Within the hour, the cliffs begin an about face from their original direction, heading north and leaving a wide open area to their west. With night upon you, you may resume travel southward to Misha's Ferry along the riverbank, camp alongside the cliff, which seems a safe enough, though very exposed, site, or continue traveling through some portion of the night.
The cliffside heading north looks oddly familiar to all the original members of the group. Something disturbing you can't quite put your finger on, but you are reasonably sure that you have seen these cliffs before.
"Let's all go to the ferry for tonight. it is a bit more defensible than anything here and it is shelter." Rhune says as she looks at the cliffs......puzzled about what it is that is familiar to the cliffs Rhune racks her brain for what it is.
She cannot place it. The light, something is not the same, but she has been here before. Nonetheless, the group continues with it's plan to head for the ferry, riding on for two more hours or so until they reach the familiar shack near the jetty. The newer companions recognize it as well, the point where they met each other the first time.
Ratlin frowns at the memory of his ferry ride but continues on.
It looks much the same as all of you remember it, though it looks like quite a few people have been using it as a rest stop. The books that Xania wanted to take along with you have been thrown around the ground, pages ripped out, and within the place is a shambles, though it was never well-kept. The grave you all dug for Misha herself is still there, though it appears to have had several visitors. Lots of pedestrians have been through here, and several mounted as well. The tracks have been muddled too much by the rain to be able to ascertain anything else. The ferry itself rests on the northern shore.
"Let's make camp here as Dakath suggested. I propose a watch rotation, since we're still in a Goblin-invested area. I'll volunteer for first watch with Amibar. We'll take watch for two hours. Next could be Pietro and Tolik, than Rhune and Asif, Forte and Dakath and last Ratlin and Arkady. Does that sound like a good plan?"
Amibar stares at Ullar, clearly surprised. "You want to take watch with ME? Really?" The little Gnome's face breaks into a grin. "Hey, Ullar and me are taking first watch, did you hear that 'Tasha?" he exclaims to his ferret.
Arkady seems to come out of his funk. "Very well. That schedule sounds good to me." He sets up his bedroll and other gear and then gets out his notebooks and begins to write and sketch the surrounding area.
Ratlin nods and prepares to make camp.
As it seems that everyone wants to stay at Misha's ferry, "I can take second watch Ullar.....And I think we still have enough food to last...." Rhune replies.
A couple of the newcomers have food with them, as none of you have much to speak of. Rations are starting to be as hard to come by as torches. However, the newcomers are generous Ratlin takes his rations out and notes how much he has left. Nodding, he puts them back into his pack, mentally calculating how long it should last.
He has most of his week left, as do Tolik and Amibar. None of the others has even a scrap.
When the meal is over, Tolik carefully repacks all the rations. Taking inventory as he packs, he says "We're going to need to find some more food soon, though I will share as long as I have any left."
Arkady shares what food he has and looks longingly in his pack for morsels. "We'll need more food very soon. Probably tomorrow."
"Thank you for sharing with us. Hopefully we will find something soon." Rhune replies to the winged elf.
"Does that give enough rest to those who use magic?" Forte's eyes search the group, to make sure everyone's sleep needs are met.
"Eh.. well.. eh.. do they need MORE rest or something? I'm not a magick user and I don't have a clue about this, to be honest!" says Ullar, with some embarrassment in his voice.
"It will be acceptable," says Tolik; then he finds a place off to the side of the rest to sleep. He lays for a while, staring up into the sky, trying to sleep.
Ratlin looks at Forte and responds, "That is plenty for me. My spell is still fresh in my mind so sleep really isn't a factor."
"Great. Rhune, I trust you and Asif will wake me and Dakath when it's our watch," Forte says to the elf. He prepares to sleep for the night, his bow, arrows, and mace close by just in case they are ambushed once again.
"Sounds good to me as well," Rhune says with a smile
Arkady makes all his ablutions and prepares for bed. He quickly falls asleep, his mind and body exhausted from the last few days. However his body is not so willing to sleep deeply, he rolls and thrashes in his sleep as the vision from the lake replays over and over again in his head.
In the middle of the night he sits straight up from his sleep, screaming and soaked in sweat. "NOOOOOOOO!!! YA ETA HOROSHOI CHELOVEK!!!!!!!" His eyes stare in horror wide open and glazed with fear.
Ratlin awakes with a start but soon goes back to sleep after seeing it was only a dream.
Hearing the cry, Tolik leaps to his feet and scans the surroundings. He sees no enemies, so he turns to Arkady. Seeing the man's eyes, he realizes it was just a nightmare. He calls softly, "Tis a bad dream. Hush now, fret not over the stuff of smoke and illusion."
Jumping up at his scream, "Arkady, are you alright?" Rhune asks.
Arkady shakes his head and looks anxiously about at the stares of the others. He mumbles as he falls back "Sorry musta been a bad dream." He rolls himself up in his blanket and cries himself back to sleep.
Not long after his outburst Rhune goes to sleep, laying next to Asif.......she too is troubled by the vision from the lake....moaning and tossing.....then hugging Asif tightly, as if afraid that is she lets go she will lose him.
During the night, the first two watches go well. However, during Asif and Rhune's, as they huddle together attempting to put the dark visions they had behind them, they hear some noises from the forest. Turning to see what is making them, they hear a familiar sound, the grunting of some very large forest animal. Looking up, between the trees comes the monstrous bear that assaulted the group several weeks ago. It appears to have had the worse of things since you last saw it, as it's fur is mangy and coated with blood.
It approaches, not quickly, but shambling. Remembering your last encounter with the creature, Asif and Rhune stand still, hands on their weapons but not drawing them. It comes very close to them, sniffing at them. The look on it's eyes is not terrifying, like last time, but rather sad and mournful. After a few moments, it turns and slowly paces back into the woods.
Breathing a sigh of relief, the pair go back to watching from the front stoop. No other event of note happens during their watch. Forte and Dakath relieve them without trouble, only hearing the far off baying of some wolves, but they never come close enough to worry them.
In the morning, all awake refreshed and ready to head back into pursuit mode.
Tolik climbs down off the roof of the shed where he slept after his watch was over. He collects his belongings, then finds his horse and gets ready to go.
Crossing north back toward the cliffs you left last night, you retrace your steps. The day is much more pleasant, cool but dry with wispy clouds, and thus the ride is quicker and easier. Within an hour, you have reached the cliff face. Again noting it's familiarity, more distinct this time, you continue on northward, as the cliff face is not directly north, but rather north-northwest. Waiting for it to turn around, you briefly think that it might continue on for some time and you will lose another day, but at last, sometime before noon, you reach the point where it dies down, gradually fading into the rough hills.
Again you are hit by the amazing familiarity of the place, and soon you find out why. Near the end of the cliff face there is a circular clearing between the rocks. Between a couple of those rocks you see a dead man, then several more, along with quite a few dead goblins, scattered about the clearing haphazardly. Most prominent among the corpses is a truly monstrous goblinoid who has been hacked down. The humans are all the same shaven-headed variety that attacked you in the forest, and the goblins appear to be a yellow-skinned variety.
Ratlin looks at Ullar and the others, "Have you been here before? The big one, is it the Vlack we are searching for?"
Though Ullar briefly assents, it is clearly not Vlack, as he realizes once he gets close.
What brings the memory back thoroughly is the grave in the clearing, a large grave with a broken greatsword protruding from it. Beyond, the ending of the cliff beckons to the east, and to reach the point where the tall goblinoids were watching will most likely take most of the day through the hilly, rough country.
Ratlin dismounts momentarily to examine the grave and the greatsword, paying silent homage to the one buried there. Shortly after he gets back upon his horse, ready to continue.
Tolik arriving at the rear of the group, again being the slowest rider, looks puzzled by the findings. He raises his eyebrows to those who seem to know what this place is, asking without speaking.
At the grave Arkady looks on with sadness. "Who died here?? Was it a friend of yours??"
"Yes," says Forte. "A warrior named Leslie." Forte averts his eyes from the grave to look at Arkady. "He was absolutely fearless," the warrior says with a slight smile. "He died here, when we attacked these slavers to free their prisoners."
"Hmmm, I guess he was a bit TOO fearless," mutters the little Gnome.
"Exactly," response Forte, with a rueful smile.
"Caution's best, if you ask me," he adds, looking at the two warriors, " ...which you probably won't." he concludes, smiling self-mockingly.
Forte responds with a cheerful face. "Oh, we'll be asking you lots of things, eventually. Just wait your turn and you'll be bombarded with questions and decisions--and you won't have time to think it over." With a conspiratorial whisper, Forte looks furtively around and then - with a twinkle in his eye - whispers to the gnome, "And, actually, I'm kind of with you on this 'caution' idea. Especially after what happened to me in that last tomb a few weeks ago."
Amibar looks up skeptically at the large warrior, not sure if he's being teased or mocked. Shrugging in resignation, he turns back to contemplate the grave and surrounding evidence of carnage. " I don't think I'll ever get used to this kind of thing," he muses, " all this charging and screaming and blood... I'd much rather blast them away from a distance with my magic." He looks down, depressed. " But I'm not much good at that, either..."
"Sure you are. And you'll get better. And the better you get, the more powerful your magic will be." Forte's voice takes a more serious tone, "You have already used your magic successfully, so we know you can do it. Our weapons don't always hit the bad guys. Sometimes we miss - with weapons and magic. But a lot of time, we're right on target. Whether it's a sword or a sleep spell," he finishes with a smile.
" You... You think so, really? That I'm any good?" Ami smiles weakly at Forte's words of encouragement. "Thanks, Forte." he adds quietly.
Arkady also grins at the depressed gnome. "Of course you will. The winds of magic are fickle and fleeting. To have the magic flow in my blood is my one heart's desire. At least you have the power to improve. I am stuck with the desire and none of the talent."
"Besides," Ratlin adds, "You couldn't possibly do worse than I did back at camp. I need to remember that fire spells are more harm than good in a forest."
Arkady lowers his head to honor the dead. "I am sorry for your loss. I hope he died well and valiantly?"
"Yes he did." Rhune replies as she gets up and remounts her horse....tears brim briefly in her eyes before she wipes them away.
Forte replies simply, "He died in the middle of the battle." He smiles at Arkady. "Leslie did seem to enjoy battle, so I suppose that was the best way for him to-" he stops abruptly, but then forces out the final word, "....die."
Comforting Rhune as he guides her back to her horse, Asif aids her to remount her steed. "Be brave my love, we shall fulfill our destiny and make Leslie's sacrifice worthwhile."
Smiling down at him, "I hope so, Asif, I certainly hope so."
"Is this really the grave of Leslie?" Ullar asks, to no one in particular. "How.. Where... ". The warrior is puzzled, staring around with a surprised look upon his face. With a nod of his head, he pays his homage to their former companion.
Dakath dismounts Stenu and walks over to the grave. "It seems we are wandering around in circles." he says to no one in particular as he stands before Leslie's grave. "Leslie was a companion and friend of ours."
Asif too dismounts at the grave of his former comrade and stands before it quietly his head bowed. His memory revives the last conversation he had with Leslie on watch, the day before he died. A conversation about the passions of the heart and the customs of women folk in this land. How strange that within days of Leslies death, Rhune and he would find passion joining them together. Asif turns and calls out to Rhune.
"Rhune! " Asif beckons with his hand. "Rhune did I ever tell you of the conversation I had with Leslie the night before he died. Sad but as I stand here before his resting place I remember his words and advice to me. Go where your heart takes you. This I have done and by Aten I think Leslie would be pleased"
She takes his hand and then looks up at him and smiles, "Yes I think he would be pleased." turning to look at the grave, "Leslie, Asif and I are to be married."
"Our path is certainly a strange one is it not, my love. Our journey must be for a purpose or the sacrifice of such friends as this is to much to bear. Sleep well Leslie, when our destination is reached and this Bishop brought to his knees we shall remember those who sacrificed more than us." Asif speaks.
"I'd almost forgotten about Leslie," Forte says quietly to the others. "I think you would have liked him," Forte smiles at Amibar. "You two would have made quite a well-balanced team."
"Oh?" says Amibar, raising his eyebrows. "Was he good at magic?" He looks at the grave somberly. " How did he die?"
"No, you two were very opposite of each other." Forte smiles at the gnome. "While you threw a spell at someone, Leslie would have been wading in, chopping them to pieces."
"I see. And what happened here? Wasn't he strong enough?" The little Gnome seems curious, but at the same time disapproving.
"None of us were strong enough, individually. And Leslie waded right in, without waiting for the rest of us. At least that's how I remember it." Forte looks thoughtful for a second, then resumes speaking, "See, that's just one more reason I'm with you on this 'caution' thing. A little caution helps a lot."
Looking over at Forte, "I, too, had almost forgotten about him." Rhune utters in a soft voice before dismounting and crossing the crude grave and kneeling says a silent prayer for the big man.
"He was quite a figure, Amibar. Died with his sword drawn in a tremendous fight against goblins." adds Ullar. However, with a puzzled look Ullar asks: "Ehm.. can anyone find any tracks here? Or does anyone can give me an indication how long it has been since these goblinoids have died?"
Once prodded into remembering some of these here Ullar killed himself, he remembers that it was a couple of weeks ago. There are no more recent tracks than that. In fact, any tracks even from then have been cleanly washed away by days of rain since then.
Seeing the grave and the bodies Rhune finally remembers why the area looked so familiar...Turning to the others she has a look of sadness in her eyes.
Forte looks over to Ullar and the rest of the group, "Let's move on."
From where he stands on the ground next to his horse, Tolik nods eagerly. "Yes, we should. I do not wish to linger in a place of death, whether the sprits be friendly or nay." He pauses, then adds, "Plus I am eager to continue. I have much to see, much to learn. Your friend will not be rescued by our lingering here."
Turning to Forte, he adds. "I'm sure that Leslie," motioning to the grave, "would agree." Tolik climbs onto his horse, less awkwardly than before.
The warrior turns toward Tolik when the elf speaks. "Yes, I think he would," Forte agrees.
"I seem to be getting the hang of this." He pulls on the reigns of his horse, which continues to eat grass, completely ignoring the elf. He scowls, but sits calmly, hoping the beast will follow of its own when the other begin to move.
And so they do, with a few backward glances and remembrances of the densely muscled warrior. Headed around the edge of the cliff, traveling east northeast, cutting down the distance to reach the point where the sentries watched. With the sun crossing overhead, the weather is brisk, but not wet, and travel is not terribly difficult even amongst the rocky hills.
Late afternoon, early evening, you manage to meet back up with the cliff heading northeast and look down over the edge. Indeed, you roughly recognize the terrain, some miles south of where you initially reached the river. Continuing along the edge, you come upon a series of broken canals criss-crossing the cliff. Ahead some distance, you are relieved to see what appears to be the broken remnants of a tower. Forte recalls it exactly like this from his vision so long ago. The tower lies within a deep and winding area of the canals through the cliff, and you will be forced to descend into them in order to reach it, it appears.
Getting closer, you see that alongside the interior of the canals, there are several ancient one-story stone buildings! This will make it easier to climb down into the canals themselves and wind your way to the tower, but you wonder if there are still inhabitants within the buildings, dozens of them you estimate.
Tolik clearly does not want to go down into the canals, and in fact, considers following along topside. But he decides that he would not be able to keep up, plus it would be safer to ride with the group. So he breathes deeply and follows reluctantly into the canals. As they continue on, he spends more time focused on the small piece of sky visible overhead than on the path ahead. After a while, this seems to reassure him and so he is able to continue with his focus on his surroundings rather than the sky.