[pnpgm] Game update #85 - File #311 - A Empty Village

[Chris & Karen Wells]

In the ransacked village......

Ben'Dar notes Praelux's nervousness but says nothing about it.  He
assumes it is shock.  Ben'Dar is relatively young himself and is
probably feeling some shock himself at all the carnage in the village.

In response to Praelux's question, he smiles and says, "An interesting
group of people, aren't they?  They come from many different lands and
different cultures...."  Ben'Dar begins telling Praelux about his
friends, using the conversation as a distraction from the horrible
work they must do in moving and burying the slaughtered villagers.

In the abandoned village......

Ben'Dar carefully scans the insect tracks and tries to locate the
greatest concentration of them.  He tries to discover where the
insects ended (where they are now).  He wants to try to capture some
of them alive to examine.  "The blue insects...they seem to be linked
to the magic of the claw.  But how?"  If he can capture any of the
blue insects alive, he will bring it to the others for closer
examination and possibly some magical analysis from the spellcasters.

Moving southward after the thief......

Ben'Dar hears Farseeker's words and shakes his head, "One thing does
not make sense to me.  This thief fled from Z'leyra and I.  We easily
killed his companion and sent him running...well, flying... away.  Yet
he has power enough with the claw to slaughter an entire village."
His brow furrows in confusion, then he shrugs his shoulders and says
slowly, "I think a night battle will be to our advantage.  This thief
does not know we track him, or he would have taken steps to cover his
tracks or speed his progress, like becoming a bird as he did before.
The claw seems to take some time to use, given Z'leyra and my easy
defeat of him when we came upon him suddenly.  When we get near to him
tomorrow, we should slow our pursuit and discover his position before
he knows we are near.  We could send Z'leyra to make herself unseen to
fly ahead and locate him."  A gleam comes into Ben'Dar's eyes as he
anticipates the battle, "Then we can ambush him under cover of night!
Even if he uses the claw, he will be dead before his animal friends
can come to his aid!"