Thistle,

I KILLED A HORROR! I KILLED A HORROR! (O.K. so it was just a little one and I had a bit of help, but still . . . ) I KILLED A HORROR!

Well, as I told you in my last letter we have only been in Urupa training and not doing all that much in particular. Anyway, while I was playing some of my songs at one of the inns, a couple of merchants were talking about a strange sight they had seen on their way in to town that day. It seems that they spotted a crashed air ship about two days outside of town and they had just reported it to the town guard. However, the town guard was spread a little thin at the moment and it would be several days before they could send a patrol to investigate. So we decided to investigate ourselves. We left early the next morning and nothing eventful happened that day. Then this afternoon we found a large swath of ground running at right angles to our path that was completely barren. In addition the astral space along this path was badly polluted and foul. We decided to investigate it and started following the trail.

Soon we ran into a very badly injured ork hobbling his way to Urupa. His name was Dargan and he was going to Urupa to seek help in killing the horrors that had just decimated his party. He called them gnashers and said that they were all teeth and appetite. Apparently, they ate everything in their path. His entire party horses and name givers had been eaten, and Dargan himself had lost and arm to one of them. He told us that the only reason that it didn't get all of him was that he stabbed it to death with his left arm as it ate his right arm. In any case, he said the a few gnashers had survived his party's fight against them and that he was worried that they wouldn't be stopped before the reached the villages that lay just ahead on their path. We gave him what supplies and healing potions we could spare and let him continue his way to Urupa. We told Dargan that we would continue following these gnashers and would slay them if we could. He wished us luck and continued on his way to Urupa.

It wasn't too long before we found the site where his party fought the horrors. The signs of what had occurred were fairly obvious, even to those with little experience reading tracks. The wide swath of fouled land we were following widened out into a wider area. A second path, left by a group of name givers entered the same area from the left. Within that area, the bodies of a few of the gnashers remained. Each creature seemed to consist of a giant mouth which dominated a round head. Small arms and legs completed the creature which truly did seem to have been made solely for eating everything in its path. Leaving the area were two smaller trails, one was a small blood trial, made by a single name giver, headed to where we found Dargan. The second trail was a swath of destruction which, though narrower, still left a taint through the astral. We continued our journey paralleling this second perverted trail.

I must admit, that I do not remember the details of the fight all that well. I remember my first sight of the creatures: I leapt into flight to bring them down. I remember one of Gorian's arrows flying past me, distracting a gnasher for a critical instant: in that instant I dove from the sky with Berrybriar drawn and slew the horror with one solid blow. After that I took to the sky agin, but did not have another opportunity to give a solid blow, and do not remember much else of what happened. I do however, remember John's bellow as he felled his opponent with a mighty blow from his war hammer.

After we defeated the creatures, we left the area fairly quickly. The stench was horrible and even the other name givers who could not see the astral were repelled by its corruption. We camped a few hills over and as silence fell we started hearing a strange sound: a clicking and shuffling sort of sound that none of us could identify. Needless to say our sentries were very alert throughout the night and the rest of us slept lightly.

We did not have to travel far the next day before we found the source of the strange noise. In our path was a line of greater termites. the line stretched as far as we could see in both directions. Fortunately, the line was narrow enough that we were able to step or jump over it fairly easily. (well, I flew over the line, and we did have some trouble with Buttercup who did not particularly like the idea of stepping over those things.) We noted where they were so that we could inform the authorities in Urupa of this approaching threat when we returned and continued on our way.

Soon after that we came across the signs of the crash. Trees were sheared off, and the top of one hill had been sheared off. We discussed things for a few minutes and decided that the best approach would be for me to fly in under the cover of the trees and do a little reconnaissance before we decided how to approach. I looked around a bit. The ship itself was obviously a Theran slave ship. It rested on one side of its broken stone hull. On one side of the ship a sail had been used to build a tent which I could not see in. There were a number of guards posted, each armed with a crude spear and either barefoot or shod with the simplest of homemade shoes. Unfortunately, as I came around one tree, a guard decided to use that tree to relieve himself and I was spotted. I took to the tree cover and quickly made my way around to the wrecked ship. From there I watched as the guard alerted the other people in the camp of exactly what he had seen. One man, dressed in fine clothing and good boots, came out of the tent and started looking around. He sent a few guards to investigate. As I watched the guards reported back from the crest of the hill (I assumed they had just seen our party) and the well-dressed man started giving orders. From my vantage point I could also see inside the tent through a small crack. Inside sat a couple of barefoot men and one well-dressed man who was busy making crude canvas shoes for the others. At the sound of the first well-dressed man's voice the man inside the tent stopped what he was doing, picked up his sword and went out of the tent. The two well dressed men and one of the guards went up the hill to way the rest of the party was.

I decided that this was my best chance to get some information. I suspected that the two well dressed men were slavers and that the others were slaves. However, the way that they were working together seemed to contradict that theory. So, I decided to talk with one of the poorly dressed men without the others around. There were two men inside the tent. I was worried that two of them might hurt me or raise an alarm before I could act, so I hit the human with Keesira sending him into unconsciousness. Then I tried to talk to the ork. We had a bit of trouble with the language barrier thing, but we did manage to communicate after a bit. I assured him that his friend was fine, just taking a nap and asked him what was going on. He indicated that he was free now and that the two Therans outside were good men, not like the bad captain. Once I was sure that the ork was not in need of rescue I went to join the rest of the party and learn what story they had gotten out of the two Therans.

It turns out that when the ship crashed the captain and the first mate were quite upset. Numerous Therans were dead or injured and many of the slaves had suffered the same fate. So the Captain and his first mate decided to kill all of the slaves. Their reasoning was that taking the slaves with them would slow them down which they couldn't afford while crossing dangerous lands in enemy territory. The didn't even consider simply letting the slaves go, because slaves are valuable property and they wouldn't want anyone else to benefit. (I know this line of reasoning makes no sense to you, sweet Thistle. It makes no sense to me either - why destroy something that is not evil just to prevent other people from having it? What benefit is there in spite? And how could you look at another name giver as property? I cannot answer these questions, only point out that those who would take and holds slaves have sick and corrupt minds, capable of evil and madness as great as that of horrors.)

The captain and the first mate did manage to slay the injured slaves who were lying in the shade of the wrecked ship. However, before the healthy slaves were killed two of the Therans stood up to protest that Captain's actions. Zerias Ellsari was the second officer and Kyleros Zanjan was an Inquisitor who just happened to have been taking passage on that ship. Though both men were of Theran birth and breeding, there was still some light in their hearts and they stood up to the Captain to protect the salves. With the help of Toric (the unofficial leader of the slaves) and the other healthy slaves, Ellsari and Zanjan fought the Captain and his men and drove them from the ship.

That had all transpired a few days before our arrival. Now Zanjan and Ellsari had come to realize that the slaves were men, though admittedly men with different experiences. They had been trying to figure out where they could find safety and refuge. They knew the Captain and his men were about and were fearful that he might attack again at any moment in order to slay them for defying him. The feared that with superior trained numbers and possession of most of the weapons, the Captain and his men would easily overwhelm the slaves and their new friends.

No sooner had these fears been spoken than they came to pass. The Captain snuck up on the two guards on the far side of the ship and killed them. When we first saw him, he had just climbed to the top of the shipwreck and was screaming bloody murder at Zanjan. We all leapt to the fight. I flew to attack the Captain, but did little good against him. Zanjan was close on my heels and engaged the Captain to better effect. Gorian shot the first mate pinning him to the deck where he would eventually die. John great leaped onto the deck where he engaged one of the sailors. Argen was back with Gorian and was too far to join the fight immediately. Elias and Kavros engaged more of the soldiers who were coming around the side of the ship to kill unarmed slaves. The fight was bloody but in the end, the Captain and his men were slain and we lost only the two guards who the Captain had brutally murdered to gain entry to the camp. We shared what food and healing we had and soon our entire weary group headed back to Urupa.

Just before we reached the gates, Zanjan offered us a small bag of jewels he had managed to keep through the entire ordeal. We refused it, telling him that he and these men would need the money more than we did in order to build new lives for themselves. The guards at Urupa's gates were quite surprised to see our new companions, but were perfectly willing to let them pass since they were unarmed and we overpaid for our city passes.

We knew of only one logically place to take the men - the bar in which we had met Ravan Farstrider, a place he said help could be found if we needed it. Ravan was sitting at a corner table and when we brought Zanjan and the rest of the men in, he quickly understood the situation and bundled them off to a back room. He promised to see that the slaves were given the resources and aid they would need to start new lives and began negotiating with Zanjan for information almost before the door shut behind us. I know that Ravan will be trying to pump information out of Zanjan, but Zanjan knows it as well, and he is a strong enough man to reveal only what he wishes to. I am confident that all who flew that doomed ship and still live will have better lives before them than they left behind.

Fair Winds and Sunshine, Windy

Thistle, just a quick note to let you know where I am heading next. We were trying to arrange passage to Bartertown when we bumped into Ravan again. He and a certain friend (Zanjan) are heading for Throal (I think Ravan works for them). Anyway, Ravan is willing to pay for part of our passage if we will agree to defend him and Zanjan on the trip if necessary. Naturally, we accepted, so I am in a hurry to drop this off with a messenger and get my things aboard. Give my love to your parents and the rest of the village!

Windy