Chapter 2: On the trail of orbs, bad guys and adventure

[badams30]

Sigfried wishes you all well and bids you safe travels. Theo gathers gear and distributes some of the bread and dried meat that his family has provided to each person, and he stows a longbow and some arrows on his pack. Albrecht takes leave for a short while to pray and reflect at the shrine, and Zapolas and Kane gather their gear.

Albrecht spends about a half an hour praying. As he starts praying he is quite absorbed in thoughts of the orb and feelings of dread about what you could all be getting in to. He finds a strange, soothing clarity and peacefulness after praying.

Zapolas sports has snazzy cloak, much to the amusement and approval of the residents, who smile and wish him well.

Kane waits impatiently outside the door of the gasthaus, grumbling about tending to all the problems of the village when they could be spending their earnings rest and relaxation. As he stares dourly at the goings on of the village, Rudi the innkeep taps his lightly on the shoulder, and hands him 2 large stoppered bottles of a dark burgundy liquid, pressing them into his hands. Removing the stopper from one he smells a sharp but pleasant aroma of cloves, herbs, cinnamon and mint. Rudi grins and grunts "Oberling. Specialty of the region. Keep spirits up. You be careful, the village wishes you well." And he nods and walks back inside.

Several minutes pass and once you've checked and rechecked your weapons and gear, you set out. Your departure seems to have attracted the attention of dozens of the locals, and they are dressed in what you would assume is their nicer attire (think lederhosen and dirindls) and some of the children throw flowers in front of you. The people smile and nod, and bid you good luck in quiet voices.

After a few minutes, you are walking out of the village and into and into the grassy farm fields leading East toward the hills and eventually the forest in the distance. The day is partly cloudy, but the sun poking through the clouds warms the air just enough.

About two hours into your walk, the trail starts to become fainter and obviously less-used, and you enter an area of low hills and scrubby trees and vegetation. Rounding the base of a small hill, you see ahead of you a small pack of about a dozen wild boars scavenging around through the bushes - snorting and scratching at the ground. Some have large tusks and are quite big, while the majority seem to be smaller females and a handful of young ones. Theo motions for you to stop and he whispers - "They can be quite grumpy if startled. They are also quite tasty to eat. I could probably kill one if you wish, or we could just take a few extra minutes and walk around."

[connivingsumo]

Zapolas


Zapolas imagines himself being swung around like a ragdoll impaled on a boar's tusk... "Heh... perhaps we should go around? I mean, we have enough food, right?" the Wizard asks sheepishly.

[kipper]

Kane simply nods once, in agreement with Zapolas.

[badams30]

General consensus is to bypass the boars, so you divert slightly to the south to go around. Your passage is noticed by the boars as you skirt the edge of the rough clearing they are in, but aside from a large male keeping a keen eye on your band, they don't stop what they're doing. You proceed on.

The edges of the wood are almost always visible in the distance, and as you get generally closer to them, the hills and grassy areas have more tree cover and shade than the surrounding areas. Your bellies tell you it's getting late in the day, and the sun is low in the sky when Theo takes a detour to the right of the very rough path you've been following into a grove of trees. It becomes immediately darker, and it gives you flashbacks of being in the dense forest by Anora's tower. After about 5 minutes you come into an area, probably about 500ft around that has noticeably less trees than the surrounding areas. The first thing you notice is a large stone fireplace standing toward the middle of the area. Obviously very old, and you can see faint remains of rotted logs and occasional stones from a foundation. Near the fireplace is a roughly 10x10 structure, more of a frame, that is moss covered, but sturdy, and tattered tarps covering the roof flap in the breeze. It's clear that this is used very infrequently, and judging from the dampness of the ashes in the fireplace, it hasn't been used in quite a while. Theo drops his pack and immediately starts to pull out his tarp "this should do. We're still a day away from the ruins, and our fire shouldn't be visible to anyone outside of this area." He pauses to make sure everyone agrees before he starts to pitch camp.

Glancing around the site, you see scattered remains of old cabins, their log walls sitting in wet, rotting piles atop fragmented stone foundations. You also see the occasional rusty piece of metal, an old bucket, barrel rings, that sort of thing. The whole area is slowing going back to nature, but it has a calm, safe feeling to it.

Theo waits to make sure everyone is okay with camping here. Any changes, or preparations? You have probably an hour or two at most before the sun goes down.

[connivingsumo]

Zapolas


The Wizard searches the fireplace before someone puts a fire in it. He searches the ashes and logs, of course, but he's primarily interested in loose bricks, false flooring, etc.

[badams30]

Zapolas


The Wizard searches the fireplace before someone puts a fire in it. He searches the ashes and logs, of course, but he's primarily interested in loose bricks, false flooring, etc.

Seeing Zapolas examining the fireplace, Theo nods in approval and does the same. It seems weathered and well used, a few stones missing here and there, but otherwise unremarkable.

Theo pitches the tarp over the top of the shelter and sets about gathering firewood, as there is plenty of deadfall to be had. After gathering a large pile of wood, Theo has a small but blazing fire going in the fireplace within a few minutes.

As Theo and Zapolas are making themselves busy by the fireplace, Kane and Albrecht both hear a bubbling sound nearby. After checking it out, they find a small spring about 20 feet from the shelter area, someone has encircled it in stones and it trickles slightly downhill into the woods. The water seems cool and clear. Aside from the spring and the assorted rotted wood, foundations and rusty junk here and there, there doesn't seem to be much here. Theo smiles when he hears of the spring. "My father and uncle used to come out here to hunt caribou and deer years ago. This place is pretty much forgotten by everyone since it's not on the trail anymore. The last time I heard of anyone using this it was a group of prospectors heading toward the old mine a couple of years ago."

[kipper]

Kane is somewhat nervous and suspicious of this convenient (too convenient?) campsite. He spends most of his free time patrolling the boundary.

[connivingsumo]

Zapolas

The budding Wizard offers Theo a genuine compliment on his fire building skills, "Heh... it would take me a loooong time to build a fire like that; I haven't learned it in magic yet, so I'm afraid my outdoor skills need improvement."

Realizing he has nothing to offer Theo in the skill department, Zapolas takes a taste from the Spring, and then sets about collecting firewood.

[badams30]

Kane dutifully patrols the perimeter of the old campsite, and finds more foundations, rusty implements, and evidence of long ago habitation. He also finds about a dozen areas where animals (presumably deer) use to sleep or rest. The area is very quiet, and aside from the birds and the faint bubbling of the spring, has an almost meditative quality about it. Even for the grouchy monk, he feels quite at peace here.

Zapolas and Theo chat about wilderness skills, Theo telling the mage about how his family have been woodsmen going back at least 200 years. He shows Zapolas how to start a fire using two pieces of wood and friction, and after a couple practices, Zapolas manages to be able to get the sparks needed to start a fire. Zapolas starts to gather wood, but Theo tells him that there is plenty on hand, and to relax. taking a drink from the spring, Zapolas is refreshed by the cold, clear water.

Albrecht finds some quiet time to pray, then sets about organizing his sleeping space beneath the shelter.

As everyone starts to settle in, the sun sets and it gets dark quickly in the woods. You break into your rations and eat, the sound of crickets and faint lights of fireflies adding to the relaxing setting. As he finishes his meal, Theo says "We should leave at first light, the terrain will get a bit rougher, and we'll want to slow our pace as we get closer to the mine and the ruins. My dad said no one in their right mind would be in those hills or ruins, but I don't think we should take this lightly. Hunters from the village used to come this way routinely, but over the last 10-15 years it's gotten more dangerous out this way. Hunting parties would report strange sounds, footprints, that sort of thing. Then every once in a while someone would go out and not come back. Back when I was a boy, a whole hunting party of a dozen up and vanished. Since then, no one really goes this way. At least not past here. So we should slow down and stick to the treeline or cover when possible." Noticing the somber mood, Theo chuckles and says "I'm sorry, I tend to be pretty careful. I haven't seen the world like you gentlemen have. The village and my family is all I've got. I'm proud to be tackling this with you all - our village hasn't seen anything like this in decades!"

You have time to chat or do whatever prior to going to bed. Theo says "I can take a couple watch shifts tonight. I got a lot of sleep yesterday."

Watch schedules? Any other actions?

[kipper]

Kane will take first watch, which he will conduct via his patrols of the perimeter.