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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jeremy" data-source="post: 1377321" data-attributes="member: 4036">Cormanthor near Glen, Mistledale14th of Deepwinter in the Year of Wild Magic The day passed relatively uneventfully.  Hiking along the trail was much slower than along the sloped road of the Moonsea Ride.  Despite the time of year, Revan managed to take down a pair of snow hare for the cook pot to supplement the company's rations. That night after Titus had gone to sleep and Revan took over the night watch a pair of Rangers emerged from the darkness.  Revan looked to them, somewhat distastefully, his shame at failing to become one of the order having turned to anger at them.  After a moment warming themselves at the fire the two nodded their thanks to Revan and continued on into the night. Revan neglected to tell the others of the visitors upon their waking though his hand oft went to his shoulder where the patch of a Ranger might have been. Cormanthor near Galan's Roost, Mistledale15th of Deepwinter in the Year of Wild MagicThe company broke camp early in the morning in preparation for another long day's hike.  While walking the trail Revan kept a keen eye out and spotted some kobold tracks as well as the tracks of a mounted party, perhaps the raiders they had come here to investigate. "So much fer this trail bein' unknown," Galdur grumbled. "Don' worry, Stu--Galdur.  It will be again soon."  Titus had either caught himself and wanted to avoid another bruise, or was deliberately prodding the gold dwarf to see how far he could push him.  Regardless he had a raffish grin plastered on his face. *** Later that day the trail split off to the south into a large clearing and the beheld the wreckage of what used to be Galath's Roost.  The former fort lacked a roof and had several oak trees growing out of it's insides, it's moat was dry and filled with underbrush, debris, and snow.  The causeway that headed up to where it presumably used to have doors was still sound enough, but there were several holes in the walls that anyone could have walked through just as easily. After some debate as to whether to enter the Roost fresh the next morning, Titus finally managed to convice the group to at least take a peak while the light was still good. Galdur clanked up the trail towards the causeway behind the rest of the group when he noticed something odd.  There was a low thicket just off the trail some thirty or so feet away and he could sware something was watching him from it.  He called out to the rest of the group and all except Elayne crept closer to investigate.  Though the thicket was leafless the creatures hiding within were well camouflaged and growled warning to the approaching two-legs. In a flash two ugly creatures a cross between some kind of giant bobcat and hyena burst forth at the group.  They pulled up short and their faces peeled back in horrific fashion as their throats scratched out an unearthly moan.  Playing upon something deep in their psyche's the sound combined with the hideous sight sent all but Elayne fleeing in terror.  Elayne nervously watched the pair as she stepped away carefully and warded herself.  Translucent orange plates locked into place around her before fading away to an invisible force barrier around her. Growling, the beasts backed into their home eyeing her carefully. Elayne let out the breath she was holding, both creatures looked like they could have reached her and she didn't know how she was going to fend off their joint attack without her fellows.  Turning and looking around she saw Titus running through the snow, kicking his knees up high to get his feet clear with every step.  He splashed through the snow like a child through the incoming tide of the Sea of Swords on the beach.  It was kinda cute. Titus finally paused, his lungs burning in the cold air, he was certain the beast was right on his heels but he couldn't run anymore.  Turning to face the monster he found himself alone and on the other side of the clearing from his friends.  He swore loudly and tried to jog back towards the others, winded. Galdur, not being the most agile of dwarves, in fact, about as agile as Revan was healthly, didn't make it very far running through the snow before a buried root tripped him and he disappeared into a freezing white heap.  When he levered himself up, his beard was white with snow and his cheeks were hot with anger.  Taking up his shield and his axe he stormed back to Elayne where Revan and Titus had just arrived. "I'll no let some abomination mongrel git the best o' me." Revan, Titus, and Elayne took up positions, Titus unshouldering a huge Daleland's crossbow that cracked loudly in the cold air as he drew it tight.  As the creatures burst forth, Revan and Titus both let loose, Revan's imbedding into one's flank while Titus skipped off the top of the other, knicking it and darkening it's fur.  Elayne gestured and called out in a strange language as a searing bolt flew from her impacted the second beast, punching into it's chest. The second krenshar retreated to its thicket to lick its wounds, while the first charged Galdur.  The dwarf swung his axe at the creature but at the last second it jumped aside.  As the dwarf's axe bit into the snow where the krenshar just stood it jumped up and sank it's teeth deep into the exposed joint where his shoulder met his neck.  Blood sprayed across the white snow. Elayne hurriedly pulled up her crossbow and loaded a bolt into it as Titus and Revan both burried arrows in krenshar.  It yelped and released the dwarf who shouldered it away with his shield before narrowly missing with his axe. The wounded animal bounded away into the thicket, it's breathing wet with blood as Revan and Titus pursued.  Galdur stumbled back and said a prayer to Dugmaren Brightmantle as his wounds began to knit back together. As they got closer, the less wounded of the pair managed to frighten the pair away again with it's supernatural powers.  Somewhat chagrinned, they returned, with Revan staying back to cover Titus as he approached with his blackwood staff held ready.  Closer and closer he crept but this time the krenshar did not burst forth.  Titus heard a weak whine followed by a soft thud from within the thicket. Carefully levering his way into the clawing brush, Titus saw that one of the animals had collapsed from its wounds, the arrows still protruding from it's corpse.  The other couldn't get to its feet and growled weakly at the human.  It was defending it's brood of three pups.  Titus thought about it for a moment, then raised his staff high as the krenshar snapped at him weakly.  The end of the staff came down with a sickening crunch.  One less beast with a taste for man-flesh, he rationalized. *** While Galdur rested with Elayne, Titus and Revan set out to investigate the area south of Galath's Roost where a pair of vultures had been circling.  Skirting the western edge of the keep, they saw that the vultures appeared to be circling a small hillock to the south side of the keep.  On the way towards it, Revan noticed a strange circular depression in the ground a ways off to the east.  Something about it caught his interest and he diverted just to have a look at it.  That's when a giant bee bigger than he was worked it's way out of the center of the depression where there must have been some kind of hole and took off to the northeast. Having had enough of the strange and unusual fauna of the area, he headed back to Titus deciding to leave well enough alone.  The two continued towards the hill and as they climbed it's northern slope, Titus tripped over a smooth shaped stone.  Immediately behind it was a snow covered stone pedestal of about waist height that blended in against the background of snow.  Not paying it much mind he climbed atop the taller of the two stones and peered up atop the hill, his eyes widening at what he saw. "Whoah..."</blockquote>

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