[Game Thread] From the Stone

[Noobz]

Groth lay still and quiet in his sleep, but his mind was far from easy. He was dreaming about a past love, a strange dwarf with ideals of seeing life outside the stone walls of their home. Perhaps it was that unnatural spirit that attracted him, but the two of them couldn't have been more different. He loved her, but she only found him amusing at times. In the dream, a new scenario of Groth musing for her pleasure was contrived. As it went on, he found himself both pleased to see her again, but sad at the situation that seemed so real. It went on like this for a while until he was awoken by the rantings of Nualli. He was simultaneously dissapointed and glad to not be entranced in his sleep any longer.

After hearing Nualli's report, the dream seemed a better option. Somber from the dream, Groth's voice seemed to lack fervor, "Nae, I dunna have any means ta be a-trackin' these cowards." No doubt the others would associate his low esteem to be a result of current circumstances, and he would have them believe this instead. "They canno' be far. Let us no' waste any time."

Forget her, ya big rubble-headed bafoon. Your mission is here and now. Even though he knew what he had to do, there was a certain irrational desire to pine away instead of working. You're really pathetic, Groth.

"Do ya have any idea where they might be a-headed? No' goin' after tha' treasure, ya reckon'?"

[Emory]

After rousing the other two, Nualli rose to her feet and walked around the spot where their fire had been, the jovial flame having long since died out without Groth there to tend it and keep it going to fend off the predators of the night. Nualli didn't know much about the wilderness, but she'd been trained enough to know that they were lucky that they'd not been attacked by wolves, without the fire to safeguard them. Damned traitor, she cursed internally. Still, the darkness is hardly a deterrent for a dwarf. "I don't know much about tracking, but it seems as though that fortress that was spoken of would be the most likely place for them to move to. The fugitive's allies are likely there, but the criminal and Grummgel might not yet have reached it."

After a pause, Nualli adds, "We have no idea where that place is though. I wouldn't even know where to start. You say you have some skill in tracking, Toal, can you tell which way they went?" As she says this, she realizes that her tramping around in the dirt might be destroying the tracks they need, which makes her frown. With this in mind, she leaves her feet firmly planted right where they are, looking off into the darkness, her eyes parsing around, their darkvision illuminating everything into a stark, black-and-white picture.

[Nasrith]

"I be hope'n so. I'm not the'r best, but hopefully they weren't thinkin' ta cover their tracks." Toal pushed himself from his resting place and moved groggily over to where he remembered Grummgel sitting earlier that night. Kneeling down, he began to examine the tracks. "Ye' two gather up the'r rest a' the camp an' stay out'ta the way o'er there."

It was obvious from the start that Toal wasn't an expert tracker. He carefully circled the area a number of times, examining the ground all around. It took nearly half of a full hour for him to discern where they were headed. "Look'n like they walked off'n then turned south an' inter the mountains. Can't be sure as ta how far they went, but I've heard o' some nasty goin's on up there lately. Better be careful. Lets get a move on, you two."

[Nasrith]

The next days were painful ones for the remaining trio of dwarves. Two of their number had fled into the mountains, and with no real tracker, their advance into the mountains was a crawl at best. In the days following, Toal called them to a halt numerous times, having lost the trail. Then they were forced to backtrack until he found it again and carry on from there. Their targets hadn't been covering their tracks, but with a tracker as bad as Toal on their tails, they needn't have.

* * * * *

By the sixth day, tension was running high. They were, for the most part severely unprepared for the colder weather of the higher Duldrusian Mountains. That coupled with the seeming futility of their venture was not helping to raise moral.

Toal's grumbles that they, "Aught're just turn around," were seeming more and more tempting until the three dwarves decided to make camp under an overhang to avoid the impending snowstorm. What they found inside suggested that they really were on the right path, if a few days behind.

A small fire pit last used a couple of days ago sat in the middle of the shaded area, and a few bits of dwarven paper used to wrap up rations could be seen nestled against the rock. A small steel band, broken by some weapon or another, was half buried in snow by the pit. It wasn't much to go on, but at least they looked like they were going in the right direction.

OOC: Work post. I'll edit it when I get home.

[Noobz]

"Blessed be Shoggunem! We're only just behind 'em." Groth springs over to the campsite, "This be dwarven paper, no doubt. It must be 'em." Groth examines the paper but leaves the band in the snow. Neither will be of much use, he thinks, but he might as well check. "We shouldna' spend much time 'ere. We need ta keep pressin' in on 'em.", he says as he quickly examines the campsite.

Search Check Dice Roll: 1d20-1 (10)-1 Total = 9