Adrian moves through the trees on high alert, careful to keep his eyes peeled for any would-be attackers. However, he attentiveness comes at a cost, as he seems to step on many twigs and branches along the way. Chloë follows behind, her similar lack of experience with sneaking shining through as well.
You make your way through the difficult woodland terrain, somewhat clumsily on the whole, keeping watch for any sign of the bandits. However, as you crash through the forest you see no such signs.
Adrian holds his arm out for the others to stop, before pointing towards a particularly large oak tree off in the distance. "Look there," he says, his voice low, directing the others' attention to it. "There is something odd about that tree. The way that ivy covers most of it, but seems to hang loose over a darker bit at the bottom," he says, looking to make sure everyone else is looking at the correct tree. "There could be something underneath, perhaps even the entrance to the hideout we're looking for."
"You got dwarf eyes, Gleosian," Brannik says with a hearty laugh. "I was thinking the same thing." The dwarf takes the lead as they stalk toward the strange formation. "Back in Bal I was in the militia for a few years doing cave patrols. If there are any of these scum down there, I'm sure I can sniff 'em out."
Gemma rolls her eyes as her mentor refers once more to his past life. "Literally sniff them out?" she asks haughtily. The Bull chuckles, unoffended, but says nothing.
"Good eye," Wes says as Brannik and Adrian discover the hidden cave. "Hopefully this is the only entrance, so they can't escape on us while we've got them cornered."
"If it isn't they could flank us from behind too. Some of us should stay behind to watch our backs," Ser Rarden says. "Owin, Theun, and I should stay. You six are the better fighters," he says, Owin and Theun give nods in agreement.
"That does sound wise. But you three be careful. There could be some lurking outside, watching the entrance. Last thing we need is to come back out to find your corpses," Adrian responds, following close behind Brannik as they continue forward.
"And if anything drastic happens, maybe come alert us," Wes says, following Adrian as they proceed toward the cave entrance.
The Cavern of Whispers
Rarden gives you a firm nod as the six of you push aside the vines and step into the hidden cave. You find yourself in a narrow passage, wide enough for just two people at a time. Some sunlight filters in through the vines behind you, but the cave is far from the darkness one would expect. Further down the passage you can see two wall mounted torches illuminating the areas around them. The patches between the torches remain dark, although both Chloe and Kass' eyes adjust to the low light. You can make out what appear to be several offshoots of the passage.
"We should tread carefully," Adrian whispers, as they enter into the cavern. "This could be a twisting labyrinth for all we know."
Wes nods along to Adrian, adding, "Yeah, this isn't a place we want to have to fight in either," acknowledging the narrow passage.
"Don't worry, I'll sniff it out," Brannik says, his tone more serious now. Greathammer and spear forward, the two friends advance.
"Well, no sense in just crowding around the entrance. Let's get moving," Wes says, beginning his stride forward, his blade readied in case of trouble.
Nodding to Wes, the Bull also moves ahead with careful steps.
As she watches the more physically able men move forward, Chloë decides to stay back. She moves a small ways into the cave, but stops before what seems to be a small intersection of paths.
Following after his lover, Adrian makes his way into the side path leading to the newly-spotted torch.
With her cousin taking the lead into the tunnel, Kass begins following behind, taking note of the branch from the main path. I hope we don't find ourselves lost in here.
Checking out a leg of the tunnel, Gemma steps forward carefully.
"Let's not get ourselves lost," Wes utters as the cave's branches are discovered.
As people continue to move in, Chloë sticks behind Wes and Brannik, uncomfortable with being at the front of the group.
His dwarven sense of exploration getting the better of him, Brannik keeps moving forward, eager to investigate the branches of the tunnel.
Stepping a bit further into the cave, after having seen or heard no movement ahead, Adrian makes his way to the opposite wall. Once there he takes the torch from the wall, figuring a mobile light source will be much better than stationary ones.
As the group continues on, Kass too proceeds forward, stopping to investigate the branch near Brannik.
Following after her mentor, Gemma steps along behind the Bull.
As Adrian moves to take the torch off the wall, he spots a man further down the tunnel under the light of another torch, rummaging around inside a chest, too preoccupied to notice the Gleosian further down the tunnel.
Meanwhile as Kass and Gemma are able to look down the passage way to their left, they catch a glimpse of another man about 80 feet further along the tunnel.
Go: Wes, Brannik, Chloe
Not wanting to get left behind in the pack, Wes pushes forward once more.
"Gemma," the Bull says with a whisper. "Get Adrian back with us, unless that passage is more important. I don't want to get split up."
Chloë follows Wes towards the others, also not keen on being alone in such a dangerous place.
Gemma takes a moment to step back to where Adrian is, ready to inform him that Brannik is waiting for them to regroup.
Adrian holds his finger out, to suggest silence, as Gemma approaches. As he nears the woman he whispers, "there is a man up ahead. He doesn't seem to have spotted us."
With the dwarf wishing for a moment to regroup, Kass simply decides to step a bit forward, hoping to get more of a glimpse into the branch before them.
His interest piqued from a quick hand signal by his mentee, Brannik steps over to investigate the side branch, motioning for the others to come with him too. He shoots Adrian and Gemma a quizzical look.
Noting the dwarf's hand signals, Wes follows closely behind, curious as to what of important was discovered.
Chloë looks back towards Kass as she watches the men retreat back towards the entrance, and then down the side path. She is uncomfortable leaving Kass alone, but is even less comfortable staying so vulnerable, and follows after.
Seeing that she's being left behind by the rest of the group, Kass makes her way back toward them, moving to the front of the group so she can see what the big fuss is about around the corner.
Gemma holds her position, signalling Brannik forward. "Take him, boss."
Adrian catches the man off guard, quickly knocking him to the ground and dealing a killing blow before he even has a chance to react. As Adrian regains his composure, he hears growling to his left and turns to see several wolves locked behind a large iron grate door.
Go: Wes, Brannik, Chloe
With the Gleosian moving even swifter than Brannik, the dwarf surges forward behind him for support. "Good kill," he manages, leaning down to ensure the man has fully expired. With a quick check, the dwarf sifts through the bandit's pockets, searching for anything of importance or worth.
As he feels his way around, Brannik notices the wolves to his left, behind a heavy grate. With a knee-jerk smile, then a frown, he whispers to them. "We'll get you out of there, as long as you don't try and maim us in the act."
With Adrian having felled the bandit, Wes joins him further along the tunnel, noticing the wolves caged up. "Wonder how they managed to get them in here. It's not like these are normal dogs; they're wild animals."
Listening as Brannik speaks to the beasts, Chloë approaches to get a better look. She sees them growling, which could be a sign of fear or aggression. She steps up to the bars and speaks to them, softly, trying to reassure the creatures and check if it would be safe to approach even closer. "You wouldn't hurt us, now, would you?"
