Nothern Shadows

[Durwyn]

Drun awoke with a horrid headache. Argh, too much ale he muttered. He returned to the common room, and mulled at the table, grouchy and moody because of his headache. He ordered some water but only drank one sip until he walked out the door. He saw two men coming towards the tavern, both armed and armoured. Adventurers thought Drun but prepared himself for what may be coming...

[Aegis]

Anduin stopped outside the Knuckle-head. He said nothing to Kilden, instead waiting for the youth to turn on his own to inquire why.

"Are you not coming in?" asked Kilden, turning to face the veteran. Anduin shook his head, then scratched his chin, as if thinking about something. Inside, Anduin knew exactly what he was going to do right now, he was just finding a bit of amusement in leading Kilden on a goose hunt.

"No. Not yet." He said, turning slightly. "I have something I have to do first." He looked up, and grinned towards Kilden. "You go ahead. Talk to Kara, and she'll introduce you to Gheve. Maybe you can get some more information out of the gnome before I come back." Anduin began to walk down the street. Kilden watched the veteran until he turned around one of the corners, leaving a very befuddled Kilden at the door of the tavern.

*****

How long had it been? Anduin thought to himself, a smile on his face. Though the two had been friends for many years, they hadn't actually gotten together for quite some time. He remember how close the two were, back in their adventuring days. His smile went wider as he remember one of those such "adventurers" they went on together. He shook his head, and looked at the door in front of him. He was about to knock, but figured that it wouldn't be nessecary. Instead, he reached for the handle, and pushed the door in, walking into the common room. As he entered the small house, he nearly tripped over a stack of books that were placed right next to the door. Papers lay strewn across the floor. Anduin caught a glimpse of one, and scanned it quickly. "The Effect of Featherfall when Applied to Practical Tundra Uses" is what it read, and this only caused a small chuckle from the old warrior. He stepped past it, and into the centre of the room. In order to get there, though, he had to weave through stacks of tomes, and papers, and an odd looking coat rack that appeared to be made of bread. Anduin poked his head around a particulary high stack of books, and smiled as he saw the figure of a short man, haunched over a desk, writing furiously. Every now and then, the man would bring his head up, look at the paper, and then lean back over, and scribble whatever it was he had just wrote out.

"Hello Sedge." He smiled again as the man jumped from his seat, and spun, the papaers on the desk flying wildly. The man was older than Anduin, yet seemed to be more full of youth. Sedge adjusted a pair of small reading glasses, balancing them on the bridge of his nose, squinting through them to see Anduin clearly.

When Sedge finally saw the veteran, his eyes went wide, and his wrinkled face curled into a funy looing smile. He burst from his chair like a shot, and was standing beside his old friend, shaking his hand vigourously. "Anduin! Old friend!" He said, his voice giving away the excitment of seeing his friend. "How long has it been?" He asked, guiding Anduin towards the only pieces of furniture that wasn't covered in papers, books, or some other odd assortment of possesions that the old mage owned. Anduin looked at the table in which Sedge was motioning him to sit on, but didn't think much more of it. He sat, as did Sedge. "So, how have you been? Still drinking you life way on those wonderful drinks I supply the taverns with? Or have I lost you as a customer?" He smiled brightly, and leant over, eagerly awaiting an answer.

Anduin smirked, and nodded, sending Sedge into a happy fit of clapping. "It's been a long time, too long perhaps." He started after Sedge calmed down, his excitied face now replaced by a calm, wise image of a man. "Sadly, I wish I would have come calling on better circumstances." Sedge's face went dark as he heard those words, instantly expecting the worst.

"Is Gilthanus dead?" Sedge asked, concerned for their other campatriot. When Anduin shook his head, Sedge breathed a sigh of relief, then motioned for his old friend to continue.

"Lately, as I have heard, there have been a series of odd murders. Not the conventional ones, where you can identify the body. The killer seems to skin his victims, and hang them from trees. It's baffled me. I've already been out once today, searching for this creature, which at the time I thought was no more than a story made up by some eccentric gnome. It's turns out, though, that this gnome wasn't making things up. I witnessed what it could do to a Tundra Yeti in a very short period of time." Anduin sighed, and shifted his weight slightly. "Anyway, this creature was described to me as being almost reptillian like, with flaps acting as lips, and two large claw type weapons on his wrists. Also, this gnome, Gheve by the way, said it came out of thin air, just appearing. I was hoping you would know something about it."

Sedge scratched his chin, nodding his head. After a moments silence, his hand lowered. "No. I apologize. I don't know of, or have heard of anything like that. I wish I had though. It would make a marvelous test speciman!" anduin shook his head, sullenly, but expectantly...

[Rail]

Sedge scratched his chin, nodding his head. After a moments silence, his hand lowered. "No. I apologize. I don't know of, or have heard of anything like that. I wish I had though. It would make a marvelous test speciman!" Anduin shook his head, sullenly, but expectantly. "It would really go for a profit if you could get such a creature to Waterdeep. Maybe even Silverymoon. If you'd like, I could show you where to look in these books that might give you some cluse as to what it could be, though I don't think you'll find anything of much help."

"If you say it doesn't ring a bell," Anduin said, frowning in thought, "then I believe you. You always did have a way with books."

Sedge smiled, as if remembering past times, always better in the retelling. "I really wish I could be of more help, old friend."

Anduin's face remained dark, twinged by a slight hint of guilt. "You can, Sedge."

The aging brewer looked up from his fond memories and instantly understood the old friend's meaning. "You can't be serious!?!" One look at his sombre old friend and he chuckled to himself. Whatever it was that did the killings really did have his friend worried, and anything that worried Anduin worried the whole community. Or at least it should. The grizzled veteran always had been the bravest of the group, and it was one of the reasons Sedge had retired. He just wasn't cut out for this kind of stuff. "Anduin, I'm a brewer, not a wizard! Not anymore. It's been almost fifteen years since I last joined in on something like this!"

Anduin smiled patiently, but the shadow of him mood lingered in his eyes. "Only nine, my friend. Remember the Gnoll Raiders we put a stop to?"

"Yeah, and look how that turned out! You had to talk me into that one pretty hard, if I recall correctly, and I have since learned my own limitations."

"Sedge, we couldn't have done that one without you. You know that. I have a feeling this one is more serious. This is only the tip of the iceberg. We have to do something before things get out of hand."

The aging wizard took a moment to weigh his friend's words. But heaver than what was said, was what the grizzled veteran left unsaid. His mood spoke volumes, and simply the fact that he was here asking for Sedge's help at all backed up his message. "Anduin, it's been years since I practiced magic..., I mean really practiced magic. Sure, I've used it to clean up the place occacionally and put on a show every midsummer for the town, but I haven't seriously looked at my books in years. The most studying I do now is scouring over brews and recipies," he said in exhasparation, waving a hand at the papers he'd been working on when the warrior entered his shop.

"I know you can still do this, Sedge. I need you. I have a feeling I'll need some magic on this one, and someone I can trust. Who else is there?"

"Have you talked to Setil Bree? He might be..."

Anduin snorted in reply. "Setil's just a dabbler, and you know it. Sedge, I'm not fooling around on this! I need you on this. I'm afraid the whole town will need you, if we don't do something. You don't know what I've seen."

Sedge frowned and gave Anduin a helpless look. "I just don't know, And. I've got a buisness to run and Thom's just not quite ready to take things over yet."

"Thom will be fine. It will only be for a few days, Maybe a week." They continued to talk, bothavoiding the concept that they could possibly not come back from this at all. They had been through much together, even if it was a while ago. After some time and much debate, Anduin finally convinced the older man to go with him, albeit reluctantly. With one stipulation.

"You'll get Gilthanus here?"

"I promise," Anduin reassured the out-of-practice wizard. "I'll send the courier at first light. He'll be here before you know it." They both knew how Gilthanus had saved the wizard's life on more than one occasion, though Anduin was not quite as certain as he stated when the sullen half-elf would arrive. Or even if he'd arrive. They hadn't parted last on perfect terms.

"Alright, then. But this is the last time!" The brewer wagged a finger as if scolding a young boy, causing Anduin to beam at the absurdity of the gesture. "I mean it, this time!"

After some time of going through trunks in the cellar of the old house and dusting off a few items, Anduin bid Sedge a brief goodbye and agreed to meet up at the tavern.

* * *

A short time later, an older man walked into the Knuckle-head tavern, and a few heads turned for a second look. Sedge's night-blue robes had faded a bit, and still showed a bit of dust from the years, but at least they fit. The backpack was weighed down heavily with items the brewer had deemed necessary to travel, though he'd undoubtedly change his mind about their importance if he was forced to carry them far himself. He carried a plain and well-worn walking staff, and with his salt-and-pepper hair (more salt than pepper) and age-chisled face, he looked very much the part of the wise wizard.

Unfortunately, he didn't feel very wise. Nor wizardly.

The barkeep's smile widened at the sight of his friend in adventuring garb, but Sedge quieted him with the wave of a hand. "Now, Jalen, I'll have no comments from you! We'll just finish this buisness and get back to life as normal, you hear?"

Jalen shugged and looked partly confused, but he said, "Sure, Sedge. Whatever you say." Then, too low for the wizard to hear, he muttered something about being turned into a shrew and a few of the regulars at the bar burst out in laughter.

Sedgemon frowned and began to think of what he could put in their next batch of ale that would teach them a good lesson as he took a seat next to Anduin, noticing for the first time that he had company.

[Durwyn]

As he saw one of the men enter, Durn decided that perhaps he should just go back to bed, but he knew he could not go back to sleep now. He just followed the other man in and watched silently from a table while drinking an ale. Soon the other man returned, with another person, in wizards robe. intresting thought Durn.

[Nippy]

Kilden walked up to the bar and asked to speak to Kara.

"What can I do ya for?"

Kilden smiled at the bar women and asked her to speak to Gheve.

"My name is Kilden, Anduin told me to introduce myself to you and ask you to let me speak to Gheve, the gnome that got attacked. I'd like too, there are some things we need to ask him..."

"Well if Anduin said ya could, why not. Follow me..."

She led him to a sullen looking gnome that stared into a half empty mug. He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Hail Gheve! My name is Kilden and I not long here, fresh from Baldurs Gate. I ask you sir, I need some help. I believe you about that thing, and ask you to describe it. Some friends of mine are going to look for it and we need a description, is there any chance you can help us?"

"Ya believe me do ya? Well.... Ain't that a surprise. Aren't ya just looking to insult me some more?"

"Nay good sir, I am here with a noble purpose, one that you can help me with, if you would..."

The gnome looked at the stranger and thought deeply.

"Ok then, have ya got something to write with? I can draw it for ya. I didn't get a long look, but something like that stays in your memory..."

The gnome drew a crude but legible picture of the creature.

"That's about all I can do for you. Be careful though, it might be worse than you think..."

At this time the door opened and Anduin stepped in. He spotted Kilden and asked him to come over to his table. Kilden moved quickly with the drawing and gave it to him.

"Do you want me to invite him over?" Asked Kilden when another figure came into the tavern and walked over to the two men...

[Rail]

Anduin smiled. "You look as fit as always, old friend."

Sedge smiled a bit sheepishly and sat down next to the grizzled veteran, noticing Kilden for the first time. He couldn't help but show a look of surprise that there was anyone else at the table. He understood why he must be there, but it just didn't seem right that Anduin would be working on something like this with anyone but the old group. He knew his friend had been doing this since long after Sedge gave it up, but it still hadn't occurred to him that there'd be outsiders. It almost seemed like a reunion for a moment. Sedge shook his head to bring him into the present.

"How do you do?", he began. Best to start things off on a polite and cordial foot. "I'm Sedgemon Traft, Brewer of Bryn Shander." He stopped himself and smiled as if at a private joke. "Oh..., and a mage as well," he added, almost as an afterthought. This was going to take some getting used to, again.

"Kilden," the younger man said, extending his hand to greet the mage. "From Baldur's Gate."

Sedge stared at the hand for a moment as if he couldn't figure out what it was for. "Oh!" He grabbed the hand and shook vigorously. "Where are my manners? From Baldur's Gate, you say? The Sword Coast? I hear the mountains are quite beautiful down there, especially in the fall."

Kilden looked a bit between puzzled and amused at the newcomer, but nodded in agreement. "It's a beautiful place, though you have to get out of the cities to notice." He turned back to Anduin as if waiting for an explanation on the brewer-mage before them. He never got one.

Anduin signalled Kera for his usual and pushed the piece of paper with the gnome's drawing over toward Sedge. "Take a look at this and tell me if it is any help."

"Hmmm," The mage rubbed his chin in thoght for a bit. "It isn't a very good drawing."

"I didn't ask you to be an art critic," said Anduin with an amused smile. "Just tell me if it looks at all familiar."

Kilden raised a dubious eyebrow while watching the mage.

"It does look like..., well, the eyes are too high on the head, and the hooks..., no, not really like that, but if..., geeze, I just don't know. It looks awful familiar, but I couldn't be sure. Iwas an awful long time ago I studied such creatures, you know. " Sedge shrugged and pushed the paper back toward Anduin.

The old warrior patiently took the sheet back and nodded toward Kilden. "Why don't you bring the gnome over here and see if we can get any more information from him."

Kilden nodded and strode across the room to the diminutive survivor.

"You didn't tell me there were others, And!" Sedge threw a concerned look at the young Kilden as he approached the gnome.

"I'm letting him tag along for a while. He's willing and we'll neex a few extra swords, if we can find them."

Sedge shrugged and adjusted his robes. He didn't remember them being this warm and uncomfortable. Maybe he just cared about how they looked back then. Well, they sure seemed to bunch up now, that's for sure. He brought his attention back to Kilden as he approached with a forlorn and empty looking gnome.

[Nippy]

"Sedge, this is Gheve, Gheve, Sedge." The two shook hands and everyone sat down on the table. The drinks had just arrived and the gnome sighed loudly. Hardly any one believed him and those that did were old or barely out of sword school. What chance did they have?

[Durwyn]

Durn watched as the three men talk to the gnome. Unfourtanly a couple of drunk men had gotten in a argument and had started a brawl. It wouldnt have effected Durn if one of the men hadnt missed with his throwing dagger, but in his drunken state he couldnt have hit a cow. It struck Durn sqaurely in the shoulder. Arghh cried out Durn, more of surprise than pain. He pulled the dagger out and walked, leaving a trail of blood as he went to his room. When he arrived to his room he pulled out his most prized possession, a fully stocked healing kit. He got it from Garthas, his friend from the temple. He put some herb concoction on his wound first. It stung, but he knew it would prevent infection. He then bandged the wound up, then went back downstairs. The men who were brawling had been thrown out. The innkeeper hastily apoligized, and Durn sat down again to finsh his beer. Everyone had heard about the fight and was speculating what would happen next...

[Rob-hin]

There were too many things on Casans mind. The strange claw prints he found outside raced through his mind, not knowing what made them, made him mad.

There was something about the creature, something evil. Though he hadn’t seen it, he could feel it.

His dreams turned into nightmares. Bathing in his sweat in bed, an overwhelming feeling of fear and rage came control over him. He saw himself standing in the woods he knew so well, afraid of something he couldn’t see, hitting at thin air with his staff in pure rage and despair.
Suddenly, he found himself sitting strait up in bed. He could hear his heartbeat, it sounded like someone was hitting him on the head with a club.

Finally he calmed down. Lucky was staring at him, when Casan looked at him, it knew what was wrong.
“My meditating isn’t enough to control my anger, not anymore”, he stood up and got dressed. “Let’s go for a walk, but not unprepared.” There were 2 short swords hanging on the wall, Casan picked them up. “Hello old friends, long time no see.” He smiled. They fitted nicely into a holster underneath his long jacked; nobody could tell they were there.
A couple of darts disappeared into his pockets. Last he grabbed his staff.

“I’d better go prepared” Then he walked out into the dark night.

[Aegis]

Anduin turned to face Sedge when Kilden left to fetch Gheve. Sedge was trying to hide the hurt face, which resulted in an amusing contortion of his face. "I feel like I have to apoligize. I know how you feel about outsides travelling with us, but this was needed." Sedge relaxed a bit, but still looked to his frined expectantly. Anduin continued. "Besides, he followed me into the woods, and refused to head back on his own. I know, having others with us makes me feel uncomfortable, but we could use the help. Besides, he has the youth that we lost years ago." Sedge smiled, and Anduin chuckled. "I've sent a message to Gilthanus, which will hopefully reach him soon. Anyway, I'm glad you showed up. I don't know if I could do this one without you."

Sedge smiled. "Well, you know you owe me for this one And." He leaned back, still grinning. "The only thing that will make this adventure tolerable will be Gilthanus." He smirked when he saw the small rimace on Anduin's face, and let out a chuckle. "You can't still be angry about that, can you? It was more than twenty years ago!"

"Well, when someone tells you to go distract a clan of Umberhulks when the other sneak by, then forget to come back for you, let's se how you feel." Anduin's scowled deepend.

Sedge laughed. "We didn't forget about you. Besides, you escaped them, little bruised, but your still alive." Sedge leaned forward again. "We were gonna come back for you, we just ran into complications." He smiled.

Anduin waved the conversation off, tired of it already. He didn't want to deal with the smug elf, though they had been companions, they were odds many times, and would be more so now that Anduin was approaching old age, and Gilthanus was still as youthful as when they first met. His thoughts were interupted with the return of Kilden and Gheve. Anduin barely paid attention as a swift introduction was given. He also noticed the sullen look of the gnome as he surveyed the mottly group. He leaned over, looking right at Gheve. "Listen, we may look like we toothless old men, and with exception of Sedge, we all got our original teeth." He smirked, and Sedge seemed snuff the comment away. "But I gaurentee, we're just as experianced as we look, our age hasn't slowed our wits a bit."

Gheve looked up from his mug, the foam running down the side of the dull glass. "What about Kilden?" He motioned towards the youth, and took another swig of the ale.

Anduin leaned back, and shrugged. "He's just here. Us old guys will show him a thing or two about adventuring. Aside from that, think of him as your personal body gaurd." Anduin smiled, and took a swig of his own drink, and glanced to Kilden.

The youth was confused. Slightly offended, but confused nonetheless. He wasn't sure if he just been insulted, or if something else had just happened. He shrugged it off for now, deciding it would be more preferable to drown himself in his drink.

"So," started Sedge, "where do we stand right now?"

"Well, If the message reaches Gilthanus as quickly as the messanger said it would, he should be up here within a few days. Until then, we hunt for these creature. We can start tomorrow early in the day. Gheve can show us where he saw the creature." Gheve almost spit up his drink at the mention of him coming along for the adventure. "Until then, I think we should all get some sleep." He took another swig, and then went off to pay Kara for the drinks.

[Arcane]

Gylderon swiftly ran in the direction of the town, his bow in hand, poisoned arrow at the ready. He never slowed his pace nor stopped. When he reached the main road that led to the town, he remembered how he was following the warrior. Then the other younger one came and spoiled his cover.....Gylderon looked towards the town and slowly crept towards it....

******
It watched the elf move silently. The clicking sound was louder now. This elf knew where it was hiding and it could not risk it bringing the other two warriors into its den. This elf did not know how to fight, but he probably had something else up his sleeve. When he reached the tree where it was hiding, the creature leaped at Gylderon.

******
Gylderon turned quickly and fired the arrow into the creature. The arrow stuck in what looked like its bicep. Gylderon did not stop to see whether the poison was working. He reloaded and fired again, missed. The creature swung a massive claw at him. Gylderon dodged and leaped into the shrubbery. He fingered an invisiblily potion in his pocket and drank from it. He readied his short sword and crept behind the creature. It was dark, and yes dark was the assasin's home. He poised to strike when the creature turned to him and he froze. There was no doubt the creature was attempting to see through him. It turned and fled. Even his keen elvish eyes could not fathom the darkness in which it fled into. He turned and made his way into the town.

OOC:I dont know whether Aegis wanted the creature to attack me but he ssaid that it made ready for an attack.....thx

[Aegis]

OCC: @ Gylderon: I was trying to make so you didn't engage it yet, but, if you really insist. :
*****

The arrow protruding from it's bicep didn't slow the creature one bit, nor did the poisin dull his senses. He headed back into the dark of the forest, knowing that the elf would fall back, thinking he he had one. The creature was smarter though. It was a hunter, and it knew it's prey. After a minute of moving, the creature turned about, and leapt into a nearby tree, clearing the twenty foot jump as if it nothing. It landed in the tree stealthly, and glimmered for a moment. As the glimmer passed over it's body, it slowly faded from sight. It then sprung to it's feet, and began to sprint through the trees, it's body using perfect balance and agility, never slipping once. It didn't take long for it's supierior speed to catch up with Gylderon. The heat signature was unmistakable, and the creature overtook the elf.

Gylederon was frantically check behind him while running from the scene of the skirmish. He was so focued on his retreat, he missed the tree in front of him become blurred. Gylderon smacked face first into the creature, the solid body of it creating a powerful stop. It let out a massive roar, and Gylderon quaked in boots. Staggering back, he tried to loose another arrow at the creaturem but it was faster. It was next to him almost as fast the two had collided. It raised it's hand, and it's whole body seemed to come back into sight. The creature was ghastly. It wore a form of mesh clothing over it's body, but nothing else. It's wrists had two bracers on them, each with a pair of eight inch long serraded blades. The face, something that would be forever burned in Gylderon's memory, was that of a repitle, the flaps it's used for a mouth opened and closed rythmatically with it's breathing. It's weapon descended on the elf, slashing him violently across the chest, opening a gash, and sending Gylderon to the ground, the blood pouring from his body. The pain was excruitiating, and his mind quickly gave into the intense pain, and Gylderon sunk into unconscienceness.

The creature a triumphant clicking noise, and hoisted the body over his shoulder, and began a trip to the edge of the forest.

[Arcane]

OOC:as long as the handsome, heroic elf doesnt bite it im cool with him getting captured....
*********
The creature triumphantly walked back into the darkness of its forests. It turned sharply in the direction of what was left of the yeti and continued the trail, Gylderon's body hanging limply from its shoulder. It made a turn again for the path of blood and soon, was in its den, thinking what to do with the elf......

[Craig]

Vren fingered his Falchion, light, he thought."Uh" Ventured Vren "Not meaning to be rude or anything..." He stoped for a second, was that a clicking sound?"

[Rob-hin]

Making his way through the forest, Casan became one with nature. Unknowingly he moved away from the creature’s territory and the creature itself.

It had become pretty dark and Casan couldn’t see very far, but Lucky could. Owls hunt at night so his eyes are far superior compared with human eyes. Lucky was always alert, letting Casan know if he saw something. Somehow they understood eat other perfectly, a look, a hoot or without any effort at all.
Casan guided travellers, who didn’t reach Bryn Shandar in time before it got dark, to his cabin. It was the least he could do with that “thing” out there.

It was calm outside and Casans troubled mind came to rest. Sometimes he whistled, though he wasn’t always aware of it.
Lucky however was not at ease, the death of his mate was on his mind. It would take long before he could find a new mate. If he could find one at all, since black owls are rare in these parts. For now, he had enough with his long time friend Casan.