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Message: <blockquote data-quote="PieAndDragon" data-source="post: 3628149" data-attributes="member: 18108">Drake One-ArmMy first impressions of Drake were mixed. Hoisin knew him from his first days in Jonstown, where they fought alongside Khaki, a third initiate of Humakt named Haran and a slightly insane archer called Mallard. The band split when Haran retired to tend his parents’ inn, Mallard fell in battle to baboons and Drake lost his right arm to the same creatures. Hoisin told me that since then Drake had concentrated on fighting one-armed, guarding caravans and fighting the occasional bandit.When we were first introduced, I found Drake to be an unremarkable man, with unkempt brown hair and a permanent scowl. His right arm ended just below the elbow, capped by a hook of bronze, little use in battle. His eyes made me uncomfortable, as they followed me constantly, filled with suspicion, giving the impression he was weighing my sins. My recent joining of the Humakt cult did not impress him in any way. I have yet to see how a one-armed warrior will cope with the rigours of close combat. Like the rest of my companions, he bears no ranged weapons, reducing his options to outfighting his foes with a single blade.My companions had also spent much of their time since returning from Balazor training, and Khaki has been promoted to an Initiate of Sevanka, no doubt for her dedication in retrieving an artifact from far-away Balazor. Liverpate has continued been trained in healing magics and Hoisin spent his time training with blades and training his eyes to find hidden things.With all five of us on horseback, we made good time along the trail, stopping in villages or towns overnight when they were available. Both Drake and Hoisin ride battle-trained beasts, used to the sounds and sights of combat, ready to stand their ground in danger. Such beasts are expensive to replace, however. When we did stop, we kept alert for danger, aware that our cult symbols and armaments may attract unwanted attention. Hoisin demonstrated unusual friendliness in such places, talking with nearly everyone, getting to know them for no greatly apparent reason.In one busy tavern several days after leaving Jonstown, Hoisin warned us of sensing hostility from some we spoke of. Humakt granted him some kind of sixth sense when people he knows mean him harm, and there were people hostile to him here. We kept our eyes out for obvious signs of danger, consuming no more intoxicating brews that evening. Doubly alert during the night spent in a barn, morning arrived with no signs of disturbance.Leaving Orville circling behind us to check for anyone following us, we headed on. A few hours later, my hawk reported a group of six unarmoured and lightly armed men following us on foot, although he lost them after a couple more hours among trees and shrubbery. Apprehensive that they may be using some sort of magic to move quickly, we covered our tracks and found open ground to camp on that evening. But apart from wild animals, our night was quiet once more. Debating whether we had lost the men, or if they had even been following us in the first place, I sent my hawk to look ahead of us again.A few miles later, we were warned that they were waiting in the road ahead, no different to the day before. We knew not how they had gotten ahead of us, when we were mounted and they were not. I argued for leaving the road to go around them, but hotter heads prevailed, and we prepared to meet them, all but Hoisin and Drake leaving our mounts a short way from where the men awaited. Weapons ready, we approached.</blockquote>

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