Candles in the Darkness (IC)

[Croverus]

The great city of Aven Rhull. Ruled primarilly by a council of humans and half-elves, this great city of trade lies on the coast of the continent of Yuelicia. Merchants of many walks of life come to and from the city to deal in trade, legal and otherwise. While to the average visitor the city appears a splendor of regality, there is a hidden underbelly of the city, where black market deals and assassinations are planned. The outskirt sof the city, and the farm lands outside the city walls, are mostly inhabited by the poor who barely make a living on their meager trade. A vast underground sewer system is often infested with vermin and monsters, and the guard, not having enough men or equipment to deal with it, hire out adventurers to clear the dungeons.

The evil that has plagued the lands of Yuelicia do not come near the city, its great wealth used to buy powerful wards to keep the undead hordes at bay. The occassional encampment of undead will setup up just outside the barriers along trade routes, harrassing merchants until the guard or a band of adventurers clears them out. There are many ruins of towns and mansions left by people who tried to make a living outside the barriers.

The roads tot he north lead to the city of Brilliad, a bastion of good in the dark world. It is home toa pantheon of gods of light and justice, and under constant attack by the undead hordes. To the south the small city of Gellesh, ruled by a mighty wizard. His spire rises up high, seeing over the walls of the small city. To the east, the desert of Antoch, within which can be found the sprawling desert villages ruled by the caravan lords. Across the sea tot he west is the small jungle island Bweni, and the city Hurahi. It is a small city of little note, other than the rumors of ancient treasures hidden in the ruins the city is built over. Far to teh north east, in the icy tundra, is the dread castle, home of the lich Deesriox. Rumors say he is responsible for the dark hordes of undead plaguing the lands.

Aven Rhull is the start of this setting, and the adventurers find themselves here, for their own reasons. The city is in fulls wing as the sun hangs high in the sky, though it is a cloudy day, softening the rays and darkening the darker corners of the city.

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

Damn it! Damn it! A man walked hurriedly through the streets of Aven Rhull. His strides were long and fast, he made arbitrary twist and turns as he navigated the city. It was as if it was his goal to become as utterly lost as possible. He wore a robe tightly around which was dyed a rich and deep violet. His hood was up, therefore his face was difficult to see.

He came to a stop. The trail had gone cold, it had the day before, though he hated to admit it to himself. After all he had been following them(or perhaps it was only one he still was not sure) for two week, losing them now was not an option.

Time to think rationally, the city was large, yet there just had to be a clue of their passing so where. He looked around at his surroundings. He needed to find a dark alley, a burnout building, a place which commoners avoided.They had to be hiding some where.

[Duxus]

Satrash Kartela

Damn it! The moment these words slipped out of his lips, he prayed silently to Bahamut for forgiveness.

Cloudy days are always good for lumberjacks, and as always; it was Satrash's luck that his axe got totally broken on this particular day; the day he lent his spare axe to a fellow lumberjack. He had to go into the city to get his axe fixed. He only hoped that his blacksmith could fix it quickly (although it doesn't seem like it), so he could return to work.

[Qualia]

Talon

"Damn it!"

Talon slammed his hand against the wall as his eyes darted across the market place. He held a red cloak in his hand as the beggar cowered against the wall. He turned to face him, his lips curling back in a snarl.

"Where is he?!"

It was more a statement than a question. The man started babbling

"..wh..wh..who?"

Talon span away, cursing his stupidity. He'd been trailing the man for the last hour, focusing so intently on the red cloak he'd been duped when Teague had given it to a beggar. His eyes scanned the market place. Where in the nine hells had he gone.

[Arq Kujos]

Kous Aramantha

Kous walked silently through the quiet back streets. He pulled his red cloak up and over his mask. Its visage was that of a skull, and it inspired fear in his foes and kept the nosy laity away from him. It was not Kord's will that he convert the unbelieving. He had clerics for that task. No, Kous was Kord's hunter.

He kept mostly to the shadows, staying out of the way of the beggars and anyone else stalking the dark alleyways. After awhile, Kous started to grow annoyed. A vision had sent him to this city, but despite his tireless effort, he could not find his reason for being here. Why am I here? What does it serve for me to be here instead of out killing the monsters that slew my father and stole my sister? After realizing what he said, Kous stopped and reminded himself that his power came from Kord and that it was unwise to disrespect his master. Forgive me, Stormlord.

Still, he patted his sword like one would pat an old friend, and he made his way to the market place. Maybe he would find what he was looking for there.

[Croverus]

The sound of bells could be heard echoing across the city. The people paused and listened and many began to gather what they were doing, hurrying towards the main street that ran throught he center of the entire town. Shop owners were hurrying their last customers out the door and closing shop, groups of children ran throught he crowds laughing and hollering, and everyone seemed excited about what was going on. Only those that had lived in the city for years would even know what was going on.

[Duxus]

Satrash Kartela

"I guess this is my day of then..."
Satrash started to make his way towards the main street. He looked around the crowd to see his blacksmith (although he wouldn't work today anymore). More importantly he looked towards to the main gate to see his family entering the city. And then he remembered; it was at spring back then. It was weird that they would come in winter.

And then his scales at the back of his neck shivered, maybe something was wrong? "No, nooo" he thought, that wasn't possible; but still he cut through the crowd and hurried to see what's going on...

[Qualia]

Talon

As the bells began to toll, and the crowd began to disperse, Talon realised that he would not be able to catch his prey this hour. He scanned the crowd, grabbing a passing merchant as he staggered past and held him firm.

"What's going on?"

He held his gaze as he waited, patiently, for an answer. He would not run blindly, not again.

[Arq Kujos]

Interesting. What could these bells mean?

Turning with interest and tired of walking around aimlessly, Kous joins the others to make his way through the crowd to see what the hurry was.

[Croverus]

Talon

The man gives Talon a confused look. "You must be new. Its the gathering bells. There's something big happening on the main street. Usually its for a circus or parade passing through, once even for the first time the city guard was officially organized." He pulls away and hurries to go rejoin the crowd.

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

The man shifted noticeably underneath his cloak. He did dislike bells.. and crowds. Mostly the crowed. Perhaps there maybe a clue in whats about to happen.. or not maybe he is using this moment to get even further away He hesistated for a moment then headed with the crowed, careful to stay near the edge of the street

[Qualia]

Talon

Talon released his grip on the man and considered what this could mean. A parade maybe, or an official decree. Perhaps a warning of danger. He would find out soon enough.

He made his way towards the main street, looking for a vantage point from which he could observe.

[Arq Kujos]

Kous made his way to the source of the bells. There were people everywhere, so he pulled his cloak tightly over his face to prevent a scare from his mask. He tried to get as close as possible, but it grew more and more crowded with people and he could finally go no further.

[Croverus]

As all of you near the street you cna hear horns being played and the marching of feet. It deffinetly was some kind of parade, but whether this was a celebration for an event or some kind of military demonstration was still hard to tell. The closer you'll be able to get through the crowd the better you'll be able to see.

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

He was so close now but he couldn't see. The curiosity was killing him. If he couldn't see what was a happening then there was no point Throwing cation to the wind he looked up and craned his neck. People around him got a quick glimpse of his face. He had a young face, a few locks of white hair hung in his face. A few shocking black tattoos were scrawled across his face. Weirdest of all he had gray skin. Still unable to see he ducked back down a began bodily force himself to the front.

[Duxus]

Satrash Kartela

Although he is not the strongest; he was still taller and more muscular than most of the humans, so he made way to himself towards to front. Also towards to the city gate, with the hopes of seeing his family.

[Qualia]

Talon

Reaching a wall of people, the shifter thought about muscling his way to the front. Thinking better of it, heducked back into an alleyway and clambered up a tree to give him access to a flat roof overlooking the main road. From this vantage point he should be able to see what all the fuss was about.

[Croverus]

Even for those of you stuck further back in the crowd, you can see the banner of what you think must be the city guard. It appears like the whole guard has been assembled, putting on a parade. The reasons you can't figure out, but the people seem to be cheering, some women who's husbands were probably in the guard were crying a bit. And they were making their way towards the main gate, which had been fully opened and everyoen cleared out of the way. Could it be that the city had finally assembled its guard into an army to march to war?

[Duxus]

I guess; I don't know what's going on? Or do I? (There isn't a knowledge(local) check in 4e) Should I roll for "history"?
[roll0]

If I don't know anything, do I see anyone familiar nearby?
Satrash looks around himself to see a familar face.
[roll1]

Even if I don't see any familiar faces, i'll ask a random guy:

"Hi, do you know what is going on?"

[Croverus]

I guess; I don't know what's going on? Or do I? (There isn't a knowledge(local) check in 4e) Should I roll for "history"?
[roll0]

If I don't know anything, do I see anyone familiar nearby?
Satrash looks around himself to see a familar face.
[roll1]

Even if I don't see any familiar faces, i'll ask a random guy:

"Hi, do you know what is going on?"

You remember that there have been discussions in the taverns that the city was planning to form an army from the guard and any volunteers. This was probably the parade for the guard before they started asking for the volunteers to start signing up.

You don't see anyone you know, and you've lost track of where your family went. You vaguely recognize the man you speak to as one of the regulars at the tavern.

The man looks at you and nods. "This must be that parade they were discussing then. You gonna sign up to join them? I've seen you work on your farm. They could use someone as strong as you."

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

The man frowned. This is not what I was looking for. A human army is of little concern to me. They will fail. I'm wasting time here. The man turned 180 and ducked out of the crowd. He began heading away from the main street. He was here, he knew it. He just had to be here. All the clues pointed here.

He sighed but all the clues had dried up. Maybe some one had see something odd or out of the ordinary. He looked around for the nearest tavern. Its far fetched, but I just need the smallest whisper to be set back on track

[Croverus]

Darius Kree'a

The man frowned. This is not what I was looking for. A human army is of little concern to me. They will fail. I'm wasting time here. The man turned 180 and ducked out of the crowd. He began heading away from the main street. He was here, he knew it. He just had to be here. All the clues pointed here.

He sighed but all the clues had dried up. Maybe some one had see something odd or out of the ordinary. He looked around for the nearest tavern. Its far fetched, but I just need the smallest whisper to be set back on track

As you enter the tavern you see a number of people lining up at a table, signing their names for some kind of roster. It looked like a recruiting table. Must be that the city is getting people to join the army. The rosters were being placed on the wall when they were filled out. Meanwhile the regulars at the bar watched the line, talking to themselves, probably commenting on the people signing the roster.

[Qualia]

Talon

Talon climbed down from his vantage point as his mind considered the parade and it's implications. Was the city finally going to mobilise against the undead threat? Would it be too little too late? He needed more information to discover what was going on.

He emerged from the alley and his alighted on a tavern sign. Where better to gain gossip than in an alehouse. He hurried across the street and slipped into the tavern, making his way to the bar as his eyes scanned the scene. Was that a recruiting table?

[Arq Kujos]

Kous frowned. It was a bad idea for this city to send armed troops to attack the forces of the undead. Most of those men would die, and then the city would be weakened. His intuition told him that things were going to get much worse.

Bah, I need a drink. Kous disappeared into an alley and then around the corner to what appeared to be a tavern. He removed his mask and carefully returned it to a pouch on his belt.

He entered the bar and sat down at a table in the back. When the waitress came, he ordered a meal and glass of dwarven ale, a very strong, but delicious favorite of Kous'. He drank it happily when it arrived, and then sat the glass down.

Kord, guide me. he prayed to himself, and then he started to eat. If danger was coming, there was no need to face it on an empty stomach.

[Duxus]

Satrash Kartela

"This must be that parade they were discussing then. You gonna sign up to join them? I've seen you work on your farm. They could use someone as strong as you."

I don't know yet, never thought about it... See you around.

He started walking without even noticing, he was thinking about joining the army. Bahamut knows he missed a bit about the old days; also his family will be safe within the city, his presence wouldn't mean much against a successful invasion. And by joining he could actually and actively protect his family. But then he remembered that horrible day and shivered.

As he made his way to home; he wasn't sure either to join, but he was sure what to do know. Pray. And Lord Bahamut would surely guide his way.

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

The man frowned. He skirted passed the lines of people and tables doing his best to ignore the recruits. He kept his hood u[. When he reached the bar he sat in an empty chair, nodded at the obvious regulars and look at the bartender. "A red wine, please"

[Croverus]

All


A strange whisper enters each of your minds, but you can't make out the words. Those of you with knowledge of the deities or of the working of magic can attempt to decipher the message that in planting in your mind by an unseen force.

Talon

You see that a number of the men signing up are young or middle-aged, villagers, villagers who have likely never carrried a sword. A handful however are distinctly attired as adventurers. You notice that when one of them, or anyone who seems to have some experience to his appearance, approaches the table they sign a different roster, a much shorter one. At the bar are a number of old men drinking and commenting on the roster.

Kous

As you eat and drink, your sight becomes hazy and unclear, your senses become muted and grey. The world darkens to blackness. You hear a powerful voice, and a glowing sword appears before you. The oice emenates from the sword. ~Kous, Avenger of Kord! You must do all you can to defeat the undead plague! This is the sword Mountain Cleaver, it was stolen from the temple you were raised at. Seek it out, reclaim it, and use it to bring justice to the foes of Kord!~ Your senses return to you suddenly. It may have seemed like several moments, but barely a second has passed.

Satrash

You finally spot your family up ahead, speaking to a good friend of Jester. Jester is a tall half-orc, built like an ox. You've watched him pull the plows in the feilds whenever the donkeys were tired or injured. He spots you and greats you with a strong handshake.
"Satrash, my friend. Saw the parade then? You aren't thinking of joining them are you? I hear they have a special unit for volunteers that have something to supply other than another set of hands attached to a body that won't last long. I might just give it a look at the tavern, maybe they'll find a use for my strength."
He laughs, clapping you on the back and nearly knocking you over, though you steady yourself. He grins at you, waiting for some kind of response.

Darius

The man sitting beside you glances at you, his eye scrutinizing.
"Yer not from around 'ere are ya, fella? Ya lookin' fer somebody or maybe gonna join this 'ere army?"
He reeks of ale, and is probably drunk, but he's attracted the attention of several other regulars to you.

[Arq Kujos]

All


A strange whisper enters each of your minds, but you can't make out the words. Those of you with knowledge of the deities or of the working of magic can attempt to decipher the message that in planting in your mind by an unseen force.

Kous

As you eat and drink, your sight becomes hazy and unclear, your senses become muted and grey. The world darkens to blackness. You hear a powerful voice, and a glowing sword appears before you. The voice emanates from the sword. ~Kous, Avenger of Kord! You must do all you can to defeat the undead plague! This is the sword Mountain Cleaver, it was stolen from the temple you were raised at. Seek it out, reclaim it, and use it to bring justice to the foes of Kord!~ Your senses return to you suddenly. It may have seemed like several moments, but barely a second has passed.



Kous looked around for a moment, unsure of what happened. He looked down at his hands and can see that he has dug his fingers into the table, leaving large scratches in it filled with blood. He slowly raised his hand to examine it, seeing that his fingers tips had dug so deep that he had scratched off his finger nails. Kous smiled. This only happens when the Stormlord speaks. If it is his will, then I shall follow.

After attending to his hands, Kous made his way to the recruiter's table. When it was his turn, he pulled back his hood to reveal his face. His eyes were a bright blue with flecks of gray, like the sky on a cloudy day. I am Kous Aramantha, servant of Kord. If your army is marching against the undead hordes, then I wish to join you. If you need to see my abilities, then I can easy provide a demonstration for you.

[Duxus]

All
A strange whisper enters each of your minds, but you can't make out the words. Those of you with knowledge of the deities or of the working of magic can attempt to decipher the message that in planting in your mind by an unseen force.
[roll0]
Success or no success the course-of-action is the same. (But success would be cool, natch (= )



Satrash
You finally spot your family up ahead, speaking to a good friend of Jester. Jester is a tall half-orc, built like an ox. You've watched him pull the plows in the feilds whenever the donkeys were tired or injured. He spots you and greats you with a strong handshake.
"Satrash, my friend. Saw the parade then? You aren't thinking of joining them are you? I hear they have a special unit for volunteers that have something to supply other than another set of hands attached to a body that won't last long. I might just give it a look at the tavern, maybe they'll find a use for my strength."
He laughs, clapping you on the back and nearly knocking you over, though you steady yourself. He grins at you, waiting for some kind of response.
Jester, my goood friend! I think I know what to do... I'll meet you in the tavern, is that okay?
Then he towards his hatchlings:
Come on guys, let's go home.

Couple of hours later: Satrash enters the tavern donned in his plate mail, fully packed. After seeing Jester at the back of the tavern, he walked towards him. People who know him were surprised to him like this; even the people who don't know him was looking at a fully armored Draconian walking by them.

So Jester, where do we sign?

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

A shudder runs up the mans spine and his neck makes a noticeable twitch.
He leans forward and puts his hands on the table. They are rough and scared. "Join the army, no. But you are right.. I am not from around here and I am looking someone. He would have arrived yesterday. An unpleasant man, black cloak, quiet. Perhaps you may have seen him?" He worked to keep the desperation out of his voice. This was mad, what would some drunk know. He look toward the barkeep. A pitcher of wine would be nice around now.

[Qualia]

Talon

Talon makes his way over to the recruiting table, his eyes measuring the solider across the table.

"So why the recruiting fare? Is this an offensive strike or defensive preparation?"

[Croverus]

Kous
The man sitting at the table looks at you and shakes his head.
"No need to be impressing me or nothing. Just fill out this form and we'll call you when we've picked you for a unit."
He ahnds Kous the sheet of paper and moves on tot he next person.

Satrash
Jester chuckled. He himself wears some sturdy leather armor and has a large axe on his back. A handprint of red is placed on his left chest. He looks like he's done some adventuring of his own in the past.
"Over at the table, we just have to fill out some form and they'll call us later to tell us what special group we've been assigned to. Most of the groups seem to be small groups of 5 adventurers."
He heads to the table to go fill out one of the forms.

Darius
The man just gives Darius a glazed look. A slightly younger and more sober man speaks up.
"I think I know who yer talking about. Smelled kind of like a corpse, right? Saw him fill out one of the forms. I think they assigned him to one of the scouting groups, He left yesterday, heading south. a lot of groups are being sent south."

Talon
"We plan to use each group of adventurers according to their abilities. Most are being sent as specialists to hunt down powerful undead that our army wouldn't have an easy time handling. Others are infiltration into enemy controlled regions. And a few are being sent to reinforce our own outposts, or to other cities to assist them."

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

It took a second for it to click in his head. Then his mouth suddenly popped open. "He was here? Just yesterday? Well it looks like I was wrong. If he has joined then so will I." He stood and patted the man on shoulder. "You've done a great thing for me today" He pushed three gold pieces toward the man. "Get good and drunk tonight." He walked over to an open recruiter. "My name is Darius Kree'a, do you have any missions to the south. I understand an acquaintance of my has been sent south and I wish to meet up with him."

[Qualia]

Talon

"If you're taking the fight to them, then I'll be willing to aid your cause."

he lookd down at the sign up sheet

"At least for a time."

[Arq Kujos]

Kous filled out the sheet quickly, though his hand writing was sloppy. Writing was not stressed in his training. That, and his fingers could barely hold the delicate pen due to the pain his felt when using the pen. The price for hearing the words of a god could be much worse, but every word was paid for in some way or another. He turned in the sheet, which was slightly stained with dried blood from his fingers. Once the sheet was turned in, Kous took a seat and began to wrap each of his fingers to help heal them.

[Duxus]

Satrash Kartela

Satrash quickly fills out the form, and sits back near Jester.

I wonder what will those special forces you said would be asked to do? A small man force in this big of a war... What CAN they do?
By the way; you seem like you have some exprience, were you traveling a lot?

[Croverus]

Darius

"Yes, well his name would be listed up on the wall under the southern division. Those are groups of adventureres being sent to clear out pockets of enemies so that the armies won't be ambushed often by the undead. We still need a hanful more adventurers to send out. The next group leaves in two days."
He hands you the form and a quill and seems to move on to the next person. The stack of signed papers is small, there's only about 15 other papers signed so far.

Talon

The man takes your from and adds it to the small pile. He calls on the next person, a young farmhand who looks like he can barely wield the sword he has in a hilt at his waist.

Kous

Your hands seem to heal faster than they normally would have. This is likely a sign of Kord being pleased with you following his wishes, though your hands become rougher and leave white scars for now. The barmaid approaches you, offering you a drink.

Satrash

The half-ord grinned, shaking his head.
"You are one to talk my friend. I have never seen a farmer with armor like yours. Its obvious you've had some experiances you've never told me of. But yes, I used to be a member of a small band of thugs, but that was many years ago. I had a close call when the thugs attacked the wrong kind of people and I fled for my life when our targets turned out to be undead! I settled for a life here as a farmer. But I am eager to go adventuring again!"
He raised his head and shouted out a strong huzzah, which several of the more boisterous adventurers as well as some of the drunks answered back.

All

A number of adventurers fill out the forms until half of an hour passes and the line seems to end. The stack of papers doesn't appear too big for the actual adventurers. Anyoen with some experience was placed in a seperate stack from the fresh meat, and there seemed to be only 30 papers in the stack as three of the recruiters start organizing them into groups. Those deemed "fresh meat" were sent out to get suited up with the rest of the army.

[Arq Kujos]

Kous

Your hands seem to heal faster than they normally would have. This is likely a sign of Kord being pleased with you following his wishes, though your hands become rougher and leave white scars for now. The barmaid approaches you, offering you a drink.

All

A number of adventurers fill out the forms until half of an hour passes and the line seems to end. The stack of papers doesn't appear too big for the actual adventurers. Anyone with some experience was placed in a separate stack from the fresh meat, and there seemed to be only 30 papers in the stack as three of the recruiters start organizing them into groups. Those deemed "fresh meat" were sent out to get suited up with the rest of the army.

Kous takes the drink and drinks it happily. Thank you, my dear. He tips her a gold coin and slaps her playfully on the butt. His mood has completely changed. Not only has he finally heard from Kord, he also gets a chance to slay his hated foe. Let me know when you get off work. He winks at her and continues drinking his drink.

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a

Darius nods and fills out his forms. He pauses before filling out his clan name. He returned the form bearing the name Darius Kiret.

He then headed toward the wall to read the list the recruited had indicated. He glanced back at the bar Perhaps I should give up on any wine

[Duxus]

Satrash Kartela

Huzzah! My friend, huzzah! I hope we'll be in the same group, it'll be an honor to fight beside you!

[Qualia]

Talon

Talon stares at the young farm boy, watching him to see if he has the makings of a warrior, or is just some callow youth who does not know what he has let himself in for.

[Croverus]

The man at the table collects the last application. All the men that had gathered the forms speak and start putting the papers into groups of five. After abotu 10 minutes pass, the head speaker steps forward.

"We have sorted all of you into your respective groups. Those fo you who we deemed unsuited for actual adventuring are in group A through G and will be added to the ranks of the city's militia. The rest of you step forward when your name is called to be recognized."

He begins calling otu names as the groups of adventurers join up and leave group by group to get ready to leave. Finally your names are called.

"The following five names are assigned to Group S. You will be infiltrating enemy outposts to the south, coordinating strikes with other adventuring groups already in the area. Darius-Kiret; Kous Aramantha; Satrash Kartela; Talon of the Broken Tooth tribe; and Jericho Malastio. You may gather your things and use one of the tents set up outside the city to prepare to leave tomorrow morning."

Jericho Malastio is a Halfling dressed in ornate robes, he has two wands tied to his belt and soemthing abotu him seems less substantial than many other people in the Tavern. He stepped forward and looked at the four of you. He seemed a little high-and-mighty.

"Well, let's head to our tent and figure out what we're going to do about these undead. I'm sure you all have your useful talents."

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a (Kiret)

Darius' hood was still up. He carefully observed his new companions. A dragon man, a man with claws and a human. He frowned and followed the small man to the tents.

[Duxus]

Satrash Kartela
Satrash observed his new companions. He figured all together they seemed a bit odd, but who was he to talk... He figured long time ago; to first listen a lot, then talk. But that doesn't mean he should be rude:

Good day, I'm the one called Satrash.
And extended his hand in the middle, to see -if any- who would shake it first.

[WarBrute]

Darius Kree'a (Kiret)

Darius looked at the dragon-man offering his.. well "hand." If I plan to fight and die with these people, I might as well know their names He thought. He grabbed the outstretched hand.

"Hello Satrashed. I am Darius. What is you're favorite way to kill the undead?"