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	[u]Weather[/u]: The dim shy and cold winds remain, occasional and gusty, be they an afterthought to the horrors of the next few minutes. 
 
	[u]Time[/u]: Afternoon. And if I might add, it is a nice day for fishin', ain't it?

	[u]Ambience[/u]: The road, the hill, the field, and the fence around it; all of these charming countryside features have one thing in common aside from their proximity. This solitary uniting factor is that, were they to achieve sapience and life experience enough to understand the concept of violence, they would understand what is to transpire before them. 

[center][color=darkgray][h2]*****[/h2][/color][/center]

	The attempts at negotiation with the hypothetically present unnamed underground bad guys did not show any outward appearances at bearing fruit, so far as the tall and imposing warrior in vintage mail armor [i]or[/i] anyone observing the scene could surmise. Then again, this was secondary to the shaking sensation which covered a remarkable amount of ground underneath and around the party. This shaking, though harmless in and of itself, was exactly as harmless as a dinner bell ringing a half hour late. 

	At first, there was nothing. Just the glances of the group at one another and wide-eyed anticipation from the others at the wagons. Then the most curious movement of one of the  mounds - specifically the one nearest to Kathryn - as the ripped and shorn half-carcass of what used to be one of the fatter sheep pushed upward, exposing more of itself through the dirt as it rose. The space of this seemed to take slow, ponderous moments, but in reality was less than a second. It made the explosive rush of motion which followed even more startling. 

	The thing of shredded meat, bone, and blood flung into the air as if propelled by an inexpert trebuchet, leaving a trail of intestinal gore behind it in a ballistic arc. Simultaneously, three creatures sprung from the loose, soft earth of the field; one from underneath the mound in front of Kathryn and the other two farther out toward the road in crude flanking positions. 

	These creatures resembled a monstrous pairing of a centipede and a mantis, as big as a horse and significantly longer. Thick green and brown mottled chitin covered their seemingly unwieldly but still quite agile forms, and sharp mandibles clacked in a manner that seemed rhythmic. The screams of Cecily and Lizbeth [sub][color=darkgray][i](and Tarace)[/i][/color][/sub] cut through the field and appeared to draw the notice of the giant insects if not their full attention, prompting dense fluid to secrete from their mouthparts in anticipation of a further meal. 

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[center][h2][color=gold][i]Roll for Initiative.[/i][/color][/h2][/center]