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-----"Then let's go to the guild house first..." Kazel stops as she seems to have found something. She calls the others over and points to some strange markings on the edge of the platform. "Can any of you read this?"
-----Seth bends down and looks at the script that Kazel has pointed out to him "MMMm no, I don’t know what they say." He shakes his head, and reaches for his harp to play some soothing 'mood' music.
-----Gimplefwick peers at the markings in obvious bafflement, "I'm afraid I have no idea what they mean." He shrugs his shoulders, "Maybe we can come back some day and find out whose shrine this is dedicated to. In the meantime, before we go, perhaps we should do something for whatever deity or spirit dwells here. A little straightening up or something."
-----Gimplefwick bends over and commences weeding the grass out from in between the stone blocks. When he finishes, he looks about, obviously prepared to leave and head back to the wagon if the others are ready.
-----Kazel helps clean up a bit and dusts off various parts of the shrine. She's ready to go whenever the others are.
-----Seth stares at the words while harping, he looks up and notices Kazel and Gimplefwick cleaning up the shrine so he puts away the harp and helps them. When all is finished, he says, "Before we go should we see if our friend orc understands the words or if he will even enter the shrine? It is just a thought I had. And it is not important. Anyway I am going outside to call Albert now so he can scout for us."
-----Seth walks outside the shrine and looks off into the sky.
-----Gimplefwick pauses on his way out of the shrine and rubs his chin, then pontificates, "You know, this shrine is very Gorian in nature. Examine the architecture, especially here at the lintels and cross pieces. This must have been built when Altoria was part of the Gorian Empire. A very interesting period of history." After his little lecture on architecture, Gimplefwick shrugs and continues out of the shrine, headed towards the wagon.
-----Seth eyes Kazel with a half smile on his face, "I wonder if the Dread Pirate's appreciation for Gorian Architecture extends to trousers tailored in Gorian Checks? "
-----After a little chuckle, Seth follows after Gimplefwick, "Dread Pirate, I will ask Albert here," nodding towards the beautiful crow sitting on his shoulder, "To fly ahead of us and keep an eye out for those assassins. Now I know the three we saw were in leather armor, but Kazel in your vision the other two with them, were they wearing armor or certain colors...Just to help Albert keep a good eye out."
-----"They all wear leather and swords and ride horses," Kazel replies as she goes over the shrine once more after it's cleaned up looking for anything special. "The dumb-looking one is called Horace with big muscles, curly black hair and amber eyes, the evil-looking woman has short black hair, and the other man has sandy brown hair with strange looking ancient eyes. The rest of the two, I don't recognize..."
-----A half-hour later, the thieves are back in the wagon as Jim steers the horses to the northeast. The trail leads them past the very hill they camped behind three nights ago. Just beyond it, they can see a few more hills and swampy areas to the north.
-----After passing between two hills, the wagon rides into an area dominated by scrub grass and bushes. The trail here begins to turn to the north.
-----A few hours later, Jim and the thieves eat their final lunch together in a flat barren field just off the road. The clouds remain in the sky and the moderate breeze cools the air. The orcish prisoner remains fairly quiet during their ride.
-----Back on the trail road, still a while later, finds the wagon following the trail as it turns back to the northeast. They pass around the edge of a small lake and begin to move to the south of a small hill. Jim draws their attention just ahead off the trail road where they see a few people gathered around a small wagon.
-----Kazel leans closer, a tense look on her face. "That's them. It looks just like what I saw at the shrine. Three riders block the way while two ambush the wagon from behind. Their horses were hidden in the bushes."
-----As the wagon moves closer, the thieves can see that the people surrounding the unfortunate vessel look more like a patrol. Although they ride horses, the people looking over the wagon seem to wear dark blue surcoats over their armor. Even in the gloom of the day, their small helms give off a silvery shine.
-----One among them turns and sees the thieves’ approaching wagon. He quickly mounts up and rides toward them, his hand up and palm open in a sign of good will. Like the others, he wears the dark blue surcoat over his chain mail. On his left arm, he carries a shield bearing a dark blue field with two white crossed lances on it. At his side, he wears a beautifully crafted long sword.
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