"Straw, what is it again we're looking for, exactly," Althea asked, turning her attention to the older man as the group approached the outskirts of the ruins. Over the past week, Straw had told them they were looking for a book, but he'd been a little less than forthcoming with much more detail than that. "I mean, do you have any idea where we might find it?"

"Oh, ah, a history codex of great importance," the old man said as he rested a hand on a fallen piece of wall. "It'll probably be in one of the underground chambers."

[i]Great[/i], Althea thought. [i]He's got no idea.[/i] 

She moved forward to explore the ruins. The archer looked up at a large slab of stone still partly supported by a thick column, then around at the surrounding ground when something caught her attention. "Zed," she gestured to get the man's attention and then motioned for him to come closer. No need to alarm the old man just yet. The partial print on the ground could not be more than a few days old at most, but a recent rain made it difficult to read. As the armed man came closer she pointed to the track, "None of us have passed this way yet. Does this look like a boot print to you?" 

-- 

The drow sat very still, examining the new arrivals from his dark, well concealed hiding spot. He was taking note of each traveler and the weapons they carried as well as speculating on what price each might fetch.