Balz is starting to think that he’s able to listen to someone who may be across the sea… through playing with his horn.
We move along the river, following the black river. It’s October (New Hampshire mountains like weather). It’s an old forest, back on the druid path. It seems like wilderness but someone did build the path and it is traveled on but there’s no signs of regular, established sights where people may have lived. Another day forward, we catch glimpses of hills towards the north towards the spike of mountains we’ve seen. We can see a swamp and marshy spot where a river comes from the south. We can see some Southern hills where the rivers probably come from.
Another night… Balz hears someone talking about a plan for an upcoming visit… but not for who. Voices back and forth. A convo with a butler/stewart about getting a boar to roast.
A mouse is in the cage and a single drop of black water is added and it turns into a larger, meaner mouse. We bury the science and walk away in shame.
We travel to a confluence in the River (a fork - where the two streams come together. We are near the confluence and find some wooded, wet area. A rustling in the bushes is heard… Cricket’s cloak makes him invisible. While waiting, Storr asked about Balz about his horn… if he can hear them, can them hear him.
THREE GIANT OLD BEARS ARE IN THE WOODS. We fight.
Bears are pack hunters like wolves. Move fast. Not sure if this is the same species as Arthen. Arthen inspects the bears, but doesn’t react.
There are ruins not far from the scene of the fight. Can’t tell much about them. The druid path goes one way and continues north, but a decently worn path heads back down to the river.
We head down to the river bank and we can see across the tributary a hilltop that’s been cleared of trees with a structure at the top. It seems like it might be large enough to house a village, and B sees that there might be people.
We decided to take a short rest and cross in the middle of the night.
We cross and all make it; it takes 2 hours. At the bank we travel up a hill to the edge of the forest and K takes a good look through the spyglass. We’re standing at the bottom of a 200 feet grassy hill. He sees that this is a defended space. It’s been fortified, but with earthen banks and wooden palisades, no stone. We can see the trail leading up and it disappears around a structure. There might be someone up there watching, but it’s hard to tell. There is a common path of travel to the structure. We see the earthen banks and are reminded of the circles we came across.
We attempt to converse with the guard in the dark. He tells us to come back in the morning, which was Storr’s original idea. We do that, and B notes that maybe these folks are familiar with the druids since their path is not far and encourages Silas to speak on their behalf.
He does, saying that he is of the People of the Bear. At that, the guards allow them all to enter, including Arthen, and the party finds a whole settlement within its fortified walls.