Salen and Hoskar vanish for the day, only meeting up with the Rangers that evening when the large group of travelers begin their descent into the warren of rocks and gullies that finally lead to the Rhino Gorge, scene of many events in the adventures of the Rangers.

A place where two of the Wandering Rangers had passed on to the afterlife: Kaonu at the hands of the Black Mud clan warriors, some of whom are now travelling with the Rangers and also of Fireborn, killed by the death explosion of Big Mouth, the Mostali guardian of the tomb of the long dead dwarf companion of the Second Age official Repe Sorsa.

As they descend through the rocky gullies Ohanzee, leading the captured sable and with his newly bound familiar sleeping tucked away out of sight, feels butterflies in his stomach. It is anticipation and more than a little trepidation mixed with excitement at the chance that he might be successful in his planned summoning of Grandmother Spider.

Spiders scurry...

Webs twang...

And from the other side an ancient spirit watches from the darkness....

Following the others Tarosh looks up at the sides of the gullies, "An easy place to be ambushed, are we staying long?"

"There are things that some of us must do" Ohanzee replies "My task will only take a night if successful."

As they approach the end of their descent, Bright Treasure already out of view down in the gully leading to Rhino Gouge Ohanzee explains to the Sky Watchers "By night it's a good idea to stay close to the fires. As you may already have known, Rhino Gouge is home to Oglod father of lizards and by day he and his children look after the place. His home is in the branch tot he North West. He's quite a character and if any want to drop by to give him thanks then it'd not hurt."

"By night though the gorge is protected by Grandmother Spider and her children who range over the boulder field to the East of the gorge. It's a long story, but the quick version is that a fellow follower of Raven and Wandering Ranger summoned her to the place, to Oglod's home and in doing so brought his wrath though he didn't know it."

"I devised a compromise so that by day, his element, Oglod looks over the place and by night, hers Grandmother Spider does. She keeps her children from sucking the life from the ravine too, but that is not to say that they would not come if she called them at night to protect it."

He shrugs "You may even meet Melock when we get to the Earth Temple, if the priestess has been able to recover his soul and mend his body."

Ohanzee falls quiet as they near the end of the gully and exit into Rhino Gouge and as they move to the overhang by the pool where they last camped, where he met and joined the Rangers and where other less happy memories linger. By the time they have set camp the shadows are already deepening to night and seem all the darker for the light thrown out from the camp fires only to be quenched within a few yards.

Umbra has already taken to the wing and is feeding happily on the insects that buzz over and about the pool Bring back some for the other bat Ohanzee sends silently glad of the help in keeping the little thing fed now.

The Raven brave's anticipation has grown further still and his stomach is turning too much to fancy eating anything so with his animals seen to he rises and announces "I'm going to the cave where Melock called Grandmother Spider, anyone want to come?"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:16, Mon 11 Jan 2016.

Before reaching the Rhino Gorge, Broken Claw tells the Rangers that he and his followers will camp in one of the side ravines, partially out of respect for the Ranger who fell here to Zakeen Two Thumb's Herdman and mainly in respect to the many Morokanths who died at the hand of Salen and his allies.

"It is a Ghost place for us now..."

Perhaps surprisingly the Harpy Queen and her followers elect to roost with the Morokanths, saying that the magic of the Rhino Gorge jars her spirit and that she feels unsafe there.

Even with the sudden depletion of their numbers, the Rangers are still in the company of the Vingans, who look about in wonder, explaining that this would be a place they would not visit normally.

The overhang looks unused since the last time the Rangers had all been here and the spirit of the camp has kept it tidy, the wood pile filled and the gourds and pottery urns full of water.

From the pool comes a splash and those looking swear that they see something larges flash silver just below the surface...

He listens as Ohanzee tells the new traveling companions what is abroad in the dark and what he plans to do, "Why would you want to call such a terrible spirit? surely she will just attack us all?" As they get to the overhang, he dismounts and helps Kinamasi down. Hisser jumps down and once he sees which way Ohanzee is heading, goes off in the other direction to hunt.

Kinamasi is just about to ask about firewood, when she see the stack of it, she turns to the others, "I think someone else is already living here, they have collected firewood. We should talk to them before we take over their camp."

Ohanzee smiles "Oh but she's about anyway come Darkness. At least a portion of her is."

Then after a moment he sighs and adds "Besides, I have a gift or two for her and hope to win her favour, to come back closer to the Darkness that used to feel so natural to me."
He gazes at the pool watching the bat flit this way and that.