At the edge of the woods, Urthask gently signaled for Arktos to stop and the great bear slowed to a halt, allowing his rider to dismount. The hulking, armored half-orc patted his best friend's furry neck soothingly. The bear rumbled reassuringly. For many moons they had been traveling, so very far from the icy plains they called home, on the trail of the Lost Riders, as his tribe called them. The riders were Urthask's kin by blood, but also his brothers in arms. For countless generations the frostkin half-orcs had spilled much blood in the defense of their home from invaders and wild beasts of the tundra. One of the most savage of these beasts was the ghost bear, a fearsome animal with white fur, a rime of frost around its muzzle, and pale blue eyes. Urthask’s father, Galazur, learned to befriend and train these beasts, turning a fearsome enemy into a valuable ally. He taught other warriors to become Beast Riders and inducted them into an elite fighting group that called themselves the Order of the Bear. Two summers ago Galazur had set out with four hand-picked Riders on a mission to learn what they could of the lost city of Graystone. No one, not even those of the Order, knew what Galazur hoped to find or what they hoped to accomplish with it, but they had never been heard from again. Now Urthask and Arktos were attempting to track them down and learn what had become of them.
Urthask strained his eyes towards the lights of human habitation in the near distance - Boltic by name, he had learned. His eyes scanned the clearing warily. He and Arktos had no fear of travelling by night but it had been a long stretch and both were looking forward to some rest. He wasn't eager to visit another settlement though. Their last few encounters with civilized folk had gone less than favorably. Few places were very welcoming to half-orcs in general, never mind a rough barbarian and his bear mount that tended to spook all the horses. The had been chased out of the last town. It had been difficult stopping Arktos from tearing the town guard to shreds on the way out. They would rather have avoided all contact with civilization altogether but it was important that they leave no stone unturned on their search. As it was, clues were few and far between. But the trail had not yet gone cold.
Urthask looked up at the stars. The Great Bear was high in the night sky. A good omen. They would camp in this clearing tonight, he decided, and visit the settlement in the morning. He began setting up their camp.
Last edited July 17, 2015 4:58 pm