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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 1156485" data-attributes="member: 5203">Takarii held the scrap of rope in one hand.  His face betrayed no sign of emotion; his weather-creased face had long ago frozen into a mask of hard-won intensity.  In his heart, he was troubled.The rope was braided black with the coarse hair of orcs.  Takarii knew of only one tribe of orce that made rope in this way; but that tribe lay far to the east.  What would bring them here, to his lands?  He noted that the ends of this rope had been severed, not worn away through use, and the braid showed signs of having recently supported weight.  A tiny droplet of orc blood had soaked into the fibers.  He could only hope that meant the owner had met a terrible end on the icy cliffs surrounding the valley.  But hope would not bring him the answers he needed.Takarii stood slowly, pushing himself up with the shaft of his spear. He turned and raised his hand to his mouth, calling out with a haunting trumpeting sound.  Moments later Endue came from behind a gnarled evergreen, stepping easily through the deep snow.  Plumes of white steam shot from the caribou's nostrils as Takarii swung himself onto the back of his faithful companion.  Endue turned with no further prompting and began to travel rapidly through the woods, heading deeper into the valley.It was nearly two hours before they stopped again.  Takarii dismounted, patting Endue's flank to send him off into the brush to rest and find what little sustenance remained in the valley.  Even through his gloves and Endue's thick hide, Takarii could feel the powerful muscles just under the surface, as well as the edge of one of his many scars.  They had earned many scars together in their years together.Takarii crouched low and crept on his stomach onto a promontory of cold granite that overlooked much of the entrance to the valley.  From here he could remain unseen, but would be able to see any who came through the valley.  From one of his many pouches he pulled an old, battered spyglass, a relic from his former life.  He placed the lens to his eye and began to scan the main trails.He spotted the site of the ambush easily, not far from where he'd discovered the scrap of rope.  It had been a short but bloody battle.  It was clear that at least some had escaped the orcs, but of those foul creatures there was no sign.  Takarii gritted his teeth.  Either the orcs had sent only a small scouting party that had been exterminated in the failed ambush, or those that remained had gone into hiding awaiting another opportunity to strike.  Takarii suspected the latter.His spyglass swept down the trail, looking for the survivors.  He found them only moments later.  It was a small group, though heavily armed, and obviously some bore terrible wounds.  One among them did not walk with the surety of a seasoned traveler; she was draped in heavy furs, clutching a wrapped bundle.  Takarii's breath caught in his throat as he realized what she carried.  Only two kind of people would dare attempt to cross the pass in the middle of winter with a child; the foolish, or the desperate.  As he watched the group struggle along the narrow, icy trail, Takarii became conscious of the tiny weight around his neck, of the small golden pendant he wore that encased a few strands of fine black hair.  As his thoughts were pulled to that pendant and what it meant to him, he once again felt the sting of old wounds - the kind that would not heal.As Takarii made to secure his spyglass, he hesitated for a moment, the insistent tickle of intuition entering his mind.  He had long ago learned to trust such feelings, and raised the glass again, moving his view back up the trail toward the valley's entrance.  He scanned the rocks and trees for several minutes before his patience was rewarded with a flicker of movement.  A few more minutes of careful watching, and he knew all he needed.  Others were entering his lands, on the trail of this woman, her child, and her guardians.  They moved with all the skill and training of Imperial scouts, which meant that they were as easy for Takarii to spot as a full company of armored knights.Sliding down the smooth stone surface, Takarii stood once he was certain he could not be seen.  He found Endue standing only a few yards away, gnawing on a tiny shrub he had uncovered with his hooves.  Takarii swung up into his saddle, glancing up at the sky.  The calm weather would last no more than an hour at best, and then the snow would come again.  He unhooked a bone-white snow mask from his belt and placed it over his face, then guided Endue down the steep slope toward the main trail.  He did not know what had brought these strangers to his valley, but he knew that they stood little chance battling against the orcs, the Empire, and Nature herself.But Takarii knew where help could be found.Edit: I was in the midst of writing this when Buttercup posted her reply about what she'd decided to do with Mr. Caribou.  But what the hey, I had the urge to present my own take in a slightly different way.</blockquote>

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