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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1269555" data-attributes="member: 15470">Issue #1: The Laughing Ogre, Episode 4We have finished our meal, and Paks looks at the rest of us. “Let’s have a quick evening bout of sparring,” she says, “To help us loosen our injured muscles and get back in shape, in case we need to fight at the tower.”“Sure,” Stone says, standing to join her. Chuck also agrees readily, and the whole group gets up to go outside. In the courtyard of the inn, it is clear that we are just in time to take advantage of the last light of evening.Goldpetal takes off the leg splint for the first time, gingerly stretching his leg. “I’m fit enough to take part,” he says judiciously. “I’ll watch,” Fergus declines, to Paks’ apparent surprise. Miriel stands with him.The four participants stretch and limber up, and Paks and Stone both have ritualized, almost stylized sets of movements, called forms, which they use as teaching and practice. They each run through their ritual before the fight, and are each surprised to discover that the other practices a similar ritual. Although the moves of Paks’ long sword and Stone’s fists and feet are very different, they share a quick bond in the discovery, and watch the other’s forms with interest.When everyone is ready, Chuck and Paks make one team, opposite Goldpetal and Stone, who eye each other dubiously before turning to the fight. Paks wields a long sword and shield, while Chuck uses a long sword / short sword combination. The reach of the two swordsmen gives them an advantage over Goldpetal’s scimitar and Stone’s fists, and it is clear that the elf and half-orc do not work comfortably together, while Paks and Chuck do. Goldpetal is still moving slowly, and Paks takes advantage of her longer reach to make him the first one touched out. When Stone is outnumbered, he is quickly dispatched as well, with Chuck getting the touch with his long sword.We continue to work out sore muscles for a few more minutes, before the fading light makes it too dangerous to continue, and we retire to the inn for an early rest.The next morning, the first Madraday of Charder, we awake early to begin on our journey.  Fox provisions us with some bread and cheese for our journey, and, shortly after Goldpetal and Miriel complete their dawn rites, we depart the inn.  We travel on foot. It is a warm, late-summer day, but there is a breeze off the river to our left which makes it a pleasant walk. The road south is good, hard-packed dirt, and is slightly raised above the surrounding terrain. It is clearly man-made rather than natural. Near the town, there are some outlying farms and homesteads, but as we move further south of the town, we stop seeing people, and the road becomes less well-maintained. The road runs between the Spiderwood and the Hornswythe River. The woods are to our right, and the river on our left. The road is rarely more than a hundred yards from either, and frequently much less, when the trees work their way near the beaches of the river. Both are very beautiful, and the walk is quite enjoyable. Birds are singing and we occasionally see small woodland creatures along the edge of the woods, and rabbits in the grass between woods and river.The land rises slightly, relative to the river, as we travel, and eventually the beaches of the river are replaced with some slight cliffs, some as low as ten feet, and others as high as fifty.We meet no other travelers along the way. We make good time, stopping only for a brief rest and lunch..</blockquote>

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