The Caves of Chaos: Rumours of Summonings.

[Eternis]

In the Kingdom of Avrulai, in the Barony of Ostmessing, the notable "Caves of Chaos" are the only remaining internal threat to the kingdom. A forest surrounding a ravine, running from the easternmost mountain range, to the pasturelands of Aven Village. This ravine holds a network of caves and caverns, each with a different gang of villains.
Whether it be a massive swarm of kobolds, a tribe of orc barbarians, a pack of thieves, or a monster tough enough to fight these troublemakers off, this ravine holds every renegade from the kingdom, and should it unite, it could quite possibly cause some major damage to Avrulai.
Fortunately, they're too busy killing each-other to plot a plan.
However, recently, Baron Karl Ostmessing has heard rumours from peasants and guardsmen that strange, abyssal-looking beasts have been spotted in the forest surrounding it.
Being a cautious man, the Baron asked his loyal retainer, the Lord Orion of La Siont, for advice. Orion's response was to gather a small investigative task force to prove or refute these rumours by exploring the caves themselves. He offered up his own son, Merrik, to do so, having had Merrik accompany himself to the Baron's castle, and, pleased by his vassal's regard for his people, agreed instantly.
Having recently caught a rather violent poacher on his lands, Karl ordered his guards to bring out the barbarian prisoner, Shavak Usmara to join the expedition as punishment rather than losing a hand, as should be customary.
Have at it, guys!
Also, not mentioned: You're there too, gobbo!
Edit: The OOC:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284257

[GodGoblin]

Ulfgar sits in the hall awaiting Merrik and the rest of his assembled hunting party, upon seeing Merrik enter with a man in shackles Ulfgar is slightly taken back. "What is this? You bring me here to brag that have already caught the creature? In your haste I fear you have mistaken an abyssal beast for a man.

Hope I'm not god modding here, you didn't say where we were so I assumed a hall was generic enough so not to tread on your story, also assuming it's Merrik gathering this group?

[Hawke62]

Merrick flashed a broad smile at the dwarf.

"Nay my good man, capturing a poacher, no matter how fierce, is hardly knight's work" he says with a laugh, "this is to be one of our compatriots, and I'm glad to have him for us rather than against us. I assure you there's still plenty of fighting ahead for all of us."

[Darth_Versity]

"For my sake laddie, I hope your wrong." said a gruff Dwarf as he walked into the room. Ye Lord father promised me a drink if'n I bring ye in one piece and I'm meaning ta have that drink."

He was tall for a dwarf, and broad shouldered, with a shield strapped to his back and a warhammer at his side. He had a dishevelled look, like some someone who had got dressed in the dark, or maybe hadn't fully understood the concept of appearance... or cleanliness. The only things that were actually cared for were the armor and weapons and his beard. It was long, brown and perfectly trimmed, the ends tied into neat plaits and finished with figure eight knots.

"Tha names Falathen, but Fal will do. I'm ye priest. Me jobs ta keep ye all alive and by Thor's good grace I mean ta succeed.

Can we get an OOC thread to put the character sheets/backgrounds in? :smalltongue:

[Wargor]

Shavak stays silent, standing rigidly, every muscle tensed and ready to explode into movement. The chains binding his arms and torso are tight, and heavy, but he barely bows under their weight. His scars stand out starlky against his darkly tanned skin, and his brown eyes glisten angrily.

Shaking his mane of dark hair, Shavak steps forward. "Exactly why am I here? I hunt deer and that gets me thrown in chains? This is a strange land."

[GodGoblin]

"It is indeed, if you intend for this Human to help us I suggest you remove his chains" Ulfgar says to Merrik, quite used to using the weight of his years to make demands above his actual station.

[Hawke62]

"I don't need a baby-sitter," Merrick said with a frown to Fal, "but the more the merrier. Glad to have you along." Turning to the captive Merrick added, "I'm afraid I can't say. Trust me, your imprisonment was not my decision and I'm happy to see the Baron releasing you in exchange for your service. But, Ulfgar, he is not my prisoner and so it is not my place to free him just yet. We had best go and see the Baron and find out exactly what lies ahead of us."

[Darth_Versity]

"Bah. Ye'll be happy happy fer ya 'babysitter' when a orc spear is stickin' from ya chest."

[Eternis]

The Baron turns to Merrick.
"It seems you're successful in finding members for your team. Just head due east, and you'll come across the village near the forest. Good luck!"
A guard steps close to the Baron, angling his halberd away, and whispers into his ear.
"Oh, I knew I was forgetting something! Release the chains on that man!"

[Wargor]

As the chains fall to the floor, Shavak stretches expansively, rubbing at where the iron had bitten into his skin. "My things, I shall need them back if I am to fight." He bites out, commanding the Baron without fear.

[Eternis]

The Baron grins a predatory grin.
"Hand him back his weapons, men. He'll need them, where he's going."
Hurriedly, the guards bring out Shavak's gear.
"Now, Merrick, I believed that you wanted to know what this is about? Well, there are some troublesome malcontents living in a ravine near the mountains' edge. That's all well and good, because they generally fight each-other rather than cause trouble for me. However, recently, there have been reports of sightings by peasants and village militia concerning some abnormal beasts. Due to the concerns over the banned art of summoning, I need to investigate this. Now, that's all fine, except I can't actually send a large force, lest the separate groups end up uniting and causing large amounts of mischief. However, all of my... highly trained soldiers are busy dealing with problems in Umha Thuaidh, and the others are trained to be effective in large groupings. Therefore, I need some competent men. Your father suggested you, and here we are.
As to what you can expect there, there are some orcs, some escapee goblins, some kobolds, and an ogre that we know about. Remember that everything in there is powerful enough, either alone or in a group, to legitimately threaten each of the others, so be careful."
The Baron laughs softly.
"I don't want my favourite vassal's son to have died by my command, or an ambassador from the increasingly rare dwarven druids. As such, as soon as you find evidence of summoners, alert me. I'll be on my way with as many men as I can muster. Additionally, the village near there has a blacksmith and a rather good military rations store, so should you need either repairs or rations, they'll help you out."
The Baron hands several promissory notes to Merrick.
"These are reimbursement forms. Simply hand them to who you need to buy off, with the amount you need to pay, and I'll cover it."
The Baron glares suddenly at Merrick.
"Should you abuse these however...
Let's just say I have a few more 'tasks' I need doing."
The group is ushered out of the castle quickly by the captain of the guards, who gives a piece of important advice.
"Whatever you do, do NOT get embroiled in a multi-group fight. The Caves are desperately protected by their inhabitants, and the knowledge of their exact forces is a secret they will easily kill to keep."

[Hawke62]

"Happy to serve the realm my lord," answered Merrick with a bow, it's an honor to have been selected for such an important task. And have no fear about abusing your monetary contributions my lord. These funds would do far more good helping the people of the realm than buying extra supplies for a noble."

As the group left the castle Merrick turned to address his new companions. "It looks like we have a dangerous task ahead of us," he said, his excitement evident in his voice, "and while the Baron has placed me in charge I certainly don't have the hubris to command any of you. I may be the son of a lord but I'm certain you're all my equals in battle. Regardless of our motives for being here I suggest we all try to get along as best we can and complete our task as quickly as possible."

[Wargor]

Shavak nods sharply as he slings his weapons on to his back, the familiar weight seeming to relax him slightly. He glances at each of his companions in turn, meeting their eyes and seeming to look inside each of them.

"Agreed." He states tersely, his words short and sharp. "Safer to work together. Then we part ways."

[GodGoblin]

"A wise decision, shall we?" The old Dwarf asks rhetorically as he sets out through the doors.

[Eternis]

((Out of Character:
BUMP!
Where y'all currently are:
Outside the baron's castle, having discussed leadership roles.))