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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
Telenstil had been right. The moons were up and still the party
was on the move. It was slow going, and despite Harald's best efforts
they were leaving an easy trail.
They were heading north and west, away from the hills and up into
the mountains, but they hadn't left the woods behind. Low branches slashed
at them, roots and stones caught their feet, made them trip and
stumble, they followed a deer trail that weaved through the underbrush.
The ground was rough and uneven, the trail narrow and lined with
thornbushes, they moved with a slow and awkward pace.
Harald had gone ahead, some said that he had the elven sight
but it wasn't true. It was Talberth and Gytha who had the worst of it,
neither could see far in the dim moonlight. Gytha at least had some
woodscraft, she'd lived within the hills and mountains of Geoff all her
life, but Talberth had been born and raised in Greyhawk, the hub of
the Oerth as he called it. The young mage knew much about the arcane
crafts, had served as an apprentice to Telenstil and seen the world beyond
his citys walls, but he had never been far from a campsite or an
inn. He was not used to wandering through the woods at night, looking for
a place to camp, forced to sleep out under the stars, his pack as a pillow
and his arms folded about him for a blanket.
They traveled single file, the orcs last in line carrying Derue,
the thief and young orc leading the others over the trail. The two humans
were kept at the center of the file where those with the nighteyes could
keep them from falling in the dark or straying from the path.
There was a hiss, low and subdued, it came from the halfling
and it brought them to a halt.
"There is a clearing up ahead." Harold whispered to Telenstil
and Ivo.
"Where is Harald?" the elven mage asked.
"I have no idea." Harold snapped back. "What do you want us to
do?"
"Did you see something?" Ivo asked him.
"Nothing but the end of this trail." said the thief. Harold was
not please to come upon a surprise when his friend the ranger was
somewhere ahead and nowhere to be seen. "He should have come back to warn
us. I don't like this."
"Can you circle the clearing?" asked Telenstil.
"I can." said Ghibelline spekaing over the gnomes head. "Let me
go, I'll see what has happened to the ranger."
"I can do it." Harold said with a huff.
"You're as quiet as a mouse in slippers," said Ivo, "but
Ghibelline has the woodscraft."
"Shhh..." hissed Ghibelline.
"Yea, quiet down." a voice said from nearby. Harald worked his way
slowly from beneath a thornbush.
"Where were you?" demanded the thief.
"Sorry, you made better time than I expected." said Harald. "I
found us a decent spot, there is a spring up here and a small rise just
beyond the clearing where we can camp."
"We nearly had to go looking for you." complained Harold.
The ranger shrugged. "Good practice for you, out here you never
know, scouting ahead is dangerous work, sometimes you don't come back."
"Harald," said Telenstil, cutting off the thief before he could
say anymore, "Show us this place. We can all use the rest."
"Come then, follow me." Harald lead them down the last few feet
of the trail into a small clearing, its western end held a small pond,
but he took them to the northern edge.
* * *
(To Be Continued)