{{Yeah, you've got to give humans that: they are natural born distance runners. But no, I can't really see Takal saying that x3}}<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: brown"><span style="text-decoration: underline">[Status]</span><br/>Chrrou: 49/49 hp (100%) AC: 17 (+6 armor, +1 size)<br/>Geno: 75/75 hp (100%) AC: 25 (+9 armor, +4 natural armor, +2 dexterity)<br/>Heshaar: 60/60 hp (100%) AC: 20 (+3 armor, +5 natural armor, +3 dexterity, -1 size)<br/>Rihyan: 43/43 (100%) AC: 26 (+7 armor, +4 natural armor, +6 dex, -1 size)<br/>Sashi: 89/89 (100%) AC: 25 (+9 armor, +3 natural armor, +3 dex)<br/>Sen: 54/54 (100%) AC: 19 (+5 armor, +3 dexterity, +1 size)<br/>Takal: 61/61 hp (100%) AC: 26 (+1 deflection, +1 natural armor, +3 dexterity, +2 monk, +2 wisdom, +7 holy)</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue"><span style="text-decoration: underline">[Nutrions]</span><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Chrrou:</span> +4 spot, +4 hide, +4 confirm melee critical, Cleave<br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Geno:</span> <a class="postlink" href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/rage.htm">rage (duration: 5 rounds)</a> , +2 climb, +2 hide, breath weapon (6d8 electricity, 60 ft line, DC 21; 1/day)<br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Heshaar:</span> convert up to 15 points of non-fire non-acid damage to non-lethal damage (1 attack/day)<br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Sashi:</span> +4 survival, +4 intimidate, +2 melee damage, +2 confirm critical, convert up to 15 points of non-fire non-acid damage to non-lethal damage (1 attack/day)</span><br/><br/><span style="color: orange"><span style="text-decoration: underline">[Speeds]</span> <br/>[Chrrou: 20 (small) = 20 ft]<br/>[Geno: 20 (medium, armor) = 20 ft] <br/>[Heshaar: 50 (dire wolf) = 50 ft]<br/>[Rihyan: 50 (centaur) = 50 ft; fly (good) 100 ft]<br/>[Sashi: 20 (medium, armor) +10 (boots) = 30 ft]<br/>[Sen: 30 (goblin) = 30 ft]  <br/>[Takal: 30 (medium) +30 (monk) = 60 ft] </span><br/><br/><span style="color: green"><span style="text-decoration: underline">[Experience]</span><br/>Chrrou: 50,937 xp<br/>Geno: 53,937 xp<br/>Rihyan: 45,000 xp<br/>Sashi: 54,687 xp<br/>Sen: 50,237 xp<br/>Takal: 54,437 xp<br/><br/>Next Level: 55,000 xp </span><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Once more, our heroes embark on their fateful journey northward.<br/><br/>After a few hundred paces the slope steepens sharply. The ridge would be a treacherous climb were it not for the masonry roadway. After another few hundred paces, the highway doubles back on itself. Continuing up the road, the party emerges from the dense cloud layer into much thinner fog and can now look back to see for themselves the mist-shrouded canyon vista that Rihyan viewed earlier. A chirping Nocke flutters from Chrrou's shoulder to the top of Sashi's hooded head to get a better view.<br/><br/><br/><br/>With Takal in the lead, the party continues marching along, dutifully putting one foot (sandal, greave, claw, paw) in front of the other, pace after pace. The road doubles back again, and, at length, a third time and fourth time as it zig-zags up the slope. Eventually, a masonry wall and tower come into sight in the haze above. Those with sharp noses detect in the air the odors of smoke, blood, offal, incense, and waste. Those with sharp ears detect distant sounds of wood being chopped and of hammers striking anvils.<br/><br/><br/><br/>As they ascend, they discover that the wind is becoming, for no obvious reason, remarkably warm--actually above freezing (~40F)--and gentle enough that it only whistles instead of howls.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>After the fifth switchback, the fort is now close enough that its structure can be made out: twenty-foot walls of reinforced masonry, complete with arrow slits and battlements around a central tower adjoining a keep with a high, blue slated roof. The unpleasant odors are now strong enough that anyone can detect them--whether they want to or not. Upon rounding the sixth and final switchback, it becomes apparent why: the slope directly beneath the summit is an active dump. Garbage and waste lie strewn in haphazard piles amongst the boulders.<br/><br/><br/>The party continues past this and at last arrives at the ridge top. A mix of varied structures, many of the portable, occupy most of the available flat space here between the fort and the cliff. Haze makes it difficult to discern the details of anything farther than 100 feet away, but the cacophonous din of clangs, cries, grunts and speech echoing from the craggy rock walls suggest that there are<span style="font-style: italic">at least</span>two hundred bodies present in total.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">From the southern entrance</span></span><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">To the northwest:</span>A group of hide-tents, inhabited by orange-skinned hobgoblins and small grey-skinned goblins. Several are sitting around  fire rings, conversing in their native tongue. Other move purposefully about the camp on domestic chores. Four 9-foot long wolves with soot black coats are also visible.<br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Farther to the west:</span>The sound of axes splitting wood.<br/><span style="font-weight: bold">To the north:</span>Wooden structures and colorful tents are dimly visible in the fog.<br/><span style="font-weight: bold">To the northeast:</span>The highway turns right and leads up to the fort, where a crowd seems to be gathered by the entrance. Next to the road is a blacksmith's shop, the source of the hammering noise. Three humanoids are walking to the open doorway, two wait outside while the third goes in.<br/><br/><br/>[assuming no attempt is made to hide]<br/>Several pair of eyes have noticed the party's arrival. One of the goblins, a female reclining against the flank of one of the worgs, speaks loudly. "(Goblin)Hey, who is that...?") The others around her look to where she is pointing and see the six strangers who are arriving from the south.<br/><br/>Most salient--provoking the goblins to quickly sit up, exchange words of alarm and take weapons into their hands--are the 2100 pound centaur, 800 pound dire wolf and 320 pound dragonfolk. Also noted with caution are the solidly built human and the green hooded scythe-wielder. [assuming they remain discrete] Sen and Chrrou are all but ignored.<br/><br/>They remain where they are and show no signs of aggression, only readiness to defend themselves.<br/>[Assuming no one from the party interacts with them] They gradually lose interest and resume their idle chatter, but keep their weapons close.<br/><br/>Likewise, the two figures by the smithy glance suspiciously at the strangers and size them up, but then turn most of their attention back to what is happening inside.<br/><br/><br/>{{Edit: Fixed nutrion list, added speed and experience}}