“It’s kind of fitting when you think about it,” said Alastor.
“What is?” Solomon replied as he pulled the laces of the gauntlet on his left arm tight.
The two brothers were a short distance ahead of the column, marching up the narrow, winding trail. Though the sun had risen nearly two hours prior, all was dark there. In addition to the shadow of the mountain and the canopy of trees, there was an unnatural darkness sifting through the woods. The trees on either side of the path were old and gnarled. Their branches were crooked and dark.
A thin, pale blue fog crept slowly down the mountain through the old forest.
“You’re little hunting party, I mean,” Alastor explained. “Humans, elves, dwarves… It took an alliance of all three races to defeat the Shadowfell a thousand years ago, and here we are trying to do it all over again.”
“Never really thought about it, I guess,” said Solomon.
“Even got a wizard or two, but…” Alastor glanced backward.
“But what?” Solomon replied as he began pulling the laces on his other gauntlet.
“Dragons, Solomon?”
“They could be useful. Dragons are powerful creatures, even the forces of the Shadowfell fear the might of dragons. Besides they’re just wyrmlings, and that dragonborn paladin says he can keep them under control.”
“Still, I think we’d be better off leaving them behind.”
Solomon stopped walking as he finished tying up the laces of his gauntlet. Alastor stopped, too.
“Let’s be clear about something, Alastor,” Solomon said. “All the way up here you’ve been pestering me about my plan, about the people I’ve brought with me. Enough.”
“You may be my older brother, and I may not be able to stop you from coming up here with me, but this is my task. This is my hunting party,” he said pointing back at the column following them, who by this time had also stopped, and were listening to Solomon.
“I am in charge here, and I say who goes where and who does what. And if I say that the dragons will be useful, then they will be. And if I say that the wizards come, then they come, understand?”
Alastor said nothing.
“This isn’t my first dance with the forces of the Shadowfell, Alastor, and I’ve done it all without your help. I know what I’m doing.”
Solomon turned and started walking up the path again. Alastor stood silently, watching Solomon walk away. The rest of the hunting party began walking again, too, passing Alastor. Some kept their heads down or looking forward as they passed him. Others smirked at him as they passed.
When the warriors of Annwyn, near the rear of the column, got close to him, Alastor said, “Yes, sir,” and joined back in the column with them.
After awhile, the trees began to thin, and a large open space appeared before them. As he entered the clearing, Solomon held up his hand indicating to the party to stop at the entrance to the clearing. They stopped as Solomon stepped slowly and carefully, scanning the tree line around him, carefully studying the broken, vine covered walls that erupted from the ground in several places, then staring at the far side of the clearing at a rock wall that rose nearly forty feet above the level of the clearing. The thin, pale blue fog, seemed to be coming from a small crack in the rock face that extended all the way to the top of the cliff.
“What’s he doing?” one of the warriors of Annwyn asked Alastor.
“He’s checking the clearing for traps,” Alastor replied.
“What kind of traps?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Oh,” said the warrior.
After a few more moments, Solomon turned around and headed back to the group. When he returned, he gathered the group around him, and whispered, “Okay. You’re about to enter the ruins of an old village. We call it Grim’s Hollow, because it belongs to the dead, now, and the dead keep it. If you don’t want to join them, watch your step, and keep your eyes open.”
“The cemetery’s on the far side, through that crack in the rock. That’s where we’re headed.”
“Stay close,” he said, then turned his back to them and started moving slowly back into the clearing, his axe held at the ready in one hand and his crossbow in the other.
The ground of the clearing was uneven and rocky as the group walked slowly over the ruins of stone houses, overgrown with grasses and vines. Several times, Solomon stopped the group and studied the ground ahead of them. Occasionally, he would lead them to the left or to the right rather than proceeding straight toward to the crack in the rock.
When the group had finally reached the far side of the clearing and stood at the narrow crack in the high rock face, Solomon stood alone at the center of the narrow passage up to the cemetery. Alastor walked up and stood beside him as the others watched and waited.
After a few moments, Solomon said quietly, “We’re trapped.”
“What do you mean?” Alastor whispered back.
“I mean those ruins are full of undead. Even avoiding the worst places, we should have been attacked when we crossed.” He paused for a moment then finished, “They let us in.”
Alastor looked back toward the clearing. “Trapped,” he said.
“Yes,” Solomon replied. “Time is short. Our only hope is to find the Deathly Hallow. The Shadowfell may have found a way to use its power, but it’s a terrible omen to the undead, and they fear it.”
“It may be possible to escape,” Solomon turned to look at his brother, “but only with the Hallow. If we don’t find it…and soon…we’ll all die here.” Solomon and Alastor turned back to look at the anxious group of Hallow hunters assembled behind them.
“Then let’s find it, and get off this God-forsaken mountain together,” Alastor slapped Solomon on the shoulder, “Brother, sir.”
Alastor smiled at him.
Solomon smiled back.
To be continued on the battlefield...
Blogger's Note: Here is a picture of the old cemetery at Grim's Hollow board that we'll be playing on tomorrow. There are five burial areas in the cemetery. The Deathly Hallow willbe found in one of them. Happy hunting!
To be continued on the battlefield...
Blogger's Note: Here is a picture of the old cemetery at Grim's Hollow board that we'll be playing on tomorrow. There are five burial areas in the cemetery. The Deathly Hallow willbe found in one of them. Happy hunting!
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