Elendil's healing belt expends a charge,(2/3) and Talon screeches back to conciousness. It's wounded wing is mended, though a rather large bump on its forehead would remain from the swelling. Carefully removing what signs of struggle with the goblin she could, Elendil heads back for Bronwyn, who herself is steadily advancing with a look of paranoia about her.

As Elendil stepped out from the side of the path, she nearly caught a magic missile herself for her appearance, but thankfully no such attack came. Reunited, the women had options once more.

"I have to check it out, and at least see if there is a way to take out the goblins, and if indeed there is a prisoner. For now I will lead us wide around it and then I will scout it out. I want you safely on the south side so that we can head that way afterwards."

Elendil will cast her speak with animals spell, and tell Talon about getting into the closest big tree when he hoots to alert her of danger or return to her.

Next she leads Bronwyn at a safe distance around where she heard the speaking come from. Once to a good place to hide the pony, she stops and ties the pony and where she leaves her pack hanging from the pack saddle. The pony still has its mouth closed with a strap.

"I may need you, but stay behind me your wand ready," she ignors Bronwyn's protestations. Stay back 20 feet and I will go slow."

Elendil moves with special care, for Bronwyn's sake, back to where she heard the speaking, having Bronwyn staying well back. If she needs to she will pick up the tiny young woman and carry her.

It didn’t take long for the companions to beat a hasty retreat from the encampment, withdrawing back across the bridge and into the cover of the copse of trees scattered on the other side of the bank. There introductions, healing, and strategy would be made, for their next strike against the common foe. It was while they were speaking that their ears caught the sound of war drums once more, this time more prominent, and soon after, a second, third and then half dozen were banging in unison, or apart, conveying the common message most likely. They had been attacked The cloak made from a wolf’s hide and fur was of fine quality, the craftmanship of they who skinned it evident in the soft lining affixed to the underside of the pelt, and the strong seams which ran along its length. Though not magical, it was still a fine piece of work.

(Dylan has used five charges from his wand of healing (45/50) recovering 4, 4, 9 (intella), 5, and 6 respectively. Bringing Dylan to 23/24 hp, and Intella to 28/36hp.

Aelistae uses one 0 level spell to cure Dylan to 24/24hp, 1 Use of her wand on Intella for 9 equaling 36/36 Hp. She also uses two charges on Xaris , healing 4 and 7 respectively, bringing him to 60/61 hp.
Wand of healing (27/50 charges))

Bronwyn followed Elendil as they moved through the forest, not daring to whisper and taking extra care to move as quietly as possible. When Elendil finally stopped. Bronwyn was thankful.

"Elendil," she whispers to the Ranger. "Remember we heard that they had a captive, but if there are a lot of them then the two of us are not enough to free whoever it is. Even if you find it is some poor wretch they have taken we wouldn't stand a chance against a large group of goblins."

Elendil made it clear then what she was planning. Bronwyn neither wanted to stay here or go. She wanted to leave the area completely. Elendil was adamant though and after tying up Buttercup securely Elendil started forward.

"I don't want to go but I can't stand not knowing what is going on." What she meant was she was afraid to be here by herself. "Just go slow and scout it out then let me know I might have a few spells that will work if the group is small if not let's leave."

Bronwyn reluctantly followed. Her fears from earlier again pressed her heart into her throat. She took her time carefully stepping one foot after the other while she listened for any noises that might indicate movement around her. Her pulses pounded hard, s loud in her ears, she was afraid that someone might hear them.

Bronwyn, led by Elendil moved slowly and cautiously forward; so slowly Bronwyn paced four heartbeats to every step. As they crept closer, her heart in her chest seemed to grow louder, threatening to give them away. Louder and louder it rang in her ears like the beating of a great drum. Then it occurred to her as they ducked low and peered into a clearing by a mine entrance that it was indeed a great drum. A large canvas covered frame being pounded upon by a goblin. Those around him, some twelve goblins and a pair of orc’s were all moving in a fluster, aroused by the drum-chant. As they parted, from the huddle they once were in, the women eyed a small wooden cage, within a hunched over figure draped in a dark cloak, the hood covering his facial features.

As the goblin’s armed themselves, and the Orc’s barked their orders, one ran into the mine, while the other donned a suit of hide armor, the man in the cage spoke. “Looks like some unexpected guests.” A nearby goblin turned and jabbed a crude spear through the cage bars, the prisoner narrowly shifting to avoid the point. “Shaddup” the goblin spat, and the man in th cage merely laughed. “You wouldn’t want to damage Bolikar’s offering now.” said the stranger as he moved to sit on his knees, so small was the cage that it would not allow him to stand. With a grunt the goblin moved passed, and all around the air filled with the beating of drums, as the encampments roused, weapons gathered and armor donned. Pairs of goblins began moving off towards the trails, patrol’s no doubt. Elendil and Bronwyn would have to move, and quickly, as twin pairs of goblins began heading towards the path just off to their right.

Elendil moves back taking Bronwyn with her. She throws part of her cape around the small human to help hide her as they back into a thicket.

She is hoping the Goblins will move out with their Orc leaders and that the caged prisoner will be left unguarded or with only a couple of Goblins to guard him.

For now they hunker down and let the Goblins go elsewhere.

Bronwyn, the reluctant, lead by the unqualified, froze as Elendil peered out to survey what they had found. she was able to see a little of it but did not risk trying to see more. She had seen enough for her. Ti was time to depart and apparently Elendil had the same idea.

Elendil pulled Bronwyn into thicker cover but rather than them leaving Elendil pulled her down to the ground and covered her up with her cloak. Bronwyn made like a rock only rocks did not shiver as she did. She stuck her hand in her mouth hard and gripped her wand tightly but did not dare to move.

[Slight back-post] Intella was about to turn and go to act as a lookout when she saw the man approach her. He sheathed the thin blade of his rapier as he funbled for something at his side with his other hand. When he pulled out a wand, Intella took a quick step backward, but then realized that the man was even more badly injured than she herself was. He then pointed the wand at himself and spoke a command word -- twice -- to release a small glow of energy into himself. The result was a visible healing -- or partial healing -- of the worst of the wounds he suffered.

"Might I ask what your name is?" the man asks, as he knelt down before her. As she drew breath to answer, he leveled the wand at her own chest and spoke the command word again. The relief of the healing energy of the wand washed over her like a splash of refreshing water from a cool mountain spring. Intella closed her eyes and sighed quietly and deeply, once.

Then she opened her eyes and spoke to him gently, so as to remove any perceived "sting" from her words, "I am known as Intella. Intella Gentrix of Luiren, far to the southeast. I appreciate what you just did. I also understand the why of it. But there might be others in greater need of this power than I. You should seek them out as well, for we must leave here quickly."

Even as she spoke, he pointed the wand at himself again and spoke a command word twice more, infusing himself with what seemed to be well-deserved healing.
============ ... ... ... ... ... ... ============ ... ... ... ... ... ...
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[Moving forward] As she heard the others leave the vicinity of the pavilion, she noticed two additions to those she had viewed as allies; a human female and a half-orc youth. They seem to be heading to the south, leaving the camp, so Intella turned to fall in with them.

Suddenly the half-orc youngster looked about him and turned to view the others with horror and pain in his eyes. Then he bolted, crying out something in his native tongue as he ran. She was shocked and dismayed when she heard the thrumm of the bowstring and the sharp, solid impact of the arrow in the back of the youth, even over the noise he was making. The young orc's cry was cut immediately short as he fell heavily into the already-bloody earth.

Along with the others, Intella looked to the archer, and was surprised to see a look of near-innocence on the woman's face. Intella said nothing, for there was nothing to be said. She knew not the reason for the young orc's run, or why it would run after seeming to be willing to accompany the group. But Intella would give the archer woman credit for stopping a possible problem before brought more problems to bear. She fell in with the others as they headed south, stopping briefly at the tent where she left the wolfskin cloak. She placed the 4 beeswax candles in her waist sash, then folded the cloak quickly twice and rolled it into a (relatively) easily-carried bundle to take with her.

At the bridge, she went to retrieve Mossan, but the pony would not let her near while she was holding the wolf skin. Sighing, Intella placed the skin a short distance downstream from the bridge, then returned took the reins of the pony and led it across the bridge to follow the others.

Bronwyn senses were on high alert, adrenalin flowing in her veins. When Elendil stops t peer through some bushes she just freezes. While Bronwyn wished she could see what was going one, only getting bits and pieced through the leaves, she was not willing to risk trying to see more. She could understand some of what was going since she knew goblin but not what the orcs were saying except from the tone of their guttural voices They seemed to be barking commands at the goblins. She could here the voice of the prisoner as well.

The pounding she heard in her own ears was not just her bloods pulsing through her veins. She heard the drums begin pounding, one very near and others further out. Bronwyn was firmly convinced she should not be here. She could hear the sounds of them gathering together, weapons banging, armor clanking through the forest, they didn't make any attempt to hide their actions. That was a bad sign. Apparently Elendil made the same decision she grabbed Bronwyn's arm and pulled her back into deeper cover, but then she suddenly Elendil pulled Bronwyn down.

Bronwyn fell into a huddle she did not know what Elendil had seen anything but she complied hoping that they would crawl out of there. Instead Elendil took part of her cloak and threw it over Bronwyn. Keeping her hand jammed in her mouth and her wand tightly gripped in her hand, Bronwyn made like a rock. Only this rock shivered.

A soft nicker from Daisy greeted Aelistae as she and her companions returned to their camp. But if the drow woman heard it, she did not react. Her mind was elsewhere, thinking over all those needless deaths that had stalked every step of their journey.

‘I just hope it is worth it. That when all of this is done, some good will come with the humans’ return here.’
Aelistae placed her bow and sword among her belongings, before returning to the others with a thin wand in her hand. It turned out that there was little need for it. Dylan’s wounds had largely been healed, as had the worst of those of the halfling woman had sustained.

“Do not be afraid to retreat next time,” she whispered to Dylan after singing a quick song of healing to close the last of his wounds. “Nindyn vel’uss kyorl nind ratha thalra elyhinn dal til alust – Those who spend too long watching their backs meet death from the front.”

[OOC: Feel free to reply if you wish. Aelistae isn’t really criticizing Dylan…well she might think he’s a rubbish swordsman but that’s about it. ]

“I’m Aelistae D’Vrann,” she said shortly afterwards with a nod to the halfling woman. She managed with forced cheer to conjure a brief smile, but she soon abandoned the effort. She no longer felt like smiling or laughing when the bloodshed in the coming hours threatened to dwarf all that had gone before. “Let me see what I can do to tend to…”

The sudden thrum of heavy drums reverberated through the air. Aelistae stopped abruptly, before craning her neck and picking out the sound of one, two and then half a dozen or more wardrums. The drow priestess quickly healed the last of the halfling’s wounds and ran to fetch her bow and sword.

“It seems our work tonight is not yet done. We should fight them at the bridge. Their numbers will mean nothing if they can’t swarm over us. And if things go badly, we can always collapse it.”

“You’re welcome to come with us, Sister,” she added with a glance at the halfling. “But it’s dangerous work, and I do not want to risk your life.”

Gorg reacted most unexpectedly to Artanis’ question. He seemed suddenly terrified and bolted in the oposite direction as he screamed something she could not make out. Before she had even recovered from the surprise to react, she saw the boy falling to the ground with an arrow protruding from his back. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from crying out. She looked at Linnix, and knew she had not wanted to shoot the boy. Artanis made her way over to Linnix and hugged her tight, and whispered, “It’s not your fault, you had no choice.” She then pulled back and looked at Linnix, “Your quick action may have bought us time before we have to encounter our next battle.”
The group made their way quickly back over the bridge to regroup. Intella left a bundle by the river, and led her horse across the bridge. Partially out of curiosity, Artanis retrieved the bundle before crossing the bridge as well. The cloak was so soft to the touch, she was tempted to caress the fur with her face. Once on the other side of the bridge, Artanis handed the bundle back to Intella with a half-hearted smile. “My name is Artanis. I am glad you came along to assist in that fight. You are quite the little warrior, and very skilled with your weapons.” 

Aelistae was taking care of what healing was still needed when suddenly the quiet of te night was shattered by the drumming once more. Artanis jumped up, drawing her sword and readying her shield.

“We should fight them at the bridge. Their numbers will mean nothing if they can’t swarm over us. And if things go badly, we can always collapse it.”
Artanis looked toward the bridge, then looked north, toward the keep. “Wait!” She thought for a quick moment, trying to remember the map, “There was another bridge leading directly to this portion of land from the keep. They do not need to swarm us at this bridge. They can come at us from two directions.”
With that said, Artanis hadn’t a clue how they could approach this fight, other than head on and hope for the best.


((Check out the map on page 50 to see what I mean))

Aelistae bit down upon her bottom lip as she digested the observation Artanis had made.

‘She’s right. If half of the forces from each camp are sent to track us down, they’ll have more than enough to come across both bridges and encircle us. And then….’
The drow woman shook her head, releasing a few strands of silvery hair from the braid she had used to tie it back. “I think the only thing we can do is to destroy the bridge we just went across, and seek to ambush them on the bridge near the keep. That way we can keep their numbers to a manageable level. But if we are going to act we must do so now. Before they discover our location.”

They had set out late into the night, silence hung around them though thunder was left in their wake as three horses galloped northbound. At the head of their arrow point rode a man tall and proud, polished armor gleaming in even the faintest of moonlight, crimson cloak fluttering in the wind behind him, the emblazoned upturned gauntlet reaching for the heavens as he and the magnificent chestnut shire which bore him made headway. At his rear flanks, a pair of opposites rode; one dressed in the greens and browns of the landscape, hood drawn, and longbow at her back atop a Calim mare (think arabian), while the other laced in white chain rode a white charger, longspear bearing the same standard rustling from near it’s tip bearing the upright gauntlet much akin to he who rode before him. All three had left in secrecy, with a mission of great importance to their faction upon their shoulders.

All three would travel long and hard to reach their destination in time, and to succeed where it was thought others had failed. They had traveled due north for almost an entire week, at some point crossing the great river Sulduskoon with the aid of a Water Walk scroll, time not favoring the much longer roundabout path. Under the shadows of the Starspire mountains they rode west, until the sounds of war drums and torch fire met their senses. With a silent gesture, the polished man motioned to the female, and like shadow she took to the night, her form blending and weaving with her surroundings till even her own companions could no longer make out her form from the trees. She returned a short while later though with what she had learned, and to the trio it only confirmed their suspicions.

“The camps have been roused, and recently.” Came a voice thick with elvish accents. “They speak of slaughter in the east, and trouble in the south. Even now, they speak of Bolikar’s wrath and their mustering of forces. It will not be long before the entire area is teeming with their filth.” As the woman spoke, she lowered her hood, revealing coppery kin tinged with green. Dark brown eyes peered forth under long bangs of black with natural coppery-red highlights. Tall, prominent ears twitched in anticipation, and she looked from one companion to the other.
“We shall have to move quickly, or sit this one out, hoping they take the majority of their forces elsewhere, though as you’re aware, this Bolikar creature doesn’t seem to be your typical cretin greenskin, I wouldn’t place a bet that he’ll be leaving his entire fortress empty for us to waltz in and take. I count a dozen of the critters and a single Orc, likely their keeper. What say you?”

The smaller, younger man atop the charger lifted up an almost foppish hat given to him by his father for his sixteenth cycle of seasons, and though the eyesore earned him much ridicule, he refused to be parted with the only item of attachment to the family he had left far behind. Sparkling blue eyes came into view, set amidst tanned skin and a clear complexion he smiled somewhat before turning to their leader. “Like lightning we strike, leaving thunder and broken enemies in our wake eh sir?” The young squire still held an excitability about him that only proved his inexperience. He was of stout heart and mind though, and perhaps one day make a fine knight, for now though he would still need to be trained and molded into a warrior, where reality’s harshness would not overwhelm the innocent spirit of youth.

Then she opened her eyes and spoke to him gently, so as to remove any perceived "sting" from her words, "I am known as Intella. Intella Gentrix of Luiren, far to the southeast. I appreciate what you just did. I also understand the why of it. But there might be others in greater need of this power than I. You should seek them out as well, for we must leave here quickly."
Dylan tilted his head to the side, as sign of acknowledgement, then offered his hand to the miniscule woman. "Dylan Geiling, Seeker and, to some, Satyr of a great many places. Originally Cormyr."

Any further conversation was cut off by the Half-Orc child's appearance from inside the tent. The thought of curing the wounds of the others was driven temporarily from Dylan's mind. A while later, while back at the 'camp', Aelistae took over healing with her magic and her wand.

“Do not be afraid to retreat next time,” she whispered to Dylan after singing a quick song of healing to close the last of his wounds. “Nindyn vel’uss kyorl nind ratha thalra elyhinn dal til alust – Those who spend too long watching their backs meet death from the front.”
"Ridiculous!" he said with mock affront. He raised his fist to the heavens with conviction, "I am never afraid to retreat!" He cracked out in a small smile as he lowered his fist. In good times and in bad, it was always the bard's job to lift spirits and wash away despair. The man turned away to look into the night, concealing the smallest of sighs.

"Seriously though, if I thought I was in any danger from those two goblins, I would have retreated. I am aware of my limits and how far I can push this lazy body." Dylan's mind turned back to the sudden brutal clubbing he received. He cringed and brought a hand to his jaw, pained by the memory of the blow after the wound itself was mended.

(Planning and despairing over our situation here)

"I have an idea, I think." Dylan scans the moonlit treeline as he says so. "I can magically create very loud noises, such as a horde of soldiers for example. If I could find a nice place to hide, I could cast the sound as the goblins approached. The sound of a Dire Tiger would send more than a few of them running, I'm sure. The forest sounds like a nice place to hide, don't you think?"

Time was dragging on, and the more it did, the more uncertain Aelistae became about her original proposal.

“I don’t know what a ‘dire tiger’ is,” she replied to Dylan, “but if you’re thinking of trying to confuse or scare the goblins, I’m not sure it’ll work. The force we’d be facing might be four or five times the size we just fought, and few goblins would feel fear with those kind of numbers on their side.”

“I’m thinking…I’m thinking that we could take the fight to them. Why not hit the goblins and orcs while they’re still gathering their strength and breaking camp before they cross the river? That way we can hit them in small groups, instead of in one big horde.”