THE ARROW OF EVIDENCE
Torynth knelt amid the quickly accumulating mudpuddles and slid a wooden rattle back toward a tiny hand that lay exposed beneath a wagon wheel. The monk closed the wee fingers around the toy with his palm responding sombrely
Salimen pulled a crude arrow from a discarded door lying among the wreckage. Holding it next to one of his own missles for comparison, he shrugged Oktavianus growled turning his attention away " These thieves are even more reckless than I ever imagined. Slaughtering children..." the dwarf paused as the ranger patrolled the grounds " This incident should get us even more motivated for our objective."
The others agreed wholeheartedly as they watched the Tolxen men collect damaged goods and order them onto makeshift carts.
Thunder rang overhead as Splendor was forced to shout his inquiry
Gulius wiped the rain away that ran in rivulets down his beard
Raven gathered underneath the shelter of an overturned wagon and the impudent archer, with fists clenched, advised
8 PM: The rains and fires died out as the Tolxen men made their way back toward Swamp Road.
Gresmo parted with words of conviction to the team
" It means we need to succeed before things get worse."
" I haven't seen such arrows like these anywhere in my travels abroad. He waved the others over to have a look
" These shafts are unusually long and crooked. See those feathers? They are tarred with some brownish, oily substance." The group noticed that the pointed head also held three barbed wire protrusions that jutted back upon itself. " Anyone know such arrows?"
Hebron turned his sight away from the carnage as the sage leaned in to study the evidence.
" It appears that you are right." affirmed Gailwind " No true fletcher produced these." He plucked another of the projectiles from a guardsman's shield. The lorist eyed the arrow intensely as the rain poured heavily from the skies.
" The shafts are of a tawdry wood and the flight vanes hold the odor of..." he sniffed " ...an ore substance."
" Gailwind, can you identify the ore!? What can you make of the mineral you sense?!"
The Lorist shivered and tossed the arrow into a nearby smoldering fire " I don't know, but the Trinkis gnomes deal in a similar substance. Right now, they are working in Engbretto improving on their new invention.....spark powder."
Leah mused " Sparkpowder? What is that?"
The lorist related " An incendiary chemical or compound produced from certain mined elements used to ignite a fire or create violent reactions."
" You mean the gnomes might be connected to this..." he waved his left arm broadly "...this catastrophe?"
Gailwind sneezed in the humid air " No, I wouldn't say that exactly. Ore substances can be mined in many different regions of Lavenrae where other humanoids dwell as well. If I can recall, the invention came about by gnome exploits in the Islemic Foothills and Citrine Canyon. They held secret the other locales."
" We do not need to take on all of the bastards that did this. We need only capture a few of them. Some we question and the others live to be brought back to the King's men!"
StarPoint Raven agreed; the time to succeed was now!
" Let not the happenings of the fens darken your view of it; 'tis a good place in better days. Go hunt the killers and bring peace to our region." With a face of regret, the bearded man turned away and left the fellowship in the company of darkness.