I have a feeling we are going to need your skills my friend. These creatures are very quick and very deadly. I am glad that you are coming along. He says in an impressed tone. He then proceeds to tell the captain of their recent encounter with the things, which he manages to stay fairly calm through.

Loden listens to the story with a frown and a nod. Well alright. It would seem we shouldn't try to be heroes then. As soon as we spot anything we should do our best to get reinforcements as fast as possible. The empress is already readying her armies, we are just the scouts in this hunting party.

ooc: Roll searches and spots please

Raknesh nodded, to acknowledge the man's remark.


"Yes, we better make sure we stay hidden, I do not know if we could outrun them, should we be spotted."

ooc: Prizzard is joining this thread now, but he has not officially met you yet so you can ignore posts for him if you want until I put you together.

Raknesh: You manage to to spot something in the distance, though at present there isn't much to see. You are not sure, but it appears to be smoke, possibly from a campfire but you aren't sure. You also notice that Jett looks particularly nervous and jumpy, flinching at the slightest surprise and looking distracted.

Prizzard: Ooc: I'm skipping you on ahead in time so you are in sync with the others now.
ic: The boy is completely silent, giving you very little communication save to point or gesture at which way you should go. You leave the city and head towards the outer edges of the fields and forests surrounding Halidar. He takes his time, searching here and there. He seems to have a feel for which tracks are Loden's and which are not. At least he seems confident of it anyway. Judging by the tracks he does point out to you, they are fresh. You are not far from your quarry. Eventually he manages to point out a small group in the far distance. It is difficult to get an exact number, but the boy managed to see them despite your unsuccessful attempts.

"Do you see the thin column of smoke there?" he said, pointing toward the direction.

"It might be a good place to begin. With some luck is a small campfire and the people there will have some information, maybe even some useful information."

Looking at Jet he added
"don't be so nervous, we are still miles from their camp, if you can't keep your composure now, you won't be of much help once we reach them.  I know you must fear to meet them again, but now is a good time to prove that they didn't break you."

With those last words, he began to move toward the smoke, hoping the others would follow.

Raknesh: Jett looks surprised that you have noticed his nervousness but gives a shaky nod and tries to steel himself. Loden sees the smoke as well and gives you a pleased pat on the shoulder. Excellent work Raknesh! Even if it is but a lone traveler perhaps they will have seen something. You all head towards the direction of the campfire, and it takes you about fifteen minutes to reach the source. As you do, Ezran lets out a gasp and Jett swears. It is indeed the smoldering remains of a fire. However there is something far more sinister about it. You see a wooden stake in the middle of it and a charred corpse, or rather what is left of one, tied by cords with the smoldering campfire at its feet. There is very little flesh left on the poor soul and its mouth is open in a noiseless scream. Loden scowls at the scene and goes forward to investigate. Should you do the same you notice that the flesh was not stripped from the fire, but rather you see something that looks suspiciously like teeth marks left on the bones.

"Once we confirm his identity, you can go back. Lets get close, I'll follow you." He tries to keep silent, following the boys footsteps, knowing that he is no silent stalker.

Prizzard: The boy leads you, wordlessly. There are several trees and plenty of brush, but even so it may be difficult to keep yourself hidden from them. The boy crouches down as he moves, surprisingly fast. It seems he is used to such situations. As you get closer to the others, though there is still a good deal of distance, you see smoke rising from where they are, as if they are by the remnants of a fire.

ooc: Roll hide please Prizzard.

Raknesh, please roll your spot.

10:22, Today: Prizzard rolled 7 using 1d20. Hide.
...Yaaaaay... As expected!

sorry for the delay, should be more regular now.

"This is not a good news... From the wounds and the state of the bodies it look too much like what you described.  Could it be those ... men ? ... have scouts?"

He looked around, his forehead creased with a touch of worry.

18:01, Today: Raknesh Kaltash rolled 14 using 1d20+8. spot.
not my best roll, but ...

Prizzard: You are unsure yet if they have seen you or not, but you continue to move closer with the boy for the moment. As you close the distance you are fairly sure that this is the group you have been sent to find. You can't help but wonder though, how you are going to find out which of these is Loden and how you are going to overcome the small band as they do outnumber you. This could require some strategy....

Raknesh: Loden frowns at your question but gives a slow nod. This is possible. Either that or our enemies are closer than we realized.... He trails off darkly. Ezran looks doubtful at these words. Surely we would have seen them by now if they were this close? I would say it is a scout that caused this. It has to be! Even as your group discusses the scene, you notice a pair approaching in the distance. They seem to be attempting to be stealthy but your keen eyes pick them up anyway. Whether you know if they realize you've seen them you are unsure. ooc: Also Raknesh, please roll another spot to see if you see Amadeus.

Amadeus: You ride out to where the priest informed you. You are nearly at his coordinates when you notice a small group standing near the remnants of a small fire in the near distance. Upon closer scrutiny you see the remains of a body in the middle of the fire. The group seems to be inspecting it. ooc: If you wish to be hidden please roll hide and move silently, if not that is fine too.

As he spotted the suspicious duo, Raknesh made another circular observation, with a neutral look, making sure he didn't look like he had spotted anything, especially when his eyes scanned the zone they were hidden in.

While he look to the other side, he whispered, loud enough to be heard by the two others, but not farther.

"We have company.  Do not look at them now, they are (and he gave them the direction and distance).  I will go back toward the horses and, using them as a cover, I will try to take them from the rear."

Loudly he added :
"I need to check on the horses, look around the place to see if you find something useful about the people that were here."



12:03, Today: Raknesh Kaltash rolled 18 using 1d20+8. spot.

17:59, Today: Amadeus rolled 13 using 1d20+7. Move Silently.
17:58, Today: Amadeus rolled 25 using 1d20+7. Hide.

Amadeus as quietly as possible moves behind a tree hoping to gain a better view point of the group.Hopefully he hasnt interrupted anyone's supper.

Prizzard simply continues to follow the boy, trying to stay hidden.

20:02, Yesterday: Prizzard rolled 11 using 1d20. Hide.

ooc; In the interest of saving time I rolled Raknesh and Prizzard's listens for them.

Raknesh: You see the fellow still approaching, attempting to be sneaky but your sharp eyes have managed to keep him in view. You are unsure if he sees you hiding behind the horses, but Loden gives you an acknowledging nod. Clearly he sees the couple approaching as well. Ezran and Jett pretend to be busy milling around the corpse, waiting for the right moment to react to this strange stalking couple. As they get closer you see that one of them is a young boy, which perplexes you. As you think on the situation you hear a faint crackling from a bunch of trees several yards away. It is likely an animal or some such thing but you can't help but wonder.

Prizzard: ooc: Roll a spot please
ic: From as far as you can tell they are not really reacting to you at this point, which  makes you unsure as to whether they have seen you or not. Soon your are getting close enough to the point where you need to make a decision as to what to do. As you think on your methods, you hear a faint snap coming from a group of trees not far from you. Whether it is of any significance you have yet to discover.

Amadeus: You watch intently, seeing this strange duo headed towards the group as though they are trying to hide. One of them is a young boy, which confuses you, though the priest's words of evil preying on the innocent still ring in your mind. No one has seen you as yet. Though you were a bit loud in your hiding attempt as the ground was littered with dry branches.

Amadeus tries to remain hidden and observe this group of people. They could be cannibals after all, and they might be looking for desert.

'So were are not alone...' Radjek didn't think it could be an animal: with what they had seen, better to suspect another stalker and be wrong than the opposite.


Looking at the two people more closely he thought about their appearance and the description he had from the others.

They didn't look like the ones they were after, and they had none of the aggressive behavior the victims had in the city.

He decided to take the risk.

"You, there, do not move.   I won't hurt you but don't make any suspicious move.
Who are you and what are you doing here?  Do you have anything to do with the small camp there?"

He is ready to materialize and launch his blade, should they attempt to arm him, or draw a weapon.

He stands and approaches the area of the party. Hands in his robes as usual, his obvious weapon obviously untouched. He speaks loud and clear. "I seek Loden."

"Who are you, you and the boy, and why would you seek Loden? Do you know anything about this place and the ... people ... that made camp there?"
Raknesh is not menacing, but there is an edge on his voice, although he tried not to be too intimidating for the sake of the boy.  But still wary, the last encounter with children had not been pleasant.

What is it that you seek from me man? Be quick. We have important matters at hand as you can see. He gestures to the charred corpse. You can tell that he looks wary and ready to draw his sword at any moment, as do Ezran and Jett.

Adressing the child: "You may go, You have found Loden." Once the boy is outside of hearing range, he replies: "I struck a deal with a man named Koros in order to find out who or what had killed my tribe many years ago. To fulfill my end of the bargain seems to be foolish now. I was ordered to bring you back dead or alive. Now, though, I believe it would be foolish to attack such a large group."

Loden listens and then shakes his head and to your surprise begins to chuckle. Koros is still after me after all these years eh? Well how persistant of him. I'm sorry you got mixed up with him as you seem an honest fellow. Yes, you are right that it would be wise not to attack me under such circumstances. I'm sure we'll figure out another alternative... He gives a small grin. But Raknesh is right. Do you have any idea of what has transpired here? I do take your claims on my life seriously, but this charred corpse is a bit...distracting. He arches a curious eyebrow.

Amadeus: You are still hiding when you see the boy wander off a little ways. He suddenly turns to see you and wordlessly begins to point in your location.

Raknesh & Prizzard: You see the boy suddenly begin pointing to a copse of trees nearby.

Seeming fully unentertained by Loden, hea speaks as he looks toward the trees the boy is pointing to. "Not a clue. Perhaps an angry wizard." Motioning toward the trees he raises a question. "One of yours?"

still worried about the boy, and not happy with the man that said he was looking for Loren, both for that reason and because he used a boy in such a dangerous place, Raknesh sees the youth pointing toward the woods, not far from the direction he heard a noise before and tries to see whatever the boy saw.

15:16, Today: Raknesh Kaltash rolled 21 using 1d20+8. spot.

"He knows now that anything should happen to you now, he will be held responsible and meet a dangerous end. So I suppose he will do his best to keep you healthy, isn't it?"  He says to the man

"Your guide appears to have seen something, so we might have to discuss this a little later" he adds, his energy sword sparkling on his right arm.