The Shadow of the Heights

[Diamond Master]

He thinks for several minutes, then turns his back on you as his warriors begin catcalling.

You slip off without incident and continue following the path you were following. Eventually you come to one of the diamond eggs the Norns have hidden, and you scoop it up!

[Ptah]

I'll hatch my egg and look around for somewhere that looks inviting, or at least intriguing.

[Diamond Master]

Minotaur

Attack: High, physical
Defense: High, skill, physical
Speed and Finesse: High
Intelligence: High
Size: Equine
Special: Combat skill
The Minotaur is a wily enemy, strong as a bull and with the agility of a human martial artist or blademaster. All Minotaurs are excellent craftsmen and devote every hour to training at the forge or against whatever opponent it can find. They are great at tactics and navigation. A Minotaur is likely to be territorial and fight to the death for little cause other than to test itself.

[Diamond Master]

Ptah, you see in one direction a mess of tall termite mounds of clay, earth, and grass.

In another, you see some activity going on in a mountain pass. You can hear shouting there.

[Ptah]

I run to the source of the shouting.

[Diamond Master]

Puzzle ID #: 18
Discoverer: Ptah
Time: 3 days/attempt
Attempts: 3

You pass a series of rotting road signs: “ST”, “ND”, “RD”, “TH”. Then you transition into an area absolutely filled with street signs, pointing in every direction imaginable along an infinity of vectors. Each has a different two letters on it.
Which sign do you follow?

[Ptah]

Can I still hear the shouting?

[Diamond Master]

Yes, the shouting is coming from the North past the signs. It rises and falls in intensity.

You discover that to beeline North is to encounter obstacles in the form of stiff leather wigwams hidden by thick white mist. It is possible to carefully thread your way through them if you wish.

[Ptah]

I head straight into the wigwams, following the sound of the shouting. Also, what kind of shouting is it? Angry? Panicked? Grief-stricken?

[Diamond Master]

Angry, commanding shouting.

You leave the maze of street signs behind and come to a mountain pass. The camp is in the shadow of the mountains.

Armies are issuing from the wigwams, and their leader is shouting at them from near the mountain pass.