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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1706948" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #279] End of the Line?[/PLAIN]"That is a generous offer. We would appreciate any assistance we can get in tracking this man," Ixin told the elf."We don't need any help," Grisham snapped. "He's leaving a trail that a blind man could follow.""You seem capable. You are already following the path on which our shikar saw him," the elf explained. "And if he indeed pressed on at the rate he was travelling his trail is not long for our territory. Beyond that we will not stray.""Perhaps we should ask him to help us find this imposter. As Papa used to say, 'A blind squirrel can't find any nuts unless he knows the trees,' Vade asked the others in a voice clearly loud enough for the elf to hear. "We are the blind squirrels, the elves know the trees and together we can find the nut... or The Hound... or the imposter... or-""We get it, Vade," Ledare said with a smile. "An escort might help us to gain some time on our man. The elves would know this land better than we do, and might be able to speed us along.""It would be our pleasure," the elf said with a bow."What do you know of the temple of Flor and her followers?" Ixin asked, sidling a step closer to the elf. "Little, I'm afraid," the elf answered. "I am aware that she is a goddess of healing and mercy, but I was unaware that she had a temple in the human settlement to the north. We leave the woodland but rarely.""What other news might you share with us of events in your area then?" the drakeling pressed, flashing a gleaming smile. "We are fighting a great evil and often find that events of chaos are connected when they do not seem to be. Any news you are able to give us could help in our fight against evil."The elf thought for a moment and then shrugged. "The cycles of late have passed with little unexpected trouble for us," he said. "The Deer of Plenty have grown to such numbers that our Wayshepards have bade our hunters thin the herd. Our bellies have been full this season and last. The angler lizards have begun to manifest a red glow rather than blue near the waters of Luc'Elradrielind, but we think it is due in large part to the closeness of Lady Qillaquithe's arcanenexus."Their new guide went on as they walked, spouting off "news" of the elflands that managed to be at one and the same time both wonderfully magical and mind-numbingly dull. The path he led them along followed the direction they had been travelling and continued on until they reached a wide and deep river that flowed sluggishly along through the forest."This river marks the edge of Ten'Venielle lands," the elf announced."His trail continues on," Grisham observed after checking the ground closely. He grimaced at the dark water. "It'll be a wet crossing.""There is a natural ford less than a mile to the south," the elf observed. "The most you will suffer there are wet boots."Grisham scowled at the elf and then his face softened. "Thank you," he said and started to trot in the indicated direction."I hope that you find this murderer you seek," the elf said with complete sincerity."Thank you," Ledare said as she passed. "Your help is appreciated.""May the spirits of my ancestors watch over you on your journey," the elf added as the VQS went off to follow the barbarian.At the ford, which consisted of a series of partially submerged stepping stones, Grisham shook his head in disgust. "No one with any skill at woodcraft would have crossed where this imposter did," he grumbled. "He's not only a killer, he's a damned fool to boot!"After they had all made the crossing (some more dryly than others) the barbarian squinted up at the darkening sky. "We'll backtrack up the river to where our man crossed," he announced. "Then we'll make camp for the night and head out again at first light. We're bound to catch him soon."Moonsday, the 3rd of Reaping, 1269 AEThe forest grew more and more dense as they travelled, with gaps in the leafy canopy created by the toppling of elder trees filling in with thickets of saplings and brush. The sky glimpsed in these gaps was cloudy and threatened rain, but none fell. It was in the morning, only a few hours after breaking camp on the edge of the river that they forced their way along the trail of their illusive quarry as it followed the north face of a large wooded hill. The morning sun had not risen far enough to shine directly on the area, and so it remained both dark and damp. As usual, Karak was guarding the rear with Vade; Ledare, Morier and Ixin were spread out in the center of the line; and Grisham and Feln ranged ahead. The human was looking for signs of passage and the half-orc was on watch for signs of trouble. Both were quite familiar with their duties, but that morning neither one proved themselves particularly adept at their task.Grisham knelt on the game trail that the killer had been following since crossing the river and studied the prints while Feln stood behind him watching the surrounding trees intently. Both men could clearly hear the clank and rattle of the others moving through the trees further back on the trail. "Are we gaining ground on him?" the martial artist asked and Grisham grunted softly."He's still a day ahead," the man admitted. "At least.""We're far from help should we run into trouble," Feln observed and Grisham rose to his feet pointing savagely with one of his hand axes back toward the advancing sound of others."No one begged for you to come along, half-caste," the barbarian said. "Go back to the village. I can bring this murdering dog to justice without your he-!" The last word he drew out into a cry of surprise as the ground before him on the trail suddenly gave way beneath his feet. Most men would have found themselves at the bottom of the pit concealed beneath the flimsy covering of woven sticks and leaves and earth, but Grisham's reflexes were honed by years of fighting and living in the wilds. Even as he started to fall, he propelled himself forward, across the pit and rolled to a crouch on the other side with his hand axe at the ready.Feln was impressed. He was scarcely sure that he could have done better. He didn't have time to marvel at Grisham's panther-like reflexes, however as the trees quickly disgorged three creatures that leapt at them without warning. Before Feln could even register that they weren't human, two of the creatures had slashed him solidly with their claws. The third was on the barbarian, but the man's leather armor foiled the attack.Feln heard Grisham roar defiantly and then the half-orc turned all of his attention on the things flanking him. They were human in general shape although their arms were longer and ape-like and they were covered head to toe in what looked like shaggy green moss. Their faces were unlike anything Feln had ever seen, dominated by a great toothy maw that snapped and slavered below two flashing eyes possessed of an intelligence and vitality that seemed truly alien in so beastial a form.The half-orc planted his quarterstaff and kicked up into chest of one of the things. For a moment his feet beat out a staccato rhythm against its ribs as he delivered a flurry of blows, then the thing wailed and fell back, clutching at its torso. Its partner however, moved in, its limbs a blur of motion, its teeth snapping at Feln's face. His martial artist training allowed him to avoid all of the attacks almost by instinct alone. He almost managed to avoid all of the injured one's attacks as well, but one lucky claw raked across his shoulder, drawing bloody lines along his back.Feln brought his quarterstaff around in a mighty two-handed swing that the wounded creature tried to deflect with its forearm. It succeeded to a degree, but the limb still absorbed a substantial amount of the impact and it yelped again in pain. It opened a gash along Feln's ribs in retaliation, but the half-orc quickly discovered that his second opponent suddenly had other things to worry about as Grisham appeared at its flank like a wild-eyed specter.It turned to face this new foe and left Feln momentarily able to devote his attention to the monster he'd wounded. He swung his quarterstaff at the thing and landed another solid thwap on its torso. It let out a grunt of pain, but it was nothing compared to the shriek that came from the thing facing Grisham.Both monsters broke off their attacks and made for the trees. Feln's hand went to the shurikens attached to the sash slung across his chest and he sent one after the fleeing creature. It stuck in the monster's thigh but didn't drop the beast. Beside the half-orc, Grisham threw the blood-soaked axe in his hand and planted the blade unerringly into the back of the other creature's skull. It fell out of the tree with a meaty thud.The entire battle had lasted less than 30 seconds, enough time for Ledare, Morier and Ixin to catch up to them, but not long enough to allow them to lend support. They burst upon the two warriors with weapons brandished ineffectually."What happened?" Ixin asked."Are you alright?" added Ledare.Grisham and Feln looked one another over. The half-orc had definitely faired worse; the only mark on the barbarian was a single scratch on his left cheek that oozed crimson. The longsword in the man's right hand dripped gore onto the matted turf.  Grisham grunted and turned toward the trees."The half-caste could use the dwarf's attention," the man said. "Once I collect my axes we should move on. One of those devils got away. It they lair near here, more may be upon us soon."Karak thundered up the trail with his axe in hand and bloodlust on his face. His steel-plated shoulders sagged when he saw that the battle had already ended. "Tha' be that!" the dwarf bellowed. "From now on, I be at the front o' the line!"Godsday the 4th and Waterday the 6th of Reaping, 1269 AEBut Karak got no further opportunity to display his combat prowess on the trail. They passed the remainder of Moonsday and all of Godsday unmolested as they moved into and out of a swampy section of the forest, always in the footsteps of the murderous fugitive. Despite a near-forced march pace they were barely able to keep up with the man, and he showed no signs of slowing down as he plunged further and further into the untamed foothills of the Altan Tepe mountains. The topic of abandoning the chase came up around the campfire, but Grisham was resolute and Morier kept reminding the others of the celestial's prophecy about following a trail to a secret long-hidden.Even so, spirits were low by the time they reached the end of The Hound's trail.Grisham stopped short and motioned for the others to halt as well. The area up ahead of him was clearly the sight of a recent battle. The brush had been trampled down, but another large portion of the ground had been churned up as if by some huge burrowing creature. There was a smell of charred things in the air and the barbarian grunted, "Wait here."Of course, Karak would hear none of it and he followed close at the man's back as Grisham knelt to examine the soil."These bootprints match the imposter's," the man announced as he pointed out the chaotic overlay of tracks in the freshly turned earth. "There's blood here. And here. And here." Reinvigorated, Grisham drew his throwing axe and trotted off into the underbrush following the trail with renewed interest.It became clear to everyone that the trail was heading toward a vast clearing in the trees a few hundred yards ahead. As they approached the clearing, they realized that it was in fact a large, circular valley nearly a mile across, enclosed on all sides by a cliff-face that descended more or less vertically for close to 100 feet to the floor below. The tops of the trees that filled the valley reached nearly to the top of the cliff, and many were covered with an ominous layer of spider webbing. Ledare's breath caught in her chest, and she felt a cold sheen of sweat break out all over her skin although thankfully, none of the huge beasts that must have created the webs were visible at the moment."So this be where 'e was a headin'," Karak observed and although there was still no obvious reason behind the killer's flight to this place, the dwarf's conclusion seemed likely none the less.Vade stepped up beside Ledare and squeezed her hand as firmly as he could. "It'll be all right, Kitten," he reassured the Janissary. "We won't let any spiders get you."Ledare licked her lips and forced a rubbery smile onto them. "Thank you, Vade," she said. "That means a lot to me." The tremble in her voice suggested otherwise, however.Grisham was still following the trail when he startled into flight a group of large crows who had been picking at something in the bushes. As the birds flew off over the trees cawing in anger, the barbarian dropped to his knees beside the bushes, a single mournful sob ripping from his throat.Feln and Morier hustled over to Grisham's side and looked into the bushes through a swarm of slow-moving flies. Therein lay the remains of a man dressed in intricate leather armor. He had apparently died in battle, for a longsword lay near the body and a hand axe was still clutched in one hand. The smell was less than pleasant. The body had been there for more than a day, clearly, for most of the face had been stripped off by the carrion-eating crows, leaving little more than a grisly skull with a graying beard.But what remained was enough for Grisham to identify the man. "Plonius!" the barbarian wailed. "No!!"</blockquote>

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