"Correct me if I'm wrong" Norton follows "You had a dream and found a weapon, and you become a believer, but me and my friends sweat our way past the Kobolds, the mites, the Stag Lord, we help different people live side by side, and we are the ones that talk? I surely don't understand you."
"Listen, just one last question, and I'll lift the burden of my presence from you, why, being able to choose between building something, and turning everything to ashes, would you choose the latter?"
"Hmmph.. yes I had a dream. I've shared with you what I cared to share with you. My fleeting interest in you is waning, young lord..."
"To answer your question... The presence of humans sickens me. Your cities are monuments to your naive self-importance. You breed like rabbits and when you die... the world underneath boils over with your filthy souls - drenched in sin and artifice. Humans are a stain which murder does not cleanse. Perhaps... the slaughter of thousands will at least ward you from these lands for a time... until the tales of the horror are passed off as embellished legend."
Furiel continues making preparations to explore.
The day of exploration passes without incident. Though this area is less fertile as a whole, there is sufficient arable land for farming. You spot a few families of deer, and find signs of many more toward the northern portion.
There are also signs of abandoned campsites - weeks to months old. They all fall along a generally northeast/southwest direction in line with the three rivers crossing.
"A rich land, it can easily sustain people...without the need to be greedy.
We should make sure to balance the need of the people with the need of the land."
"It is a pity, but it seems a lost cause." thinks Norton, while leaving the cell.
At dinner he tells the others. "I am not sure who, or what, this Dark Lady is, probably some kind of spirit of these lands. Clues head towars something in the woods north west from here, now that we know the land around here should we investigate those parts?"
"Well, we will need to deal with it sooner or later.
But perhaps we should explore what remains of the immediate surroundings first so we can leave some instructions in case we are gone a long time?
Plus, I would like for us to be here when á certain report comes in...
I'll admit, it is a little personal with me, but it also makes sense, by now the old man might begin to get suspicious, and he may try something if we are seen to be gone."
"Anyone of our new arrivals may be reporting to him, I don't want to call anyone a spy but..."
As you clean up after your meal on the border of the next area to explore, you see a wagon coming your direction from the west. For what its worth, you are near the lightly used path. (along which you found the abandoned campsites)
As usual Norton is lost in his talking and hardly notices things around him.
The wagon seems to slow, but continues to approach. It is a covered wagon with two horses and a driver. There are no other visible riders, but the cargo is not visible.
You see the driver turning his head back toward the cargo area as he slows - the way you do to speak or listen to someone behind you as opposed to visually checking on his cargo.
The wagon comes within a couple hundred feet and you hear the driver call out. "Good evening to you!" He eases the horses to a slow walk.
"This man is smuggling someone under the covers of that wagon..."
Furiel begins summoning an air elemental.
Covers tend to blow off around them.
"Good evening indeed. My name is Norton, these, with me, are Green, Furiel and Ta' de Win" Norton points the friends. "Whom have we the pleasure to meet?"
"He did say "meet" right? Because I was only joking about eating people..."
Furiel finishes his casting before his doings are clear to the wagonrider. The elemental hovers barely visible awaiting a command.
The driver eases the wagon along the trail which runs within a stone's throw from your camp. He responds to Norton...
"Jesten Meyer sirs, madam... Don't see many out these ways. Safer roads these days I've heard. Just passing through. Hope you good folk don't mind."
he is nervous... you don't detect any hostile intent... he seems to be trying to determine if you are a threat.
It seems like he was already a little spooked before he got here.
He might be trying to determine if you are a group with which to share his current worry.
Furiel has the elemental blow off the covering of the wagon.
Sensible...
"Welcome to these lands, are you heading towards Stagfall? You are not far away now.
You will most likely be seeing a lot of us if you are heading there.
Report to the quartermaster once you are there and he will find you a place to settle on."
The curious gnome peeks in the wagon as the whirlwind blows off the cover.
Ta'de-win stands aside, watching for other signs of trouble, knowing Norton and Green were better suited for the exchange of words.
The cloth cover on the wagon pulls free from the frame. A man within drops what looks like a crossbow, and shows his empty hands.
" Blimy... some trick, eh?"
It takes the driver of the wagon a moment to comprehend what is afoot...
"No harm meant... just cautious."
The wagon is filled with crates... little room for the passenger.
The driver continues speaking, nods to Green.
"The new settlement is closer than our intended destination. Perhaps it would be wise to head that way, thank you."
"If I may return the advice with some of my own... Keep out of the woods to the west. An entire expedition has disappeared - abducted more likely. We came upon the base camp... all torn up. No one around. All of a sudden Tudley here starts yelling "go go go"... said he saw lizard people creeping up on us."
He is not lying. He is not saying why they were going there, but considering his cautious/suspicious manner (and having a wagon full of possible valuables) that is expected.
You spot some foodstuffs, cases of ink vials, parchments in marked containers.
You also see some alchemical, and cartography gear (these things look hastily packed - misfitting in crates is what allows you to see these things)
You detect no deception, misrepresentation, or hidden ill intent.
The Green Man scratches his chin and frowns, then his face slowly splits into a wide grin.
"I appreciate the advice, but I fear that we will not only not take it, but do the exact opposite.
As lords of the lands, we have a responsibility to keep all people safe, so we must of course investigate these lizardmen."
Furiel adds:
"I can speak the language of most lizardmen. They may listen to reason or they way have to be punished."
Furiel looks at the equipment in the cart and adds helpfully.
"You are in luck. I am working on a magical repository in Stagfall and will soon need a staff. The dwarves have the construction plans and are building it. You may find work there if you are skilled in magic or alchemy."
He adds:
"We have rebuilt the fortifications and the place is quite secure. You will be safe there."
Jesten removes his hat and gets down from the driver's bench. He looks at Tudley and jerks his head - urging him to do the same. Jesten bows. "M'lords, M'lady. Honor to meet you. And best of luck to you... I am hoping - considering we saw no fallen, the entire Narthropple expedition was taken alive."
Tudley adds "Unless the walking lizards ate 'em..."
Jesten goes on... addressing Furiel's comments "Ah no... we just do transportation, deliveries and such. These are Narthropple's things... monthly delivery."
"Well, I am hoping you are right, but even if you are, we will need to hurry before the lizards get hungry.
Go on, return to your travels, but I would request you stay in Stagfall for a few days as we may want to talk to you more.
Tell the Seneschal to put you up in the guest rooms, free of charge of course."
The Green Man then turns to the others.
"What say you, shall we postpone our map making activity and head towards the western woods?"
The two look unsure until Green says "free of charge", they then indicate the location of the base camp on your map.
"People need saving. We are good at that!!"
The Green Man can only grin and nod at Furiel's statement.
"That we are, I would say we have more than a little experience in it by now.
By word or by deed we shall make these Lizardfolk understand the...displeasure we feel when people get kidnaped in our lands."
"As often before I find myself in agree with you. Beside, more than one thing smells fishy from the westwards woods. Its probably time for us to shed some light into them."
"Very well then. Tudley... shall we?"
They both return to the wagon, and head toward Stagfall.
"Shall we camp and get there in the morning?"
"Yes, stumbling around in the dark is pointless, but let us not waste time by not traveling as far as we can before nightfall."
Furiel takes the first shift as he can see by the dim light. He wakes Green for the next shift and leaves him two earth elementals to wrestle with before going to sleep.
"I said I could pin you, but I needed help."
"Heh, if we are going to make it fair, I'd say we should wake Ta as well and have her summon a wolf or something for my side."
That night...
While Norton is on watch, the horses start to act up. This is usually attributed to Green's mount roaming into the other horses in its sleep, but not this time.
There is suddenly the "thap thap thap" beating of large wings... a dark shape swoops - the size of a bear, slams into Murak.
Murak is bowled over... lands on her side.
The flying dark shape continues... flying through the middle of camp, and climbs out of sight. You all wake, and hear a tremendous roar in the sky above - like an angry storm.
"Wha...wazzat? Ugh...what is going on?"
Norton will move to Murak, if the horse can get up he will straddle him.
"Something big, flying, very fast." he shouts to the others to give them the general idea of he problem, then he tries to find out more looking at the creature.
You did not see it well, but once you hear the lion-like roar... you are pretty sure this is a manticore...
a winged lion with a spiked tail. They are fierce predators, and enjoy human flesh above all other delicacies.
Furiel begins casting as furtively as he can.
The creature appears out of the darkness again - from the south...
It tears at Green - before he can even get to his feet... as it swoops through the camp and out of sight again.
It appears to be some sort of large winged quadruped.
"Augh! Curse you! You can't hide from me! My eyes do not fear the dark!"
"You had your chance. Now let's see how you handle a fair fight."
"Close ranks, let's show this one how we handle sneak attacks. Ta, if you have means to keep that thing on the ground we will all appreciate."
You prepare yourselves for battle... several seconds pass.
Furiel finishes his summons, and you feel emboldened by Norton's commanding presence...
... you wait for the creature to come within sight again.
You can hear the flap of its wings in the distance to the north, but can't see it in the darkness.
"I can't see the blasted creature..."
It went that way--Furiel points north.
Before it comes back, Furiel begins summoning a second air elemental as the first one forms.
The first air elemental waits for the approach of the creature to rush forward.