As the adventurers gathered, the ruins began to stir. The smell of prey was in the air, and they will find not peace, but endless torment. [hr] As Roy was setting up his camp, a pack had followed him. They smelled the scent of their kin on his blade, found it's corpse, and sought the one who had slew their sibling. Roy had killed a whelp, no one particularly important to the pack, but these horned wolves were eager to dine on man flesh once again. Unlike the whelp these horn wolves were older and stronger; their horns wrapped around their head and neck like a protective helmet, and their hide, though scarred from many battles, could withstand steel much better than flesh ought to. Five of these wolves converged around Roy's camp. One was the eldest, larger than the other wolves, and had a golden necklace wrapped around one of his horns. And without warning, they would charge. [@Searat] [hr] The sorcerer would have no chance to rest suddenly from the darkness a large stone would fly towards the horse. It came without warning and would likely kill the beast instantly, if not cripple it to the point that it would become dead weight. By now it had become truly dark, and there was nary a moon nor star in the sky to illuminate the darkness. Worse still, it was at this time that the creatures of the night were most active: Goblins. Though individual weak and diminutive, rarely are they ever found alone. Gathering around Assallya was [i]seventeen[/i] goblins, crudely armed with stone weapons and slings, but among their numbers was a hulking hobgoblin. Over eight feet tall and more than five hundred pounds, this ogre of a gob carried a small tree as a club as he approached Assallya with his entourage of minions. Riding on his shoulder was another goblin, slightly larger than most but smaller than the hobgoblin, who had a shining buckler attached to his arm. Tonight, the goblins will have their fun... [@Assallya] [hr] As night came the worshiper of Asmodeus would become privy to some of the dark inhabitants of Norn. Specifically he would hear whispers, cries, and pleads from all around. Desperate men and women begging for their lives, for someone to save them, to rescue them from their doom. And from these whispers came the men and women who's wishes had gone unanswered. Undead dressed in tattered, broken, and destroyed garments, yet still clinging onto some faint memory of who they were. And as far as these undead adventurers knew, they were still fighting for their lives and saw Yenqinor as an enemy to destroy. Six undead warriors ran towards him brandishing rusted and broken swords, but one of them carried a mace that still gleamed even in this darkness. [@Cerius] [hr] Not all that lives in the ruins of Norn are among the living or the dead. Many are simply part of nature, animated and without purpose. These creatures have many names and for Yomiko she would soon learn of one of them: Treant. Seemingly just an overgrown but dead tree, it roared to life as it made wild flailing motions towards the kitsune. It knew not what it was doing, acting out only on basic instincts from it's creation. And those instincts? To destroy. Among the branches that made up the treant's head was a worn but solid satchel, jingling with a mysterious prize. But before it could be salvaged the treant rose from it's resting spot to attack the lone swordswoman. [@Norschtalen] [hr] Despite being a ruin life can still thrive here, especially upon the dead that litter the place. As Ashe walked among the ancient corpses that littered the place, she may have become wary of the insects that fed off their bodies. Larvae, maggots, and flies that fed even on the bones. And notably, far larger than any of these insects have any right to be. Soon she would hear a foul singing, as if it was a woman screaming. This screaming roused the insects and caused them to flee... Or rather, gather. And as if driven by deranged hunger or perhaps a spell, swarms of these insects would converge onto Ashe, intending to turn her into one of the many corpses they were feeding off of. And not too far, sitting along a fresh corpse still dressed in the gear he had purchased to venture into this hell, a fairy with a mischievous smile on her face. [@Ryonara] [hr] "Halt there. Ain't no one gunna get closer without paying the toll." Bandits. Even in these haunted ruins, none can escape human greed and depravity. These bandits were dressed in piece mail armor, some had metal plates, most had rusted chain mail, but each were equipped well enough to survive on the outskirts of this wretched ruin. Seven bandits lead by a man who wielded two swords stood before the fallen paladin, his hand extended. A dark yet immaculate ring was around the bandit chief's finger. "Yer money and that fancy sword of yours. Give em up, and we'll let you walk. Don't, and we'll be stripping your corpse and putting your bones in a stew. It's a good deal, eh?" [@Zaphander]