PBEM Orlantia

The Story So Far
Chapter 023

PBEM Orlantia: Bebe Gets Moody.

Bebe was kind of disappointed to hear that the party was going to try to set up another defensive perimeter and try to lure the beast in. She would prefer to see if Brambles could pick up the scent of the foul creature and follow it back to its lair.

*Febriwyn has the right idea,* Bebe thought. *We should see if we can surprise the hellish beast while it is still licking its wounds.*

She also had a fleeting thought of abandoning the party and striking out after the nightmare herself, but after a moment thinking of the possible hideous demise she would receive under those hell-spawned hooves, she thought better of it.

Bebe sighed deeply. *I guess I have signed on to this endeavor for an undisclosed period of time. Oh, if Jahar was still here,* she lamented. *We always seemed to have fun together and knew exactly where we wanted to go, even if the trips didn't turn out exactly as expected.*

Bebe quietly helped clean up after breakfast. She really didn't like the idea of setting up in the woods. She leaned toward the argument of securing the center of town around the statue and carefully preparing it with traps and other lethal pitfalls. The whole trial seemed to be centered around the village square and the secrets it held. She still didn't trust the villagers when they said that they told all. Either they were hiding information, or the secret was buried in antiquity.

*We just don't know the truth, and it may get us killed.*

After a halfhearted discussion with Afyanna about the tactical advantages of securing the town square, the conversation changed into the planning and preparations for a tree line perimeter. Bebe wasn't too interested in the details, so decided to wonder off for a while to clear her mind before the real work began in earnest.

*I wonder if there is a library in town. Private or public, it doesn't matter. I'm sure the villagers wouldn't mind if I looked at some of their tomes. After all, we are helping them. Perhaps they keep records somewhere on harvest and wine production,* she figured.

Bebe asked Sefarlain if he had seen a library or a place where records where kept, but he wasn't much help. He wasn't really looking for books when he did his quick search earlier.

*I guess it is up to Brambles and I to search it out,* she thought.

So with quill and parchment in hand, she set out towards the village to see what she could find, and to make a quick sketch of how the buildings were laid out, just in case they needed it later.

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Alana's Question.

*Well yes, that purple 'whoever he was' could have brought the bottle with him,* Alana thought *Still no reason to just throw it away, but that was hardly the issue, now was it?*

Alana was carrying a happy, purring Lucian in her arms. He must have missed her too. Listening to Horton's explanation, though, another idea came to her.

"So where do you store it?" she asked. At Horton's puzzled expression she elaborated further. "Where do you store your wine? You said it has to age and so on. I just assume you must have some wine stored somewhere. I could use some to prepare meals with. There is not much food to be found anymore and a little wine could make what we have just a touch more tasty. You don't have to worry about the alcohol making us less alert. It evaporates, you see . . ."

Alana somehow got the feeling she had said something wrong. Horton looked as if she had asked him where he stored his money. Well, perhaps in a way she had, since Horton made his living selling wines, but hey, she was a customer too.

"I wouldn't use a fifty year old bottle of your cabernet, of course," she added hastily, thinking that was perhaps what had upset him, but it didn't seem to matter. Horton's expression remained odd to say the least.

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: A Curious Current.

Horton did indeed look uncomfortable with Alana's line of questioning, but before too much time had passed, he smiled at her and said, "Mostly family wine cellars are used for aging the wine. I even have a small wine cellar myself, or rather the town does since the collective owns the mayor's house, and that's what I mean. There's only enough there for small occasions, though. I guess we could retrieve a bottle or two, if you'd like," he told Alana. "I'll send Andrew along to fetch a couple bottles," he offered.

Alana did not really object, and soon Andrew left for town. Afyanna, feeling a break in Sef's inquiries, took back the initiative.

"Let's all take a look at the tree line setting I think might serve our needs as a defensive position," Afy said, and then she led the way and most of her comrades followed her. When they arrived, she started to lay out her plans and ideas for how to handle the assault.

"Of course there isn't an army of townsfolk here to help us this time. Digging up and transplanting all those palisade stakes might be too much for us to accomplish by ourselves in the little time we have. Besides, I'm not convinced it would do any good with a creature that can fly. Each of us will be better off just carrying a lance to set it against a charge, and if we stay in pairs, that's a double piercing attack if the beast dares charge any of us."

No one really had a comment just then, but were instead looking over the area and collecting their thoughts.

Meanwhile, Bebe crept along the town's streets making a crude map of the place, paying particularly close attention to the town square and the statue of the Holy Warrior of Wrath.

The sky remained dark and overcast, and a wind began to blow out of the southwest. Brambles suddenly stood fully erect and froze in place, her gaze fixed on a distant point. After a moment, she looked back at Bebe with some confusion, then again in the direction of the wind and soon began to whimper.

Bebe looked up from her efforts at cartography and tried to see what Brambles was looking at, but she could detect nothing.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Brambles' Unrest.

Bebe became alarmed as soon as Brambles' hackles rose. The she-wolf had much better senses than the young gnome, so Bebe learned to pay attention to them long ago.

"What's wrong Brambles?" whispered Bebe. "What's out there that's got your tail in a snit?" Bebe scanned the horizon but could see nothing.

"I think it would be best if we found a hiding place, eh Brambles?" Bebe stated as she scanned the town looking for likely cover to cower under while still being able to keep an eye on the surrounding area, and especially the town center. She spotted a nice porch that she and her companion could easily scoot under and be well hidden, but maintain a good field of view.

"Come on Brambles. We're no use to the party if we become posthumous heroes."

After becoming relatively comfortable under the porch, Bebe slowly scratched Brambles' scruff to keep her calm while they waited. "We'll wait here for a while, check out the mayor's abode one last time, and then head back to the others to help with tonight's preparations."

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: A Calm That Calms.

Brambles obeyed her mistress, though it became clear she seemed excited and anxious to run into the wind instead of hiding. Yet the she-wolf knew her place, and Bebe always knew more than she did about such matters. Nevertheless, she continued to softly whimper.

Minutes passed and Bebe could still detect nothing. After a little more time, Brambles stopped whining and just crouched there, patiently watching the gnome for her next command.

No one was coming, it seemed. This puzzled the pint sized druid, for she had felt certain someone would have come, given her wolf's reaction. Alas . . . nothing. Even Brambles no longer seemed to sense anything or anyone.

Bebe emerged from her hiding spot into the still, cool air. The clouds above were still threatening rain as they drove across the sky above in a torrent of wind Bebe could not detect on the ground.

The gnomish druid stood there for a moment and considered her plans.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: The Nagging Doubts.

Sef had grown weary of any plan to openly confront the beast, feeling such a toe-to-toe conflict would probably end badly. Though Afyanna's plan was probably best if it came to that, he wasn't ready to concede such a melee was inevitable.

Thankfully, since the hell horse could fly, Afy declared rebuilding the palisades would likely be a waste of time, and so there was little to do but wait. But Sef wanted to do more than that. He returned to where they had found the bottle - or rather, Lucian had found it - and searched the area anew. Ultimately, though, he found nothing. If any telling tracks had been present, the winter had scoured them away. Disappointed, he returned to the caves and decided to confront Horton once again.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: The Cabernet Question.

Horton's explanations seemed to make sense. Was Sef on the right track or was he merely grilling an innocent man who had nothing to hide? Something in the elf's heart told him to continue just a little further, and so he cleared his throat before fixing the halfelf with a quizzical expression.

"Horton, can you remember if the man in purple was indeed drinking this wine? From what you say, it sounds like an expensive bottle of wine, so it's a bit unusual to be thrown aside in the woods. I take it most people here would not have such expensive tastes, so he must have been a man of means."

Horton opened his mouth to answer but before he had a chance to speak, another stream of questions came from the ranger. Horton shot him a rather irritated look, but allowed him to finish.

"And also, a sage we knew stated that the wines from this region had suffered of late. He seemed to imply that the grape quality had fallen, but I have seen no sign of that here. Have you noticed anything over the years change with the grapes other than the usual seasonal variations?"

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Horton Explains.

Sef's questions seemed to put Horton on edge, and the elderly halfelf took his time before answering them.

"Yes, I recall the man in purple was often drinking, or even bordering on drunk much of the time. I do not, however, recall specifically seeing him with a bottle of cabernet, empty or otherwise. And though I know some who collect empty bottles, and of course I'd never condone tossing them aside into nature's bosom just because they were empty, I fear once it's empty, many would do the same - just toss it aside wherever they finally drained it. Nevertheless, I think it's a good bet the man in purple had this bottle, and yes, that would also indicate he was from Alodar, as well as a man of means. Money did not seem to be his problem. He liberally spent it in town on food and, well . . . mostly drink. He even offered me pretty large sums of money if I would but reveal the secret of our wine - as if there was any such secret. But we've already covered that!" he said sternly, indicating he felt the ranger was wasting their time.

"As for the quality of our product," he began a bit more cautiously, as if trying to carefully avoid a pitfall of some kind, "it does fluctuate from time to time. And not all wines travel well. And unless they're properly stored, well . . . many bad things may befall even an excellent vintage to make it not much better than this year's table wine. Or worse," he added. Sef looked slightly confused to the halfelf, so the town elder explained further.

"To improve a wine's quality, it must be properly aged. This isn't just tossing it in some drawer for fifty years, you understand. The temperature must be even pretty much all year around. That means a cellar of some kind, of course. They should occasionally be turned, if possible. They should be in a rack that tilts the bottles forward such that the wine is in constant contact with the cork, lest it dry out and allow air into the bottle. That would ruin the wine, you see. Even if you do all this correctly, finally the bottle should be properly decanted, or the sediments will mix with the wine and introduce unwanted flavors. I have no idea what your sagely friend may have been drinking, but it does not surprise me if he occasionally ran afoul of a bad bottle of wine, even from Joad."

Horton had finished his explanation and awaited further questioning - or for Sef to leave once more - to perhaps pursue, in Horton's mind, no doubt - more profitable avenues of exploration.

Yet, despite the disapproving vibe Horton gave off, Sef felt certain there was more to all this than Horton was willing to tell. Alas, even if that were true, he'd either have to ask more cunning questions or try another tack.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Further Questioning.

The elf listened attentively but began to feel more and more dejected. His questioning seemed to be getting nowhere, and yet he felt unable to let his nagging doubts go. Perhaps a different tack was called for.

"Horton, I've been impressed by your leadership of the people here, but one thing interests me. Why did you and Andrew not go with the others when you had a chance? If we do not defeat this beast, you face certain death. That's a very brave decision to stay."

Horton visibly paled at the somewhat brusque line of thought the ranger had expressed.

"I mean," the ranger continued, "you must have lived here for many years to love this area so much. It must be important for you to stay, I suppose - not to want to leave with the rest of the townsfolk and all."

He looked directly at Horton and continued in a lower voice, so that only Horton could hear him. He took his arm gently and led him a few steps away from the cave. At the same time, his tone and facial expression became somber and grave, as if he was sharing a great secret.

"If I'm honest, Horton, we're just all concerned that the nightmare is too strong for us, and without knowing why it's here, we probably can't defeat it, I'm afraid. I just don't want to see you suffer with the rest of us when we meet our fate. Your fate, of course, is bound with ours - although a bit slower, I would think."

"Now, now sir," sputtered Horton, "don't talk so. Help will be on its way."

"Well, judging from what we saw in Hooktar, I don't think so," replied Sef. "Oh, don't worry. We'll fight bravely, I can assure you of that. But without knowing what underlies this beast, I'm afraid our fate is pretty much sealed."

Sefarlain raised his voice again and smiled, looking more confident once again. "Still, no need to think too much about that. What were you saying again?"

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Horton's Sacrifice.

Horton sat down on a nearby rock with a heavy sigh and looked back into Sefarlain's eyes. The ranger's reminder they shared a similar fate didn't seem too surprising to the town elder, but for a moment he silently stared out into the distant lake and pondered the elf's words.

"Yes, I realized we might die by staying, but then so too might we have died by going. But if we can hold here for a little while longer, we buy time for the others. My help, such as it is, might turn the tide for all I know. It's all a bit of a risk. But I love this town and its people, and I have dedicated my life to ensuring its prosperity. I'm old now," he sighed again, "and my time is not much longer on this mortal plane no matter what may befall us here. But it does weigh heavily upon me that Andrew decided to stay as well. Yet that was HIS decision. He is a man, after all, no longer a boy. And as the sole heir to the largest landowner in Joad, he has the most to lose. Besides, he fancies himself my eventual replacement, and few will question his authority or commitment to this town and its folks should he survive. Leadership, he has it in him, that lad, if he can learn greater patience," Horton confessed. "I've tried to teach him wisdom and love for others these last ten years, so I can hardly chastise his decision to stay and assist you in this quest for our people when he's doing exactly as I would if I were in his shoes."

Horton began stretching his neck left and right to loosen up tense muscles, his eyes closed and brows furrowed, Sef could see the man was in considerable discomfort. As nasty and uncomfortable as a few days of trail living had been on relative youngsters like Sef and his newly acquired comrades, roughing it in a cave for months had to be that much worse for the elderly. Such stress had worn the old halfelf to the breaking point, and yet he endured - but for how much longer?

"I'm distressed to hear you, too, fear the nightmare may be too strong for you physically. Clinging to that belief alone may ensure your . . ." he paused then to reconsider his words, " . . . our defeat. But I don't know why the nightmare is here. You seem to keep insinuating I do know, unless I miss my guess, but I honestly haven't a clue as to why it's here or what it wants. But I apologize if I am wrong in thinking this of you." Horton stood up then to stretch his arms and legs.

"Perhaps I have greater faith than you, young elf." Horton chuckled then, and when Sef seemed puzzled, he explained. "Oh, it's just that one such as you have probably already lived longer than I have, so it seems wrong to think of you as a youngster, but from my experience, despite our true ages, the differences between elf and halfelf is almost as great as between elf and human. A human may be born, mature, grow old and eventually die before an elf born at the same time even begins to seriously consider the world beyond his nearest horizon or ask his first deep question of life's mysteries. But as to what I was saying, yes, I have faith. Corellon Larethian sent His holy warrior to us. We must have faith this wasn't for nothing. Our people will get through, and for the first time since all this began, outsiders will learn exactly what the problem is, and what's more, where it is. I have NO doubt, now that you're here to at least occupy and delay the beast, even if you cannot kill it, that its eventual demise is at last assured. Thanks to you, the word has gotten out. And whether we live or die these next couple of days, perhaps it no longer matters. We see, you may have already saved the town. Did you ever think of that? My people will eventually be able to return, and warriors from miles around will come to kill the beast now that they know of it and where it dwells. Oh yes, my people will return when it's finally done. We just have to ensure there is something worth returning to," he finished in a whisper.

The town elder looked grim for a moment, and then went on in normal voice.

"Indeed, yes, in actual deed, by staying we have already ensured the town's salvation. Its people will endure. If anything, now that you have saved the town, we may only fight for ourselves, for our personal survival. And if you fear we cannot do it by force of arms alone, then we may die if you cannot find another way to beat this demon horse. Alas, I do not think I can help you further. I remain, however, as does Andrew, in case we might yet be of assistance. I'm just sad that I cannot fathom how this might be. But if there is a way, if there is some piece of information you need that we have and do not know we have it, it might yet arise, might it not? We have to stay just in case we might help. Yes, it's a risk, but is that too much to pay? It seems less than what you and your friends are willing to pay, and you have less to gain and more to lose than we. Young elf, I dare say you may learn far more by asking yourself, 'Why did you stay?'."

Horton smiled again, rubbing his neck as he did so, and then started back toward the caves, pausing before he had walked more than ten steps.

"You must wound the horse tonight, you know that, don't you? If you can wound it like last time, we win, even if we die. If you cannot wound it . . . " the elder didn't finish that thought.

"In any event, I wish to thank you for our salvation, young elf. No matter come what may, we do thank you and your comrades. You all are . . . even now . . . heroes."

Then the elder slipped back into the cave, leaving Sef alone on the beach.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Pause For Thought.

*A man's character can be hidden from the most insightful gaze,* thought the ranger, *but if this is indeed deceit, it is too great for me to see.*

Sefarlain walked along the beach after Horton had left him, clear in his own mind at least that the villager had honorable intentions, even if he might still be holding something back from the party. After a short while, he went back to the woods and located the others who were discussing the forthcoming night's plan.

He quickly explained what had taken place on the beach to a few murmurs and many puzzled expressions.

"I can't help thinking someone is behind this nightmare," he continued, "but I still haven't quite worked out what role the statue has in all this. Afy, if we need to face this beast again after tonight, do you think we should do it in the town square by the statue? It won't be the quarter moon by then - not until tomorrow night, but maybe we should take a stand there. Otherwise, does anyone else have any other ideas about tonight or this whole wine business?"

He looked hopefully around his friends, looking for inspiration that he could not find alone.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Bebe Returns To The Party.

Bebe sighed deeply. "I guess nothing is going to happen. Come on Brambles, let's head back to the others."

It was getting close to noon and Bebe slowly, yet wearily, began the trek back to the tree line. She was kind of disappointed that there wasn't anything new to report, but at least she had rough sketch of the village that might help Afyanna set up for tomorrow night. That is, of course, if they survived the night.

- Shelly (Bebe)

PBEM Orlantia: Plan B.

Afyanna listened to Sef's retelling of his discussion with Horton. She was having a very tough time figuring the man out. Was his secret completely unrelated to the whole affair? Or was it the central point? Afyanna did not know, and it was clear that they had all pressed Horton as hard as they could without being rude. Well, not too much farther than that anyway.

To the elf's question, her reply was quick. "If we don't kill this thing tonight, Sefarlain, I don't plan on waiting around until tomorrow night to try again."

"What are you suggesting?" Sef asked.

"I am suggesting that should we fail tonight, that we break one of the first rules of fighting an animal."

"You mean we're going to track it to its lair and fight it there?" Alana asked.

"Precisely."

Bebe, for one, looked happy. She and Brambles had wanted to do that from the start, but Afyanna was leery of cornering the injured beast. But, should they fail tonight - that was exactly what had to be done.

"We can't keep this up night after night," Afy continued. "If it doesn't die tonight, then we'll set out immediately and try to follow it back to its lair."

"Immediately?" asked Tyrulf.

"Yes. We don't know where it lives, so it may be a long trip. If we can find it and set up - we might be able to get some rest before attacking during the day."

Turning to Sefarlain, she added, "And I would like to be back at the statue by nightfall tomorrow."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Making Plans.

"Last night we were waiting for the beast to attack us and reacting to that. Maybe tonight, once it appears, we could try to move towards it and try to attack it all simultaneously," Alana suggested. "That would make it harder for the beast to single out any one of us because it would have to deal with all of us at the same time. Once it has its attention on one person, it would be wide open for attack by any of the others."

And perhaps we could combine some of our spells," she continued. "Pity we can't practice this. But if we combine, for instance, my Create Water spell with Mystir's Ray Of Frost spell, we should be able to shower that beast in ice. And while it's dealing with that, those skilled with the bow could loose their arrows at it."

"Of course I do not know if this is at all possible or even prudent - it's just an idea," Alana said, looking questioningly to the others - especially Afyanna and Sefarlain because she imagined them to be more experienced in those matters.

"Maybe we'd need a signal to coordinate our efforts, and we'd need to be extra careful not to hit any of our own by accident," she added.

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: Another Idea.

Tyrulf listened to Alana talking about combining spells.

*An interesting idea. I would guess that combining certain spells would be very effective with practice,* he thought.

Once Alana was done, Tyrulf spoke up. "I think your idea of combining spells is a good one, although perhaps not that particular combination. With practice you might be able to time the spells to freeze the water and even drop it on a particular spot. Unfortunately we don't really have the time to practice such a combination today."

Alana seemed to be a little put off. Tyrulf smiled trying to reassure her. "Perhaps tomorrow we could discuss our individual spell capabilities and collectively come up with ideas and even try the ones with promise."

She relaxed after Tyrulf's last comment so he continued.

"I have been thinking. Last night's idea with the spikes seemed pretty good. If only the nightmare followed our plan. What if we were to lash a few spears together? Make four or five bunches of spears and lay them on the ground covered up. If we brace the butt of the spears then we could pull on a rope to lift the front of the spears up when the beast charges. We could put the spears further out from the tree line so we would have time to grab our weapons before it closes in."

The group looked at Tyrulf strangely. Bebe was the first to speak up.

"Tyrulf, tying the spears together would make them stronger but would still be only the span of one spear. We would have to have too many bunches of these to be effective. They would have to be all over and we could only have as many as there are people in the group."

Tyrulf paused and Afyanna looked down at him. *Well, I guess he didn't think of that. At least we are all trying to think of something.*

Clearing her throat, Afyanna continued Bebe's line of reasoning. "We would have to rely on the nightmare traveling exactly to where we want it, even with seven stronger spears that wouldn't really cover much ground."

Tyrulf still seemed a little confused but only for another second. The group could see the comprehension on his face as he started to speak again.

"For a minute there I didn't know what you were getting at. My fault, really. I didn't explain myself clearly enough. I meant that we could lash several spears together more like a wall."

Tyrulf stood up and laid five spears on the ground facing the same way. "If we take five spears like this and then put a piece of wood across it to connect them, perhaps we could even put holes in the wood to put the spears through. We would only have to attach the rope to the cross piece to lift all of them up. Spacing them about a foot apart could mean if we manage to hit the beast it may even be hit with more than one. Each section would cover five feet so if we have seven or eight of them, which would cover a fair amount of ground. The other thing about this is if the beast notices the spears even through the camouflage it would still slow down, giving us at least one more opportunity to fire a missile weapon at it."

The group understood what he was trying to say now and seemed to be thinking about its chance of success, but before anyone had a chance to comment on his spear idea, Tyrulf rambled on about his other idea.

"Valin pointed out that it might come from the forest - certainly a valid point. I was thinking that we could set some trip lines between some of the trees. It would probably be best to set them up in line with several of the party members so that if it does attack one of us it would have to get through or around the trip wire. We could even set some a little higher incase it tries to jump over them. Again, even if it doesn't stop the beast, it may slow it down, especially if it moves around them altogether. The only thing about this is that whoever is near the trip wires would have to remember that they are there if they needed to run into the woods. One other problem with this whole scenario . . .. we should plan something for the possibility that it may come at us from the air this time. That would certainly be the most difficult thing to deal with, which is why we should come up with something beforehand. This beast is smart and it may use its flying ability since we have already damaged it before."

Tyrulf sat down after his little speech, looking at the rest of the group members expectantly.

- MJA (Tyrulf)

PBEM Orlantia: Lone Elf.

Febriwyn climbed to his feet. Rubbing his arms, chilled from their prolonged exposure to the currents of wind passing over the cliff, the elf looked over to his companions talking over near the tree edge. Surely they were discussing how to destroy the large black stallion.

Humans, Febriwyn had decided, were naturally drawn to killing other creatures. The first question this raised though - and this had occupied him for the last hour upon the cliff - is why then all the creatures of Orlantia did not think them as bad as the goblins, if perhaps more clever in their methods.

The truth of the subject didn't much matter; Febriwyn would remain with them anyhow. These people, at the very least, were trying to do the right thing even if the method might not be what he truly wished.

Thoughts did not usually occupy this much of his time. Not usually. His preoccupation with the thoughts had, however, left him without his daily spell practice his master had told him to perform every day. Febriwyn actually hoped he might be able to create an effect to scare away the nightmare, but the position the others had thought best handled by him had effectively left his spells out of range.

Febriwyn's eyes again ran over his companions as he leaned forward to scoop over a length of rope. Wrapping it half about his torso and taking hold in both front and back, Febriwyn backed over the edge and began bounding to the bottom in a series of hand-burning lessons of how foolish gloveless rappelling was.

Reaching the bottom with a muttered curse in elven, Febriwyn released the rope and licked his right palm. They didn't call it rope burn for nothing. Pressing his hands together for a moment before scooping up some sand, Febriwyn set off for the edge of the wood near, and yet some distance from, his team mates.

- Brandon (Febriwyn)

PBEM Orlantia: Gone Again, Tom.

For the first time since breakfast, everyone was gathered at one spot again, with the exception of Febriwyn - though he sat by himself several hundred yards away, he could at least be seen by the others.

Andrew had just returned with the bottle of cabernet from Horton's cellar and handed it to Alana.

"If you can make something for us all, I'm sure everybody would be delighted," he told her, but this clearly would include the remaining villagers as well. Alana pondered what stores she might have to make a meal large enough for everybody.

"What shall I make for tonight, Lucian?" she asked, but then noticed her cat had once again disappeared. Ten minutes of searching didn't turn up the cagey animal, and Alana silently cursed the tom.

*He's too independent for his own good,* she thought, but there was nothing for it.

"Spell combinations sound like a worthy pursuit," Valin commented, "but we just aren't really in a position to experiment right now."

A moderate gust of wind blew out of the southwest just then, and Brambles began to whine again, looking quite alert and intent upon the horizon between and the south and west cardinal points. Every so briefly, she would look back at Bebe, as if puzzled, but her attention returned windward.

"What's upsetting Brambles?" Valin asked.

Horton just gazed along the same line as the wolf.

"I don't see anything, lad," he told the priest of Hermes.

"So, what is your plan for tonight?" Horton asked Afyanna.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Final Hours.

Afyanna was quite impressed with Tyrulf's idea. It had the genius of being effective against a charging horse and being hidden such that the approaching beast couldn't see it. That is, as long as it came from the expected direction.

"I like it, Tyrulf," Afyanna said. "Let's see how many of these spears we can get prepared and linked before nightfall. I don't know how smart this thing is, but I'd rather we leave out a spear or two than risk it seeing us burying something."

She then turned to Horton. "At this point, our plan is much like last night. Goad it into coming to us, and hope that we do a lot more damage than we did before."

Afyanna eyed the wolf. Brambles had been sensing something of late, and it didn't set well with the kin-der. "We should get to work. I want us to be ready just as night falls. I don't want to be caught unprepared."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Guidance.

That morning, the time she usually prepared her spells, Alana had not been certain about which spells to prepare. She had again prepared the Create Water spell; even though it hadn't had the effect she had hoped, she still thought it might come in handy when dealing with a fiery creature.

Alana guessed that her idea about combining that particular spell with one of Mystir's had been partly inspired by an urge to justify her choice. She desperately wanted to defeat the beast that had caused so much pain already. So the moment the idea had entered her head she had spoken it out loud. She also had prolonged the Flare and some healing spells. Her Detect Magic, however, no longer seemed to have any real purpose. Only that morning she hadn't yet been able to decide what spell to prepare in its stead. Thus, Alana had left that open, figuring that during daytime nothing likely would happen that would disturb her sanctity and peace of mind and prevent her from selecting a different, more useful spell for that evening. And nothing bad had happened so far.

But now Lucian was gone again and Brambles was upset about something. Though those things alone weren't enough to really disturb her, they were disquieting nonetheless, and Alana felt it was time to make a decision. It would still take her some time to prepare the spell, and today was not a good moment to let any weapon at her disposal go to waste.

*Guidance, I will ask for the Guidance spell,* she thought to herself.

Part of that decision was based on Horton's opinion that if they would wound the nightmare then they would have won already. She wasn't certain she believed that wounding the beast would be enough, but anything that would help them to actually hit the hell spawn would probably be a good thing. So when Afyanna announced it was time to go to work, the druid withdrew to a quiet spot and prepared her last spell.

- Wilma (Alana)

PBEM Orlantia: Suspicions Raised

Various ideas bounced back and forth between the party members; some good in Sefarlain's opinion, others not so good. He sighed quietly and cursed himself for his ineffectiveness against the nightmare when they last met. He knew that many of the more experienced of his order would have been able to deal with the creature single-handedly, and the realization of how much he had to learn troubled him deeply. Not that he felt he could share this with anyone there at the moment. Pride was perhaps one of Sefarlain's worse vices, as his father would no doubt testify. It had driven him from Tugath and perhaps had brought him to his current plight. The ranger suddenly felt a long way from home; some levelheaded advice was badly needed.

Sefarlain stretched out on the thick grass as his mind wandered over the night's possibilities as the wind shifted slightly. He felt the coolness of the breeze against his neck and watched the trees shift slightly. A rustle spread through the wood to signal the change. Not much else had happened but the ranger noticed that the wolf suddenly looked agitated. Brambles was straining and looking back to Bebe, confused and uncertain.

Sefarlain quickly got to his feet and looked into the wind, trying to smell or see anything of note, but he knew his senses, sharp as they were compared to the others nearby, were no match to the wolf's. Nothing seemed amiss.

"I think Brambles has something," began Sefarlain, to no one in particular. "It seems to be coming from the southwest, I think. Horton, what lies that way? Whatever it is, I don't think it's good."

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Clark's Vineyards.

Horton looked southwest in response to Sefarlain's suggestion. Frowning for a moment, he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Southwest? From here? A few buildings of no consequence, but beyond that is the bulk of Clark's estate and vineyards. There's a lot of ground out there. Why?" he asked. "What are you looking for?"

"Yeah, I'm interested in knowing too," said Andrew. "What makes you think my lands are no good?" he demanded.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: The Clark Estate.

The news that the Clark estate lay in the direction of the wind brought back a familiar nagging feeling to the ranger. Lucian had saved the group once before, and Sefarlain wasn't ready to dismiss as mere coincidence the fact the bottle of wine found by the cat also belonged to that very vineyard.

"Andrew, I'm not sure what worries the wolf," he began, "but it's my bet there may be something stalking your land or using it as a base of some sort. What can you tell me of your property? Are there any areas that someone or something could hide in? It sounds like a considerable vineyard, but is there anywhere that stands out?"

Andrew paused for a moment. Sefarlain was sure that he of all people would know his land backwards and forwards and could help them find what concerned Brambles.

"One final thing, Andrew. Is there anything about your property in its history that we might not know about? I'm trying to think why something might target your land particularly. Anything notable about the grapes, for instance? Or the site of old buildings or battles? Or did the man in purple pay particular attention to your vineyard?"

By the look on the bemused man, Sefarlain knew he had let his enthusiasm run away with him once again, but anything that could let him even his score with that beast was something worth pursuing.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Stones And Thorns.

"Something in my family's vineyards?" asked Andrew. "Something hidden? Well, if it's hidden, then it's hidden from me as well. But the place is vast enough to conceal a great many things, I guess. More likely in the rougher terrain where we wouldn't grow grapes, for example. There's little reason to visit such areas, except to play in them as kids might do, but I haven't been to most such areas since I was a lad, myself."

Horton looked slightly nervous and coughed, clearing his throat.

"Martha's Vineyards don't really have any remarkable history that I can recall." Then he paused and finally sighed deeply, as if resigning himself to some fate. "But I guess, if you think it prudent, you should check it out while you still have some daylight. But I promise you, I can't imagine why that hell horse would favor those vineyards to any other place. And the man in purple didn't show any special interest in them either - just in Joad, as a whole."

"Martha's Vineyard?" Valin asked.

"Andrew's mother, Martha Clark. You met her, you remember, the one who felt the gods were punishing Joad by visiting this hell horse upon us. She's normally a sweet old lady," Horton said.

Andrew looked a bit uncomfortable with his mother being discussed so openly, but he said nothing.

"I'll stay here with the others, but Andrew could take you into his holdings. If you find something, well, then I don't know what will happen or what you'll want to do, but if not, I suggest you get back before dark."

That seemed to be Horton's final word on the matter, though he whispered something to Andrew just before he slipped back into the cave. The younger man frowned and shook his head after the town elder, and then he went over to Afyanna and Bebe.

"We best be going, if you have a mind to go," he told them.

Sef knelt down next to Brambles and slowly reached out to pat the wolf's neck. "Now easy girl," he said, "Easy there. You just go and find what's troubling you. Can you do that for us?" he asked the she wolf.

Brambles just stared at him for a second, then looked questioningly at Bebe.

"Go ahead. Find it girl," Bebe commanded her companion.

With that, the wolf shot off but then quickly settled into a slower pace so Bebe could keep up with her, though the gnome and the dwarves had to run to do so. Most of the others jogged along side the pair.

After ten minutes they passed a few building, and Horton had been right in his description - they weren't very significant. A few minutes more, though, and Andrew announced they had crossed into his lands.

"From here to the south, bordering nearly the entirety of Horseshoe Lake's western shore, and then west for ten more miles pretty much sums up my family's holdings. There's nothing all that special about the grapes we grow any more than other vineyards here abouts. So, what do you want to see? Some rough terrain where we don't grow anything?" he asked Afy.

"No," Bebe answered for the party leader. "We'll just let Brambles lead us."

The wolf did, indeed, seem to be following her nose. When the wind blew she raised her snout and whined, and when the wind was calm, she seemed less certain but kept heading in the same southwesterly direction.

This went on for nearly another hour as they cut across country, but then the party came across a thickly overgrown stand of trees along a ridge. The grove's floor was thick with stones and boulders, and scrub and thorns were all tangled between the tree trunks. It looked virtually impassible.

"There's a road over there," Valin said, pointing west.

"Yeah, that's Grandeur Road," Andrew told them. "It's the main artery for traffic through the land here. We could have saved some time if we knew we were coming here by taking it, but we went as the crow flies, or as the wolf ran, in this case. There's a gravel pit about ten minutes further south where you can see better what lies just under the soil. Most of this area is exceptionally rocky. It's not well suited for growing grapes. Just a lot of big boulders and stones and bedrock with thin, sandy soil on top."

Andrew looked about, turned around, then cautiously looked northward and seemed uneasy about something.

"What's wrong?" Tyrulf asked him.

"Wrong? Oh, nothing. It's just, well . . . you never know if that horse will show up any minute, that's all," he told them, quickly looking from person to person.

What he said could well have been what was on his mind, but Sef wasn't sure. He was again getting suspicious, but he really didn't have any proof of anything.

"So what now?" Andrew wanted to know. "Do we go into that thorny grove or what?"

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: What Are You Hiding?

Afyanna wasn't very comfortable leaving their carefully chosen area of defense only hours before the coming battle, but Brambles' nose could not be ignored. The she wolf was sensing something on the air, and that fact alone made an investigation worthwhile.

Afy's unease was further exacerbated when she spied Horton whispering something to Andrew. Andrew, for his part, didn't seem comfortable with what he had been told. Afyanna was uncertain how to take that.

Later, when Andrew looked worriedly back towards the north - toward Horton and whatever reason he chose to stay behind, she assumed - Afy could no longer keep it to herself.

"Andrew, what did Horton tell you before we left?"

"Erumm, what?" was his stammered response.

"I noticed Horton whispering something to you before we left - something that didn't seem to agree with you."

Andrew blinked a couple times as the rest of the party took notice of the exchange.

Afyanna was becoming annoyed with all the secrets and double-talk and no doubt it was becoming apparent to Andrew as well. Horton, too, seemed to have stayed farther away from her of late.

"I only ask because you seem like you are more worried about something back there," she said, nodding toward Joad, "than with anything nearby."

- Rick (Afyanna)

PBEM Orlantia: Another Denial.

Andrew again looked uncomfortable, as if he wanted to say something, or felt that he should, but knew he couldn't. Alas, even that assessment was mostly speculation, and Andrew and Horton had already denied hiding anything - or at least, anything pertinent.

*I don't doubt they are hiding something, but is it important? Does it relate to the nightmare at all?* Afy kept asking herself.

Andrew looked around at the entire party, nine strangers and a wolf, and just sighed dejectedly. If he might confess a secret at all, it apparently wasn't in front of nine strangers, Afy concluded, when Andrew finally answered her.

"Oh, you know, just to be careful. AS IF I WOULDN'T!" he snapped somewhat halfheartedly. He quickly turned to Sef and Bebe, both of whom seemed more intent on the tangled grove.

"So, I've seen this grove a lot as a kid, walking by here, but I've never ventured inside. It looks nasty with all those thorns and briar."

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: A Secret Conversation

The journey through the Clark Estate had shown to Sefarlain the consequence of the last few months. The land lay silent around him, untended, unready for the coming season. The effect was slightly disconcerting, but the party pressed on behind the wolf as Brambles continued towards the ridge.

The sight of the tightly packed trees forming a virtual wall along the ridge caused a shiver of excitement down Sefarlain's spine. One thought raced through his head as he spotted occasional boulders amongst the trees.

*Moonstone Temple!*

The site of the long-destroyed temple to Corellon Larethian had seemed out of his reach and lost to antiquity. In truth, he didn't even know if this grove could be the temple remains, but even the possibility thrilled him.

The elf fought his impulse to run over to the grove, and instead tried to appear relaxed and calm. He was unsure as to Andrew's reasons for hiding something from the party, but he felt it would be best not to confront him just yet.

"I think it would be worth a quick look, Andrew," he said. "What do you think, Afyanna?"

Almost unconsciously, he loosened his hilt slightly and made sure Alonwë was ready.

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: Into The Grove.

Without exception, the whole party had come - even Febriwyn, though he remained quiet and more aloof than most. And, of course, Lucian was again missing, but that was not atypical for that cat, according to Alana, though it clearly concerned her when her cat went missing.

With Andrew, they had an army of ten - eleven if you counted Brambles. And, as it turned out, the best looking avenue of access to the grove might accommodate a single person at a time. Who would go first?

As party leader, or quest leader, anyway, Afy felt she should go at first, but when Sef urgently volunteered, she acquiesced and stood aside. Rangers, she later thought, often felt they should take point, lest others screw up valuable signs and tracks, or alert potential enemies by clumsy and loud movements.

Sef silently scrambled up a huge boulder at the edge of the grove. From there, he leapt to another boulder further in. Trees and scrubs did not infest the tops of the giant rocks, and the ranger was able to make his way in several yards before another boulder stepping stone failed to present itself. Looking down, he saw tangled briar and thorny heather, and guessed how unpleasant it would be to fall off the boulder and into that spiky mess. But he could go no further without climbing down. But then, perhaps he had gone far enough.

The grove, from there atop the last boulder, seemed a ring of trees surrounding a large, circular depression of rocks. It was a pit like, natural setting, though now overgrown with a briar patch, and Sef thought he could make out the remnants of a stone foundation of a collapsed building just before the pit.

Within the pit itself, an area of shadowy darkness loomed, though it seemed oddly hazy to the ranger's eyes. Staring at it for minutes in silence, he almost concluded it was nothing of consequence, but there was something else about it. Looking directly at it, it resembled shadows and rocks and thick heather, but when he looked with only peripheral vision, it wavered and appeared to be a cave entrance.

*Magical Illusion?* he wondered. His mother had shown him some illusions when he was a lad, and had told him they affected the mind rather than the eyes. Perhaps that might explain why he first saw it when not looking at it or thinking about it, but only when he caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye when he was thinking about the trees, and his mind had peeked behind the illusionary curtain and pierced the veil of magic. But he was only guessing, though it did seem a good guess.

Whatever the case, he had found something important.

He hopped back along the boulder path to his comrades and found that Afy had managed the first boulder on her own and was now tossing a rope down to the others to facilitate their climb.

- JimGM.

PBEM Orlantia: Rock Hopping.

Sefarlain leapt back onto the original boulder that Afyanna had now conquered, and pressed his fingers to his lips. Afy understood this need for silence and indicated as such to Cosher, who was about to climb the rope. He released his grip with a puzzled expression, while Sefarlain whispered hurriedly to the holy warrior several feet above the party.

"Keep it down," the ranger began in hushed tones. "I've found a cave of some sort. It has some illusion placed on it, I think, but it's definitely a cave. And I may be wrong, but this looks an awful lot like Moonstone Temple, or what's left of it."

Afyanna appreciated the need for secrecy, and her reply was as covert as Sefarlain's

"Moonstone Temple? You mean the old temple of Corellon Larethian? What makes you say that?"

"It looks a suitable site and I think I can see remains of some sort of building. But it's going to be difficult to get down there and I've no idea what's in that cave or why it should be hidden. I think we should be pretty careful."

Sefarlain looked around him. From the top of the boulder he could make out the landscape all around. It all looked peaceful enough, but for the lack of people. He frowned again and then crouched down next to Afyanna once more.

"Whoever has disguised this cave must be familiar with Arcane Powers- it's no easy business hiding something like that. And remember the sage talked about a wizard having an interest in the area last year - that and the drow give us all enough to worry about. I'm just wondering if that creature is alone or not."

Afyanna motioned towards the next boulder, and Sef followed her in one leap, indicating the cave once they could look over into the grove. She frowned at first and shook her head, but then as they turned to leave, she gasped quietly and turned back. From her expression, the ranger could see that she had also discovered the entrance. He showed Afyanna the problems with descending the rocks and then they jumped back to the original boulder, where Sef whispered one final time.

"I guess we should all have a look. What do you think?"

- Justin (Sefarlain)

PBEM Orlantia: A Scent On The Wind.

As Mystir waited for Afy and Sef, he took the chance to rest against the nearest large boulder. The day's events so far had him a bit perplexed. At the center of his confusion was the wizard in purple.

*How does he fit in?* he asked himself. *He is the center of this whole thing, I know it.*

Slipping his arms from around his pack, the young wizard let it slowly slide to the ground where Mystir soon followed. Laying his smooth, slim staff against the boulder, the young boy continued to delve into his thoughts.

*A mysterious wizard - an empty bottle, first exported then returned to the area, apparently by the wizard.* He couldn't add up the pieces.

*Horton and Andrew, what are they hiding?* It was obvious everyone felt that the pair were hiding something. Whether it was pertinent to the situation was what concerned the boy. His thoughts then wandered to the wider scene.

*A statue of a holy warrior from long ago - a holy warrior in our midst, on a quest from a god, none-the-less. And a nightmare, too.*

A nightmare. It seemed to be the more immediate concern, and for obvious reasons. It was a creature of hatred - a creature of death.

As his thoughts shifted to the nightmare, he began to recall the encounter from the previous night, searching for something that might help him understand the creature better. His Detect Magic spell had certainly reinforced his thoughts that the creature was magical - the hooves in particular.

*The hooves? Why would a creature of magic be MORE magical in one location? Of course, it may not be the hooves. It might be wearing shoes,* he nodded to himself at that idea.

Only a few moments had passed since the halfelf took rest against the large rock. The day was actually rather ominous compared to those of the previous week. Windy, though a bit warmer of late, the sky still threatened rain.

Mystir paused for a moment.

*The wind?* he pondered. Standing to get a better feel for the direction of the wind, the boy thought back to the fight. Scanning the trees and brush nearby confirmed his suspicion. *That's about right.*

Focusing back on his companions, Mystir eyed Bebe, and taking only a moment to grab his staff and bag, he headed over to her.

Upon reaching her location, he spoke. "Bebe? I don't mean to interrupt, but I was just thinking."

"Oh, that's quite all right," Bebe returned. "What is it?"

"Last night, with the nightmare," he paused. "if I recall correctly, you threw something at it - some sort of fluid."

"Yes, it was a scent I made," she answered, "in order to help Brambles track me."

"That's what I thought you said it was. Do you think you hit it? I mean, the wind seems to be in the right direction. Do you think that's what Brambles is leading us to?"

Bebe took a moment to think about it then answered, "I really couldn't tell if I hit it, or even came close. But, you know, you may be right."

Both Bebe and Mystir looked up to the pair on the boulders.

"I wonder what they were looking at," Bebe questioned.

Mystir took a moment and replied, "Yeah, me too."

- Kevin (Mystir)