Chapter 17: The Infiltration of Kulendra!
-----The adventurers moved their camp to a point to the northeast of the clearing where the hobgoblins were fought. In this way, the horses were as far from the humanoid occupied village without being uncovered in the vacant plains beyond. For some in the party, little rest was achieved. The Hunters then set about removing signs of their passage in the thickets to the new camp. In the meantime, Strolum and Pil took to watching the surrounding plains to the north and east to make sure no other attacks were pending. At least, away from the village, silence reigned in the countryside, but it seemed all too ominous.
-----There were still some in the party who suffered from injuries. Garrison and Dilton only had moderate to light scratches on them. It was the young Gorian, however, who was at times obviously hurt. Always keeping up a brave face, Sol continued to walk stiffly and drew a concerned, and lovingly angered, eye from Rinda.
-----As night fell, clouds blanketed the sky and a moderate breeze blew across the land from the southwest. Rinda said that the moon would be less than full, but the clouds would hide the heavenly orb. Lovan shook his hammer toward the sky with a frown and growled, “Now if only they will build higher!”
-----As darkness came on, the Hunters crept forth to scout the village. They came back two hours before midnight to report that the humanoids in the village seemed more alert this night. Though there was a noisy rabble from the nightly drunk fests, it appeared a bit more subdued. Small clusters of hobgoblin soldiers marched between the outskirts of the village and the massive field that the adventurers hid in. At least a score of the soldiers were stationed at the gate entrance, looking more lively if that was possible. The scouts had even reported seeing the dark riders approach the hobgoblins at the gate, and then ride off toward the middle of the village.
-----Closer to the midnight hour, the entire company moved closer through the scrub to await their time to enter the village. Whisper was to leave at midnight with the others to follow an hour later. Near the gate, the hobgoblins stood alert with their weapons in hand scanning as much of the surrounding night as they could. Nearby their small campfires caught the breeze and sparks rose toward the cloud laden sky.
-----Sol slowly made his way over to where Whisper stood, easing each step down carefully. He regarded the elf for a minute before softly clapping the silent one on the shoulder, indicating good luck.
-----Whisper half turned his shrouded head to regard the Gorian. He nodded distinctly, and then rapped his knuckle against Sol Herron's breastplate in response.
-----The weight of the dagger becoming oddly comfortable as he found the necessary focus for this night's work.
-----Without saying a single word, nor any other gesture, the Sylvan Elf moved off into the night.
-----Jeilin puts her palms together as Whisper departs. In the gloom, only the lower half of her pale face can be seen under her hood, as she whispers a short prayer. The priestess then resumes reading her book, occasionally breaking the silence as she turns over a page.
The Fourth of Solentide, D.Y. 500
-----Whisper moves swiftly and quietly through the high brush always keeping an eye on the fires that light various parts of the captured village. The breeze causes the vegetation to gently sway and the sound it makes almost seems to echo the Wood Elf’s name.
-----No longer in sight of his companions, Whisper stops, and coats his shortsword with one dose of Weaponblack before carefully resheathing it so that the coating does not scrape off. During the process, a small troop of hobgoblins march past many yards away, heading toward the east as they patrol the perimeter of Kulendra. They appear not to take notice of anything in the night; only to keep their pace.
-----Whisper takes a moment to recapture the feeling of the Tree Whispers, and then utters the following quiet words in elven: "Valorius. Hunter. Grog. I bow to none of you. But this night I do your work, as I have done in days past. I seek to take vengeance for those who cannot. I seek to free those enslaved and cruelly imprisoned. And I herald the joining of battle." With that, he vanishes further into the brush.
-----Moments later find the Elf in an usurped farmer’s field, the scent of the dried dirt close as Whisper takes a moment on bended knee to survey. On the dirt roads that run through the village, Whisper sees less drunken humanoids this night. Clusters of soldiers gather around the open bonfires in the village square, but they appear to report and confer with possible hobgoblin leaders. The soldiers then continue to patrol the roads stopping to eye and inspect some of the buildings.