Day 23.2 - The horsemen

While out gathering wood and food, we hear Gaius whistle an alarm back at camp. We race back only to find 17 horsemen ride out of the forest and stand outside our camp. There's a giant wolf-dog next to one of the riders. The leader, Urthek, introduced himself (and his dog Rusalka. This creature is 4 feet at the shoulder!!) and told us that there has been a lot of activity in the area. We learned that Candlekeep is in ruins, which upsets the captain to no end. Urthek's village is built south of the ruins of the city. These horsemen seemed friendly enough, so we invited them to join us for lunch. Bale, Urthek's second in command, pulls out a flask containing what he calls "Drink of the gods". Not "Hope's drink" or some such nonsense. Maybe there is a chance of learning deeper truths here after all. Gaius calls this drink "wine". During the feast, I overhear Bale telling Gaius about a goddess called "Athena". He calls her one of the good "Elder gods" and has something to do with Wisdom and Skill.

Chupa convinces me to tell the story about the villagers rowing to a nearby island to gather fruit. They get lost and spend 300 days stranded on the isle, unable to build a new raft. Every attempt to leave the island results in the landing right back on the same beach. As usual, Chupa loves the story, but even our new friends seemed to enjoy the tale. After lunch, Talia, Raine, and Chupa tend to the wounded horsemen, which seems to cheer this group up even more.

But that's when Rusalka started growling. The men automatically lined up, sheilding us from whoever or whatever was coming.