Crossed Paths - Part I

Brioc reins in his horse, squinting at the shape in the sky.

"Something's heading our way." He calls out to his companions. "Not sure as to what just yet, but it can't hurt to be prepared, eh?" So saying, he takes out his sling and a bullet, readying the weapon.

"Might be an idea to call your bird in." He adds to Ehldannis. "We don't really want to find out if whatever it is feels like a snack on the way..."
 

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On Brioc's warning, Nathaniel draws his shortbow and quickly nocks an arrow. He looks for a tight cluster of pines, or something else to give them overhead coverage nearby.

"Let's try to pull back somewhere defensible, more defensible than the road at least... We may have to abandon the wagon momentarily, but I'd rather lose it than our lives."
 

Marcus glances up at the sky, then around them. He hooks his foot into the crossbow dangling by the saddle with a heave, cocks it.

Returning his attention to the party, he prepares to follow their lead.
 

Octar, who had his bow strung and an arrow knocked regardless, comes into a slightly more attentive position.

"If it is but a beast, only living things will draw it's attention. Let us hide ourselves and our horses, and see what happens." With that, he dismounts and, leaving his bow with his horse, frees the draft beasts, and leads them all into the nearest bunch of foliage that provides cover from above. Once there, he ties the two draft horses to a tree and mounts his own steed, readying his bow once more.
 

Ehldannis watches the flying creature with wonder before snapping himself back to awareness of the possible threat. He utters a return command to his raven and then moves into trees, continually stopping to look up and admire the great beast. "I wonder if it's a dragon?", he queries with all too much eagerness.
 

The foliage is pretty thin in the area, but Octar does manage to tie the draft horses to a nearby pine tree. By the time he remounts, the creature is quite close. It swoops in somewhat slowly, about the speed of a trotting horse, and circles the party from about 40 feet away, about 15 feet off the ground. It resembles a large lion, but with an intelligent face, large bat-like wings, and a tight knot of quills on its tail. Nathaniel, Ehldannis, and Dhormium recognize it as a Manticore, though none has ever actually seen one before.

The horses react to its musky scent by twitching and snorting, and seem ready to bolt, except Octar’s warhorse, who is steady under his rider’s confident hand.

After one circle around the party, the beast bellows out in Greek. It’s inhuman throat make the words difficult to understand, but the Greek speakers interpret it as something like, “You call yourselves archeologists, but no, you are THIEVES!”
 

Octar glances at the others. "Ah, what did he say?" he asks, a trace of nervousness in his voice. Should hostilities break out, he's ready to put an arrow into the beast.
 

"It speaks" Marcus gasps quietly in surprise.

"Thief." I've heard that word in every language spoken in the Empire, and then some. Greek?

Marcus glances down at the crossbow hanging from his pommel.

Little use it would be, I imagine. It seems pretty upset. Better not to give it cause for more upset.

Marcus returns his attention to the beast, and keeping his horse quiet.
 

Dhormuin, in awe of his companions during the travel, is obviously too nervous to start a conversation himself, but when spoken to, replies eagerly. It doesn't take too long before someone get's him started talking about his own life, how he became an orphan at young age, raised by the generosity of his fellow dwarves without actually knowing a father and mother, until some day a priest showed him the father of all dwarves, Moradin. Over the years, he became a devout follower, but Dhormuin never actually left the Hold until a few days ago.

The chatting gets interrupted as Dhormuin is awed by something that doesn't seem to be as pleasant. In latin he asks in latin, nearly whispering: "Any of ye lads got what he said?"
 

map

Please post your position on this map. 'D/M' is the wagon, where Dhormium and Mendicus sit, the green things are pine trees. the 'h's are the tethered draft horses. I didn't put the Manticore in, as it is in constant motion, circling the wagon about 30 to 40 feet away.
 

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