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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 2545416" data-attributes="member: 3192">[DAY 85 – Feastday, Azer 17th, CY 81]By the time everyone was gathered and accounted for it was late morning and very hot.  Darius gave a report on Cyrus having stolen from him and deserting.  He asked anyone else with missing gear to step forward.  No one moved.  Later, after packing the horses for afternoon travel, there was a debate upon which path to take back to the Keep.  Dram and Dalin wanted to head east back through Hamfast and to cause some more damage to the goblins.  Kayla and Darius thought a fast, safe trip through Hommlet was more appropriate.  Standing up, Dram mistakenly pointed to the north road as the one he shouted about going no other way.  Darius relented without mentioning the mix up.  It seemed not everyone remembered which road led in what direction. As they passed by Balorn’s tower just outside of town Kayla called for a stop.  She wanted to report to her mentor.  Coming outside and closing the door behind him, Balorn did listened quietly to Kayla and the team’s new plan.  After abandoning their position, they would be passing by again in a few days time.  It would be the last time he saw her before leaving Margrave.  Then Kayla introduced her new apprentice Diedre.  Balorn shook hands in his usual reticent manner.  Rose stood behind Dalin hoping not to be noticed.  Darius handed over his ornamental dagger, which Balorn had prized so highly before.  When it left Darius’s hand the tug it had on his soul from when he had first acquired the it was released.  He mentioned this to Balorn.  The two came to an agreement: Balorn would keep the dagger until Darius return, and then he would tell the dwarf everything he could discern of it.  From over Dalin’s shoulder Rose noticed the dagger had a Fey inscription on the hilt.  It read “Flame”, but she kept that to herself.It was several more hours upon the northern road and dusk fell just as Hommlet came into sight.  Kayla took Diedre and and separated from the others after entering town.  Making sure she was not followed, she went and knocked on the door to Burné’s stone tower.  Rufus was the only one at home though, so she passed along Balorn’s warning about the red powder and how to wash off.  Rufus thanked Kayla and gave a warm welcome to Diedre.  He also warned of trouble on the road.  Bandit activity was reported to have worsened recently.  The rest of the team went to reserve rooms at the Welcome Wench.  Along the back wall Dram examined some wanted posters and recognized one with a drawing of his father’s face.  “Out!  Back out!” he commanded.  Darius went in alone read the posters: one whole cow.  The hunt was still on for Gil Hammersmith.  When Kayla and Diedre arrived back, Darius led everyone outside of town.  With Drams’ father a wanted man, he was not willing to stay in Hommlet where someone might recognize him.  After a mile or more of riding in the dark, the road entered into the Greenwillow Forest.  No one was willing to risk its dangers, so they set up camp outside it.  As they cooked dinner and settled in it seemed the animal noises from the forest were particularly loud.  Frogs were croaking very loudly all around the encampment.  Rose tried to understand what they were saying, but it was simpleton frog jabber.  “Frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog.”Ormand the Redd and Dram took first watch.  Dram tended the fire as Ormand collected dried wood from near the forest’s edge.  Everyone else was just finishing up dinner and brushing down the horses when all of the animal noises suddenly stopped.  Drawing back to the campfire Dram and Ormand knocked their bows.   A soft hissing noise came from deep inside the forest.  It grew louder.  Then Dram spotted some sort of blob sliding along the ground as fast as a horse could gallop.  It passed through the trees and underbrush destroying everything its wake and engulfing all before it.  Nothing it touched even slowed it.  Within an instant the blob stopped in front of the encampment.  In the firelight it looked like a gooey ochre greenish-yellow mass.  It was easily ten feet across and had skeleton bones sticking out of it.  Dram recognized some of them as human.</blockquote>

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