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-----Whisper shifted slightly, resettling the strap of his satchel.
-----He had stood off to the side of the main room, impassively watching the Priestess go about her search, briefly taking his attention off of her to cast a sidelong glance at the young Gorian as he left.
-----He returned his gaze to the human woman, and cocked his head. Then he frowned, and moved closer to her.
-----"We should go." The Wood Elf said quietly.
-----Jeilin sighs softly as she finishes her search of the forlorn papers. Taking three papers and a small book into her backpack, she nods at the elf and heads for the exit.
-----Raven falls into step behind them and before they reach the outside, they hear a horse cantering off on the trail farther toward the village’s center.
-----As Sol urged Thunder onwards, he passes six smaller home-like shops, three on each side. Just ahead on the left stands what looks like a very well maintained home with an enclosed shop attached to it. Gemstones are featured on the sign hanging over the shop and it is here where the boars ran between this place and a large barn.
-----Easing Thunder into a slow trot, Sol cranes his neck to look after where the animals had passed. He sees no sign of the boars, but just then behind him, he hears a low growl.
-----Sol can feel a tremor run through Thunder and he quickly turns to face the buildings on his right. There, in front of what appears to be a fairly large temple, two wolves spring away from the buildings and run toward the west, away from the Gorian.
-----Growing up, the wolf to Sol was something to be chased off or killed if possible. Too often, if winters were harsh - a not uncommon occurrence in Goria - herds of sheep would be regularly at the mercy of hungry packs. Now though, since meeting Raven and his companion, Sol's attitude had shifted considerably. Now he was disappointed that he had potentially interrupted the beast's hunt. This sprung a wild idea, a fancy, or even a release brought on by the stress of the last few days. He thought it unlikely to work, but it'd be exhilarating to try.
-----Wheeling Thunder around quickly, Sol urged his stallion into a dead run, setting off on a path between the buildings that would take him parallel to the direction the boars had headed in. He sought to both locate the beasts, and to herd them back in an arc towards the west, and towards the wolves. Of course, he'd be careful not to actually directly confront one, or corner one as the warrior knew that although not overly a worry to him, they could prove a danger to Thunder if given no other choice.
-----Just as Sol turns Thunder, he is suddenly aware of Whisper, Jeilin and Raven running up the trail road toward him. Whisper is in the lead with a spear hefted in his hand.
-----Sol frowns in irritation, holding up his palm towards them and shaking it, indicating that no help is needed. He sighs to himself ruefully, realizing there was no point now. The Gorian had thought his companions would be a little while yet with their investigation. He turns Thunder and starts the horse at a walk back towards them.
-----As Sol reaches the group, he asks pleasantly, his tone tinged with his usual brand of impatience, "Are we done here? Let's have a look at th' next hill we spied."
-----Puffing a bit from the dash, the frail priestess brushes her grey hair out of her face, and replies, "I think we can do no more here." She hefts her backpack a bit, exhales, then starts to walk back to get Shakalee.
-----“Wait here,” Raven says, as he dashes back to get the horses. In a few moments, everyone is mounted and riding toward the southern edge of the village. As they leave the main buildings behind, the trail road leads them between open farm fields again.
-----Soon they reach the next hill and begin the ascent; this time following the trail as it wound off to the right and then back to the left as it reached the top. Here they counted eleven main buildings surrounded by smaller houses which dotted the hill not only on its crown but also on its slopes.
-----Like its sister village in the valley, nothing seemed to be living here although it proved to be a better vantage point to spy out the countryside. This village also featured a building that looked like some kind of village council or government office. The other buildings seemed to be businesses concerning various things; the nearest of which are a butcher’s workshop, a brass-worker’s shop, and a glassworker’s shop.
-----As the adventurers bring their horses to a stop close to the council building, a piece of metal is seen leaning against the bottom step that leads up to the building’s offices. On closer examination, it looks like a greave from a suit of armor.
-----Sol dismounts unceremoniously, and begins to walk towards the council building to give it a search. "Let's be quick about this place if we can," grimaces the young warrior.
-----Jeilin lightly nods as she follows towards the official building. From her expression, it seems the priestess expects much of the same from this abandoned place as the village below.
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