Subject: Re: The wizards plus one

Back? he thinks. He tries to concentrate but all he can remember is the wraiths, then cold darkness. He vaguely remembers something about a ship, but that doesn't make sense at all in this context. "I don't feel very well," he says weakly. "Will we be camping soon?"

Farron will rest as much as possible. If anyone looks at him he'll either have his eyes closed, or they might catch him staring at Sa'id, apparently lost in thought. He will take the time to study his spellbook enough to replenish his spells, but other than that he will be doing (and demanding of others) as little as possible.

(OOC - Sorry for the shortness of this. I've had terrible email problems at home since last week, and I've been unable to do much at work except work. I'll try and get back into the game ASAP, but don't let me hold you up. Farron wouldn't have much to do that isn't inner monologue at this point, anyway.)

Subject: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

What dim sunlight manages to get through the heavy cloud and tree cover finally fades, and the forest is plunged into darkness. Kasen calls a halt, and Farron nearly collapses with relief. Only through a massive effort of will has he managed to remain on his horse for the last few hours. He swings his leg over his horse, and then his knee buckles, and he falls on his back. Sa'id rushes over, mouthing a quick cantrip for light.

In the dim witchlight, Farron's face is gray and haggard. He had survived the wraith's attack, but something vital had been stolen from him. Sa'id knows that his friend's vitality will return, but it will be a slow process, and he will be very weak in the meantime.

Kasen rubs down Storm, and then begins gathering sticks for a fire. Father Dominic's friends had provisioned them well, and a few moments after the fire is started, the smell of roasting meat and potatoes fills the air. Farron surprises all three of them by being ravenously hungry. Kasen, with a soldier's simple practicality, says, "A man who can eat almost always gets well. It's a good sign."

Sa'id looks up at the canopy of leaves and cloud overhead. He would give much for even one star. How far to the trading post? It can't be more than a day, can it? Last time they had gone southeast, and then turned north. This time they came overland, straight east. That should actually reduce the time traveled. Tomorrow then? Are they even on the right path?

[stopping here for RP or whatever. Next turn from me will be the following day. Please check in. Gracias.]

Subject: Leaving the town behind; back to Gully's

Garyth sits on his borrowed horse, watching his men gather up the last of their gear and provisions. They are quick and professional; no wasted motion. The will all die in the temple, something says to him. You will watch them die. The lucky ones will not go under the red light, but none will survive. And after you've watched them die; watched their souls ripped from them by the light, then you will die too, screaming forever. "Talk all you want. But we're coming for you, demon." He hopes no one can hear him talking to himself, but it feels good to confront his fear head on. Maybe they would all die, but they would die fighting. A soldier can ask for little else.

Rennik is stripping excess gear from his pony. Someone had loaded it down with cookware and tools. He curses as he cuts away the extra baggage. A month ago, Garyth would have found him a comical figure. Not any more. Now he worries that some foolish townsperson will come and try to lay claim to the pony and its cargo. There will be nothing funny about the fierce Halfling unleashing his temper on some hapless peasant. But Rennik finally gets the pony stripped of almost everything, then swings awkwardly into the saddle and rides over to Garyth's side.

Garyth nods at him. "How long?"

"Two days. We won't need the horses after that."

Right. The jungle. No taking horses into that. No reason to save their strength. Leave them in the barn where Elise had left her heavy charger.

The Falcons form up around Garyth, and Osred says, "Ready to leave at your word, Captain." Pensive sadly adds, "Melani never came back. I hope she is well, and gets our message."

Rennik laughs, "She is one of the Reth. They move through the forest like cats. She will probably beat us there."

Garyth turns his horse. "Let's move them out, Sergeant. Rennik, you have the point. Vincy, watch our backs."

Rennik trots off to the west, setting a hard pace.

[stopping here for RP or whatever. Next turn from me will be a short camp the following night (you guys have already been up most of this night, so Rennik will push through the next day).]

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

After dinner, and after assuring himself that Farron is going to be all right and doesn't need attending to, Sa'id stretches out on his bedroll. He'll do his best to get a decent night's sleep apart from whenever he takes watch.

OOC: I tried to write a turn with more content, but I've just got nothing.

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; back to Gully's

Pensive pats his horse's neck and says, "Two days, friend Horse. And then, I won't bother you to crate me around any more."

"Thistle," says an old voice.

"Hello, Elvira," Pensive says, nodding to the old woman.

He sees her glance at the horse, the saddlebags. "You leaving?"

"I am." Pensive notices that her sling is hanging loosely-- unthinking, he reaches out to adjust it, retighten the knot. "How's your wrist?"

"I saw wildmen today," she says. "Wild creatures, red eyes, and bushy hair. . . rumor is, they're going to take us to safety."

She was talking about the halflings. Pensive says, "They're friendly-- well, not really friendly. They won't hurt you, though."

"Ha. Like to see 'em try." She pauses, looking him over. "You're too young to step out to them woods. You should stay here, with the town. It's a foul master that makes his boy follow him on to. . . death." The last word is spoken softly, as if she barely dared say it.

Pensive smiles. "Death follows life. Life and death, they do not matter. They happen, like night and day. What matters is the hope we create between each sunrise."

"You been listening too long to your priest, elf-boy. Life matters. Death, too. You get old, you'll know. You'll learn to claw at life, suck it dry." Elvira's eyes widen-- Pensive feels a stir from the mountain. But the old woman shakes it off. "I'm old and bitter," she says, with a little chuckle. "Too many cold winters.

"Well. Looks like your Lord is leaving you." She nods toward the departing line of Falcons. Pensive sees Garyth and Rennick trotting at the front. "No kiss for an old woman? For luck?"

Pensive touches his fingers to his lips, then presses them against her cheek.

"That will have to do," he says, and lifts himself into the saddle.

"I guess so."

He follows the men into the night.

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

Sorry I haven't responded yet. I've been swamped at work today.

What's Farron's status? HP? Does he have CON damage?

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

I don't have my notes with me, but yes, Farron still has quite a bit of Con damage. His HP are very low right now. Unfortunately, Con damage comes back at a glacial rate. But if you can hook up with Osred, he can fix you up with Restoration prayers.

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

Yeah, I just wanted to know so I understand how he might be feeling (physically) at this point. I'm imagining lost HP would just make him sore (depending on how many HP lost, of course) but lost CON would actually make him feel drained, lethargic, or weak.

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

The smell of the meat and potatoes breaks the gray haze that has plagued Farron's mind all day and replaced it with one loud command: "EAT". So he does. He can't remember food tasting this good. He is acutely aware of every facet of the meal, the savory flavor of the meat, the texture and juices as he chews and swallows, the satisfying slide of each swallow as it heads toward his filling stomach. It is several minutes before he notices Sa'id and Kasen watching him, a mix of concern and almost-laughter in their eyes.

"A man who can eat almost always gets well. It's a good sign." Kasen says.

"Forgive my lack of manners," Farron replies. "I don't think I've ever felt this hungry before." He speaks the second part through a mouthful of meat and potatoes. By the time he finishes, he notices that the others have already stopped eating and set out their bedrolls. His own is also laid out, not far from Sa'id's, but he hadn't noticed which of the others had set it out for him. He tosses an inedible piece of gristle into the fire and slowly moves over to his bedroll.

Farron looks toward Kasen, who appears to be looking out into the darkness, his back to the fire. Sa'id is lying back on his bedroll, his eyes closed. Suddenly Farron feels tired. Almost as tired as he felt hungry before, but thankfully not quite.

"You don't think she'll send more tonight, do you?" he says, loud enough for Sa'id to hear, but mostly to reassure himself.

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

"You don't think she'll send more tonight, do you?"

Sa'id looks up. It's hard to say. She hadn't sent any the night before -- maybe she didn't know the outcome of the battle, maybe she couldn't track them anymore, maybe she didn't have enough power, maybe, maybe, maybe...

"No, I don't," he replies firmly.

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; back to Gully's

OOC: Don't have much RP for Rennik here. He's back in his element and focused on finding trail. Nothing special, just being a bloodhound is all, up ahead. Plus, I'm working on setting up my classroom, so I'm a little too pressed to be flowery. :)

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

"I hope not. I don't ever want to see those things again, much less two nights in a row." Farron leans back and closes his eyes, glad of the fire and the warmth it provides.

Subject: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night

Rennik pushes his pony hard, and the group from Overlook make good time. Within hours, the sky turns a faint red in the East, and the air begins to take on a dim light. The cloud cover has lasted several days not, but it is impossible to get used to. There is an unnaturalness to it that defies acceptance. Garyth's mind wanders as the thud of his horses feet hypnotize him. Would the unnatural dark eventually begin to drive them mad? Would it kill all of the plants? Could the demon win by just starving them out? He wonders idly how many ships might be sitting outside the heavy cover right now, waiting for it to pass so they can make port, and cursing because the lighthouse has gone dark.

Robert rides up next to Osred. He is quiet for a while, then begins speaking in low tones. "Do you think Hieronious took Pickle to him? Pickle- I mean Kenneth, wasn't a very religious man. His church was whorehouses, I think." Osred laughs. He'd never met a man more obsessed with women than Kenneth. Robert continues, "But he was a warrior. He'd fight like a demon for his friends. He never prayed to any gods, I don't think. But might Hieronious take a man like that anyway? For being a warrior? For being true to his friends, and dying in battle?"

The Falcon rides quietly for a moment. "I don't like to think that the demon got him. Or any black gods for that matter. What happens to a good man who does not pray?"

Behind them, Pensive rides lost in thought. Or, something both less and more than thought. The tapestry of lives on the island. The thousands of connections and feelings that drift across him like spider webs. Men in east, filled with terror. Men in the west, hiding in confusion. And always, always the black and red throb to the north. Like a heavy weight of rage smashing down on everything. Pensive instinctively knows what the others do not. That the clouds, the army, the murders and burnings and ravaging are just symptoms of that rage. Anger like a terrible storm. Anger that abandons reason. The demon surely has plans. Surely moves to secure its power and its eventual release. But even if it did not, it would murder and burn and darken anyway. Just to make others suffer like it suffers. It is a reckless hate defying thought. It makes his head hurt.

His hand drops to his side, and brushes up against something hard in his pocket. He reaches in and pulls out a small figure in hammered silver. There is a leather cord on it, like a necklace. A charm? But holding it in his hands, he feels a warm peace radiating from it. The faint touch of something vast and divine. A holy symbol then. And one with power. But where did he come by it?

Elvira. She must have slipped it into his pocket when she embraced him. He is surprised at her hidden depths once again. He did not think a human would have had sufficient skill to plant something on him without his knowledge. And how did she come by such an obviously potent token in the first place? There is more to her than he knew. He feels something shift, with an almost physical click. A connection falls into place with her, and by extension her people, that locks him firmly into place. He is her champion now. She is sending him off to battle with the demon carrying her most potent weapon. He is surprised by how right it feels.

The day comes and goes, Rennik allowing the men to stop only once. By nightfall, everyone is falling asleep in the saddle. When they stop, no fire is built. A quick meal is eaten, and then men collapse into a sleep plagued by nightmares.

[stopping for RP or whatever. Everyone please check in.]

Subject: ok, both groups are on the same day at least

So, after the overlook group checks in, I will write turns for both groups for the following day.

Subject: ok, both groups are on the same day at least

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

I don't have anything that needs to be said, Ty. If you want to put some words in Kasen's mouth that's fine, I won't be back online until some time on the sixth.

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night

Pensive keeps the figurine in his pocket until they make camp, and then runs his fingers over it, strains to see it in the dimness. Beneath the canopy of the forest, without daylight, with no stars or moon, even his elf-sight is of little use for such a task. He would have to examine it more carefully in the morning.

He has seen holy objects before-- the ruadil of the low elves, and the behilim of the gnomes. Something is different about this one. He'd held the behilim of Little Grelling-- he'd had to, in order to be baptised into the gnomish community-- but felt nothing like this.

It was like holding a piece of the Mossground. The peace of the Mossground. Pensive lifts the figurine to his nose and breathes deeply. It wasn't the Mossground. . . but it was, somehow. Something of Stone formed it, something of Blood filled it.

Champion. The word whispers to him from the figurine, passing through his fingers, to the tattoo on his neck, warming it. His arms and legs tingle against the cords of silk he's tied there. This holy object was not an affront to the Path. It was a complement to it. Such a thing. . . Pensive kisses the figurine, tastes Stone, tastes Blood. He lifts the cord over his neck, lets it dangle down his chest. It is right. Though no monk of the Path of Blood and Stone had ever worn a holy object before, it is right that he do this now. Had not the Kaishin come? The Path would be washed clean by Blood, the Stone renewed. And perhaps this. . . he had no name for it. This holy thing was a herald of that renewal. A symbol of hope on this dark island. I will wear you, until I am you, he whispers to the figurine. It is an echo of the monk's earliest prayer-- to walk the Path until his flesh is Stone.

Wearing it, the evil of the Shadow does not beat at his mind so much. Here was the tether that bound him to Elvira, to all the people on the island. In this holy symbol, he was their champion. And they were his own people, elves or not.

Pensive rises in the darkness, and finds Garyth. "There is something you should know, Garyth, that I have not told you." He keeps his voice low. "I am asha eradu-- I'm sorry, there's no word for it in Common. I can feel emotions from other people. Strong emotions, only-- I cannot keep from being cheated at the market any more than the next man. But I know that on this island, there are men in east who still run in terror from the Shadow we saw on the battlefield; and in the west, I know that men are cowering from the Shadow they expect to see." Pensive pauses. "I know the guilt you felt when Kenneth was murdered. I know that you still feel it like wound-- like a wound that won't close."

"I know what Kor Garesh is feeling. I've felt him. . . reach for people three times now. All ordinary people, all townsfolk. When he touched them, they became part of his hunger. They became choatic and hurtful. Spiteful. I don't know. . . I don't know if he could reach anyone in our company."

OOC: Ty, the holy symbol is a great touch.

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night

Pensive will take first watch.

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night

A rapid succession of emotions run through Garyth as Pensive speaks. Anger and vulnerability at the thought of his emotions being invaded, quickly tempered by a strange relief that his pain is shared, then fear of the demon's power, then resolve.

"Thank you for telling me this," he says. "It makes it all the more clear that we must be swift and remain vigilent."

He turns and beckons to Osred and Rennik. When they draw near, Garyth repeats Pensive's worries about the demon's power to them. "We have to be careful," he says. "The demon's arm is long, and none of us is completely safe from him. But I think of all of us, sergeant, you may be the safest--your closeness to Hieronious may help shield you." He pauses for a moment and looks straight into Osred's eyes. "If the rest of us should fall to the demon, you must see this through." He lets the words sink in for a few seconds, then continues. "In any case, for now we're still our own, and we should take what precautions we may. No solo patrols or watches--not that we would anyway, of course, but the less time alone any of us have the better. And though we must be watchful, we cannot allow our suspicions to run away from us. I'm sure the Black One would like nothing better than to see us all die stabbing each other in the backs."

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night

Osred gazes steadily as Robert as the man speaks, then finally shakes his head. "Kenneth made his choice. He worshipped at the altar of worldly pleasures, and he'll collect his reward for that. It's a hard truth, Robert, but better you hear that than a comfortable lie. You make a choice in this life, you face the consequences. I was a brawler before I found Hironious, and I worshipped the false gods of ale and flesh, same as Kenneth. If I'd died before Hieronious lifted my face to His Light, I'd have had no god to protect me in the life after this one. I'd have been alone in the cold, lost forever in the freezing darkness."

"Kenneth has a chance he wouldn't have had if he'd fallen at the hand of an ordinary enemy. The foe that ended him was the tool of a Great Evil, and Kenneth stood before it, sacrificing himself that those townpeople might live. Because of him, fewer souls will be devoured by the abomination, and there are fewer servants of that Evil to do it's work. That is was a great good, and the gods of good may take pity on him and guide him in the next world because of it. Hieronious may yet offer him a place as a foot soldier in his Great Host."

He rides in silence for a moment. "This is a time of testing, Robert, and the gods watch what happens here. Hieronious can be your shield against this Evil. If you feel the tentacles of this Kor Garesh wriggling at the edges of your mind, call on The Lord, and he will help you."

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night

Osred meets his captain's eyes, his face grim. "My strength is nothing compared to Kor Garesh's, sir, but my Lord is stronger still, and he will not let me fail in this. Through His grace I will finish this."

OOC - Ty, I've updated Osred's upcoming spell list to reflect the new, not shepherding situation the PCs find themselves in.

Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night

Pensive says to the men gathered near him. "The Shadow is subtle. If it reaches for you, you may not notice it." He remembers how _right_ it felt. How. . . justified. "The first time I felt it, I was watching a group of boys bully a younger boy. I tried to stop them, and the Shadow touched one of them. It fed his aggression and anger." He swallows. "And mine as well. I was ready to kill him. It felt so. . . right. Justifiable. The Shadow does not place its own thoughts in your head. It feeds the thoughts that are already there, the equivocations, the small miseries, the furies that spin about in one's mind.

"We are all vulnerable," Pensive says, but he is looking at Rennick. How far could the halfling be trusted, wild as he was? Certainly, he had a good heart-- Pensive had seen it at the farm. That would have to be enough. He hoped it would be enough. Hoped that the goodness in Rennick's heart would win out over his wildness when the proving time came. "I met an old woman who shrugged off the touch of Shadow-- though her life had been bitter, still she was able to push it away." The reverence in his voice is clear-- and he is touching Elvira's holy symbol, openly displayed on his chest.

"Blood and Stone will abide," he finishes. "I know what Sand and Shadow feel like, and what words they whisper. And I will stand against them with you all. I will warn you when I feel them, and help protect you all."

Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's

Well, as my posting on various fora has obviously demonstrated, I'm back online and not confined to public libraries any more. While I don't have many kind things to say about the process of moving, at least I'm online again.

Anywho, were we waiting for me to add something before moving on with the wizards, or are you swamped at work again, Ty?

Subject: Everyone moving toward Gully's

The Wizards and Kasen

Kasen wakes the wizards up by making a lot of noise with the breakfast preparations. Sa'id rises feeling better than he has in days, a feeling amplified by seeing his friend also wake up. Farron still looks gray and drawn, but there is a hint of color in his cheeks, and he seems to be able to move about without help. Once again, he eats like a starving man, making apologies the entire time.

Kasen takes a twig from the breakfast fire and lights a lantern. Now that they are under the thick canopy of trees, the faint light coming through the heavy cloud cover is almost non existent. Fortunately, the path the knight found is well worn and clearly visible. The group has only been following it for a few hours when Kasen calls a halt. He gestures Sa'id forward and asks, "Is that it?"

Sa'id can barely see it through the thick growth and dim light, but there is indeed a wooden building thirty or so feet ahead. He rides forward a little bit, and it comes into focus. It's one of the outbuildings. Probably the smokehouse. They have arrived at Gully's.

Unfortunately, the trading post is quite dark. No smoke from the chimney. No lights come from any of the windows. It is also very quiet.

[Let me know what you want to do]

*************************************************

Garyth, Rennik, Osred and Pensive

The men retire to their bedrolls. Robert had clearly been sobered by Osred's words, and had spent his time at dinner staring morosely into their small fire. It was so out of character for the usually chatty Falcon, that even the taciturn Munch tried to draw him out with jokes. But Robert would just shake his head.

Vincy had gotten a chance to speak to Osred to one side, and said "Sergeant, you know Robert and Pickle were close. You couldn't have gone a little easier on him? Not that I question your understanding of things spiritual, mind you. You are a true man of the Gods, and no mistake. But maybe now wasn't the time for the harsher side of religion?"

Osred grabbed the corporal's shoulder roughly. "Now is exactly the time. Now, when good and evil meet so openly, and with such high stakes. Now, when all our lives may be forfeit. Now is when the truth must be spoken, Vincy. No mincing, no hiding harsh realities. Face the facts of your existence head on, or turn around and go back to the town. Or do you think that demon will be careful not to hurt your feelings?" Vincy did not reply.

In this state the men went to their beds. The following morning, they speak little.

Rennik once again leads them at a hard pace, putting miles behind them very quickly. The horses are beginning to show signs of weariness, but they are given no rest. If they fall over dead at the trading post, they will have served their purpose. No horses would go with them into the jungle.

They stop once again for a short lunch, but this time when they are ready to leave, Rennik whistles and calls to Tichenor with no success. The wolf seems to have disappeared. Garyth is prepared to wait and let Rennik find him, he has not forgotten how useful the wolf has been as an ally, but Rennik shakes his head and climbs on his pony. "No. He is full grown. No need to coddle him. He'll rejoin us when he wishes." But the Halfling can't hide the worry on his face as he says it.

The rest of the day passes without incident, and when the group stops, Rennik declares them less than a days ride now from Gully's. "We will see it by afternoon tomorrow." As he is speaking, Tichenor suddenly appears, trotting over to his master, his mouth open in a big wolfish grin. Rennik grabs the wolf roughly by the fur around his throat, and thumps his flank. "Where have you been?" The wolf just sits down and begins licking its chops. Though, when Rennik pats his flank in one spot, Tich gives a little yelp. Rennik searches under the fur and finds a wound. Narrow, shallow, and long. A knife cut, or possibly an arrow graze. He looks the wolf over more carefully, and finds blood on the wolf's muzzle and face. Not his own blood.

"Who did you get in a fight with?" But the wolf doesn't answer, he just continues to grin.

[Stopping for check ins]

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward Gully's

"Is that it?" Kasen asks.

Sa'id nods. "Yes," he says, quietly. "It looks like he's gone, his wolf would probably have greeted us by now. Wait a moment."

He dismounts, rummaging in his component pouch. "I will cast a pair of glamours and look."

OOC: I don't have my list handy, but I want Pro' Evil and Mirror Image if I've got 'em. Then I'll go around to the front door and have a look. I'll also look in any windows I pass by.

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward Gully's

Kasen shakes his head. "We should go together, Sayeed, if the owner has fled or been consumed the undead army will have moved on. If they lie in wait for us, well, Elise has a very good idea of what tricks we three have up our sleeves. I doubt we'll be able to approach undetected. Better to go on as one."

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's

"Careful", Farron insists. "Gully's smart and knows there's darkness at work that knows where he lives, too. If I were him, I'd make this place look as abandoned as possible whether I was here or not. I got the impression that his wolves would obey him if he told them to stay hidden. Maybe we should let him know who we are and that we're out here before we go sneaking up on him." He thinks for a minute and adds, "There's another possibility, too. We did send that young halfling back this way. It's possible that Gully has gone to try to reunite him with his people."

(ooc - if I recall correctly, there were several wolves, not just one. right?)

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's

Already a few paces ahead, Sa'id turns to look at the other two men. "I'm going to knock on the door. There won't be any sneaking. Kasen, it's more important that you stay with Farron until he regains his full strength." He pauses. "I don't expect trouble, but I'm prepared for it... and I'm not going very far."

OOC: For now I'll just cast Pro' evil, not Mirror Image. Then, as described, I'll go around to the front door. If I don't see anything notable on my way, I'll knock on the door and identify myself.

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's

Pensive has nothing to add-- he'll take the first watch.

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's

Kasen sighs, "pick your battles," he thinks, "there isn't going to be anything there anyway."

Nevertheless, he wasn't going to be completely foolish about this. "Very well, Sayeed, this trader does know you and the sight of a large man in armour might unnerve him a little. But we'll follow you until we can see the door."

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's

Sa'id nods. "That's a good idea. I suspect the place is empty, but better safe than sorry."

OOC: D'oh, I meant to suggest that. Off I go!

Subject: Searching around Gully's

Sa'id mumbles the words of the Protection from Evil spell, and moves across the clearing from the smokehouse to the trading post. He can hear the clank of Kasen moving into position behind him. He also seen Farron looking through his spell book that morning, and it was reassuring to know that his friend probably had a head full of spells to cover his back with.

In the very faint light, the trading post looks dead. The windows are still broken from the skeleton attack, and most are boarded up. No light shines from anywhere. No wolves can be seen. Sa'id suppresses a shiver, and then knocks on the big split log door. Nothing. He turns back around to gesture at Kasen, when he feels the door open behind him. Sa'id feels his back go tense, expecting the sharp pain of a knife or the grasping bony hands of a skeleton. Nothing.

He turns around, and in the dim interior of the trading posts main hall, can see the little Halfling. He is standing in the middle of the room with one of the big winter wolves by his side. Gully is not in sight. The wolf is not growling, but there is something in its stiff legged stance and watchful eyes that makes Sa'id nervous. He thinks back two weeks. Did the boy speak common? No. He only spoke Halfling. Thank goodness Sa'id knows that tongue.

Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's

Two weeks ago. It might as well be a lifetime, but thankfully years of memorizing arcane glamours had left Sa'id's memory fairly robust. Manut, the halfling boy they'd sent to Gully's on a magical mount with a note from Farron explaining the situation. And here he was, at Gully's, but no sign of Gully himself. Sa'id does his best not to think about what that probably means.

Sa'id crouches down slowly and looks at the boy, trying to be as open and reassuring as possible. "Hello, Manut. Do you remember me?" he asks in the Halfling tongue. "I'm glad to see you made it here safely... I'm sorry that Gully wasn't here. We thought he would be."

Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's

"Gully is here," says the voice from the dark doorway to the kitchen. "And I remember you, sir. I remember you fighting to save my home from the skeletons. I hope that you're the same person that left here, but that ain't sure, not by a long sight. Many who've come by lately look human, but ain't on the inside."

Gully moves a little way out of the doorway, and Sa'id can see a large loaded crossbow in his hands. "The redhead came back and took her horse. She killed one of my wolves for fun. Now all the rest've run off, 'ceptin' Cutter, of course."

Sa'id catches a glint out of the corner of his eye, and looks to see Manut pulling a large knife from behind his back. One hand is on Cutter's broad back. Sa'id gets the feeling that if he makes the wrong move, Gully's crossbow bolt, and Cutter's enormous teeth will be launched at him at the same moment.

Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's

OOC: Gully speaks Halfling? O_O That's very lucky for me! :)

"I'm sorry," Sa'id says, this time in Common. "I'm sorry she came back here." He glances at his feet, then looks back up at Gully.

"I have two friends outside. The other wizard who was with me before, and a friend from Nesalin. We were separated from the others but sent them a message to meet us here. I hope they will be here in another day." He pauses, extending his right hand. "If it will help, throw me one of your crossbow bolts and I will cut my hand to show that I bleed."

Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's

I mentioned that when you ran into him the first time, I think. He spoke to Rennik in Halfling, and mentioned that he trades with the wild folk quite often.

Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's

Gully hesitates a moment, then lowers the crossbow.

"No. No need for that. You are welcome to stay here, though I have precious little left to offer." He gestures around the room at the mostly empty shelves. "When those tattooed little folk come through, they help themselves to whatever they want. Cutter and the boy and I wind up hiding in the woods till they leave. I've got a few supplies hidden away that I can share."

He puts the crossbow down, and says to Manut, "Put the knife away, boy. These are friends."

Manut nods. He slips the knife into the sheath on his back and steps over to Sa'id. In Halfling he says, "I remember you. Thank you for sending me here. The fat man is very nice to me." Gully laughs. "I guess he didn't see many fat men in his life in the wilds. He seems amazed by my gut."

Gully walks over to the broken and boarded front window, to peer out through a crack. "I guess you should call your friends in. The soldier is starting to look nervous."

Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's

Sa'id smiles, and switches back to Halfling. "Thank you both. Shuk'ran, as my people say."

Standing, he pokes his head out the door. "You can come in -- Gully's here," he says to his two companions. Turning back to Gully, Manut, and Cutter, he adds, again in Halfling: "Our soldier friend, Kasen, has some provisions from Nesalin. He's a good cook. Maybe we'll be able to help you as much as the other way around."

OOC: That's right, I vaguely remember that Gully spoke Halfling, now that you mention it.

Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's

Garyth frowns. As tired as they were, they could ill afford to be attacked now. "We need a secure perimeter before we settle in."

OOC: If Rennik is amenable, Garyth will want to do a short patrol around the camp before bedding down, say 50 or 100 yards out. Rennik on point, Garyth and Vincy flanking, and Robert trailing for covering fire. The others to remain on guard until the patrol returns.

Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's

Kasen exhales slowly, trying not to let on that he had been holding his breath for the entire time Sa'id has been talking to shadows. Nodding at Sa'id's call he comes into the inn.

OOC: Ty, what do we have in the way of provisions?