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[Arcalian]

Red Wind eyed the tallfolk uneasily. They were against the sorcerer, that was clear, but that did not make them friends.

Purple Sky had sensed the evil of the sorcerer as soon as the man had come in sight. Red Wind had needed to further urging, and had led them into battle. The cowardly spellcaster had turn and run, and been felled by the people who had obviously been chasing him.

Two of the hunters were human, the third a Half-Elf. But the other...

"I sense no evil from any of them," said Purple Sky.

Red Wind nodded, but still did not relax. "You were huting this one," he said to the others, nudging the body of the sorcerer with his boot.

"He planned evil," grunted the masked giant.

This Red Wind knew already; he needed more than that. "What kind of evil?"

"He sought a dark tower to the south, where the dead do not sleep easy. What he wanted there, I know not; save that it was ill. We must go there."

Red Wind and Purple Sky eyed each other. Red Wind was nominal leader of the troupe, but Purple Sky could overrule him if he felt the need; and there were also the elders to consider.

"We cannot lead the tribe away from the migration route," Purple Sky said in their own language.

Red Wind sighed. "I know, but it seems your initial feelings about this were right; we must deal with it."

"You suggest sending some of our hunters with them?"

"Actually, I was thinking you and me."

For a moment Red Wind saw Purple Sky want to disagree; he opened his mouth to say so. But then he closed it again, and closed his eyes as if meditating. Finally, he said, "Green Pasture shall lead the others in our absence. We shall catch up with the tribe at the the river grove."

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Rolf eyed the two new members of their party has they moved south. Both halflings were dark haired and bright eyed, and neither came up to his hip. But the younger one, Red Wind, look capable enough with his short sword and spiked buckler. The older, the shaman Purple Sky, was almost middle aged, long hair streaming out in the wind. Both had face paint and old, dusty leather armor, marked with the insignia of their tribe.

They were still a couple days away from the tower. The Halflings new little more about it than they did themselves, except to say that there were "bad spirits" there. Ghosts were all but unknown in their world, so much so that there was no proper name for them.

But very soon now, they would all find out more than they could possibly want to know.