The party trudges on while Eldor enjoys the view.

Quickly taking his bearings Eldor moved off the crest of the hill and down into the undergrowth.

He moved swiftly and sure of foot until he reached the flat landsat the hill's foot.

As soon as the land got easier to move across Eldor shoulded his bow clipped shut his quiver and set aout at a good run cutting across the land before him to reach the rest of the group as quickly as he could.

Overtaking them he quietly waited just ahead until they caught up with him.

Stepping out onto the path he held up his and to hault them.

"My comrades we need to move fast there is a group of figures heading in this direction and will reach us before long if we cut East the valley is gentle and will be easy under foot. Up that way is also a cluster of old buildings which look like a good defensive position if these new comers turn out to be less than friendly."

He stopped for a minute for his news to settle in "East also lays Ely as we get closer we will reach a craggy wall of hills but once over that we will be nearly at our destination."

Thomas nodded at the news and said to the others, "Let us be about it then and swiftly. No need to be caught in the open by anything which may mean us harm."

The Knight waited for eldor to lead on.

You curve south around the base of the tall hill and note that another trail branches south.  According to Addo this lleads out intoa harsh, deserted moorland.

once you reach the eastern part of the valley the going is easy, even pleasant as the valley bottom is level and the ground firm.  You pass several abandoned stone dwellings, roofless and rather primitive stone dwellings.  Further on you see the openings of ththree separate caves to the north.    According to Addo the first seemed to be inhabited by something large, while the second is deep.  The third is shallower and they spent a night there safely.

Ahead, just before the eastern edge of the downs rises steeply, you see a group of raised areas in a circle too regular too be accidental.  These could well be burial mounds or the remnants of agriculture.

 "It ill suits me to avoid any man but our errand is more important than petty skirmishes until we reach our goal." replies Sir Campbell, nodding in approval at the keen-eyed Eldors work before setting to with a will, pushing on despite his obviously fading strength and stamina, trudging on with more bull-headed determination more than anything else until the group gets into the valley proper and murmurs, "I like not the hills, but they'll provide cover should the others gain sight of the valley. Think you they're drawing close?" to Eldor, obviously trying to get a sense for where the others he espied are.

The tall hill from which Eldor reconnoitred is now to your west and will surely block the sight of you from any pursuer who has not yet passed over or around it.

As you approach the raised areas you slow the pace and examine them with interest.  In the centre of the ring of mounds is a wooden post, darkened and worn almost to a stump, set in a base of granite.  There is still some faded writing on the post.

[ooc: Thomas, Adonis and Rael give me 2d10 tracking rolls]

Karl continued leaning on his staff for support due to the unhealing wounds.  "This... this is a burial ground.  An old custom used by uncivilized folk..."  His words trailed of as he began coughing.

 OOC: 11:17, Today: Sir Adonis Campbell rolled 5 using 2d10. Tracking roll.

Rael was too exhausted from the strain of the last few days to be cordial conversation or do anything but trudge along the other others. The lack of proper rest and his wounds were taking most of his energy as he stop nearly bumping to the man in front of him blinking fatigue away and looking at the reason for their pause.

21:59, Today: Thomas Keith rolled 4 using 2d10. Tracking Roll.


Thomas trudged along with the group keeping a sharp eye out for anything suspicious. There had been plenty to make the knight more than just normally wary of his surroundings. They were drawing neigh unto their goal and it was quite possible outriders could be warding the appraoch to prevent people from doing exactly what they were attempting.

Eldor was concerned about his companion's health but he also knew that staying here too long could shorten it even more. Still he slowed his pace to that of the most seriously wounded.

All the time he kept an eye open for any sign of the group he'd spotted from the hill ready with his bow in case he needed to defend his friends.

Thomas notes a faint trail from the central post towards the caves to the north.  Although it has not been used in the last few days, he hardy grass and heather has not yet grown back, so it has surely been travelled within the last year, though not by many people.

Karl examines the post and its runic etchings, and notes that some of the letters appear to have been cut out quite recently, with a knife or chisel, leaving a fresh edge to the wood.

Adonis meanwhile scouts to the east, where the eastern hills rise up rather steeply.  There is no clear path up across them and the going looks fairly tough.  On the other hand, the ground seems firm and the rock solid, for a firm footing.

Kjaelos approaches the post cautiously reaching out his hand to trace the runes as he attempts to decipher them...

 Returning to the group, Adonis offers his discoveries to the group with a simple "There's no clear way onwards. The ground's firm enough to climb, but I doubt me half of us would make good time ascending it." and a disgruntled look over his shoulder at the offending chunk of scenery, "We can probably pass though, if slowly."

PLs...

Looking up at the returning Adonis and his report, Kjaelos turns away from his examination of the rune-carved post.

"Let's have a short break here...while I take another look at that nasty scratch you got there..."

Motioning the big knight (Adonis) away from the group towards a stump where he can sit down, Kjaelos crouches down beside him, looks around discreetly, then turns his attention back to the knight...



After a very brief moment, Kjaelos stands up muttering angrily as if gravely disappointed in something. Turning around, he moves on to the young adventurer Rael, crouching down beside him.


Finally he moves on to Karl the outlandish warrior, crouching down beside where he is resting.

Plopping down beside Karl, Kjaelos closes his eyes in exhaustion to rest for abit...

Kjaelos does not recognize the runes, although it seems that Karl does.

His healing hands seem to have a beneficial effect on Rael and Karl, though less so on Adonis.

[Just waiting for Thomas and Karl to post...]

Perhaps it was the magic Kjaelos used or perhaps being young Rael healed faster then the other but the short rest did wonders to his moral as well as his body. He hardly felt the pain in his ankle and his hand was functioning with no problems. He still had the wolf bites on his leg but the wound was getting better and did not seem infected,

Rael bowed his head in gratitude to Kjaelos and then when the healer let him go went over to examine the post and its rune, he was bored and he figured he might as well look at the point of interest in their stop.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Sun 24 Apr 2011.

"You can read those runes?" Kjaelos asks Karl without opening his eyes. "Some of them seem newly cut..."

[OOC: And I am assuming of course that somebody is keeping watch while we are loafing around resting abit..:D]

The Knight considered what Adonis had said and tooks stock of his companions. They were all in rough shape from the running combat and exposure to the elements. they were almost to the end of their journey though. "We should do what will get us to the end of the journey most rapidly. If climbing is not an option, then we should go through as quickly as we may."

He considered the distance himself just staring in the direction that they needed to go.

 "I changed the bandages this morning." Sir Campbell protests, since doing so cost him another few inches off his undershirt - not that it's helped a hell of a lot as the cloth wrappings about his right forearm are soaked through with blood in the rough pattern of a set of massive claws that sheared through his torn and battered steel vambrace - but he doesn't prevent the other man from chanting, even if his uncanny sorceries fail to take effect on a man of such profound (if simple) faith as the knight (for a given value of Adonis's understanding, anyway).

 "Such is my thinking. One hard push pays for all if we but make it in time - then we must turn about and return of course, to recover our damn' fool companion from the cave." he replies with an almost audible groan at the very thought.

Karl looks long and hard considering the runes.  Finally, he speaks.  "I recognize the lettering, but they are arranged in a way that makes it unknown to me.  I do not know what to make of it, it seems that one who does not know Visic tried to write in it."

[Stuff you would know:
 - old Bjorn said that he and Thorkel slew the witch Fjonya in a cave somewhere in the downs
 - the three caves are about 20 minutes walk from your current position
 - once over the eastern hills you will be on heathland which approaches Ely castle, which is apparently dotted by farms]

[Hmmm, I can't seem to do anything right with this thread!  If no-one decides what the group is going to do then I will assume you follow Adonis' and Thomas' wishes, from their last posts below.]

Rael shakes his head "I can not read these marking, they were made by men and not beast or fey that I am sure but nothing else."

He looks at the others"Wee move on?"