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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5985777" data-attributes="member: 92511">Apologies for the lag time and infecting with the SHS. hahaha. Glad you're enjoying though.I was traveling last week (back in the states now, for a time) and getting acclimated to EST again.More soon...but here's a brief bit just to keep things moving (and hopefully offset a bit of the SHS <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />--SD----------The following afternoon, the heroes rose. Pirnyon had risen before the others and came winging, effortlessly, back to the open chamber where the party had slept the first part of the day after their "allnighter" at the memorial of song for their fallen comrades.They were led down the long wide ramp of a walkway down to the forest floor where they were met by the elf, Althan. He discussed their objective and direction for travel and led the group through the elvin wood toward the current battlefront.As they moved they discussed possible strategy. How were they supposed to infiltrate the enemy camp and gain proof of Tresahd's true identity? How were they supposed to get back out again and return to Evandrial? Did they even want to return to Evandrial?Relaying their findings to Daenfrii would be no problem as Alaria still possessed the emerald teardrop crystal. Alaria' proposed continuing to Ayla Nirai (the elf capitol) to see about securing the Eye of Arinane as there was no doubt the mystic gem of the Miralostae elves was the dark wizard's primary target.Since Alaria possessed no magics to disguise them, and no longer had the stealthy elf tracker or ranger satyr with them, it seemed that they would be relying on Duor to do a good bit of the work. Fen's ability to disappear within the natural surroundings would prove most useful, as well and the zephari, Pirnyon, revealed that he, too, could easily go unnoticed.So it was decided that, while Alaria, Braddok and Haelan (and Buttercream) would do what they could to aid the assaulted elvin army and (hopefully) provide adequate distraction for the goblinoid forces near their camp, the dwarf, half-elf and winged man would seek out tresahd's tent and do the sleuthing.As the winter evening began to fall over the wood, only a few hours of marching after they took their leave of the eastern elf province, they neared the elves latest encampment.Althan reported to the captains and introductions were made.Haelan was overjoyed to meet one of his kind, the daelvar rogue (and Steel Dragon) Carak Hillside. Haelan knew of the Hillside clan from Tinkerhale, but had never actually met any of them.  To the Hilltender's knowledge the Spurthistles and Hillsides were not related, though it was joked about among the daelvar of the Free Hollows that all of the families were, in some way, connected by marriage or business or just generations long friendship over the years.Carak was easy going and affable, though not as innocently cheery as Haelan. He was seven springs older than Haelan and had left the Hollows while Haelan had been an acolyte at the Mound of Faerantha, just beginning his religious studies.The two shared some talk of the Free Hollows mutual friends, shared stories and some mead over a few laughs. The daelvar thief was impressed and a tad jealous of the amazing things Haelan and his companions had encountered and confronted. He was especially envious of the Hilltender's magical food-producing bowl.Silran, it seemed was out on a patrol, spending the entire day harrassing the goblin forces that dared to move through the wood in the bright of day. Their forces were, almost constantly, trying to circumvent the elf forces and were, constantly, being thwarted.Silran's sister, Erilyn, was in attendance at the elvin camp and traded a good bit of information with the Stormriders, particularly Alaria, as the elvin lady herself was a practitioner of the Mysteries in addition to being trained in blade and bow and stealth enough to rival the daelvar Steel Dragon, Carak.It was decided the elvin princess and the hairfooted hero would accompany the Stormriders' infiltration group. None of the assembled heroes ffelt a group larger than five persons was wise.Much to Haelan's dismay (and Fen's consternation) it was told that the goblin force was relying ever more on undead to bolster their ranks. Zombies, skeletons, ghouls...any creature that was felled on the field of battle seemed to "come back" the following day. No doubt due to the delegation of priests of the Plague Mistress, Endore. The elves were hard pressed against such creatures as the majority of their divine magic-users were holed up in Ayla Nirai. The elves were a spiritual people, to be sure, but not so regimented and concerned with religion, as an organization, as other races. As such, their spiritual magics were somewhat more limited than those of humans, dwarves or daelvar.Most of the elvin captains were overjoyed to welcome the Hillltender among their ranks, though some were obvious in their disbelief that one of the kindly small vaaria <"people of the hills", elvin for daelvar> could really be of much use.Then, of course, there were the shadow creatures, which the elves attributed also to the Endoren priests as well as the dark wizard called Tresahd...who the captains referred to time and again as "the Black Drake" for his dragon-like skull helmet/visor of "his" head adornment.As the evening light was fast fading from view, the party of would-be spies readied to make a long wide approach to the goblinoid camp. The others were assured there would be no lack of excitement at Shi'Ariniiri <translation: "the Fields of Blood" or "Blood Fields">, as they'd taken to calling the great open fields near the southern edge of the river D'Evand where most of their battles were being fought. In the night, the goblins did their best to make headway, retreating in the morning when their wicked sight was impeded.If the goblins were able to cross the D'Evand it was not far to the royal city of Ayla Nirai. They'd come close more than once in the passed weeks, staved off time and again (once with the aid of the Steel Dragons before Montor had been wounded and half of the heroes of Daenfrii left the battlegrounds).Alaria. Braddok and Haelan steadied themselves and prepared for a long night. As the moons began to rise in the southeastern sky, the magess, swordsman and Hilltender set out or the battlefield with a troupe of several tens of elvin soldiers, including one of the fabled sorarynae <"Golden Stags", a mystic order of elvish knights> atop his mount, a dark twelve-pointer stag the size of a warhorse.Next time..."Oh, Was This Your Tent?" or "To Kill a Manling-Bird."</blockquote>

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