Subject: Hot and Cold Darkness 320 views

[Black_Hawk]

Looking about the area and making sure that there is nothing in the near area that could be a threat, she sets her [ack down and reaches into it to withdraw her spare garments.

Hanging her cloak on a convenient branch and beating the desert dust out of it with a branch, she then arranges her clean cloths, remarkably like her current set of cloths., on the ground beneath her cloak. Dropping a dry and mostly dirt free rock on the pile so an errant wind does not take them away.

Once again making sure the area is clear of threats, she makes her way towards the rivers edge and shucks her dirt laden cloths, placing them on a pile with the Psilash on top. She then bathes quickly, primarily because the water is ridiculously cold due to it being mountain runoff. Drying off with an old length of cloth in her pack, she then dresses in her spare cloths and washes her dirty ones, laying them out on a branch in the sunlight to dry while she waits.

Sitting and waiting for her cloths to dry, she spreads out her woven grass mat and writes about the days events in her journal, primarily her semi-relief and chagrin at finding a river. On one hand she cleaned her cloths and herself and such, but on the other hand it was a really cold river. She remarks about their being a sacrifice to everything all things considered and then decides to sit about and wait for her cloths to dry. She then Sits by the river and makes a small fire for the light and comfort while she waits for the sun to set and her cloths to dry.

[Racer Xonclar]

Traveling south from the river once clothes were dry and packed away, it takes you almost a full day to traverse the Hunter's Hills but you arrive at the Moonsea Ride. As you walk along the road as it curves to the west and south, you hear the sound of an old man shouting. You look behind you and you see a small wagon with two men sitting at the front. The old man is yelling at a younger man holding the reins. "Ya idiot! I told ya not ta take the road to Tilverton! Why'd you do it anyway while I was sleepin'? Nevermind. If you're too dumb ta listen, you're too dumb to answer."

Slumping back in his seat, they're close enough now you hear him mutter something about wasting a full day having to backtrack. He leans over the side of the wagon, trying to regain his composure, and talks to you. "'ey, lass...where ya headed? I can give ya a ride to save your legs from all the walkin'"

[Black_Hawk]

"If you are heading towards or through Cormyr I would not mind resting my feet a while."

This is said with a slight shrug and a passing nod.

"I would not want to inconvenience you if you would have to go out of your way to go my direction."

Rayne's analysis of the cart drivers is veiled though thorough as she attempts to determine if there are alternate motives behind their offer.

[Racer Xonclar]

The old man smirk with a subtle chuckle at the start of his words, "You're in Cormyr now, lass. Don't you know where ya are?" He turns and mutters something to the other man, something about slowing down then looks back to you. "We're headed to Arabel. That's three towns to the south. Middle o' the country. If that helps ya, you're more than welcome. Just slide da stuff out of ya way in the back." He says as the thumbs behind him into the wagon.

[Black_Hawk]

"Ha, thank you."

Moving the indicated items away from where the man mentioned, she boards and takes a seat in the wagon.

"I know that I am in Cormyr, I seem to have forgotten to be more specific. I am bound for Suzail, for I heard tell of the kings demise and wish to participate in the tournament that I have heard much about."

Waiting for their response, she looks nonchalantly about the cart, again looking for clues as to the profession and such of the kindly folks who had given her a ride.

[Racer Xonclar]

As you climb into the back of the wagon, you see that there really isn't that much to move. You slide aside a couple of sacks that, as you push on them, feel like sacks of clothes or perhaps just raw cotton. A reasonably sized wooden chest is slide towards the front of the wagon, sitting right behind the two men.

As you climb in, the younger man snaps the reins lightly and the horse pick up to their usual pace. "Ah...the tournament. It sure has been talked about a lot. Shame about the king and all that business. Gods keep his soul." After a short sigh, he continues, "Suzail is a little over a hundred miles south of Arabel, but's on da same road. Worse case, ya should be able to catch another ride at Immersea. Lotsa trade between there an' Suzail."

[Black_Hawk]

"Thank you again for the transport. Not walking is greatly appreciated after so long on the road."

Stretching a bit, she leans back on her leather pack and closes her eyes, keeping her senses on edge for any trickery that may ensue. Being an Elan, she need not sleep, so feigning sleep is easy.

"I hope you guys don't mind me closing my eyes for a bit. its been a long way."

[Racer Xonclar]

"O' course not. I'm sure ya'll wake when we get to Arabel," the old man says.

After roughly half an hour has passed, you feel an abnormally cold wind blow through the wagon. The younger man says softly, "That is coming from...the east, not the mountains." "And that's why I told ya never ta go near Tilverton. I don't care if tha Dragons are guardin' it. They let people too close as it is..." the old man grumbles back.

The sound of wooden wheels, horse steps, and the occasional grumble of the man continues for another hour before the wagon comes to a stop in a small city. You hear the name "Griffon Hill" mentioned. The young man passes the reigns off to the older man and jumps out of the wagon. A few minutes later, he comes back, climbing back into his seat and setting a sack gently on top of the chest behind him.

With that, the horse begin moving again and the light and sounds of the city are once again replaced by the squeak and creaks of a wagon. You hear one of them say something about getting through Gnoll Pass before sunrise, them arguing whether they can or not.

[Black_Hawk]

Feigning a wake from a decent sleep, she yawns and stretches.

"What was all this talk about Gnolls that i heard a bit ago?"

Waiting for an answer, she once again re-checks her gear, making sure it is all in its proper location.

[Racer Xonclar]

"Mm?," The old man mumbles before he glances behind him, noticing you're 'awake'. "Oh, you're awake. The gnolls on this road have a nasty habit of ambushing caravans as they go through the pass. It happens at sunrise when they return to their homes in the hills after hunting. With luck, we'll be through tha pass before sunrise. If not, we might have ta stop at Halfhap for a few hours. I hope that's not a problem for ya, lass."

The younger man cracks the reigns lightly and you hear the horses' pace quicken. As you check your gear, everything is where it should be as you would expect.

[Black_Hawk]

"Not a problem either way. I am confident enough in my abilities that i think i could take a few gnolls should we encounter any, and stopping wouldn't be a big inconvenience either."

Rayne, satisfied about the position of her gear, decides to lean back and attempt to enjoy the scenery that they pass by during the trip. She considers breaking out her instrument, but decides against it for now.

[Racer Xonclar]

The old man keeps watching the horizon as they ride and after a while tells the young to pick up the pace. Crack of the reins and the horses nearly speed up to a gallop. The wagon continues down the bumpy trail till rounded hilltops come into view ahead of you. The distant sound of gnoll laughs meets your ears as you manage to enter the pass before sunrise. Another half hour of spirited ride and the hills are finally behind you.

Both of the men seem relieved and relax, the horses calming down into a more normal walk. The sun rises over the mountain tops, Castle Crag being silhouetted against vibrant shades of orange and pink.

A small city comes into view along the road. You see a sign saying "Slingdyke" near the entrance; most likely the town's name. Coming to a stop in front of a tavern, the old man looks over his shoulder at you, "We're gonna stop here for a bit. Give the horses a rest before the last leg and give us the chance ta stretch our legs." With a slight smirk, he climbs off the wagon with a groan and looks over to the younger man. "Well don't just stand there...get the horses some water!"

[Black_Hawk]

"If you need i can assist in helping take care of your animals," Rayne says, leaping lightly out of the wagon, "I don't have anything else to do and i would like to help a bit seeing as you are giving me a lift."

Stretching her legs and the kinks out of her back, she helps the younger man with the water and whatever else is required in regards to taking care of the horses, though partly due to her elan nature and mostly due to her not being the most social in nature before her transformation, she is not the best with animals. They find her a bit strange for some reason.

"Thank you for the transport, it has and will continue to be helpful in achieving my goal destination."

[Racer Xonclar]

"Thank ya, miss," the younger man says with a slight smile. He hands you an empty bucket and carries one himself, walking over to a water pump next to the tavern. Pumping the lever up and down, he fills the bucket most of the way before letting you fill yours the same way.

Carrying the water back to the horses, he brushes one's mane gently, "Just a little bit further, Wisp, an' you can get several day's rest." The horse nuzzles him back gentle and begins drinking from the bucket in front of him. The other horse is not quite as friendly. It shys away from your hand as you reach to pet it, it eying you oddly. "Easy, Jester," the young man says, looking over at the horse, "it's okay." Jester glances to his voice then slowly reaches forward and hesitantly drinks, his eyes staying on yours. "That's odd...Jester's always tha playful one. Maybe he's just tired."

In a few minutes, the old man walks out of the tavern carrying a couple of wrapped bundles and three corked bottle, one separated from the rest. As the buckets are put away and everyone climbs back into the wagon, he passes one of the bundles to the younger man as well as one of the bottles. As he passes the lone bottle back to you, he says, "Just water but I figure it be da least I could do, 'specially seein' that you've got a ways to go after this."

Cracking the reigns lightly, the horses step into a steady trot. Once on the road again, the two men unwrap the bundles and you can see they're small selections of bread and cold cut meats that they eat on as they ride.

[Black_Hawk]

"Much obliged, and thank you again for your hospitality." Though she did not really need the food due to her elan ability to regenerate and sate herself with psionic energy, she was glad at the thought her happenstance transportation's drivers supplied. Uncorking the bottle, she sniffed its contents and took a small sip to ensure that it was water before doing anything else.

After testing the water, she unwraps the brown paper wrap on the package and nibbles on the bread and meat within, though not eating overmuch. The rest, if it will keep for too long, she will store in her pack.