Cows

as T'puuli follow the easy to follow trail she will pull her hood back up to hide her hair(hoping that not very many people saw her horns.)

She is walking to one side of the trail being leery of any traps or ambushes

Ixion nervously alternates between watching the farmer, the drow, and the newcomer who was beginning to stalk off down the path after the cattle thieves. His conflicting thoughts play out in his body language as he shifts his weight back and forth from one leg to the other.

They're going to take all the fun... Argh, but you might get more "fun" than you want if you team up with one of her kind.


Oh, to hell with it.
Ixion's nervous swaying dies down once he's made up his mind. He watches the rest of the group gathered near the now-empty corral and waits with an almost unnerving calm for... something. His swaying has stopped and now it seems he is barely even breathing.

A close inspection would reveal that his trance is only surface deep: muscles in his legs are twitching, just waiting to be set into motion; his eyes are scanning the edge of the wood where the bovine tracks lead, seeming to look past the trees to his prey.

As the last of the group enters the wood, leaving only himself and Torigad with the farmer, a smile creeps onto the thin man's face and he suddenly sprints off into the forest. Jumping over some brush and entering the treeline just to the side of the path, he shouts, "And so the hunt begins!" over his shoulder and disappears into the shadows in pursuit of the dragonkin.

((Hide & Move Silent once he hits the tree line))

Seeing the others running into the woods Torigad had no choice but too follow. He didn't want to be the one who wasn't there so ran to catch up with the curious drow the nasty, scrawny man and the beautiful pale elf, and then there was the new guy he had a long pole and thats about all he knew although he seemed a sound fellow.

The party pauses for a moment to inspect the corpses of the thieves. ((The information here is a combination of several characters' rolls, which were all very successful, and is assumed to be revealed in a short discussion with a handful of locals right before T'puuli trudges after the trail.))

They are kobolds. Small squat draconic creatures... typically forming "hives" of 100-1000, organized under the largest in a mockery of divine right. Under more peaceful times, these scavengers would only be able to survive due to their tremendous breeding rate. They are curious, malevolent, and while dim witted, are very cunning and given to sudden moments of enlightenment. They are expert miners and compulsive builders.

Interestingly, their scales are a bright blue. They have one large horn on the top of their muzzle and their lower jaws extend in a vicious underbite. The subject comes up during the discussion of the possible effects on their breeding habits if draconic heritage were involved... no one cared to comment, but it was certainly not a pleasant thought.

They are armed with small spears. Two have rusty daggers and one has a tarnished silver letter opener, seems to have been using it to pry things. Their clothes are mostly ragged pieces stolen from this village. One is wearing a girl's bonnet.

The locals all have stories about how these little hybrids have been bleeding the town dry over the months due to inaction from East Rose, the provincial goverment's seat.

It is obvious that the burning barn was a diversion.

End of Prologue

Chapter One: Legacy of the Wyrm

Without hesitation the motley cadre of companions chased after the livelihood of the village of Sodgrove. For if the brave adventurers did not perform this heroic deed, the village would surely perish to the last man woman and child before the summer Stillness.

Despite the various and diverse motives that the adventurers shared (or did not share) they understood one thing. For any of them to ever achieve that which they most sorely desired or right that wrong that so desperately needed righting, this muddy hoof-beaten trail was the only way to it.

T'puuli is right... the trail is easy to follow, and the party is right on their heels. Every now and then, a cow can be heard, mooing its displeasure at being herded in such a rushed manner.

Manuhol the Monk used his Skills to ascertain the situation before making a decision as he remained hidden [Hide +6] and listened from afar [Listen +6] to digest the information before making a commitment one way or another.

There were times when a Mercenary did not take action until a price had been agreed upon for his services ... then there are times like these ... when proper payment will be freely given ... after the frightened populace has been delivered from their fears!

Manuhol had heard enough and made his way silently[Move Silently +5] along the left flank to provide protection for the other pursuers ... plus provide a vantage point to attack the bright blue vermin kobald ... should they make a move against the other pursuers from their hideous hive.

"Seifu ... this is for you!"
Manuhol the Monk continues to make his way along the left flank of the path where the other pursuers are following the kobald vermin. His purpose is to act as an unseen protector on the pursuers' left flank in case they are surprised by a trap or a sneak attack from the kobald minions. Otherwise, he is prepared to take an offensive action if he discovers a war party or uncovers a hidden stronghold of kobald vermin! He will reveal himself to the other pursuers when it becomes the most advantageous in removing the kobald presence from SodGrove!

The stocky figure of Torigad was seen in the middle of the group wielding his lightbringer javelin above his head. He ran with long distant strides ready to loose his javelin, at the nearest foe as soon as they found the wretched vermin, he was sure they would.

He could detect a strange presence something above him not an evil presence a dangeroys an odd one though, he felt that he was not in danger his foes were though this guy was powerful he could, feel it.

His concentation was back onto the present he needed to stay focused his foe were small and puny but obviously as cunning as a fox as there genius decoy had shown, especially with the screaming girl. Genius really.

His eyes scanned the upcoming terrain looking for a sign of movement in the brush, however small his javelin was ready to be loosed and all that was on his mind was bring on the blue scaled creatures and the saviour of the cows. Torigad chuckled to himself, amused at his own joke.

Snowlilly positions herself in the procession so that she will be able to get a clean shot at the nasty vermin when they are found.

Tellanth, following along after examining the bodys, speaks up,

"If I might be making a suggestion?"

He pauses waiting for everyones attention ((except for Manuhol, We have not seen him yet right?))

"These creatures should not have been able to pull somethink like this off. They are either,

A. smarter than you average.... Kobold

or

B. being led or controlled by somethink

in either case we should use what your friend here ((pointing at Ixion)) suggested earlier in the Inn.... strategy. You all, obviously, have very many talents and useful abilities, we could pool our collective resources and lessen the danger to each of us in turn. I am Tellanth, and I am more than happy to help any of you in any way that I can."

Tellanth stands there, with a engraciating grin on his face, his face slowly getting red, waiting for anyone to say anything to him.... the longer he waits the more red his face becomes....

((he is pretty embarassed, not a good public speaker, but he does have the party's best interest at heart and doesn't want anyone to get unnecessarily hurt))

Ixion watches the group huddle from the shadows, just off the path, and a devilish grin creeps onto his face. These people are starting to get interesting... they might actually be worth joining. Assuming they survive this little excursion.
Just before he stepped out of the shadows to end the red-faced one's embarrassment, Ixion thought he heard some brush move behind him. Turning slowly, he scanned the forest and caught what could have been moving from behind one tree and taking cover behind a blackberry bush.

Dropping into a low crouch the thin man began picking his way toward the berry bush where he thought he saw movement.

Gotcha now.

Along the muddy trail

As Tellanth speaks, T'puuli will listen politely. When he has finished speaking she will reply in a low melodic voice that is easy to listen to “my name is T'puuli. Nice to meet you Tellanth. Just what type of strategy do you have in mind?”

Torigad was at a gentle jog slightly in front of the group when he was running to catch up with those blue scaled vermin. Until, he heard a voice pop up he immediately realised that it wasn,t Ixion he thought in relief it was another he spoke wise words and Torigad listened intently.

"What is your plan then sir, A or B?"

As Ixion neared the spot where he thought he'd seen movement, he caught sight of a bald man quietly picking his way through the underbrush. Ixion's eyes narrowed as he tried to ascertain the motives of this new player.

Is he an accomplice to the dragonkin thieves? Maybe he's the one the others are talking about, the mastermind.
Ixion began to reach for his crossbow, but paused halfway through the motion.

Oh Hells, he might be some other adventurer trying to take out the kobolds as well... too many possibilities to sort out later if I were to just kill him. Bah, I hate it when 'first strike' isn't the best strategy...
Leaving his crossbow hidden, Ixion began creeping toward his target, hoping he could get the drop on this newcomer and get this sorted quickly.

...it always leads to talking instead of action, and there are kobolds to exterminate.

Tellanth blushes even brighter after being asked for advice ((the tattoo on his face is an extreme contrast)) and says,

"Well....," he says as he looks at the sky, " I do belive I am having the idea...," again with a grin and a blush.

"We could use the skills of your sneaky friend to scout ahead," he says as he points in the direction that he last saw Ixion, he looks kind of surprised to not see him there any more, "your very sneaky friend that is. Or maybe you," he says pointing at the elf ((Snowlily)), "you look incredibly at home in these woods. In any case, these strange kobolds, or whatever is leading them, were smart enough to set up a diversion, so in turn they are smart enough to know it would be easy to follow their tracks and set an appropriate ambush or trap."

"In about 25 minutes, the eclipse should end. If we can get advance notice of their positions, numbers, if there is a leader, we can take advantage of the kobolds natural sensitivity to light, even with it being overcast, the change should be significant enough to cause them some difficulties, and with any luck.... ambush the ambushers.....," he turns towards the dark skinned dwarf and continues, " with light and surprise, the charge into battle that you seem destined to make should be much more efficient.....did that make sense?" he says turning back to the group with the grin again but his face reddens once more has he waits for someone, anyone to say something....

East of Sodgrove
The Sixteenth Day of Elmonth - afternoon

Almost as if on cue, as Tellanth makes his remarks about the weather, the drizzling rain worsens into a downpour. Its as if the sky were dumping out. The sky is a deep dark grey that is featureless except for the brightening halo on the upper side of the moon Dosojin... but it is little more than a faint fuzzy arc in the sky. The birds all went to sleep, so it is eerily quiet except for the rain and the voices of the unlikely companions.

Ixion creeps up and positions himself directly behind Manuhol. Manuhol does not see the human creep up nor does he realize his own cover has been compromised. He does, however, seem preoccupied.

The rest of the group continues the discussion, Ixion barely aware that he is missed.