Episode 2: The Bronze Age

Gyges' spell summons a small wooden lizard that appears above the half-orc's shoulder and drops onto the studded leather armor. There's the barest of flinches, but it's all that Reizei needs to smash his flail into the mercenary's neck. At the same time, another arrow thuds into the half-orc's back, and he joins the dwarf on the ground.

Silence settles.

There is naught but silence.

Maenor believes that with the hunting blind secured, a path is available to skirt around the main encampment. Passage may still be difficult with the absence of light, but he reasons that their chances are better now that this section of sentries has been neutralized.

The pace is slow as you travel. Maenor easily calms the horses and manages to lead them across the dark desert.

As you proceed, you become keenly aware of how much noise the cart makes. Each bump, each shift of wood and wheel seems to echo like the clattering of pans in the clear night air. Even the cold dry ground crunches underfoot like an avalanche of stone.

Your path, however, is unimpeded. You pass the neutralized hunting blind without issue and traverse until you draw nearer to the main encampment. The fire is low there as it seems much of its occupants have turned in, but you can easily see the slight movements of two sentries at watch, perhaps listening for any reports from their scouts.

At one point, it seems as though one of the guards notices your passing, straining his eyes and ears over in your direction. He holds a torch high and walks a few feet out of the camp, but after a few tense seconds he returns to his post.

You put the camp behind you just as the dawn lightens the sky. The sun has not yet risen, but the morning comes soon.