CH 1: The Road Travels East

[Breila]

Goldmoon grips the staff tightly and says a silent prayer, her lips moving just a little. "Godess, I don't know if it is you or someone else who protects us by letting the trail disappear, but I thank you with all my heart. Please, together with whoever has sent Sturm the stag, guide us and help us to make the right choices."

[Jerrard]

[ooc: Thanks, Saturday is rather hetic)

"So the rumors of the Armies are true?" Sturm sighs, his eyes fixing on the Stag, where was it leading him? The Stag Lead Huma to safety, so why would it lead him anywhere else? Because he wasn't a real Knight.

"We must not tally to long, that army will have scouts, we have to move quickly." His mind was focused on the Stag, nothing else mattered.

[Breila]

Having finished her prayer, Goldmoon looks at the companions. They had been walking uphill at a brisk pace. How are they doing,especially Raistlin?

[JadedDM]

"The question is, whose army? And why?" Tanis says. "But in any case, Sturm is right. We should press on." Tanis frowns. Kitiara was in the north. How is she fairing with a war going on?

The knight begins walking again. The others hastily gather their gear together and hurry after him. As they climb ever farther up the trail--which seems to materialize before them as they go--the wind switches and begins blowing from the south. It is a warm breeze, carrying with it the fragrance of late-blooming autumn wildflowers. It drives back the storm clouds and just as they come to the cleft between the two halves of the Peak, the sun breaks free.

It is well past midday when they stop to rest for one more brief period before attempting the climb through the narrow gap between the walls of Prayer's Eye Peak through which Sturm says they must go. The stag leads the way, he insists.

As the companions enter the narrow defile, they can see clear blue sky on the other side. The south wind whistles across the steep white walls of the Peak soaring above them. They walk carefully, small stones causing their feet to slip more than once. Fortunately, the way is so narrow that they can easily regain their balance by catching themselves against the steep walls.

Not long after, they come out of the other side of Prayer's Eye Peak. They halt, staring down into a valley. Lush, grassy meadowland flows in green waves below them to lap on the shores of a light-green aspen forest far to the south. The storm clouds are behind them, and the sun shines brightly in a clear, azure sky.

For the first time, they find their cloaks too heavy, except for Raistlin who remains huddled in his red, hooded cape. Flint has spent the morning complaining about the rain and now starts in on the sunshine, it was too bright, glaring into his eyes. It was too hot, beating down on his helm.

The white stag continues down the mountain and into the forest. Great magical power emanates from within, and anyone sensitive to such forces, such as Raistlin, can feel it. He knows where they are headed, without even looking at a map.

Darken Wood...

[mltillis]

While packing away his cloak, Caramon frowns at the recent events, the warm sun doing little to lift his spirits...."Maybe I was wrong earlier....We're being herded along by magic...Sturm's been given a vision to leads us into Darken Wood.... It will probably bewitch him into attacking us all, once we get there."

[Jenara]

"No one following the Stag has ever been lead to harm." Laurana follows down the trails confidently, her knowledge of the woods seems at least competent.

"There are many Stories of the Stag, none of them lead to harm." She stays in the middle of the group, occasionally checking her bow, trying to assess the group, how she fits in.

[Breila]

Hearing Caramon's comment about magic, Goldmoon approaches Raistlin to ask: "Do you know if there is a way to tell the working of the gods from magic?"

[mltillis]

"I don't know. There is a first time for everything." The warrior says to Laurana as he adjusts his helm... I've seen people...do things... while ensorcelled...

[JadedDM]

"We don't know that's Darken Wood," Flint says to Caramon.

"It doesn't look bad at all," Tasslehoff says cheerfully. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, a sheaf of parchment spread out on his knees, he is drawing a map with a bit of charcoal, attempting to trace their way up Prayer's Eye Peak.

"Flint's right," Tanis says. "We can't be sure that's Darken Wood. It sure doesn't look sinister and foreboding, like the stories say. But I'll be responsible for no one else in this decision. The rest of you may follow as you choose, but I'm going with Sturm."

[mltillis]

The big warrior looks oddly at his brother after speaking.... "I didn't say that I wasn't going. I just worry about such things"..... Caramon hoists his packs and offers an arm to steady Raistlin...

[Talyn]

Raistlin shakes his head at Goldmoon. "Not to my knowledge." he says in his raspy voice. He turns to watch Tanis and shrugs. "Then let us follow the Knight some more then."

[Jerrard]

Sturm leads on once more, a voice in the back of his head told him this was Darken Wood, yet Stag called him. "Let us go."

[Breila]

Deep in thought, Goldmoon follows the others down the slope. There was no way to tell the work of the gods from magic, Raistlin had said. So maybe the old man in the inn had used magic to plant that song into her brain, and it hadn't been the working of the godess, as she had thought at that moment. But how had he known about her and her story? And, who was he?

Clearly, the world was a lot more complicated than she had known, even as ruler in all but title of her own people.

[JadedDM]

The only thing Tanis feels on entering the forest is relief at being our of the glare of the autumn sun. The half-elf recalls all the legends he has heard about Darken Wood--stories of ghosts told around the fire at night. But all Tanis feels is that the forest is so much more alive than any other he had ever entered.

There is no deathly hush as they had experienced earlier. Small animals chatter in the brush. Birds flutter in the high branches above them. Insects with gaily colored wings flit past. Leaves rustle and stir, flowers sway though no breeze touches them--as if the plants revel in being alive.

They walk for several hours, traveling along a clear trail. Shadows lengthen as the sun makes its downward slide. Tanis feels at peace in this forest. Evil seems out of place here. However, he notices the air is turning cool as the sun drops below the treetops. It is time to begin thinking about making camp for the night.

Soon it was twilight, that time of evening when the dying light makes everything most vivid and distinct. The companions begin to lag. Raistlin limps, and his breath comes in wheezing gasps. Sturm's face turns ashen. The half-elf is just about to call a halt for the night when--as if anticipating his wishes--the trail led them right to a large, green glade. Clear water bubbles up from the underground and trickles down smooth rocks to form a shallow brook. The glade is blanketed with thick, inviting grass; tall trees stand guard duty on the edges. As they see the glade, the sun's light reddens, then fades, and the misty shades of night creep around the trees.

"Let's set up a camp," Tanis says. "We all could use the rest."

=============================

The Companions travel 5.4 miles in heavy forest in 5 hours. It is now 6 PM.

[Breila]

Goldmoon sets her pack down with a sigh. While camp is set up, she moves among the group to see who might need the attention of a healer. In particular, she'll ask Flint how he's feeling. Passing over to Tanis, she says "You should let me have a look at your wounds while there's still light, Tanis. This was quite a long march."