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Message: <blockquote data-quote="silentspace" data-source="post: 1222072" data-attributes="member: 14316">Manzanita reaches Darien and tells him that riders are approaching from the rear, but she can’t say what or who they are.  Darien rides back with Manzanita, telling the other guards to stay in the front.  As they head back they meet Etherial, who updates them as much as he can.  Darien swears under his breath when he hears of the orcs.  Manzanita, as tall as a human woman, pulls her hood tighter about her head, concealing her elvish features.(The caravan stretches 330 feet from end to end.  Assuming Manzanita wants to keep with Darien’s slower pace, they are now 130 feet from the rear of the caravan.)--Devan lowers his bow and calls for the others to lower their weapons also, feeling that if the orcs were going to attack, they would have done so already.  The orcs seem satisfied that no one wants to fight.  Many of them look disappointed, but they move their hands away from their weapons.Bert puts his crossbow away as he tries to sense the orc’s motives.  He is not able to sense a bluff or an ulterior motive.  Gathering up his courage, he apologizes for the weapons, saying they don’t meet many friends on the road these days.  The orc laughs “Friends!  Yes, friends!  Friends with little one!”  The other orcs laugh heartily.  You can’t tell if they are laughing in delight, laughing at the halfling, or both.Rowyn glances around, but she doesn’t see anything else.  She listens carefully to the orc’s voice, paying attention to his subtle body movements.  She can’t sense a bluff or an ulterior motive. Dunathar remains hidden, but lowers his crossbow just in case he’s spotted by an orc.  He knows that orcs are as fond of killing dwarves as they are of killing elves.  When Devan calls out for the orc to stop, he replies, “Stop?  We not stop!  We travelers!  Caravan too slow.  We pass caravan.  No stop!  We travelers!”  Turning to Zanock, the orc leader speaks in orcish.  “Why you follow human archer?  He great warrior?  He look puny!  You join with me!  Join with Rangark!”   As Rangark gets closer you see he’s covered with scars, and his weapons and equipment look like they’ve seen a lot of use.  He also looks very strong.  Maybe as strong as Zanock.  (Who knows?  No one really knows how strong Zanock is anyway.)Rangark is either ignoring Devan’s request to stop, or feels he’s already answered Devan’s concerns.  Either way, as Rangark speaks to Zanock, the orcs keep approaching.  They are now 50 feet away.</blockquote>

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