Session #21 (part II)
As it got dark, Ratchis took them off the game trail and into the deep woods. There was nothing he could do about tracks in the deep snow, but he hoped they might be overlooked in the dark.
He brought the party to a tall fir tree and he and Jeremy started shoveling and shoving the snow out from under it to make camp. In an hour they had a tent staked into the ground, and a small fire burning.
Jana tended Kazrack, and Jeremy cleared more snow, while Ratchis ran out and found for firewood. Returning with an armload a sudden rustle in the brush turned out to be Kwa. The dog chased him happily back to camp, barking and jumping.
Ratchis dropped the wood and grabbed the dog, holding its snout shut and very sternly saying, “No!”
The dog was quiet for the rest of the night.
The party discussed if they should go back to town in the morning, or return to the enclave. A third option of resting a whole other day and night in this spot came up, but so did apprehension about the elves staging a assault on them.
“Did you see any signs that the elves patrol this area when you were hunting for firewood?” Jeremy asked Ratchis.
“No,” replied Ratchis. “But they’re elves, I wouldn’t expect to see any signs.”
“Well, if you were an elf, and you were on patrol…I know this is a stretch, but bear with me,” Jeremy gestured with his hands. “What would be the best way to approach this camp?”
“There is no best way. We’re in the middle of the forest. If they spot our camp they’ll surround us and shoot us full of arrows,” Ratchis said, chewing on tough piece of jerky, and tossing a piece to Kwa.
“Well, I have some caltrops and I wanted to know the best place to lay them, but I guess any direction is as good as any other,” Jeremy said.
“Caltrops, huh?” Ratchis half smiled.
“I don’t really use them for this purpose. They’re more for, you know…” He nudged the half-orc with his elbow. “Angry husbands.”
“No, I don’t know,” Ratchis said, dryly and stood. “Go to sleep, I’ll take first watch, and you’ll have to take an extra long after that.
---
Anulem, 28th of Nuiet – 564 H.E.
In the morning, Ratchis prayed for Nephthys to grant him spells of healing, and soon enough Kazrack was stirring.
“Ugh, I hope Lehrathonar will teach me the secrets of where traps lie,” he said, as he struggled to get up.
“Just rest,” said Ratchis.
“Where are our prisoners?” the dwarf asked, craning his neck around.
“We don’t have any prisoners,” Ratchis replied.
Kazrack sighed, “I’m afraid we’re just going to fight them again.”
Ratchis did not reply.
“Did we kill anyone by accident?” Kazrack inquired.
“Almost,” the half-orc replied.
“With your fists?” the dwarf asked.
“You’d better let someone else hold your hammer,” the dwarf said with a smile.
“Huh?”
“You do more damage with your fists,” and Kazrack let out a hard guffaw that immediately turned into a groan of pain as he held his side.
After a moment, he retrieved his prayer stone from his pack and laid his head upon it to pray and prepare spells.
Martin lay sleeping in the tent, unwilling to face the morning. But Thomas was hungry and he scurried out of the tent and made his way over to where Ratchis was chewing on dried apple from a sack, and climbed up the behemoth and on to the top of his rat’s next hair.
Kwa came bounding into camp from off doing whatever it is dogs do when they’re alone and immediately noticed the squirrel chewing on a small piece of apple that the half-orc had given him, sitting on his master’s head. Kwa began to bark and bound atop of Ratchis to get Thomas, who leapt with great fear, running back into the tent. The dog of course, followed.
“Help me! Help me!” Thomas cried to his bonded master.
“Whu…? AUGH!” Martin leapt up as his familiar crawled into his robes and Kwa suddenly leapt upon him shoving his drooling cold snout all over the Watch-mage.
“Stop! Kwa! Stop!” Ratchis leaned into the tent and dragged out the dog, who was barking like mad.
Martin crawled out of the tent and stood, “Well, I guess sleep is out of the question around here. What are we going to do?”
“I was thinking about that,” said Jeremy dropping an armload of firewood. “You and Thomas are bonded right?”
“Why do you ask?” Martin said.
“Well, we could the squirrel back to the elf place and have him look around and report back to you what he sees,” Jeremy suggested.
“I’m not sending Thomas out to be killed, eaten or turned into squirrel shish-ka-bob. End of discussion,” Martin said matter-of-factly, and sat down by the fire with his spellbook in his lap.
Kazrack joined the others around the fire, “I guess we are spending the day here.”
“We’ll re-gather our strength and replenish our spells and head back tomorrow,” Ratchis said. “Maybe we can parley with them.”
“Kind of too late for that,” Jana said, scathingly.
“I don’t think I’m cut out for this adventuring life style,” Martin said dejectedly.
“Well, when this is all over with you can settle down with you books,” Kazrack said, trying to be comforting.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Martin replied.
“Can I borrow Thomas for a little while?” Kazrack asked. “I want to train the dog to not go after him.”
The dwarf held out a bit of dried fruit to the squirrel, which was sitting on Martin’s shoulder.
“What does he want?” Thomas asked Martin.
“He wants to train the dog not to attack you,” Martin explained.
“That dog is crazy! He wants to eat me! Kill it!”
“Here have an apricot,” said Martin feeding him a piece.
“Mmmmm… Kill it! Kill it!.” Thomas said, as he munched on his snack. “What does he need me for anyway?”
“I think Kazrack wants the dog to go for you so he can smack it around,” Martin speculated.
“Oh! I want a ringside set for that” Thomas said, and leapt on to the dwarf’s head.
While Kazrack pushed the dog back and down repeatedly, saying “No!” very sternly, with Thomas sitting on his head, goading the dog, Ratchis, Jeremy, Jana and Martin discussed the situation with the elves.
“What do you think is the matter with them?” Jeremy asked.
“They are charmed,” said Ratchis.
“It would be very difficult to ensorcel so many elves for so long a period of time,” Martin commented.
“Well, I wouldn’t know,” Jeremy said.
“I want to go back to Thricia,” Martin grumbled miserably, trying to warm his hands by the fire, but the cold had seemed to have nestled in his bones, unwilling to be moved.
Suddenly, Janx appeared in camp, and Kwa gave a yelp and disappeared into brush.
“I wonder why he’s scared of Janx,” Ratchis said aloud.
The albino blink dog stepped up to Ratchis and dropped a piece of sheer torn purple cloth on the ground.
“Janx, is that Tirhas’?” Jeremy asked, walking up to the dog, who moved to keep a distance between himself and anyone else. He looked at Jeremy and cocked his head.
“Is Tirhas in there?” Jeremy asked the blink dog, and it growled and yelped in reply, bobbing his head up and down.
“Where did you find her?” Ratchis asked and began to trace a map of elven enclave in the snow with an ashen stick from the fire.
Janx cocked his head in the other direction, as Ratchis pointed to the sketch and asked, “This way? Or this way?”
The blink dog stepped back and barked.
“I don’t he is smart enough to understand,” Kazrack whispered to the half-orc, and Janx growled at him.
“Well, he is obviously intelligent,” said Martin.
“Tirhas said he was intelligent and her friend,” Jeremy said. Janx would look at anyone who said the elf’s name.
“Well, that settles it,” Ratchis said. “We are going back tomorrow.”
“Maybe we should go back tonight and catch them unawares,” Kazrack suggested.
“We are in no shape to go back tonight,” Jana said.
“She’s right,” said Ratchis.
The day waned, and soon they were setting watches again.
Kazrack took the first watch. Jana and Jeremy took the second watch.
It was long and silent, and as it was winding down, Jana said, ‘I’ll wake Ratchis.”
“Uh, wait a second,” Jeremy said, touching the young witch’s shoulder. Jana had never heard such a tone in his voice, and did not know how to interpret it. “Listen, I’d talked to Chance a lot, and I wanted to say… uh, I’m sorry for you loss. I haven’t had much of a cha… opportunity to tell you before now. I know you two had something special, and when it comes time to fight this thing that killed him, I want you to know that we’re all right behind you.”
There was a long awkward silence.
“Thank you, “ Jana said softy, and walked off to wake the half-orc..
Ralem, 1st of Dek – 564 H.E.
The next morning the party marched back towards Aze Nuquerna, accompanied once again my Janx, who popped in and out of view all around them anxiously.
“Where are we going?’ Thomas asked Martin telepathically.
“Back to the elven place,” Martin replied.
“Ooh, I don’t want to go back there,” said Thomas with a frightened voice.
“Neither do I,” thought Martin sadly.
“Then why are we going? These people are crazy!”
Martin took the squirrel off his shoulder and gave him a cold stare.
“I’ll shut up now,” the familiar said and leapt back onto the Watch-mage’s shoulder.
They came to the clearing again and marched steadfastly toward the front of the place. Again, they could see an elf standing on the lookout towers, staring straight ahead of him. They were sure another just like him stood in the opposite tower. The double doors at the top of the steps were now closed, not open as the party had left them a day and half before.
“Nephthys, grant this dwarf some shred of your endurance,” prayed Ratchis laying a hand on his dwarven companion.
“Thank you,” Kazrack replied.
“Look some one is coming to the crawlspace behind where the living statue used to be,” Jeremy said.
“Come closer, so that we may speak with you,” an elven voice called. It had an even tone.
“Are you and your kind still ensorcelled?” Kazrack yelled, taking a few steps forward, but not mounting the first step.
“You and your companions attacked us and did us harm nigh a day ago,” the elf behind the opening only slightly wider than a murderhole said. The party could see the movement of his silhouette and a flash of bright yellow hair in the sunlight.
“We ourselves were attacked by your people,” replied the dwarf.
“We were provoked and invaded,” the elf said.
“Dwarves do not attack without provocation, either,” said Kazrack.
“You must have read different history books than I have,” said the elf, and despite the hint of humor in his words, his tone displayed no emotion.
“We wish to speak to Tirhas,” Kazrack said. Ratchis stood to his left, and Jeremy and Jana were behind further to the left. Martin stood wiping sweat from his brow despite the cold wind of the winter’s day, behind all of them to the right, near the reflecting pool.
“She is our guest,” said the elf.
“We have reason to believe she may be hurt… If we could see her if even only for a moment,” Kazrack suggested.
“I’m afraid that would be impossible,” came a deeper voice from behind the curtain of wall. “She is deeply involved in an elven ritual of great importance and cannot be disturbed.”
“Who are you?” Ratchis called.
“I am a guest of these fine elves,” the obviously male human voice said. “Why do you not come closer? Just up to the top of the first steps, so we can hear each other clearly.”
The man had a soft, but masculine voice, reassuring, but haughty at once.
“I think we can hear each other just fine,” called Kazrack. “Unless you’d rather come out and talk to us. We promise not to attack. No tricks.”
The man laughed. “I guess to gain trust one must give it, but still just one of you and at the top of the first step. You have an Academy Alumnus with you. I will meet with him, but the rest of you must stand away. He can trust me.”
“How can we be so sure?” Jeremy called.
“Because, I’m and Academy Alumnus, too. I am called Richard the Red.”
Martin’s jaw dropped to his chest.
