Lone Wolf I: Shadows on the Dorn

[Andrew D. Gable]

Morning comes. The night has brought no further attacks by any servants of the Darklords - in fact, by anything save for several dead sandsnakes. As the party eats their breakfast, some eggs the Kai Lords have scavenged, the merchants retrieve the horses.

"Thievery!" you hear them shout a moment later.

The group and the three Sommlending soldiers rush over to find that the lashes tying the horses to nearby trees have been cut. The horses are nowhere to be seen.

The merchants are understandably in a panic - other than King Ulnar's "package", the wagons are loaded with legitimate tradegoods. "However will we get these to Ragadorn now?"

Well, between Silver Wind and Moon's Brand both, you have at least an educated guess that that's likely where the Giak meant. We'll compromise.

 

[Krug]

Hoagar inspects the cut on the ropes to see if they give any clue as to who might have done it. He also looks around the area where the horses were to see if there are any footprints or such.

"There is no choice for the tradegoods," says Hoagar. "Our delivery is more important. We should set foot to deliver it. The three of you," he says, addressing the soldiers, "will have to stay behind. We will send someone with horses once we reach the nearest town or Ragadorn."

Probably someone from within our group cut it, Hoagar muses. But who?

 

[Eternalknight]

Silver Wind tells everyone to calm down and go back to the wagon, before he goes and checks where the horses were.

Can I use Tracking to try to see any tracks that lead to and from where the horses were please?

 

[Relenoir]

Moon's Brand gets Jesabela's attention when she is removed from everyone else. "Is it safe?" she mutters to her, under her breath. After Jesabela's response, she goes over to Silver Wind to try to help him with finding the horses. As he follows the trail, she will frequently use Dangerous Whispers to discern danger such as traps while following along behind.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Investigating the trail, Silver Wind finds no less than eight separate sets of tracks, all leading in the same direction. Four are from the horses, while the other four, each directly beside a horse's (possibly people leading the animals), are human-sized and, at least to the naked eye, appear to be of the general shape of a human track as well. The trail leads steadily eastward, and Silver Wind follows it for nearly a half hour. Moon's Brand uses her mind to scan the area, but senses nothing dangerous - nothing beyond a few snakes which she warns the other Kai to avoid.

Back at the camp, the three Sommlending soldiers nod begrudgingly. "Aye, we'll stay," says Shof. Zane adds, "When you get to Vanosa, send more horses if you can."

 

[Krug]

Hoagar follows behind the Kai monks. "Let's hasten our journey. I do not think we can find our horses eh?"

 

[Eternalknight]

"Maybe not, good dwarf, but it at least might give some clue as to who took them and why the giaks attacked."

 

[Paido]

Moon's Brand gets Jesabela's attention when she is removed from everyone else. "Is it safe?" she mutters to her, under her breath.

"Now that would depend on whether you trust me with it, wouldn't it", Jesabela whispers back, a somewhat amused sparkle in her eyes.

Then she as well walks over to Silver Wind. She watches him searching for trails, and before he starts to follow them, she asks in a low tone of voice: "Do you have any idea how old these tracks are?"

* * *​

While Moon's Brand, Silver Wind and Hoagar follow the tracks, Jesabela stays with the three soldiers, the merchants and Dark Hawk at the camp.

[...] the three Sommlending soldiers nod begrudgingly. "Aye, we'll stay," says Shof. Zane adds, "When you get to Vanosa, send more horses if you can."

Jesabela nods at that. "We shall try. There might arise the question of payment, though; is there anyone we can trust far enough in Vanosa, anyone who might be ready to help the King's Men? Or could we trouble you", she asks, turning to the merchants, "for enough money to at least rent the horses you need?"


While waiting for the others to return, Jesabela will keep a wary eye on her companions, as she's not sure whether there's indeed a traitor among them. She'll especially keep an eye on the person(s) who was (were) standing guard when the horses were stolen - should Silver Wind have been able to tell the age of the tracks.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Jesabela stays behind at the camp. After a few moments, Silver Wind and the others return from their brief trip. The tracks led eastward for a distance, and then before a rocky outcropping the apparently human tracks split off from the horses. The horse tracks continued eastward, while the human tracks went to the edge of the rocks and disappeared.

Zane gives Jesabela the name of a stablemaster in Vanosa who will allow at least deferrment of payment for a time. He says the stablemaster owes him for disposing of some Szalls.

*****

The Kai Lords, the dwarf, and the pirate continue across the barren plains of the Wildlands. In the early evening, the chimney-smoke of the village of Vanosa appears on the horizon.

The tracks Silver Wind is following are relatively fresh, and he's confident that they are, indeed, the tracks relevant to the robbery. Either Shof or Zane was on watch at the time, either one as the precise time the tracks were made can't be determined.

 

[Krug]

"I sense one of the other two must have known about it," says Hoagar suspiciously. "We must be on our guard. Whoever took our horses should know it would only slow us down, not stop us." The dwarf puts his hand on his gun, his eyes darting around the surroundings.