Private Tales Beneath the Spine

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer

Colsund

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Somewhere in the shadow of the Spine
Mid-day.


You didn't typically hire cavalry to hunt down a bandit group, but the word was that they'd subjugated a monster to their side. A large beast necessitated a heavier response, and a mixture of light and heavy cavalry to run it down was apparently what the Lord felt was best. Here, within the shade of the jagged peaks of the Spine, rolling grasslands were interspersed with thick copses of trees.

Idyllic ponds and lakes lay nestled between long, winding rivers, and their horses alternated between leisurely stretches of gently undulating hills and the harder work of crossing deep streams and marshy ground. The overcast day was cool, lending to the group a chill breeze that sometimes threatened to rock you on your mount but never quite reached the strength.

Riding along the left flank, lance tucked beneath his arm, he sighed, wondering if they'd actually find the bandits. They had to be around here somewhere, but, were they out raiding... who knew when they'd come across them.

The hunt was boring, if beautiful. "Here, kitty..." he muttered to himself, hoping they'd set up camp soon.

Melfa
 
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Among the horses walked their own beast, if one felt so inclined to call her that (most did). Melfa did not ride a horse because she'd yet to come across one large enough to carry her. She complained none at all - using her own two clawed feet to carry her across the distant lands of Arethil had been her and the majority of most komodis modus operandi for as long as they could collectively remember. The team kept a leisurely pace and it was hard to say if they did this for her or simply because they felt no pressing need to hurry.

Either way, her long stride kept up well enough.

The day was quiet and their path easy. This thicket of wood seemed still, if not overly so. As they rounded a bend and began to descend a gentle hill toward a lake on the horizon, the komodo gave pause. There was some grumbling from the men riding behind her as they reined their horses to walk around, but otherwise the humans didn't seem to pay her much mind.

Melfa moved to the left flank, keen yellow eyes surveying the forest off the trail. Her forked tongue flickered out from between pointed teeth. Without warning she reached out to grab the rein of the nearest passing horse to stop it. It tossed its head and snorted in protest.

"Ssssaaaaa-" Melfa looked up at its rider, a man with a lance tucked under his arm, "sssmell blood."

The komodo lifted an arm and pointed a clawed finger out into the trees. She released his horse then, and stepped off the path to follow her nose tongue.

Colsund
 
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He was almost as startled as the horse, the lizard grabbing it's rein. A scowl formed across his face, and he turned the steed towards the wood as she gave direction with a clawed hand. "She smells blood!" He called up the line, and the head of the column slowed.

They milled, spreading out to cover the flanks, and the commander trotted back the line. He was an experienced soldier, with dark eyes, black hair and a full goatee accentuated by stubble that never quite reached being a beard.

"Smells blood, does she?" He asks, sizing up the impressively large, scaled battering ram they'd brought along.

"Go with her, and take a team with you."

With a firm nod, he whistled sharply, armored hand lifting to point out three men. One was a wiry ginger, missing teeth like paths through the wood. The other was of a similar build, but with eyes like a blacksmith's anvil.

The last was the portliest of the bunch, with an unkempt beard and kind eyes. He was the youngest of the three.

"Stev, Net, Rabart. Let's go." They all dropped from their steeds, and he did the same. They gathered up on foot around the Komodi, eyes alert and their hands resting on the pommels of their swords. "Lead on." He says, before realizing she was already on the way into the wood. They broke into a jog to catch up.
 
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Already fairly deep into the woods, Melfa didn't have to go too far to find the blood trail. The men caught up to her where she stooped on the ground, slivered eyes narrowed as she leaned down to inspect a small spatter across a broad-leafed fern. Now, Komodo might not be hunters per-say, but their senses were considered second-to-none by a lot of people. Like a shark in the ocean, they could smell blood and carrion from miles out if the wind was right.

Melfa grunted, "Hooman blood," and swiped a finger across a drop to taste, "...not fresh."

She sniffed, tongue flickering from her lips again, "Smell dog."

And then she stood to continue following the trail casually, suggesting that there was no immediate threat. Undergrowth began to impede her path, but she found areas where the thick briar bushes had been torn through, tufts of patchy brown fur clung to the needles. Then, in a clearing, the remnants of a local. No maggots yet, but the carcass appeared to have been scavenged.

"Big bite," the komodo remarked as she picked up what appeared to be a portion of the upper leg, femur bone included, and turned it over. The bite mark resembled that of a wolf but it was much too big.
 
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He followed after her. While she was comfortable, he felt on edge. His eyes continued to scan the forest, but as they entered a clearing and spotted the body, he realized they were likely dealing with wolves. At least, that is, until he spotted the sheer size of the jaws.

Dire wolf, perhaps? He sincerely hoped it wasn't a werewolf.

Sin. Cere. Ly.

"Not good." He muttered, thankful it was daylight. "Not good at all."

Rebart spoke up next. "We should really let the cap know."
 
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Melfa sniffed about the site a bit more, looking for any further useful clues but finding little of value. There were slash marks on the trees nearby, high enough to put a mark of size on the beast. It was as big as she, by her guess, perhaps bigger.

"Melfa follow smell," the komodo said, looking off along the path she believed the beast to have taken. Their target had been rumored to have a beast of sorts among them, perhaps this was it. The trail could potentially take her to their hideout.

It could also potentially take her to other trouble, but komodi weren't afeared of strong coincidence.

"Hooman," she pointed a claw at Colsund, "come too."
 
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The reptile clearly had plans of her own, and he turned his head this way and that. Taking in the clearing, he eventually spotted the same claw marks she did. Approaching them, he ran his fingertips along a groove. Hearing footsteps fading away, he turned to the trio who'd come with him and gesticulated using their battle sign.

They nodded, heading back towards the road and the rest of the group. They'd catch up at some point, but for now he'd go along, since he could hear her beckoning him.

"Yeah, sure." He muttered, fighting the urge to fully cover his face with his helmet. "Where to?" He trotted up to her side as they began heading deeper into the wood.
 
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