"Aye, let us move on. Perhaps we may ruin across a naturalist to inquire about this landmark. " Evard suggests.
The party continues to move south taking a wide birth of the tree though in the bright light you can see no signs of any mite which suggests to you that the May come out at night you continue on wards as the sun begins to move slowly across the sky and begins to set even without the sun above you the air is still warm as you continue onwards the night begins to take hold but the warmth continues to stay
Edvard will maintain a brisk pace, even as the light fades in the warm evening. He assists the others as they walk, keepinga weather eye out for potential threats until his adults are ready to make camp.
When it is too late to continue, Evard will help set camp. Wake me for the middle watch? Who wishes to take the first?
Darruth lays down a bedroll and rests on it. "That leaves the last watch for me.
The night is very warm a stuffy but it passes with out incident
Evard awakens to strike camp with Darruth once Kalima rises and begins her meditations. "This humidity is really rather unpleasant. Makes me miss the crispness of the mountain air, and cool stone halls of my homeland."
Ready to keep exploring. Would we be able to see some kind of map of where we are?
South West to the river and across it so we're on the west side?
Darruth, Evard and Kalima continue south the sun still blazing over head. Before long they can hear the sounds of a near by river and in the distance they can see a bridge.
Abbas and polina continue south having pushed themselves hard to try catch up to the people they were told by Oleg were only a day ahead of them. Having been given the same charter it made sense to join the group and scout the stolen lands out together but the heat and harsh lands were making that task harder by the day. Almost giving up hope on ever finding these other adventures the pair can hear a river in the distance and can see three people riding horse beyond that.
"We need to move a little faster, Polina." says Abbas, as he moves at a slightly faster pace so they can catch up with the other charter bearers. "I do not wish to be out here alone at night, just the two of us, in this untamed land."
Ah, a bridge. Shall we cross this river. is this to the south that we are crossing?
Polina nods, "Well, we wouldn't exactly be alone, but there is strength in numbers, and if we can find the adventurers, I'll be a lot less worried about what lies beyond the next hill." She doesn't seem at all used to long forced marches, and there's a definite delicate quality to her from growing up at court instead of on a farmstead or even the cities.
She checks her compass again, making sure she and her companion are still headed south, "Do you suppose we'll run across the Shrike? I would very much love to let my feet soak in some nice cool water after all this hiking."
Darruth nods, "The bridge it is then."
Darruth, Evard and Kalima continue toward a the bridge, as the venture forward Darruth and Kalima notice they're being followed.
Abbas and Polina on the other hand keep pushing forward in their haste oblivious to the world around them.
"I'm beginning to question the wisdom of obtaining a pack horse and walking on foot. Maybe I should have skipped out on some arcana lessons to learn how to ride properly, and then my poor feet wouldn't be so tired right now." Despite her complaint, Polina doesn't slow her pace at all, keeping up with Abbas as best she can, though perhaps too distracted by her attention to keeping up the forced march to notice her surroundings as perceptively as she should.
"And as usual, I am forgetting my manners" replies Abbas. "Would you like to ride for awhile? We can switch off."
As they continue south, Abbas muses out loud, "I wonder where the river is. Never was much good at geography."
Polina sheepishly admits after hustling a bit to catch up to Abbas and speak at a more normal tone instead of having to raise her voice to be heard, "Actually, up until visiting Restov this last week, the furthest from home I have ever been was New Stetven. What few lessons I received on the topic of geography were limited to lands actively controlled by Brevoy and a cursory summary of our neighbors. I don't recall that our maps even showed where forests or mountains were found in this region, let alone an accurate plot of the course of rivers."
He turns to his companions, "Have you ever get the feeling that we are being followed?"
Edvard is oblivious until he looks back. Not one to accept being surprised, he says, "Ready yourselves. Ranged weapons." gripping his glaive and entering an aggressive stance.
Once in earshot Edvard yells, "Who approaches?" trusting in his judgment to determine friend or foe.
Almost giving up hope on ever finding these other adventures the pair can hear a river in the distance and can see three people riding horse beyond that.
.
"Polina, I hear the river, but still don't know where it is. Do you think that those three horsemen ahead of us are the others that Oleg told us about, or are they bandits?" asks Abbas.
Darruth, Evard and Kalima turn to face the two men following them. As shouts at the strangers they all draw their weapons ready for the worse
Abbas and polina stop in their tracks as one of the three people ahead of the shouts at them "Who approaches?"
Mean while Akivus opens his eyes to find himself on a cart he sits up to find he is caged and his hand our bound and his legs are chained to the wagon he can hear a river near by and notices two men pulling the cart laughing away at a joke he can't quiet make out in his dazed condition
"Simple travelers, and who might you be, all angry and ready for war?" replies the man in chain shirt and holy symbol of Sarenrae hanging from his neck.
"Not angry, merely cautious. These are dangerous lands. We are from Brevoy, Chartered to free these lands from there bandits plaguing it." the man with the glaive replies.
He is a large man, with strange green eyes that fit poorly with his unnaturally bronze skin. He looks like the man described to you by Oleg, aside from a lack of armor, but his catfolk companion, and the striking, regal woman do match.
"I am going to reach into my pouch" he replies, and he does so slowly and pulls out a rolled parchment. "You mean a charter like this?" as he throws it at the feet of the man with the glaive.
Initially wary and drawing her crossbow, but keeping it aimed low just in case the others prove friendly, or better yet, the ones she and Abbas are looking for, Polina lets Abbas take the lead. She breathes a sigh of relief when the large man says they were chartered to hunt bandits, "Oh thank goodness! I feel as though my boots are about to wear through from all the hiking trying to catch up to you all! I'm Polina Orlov and my companion here is Abbas. We were a bit late arriving in Restov, and, well, I'm actually rather amazed by how deep into the Greenbelt you've already ventured! At any rate, we were hoping to find you and join up, rather than attempt to eliminate bandits all on our own."
Evard scrutenizes the scroll and two people. Then he puts up his weapon and gives a hard smile. "Well met! It is good to have more fighting on our side. I am Evard d'Garess, and I would introduce you to Darruth and the Lady Kalima Raustald. We have traveled hard to this point and am glad you were able to catch up to us. I apologize for my less than warm reception," Evard says utterly lacking inflection and warmth in his voice, "but we welcome you to our company."
Evard's voice and expression are rather disconcerting, but something that one could get used to with some time.
"Uhhhhhgggggg, where am I?" Akvius says groggily. Overcome with confusion, anxiety, and helplessness, he begins uncontrollably spitting out whatever comes to mind, trying to get some answers and shed light on his predicament. Still not fully aware of who is around, he spouts each question in different languages, hoping to get a response from one that will give an indication of who his captors are...
"நரகத்தில் என்ன நிலை இது?"
"Ποιοι είστε εσείς?"
"Каде ќе ме водиш?"
"Jinsi gani mimi kupata hapa?"
"Quid sum ego, et in vinculis tid?"
"Would anyone care to explain the reason for my imprisonment?"
|
Kalima gives a respectful nod to the newcommers and says, "A pleasure to meet you on this trail. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kalima Raustald of Taldor, here to do my part to explore these and help bring the light of to this region. The others next to me are Evard and Darrth, my traveling companions on this journey. I believe we could use more numbers in our ranks to deal with the dangers that are before us. Indeed I have heard that Bandits have taken a stranglehold in this region and if these lands are to be brought to heel then they are a pressing matter. Of course like most places, wild monsters and other threats still are threats to be addressed."
"And greetings to you all, Evard d'Garess, Kalima Raustald of Taldor and Darruth. As Polina says, I am Abbas Garshta, an Evangelist of Sarenrae. We are pleased that we have been able to catch up to you before having to spend the night alone in this wilderness" says Abbas with a flourish. "Where are you heading? Is there some wild creatures or bandits that need taming near here?"
"Indeed. A man calling himself the Staff Lord is the one holed up in the stronghold, which lies to the south. It is our aim to defeat him and his bandits. Edvard explains.
An involuntary shudder seizes Polina for a moment, but she takes a deep breath and nods again, "Alright then. Do you know anything else about this 'Staff Lord'? How many bandits we might be facing? My training was as a court wizard, but I am afraid my talents proved... disappointing to my mentor. Nonetheless, the one thing I excelled at was casting spells of sleeping. Perhaps I could try putting these bandits into a sudden slumber so they can be more easily subdued or... or dispatched?" Almost as an afterthought, she adds, "I can also aid Abbas in healing those who are injured when needed."
Darruth brings his hands to his face. "It's Stag Lord, Evard. Anyway, to answer your question: We don't know exactly. Kalima took down a bunch by herself with one spell. Other that, we don't know who else they have in their ranks."
Akvius looks at the two men guiding the horses controlling the cart as he speaks up they both turn around "shut up swine! These lands belong to the stag lord and you wander them without his permission so now you belong to him! " the man laughs cruelly, the second one then speaks up "A life of slavery for you, but don't worry it will be a short one" the two men laugh again.
As the two cruely mock him akvius can see a group of people in th distance who look like they're having some kind of exchange. The two men guiding the cart seem too distracted with their taunting to notice
Abbas, oblivious to his surroundings, takes back the charter and stows it in a pouch. "Shall we continue on to the south?"
Eh, I care little for the chosen names of bandits. What does that even mean anyway? Does he have power over elk, or perhaps ride one? Or wear antlers on his head for a hat like an idiot? Edvard days with a shrug.
Father Abbas, is suggest we address the car approaching first. pointing at the cart. What can we tell about the riders at this point?
"Who is the stag lord? What gives him claim over these lands? What make you so sure I DON'T have his permission?"
The raven perched on Polina's shoulder nudges her elongated ear a few times and she looks up from the conversation suddenly, seeing the cart in the distance just moments before Evard notices the same thing and brings it to everyone's attention. Hefting her crossbow back into a proper carry for firing, she asks, "How can you even tell brigands from travellers in this region?"
Father Abbas, is suggest we address the car approaching first. pointing at the cart.
Hello. Are you a 57 or 58 Chevy? he says to the car.
As Evard points out the approaching cart, Abbas takes his longbow off his shoulder, and nocks an arrow. "Even if that is a bandit, no one deserves to be treated like a caged animal." he growls.
The bandits laugh " If you don't even know who he is how do you expect to get his permission?" one says. "Don't worry you'll see who he is and why he controls this region soon enough" the others says.
The cart continues too approach and is about 200ft away from the group the two bandits guiding it are still occupied with taunting Akvius and have not noticed the others yet
"And what is your reward for restraining a lone gatherer of cooking ingrediants, and bringing me to your stag lord?"