The heroes leave straight away into the dark forest. They know they have a long way ahead and every moment counts to save the people of Falcon’s Hollow. They go as fast as they can through the thick dark forest.
Not even a couple hours in the come upon a set of deep, goat-like tracks. Eja determines that whatever made these depressions walks upright, and she can easily follow them. The tracks only persist for approximately 50 feet before mysteriously disappearing. The heroes are concerned but are pressed for time and continue heading for the river.
Still traveling, a couple of hours later the happen upon several large rocks deep in the forest whose undersides are covered in rare, glowing mold. Bjorn informs everyone if they harvest enough of the mold without destroying it can serve as a light source. Once removed from the rock, the mold continues to glow with the brightness of a torch for about three days. Eilo Buckram, the hobbit, strips and rubs the mold over the parts of his body that can be concealed by clothing so he could illuminate their way by simple opening his shirt.
Almost to the river, the Heroes happen upon a dead tree streaked with multicolored fairy blood. Three sprite-like creatures, known as keld piskies, are pinned here, their exsanguinated bodies turned to gnarled wood. Bjorn recalls dubious stories about fairy blood being used to turn lead into gold.
Finally the heroes reach the edge of the river at twilight. Not far from the edge of the forest-shrouded river, a fox with large ears and bright orange fur lies bleeding, its hindquarters caught fully in the jaws of a crude iron trap. The heroes rush to its aid. Eja uses her natural animal empathy to calm the distraught fox. Surinder mightily pulls apart the trap. Bjorn calls out to Iomedae to heal the small woodland creature. As the Bjorn begins his praying two very large rooks with distinctive, jagged beaks and unkempt, oily black feathers, known as Razorcrows swoop down on the other heroes. Both birds take a slash at Surinder as they fly by. When the others are distracted by the birds, an arrow whizzes past Bjorn’s head from further down the riverbank. Bjorn runs for the cover of the tree line, shouting for the others to take cover. Surinder places himself between the unseen archer and Eja. Eja looks over Surinder’s shoulder and with her sharp hunter’s eyes she spots their assailant, a grayskinned hobgoblin with a prodigious cleft palate, lurks in the nearby tree line. Eja swings her mighty longbow from her shoulder, cocks her truest arrow, pulls back with all her strength, aims carefully, and releases. The others watch as the shape of the hobgoblin falls from his hiding place onto the shore about 80 ft away with Eja’s arrow deeply imbedded in his forehead.
The heroes know that time is of the essence but have traveled so far in such a short amount of time. They know they will become exhausted and the forest is dangerous enough during the day, they reluctantly agree to sleep for the night. Despite their strenuous day, their worry for their sick loved ones keeps them up a few moments longer.
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