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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ralts Bloodthorne" data-source="post: 4067473" data-attributes="member: 6390">Hoggle had discovered an old creation, an upraised road approximately 30 feet wide that led off to the West, and the four companions, now the leaders of the surviving colonists, decided that roads had to lead to places where civilization had been. If the area had been good enough for the Uruk-Hia to put cities on, even if the city was wholly destroyed, the location should still be good.It didn't take long to find the first major intersection, only 3 days. There was an upraised "highway" leading south, and another leading northwest. After some discussion, it was decided that they would head northwest.Over the course of the next week, the slow caravan of survivors moved through the woods. During the time, 6 of the injured died of the wounds inflicted during the tsunami. Three women were getting very close to term, so they were all assigned to the same covered wagon, and two men assigned to guard them.During an afternoon storm, a week after they had left Charlotte's Port, Hoggle, a veteran legionairre of the Old Kingdom, sensed the attack before it came. Two flint arrows shattered on his armor right before strange stunted creatures, screaming their war cries, attacked the caravan.Hoggle's mighty greatsword swept aside the twisted mockeries, Verdoon dropped her robe on the ground, raised her stick, and called lightning and wind down from the heavy clouds to strike dead or repel those who attempted to attack the pregnant or un-attached women wagons or the children wagons, while Ambrosia guarded a small group of children who had been listening to her parables about Pelor. Kalife sprayed a cone of crystals from one hand, obliterating four of the twisted creatures who were running at him with spears."FLEE! ALL IS LOST!" "sneaky" (the psi-crystal) called out when a rain of arrows fell upon the caravan. Several men went down, gushing blood, and a pregnant woman screamed as an arrow punctured her abdomen.Hoggle charged into the woods, wading through the creatures, and Verdoon used a sheet of flames from her hands to incinerate a flight of arrows. Ambrosia picked up the injured pregnant woman and pulled her into the cover of the wagon, while Kalife told his companion crystal to shut up and check on the kids.A little girl was getting drug into the woods, kicking and screaming, and with a snarl one of the twisted little creatures cut her throat and threw her body aside. Kalife killed the creature with a single crystal that shot from his hand.Hoggle leapt over the fallen forest giant, a huge pine, that the twisted creatures were hiding behind and raining arrows upon the caravan, and began killing them, his greatsword sweeping through them . None of them could stand before the mighty ex-legionairre, and the survivors ran screaming into the woods.When the attack was over, Verdoon retrieved her robe, and sat still for one of the young girls to bandage her arm. Hoggle and Kalife buried the dead, which included a couple of children and one old man, as well as nearly a dozen men. The woman survived, as did her baby.After a short service for the dead, the caravan moved on, Hoggle watching closely."We should have hidden." Sneaky counselled Kalife.Two days later, Hoggle spotted tumbled down ruins just off the road, and the four leaders decided that they bore some investigation. Leaving behind the elderly nun, the four companions journeyed into the ruins.Only the gatehouse, a section of walls, and a sinkhole leading into semi-collapsed storerooms remained, but after several desperate flights with the spirits of the dead, who were disturbed by the companions investigations, several books written in the language of the Uruk-Hia, several scrolls of strange and unknown arcane magic, and a holy symbol of Kepalor were discovered.A few more days of travel, and the caravan found a cleared side road leading off the highway they were following. After some discussion, the four companions left the caravan and went to check the road.What they found was a slaughter. Literall hundreds of the dead, twisted Guruk-Dia, dozens of slain legionarres. At the top of a hill was an ancient Uruk-Kia fortress, the gates wedged open, the salley port forced, ropes danging down from the walls.Fending off several foul undead legionairres whose very touch could paralyze a man, carrion eaters that feasted on the flesh of the dead, the group recovered important supplies (food, water, blankets, bandages, backpacks, weapons, armor) to help the caravan. Hoggle and Ambrosia found two ancient sets of armor in the commander's office, and Hoggle found a greatsword of fine quality with Uruk-Hia runes upon it.There would be no help from the XI Legion beyond what they could recover from the sight of the pitched battle.Rearming, the group rejoined the caravan and led it past the slaughtered fortress.After several days, the trees began to thin, and the group entered an area of low hills. Hoggle, once more marching before the caravan, spotted a pair stakes in the ground, on either side of the highway. Atop the stake on the left was a Guruk-Dia head, ravens flapping away from it. On the left was a helmeted legionairre head, complete with helmet. A raven was painted on both heads, and raven feathers were attached to the sticks.Verdoon told everyone that the stakes were warnings that the territory beyond belonged to a tribe, possibly a Raven Clan, and that the group should take care. Do not leave the highway, keep the children in the wagon, and do not act aggressive.Later in the afternoon, Hoggle was confronted by four small creatures, barely three feet high, with powerful hind legs, scales, tails, and dog-like snouts. They were dressed in buckskin, adorned with jewerly, and their buckskins had intricate bead patterns. The lead one drew a line in the dirt covering the highway, held up a stick with yellow gunk on the end, posed for a few moments, then struck a combat stance.The smaller one came forward and handed Hoggle a stick with yellow gunk on the end, and then the trio waited. Hoggle posed several times, and struck a combat pose. The oldest one (maybe, he was the more heavily scarred, more ornate beadword and jewelry adorned) barked something, and the one with the stick struck at Hoggle.After a furious set of exchanges, blocks and parries and dodges, the strange creature leaped into the air, the stick held strangely over it's head, and brought the stick down to bypass Hoggle's guard and mark his chest.With whoops and cries, all three ran into the bushes, vanishing into the hills.Bemused, Hoggle waited for the caravan.The next day, they passed another set of stakes, the skulls facing the direction the caravan was travelling, and Verdoon cautioned Hoggle to watch for the next set of clan markers.Less than a half day, the next set appeared to be the Clan of the Bear. Within an hour Hoggle was met by four of the small lizardlike creatures. They tried speaking to Hoggle, their voices musical and flowing, but Hoggle couldn't understand. However, the most muscular offered to lock hands with Hoggle.Hoggle removed his gauntlets, and locked hands. Both contestants flexed, and when the oldest one barked the same word, Hoggle and the small creature began straining at one another, trying to force the other's wrists back. Hoggle squeezed hard enough that the other one grimaced, and then bent his opponent's wrists back. The small creatures said something, and relaxed, and Hoggle barely managed to stop in time.The older one gave Hoggle a buckskin wrapped package containing deer jerky, a buckskin water flask with beadwork, and a lip ring. Hoggle offered one of his steel daggers, but they backed away bobbing their heads.Verdoon told Hoggle that this tribe must prize strength. When he asked about why they didn't try to shed blood, Verdoon told him that the tribes must be very formal about their warfare here. Using the spell tongues and Hoggle repeating what he heard, Ambrosia was able to determine that the eldest one had said:"We Mogu-Kia of the Bear greet thee, son of the Uruk-Kia, and challenge you."The command both sets had barked was the word "Begin"The caravan passed from the Bear Clan lands to the clan of the ferret. During the day, the caravan was suddenly attacked by dozens of the small creatures, who were darting everywhere, touching people and animals with sticks, smearing red and yellow paint on wagons, howling out war cries.A man swung a sword and drew blood from one of the Mogu-Kia, and the Mogu-Kia flopped onto his back, lifting his head up and to the side, exposing his throat, and the man, panicked, went to stab the Mogu-Kia in the throat, but Kalife managed to grab the blade, suffering a deep cut on his hand, before the man could stab the helpless Mogu-Kia.In the lands of the weasel clan, the caravan found items missing, often replaced by other items, and Verdoon assured the caravan that young Mogu-Kia were testing their skills of sneaking and stealing.The tribe of the Red Bear warned the caravan away with arrows, so the caravan had to go back and take another road. The group ended up travelling through the land of the dragon-fly clan.At an evening stop, one of the more trouble-making men, a loud and brutish fellow, went to slap his pregnant wife, and that's when it happened.Before he could land his blow, a war cry was heard and a Mogu-Kia sprung from the bushes, stabbing the man in the throat with a spear. Before anyone would react, the Mogu-Kia destroyed the dying man's eyes, and ran back into the bushes. Ambrosia managed to cast tongues in time to hear the Mogu-Kia cry out: "Blessed be the hand that defends the blossoming womb!" A child was able to mimic the first cry, which Ambrosia heard to be "Accursed be the hand raised against the blossoming womb!"Word went around the caravan to treat pregnant women and children as carefully as possible.The next day saw the end of the dragonfly lands, and the hills, and the return of thick forests.Several days into the forest, as the caravan was travelling beneath large trees, the noise of the animals woke up a swarm of large, bat-like mosquitos, that swarmed over the caravan. Verdoon killed over a dozen with a blaze of fire, and the two armored companions, Hoggle and Ambrosia, moved to the aid of the women and the children as quickly as possible.Over fourty men died, a fifth of the animal, two children, six women, and an infant, in the attack of the bat-mosquitos. They buried their dead, held a service, and continued on.The next day Verdoon was heeding the call of nature, when her familiar warned her."Mistress, do not move. Do not even breathe. I will get assistance."Her legs cramping, Verdoon held still as the psi-crystal came up, looked, and ran away.Hoggle arrived, led in a wide circle around Verdoon, and what he was behind the young witch made him utter a curse. A huge preying mantis, nearly 9 feet tall, was cleaning it's forelegs. Apparently it had not noticed the young witch, because it's forelegs, wickedly sharp, would kill he instantly.Hoggle charged, swinging his sword and slamming into the creature right afterwards. Talons the size of long swords scraped across his armor, and he felt a burn in his side. Armored jaws scraped across the front of his helmet, but several punches from his guantlet cracked the carapace, and it died squealing as Verdoon scrambled to safety.Several of the widows of the caravan made a big fuss over Hoggle's wound, binding it, bringing him dinner, and making sure he was comfortable that night.No children were allowed to wander away from the camp that night.Next: The Cliff of Visages; The City of the Dead; Grumsh, Kapelor, and Hades Awake</blockquote>

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