The Aerandir and the search for the Black Moon (ORP)

[Tuvoria]

Tuv found Jack waiting at the Cork Gate with the wagons, pack mules, and Rex all ready to go. They headed out and were surprised to find the road was quite passable. The journey to Cork went without incident, although Tuv couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched or shadowed. Nothing came from the feeling and as dusk began to fall they entered into the city of Cork. Tuv had Jack take the carts and wagons to the Chortling Unicorn and said he would meet him there later. He wanted to go and check a few things with the militia and at the Town Hall. Jack agreed and Tuv headed off deeper into town. Both the militia and contacts at the Town Hall had no new info. There were still rumors of raiders out at sea and in the great Northern Wilderness. Tuv thanked them and asked if anyone knew of an elderly woman known simply as Luana. No one he talked with recognized the name or description. Tuv then headed back to meet up with Jack and lay out plans for while they were here. In the morning they would make arrangements to put a few things onto the market, which Jack would oversee, and Tuv would head out towards the north as he wanted to check on a few things in and around the surrounding woods. In two days, Tuv would stay in town and Jack would head out towards Widu to do some recon of the area and see if any new rumors or reports were available from that area. With that settled, the two men grabbed some spiced cider and relaxed before the main hearth at the Inn before retiring to their rooms for the night.

[Tuvoria]

Tuv had another somewhat restless evening. His dreams and thoughts occupied by a sense of foreboding as so many questions about everything swirling around regarding the Red Claws, the Black Moon, and his family. He knew most of it was his own fears and concerns. As dawn was cracking he got up, got dressed, and met Jack down at the stables. Jack was going to head off quietly to Widu to scout out things and check with a few contacts to see what they could learn. After Jack headed out, Tuv went back inside to have some hot tea and grab a bit. When the barmaid brought his food, he tipped her 1 frenzia and asked if she had seen any unusual strangers in town of late. She stated she has only seen the normal travelers. Tuv thanked her and finished his breakfast. Tuv then went and made arrangements with the local merchants guild and hired a few men to take his wares to the market and to sell them for him. After that Tuv headed out towards where his house plot was. He went about marking several trees that needed to be felled as he marked the foundation for his soon to be travel house here. As he started marking things, Tuv came across a piece of parchment nailed to one of the trees. He took it off curious to know who would have posted a note here. He initially thought perhaps Wyl or Jack had left something. He was greatly surprised. It was just a picture of an acorn, a full moon, and a red claw. Tuv nearly fell over as he dropped the parchment. How did they know this was his place? How did they know where to find him? He put this all aside, loosened the string on his sword guard, placed his bow within easy reach as he made a quick fire. Once the fire was going he tossed the parchment into the flames. Tuv then yelled into the wind You shall not intimidate me Marcus. You and your vermin shall be hunted down.Tuv then started working on clearing some of the trees, seeing each as a member of the Red Claws as he swung his axe

[Tuvoria]

Tuv spent most of the day taking out his anger and frustrations on the trees he wanted cleared from his property. He dragged most of them to the area where he wanted to build his second home and left the logs there for future use. He then decided to head back into the city of Cork for the night. As he headed back he noticed that most of the normal song birds were quiet and he spotted a large group of carrion birds circling nearby. He knew this was not normal and decided to go and see if he could figure out what was going on. It took him a few minutes to locate things, but the stench of death was heavy in the air. As he approached a small clearing, that seemed to be where the smell was coming from, he spotted the corpse of a rather large bear. That did not surprise him to much, what did catch him off guard was the state of the body. It had its cut and neck ripped out. The markings also startled him a bit, and he quickly grabbed his bow and put an arrow on the string and scanned the area. The bear had been attacked by a changeling, or werecreature. The fact that the carrion birds were leaving it alone concerned him. Tuv slowly and carefully backed away. He hadn't seen a carcass like this since his early days with Wyl when she had to hunt. He made his way back to the road and quickly made his way back to Cork. Once there, he went to the command house of the local militia and to the Town Hall and informed them of what he found, what it meant, and rumors of the raiders known as the Red Claws. Once done, he headed back to the Chorteling Unicorn, grabbed a large tankard of Ale, and sat down by the hearth to ponder all that he experienced today and what it meant moving forward.

[Tuvoria]

In the morning word came to Tuv from Jack that nothing verifiable was heard in Widu. He was going to check on a few more things and then head back to Bravia City. Tuv took this as good news and soon was making his preparations to return himself. He was still uncertain of everything he had seen and heard. Someone or something was going out of their way to bring issues to himself and his family was all that Tuv could think about. He was happy that it was a bit snowy along the road today. It helped to mask himself and forced him to concentrate on things. As evening approached he was forced to camp near the road, due to the slow progress the wagons were able to make. He found a nice spot with a cliff wall to his back and trees on two sides to help cut the wind. He began setting up his camp, with a few defense when something caught his attention. Quickly grabbing his bow, he watched the shadowy figure pause as it walked by. It seemed as if it was looking for something, and Tuv could have sworn the air seemed to take on a deeper coldness and a smell of death. Almost as quick as it came, the figure moved on and disappeared leaving Tuv to his work and a long, uneasy evening

[Tuvoria]

As Tuv was waking up in the morning, he could sense a chill on the air. A fresh layer of snow had fallen overnight, masking any trails or footprints that might have been made. It didn't concern him too much at this point. He could hear the morning birds singing their songs and all of his animals, especially Rex, seemed to be at ease. Perhaps, he thought, all of this was just his worries and anxiety coming to haunt his mind after the sea adventures of last summer. He was about to let this be his prevailing thought, when Rex stood up, tensed, and looked towards the main road. Coming down the road, at a quick pace, on horseback was a single rider. Rex stood alert as Tuv gathered his weapons and made ready. Just about the time he was ready to step out to see who the rider was, Rex let out a happy bark and sat down. The rider came to an abrupt halt, and turned towards the sound of the bark. Both Tuv and the rider laughed when they spotted each other, for Tuv's trusty steward, Jack, had caught up with them. Jack stated he was glad to see them and that he had been riding hard for hours. It seemed another bear was found gutted and with its neck ripped out just south of Cork. Tuv thanked Jack for the report, though it did worry him abit. The two sat down next to the fire to catch up on things, have breakfast, and some tea. When done they gathered everything up, broke camp, and made their way towards Bravia City. Tuv informed Jack that once they got back into Bravia City, that he would need him to head back out in a few days and travel to Paz It was beginning to look like the Aerandir was to go hunting again and Tuv was going to need his crew to start getting the ship ready. Tuv could see the question in Jack's face, and he simply said, yes my friend, I do believe that once again I must hunt down and kill more of the Red Claw Clan, and potentially those who have the same bloodline as my beloved. The air hung heavy and silent as they continued on towards Bravia City and the homestead that was their house and relative safety.

[Tuvoria]

The trip back to Bravia City went quickly and smoothly. Tuv remained on edge and alert the whole trip. Worries about the Red Claws, the words from Luana, his visions, the bloody acorns, the letters, and now the two bear corpses had his mind going in several directions. He missed and worried about his bride, Wyl in all of this. As He and Jack rounded the last small hill and looked down on Bravia City, their mood lifted a bit. They picked up the pace and headed towards the homestead. As they turned off the main road and up the path to the main house they saw smoke coming out of the chimney. Both looked at each other and with excitement said Wyl. Tuv jumped off the cart and sprinted to the house opening the door and looking for his true love.

[Tuvoria]

The last several days had seen Tuv in probably the happiest mood he had been in for years. He was reunited with his wife, Wyl, and was enjoying getting to spend time with his twin infant sons. Arrangements had been made to have a special naming service for the boys. All had been quiet and no new word about the Red Claws or the mysterious Black Moon had come his way. Tuv was thankful for that as he wished to only focus on Wyl and the boys today, the day of the Naming Ceremony.
As Tuv sat rocking the first born of his sons, his trusty steward, Jack, came in with a sealed message.
"Sorry to intrude boss, but this message came by horse carrier and the rider said it was urgent. I recognized the seal as belonging to your trader friend, Meridoc."
Tuv took the message and opened it and his face quickly soured. He handed to Jack as he said, looks like the quiet respite is over.

	Greetings ye ol whippersnapper, Been a wee bit since I be seeing you and the lass. Me be thinking you DYinna know this, but the bloody buggers that be huntin you in the past be stirring up a bit of trouble in the highlands beyond Widu. The be demanding da folks be swearing to them and saying some fellar named Marcus be their new king. The men folk who don't be accepting this be disappearing me old friend. Rumor be haven it they be looking for a special set of youngins. Keep a watching your back pointy ears. Ye old friend, Merri

[Wyllow]

It was good to make plans for travel with her husband once more. It felt like ages that they had spent time together and her most cherished times were when they set off to destinations unknown.

She took stock of how much she packed. A mental note; So much more when traveling with children. She had known that their lives would change, but it was in a good way, however.. the load would be that much heavier. She chuckled and began to cut back on things that they probably wouldn't need.

Her hands on her hips, she strained her ears to listen for the babes, as they were down for their mid-morning nap. Her heart leaped in her chest. She couldn't help it, as she moved down the hallway to just peak in on them. Both sound asleep, chests rising and falling like normal. She smiled. It was second nature to make sure they were alright. Their little miracles. Pulling the door almost closed, she moved back into the kitchen to check stocks on items that were indeed needed for their travels.

Their cart today would be heavily laden down.

[Tuvoria]

Tuv smiled as he watched Wyl get her wagons ready for their upcoming trip. He and Jack had gotten most of what he needed loaded up just recently. As Wyl continued working, Tuv and Jack worked on putting up a retractable cover on one of his wagons. He then set about securing two bassinets in the wagons for the boys. He knew this trip would be different for several reasons. While he would prefer to winter at home, he knew that peace would not come to him. The Red Claws and the mystery of the Black Moon would be at the front of his concerns. He chuckled to himself as he leaned against his cart, the whole time watching Wyl and enjoying her beauty. He offered a quick prayer of thanks to the Mages before heading back to the main house for some tea and to check on the boys. Tomorrow would bring the start of a new journey and the destiny that awaits them all.

[Tuvoria]

The morning dawned clear, crisp, and with excitement. Tuv quickly set about to getting breakfast ready and getting their menagerie of animals ready for the journey. He was looking forward to being on the trail again. Exploring with Wyl, and now the boys, lifted his spirits, despite the dangers and the age old threat against them. Once everything was ready Tuv headed back inside and placed his cold hands on Wyllow's backside as he said.

Time to wake up sleeping beauty. The sun is up, the boys need feeding, and the road beckens

Tuv quickly got up and out of Wyl's striking range as he checked on the twins.