[center][h3]Deep Rudines[/h3]
[b]March of Lampertei[/b][/center]


The company of three make their way through the mountains, now certain to be in Lampert territory. They can no longer afford laxity, because every now and then they spot distant their outposts indicating that no Chlotar had come here, perhaps since Einhard’s father.

Raditsch walks on the fore, as he knows most every trail and pathway in these lands… The Paladin must depend on him therefore; this lone Lampert wanderer. But a dark cloud follows the company wherever they go so long as the accursed man walks among them, making their movement all the easier to track to their enemies. To make matters worse, they have only one horse and it can’t carry all three of them. The Paladin opted therefore to dismount and move on by foot, handing the reins to Marozia whose infant legs are likely less durable than those of the two grizzled adults. 
To avoid being easily spotted and surrounded, the company had to make wide detours if only to hide that damned cloud trailing them. 

Nevertheless they traveled for a day now, and as the party progressed their rations began to dwindle. Malnourishment is something Raditsch has long been accustomed to, but for a royal Paladin and little girl? Unacceptable! 
From the horse, Marozia doubles over holding her stomach as a loud growl is emitted from her mid section. [i]“Ugh, Master Einhard! I’m so hungry, can you please hand me some of the rations?”[/i]
Einhard rummages through their supplies, grabbing the pack which usually contains some yeast bread, and leftover of duck from Autchar and Einhard’s hunts down the road. However, Einhard finds nothing but crumbs contained in the pack; 
[i]“Hmmm… I didn’t bring enough food for the three of us, I thought we would have linked up with Autchar by now.”[/i] 
Marozia cries out, [i]“Well I need something to eat or else im going to DIE!”[/i] 
Einhard shakes his head at her, [i]“If you want to be a shieldbearer, you will have to get accustomed to occasional hardship.. The first time is always the hardest, but you won’t die, little one. We have seen some goats and small game in these passes… -the next one we see will be your meal.”[/i] Marozia straightens up and looks at Einhard, [i]“Thank you so much Master!”[/i]

After the party advances further into the Mountains, a few rocks fall down, and one of them hits Raditsch’s shin, who flinches forward to grab his injured leg. The cursed man then looks further up on the cliff from whence they came. [i]’’Just mine luck.. the beasten on mine trail ever seek sabotage of mine journey.’’[/i] he points a calloused finger at a white mountain ram, standing on top the cliff ahead. And right then and there Einhard recognises their dinner-to-be, and prepares his hunt with javelin in hand; [i]“Alright, hand me the reins Shieldbearer.. I need the horse for this one, but follow me swiftly.”[/i] With Marozia having climbed down, Einhard mounts the horse in one swift motion and urges it towards the most gentle slope near the ram. Einhard’s urgency was however not needed as the ram barely reacted towards the Paladin till it was too late. When the ram sensed incoming dread and bursted off, Einhard’s javelin was already hurtling its way towards it. It lodged itself in one of the ram’s hind leg as it continues to limp away from Einhard, passing from the party’s line of sight with painful blares and leaving a trail of blood, with the Paladin hot on pursuit. When he sees it running towards a cave, he moves in for the kill. [i]‘’Nowhere to hide..!’’[/i] Einhard snarls through clenched teeth as he took aim.

That evening they had hoisted their catch on a spit over a fire. The Paladin resolved a successful hunt, and the shieldbearer had her meal, though frankly all three were famished. The horse was tied to the branch of a nearby shrub.

Raditschs gnaws on a roasted leg through skilful use of the few usable teeth that had not fallen out, before turning to Einhard with a hush, his voice filled with foreboding... [i]‘’As agreed, I can see to it the Lamperts will not mar your path. That is easilaz done. Only come nightfall will the greater danger reveal itself, drawn to doom like moth to lightas.’’[/i]

Einhard looks at Raditsch with a puzzled look, [i]“What do you mean greater danger, do bigger birds come out during the night? Or are there some kind of wolves or bears in these passes?”[/i]

[i]‘’No.. no… Well, perhaps. You can never really know in the land of Darklings. It is seldom I have taken this route. Around the Rudines old tales go around of cursed wanderers, much like myself, that had been here long before Dalgiserius. And they are not all as benign to your cause as myself..’’[/i]
Einhard’ eyes are on the fire as he rotates the spit, and let the flames roast the unsinged back of the ram as he listens, heeding Raditsch’ words. 
The cursed man continues; [i]‘’Therefore I say, it is best you sleep with one eye open tonight.’’[/i] He takes another bite as his eyes look keenly into the fire.

Marozia butts into the conversation, [i]“Well then we are all screwed, cause I managed to sneak up on Master Einhard!”[/i]

[i]“Quiet young one, there is truth in what the mad-man speaks.’’[/i] Einhard tells Marozia with a grave face. Einhard looks towards the setting sun and continues, [i]“I fear we will have to fight for our lives tonight, any banter will not be welcomed.”[/i]

The shieldbearer motions towards the cave before which they sit. [i]‘’What if we hide? Maybe the Darklings won’t find us if we’re hidden well enough?’’[/i]

Einhard and Marozia look to Radistich as to hear the advice of the experienced cursed man.

[i]‘’Nothing is certain. Sometimes fear of doom is worse than the actual doom. Perhapsaz nothing will happen… But if doom does come to pass, hiding will not avail us. We will have to be prepared irregardlaz.’’[/i]

[i]‘’Than to be sure, we ought to look into that cave and confront its denizens. Darklings hide in such dark corners, correct?’’[/i] The Paladin stands up, his eyes fixed on the dark and gaping opening of the cave, and Raditsch silently nods to him.
[i]‘’Then I will go and see, lest night falls.’’[/i] Einhard takes a lump of wood, placing the tip of it in the spitfire until it catches fire as makeshift torch, and with his free hand draws forth his mace.

The party slowly edges towards the cave, gaining confidence as they move into the opening in the mountain. Einhard leads the way into the cave and slowly moving the torch across his field of vision to expose the area at the fore of the cave. 
[i]“There is nothing here so far, just stones and bones of things long dead.”[/i] He observes.
[i]‘’Bones? That does indicataz that this cavern has been something’s lair…’’[/i] The cursed man responds.
[i]‘’Einhard! Raditschs!’’[/i] Marozia hisses under her breath, anxiously pointing a finger deeper into the cave. [i]‘’I.. saw something move there..!’’[/i]
Einhard snaps his orientation towards where Marozia was pointing causing the dark creature that Marozia was pointing towards to bolt in a white blur. The creature had bolted further into the cave and Einhard motioned the rest of the party to follow him as he pushed further into the mountain.

After a few moments of tracking the beast deeper and deeper in, suddenly a large thud is heard in the section just beyond the group. [i]“If we are lucky, we will find this foul creature in the next room.”[/i] Einhard says as he crosses the treshold of another opening leading to some deeper interior. As he scans the room with his torch, Einhard begins to emit a hearty laugh. [i]“What, what is is!? What is so funny Master Einhard?!”[/i] Marozia begins to demand from Einhard. Einhard beckons his two companions behind him to come look at the terror of their night. In front of Marozia sits a small white rabbit licking its paw. Marozia puffs up and turns to Radistich, [i]“Is this what a terror is to you, crazy man!?!? I was scared half to death!”[/i]

[i]‘’As I said, nothing is certain.’’[/i]

[i]“Let’s just be glad our trial has been put on hold for a moment longer.”[/i] Einhard says as he sits down to catch his breath, returning his weapon to its sheath. The Paladin then looks for his skin of ale but remembers he had left it back at his horse. The fluffy rabbit observes the Paladin inquisitively before scurrying off into a dark hole deeper into the cavern. Before Einhard even thought of killing it for an easy meal, a terrible shriek is heard from outside the cave. The vicious neighing of a frantic horse; it’s Einhards steed!

Einhard rushes past his two companions and immediately heads out to find the cave exit, and the shrub where he left his horse, only to find it lying bleeding on the ground. Standing over it is a great jet black hound that is itself the size of a horse, with intense white eyes like saucers, drooling over his killed catch. The horse’s neck had been snapped with the fell bite from its greats fangs.

Einhard bellows at the sight of his dead horse, [i]“Kex!”[/i] Einhard draws his mace, gripping with such anger that his knuckles begin to turn pale. Einhard mutters his curse to the beast through clenched teeth, [i]“Once I am done with you, there will be no skull left. You spawn of hell.”[/i]

The great Hound listened to Einhard’s threat with unblinking eyes, and only reacts by leaping down the cliff, then crosses the gap over to another cliff with another intense leap. The beast moves with such a swiftness that a man could not hope to catch up with it. 

[i]‘’Paladin! Hold!’’[/i] Raditschs cries after him, hastening out of the cave.
[i]‘’That is no mere dog. I know him… That creature has sporadically been drawn to mine path for many a year since having obtained the King’s hex. It belongs to the Wild Huntsman...’’[/i]
[i]“Raditschs. You could have warned me that your mad ramblings meant there was a horse-killing demon hound.”[/i] Einhard spat at Raditschs with anger.

[i]‘’...When haz anything of what I said been ‘mad ramblings’?’’[/i]

With the Paladin’s beloved mount dead, the company now will have an even harder time to navigate through the mountains and reach the Millennium Horn.  
Nevertheless Einhard remains resolute, he straightens his back and looks to the moon, at this time of month appearing as a thin crescent [i] “Once dawn arrives I will go out and slay this beast… For Kex.”[/i]