It is November 12th before the party is reunited. Sharone, Illyana,
Humphrey, Britan, Aldarin, Farad, Banquo, Raz and Ayazin finally complete
their training and other business in Sandas and teleport back to the barren moors of Nolthen, where the dwarf McTavish and the elf Kelar await you.
With them are two newcomers and several horses. One is a half-elf while the other is a human woman -
The newcomers find themselves in a scrubby glade of small, unhealthy, leafless trees and thorny bushes. The surrounding terrain is gently rolling and appears to be uninhabited.
There is 14" of snow on the ground, though the temperature is in the low 40s. A strong wind blows out of the southeast. It was a pleasant fall here in Nolthen until a week ago, when the daytime highs plunged into the teens and below. Today is the first day that things have warmed up. Five days ago there was a blizzard, with blinding whiteouts and 56mph winds...hence the snow.
Sandas, on the other hand, is going through a heatwave. Yesterday, the temperature there was 106F.
There is a camp here. You see quite a few horses, a wagon piled high with equipment and loot, and two mules. Sitting around a fire are the dwarf and the elf.
For those of you who were in Sandas, official word on the invasion of the City state of Stoink finally arrived two days later - October 31st - from Strabath, vindicating Humphrey in his father's eyes. In a nutshell, the Bard's story was indeed true - it turns out that he actually travelled north from Hork with the official courier. Of course, it turned out that the wild stories of iminent attack on the city itself were just that, and the alerts were cancelled. Things returned to more or less normal in Sandas for another week or so...when word arrived that Stoink had indeed fallen and that the Flag of Mestom now flew over its battlements. Recconnisance sloops of the Navy of Nlad report that troops were seen streaming into the city down the Bandito Valley Road out of the west (Mestom), and, later, troops began to move south down the Southern Road, bound for parts unknown. Little or no troops were seen moving north...towards Nlad...which brought great relief to the rulers of that land.
At about the same time, unmarked but heavily armed and laden merchant vessels started arriving at Stoink out of the East. Their nationality is unknown but rumoured to be Saltarian. After nearly 600 years, the Empire is reaching out again, it is feared.
At this time the ships of the captured Stoink navy came storming out of port and chased away the spy ships of Nlad.
All of this news is at least a month old by the time it reaches Sandas.
"'Bout time you got back," says McTavish, rising and stretching. "What the hell took you so long? And who are these people?" he asks, eyeing Beth and Tassier. "Friends of yours, Farad? I didn't think you had any."
"The training took a bit longer than we expected. Add in rumors being spread around that Sandas was invaded, and things got a little out of control."
"Sounds like just another day in Sandas, if you ask me," the dwarf comments. "Probably just as well that you did take your own sweet time. We wuz watchin' the road, an' there was a lot of patrols going up an' down it for the first month after ye left. After what we did in Shruddup, maybe the authorities is lookin' out for us. Things has died down again over the past few weeks, though."
"The two new people, Beth and Tassier, have agreed to help us get you home. A sort of trip for them, one could say." says Illyana.
The dwarf inspects them.
"McTavish here," he says. "I don't take no shit."
McTavish is a strangely charismatic hill dwarf wearing battered plate mail, holding a shield and with a longsword at his side.
"Elizabeth Eastlake," the human woman says. "And I'm not in the habit of giving mine away."
For those of you who haven't seen her before, she's a fortyish human woman of average build with fair skin and slight features. Her hair is black and wavy, shot through with a few strands of grey. She wears dark colored clothing under a maroon cloak. The shoulder of her cloak has a leather patch on it so that her familiar, a hawk, can sit on it without ripping it to shreds.
Tassier looks the dwarf over and smiles. "I think we will get along. I do not give no shit. I would never not bother someone if I thought it might do that very thing."
He chuckles.
Banquo shakes his head as if coming out of a coma or unable to let a statement like that pass and says, "He doesn't take any because he's already too full. Let's get going so we can get him home before the war blocks us off and we're stuck with him."
Britan goes over to his horse and checks him out to make sure he is ok and to saddle him up and get ready to to move out if everyone is going to leave. "I agree. Let's get the no shit taking Dwarf home before all shit breaks out In Sandas."
Britan looks over to Farad and says, "So did you get a chance to Identify that plate armor and Military pick, If so how much do I owe you or who ever done it?"
Farad, however, declines to reply.
Then Tassier looks around the camp, looks to Illyana and says, "What needs to be done? Is there a guard? Shall I scout the area out?"
"We've done nothing but scout the area for a month and a half," McTavish says. "Help us break camp and we can be on our way. Winter's almost here. We can get in a half a day on the road if we're quick about it."
The dwarf pauses.
"Did these clowns tell you where we are...and where we're bound?"
"I gave them an idea of what we would be doing, namely trying to get you through a war zone." She pauses. "Aside from that, I didn't mention too many details about the area.. I forgot myself."
She shrugs.
"Women..." McTavish mutters into his beard.
Illyana giggles. "Thank you for the compliment."
Tassier says, "Nay. Where are we and where do we go?"
"You're in Nolthen," McTavish replies. "This was a rich province of the Empire 600-odd years ago. Then Imrimil the Witch-lord invaded and made it his own. Now it's a land of evil and decay...and ruins and money, too," he adds with a quick grin. "We're travellin' east to Kludar: that's my homeland. Nolthen and Kludar have been at war for decades. We have to cross the battle lines. Should be fun."
Tassier says, "Great. Let's roll then!"
He helps load things up, working like a demon. Once done, he says, "Let's go Moonrose!"
His horse walks over to him and he climbs onto Moonrose.
"Let's get going already. I don't know if I can put up with this dwarf any longer," says the elf.
"What do you mean by that??" snorts the dwarf in question. "How do you think I've felt, sharing a camp with a fruity little elf who nearly passes out every time I fart?"
"Ohh by the way the name is Kelar. And I have had to put up with this dwarf for a good month now...so if I am a little gruff with you new people you will understand in about an hour."
"You've just been missing Farad," says McTavish.
It is nearly noon by the time you are set to go. Even though the weather has warmed up compared to recent days, the ground is still frozen, which is good news to you.
You move slowly south across the moors for a few miles, until you reach a road which winds its way east - west.
You turn east, and make good time for the balance of the afternoon, before stopping to make another camp when night falls.