Episode 2

Ivor, Bryn, and Maeriks start the plan for the watch. Ivor keeps his eyes peeled on the wood line, and also scans through periodically to keep sight of what is going on at other camps. The nearby workers who were reunited with their fellows seem happy enough for a time, but then soon sack out to sleep with little or perhaps no effort to keep a firewatch.

It is not long before most of the camps are buttoned down and still, most travelers spent out from the hike of the day. The armsmen at the center camp are still attentive to their own section, and they do send paired walkers through to observe the perimeter and other camps, but overall a general quiet falls over the area.

Ivor is finishing up a shift and wakes Bryn who has already stolen a quick nap early to be ready for later shifts. Thorn and Kray return about this time from the Kurios' tent. Everyone talks together for a short time to prepare notes and begin night watch shifts in earnest.

While sitting up with Kray, Bryn notices across the way a tall man staring from across the campgrounds. He is bearded and lean, and wears road travel clothes and a low turban-like wrap or low profile hat atop his head. Bryn recognizes the man as the horse rider with the henna-dyed beard, seen on the previous route from Osher to Goelmorel a couple of days ago. No longer on his horse, but the man still has a steady way about his movements. He carries a stick that might be a spear, and wears a medium length curved blade at his hip. He looks like a man comfortable on the road.



Bryn stares back at the man from across the yard. The rugged bearded man connects with Bryn's gaze for several seconds and then turns smoothly to step away, disappearing out from the glow of the fire into the darkness with a few sure-footed strides.

Perhaps an hour later, for a time there is a moan emanating from the trees. It is somewhat eerie at first, but then is identified as the sound of wind rolling through the trees. It is a short time of cold gusts, but it all passes within less than an hour. The air settles to more comfortable stillness, though a chill endures through the latest hours of the night.

But still, the night passes by with little event. Just before dawn, the armsmen blow a horn, signalling for stand-to and a call for morning muster formation.

After about an hour or so of breaking down camp, the convoy is underway again.

The next day is another long day of hiking, deeper and deeper into Jara Hili. Some of the terrain has some slope to it here and there, so there is some exertion for all. Everyone in the party keeps pace without question. Some of the broader crowd struggles a bit during some of the harder climbs.

The trees of the forest seem to be taller and more imposing by every league. The undergrowth and ground cover of the forest is still quite stunning. Ferns and mosses cover the ground, as if has never been stepped on before. It seems like an uninhabited old-growth pristine woods.

Late in the day, the convoy finds itself finally on a trail of some sort, a narrow passage that cuts through the tall trees.

As the latest hours of the day expire, the group begins to notice the signs of man-made structure hidden among the growth of the foliage. At first it is only a moss-covered block of stone. Then there are a few stones set side by side, but overgrown by a medium sized tree. Eventually there are signs of old block foundations of square structures. Off to the left and right of the trail are stretches of stone verrandas and platforms. Here and there stone stairs are seen climbing off to higher ground, or trailing down to a lower shelf.

But all of the stone work is partially covered over by the growth of the woods. Root, trunk, bush, and branch stretch over all of these remnants of an old site of civilization now gone. It is the site of a ruin, now reclaimed by the forest.

The halt on the second evening is much like that of the first, at least in practice. A moderately clear area is identified by the Armsmen, boundaries are set, water source is identified, rules are stated again forbidding the cutting of trees.Everyone starts breaking out into their individual grouping camp.

The lay of the land and the location of this camp site is different however. It is actually among some of the old remnants of the stone ruins. The stones make for some easy fire sites. Some teams stake out nooks and crannies among the stones that allow for easy fit of awnings and lean to's against the wind.

Off to a hill face to the south is a rather impressive old stair case, built right into the slant of the rising land. It rises to an old pile of rocks on the hill, that collectively make for a cluttered section of rocky terrain.



Elsewhere nearby on this southern hill, other stairway lengths can be seen, erupting from nowhere, leading to nowhere, all partially disassembled by the growth of the roots and trees among them.

Ivor is there with Kray, so he could opt to do whatever.

Thorn is away from the scene, doing one of his usual situational awareness perimeter checks that Kray has come to know him for. Thorn is not believed to be far off, you know the general direction he indicated, but he is not within vision at the exact moment.

Bryn send Athletics check for the sprint chase through the campsite.
Bryn is fast react as heck, so I think he would be right on this egg man's trail.