PBEM Orlantia

The Story So Far
Chapter 017

PBEM Orlantia: Organize Or Die.

The burial service for Jahar was over. Now it was time to focus on the task at hand - the death of that hellish beast. Bebe wasn't sure if she ever heard of such a horror outside of a drunken sailor's tale, or perhaps it was one of her brothers? No matter. She saw what it was capable of and now knew it could be injured. What bleeds can die - just get all the blood out of it. Granted, some things may take longer to bleed out than others, though.

Bebe was still perturbed about the sheriff's comments, and if she had more time she would have made up a little itching powder and put it in his shorts.

*Too bad I don't have a good itching cantrip or I would have set it on his crotch in front of the whole town,* Bebe thought. *Oh well. If I ever come back through, I will be ready. After all, the best jokes were always well thought out and were then better to savor.*

She looked around and found the man who helped with the burial arrangements. *Febriwyn was his name, I think.*

He was standing there, kind of out of place. He obviously didn't have anywhere else to go, and because of them, he was thrown out of the town under the sheriff's blanket decree.

Bebe began speaking in the Elven tongue because it always sounded a lot more formal to her.

<Elvish>"Friend Febriwyn, I would like to thank you for helping with the marker for dear Jahar. He has been my faithful traveling companion for nigh on to two years,"</Elvish> Bebe said with a deep bow.

She continued in Common. "We are now on a great and noble quest to rid the world of the vile creature that caused his untimely demise."

She looked up as he patiently listened, and then with a wry grin she said, "Are you coming, or do you have previously scheduled engagements?"

Bebe eyed Febriwyn skeptically and met his cocked eyebrow with a goofy grin. After a rather long moment - still not more than five seconds - the elf responded, "I will if you'll have me."

Bebe started to laugh. It made her feel better after the night's horrible events.

"Just stow your gear on Bopper, and welcome to the family," she chirped between guffaws.

Bebe then moved on to Afyanna and a more serious topic that had been troubling her through the night. "Afyanna, I would like to talk to you for a moment if you would be so kind?" she asked. "I have been thinking about the attack last night, and now I can see that we may have our hands quite full with this beast. If I could make a suggestion?"

The compassion left Afy's eyes as her interest piqued on what the diminutive gnome might have to say. "Of course, Bebe, any advice would be helpful," she said.

"I think we should tighten up the ship a little inside the group. That beast, that nightmare, is a fairly formable creature and probably knows we are hunting it now by whatever unearthly means it has. To be best prepared, I think we should stay in larger groups and not get separated. That way it can't take us one by one as it did with poor Jahar."

Pain flashed across her eyes thinking again about his sacrifice, and when she continued, her voice no longer held the mirth from earlier, but a keen edge.

"We may even want to try a couple dry run drills using Bopper as a stand in to hone our reaction time and better assess each other's abilities. We shouldn't let the harsh lesson we learned from Jahar go to waste."

Bebe turned to the others who where listening and said in a strong, confident voice, "The moral is - Together we stand, apart we fall." Then as an afterthought, she said, while raising Mick, "To Jahar!"

Her sentiment was not lost on most of them, and as one, they held their weapons aloft and yelled, "TO JAHAR!"

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: The Empty Trail.

Solemnly, the party of warriors, rogues, priests, and wizards began anew their trek toward the parish of Wrath. Ready or not, they could no longer afford to wait - at least not in Hooktar.

As they rounded a small hill, Sef both noticed and covertly pointed out a lone figure watching them depart from a distant hill. At that distance, though they could not be sure, it seemed likely to be the sheriff who was paying them so much special attention. His armor flashed in the sun at times.

No one could really say why the sheriff had acted as he did, though wisdom suggested it could not be malice - not toward them, specifically, at any rate. Given what had transpired, it was probably born of fear and concern. Whatever the reason, the result was the same, and they marched away from Hooktar.

Bebe blew her new whistle, though she couldn't hear it. Cosher had finished making it for her sometime during the night, and told her it was patterned after a design he had learned in his travels.

"Dinae worry if ya no can hear it. Its range is beyond our hearing, but yer wee pup'll be able ta hear it. If it works," he added.

She was surprised to see Sef and Wyn turn their heads and look at her when she blew it again.

"Can you hear this?" she asked Wyn, blowing it a third time.

"Barely. It's almost more of a feeling, really, though I think I can detect something."

Sef also nodded. Whether or not Brambles would hear it remained to be seen. She had not as yet shown it to her wolf companion to teach her the new game. Just to make certain, Bebe dribbled a few drops of her special scent on the bottom of her left boot. There was no doubt Brambles would find that and follow them. Then she marched on.

Tyrulf led Bopper, and Mystir was walking beside the mule. He had not cast any spells that morning. If the maps were right, they would come to Wrath and the village of Joad before nightfall, and Horseshoe Lake would come into view before the sun would set, unless something interrupted their southward trek.

Thoughts that no news had filtered up from Joad since winter danced in Afyanna's mind. Were they all dead? Is that why? Or did the beast not murder the locals? Why was its activities centered there?

Divine guidance had pointed its finger in Wrath's direction and had shown her the way some time back, and now, before long, after all that time, she would finally be there. And see what? Carnage? A peaceful setting? She didn't know. She still didn't know, and this lack of knowledge grated at her.

Afy shook her head, once again concluding speculation at some levels was a useless endeavor - or so far, at least, it had proven to be futile. But she would know soon. She took comfort in that.

The morning's march passed uneventfully and they finally decided to break for the noon meal and to rest their tired feet.

Sef began building a small fire, and soon everyone was about his or her chores, from gathering and replacing water, collecting firewood, preparing the meal, to keeping watch.

Brambles appeared before they got too far into their routine, and happily greeted her mistress by nearly knocking her down in a playful attack. Once again, Bebe had failed to count to three after she noticed her wolf, and knew Brambles had won again.

Febriwyn, luckily, hadn't been too close, for such a sight probably would have shocked him. By the time he took notice, Bebe and Brambles were already happily embracing each other, and there was no apparent cause for alarm.

Lucian, too, managed to keep up with them, but then he often road along on Alana's shoulders. While the others worked in camp, the cat found a warm rock and began sunning himself in the still cool air. Though the worst of the horrible winter was clearly over, it was not quite spring. The New Year approached, though, and the High Holy Day would soon be there.

"I've noticed no human tracks on this trail," Sef announced, the fire now going strong. "This is obviously the trail to Hooktar, and one would think a nearby village after the winter's respite would be filled with anxious tradesmen to restock their wares. Yet they remain at home. The weather's good enough. Perhaps they are being cautious, worried another storm will still hit? Whatever the case, no new tracks are on this route to Joad. A few animal tracks - that's all. No men," he finished.

Everyone pondered this, wondering if it meant anything. It only invited more speculation.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Untouched Ground

Feeling subdued after the funeral, Sefarlain kept himself to himself for a time as they left towards Joad. He walked a little way ahead of the party, not wishing to appear aloof, and yet wanting to be alone with his own thoughts. The past day had challenged him, both physically and emotionally, and he had to prepare for what lay ahead.

The open air refreshed him as they walked onwards. Spring seemed to be approaching and all around him he could feel the land preparing herself to renew life once again. Birds began to sing to one another, and the sun's rays seemed to have just a little more strength day by day. It was the elf's favorite time of year. The ground seemed so pure and clean.

Sefarlain stopped momentarily. Something was wrong.

The ground. So clean and untouched. He looked again. They were walking along a main trail towards Joad, and yet no markers of any human traffic were visible. The odd fox, maybe, and a few rabbits, but no carts or footprints. He began to feel uneasy again. There was something very wrong with where they were heading.

"Afy," he whispered. "I can't see any other tracks. Just animals. Perhaps we had better tighten up a bit."

Afyanna nodded and spoke quickly to the group. Soon they were off again, this time a bit more cautious and alert and formed in a more defensive line.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Pouch.

Making camp with a number of people was awkward. Alana was used to taking care of all the chores herself. Now she went out to gather firewood just to discover when she came back someone else already had, too. Well, that at least meant they had plenty of firewood. It probably was just a matter of settling into a routine.

When it came to cooking, Alana produced a number of herbs she had collected while gathering firewood. She explained how they would make the food taste better.

She got a number of very skeptical looks, but Alana only smiled. She fondly remembered how her younger brother, Toby, used to object to some of her contributions to their meals. He would vehemently state that he wasn't a rabbit and that he didn't need all that green stuff.

But he ate it anyway, under the stern look of their mother, who had strong objections about wasting food.

After a while, Alana noticed that Toby objected more out of habit than any serious misgivings about the food she prepared.

She had no doubt that if any of her companions felt like her brother had in the beginning, they would come around, too. If one knew what to look for, 'the green stuff' could be very tasty.

After the meal, Alana set to a task about which she had been thinking for some time. She rubbed over her shoulder were the claws of the cat had dug in deep. Lucian was definitely getting too big to ride on her shoulder for a prolonged time, so Alana set out to create something that could best be descried as a large pouch. She used a piece of cloth she had salvaged from the wagon Febriwyn had so graciously donated.

It had to be something Lucian would be able to get in and out of without her help, and which would allow her to comfortably carry him.

"Hey handsome," Alana said to the cat, who was still enjoying the rays of the sun. "Next time you don't feel like walking, just hop into this," she said, showing him the pouch and concentrating on a picture in her mind of the cat riding in it while she carried him.

He opened one eye, looked at the pouch, and closed it again.

"No, you can't just ride on my shoulders as always," Alana retorted, as if the cat had actually said something. "See this?" Alana shoved her tunic aside to show him a few red scratches on her shoulder. "Those were made by your claws, so you better try this or start getting used to walking yourself."

Lucian stretched lazily. He gave her a look that made it quite clear that he was just humoring her and then dutifully tried to hop into the pouch. His effort nearly resulted in a very undignified tumble. Lucian gave Alana a reproachful look.

"So, it isn't perfect yet," the druid said. "I just have to fix that." It took some trial and error, but by the end, the pouch was deemed satisfactory by Lucian. Alana was pleased.

The lack of human tracks worried her, however. It probably worried everybody. But the only thing she could do was stay alert. She would be glad if they reached Joad, and at the same time she was a bit apprehensive about what they would find there. Some time during their journey, Alana had expressed her curiosity to Afyanna about the statue the sheriff had spoken of. Not that it mattered much, as they were on their way to Joad anyway.

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: Fiery Matters

The lunchtime stop was welcome, and Sef quickly set to making the fire. He had always been rather adept at starting any blaze, armed only with a few tools, and he was more than happy to be given this responsibility for the party. He settled down on a flat area of ground and cleared a small patch for the fire, which he then surrounded with some nearby rocks. The rest of the group was quickly gathering suitable wood for the fire, but Sefarlain preferred to find kindling for himself, usually, and so scouted around for the best material. Some fallen trees in the wood provided dry bark and leaves, and soon the ranger was happy enough to begin the fire.

He removed the suede bag from his rucksack and removed the well-worn flint and a fine steel from their respective pockets. The bag also housed a rougher steel and metal striker, as well as various bits of artificial kindling and a special powder the Valantaúr called 'flame-friend' to apply to kindling in very challenging conditions. Some people took pride in not using such cheats while lighting a fire, and when training, Sef's old captain used to ban the use of the powder routinely, but truth be told, in a howling gale even rangers found such tricks handy. Today, however, was not one of those days.

Sef struck the flint smoothly and a shower of fine sparks fell onto the waiting bark. Soon, wisps of smoke rose faintly from the kindling, and Sefarlain encouraged them with a gentle breath. Small flames soon danced from the leaves at his summoning, and within a few minutes the group had a fire. Sef sat back, satisfied with his work, and tended the fire with some larger branches until a suitable fire was ready for Alana.

"Out of the way, please," she fussed jokingly. " I have work to do without you admiring the fire."

Sef smiled and retreated a safe distance. The group had much to discuss over food, including their next move, and he wanted to make sure he was ready.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Opening Dialogue.

Chores finished, the animals tended to, the group settled down for a moment's reflection before pressing on.

They had eaten their meal quickly and repacked their gear, and mostly in silence, the uncertainty of what lay ahead pressing on each one's mind, almost causing them all to be dumbstruck.

What could they say, after all? What should they be asking that they hadn't asked? Should they be doing anything special, or getting ready for something, or doing anything in anticipation of reaching Joad that they had not already done? What was the plan? To simply lumber forward and into the scene, and deal as best they could with whatever they found?

Planning was so hard. Valuable insight was extremely rare. But silence just wasn't cutting it.

Answers were often quite easy, if you knew the questions. Asking the right questions? That was hard.

Since Sef felt they had much to discuss, he opened the dialogue in a vague way, though the invitation to talk about it and his desire to discuss matters was anything but vague.

"So, what does each of you think we'll find in Joad? I want to hear any and all speculation, however silly. Be aware," he told them, "that we won't have another break after this before we reach the village, so now's the time to talk," he reminded the party members as he sat down near the fire.

Silence engulfed the ring of travelers, the light crackle of the fire and the occasional call of a nearby raven in a tree were the only things that could be heard.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: A Plan

Bebe was getting a little worried. She agreed with Sefarlain about making a plan, but Afy seemed a little too driven in this quest too actually organize them.

*I just don't believe we should be rushing into Joad headlong. Something is wrong here. Very wrong. I don't want to see any more of my friends dying because of mistakes.*

There was no doubt that Bebe was a very curious person, even more than usual for a gnome. She would drive her family up the wall with an unending stream of questions, and would often get into trouble when she would take things apart to 'see what was inside.' But this was different.

Bebe always took her study in weaponry very seriously, and she had been around long enough to know when a dangerous situation called for caution. After all, this wasn't a rogue orc that they were hunting; this was an inferno beast - a very dangerous and powerful creature not of the prime material plane. And they shouldn't overlook the most important point - it might not be alone.

She was hoping that after her little speech about organizing a little better that they would start to work out how to eliminate the beast, but instead everyone slipped into quiet solitude and plodded on.

After a quiet lunch, Bebe had had enough. She went up to Mystir and asked, "You seem to know a little bit about this creature. Do you have any information on its weaknesses or perhaps how to kill it?"

While Mystir pondered this, she looked to Sef for strategy toward killing the beast. He seemed to be the one person in the group, other than herself, who sensed the dire consequences of being unprepared, so she decided to discuss options with him loud enough for the others to hear.

"Sefarlain, how do you think we should approach this situation? I think that we should begin by approaching Joad with lots and lots of caution. With the lack of signs from anybody out here except for ourselves, we must take in consideration that either everyone is dead in the village, or so scared that they will not venture forth to any great degree. As such, I think we should have Afy's magic potion ready to coat weapons, giving us an edge."

Bebe let out a short snicker at her pun before continuing.

"Perhaps, we should give it to Tyrulf in the hope that we won't need his healing skills right away, so he could coat the fighter's weapons one by one, and thus not to take a good arm out of the fray. We could also have covering fire from the bow-masters, keeping the beastie too busy to have a focused attack."

Bebe thought a bit more, then added, "Actually, the better way may be to send the rogues and ranger foot-padding forward to scope out the situation in an attempt to either surprise the beast or set an ambush. Either way, I think it would be a good policy to find out what is really going on in town before we send in the main body. I hate surprises, especially from a half-baked, hoofed hellion from Hades knows where."

She then turned to address the party, who had tightened up the formation after lunch, and asked, "Does anyone else have any other ideas about how we should proceed?"

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Some Early Thoughts

Sefarlain considered Bebe's ideas carefully. Perhaps scouting ahead was a good idea. Or maybe dividing their skills could weaken the group. Who knew what to expect?

"I think we know so little about what lies ahead, that walking into Joad completely blind could be suicide. Bebe is right. We need a scout, at least when we are approaching Joad. I don't like the idea of being ambushed again like last night. I can scout, but we may have others in this group who are as skilled as me. Perhaps we could scout ahead every hour or so and be a little more prepared when we reach our target."

The ranger secretly hoped such caution was misplaced, but his heart spoke otherwise.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Agreement

Once at camp, Afyanna looked after Bopper. She removed the heavy packs from him, brushed him down, checked his shoes, and made certain he got fed. All the while she spoke soothingly to their only source of transport.

At the same time, she thought about what lay ahead. It was the middle of the afternoon, and they would reach the town of Joad by nightfall according to their map. Something about that made her uneasy.

*We'll be tired, the light will be fading, and if we have to make camp we'll be right under the nose of everyone - and every THING - there.*

By the time she finished with Bopper, Bebe had already voiced a similar conclusion.

"Bebe is correct," Afyanna said, breaking her long silence. "We need to see what lies ahead of us."

The halfelf having spoken finally, all eyes turned to her. "I would suggest, however, that we stay here for the night."

"And waste half a day?" Mystir asked.

The holy warrior looked to Mystir, but she spoke to all. "I don't like the idea of reaching the outskirts of Joad just before nightfall. All the signs point to danger in this area, and I don't think we can assume that we can just get a room at an inn." As she spoke, she looked at each of them by the fire. "I think we need to prepare as if reaching Joad is the beginning, not the end of our travels."

"What I suggest we do is scout ahead - far ahead. We need to find out if anything unusual is about. Then tomorrow we make for Joad. If we meet resistance at the town, it will be during the daylight hours, instead of at nightfall when we are at our most tired."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: After Lunch

"Sef," Afy said, drawing Sefarlain aside to talk to him.

The ranger obliged, sidling over to her from where he had been stoking the fire.

"I'd really like to know what we're walking in to in Joad," she confessed.

"As would I," he agreed.

"Do you think you could get close to the town - unseen?"

His face brightened in a small smile. "Unless they are fools, I won't know if I've been seen until it's too late."

Afyanna nodded in amused agreement. Then her expression took on a more serious tone. "Sefarlain, I'd like you to scout toward Joad. You can move faster than we can - and quieter."

"What is it you are seeking?"

"Truthfully, if you can at least get all the way there and see the town itself, that would be useful. But, I am very wary of taking the road right into town. If you can find us an alternate, less obvious approach, then that would be the most helpful to us all."

Sefarlain nodded in understanding. What she was asking would not be easy.

"One more thing," she added, "if at all possible, try to be back before nightfall - or soon thereafter. I don't like the idea of anyone being alone out there with those beasts about."

Sefarlain nodded, "Then I should be going."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia:

Alana agreed with what was being said by the others about scouting ahead and not arriving at Joad when it was dark and they were tired. She didn't have any new ideas to add, except perhaps one. But she didn't tell them out loud because it was something between her and Lucian.

Besides, she wasn't altogether sure she'd want him to do it. She would worry about him more than usual.

"Lucian," Alana said. The cat reacted to his name being spoken and looked at her as if he would understand every word she said.

"Strange things are going on here," the druid said. "If you feel the need to search our environment, now or later, please be extra careful. I'd appreciate any clue you could give me about what lays ahead, but I do not want you to take any risks."

It was an ambiguous message. She hadn't directly asked him to look for her, but the notion that she'd like to know what was going on had been there. Alana wondered if Lucian would understand.

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: A Wise Move

Tyrulf listened to Afyanna and Sef discuss the idea of approaching the town stealthily to scout ahead.

*Bothvar would be impressed with this group. Many would not think so far ahead,* he thought.

As Sef began preparations to leave, Tyrulf moved up to Afy to make a suggestion.

"While I certainly agree that scouting ahead is a good idea, I think that Sef should not go alone."

Afyanna looked down at Tyrulf with a concerned look. "Well, I'm not sure if that is a good idea, Tyrulf. Sef can move faster and with more stealth by himself."

*Why is she looking at me like that? I would think it would be a good idea for Sef to have backup.* Suddenly it hit Tyrulf. *She thinks that I am suggesting that I go with him.*

Tyrulf couldn't help smiling at the notion as he reassured Afy what his intentions were.

"Afyanna, I do not mean to suggest that I myself accompany Sef on this mission. I doubt that I could match his stealth on my best day. I meant that someone else with similar skills should go with him. If something happens, then having two people to deal with it would be better, and if one is hurt, then the other could go for help if necessary."

Tyrulf looked around at the other members of the group, nodding toward Valin and Cosher, who were chatting together at the other end of the camp. Afy saw him and looked in their direction as well. Neither Valin nor Cosher seemed to notice the two looking at them.

Tyrulf pondered, *Although I am not sure of the skills that everyone possesses, Valin seems to walk with a catlike grace. Jahar seemed to have the same swagger about him. May he rest in peace. Perhaps Cosher learned the same skills on his seafaring travels.*

Tyrulf's eyes fell upon the newcomer to the group.

*He often keeps his face hidden behind his cowl, as if it is part of his nature. Perhaps he, too, is adept at stealth. We should really discuss with him what his role in the group will be since he has missed all our previous discussions about everyone's talents.*

Speaking a little lower, Tyrulf said, "Maybe the newcomer, Febriwyn, might be of use in this task as well. Even if he does not go with Sef, it may be wise to discuss the skills and talents both he and the group posses so that he may fit in better. He did miss all our previous discussions about the group's tactics, after all."

Tyrulf left Afyanna with that last suggestion, and then went over to his bedroll.

- MJA (Tyrulf)

PBEM Orlantia: One Step Closer.

The sun began its downward descent as the noon hour crept past the pondering would-be heroes. At a good pace, they were but five hours' distance from Joad, but that would take their arrival into the night, and this idea did not sit well with some of them.

Sef thought on the matter as he gazed down at the remarkably short shadows cast by the noontime sun, and he also thought on Afyanna's suggestion of a lone scout while he did so.

*There and back again,* he mused. *A good ten hours or a full day to travel a 24-mile round trip. And wasting half a day into the bargain. That's no good.*

"We shouldn't split up just yet," he said, having decided. "It's too soon. After we're closer, say about a couple miles out, that'll be the time to scout ahead. We should push on for another four hours and then make camp. We'll be about two miles out, a safe distance, a little less than an hour's walk. That's good scouting distance. Otherwise a scout's round trip time would be too great. Then come morning, we won't have walked half a day already when we reach Joad. We'll be fresh," he said.

*At least the rest of you will be,* he figured, knowing the nighttime scout would be tired. But elves could manage their time better than humans could, and recover faster, so he did not mention it.

Mystir interrupted him, his chain of thought at Bebe's behest finally coming to fruition.

"I don't think we should be too hasty with some of the only magic we have. Lord Ornatep wouldn't want his weapon's salve squandered. After all, think about it. Did not the guards hit the foul beast with normal crossbow bolts? Obviously, it does not take magic to touch this creature. Though it may help, there are times when only magic weapons may suffice. From what we've seen, this isn't one of them," he reported, shifting uncomfortably on the rock upon which he sat.

"I mean, well, that's about all I can offer, Bebe, for advice on this creature. We can hurt it already, and without magic. We should save the magic until we really 'need' it." The wizard fell back into silence then, returning to his thoughts of when to cast some of his limited repertoire of spells as they approached Joad.

Valin, who had been remarkably silent for days, as if lost in prayer during some sojourn of spiritual crisis, added his own thoughts to Mystir's.

"This abomination is quite intelligent. It's no horse. Its powers, I mean, are obviously not horse-like, true, but we mustn't forget that it's clever, too, maybe as clever as a man. How can it have killed so many and not have been identified until now? Think about it. It deliberately attacks those who are alone, and probably, or at least usually only at night. If not for luck and the weird chance his friends were up so late at night, as well as nearby, it would have stomped both Jahar and Sefarlain to death and disappeared into the gloom before anyone saw it. If Sef hadn't hidden under the water, it might have had time to kill the guards, too, and then vanish, no one the wiser. Strictly speaking, it screwed up when it attacked you," he said, looking directly at Sef. "Remarkably clever, going for the water like that," he added.

Sef did not remember feeling clever so much as lucky and desperate, but he said nothing, the mental image of the beast dancing above him on the water's surface so strong in his mind that a slight chill ran the length of his spine when reminded of it.

"I think we may be safest in a tight group," Valin went on. "When has it ever attacked a large group? Never, that's when. And if scouts are called for, when closer to Joad, they should at least be in pairs. Perhaps the memory of a fresh defeat when attacking a duo lingers in its brain. It may be more cautious for a while. It might be more reluctant to take on any but a loner again for quite some time. But I completely agree that I don't want to venture into Joad for the first time in the dead of night. This thing likes the dark."

Suddenly Valin noticed everyone was looking at him, not just listening to him, but staring, as if he had done something wrong or out of the ordinary. He instantly felt embarrassed and closed his mouth and pretended to be checking his pack's contents.

It seemed to have been settled, however, as Sefarlain announced another decision.

"Let's not waste time talking while standing still. We can talk while we put a good foot under us and close the distance a piece."

With that, the elf began moving the party forward down the trail once more. All but Alana obediently followed. The druid lagged behind, though, her concern growing anew.

"Lucian? Lucian? LUCIAN!" she called out loudly enough to wake the dead. The nearby crow, apparently startled by the druid's calls, called out a reply and instantly scrambled into the air, taking wing, and headed off in the direction of Joad.

No matter where she looked, Lucian was nowhere to be found. Like silence itself, the cat had slunk away from his mistress and disappeared into the nearby woods.

*That darn cat!* she thought, but her worried expression betrayed her true feelings.

"Be careful," she whispered, and then hurriedly caught up with the others.

Sef also slunk back and fell into step with the newcomer, Febriwyn.

"If there's some scouting to be done in pairs, I think a couple elves like us should do it. No offense to the others," he whispered so only Wyn could hear, "but they stomp around so noisily sometimes it worries me," Sef told Wyn, having noted in the short time together that Wyn was not so clumsy or loud as most of his other companions. "Besides, a quick reverie and we'll be fresh as Spring's newborn grass," he told Wyn, smiling at the man.

Wyn said nothing. He just thought about it as Sef quickened his pace and pulled into the lead position once more.

The remainder of the day's travel was spent in short snippets of conversation. Questions were asked, speculations were offered, and each party member pondered what lay ahead, themselves, and each other as they approached whatever awaited them in Joad.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Relief

Bebe felt better about the party's focus after their afternoon respite, and the skip was back in her step as they moved out afresh. She even took the time to occasionally romp with Brambles, always keeping alert for the possibility of danger, but still wanting to have a little fun. After all, Bebe was just barely past her 73rd birthday.

She could see the many different abilities beginning to emerge in the party as they slowly came together. She wasn't as worried about falling into a trap and being ambushed now that her new friends decided to approach Joad with much more caution - caution that was taught them through the harsh reality of Jahar's violent demise.

With a sudden inspiration, Bebe walked forward to Mystir and asked, "Do you think the beast has a lair about, or is just running amok? It disappeared with nary a trace last night, and if direly threatened may do so again. I would hate to see the beast vanish as we are about to slay it only to reappear several days later, healthy and ready to cause havoc in the world once again."

She let Mystir think about that since he apparently liked to think carefully before answering, so she then approached Sef and asked him, "How can you track a beast such as this? I have heard of great men and women who can follow creatures weeks after they pass, but how do they do it? Can you show me how it is done?"

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: A Long Night Ahead

The ranger smiled to himself as Bebe enthusiastically quizzed him about tracking all manner of beasts. How did you explain a hundred years of experience in an afternoon? But he went over the basic principles of animal tracks and was impressed at how quickly Bebe grasped the ideas.

Tracking was more about animal behavior and movement rather than just a few muddy footprints. You could follow anything much better if you knew how the creature was likely to behave, and Bebe seemed to understand this better than most. In fact, Sefarlain had to make his excuses so that he could talk to Afyanna again as Bebe looked interested enough to keep going all night.

Afyanna had no major objections to the idea of getting a bit nearer to Joad, and so after lunch, Sef found himself following the undisturbed trail once again. The atmosphere throughout the group seemed tense as if each member was expecting the worst at any moment. Conversations were brief and whispered. Within a couple of hours everyone felt as if they had walked six, such was the degree of concentration.

"Afy, I've been thinking about tonight a little," murmured Sefarlain to the holy warrior. "We are only an hour or two from Joad now. I think maybe we should camp a little off the track and keep as well hidden as possible. I don't really fancy meeting anything . . . unexpected in the night if we can avoid it. Wyn and I can mark the point so that we can find you easy enough. There are ways, I'm sure you know."

"I'll give it some thought," said Afy. " Perhaps we shouldn't use the pavilion, then?"

"Maybe not. Wyn and I had better set off soon, though."

Sef looked apprehensively around him through the woods at the thought of setting off without the others. He had better start preparing himself since the journey looked like it could be arduous.

"Right. I'll talk to the others." And with that, Afyanna moved away to discuss the possibilities with the rest of the group.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: An Idea

Febriwyn followed the others in silent thought. Though he had yet to see the abomination, and he still failed to understand why the others not only believed it to be resident in this town, Joad, but why they wanted to confront it, their fate was to be his and, had said his father, whenever one's life is on the line it is usually best to think first.

Thus, Febriwyn thought and thought about how one would go about defeating a beast possessing only hatred, as well as being nearly impervious to the mechanically launched shafts of the humans, and, although the interesting discussions upon both the nature of the nightmare and tracking drew his attention momentarily, an idea popped into his head.

As the one they called 'Afyanna' approached, Febriwyn raised his hand, palm up, for a moment, the cloak slipping off to reveal a tiny sliver of white cloth beneath.

"Us scouts must soon leave to check for danger, but before doing so, I might add some thoughts to this creature that took down your friend," said Febriwyn, pausing now for a moment.

"Considering both crossbow bolts bounced from nightmare, I do not find it very likely, despite the scream it drew, that they actually harmed it. Instead, it is more likely that the beast screamed in annoyance, being unable to attack its victim. Whenever a crossbow hits a normal beast, the bolt goes quite deep. I think it would be foolish to assume normal weapons harm this beast. However, normal items should still affect it, even if they cannot harm it. Perhaps we can make a loop of rope or two to toss over the creature and, having people on both sides, capture it."

Febriwyn lowered his arm, blushing slightly, and waited for a response.

- Brandon (Febriwyn)

PBEM Orlantia: Last Stop To Joad.

As Wyn waited for Afy to respond to his comments, the holy warrior called a halt to their forward trek.

"This is far enough," she said, looking at Sef. "I think we must be about only a couple of miles away from Joad. Besides," she added, after a nod from Sef confirmed her estimate, "this looks like a good spot to camp."

Indeed, as the others looked around, the land's setting appeared promising to them, as well. Good cover was at hand within a standing grove of conifer trees. If they so desired, they could set up the pavilion in there and be undetectable from the trail.

The tent's canvas and a layer of trees would also obscure a campfire within the tent. Only the smoke might alert one to their presence within the grove, but smoke was hard to see at night. If they waited until after nightfall, everyone could safely have a hot supper.

Everyone, that is, except the two scouts. They would have to head out almost immediately if they wanted to get back before too long and still have an opportunity to get some rest.

"Let's set up in that grove over there," Afy said.

An hour later the camp seemed well established, and the sun neared the horizon on its inevitable fall from its daily heights. It would be dark within the hour. Having already tended to the animals, gathered the firewood, and located a nearby stream to resupply their canteens and waterskins, there was little to do but wait.

Afyanna, quite mindful of Wyn's concerns, finally looked at him, smiled, and then looked at the faces of the others. Whether she wanted this or not, this particular expedition was her responsibility, and she worried about this burden as they drew ever nearer her first real test.

"I guess this is about the last chance we might find to discuss any details or last minute suggestions or concerns," she announced to all party members. She had their full attention, of course.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Who is behind it?

Febriwyn was satisfied when they had decided to put up the pavilion. He felt quite confident it was the right move and said as much, expressing his opinion amongst his new traveling companions becoming easier as time went on.

"Yes, and with the bare floor in the tent, a deep hole, and a few large rocks around it to absorb some heat, things will be quite comfortable," he agreed. "Besides," he ventured further, "I suspect a horse would shy away from it, lest it get tangled up in canvas and rope. It'd have a much easier time stomping us if we were scattered out sleeping on the ground in the open. 'Course I usually sleep in trees quite comfortably, but most of you probably don't, so the tent is a very good idea, not to mention having the fire to keep the beast away," he added.

"Well, it is a fire-based creature," Mystir reminded them all, "so fire isn't exactly a deterrent for it like it is for most creatures, I'd wager."

"Right." Wyn agreed. "It's just . . . well . . . nice to have it for the light, if nothing else. But it'll be well hidden inside the pavilion, so I'm not worried anything will spot it. And I don't really believe that hellish horse is actually hunting you . . . umm, us," he corrected himself, knowing he was now part of the group as much as any, at least inasmuch as he would likely share the same fate.

"Do any of you honestly believe this thing is attacking people of its own accord? I doubt it, myself. I think someone is sending it out after people, or after something or someone. It doesn't seem random to me, anyway."

The group was looking at him, so he continued.

"Who does this horse attack? Lone travelers? Pairs? For my part, I can attest to the fact it wiped out a small family of traders. Three of them - probably a ma and pa and son sort of thing. And it attacked Sef and Jahar right in the middle of an armed town, didn't it?" he spat, frowning the whole time while thinking about the beast with disgust.

"Well," Valin offered, "they were hardly in the middle of town - more like the very outskirts, and along a river - well away from the main population. And at night."

Wyn had to concede the point, for the Yellow Trout was probably as far outside of town as one could get and still be in town. The place did cater, after all, to a plethora of unsavory travelers and uncouth sailors, bargemen and traders, as well as the occasional adventurer. The townsfolk were probably wise to keep them on the outskirts, in fact. Trouble followed that sort.

"The point is," Wyn continued, "that this thing is killing people, and we don't know why, or who. OK, OK, sometimes it's loners, sometimes duos, sometimes more. Mostly, I gather, it has always escaped unnoticed after killing someone, right?" he asked

Tyrulf said, "Sometimes no bodies were found at all, remember? Rumors are that some people have gone missing. Just missing. If the nightmare was responsible, how'd it get rid of the bodies? Maybe these disappearances aren't related, though. We have so few facts," the dwarf lamented.

"Ah thin' we ought ta lure the beastie out, give it something it might want, and the rest of us will pounce onnet, like in er ambush," Cosher volunteered. "It'll do no one any good to let the devil horse go on killin', so we have tae stop it somehow. Like et or no, is et no gonna come down to a simple fight 'tween us?" he asked. "Why keep puttin' et off?"

"This is pointless," Sef finally said. "We sit and speculate with next to no facts. The point of scouting ahead is to get some facts, so Wyn and I, I think, should be doing just that. Once we get back, maybe we'll know more and have something worth talking about."

No one disagreed.

"It's an hour there, an hour back, and however long it takes to see what's worth seeing. Then we'll be back. You ready?" he asked, nodding to Febriwyn.

"I guess," the second elf responded, finally glad something more definite was about to be done, however it might turn out.

"Anything else?" Sefarlain asked once more while checking Alonwë.

No one said a thing.

"Then we'll see you when we see you."

And with that, the pair of elves jogged out of the pavilion, wove through the trees in the grove, and headed for Joad.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Making Plans.

Alana was worried about Lucian. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything to him. What if he got himself into danger because he was out gathering information for her? He was still a kitten, not a full-grown cat, and sometimes he was just too damn curious for his own good.

*Don't go there,* she chided herself. *He has been gone before, nothing is wrong, and you don't help him by imagining disasters; you only hurt yourself.*

The idea that someone or something was deliberately sending the nightmare out to kill people shocked Alana. For what purpose? None of the others seemed to know - not even Febriwyn who had come up with the notion in the first place offered a plausible reason.

It didn't kill people who would be considered important. At least not for anyone other than their kin and friends. And it didn't leave witnesses. So if the purpose was to create panic, that would have been much easier accomplished by sending the beast in a busy town and have it wreck havoc there with dozens of witnesses.

She did agree with Wyn that normal weapons did not as deeply affect the creature as an ordinary beast would have been, so it might have gotten away with it. Was it really just annoyed by the crossbow bolts as Wyn claimed, or did the scream mean it at least felt pain at being hit? Maybe it was killing people randomly to hide one murder that was significant in some way. Maybe.

She fervently wished she knew more of the species. Did it get something out of killing people? Did it feed on their terror or something like that? Or was it just pure malice whether someone else directed it or not?

She saw some merit in the idea with the rope that Wyn had proposed some time earlier, but Mystir's remark that is was a fire-based creature pointed her to a flaw in the plan.

"If we really were to try and catch the beast with ropes, we should take precautions the ropes won't catch fire. Otherwise what is to prevent the creature from simply burning the bonds that hold it?" She added, "Of course we still know only very little, though I hope we'll get some more answers from Joad. Still, it might not be bad idea to start thinking up ways to fight against a fire because that might be the key to defeat a fire-based creature."

"Only, it didn't seem afraid of the water, walking on it as it did," Alana said, thinking out loud. "One would think that a fire-based creature would avoid large volumes of water."

- Wilma (Alana)