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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1308993" data-attributes="member: 1210">RecoveringWeak from blood loss, with only two of the girls conscious and nothing to help move the wounded, the party is clearly in no shape to travel further.  Ed and Trinia take some time to try to make their friends comfortable, but they’re all very pale and don’t look good.  An uncomfortable silence shaped a lot like Zenvo hangs in the air for a while, interrupted only when Trinia encounters a wary male halfling examining the dead ticks at the site of the battle.“What’s going on here?” the stranger cries upon spotting her.  “Is there trouble??”“You could say that,” Trinia says.  “I mean, the fighting is over but our friends are in bad shape.  Can you do anything to heal them?”“I’m afraid not,” the fellow responds.  “I’m a ranger of the hills, not a cleric.  But I can give them some simple first aid.  Take me to your friends!  My name is Martini, by the way.”  The two shake hands.A few moments later Trinia introduces Martini to Airhead Ed, then points out her fallen foes.  The ranger changes a few bandages, shores up the crude lean-to the group has erected, and sighs.  “Well, you seem rather well in hand, other than the wounds.  Perhaps I could offer to at least help guard you while you rest up?”The two girls gladly accede to Martini’s offer and the ranger joins the group.  Two days of good rest and druidic healing sees the physical wounds healed, but several of our heroes are still recovering from the blood drain.  Nonetheless, with the combined ministrations of Martini and Trinia they are well enough to travel and are confident in their ability to recover on the road.  Besides, they’re only a day or two away from this druid’s supposed area.So they set out again, only to find themselves joined on the road almost immediately by Captain Cavedwarf.  “Captain!” exclaims Ed.  “Good to see you!”The shaggy dwarf scratches his chin with a rough hand.  “Yes, well, I heard from Trinia that you were going to be looking for a druid, and I’m a druid too- maybe he’ll listen more if there are two of us.”“Of course, of course!”  Heartened by their swelling ranks, our heroes continue along the way.  The weather can’t seem to make up its mind.  First it sprinkles, then the sun comes out, then it rains, then the sun comes out again.  Dusk finds the sky clear.  The stars blaze like liquid candles in the firmament.*“It’s a pretty night,” Ed remarks.And it passes easily.  The halflings set watches, but only the chirping of crickets and the occasional call of an owl greet the cautious guards.The next day our heroes set out early, feeling much better for having had a few days’ rest and having three skilled healers amongst them.  Ed notices that Martini keeps leering at her and frowns.  He smiles at her and looks away- at Trinia.“You’re a pig,” Ed mutters beneath her breath.“Have I told you how long it’s been since I’ve seen a woman?” Martini must have heard her!  “I’ve been in the hills for three years!”The day’s journey is short; it takes them to within sight of the lake the druid’s hut is supposed to be on.  “We’ll make it there in an hour in the morning,” Martini tells the group confidently.  And indeed, by the eleventh hour of the next day the group is searching along the edges of the lake, where a profusion of trees and undergrowth has grown up.  The lake’s a decent size, and Martini immediately realizes that it’s probably going to take a full day or two to thoroughly search for the hut.Of course, the orc ambush changes everyone’s plans right away.*As a general rule there is no moon in the sky.  Periodically a moon will cross the sky, usually taking anywhere from a month to a couple of years to pass from horizon to horizon.  There was one not too many years back, actually.  Once in a very great while there will be a period with multiple moons in the sky, but we haven’t had one of those in- well, ever, since the campaign started.  Though it’s a historically documented occurrence.Next Time: Do I even have to say it?  An orcish ambush!</blockquote>

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