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Talking to Teth after the flight from the dungeon

<Yvandel aka Sebastian wrote>:
> "Teth," he said, addressing the now recuperated elven ranger,
> "you mentioned before that you knew this area and would be able
> to lead us back to the road that will take us back to the Sprite's
> Refuge. Can you guide us to this road?"

Teth rubs his brow wearily. "I'm sure I could guide us back. This old cart trail leads towards the west side of the woods though, and up into the hills beyond. If we want to get back to the Long Road and the Sprite's Refuge, then we will have to go cross-country." he says, pointing to the east. "And we wouldn't be able to take the cart."

<Lucretia aka Joe wrote>:
> "Now...I believe I can find the way back to town and might
> be able to do it fairly quickly on horse back." "Why don't
> me and Teth here zip up to his old buddy's Inn and see if
> he has some more of that healing water." "We could be back
> in no time."

Teth shakes his head. "The woods are pretty thick. We'd be leading the horses more than riding them! I suggest we dump the cart and fasten your wounded comrades to the backs of horses. I know an easily defendable spot not too far away where we could camp till morning." He glances at the two priests. "With a chance to rest and make prayers, I'm sure your wounded will pull through, but if you want to take the risk and push on to the Sprite's Refuge, we'll probably be moving all night!"

OOC: DM decision - Milo thought that Ceely was more injured, so used the last of the magical healing on her.

Milo reads from a scroll in the fading light, then places his hands on Ceely's body. A glow surrounds her for a moment, and her breathing steadies, but she remains unconscious. Balnor appears stable after Larz's first aid, but remains in a critical condition.

<Merrell aka Mike D wrote>:
> "Well, whatever we do, we should expect a counterattack.
> Whether we stay or not, they'll have little trouble following
> our trail. One can only hope that Kazan is not one to hold
> a grudge."

The merchant looks around nervously at mention of a counter attack. "That would take time to organise" states Blondung flatly. "And from the battering they've taken, there's a good chance they may leave us alone. On the other hand, they may be desperate to stop us spreading news of this place."

Teth nods in agreement. "They tortured me to try and find out how much I knew and who I'd told, so they must want to keep this place quiet!"

"They tortured me to find out about caravan shipments!" blurts the merchant quickly.

"Whether we push on all the way, or stop to make camp, I suggest we make haste," continues Teth. "Once we leave this track and start through the woods proper, I can try to obscure our trail somewhat, and I guess in the darkness to come, the damn hobgobs may well struggle to follow our passage..."

The group quickly manoeuvrer Ceely and Balnor onto a couple of the horses. Teth leads the group out of the hollow and along the trail a short way, before indicating a smaller animal trail heading off to the east.

"Take this way, I'll catch you up in a few minutes," he says, leading the cart further down the path.

True to his word, 5 minutes later, as the party push their way in single file along the narrow animal trail, he returns leading the two horses from the cart.

Over the next hour, as the darkness gets deeper and deeper, Teth moves back and forth, guiding at the front then returning to the rear to try to obscure their tracks. The sounds of the forest surround the party and in the distance there is an echo of howling wolves, although it seems impossible in the undergrowth to determine the direction. Milo fusses over the wounded as he and Larz lead the laden horses.

Everyone seems almost ready to drop with the exhaustion of pushing through the woods, when Teth finally indicates that their destination is near. Travelling slowly because of the wounded, it has taken near on a couple of hours to reach the outcropping of rock which marks Teth's proposed camp site.

At the top of a small hillock, a pair of knarled old oak trees cling to an large weathered piece of stone. As the party approach it, it seems to offer nothing by way of decent shelter or protection, but upon rounding the corner, a natural hollow can be seen.

"There is good visibility all around from a perch in the oak trees, whilst the hollow remains out of site until you're almost upon it" Teth explains, his breath billowing in the cold frosty air.