Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
- ewancummins
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Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
MEELA discovers tracks and signs not far from the derelict boat (and the submerged human remains Benn had discovered in his aquatic scouting): web-toed footprints, muddy drag marks, bloodstains, a boot-shaped puddle in the sand, a broken spear shaft floating in a pool.
Slowly, carefully, she tracks...
By evening the trail moves up from the misty marshlands into a dank, cold region of leafless trees and wide mudflats, a desolate triangle a couple miles on each side with marsh to the west between it and the main stream of the Lys, a tributary flowing along the northeastern side, and an eroded spur of barren hills to the south. Here the heavy mists of the marsh have thinned to wisps of ground fog.
Unable to go any further by longboat, the party finds a hiding spot for the craft, in a stand of deadwood near a stream that runs back through the marshes and toward the river.
Meela loses the trail in the swamp but after some scouting, she finds more webbed footprints along the sandy shore of a dark crescent shaped lakelet, beyond the inner curve of which rises a long earth-and-timber mound as large as a lord’s granary. The mound has the look of a constructed thing, with some timbers showing hewn tool marks.
As she turns to go back to the others, she sees her unicorn sniffing at something buried in the mud.
When the ranger uncovers the object, she sees it is black, glinting dully in the evening light.
A scale, the size of her hand...
The sun will set soon.
The party has time to make camp in a relatively dry area not far from its stowed boat or to investigate the mound, but not both before dark, unless it splits up.
Slowly, carefully, she tracks...
By evening the trail moves up from the misty marshlands into a dank, cold region of leafless trees and wide mudflats, a desolate triangle a couple miles on each side with marsh to the west between it and the main stream of the Lys, a tributary flowing along the northeastern side, and an eroded spur of barren hills to the south. Here the heavy mists of the marsh have thinned to wisps of ground fog.
Unable to go any further by longboat, the party finds a hiding spot for the craft, in a stand of deadwood near a stream that runs back through the marshes and toward the river.
Meela loses the trail in the swamp but after some scouting, she finds more webbed footprints along the sandy shore of a dark crescent shaped lakelet, beyond the inner curve of which rises a long earth-and-timber mound as large as a lord’s granary. The mound has the look of a constructed thing, with some timbers showing hewn tool marks.
As she turns to go back to the others, she sees her unicorn sniffing at something buried in the mud.
When the ranger uncovers the object, she sees it is black, glinting dully in the evening light.
A scale, the size of her hand...
The sun will set soon.
The party has time to make camp in a relatively dry area not far from its stowed boat or to investigate the mound, but not both before dark, unless it splits up.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
"Lizard men." Meela intoned, her voice grave. "We are in their lands now. Not all of them welcome the intrusion. It is safe to assume that our passage has not gone unnoticed."
"The best of them steer a wide berth around the world of man. Scavengers and fishermen mostly, keeping to their own and rarely venturing from the marshes and swamps."
"The worst though, are a barbaric, war loving sort. Raiders. Savage killers. They'll have no compunctions about eating manflesh."
To the less worldly of the group, she continued. "When we make camp, don't go wandering off."
"The best of them steer a wide berth around the world of man. Scavengers and fishermen mostly, keeping to their own and rarely venturing from the marshes and swamps."
"The worst though, are a barbaric, war loving sort. Raiders. Savage killers. They'll have no compunctions about eating manflesh."
To the less worldly of the group, she continued. "When we make camp, don't go wandering off."
Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
"But this," She said, hefting the dark palm-sized scale, the ebon sheen glinting like obsidian in the wan light. "Is sign of our quarry. A dragon most-like."
She let the words hang there without expounding on them, for there was no need to tell the group what sort of danger they were in.
She let the words hang there without expounding on them, for there was no need to tell the group what sort of danger they were in.
- Rock of the Fraternity
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
To ewancummins:
VIEW CONTENT:
- ewancummins
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Rock wrote:To ewancummins:VIEW CONTENT:
VIEW CONTENT:
Last edited by ewancummins on Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
- ewancummins
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- Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:35 pm
Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
THE PARTY, GATHEREDSkiBird wrote:"But this," She said, hefting the dark palm-sized scale, the ebon sheen glinting like obsidian in the wan light. "Is sign of our quarry. A dragon most-like."
She let the words hang there without expounding on them, for there was no need to tell the group what sort of danger they were in.
UNDER A STAND OF WILLOWS
Alwina gives a little gasp, shivering at Meela's mention of man-eating reptile-people.
Theophilus casts nervous glances toward the evening shadows cast by the leafless trees to the west and peers hard at a long line of brown reeds edging a mudflat to the east.
Tonio cleans mud from Sir Clive's gear, his face showing weariness but no sign of alarm.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Kat looks at the scale and frowns slightly, as if the first sight of a clear remnant of the monsters has focussed her mind.
"These Lizard men. And dragons for that matter. Do they wake by day, or by night? If the latter, we might want to investigate the mund quickly. that's the most likely place for them, and better to find than be found!"
"These Lizard men. And dragons for that matter. Do they wake by day, or by night? If the latter, we might want to investigate the mund quickly. that's the most likely place for them, and better to find than be found!"
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
VIEW CONTENT:
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Rock wrote:VIEW CONTENT:
VIEW CONTENT:
Last edited by ewancummins on Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
- alhoon
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Raen is still in shock after personally meeting a Unicorn. So far he has been court and shared just a few words of greetings to the knight-woman, explaining his name and profession.
As they all gather under the willow, Raen takes a look at the scale and gives his opinion on the origin based on what he has read about the great reptiles. He doesn't seem too phased about man-eating lizardmen. No, it's something else he has to gather his courage for.
Moving closer to the majestic magical creature he says.
"Greetings honorable creature. I am Raen, a simple human wizard. It is an honor to meet you, you are the first of your kind that I meet. Can you speak our language?"
As they all gather under the willow, Raen takes a look at the scale and gives his opinion on the origin based on what he has read about the great reptiles. He doesn't seem too phased about man-eating lizardmen. No, it's something else he has to gather his courage for.
Moving closer to the majestic magical creature he says.
"Greetings honorable creature. I am Raen, a simple human wizard. It is an honor to meet you, you are the first of your kind that I meet. Can you speak our language?"
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Karathos the unicorn replies in musical tones,alhoon wrote:Raen is still in shock after personally meeting a Unicorn. So far he has been court and shared just a few words of greetings to the knight-woman, explaining his name and profession.
As they all gather under the willow, Raen takes a look at the scale and gives his opinion on the origin based on what he has read about the great reptiles. He doesn't seem too phased about man-eating lizardmen. No, it's something else he has to gather his courage for.
Moving closer to the majestic magical creature he says.
"Greetings honorable creature. I am Raen, a simple human wizard. It is an honor to meet you, you are the first of your kind that I meet. Can you speak our language?"
''I speak the Common Tongue, Wizard."
It turns its head sideways, regarding him with one gem-bright eye.
"Have you ever seen a dragon?"
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
- alhoon
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Raen manages to suppress his excitement from the unicorn replying back but he's still smiling.
"A dragon? No. But I doubt any meeting with a dragon would be as pleasant as this meeting with you. From the scale I could tell that the creature we hunt is much bigger than a man, which agrees with the descriptions and well armored by these scales.
Do you know a lot about dragons honorable creature? Where do you come from? "
"A dragon? No. But I doubt any meeting with a dragon would be as pleasant as this meeting with you. From the scale I could tell that the creature we hunt is much bigger than a man, which agrees with the descriptions and well armored by these scales.
Do you know a lot about dragons honorable creature? Where do you come from? "
"You truly see what a person is made of, when you begin to slice into them" - Semirhage
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
"I am not mad, no matter what you're implying." - Litalia
My DMGuild work!
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Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
''Dragons...''
The unicorn's nostrils flare.
It whinnies shying away from Raen, sidestepping toward Meela.
Head held high, breathing deeply, it glances about the shaded evening landscape.
To Meela, in the Sylvan tongue, it says,
The unicorn's nostrils flare.
It whinnies shying away from Raen, sidestepping toward Meela.
Head held high, breathing deeply, it glances about the shaded evening landscape.
To Meela, in the Sylvan tongue, it says,
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Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Meera had just finished reassuring Kat that the lizard-men would be less active by night as her celestial companion murmured his warning.
"We are not alone." She said, her tone even, hoping not to draw any overt reactions. "Karathos tells me something nearby smells of smoke."
Instinctively, the warrior's hand drifted toward her pommel.
"We are not alone." She said, her tone even, hoping not to draw any overt reactions. "Karathos tells me something nearby smells of smoke."
Instinctively, the warrior's hand drifted toward her pommel.
Re: Lost Trails Chapter 15 The Mound
Bennedict is just getting ready to ask some details about these lizard men, when the unicorn starts to speak.
Shaking his head, he fetches out his pipe and lights it. "I suppose I should be on the look out for gingerbread houses, next."
He turns, however, at the mention of smoke. "Is there a camp somewhere nearby? Perhaps the lizard people know more about how to find the dragon."
Shaking his head, he fetches out his pipe and lights it. "I suppose I should be on the look out for gingerbread houses, next."
He turns, however, at the mention of smoke. "Is there a camp somewhere nearby? Perhaps the lizard people know more about how to find the dragon."
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."