21 Ymiden 723
"I used to consider it every trial." Balthazar admit with a small wave of his hand to help the fire Robin was building. When he didn't say more on his answer, Robin gave him a curious look. Sensing that the squire wanted a better answer, Balthazar continued. "The chance for that passed when Haven's people landed in Almund. This," Balthazar gestured around them at the camp they'd made. "this is my life now. Chasing leads, searching for answers, trying to fix the broken things."
"Broken is a matter of perspective." Robin said quietly. "Sometimes you can only build by tearing things down."
"I've torn enough down for one life. I'd have liked Haven to survive. Stay here, keep the fire going and make sure Simula is calm. I'll scout ahead and see what I can find." Balthazar said as he stood up from the rock chair he'd created and set off towards the first recognizable point on the map. Robin had poked something Balthazar didn't like to think about, but it would not stop him from investigating thoroughly. So, with his memory of the written plan, he set out to try and find the place where the heart symbol had been drawn on the map of the mountains.
He did not have to venture very far from where he and Robin had set up camp but it was far enough that he could feel a little soreness in his boots. Nothing that would stop him. Nothing close to what could stop him, but he recognized it all the same. It was a steep uphill climb through the mountain to the place where the pirates had gone looking for their glass heart. At parts it felt like Balthazar was bringing his knees up to his chest in order to take the next step. Even with the elements actively working to aid him, Balthazar found the climb to be more difficult than most. Why had the pirates picked this path up the mountain? It was far more dangerous for them than it would have been for him. The ground beneath him shifted to make small steps so his ascent was easier and the wind pushed at his back to help him forward.
In truth, part of why he continued to the site of the pirate incursion alone was because he knew the terrane would be less kind to Robin. With the squire in the camp that they had set up, he only had to worry about his own feet slipping and he wouldn't even have to walk back- he could just make a portal. Despite the elements being on his side, the weather could have been better. The wind was a close ally but it was powerful in the mountains. The forging kept the cold at bay but it didn't change that it was cold. Small banks of snow dotted various spots along the path and ice made the ground slippery in a few places but Balthazar could see where and avoided it well.
As he moved up the mountain he could see signs of people that had passed through before him. At first he thought it was a sign of the pirates moving through but the longer Balthazar moved on the path the more he realized it was not only the pirates that had been there. A few of the trees had symbols carved into them and the mountain ground seemed to have a pathway trampled into it. There were rumors of tribes in the mountain but Balthazar had only explored Ornthrus before. He had no idea what the symbols meant but the path was clear ahead of him. He followed it and in doing so he found more signs of civilization. There were torches lining the pathway which had been knocked over and pulled from the ground. That was probably the work of the pirates. The floor began to level out and Balthazar came upon a wide open space where the ground was dark and littered with strange trinkets.
Across the flat from him, there was a large flat stone with a heart-shaped outline melted into the middle of it. It looked like some sort of altar. Balthazar reached out and found that death stained the ground around this strange tribal shrine. He glanced around for evidence to help him figure out what had happened and it was not hard to find. The dirt floor was dark because of the blood that had been spilled over it and some of the 'trinkets' on the floor were weapons. Balthazar moved slowly to the weapons and logged them in his head as he saw them. Rusted daggers, a cutlass or two, some crude stick and bone weapons... arrows with stone tips.
This was what the pirates were looking for in the mountains. It made sense but the large flat stone altar didn't match the drawings of the Heart. Balthazar's eyes shifted from the bloodstained floor to the trees above where he discovered several other ornaments hanging still. The pirates hadn't finished their search. The tribe must have come to protect the shrine and won the ensuing fight- or at least they managed to drive the pirates off. They had probably moved the bodies too since Balthazar couldn't see any.
It seemed like the pirates were not any more successful in the mountains than they were at the Watch. It also seemed like the pirates really didn't know where the Heart was. They were going after any and every religious site in hopes that they might find it. Possibly. That would have explained what made Haven a target. Balthazar took a deep breath and slowly began picking up the trinkets on the floor. If he was being watched, he would have known.Detection Capstone He didn't feel it would do any harm for him to put the offerings back up on the trees where they'd been before the pirates ransacked the place.
It only took about ten bits to clean up the trinkets and when it was done, Balthazar knelt in front of the flat stone altar with the heart-shaped outline melted into it. He took a deep breath and focused on bridging the distance between the campsite and the tribal shrine. It wasn't so far that he had to prepare for long but it was out of eyesight and by no means instantaneous. When he was ready, a portal lined in blue fire burned open in the air beside him. He saw Robin jump slightly in surprise and move to calm Simula down.
"Sorry, I should have warned you I'd be using a portal." Balthazar said as he rose and dusted off his knees. "Come look at this, I'll hold the portal open."
~~~ After Robin Had A Chance To Look Around ~~~
"So what do you think happened?" Robin asked after he had walked around and assessed the area. Balthazar was the better detective but Robin was the better hunter. The ability to track animals transferred to humans in remarkable ways. Investigation allowed Balthazar to pull together all the things he discovered and come to accurate conclusions. Hunting allowed Robin to track and follow people. In this case that meant Balthazar had a better grasp of what had happened and Robin had a better grasp of where the survivors had gone."I think the pirates found out about a holy place with a heart and they assumed it was what they were looking for." Balthazar said with a gesture towards the flat rock altar. "When they came and ransacked this place, whoever set it up defended it. I assume a local tribe of mountainous people. According to the imprints on the ground and the weapon differences, there were multiple fighters on both sides and multiple deaths." Balthazar kept his focus on the portal despite the conversation.
"There are tracks leading off into the mountain. The tribe probably drove the pirates off and took care of the dead." Robin suggested.
"I had a similar theory. It's also possible the pirates gave up when they realized that the thing they were looking for was not here." Balthazar said. "Contacting the tribe is a risk. Too much of a risk for now. Lets get the camp taken down and get back to Almund. We've found all we are going to find here."
