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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 428573" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>[PLAIN][Realms #190] The Ruined Keep[/PLAIN]</strong></p><p></p><p>No one responded to Ledare's comment about her bad feeling. She sighed and hustled toward the center of the clearing. The others followed and, as she grabbed her horse's reins, they did the same. They secured their horses to the wagon alongside the others.</p><p></p><p>"If Finian is successful in stopping that man, our presence here may still be unknown," she whispered to the group. "Let's search the wagon and these horses for anything of interest and then get going after him."</p><p></p><p>They nodded and started their search. There was little to see on the horses. Three of them bore identical saddles and tack all branded with an unfamiliar symbol. The last horse was branded with the symbol of Findar's Stable and Smithy, a business both Ledare and Draelond knew operated on the outskirts of Barnacus. None of the horses held any gear of a personal nature.</p><p></p><p>The wagon, which was missing a wheel and surrounded by weeds, was also empty save for a cocked and loaded light crossbow resting behind the driver's seat. It was located conveniently near the spot where the guard had been standing when they approached. It was the same sort of wagon she'd helped pull out of the mud back in the moonsdance of Coldeven. Whether or not it was the same wagon, she couldn't say although it certainly could have been. It looked as though it had sat in its current spot for no more than a season or two.</p><p></p><p>"I find nothing of import, kitten," Ruze said, snapping her out of her intent study of the wagon.</p><p></p><p>"Nor do I," Draelond confirmed. "And I don't think we ought to spend much time with needless searches. We should press on before Finian traipses too far ahead."</p><p></p><p>"Agreed," Kirnoth said with a nod.</p><p></p><p>"Let's move quickly and quietly," Ledare added and they crossed the clearing once again.</p><p></p><p>Just then, Finian appeared from the bushes looking well pleased with himself but a little nervous at the same time, as if he feared he'd had too easy a time of it and was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He quickly explained what had transpired on the trail. "I will bet G'zzk is his familiar," the Archer said at the end of his hurried tale. "A mosquito maybe? What happens to the familiar when the wizard dies?"</p><p></p><p>"G'zzk is likely this mage's familiar," Kirnoth nodded. "He couldn't be a mosquito, though. They're too small for a mage his size. Smaller wizards - a goblin or hobbit, say - could have..."</p><p></p><p>"Kirnoth," Ledare said sharply. "I'm sorry, but we don't have time for lengthy explanations right now. Will we be in any danger from this G'zzk now that his master is dead?"</p><p></p><p>"Of course," the elf replied with a quick nod. "The familiar will become a free-willed magical beast with the wizard's death. How intelligent G'zzk remains after the link is severed will depend on the mage's power. At the very least, it is very likely that others in his party will recognize G'zzk and become alarmed if he shows up without the mage. So we must still consider that we may be coming announced."</p><p></p><p>"Great..," Finian grumbled.</p><p></p><p>"Also, if he's been bonded long enough, G'zzk might be able to talk, in which case, we're in serious trouble," Kirnoth added.</p><p></p><p>"Great..," Finian said again.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Kirnoth concentrated on maintaining the Detect Magic spell while Finian carefully went through the dead mage's belongings. Nothing radiated any immediate magic, but the corpse itself held the faintest residue of Illusion magic... the lingering remnants of the Invisibility spell he'd cast on himself. The Archer held out the two matched vials he'd found; a translucent liquid sloshed around inside them.</p><p></p><p>"Anything?" he asked quietly and Kirnoth shook his head.</p><p></p><p>As Kirnoth continued to concentrate he saw that the mage's eyes were just barely detecting as magical as was a third empty vial that Finian had uncovered. The last dregs of a potion in the vial were radiating Transmutation magic.</p><p></p><p>Finian pulled a slim, well-worn book from some kind of leather rigging that kept it affixed snuggly to the mage's back. He opened it and Kirnoth saw that the pages glowed with a rainbow of various magics. "His spellbook," the elf muttered.</p><p></p><p>"Can you use it?" Finian asked and Kirnoth shook his head again.</p><p></p><p>"Doubtful," he replied. "I'd need time to study it first anyway. It won't help us tonight."</p><p></p><p>"Well, that's everything," the Archer said, disappointed. "This pouch has about thirty gold and this one's empty!" As he said that, he upended the large pouch and something black and many-legged dropped out of it and fell to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Ledare recoiled, slamming into Ruze and nearly sending him to the ground. A shriek of terror ripped itself from somewhere deep within her and went careening through the night air. A murder of crows sleeping in the nearby trees was startled into flight and when flapping off after the sound, adding their own raucous caws to the sudden din.</p><p></p><p>Finian stamped out his foot and crushed the scorpion under his boot with a satisfying crunch.</p><p></p><p>Ledare's breathing was ragged and barely under control as she looked with horror at the broken remains of the vermin once Finian lifted his foot tentatively. She pushed herself off of Ruze, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I thought it was a spider," she said.</p><p></p><p>Finian grimaced. "There goes our chance of sneaking up on them," he grumbled.</p><p></p><p>"At least we don't need to worry about G'zzk anymore," Kirnoth added.</p><p></p><p>"We ought to push onward," Draelond suggested. "All of this distracts us from our goal."</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>They took Draelond's suggestion and pressed on along the trail, and although Finian could find no tracks in the near darkness, he surmised that this path was likely the way to the enemy base. He and Kirnoth (being the only two who had any real hope of moving quietly) trotted along some distance ahead of the others, mindful of any noises in the trees. They heard none, which, to Finian was a clear indication that there was something unnatural about Othelwood.</p><p></p><p>"Wait," Kirnoth hissed at Finian's back and the Archer skidded to a stop a few paces further on along the trail.</p><p></p><p>"What is it?" he asked as he rejoined Kirnoth beside a tangle of thorns.</p><p></p><p>"This doesn't seem right, does it?" the elf muttered, indicating the bush without any real clue as to why he thought that. His keen elfish eyes had spotted something out-of-place.</p><p></p><p>Finian looked at the brambles, squatting down low to look at it from several different angles before he withdrew one of his throwing knives and cut a cleverly concealed bit of twine. The thorny bush, which was really two thorny bushes tied together, snapped back from a side path that snaked away through the brambles. Despite the darkness, Finian was immediately able to discern that a number of man-sized humanoids had used the path recently. The mud from the rainfall three nights ago had mostly hardened, but there were fresh tracks overlaying the deeper ones that had been made when the mud was wet.</p><p></p><p>"Good eyes, Kirnoth," Finian said, getting back to his feet. "Let's wait here until the others catch up and then we'll head this way. It seems our best bet."</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The new trail threaded along through thick brambles and weeds and tightly packed yarpick trees for over a quarter of a mile and as they traveled, everyone began to feel better about the chances that perhaps Ledare's scream had gone unheard. Finian also felt confident that any would-be ambushers would announce their presence long before they reached him. Movement off the path was sure to be noisy. They followed the path until it emptied into a shallow, bowl-shaped valley surrounded on all sides by wooded hills.</p><p></p><p>Meruna, the Handmaiden Moon, shown her silver radiance on the valley and by her light, even Draelond and Ruze could see that in the center of the valley, surrounded by a moss-covered moat squatted the ancient ruins of a keep.</p><p></p><p>The aged structure had a 10-foot high stone wall around it that had crumbled away in sections, revealing a weed-choked courtyard beyond. A stone bridge arched over the moat, directly before the remains of a small gatehouse that was in horrible disrepair. One bronzewood door lay on the ground, and the other dangled from one rusted hinge. The moat was at least 60 ft. from the edge of the forest, and they could just see the remains of an ancient wagon path that led up to the stone bridge. The rutted path had now been mostly reclaimed by the short scrubgrass that covered the bowl of the valley floor.</p><p></p><p>Everything was deathly still and utterly quiet as if the very forest were holding its breath in fearful anticipation.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 428573, member: 2323"] [b][PLAIN][Realms #190] The Ruined Keep[/PLAIN][/b] No one responded to Ledare's comment about her bad feeling. She sighed and hustled toward the center of the clearing. The others followed and, as she grabbed her horse's reins, they did the same. They secured their horses to the wagon alongside the others. "If Finian is successful in stopping that man, our presence here may still be unknown," she whispered to the group. "Let's search the wagon and these horses for anything of interest and then get going after him." They nodded and started their search. There was little to see on the horses. Three of them bore identical saddles and tack all branded with an unfamiliar symbol. The last horse was branded with the symbol of Findar's Stable and Smithy, a business both Ledare and Draelond knew operated on the outskirts of Barnacus. None of the horses held any gear of a personal nature. The wagon, which was missing a wheel and surrounded by weeds, was also empty save for a cocked and loaded light crossbow resting behind the driver's seat. It was located conveniently near the spot where the guard had been standing when they approached. It was the same sort of wagon she'd helped pull out of the mud back in the moonsdance of Coldeven. Whether or not it was the same wagon, she couldn't say although it certainly could have been. It looked as though it had sat in its current spot for no more than a season or two. "I find nothing of import, kitten," Ruze said, snapping her out of her intent study of the wagon. "Nor do I," Draelond confirmed. "And I don't think we ought to spend much time with needless searches. We should press on before Finian traipses too far ahead." "Agreed," Kirnoth said with a nod. "Let's move quickly and quietly," Ledare added and they crossed the clearing once again. Just then, Finian appeared from the bushes looking well pleased with himself but a little nervous at the same time, as if he feared he'd had too easy a time of it and was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He quickly explained what had transpired on the trail. "I will bet G'zzk is his familiar," the Archer said at the end of his hurried tale. "A mosquito maybe? What happens to the familiar when the wizard dies?" "G'zzk is likely this mage's familiar," Kirnoth nodded. "He couldn't be a mosquito, though. They're too small for a mage his size. Smaller wizards - a goblin or hobbit, say - could have..." "Kirnoth," Ledare said sharply. "I'm sorry, but we don't have time for lengthy explanations right now. Will we be in any danger from this G'zzk now that his master is dead?" "Of course," the elf replied with a quick nod. "The familiar will become a free-willed magical beast with the wizard's death. How intelligent G'zzk remains after the link is severed will depend on the mage's power. At the very least, it is very likely that others in his party will recognize G'zzk and become alarmed if he shows up without the mage. So we must still consider that we may be coming announced." "Great..," Finian grumbled. "Also, if he's been bonded long enough, G'zzk might be able to talk, in which case, we're in serious trouble," Kirnoth added. "Great..," Finian said again. Kirnoth concentrated on maintaining the Detect Magic spell while Finian carefully went through the dead mage's belongings. Nothing radiated any immediate magic, but the corpse itself held the faintest residue of Illusion magic... the lingering remnants of the Invisibility spell he'd cast on himself. The Archer held out the two matched vials he'd found; a translucent liquid sloshed around inside them. "Anything?" he asked quietly and Kirnoth shook his head. As Kirnoth continued to concentrate he saw that the mage's eyes were just barely detecting as magical as was a third empty vial that Finian had uncovered. The last dregs of a potion in the vial were radiating Transmutation magic. Finian pulled a slim, well-worn book from some kind of leather rigging that kept it affixed snuggly to the mage's back. He opened it and Kirnoth saw that the pages glowed with a rainbow of various magics. "His spellbook," the elf muttered. "Can you use it?" Finian asked and Kirnoth shook his head again. "Doubtful," he replied. "I'd need time to study it first anyway. It won't help us tonight." "Well, that's everything," the Archer said, disappointed. "This pouch has about thirty gold and this one's empty!" As he said that, he upended the large pouch and something black and many-legged dropped out of it and fell to the ground. Ledare recoiled, slamming into Ruze and nearly sending him to the ground. A shriek of terror ripped itself from somewhere deep within her and went careening through the night air. A murder of crows sleeping in the nearby trees was startled into flight and when flapping off after the sound, adding their own raucous caws to the sudden din. Finian stamped out his foot and crushed the scorpion under his boot with a satisfying crunch. Ledare's breathing was ragged and barely under control as she looked with horror at the broken remains of the vermin once Finian lifted his foot tentatively. She pushed herself off of Ruze, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I thought it was a spider," she said. Finian grimaced. "There goes our chance of sneaking up on them," he grumbled. "At least we don't need to worry about G'zzk anymore," Kirnoth added. "We ought to push onward," Draelond suggested. "All of this distracts us from our goal." They took Draelond's suggestion and pressed on along the trail, and although Finian could find no tracks in the near darkness, he surmised that this path was likely the way to the enemy base. He and Kirnoth (being the only two who had any real hope of moving quietly) trotted along some distance ahead of the others, mindful of any noises in the trees. They heard none, which, to Finian was a clear indication that there was something unnatural about Othelwood. "Wait," Kirnoth hissed at Finian's back and the Archer skidded to a stop a few paces further on along the trail. "What is it?" he asked as he rejoined Kirnoth beside a tangle of thorns. "This doesn't seem right, does it?" the elf muttered, indicating the bush without any real clue as to why he thought that. His keen elfish eyes had spotted something out-of-place. Finian looked at the brambles, squatting down low to look at it from several different angles before he withdrew one of his throwing knives and cut a cleverly concealed bit of twine. The thorny bush, which was really two thorny bushes tied together, snapped back from a side path that snaked away through the brambles. Despite the darkness, Finian was immediately able to discern that a number of man-sized humanoids had used the path recently. The mud from the rainfall three nights ago had mostly hardened, but there were fresh tracks overlaying the deeper ones that had been made when the mud was wet. "Good eyes, Kirnoth," Finian said, getting back to his feet. "Let's wait here until the others catch up and then we'll head this way. It seems our best bet." The new trail threaded along through thick brambles and weeds and tightly packed yarpick trees for over a quarter of a mile and as they traveled, everyone began to feel better about the chances that perhaps Ledare's scream had gone unheard. Finian also felt confident that any would-be ambushers would announce their presence long before they reached him. Movement off the path was sure to be noisy. They followed the path until it emptied into a shallow, bowl-shaped valley surrounded on all sides by wooded hills. Meruna, the Handmaiden Moon, shown her silver radiance on the valley and by her light, even Draelond and Ruze could see that in the center of the valley, surrounded by a moss-covered moat squatted the ancient ruins of a keep. The aged structure had a 10-foot high stone wall around it that had crumbled away in sections, revealing a weed-choked courtyard beyond. A stone bridge arched over the moat, directly before the remains of a small gatehouse that was in horrible disrepair. One bronzewood door lay on the ground, and the other dangled from one rusted hinge. The moat was at least 60 ft. from the edge of the forest, and they could just see the remains of an ancient wagon path that led up to the stone bridge. The rutted path had now been mostly reclaimed by the short scrubgrass that covered the bowl of the valley floor. Everything was deathly still and utterly quiet as if the very forest were holding its breath in fearful anticipation. [/QUOTE]
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