Renia leads the adventurers down the northwestern road, the elevation growing steadily higher as the trail leads deeper into the Mengul Mountain range. As the company continues their climb, the air grows thinner and increasingly cold, drifts of snow becoming visible on the borders of the pathway and scattered across the forbidding terrain.

By midafternoon, the ground has grown level, and a light snow has begun to fall, the sun concealed behind a slate of pale gray. The road turns eastward and after a short time, the company arrives at a pass between two tall, barren peaks. Between them, centered on the road itself, is an ancient tower, its dark stone taken from the surrounding mountains. It is weathered, clearly having endured the harsh conditions of the high peaks for a century or more, but it appears well maintained, suggesting that it is occupied. No banners fly above its tall, gated entrance, which stands open, so the allegiance of whoever might dwell within it is a mystery.

As the adventurers take in the sight, the howl of a lone wolf drifts through the air, briefly breaking the silence.

Greyband is riding along, eyes darting here and there, alert, when he halts his horse at the sound of the wolf. "Ah, good. Target practice." He pulls out his bow and scans the woods for signs of a wolf pack.

"Well that was easy to find.....perhaps a bit too easy?" Jarder says with a hint of sarcasm. looking up the trail toward the tower; "Perhaps we get off the road before they see us.  Find some cover and then we can scout it out and decide on the best course of action."  he concludes edging his horse off to one side of the road.

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OOC:  Would like to find a copse of trees nearby, or a dip in the hills that can conceal us from the tower.

"Looks as if we're expected. Or someone is. I tend to agree with young Jarder. Why don't one or two of you scout ahead a bit."

He glanced around, looking for a bit of cover in which to wait while the reconnoiter to return.

He layed his weathered white-wood staff across his saddle and lap, and readied his sling. It wasn't much of a weapon, but he remembered once reading some dusty religious text as an acolyte about some obscure lad felling a titan with nothing more than a sling.

"Scouting seems reasonable." Killian agreed.

"Any volunteers?"

Renia climbs down from her mount. "I'll go," she tells Hawkfire.

"Now we are talking.  Scouting is my specialty.  My recommendation is we wait till night fall and then sneak in closer."

Killian looked around "Sounds fine.  Let us find a place to hide until nightfall and then you can scout to your heart's content."

Shoulda taken out the dragon, he grumbles silently.

Greyband nods. "I agree. Let's find a place to make a cold camp and then the two of you can scout."

Orin brushed off some of the flurries that had accumulated on the shoulder plates of his armour.  "Won't be hard at all to find a cold camp here," he grumbled a little.  The thought of sitting around in the snow while they waited for it to get colder and darker before approaching the tower sent a shiver coursing through him, but he supposed it made it safer for the scouts.

"Let's see if we can find a sheltered nook somewhere."