-----"But," here she points her staff behind her to the north, "this does not end in Ravenhold. There are more in league with him that are hidden far, far to the north."
-----As the party continues their journey, Sol listens to Dilton and Jeilin with interest. However at the priestess' mention of further enemies to possibly contend with, the Gorian scowls and comments wryly, "This is never going t'end, is it? Ah well, it still beats scything wheat fer a living."
-----To the group he says, "I'm not e'en sure we should stop by at Black Bog. We could be engaged wi' every unit between here an' Ravenhold's heart an' we'd be growing old an' grey. Perhaps we should be looking fer something gamier, like th' Lord Bastard himself. Or at least find out if he's really running this fool's gambit."
-----"He aims to take the entire kingdom," Jeilin replies, brushing her hair out of her face as she looks up at the sky. "I've seen him."
-----“Your words are wise, my friend,” Rinda says in a low tone to Sol, “but first we must find Raven.”
-----“What you were saying, Sol, sounds good to me,” Garrison adds in response to the Gorian, “Cut the head off the snake and let the armies of Silvergard and Hearthorn deal with the troops. A small band like ours would have a better chance of infiltrating all the way to Sintor’s stronghold.”
-----"We'll find Raven before anything else." Sol affirms to Rinda. The Gorian lets his eyes wander of the surrounding countryside, trying to get a feel for the lay of the land. Eventually his eyes drift skywards, and he squints as he tries to work out what the heavens might bring.
-----"Have you heard of any troubles in Goria," Jeilin asks Sol after a moment. "Or perhaps beyond?"
-----Sol ponders the question for a moment, casting his attention back to Jeilin, "Not in Goria exactly, though I did hear summat about th' dark lands o' Nefarion startin' some trouble wi' th' Dwarves o' Gimovnorfik... an' talk that Goria might ally wi' th' dwarves there, in response."
-----A short laugh later, the warrior adds, "An' beyond Goria ye've got th' Wilds an' the Nor barbarians. There's always trouble there, so nothing new."
-----"Most of us would still be barbarians in the eyes of the Lathanians," Jeilin smiles as she notes the warrior's blade.
-----"The name Marcimus sounds familiar for some reason, Marci..." the priestess continues. "I wish I can meet with some Estim disciples, who may be able to tell us why this warlord might be in league with Ravenhold."
-----"Who's Marcimus?" Sol has no idea where the priestess got the name from.
-----"The reputed warlord of Ravager, in Nefarion," Jeilin says. "If indeed this person is behind what you said. Well, that gives me an idea, actually." The priestess begins to rummage for her book for a reading.
-----"Well, I hope he's not. That would mean a whole mess o' problems, but it's guesswork fer now." We'll see what we can found out." the Gorian muses.
-----Once again the adventurers pass the point where earlier in the day they had chased down the defiant riders. Off to the west across the barren farm fields, the deserted buildings of the village in the valley can be seen. The sun continues to shine in the hot afternoon with little added relief from the smaller clouds and gentle breeze. Here, the surrounding countryside still appears barren of any sign of human, demi-human or humanoid life.
-----“Shore is hot,” Pil mutters as he wipes a big forearm across his brow. He casts a smile toward Dilton as the froggy throated warrior tries to move around uncomfortably in his own saddle.
-----“Muggy more lik’n it,” Dilton croaks disdainfully. “Could be th’ river air followin’ us.”
-----“By me Auntie Tilly’s girdle!” Strolum growls out looking at Dilton. “Whadda ye mean river air followin’ us?”
-----Dilton’s eyebrows rise. “Surely ye be a’hearin’ ‘bout th’ spirits in lakes n’ rivers n’ bogs? Tis th’ spirits th’t give ye a chill by th’ water late at night o’re make ye sweat on a day like what this be.”
-----Pil’s smile fades slowly as he asks, “Now why would spirits be lookin’ t’do th’t?”
-----“They be jealous o’ those th’t be dwellin’ on th’ land,” Dilton responds in a ridiculously quieter tone. He looks ominously back toward the river even though it lies over two miles behind them.
-----Jyan remains quiet even though his own eyebrows rise.
-----“On some nights th’ spirits gather ‘bout so much ye see ‘em in’a fog bank,” Dilton adds.
-----Garrison begins to chuckle when he notices Pil look back toward the distant river as if he were expecting a horde of unimaginable ghosts to be chasing them in a heavy mist.
-----Sol grins, twisting in his saddle to look back at Dilton. In a thankful tone, he quips, "Sounds like it'd be a good idea t'volunteer yerself fer an extra watch t'night, considering yer th' expert wi' these things." The banter was good, Sol thought to himself; anything to keep his mind off the fact the summer heat made him feel like he was packed inside an oven. In fact he was, more or less.
-----"I should like to see some of these spirits," Jeilin says mildly, enjoying her view of the clear skies. The frail figure of the Zanyrian girl seems to be taking in the warmth just fine.