The Third Age

The snow drifted through the trees underneath the night stars. The crescent moon hung high in the sky, casting it's glow upon the land, giving the snow a silvery glow. A breeze drifted through the forest, swirling the flakes through the air before the floated gently down to meet the ground below. Somewhere in the distance, the call of an owl breaks the silence of the night, echoing down the road leading through the forest.

Alone, a figure appears at the side of the road. Clothed in a snow covered cloak, the figure lowers to her haunches and reaches out a hand to the ground before her, looking for any signs of her quarry.

((Tracking Attempt: Average Difficulty

WIS: 28 with Heightened Senses. Roll: 14

Tracking Attempt is a Success.))

In the snow, a group of heavy foot prints were easily discernible. To the figure, the tracks told a story. The men she was following had come to the road and waited at its shoulder from some time, an hour at the least. Then, another two men had joined them, coming from the South and following the road. They then swiftly departed across the road and into the woods on the other side.

This fit with a trend the ranger had been observing for almost a week now. Having picked up the group's trail at the Northwestern edge of Vendrali, near the town of Havril, she had now followed them into the country of Beorm. They had made exceptional time and must have been traveling very light. She suspected that with each new member they picked they refreshed their rations and supplies, allowing them to continue on without having to forage or hunt to sustain themselves. Now she counted seven pairs of tracks heading to the woods. When she had begun, there had been only two.

Where they were going and what their intention was, she did not know. It was this that worried her. These men obviously had some secret business, and judging by the amount of land they had covered it was widespread. They used the roads little and stopped in no towns, only straying very close and then camping for a while. It was unusual and made the Ranger suspicious.

The tracks, judging by the snowfall, were only an hour or so old. She was catching up. Tonight, she hoped, she would discover who these men were and what their intention was. Rising to her feet, the cloak flew over the road and disappeared into the woods.

----

As she suspected, they were waiting again. The moon tonight had now waned and would be New in a day or two. However, she could make out their silhouettes from across the road, their breath turning to fog in the air. She had spotted them on the same night she had found the tracks by the road, grumbling and murmuring as they trudged along in the snow. On a hunch, she cut a wide circle around them and continued to the road ahead, hoping they would continue their pattern. That was last night and thankfully their pace had slowed due to the snow. She had arrived at sunset and waited, allowing the storm to camouflage her. Now, covered in snow and nearly indistinguishable from the ground, she contemplated how she was going to take the group by surprise.

It would have to be quick. She didn't need to kill any of them, only distract them and preferably, capture one. Then she would need to lose the pursuit that would undoubtably follow and get the information she needed. All before their extra man arrived. It wouldn't be easy.

She spied one of the men breaking off from the group. He must have had to relieve himself. The ranger allowed herself to relax a moment. Perhaps this would be easier than she thought. They had become complacent and careless, now all she would have to do was grab the man, and-

The party stirred. They called the other man back and all crouched at the side of the road. Something was wrong. Someone must have been on the road they were not expecting as it was a little too early for their man to arrive. But who would be traveling along the road at this late at night?

No matter, she would have to hit the group now, using this wayward traveler as her distraction. If she didn't, she wouldn't get another chance. The group would be on their guard after this. It was now or never. Also, she was sure that these men would kill the stranger, and she wasn't about to allow that either.

She picked her target, a man in the middle of the group.

((Strange Man: Level 1

HP: 10

STR: 35
DEX: 35
CON: 35
INT: 35
WIS: 35
CHA: 35

These stats apply to all seven Strange Men.))


It would be tricky, getting up out of the snow, grabbing her bow, notching an arrow and lining up the shot before they were on the traveler, but she would have to try.

((Ambush Shot: Above Average

DEX:28 Roll:5

Ambush is a Success.

Hit Strange Man.

Strange Man CON Roll: 28

Strange Man loses 23 of 10 HP

Strange Man is defeated.))

She leapt up and, in a flash, had already loosed one arrow. The arrow drove itself through the man's neck and into the tree behind. His body slammed against the bark with a loud thump and hung there, still. He didn't even scream. She had been so quick she had time to select one more target.

((Ambush Shot: Above Average

DEX: 28 Roll: 8

Hit Strange Man 2

Strange Man 2 CON Roll: 15

Strange Man 2 loses 7 of 10 HP, Leaving 3 HP.))

The second arrow flew true and struck the other man in the shoulder, knocking him off his feet. He wasn't dead though. In a moment he would be up again. Now was the time to really attack.The ranger could only hope she would have some assistance from the traveler on the road.

Now she couldn't be sure she would even be able to capture one of the men. She would have to glean what she could from the corpses. From her hip she pulled a black axe into her right hand and with her left unsheathed a large, curved knife which had hung across her chest. The steel gleamed in the faint moonlight as the ranger leapt across the road and into the the group of men, her cloak billowing in the wind.