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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gray Shade" data-source="post: 3291223" data-attributes="member: 32340">The second entrance and the squad of orcsI nodded.  "Quite so."I pulled my reins and kneed the horse into line behind Dongle's horse.  We cut a wide arc out to the east and back, coming at last to where our heads were high enough that we could see over the next rise.  There, a couple hundred feet away was a troop of about 20 orcs.  They mostly wore scale armor, but treated with some sort of soot so that they were all mottled in black (the rain did not seem to affect whatever the treatment was).  The whole group was facing attentively toward the hill behind which we had been.  One, in front on a warg, (the rest were on foot) was mumbling something to another next to him, who held the warg's reins.They looked up as the two orcs we'd seen earlier, their banners still rippling royal blue, came back over the hill.  We could see that they had confused expressions.  I translated from Orc the quick conversation between them and their obvious leader.Scout 1: "There's nobody there.  They were there just a minute ago.  We don't know where they wen--"Scout 2 (cutting off Scout 1): "Where'd they go?"Leader: "You're both as dumb as an ass-golem with a labotomy! (turning to look at larger group)  Gromah, get over there and see which way they went!"Another one wearing a banner, this one yellow (the only yellow banner among them) made his way to the front of the ranks and started up the hill.I found it curious that none of the orcs had weapons or shields readied.On the far side of the valley from the us was the second entrance.  It was basically like the first, with two large boulders leaning against each other, beneath which was a cave.  The ground was torn and pitted around the smaller of the boulders.  Various digging tools were scattered about and a mound of dirt about the height of a horse was off to one side.  Simple camping gear was also scattered around a few firepits which currently contained wet ashes and no more.About the time Gromah passed the Scouts, Dongle noticed one of the Orcs near the back sniff at the air and then start to turn toward us, saying in common, "horsemeat!"</blockquote>

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