Clues

Clues

"They went that way," said Skrie, pointing up the path to rickety steps leading up the cliff face. About halfway up, she saw two figures climbing the scaffold. The four companions followed, reaching the top of the stairs half a candlemark later.

"There," said Garrick, pointing toward the next waterfall. The group crept toward the trees to the south.

As the cultists looked at something, a boulder tumbled down the slope across the river, barreling toward the men. At that moment, a giant bear charged from the woods behind them, its approach masked by the sounds of falling rock. The animal pounced on one chap, sending him to the ground. The other fellow darted back toward the steps, heedless of the fate of his companion. A few minutes later, the bear, satisfied the intruder was well and dead, ambled back toward the trees from whence it came.

Skrie and Garrick went to check the body. The halfling pried a piece of bloody parchment from the corpse's hand.

"It's a copy of the verse we found. No component list, though," Skrie said. A further search revealed a few coins and a green gem, but nothing else to identify the man .

Another boulder crashed down the slope. "Time to go," said Garrick, pulling Skrie along with him.

"Where to, now?" asked the halfling.

"The next line of the verse says, 'Great earth bounder, mostly rounder. Run away from their sound, if more come down'," Theren read from the copy he held.

"I guess we go this way, then," said Malusk, pointing south, away from the boulder field.

They followed a path through the trees, stopping short as the sun peeked over the hill to the east, illuminating a grassy knoll in the distance.

"That's it," said Skrie, pointing. "Let's go."



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