"Then we should head to those ruins. The land to the south is not safe or fully explored. Let us hurry."
Kev walks with Kat to talk to the crowd regarding the missing boy. Not only did the commoners like members of the court walking among them asking about the boy, they like seeing the happy and beautiful couple together. While Kat blesses one group, Kev blesses another while he talks to see how they are doing, if they have anything about the boy, about the boy's best friend Quallip, and any rumors they may have heard especially about the cult.
Quince moves among the people and reassures them and asks about the pressing issues.
Most of the common folk don't seem to know much about the cult. Several of them pull you to the side and say things like, "Do they really eat children?! We hope you can route them out! I heard that Quinn and Kayla were apart of the cult."
"Quinn and Kayla you say. What makes you think they are in this cult?"
"Well Quinn is a scorned lover of Dellas, he choosing Valleh over her. Then Kayla lost her kid to stillbirth she has come back from it with a vengeance blaming the men in her life." the old man states.
Quince seems confused by scandalous gossip. "So you think these two have joined the cult for some sort of revenge. So rumors are that the cult eats children." Quince looks from the man he is talking to toward the others his eyes squinted in thought as if to see we have a lot of work ahead of us. Quince puts a hand on the man's shoulder, "All our efforts are turned on this."
Quince leaves the man and steps up onto a table. "People of my heart. Know this. All our efforts are on this cause. We hope to soon rejoice with you at the return of our young. Keep in prayer. Those who work the wild keep a ready eye. Share any news. We will see this through."
His speech is straight and to the point. But if it has an effect on the mood of the people gathered.
He looks at Kev and Tristan, "Let's get ready to search on this. We leave as soon as we are able."
Quince seems confused by scandalous gossip. "So you think these two have joined the cult for some sort of revenge. So rumors are that the cult eats children." Quince looks from the man he is talking to toward the others his eyes squinted in thought as if to see we have a lot of work ahead of us. Quince puts a hand on the man's shoulder, "All our efforts are turned on this."
"A very good possibility." He states agreeing with you. Then in hysteria he loudly voices, "How did you jump to child eating!?!"
As there minds rumble with the possibilities and hysteria, they begin to murmur. At Quinces proclamation the murmurs stop and they seem to be put at ease. Some even go and shout 'hurray' at the proclamation as they throw an arm into the sky.
Kev nods, "Ready when you are, Sir!"
Quince tries not to bristle at the deference from a friend.
"With the boy missing for a few days we should head out now. We all know how dangerous the lands are and can be."
"Let's be off then."
Quince heads out with the others gathers his gear and has the horses readied.
Katrina gets her mount all settled finishing it with feeding Sunshine an apple. She asks, "Was anyone else going to join us on the search?"
Kev finishes getting ready and mounts his horse along side Katrina, he then shakes his head, "I don't think so sweetie?" He then looks to Tristan and Quince, "Any one else joining us before we depart?
"Finally, let's go get the boy. Larina will do her part and try and get recruited by the cult so we can find out what's going on."
He grabs her and kisses her.
"Love you. Be back soon. Be careful. If you can't get away leave me a note at the tavern with the barkeep. I will look there for you first when we return."
She looks a bit puzzled but then nods. She lets him dip her a bit and kisses him back with passion and a bit of need. "Love you too. You know I won't. Will do, see you soon."
The four of you mounted you set off, in a moment your steeds shift into ether. In minutes rather than hours you exit back to the material plane on the far side of the river and on the North coast across from Candlemere. Now you look up and see the sun is descending from noon.
he uncovers very little.
She found the cult, but was seen and dragged in. She let them. She has bluffed them into letting her join.
Quince looks toward Candlemere and for the rumored strange lights.
He turns his gaze across the water and both directions of the shore.
Kev looks over to Candlemere, "See anything Quince? ... We need to check out the tower one day."
"I am sure we will. Lets move on from here yet. This is the area we were directed too?" He looks to Tristan, "I wonder if your hound can sense the sent of the boy."
She gets off Sunshine, pats her a few times. Letting the reins fall to the ground, to let her have some freedom to munch. Katrina looks around at the faint foot falls and other signs of passing left behind. She points out the three trails but has little else to add.
Kev watches Kat as she searches and lets his mind wonder but then realize, he probably should help. He gets off his horse and searches for tracks while loosely hanging on to Hala's reins so she can freely graze.
"There are lots of tracks over here but it is hard to see if they belong to a human child? Very unclear, maybe Tristan or companion can better see the tracks?"
"Tracks by water. But who and where do they go. Needle in the hay."
She offhandedly responds to Quince, "No I think that would be easier. I think with what we have to go on it be more like looking for a straw of hay in a hay stack. Tristan what do you think?" She is still looking at the possible routes for any other signs that might give away who passed.
Tristan hops down he studies and thinks. Picks up some dirt rubs it in his hands smells it. Lets it fall to test the wind. Studies the tracks some more.
"Looks like small human, a normal human, and a dog. Someone else is tracking or trying to track our lad as well. We should hurry."
He hops back on his horse and begins to follow the tracks.
Quince smirks and looks to Kev, chuckling, "Show off?"
Kev then smiles and looks at Kat, looks back at Quince, then shrugs, "Yeah, nonchalantly put us amateurs in our places! Nice going Tristan!" Kev chuckles too as he mounts his horse to follow Tristan with the rest of the group.
Tristan follows the tracks on horseback and quick begins to lose it.
Tristan follows the tracks and first you come upon the dog, a diseased rabid mutt that is resting half in and half out of the water.
After dealing with the dog you find the boys camp. Most of it has been pushed around and messy. Sticks askew here there and everywhere. A blanket over on a bush. His bedroll mushed behind a boulder. His fishing pole broken and the line missing. There are fish bones about too.
"This boy is either really messy or this disorder is an older camp?
"Something was here searching. Unclear if it was man or beast. I wonder how long he had been camping here. Not very safe for a young boy out here alone. Everyone look around. See if you can find any clues."
Looking where the mutt, "Or maybe a fight because of the dog? But that does not matter, the boy is still missing and probably scared?"
Kev begins to search well ...
As the others give the dog a wide berth and continue on, she stops. Getting off Sunshine she slowly approaches the poor wretch. Using speak with animals she clamly asks, "You poor thing, if you let me touch you I can heal you."
She continues to soothe the dog with her words speaking soft and slowly inching to it.
Once within reach she calls to Erastil, "Father of the Hunt, bring relief to this old hound." Knowing she doesn't have the proper spell prepared she acts as a conduit for Erastil. Seeing the success at the spell she asks, "Do you know where the boy is? Can you help us find him?" On the way towards the others she heals herself but blood is likely on her sleeve still.
Approaching the three of you and leading Sunshine behind her, she smiles at you and the dog. "He has agreed to follow the boy's scent for us. Apparently not knowing what happened to the boy or how to explain it."
The dog growls as Katrina gets closer warning her from getting too close. It then speaks through barks and growls, "It is too late, I can't be trusted."
With Katrina too close it bites out latching onto her wrist as the spell courses over him. With the disease removed, it backs up a little and licks the wound it just caused, "Sorry. Much better now."
He thinks on the question but then barks happily, "I can follow the scent. Come I will guide you."
------
Kevros you notice some scales of sorts. It likely comes from a lizard, a pretty big lizard.
Tristan finds a discarded broken spear with some feathers attached to it.
You see the dog no longer with a frothing mouth and looking much healthier comes up with Katrina behind him. It sniffs around and then begins running along the beach further South.
"Nice work Katrina. I was going to have ghost find the scent here and follow it if he could but the dog is more familiar with the boy. Let's move out then."
Kev looks up where he found the big lizard tracks and talks loud enough for someone closest to him to hear, "Oh, the dog is alive?! Well done, sweet Kat! There appears to be tracks made by a very large lizard over here!"
Then Kev looks at the dog, "Oh, it looks like the dog has found something?!"
Kev mounts and brings Kat her horse, and any others he can bring to follow and keep up with the dog.
Looking over at Kevros' find, you see the scales he found.
The dog leads you for a good 100 feet before it stops. Circling and sniffing the air.
She walks over to the dog and asks using another round of speak animal, "What is it?"
Looking at the group she states a bit downhearted, "The trail ends here. Perhaps the boy got on a boat."
"We can hope." Quince looks at the shoreline across and in both directions to see if there is any sign of something leaving the water.
You can see a few boats that are basically canoes, though they are much farther South/South East from your position.
Kev tilts his head as he analyzes the scales and tracks but with his limited survival skills he can not determine who the scales or prints belong to. He looks up at Tristan, "Tristan, what do you make of this since your skill is greater than mine?" He looks at Kat, Quince, and the dog, "You probably don't want to be too close to the water until we figure out who these scales and tracks belong to? Also sweetie, are you having a conversation with the dog?"
"Boats there." Quince points off South, Southeast.
Tristan looks over the scale. .
"Bipedal lizard. Lizard man. That's not good. Some eat human flesh. I don't like where this is heading."
Once Quince spots the boats.
"Hurry then."
Tristan starts heading downstream toward the boats as quick as he can.
She mounts Sunshine and follows Tristan with the dog in tow.
Quickly enough without using your ethereal jump ability you come along the coast to where a canoe is about 40 feet from shore. The lizard folk stop rowing and look at you.
Tristan holds a hand up.
"Do you speak the common tongue?"
Kev follows and holds when Tristan raises up his hand. He then nocks an arrow but does not bring it up his bow in a threatening manner.