The Snow Prison

[Sliver]

You have accepted this mission. You took it upon yourselves to move into the harsh conditions of the Winter Land, find and rescue lord Quest’s daughter that vanished. You traveled to Eastroot, a small border village that gets its main income from the merchant caravans traveling to and from the Winter Lands. To the north, there are the mountains that make said border, those that you shall pass soon.

As the morning sun comes out, you meet Quest’s messenger near the village’s center. He gives Alistar a piece of paper and a ring. On the paper you see the portrait of the daughter and on the ring has a rube engraved a symbol, looking like a stag beetle, the family’s mark. “Those should help you when you will try to question the locals about her whereabouts” says the messenger. He looks around, worried, “I’m not sure if it is true or not, but I heard rumors that imply you might find passing through the main road in the mountains as troublesome. You should try to investigate before you start your journey. Good luck” With that, the messenger moves towards the tavern to get his horse and return to his master.

Game starts. Feel free to roll knowledge and gather information checks. Choose your IC talk color and introduce yourselves, what others see by looking at you and what your characters are willingly share with them.

The OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7349043).

[CockroachTeaParty]

If the gathered group was anything other than a gathering of experienced adventurers, the skinny, pale-skinned blond girl standing at the edge of the group would be ignored for a common peasant. She is dressed only in peasant's rags, her feet and hands wrapped in cloth strips, her skirt and blouse dirty and well-traveled. And yet, upon second glance, one might notice the strange collection of not-quite-real-looking items she sports: a pair of supple, midnight-blue, knee-high leather boots; a silver, silken robe; a shining silver necklace with a large sapphire; and perhaps the most unusual, a pair of translucent armored pauldrons that seem to float above her slight shoulders.
And yet, even in the wake of her strange possessions, her eyes are easily the most amazing thing about her. They are blue, impossibly blue. Every shade, every hue, it's as if the blue end of the rainbow is present in her eyes. She leans on a simple oaken walking staff, and seems perfectly at ease, despite the bitter temperature.
A cold breeze envelope the group, and Luna thanked the Heavens for one of her latest blessings: the forces of good had seen it fit to protect her from extremes of temperature. So protected from the elements, she had only to worry about food, and her powers were able to help her with that obstacle as well. Even without her supernaturally bestowed gifts, she had no doubt that the conviction burning in her not-quite-human heart would keep her warm. Hers was a life not unlike a blue-white star: incredible in its power, strength, and brightness, but doomed to die far faster than more normal, slower burning stars. Pure incarnum invigorated her frail mortal body, but like a dragon's breath to a candle, her time on this plane was limited.
She did not let the knowledge of this plague her, however. Rather, she looked at her newly found companions with interest. Each of them no doubt had an incredible story to tell; experiences Luna could only begin to guess at. What had they seen? Who did they know? Where did they come from? It was all she could do to restrain herself from bombarding them all with immediate and incessant questions. She had learned patience, however. There would be time for such things on the long, cold road ahead.
Penniless and seemingly unarmed, she had no doubt the rest of the group would look upon her with some curiosity, to say the least. She returns any and all glances her way with a warm smile.

[Sliver]

Looks like that detail slipped and forgotten in the main post...

The weather in Eastroot is quite nice actually, it is the middle of spring. You were promised that you will feel the strong change in climate while passing the mountains.

[Tavar]

Allistar Ventrui was somewhat unusual for a elf, favoring heavy plate over lighter, less encumbering armors. And though most elves are known for their frailty, you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He's well muscled, and while his movements are somewhat graceful, they hardly seem to match the fabled elven grace. Oddly, for such a well armored man, he carries no visible weapons, and the Ventrui family is not known for either mages or piety. Still, Lord Quest trusted him with this task, so he must be somewhat capable. There does seem to be a disturbance in the air around him. Can't quite make it out, but it looks big, and hulking.



Well now, Allistar. You've always wanted an independent mission, and looks like you've got one. And looking for his daughter no less.
Turning to the motley group, Allistar puts on a brave face, not that anyone can really see much of his face given the mast.
Well, I'm Allistar Ventrui, loyal servant of Lord Quest. Now, I believe everyone was made aware of the circumstances when you were hired, yes? It looks like this might be our last chance to stock up before we head into the pass, and considering this mess, who know's what we'll find there. I suggest we split up, take care of any last minute business, and meet back here in an hour or 2.

Gather information[roll0]
Knowledge History[roll1]

Knowledge arcana[roll2]
Knowledge Geography[roll3]
Knowledge Local[roll4]
Knowledge Nature[roll5]
Knowledge: Nobility[roll6]

I think that's enough checks.

[Sliver]

Allistar

Although you are quite skilled in finding the people who would talk, you don't manage to encounter the people that are willing to share useful information. From those you do encounter, you hear that a lot of trading caravans were passing through Eastroot lately, leaving the Winter Lands earlier then expected. On that note, a lot of Winter Land traders were returning to their land lately too.

You recall that this village was popular for smugglers trying to pass into the Winter Lands with illegal goods or not wiling to pay the toll at the pass.

You believe that this village houses an old man you encountered several times before. If you remember correctly, he was a forester working for Quest, was really loyal to him and Quest even gave the man some gold when the man showed interest into retiring a few years ago.

[Tavar]

Allistar attempts to find the forester, and if he does, asks him if he knows anything about what's going on, or the disappearance of Lord Giver's daughter.

[Sliver]

You leave the rest of the group behind? Leaving without telling them anything?

Anyone that goes with Allistar:
Asking about the forester, you find that he is quite known in the village, and the lord's name as well, as the forester has spoken of him a lot, and you are pointed towards a small house near the edge of the village. As you knock on the door, it slowly opens to reveal the forester. He recognizes you almost instantly and lets you and anyone with you in with no questions. You notice that although his old age is showing, he walks as a strong young man.

He motions towards a young man sitting in front of a table, working on what looks like a small mechanical statue of a raven. Surge, as they call the man, introduces himself as the local craftsman, mundane, arcane and divine.

The forester seems to live comfortably enough, although he complains that for the last few years life was quite dull until Surge recently came to town and asked for a place to live in and has been a good company for the forester ever since.

He looks shocked at the news of the daughter's disappearance, apparently the message didn't reach the village. He informs you that the pass is closed for travel, only letting Winter Land merchants in and outsiders are forced to leave. There is another way to enter Winter Lands, through the smuggler's route, but it was unused for the last couple of years and might be a risky choice.

[Cogwheel]

Standing under the sun is a creature who, arguably, was never meant to exist. Or at least, one which any number of faiths would have condemned as an abomination. There is something nervous about its manner, though whether this stems from fear of priests or simply being unused to speaking to anyone is impossible to tell.

A collection of faded scraps of cloth flap about in a vaguely humanoid shape, creating a being whose colours have now turned to a uniform, drab mixture of brown, grey and white. It is, at a glance, human. In shape, at any rate. Chunks of silvery metal are sown into the body at irregular intervals, and a pair of hands are tipped with shards of broken glass, honed into claw-like shapes, which appear only for a moment, promptly retracting into the hands.

A leather pack can be seen resting on the figure's back, deflated, as if nearly empty. From every crack in the creature's form, a faint blue-white light pours forth faintly, and a barely audible sound of scuttling and squeaking can be heard from within. On its head is a dented, old leather hat, utterly unnecessary for a being of this sort, but there none the less. Unfortunatrely, it fails to obscure the face. A face which is, in the loosest sense of the term, human. Its shape is correct - there is a nose, there are dents where eyes might be, and a slit in the place of a mouth. What it lacks are features.

The face is a complete and utter blank. There are no ears, and while there are eye sockets, there are no eyes, and so they serve only as holes from which more light pours out. For a brief moment, a small, spectral, whiskered rat face pokes out of one of the sockets, gazing out at the world outside, then retreats once more. The mouth, once again, is nothing. A slit in the cloth, currently closed.

In short, the creature's identity would be all too easy to recognize, for anyone who had kept up with recent events, or even had the slightest familiarity with the city. Its name is one of legend - often to the point that its existence is disbelieved entirely. It is, in two words, the Ragman.

After Ventrui speaks, the Ragman does something rather unexpected. It bows, admittedly rather stiffly, as if unused to such movements, and holds the brim of its hat with one hand. If one was well-versed in history, they might recognize this as a greeting and gesture of respect, albeit one which was outdated almost seven centuries ago. When it rises, the Ragman speaks and, rather disconcertingly, its mouth remains closed.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. If we are to be working together, I believe introductions are necessary. I am the Ragman, as you might have surmised. To say more than that, I suspect, would be redundant. But rather more pertinently, I am here to aid each of you in whatever way you see fit.

Should any of you wish to be accompanied for safety's sake while restocking in Eastroot, I will do so. In addition, I plan to purchase rations and equipment for cooler climates, should any of you require it. Please, do inform me if you require anything of the sort. As for the last of my plans, I will collect whatever information I can on the subject of this disappearance, and relay them upon my return."

Having said his piece, the Ragman stands in place and awaits a response.

[Grumman]

Ashley stands at the back of the group, a tall woman leaning lightly on the haft of her pike. She wears no armour, only a newly tailored set of clothes suitable for the trip ahead. Despite the warm weather she has the hood of her cloak pulled over her head.

She frowns at Allistar's suggestion, then moves to find a place to sit. With forty silver to her name there was little to do but wait for the others.

[Tavar]

Allistar initially goes off on his own, but with this new information regarding the border and the smugglers road, he returns and waits for the group to gather.
I've found an old freeman of the Lord. He says that the main roads are closed, but that we might be able to use the old smugglers road. Considering the rumors I've been hearing about trouble on the border, this might very well be our best chance. What do you think?

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna was fascinated by the Ragman. She had heard about it after arriving in town, at first thinking it was a children's story blown out of proportion. Now that she saw it, animated and speaking before her, she could not help but be amazed. There was something vaguely familiar about it, especially the light it softly exuded. The polite and eloquent manner in which it spoke was likewise encouraging. At the Ragman's request, she spoke, her voice soft and somewhat shy.
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Ragman, but if you're going into town to buy things, I might ask of you a small favor. If you could find some berries for me, I would be quite grateful. I have no money with which to pay you for them, but I fear where we are going it will be hard to come across any berries in the wild. They're for a spell, you see... I guess I could go look for some on my own, but since you offered, well... It was very kind of you."
She then opened up to the whole of the group.
"My name is Luna, by the way. Luna Soryu. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Luna then turned her attention to Allistar's suggestion. She nodded, not terribly familiar with the topography of the region. Wherever the group decided to go, that would be fine with her.

[Cogwheel]

"Very well," the Ragman nods, both at Luna's request, and at the news that Ventrui had brought. "It seems there is hardly any need to seek out any information myself. I must say, I am quite impressed, Ventrui. Now, that will be... say, twenty one rations. That should feed all of you for three days. Would ten or fifteen berries be enough? I'm afraid I am not well acquainted with magic, beyond the little that I practice... "

The Ragman is nervous, in an odd sort of way. Speaking to people was never his strong suit, and being paid attention to, to any degree at all, was also unusual. Unusual and, for the moment, quite unnerving. Almost as an afterthought, he adds "Does anyone require provisions for the weather ahead? Warmer cloaks, perhaps? I will purchase something of the sort, should it be necessary. Once our business is concluded, I suggest we take the smuggler's road, though such a route may make us appear to be smugglers ourselves."

[Grumman]

"I think I'm prepared, thank you."

She stands and addresses the rest of the group. "Hello everyone, I'm Ashley Denisson. I'm a wizard. Really. Er, I guess you can just call me Ashley."

[Cogwheel]

"Understood, Ashley. I suppose it would be best if I were to adopt a less cumbersome name as well. Please, do feel free to call me whatever you will - my name really is nothing more than a description, and names are in need of a little change, after so many centuries."

At this point, the Ragman, rather inadvisedly, attempts a friendly smile. The result is a slit appearing in its face, rather like a gash, with a tide of ghostly light spilling out like mist, shrouding its feet in a white, chilly fog within moments as minuscule specks of frost dot the blades of grass around him.

[Justyn]

Aias stood with his hands tucked in the sleeves of his overcoat, slightly away from the rest of the group.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Sliver]

Aias
History: You know that Eastroot is not only known for a resting place for traders going to and from Winter Lands, but it was also used by smugglers, but the route remains secret and unused for the past few years.

Lore: Ages ago, there was a great conflict between the Winter Lands and the rest of the world. The conflict ended, leaving a great scar on the land, some even claim that a whole kingdom was destroyed in the process. Rough times came upon Winter Lands, but they slowly managed to return some of their former glory, but not yet. A lot of people outside Winter Lands are not aware of that age, as no record was left and few know the facts of what happened, and those who do, guard this knowledge with their lives. But the Winter Land's people didn't forget, and their attitude towards outsiders is cold, but they accept them.
Only now noticed failed spoiler..

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros is a muscular tall human when you take a look he wears studded leather and a cloak with nine symbols on the back. He is armed with two swords on his side where he holds them. His eye have a powerful glow and is very intimidated to stare at. His long hair clean while his other appereal seems dirty due to traveling.
His clothes were also dirty and messed up but the symbol on the back is kept clean.
"Hello everyone my name is Xanamros. My combat abilities are known across the lands. It is a honor to meet everyone.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna does not seem fazed by the Ragman's attempt at a smile, though it is difficult to say whether she recognizes the gesture as such.
"Oh, however many berries you deem necessary should be fine, but if they aren't freshly picked don't bother. The spell only works with freshly picked ones. Even if you can't find any, thank you for the offer. If you don't mind, I can go with you as you shop."
The girl smiles as the rest of the group introduces themselves.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman nods slightly in agreement, and a small amulet becomes visible around its neck - a few strips of cloth, tied together in a vaguely rope-like fashion. On it is a small piece of quartz - unusually flashy, for a piece of the Ragman's equipment. One can only assume it has some practical purpose. He is somewhat confused as to why anyone would wish to travel with him, but quickly rationalizes it, which is to say that he finds a practical reason.

"A wise choice, I think. I suspect I would accomplish nothing save for unnerving a handful of shopkeepers, were I to go alone."

The cloth figure pauses for a moment, then adds a few more words, as if recalling an unfamiliar formality. "My apologies.. what am I to call you, again?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna smiles, trying to mimic the same bowing motion the Ragman attempted earlier.
"You may call me Luna. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She couldn't help but wonder about the light that glowed within the Ragman. Was it the same light that glowed within her? She did not see any soulmelds, but perhaps the whole creature was some larger manifestation of incarnum. Luna did not know why this excited her; few other people even knew about the strange soul energies that aided her, and she had only very recently even learned that the substance had a name.
"I can help you speak with the shopkeeps. I don't think you'll be any more unnerving than myself. I get my own fair share of odd looks."

[Sliver]

So.. You ask around about the whereabouts of a shop or merchant? looking for something specific?

[Cogwheel]

"Very well, Luna. As I said, you may call me whatever you see fit - names no longer mean a great deal to me."

The Ragman seems somewhat surprised to see the same, antiquated gesture returned to him, but quickly realizes that Luna had simply copied his movements. He was, most likely, the only one present who was over a century old. The only one older than Eastroot, certainly.

"We had best not waste any time, than. Shall we be off? Unless, of course, anyone else has business in the more commercial parts of this town."

[Grumman]

"I'll come, too. This talk of food made me realise trail rations leave something to be desired."

[Sliver]

Ragman: You note the people don't really react to your unique appearance as you ask them about stocking up, as they just point towards a small house at the edge of the village and continue walking w/e they walked to before.

[Cogwheel]

A small chuckle escapes the Ragman's face - once again, he neglects, or forgets to open his mouth for such occasions - at the wizard's suggestion.

"I'm afraid I will simply have to take your word for it. I have.. little experience regarding food and the like, to put it lightly. But yes, some more rations are in order, and the cold weather ahead should allow us a little more variety in our purchases, if you wish to have meals with some sort of taste."

As he travels through the town, the lack of reaction to his appearance actually unnerves the Ragman somewhat. Perhaps it was the way every last person practically ignored them and simply pointed to the same building. But then, there was little to be done. Perhaps he was simply overthinking it. Most of his worries evaporated, however, when he realized that Ventrui had been to the house once before.

"That house seems to be our destination, than. Again. Shall we be off?"

[Sliver]

So half the party departs towards the house. As you knock on the door, the old man opens it a little, notices Alistar among you and lets you in "You have returned.. With friends.." He examines the company, delays his stare on Ragman and continues "How can I help you?"

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman bows once again, repeating the thoroughly outdated motions, and steps inside, before speaking in a diffident and polite tone. "Good morning, sir. We were directed by some of the people in Eastroot to your house, as a place where we might acquire some berries, rations and equipment for cold weather - simple tools of exploration, for the most part. Might I inquire if you have any for sale?"

[Sliver]

Amused by the gesture, the man shrugs and walks away, motioning towards the corner and sits next to a lit fireplace, "Surge, looks like you have costumers" he speaks calmly while warming up his hands.

Next to the corner sits a young man in front of a table packed with tools and metals. He sets aside his work, a mechanical raven, and looks at Ragman with interest. "I stock up on lots of different things, merchants come and go, need to prepare for long and harsh journeys.. Being the only craftsman in the village sure helps business.. Anyway.." He turns towards a chests and opens it. The chest shifts a bit and becomes a closet. "How many rations would you like to purchase? Berries you say?" He takes out a few packs of rations and holds up a handful of dried berries "Will that do?" he asks "Mind being more specific on the tools you wish? Climbing gear? cloths? blankets?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna smiles at the sight of the berries. Oh well, she thinks. She leans over to the Ragman and whispers: "Don't worry about the berries."
She then stands politely near the exit, drinking in the quaint decor of the house.

[Sliver]

The gesture wasn't missed by the man and he speaks loudly "I think the girl didn't like your berries, Surge." The young man looks up "Is something wrong? Merchants usually request dried fruit and such along the trip, I believe the nearest town is a couple of days away from the mountains and the fruit may spoil.. Or you wanted the berries for something else?"

[Grumman]

"I don't mean to offend, but we were actually looking for fresh food. I can't speak for anyone else but I've been eating trail rations for weeks and was hoping to have something different for a few days. If you have any fresh fruit or vegetables, or anything like bread, cheese or meat, it would be appreciated."

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman stares at the mechanical raven for a time, almost entranced. He had never seen anything of the sort before - the sight of another automaton was alien to him. Eventually, he regains his composure, and rattles off a few questions and answers at Surge.

"Now that you mention it, sir, some rope and climbing gear would serve quite well. But for the most part, we require textiles - warm clothes, blankets and bedrolls, cloaks and so forth. Oh, and some flint and steel, seven tents... would seven tents be wise? I'm not sure if we have the means to carry them. No, probably not. Three, than. In any case, we also require three days worth of rations for seven. Oh.."

The near-spectral figure ignores Luna's warning entirely - what harm could it do? - and asks "And might you have any freshly picked berries, or know where we might find them? I'm afraid they're for a spell. Magic has all sorts of odd requirements."

[Tavar]

Allistar chimes in when the Ragman begins to list off gear.
Actually, I don't require any rations, but some cold weather gear would be appreciated, as a bedroll and a warm blanket. I'm afraid I left my last post in something of a hurry, and haven't had time to get the appropriate gear.Also, before I left last time, you mentioned something about a smuggler's road. Do you have any idea where it is, or how to follow it? It looks like we'll need to use it.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna blushes at the berry deliberation.
"Please, it's no trouble. I'll find some myself before we leave. They were just for a spell I wanted to cast before we left. I didn't mean to offend you."

[Sliver]

"Oh they are for a spell, you should have said so! If you want to get some fresh food you should visit the tavern, but I do keep spell components with me." He digs up a small pouch full of berries and pulls out a handful, showing they were picked only this morning. He lets them roll on the table while he starts taking out the requested items.

"Crampons.. merchants said they were useful.. Snow goggles, snow shoes.. Winter Fullcloth? Or you preffer the fur clothing? Winter clothes.." The items start to pile behind him "Tents.. Bedrolls..Blankets.. I think I have some Armor Insulation and Ice chalk if you need some.." He continues to take out the stuff. "Did I forget something?"

The forester looks at you "Well, the smugglers route goes through the mountain. It is hard to find if you don't know the place, so I could show it to you. It is pretty straightforward though, but a bit rough.. And it may be inhabited by dangerous creatures, as the place wasn't used for the last few years"

[Cogwheel]

"Thank you, sir, that will do nicely. We'll be taking the lot - fur if possible, for the clothing, and we'll be sure to stop by at the tavern. Pardon my ignorance, but what might the ice chalk be? At any rate, if we could be shown the way to the path, that would help a great deal. As for payment, will twenty platinums suffice?"

With his barrage of questions finished for the moment, the Ragman turns briefly, just long enough to shoot Luna a look that all but says "I told you so".

[Sliver]

"Uhh.. It's like chalk, but for ice! It comes in different colors even. Fun for all ages." He looks at the big pile of stuff "I think it would be more then enough..depending on what you actually take with you.. Would you mind just taking the stuff you need so I will put the rest back and clear up some room and do the calculations?" basically, write a grocery list with the amounts of everything you decided to take.

The forester nods, he will lead you.

[Grumman]

"If you need someone to carry the tents, er... Mr. Ragman, I can. I just hope my backpack's big enough."

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman quickly claims sixty feet of rope, seven sets of winter gear of various sorts, one stick each of white and red ice chalk, armour insulation and so forth, three tents, seven bedrolls and blankets, and three pouches of berries, leaving the rest behind.

To Ashley, he replies with a nod, and another attempted smile - clearly, he has yet to learn his lesson regarding certain expressions. "Thank you, that would be quite helpful. I'm afraid I'm not much use for heavy lifting, myself, but I will do what I can to carry the rest of this back to the others."

With that, he quickly walks back to the merchandise he had left behind, helping Surge to return them to their place.

[TheThan]

Faith Thardon

Before the group stands a being of nearly unearthly beauty, she has the face of an angel, and the body of a goddess. Her long brown hair flows in the blowing wind, her helm tucked under one arm. Her sea green eyes seem to pierce through to your very soul, burning through the masks people where and exposing their true selves. Her skin, that which is espoused, is like that of porcelain and is completely unblemished.

She is wearing silver plate armor that is highly engraved with holy symbols and arcane runes. But the armor is partially covered by a white tabard with baby-blue trim. The tabard bears a symbol, a fist clutching a lightening bolt, the holy Sybil of Heironeous. A weathered leather belt is slung around her shapely hips and a long sword rides in the scabbard attached to it. Another symbol of Heironeous drapes around her neck, the only sign of jewelry she wears. A shield is draped across her back.


I have only to gather my equipment before our quest begins, but thank you for your offer the paladin says to the strange rag being before her. She returns the bow Ragman offered, though hers is less deep and just as stiff.

Resisting the urge to smite the strange being before her was hard, but she has not picked up any evil auras radiating from the Ragman, nor from the rest of the group. Much to her surprise, she even detected another good aura radiating from the raggedly dressed woman over there. As the group leaves to acquire their supplies. Faith heads to the stables to acquire her horse and the rest of her gear. afterwards she meets the group back at the villages’ center, her horse in tow.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros comes to the ragman and said. "You look a little unstable. Let me help you with the lifting; a load like this would seem like a feather to the lifting I am used to do.

[Sliver]

The forester coughs loudly, "Surge, aren't you forgetting something?" Surge looks at the forester for a moment and then facepalms.

"Yeah, I was going to ask you for this favor.. But lets do this instead.. You take the things you need, and we count it as a payment for a little thing I would like you to deliver.. How is that?"

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman nods at this proposal - he may have be a reasonably charitable soul, but he is also deeply practical. If there was some way to pay them while keeping his coins to spend on some later expense, or more likely to give away, than that would be best.

"Understood, sir, I accept. What do you wish to have delivered, and where to? I assume this delivery involves the Winter Lands in some way?"

[Sliver]

Surge nods "This" He motions to the mechanical raven "You should be stopping in Altus anyway, it is the town a few days from the border. Deliver it to my brother, he should be at a temple. Don't worry, it is the only temple that welcomes the presence of outsiders.. The rest of them are pretty cold."

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

"Well thank you for giving us your items. Are you sure delivering the raven will suffice.
Xanamros chuckles. That was a good pun.

[Sliver]

"The raven is a personal creation of mine.. It allows me to sense to world through it and communicate if needed, but normally those things work for a couple of miles, not enough for me to reach my brother. I had to compromise, making the link stronger but the raven lost it's ability to move.. I am not as strong in this art as others. If you could deliver it, it would enable me to establish a link with my brother. Even if it will be rough for Eastwood for some time, I would like to talk to my brother more then making some extra coin.."

[Cogwheel]

"That sounds quite reasonable," the Ragman answers, rather pleased to have more time to examine the Raven, even if it turned out not to be what he had thought it was. "Thank you for the generous offer, we will be sure to deliver it."

He gathers up the masses of clothing, some berries and a couple tents in his arms, staggering under the load and holding them out to whoever might help carry them - Xanamros and Ashley, most likely. With the weight safely distributed in a manner likely to leave the spines of all involved intact, he departs the shop with the raven in hand, leading the others out with him.

The observant shopkeeper might note, some time afterwards, that the Ragman was either clumsier and more forgetful than he let on, or that he had chosen to break the bargain in record time. On the floor of the shop, obscured so as not to be noticeable immediately, is the silvery glimmer produced by five conveniently "forgotten" platinum coins.

[Sliver]

Are you asking the forester to go with you now or you plan to return later for him?

[Grumman]

On their way back, Ashley heads over to the tavern and spends the last of her money buying some food and drink for the jouney. She then returns to the village center where the others are waiting.

[Sliver]

Finishing the purchases, the group gathers again at the center. "Oh my, you are a big group" the forester notices the horse "You should consider a different route for your horse, it may prove quite hard to take it with you through the pass"

[Cogwheel]

"Quite, sir. I understand that our employer was not a risk-taker. He simply hired as many as he deemed necessary. But yes, you're entirely right, is there some other path we might take? I believe you mentioned the smuggler's route as the only option..."

[Sliver]

The man thinks for a moment "Well, there is a Winter Land merchant currently at the tavern, planning to leave to the pass at noon. You could reach an arrangement so that he will take your horse with him and you could get it back after you cross the border. You shouldn't worry about him, he is trustworthy, of that I am sure"

[Cogwheel]

"Perfect. Thank you, that will do quite nicely. I realize this is a lot to ask for, but might you have any idea of what we might encounter within the caves? I'm quite sure it's inhabited at this point, but a little information would not go amiss."

He turns to Faith and attempts to recall her name, soon remembering that he had not yet heard it. "I suggest you take your horse to the tavern as soon as you can and speak with the merchant there, then meet us at the beginning of the path. It's high time we left for the Winter Lands."

[Sliver]

"I have not been to the caves myself for quite some time, and I have no clue about what might actually inhabit it at this point, but the passing requires some physical effort.. Climbing, mainly. Besides that, I don't remember anything of note. The route sometimes goes through built in rooms, bricks, doors and all, but what was built there was lost long ago."

[Cogwheel]

"Interesting. Climbing is hardly my forte, but I'm certain we'll make do somehow. Thank you for your help so far - we will deliver the raven as our first stop in the Winter Lands, if time allows."

[Tavar]

And no one tried to settle the route? Was there any reason for that?

[Sliver]

"There is rumored that an ancient monster sleeps within the mountain. Any time one tried to make the route more comfortable, the entire mountain shook with fury. The smuggler's route was found, not created." He looks at Ragman "I believe you will pass at the temple Surge talked about anyhow.. You would need information and this is probably the best place to get it"

[Justyn]

"There is rumored that an ancient monster sleeps within the mountain. Any time one tried to make the route more comfortable, the entire mountain shook with fury. The smuggler's route was found, not created." He looks at Ragman "I believe you will pass at the temple Surge talked about anyhow.. You would need information and this is probably the best place to get it"

ooc:
And this is a good time for me to post. So, I'll do some checks to see if Aias knows anything about this...

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Sliver]

Aias
Accounts of the shaking of the border mountain started from over a hundred of years ago, but the source was never noted or known to any.

[Grumman]

Ashley takes the opportunity to start packing their new purchases while the others are distracted talking to their guide.

Ashley will carry the tents, bedrolls, blankets and the cooking pot (totalling 110 pounds), and the fresh food (totalling 35.08 pounds). I'm assuming that people may want to carry the others themselves, as they may be wanted at shorter notice.

Anyone who turns around while she's working will see that Ashley has removed her cloak and backpack, revealing that she is bald with a green tinge to her skin.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna was slowly becoming more excited. The prospect of travel, especially with a group as unique as this, seemed to promise a novel experience. She was a little concerned about what might await them on the smuggler's road, but she did not fear for her safety; with such a group, it seemed physical danger was the last on her list of worries.
She did start to worry about how they would take the news of her... restrictions, however. Her very presence hampered wanton violence, and increased the likelihood of getting ambushed. It was one of the prices she swore she would pay when she first made her solemn vows, but not everyone was quite so understanding as the Powers that Be in this brutal, often dangerous, world.

[Tavar]

Ever conscious that this mission is important and needs to be done as soon as possible, Allistar speaks up again.Well, if that's it, I think we should start as soon as possible. Do we have enough time left to start today?

[Sliver]

The forester looks at the sky, amused. "Well, seeing as it is not even noon yet, I would assume so"

[Tavar]

Well then, is everyone else ready? And are you ready to guide us?

[CockroachTeaParty]

"I'm ready to go!" said Luna. Judging by her utter lack of material possessions in comparison to the rest of the group, this seems like an odd thing to say.

[Justyn]

Aias shrugged. "I am as ready as I will ever be."

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

" I am ready let us depart shall we." He whispered to himself, "What can be in the mountain it would seem like a interesting opponent. It might be able to shake a mountain but can it shake a stone dragon." Has then started following the guide.

[Cogwheel]

"Agreed - I am quite prepared, and ready to depart as soon as necessary. Perhaps we should take a moment to decide on a formation for movement within the cave?"

The Ragman stands in place for a time, thinking.. and then arrives at an offer which, given the creature's nature, is only to be expected.

"I will take point, if necessary. I suspect I am atleast somewhat more resilient than most of us."

[Grumman]

Ashley finishes packing, then folds up her cloak and puts it in her backpack with the rest.

"It's fine by me. I was going to hold back to protect the other spellcasters- No offense intended, of course."

"Speaking of which..."

She picks up a bundle of clothing and holds it out to Luna.

"Luna, with the back-and-forth between Ragman and Surge, I forgot to amend our order to take into account my own supplies. They'll be a bit big, but they should be warmer."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna stares at the bundle for a moment, blinking a few times, before smiling.
"Um, thank you, Ashley, but... well, I don't need any of that. My... patrons, as it is, uh, protect me from the elements. I'll be perfectly fine with the few things I already have.
Which reminds me... Um, about marching order. Some of you may or may not have noticed a certain... feeling, near me. I've been given a gift, that calms the thoughts and feelings of those nearby. If any of you are not comfortable with that, I understand. I'm prepared to stay behind a ways; I could be the rearguard. All I ask is that, should we be presented with a chance to act with mercy, that we do so."
She blushes as she says this, casting her eyes mostly to the ground, but looking at each of you towards the end, earnestly.
"Sorry... I'm here to make sure you all stay healthy and safe as we carry out our mission. I'll leave the fighting to you. But please, do not judge the path I walk too harshly."
Luna smiles nervously.

[Cogwheel]

"I don't suppose you have any need to worry. Personally, I have been on the receiving end of too many such reactions to be quick to judge others myself. In any case, thank you for the warning, though I doubt there will be any need to stay away for the most part."

Truth be told, the Ragman did not feel any great effect from this strange enchantment Luna warned against. Perhaps it had simply not begun to exert its true power, but for the most part, he was not a creature of emotions. This was not to say that he was incapable of such things, of course - far from it. It was simply rarer, that was all - as such, the calming aura around Luna accomplished little, with regards to him.

"And as to showing mercy.. consider it done. It is my preferred approach in any case. Though I do warn you, I am rather practical - should your approach cause us undue danger, I may abandon it."

[TheThan]

Faith gives the forester and Ragman a stern look for a moment, but concedes to the wisdom of the one more familiar with this area.

very well, I will see this merchant, and you may address me as Faith.

The paladin walks off towards the tavern, the massive horse in tow behind her. After a few moments, she returns with a heavily laden pack on her shoulders. A scowl is upon her face, its pretty clear she is not happy about something.

[Sliver]

The forester notes that the party is ready and whistles. Only a few seconds pass before a large dog shows up by the side of the old man. "Are you ready, boy?" The forester scratches behind the dogs ear and they start advancing north, towards the mountains. It is a half hour walk before you start climbing up hill, and 15 more minutes pass before you reach the bare rocks of the mountain. Sure you have no way to actually know how much time has passed... But it wasn't that long. The dog scrambles on top of a few rocks and jumps around while the forester watches him patiently. A few moments pass as the large rock starts to slide downwards, revealing the entrance to a cave running down into the mountain. Only the sun's light shines into the cave, as it is not lit inside. You can see about 50ft inside, the passage is 10ft wide, and 10ft high.

The forester bids you good luck as he and the dog turn to leave.

[TheThan]

Faith
after the forester is out of earshot, Faith says
I should take the lead, I’m the most heavily armored out of us all, and I can see in the dark. Although I admit, I am no scout, anyone with skills in that area are welcome to scout ahead of the party.

With that, she unslings her shield and draws Smiter from its weathered sheath and steps forward to the mouth of the cave. If there really is a dangerous monster in these caves, she’ll be ready for it.

[Tavar]

That sounds like a good idea. Perhaps I should take the rear, in order to guard against anything attacks from that direction?

Taking that position, Allistar concentrates for a moment and a blue, shimmering blade forms in his hand, constantly changing shape and hue.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna stares with fascination at Allistar's blue, ethereal blade. Again, the question of incarnum popped into her head. Was there more to this meeting than met the eye? Perhaps the pull of fate was making itself known.
"I'll keep to the rear, as well. Does anyone have a torch? I could carry a light source, if need be."
Too bad I didn't shape the Diadem of Purelight...
It took a considerable amount of self-control to not immediately begin bombarding the elf with questions. The color and nature of his weapon hinted at incarnum, but the manner of the blade also reminded Luna of something else... specifically, of her brother...

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros follows to the front line. "You may be armored but see it limits your movement. You should take off that heavy armor and rely on freely on your movement."

[Justyn]

Aias removes his hands from his sleeves and an iron rod with them. That he smacks against a large rock several times before it... ignites would be the only word for it really.

"A Sunrod." He said, holding the iron rod. "One of the wonders of modern alchemy."

[Tavar]

Noticing Luna's glances, though not sure of what they signify, Allistar approaches her.
Is anything the matter? You look troubled by my blade?

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna glances at the blade, then at its owner, with wide eyes.
"Oh, no, I'm not troubled. It's a very interesting weapon. It reminds me of these..."
She points to the half-translucent items she possesses, each colored a shade of blue.
"It wouldn't happen to be a soulmeld, would it? Do you know of incarnum? I only recently learned of it; it powers some of my gifts, and your blade's hue reminded me of the soul-energy I wield."

[Tavar]

Ah, yes, my blade and several other items are incarnum. Interesting to meet another user at a time like this. I've been able to shape it ever since entering into my lords service, and it is a great help.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna grins at the affirmation of her suspicions.
"Oh, good, I thought so! I once was able to make a hammer out of incarnum, but I haven't shaped it in a long time... not since... well, anyway, I'm glad to know you wield it! I was told that soul energy only responds to a certain kind of conviction... a dedication to a cause. If you don't mind me asking, what cause do you champion, and to what allegiance are the souls that aid you sworn?"

[Grumman]

Ashley walks up the hill in silence, deep in thought. She does not look to the others until they reach the cave entrance. "Excuse me, I... I just need a moment to clear my head," she says, then walks back down the path a short way.

When she returns she is still frowning. Whatever she hoped to find apparently eluded her.

Will Save: [roll0]

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman nods in agreement, extending the jagged glass claws from his hands, should the need for combat arise. "A sound plan, I think. You seem rather more capable at combat than I, after all."

Noting the scowl Faith had brought back with her from the tavern, he becomes rather concerned, blissfully unaware that this is a paladin who was seriously considering killing him less than an hour ago. Walking nearer to the paladin, he asks as quietly as possible while still remaining audible, "I do hope you'll excuse my question, Faith, but what seems to be the matter?"

[TheThan]

Faith
Turning to face the ragman, the paladin pauses for a second, her jaw working as she tries to gauge the bizarre creature before her. Giving up, she decides to just answer the question.

It is my horse, Goliath; I have doubts as to the trustworthiness of the merchant I left him with. I suspect I will not be seeing him again. Goliath is a fine friend and companion; an ally in battle even, I will miss him should something horrible happen. But our quest lies before us not behind us. Let us not tarry longer than necessary.

with that, she gives her sword, Smiter a slight twirl and begins to enter the tunnel.

[Sliver]

You move into the mountain, slowly making your way downwards. After a couple of minutes, you find yourself at the entrance to a large hall. By the entrance you walked through lies a pile of rubble, as if the wall has been breached from outside. As you step into the hall, torches light up all around you and a female voice sounds "Welcome to the t-" the voice cuts off for a moment and soon resumes "please use the platform to navigate through the floors. If you don't have a password, please press the arrow pointing down to move to the waiting room." You may note that the voice is clear, and it seems someone tempered with the message to hide something.

In the middle of a room there is a large platform rising only a few inches above floor level. Near the edge of the platform, rising from the floor is a stand with a place for one's hand, and a small arrow pointing at the ground.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna carefully enters the room, a certain amount of wonder in her eyes. Not certain what exactly awaits in this place, she begins to concentrate her powers, scanning the surrounding area for any trace of lingering evil...


Luna is going to use her at-will Detect Evil ability, and will pretty much always have it on as we explore, unless we get into combat or some such. She will be quick to relay any information this power gives her to the rest of the group.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman nods in answer, apparently undisturbed by the voice sounding out of thin air. But then, it is more than likely that he has already encountered such things in the course of his long life.

"Agreed. While the merchant is hardly ideal, we haven't a great deal of choice. Should we find Goliath in the Winter Lands as promised, than all is well. If not, than you have my word that I will track down his whereabouts somehow."

He then paces about the room, as if expecting something to leap out at him. When this fails to happen, he stands by the platform, shaking his head from side to side.

"The message appears to be hiding something, and directing us to a certain location, in a largely hostile environment. I am forced to assume that we are being led into a trap. Be ready for an ambush, should my guess prove correct."

There is a sound of rushing wind, and the shadows within the dimly lit room gather around the Ragman, swirling around his cloth figure until he seems almost covered in them - a cloak of shadows, a pool of darkness at his feet, and tendrils constantly snaking about his form. Capping off the ensemble is a glossy black mask, vaguely reminiscent of an opera mask, covering his "face", apparently made of hardened shadows. From within the shadows, a near-silent chittering, felt rather than heard, emanates constantly.

The last thing that most would expect at this point would be for the mask to twist into an attempt at a reassuring mask, rather than its expressionless visage.

"Please, do not be alarmed. I realize that these shadows might seem rather.. unnerving to some, but they are quite harmless. Tricks of the trade, useful only for defense. Pay them no mind."

Making a spot check [roll0]

Oh, and activating my Child of Shadow stance. This is why I didn't turn the stance on in town.

[Sliver]

Luna
You pick nothing special with your evil-o-meter

Ragman
The room is bare and there is nothing of note beside what was already described. You do note there are scratching marks on the floor, as if some heavy items were dragged around in the room, but as it is a used smuggler's route, it is only expected that it would be stripped out of anything of any value.

[Grumman]

Ashley walks over to the stand and turns to the rest of the group.

"I agree with Ragman. Even if we don't find anything waiting for us, there's no guarantee that this device still functions as it should. This may be our last chance to turn back, if anyone thinks we should try to find an alternative route."

[CockroachTeaParty]

"I don't sense the presence of evil, for what that's worth. Of course, the absence of evil doesn't always imply the absence of danger."
Luna takes comfort from the energy she feels in the balls of her feet, her Impulse Boots lending her supernaturally enhanced reflexes and grace. If there was a trap up ahead, she would be ready to get out of the way quickly.

[Tavar]

There didn't seem to be another route open to us, and we must push on if we are able. But, this doesn't mean we have to walk blindly into a trap.
Saying this, Allistar concentrates for a moment, and things change. The glow from his blade redoubles, the hue changes even faster. His boots begin to also emit a soft blue glow, and seem to flow around obstacles, rather than just crushing them underfoot. The most dramatic thing, though, is the disturbances around him. They change, growing more distinct, and an overlay of sorts forms. It's difficult to make out, but they seem to be forming some sort of construct.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

My character is in the hunter's stance and can sense anything 30 feet around him. If it has is a strong smell it can be detected within 60 feet.
Xanamros has his hands around the swords at his waist.
[color=red]"Everyone it might be a ambushed so get ready to defend yourselves."[/color

[Justyn]

Aias sticks to the center of the group, as much to hide behind the melee combatants as to provide light.

Why yes, this is a post to let you know I'm still here.

[Grumman]

Ashley speaks briefly in Draconic, and places her palm to her throat.

Anyone who wants to make a DC 16 spellcraft check will recognise it as Mage Armour.

"Faith? Are you okay with this?"

[Sliver]

Note: I will be updating in about 12 hours but someone has to declare he is pushing the button (or you all agree to fall back and do something else) for me to actually have something new to tell you.

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
With a crash, Faernacha bounds into the torchsunrod-light. Standing slowly, a bizarre creature is revealed - shaped almost like a large cat standing tall, but covered in metallic scales, hinged at one end so they stand on end much like a beast's fur might. The head is mostly humanoid, but the lower jaw juts out, and is is little more than a serrated blade encircling the upper jaw. Further, around the head is the pale blue ethereal image of a frost worm's head, with long pincers extending down from his own jaw. His limbs, too, are surrounded in blue, this much more solid, forming claws on his hands and feet. The construct's eyes, too, glow blue, and it looks at the group as it addresses them.

"I am Faernacha. I am a hunter, and I have come to join your hunt. The king's progeny is stolen, the pride of the pack is damaged, the natural order is broken, and all must be righted. You seek to do so, and I seek to join you."

[Grumman]

Already looking back at the others, Ashley is the first to see the construct coming, a hundred feet up the tunnel. She shouts a warning and steps forwards into their midst, her pike lowered towards it.

Once it has spoken she looks to Luna, though she does not let her weapon waver. "Do you think it is being honest?" she asks, her voice low.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman must have been rather more tense than he let on - as soon as Faernacha crashes down onto the floor, he whirls around with claws outstretched, the shadowy mantle around him forming into what appear to be heads, consisting largely of enormous teeth, and snapping at the air angrily. The low chittering turns to a constant hiss..and then, oddly enough, calms down the moment he sees that the source of the noise is a vaguely animalistic, steel-and-incarnum monstrosity. Who has apparently hunted them down to this spot.

Clearly, he has a very strange sense of danger and safety. Still, he does stay at the front of the group, clearly ready for combat, should it break out. The complex and large construct before him intrigued him, to be sure... but now was not the time for idle curiosity.

"You will have our cooperation, in exchange for yours. I ask only that you do not ask for our trust - you track us to this place, and announce your presence in such a manner.. well, one can hardly be faulted for distrusting you. Why were you not present in Eastroot with us when we left? No matter, I don't suppose we have a great deal of choice. After all, you could always track us down once again. If anyone feels Faernacha will turn on us, I can assure you that as I do not sleep, I am capable of guarding against such an event at all hours."

The Ragman retracts his claws for the moment and steps towards the metal beast - no other word seemed appropriate, and Faernacha seemed as though it might appreciate such a term - offering his hand. "I do apologize for this caution. I don't mean to be rude, but cautions simply must be taken, in times like this. I hope you understand. For now, Faernacha, welcome to our little team. I am the Ragman, or whatever else you wish to address me as."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna is at first startled by the creature's appearance, but upon recognizing the tell-tale hue of active incarnum, she become more curious than afraid. Why was the presence of the soul-energy so prevalent here? What was bringing these people together? Her azure-blue eyes glanced over the construct, sensing no malice, but a pure, animalistic drive.
"I sense no evil in it. Welcome, Faernacha. We could use your help. My name is Luna."

I'll roll a Sense Motive, just to see if Luna can't get a better feeling for the creature.
[roll0]

[TheThan]

Faith

At the sound of the large crash, faith whirls around, Smiter poised to strike and her shield held at the read. She pauses as the creature, if it can be called that, speaks. Faith’s eyes flash and glow white for a moment while the others address it.

I… agree with the ragman, you may accompany us, but your trust must be earned.

[Sliver]

As Ashley pushes the button, the elevator activates and the platform starts moving downwards. After about 20 feet down, the platform suddenly stops.

Luna
Suddenly everything blacks out and you are surrounded by a great red sinister glow of pure evil. You hear it, the deep voice, as if coming from your head and all around you at the same time. "Move only where allowed, do not stray from your chosen path. Do not take what is ours. Face only the challenges that were ment for you. Do not, if you care for the peace you claim your world deserves." It sounds as if the voice taunts you, dares you to challenge its authority. As suddenly it came, it disappears. You find yourself among the others on the platform, covered in cold sweat. You are certain it has nothing to do with the new character.

Xanamros
A foul smell reaches you, a smell you have never sensed before. You can only associate the smell with pure evil. The smell disappears as soon as it came, but you sense sweat covering Luna, and it looks like she was overwhelemed by the sudden appearance of eeeviiil.. You are certain it has nothing to do with the new character.

You notice skeletal hands as if they are coming from the walls around you. They are frozen and immobile, or maybe they were carved into the wall. It is not clear though, how could the elevator pass the skeletons without ruining them, or having any clear effect at all.

[Grumman]

Ashley looks around the edges of the platform, trying to work out why it stopped.

"If those things start moving while I'm not watching, tell me, okay?"

[Sliver]

There is no space between the edge of the platform and the walls, and there is nothing that looks like it should be disrupting the movement of the platforms.

[Grumman]

"It doesn't seem to be a physical obstruction, maybe the mechanism has failed."

She returns to the stand and examines it, looking for a magical explanation.

Knowledge (Arcana) roll: [roll0]

[Sliver]

Ashley
Whatever caused it, is not considered common knowledge for the arcane lore, and you fail to recall details about such magical elevator failures.

[Grumman]

"Well, I'm stumped. Anyone else have any ideas?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna, who had been standing just as normally as everyone else a moment before (a might tense, on the strange elevator), suddenly slumps forward, leaning heavily against her walking staff. Sweat visibly beads on her brow, and she grimaces, her eyes shut tight for a moment.
"There is... something here..." her voice is pained, her breathing labored, "Something... deep, deep within this place. It spoke to my mind. It was a warning, I think. Whatever it is, it wants us to... 'stay on our chosen path,' and to not take anything... Whatever it is, it was evil... foul..."
Eventually she stands straight once more. She lets out a deep breath.
"Do you think it could be the fabled monster that supposedly lurks in this place?"

[TheThan]

Faith,

Faith catches Luna before she slumps to the floor. Helping the young lady to her feet, she says,

Are you alright? What sort of evil? Can you tell where it came from?
The questions are in earnest but are loaded with an amount of compassion she has yet to show her allies.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna shakes her head, wiping the sweat from her brow as she frowns.
"I don't know where it came from... It felt like it came beneath us, somewhere deep below... Whatever it was, it seemed to know me, what I stand for... I'm not sure if it was only speaking to me, or referring to all of us. Whatever it was, it was... mocking. It knows more than I do, perhaps more than we all do. We should proceed with caution."
She feels considerably violated. Whatever it was could bypass whatever defenses she had erected. Luna grabs the amulet around her neck, a silver chain with a large blue crystal, faintly translucent, as if it were not quite real. Her Planar Ward would protect her from mind-control, but it did not hide her thoughts or feelings to whatever this malevolent outside force was. She was glad to have it, though, and as she looks at her companions, stranded on this strange contraption, she hopes that they will be able to resist whatever trickery might be afoot.

[Tavar]

Perhaps there is a reason this place is abandoned. Well, as long as whatever's there doesn't try and stop us from rescuing the Princess, we should have no quarrel with it. Not yet, at least.
Concentrating for a moment, Allistar tries to sense any taint of Chaos.
Using my detect opposition ability to detect chaos.

[Justyn]

Sorry for not posting earlier: I had class, then I had to sign some papers to put an offer on a house, and then I had to go to the optometrist. Gotta love scheduling every damn thing for the same damn day.
=========

Aias looked closely at one of the hands coming out of the wall.

"Whoever built this place is simply trying too hard. You do not go with something so obvious right off of the entryway. So few people truly grasp how to be properly subtle, it is a shame."

I'm going to make some rolls to see if any of this brings up any memories:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Sliver]

Aias
Will save please

[Justyn]

Aias
Will save please
More letters.
[roll0]

[Sliver]

Aias
As you approach the examine the skeleton hands, you find they are surrounded by some weird magical glow that produced warmth that you want to touch. But you notice a strange movement and back off before the skeletal hand has a chance to grab your throat

[Justyn]

Aias
As you approach the examine the skeleton hands, you find they are surrounded by some weird magical glow that produced warmth that you want to touch. But you notice a strange movement and back off before the skeletal hand has a chance to grab your throat

OOC:Do I get anything for my Knowledge and Lore rolls?

[Sliver]

OOC:Do I get anything for my Knowledge and Lore rolls?

Nope Stuff

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros sees the reaction of Luna. "Luna calm down I can sense the vast about of evil. The evil is a very soul stench so we must be careful." When he hears Luna mention the fabled monster. A small grin appear in Xanamros face. He thought,"I can get a interesting fight and make use of my training".

[Cogwheel]

"Gods above.. must it always be so complicated? Very well, than, I suppose we haven't any choice but to play along. We can safely assume that anything powerful enough to speak in such a manner is likely the creature of this cave that we were told of, yes? Well, I do not pretend to know where its moral compass lies, but I do realize that we are guests here, nothing more. That, and it's hardly about to harm anyone but us and a few smugglers. May I suggest that we abide by its rules? I don't suppose we can fight such a being, after all..."

The Ragman moves slowly towards the hands, examining them, but carefully keeping his distance. The glass claws have emerged once again, and the shadows seem somewhat more agitated. Eventually, he looks up at the roof of the cave and speaks, presumably to whatever creature controls this place, in the hope that his words will be heard.

"We wish for nothing more than to pass through these halls and leave you be - our passage through here is one of necessity. The less you attempt to hamper us, the sooner we will cease to trouble you with out presence. Either way, you have our word - we will take nothing from these caves."

[Sliver]

Ragman

Reflex save please.:smallbiggrin:

[Grumman]

Ashley lets out a frustrated sigh and whirls around to face Xanamros.

"Xanamros, if you want to get yourself killed, that's fine by me. But I am not dying to appease your ego!"

[Sliver]

A skeletal hand leaps out of the wall and it appears to be attached to a humanoid torso made out of pure stone. It grabs firmly of the surprised Ragman and looks like it smiles "Then let me greet you!" you hear all around you as many more stone human torso with a skeletal hand shift out of the walls. Those are surrounded by a dim blue glow, a protection. Their torso's sticking out of the wall, they bend and get hold of the edges of the platform, that start to crumble.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman was rather surprised, at least for a moment, at the sudden attack. Still, where a large amount of skeletal hands stick out of the wall, such things are to be expected. After the initial moment of panic, somewhat unexpectedly, the Ragman does not struggle in the least, or in any way attempt to break free. Instead, rather unnervingly, he grins. Mist pours out of the slit that serves as the creature's mouth as it speaks.

The shadows around him, save for the mask, dissolve into the floor. For a moment, they are gone, but it is a fleeting moment. Soon afterwards, there is a great roar, as though a blast of wind had swept through the cave, and the apparently angered shadows leap out of the ground in the form of a hand, the colour of midnight. Clenching into a fist, it grasps the Ragman, dragging him into the ground.

And he is gone.

A small pool of darkness appears at the centre of the crumbling platform. A spot that is, hopefully, safe from any of the skeletons, for the moment. It begins to spit out ribbons of shadow in quick succession, each one coiling around the rest, then fading into a mixture of brown, grey and faded white, in a roughly humanoid figure. The Ragman, crouching down and patting one of the shadows - a mouse. "There, there... calm down, now."

Rising from his place, he turns to the skeleton that had attacked him, bowing gracefully. "And what a greeting it is, too. But I'm afraid we won't be going anywhere at this rate. Could I convince you to restore the platform? I'm afraid I'll be forced to fight back if you choose to attack us a second time. Let's not let it come to that, hm?"

The mask is different, now. The features have become elongated, yet narrower, and distinctly rodent-like. The Ragman, too, seems nimbler than before, some how. Another application of his strange brand of magic, no doubt.

Shadow Jaunt to teleport to the middle of the platform, for my first turn. For my second... Hm. Bite of the Wererat, on myself. Should last me for another 4 rounds. Can't be too careful >_>

[Grumman]

"Damn it! Luna, hit me with a spell, if you can! Anything, the more useless the better."

Ashley steps back from the wall, then swings her warpike like a bat in an arc that strikes two of the skeletons.

Round 1:
Ashley moves away from the wall and enters a whirling frenzy and the Punishing Stance. She then uses the Steel Wind strike against two of the skeletons.

Rolls to hit:
Attack 1: [roll0]
Attack 2: [roll1]

Rolls to wound:
Attack 1: [roll2]
Attack 2: [roll3]

Just a reminder that you can cast spells at less than the maximum caster level. Ashley's SR is 15.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

OOC: Grumman can your character read thoughts? Because I said he thought in his mind of fighting the monster.

[Justyn]

"Oh dear."

Aias stepped back from the wall and grasped at the holy symbol around his neck and pulled it off. Raising it above his head, he called out as grey light flooded from it like a silver pendant radiating grey light.

"In the name of the Ruby Sorceress, I cast ye down!"

[roll0]

[Sliver]

Ashley: Your strike hits the beings and causes them to fuse back into the wall.

Aias: It doesn't seem to have any effect.

[Tavar]

It seems Ashley has the right idea. For The Giver!
With that, Allistar moves forward and attacks the creatures himself.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Sliver]

Your attack hits the creature and it returns into the wall, shrieking at you.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna

As the skeletal forms emerge from the walls, their violence shatters the feeling of calm radiating from Luna. She stays at the center of the platform, away from the grasping claws, and concentrates, deftly moving her fingers and whispering holy words under her breath. Her eyes flash blue for a moment, and then she can see the strength and nature of the life force all around her. Luna can see the condition of her companions; every heartbeat, bead of sweat, and moving muscle conveys evidence of their general health. She can also see the nature of the creatures in the walls...
Seeing the Ragman nimbly escape the talons of one of the skeletal forms, she calls out over the din of battle, "Ragman! Are you injured?"

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros moves foward into the fray. "You being of evil you will face the fiery wraith of a dragon."As he is done talking a he shoots a cone of fire.
[roll0] I am using Hatching's Flame.

[Sliver]

The creatures hiss at you but do not move back, as it looks like most of the harm was blocked by the blue glow.

[Cogwheel]

"Hardly, Luna. Now, since my peacemaking attempts have failed..."

The jagged glass claws glimmer in the torchlight, refracting the light into a cone of colour - a short-lived one, quickly absorbed by one of the shadows. Swarms of chittering, indistinct black creatures rush out from around the Ragman, but they only manage a short distance before whirling up into the air, absorbed into the mask.

"I believe it's high time we broke a bone or two. I don't suppose you have any objections?"

As I've used my actions up already, I'll just roll initiative ahead of time. Like so.

[roll0]

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Next round Xanamros moves towards the wall howling like a wolf.
He moves in and swing both his swords.
Xanamros uses wolf fang strike.
To hit [roll0] long sword
To hit [roll1] short sword
Damage [roll2]
[roll3]
Critical [roll4]
[roll5]

[Sliver]

Rolling good on the critical check when it makes no difference, nice. Your attacks glance of the creature's tough stone skin without causing any damage.

[Sliver]

The platform suddenly shakes, hard. The skele-stoney creature looks at Ragman angrily "You think you are smart? Well big deal! You don't have a chance!" and with that, the platform starts crashing down. Sparks are flying at the places where the creatures were defeated, as the supports weren't destroyed entirely, a fact which helps you, as the platform lowers slower then it otherwise would have. But the supports can't hold the load much longer and crumble as well. Just as the platform starts gaining extra speed, it crashes into the floor. You take [roll0] damage, reflex 14 for half and fall prone. After the dust settles you find yourself in a large round room, similar to the one you were in before. You note a stone humanoid torso with a skeletal hand lying halfway crashed by the ruined platform, as if he tried to crawl out of reach of the platform after trashing the main support, but not moving quickly enough.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna almost screams, but it gets caught in her throat as the group plummets. Just before the impact, she can feel her feet and toes tingle as her Impulse Boots hum with energy...

Reflex: [roll0]
That's no damage, thanks to Evasion, yes?

Just as the platform crashes, Luna leaps into the air in a feat of acrobatics seemingly impossible for a girl of her build and stature. She lands as light as a feather, and whispers a small prayer of thanks to the nimble souls bound to her feet. She quickly channels her personal soul energy from her boots into the wispy robe around her arms, the incarnum blessing her with soothing hands.
"Is everyone okay? Who is hurt?"

[Grumman]

Reflex save:
Tumble check: [roll]1d20+7 (rolled an 8 in the other thread.)
Ashley was in mid-swing at another of the stone skeletons when the platform dropped from under her. Although she managed to keep her footing at first, she lands badly, hurting herself in the fall.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

reflex[roll0]
Tumble[roll1] DC 15
Xanamros falls through the pit and keep a calm mind because of the training and as soon as he land he tumbles to help cushion the landing. "Is everyone okay that was a pretty rough fall.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman tumbles into the ground as the platform collapses entirely, sighing and brushing the debris off wearily.

"All of us, I'm afraid. Dropping us like that.. hardly sporting, really, but we'll survive."

He crouches you over by the fossil - that, at least, was what it seemed to be - and examines it. Probably dead, yes, but it did feel a little wrong, leaving it there. Still, practicality came first. Slowly, he rises and walks back to the rest of the group, a small rat perched on his hat, but slowly fading away into a small wisp of grey fire. The cloth figure quickly grasps this in one hand, snuffing it out, and perhaps absorbing the minuscule flame. With this done, he looks up to the ceiling, apparently speaking to the ruler of these caves once again.

"Well, I do believe that's a wrap for the first test. Now, I'm not averse to a little challenge, but that really was quite unfair of you.. no matter, we'll be out of here soon enough. But I must ask.. what are you?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna kneels next to Ashley, helping her to her feet. As she does so, the sleeves of her ethereal robe glow blue, and Ashley's injuries disappear entirely. Luna absorbs some of Ashley's pain, the price she must pay for the aid of the souls bound to her Lifebond Vestments.
Next, she lays hands upon the Ragman. Though it is hard to tell how badly injured the creature is, Luna still transfers his injuries into herself.
She does this for each of her companions in turn, until the whole of their injuries are stored within her own body. By the end of this process, her nose is starting to bleed...
Luna heals Ashley 11 hp, and takes 6 damage herself.
Fun Fact: Lifebond Vestments are not a conjuration (healing) effect, so I believe it will effect warforged normally, yes?
I'll do this for everyone, and when Luna gets close to 0 hp, she'll cast a healing spell on herself...

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros looked at Luna with kindness but his voiced with a little strictness."Luna be careful don't overstrain yourself that is a very powerful ability you have but, none us want to see you hurt yourself.

[TheThan]

Picking herself up from the fall, she seems to be none the words for ware, and looks to be more concerned with the others, grim determination creeping into her voice.

is everyone ok? Stay close and keep your eyes open! We have no idea what will happen next

OCC

Reflex save [roll0]

[Sliver]

I guess I forgot to mention the obvious.. The room is empty, only having the large hole in the ceiling for the elevator to pass through, the remains of the creature and the elevator and a large double door made out of wood.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna forces a pained smile at Xanamros' concern.
"Don't worry about me. I'll heal myself once I've healed everyone else. It's more efficient this way... *cough* Besides, pain is temporary: it's worth the trouble, for the reward of a job well done in the end."

[DragoonWraith]

Reflex save:
[roll0]
...manz. So much for a good save. But hey, I have the Landing enhancement, so falls count as 60' shorter for me.

Also, my lack of reaction to the skeletons is grossly out of character... but I wasn't around. Can we pretend that I'd posted with appropriate vehemence?

Faernacha
"The walking dead are violations, they should be ceased."

Faernacha was caught off-guard by the fall, but that doesn't matter much to him; his preferred style of hunting involves jumping out of the huge trees of the western forests onto prey, and long falls are rather routine for him. However, his usual hatred of the undead feels... repressed. Something is attempting to calm him, and he assumes it is the beast.

He calls out to the monster, "What sorcery is this? I will not be calmed so easily, foul abomination!"

[Sliver]

A note before I go to sleep (back in about 7 hours).. those creatures weren't exactly undead, they only possessed a single hand that had connection with the undead.

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha's not too particular about his Undead. I assume that means I don't get the FE bonus (whatever, it's not that important), but he'd still not like them.

Also, I ninja-edited you - I don't think I take damage because of the Landing enhancement on my Warforged plating. Also, pretty sure I'm not prone... unless there was a separate effect for that?

[Justyn]

[roll0]

"I knew I should have prepared Feather Fall today, I knew it."

Aias picks up the sunrod which gotten away from him, and then pulls a cherry wood wand from his sleeve.

"I'd better see who hurt." He says as he touches himself with the wand.

Using a charge to heal myself [roll1]


0: {Prestidigitation}{Read Magic}{Resistance}{Resistance}
1: {Magic Missile}{Silent Image}{Silent Image}{Lesser Orb of Fire}
2: {Knock}{Scorching Ray}{Web}

Cleric

0: {Cure Minor Wounds}{Cure Minor Wounds}{Mending}{Resistance}{Resistance}
1: {Endure Elements}{Doom}{Comprehend Languages}{Command} (Detect Secret Doors)
2: {Silence}{Sound Burst}{Hold Person} (Detect Thoughts)

[Justyn]

Using another charge: [roll0]

[Justyn]

AND ANOTHER: [roll0]

[CockroachTeaParty]

As Luna makes her rounds, she realizes the new arrival is not happy about the supernatural calming aura she emanates. Faernacha had not been informed about the consequences of her vows. Although the strange creature had survived the fall quite gracefully, Luna nevertheless approaches near it.
"Um, Faernacha? That isn't the creature that wishes us ill... rather, that calming sensation you feel is... me, actually." She smiles nervously. "I swore an oath to never harm a living creature, and I was gifted with this aura. It suppresses angry thoughts... I guess it must suppress the emotions you normally channel while... hunting."
What could this thing possibly eat?
"So... sorry about that. If you want to be free of it, you merely need to remain roughly twenty feet or so away from me. I'll try to keep out of your way. All I ask is that, given the chance, you act with mercy."

[Cogwheel]

"Correct. Fortunately, the calming aura is rather easily avoided, should necessity demand it."

As Luna approaches and attempts to heal him, the Ragman holds a hand out, backing away a little. "Please, there's hardly any need to do anything of the sort. I'm quite alright, I assure you - there's no call to harm yourself over a little scratch like this."

He walks toward the wooden double doors somewhat contemplatively, examining them in some detail. Eventually, he nods to himself and beckons the others over.

"It seems as though out path has been decided for us yet again. I suppose it does save us the trouble of getting a map. Shall we move on?"

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
Faernacha considers the girl's words. Magic confused him. On some level, as far as he could tell, it was natural; certainly the druids' magic was, and what they had explained of wizards suggested theirs was as well. And the gods, they surely must be natural as well, for their connections with their portfolios tied them tightly to the world. Or so was his understanding.

On the other hand, magic broke the rules, and manipulated nature... it was the cause of the undead... these he did not like at all.

"Mercy..." he mused.

"The so-called higher races are odd, I think. I do not know if things like 'mercy' were invented to help you with your quest to separate yourselves from other animals, which I will never understand... or if it is in fact a part of the nature of your own species. In any case, I do not hunt for food; I do not need any. I do not hunt for sport; such is not necessarily unnatural, but it disturbs the natural balance slightly... or massively, if one dedicates oneself enough to it. I hunt to protect, I hunt down the imbalances. The undead, for example, are a disordering. Living things die; dead things do not come alive. They are a perversion, and I hunt them. The aberrations of the dark places, the vile monsters that hide in the depths of the world... like our own tormentor at the moment; I hunt them. If you do not require such as these be given mercy, then I shall try to avoid harming those fitting within the natural order.

"But I am a predator, and I will not ignore an attack. There is little more natural than self-preservation, and I do not seek to shun that rule.

I may also keep my distance. It is not out of dislike, but I do find the experience discomforting; emotions are natural, and I find their removal simply disorienting. Emotions alert us, drive us, strengthen us. I do not care to lose mine."

By the way, a note on alignment - I called Faernacha chaotic because he avoids society, is uninterested in mortal laws, etc etc. The laws of nature, after all, are fairly chaotic - at least in the sense that they can be uncaring and indiscriminant.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna is surprised at how eloquent Faernacha is. She furrows her brow and nods thoughtfully. "Oh, I don't want us all to sit and do nothing while our lives are in danger. And my vows do not apply to the undead, or the unliving. I understand if you want to stay away. I'm sorry."
As the creature walked away, she could not help but feel a certain sadness. We're not animals... If we can think for ourselves, we can rise above the natural order. To show mercy, to refuse conflict... is that not worth something? Luna tightened her grip on her walking staff, determined not to let Faernacha's words shake her conviction. The freedom to choose one's own path was perhaps the most precious gift of them all; she just hoped it would not lead to her expulsion from the group.
As the Ragman refuses her healing, Luna frowns. "But... Ragman, you can be injured, yes? We should all be in our best condition as we explore this dangerous place. That's the whole reason I came along; if you don't let me do my job, I'm little more than an inconvenience. Please, let me help you..."

[TheThan]

Faith

Placing an armored hand on Luna, faith tries to reassure her,

Do no let that one’s speech trouble you, we all have our own path we must follow, no one can choose it for us. Your path is the way of the healer; his is the way of the hunter. That is the way life is.

[Cogwheel]

"I can be injured, yes," he answers quickly, still staring at the double doors. "And this hardly merits being called an injury - nothing worth harming yourself over, certainly. As soon as I require any help, I will ask for it. You have my word."

The automaton carefully sidesteps any response to Faernacha's words. While he shared some of the machine's sentiments - it was, for the most part, quite correct - this was not his place to speak. A crisis of faith was something best avoided, at the moment. After all, one always had the right to their own beliefs.

"Now, if everyone's ready," the Ragman calls over his shoulder cheerily, though the sarcasm in his voice is evident, "I believe it's time we proceeded to the next unexpected deathtrap. Mustn't keep our host waiting, after all."

[Sliver]

Opening the large door reveals a long hall, 10ft wide. You see that along both lines there is a marked white line, as if marking your way. It goes deep into the hall, out of the reach of your light, but it glows weakly in the darkness. There are a few doors on both sides of the hall, and a large X marks on them. About 100ft into the hall you see that the white lines surround a frame. If you approach, you see that it is marking a door with a V on it.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman chuckles a little at the room before him, shaking his head from side to side. "Such astounding subtlety... I suppose we're meant to stay within the line's boundaries?"

Slowly, he steps into the spot between the lines, following the path, and stops before the door at the end. He had given his word to the strange ruler of this cave, after all - such things, for the most part, are to be honoured.

"Do take care to stay within the lines. I don't suppose any attempts to stray from our path will be taken kindly... Though I really must wonder about this creature's identity. Either it has many manifestations of itself within this mountain, or it maintains a collection of servants throughout these halls..."

The Ragman pauses for a moment, standing still as a thought crosses his mind. Terrible. Absurd. Bizarre and improbable, but disastrous.

Par for the course, in other words. All that can be done is to hope that it is nothing more than a paranoid guess.

"...Or perhaps it is the mountain."

[CockroachTeaParty]

The Ragman's words make a certain amount of sense. Luna is just glad the creature isn't dismissive of her, or senselessly rash. "You're right, Ragman. Just be careful."
As they walk down the hall, Luna walks close to Faith, and whispers to her.
"Thank you, Faith. I can tell you too are a servant of the cause I champion, though we walk different paths; not all are strong enough to take up arms against evil, and I can appreciate the sacrifices you must have made. I won't let... Faernacha's words trouble me. But I do find it curious that both Faernacha and the Ragman... both creatures seemingly not of the natural order, seem to champion nature. Less so the Ragman, but still... I find myself fascinated by them, as well as puzzled. More and more I begin to think this gathering isn't just coincidental."
The doors are a puzzlement to Luna. The 'X' doors seem to imply forbiddance, and bearing the strange warning she heard in her mind, she is keenly aware that any transgression could be met with severe consequences. The unknowable voice's direct acknowledgment of her greater mission, that of peace, has her worried; if they were to disobey, willingly or unwillingly, how would that lead to the detriment of her cause? Was the voice threatening violence if they ignored it? Or would it do its best to cause undue violence and harm, not just to the group, but to the innocents outside the confines of these dark tunnels? Luna gripped her staff with white knuckles, biting her lower lip.
"I'm at an impasse. I think we're not supposed to go beyond the X marked doors, but I can't divine what the V implies, either."
Deathwatch is still up, and will be for around 30 minutes. Luna is also keeping her Detect Evil ability active; do either of these divinations reveal any information in this hall?

[Sliver]

You get nothing... Until...

*Bzzzzzzt* Show time!

lemme see...


[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll=Faith]1d20+
[roll6]

[roll7] What does OpFor stands for anyway?


Hundreds of little stones start coming out of the walls and floor, swarming around you and striking hard.

K. Planes DC14
Earth elemental swarms

You all take [roll8] and at the beginning of your turn DC14 or be nauseated for the round.

[Sliver]

rerolling for Faith [roll0]

Faith and Ashley, then OpFor and then you can post freely.

[Cogwheel]

"A simple matter of elimination, Luna." Tracing one claw across the V, the Ragman nods confidently to himself. He had noticed the whispering - his eyes and ears were rather keen, for a creature who had neither - but this only served as a caution. Almost immediately, he all but shut down his hearing, taking care not to overhear a word. Privacy was one of many things the Ragman valued highly. Thankfully, given his nature, voluntary near-deafness came more than it might have to a living creature.

"We are meant to proceed in some manner, yes? The X symbols imply forbiddance. If a clear path is drawn out for our benefit, than the door with a differing symbol at the end is quite clearly the one we are meant to enter. Of course, with a certain, narrow path chosen for us, and the mention of challenges, it would only be fair to expect..."

A hail of stones crash into the side of what passes for his head, knocking the Ragman to the floor. Shooing a few of the stones away, he rises, attempting to defend himself, and coughs up what appears to be the same, familiar blue mist, but almost liquid now, and mixed with streaks of shadows. Sighing wearily, he prepares for yet another battle. Was half an hour without a life-threatening situation really too much to ask for?

"A... trap. Stoning us to death. How original."

[Grumman]

Ashley takes a moment to catch her breath after Luna helps her up. "Thank you, Luna. That was... painful."

When the others have recovered she follows them along the corridor.

Fort save: [roll0]

[TheThan]

Faith

stand behind me! and watch out for those eleme-*cough*
Faith yells at Luna, as she takes up a defensive positions in front of the healer, shield ready. He eyes tear up from the smoke from the elementals, and she begins to cough violently.



[roll0] fortitude save vs nausa
[roll1] will save to negate Luna’s aura

Casting bless, myself and all allies within 50ft gain +1 attack rolls and +1 save vs fear, lasts 3 minutes
never mind, looks like I'm nauseated :smallsigh:

Hit points 26-6=20-7=13

[Sliver]

Faith was healed for 6 from the falling damage before the battle. By Luna.

Faith and Ashley are too distracted by the stones hitting them and fail to act quickly.

The swarm continues to hit you all. [roll0] don't forget DC14 fort or do nothing can take only a move action. Luna and Ragman already clear to act this turn as they already checked, the rest, unless you are immune to nausea, roll.

Edit: DR works. This is bludgeoning damage.

Edit 2: You can all make your turns. For Faith and Ashley it will be just turn #2..

[Grumman]

Ashley turns as Faith shouts, only to be bowled over by the barrage of elementals. She stumbles away from the group to give herself time to recover.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Allistar is likewise overcome with nausea as the elementals pelt him. Luna manages to stand fast, trusting to her soulmelds for protection. She has no method of defending herself or her companions from an attack such as this.
"Leave us be! Please!"

Allistar is at 35 hp, by my calculations. Luna is at 29.
Luna will try to move beyond the area of the swarm, though not so far that she would too far to aid her beleaguered companions. Allistar will also try to flee the area of the swarm.

[Grumman]

Fort save: [roll0]

[Grumman]

Still knee-deep in elementals when she recovers from the initial attack, Ashley does her best to fight them off. She can't use her best weapon against the ones closest to her, but she can at least thin their numbers.

She uses Steel Wind again to attack two of the swarms.

To hit 1: [roll0]
To hit 2: [roll1]

To wound 1: [roll2]/2
To wound 2: [roll3]/2

[Justyn]

I've got nothing at the moment, but I'll post after I can figure out what to do... or when my initiative comes up. Speaking of which...

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Sliver]

All initiative was already rolled. You do not act in party order, it is opponents and then you. Opponents had their go, so now it is you.

Edit: I also would like to note that you did get the same initiative I rolled for you. And you passed fortitude so your go.

Swarms don't get AOOs so you can cast safely in a middle of one.. I find it amusing.

[Justyn]

All initiative was already rolled. You do not act in party order, it is opponents and then you. Opponents had their go, so now it is you.

Oh, I didn't know. In that case...

Aias muttered a few neigh-incomprehensible words, and then blew into his hand. And then threw a small ball of fire through the swarm.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Sliver]

He could have rolled concentration, too.

You still need to make a DC 20 + spell level Concentration check, unfortunately.

Doesn't matter, as your spell went through the swarm alright. :smallbiggrin:

Ashley's attack managed to drop quite a lot of the stones.

[TheThan]

Faith moves to get in front of the elementals, praying to her god for power! And hoping to block them from getting to the more squishy members of her party.



On round two
Fort save
[roll0]

moving to intercept the elementals, hopefully clearing the trap. If I make my save, I’ll cast divine favor, grants +2 attack and damage rolls. It’s a luck bonus and lasts 3 minutes (30 rounds).

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
Faernacha growls, and leaps at one of the swarms, trying to swipe at it with his claws.

Move action to jump at least 5' high (running start, so DC 20 Jump check; I have a +20 Jump bonus, so no need for a roll)

Attacking with Landshark Boots, Piercing and Slashing damage:
#1: [roll0] Attack, [roll1] Damage.
#2: [roll2] Attack, [roll3] Damage.
#3: [roll4] Attack, [roll5] Damage.
#4: [roll6] Attack, [roll7] Damage.

Yes, I realize swarms are probably immune, but Faernacha wouldn't really know that, I think. And I'm not actually certain of it myself.

Also, on eloquence - he's a robot. Language is programmed into him, so yeah, he speaks well enough. He also spent a fair amount of time with druids who tried to teach him their philosophy - though he only half agrees with it, he does think about it a lot. Especially since his own nature is questionable at best.

That, and I felt it would fit in with the group better. Lots of religious types will have an easier time accepting a more shamanistic character than a more predatorial character. He's both, but for this campaign I shaded him a little more the first way than I had in his previous campaign.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Darn post rules okay now time to hopefully not fail.[roll0]

[Sliver]

Until you respond using the map I posted telling me at what direction you are aiming that and what squars are hit, unless you want me to choose which party members you hit with friendly fire, the consequences of your actions are delayed. When I said that you just use what you want and I tell you if there is some problem with that, I meant when you don't have a map and can't clearly see what is where. You can now see everything and your character is at G8 and in the middle of the second swarm.

Also, why do you find it important to tell me you target the swarm with dodge?

[Cogwheel]

Standing his ground, the Ragman quickly examines his options. He had no way to hit the lot of these stones, as some others did, and he was not especially resilient, whatever he might say. The battle needed to end quickly, and he had no means to ensure this. Concentrating was hard enough, with the pebbles constantly zooming about him, but the shadows only made it worse. They extended into heads once more - nothing more, in practice, than a ball filled with pitch-black teeth on the end of a strand - and snapped continuously at the stones, never realizing that they were insubstantial, incapable of causing any harm.

Ah well, nothing for it. All there was to do was to strike at these stones and hope for the best.


Right. Lessee... going to stand my ground and hit the nearest one with Wolf Fang Strike, which gives me two attacks. At a -2 penalty each, seeing as unarmed strikes are light weapons. I'm going to give the GitP roller one last chance here.. >_>


[roll1]

And now for the damage rolls. What do you know? Bludgeoning. Bludgeoning glass claws, but whatever.

[roll]2d6+1d4+3
2d6+1d4+3

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros strikes at the swarm with his hands using stone hammer maneuver.
"Ah the earth is a very powerful foe but my training has giving me your power" [[roll0] If critical [roll1]
Damage [roll2] Stone Hammer [roll3]

[Sliver]

With the combined effort of Xanamros, Ashley, and Faernacha, the middle swarm seems to suffer from too much harm and breaks up.

[Sliver]

As the middle swarm breaks up and frees Faernacha and Xanamros, it slides into the stone floor and walls and disappears, while the other swarms hit the rest of the party (all but Luna, Faernacha and Xanamros) for [roll0]

[Grumman]

Unable to fight effectively at such close quarters, Ashley pulls back from the swarm before striking at the largest mass.
Fort: [roll0]

Ashley moves next to Luna (move action), recharges her maneuvers (swift action) and attacks (standard action).
To hit: [roll1]
To wound: [roll2]/2

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
Seeing the swarm break up, Faernacha pounces on another.

#1: [roll0] attack, [roll1] damage
#2: [roll2] attack, [roll3] damage
#3: [roll4] attack, [roll5] damage
#4: [roll6] attack, [roll7] damage

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros moves to the H8 and focus his mind on the weak spot on the swarm. [roll0] To hit. Concentration check DC= Swarms AC
[roll1] Unarmed damage [roll2] If Sapphire nightmare blade hits it is flat footed and deals a extra [roll3] damage. If Concentration check fails I take to a -2 penalty to hit. Confirm critical [roll4] Crud I probably missed on such good rolls.:smallsigh:

[Sliver]

So... Why do you say emerald razor but I see Sapphire Nightmare Blade?

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Sorry I had a brain fart.

[Sliver]

And saying you probably missed after rolling 28 to hit? even with the -2 penalty from SNB fail, you think I put something for you that 26 is still a miss?

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

I need coffee. >_>

[Sliver]

Also, I counted both Faernacha's and Xanamros's hits as if they were against the swarm that is on the lower side of the map. The one that is in the front is still unharmed.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman, now quite battered, grimaces a little as another hail of stone strikes him. Small blue-black tendrils were crawling into the edges of his vision, and he felt himself weakening with every step, his hold on the world growing tenuous. The panic of battle had long left him - he had stepped past it, finding himself feeling nothing, save for an odd, entirely unwarranted calm.

It would be a strange sort of irony, he muses in the privacy of his own mind, to die here, after caring for my city for over seven hundred years, and even the city after it... Strange indeed, but it will not come to pass.

Sending one last strike flying towards the heart of the floating shoal - they did seem, in the right sort of light, rather like a school of featureless, earthen fish, swimming through the air - the Ragman retreats into cover for the moment, moving behind Xanamros. Discretion was, as ever, the better part of valor. Such practical ideals had saved him many a time before.

Just a normal attack, nothing to see here.

Attack roll (16) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2336040/)

Damage roll (11) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2336046/)
Very slightly superior unarmed strike damage (2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2336047/)

[Grumman]

Allistar's fort save: [roll0]

Allistar's maneuvers:
Round 1:
[roll1]: Mountain Hammer
[roll2]: Stone Bones
Round 2:
[roll3]: Crusader's Strike

[Grumman]

Allistar steps backwards away from the elementals, his Soul Blade held high. He shouts "For Lord Quest!" and brings the sword down into their mass.

Allistar switches to the Martial Spirit stance, steps backwards out of the swarm, and uses Crusader's Strike.

To hit: [roll0]
To wound: [roll1]/2

The healing for both Crusader's Strike and Martial Spirit will go to Ragman, healing him for [roll2] if he hits.

Luna sees the Ragman retreat, but cannot reach him through the raging melee. Remembering Ashley's earlier plea she reaches over, casting her weakest healing spell on her ally.

Luna casts Cure Minor Wounds on Ashley.

Caster level check to beat Ashley's Spell Resistance: [roll3]

Ashley is healed for 1 point of damage. :smallsigh:

[Justyn]

Aias moves as far away from the swarms as he can get, and points at one of them. Nobody said that Magic Missile was the most dramatic spell ever.

Casting Magic Missile at whichever swarm is closest.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Sliver]

Aias, last time I checked, was in the middle of 1 swarm and still needed fortitude checks against nausea.. Also, magic missile looks like a single target spell that won't have effect against a swarm..

soon I am posting swarm actions for turn 3... after I return to sleep..

the maps:
walking order (http://www.celestine-empire.net/battlegrid/DM.php?sessionID=walking%20formation)


this battle (http://www.celestine-empire.net/battlegrid/board.php?sessionID=earthswarm)

[Justyn]

Aias, last time I checked, was in the middle of 1 swarm and still needed fortitude checks against nausea.. Also, magic missile looks like a single target spell that won't have effect against a swarm..

[roll0]

Fine, I use Scorching Ray instead.

[roll1]
[roll2]

[TheThan]

Faith

Faith steps forward and bats at the closest swarm with her trusty longsword “smiter”.




Round 3 actions:
Move (if necessary, still not sure on where the swarms are) to within melee of the closest swarm and smack it with the sword.

Attack
[roll0]

Damage
[roll1]

[Sliver]

Aias moves back out of the swarm and blasts it with a ray of intense fire, causing another swarm to break up. The last swarm moves up the hall towards the party, and taking F7-G7-H7-G8 he (provoking AOOs) hits Alistar, Faernacha, Ragman and Xanamros for [roll0] damage. Alistar and Xanamros are the only ones that need to roll fortitude (DC14) against nausea this turn.

This is turn 3 for everybody but Faith and Ashley that it is turn 4 for.

[Grumman]

Allistar strikes at the elementals as they approach:

To hit: [roll0]
To wound: [roll1]

If he hits, Ragman is healed for 2 by Martial Spirit.

Fort save: [roll2]
New maneuver: [roll3]: Leading the Attack

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros smiles at the swarm after they hit him," I have got you earthen cretens" He uses Fire Riposte if the AoO doesn't kill them.
AoO [roll0] Damage [roll1]
Fire Riposte Touch Attack [roll2] Damage [roll3]

[Sliver]

Xanamros needs to check if he is nauseated before his actions count, his AOO misses. Allistar misses and is nauseated, failing to act this turn.

Edit: disregard that. The counter hits but the swarm is still there.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Come on dice let me hit those elementals with the touch Fort saved [roll0] Darn they aren't dead but I made my save:smallbiggrin:.

[Sliver]

I didn't notice this was a counter.. You still have your turn don't you?

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Yes so swift action to go into punishing stance I will a punch them one more.
" Ah the earth couldn't be beaten by flames but then again my strength will be enough."
1d20+8[/roll] To hit. [roll0] for damage. [roll1] for punishing stance.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Oops let me try this one more time To hit [roll0]. That should be 19 since I didn't add my full bonus I add my damage modifer instead. I rolled a 11+8 to hit which is 19.

[Sliver]

Thats a hit.

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
The metallic beast growls, and swats at the swarm with his soul-claws, followed by another leap into the air to use all of his claws.

"Grr..."

AoO: [roll0] attack, [roll1] damage

Landshark Boots attack:
[roll2] attack, [roll3] damage
[roll4] attack, [roll5] damage
[roll6] attack, [roll7] damage
[roll8] attack, [roll9] damage

All against the swarm in my own square, if I can. I think that's legal?

Wow, I roll three 1's... figures. Oh, but that AoO was a crit, hey now!

[Cogwheel]

As the swarm closes in, the Ragman sighs to himself. This was it, all or nothing. Hopefully, if he fell, the others would deal with these stones and revive him at some point, before it was much too late.

Did my attack last turn work? Never got an answer on that...

AoO (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2336672/)

AoO damage (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2336673/)

If the hail of AoOs doesn't take it down (read: If the swarm gets to survive long enough to make its attack), than I'm down to -1 HP, but stable.

[DragoonWraith]

Critical confirmation and damage:
[roll0] attack, [roll1] damage.

[Sliver]

Swarms are immune to crits... And Ragman, I think you missed the attack last turn, but now you hit quite well. Anyway, the swarm is still there..

[Sliver]

Ragman didn't fall yet. He missed the healing he got the turn before.

[Grumman]

Ashley looks down with momentary surprise at the hand on her shoulder, before she remembers her earlier request. Her arm aches a little bit less, but she failed to channel the energy of the spell as she had intended.

"Uh, that wasn't supposed to happen."

She pushes past Aias to where Faernacha is still fighting the remnants of the elemental swarm. As it leaps again she strikes, cutting them out from under it.

Ashley uses Sapphire Nightmare Blade against the closest part of the swarm.

Concentration check: [roll0] vs. AC+4

To hit: [roll1] vs. flat-footed AC+4 (from cover provided by Faernacha)
Or vs. normal AC+6, if the concentration check still failed

To wound: [roll2] + [roll3] (SNB)/2

[Grumman]

Ashley burns an action point to add 1d6 to her Concentration check:

[roll0]

[Sliver]

With great focus, Ashley manages to catch an entire swarm off guard, and the attack deals the final blow, causing the swarm to break up entirely and vanish through the walls and ground.

600 exp to all.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna breathes a sigh of relief as the last of the swarms scatter. Her companions are bruised and bleeding; it was time for her to go to work again.
"Well done, everyone. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. I can help now, though. Who needs their wounds mended?"

Luna can't use her Lifebond Vestments on Ashley, Allistar, or Faith at the moment, but she does have more healing spells should they need it. If you could please post how much damage you suffered in the OoC thread, I'd appreciate it. Aside from Ashley, Allistar, or Faith, Luna can heal anyone up to 14 hp without needing to roll anything.

[Grumman]

"I'm no healer, but I think I'm fine. A bit battered, and possessing a deep loathing of this place, but fine."

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
Faernacha growls, and begins reviewing himself. There were a lot of dents in places, lots of little things bent a bit out of shape. It wouldn't hinder him, but it was the sort of systemic damage that simply made him more vulnerable to further damage.

"I estimate that I stand just under 50% peak condition, but without any singular major injuries that will impede me. As it is, I am likely in tolerable condition and as healing is not as effective with my construction, I recommend saving your spells for others."

[TheThan]

Faith

Don’t worry about me Luna, I can take care of my own healing. Anyone who is in need of healing, I am happy to lend my aid.



[ooc]
Standard action to cast CLW, full round action to heal more than myself. Depending on the response. Anyone who asks gets 11 hp back (see ooc thread).

[CockroachTeaParty]

Luna tentatively tries using her Lifebond Vestments on the Ragman, and they apparently work at full effectiveness. The Ragman, despite his strange nature, harbored very real pain, and Luna felt it as she took some of it into herself.
"Faernacha, if you're anything like the Ragman here, I should be able to help you. Not all of my healing ability is based off of positive energy. I'll gladly help you."

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
As Faernacha feels his wounds removed - which is really what it is, the actual damage being undone, rather than simply repaired as normal magic might - he studies Luna. "That was very well done. How are you able to accomplish this?"

[Cogwheel]

As he rises, the Ragman coughs violently - strange, for an apparently non-living creature, but perhaps there was more to his nature than met the eye. The shadows are subdued, now, barely moving at all, as if asleep. The constant sounds emanating from him have likewise stopped, as he walks over to the door and leans against a wall with one hand.

"By transferring the wounds to herself - all the more reason to avoid any further injury. My apologies, Luna. I did not mean to cause any harm to you."

Staring wearily at the door, he shakes his head a little. There is only so much life-threatening combat one can take. "I suppose we should prepare ourselves for the next obligatory trap, than?"

[Grumman]

"We have no choice. If our enemies can move and see through solid rock, distance is our only defense."

[TheThan]

Faith

After healing herself and anyone else who needs it, faith takes up a defensive position near Luna. Since Luna is a non-combatant, faith feels honor bound to protect her as best she can.

I agree, the quicker we get out of this dreadful place, the better we will be off, and the sooner we can accomplish our goal.

[DragoonWraith]

Faernacha
Faernacha stares at Luna. Part of it is wonder - he's not unaware of the impressive sacrifice Luna makes on a regular basis, and he is grateful - but part of it is also... suspicion, of a sort. Not that he actually suspects her of being anything but completely honest with them, but simply because he is uncomfortable with such an act - as he said, self-preservation is ingrained in all creatures, and such an act strikes him as simply unfathomable. "I am grateful, but you confuse me mightily, dear."

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

"Thank you Luna for the healing I am okay but is everyone okay." Xanamros goes back into the hunter stance and gains the scent ability.

[Sliver]

"Is everything alright?" You hear Surge's voice.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

"I am but is everyone okay. We were attacked by the earth itself but it looks like no one has any fatal injuries."

[Sliver]

"The.. Earth itself? What do you mean? Can you give more details?"

[Cogwheel]

Picking up the raven in one hand, the now somewhat patched up Ragman speaks to it, occasionally stopping to catch his breath - again, nothing of the sort should be necessary for a being of cloth. Perhaps it was some odd detail in its construction, or simply an acquired habit.

"I'm afraid it is quite literal. Whatever claimed these tunnels does not wish to let us pass. Not unless we bypass its traps, fight a handful of guardians, never stray from the path set for us, take nothing, and so forth - I assume all this serves no purpose except to amuse it. First, a message upon our entry was tampered with. Second, skeletons reached out of the walls to attack us, as the platform transporting us collapsed. Most recently, flying groups of living earth and stones attacked us. Thus far, we have survived. I will attempt to keep you up to date."

[Sliver]

The raven blinks and speaks with Surge's voice again "Thank you. I will try to find information about your situation. If you need anything, we can try to send you supplies, so just ask and we will attempt to help you with the passage"

[Cogwheel]

"Supplies?" The Ragman asks, barely believing his own ears, or lack thereof. "Correct me if I am wrong, but we are, to my knowledge, in a rather secluded cave where the main mode of transport has crumbled, and most of the mountain appears to be attempting to kill or maim us. How, pray tell, do you plan to send supplies to our current location?"

[Sliver]

"Well, there are lines marked on the walls around you. They were placed for 2 reasons. To help people find their way to the other end, and to pass items along those lines. It happens pretty fast, as long as the item isn't magical, or alive.. It is quite fascinating really, but we never managed to understand how it was made.."

[CockroachTeaParty]

As Luna finishes making her rounds, her head is light and her limbs weak. She coughs, and she can taste blood in it. However, with the power of her healing soulmeld all but tapped for the next hour or so, she transfers her own energy back into her boots. She then channels positive energy into her own body, dispelling most of the pain and returning her to normal. She was tired, though.
"The Ragman has the right of it," she says, turning to Faernacha, "But you needn't thank me. The souls of healers past, present, and future are the ones that do all the work. I am merely a vessel for them.
...
I suppose we should press forward. There's no use in lingering here."

[Grumman]

Ashley jumps at the unexpected voice before she regains her composure.

"Ragman, can you ask Surge about these doors? Does he know if they were marked like this before the pass was abandoned?"

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

Xanamros opens the door. Do I smell anything?

[Sliver]

"Those marks are older then most smugglers that passed here, that is for sure" Surge answers.

Xanamros opens the door and you see a brightly lit room. It looks quite comfortable, with furniture, a fireplace and decorations. In the middle of a room stands a suite of full plate, colored dark pink and yellow. It's chest rises up and down, as if it breaths, although there doesn't seem to be a need for that. But you are starting to get used to that, as you just started traveling with two warforged beings that do stuff with no apparent reason. In its helmet, where you should normally see eyes, instead there are two golden spheres. "Are you my master?" the armor asks in a hollow voice.

DC15 K.Arcana
The spheres are beads from a necklace of fireballs. Good to know huh? :smalltongue:

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman sighs slightly as Xanamros opens the doors before he can even receive an answer. When the suit of armour speaks, he motions for the rest of the group to stay back, and steps toward it, still carefully keeping his distance. If nothing else, he did not wish to offend it.

"I'm afraid not... but please, leave us be, if you can. We did not mean to disturb you, only to leave these tunnels. I would be grateful if you would see it fit to allow us through... though I wish to ask one thing, if you will allow it. I do hope that the question does not offend you - I ask merely out of curiosity - but who are you?"

IC is down. Using the site roller for a diplomacy check, and expecting horrible failure.

[roll0]

Edit: Called it. Maybe that could be an Aid Another roll for someone more competent?

[Sliver]

"I.. Welcome guests.." The armor slowly speaks. "If not master.. Show invitation.." The golden spheres at it's eyes glow stronger for a moment.

[Grumman]

Ashley runs towards Xanamros, but doesn't reach him before he opens the door.

"Can you just stop doing- oh." She stops when she sees the suit of armour, and glances warily at Xanamros again.

"Please, we are friends. I am sure your master would not want you to injure yourself needlessly."
Knowledge check: [roll0]
Diplomacy: [roll1]

Sorry, just wanted to see what I rolled for the knowledge check before I finished.

[Cogwheel]

"You are.. a doorkeeper. I see. A guard? I am a guard of sorts myself... but unfortunately, I lack an invitation. A written one, at any rate. There is a creature in this mountains - your master, perhaps, I cannot say for sure - who trapped us here, after our entry. In a manner of speaking, we were invited in. Or rather, we were told we may proceed, so long as we overcome certain challenges, follow the correct path, and take nothing. Thus far, we have done as instructed."

The shadows have vanished completely now, save for the mask, as he attempts to appear as harmless as possible. He was a traveler, trapped here with the others against his will. Nothing more. In a manner of speaking, this was true.

"Does this sound familiar to you, guardian? We cannot return the way we came, and have no choice but to proceed - I realize this must seem like an intrusion, but we truly are taking the only route we can."

[Sliver]

For a moment, the armor stands motionless. Then, after the spheres brighten for a moment again, it resumes "breathing" and speaks "Wait here.. While I... Check.. If you may... Pass.." It stops speaking and returns to it's motionless state, doing nothing.

[Cogwheel]

"Very well, than." He nods to the rest of the group, motioning for them to remain still. There was some chance, at least, that it would let them through, and it was best not to waste such a chance on mindless and risky violence. Quite aside from that, he had given his word to attempt a more pacifistic solution wherever possible. The Ragman's word carried considerably more weight than most might expect.

"We will wait here until your task is completed. I can only hope that your master sees it fit to allow us through." And if it doesn't attempt to kill us where we stand, than that would be quite the improvement over the other denizens of this place.

[Xaklin_Magewrit]

[roll0] Diplomacy check
"Please let us pass we mean you no harm we need to deliver something.."

[Sliver]

Are you sure that is diplomacy and not bluff?

The mountain shakes slightly at Xanamros comment. "Access denied. Please try again at a later date." The suit speaks in a different voice, similar to the female's one that you have heard before.

[Cogwheel]

The Ragman shakes his head in mild dismay, backing away from the hall and beckoning the others to, for the time being, follow him. Once this is done, he closes the door and holds up the raven.

"Surge, we've run into something of a problem. There is a suit of armour here. Full plate, pink and yellow, breathing, with golden eyes. It appears to be a guard of some sort, and described its work as welcoming the master's guests, whoever that may be. It demanded an invitation, which we lack, and turned us away. Might you know anything about this? And, rather more pertinently, do you have any sort of invitation you might send to us through the link you mentioned in this room?"

[Sliver]

"Odd... Those passages were empty last time I went through.. They were also cleared and maintained while the smuggler's route was still active.. I have no idea about this invitation thing or the armor.. Could you show it to me?"

[Cogwheel]

"That would be.. quite the risk. We have, after all, already been turned away. It may grow suspicious.. but I will do what I can. An excuse will serve well enough, I think."

Slowly, he opens the door, stepping in again with a bow. Holding the raven in one hand as before, with its eyes pointed discreetly at the suit of armour, the Ragman asks in a meek tone "My apologies, guardian, for a second intrusion... but I don't suppose you would know of any other way out of this cave? I'm afraid we're all quite lost.. but if you do not know of any other route, than we will leave you be."

[Sliver]

The armor ignores your question and turns it's look at the raven. "Master?" it asks, it's voice is different, unlike the hollow voice it used before, or the female one, now it has a deep, human like voice.

Slowly, Surge's voice is sounded "I... I built that.."

[Cogwheel]

After the shock, a single word passes through the automaton's mind: Creation. The bond between creation and creator, to the Ragman, was all but sacred. Not to be regarded lightly, certainly. He steps closer and places the raven before the suit of armour, almost reverently, then steps away.

To the creation, he says this: "This is Surge, your creator. He is not here, but he may speak to you through this bird."

With his piece said, the cloth figure steps back, though he does not leave the room just yet. Instead, he stands in place, waiting to see what transpires.

[Sliver]

"I.. It was my first project.. It vanished in the mountains a year ago.. I thought I wasn't strong enough, and it went berserk.. I heard they do that sometimes.." Surge says quietly.

At first, the armor's eyes glow brighter then ever before, looking unstable, but after the raven stops talking it looks to calm down. It looks like the discovery and hearing Surge has a strong emotional effect on the armor.

"Master" It speaks "I.. Wasn't abandoned?" It looks like it considers its words "I was lost.. Tried to protect.. It told me he would destroy you.. That I had to work for it.. To continue my mission.. To guard you.. Was to leave.."

"We are leaving, friend" Surge's voice continues "The village won't survive long without the merchants coming through. You won't be able to return, the way back is blocked. Could you do, one last thing for me?" Surge asks.

"Anything, master" it answers.

"Could you make sure this raven is delivered safely to my brother. Please.."

"Anything" it answers immediately.