2. The Four Harrows

Ryssik continues to burrow towards where she senses the captive. As soon as it really sounds like the fighting above ground is starting, she breaks the surface right underneath him so he falls into her hastily dug tunnel. "Run!", she tells him. When he does, she follows, though she is not as fast as him.

Ross defends himself now its clear that the thalls won't back down.

Tritous jumps as the fearless thrall attacks him, making him trip awkwardly over a rock and almost fall. Blood trickles down his haunch which quavers with pain.

Tritous tries to spear the thrall that wounded him, the blood still trickling down his leg forming a small trail on the ground.

"Arggh," yells a thrall and they turn then run away, the one Tritous just struck stumbling afterwards. Where their captive the messenger was is only a hole.

Well, that went well. I suggest some fast moving right now. I am sure there are others around.

The messenger is in the hole with Ryssik, crawling.

"Crawl, quick," Ryssik encourages the messenger. "Out of here."

Theay crawl back out through the tunnel she made and once they're out of the ground, she looks around. "Where did the thralls go?"

"We scared them off. They ran away. One of them knicked me but I am alright," Tritous tells Ryssik, looking the messenger over. "That was well done Ryssik, by the way." His haunch quivers as another thin trickle of blood slides down his leg. "I need a leaf or something to staunch this," he adds as he clops off to a nearby bush.

Ryssik turns to the messenger they rescued and smiles a sharp-toothed, ratty grin at it.
"Friend, greetings. Who are you? How did you become their prisoner?"

"Prisoner, yes, but let's get away from them before they search. This tunnel leads them right to us!" He tugs on Ryssik's arm and leads you farther away, unless one of you will lead.

It's a night person, taller than humans, with stocky, muscular build; sloped forehead; and beady, yellow eyes. His skin is ashen gray, and his hair black and coarse. Small tusks jut from his lower jaw.

"I'm Storg."

Ryssik follows him. Once they're far enough away for him to feel safer, she says: "I am Ryssik. These are Tritous, Ross and Jarl. What is your story?"

He leans against a tree, his back to where the thralls were. "They only follow exact commands and not well. They might just stay there for days, or carry on as if they had me. Who knows."

"I was one of them, a week ago. I don't know what happened, but three days past, I woke up. We were headed through the forest, delivering these messages to the advance scouts, and bam, it was like being doused with cold water."

Lucky for you, and for us. Let us move further away and then we can check those messages out.

The timing could be right. A few days ago.

Is the hold of the nightfolk is weakening. Interesting.

What is the messages you were carrying?

The man, Storg, hands you his bag as if happy to be rid of it.

When you review them, you see battle orders directed to three separate advance groups to move toward Numentor (north of where you are) in order to prepare for the main host to arrive seize and occupy the town. There is careful instruction to not destroy any property, for the shops and crafters of Numentor will be put to work to outfit the army for the remainder of the invasion of the Rhyhold.