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-----The others hear the Dread Pirate cut loose with a wild, piratical 'whoop'. A few moments later he is seen dragging Woder by the feet around to the front of the keep, where he offers his prisoner to the guards, explaining that this is the leader of the vile miscreants that had taken over the keep. Woder appears to be unconscious on his back.
-----By this time, the guards have the fire near the door to the keep under control. The bonfire out front still burns brightly.
-----Sarah leads Marlexana out to the group where she waits to see if anyone is going to answer any of her questions.
-----Reading the questioning look on Sarah’s face, Rinda speaks up. "It looks as though four rode off on horses. There is one of their number behind the stable dead."
-----Looking around at the others, Rinda says, "Like Sol, we all better get some sleep. As Raven said we can begin trailing them in the morning."
-----Sarah’s jaw drops. "You mean the thing I hit with two magic missiles and torched inside a mass of webs is still alive? Destine, they must be tough!" The young magess looks rather concerned, taking a few glances around the night sky as she goes off to sleep.
-----Sarah then sees Sol slouching down where he is. "Good idea." She says, lazily and slouches down a couple feet away from him, still holding her owl close to her heart.
-----Seth stands up, "I think I better have a look at this dead one, just to see what manner of creature they are so I can better prepare for battle tomorrow. My spells were somewhat lacking today."
D.Y. 500, The thirty-first day of Springtide
-----The party sleeps somewhat late the next morning finding that nearly all of them had been pressed to their limits the night before. The sun shines down over the top of the castle walls at an angle from a sky partly filled with white fluffy clouds. The forest projects a feeling of calm with the light air floating among the trees and the sounds of forest animals active therein.
-----Some of the guardsmen are active along the walls making sure that the keep is secured. Their companions who have risen at this time to take their watch soon join them. In front of the keep a large pile of burnt wood smolders; the only remainder of the Dread Pirate’s bonfire.
-----The guards have long ago locked Woder away somewhere within the keep. Now the guards bring what little food they could find for a breakfast to the adventurers. Some in the party rise better rested although stiffness remains in their muscles.
-----During the night, the guards looked after the horses and made sure they had enough food. Chessie woke Sarah early so the owl could return to his special cage in his mistress’ backpack. As the adventurers begin to stir, Albert calls loudly to Seth announcing his own desire for food.
-----Sol stands upright and stretches the kinks out of his back. Though opportune the night before, the ground of the courtyard was hardly comfortable. Taking a deep breath, he looks up at the sky and briefly ponders the previous night's chaotic and wondrous events alike. His right hand twitches slightly and a ripple seems to pass through his body in memory of one in particular.
-----He brushes off the thoughts with a slight shake of his head, deciding with a smile to forget the failures and concentrate on the coming days. The Gorian gratefully accepts the breakfast offered by Sir Greene's guardsmen, and chats with them whilst he wolfs it down. Afterwards he begins to prepare for the coming day, slipping into his armour and buckling on his weapons.
-----Sol then strolls over to Raven and says, "Morning Raven. With th' whole group o' us it'll take most o' th' day t'get t'Oakwood..." He grins before adding, "...Ye must be getting bored o' the saddle by now."
-----Sol turns serious, asking, "Are we going t'drag Woder along wi' us? Or do ye think that ye'd be able t'track it down wi'out that slug's...'help'?"
-----Seth finds some scraps and feeds Albert. He begins to get his gear together and then looks up at Sol. "I think the slug stays here!"
-----Within the hour, the entire party mounts up ready to head off. One of the men instructs Raven to let Sir Greene know of the location of the keep so he may send rotating patrols. The guardsmen say their farewells to the adventurers and then secure the gate behind them as they ride off to the southeast.
-----A mile through the trees and the riders come upon a peasant forest lake ringed by reed plants. Minnows and larger fish occasionally disturb the surface of the water making a sound that mixes with the peeping of small frogs. The riders then turn south for another mile to avoid a marsh to the east. They ride through a patch of land dominated more by bushes than trees. After another mile, they ride at the foot of a wooded hill and see before them two larger hills almost devoid of any plant life. As they pass the barren mounds and enter again amongst the trees, Raven pulls his horse to a stop. There before the party is a place between a group of trees where the ground is depressed and a dark opening beneath the ground is revealed.
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