NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haraash Saan" data-source="post: 5095343" data-attributes="member: 46615">It was a bright a warm morning on the fifteenth of High Summer when the Hydra set off to learn the origin of the dead men that Moxadder had found. We crossed Cel with the rising sun just beginning to creep over the seemingly endless forest.    Moxadder was quick to find the corpses, now somewhat ravaged by the forests animals, but discernable in any case. The smell was most foul and I left it to Argonne and Moxadder to try and find any tracks that they had left.     “This way.” Waved Argonne as he rose from ground on which he had knelt and inspected.     I hurried off quickly, thankful to away from the stench of the corpses. Not even my kerchief could mask the vile smell.    A few more hours past whilst we slowly followed the dead men’s trail until, with darkness slowly washing over the surrounds, we discovered a stone wall. It was as good a place as any to make camp, and with the light almost gone we had little choice.    The new day revealed that we had camped against the outer wall of an ancient ruin. After a brief search Zhontell revealed that it was Elfish in origin, although he knew not for how long it had stood, nor when it had been destroyed.    Curious though I was we had a more pressing agenda, so once again Argonne took the lead and we marched off through the trackless forest.     During the days journey Moxadder often scampered off this way and that, looking at various shrubs and trees, and occasionally scratching up some dirt. He was looking for various berries, tubers and roots that he no doubt hoped would provide him with another concoction to experiment with. It really was quite remarkable that he was alive. The amount of herbs and poisons that I had seen him readily, if not eagerly, inhale or ingest was incredible.    However his activities did provide some unexpected information. A half hour after our midday break had concluded his head popped up through the branches of a small shrub and said somewhat sulkily, “This is odd. There aint no berries or nuthin’ ‘round here. All the plants have been picked clean.”    Argonne looked up from the path he had been following, “Means that someone lives close by. They’ve been harvesting.”    As soon as he said this we became suddenly wary. Swords were loosened and arrows were nocked. No person in their right mind lived this far into the forest, so it could only be the brigands. We were close to our prey.    Once again we set off, although this time there was no idle discussion as there had been. No, now we were alert and each one of us were listening and looking for any trace of the brigands.    An hour or two before dusk Argonne broke our silence.     “You don’t see that everyday.” He spat out in surprise.    I followed his gaze off to the right and saw three massive skins that had been spreadeagled and nailed between several tree trunks. Stupefied at what could have done this to three huge creatures we wandered over to further inspect them.    They looked very much to be the remnants of the giant creatures that Argonne had seen a few days earlier. Moxadder found that signs of a recent battle, maybe only a day old, between the three giant brutes and a massive number of barbarians. There were some crude broken weapons strewn about a large area that had the vegetation flattened by both the large feet of the giants and the hobnailed boots of the barbarians. Eventually Mortec found twelve burial mounds each with a small totem that I recognised were those used by the barbarian folk.    After his first campaign to the wilds of the north, Absquith had brought me back one such totem that had been worn by a barbarian that he had killed.    Our curiosity sated, and feeling a little relieved that the hordes tracks had continued due south, we moved back to the trail we had been slowly following and continued our own journey.    At mid-morning the next day we were once again stopped. This time it was Zhontell that called to cease the march.    “I can smell smoke burning a little ways to the south.” He said, eyes closed and head tilted back a little.    “Oh yeah. I smell it now.” said Argonne. “We had best go investigate. You lot wait here for us.”    It sounded a prudent plan, they were the two most useful scouts, discounting Moxadder who had been smoking something all morning. It may be the brigands, so it was worth further investigation.    An hour later Argonne returned bringing news of an old woman living alone in a cottage. He had left Zhontell there to further question the crone, and come back to report the situation.     “She’s the one that has been gathering all the berries and such.” Argonne said.     At least we did not have to be so watchful for brigands. It seemed that we had been mistaken and we were not as close to them as we had thought.    Whilst they had been away a steady drizzle had started and we were all rather irritable and miserable, so there was no hesitation in deciding to go and see the old lady ourselves.    Soon we stood huddled around her small cooking fire trying to dry our sodden clothes.    She was a weather beaten little thing who was a very long way past her prime. “Come, have shum shoup.” she said with a smile that revealed toothless gums.    Whilst I declined, after my ordeal in Halfast I was still a trifle suspicious of food I did had not seen prepared, the others heartily accepted her kind offer.    After my companions had had their fill, and incidentally drained the previously full cauldron we set about questioning our host.    As it so happened she had secretly left Montfort many years ago after “troublesh in Montfort.” There had been a death and she, Yasmina and her sister Imelda had been implicated. Yasmina, the eldest decided to flee the town and therefore assume guilt, so that her sister could live an unhindered life.    She knew nothing of the brigands, nor the barbarians. “No one ‘ash come calling exshept for you and occashionally my shishter. Perhapsh you could ashk the Foeldiansh. They ushd to live shum three daysh from ‘ere but I ‘aven’t sheen them for a long time. Sho I don’t really know if they are shtill there or not. But if anyone can ‘elp they will be able to.”    The rain eventually cleared and we once again set off, after thanking Yasmina for her hospitality. An hour or so later Morgan approached me and whispered, “Gerard have you see the large orange and black cat?”     I had no idea what the Fastendian was talking about and told him so.    He quietened me with a sharp “Shh” accompanied by a finger across his lips.     “I don’t want Strav to here about the cat. You know what he gets like.” Said Morgan softly.    How could I forget the incident with Grecha the dwarf’s cat? I could still see the harmless creature nailed with a crossbow bolt to the wall of the dwarf’s home.    “Well what about this cat?” I questioned.    “A few of us have seen it over the last day or so. It is as big as the lion we poisoned during the Baron’s trials. We think it is following us. We must be cautious. If you do see it let everyone bar Strav know.” He said.    Most unusual.  I would have to keep an eye out for the cat. I certainly did not want to become its dinner.    The rest of the day and indeed that evening passed uneventfully, however not long after we commenced the days travel we arrived at the crest of a small hill. It afforded us the luxury of our first real look at the massive expanse of forest before us. As far as the eye could see there was a sea of green, rippling like waves in the light breeze.    “What’s that?” queried Morgan as he pointed off to the east, a little off the route we had been taking.    I squinted but could not make out what it was that he was gesturing to.    “That’s smoke, that is.” Said the eagle eyed Argonne. “There you can see a column of it yonder.”    Again I peered off in the direction that was indicated, and again I could see nothing, however the others grunted affirmation.    Our curiosity was peaked and we were hopeful that we would find the bandits that we sought near the source of the smoke so we changed course and trekked once more through the wilderness, this time toward the smoke.    Several hours passed before Zhontell scented the ash smell of smoke. “We are near.” He said. “Perhaps another hour, not more I wouldn’t think as the wind is not strong enough to push the smoke further.”    Soon the smell of the fire was obvious to all. We decided to send Moxadder forward to scout the lay of the land and see what it was that was burning.    We waited maybe ten minutes before we heard our unreliable friend emit a high pitched squeal. “Don’t shoot me!”    Then chaos erupted.</blockquote>

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