Eilyne considered the creature, not only was it pretty but it was adorable the way it wanted the gem so badly. "It comes from the same place that Rocky does. Maybe it knows a way to get back there?" She looked to Griffo and held out her hand, "Give it to me please."
Eilyne looked back at the creature and said in Terran, "I'm Eilyne and I'll give you this gem in exchange for information. Do you know a place nearby where you can get back to the plane of earth? I have a friend who needs to return there."
"Yes! Down below, deep in the dark. Clilassh will take friend there! Gem! Tasty gem! Give gem!"
"I'll be kind of sad to see Rocky go, but I suppose it's for the best," Griffo says as he hands over the gem.
"Yeah, I'll miss him, but he'll be safe and happy back home." Surma says while fondly looking at their elemental friend.
Taking the gem from Griffo Eilyne knelt and held it out for Clilash, "Here you go then."
Once the creature took the gem Eilyne stomped on the ground in the signal to get Rocky's attention and waited for the elemental to rise. She began to speak to it in Terran,
Clilassh eagerly takes the gem from Eilyne and chomps down on it, easily crushing it between its crystalline mandibles.
Rocky rises up and listens to Eilyne. The earth elemental looks back and forth between the kineticist and the scorpion-creature. It seems to weigh the decision for a while, then lower its head slightly.
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Eilyne listened to the response from the elemental and then leaned forward to wrap her arms around it. She pulled Rocky into a hug and said to him,
Rocky looks after Eilyne as she walks away. Soon, Clilassh finishes its meal and gestures for the elemental to follow it. Rocky squares its shoulders and follows the gemstone scorpion as they both disappear down the eastern tunnel.
Once you are ready to move on, another door beckons to the south.
Watching solemnly as Rocky departs she waves goodbye to the elemental creatures. After she follows after Eilyne, the crying making it not so difficult. Gently approaching her the Sword Devil gently rests a hand on the other woman’s shoulder.
Eilyne didn't hear Surma approaching her and nearly jumped when the hand touched her. She doesn't say anything but continues to sit there, sobbing.
While Surma offers some comfort to Eilyne, Griffo and Minto quietly look about the misty chamber.
Griffo doesn't find anything in his search, but Minto bark softly to alert his master to something hidden. The wolf points to a small shield-shaped amulet jammed into a crevice in the rocks. It radiates a faint aura of abjuration magic.
Once Eilyne is able to muster her emotions, you continue on through the next door. Enormous salt crystals hang from the ceiling here, glittering in the light of a glowing blue crystal set in an inhuman, insectlike statue in the center of the floor. Mist drifts along the floor of the circular chamber, swirling in the gentle currents of air.
The western wall has collapsed into stony debris, but on the eastern wall a carving of a huge, withered dragon's face leers above a metallic door set deep in the stone.
A few more troglodytes are here, along with their shamanic chieftain. A fierce battle ensues, but in the end, you prove victorious! In the aftermath, you explore beyond the metal door. A three-stepped riser fills most of the room, atop which lies a stone sarcophagus depicting a vaguely insectoid creature. Within the coffin lie the partially crystallized remains of an ancient, four-armed insectoid creature. Four lidless stone coffers placed around the dais contain a fair amount of treasure.
Soon after clearing out the troglodyte caves, a small mole burrows out of the ground nearby--an animal messenger from Aubrin! A note attached asks if the caves are safe, and you reply in the affirmative. That night, the former ranger and the rest of the refugees in Phaendar arrive at the caves.
Aubrin embraces Surma, then wrinkles her nose at the reptilian stench in the air. "Oh, my. What an incredible smell you've discovered!" she quips. "Well, it looks secure enough. We should be safe here for a short time, at any rate. Guess it's moving day! Oh, by the way, we picked up another straggler in the woods."
She gestures to a man among the refugees.
The man Aubrin gestures to blinks for a moment, before looking almost bashfully at the ground. Unlike the other refugees, this one clearly looks geared up to fight. His armor is covered in dark leaves and thorny vines creep along the surface, seemingly pulsing once in a while, as if thrumming with life. A sword hangs loosely at his side while a bow is slung over his shoulder, green leaves still attached as if just cut from the tree itself. No less then three quivers of arrows hang on his back and waist, while a leather harness strung with curious wooden plates clatters around his waist.
After a moment of hesitation, he nods to Aubrin before extending a friendly hand. "...hi. My name's Kane. Kane Madigann. I'm with the Chernasardo Rangers... er, I mean, I was... we had a hunting lodge up along the Meridith River, but... it was destroyed when the hobgoblins attacked... we were totally caught offguard... I'm sorry..."
Clearly not the most confident public speaker.
"...I want to thank you all for helping these folks. I know it's my job to do so, but... it... took a while to get organized... but I'm here now! I won't... er... I'll try not to disappoint... too much... just let me know how I can help! I can... I mean, I know how to fight... and I... I know a little bit of magic... I mean, it's arcane magic, so I know it's not... really very valuable, but... I can make it work. I promise. You can count on me."
Eilyne was still mentally exhausted after she calmed herself and went to help finish clearing the place. The final battle was tense but since they had left few followers to help the chieftain they were able to push through. When the animal messenger arrived Eilyne went to where the shrieker was and tried toe keep it quiet while everyone came through.
When everyone had arrived and Kane was introduced Eilyne thought there was something familiar about him, or maybe not him per say but something. As he introduced himself she accepted his hand though her handshake was fairly loose as her heart didn't seem to be in it. "I'm Eilyne."
Kane stiffened a little as Eilyne introduced herself, shaking her hand nervously and clearing trying to hold eye contact with her. "Uhm... pleasure to meet you, Miss Eilyne." After a moment, though, he started to feel like he was being a bit weird, tearing his eyes away off her and trying desperately hard to look anywhere else other than her. "D-do you, uhm... I-I have an extra blanket or... or a change of c-clothes if... I mean, if you're... cold o-or... anything..."
'Eyes off, eyes OFF! Do! Not! Be! An! Idiot!'
Even to someone who had never met her Eilyne was obviously upset. There were signs she had been crying recently and she seemed to not be paying much attention to the awkward man in front of her. She shook her head and said, "No, I'm fine," her tone was fairly flat, "I'll ask if I need them." She started to turn and walk away before stopping and looking back over her shoulder at Kane. Her long red hair covered part of her face coyly though she wasn't trying for it, as she said, "Thanks." With that she turned and went to go sit near the fire that had been set up. Kane got a very nice view of her rear as she went and when she sat her clothing rustled slightly as the leaves adjusted themselves to keep her covered.
Eilyne pulled her long legs up to her chest and stared into the fire while focused and moved her hands. The leaves moved along her body, the ones that made her boots in particular, and wrapped around her so it was like she was snuggled inside of a blanket made of leaves while she stared into the fire.
Griffo sits down at the fire, Minto at his side. "Now that we have a reasonably secure, and defensible, roof over our heads, we had probably better discuss our options. I don't favor living like a troglodyte forever. We'd probably best find out if the hobgoblins are here to stay short term, medium, or long term. That... and divide up the equipment we managed to secure."
Kane would hardly call himself perceptive... but he could at least tell that something was bothering Eilyne. Figuring it was something he'd sad or done, perhaps insulting her or exacerbating something on her mind, his eyes drooped back to the ground... though her thanks made him look back up and wander to her backside, before darting back to literally anywhere else, internally scolding himself. 'Erastil's sake, Kane, have some self-control!'
Looking at the other two, he bit his lip a little before speaking again. "...did I... upset her? I'm sorry, I wasn't... I didn't mean to..." Looking briefly back over, he noticed that the leaves she'd been wearing were now... a blanket? How'd she do that..? Did she practice magic too?!
Rocking on his feet and crossing his arms, he cautiously walked closer to Eilyne's spot and hovered a moment before speaking again. "Uhm... I, uhm... I'm sorry if I upset you. I wasn't trying to insult you or anything... I didn't know if you had anything else, or... n-not that you aren't l-lovely or anything, I was just- I mean, not that I was p-paying attention... I mean, in that way, b-but I w-would... I mean, I wouldn't..." Kane just fumbled to a stop before biting his lip again and staring hard at the floor. "I... just wanted to say I apologize... if I upset you..."
Pausing a moment and trying to fight the urge to run and hide like the coward he was, he looked at the leaf blanket and cleared his throat. "That's a... a pretty impressive blanket. Do you... practice magic too?"
Griffo's assessment gave Kane a much needed relief as he discussed another subject. "I managed to run off a couple of patrols, but there seem to be more out there... about three or four hobgoblins in each. They must be looking for something..."
Looking at the other two, he bit his lip a little before speaking again. "...did I... upset her? I'm sorry, I wasn't... I didn't mean to..."
Griffo offers a bracing word, "Don't worry too much, son. A friend she made in a crisis had to return to his home. I think she was hoping he'd stay a while. She just needs a little time."
Griffo's advice made Kane go quiet for a bit, frowning and nodding. "Oh... I'm sorry..." Kane took a small step back, giving Eilyne her space.
As he thought a bit, Kane glanced over at Minto a moment, before turning to Griffo. "Uhm... how good of a tracker is he?"
Eilyne looked up at Kane when he apologized to her in curiosity. People didn't apologise for such thing and the way he stuttered was kind of cute. That he couldn't seem to speak straight was a bit annoying but still endearing in it's way as he kept backpeddaling over his words in attempt to avoid offending her. For a brief moment she was distracted from what had her down.
Eilyne's distraction with Kane ended when Griffo brought up Rocky and she turned away to look back into the fire as tears began to flow once more. Her shoulders began to shake as she cried again over the loss of her touchstone to the life she so foolishly threw away. In that moment she hated Griffo for bringing it up again but she knew she had no reason to. Instead she ignored the rest of his words and let the two men talk.
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Kane rubbed the back of his neck as Eilyne started to cry again. He wasn't exactly sure how to handle the situation - emotional support wasn't really something he was good at. But he knew what made him feel better when he was upset in the past...
Kneeling down, Kane pulled his pack off and opened it up, digging through the insides before pulling out a bound stack of about 10 books, leaning over and laying them next to Eilyne. "Uh... I don't know if these would help, but... whenever I've been upset, I found a good quiet place and... r-read a little bit..." He closed his pack and stood up, shouldering it again, shifting his gaze a bit. "It's not an... extensive library, some of them are a bit simple... and stupid... but I've finished most of them, so... you can read them... if it helps... I-I mean, anyone here can, I just... th-thought you might like one now... to help distract your mind... it's what I always did..."
The Pirate, The Goblin, and The Mermaid - A relatively simple fantasy story about a reformed goblin who serves Shelyn and winds up working with a comedic pirate "captain" to save works of art. The pages look impressively worn on the edges, probably from regular use.
Ivanhoe - Like the real world story, but with names and customs changed to fit Golarion.
First World, First Emotions: Having tea with a fey - a guide to conversing (and surviving) encounters with fey creatures.
Alphabet of the Woods - mostly a comedic translation guide, discussing the quirks of translating words from different languages into native tongues. Certain words from the section about Sylvan are underlined.
The King's Gamble - a historical retelling of the Quest for the Sky. Seems to be a mix of drama and history, with a lean towards historical.
Where Am I?: A guide to navigating the Planes - This book supposedly provides answers to the question "So you've found yourself stumbling through a tear between dimensions and have no idea where you are or who wants to eat you, what do you do?" Includes primers on each of the four elemental planes.
The Choice's Spring - a choose your own adventure book in which you take on the role of the dashing thief, Jack Callahan, out to steal back a treasure called Sarenrae's Tear.
Basic Bowmanship - A guide to practical uses and care of a bow for hunting, self defense, and other extraneous uses. Has a heavy leaning towards Erastil's teachings, including several key proverbs from the faith.
The Knowledgeable Huntsman - a guide to using arcane magic in inventive ways to improve your survival skills and getting along comfortably in the wild.
Not as distraught as she was before Eilyne managed a response. She looked over at Kane and the smiled slightly through her tears as she said, "Thank you, but I can't read."
Kane flinched when Eilyne mentioned that she couldn't read. That notion hadn't even crossed his mind, and it felt a bit thoughtless on reflection. "O-oh... sorry, I didn't even consider... uhm... yeah, my mistake... erm... I mean, the top one has pictures... but I guess without context, they're just... dumb..."
Looking down at the floor, his eyes noticed her leaf blanket again and thought perhaps talking would help distract her. "Ah... so, where'd you... learn to control plants like that? I mean... I can sort of do it, but it takes some preparation... and kind of a work around. There's only so much arcane magic can do, really, you know..."
Eilyne gestured for Kane to sit and said, "I could do this," she gestures and causes some of the leaves to grow along her arm and to her hand, "I've been able to do this since I became a young woman." She sculpted the leaves, letting them crow and twist as she fed them golden energy. They formed into a small bird before she shifted them back onto her arm like they were before. The whole time she demonstrated she kept moving her hand to guide the energy and stopped only when she was finished. "I don't know exactly how I do that, I was told once that I can tap into teh energy of the First World and use it somehow, I never understood that explanation though."
Kane seemed moderately reluctant at first, but after Eilyne started to work her magic, his curiosity got the better of him sitting down on the other side of the stack of books and watching it intensely as she grew a leafy bird and withdrew it back into the fold. "...fascinating..." Kane finally muttered, still processing her explanation before sitting back and thinking.
"...the First World?" Kane tilted his head to one side, closing his eyes and thinking a bit. "Actually, that would make a great deal of sense! Okay, so, it's a bit complicated, but to grossly simplify it, our world, the Material Plane, and the First World intersect at certain areas, typically heavy forest areas with high fey populations. Think of it like a two-way leak, with chaotic metaphysical matter seeping into our Plane while stable energy seeps back into the First World." Kane's demeanor seemed entirely different as he was explaining himself, evidently blocking out his social ineptitude with an excitement for sharing his knowledge with someone else. "Now, I haven't read of any concrete examples, but I would hypothesize that you might have similar properties - in essence, you are a living break in the planes between the Material Plane and the First World! I suspect the Fangwood is really close to the First World, so if you were born in a village in the forest, or grew up near it, that might have bolstered your connection to the First World! A living funnel for chaotic metaphysical energy!"
Kane paused as he realized he was rambling and leaning closer in his excitement of explaining his theory, before quickly backing into his place and going quiet again. "...sorry... I'm rambling... that's really cool though..!" Looking around beyond the fire, he tried to change the subject. "So... most of these refugees are from Phaendar, right? I guess there's been no news from other settlements, has there?"
Eilyne listened in interest, at first, as Kane seemed to loosen up. Unfortunately his words quickly went over her head and she only understood every few or so. When he finally wound down and stopped Eilyne giggled lightly, "If you say so Kane. She was actually a little sorry he sat back into his own space again. That could have gotten interesting.
Eilyne sighed slightly when Kane changed the subject and said, "Most of them yes. I think the only exceptions were me and Griffo. Neither of us live there, we just came in to trade at times and were both there for the festival."
Kane just kept his gaze down on the ground as Eilyne spoke, before reaching into his pack and pulling out what looked like a journal and pencil. He quickly started to jot notes down as he nodded in response. "...there was a black tower of some sort, right? Some of the people here mentioned it, but... from our lodge, we could see it across the plains... a little, I mean... I only got a quick look at it before we were... attacked..."
Kane's scribbling slowed a bit as he mentioned it, his mind wandering back to the event. "...they torched the lodge... most of the Rangers scattered... some stayed and fought... my dad... kept fighting... I don't know what happened to him... all I could do was run..." His writing stopped as Kane's grip on his pencil seemed to make it crack slightly under the duress. "...I... abandoned him... like a spineless, rotten, yellow-bellied coward... I'm just as responsible for his death as the hobs..."
Kane closed his eyes, recollecting himself and steadily resuming his writing. "...if you all don't mind... at some point, I'd like to try and return to what's left of the lodge... I'd like to try and recover his bow, if possible..."
Eilyne listened to Kane tell his story and felt it strike a chord with her's, or rather the parts she hadn't told anyone yet, and said, "If you'd stayed would it change what happened? I think all that would have changed would be you would have died too." She shook her head, "No, at least you live to fight another day. As for returning, I imagine we'll have a chance sometime." It seemed that Kane had gotten her mind off of her own sorrow with his story.
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A few days pass as the refugees settle into the caves. The biggest issue to new residents is the fungus that emits odoriferous gas contributing to the stench in the caves. Fortunately, the fungus is delicate and easy to tear out of the tunnels, and it is edible when cooked. The artesian well provides plenty of fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing. The numerous small caverns also offer defensible positions for the inhabitants.
They start working on homemade furniture and resource stores to keep everybody going. Jet makes a dedicated quartermaster, and Rhyna helps gather fragrant herbs to dispel the lingering troglodyte stench. Aubrin ministers to the wounded and helps lift the spirits of the group. She puts forth the suggestion to name the caverns Misthome, both for the persistent mists on the lower level and for its homonym, "missed home," to remind the group what they are fighting for. The Hemlock Banner hangs proudly from in the entry chamber.
One day, you are surprised when a rock glowing with a light spell skitters up the tunnel from the Darklands. A friendly voice calls out in Undercommon, then after a few moments, it calls out in Common. "Hello? Anybody home? It's Novvi! Do you want to trade this month?"
A bald gnome woman with rocky gray skin and wiry physique approaches cautiously, a large pack slung over her shoulders.
Kane finished taking his notes as he hung his head, nodding glumly at Eilyne's assessment. "...I know... I keep telling myself that, I know it's the rational thing, I just..." He trailed off before shaking his head and putting his book away. "...thanks... I guess if I hadn't lived, I wouldn't have been charged with being the Fangwood's Champion... I just... hope she picked the right guy..."
********
Kane does his best to help the refugees get Misthome up and running as a viable home, using his magic to try and make things clean and livable while protecting the place. He gets into the habit of casting his Alarm spell at the cave's entrance before nightfall to better protect the cave, and when he's not trying to investigate the tunnels to the Darklands below, he occupies his time studying the Vault below, intrigued by its history. He also takes the time to go over any curious magical items the group has come across, consulting his books while trying to divine their purposes.
When the lighted rock comes tumbling out of the darkness from the Darklands, Kane is immediately at the ready, prepared to attack if needed. But when the voice speaks out in Undercommon, than Common, Kane let his curiosity get the better of him, replying in Undercommon to try and put the voice at ease. Was this... a merchant? His father always told him not to take anything the wilderness gave you at face value... but this seemed okay.
[spoiler=Undercommon]"A-ah... greetings, Novvi... I'm Kane, of Misthome... ah, if you're interested in a trade, I can speak with the others and... well, maybe they have something they'd like to trade with you... probably..." Once the others arrive, Kane explains the situation... she seemed friendly enough, and was willing to do business! "Erm... well, what do you have in the way of arrows, Novvi?"
Kane recognizes Novvi as a deep gnome, also known as a svirfneblin. They are fast and observant but relatively weak and emotionally distant. In the dark below earth, svirfneblin protect their enclaves, keeping their small communities safe from the terrors of the lightless depths.
"Misthome? Is that what you're calling this place, then? Kind of surprised to see humans in these caves. Not sure if you're an improvement over the trogs yet, though you are more fragrant, so that's a plus! Pleased to meet you."
Novvi grins and unshoulders her pack. "I come by here every month or so to trade. If you've got gold or goods, I'd be happy to let you take a look at my wares!"
A svirneblin... how odd to see one travelling like this, as a merchant. Still, better to not look a gift horse TOO much in the mouth. "A pleasure as well. We are staying here, for the time being... we've been attacked by an army of hobgoblins... we needed a place to stay... pardon my asking, but you haven't seen any large groups of hobgoblins moving through the Darklands, have you? Or... perhaps, have you come across any large black towers below the earth?" It occurred to Kane that perhaps the towers had come from underground... it would explain how they appeared out of seemingly nowhere so quickly. And if they had operations below the surface, perhaps they could be disrupted!
Kane also takes a little time to speak with some of the more prevalent members of the refugees and see if they needed anything or could benefit from something the deep gnome might have to offer.
As the newest member, my equipment should be all set already, though my guess is that the potion of haste would be universally good and that +1 greataxe would really benefit Surma (speaking of which, I hope she's okay...). A strand of prayer beads might help with backup healing, though I think only Griffo might be able to use them...
Eilyne caught Kane's mention of a lady picking him as Fangwood's Champion and wondered who it could be. She didn't question him on it as he'd tell her if he felt like. Over the next few days Eilyne was in better moods, she still missed her stony friend but she had gotten past the worst of her loss. She split her time between the caves and the out doors where she moved through the trees closest to the cave entrance and watched for signs of trouble. She was actually outside when the strange dark gnomish woman made her presence known and so was unaware of what was happening inside.
Highly intrigued by Novvi's arrival, Griffo responds, "Oh, my, yes! We do have some items that I think we can sell and I hope we can do business with you, Novvi. But to that point, I do have a question. How dangerous is the road you travel between your home and here? We've been quite worried about our safety and security."
"Oh, it's not so bad," Novvi says. "I usually take a few hidden ways to bypass dangerous monster lairs and perilous drop-offs. And hardly anything comes up this way these days. The trogs did a good job of scaring off would-be predators. So long as you keep on eye on the tunnel on this end, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
"That's good to hear, Novvi. I hope that you might be able to get us some quality supplies. We've managed to pull together a fairly substantial list of gear we have recovered that we have little use for here," Griffo says as he starts putting together the lot of goods that he hopes Novvi will be able to buy.
"Excellent! I'm sure I can find some buyers for most of this stuff. I'm happy to trade with you for whatever you like!" the gnome says cheerfully.
Kane nodded, before pausing and thinking a minute as he leaned down. "...actually, Novvi, if... I don't know if you'd know where to get one, but we need a scroll of restoration... if you happen to come across one on your travels, would you hold on to it for us? I would personally greatly appreciate it..."
Kane paused a moment, before adding. "By the way... would you happen to have any good... books on hand? It's hard to get new things to read out here, so..."
"Sure, I can get you a scroll and some books. I know a guy. Well, not so much a guy as a squamous aberration, but still. Next time I come back this way, I'll have what you need to purchase."
"Thank you... and when you return, I'll hopefully have something to trade you for them... hey Griffo? See if we can afford that axe. It's powerful... I think someone like Surma could make some good use out of it." Kane stood back up and decided to check on the other refugee leaders, pondering what he could find to trade her for such a powerful magical item...
As he made his rounds, Kane was reminded of the reports of the hobgoblins who attacked and destroyed Gristledown, as well as the apparent bounty on the group. As if on cue, his mind began to break down the statistics and information he had on hand, forming hypotheses, comparing information, tweaking, thinking.... every way he broke it down, they were severely outnumbered... but not outmatched. There had to be a weak point they could strike out to throw their pursuers off their trail. If they didn't, they'd never stop running.
By the time he reached Aubrin, Kane was so wrapped up in his analysis that he was uncharacteristically calm and well spoken, his gaze still locked on the numbers only he could see as he spoke with her. "We've got a merchant willing to trade with us. I came to see if you needed anything for your work. More importantly, I need to call a meeting on our next course of action. We're in an ideal position to mount a counterattack, and I'm drawing up plans for what to do."
"Excellent! Did the merchant bring any clothes? We left in such a hurry, I forgot to pack a change of underwear," Aubrin says.
"I agree, we need to hit back against these Ironfang bastards. I'll bet there are too many forces in Phaendar for us to take on directly, but we keep on running into patrols in the forest. They've got to have a forward base camp somewhere nearby. If we take that out, it will ensure Misthome's safety--at least for a little while, at any rate."
Aubrin's request seemed to briefly snap Kane out of his trance, before he shook his head. "I-I, uhm.... I don't know, but... I can... ask..."
Steadily returning to his calculating mindset, Kane crossed his arms, his mind unfolding his mental map of the forest. "My thoughts precisely. That's how the Chernasardo Rangers handle things - minor camps spread out from a central location to return and report. Hobgoblins rely on military chain of command. If we can find that central hub and knock them out, we break the chain and put a halt on their activities..."
Kane started to grow lost in his own thoughts as he began concocting a host of contingency plans in his mind. "I'll ask Novvi about spare clothing. When Eilyne returns, ask her to come find me. I need to see what we're all comfortably capable of before I go laying out any plans..." he asked, musing to himself as he return to speak to Novvi.
Eilyne had spent a great deal of time around the people she helped rescue and it was weighing on her. Not that she'd saved them, but that she was spending so much time with them. She rarely was around people for so long at a time and here it was going on...it felt like months. She'd needed some time alone and she got it and it was getting on towards evening when she went back down the tree and made her way into the cave again.
It didn't take long for Aubrin to tell her that Kane was looking for her and Eilyne went where she was told he was. "You were looking for me Kane?" Her voice was quite when she spoke and she was standing right behind him when she did.
Returning back to Novvi and Griffo, Kane put in a request for some clean clothes for the survivors and nodded to Griffo. "Griffo... we need to strike back against the Ironfang Legion. Do you think you could find Surma and meet with me and Eilyne later? I need to find out what everyone is capable of and go over a plan of attack... I think I have an idea."
********************
Later on in the upper levels, Kane was going over the documents they'd taken from the hobgoblins, pacing and studying the map they'd found in particular as he traced light lines on it between the various points they'd marked on it. So entranced in his work, Eilyne had no problem slipping up behind him without him noticing.
"AIGH GEE-!!!" Kane flipped around, index finger extended and enveloped in green light before he realized who was talking, quickly settling down. "Oh... sweet Erastil's antlers, don't sneak up on me like that!" He said, catching his breath before sitting down. "S-sorry, I didn't... I didn't hear you coming. I... I was looking at the papers you guys found and... it's... bad... I don't think we're safe here, not truly... in fact... we might have given away our location..."
Kane switched papers, holding out the map he'd been working on. In between the points on the map, he'd drawn lines between them and shaded in a space on the map lightly, marking three key locations with circles. "B-but! I think I... I mean, I might have a way to deduce their own base... if we struck now, we could catch them off guard and eliminate one of their key headquarters in the area!"
Kane handed the map to Eilyne and pointed at one of the circles in particular. "That point. Armado's Acre. I drew up the lines and did some math. If you draw out a line between each of their points of interest and lay it out, they have a high rate of intersection near three key locations. Of those three, two are capable of producing enough natural resources to sustain an expeditionary force, and of those two, Armado's Acre is not only closer, it's safer... Rylavian Vale is protected by a moot of grumpy trents, so... I doubt the hobgoblins would pick that location..."
Eilyne couldn't help but giggle at Kane's reaction. She hadn't really been trying to sneak up on him and it seemed that he must have gotten very engrossed in the parchment with a picture on it he was looking at. She listened as he began to speak of the dangerous position they were in and their likely discovery.
When Kane pulled out the maps Eilyne moved around behind him and leaned in close to pear over his shoulder. She wasn't quite touching him, though it was close, and she had a pleasant smell to her that spoke of living plants and had a sweet fragrance like wildflowers in it. This close the fragrance was strong as she watched Kane pointing to the maps.
As Kane offered the maps to her Eilyne simply shook her head and said, "I don't understand most of what you just said you know." She leaned in a little closer, which incidentally made her body press against his back, "I can't read remember? And most of what you said didn't make much sense. I understand that you mean we need to go there," she reached forward over his shoulder and pointed at the spot he said they should go to which made her press more firmly against him and brought her scent more strongly to him.
Kane froze for a moment as Eilyne drew close, leaning over and pointing at his map. Not out of shyness, but a sense of deja vu. Something triggered his memory, drawing him back to the day of the invasion... the sounds of battle... the dryad in need... and his rage at the hobgoblins...
After a minute of silence, Kane seemed to snap too, shaking his head and pulling out the letter the others had retrieved from the centaur. "Right... and we need to do so quickly. This letter you all collected from the centaur seems to indicate that the hobgoblins knew about the troglodytes who lived here. You... I know you can't read, but it's basically an offering of alliance... and now, not only is their messenger dead, but we've occupied the home of the tribe they were trying to contact... basically... our time is short. Once the centaur fails to return... they'll deduce our location... or at least send a patrol to investigate. And if that fails to return, they'll know we're here for sure."
Kane looked up, finally realizing just how close Eilyne actually was to him and try to scoot out of range slightly, subtly, if he could. "A-anyways. I-I wanted to speak with you... I-I mean, not you specifically, but you, Griffo, and Surma. I'm p-pretty sure this is where they are, and of the group, you three seem the best equipped... I just need to know what everyone is capable of... the more information I have, the better a plan I can draw up..."