Into the Dying Sun
Io & Galen - Following the path of destruction, you veer NW along the edge of the swamp. The land itself started to look confused and it would seem that perhaps this was a tidal marsh as thick, lush vegetation overlapped with areas drowned and devoid of plant life. At times the ground was firm and easy to pass, yet others it was like syrup, slowing your movements as you fight to remain standing. Finally, in the distance, you spy the darkness of another treeline as the land begins to rise from the swamp. As you get closer, you can see the land begins to rise sharply...a good sign that firmer ground lay ahead. Trudging onward the ground does indeed become drier and once more movement is free and unfettered. Just as you reach the forests edge, you hear voices, human voices, ahead of you...
Frederick & Albion - The passageway ran deeper and deeper into the blackness of the cold rock. Moving cautiously it was clear that another group had already been through here recently, perhaps more than once. Which direction they ultimately went was anyone's guess, however. Finally you spy daggers of sunlight piercing through the endless void of nothing. With little hesitation you step out from the cave and warm yourselves in the light. The air was thick with moisture but was a welcome relief to the cold damp of the cave itself. Looking around you find a horrifying visage carved around the cave entrance; a large, ghoulish stone face in all its horrid glory. Despite how worn the stone was, you could still see that whoever carved it had little skill or care for its design. Rough edges and chisel marks were plain as day from top to bottom. The eyes were nowhere near equal in proportion and the nose was horribly crooked. The mouth, however, seemed to almost possess a true nature of the sinister. The teeth, carved both top and bottom, were a tangle of jagged, twisting stone and you could swear you actually heard it breathing. Finding a small, hidden trail off to one side, you waste no time in starting your decent. Carefully and cautiously, you begin to move down the cliff face. The formally hidden path weaves in and out from the rock face, where it vanishes you manage to discover indentations with fresh scuff marks, with the path reappearing just as the climbing becomes near impossible. As you draw nearer and nearer to the ground, you spy two lone figures, human no doubt, moving in your direction...
Boris & Stoney & Ondrea (& Larz) - The air was once more thick and humid and the thought of facing the stinging hordes of the swamp once more was unpleasant at best. Still, it was a direction you knew and therefore a safer option (maybe). As you begin to march back through the deadwood, the lone rock formation looms ahead of you; the twisted stone face still fresh in your minds. Drawing closer, you hear sounds of disturbance originating from somewhere above. Stopping to listen, it definitely sounds like something descending the cliff face ahead, perhaps following the same trail you had taken...