The Minds Destruction IC

[Milo v3]

The old wooden floor creaked as if under pressure, the sound of perfectly in time footsteps could be heard outside, only broken three hours or so by the crackling sound of fire and a scream.
The air was much hotter than ususal, the devil's prefered that way. Not because they dislike cold, no simply because it annoys mortals, causing them to be more likely to be rash. If a mortal was rash they might break the law. If one broke the law too severely then the Devils shall gain the offenders soul.

It wasn't always this harsh in Moordeep, but with the recent events Devils have now come to power in the material plane. And now a group has formed to try and return the world back to the way it was. Maybe they didn't share a cause, but they did share the goal.

You are all in the home of an elven watchmaker named Fallow. He was balding and appeared to be middle aged, once a rare trait in elves but now it affected them all as they're magic had disappeared. He wore a loose brown tunic, and lithe brown pants of linen.

He sat in a chair by his stone fireplace which would generally be burning but tonight it was not lit. The room's only light came from a small candle laying on the table next to a map of the city and the surrounding county.

Fallow's voice was quiet but audible, and was parched making him breath heavily every now and then.

"You all have come knowing the risks of this endevour, but I thank you none the less. We are in desperate need of magic, the undead, demons, devils, and those damned ... kalashtar are destroying the world we once knew.

Now this will be a long and hard proceedure, you all know this, but it will be worth it if you succeed.

But time is short and we don't want to attract the attention of the patrol's so I will be swift. Your first objective will be .... to find out about how exactly the Kalashtar seperated this realm from magic.

I know a person who can find out about it, you need to meet with him, you can find him ... in a bar called the "Fae's Blade". Its on the docks and has a red flage outside its door, shouldn't be hard to see. Once your there ask for Nihlus.

Are there any questions before we part?"

[SilverLeaf167]

(I'm tempted to make a reference to a certain Nihlus, but will refrain from doing that... for now. I'm clearly not thinking straight today, with the gasping comment and all.)


Kimmeth was sweating bullets in his warm cloak and suit of studded leather. He didn't really enjoy fire or heat; sure, he liked nothing better than a good explosion or a spectacular fireball, but his own powers came quickly, went quickly and left a clean blast hole. No unnecessary destruction, just pinpoint surgical mayhem. He had taken off his black, wide brimmed hat in an attempt to use it as a fan, but it had no effect on the uncomfortable conditions. At least his psicrystal, a sentient crystal hidden under his armor, was being oddly quiet instead of bothering him.
Kimmeth had come to this man under the impression that he would know something about the kalashtar, but instead, he was just being sent to meet another person at another place, accompanied by the most random bunch of people he had ever seen in one place. Still, it was better than nothing.
"How is this Nihlus supposed to help us?" Kimmeth inquired in a rude tone, skeptically. "What could he really know that we don't already? Unless he is one of them, that is..."
Though Kimmeth pretended otherwise, he didn't really believe the kalashtar were the real culprits behind all this. He also decided to shut up about preferring a more direct approach to the problem, rather than sneaking around. But if things went south, we would be very happy to oblige and blast those fiends back to hell.

[TKoTD]

Met was sitted in the floor with a expresionless face. He really didn't have anything to say, actually, he didn't even know why he was there. For all he know, the man that he has just met could have be sended by the devils to spot adn eliminate the "resistance". Eitherway, that really doesn't matter, he has told their parents that he was gonna help them, this was the person, place and hour when they told him that he was going to meet those who could provide assistance.

It looked like what he considered to be a pretty standard group. Some charming fellow an less weirdeness that he was used to, so probably this group was on the sane part of the spectrum. There was someone who rushed to speak, he seems to be a little anxious about this. They should talk, at this opoint more or less info means nothing to Met.

[Wyntonian]

Carlisle Otherlander was uncomfortable. The bug that sometimes lived under his left kneecap was in a bad mood, and was stomping around something fierce with his little pointy feet and making him itch. Shaking his leg furiously didn't help, though it did alert some of his neighbors to his plight, and scratching only made the little bugger angrier. Gritting his teeth, he tried talking to him. The bug replied in a clipped accent of the highest upper crust of society, and explained in incredibly polite terms why, sadly, his relocation was utterly impossible. Mollified and slightly more understanding, Carlisle was able to turn his attention back to the wrinkly elf's words. They smelled excellent.

God whispered from the back of his head. "You should do as he says. We can all come back if you do. All of us."

Carlisle perked up at the words, his fluid features and clothes changing from those of a hawk-nosed, unshaven man with weathered skin and sturdy traveling clothes to those he favored. His skin became milk-pale, his face became narrow-chinned and something that could be described as pretty, his eyes a glinting, intelligent green and his hair the color of moonlight, slicked back on his head. His clothes became an elegant leaf-coloured tunic and pants, with little curling vines around the hems.

Time to pay attention.

[jojolagger]

The massive pile of metal known as Bastion stands near the door, patiently listening and making sure no devils step though. As it was the basis of most his life, taking orders from others is natural to him. The Golem is actually feeling happy. He is preforming a very important job for master, it doesn't require him to do anything unusually complex, and the air is charged with heat, the one thing that can still fix him with magic gone. It could only be better if master himself were here for Bastion to protect, but master was deep in hiding right now, until magic returns and he can get revenge on the kalashtar.

[The Grim Author]

Alfrec scratched the back of his head. The itch there was particularly strong today, which meant that there was something important was probably going to happen. The undead were less of a problem, in his mind —*a well-trained town guard could easily take care of the lesser ones, and the greater ones were, as far as he was aware, rare enough that they'd probably only really threaten the larger cities, who had larger militias and could thus easily defeat such foul beasts. No, the real threats were the devils and, to a lesser extend, the demons.

True, he was sweating, but he'd served on hot summer days in his armor. He listened to the elf's words, and then the younger man's rude question. Clearly, thought Alfrec, he'd never dealt with informants. One of Alfrec's former lieutenants, a young man who had great prowess with stealth, had introduced him to an informant once. Alfrec had learned later that if Ethelrud hadn't cut off the conversation with her when he did, she would have quickly become not only an ex-informant, but an ex-human.

"Don't be so quick to discount the information this Nihlus possesses," admonished Alfrec, his sweat making his gaze seem more tired than imposing. "He may know things that those responsible for this think nobody else knows. Or he may have a chain of his own informants."

[Milo v3]

"He isn't a kalashtar. But he told me that the magic leaving the world would happen three days before it did. I didn't belive him at the time and I've been to busy to contact him again but obviously he knows something about it."

[TKoTD]

Met stands up, closing the upper leashes of his shirt. "Alright, it seem that we should be moving, the sooner we find out about him, the quickiest this would all resolve" He starts walking like a buffon, putting one foot in front of the other, acting as if he needed extra work to keep himself in balance while walking. He walked until being in front of a big chunk of metal that was blcoking the exit. "so... are we leaving? and... are you with us?... also, are you?" then he just stares at the big thing.

[jojolagger]

"Of course. I was sent to find out why magic has left the world, if I can be brought back, and if possible do so. Nihlus seems to know more than us, so we should definitely speak to him." Says Bastion, before crouching under the doorframe and leaving the house.

[Wyntonian]

God's lips brushed Carlisle's ear. "Go. Bring us back." Unable to disobey, Carlisle stands up, his clothing shifting into a dark suit of close-fitting dark brown leather, his breastplate over it. "Will come. Find knowledgeable one, ask how to bring back my family."

[Milo v3]

The street was dark despite the lanterns which lined the street every 30 metres or so. Each building was made of wood except for the stray few of stone in which dwelt nobles.

The sky was dark and clear, stars shining brighter than any of you have every seen. Each one like an eye gazing upon the shell of this world.

There were no patrol's in sight, and the only others you could see was a sleeping black cat which lay on a wooden barrel outside a florist.

[Wyntonian]

Glancing both ways and listening intently, Carlisle draws a curious weapon from his belt. At first it looks like a well-made farmers sickle, the hilt made of common wood but the blade of what looks like mirror. As a whispered word, however, the blade glows, as if reflecting the light of a full moon. as he holds it aloft, a broad patch of street around the group is illuminated.

"Let's go. Light may draw them. Act normal. Give no reason for pursuit."

With that, he heads off towards the docks, his skin, hair and clothes all shifting subtly to be more... commonplace, less eerily beautiful.

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek patiently listened to the old elf's words, taking them all in silently. His...companions...were a rather strange group of folk. There was a weird little boy who always seemed to look a little different every time Yorek glanced his way. He couldn't place his finger on it each time, and it bothered him. Then there was the large golem who seemed to still obey its master despite their magical connection being severed.

This worried Yorek. Golems, much like undead, were magically animated piles of scrap. The fact that this thing was still walking around didn't make sense, much less that it claimed to still be obeying its master. Still, even if it was stronger than the rest of the group, Yorek seriously doubted it could take all five of them at once if it decided to turn on them.

Then there was the psion. Yorek had even less reason to trust him, but the only reason he did have was all he needed: if this guy had even the slightest amount of power as the same people who wrecked the world, he was someone to be feared. Yorek didn't like working with the enemy, but he wasn't in a position to pick fights. Not yet. Yorek resolved to keep a close eye on each member of the group. Sighing as they left, he realized to himself that he was probably the only sane one there.

As the night sky bore down upon Yorek and his group, the dwarf nodded to himself. "Right. The docks are this way," he whispered to the others, pointing with one of his clawed fingers. "There are quite a few of us though. We might draw attention to ourselves if we all walk together. Shall we split into two groups?" he suggested, not slowing his pace as he looked at the human with the unsteady footing expectantly.

[The Grim Author]

Alfrec frowned. "I suppose... but on the other hand, a group of six splitting up when they appear to be traveling together would seem suspicious to any town guard worth his salt." Alfrec looked up at the sky. "Whereas we're just walking. Unless suddenly walking is illegal." Alfrec wiped his brow.

[TKoTD]

Once he was out, Met felt that at least he was saved a long speech and a complete dissertation about a subject that really wasn’t in the best of his interest. Even though he didn't has the slightest idea of their position in the world, he kept a little hope that a group of armed men an a golem were a common enough sight that wouldn’t catch anyone attention.

"It seems like a good idea, and taking into account that you seem to know where to go, I'll join you" He said while joining besides the dwarf-"Don`t you think that those claws are a little bit over the top? It isn’t like there is any treat around" and while he talked to the dwarf, he was trying to SPOT anything unusual around there. When he set his pace by the dwarf, and after listening to his answer, he whispered to him "A group like ours is common around here, isn’t it?"

<edit> Added: Once he listened to Alfrec's comment he just replied "I don't know about walking around, but a group of strangers with their weapons ready always seems to catch guard's attention even in the most depressed viallge."

[Milo v3]

You pass through the winding streets of the guild district, without being seen by the fiendish guards. The streets slowly degrade as you reach the dock, becoming a cracked cobblestone. The rancid smell of gutted fish driffed through the air. You pass several urchins who seemed not to mind the smell though, but they stare at Bastion as he passes.

Once you finally reach the docks you can see the green Sea of Moros. The water glistened in the moon and starlight. Several ships lay within the dock, a smaller number than usual though. Most of the ships were small fishing boats.

As you can look upon the area you can see the red flage Fallow was talking about. It hung over a small fragile wooden building next to one of the huge warehouses. A small sign hung over its door, but you are too far away to read it.

Carlisle Only
Every now and then as you walk you see a shadow dart past the corner of your eye. It seemed like the usual until God spoke of it.
"Enemy Eyes watch you from the shadow's."

Met Only
Every now and then you see a humanoid figure move in the corner of your eye but when you look it always disappears. But now that the group standing the shadow remains even when you look. Someone is standing behind the group in the shadows of an ally.

[TKoTD]

Trying to appear as someone who is not paying so much attention to what's going on his sorroundings. "Hey guys, we should totally go to that ship that we're a looking for... some lead the way there" as they turn their heads to crrect him, he tries to make non-obvious wink signals that he *totally* knows what he's talking about.


Whatever they decide to do, Met start to fall a little bit behind, trying to get closer to the shadow looking humanoid

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek blinked in surprise. "Ship? What are you...hmm." His brow furrowed when he saw Met wink in his direction. "Better go along with this. Seems like he's up to something."

Aloud, Yorek announced, "Why, I believe that's our ship right there!" He strolled past the group to the head and started walking towards both the inn and a rather large ship on the dock, keeping his head down. Was something about to happen?

[Wyntonian]

As God whispers again, Carlisle freezes. "Enemies. Close. Always watching. Hunting. Badbadbadbad...." his voice drops to a restrained whisper as his body drops into a crouch, as his sickle moves from being held as a torch to being a weapon.

As the human speaks, however, he instantly straightens back up. His training in the Court was sufficient to let him know when others have a plan. His voice changes from an animalistic whisper to a comradely laugh "Hey, sorry about that. Had to tie my shoe, y'see. And I believe the boat is this way, near the warehouses." His face crunches up in effort at keeping his voice calm, relaxed and vaguely human-like and the bug under his kneecap starts wriggling about, again.

[Milo v3]

As you head towards the "Ship" the broken cobblestone makes it slightly harder for move quickly. A shadow is seen in the corners of your eyes for half a second as you move slower. But is gone when you look.

You are now at the pier which connects to the large ship you pointed at. The Fae's Blade is still a bit further though.

Met Only
The shadowy figure seems to not notice that you are closer to it and that you of its presence.

You have noticed that the figure is a human wearing a black or similiar dark coloured tunic and has a black tattoo of a sigil on his face. He has long straight hair.

[jojolagger]

Bastion keeps walking toward the inn, wondering why the people are getting a bit more unusual. "Well, let's not waste time." says Bastion, dashing a short distance then looking back, intentionally looking INTIMIDATEing.

[Milo v3]

Met Only
The figure runs off into the alleys

[TKoTD]

"Hey fellas I'll catch with you at our meeting place, I think that i have more beers than what I can stand" Then he turns to the alley, puts himself in a pissng position while
tries to SEARCHanything that this mysterious humanoiid could had left behind in his rush. Also, he tries to SPOT if there's anyone nearby. He takes a piss to, It wouldn't harm him.

[Milo v3]

Met only
You find a small glistening gem. It is a perfect hexagonal prism and is amber in colour. Static electricity zaps you at its tocuh.

[SilverLeaf167]

(Wow, a lot happens when I'm asleep over here)

Kimmeth still isn't totally sure about this Nihlus person; in his mind, having had foreknowledge of the events makes him even more suspicious. Arguing and speculation isn't going to get him anywhere though, so he just stays quiet and follows the group outside.
He finds the silent, empty streets quite unnerving. As the phrase goes, it's too quiet. His right hand flutters nervously over the sheathed knife on his belt, and even though he prefers his powers over any weapon in actual combat, this habit always soothes his nerves. It does so now, as well.
Of the group, the mumbling kid is the weirdest to him, and Kimmeth starts to doubt his sanity. He might be a threat later, worth keeping an eye on.

As the sketchy looking fellow starts talking nonsense about ships and retreats away to empty his bladder, Kim initially thinks he might still be under the influence of those "too many beers", but when the dwarf goes along with it, it seems there is something more to it. "Contact him and ask what is going on", Kim telepathically commands his psicrystal.

The psicrystal, hidden under his armor, sends a psychic signal to Yorek's mind. "Hello, this is Kimmeth. Do you have any idea what is going on?" it says in a gentle voice. Kimmeth waves and nods to him to confirm that it is indeed him, and not some deceptive devil.

By the way, Kimmeth should always be assumed to have Taken 10 on a Concentration check to psionically focus his psicrystal.

[TKoTD]

When he's finally empty he just grab it, put it inside his pants and feels it, a tickling sensation that, once you get used to it, is just fantastic. He just watch the group ahead of him, not really sure if he really wants to hear the whole story over there. Once he really give the situation a tought he's absolutly sure that he don't want to hear a cranky old guy talking about who knows what world altering magic trick. Met then decides that he's gonna way on the outside, keeping he's distant from everybody and just keep an eye if some other person gets into the building once they're in. He tries to comunicate this complex idea to them by putting to fingers in his forehead, and then taking them away like a universal sign for leaving. He then sits by some barrel on the docks acting as some asleep drunk, always keeping an eye on, what by now should be called, his travel companions.

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek heard a voice in his head and glanced back at the psion, who waved at him.

Kimmeth only

"I have no idea. It seems the drunken human understands more than I do. So I shall comply with his outburst to the best of my ability for now, until either something happens or he gives me a signal to stop. Perhaps you should contact him with your telepathy? He will be able to answer your questions much better than I."


And with that, Yorek turned away and continued to walk. The ship and the inn were both still a bit further down the dock, but Yorek kept a slow, careful pace. His eyes darted around, looking for any sign of trouble.


Listen: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]

Yorek has darkvision, so shaded areas mean nothing to him.

[SilverLeaf167]

Seeing the rogue wave and leave, Kimmeth frowns. The man is already outside his miserably short telepathy range. Now he's just even more confused of whether the man saw something or is just drunk. He definitely isn't going to give chase and attract attention though, so he just sighs and keeps walking towards the inn with the rest of the group. At least the dwarf seems somewhat reasonable, with some insight into psionics. Kimmeth knows many people who would just freak out or instantly suspects demons if he ever contacted them telepathically.
Though the drunk, golem and madman seem a little too unpredictable for his tastes, at least this dwarf might be a valuable ally. He isn't sure about the armored man yet, but at least he hasn't done anything particularly crazy so far.

Kimmeth is also usually making Autohypnosis checks to memorize details about people and events he encounters, Taking 10 whenever possible. If that feels annoying for you to process or you think I'm Taking 10 too often, just tell me.

Kimmeth also makes a Knowledge (local) check to see if he knows anything about this particular bar they're headed to.
1d20+9

[Milo v3]

Kimmeth Only
The Bar isn't very well known except by sailors. Most of the people who go in the bar are either fishermen or pirates, and as such are an uncontrolled crowd. Rumors say it is named the Fae's Blade because the Barkeep found a sword made by Fey in the swamps.

Yorek Only
You can't see any sign of danger, or life except for a few frogs under the piers.

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek could not spot any danger, and then he checked again and still couldn't spy it. After twice confirming that there was nothing around him, he nodded to the rest of the group and pushed the door to the inn open, walking inside and taking a look around. His claws were sharpened and ready, just in case of an attack.

[Milo v3]

The Inn was nearly full, with only three tables lying empty of people. The tables were wooden and round, seven chairs around each of the tables.

At the bar sat a few fellows some elves, but most were human. Behind the bar was a dwarf serving a drink to one of his younger customers, who as aged only about seventeen.

There was a stage, upon which stood three bards. The instruments of each of them being aflame, but it seemed as though it was only an illusion as the bards weren't harmed by it.

[Wyntonian]

Carlisle steps inside, sheathing his sickle. He looks around in amazement at the people, the differing races, the flaming instruments. After a moment, he moves far enough out of the doorway to let others in.

[SilverLeaf167]

Quite a nice atmosphere they got here, Kimmeth snickers to himself when stepping in through the door. He is somewhat worried about the crowd hiding a potential thief or mugger, given the typical patronage of this place. "Keep an eye on your belongings, this place is popular among pirates", he whispers to the others and moves his over-the-shoulder satchel back in front of his stomach to keep it safe.
I wonder how we're supposed to recognize Nihlus...

[TKoTD]

Now that everyone seem to be heading inside Met has enought time to think about what could be his best option to be of some use. He tries to look if there is some corridor between the Inn and the buildings surrounding it. That could be a place to get a good idea of what's going on inside without skipping what he now considers his "guard" duty. Otherwise he would displace somwhere closer to the inn and would just lay on the floor as someone who cannot find the proper balance between bot of his legs.

[jojolagger]

Crouching to enter the bar, Bastion waits near the door, ready to take action if need be.

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek walked into the bar, surveying the scene with a bit of a small smile, despite himself. These people were all good people of the world, all trying to relax and have a drink after a hard day's work. Yorek nodded to himself. This was what he wanted to protect. He wanted to make sure that, at the end of the day, not one of these men was forced to take up arms and fight for a cause they didn't believe in.

Yorek crossed his arms. Now, how to proceed? Well, the elf had said to "ask for Nihlus", so...

Glancing at his companions expectantly, particularly Bastion, and then sighing, Yorek walked up to the dwarf and smiled politely. He ordered a drink, and when the dwarf came back with it, slipped him a piece of paper with the sentence, "I'm here to see Nihlus" written on it. He gave the dwarf a serious, but silent look.

[Milo v3]

The Group
He gazed at the note as he handed you a beer.
"Sorry I need to see if I have that in stock. Can you follow me to the celler so you can identify it?"
He spoke as if it was a normal time, giving nothing away to any onlookers.

He slowly walked out from behind a bench, and stood next to a wooden door.

Met
You can see a thin alley which is in between the storage warehouse and the tavern. As you look down it you can see a small window which looks into the Tavern.

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek took a moment to consider this. The group had entered the bar together, but so far, they hadn't done anything to signify that they were actually..."together", as of yet. The remaining members were all scattered throughout the tavern's entrance hall now, so for all the bartender knew, Yorek was the only person who was interested in Nihlus. Sure, the old dwarf could probably surmise pretty easily that the rest of them were with him, but he couldn't prove it, and that was what was important.

Yorek had to be careful here. He didn't know if this was a trap, he didn't know how much he could trust the elf and certainly not this bartender, hell, he didn't even know if this Nihlus guy was on his side or not. As much as he hated to do it, he needed some backup. That would mean leaving the rest of the group vulnerable to an attack, but there was an entire bar of people here, if the devils tried anything, they would have more than just Yorek's companions to deal with.

After a full thirty seconds of silence, Yorek turned and beckoned to Bastion, requesting the golem to join him. He turned back to the dwarf and said, "It would be my pleasure to come with you, but I'm afraid if I leave my golem on its own it might break something. It would be in your best interest if you allowed it to accompany us, please."

Yorek phrased his words slowly, his eyes both unthreatening and firm. He was trying to convey a true reason for having the golem accompany him to get his "drink", but without making it sound like he was threatening the bartender. He only hoped that the dwarf could understand the look they were sharing.

[SilverLeaf167]

Kimmeth looks around and manages to catch a glimpse of Yorek just as he follows the dwarf and beckons to Bastion. Though he isn't particularly happy about being left out like this, he assumes that Yorek has his reasons, and instead sits into a chair in the corner of the room, grasping his bag tight. In addition to all his belongings inside it, the bag itself is magical, and he definitely doesn't want to lose it to some pesky mugger or pickpocket. Looking around the relatively typical bar, he gets the feeling that his idea of the place might be a little exaggerated, but keeps a watchful eye on his belongings and the room nonetheless. He doesn't want to spend too much time here, with their important mission underway and all.

[TKoTD]

Now that he has find a good place to pay attention to what's going on both the inside an outside of the inn he sits there (undert the window) trying to listen or spot anything unusual. If nothing really happens in the next 15 minutes he will start to think about something else to do, he really hopes that discovering what has disable magic arround the globe doesn't take so long.

[jojolagger]

Bastion makes his way towards the beckoning Yorek with surprising speed, but nothing compared to the little run earlier. He doesn't speak, but upon reaching Yorek and the bartender, he nods and will follow them.

[Milo v3]

The Group
"Oh course sir." He spoke as Bastion reached the door. The bartender then twisted the knob and walked inside, he waited until Yorek & Bastion followed, then the door shut closed.

Yorek & Bastion
Behind the lay a set of fragile stairs which lead into a wine celler.
Wine racks lined the walls and the smell of fermenting liquids filled the air. The sound of the bards were faint. Your Dwarf guide lead you around a corner. Around which you could see a stocky figure in a chair, scribbling notes upon parchment.
"You wanted to see me. I told my brother to be ready for you, but he didn't believe that I would have visitors."

Kimmeth
Luckily no one seems to be thinking of stealing your things. But in the corner of your eye can see a halfling reaching into Carlisle's pockets.

Met
You can see the bards with flaming instruments, the many, patrons, and you can see your companions. Then something strange happens. You see Yorek and Bastion pass through a wooden door with a stranger who appears to be a dwarf.

Carlisle
You hear the whisper of god in your ear.

[TKoTD]

"Everything seem to be allright" Met things to himself. Feeling sure about everything being in order outside and in the inside (it must be a normal thing to go in the inside when meeting some kind of informant). Well, there's not much else to do. "I guess that I'll just keep my watch till everyone is done with their bussiness at this local Inn, I hope they arrenge a couple of confortable beds, that's something that I could use".

Met started laughting softly to himself. The reason for that was a distant memory, from the first time that he found himself away from home.

I had never been able to sleep tight again till the moment when Rex found a creative solution for his problems. "Given that what makes you uncofortable is the fact that you have never slept without your feather bed I thing that I had found a solution" said his companion. I tought that he was probably going to find a extra confortable travel gear or something like that, but his approach to problems never was a straight forward solution. The next day Rex added a fake floor to our travel cart, this was a soft surface resembling leather (I prefer to thing that it came from some animal) and he filled the area beneath it with live chickens. In the begining it felt a littlle bit odd, but after some time the movement of those animals provided some really neat sensation on the back when laying there. It was a usefull solution to, we got our food supplies covered for most of our travel, and even though we needed to replenish our bed we with fresh birds every three or four days, they came cheap and people were willing to buy some tender chicken meat. So, all in all, it was a cost effective solution for our travel needs.


*Sigh*

[SilverLeaf167]

"Watch out for your pockets!" Kimmeth conducts a mental message through his psicrystal and sends it to Carlisle, referring to a halfling pickpocket trying to reach in and steal something from Carlisle's pocket. Though Kimmeth doesn't like the weird man too much, there's no actual reason to not stop him from getting robbed.

[Wyntonian]

At the shout in his head, Carlisle whirls around and sees the little thief. He grabs him by the scruff of the neck and lifts him up to his face, his lips near the thief's ear. God supplies the words for him to say, in an low, icy calm voice more terrifying than a shout. "If you claim to orbit the sun, why are my bones so narrow? You have too many of them. I see you, you know. Little shadow-rat. Can't run. Not today. I see something inside you. A scream. It needs to come out. I can help with that. Or you can leave.
He drops the thief to the floor drops a coin at his feet. "You had good hands. Earned it. Now go."

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek sat down, calmly, looking at the dwarf he presumed to be Nihlus with a relieved expression. Another dwarf. That was already a plus. At least he was no outsider or other creature trying to exploit the Material Plane like the rest of them.

Well met. I'm...you can call me Tobias. And this is my companion, Throwdown," he gestured to Bastion. Yorek couldn't be too careful in this situation. Fake names would allow for effective communication without much risk to the group, though Yorek still doubted that even the most obscure nickname wouldn't hide them if Nihlus claimed they were walking around with a golem.

"Our elven friend told us you had some information for us." Yorek explained.

[Milo v3]

Yorek & Bastion

Slowly he got up from his chair, his face was pale and his eyes were red in colour. Tiny fangs jutted out of his mouth onto his lip. His eyes looked as though they hadn't been used in many years.
"Before this month I could've told if that was a fake name. It feels so good to not know. But that doesn't have to do with this. I do have information.
You see I was an observer of this world. I excelled in seeing what is and what will be. You probably know that the Kalastar used a ritual to remove magic. I saw this ritual as it happened. And just before my vision faded, I saw something you can use to your advantage. Normally I wouldn't simply give this information to people, but you must know.
The focus of their act was a truly unique crystal. At the end of their ceremony the crystal shattered. The psionic energy allowed most of it to retain its form. But a few shards fell from it. Knowing of its importance I followed it. The shard landed north of this city into the side of an old fort.

Then my sight faded."
His serious tone, left as he spoke the last line, a grin upon his face.

The Group
The thief quickly grabbed the coin and ran out through the wooden door. Bumping into a few people on his way.

[NeoSeraphi]

Bastion and DM

Yorek's eyes widened. "I see. So this ritual was the reason for the sudden loss of magic in the world. But I don't understand. How does knowing where that shard landed help us? It's not like we want to perform the ritual again. We want to bring the magic back into the world, not seal it up further."

[Milo v3]

Yorek & Bastion
His dying eyes rolled. And talked with a young and belittling voice.
"You ignorant fool. If they could've sealed it further then it would've already been done.
This shard is the result of the psionic energy which the removed magic from the world. If you were to charge enough energy into it a similar energy will be given off. This will cause it to link to magic again and theoreticallly tear it into the world."

[NeoSeraphi]

Bastion and DM

Yorek winced at his tone. How was he supposed to know any of that? It's not like he was an expert on arcane magic.

"So if Throwdown and I retrieve this shard for you, would you be able to charge it yourself? Or how would we go about recharging it?" he asked, a bit confused.

[Milo v3]

Yorek & Bastion
"Ah to be blind and foolish, you must truly relish it. I can not empower it as my abilities are arcane in nature. It requires one with psionic power similiar of that to a Kalastar, a psion or one similarly inclined."

[NeoSeraphi]

Bastion and DM

"Okay...we have an acquaintance like that," Yorek replied, choosing his words carefully. "So I just need to find the shard, give it to a psion, and have him channel his power into the shard? That's it? It seems too easy."

[jojolagger]

Yorek & DM
"Why would getting the small portion of the focus be able to completely negate the effects of the whole focus. It still makes sense as a first step, but shouldn't we need at least the majority of the focus to bring magic back in it's true power?" Says Throwdown, having spent all this time analyzing as fast as he could. The most worrying bit being why the man was helping them get magic back when he clearly is enjoying his freedom from Second Sight, which only faded upon the loss of magic.

[TKoTD]

As he watch the little figure run with his hard earned money Met let a small smile appear on his face.

[Milo v3]

Yorek & Throwdown
The vampiric dwarf giggled, which seemd rather out of character for a male dwarf.
"It seems as though the automaton is smart than the master.
But yes normally rational thought would tell a single shard would have no use against the whole thing. But because of three factors this shard forms its weakness,. Firstly the shard is already holding nearly the same amount of energy as if it was still attached to the crystal.
Secondly the crystal is bound it self and will constantly try to hold itself together, this shard is no exception and only was lost because of the power of the ceremony required more focus the they expected.
Thirdly if this shard was charged further it would likely have enough power to hold its power and be able to return to the crystal. Once it does so the whole crystal should have more energy than it can hold, this theoretically should destroy the crystal and allow magic to flow back into this world."

[NeoSeraphi]

Throwdown and DM:

Yorek nodded solemnly. "Well then, thank you very much for this information. I don't suppose you can give us much more of a clear idea as to where this shard is, exactly? If not, we shall of course be on our way."

[Milo v3]

Yorek & Bastion
He thinks for a moment then begins talking again, his rude tone emanating from his mouth.
"The shard hit into the side of a old fort in the swamps. It is called Black Reach."

[jojolagger]

"What side did it hit? How deep did it go? Is there anything else of significane in or around the fort." Says Throwdown, growing annoyed at the oracle.

[NeoSeraphi]

Throwdown and DM
"Calm yourself, Throwdown. There is no need to lose your temper with this man, he's just trying to help us," Yorek said, attempting to placate the machine. He felt rather annoyed himself though, but grinned and beared it, turning back to the former wizard.

"The Black Reach, you say? Do you happen to possess a map of the surrounding area, or know where we might acquire one?" he asked politely.

[Milo v3]

Yorek & Bastion
"I don't know as my magic failed as the shard collided into it. So I've asked my brother get find a cartographer to show you the way."
The barkeep hands you a sheet of parchment, which under inspection is a map to which leads from the city to the ancient fort.
"Now be off with you. You've already taken up to much of my time."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Thank you, sir. Now, if you'll excuse us..." Yorek bowed, gestured to the door and walked out into the tavern with Throwdown. When they were out of earshot of Nihlus, Yorek glanced back at the golem. "Okay, Bastion, we have an idea of what to do now. I say we get some rooms, rest up for the night, and then head out the first thing tomorrow morning. Do you have any objections?"

He gave a subtle beckon to Met, Kimmeth, and the crazy one, inviting them all over.

[SilverLeaf167]

Kimmeth is eager to leave the tavern, and quickly stands up when Yorek finally returns with the golem. He was getting bored of sitting in place and having no idea what was going on. "Well, what did he say?" he asks.

[jojolagger]

"Shard of Cyrstal used to focus the magic killing ritual ended up in a fortress called blackreach. In theory, if we get it a load it up with psionic energy, it could undo the ritual. Yorek suggests those who need it get sleep, and we set out first thing in the morning. However, If we could get a Carriage or wagon, you could sleep in it while I pull it to blackreach, so we get there sooner." Says Bastion, Eager to solve the problem.

[Wyntonian]

Carlisle makes his way from the musicians he's been watching over to the group. "Is the fortress alive? Or has it cooled like a dead deer?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek nodded. "As you wish, Bastion. Let's locate a suitable traveling structure and rest in there for the night." He opened the door to the tavern and walked out, drawing his claws back into his hands and yawning a bit.

Yorek looked around the dock for anything similar to what Bastion described, a wagon or a carriage that would fit all of the group save the construct, and let them rest comfortably while he carried them away.

[TKoTD]

When Met see that one of his partners had left the building, he approach him from behind. "How did that go? are we leaving or something? and PLEASE spare me the long story" he says trying to hide his desire to just go and sleep in a confortable bed.

[Milo v3]

On your right near one of the warehouses lie two carriages, they're is no horse or people near, but it looks as though it has been recently used.

[Wyntonian]

Carlisle stares intently at the carts, his eyes flickering from green to blue to purple. "These have been alive." He whispers, "But now they sit dead. Do they owe allegiance? Can we liberate them?"

[Milo v3]

Here is no sign of anyone around and it isn't attached to anything or any horses.

As far as you can tell its owner has left it there.

[NeoSeraphi]

Yorek shrugged. "It's good enough for me!" He grabbed the edge of the cart and lifted himself up, choosing a spot in the back and dismissing his claws, then curling up and closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

[Wyntonian]

Carlisle approaches the carts like he would a wounded animal, crouched with a hand on his sickle. He prods one with a finger and leaps back, growling.

The cart sits motionless, save a slight rocking as Yorek climbs in.

Apparently satisfied of its harmlessness, he climbs in next to Yorek, unslings his quiver to rest between his knees, and begins checking the fletchings of his arrows. Those with a missing feather or a broken nock are parted out and carefully repaired. Sleep brings dreams of Mother and Father and the aftermath of the destruction wrought on his home by the demons, so it will be postponed as long as humanly possible.

[SilverLeaf167]

[Geez, I'm sure I posted here... fricking servers]

Though Kimmeth isn't totally sure what they're going up against, where they're headed or whether he can trust the group, he silently complies and clambers onto the cart. He sits in a corner as far away from the others as possible, reluctant to fall asleep.

[TKoTD]

"So, guys, just to be clear on this... Does this cart belong to any of us or are we just planing on stealing from some random stranger? not that I got a problem with any of thos options" Says as he climbs on the cart. "Is just that I owuld like to really know where we stand on this morality ****"