chair in the front room with a few other wooden stools.  The old man plops into his chair.  

“come to visit have you?”  

The shelves are lined with odd baubles from bygone ages, small statuettes of glass, a few dusty tomes, some other boxes whose contents remain hidden from the world. 

Raid asks “ I’m here to seek you’re wisdom Murray, I hear you know what is going on in the forest?”

“The rabbits have been bad this year.  Getting in to my garden and eating all the roots.  Never do anything useful, usually more trouble than they are worth.”

“I don’t imagine I can help you with your rabbit problem?”

“Why would I want that?  They may get into the shrubs and the roots, but they always let me know when there is trouble about.  It’s been ten years since they acted up like this, but it seems that its been about every ten years before something like this happens.  They always get this stirred up when there are vampires about.”

“vampires?”

“every ten years the vampires take some kind of serious action.  And the rabbits always come eating at my shrubs.”

“I’d be careful if I were you, and watch out for elfsign.  They don’t take too kindly to trespassers.  No they don’t.  Stay on this side of it.  If you see it.  They’re the ones that leave Deepgreen alone.  They let it sit there.  But It’s in their forest.  What was once theirs.  The elves are terrible and powerful.  Be wary of them.”

Raid then proceeds to tell the tale of their travels.  

The begs his leave of Murray and the party heads out.  

The first day into the forest is long and meaning less.  They see a few squirrels is all and they are heading east.  In the night two jaguars cross the road fleeing east.

That night Raid is awoken in his sleep, an amulet in his temporary possession is taken from him and he is beaten.

The next day it is found out and Wolf yells at Horizon who was on watch.  They make their way deeper into the forest.  

In the morning they see a shape making its careful wall through the fronds. Of the deep forest.  It is dark here and there is almost complete canopy cover to the road.  It stops not far, from the road having spotted the group.  Only the keenest eyes make out the green skin and a chain that trails from his hands underneath some of the nearby ferns.  
“hello” they begin to all shout in the many tongues they speak.


The shape hunches down.  

“We see you” calls out Raid.” We do not intend to hurt you.  What is your name creature?”


----------

