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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
Gytha paced out a wide half circle through the bushes, she traced
the outline of a structure now only worn or buried blocks of stone. She
walked back to the others, but before she reached them she stopped,
then with her iron staff she dug into the ground at the base of a young
tree. When the staff had sunk in several handsbreadths deep she bent
her head and directed the power that the Saint had given her toward the
oerth underfoot.
The others could not hear the prayer she spoke, but they saw her
pause then shudder before she rose. The ranger, the halfling and the
orc rejoined the group just as Gytha approached, all walking quickly
as they could.
"There is an old evil here." she said. "It is very faint, but
strongest down below the ground." Gytha pointed to the spot where she had
knelt by the young tree. "Something is there. Something evil, below that
spot. It is faint but because it is far below. The evil is still present,
these stones are only evil from a presence that passed away long ago."
"Then we should be leaving," Harold said, "We have enough problems
with the giants, now we have these monsters," he gave the body of the
gibberling a kick, " we don't need more."
"I agree." said Harald. The ranger pointed to the east.
"Gibberlings, a good sized herd went that way, they are harmless in the
light, but we must make haste."
"Harald, you know these creatures, but I have studied them as
well." said Telenstil. " A herd moves forward like a wave, they follow
the easiest path, they will only veer aside if they are tracking prey.
A large herd like this that moves on and does not return from a nights
forage, they are not likely to return at all, is this correct?"
"What I've seen agrees," said Harald, "a big herd on a rampage,
they aren't likely to go back to their lair, just keep on moving till all
of them are dead."
"What kind of beasts are these?" asked Ghibelline. "What sense
does that make, they go forth and kill till they are killed themselves."
"No one knows for certain." said Talberth.
"Harald, what say you to following their trail?" Telenstil asked.
"If we find them they are helpless in the light of day," answered
Harald, "but there looks to be hundreds, unless they are nearby we could
not hope to kill them all before the sun has set."
"No, no," Telenstil gestured with his hands, "Let us follow
the tracks where they came from, not where they have gone."
"That's crazy." burst out the thief.
"Hah!" laughed out Ivo. "The giants might think so too."
"Aren't we in enough danger!" Harold objected.
"Think, even the giants would be unlikely to follow such a trail,
and our own tracks would be lost among the destruction of the herd."
"If we are careful maybe." the ranger said. "They have left a path
wider than the road to Gorna, but we will be going the other way, a good
tracker might find us."
"The wolves should be unable to follow our scent." said
Telenstil.
"That monster stinks enough." Ghibelline added.
"It's crazy." Harold shook his head.
"It might work, there should be some type of cavern where they
came from." the ranger thought aloud. "Telenstil it is still a dangerous
idea."
"We need to find a place to camp, a temporary base of some sort.
If the giants are tracking us, then this gives us an opportunity to
escape them." Telenstil said to them all.
"I don't like it, I don't like it." muttered the thief.
* * *
(To Be Continued)