The Helping Hand

The beach was made up of golden sand. Fifty paces from the shoreline the sand was gently overtaken by tallish yellowish grass, mixed with small scrubs. In the distances to the east there was tall, thick forest, it must be ancient. To the west was a smaller forest and the middle of the forests was grassland. Behind the forests, in the skyline was a huge mountains range, which has snow cap peaks.

The Ex- slaves had nowhere to go and had nothing to do but wait. The party was planning plans and strengthens their resolve never to be slaves again. When a Smaller group of horse broke away from the main body, the break way group consist of five of horsemen and two people who appear to be walking.

The party had a banner a sun over a dried up snake. This triggered a thought about the Serpents Daughter in Lydin, but he lost it. His fear of snakes would not allow him to go there.

When the smaller group of horsemen where within 20 paces a man spoke the leader? Have no fear; we are not here to harm you in anyway, just to talk and maybe help. This took the party back; it was all so painful long sense someone spoke to them with respect. Tugwyn shed a single tear.

"I am Sidric, the rightful ruler of this land, and I arrange your escape from slavery. Your capturer was my brother Denric. Our father ruled this land for 20 peaceful year, but since is dead we have been at war. I want to hire you to kill my brother and get your revenge. "
The party of enslaves was taken back by revelation and offer. They should have though about want been being offered, but the change of revenge against their Grog and now Denric was an offer to good to refuse.

The party of ex slaves was now working for Sidric the self proclaimed leader of this land. Also, Yue recognized the walking member behind Sidric. They were slaves on the ship. He did not know them, personnel, but he passed them several times on the ship, and he also spotted the number braid it into their arms.

"I though more of you would have survived the escape, but oh well here are two more of your ships companions. Go in the small village, along the path to your right and find the Fletcher. He will have orders and what ever else you may need." Also, Sidric stop speaking turns around and waves forward a human male, as he gets close the party recognized him as a member of the ship's crew. Raged started to build up in the party members, has Sidric starting speaking again, "this fellow here is the spy I had plant it board the ship to help you escape. He also managed to get most of your crew of the ship for you? Now go and be discreet."

The party with two new members began to wonder around the beach for a couple of hours trying to get their bearing. Then they decided it was time to find the village and ultimate the Fletcher. It did not take long form them to find the town path to town and short time later the town was in view.

There was a large statue, about 10 hands in high on the outskirts of the town stood a. It was once a very fine statue, but not is was weather beaten and neglect. There was inscription on base of the statue, but it is illegible. The statue is of a man with an insignia of his chest of a snake ad sun side by side at peace. This trigger a thought in Lydin mind again. But it follows a path he is a feared to follow. His fear of snakes and anything to do with snakes stops him. He is hoping his love does not depend on it,

Has they enter the town an old what look like a beggar runs up to band of ex - slaves singing? You?re going to die you?re going to die. This rattles the party a little. Not so much about what the beggars had said, but how he said it. It had a property feel to it. Once they hit he town they were indecisive about what to do next. Ultimately the party split up with Lydin going one way and the rest of the party going another, both trying to find the town?s Fletcher. They will have to learn to stick together or die.

Lydin and rest of the slave party arrive at the Fletcher house at the same time. They knocked on the door, a fat bald man answers the door, Hawber, uses his big voice asks if he is the Fletcher. The man, turn a little white and rushes him inside. Don?t ever call me that outside, there are to many of Denric's spy around.
Lydin tries to introduce himself, and the Fletcher cuts him off. I know who you are; I know what you are doing? And I know what to do? Sidric sent a runner ahead.
Now you are here, there are couple of rules here, you can stay here has much as you need, but never wander around my house. Two I will never let you in after night and I will never give you permission to enter my home.

Now it is getting late, do you want something to eat? The party sits down to a meal, their first meal has free men, or so they think. Lydin even gets some meat for his special companion. The Fletcher, so he was called so them a room a large single room for them to slept in. It was a simple room, but it began to look a lot like the rooms on the Serpents daughter. There first night of freedom and now they realized just how lucky they were and they were never going to be capturing again.

The party start a guard rotation, when Pandarus taking the first watch. Something thing came unhinged in his mind (from his time with Grog) and there were a lot of screaming and voice. Not all of the voices and screams where coming through his ears. During Gworeth watch his old personnel surfaces and he decided to play a practical joke on Hawber, but part of it was he was alone. He need it a friend. Gworeth goes over to Hawber and starts painting a happy face on the dwarf and during this time Hawber wakes up. Hawber is confused and scared, by what he sees and over reacts. He stands up and hits Gwareth with all the might his dwarf body could muster. Gwareth his knock on conscious from the blow and if it was not for Lydin quick action would have died on the floor. Hawber did not feel any remorse and stare at himself in his finely polished weapon. He spends a lot of time looking at himself, must be over compensating for something.

The party did not get much sleep that night, for their dreams were filled with Grog and his two bugbear guards. The Fletcher gave them breakfast and old them what there orders were for now. They were to go to a small forest northeast of the village and find out what going on there. He tells them about strangest sights and sound and he suspects that Denric is mustarding troop there.

About noon the party?s start of going north looking a bridge to across the river that runs east of the village. The party finds the bridge across a very cautious manner. After a couple hours have passed and party has crossed the bridge the party comes to the east of the forest Scratchs has start it acting very weird and Lydin is getting worried.

The group wanders around in the woods for a while, following what look like humanoids tracks. The forms arrowhead formation where the Hawber and Yue, cover the right and left flanks while the remainder stays on the main path. Lydin is trying to teach scratch how to track, but the leopard club is uncooperative.

The party did notice the amount of time that passed since they enter the forest; it was starting to get twilight. The party begins discussing what to do, start thinking about setting up camp for the night. Yue decides to go look for an area to make camp for the night.

Has soon as Yue left to look for a camp, the forest seems to come alive. There were a lot of were noise coming for the east. The party readies their weapons, arrows ready. Pandarus, almost shot Yue has he came backing out of the woods. He was scared and should be. Out of the woods come six humanoids figures that were all bones they were dead from many years before they began alive again.

Hawber was to the west and was not aware of the going now. The battle for the ex - slaves to life ensured. Scratch was scared beyond belief, and natural instinct took over, and pisses, hoping distract his enemy and run to freedom. Lydin was shock and disappointed with scratches actions. Yue try to shoot the skeleton scratches has they attack.

Tugwyn starts murmuring some words under his breath and light s coming shooting out of his hand and hits one of the undead. Hawber hears the commotions comes runs. Pandarus hits one of the skeletons sends bones flying in all directions. It was quite the blow. The battle end a short time later, with non of the party seriously unhurt. They were meant shaken with some wondering if they were safer in the hands Of Grogs.

The last skeleton falls apart, and the party hears more sounds from the same direction has the last has before and they start running towards what they thinks is the forest edge. The party his running with all the speed they have, against the sounds of approaching humanoids. The come to the forest edge patting, trying to get their breath. The sounds that were chasing them has stop, but to the east there is a strange sight. There is a meeting-taking place. Soldiers wearing the same insignia it the serpent daughter?s crews are meeting with monster. They are the only way the party can describe it. They see of skeletons, but the other creates make the skeletons look friends. Most of the party is scared for their lives except Tugwyn, is fascinated by what he is seeing, especially by the leader of the monsters. Even during the battle before he was having of wonder and admiration for the skeleton. Lydin on the hand his at his wits end, he is ready to call upon nature to hold his enemies while he runs for his life, but does practices some self restraint and holds off. None of the meeting party has noticed them, so he is waiting. If they notice them, he is gone.

A person step out of the monsters, Tugwyn finds this person very appealing. The soldiers drop down a person, Yue has a since he has seen this person before. The person who is surround by the monster seems to bite the other man, and there is a lot of screaming, has the solider begin to walk away.

After seeing this event the party starts running for the village. The party cross the bridge so fast as they can, Lydin and Yue debated about burning down the bridge while Pandarus is total unhinged at this time, the voice are talking in his head, telling him to burn the bridge. Wait is Lydin and Yue the voices in his head or can they hear them to. Pandarus is unsure, but has him now.

The group of ex-slave makes their way to the village, and then they realize the Fletcher will not let them in after dark and the reason for this is unpleasantly clear now. Go are going to the hut where they met the beggar, or was he a prophet.