The area is alive with bandits and you are forced to flee northwards, away from the place where you left Bracer tethered to a tree. You are anxious for his safety and mindful that there are still many miles to be covered before you reach Lake Vorndarol, but you dare not turn back for him. Then you hear something that makes you halt in your tracks: it is the sound of a horse whinnying.
Your keen Kai senses detect the warm scent of horse flesh on the air, mingling with the sharp tang of the surrounding pine trees. Hopeful that it is Bracer, escaped from the brigands and come to find you, you push through the densely-packed trees until you stumble upon a clearing. Here you discover that it is not Bracer after all; you have found the brigands’ horses.
They are unguarded and you cannot sense their owners close by, but even so you take every care not to startle them. Silently you untether one of the stallions and lead him away from the rest of the horses, along a trail which is covered with fresh tracks, and soon you come to a wider trail which winds away to the north. Here you mount the horse and set off along this rocky trail, but you have gone little more than half a mile when you smell something that makes you rein your new horse to a halt. From a wooded gully away to your right you detect the scent of death being carried on the afternoon breeze.
(Duh. I check it out)
The horse refuses to approach the trees so you dismount and tether him to a boulder before investigating the wooded gully on foot. Beyond the perimeter of trees you discover a clearing where a score of shallow graves are clustered in a circle. You scrape away some of the stones and earth from the nearest grave and uncover the corpse of a man clad in mouldering red robes. A black hood trimmed with skeletal insignia identifies him to have once been an Acolyte of Vashna. He and his brothers were attacked, robbed, and murdered by the brigands when they passed this way some weeks earlier. This clearing is where they disposed of the bodies.
(Duh. Of course I search)
With your teeth clenched tightly against the fearful stench that is arising from the grave, you scrape away the remaining earth and stones and begin to search through the corpse’s robes. There is little of value to be found here, nothing that the brigands have not already picked over. You are about to abandon this unpleasant task when suddenly you notice something protruding from the corpse’s boot. It is a hexagonal token engraved with strange symbols, and it is made from the same black, metallic substance as the amulet given to you by President Kadharian.
You decide to keep this item. (Record this Special Item on your Action Chart as a Black Token which you carry in your pocket. If you already carry the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must discard one in its favour.) Having satisfied your curiosity, you leave the gravesite and return to your horse, eager to continue your journey as quickly as you can.
Throughout the afternoon, the rocky trail descends through an unlovely landscape of shale hills and crags topped with thorny brambles. It is difficult terrain but your ride passes without incident. Shortly before dusk, you come to the top of a ridge and catch your first glimpse of the River Storn and the snow-capped peaks of the southern Durncrags beyond. The elation of having come this far is sobered when you see that the distant sky is changing rapidly, and only a slender streak of light fringes the horizon. A storm is closing in.
As you make the long, gradual descent towards the river, the air becomes humid and dark clouds appear overhead. The turmoil of moisture quickly charges the atmosphere. Lightning flashes without warning from the clouds to the earth and arcs skyward again, its energy echoing in a slow roll of thunder. Then the heavens open and a deluge of rain saturates the land. You calm your startled horse and urge him through the pouring rain, praying all the while that you will be able to find shelter before night closes in.
You are within a mile of the river when the darkness is almost complete. Yet, aided by your keen vision, you are able to make out two places that can offer some degree of shelter from the storm. The first is a cone-shaped stone hut, perched near the river’s edge; the second is a rocky hollow close to the trail.
(I head to the hut – it sounds more waterproof)
The hut has long been deserted but it still offers you and your horse good protection against the elements. It is watertight and there is sufficient straw on the floor to feed your mount and keep you warm during the night.
Before you settle down to rest, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Sheltered from the foul storm, you are able to get a good night’s rest. You awake the following morning feeling invigorated: restore 3 ENDURANCE points.
In the cold light of dawn you see that the River Storn is too deep and fast-flowing to be fordable at this point. The trail follows the river downstream so you decide to follow it in the hope of finding somewhere to cross. Two miles later, you happen upon such a place.
At a point where the river slows and widens, you find a crude rope ferry has been erected. It comprises two rafts attached to two long lengths of rope which are suspended above the river. A crossing can be achieved by boarding a raft and pulling on its guide rope to haul it across to the opposite bank.
You wait and observe that area for a few minutes. When you feel sure that it is safe to proceed, you place your horse aboard a raft and begin the laborious task of pulling yourself across to the distant shore.
(I toss an odd number, 9)
You are nearing the middle of the river when your acute hearing detects the cawing of birds in the far distance. At first you dismiss the sounds, thinking they are probably birds of prey feeding somewhere high in the mountains, but when the cawing rapidly grows louder you look upwards to try to detect where it is coming from. You do not have to look very far.
One thousand feet above you, a flock of ugly black birds are cawing excitedly as they ride a thermal air current. You recognize them to be Durncrag Scavengers, cruel predators native only to these mountains.
Then, with an awful suddenness, they come diving towards you, screeching like demons as they prepare to strike with beak and claw.
(I sure do have Animal Mastery and some rank)
You focus your power of Animal Control on the leader of this predatory flock and will him to abandon his attack. The speed of his descent is making it difficult for you to target him, but your persistence and your Kai skills overcome this. At the last moment the ugly black bird banks away, cawing frantically, and the remainder of his flock follow suit without pressing home their attack. You watch with grim satisfaction as the flock return to the mountains, cawing with frustration, their hunger unsatiated.