[center][b]The Chlotar Great-Camp, Nevelholt Forest[/b][/center] Night falls. All Visandza is covered in a shroud of darkness, the lands engulfed in silence. Except in the Nevelholt. Sounds emerged from the brooding woodlands, and the Nightguard, which had already been doubled, is particularly on edge. Not least by the insistence of Paladin Einhard. [i]‘’Godas’ Iron, what is that noise?’’[/i] A guardsman murmurs. It was hard to discern. But out there in the unknown dark, bitter watches of night stand opposed to the Chlotarian watches. And their ruckus and howling is like wolves, eerily familiar. But not quite. The bestial howling, as they came nearer to the edges of the Nevelholt where the camp is, seemed to be some kind of mangled attempt at speaking. The creatures of the Nevelholt were trying to communicate to them. [i]“What the hell kind of wolves are out in this forest….”[/i] Einhard nervously took a sip of wine from the waterskin Autchar left him. [i]“Perhaps I was right about the goatmen.”[/i] Einhard half-snorts with a grimace. The sounds are coming closer to the encampment, cries too bestial to be human, and too human to be bestial. But as they get closer, they also get quieter. Whatever is out there knows it is outmatched by the Chlotar warrior host. Those of the nightguard positioned east all look to the perilous Nevelholt, some drawing out their swords and holding forth their spears, almost expecting something to jump out at them. Then when the sounds got really close, they also stopped. It is beginning. The Chlotars hold their breath. But nothing happens. [i]‘’Hm. Whatever it was, it’s gone now.’’[/i] Says one after a minute of anticipation. Relieved, and perhaps a little bit disappointed, the guards carry on with their duty. But Einhard spots a shadow floating overhead, which vanished in an instant. [i]“Hold firm men, our trail may not be over yet.”[/i] Einhard proceeds to raise his torch to the sky with his left hand, as his right hand goes to the handle of his mace. [i]“I could’ve swor-... I believe I saw something in the sky…”[/i] After a few moments, Einhard sees nothing in the sky above him other than a celestial void, and begins to relax, lowering the torch. [i]“Hmph, must be this damned forest.”[/i] Einhard mutters softly, figuring he should’ve perhaps have laid off the alcohol. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3ygdqr6p4M]‘’Paladin Einhard! The King is under attack!’’[/url] [i]“What!?”[/i] Einhard shouts and jolts back to attention. [i]“How the hell did an enemy get past our defences!?”[/i] he exclaims. [i]‘’Something snuck into his tent!’’[/i] Another voice shouts. [i]“Men to your King, I don’t want to see a man left of us standing before even so much as a scratch is made upon our King!”[/i] Einhard belows to the nightwatch. Meanwhile inside the royal tent, Cauroman was disturbed from his rest by a spawn of darkest night. Its bone-chilling shriek awakened the Chlotar king, and as he looked to see from where it came, the creature lanced him off his mattress using its horns. The king, still donning his scale armor, had perhaps anticipated an assault and sustained the attack mostly unharmed. As he regained his bearings, he observed the assailant… A black goat, standing on its two hind-legs, bulging wide blue eyes and dripping yellow saliva from its gaping mouth. Its udders are filled to the brim. Lowering its horned head, the beast takes a voracious gulp of its own udders… before spewing out a bolt of transparent milk at the King. That should be not be a lethal attack, nevertheless Cauroman felt he should steer clear regardless. He made a leap for his shield resting at his bedside, grabbed it and raised it before him. The substance splashed off. [i]‘’Godas blood, where is Halogan?!’’[/i] The King searches the tent for his sword in vain. The creature then proceeds to make a tackle. Ramming its horns against the shield, screaming relentlessly with a voice that sounds ominously human, but the words spoken incoherent. [i][b]‘’CAU-AN, DEPRISON FOW GOAS WRAD’’[/b][/i] Einhard rushes into the tent followed by other stout watchmen with their weapons drawn. [i]“My king!”[/i] exclaims Einhard, but pauses at the sight of the beast. [i]“What the bloody hell is that thing?!”[/i] a guard behind him hisses in disgust. Einhard attempts to lunge at the beast swinging his mace, but the thing evades. Disoriented by the nightguard entering the tent, the creature leapt backwards into a corner, and seeing no way out, charges straight into the wall in an attempt to escape, dragging the entire tent with it and getting itself entangled. [i]‘’It’s stuck!’’[/i] A guard screams. [i]‘’Kill it!’’[/i] One of the Chlotars leaps forward at the stuck beast, thrusting his spear down into the entangled mess -- impaling it. However… the beast didn’t respond, or cry, not even flinch. When the tent was pulled off, a black snake was seen slithering quickly away, out of the tent leaving a trickle of blood. There was no sign of the goat-spawn, it returned to the darkness from whence it came. Einhard at this point began to piece together what the shadow was in the sky, and how the creature bypassed the defenses unnoticed. [i]‘’A shapeshifter…?’’[/i] [i]‘’Don’t let it get away! The hunt calls, boys!’’[/i] One of the night guards screams in a frenzy, javelin in hand. But Cauroman raises his hand, yelling: [i]‘’HALT WARRIORS. Do not give chase. It will lure you into a trap. Wait ere sunrise, then we shall determine our move…’’[/i] The watchmen lower their weapons. For them the night is not yet over. [hr] [center][b]The following morning[/b][/center] Cauroman and his foremost officers and Paladins gathered in the pavilion, once more surrounding the ancient oak’s stump. Upon seeing the King, Paladin Autchar kneels down before him, sullying his knees in the mud. [i]‘’My King, my deepest apologies for not having been there at the fell beasts’ attack. Where did it come from?!’’[/i] [i]‘’It matters not what nightly crevice it crawled out of. Only that it’ll end skewered on my sword. It has issued a challenge to combat, and Cauroman never turns one down.’’[/i] But Autchar reminds the King of their purpose; [i]‘’As much as the beast cannot be tolerated to live, we have a pressing objective to reach the Lampert marches by the end of next month.’’[/i] [i]‘’Indeed, the army mustn’t dawdle in this stretch of forest any longer. Moving a royal host from one side of the world to the other will take some time yet, more time than we can afford...’’[/i] And so the King turns to Einhard, the one Paladin present during last night’s encounter to whom Cauroman owes a debt of gratitude. [i]‘’Mauger’s son, once more you’ve demonstrated valor and duty. Remember the Millennia Horn I entrusted you? You will be an outrider of the Chlotar host. Ride out. Go with Autchar and the other cavalry to the Rudines. Ahead of the army. That beast -- it interrupted me from another vision -- I saw a Horn, etched with runes and beset with bronze, on a snow capped mountain top, surrounded by a charred ruin. It is little to go on but Godas willing you shall uncover it yet. The Horn is waiting for you to find it.’’[/i] Einhard presses his right fist into his chest and nods his head. Following this he saddles up his horse. [i]“You will have your Horn my lord… on my life.”[/i] As the Paladin was about to venture out, he paused and turns to face King Cauroman a last time. [i]“Perhaps on the way to retrieve the Millennial Horn I may stumble upon the remains of my father… I would quite like to give him a proper burial, my King”[/i] [i]‘’Do your duty to blood and land, brother. Go with Godas.’’[/i] Cauroman draws forth Halogan, its holy iron gleaming in the rising son that it appears as though god imself imbues it with otherworldly power, pointing it southwards. [i]‘’Go!’’[/i]