Day Three: Chipmunks in the Ruins

Starting stats: Exploration - 4, Combat - 5
 
Exploration cards drawn: Q diamonds, J diamonds (item - 10 diamonds - map), 4 clubs (event - J spades - surrounded), A hearts.
 
A Medium Rook, Ruins which are mostly rubble and we get surrounded, an encounter with a robed stranger with a castle emblem, we find another map.
 
The following day there is a slight drizzle and the sky is overcast. We walk for several hours and the landscape begins to flatten out once more. The Rookling now trundles along beside me rather than following. We come across some ruins, they are spread over a large area, it must have been a city at some point. Not much of it is left standing and nature and the weather have taken their toll. We wander in, the architecture I can make out seems strange and almost crude. I wonder who lived here, I have never heard stories of a city here. Nothing I can remember from history books. I am examining a faint mural on an almost intact piece of wall, when the Rookling begins banging into my leg.
 
I look up and take a sharp inhale of breath. I didn't even hear them approach, perched on pieces of rubble in a loose circle around me is a pack of chipmunks, the size of small dogs, they are just sitting there, watching me with their beady little eyes. Once they realise I have spotted them, they begin to close in slowly. I draw my spear, though there are about seven of them, and I'm not sure fighting them all is a good idea. maybe if I can open a gap I can try and escape. Two suddenly leap for me, I manage to knock the first aside with my spear and it's body lands against a sharp rock to my right it lets out a loud squeak, I am not fast enough to swing my spear around ]for the second one and it sinks it's teeth into my side. I yelp loudly. Suddenly all the chipmunks freeze, their ears perked up, then as one they turn tail and disappear into the ruins.
 
I look around to see what has scared them, A pile of stone that I had previously thought was a collapsed pillar begins to rise from the ground. Another Rook!. It looks like a pillar made from thick stone discs resting atop each other. It raises itself from the ground on two piston like legs. then lets itself drop to the ground, there is a loud noise as it hits and pile of rubble I am standing on begins to shift. I quickly make an ice ramp and slide down it to safety. The rubble collapses behind me. The Rook picks up a piece of rubble and hurls it at me, I swing with my spear like a bat and mange to just barely deflect it before it hits me. One of it's centre discs suddenly flies out towards me, I nimbly dodge it and try to jam my spear up into the gap hoping to hit something important inside, The stone disc comes flying back i mange to knock it with my spear again, it's trajectory shifts and it slams into another disc instead and shatters. There is a loud rumbling and the ground shudders, then the Rook collapses onto the ground.
 
My Rookling trundles over to it, and starts rummaging around , it gives a sharp tug and falls over backwards, another object landing on top of it. Is that really another Rookling, soon I'm going to have a whole tribe of the things. Which i suppose isn't terrible but I had been hoping for an intact Rookstone, being able to add another magic type to my repertoire would have been nice. The two Rooklings separate themselves and make their way over towards me. This second one is smaller than the other one and seems to roll across the ground.
 
A clapping from behind me cause me to turn sharply. behind me is a strange woman dressed in long robes. It takes me a moment to notice the castle symbol upon the breast of the robe. My eyes narrow suspiciously, I had heard some of the hunters talking about these people. They very rarely had anything nice to say about them.
"Well haven't you done will for yourself" she says in a nasal voice.
 
"I suppose" I say with a shrug, my spear still in my hand.
 
She eyes it and just smiles slightly. "Oh you have nothing to fear from me" she says " I am quite unarmed.
 
"What do wish of me stranger?" I ask politely, lowering my spear.
 
"Oh nothing at all" she replies with another of those small knowing smiles.

I usually get along with most people, but something about her demeanour and attitude rub me the wrong way. "Then what are you doing out here? If I may ask?"
 
"We go where we please" she says haughtily
 
I look about for others, but see no one.
 
She snorts and says. "By we I mean The Order of the Castle, and there are no others with me currently. I fear not to walk these lands alone"
 
I grow tired of her smug attitude and vague replies.
 
"Well if you have no need of me, I shall be on my way. I would like to make more time before dark, and find a suitable campsite" I say as I begin to turn away from her
 
She gives a sharp barking laugh. "I'm sure we will run into eachother again" She almost makes it sound like a threat.
 
I do my best ignore her and just walk away. An itching between my shoulder blades makes me think she is staring at me as I leave, but I do not turn to check.
 
I turn my attention to my now two travelling companions. The new addition seems to have a scrap of paper sticking out from it, I pull it out. Another map! A treasure map.
 
gained one wound, a Rookling, treasure map. +1 to exp or com
 
Ending stats: Exploration - 5 , combat - 4