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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
This is a first draft of a story set in the world of Greyhawk.
It is based on a home campaign so some of the people, places and things
may be different. Any helpful comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
Harald whistled, a short exhale over his teeth. He wiped his brow
with the back of his hand, then with the same hand shaded his eyes.
This peak he stood upon was half again the height of the giants hill, but
looking to the north he could see the mountains rising up, dwarfing all
the surrounding hills and ridges within sight.
These giants lived among the hills and valleys, the mountains
were too harsh and bare. No fields for their cattle to graze, no woods
beyond a certain height, poor hunting too, no place for a Hill Giant
to set his hall.
"North." Harald muttered. That would be they way for them to
go, Harald thought to himself. Move beyond the hills up into the crags
among the nearby mountains where the giants would find it hard to follow.
The ranger continued south. He checked the rocky lip of stone for
another crack or some trail carved out like the pathway along the southern
slopes but he found nothing safer than the chimney-like crevice at the
crest of the eastern ridge.
"Noise, chief, noise up there." Little Rat whispered to Harold.
The small orc and the halfling had climbed up to the ledge above the
camp and kept watch.
"Hey!" shouted out the thief. "I see our ranger coming back."
"Where is he?" Talberth yelled back.
The mage had awoken the orcs and showed them the food which Gytha
had set aside. They'd muttered and grumbled, the leader, Boss, had tried
to take six shares of eight for himself, till Talberth barked out a stiff
rebuke. Now awake the orcs milled about, eager to be on their way, still
terrified of Talberth, but certain that the giants would let loose their
wolves and hunt them down.
"Up there!" Little Rat yelled out excitedly.
"He's coming down from the ridge." said Harold.
"I'll go get Telenstil." Talberth called back.
Harald lowered himself carefully from rock to rock. He dropped
down the last ten feet, hanging from his hands and landing in a crouch.
"Harold," he called to the thief, "is everything ready."
"I'm ready." said Harold.
"Me too." chimed in Little Rat.
"They're ready down there as well." Harold nodded toward the camp.
"I wish I could say the same," the ranger said, "the only path I
found so far won't be easy."
"No trail?" asked Harold.
"No, not so far, but I haven't checked the west. I'll do that,
the rest of you can start out for the center of the hill," the ranger
told him, "the way down starts up there at the eastern crest." he pointed
back the way he'd come.
"Or we could wait here for you to find the trail." suggested
Harold.
"I'll mention that to Telenstil and see what he says." Harald
said.
"Don't bother, I know him to well," said the thief, "no reason
to let us rest when we can be stumbling over rocks."
"Maybe," said Harald, "but we can't stay here."
"You sound like the orcs," the halfling looked down out the small
group huddled together just below, "they're scared that Nosnra will
send out his wolves."
"They're right." Harald agreed. "I don't know why he hasn't done
it already."
"What!"
"We must have caused more damage than I thought." said Harald.
"They should have tracked us down by now. Just look over to the south,"
the ranger gestured toward the giants hill. "you can almost spit on
them from here, if they were looking they'd have found us."
"That is just great," the thief grumbled, "what are we doing
standing around, let's get out of here."
* * *
(To Be Continued)