DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games HHE: The Haunted Helm HHE8: Renn and Caeric

GM

The land rose in fits and spurts, as Seyja and Zoltan led you up into the foothills of the Titan's Elbow.

Although there was more shade under the trees, any breeze along the valley was stifled and there was no light mist from the river.

After the exertion of battle, you might have thought you'd no more sweat in you, but walking amongst those pines, with no wind or sun's rays drying you, you felt rivulets on your skin. As afternoon stretched, so did the shadows, to almost impossible lengths. The patchy light was golden, turned amber and the fragrance of the forest seemed to double in intensity, as did the insects. Noisy chicadas chirruped from every bush, and clouds of gnats danced in every patch of sunlight.

The slope was steep enough in places that you had to scramble up on hands and knees, or climb between tree trunks like a natural flight of stairs. But visibility into the forest remained good, 40 feet, often more. Even then, the pines were thin and straight, the undergrowth fine, and would provide little hiding place for more orcs. Most of you had seen far older, darker and more forboding forest than this, but that didn't mean the forest of the Sword Point was harmless. The spaciousness suggested seasonal wildfires for one thing, and for another it was still untamed, as the cave lions proved.

And despite appearances, several times, as you walked, you got the sensation you were being watched. From where you could not tell, nor whether it was benevolent or malevolent eyes watching.

***

Hours later. Seyja caught the whiff of an acrid smell, her nostrils flared. If she turned to Zoltan, he nodded, picking it up too. They didn't recognise it, and nor did the rest of the party except perhaps Jex. If he did, it would have brought back very troubling memories.

You were clambering up a slope of loose dirt, interspersed with lumpy rock outcrops. It burned the thighs and was steep enough to lean forward onto your fingertips if need be, but was a fast route upwards.

Broken trees with splintered stumps were the first signs of disturbance.

Weapons were loosened in scabbards, but it soon became evident that the danger had (in some respects) passed.

It came into view.... Lying in and amongst the trees was a large skeleton of glistening stone, tangled amongst some kind of rigging or tack.

You saw the skull, curling ram-like horns, sharp, interlocking teeth the length of a man's hand. You saw claws. You saw what might have been wings once, when they would've had a leathery membrane stretched across them.

Dragon bones. Dead dragon. Like all of its kind, soon after dying the magic confined in the dragon's mortal form had consumed it, leaving only the infamous petrified bones. Where they had broken, you could see wonderful, crystalline colours. The acrid smell rose from these remains and the area around them.

As you spread out, you realised this was not just a dragon. It had been muzzled and saddled. These were the remains of a dragon rider.

Seyja


The acrid odor still assaulting her memory if not her nostrils, Seyja stood still, staring in awe at the huge skeleton of a dragonrid. She took a mouthful of water from her waterskin, swished it around her mouth and spat it on the ground before taking two measured swallows from the skin.

"I have never seen anything like this," she murmured, as much to herself as to the others.

<Weston>

It was good to be away from Heilbutt's Hallow ... at least at first. The trees seemed welcoming, but that was short lived. The lack of breeze and the hot sun made it uncomfortable to say the least. He was sure to remind his companions to drink water. Dehydration was something that could be as deadly as any attack. And then there was the feeling of being watched. It felt like a predator, but there wasn't any proof of it. Perhaps the thinness of the forest was keeping the watchers at bay.

He wondered, seeing the devastated trees, if =that= was what was watching them. But another part of him doubted that. Something that could splinter trees like that would not have been deterred by some folks clamoring up the slide of the mountain ... at least it felt like a mountain ... a very =tall= mountain.

"Me either", he said absently in response to Seyja's statement. "How long do you think it has been dead", he asked as he stared at the remains. He had never seen a dragon before, live or dead. And someone had apparently ridden this one. "Any chance the rider is still around", he asked.

D

He liked to think that he had been prepared for this excursion. Yet the longer they went on the more he wondered if he had been fooling himself.

At the site of the bones and what they represented made him stop and observe. He couldn't remember ever seeing such a sight before, but he might have. For all of that though he was hard pressed not to gawk like some pesant.

He wondered the same question. When had whatever gone wrong had happened? To that end he said "when did the trees die? That might help."

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Nestaron

Leaning on his staff, he daubed his face with his sleeve. Where his armour clung to his body, the clothing underneath was sopping wet.

He noted, and not for the first time, what fine boots Weston had. The benefits of living in one of the Seven Cities. Nestaron had spent too long away from the hubs of civilisation, it was perhaps time to pay them a visit, he thought, feeling the thinness of the sandalwood under his feet.

The dragon's remains were a complete surprise to him, doubly so when he heard there was a dragon rider in there amongst the wreckage.

"Sergeant Almador, could you climb uphill a ways and stand guard? We'll search hereabouts."

Seeing his companions spreading out around the site, he said, "Can anyone see the rider? If he was unseated, he might not be nearby at all."

Sergeant Almador

Climbing hills he could do. His thews were like tree trunks, from patrolling up and down Rosencliff his whole life. He felt like it was his upper body that had let him down in the battle.

But they weren't fighting now. Using his polearm for support, he was able to keep abreast with the party, not slowing them down, even though he was the older man and not a traveller.

"Blimey...!" He whispered when he realised he was looking at a dragon. Real, if not a real live dragon, but that was fine by him.

Sergeant Almador nodded to the cleric. Although he was the Sergeant of the Guard, he was well used to taking orders from Captain Achelus and this half-elf seemed like an agreeable fellow anyway.

That, and standing guard was literally his job.

"I'll shout if I see anything, sirs. I might have a better view over the whole area from further up."

GM

Despite the acrid stench from the magical emolation, Jex knew that the dragon's remains were safe to approach; just be sure to wash your hands if you touched anything. It was up to Jex how much dragon lore he wanted to share with his companions, but these weren't the first dragon remains he'd seen.

Everyone knew dragon bones were precious. They could be carved into sumptuous ornaments, they could be ground into dust and used by alchemists. But it was claws, teeth, scales that were the most prized, and these could only be obtained from a live dragon and were far more potent than petrified bones.

Tindarien knew that with these things you could craft items that were infused with a permanent magic, much like the haunted helm that was the focus of this quest. Seeing the skeleton splayed out, he might've considered warning the others about dracoliches.

Although D had seen his share of the humanoid dragonspawn, servitors of the Three, but this was the closest he'd come to a dragon. He probably wondered what type of dragon it was... or had been.

For Weston and Zoltan, dragon riders weren't nearly so amazing. They'd lived or been based out of Axis, the City of Swords, where opposite the Imperial Palace of Thronehold were the barracks of the Empire's legendary Dragon Knights. They were a common sight in the skies above the city, patrolling to its outskirts and the surrounding lands.

However, from the streets they usually appeared the size of a thumbnail. This was different.

Working together, the party picked their way across the site as carefully as possible, given that they were short of time and they'd the light would soon be failing.

Nestaron examined the broken trees and judged they'd been damaged some weeks ago, from the colouration, congealed sap and early signs of infestation. Could this coincide with the night that Red Ed's steed was found in Rosencliff? The locals heard a terrible roar emminate from the peak that night.

Nearby, Seyja paced out the extent of the damaged trees and showed that the dragon had struck the hillside at a steep angle, rather than crashing through the forest oblique to the ground. Did this suggest it had died on the wing, or at least been mortally wounded?

You were able to quickly rule out this being one of the Emperor's Dragon Knights. They wore the Imperial regalia, an unmistakable and ancient livery of yellow and black with white and red trim, meant to signify the metallic dragons. There was no such vibrant colour here, at least at first glance. Also, why was the dragon muzzled? That didn't reconcile with the tales anyone had heard of the Dragon Knights.

But the crash had thrown up a lot of dirt, half-burying things, and scattered the rider's baggage over a third of an acre of wooded hillside.

There was likely a lot you could learn from this wreckage, but searching for answers would mean no time for scouting later and you would be making camp at dusk. But you could find more than answers here, surely. Who could tell what posessions a dragon rider might have had?

[If you decide to stay and search for a while, pose any specific questions and/or relate your searching to one of your Backgrounds. What's most important is that we learn something interesting about your character.]

<Weston>

"Do we stay and look for answers now or do we press on", he asked. "We could always stop on the way back", he added sounding more like he favored not spending a lot of time in this place ... or maybe just in a hurry to finish their mission.

Seyja


She turned to Weston, frowning in thought.

"I would vote to press on and try to stop by on the way back," she said after a long moment.

"Unless someone else has a... compelling reason to stay and search."

Seyja looked up at the sun and gauged the time left before sunset.

"That would mean we would probably have to camp here. Or at least nearby unless we were to travel during the night."

She obviously was not sanguine about that last comment.

D

"While I would like to have more time to search the wreckage, I do not believe the best time is now. While I like the night it is not the best time to travel for all of us. It also doesn't seem related to our mission at first blush. I would vote to press on and give this a full examination on our way back."

Zoltan

He looks around the site professionally, taking in the marks of the dragon's crashing into the ground and it's result.

It is getting close to dusk, and they will be setting up camp soon, so he offers, "Why don't you all keep moving on? Leave an obvious trail and setup camp in a good place when it gets dark. I'll look around here and catch up with you. With that large party of Orcs and Goblins we just fought in the area most predators will have left."

He knows he can search the area faster than most of the others, being skilled in such things. And on his own the area will remain pristine and even more easily sorted. It is not much different than his taking apart the campsites of those he has trailed, looking for clues at to how many of them there were, what they carried, what they ate, and where they were headed.

<Weston>

"Are you sure it is wise to be on your own here", he asked Zoltan.

Zoltan

"I am more used to being on my own than being with others." He replies. "Besides, I don't want to reduce the strength of the main group by having too many split off. I should be alright."

Seyja


The barbarian woman cocked her head to one side and gave Zoltan a long, appraising look, a frown of concentration on her face. Finally she shrugged.

"If you think it advisable, then do so."

D

"I am reluctant to leave you here alone. I know how to search efficiently and can travel well. How about I join you, search the areas you designate and then we catch up quickly. It will go much quicker and be less risk, at least in my opinion."

<Weston>

He nodded, "I would feel better if you had some help Zoltan. Nothing against you, but we all need help occasionally and having someone that can get the rest of us if needed is a good safety precaution."

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Nestaron

"So I think we can agree on one thing. It seems likely that this dragon died on the same night, several weeks ago, that Sir Edward the Red's horse was found in town.

"The townsfolk reported a monstrous roar from the Titan's Elbow, and well, this would do it."

Nestaron clambered up towards Sergeant Almador. He wasn't keen to split the party, but Zoltan and D should be able to throw off any trouble they come across.

"If this isn't one of the Empire's Dragon Knights, I'd like to know who else is flying around on dragons these days, and how they got themselves killed."

He turned to overlook the site, stroking his beard.

"It would have taken Red Ed's horse at least two days to make the return journey to Rosencliff. So our guesswork places this dragon rider's demise two days after Red Ed's.

"What do you think? This could be a competitor, after the same treasure haul as Red Ed?"

The half-elf looked around now, not at the wreckage but at the depth of forest. It felt like you could see through the trees for a quarter-mile. Open, unthreatening, safe.

"Just be careful, you two. This 'remote' wilderness is starting to feel a little crowded."

<Weston>

"Well it's possible the rider was on his way here, but it also seems possible, since the dragon was taken from the air, that it could have just been a coincidence that the dragon was in the area."

Zoltan

He nods towards D and the others. "Alright. It'll make the searching go faster. We'll catch up."

Jex
"I understand the need to press on but we would be foolish not to learn from the things we come upon on the way. There might be hints as to what may come next. It would be good to see what brought it down. Perhaps a magical arrow or was it a spell of great might? There is too much learning to be done and I cannot let an opportunity slip by. I will stay and search and I can take care of myself too, to some extent."

His use of the blade and magic were already on display but so was his knowledge of things.

"Zoltan, do you have gloves and a rag? If you touch things in that area you must be wary of the caustic secretions of that dragon. "

<Weston>

And so do now we are three groups, he thought as he sighed. He took a breath and let it out, composing his thoughts.

"What do you hope to find", he asked Jex.

Jex

"That is like asking someone where they lost something. If I lost it, I don't know where it is. Since I have not found anything, I do not know what I will find. I only hope to find it and hope it is worthwhile. It could be a magic item, a clue or a warning. Some gold or a gem caught between the scales of the dragon would not be bad either."

[ooc: I don't understand 3 groups. Jex was joining D and Zoltan]

<Weston>

He could only shrug. It wasn't up to him to tell others what to do. "What ever", he said. "So basically most want to stay here but didn't want to say anything until we decided to move on because no one had anything to say", he said with a loud sigh. "So lets try this again ... how many want to stay here and how many want to move on. I will abstain."

[[ I misunderstood what you were suggesting Nep ... but that isn't uncommon for me <wink> ]]

[[ That's OK. The conversation moved faster than I did. ]]

Tindarien

He had been quiet until now.

"I cannot think that a dragon was just passing and fell around the same time that the knight was here. This does not seem to be a coincidence, much more likely it is connected. Perhaps both were killed by whatever inhabits the Elbow. I think we should not split up and I think we should try to learn what we can from this incident. Camping here would allow us to do that. Information and items found here may well increase the chances of success in our mission."

Zoltan

He was about to suggest he join the others and leave Jex and D to search, if they both felt so strongly about it. Having three stay behind was far too many, and weakened the main group too much. Even two he had had trouble with.

And, if only one should stay, he felt he was the best one, as he could defend himself, knew how to search, and could find the others easily later. But now if they were all going to camp here so they could all search, the point became moot.

"While we do need to scout, and may not have time to search here and to scout later, I don't think we can pass this up. There could be clues here that will help us."

"That is why, after most said to press on, I suggested we do both and I stay behind alone. But if we're all to stay here now to look around then lets get to it."

<Weston>

He shrugged. "I agree that we should not split up, so it seems we will be staying put for now. I don't know much about what we should be looking for though. Anyone want to offer suggestions? The more eyes we have looking the faster we can get this done."

D

"Let's break the area up into sections. Then we can search it, swap and search again. The double checking of each other's work will take time, but would be more thorough."

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Nestaron

He pondered while everyone spoke. Although there was some disagreement, it wasn't as if there was a good idea and a bad idea under discussion.

In fact, it was the surfeit of good ideas that caused the momentary dallying.

"We should camp upwind and uphill of this reek. Seyja, let's continue on a ways and find a spot." He said.

He hoped to find somewhere with even, solid ground. Trying to camp on a steep slope, with loose footing and surrounded by a stench like an alchemist's chimney did not appeal.

"We'll leave the rest of you to your search, but won't stray out of shouting distance.

"Sergeant, keep your eyes out."

Jex

He started searching the area immediately. He had a nose for treasure [treasure hunter +2] and worked his way around the bones of the dragon with surprising agility, hoping from here to there as he spotted something worth looking at [court jester +6] in his search. He focused his search first on the areas near the claws and mouth of the dragon. If it carried something it might be in either place.

[So it's CSI: D&D time, peeps. Give us a short scene of your character doing something terribly involving, searching the site for clues and treasure, and relate it to a Background skill. Seyja and Nestaron can do the same further uphill if they're searching for a camp site.]

Zoltan

He watches as the others search the immediate area. While Jex dives right in looking around the dragon bones, Zoltan moves back and uphill. Finding a good spot where he can take in the whole scene he replays the crash in his mind, tracking the dragon's first strike of the ground and the following tumbling and skidding it did after it hit.

He glances back uphill, finding it's flight path and moves in that direction. Then starting there, he moves along that path, searching back towards the bones. In his mind, if the dragon or rider were carrying anything there is a better chance it was dropped right before impact or right at the spot where it first hit the ground, then at the spot where it came to rest.

[Tracker +4]

<Weston>

He was not sure what he could contribute the search, but he was there and he would help as best he could. The question that seemed to be something he was most able to answer was the rider. He knew travel, riding and the like. He started with the saddle. There might be saddle bags or similar. But it would also have been the starting point for rider's launch at the crash.

[[ rover +2 ]]

[Here you go, I've scored the scene for you. In true CSI style, rarely has eyeballing a shred of unidentified material been so epic. Adam Berlin's Power of Will]

[[ Don't know if it really helps, but at least I =feel= inspired <g> ]]

Seyja


Standing there scowling and slowly shaking her head, Seyja finally shrugged, muttering something along the lines of whatever.

Then she turned, nodded to the cleric and headed upwind, searching for a combination camp site and lookout post where she could stand as lookout for the group.

D

The dark elf moved around the devastation. With this many people searching, he felt it was more important to pick hus place to search well. He even went so far as to climb a tall tree to survey the area. While he knew how to search quickly and we'll because of his recent memories. He also knew how to plan to take down such a creature. He also can envision reasons to muzzle it.

From his vantage point he used those pieces of information to pick the best place to search and unravel a piece of this mystery.

[OOC Master Villain or Thief]

Tindarien

In elven style he picks his way carefully through the area, studying the angles, bending, crouching, peering but try to disrupt things as little as possible. He is looking to see if he could see what might have happened here and also if there are any items of interest. These of course are of particular interest (Relic Hunter +5, Wilderness Survivor +1)

GM

If somehow the scene were to be sped up, as if from a god's eye view, it would appear that the party scurried around the site, to and fro, bending, straightening, fidgeting and fussing around the wreckage and farther afield.

Some of these frenetic figures criss-crossed the dragon's remains, others spiralled outwards, creating an unintentional and fascinating dance. All the while the shadows under the trees shifted, growing longer and deeper as the amber light gained a more fiery hue.

***

Zoltan dropped the canvas pack amidst the other equipment salvaged from the site. It had burst at the seams from the crash and the contents bulged from inside.

D, Jex, and Weston stood around, having gathered their findings in the same spot. Tindarien meanwhile, was sat on his haunches inside the dragon's ribcage and examining the backbone with the beam of his lantern.

They were overlooked by Sergeant Almador, whilst Nestaron and Seyja had left to scout uphill for a camp site.

The dragon rider's saddle appeared to have been ripped from the back of the mount, the tack was high quality leather but had snapped. Not only did Dragon Knights of the Empire wear the Imperial livery, but their saddles were said to be made from bulette hide, crafted in the First Age. This was not of the same ancient design. It was also well cushioned with a sloped back and wooden armrests. It had the look of a comfy chair and wasn't greatly suited to mounted combat.

Embossed on the seat, however, was a crest. A spiked gauntlet holding a wand and a sheathed sword in the same fist.

Inside the pack Zoltan had found was a suit of armour. Cold blackened steel with electrum trim and a fluted plackart, evidently to be worn without a surcoat. Hardly noticeable at a glance, but the armour was almost devoid of rivets, with the plates being fused together. By hellfire. It was fine workmanship, a merging of human and demonic craft that could come from only one place, the smithees of First Triumph, Fortress of the Crusader.

Weston unrolled the bundle he'd found lashed to the saddle. A sturdy quilted blanket, in the middle a scimitar and scabbard. It had engraved quillons and a long, wire-wrapped handle with room a wide range of one or two handed grips. The blade was marvellous, curved and single-egded for the most part, but on the backside it flicked up into a spike and then down into a sharpened, clipped point at the tip. Most remarkable was its length, maybe three and a half feet long in all. A heavy cutting blade on one side, for unarmoured foes, and then a spike on the reverse, if needing to hook or bludgeon an armoured foe.

Jex could roughly translate the Draconic pictograms, etched into the blade. They read Fusillade.

The bard had made his own interesting discovery. The claws and teeth of the dragon had also petrified, reducing their value (though they were still more valuable than say, a rib). However, a leather bandolier was caught in one claw, once stuffed with glass vials. Most of the loops were empty or the vials cracked, but he finds one still contains an irridescent fluid that seems to glow beneath the surface. Enchanter's oil. Also, three saccharine, syrupy potions, a classic halfing recipe for healing.

Nothing around the dragon's mouth, except the muzzle, which had intrigued D. After all, a muzzle might stop a dragon biting, but not clawing, so what was achieved? It wouldn't stop it belching death and destruction from its nose either. So the only thing it would achieve was to stop the dragon speaking. Dragons were legendary for their cunning words, worming their way into your mind, and some could evoke powerful geas.

D might have been pondering this when he found a pair of saddlebags twisted in a tree. The buckles had torn off, so most of the contents had spilled out across the valley. But he did find papers, quills and ink, an old grimoire written in Giantish, and a rune shard. These shards were raw magical energy, somehow captured in a mundane material and then inscribed with a crafting rune. This one looked like a piece of quartz crystal, mined from the earth.

What did any of this tell you?

• That the dragon rider travelled in comfort
• Their sword and armour were packed, not worn
• They didn't trust their mount to speak
• They knew some magic
• They had some connection to the Crusader

Zoltan and Jex had a sound idea that these were the remains of Caeric, dragon mount of the swordmage, Renn of Quagglen. Notable rival of Sir Edward the Red, he was an agent of the Crusader, procuring magical artefacts for the counter-invasion. Red Ed on the other hand procured magical artefacts to turn into gold coin, gift to fashionable causes or noblewomen, or hang on his wall and boast about. The two had crossed paths (and swords) before, once famously leading to Renn's incarceration in the floating prison of Darkskye.

It seemed he'd gotten out....

Tindarien overheard the discussions and having blown out his lantern, he rolled nimbly out from the dragon's ribcage and to his feet. His examination of the remains made him certain that 'Caeric' had either been killed in flight, or mortally wounded, such that it couldn't control its descent or landing. The pectoral girdle and the vertebra around the wing joint were crumbling like old masonry. The high elf wasn't an expert on dragon physiology, but he'd survived enough treacherous ruins to recognise fractures. Caeric must have been struck by a heavy impact to the shoulder or across the back. It was tempting to imagine a boulder, not so tempting to imagine what might've hurled it.

Still, if it was the Beast of the Titan's Elbow that slew the dragon rider, Tindarien felt he had a better grasp of its size and strength.

Then Nestaron appeared on the slope above them.

"We've found the rider!" He said.

***

Nestaron stood at the precipice and pointed with an outstretched hand. D, Jex, Tindarien, Weston and Zoltan were beside him. Sergeant Almador had gone to link up with Seyja.

They were several hundred of feet uphill from the wreckage, where the ground hardened and became rocky, and the trees thinned. It was a narrow defile between two foothills that dropped even further when it joined the river gorge.

There was a dark stain on one of the rocks below. Light was failing, so at first it looked like someone had swotted a large and juicy fly but a moment later it resolved into the shape of a mangled humanoid, possibly wearing shredded robes. The splatter pattern suggested he'd fallen from greater height than the precipice and been carrying speed. He'd hit the rocks face first. If it was Renn of Quagglen, he'd fared no better (and probably worse) than his mount.

The light really was failing though. Where was Seyja?

You saw her on the hillside above you, standing on an outcrop, silhouetted against the sky.

***

It was the last light of the day as the sun set on the Sword Point. The horizon was fierce vermillion and the sky above it had turned magenta. It was a breathtaking spectacle.

Seyja watched it, with the Titan's Elbow looming behind her. Whatever she was thinking, she had survived another day and for the first time in a long time, she'd not fled, but stood and fought and won.

It may be a furtive moment, but the barbarian woman had already scouted two viable camp sites.

One was a low-roofed cave, bone dry with a carpet of soft pine needles. She stood at the second. It was level ground, a glade with the bedrock close to the surface. There were some trees, but mostly bare earth and green moss, with one aspect terminating in a lumpy rock outcrop and steep drop. It was somewhat open, which had its own set of cons, but so did the restrictiveness of a cave.

It would soon be nightfall.

[Descriptions of the magic items, so you can decide how to distribute.

Enchanter's Oil. A magic oil for coating weapon or armour (quick action). Effect lasts until end of battle. Adventurer-tier. +1 to attack and damage on weapons, or +1 to AC on armour.

Renn's Armour. Heavy armour. +1 to AC and +1 to MD. Quirk: Prone to abstract speculation.

Fusillade the Angry. Scimitar/heavy martial weapon. +1 to attack and damage. Deals +2d6 damage with the first attack with this weapon each battle. Quirk: Blurts obscenities.

Rune Shard. Adventurer-tier. As Enchanter's Oil, but also gains random magical effect (always beneficial).

Potion of Healing, 3 of. Adventurers-tier. Can use recovery (as standard action) to heal +1d8 hit points.

Tindarien. Gypsy gains chit. Cash it in for +1 to attack and damage vs the Beast of Titan's Elbow.

Seyja. Exeter gains chit. Cash it in to spend recovery as a quick action. (This allows you to recover and attack in the same round, without even needing to rally.)]

Seyja


For the first time in longer than she could remember, Seyja felt she had accomplished something worthwhile, even though they had lost Heilbutt to the goblins and orcs. She stood uphill from the others and watched the sunset and, as the reddening orb settled from sight, she muttered a prayer to all those she'd lost in the last year.

When the others glanced in her direction, she gestured for them to join her so she could point out the two equally satisfactory campsites she'd discovered.

D

He felt more alive than he had in serval days. It might have been the life and death struggle earlier today and the majestic damage spread out before him.

He listened and watched others when not actively searching. For him death was satisfaction in so many ways, but not so for many of the rest. It made him think and to contemplate though possibly not as much as the barbarian woman.

When beckoned he bent to carry a portion of the finds. He was not attached to any of the new treasures yet he wouldn't make others carry his share.

<Weston>

"Since the rider was not in armor and had his scimitar packed ... that makes me think he was more about traveling than heading into a dangerous situation, so it could have been just a coincidence", he said once they were all back together and discussing the results of the search.

Zoltan

He eyes the demonic made armour and the heavy scimitar with clear interest, though he waits until everyone is together to discuss what is best for the group.

He nods at Weston's comment. "Yes. And the timing of the death to be around the same time as Red Ed is interesting as they were both competitors. Did Ed take down the dragon? Did the dragon kill Ed? Or did the same foe kill them both?"

Looking at the two campsites Seyja had located he grunts. "Good choices. I like the cave myself. Easily defended, and while it has no 'back door', so to speak, I think we're not likely to be running from trouble."

Tindarien

"The main detriment to the cave is whether it is likely to be is use by another but if there are no recent tracks, it does better hide our presence."

"And although it is unlikely to be connected, there is something around here that could kill a dragon and its rider.. plus a knight."

He looks back at the items they had gathered from the two areas.

"Given my propensity to take damage, I would be happy to carry one of those healing potions."

Jex

Although he felt this validated his choice to stay back and investigate the site more carefully, the bard simply went about his business of keeping the morale of the group high.

"Providence! By all rights these artifacts should have been buried with time. Can we say we stumbled upon them? What if we had gone a different way, only a few paces over? We would not have found them. Maybe there are forces out there that are looking to provide us with every advantage! We are not just lucky. We are being watched over and protected by powerful forces that want us to succeed!"

He was downright giddy about the findings and it could be seen in his gait which was more of a skip than a walk. He bounded over bones and tree stumps from place to place with great agility during the search.

"Yes. The cave is a good idea. Easy to defend ... once it is cleared out."

<Weston>

"We haven't seen any 'local wildlife' ... at least not alive. So I don't think that will be much of a risk", he offered.

D

Dank and dark both suit his chosen moniker. He nodded his assent to the cave as a choice.

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Nestaron

"My main concern with the cave is no escape route. I wouldn't want to be trapped by whatever it is that knocks dragons out of the sky.

"Having said that, Seyja and I scouted the cave out earlier and it looked pleasant. Dry and airy."

As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the cleric was growing more and more uneasy. He hadn't known what to expect when he arrived at the Titan's Elbow. Unholy, dark magic, or some nefarious enterprise maybe. But could it be exactly as described? The Beast of folklore, that had haunted this peak for centuries, was simply put, a big scary monster.

The reason it disturbed Nestaron, was that as much faith as he had in himself and his companions, this monster had been tackled by mighty men of this age. Gorulon Gorehound, Sir Edward the Red, Renn of Quagglen. How had it bested them? Did they all have some common weakness?

Sergeant Almador

Nothing about the Titan's Elbow felt safe to him, and they'd be camping right under its eaves. So the man-at-arms ventured no opinion on the matter, and only hoped that they decided soon.

"Do you think we will have a campfire tonight?" He asked everyone, though looked at Weston for reassurance.

D

"If we choose to have a fire tonight, the cave might make it easier to keep it less obvious." He offered as they considered options.

Zoltan

"I'd suggest a small one, more for light than heat." He replies. "And build it inside the cave. Far enough in so the light doesn't give us away, but not so far that the smoke can't filter out."

<Weston>

"I am not sure that it makes any difference where we are if something that can take out a dragon on the wing comes after us", he told Nestron. "What ever killed Sir Ed and the dragon has had plenty of time to attack us and has not yet. The cave is the more defensible position if the orcs return and =that= seems the more likely event."

He turned and smiled to Almador. "And if we build it so the light doesn't shine out of the cave, a fire would be =most= welcome I think."

"And maybe just a bit of cooking", he said with a wink for Zoltan.

Seyja


Seyja turned the flask of enchanter's oil over and over in her callused hands, wondering if - when the next major threat occurred - she'd have time to apply it to her weapon and armor. Finally, she shrugged and put the oil in her haversack.

Having listened to the others speak with part of her mind, she nodded and set about gathering kindling and firewood.

Tindarien

He also looks around the area thinking that some well placed logs or stones could create a shield for the fire, help to shield its light from anyone looking in their direction.

Jex

The bard assisted in the efforts to secure the camp in the cave. He joined others in the gathering of firewood and tinder and also looked to establish a camouflaged location for guard duty. He chose a location near a wall and started stacking large stones to build a makeshift wall base and added a canopy of fallen branches that would guard against range weapons but allow for the firing of arrows. At the very least it would make targeting difficult.
Image

<Weston>

Well he knew how to haul stuff. Once he figured out what Jax was about, he helped by hauling material for the blind.

D

He helped gather wood for both the desired applications after working in the cave to clear it of debris. A clear floor other than where they wanted the fire might be a welcomed thing when they went to sleep. He worked silently and quickly.

GM

The cave then. It would be your fastness for the night, where you would see out the hours of darkness in the wilderness, encamped in the foothills of that accursed peak.

You were more certain now that something dwelt there. And as you built the bivouac outside, for the sentry, you again had the feeling you were being watched.

The cave floor also needed clearing. It had been inhabited by a multitude of animals over the years, varying from one season to the next most likely. Nothing had lived in the cave for at least a month, but there were still broken bones to sweep out. They weren't comfy to lie on, could host crawling creepies, and old as they were, could catch fire.

For the campfire, the soil wasn't deep enough to dig a fire hole so you had to collect several fasces of small, dry twigs from the forest. These would be laid in a thatch, in the cave, and when lit would burn cleanly without smoke.

The sun melted below the horizon, like a drop of molten metal and the sky bruised deeply after it had gone. A sliver of moon, and a dappling of stars.

The sounds and smells of day ended, and on came the night and all it concealed.

[Go to HHE9: By the Light of the Last Moon]