Seeking Mercy IC

[Etherion]

Alderon speaks after dispatching the final enemy.
So, what now?

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy And Pickpocket Of Some Human Man

I point down at the building, still burning with flame.

"We should go down and see if anyone needs any help putting that out," I said.

[Etherion]

Lets go then.
Alderon starts towards the building.

[IamL]

Grall
"The fire is magical, right? And it killed an Efriit? I don't think we should touch that with a ten-foot pole. I think we should continue on to the temple to ensure that Nathan indeed returned the Sword, study, research, and regroup. Drowning fish, you look like you might need some healing.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy And Pickpocket Of Some Human Man

I waved Grall's hand away. "Save it for the villagers," I said, "They're probably suffering from burns and all."

I glance at the building once more. "Besides, shouldn't we stop the fire from spreading?"

[Etherion]

It was likely the explosion that killed our friends, not the fire. The cause of both the fire and the explosion are gone now, so we will likely be safe.

[PersonMan]

"I will not leave before retrieving the remains," Eirea says slowly, voice holding a cold calm. That said, she makes her way to the slope, picking her way down carefully. She avoids the fire by a wide margin, and seats herself cross-legged near it, waiting for the flames to burn down. Endless patience, honed by hundreds of lonely, meditative nights, of times when she awaits the sun's rise to see the world's colors again, lets her sit, perfectly still, gaze resting on the fire.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy And Pickpocket Of Some Human Man

I nodded, agreeing. The ashes of the dead could always be used to raise somebody from the dead.

[IamL]

Grall
I slide up next to Eirea, sitting down to her right.
"I failed. The one person I swore an oath to, and I failed the . Some of he only people to earn my respect, and I failed them. He stole the sword from my very hands.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

A perfect opportunity to empathise! I plopped myself down next to Grall, watching the burning building.

"You didn't fail," I said, "You're not the designated Keeper of the blade. They ran into the fires; they failed. I mean, they didn't even save the children! If you failed, they're major failures."

There, a perfect empathetic masterpiece.

[Etherion]

One shouldn't speak ill of the dead. They did what they could, as did we. Sadly, it was not enough.

[PersonMan]

"That may be true," Eirea replies to Grall, slowly, eyes still on the fire, unreadable behind her blindfold. "But every failure brings a great lesson," more of her mother's wisdom. What was there to learn here?

"Today we learned of our enemies. Who they are, and of their power," she continues. "We failed today, but our next battle will end in our victory. Even if it does not, we will persevere. My mother always said that the dead are the greatest of enemies, for they have infinite patience, unending time and no reason to stop fighting.

We will remove what holds us back and teach our enemies that they made a mistake. A mistake for which they will pay with their lives,"

It was the natural response. Eirea hopes that she can help Grall focus more on accomplishing their next task than on the failure behind them. Looking back was good, but if one tried to walk forward with one's gaze in the past, you were walking blind.

[Sliver]

Revenant followed silently behind the others, keeping an eye on the shadowling that was now under Grall's care. "Morty will accompany them in the great beyond." He said after a moment. Revenant knew that his service to the living doesn't end the moment they die, but on the contrary. Until then, he was planning on parting ways later down the road, but he was now on a quest for the dead.

"Our foes shouldn't be underestimated. He might have not thought that we could handle the shadowlings, but to be able to create so many, so quickly, means that he holds considerable power. And he is able to use teleportation magic." Revenant says. "We shouldn't rush into combat against them, but gather power and resources along our journey."

[PersonMan]

Eirea smiles at Revenant's words. "Indeed. Perhaps I spoke too naively. I forgot that not all of the assembled grew up a weapon with the kind of teachings I did. For me, the most logical approach now would be to gather our strength, personal, political and otherwise, then maneuver around our enemies until we have them entrapped. Once we are entirely sure of our superiority we strike, and crush them in a single blow," she explains. There was a reason her mother had told her to never leave survivors she couldn't control. The ones who had attacked them had made a mistake they would only regret briefly - before their lives ended. After that their servitude would begin; although Eirea lacks the power to create undead from the fallen, she is sure that the power is within her.

Her mother saw such a power as greatly versatile, after all. Why not make sure the crown jewel of her arsenal will have it?

[Etherion]

So long as that blow is mine, I agree with your plan. I look forward to crushing his skull. After strangling him, of course.
Note on character personality: usually, Alderon will be an amiable guy (or at least I will try to make it seem so), but he will have quite the temper, with enough provocation. Like now. He's angry.
Also note: he is saying this in a calm voice. That kind of fake calm, where you can tell someone is dangerously angry, if you guys know what I mean.

[Aard_Rinn]

As Eirea sits watching the blaze, Etherion makes his way down the sloping ledge, carefully stepping over stones and loose, shifting shale as he slides down the scarp. The wind has picked up, and it is a little bit of a struggle to be heard, the breeze whipping the words away from you even as ciders are tosses on the gale - most, but not all, cool by the time they strike.

Etherion & Anyone Who Goes With...
As you approach the fire, a pile of wood collapses, as if finally burned through - sparks and cinders scatter into the air like crimson stars, brilliant against the black of the smoke. But then... it rises, as if buoyed up on the hot air, and shakes.

A single, staggering step forward reveals the shape of a great wolf - one of those that accompanied Riishaad. It takes another lurching step, forcing it's way through the rubble, and collapses to it's knees at the edge of the fire.


From where you stand watching the blaze, it is as if the fire itself has come alive. A great, lurching bit of flame heaves itself away from the rest of the ruined house, moving unevenly towards Etherion...

[PersonMan]

The moment she sees the a figure emerge from the flames, Eirea leaps up, rushing over to her, coming as close as she can without risking injury from the fire herself. For a moment she feels deep disappointment as the figure appears to be a wolf, rather than Rishaad or Virill.

"You live. Grall! Come here!" Eirea speaks softly at first, then she turns and shouts, waving the cleric over. He had healing magic. They could at least save one of those caught in the flames this way...

[Etherion]

Alderon takes a few steps back, worried the creature might be hostile.
Since only Revenant saw or knew about the things.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I look at Alderon, bewildered. What was he talking about? Was this not a perfect time to speak ill? They were dead, and couldn't be offended. "This is another human custom, isn't it?" I muttered under my breath, and then watched as the flame suddenly widens.

Where were the villagers? Where was their supply chain? "The fire is spreading," I yelled, "Keep bringing water, before this whole place burns down!"

[Sliver]

Revenant rushes to the wolf. To come from the plane of fire yet be injured by flame so... Revenant spoke words of magic as the bones began to appear from the ground, forming the shape of an owlbear. With a mental command, the owlbear stepped in and lifted the wolf, taking it away from the fire and to safety. As long as it could survive the damage of the fire, it didn't matter. Revenant looked at Grall, hoping that he has the magic to tend to the familiar.

Summon Undead II

[Aard_Rinn]

As the risen skeleton lifts the firewolf free of the inferno, it seems to shudder, collapsing into the owlbear's hold. The wolf's head rolls back, clearly unconscious, and what seems at first to be a dribble of flames falls from the creature's lips to lay like a glowing silk across the ground, shifting from yellow to red to gold to bronze like the molten core of the earth, though it's very edges are white with ash.

It is only when the slender figure feeblely raises a slender, elegant head that it's true nature is revealed - that of a firedrake, though it seems to have fared ill against the maelstrom of flames. It picks itself up as best it can, but as it attempts to follow the skeleton that carries it's erstwhile protector away, it staggers, clearly too badly weakened to make it any distance on it's own.

:smallfrown:

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I looked at the fire drake and shrugged. Someone could question it; the fire was my first priority.

I went up to a nearby home and screamed at them. "You! Go get your fellow people to form a chain to the fire. Get someone to get water!"

[IamL]

Grall
At Eirea's cry, I dash out to the fire, prepared to heal or fight.
When I reach Eirea, I see the drake and the wolf.
"Which should I first heal?"

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

The door didn't budge, and the people didn't come out. Their town hall was on fire, and they didn't care.

Fine. I'll make them care.

"Listen up, townspeople," I shouted, "I am a representative from the Church Of The Phoenix!" I brandish my holy symbol. "My companions and I are after those who burnt down your town hall..."

"...And who heartlessly burnt your children to death."

"All hope is not lost! Stop the fire, and we can recover the ashes of your children, and by the will of the gods, return them to you - alive, painless, and happy. We cannot offer this service with the flames raging! We cannot save your children with the flames raging! We need your help!"

"Gather every person fit in your household! Form chains; get water; end the fire..."

"...And within a few days, you will have your deceased in your warm embrace."

"We promise."

Mechanical Rolls:
Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Aard_Rinn]

There is a bump and a scuffle behind the door, and hurried whispering. However, it is not this door that opens, but another, across the street. A young man strides out, a shortspear in his hand and a single, tarnished pauldron strapped hastily over his shoulder. The door slams closed behind him as he strides out into the street, the heated wind from the fire blowing smoke and ash into his hair as he stops a few meters away from Drowning Fish and draws his spear level. His eyes are narrowed and suspicious as he barks out a reply: "Declare yourself, representative! What matters bring you to Khalis? And what children do you speak of; all those who live here are accounted for!"

Revenant only, srsly guys:
No, srsly.Rilly trilly, guys.As you gaze at the scene before you, you realize that you can still see the pair of lives that were in the building - though now they seem to have settled besides the firedrake.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

Oh, perfect. A paranoid, cocky human. Time to play.

"Representatives," I corrected, "We are representatives. Not necessarily from the Church Of The Phoenix, but representatives nevertheless."

I point to my larger companion. "That is Grall, Master Swordsman and Healer."

"Over there is Revenant, Commander Of The Revered."

"Alderon is a Professor Of Blood And Flesh."

"And lastly, Eirea over there is a Doctor Of Diplomacy."

I eye him, smiling. "And you. Who are you?"

[Aard_Rinn]

The man seems off-put, and more than a touch unnerved by the bizarre titles Drowning Fish has given her companions. Still, there is steel and mettle in his voice as he replies to her, spear unwavering like the determination in his eyes.

"I am Aldreg, Commander of the Khalisian Guard! Now, name yourself, then answer me: why have you come to Khalis, and who are you representing!"

[IamL]

Grall
I make a decision, and brace myself for the potential heat of the flames as I move to move the drake away from the flames. Once that is done, I summon the power of my god once more, hands glowing a sky blue, follows by the flash of green and red that accompany the mending of the drake's flesh.

I cast Cure Moderate Wounds.
[roll0]
Edit: Depending on whether or not we leveled, it could be 11.
Edit 2: Just realized my typo. It should be 2d8+4, not 2d6+4.

[Sliver]

Revenant ignores the presence of the man for the time being and commands the skeleton to set the wolf down before quickly directing it towards the two lives he sensed. The wolf was big, but those the skeleton should be able to pick together. Beings of fire were dead or hurt by the fire... Revenant looked carefully as the skeleton moved to the source. Either the fire was meant to be a trap and not harm others, or whatever was still alive, wouldn't be human.

When the man says that all people are accounted for, Revenant places his hand on the grip of his guisarme, in case this is a followup trap.

[Aard_Rinn]

Grall:

You lift the injured creature up, casting a healing spell as you carry it away from the flames. It raises it's head as you pick it up, eyes unfocussed as it tries to focus on your face - as the spell takes hold, it seems to strengthen, bands of copper and gold running down it's lithe form as it regains power.

The drake seems to want to speak - it is only stopped by the items it carries clenched between tiny, needle-like teeth: A golden ring, blackened with soot and capped with a shattered topaz, and a pair of small ivory figures carved in the shape of two human figures, looped onto a thin leather cord that the creature grips in it's mouth. It holds it's treasures carefully, even now that they are away from the flames - it seems unwilling to let go until it is certain that they will be safe.

Revenant:

As Grall frees the tiny drake from the fire, the two lives that you can sense follow it - it is as if they, too, have been lifted and carried away by the Goliath. The skeleton at your command seems perplexed, as well - it goes where you command, but cannot seem to find anything to carry out your orders with, and soon it falls still, awaiting further commands.

[IamL]

Grall
I walk further from the flames, towards the wolf.
When I reach the wolf, I again cast my magic, this time two spells with a less intense glow, at the wolf, having let the firedrake gently onto the ground.
After I finish healing the wolf, I turn my attention back to the drake.
"What did you want to say?"

Two questions: 1. Must I roll Diplomacy? 2. If so, do I get a huge Circumstance bonus for just having saved its butt?
Also, CLW rolls: [roll0] and [roll1]

[Sliver]

Revenant approached the drake with slight confusion, until he managed to see the figurines. Was it possible that they were the source?

He leaned towards the drake and stretched out his hand slowly, trying to show the drake that he means no harm. "May I?" Revenant asks as he puts his hand underneath the ivory figures. "I understand what they mean, I'll be careful." He promised.

[Etherion]

Seeing that the situation with the elementals seems to be under control, Alderon goes to talk to the warrior Drowning Fish seemed to be harassing.
Don't mind her. We were hired to help deliver an artifact to a nearby temple, by the clergy of the Pheonix. We were originally planning to rest here before continuing the journey. Unfortunately, we were ambushed, and the artifact was stolen. The fire, it seems, was used as bait to draw in some of our travelling companions.

[Aard_Rinn]

Grall & Revvy:
When Grall lets it down, the drake struggles to it's feet - it moves more easily now, though the toll it's ordeal has taken on it is still clear. It makes it's way to it's fellow elemental, moving past the great beast's back to address it face to face while sparing only the slightest nod for Grall. Carefully laying down it's prize, it speaks softly to the wolf, who seems to have regained a little strength, at least enough to raise it's head and face the other creature...

"Urruk? Lord Urruk... it's alright. You succeeded... we're free of the spell, now. You can rest..."

Urruk seems disconcerted, confused - but she pulls herself together enough to grind out a response:

"Arryuna... Riiishaad? I saw Virill..."

The drake bows it's head, unable to look the other elemental in the eye.

"I'm sorry. Arryuna and Riishaad... They were behind us - they took the brunt of the blast. I... I don't think she suffered... I don't think he even knew. I'm sorry, Ur... And Virill poured everything into the fireward, but even that wasn't enough, was it?"

For the first time, the little dragon pauses, turning to survey the damage sustained by the wolf. Thick, black stains seem to flow down the elemental's body, like oily stains along the surface of a glass - they pool along the deepest gashes, like festering infection on a wound of flesh and blood. His whole haunch is shredded - his right leg is completely gone, all the way up to the hip, and most of his back half is gone as well; his left leg is hanging on by only a few sinewy strands of flame, though it seems to function regardless. His shoulders are covered in deep gouges - it is as if his back had been flayed, and the black pools deeply here, roiling sickeningly just beneath the surface of the flames. Even his face is mangled - a deep, broad chunk taken out, his left eye and ear both gone with it. On a human, such a wound would be fatal - on an elemental, you lack the expertise to make such judgements.

Urruk nods at the drake's words. "Uethos... I'm sorry. About Malkavos... about everything. Forgive me..." His voice is weak, and his head drops to the ground, the strength to support it no longer there. "I can't endure much longer... It burns, Uethos. Like ice, but inside me... I just want the pain to end."

"... Sleep, Urruk. The pain will leave you before you awaken..."

"I will... hunt at her side forever, then? I will tell Malkavos... that you loved him... to the last..."

The great wolf's eyes slide shut, though it's body still trembles with pain - it is clear that he is not yet dead, but life fades from him quickly - the tips of his flames have taken an ashy tinge, and the flames that once swirled smoothly along his coat are sluggish, now. Even his breaths are slow and heavy, and within him, the flames seem to dim, ever so slowly...

At his side, the drake bows it's head, gently brushing it's muzzle against that of the unconscious wolf - were it a creature of mortal ilk, rather than one composed of flame and breath and power, you might say that it was crying, but no tears exist to roll down it's face.

Revenant:
As the two elementals speak, you carefully grasp the two figures that the drake was carrying so carefully. Your guess was right, it would seem - each glows with the light of a living soul, though they bear no other marking one would expect of a necromantic object until you examine them closer - what at first appeared to be ivory is, in fact, well-worn bone, delicately sculpted to appear as the more innocuous material. The figures on it are simple, bearing no adornation or runes to indicate how they were created - but even now, viewing them in full knowledge that they are not living beings, you cannot find a flaw in the auras that they radiate - perfect, immaculate replicas.

Etherion and that lot:
"So you're the reason the town hall burned? I would suggest you leave, then - I have no interest in seeing my people put in harms way because of some kind of... of sorcerer's duel, or whatever! Servants of the Temple or no, take your troubles and the danger they bring somewhere else!" He takes a step forward, temper clearly rising. However, he makes no further move to attack, merely glaring at you - he is clearly somewhat hesitant to go beyond forceful words with representatives of the Temple, though he has clearly not entirely ruled physical force out...

[Etherion]

You need not fear further assault. Those they wanted dead have died. They were after the bearers of the artifact, not the artifact itself. Although they took that as well. Your town is safe, regardless of our continued presence.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

"Professor, stay here for bit while I get our Doctor Of Diplomacy. I am certain that we can come to some sort of understanding."

I walked over to Eirea and asked her to come along.

[Etherion]

Alderon arches an eyebrow.
Professor?

[PersonMan]

Eirea sits silently where she crouched next to the flame-wolf, listening to the final exchange between the two. It's just another reminder that they all - the elementals, fallen and surviving, as well as Virill and Rishaad - hadn't been in her life for long. She barely knew them, actually. But their death still touched her. Still, there were better things to do than sit and watch the final moments of the flame-wolf. After she does what she can to numb the elemental's pain, Eirea stands and proceeds over to the conversation she had overheard from her position. The last thing they needed was more trouble.

"There is no need to argue," Eirea begins. "There is no danger to you all. A coward does not return to the field after he places his knife and retrieves his prize. We will be stopping briefly to resupply at the church, but that is the entirety of our business here," her tone is measured, tightly controlled. No thought, just training from years past.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Sliver]

Revenant holds the figures and examines them, trying to determine how hard the bone is. Still careful with them, Revenant approaches the drake and waits for the exchange to be over.

"This day has been filled with loss." Revenant says, quietly. He looks at the remains of the wolf. "I am Revenant, of the Church of Silent Call. I have met Urruk and Arryuna for a short while only, but I could tell they were very unique, majestic... You were close?" Revenant pauses. "I must apologize if I am too blunt, but how did you come to be here?"

Revenant's Spirit Sense allows him to see and converse with the spirits of the dead for up to a minute from their departure. Does Revenant see the spirit of Urruk?

[Aard_Rinn]

"And how can I trust you? You consort with creatures born of flames - for all I know,it was you who burned the Hall; perhaps you even plan to strike at the church next! You will find no aid in Khalis, representatives - this is a peaceful town, but do not think we cannot defend ourselves!"

He braces himself, as if preparing for an attack, and glares at Eirea.

[Etherion]

Alderon, already angered by the recent events, launches into a furious tirade.We came here, peacefully, trying to complete what seemed to be a simple mission! Those who we had started to befriend were murdered, and now you accuse us of starting this?!? We fought against creatures of shadow that may well have attacked your town next, but now you refuse us aid?!? We have no reason to hurt you, and I would recommend you keep it that way!

Well, that was kinda lame. Oh well. Intimidate check:
[roll0]

[PersonMan]

"Several of our companions died in the fire. Do not make such an accusation again," Eirea says, gaze boring into the man even with her blindfold covering her eyes. As she speaks, her voice grows darker, more intense, saturated with magical energy. Then she swiftly changes tracks, and her voice is back to normal. "If you wish, you may accompany us, with or without others, to the church. We will speak to those there and you can make sure we do not set fire to anything,"

Built into her words is a subtle, but very clear, message, meant for the guard and her companions. Do you really think we would just walk through a town we wish to burn down?

Intimidate for the first part: [roll0]

[Aard_Rinn]

The man seems to bristle, more goaded than cowed by your efforts to intimidate him into submission - his knuckles whiten around his spearhilt, and he bares his teeth, taking a step towards you. However, before he can speak, the door behind him opens, and a woman strides out.

She is tall, with dark skin and brown hair braided and in a loose ponytail - in one hand, she holds a quarterstaff, the simple weapon slung easily over her shoulder as she approaches to stand at the guardsman's side, and at her waist, a long, broad dagger is strapped, it's wickedly curved blade flickering in the light of the embers. She lays a hand on the man's shoulder, stopping his advance.

"Aldreg - who are these people? Are they giving you any trouble?"

Her gaze is sharp, eyes carefully evaluating your group for threats. She matches Alderon's gaze almost mockingly, staring him down, then casts her gaze over the rest of the group. Her dark eyes widen as she spots the wolf laying injured in the dust, but then narrow in suspicion as she makes the connection to the burning building. Her staff swings low, to present a physical barrier to any attack.

Aldreg turns to acknowledge his new companion with a nod. "They're the ones behind the fire - or at least, they're the reason it was set. Just trying to run them off..." His moral seems bolstered by his new companion, but he also seems to have calmed a little - his stance narrows, and the tip of his spear lowers a half-dozen inches. "They say that they want to go to the church."

DF: You would place the guardsman as a skilled fighter, if not experienced - beneath his loose tunic, he seems to be all muscle, and he moves with a steady surity that bespeaks confidence in his skill. The spear is an unusual weapon, heavier than most - it takes strength and stamina to wield well, and he seems to handle it with a degree of expertise - all things that speak well of him as a combatant. (level 4-5ish)

The woman who strides out seems confident as well, and swings her staff with a certain grace that tells you that she has used it before, and for more than merely cracking a few drunkards on the head. However, she is harder to read - she seems strong enough, but at the same time, appears uninterested in any sort of martial combat beyond the exchange of a few sweeping parries...

The drake looks up, confused and dazed; it is several seconds before she can speak. "I am Uethos - I serve the Beine Riishaad. She called my mate and I here to bind those who she wished to protect... I tried to protect her..."

Her voice grows softer as she gazes helplessly at the body of her dying companion, pain and fear in her eyes.

"... Help him. Please - I'm not strong enough... I promised him he wouldn't have to suffer, but... I'm too weak to strike the final blow. Please!" The drake's voice is desperate, pleading; within it, the creature's molten core swirls and glows in agitation.

[Etherion]

I already told you, we were not the reason for the fire, it was intended as a trap for our traveling companions, who were unfortunately killed as a result.

[PersonMan]

"The fire was set as a trap for one of those with us. She is gone now, along with another. There is no reason for the one responsible to return for further attacks, as none of you would have reason to know of the details," Eirea explains. "We were - are - on a quest given by the church of the phoenix. We would like to visit the church here to restock in supplies, collect the remains of our fallen once the fire has died and then leave,"

Simple, true, unproblematic. No reason to argue.

Another Diplomacy? [roll0]
This is for the entire conversation, or at least the next minute of it.

[Sliver]

"Can't he be saved, with curative magic? We have a cleric." Revenant says. He knew little of planar beings. If Uethos says that saving isn't possible, Revenant approaches the dying elemental, Rishaad's companion. He quietly placed his hands his hands over the warm body of the creature, reciting a prayer for the soul to depart peacefully and it's passage to be painless. The prayer is slightly adjusted, as Urruk is different...

"It was a honor to know you, Urruk." Revenant said as the negative energy flowed into his hands. "Morty will keep you, and her, safe."

And then it was done. The negative energy flows into the body of the elemental companion as it's life force is diminished and it's being leaves back to it's native plane.

[Aard_Rinn]

The woman frowns, but nods. "Aldreg. We will accompany them to the Temple." She turns back to you. "You will stay with us, not wander and not tarry. Retrieve such things as you need, and then we will escort you from the village. You may find shelter where you may, so long as it is outside the city limits - I will be raising the wards, and we will know if you attempt to return. At dawn, you may come and retrieve any remains you may find in this wreckage - and then you will leave, and not return. Understood?" Her voice is cold, clipped, and businesslike, but her gaze is hard as iron as she eyes your group. Aldreg seems displeased, but he offers no refusal - he gives a curt nod, and lowers his spear.

Uethos shakes her head. "The spell is poison to our kind," he replies. "He was dead the moment it's power reached him..." The drake watches in silence as the necromancer finishes her companion, the wolf's body almost sighing as it disintegrates into a plume of white smoke and sparks flying upward into the heavens, the last of it's power gone.

"Thank you..." The words are soft, but sincere. The drake turns to Revenant. "You... you were her companions, weren't you? Lady Riishaad's? ... Where are you going now?" The creature carefully gathers up the ring as it awaits an answer, snapping it's head back to swallow it whole. It looks back and forth worriedly for the tiny figures before calming when it sees their loop round Revenant's wrist.

[PersonMan]

Eirea, having no personal reason to be there in the first place, has no trouble accepting the terms. "Agreed. We have both already lost too much to risk exacerbating it with needless conflict," there's a subtle jab at the way the other guard had been handling the situation in there, but it isn't intentional. There's no time for such things now. If it were up to her, they wouldn't leave the road until they were at their destination, never resting, after they retrieving the scorched remnants of Rishaad and Virill. A thought comes to her, and she resolves to discuss it with Alderon later.

[Sliver]

Revenant nods. "We were accompanying her and Viril. She wished us to see to it that the sword is back at the temple. While we lack it, those that took it said they will finish the quest. We will travel to there to make sure that they do as they said, and if not... Deal with them." Reverant pauses and holds up the two bone statues. "I sense life in these, but no necromantic magic that would bind it. What are they?"

Somehow, Revenant hoped that it would contain their souls, a way to bring them back...

[Aard_Rinn]

The little creature looks almost abashed. "I... I don't know. She told Lady Virill to take them with her - she said that they were 'proof of his betrayal', but she didn't tell me anything. I was only supposed to protect Virill - but when she died, I thought they might be important to take... They were the only thing she had that was small enough for me to carry, them and the Lady Riishaad's ring..." The dragon seems to slump it's shoulders, as if ashamed that it could do so little.

"If... if you're going to travel, I don't suppose I could accompany you? I... I don't really know much about the mortal plane, but... I don't think I can go home just yet, and I know I'm not strong enough to make it on my own. But... I have to... I have to keep these safe! They're the last things she asked me to protect!" There is determination mixed with desperation in the drakes eyes as she makes her request, looking from Grall to Revenant and back again before imploringly laying a clawed hand on the undead necromancer's knee. "Please..."

[IamL]

Grall
I smile at the drake.
"I'd love to have you travel with me. We'd best be off to see what social blunder Drowning Fish has made this time."
I offer my arm for him to climb up.
Could this be a familiar? :smallbiggrin:

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I'm afraid there is no deal," I said, "I have a few objections with this arrangement."

I gesture at Aldreg. "For one, you are commanding your friend to abandon his duty. While I don't care for such things personally, two of our companions who chose to forgo their responsibilities promptly perished in flame. If this pattern continues, you would be next."

"Secondly, we would need to know what kind of wards your town hosts. It would be rather unfortunate if we tried to alarm you to an invasion and were zapped to death."

"Thirdly, we have no evidence that you will honour your deal. This is less of a compromise and more of passive-aggressive threatening."

[Etherion]

I have no problem with those terms. Agreed.

[IamL]

Grall
As the creature scuttles up my arm, I motion for Rev to follow me towards DF, Eirea, and Alderon. Thinking for a moment, I sheathe my blade before entering. The last thing I need is another enemy. As I cone aboard the hostile scene, I ask what is going on.
"My name is Grall Malthos, Cleric of the Phoenix. I was bound with the responsibility of defending the Holy Blade of the Phoenix from danger, yet our enemies set a trap for us, and slaughtered our friends and burned your building. They also absconded with the blade, though the one who calls himself Nathan claims his intentions of bringing it to the temple. We seek shelter, and also we will aid you in whatever way possible."
As I speak, the drakes' words and Revenant's reaction combine in a shocking manner.
Wait, the figurines contained a life aura, which Rev detected, and the knowedge that we were trying to save the lives of the others above our own, so they must have known that we were allheroes, and, in Recs case, can see life aura. I have no doubt that this was an insjde job.

[Sliver]

Revenant looked at Uethos as she spoke. The only thing she had left was her duty. She wanted to carry out the wishes of friend, even though she didn't know what they were. She would blindly follow, for the sake of being her voice. Revenant knew the feeling, when he first received his calling first, without an idea what to do with it.

He crouches, looking to the creature, the one that was tasked to hold them back when Rishaad decided to rush into the flames, in the eyes. "I wouldn't dare deny anyone of seeing his most important quest complete. Not when our interests are shared." He says. "Unfortunately, I'm not the best man to notice certain... Needs, in others." He stands up and turns to Grall, who seemed eager at competing with Revenant. One of the reasons Revenant didn't like being in the presence of mortals for too long. Looking back to Uethos, he motions at Grall. "Grall is a cleric of the phoenix and will be able to take care of you better than I, and heal you whenever the need arises."

[Aard_Rinn]

You can read both openings, it's fine, but IC, you only know what happens in yours.

Eirea, Drowning Fish, Alderon
The woman seems torn between fury and amusement at Drowning Fish's words, the two emotions combining to make a smile that... does not entirely promise pleasantness, should you continue to annoy her.

"Commanding him to abandon his duty? Our job is to protect this town, as best we can - I simply think that the town would be best served by having you all leave, as fast as possible, rather than the other, easier, alternative - which, as always, is to simply slay you where you stand." Her voice is sharp and cold, and there is no longer any effort to hide her threat.

"You dislike 'passive threats and wordplay'? Then let me be direct - no, we will not give a bunch of outsiders information on the wards that protect us! The wards will inform me if they are broken or tampered with - we do not need your warnings or your aid. And, then, too, let me be blunt - I was being kind in allowing you to visit the Temple at all, even under such conditions, but such kindnesses may fade - you will accept my terms, or you will leave this village now, and if you refuse to do that, I will kill you. But... should you like to test the honor of my dealings, remain right as you are - the Raven-Haired Man himself will be here to attest to my honesty shortly." At her side, Aldreg facefaults, a look of surprise momentarily taking over his features. He casts a nervous glance sideways at her, and does not seem entirely reassured by what he sees there - but he returns his attentions to you, determination in his eyes, confidence seemingly restored by the cocky surety in his companion's words.

Grall and Revenant:
Glancing away from Revenant, the firedrake seems to consider Grall's proffered arm. Finally coming to a decision, the creature limps over, scurrying up the limb to settle, still exhausted from it's earlier struggles, around the Goliath's neck, twisting it's fine tail around his arm. It raises it's head to hear Revenant's words, and nods, once, before slumping down and fading into sleep. The trio walk over to the others, but the situation seems tense - weapons are out, and the two villagers seem ready for a fight.

When Grall strides up and begins to speak, the woman listens, although she does not turn her gaze from Eirea, Drowning Fish, and Alderon. "We have already promised safe passage to the temple, cleric; but you will find no shelter here in Khalis. You have already confirmed that you and your comrades are to blame for the fire that cost us the town hall - by all rights, we should be sending you off empty-handed, but in honor of the friends that that one," her staff flickers out towards Alderon, "claims you lost, you may remain the night, and seek their bodies in the ruins tomorrow morning - provided you stay outside the village wards until dawn." Her eyes are narrowed, daring a challenge; she adjusts the grip on her staff, and her foot begins to scuff at the dirt. At her side, the spearman readies himself should you attempt to rush the pair.

[Sliver]

Revenant studies the two for a moment. "I am sorry for the damage that was caused to you and your people from the fire." He says, motioning at the house. "I know that my word does not matter for you, but I'll give it to you anyway, saying that we were not those who caused the fire. But you have suffered from them as innocent bystanders, since the flames were targeting those we were accompanying. I have no intention in claiming that this would fix anything, but please receive this as a token of our sincerity." Revenant draws out the coin that Shaada gave him earlier and holds it out, moving slowly forward so his actions can't be taken as a sign of hostility. "If there is any aid I can offer while we stay here, I will gladly provide it."

[PersonMan]

Eirea decides to have a private chat with Drowning Fish later. The hobgoblin is breaking one of the first rules of negotiation: if you're in a position to ask for nothing, don't spit on what's offered to you. If she had a shorter temper, she may have lashed out for the potential destruction of their chance at retrieving the bodies. Drowning Fish had, after all, initiated the conversation with the guard in the first place, for whatever odd reason.

Then Grall comes in. Oh great, she thinks. Well, at least I know why my mother always told me to settle on who speaks for the group. Are they trying to ruin everything?

Revenant's extension of aid surprised Eirea, but she's glad he does it. Hopefully that will undo the damage that Drowning Fish and Grall had done.

"Unless you have more you wish to speak with us about, now may be a good time to head for the temple. I doubt you want us here any longer than necessary," hidden in what she says is a silent message to Drowning Fish and Grall.

I would like it if you let me do the talking, before you kill us all with your poorly chosen words.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I had a few choice words to say before noting the secret message encoded in Eirea's words. I was rather suspicious of the staff-wielding woman's claim, but I suppose that this was not a time to question them directly.

"I see I am not welcome here," I said, "I shall take my leave, then. Someone needs to inform the church of the death of our companions, so that they may ready the components for resurrection. Try to claim the ashes, if you can."

I swiftly turned around and walked away. "I'll meet you at the church, then."

Mechanical Rolls:
Sense Motive: [roll0]

[IamL]

Grall
Understanding Eirea's hidden message, I try to assess the situation, biting back anger at the proclamation. We had offered them aid, ran to save them from a fire, and yet we get blamed and driven away. Clearly, we should accept the terms; I'd probably make things worse by speaking. Betterto remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt, as my father would say. In fact, it's one of my only memories of the man. Best to try to assess the situation, should altercations arise.
Sense Motive to assess the threat of the guards and the woman: [roll0]

[Aard_Rinn]

As Drowning Fish strides off, the woman's eyes track her carefully. She flicks her fingers at her side, and gives a sharp nod, and a raven flaps down from a tree, following the hobgoblin woman - it darts from tree to tree with hardly a sound, black wings nearly invisible as they dart across the night sky.

Ignoring the coin that Revenant offers, she eyes the rest of the group, nodding curtly in agreement that they hurry, the sooner to leave the village. "That... would be for the best, no doubt." Her tone is sharp, and without further discussion she strides off, Aldreg waiting until the rest of you have followed before bringing up the rear, spear still to hand.

Drowning Fish:
You stride out of town, heading for the woods - away from the burned remains of the building where your friends died, and away from your companions. The path is dark and shaded, the trees growing thick around you as you follow it north - soon, the trees obscure the sky so that only a few stars are visible in the sky above, the moonlight making strange and flowing reflections on the earth as it trickles through the web of tight branches between you and the sky. As you delve deeper, you get a sense of eyes on you - casting your eyes back along the path, you spy a raven winging it's way after you - it swoops from tree to tree, pursuing you from far above in the canopy like a blob of shadow torn separate from the night.

[Sliver]

Revenant turns to the man as she leaves. "I understand that you don't think highly of us, and I don't intend to push you further if you say no, but are you sure it is best for your people to decline an offer to help? I promise you that I have no intention of demanding any gratitude or repayment in return." Regardless of Aldreg's answer, Revenant joins the group and walks away from the burning building, following the woman's light of life in the distance.

[Aard_Rinn]

The man glowers at Revenant, ignoring the hand proffered to him. When the undead necromancer strides off, the fighter follows him, holding his silence. Finally, after a few minutes of walking, he speaks, his voice low enough that the others won't overhear, and much of the hostility gone from his words. "Keep your gold. If your friends really do lie in those ruins... raising the dead is costly. I'm sure you'll need the gold more than we do, if that's your plan. We'll rebuild - we always have."

[Sliver]

Revenant tucks the coin away into his pouch. Listening to his words, Revenant began to wonder if Rishaad can even be resurrected. He knew that if he was destroyed, returning him to his undead state would be somewhat difficult, outside of the CoSC. Rishaad wasn't normal, either. Virill, perhaps. Thinking about it, Revenant believed that Rishaad would rather have Virill resurrected, if they were forced to choose one of them. On the other hand, Virill might be more interested in Rishaad's resurrection and in such an event no matter what they decide, the resurrected would be unhappy.

"Has your village suffered from similar events before?" He inquires after a moment of silence.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

As I walk away into the darkness, I hear the light rustling of raven wings. A quick glance gives me visual confirmation, and I note the bird trying to hide.

Perhaps it was a messenger. Or, more likely, perhaps it was a spy. A number of people could have sent it, of course - the hobgoblin tribe I left, my ex, an assassin...

No matter. Any spy is dangerous, whether harmless or not. I had to learn that the hard way. I eyed it, wondering if fighting or hiding would be the better option. Then, swiftly, I whipped out my bow and let off an arrow.

Better safe than sorry.

Mechanical Roll:
Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage Roll: [roll1]

[Aard_Rinn]

The man ducks his head low, eying the woman leading the way before responding in muted tones. "Aye. Every so often, we lose a building - the river floods, or there's a freak storm, or the woodrot gets to the beams of the place. It's the peril of river life, after all - but fire's the worst of it, make no mistake. The rot sucks all the water right from the wood, you see - even with magic, you can only keep a building from rotting in this damp for so long. If the flames spread, you can loose a whole street before the blaze can be controlled. In truth, we're lucky it was only the Hall - at least that's far enough away that the flames couldn't make the leap... But it's rare we be attacked, let alone by arsony - we've done a good job keeping things peaceful in these parts, and the wards on the town are all good."

Drowning Fish
The bird dives low, dodging your arrow, before rising again. It flaps it's way back up through the branches, settling a little higher, and lets out an enraged cawing.

As Aldreg finishes what he is saying, the woman flinches back, as if startled. He takes a few long strides forward, and is at her side in moments, providing a steadying hand. "Sarjiiya, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

She shakes her head, straightening. "Something startled Myr, but he's all right. I'm sure it was nothing..." She speaks evenly, but there is concern in her voice. "Let's just go. I want them gone." She takes a few long strides forward, before turning and snarling at the rest of you: "Come on!"

Aldreg watches her go, concern on his face, as he falls back to the end of the group, once more bringing up the rear beside Revenant.

[IamL]

Grall
I follow without complaint, despite feeling the urge to scream. I would folow Eirea when we were in her forte, just like I expected her to follow me in combat and tactics. She is one of the only people I've met able to stymie me with fasttalk, and I respect her for that.
After glancing briefly at the sky, I turn to my shoulder and ask the drake a question.
"I am about to replenish my magic; do you wish for me to heal you?"

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

Cheeky bird. A single shot should be able to...

Oh, no. I was assuming that this bird was ordinary all along. It could easily be magical enchanted, or a shapeshifter, or anything else. I sighed; it was another fight to run away from. I, the daughter of the Honourbound, fleeing once again.

Of course, I had good reasons to - warding off my blood-lust, for instance - but it was still running away. My options were limited, and the raven could fly faster than I could run. My final option was seemingly impossible, but it was at the edge of my mind: magic.

Arcane magic definitely deserved its name. It was confounding, mysterious, and could take many years to learn, if one didn't have the right blood. Divine magic, though powerful, was not personal power, but merely the channelling of certain forces, be it spirits, gods, or the world itself...

...Not that it stopped me from trying to learn it, of course. I was willing to do anything to halt my condition, but after a few years as a serving-girl for the Phoenix, an elder Water Elemental, and the innate forces of nature, I gave up. It was clear that they didn't care to help me, and I moved on, in an attempt to live a peaceful life. That didn't work out; I was thrown into this whole artefact delivery adventure, after all.

As such, wizardry. For me, the basics were fairly easy to learn, but it was too flashy and evident. Loud magic words, followed by showy hand gestures. I tried it, anyway, but none of my spells worked. All were wonderful formulae, but none had any real-world functioning; they were all theoretical - especially the specific spell I designed to cure myself. It was my grand achievement, a beautiful tangle of shapes and numbers and gestures, and it was useless. Worthless, like I was.

Why did I run off to war, anyway? Why did I go and risk my life to fight for a bunch of people I didn't know? I came out of that more scarred than a hobgoblin war chief!

Why do I do anything...?

...

...Is that raven still staring at me? Bloody spies. Blood, blood, blood. Ugh.

Alright, no more self-pitying. A test of the theoretical, then. A final attempt. A melding of the tested and the untested. Alright. I can do that, right?

Right. I'll be my own teacher; I'll guide myself through this. Okay, take a deep breath. Focus. Follow the same method as hiding. Step one: stop the raven from seeing me. Slow, unsuspecting gestures, whispered words. A fog should be good; think back to those formulas. Remember the proper gestures, the right words.

...

...Did it work?

...It did! Yes, yes, yes! Ha ha!

Oh, right, the raven. No time for congratulations. I'm obscured now; good. Step two: distract and disguise. Same process; different method. Take another deep breath, and carefully change my features. What did the Raven-Haired Man look like, again?

Oh, yes.

Perfect. The final step would be to rid myself of the raven. A well-placed magic enhancer on my feet should do it.

Done. I step out of the fog, giving the raven a glare and a good look at me, and then run away, easily out-speeding the watchful avian.

Mechanical Happenings:
Drowning Fish casts Obscuring Mist. She uses Sleight Of Hand to hide the fact that she is casting it, and takes ten: [24] This usage is found in the Races Of Stone and the Rules Compendium. This fog lasts one minute.

Drowning Fish uses the Mimic ability. This is a spell-like ability, which she uses to look like the Raven-Haired Man. This ability lasts forty minutes. This Rogue Alternate Class Feature is found in the Exemplars Of Evil book.

Drowning Fish casts Expeditious Retreat. This increases her land speed by 30 feet, thus allowing her to travel at 60 feet, which outpaces the raven's 40 feet fly speed. This spell lasts one minute.

[Aard_Rinn]

DFYou fast outstrip the raven, the fog parting around your disguised form as you dash away. It follows, but as you pull away, it pulls into a tight turn, flying back the way you came to return to the town. You are now alone in the darkness, the sounds of the woods at night surrounding you. Before you stretches the Raahl's-Howe, but the road is narrower here, and unpaved. Clumps of grass threaten to overwelm it, and leaves cover the ground, wet and slick with the night dew.

Grall
The drake hisses a quiet reply to your question, voice grateful. "It would be appreciated, yes. I evaded the worst of the explosion, I think, but it did a number on me regardless..."

Revenant
"Sorry for darting off like that - I'm not really used to the idea of a familiar. It seems like it would be maddening, to feel what another does all the time like that..." Aldreg's gaze is fixed on Sarjiiya as he speaks, but after a few moments, he redirects his gaze to Revenant. "Sorry for earlier, by the way... You don't seem like such a bad sort, although some of your friends..." He shoots a dirty look at the woods that Drowning Fish stormed off into, but says no more, continuing a moment later. "So, can I get your name?"

You continue down the road, following Sarjiiya. Her pace is brisk, and she pays little mind to the rest of you, though you can feel her gaze on you when you glance away. Her every movement is tense - she seems wound tight by your presence and the earlier confrontation. After a few minutes walking, she once more pauses, eyes flickering to the sky, but she presses on, leading you down a narrow lane towards the waterfront.

[Sliver]

Revenant looked back for a moment. "I lost someone to the flames as well. He wasn't exactly my familiar, but he was the closest thing I had to a bond in quite a while." Revenant said. Perhaps sharing something like that would get him a bit more trust. "Forgive my companions, they aren't bad people. It was a stressful moment for them and in their haste they got ignorant of the feelings of others. I am Revenant, of the Silent Call."

I thought Sarjiiya is the one with the familiar.

[PersonMan]

For a moment, Eirea is started by Drowning Fish's sudden decision to leave. It was rather odd...but then again, the hobgoblin woman hadn't shown any particular attachment to the mission or the others. It was no wonder she was leaving now. Perhaps she wanted to simply get to the temple and get whatever share of the reward was waiting on her, then move on. Eirea wasn't sure what drove her, but money was a good guess.

The staff woman is clearly irritated, and Eirea is unsure about trying to talk to her further. She remembers how her actions seem to be based on their own loss, and prepares something accordingly.

"I'm not sure how much it matters to you, but it will explain several aspects of what happened if I tell you this. The ones who were travelling with us believed there to be people trapped within the burning hall. That is also the reason our...rude companion came to the door in the first place. Based on your reactions, this was not the case.

Our enemy has accomplished all of the goals this ambush would have including, as far as he knows, the elimination of us. As such, your town will not be in further danger.

Originally I was intent on not mentioning names, but seeing as there is no reason not to...the ones who went into the fire were Rishaad and Virill. Perhaps you knew them, or one who did. They seemed to have come this way before,"

Eirea's voice is soft, the lie about Drowning Fish coming easily to her. She wasn't there to ruin it, after all, and it fit in well with the rest. Internally, she rages further at the thief, but outwardly Eirea is calm and composed.

Diplo: [roll0]
Bluff: [roll1]

[Aard_Rinn]

Revenant
"Oh. I'm sorry - I know how that is." Aldreg leans in a little closer, his voice still soft, but he seems sympathic. "And your friends... that's awful. Sorry for being so hard on you guys - everyone just gets tense when something like this happens, and keeping the town safe... well, it has to be our first priority. Doesn't always leave a lot of room for talking, in the heat of the moment - sometimes, taking charge of the situation is more important."

He gives a little smile, eyes warm. "I'm Aldreg." He holds out a hand to the necromancer, low enough that Sarjiiya won't see it. "Aldreg Khalta, captain of the watch for Port Khalis. It's a bell late and a brass short, but welcome to Khalis..." He grins a little, eyes laughing.

Ahead of you, your hear snarled words, and the rest of the group seems to grind to a sudden halt. "Don't call her that!" Aldreg's eyes widen as his hand goes to his spear. He hisses under his breath to Revenant: "****. What's going on? I didn't hear..."

Sarjiiya, a seems to ignore you, face stony and eyes cold. Her only reaction comes when you say the name Riishaad. She stops, suddenly, spinning to face you as you clatter to a halt behind her. "Don't call her that!" she snaps, turning to you with anger in her eyes. "Lying filth."

Her staff rises, and the rage in her eyes returns in force - her lips draw back in a savage snarl as she regards you.

Intimidate: [roll0]

Behind you, Aldreg grips his spear - he seems uncertain of why his companion has been incited to such rage, and it shows on his face and in the loosened grip in which the weapon is held. He seem ready to hold his peace and keep his silence unless there is actual fighting, though.

[IamL]

Grall
I am stunned briefly, then seem to recal that "Rishaad" is supposed to be used only by close friends. Nonetheless, this woman is very snappy and tempermental.
Sense Motive: [roll0]

[IamL]

Sorry for the double-post; I had to see my Sense Motive before I was able to roll for CLWs.
Speaking of which, here are the rolls to the CLWs.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Aard_Rinn]

Grall
The drake hisses as your spells sink into her, tension flowing from her body as the healing energy mends sharp wounds and sore muscles. She relaxes around your neck, eying the others with concern as they face off.

[Sliver]

Revenant shakes Aldreg's hand and opens his mouth, but Sarjiiya's sudden reaction cuts that one short. "Don't call her that!" Revenant mentally repeated and looked at Eirea, the target of the threat. It didn't take much guesswork to figure out what Eirea said. The only two with a chance that Sarjiiya would care about and their names might come up at such a time would be either Rishaad or Virill, and only Rishaad has two names that they are aware of. Revenant doubted that Eirea would refer to anyone in a different name than their own at such a moment, so he assumed she used the more intimate name.

"Did you know Shaada?" Revenant asked Aldreg quietly. It would be hard to diffuse the situation without any information.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Oh... oh gods... you were talking about Riishaad?" A look of horror mixed with pain grows over Aldreg's face. "Then the other... not Thomaj, too? Or - no, it can't be Virill, she's safe, she's with the Temple now..." His voice is frantic, eyes wide with panic and fear. No longer is he whispering - any concern for silence seems to have vanished in the fighter's distress.

[Sliver]

Revenant pauses, noting that the man has a certain level of intimacy with Rishaad as well. "I am sorry, but Virill followed Shaada into the flames. Urruk and Arryun, her companions, followed as well. Only Uethos-" Revenant motions at the drake on Grall's shoulder. "-Survived the fire."

Revenant moves forward, stepping between Sarjiiya and Eirea. "I am sorry, but it's true. They sensed life in the burning building and rushed in. Shaada called Uethos for aid and she was the only one to survive, she'll confirm." Revenant says and shows the two bone figurines. "This is the source of life that they detected. Shaada told Virill that these are a proof of his betrayal. Do you... Do you know who he might be?"

[Aard_Rinn]

Sarjiiya laughs. It is bitter, and cold, and cruel, and promises great pain to the one who has drawn her ire. "You think you can fool me with such feeble tales? ...Riishaad... I knew her well, though there were others who knew her better." She looks up, her long braids swaying as she moves, slowly and stiffly, as if there is tension coiling within her that is held tight, waiting to explode outward in a single, vicious strike.

"You say she died in that blaze? Don't make me laugh. No flame could ever hope to touch her glory..." She sneers, as if the very thought were worthy of derision. "Riishaad..."

She takes one smooth, poised step forward, then another, advancing on Revenant with an almost venomous air. Long, slender fingers reach out, gently brushing over the idols he presents, curling around one to hold it carefully as she meets the dead man's eyes. "Liar." Several long seconds pass, gold eyes staring into grey, before the idol is released and Sarjiiya steps away.

"Aldreg, to me." The words are sharp, a command, and Aldreg treats them as such, stepping briskly to her side. He seems unsteady, like he is uncertain of who to believe - he seems to be doing his best to trust in his companion's confident words, but your story has clearly shaken him.

"Sarjiiya..." He begins to speak, but that same cold glare silences him - he merely tightens his grip on his spear and sets in to wait, though his eyes linger on Revenant.

[Sliver]

Revenant looked at Sarjiiya, unflinching. A few different approaches came to mind, but it took him a moment to settle on one. "A man named Uriel, that Virill was unable to perceive, was following her. Shaada said that it foretells Virill's death, and that nothing can be done. He seemed to care a lot when they died, at which point a man named Nathan appeared. After promising to Uriel that we would be left alive and Uriel left, the man summoned Shadowlings to attack us and left. Do these names tell you anything?"

[PersonMan]

"Of course you wouldn't believe it," Eirea says. "We both know of her heritage. But had you seen, you would have found one of her companions, poisoned by the flame. This was no mere fire, it was a spell-enhanced trap made to kill a being of flame," internally, she makes a connection between this and the fires bypassing the wards in Tell's Howe. Practice runs, to test the magic. Of course...

"I know not how many mutual acquiantances you had, but perhaps you've heard of the fires in Tell's Howe, the ones that have been bypassing the wards there. Perhaps when this news reaches you, you'll make the same realization I have. Fire that bypasses magical protection," Eirea stops here, questioning why she's continuing. It's odd, the thought that, had there not been a building ablaze as they arrived, they would have been introduced to this woman as a friend of their employer's.

"Whether you wish to accept it or not, we will mourn the loss of those two from this world and seek to destroy the one who killed them," she says.

[Aard_Rinn]

"No." She shakes her head, but when she looks at you, you can see that she's afraid. "You're lying. She's fine - she's stronger than that, she's stronger than anything!" Her eyes are wild, and there is madness in the pain within - that of a wounded animal, lashing out at those who have cornered it.

"Sarjiiya..." Aldreg seems to believe you now, and he steps forward to lay a hand on her shoulder, movements resolute.

"Aldreg... Don't listen to them. They're lying..."

"Sarjiiya... we live beneath the Kirin, in the Kirin's light; the truth of the Kirin binds us both. But... this is not a lie - I'm sorry..."

She swirls around, turning on him with teeth once more bared in a savage snarl. "How can it be true? It's madness - it reeks of the lie!" Her words are resolute, brooking no argument, but there is doubt in her eyes.

"Uriel."

Something seems to snap within her at the name, and she lets out a feral scream, full of hatred and betrayal. She lunges at the watchman, who seems to have anticipated it - he takes a step back and to the side, and when she overbalances from the lunge, he brings the back half of his spear around to slam into her stomach. There's a dull thud as the wood slams into her, and she seems to collapse, tumbling into a neat pile on the ground; Aldreg, whatever else he might be, is clearly an expert at knocking people unconscious.

From a roof above, you hear the angry cawing of a raven, but at an annoyed glance from Aldreg, the bird falls silent. The watchman surveys his handiwork, and mutters a soft "Sh*t..." beneath his breath.

[Sliver]

If he would have remembered how to convey confusion and alarm from his days of the living, Revenant didn't show. "So you are familiar with him..." Revenant says quietly, to himself. "I didn't know that saying his name would lead to something like this. I would have asked you in private otherwise... What happened to her? Why did his name cause such a reaction?" He asks, louder.

[PersonMan]

Eirea feels a brief pang in her heart. Clearly, the reception they would have gotten upon their arrival would have been that of two good friends reunited. Instead, this woman had barely missed seeing her rush into the flames and was now being told that her friend had died minutes ago. She imagines that the reaction of many will be similar, although not as intense, scattered as Rishaad's friends and former comrades are. Some of her mother's old words return to her, and Eirea is sure that for a moment she feels a cold feeling in her chest, but it vanishes quickly.

[IamL]

Grall
"I...I'm sorry. I failed in my duty of protecting Shaada, Virill, and the Sword, and for that I am truly regretful. Shaada was...well, I didn't know her for long, but I will remember her forever. A bright light extinguished far too early. I can carry Sarjiya, if you want. I'm certainly strong enough to do so without too much exertion."

[Aard_Rinn]

"Uriel... there's no way you could no that name unless Riishaad or one of the others told you, but... he likes us to keep his silence. He's an old friend, though - Riishaad's oldest, closest companion, save perhaps Arram." Aldreg nods to Grall, accepting the man's offer to assist with Sarjiiya.

"But... if you saw enough to know that name... I'm sure she told you all she could about him, right? A little more won't hurt, then, I suppose. He's an omen of death - but I'm sure you knew that... It's an old kindness, I suppose. He comes to her when someone she loves is going to die, once there is nothing else that can happen, and no way to sway that path. He... he gives her that chance, to see them one last time." Hefting the smaller woman up, he slings one arm over his shoulder, helping Grall get a hold on her other side. "Thanks."

With a brief gesture, he motions towards the temple, setting off once more with an even pace. "She'll be alright, when she wakes up. I know what I'm doing - I'm even better at putting folks to sleep than she is, and she the sorceress. A little water to take away the cotton, and she'll be right as rain, I guarantee it. But loosing Riishaad... It's a hard blow, and make no mistake. She was one of the only ties we had left to anyone from those days... And Virill... Riishaad wanted her to be safe, she tried so hard to protect her..." He falls silent for a moment.

"You were on a mission, right? For the Temple of the Phoenix - you mentioned a sword? The Ruugukhan, right - that's the one that Virill was in charge of, as I recall. What are you going to do now? The Temple's still several days away... and your friend seems to have run off, and shaken Myr besides." As he mentions the raven, he raises an arm, and the bird swoops low and alights with a caw.

[Sliver]

"It's never easy to lose someone you care about." Revenant says and pauses. "The other man, Nathan, took the sword. He said he will take it to the temple himself. We will make our way to the temple to make sure that it happened, and perhaps we'll find out more about these statues and what they mean." Revenant says as he glances at the two bone figurines once more before putting them back into his pouch.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I carefully observe my surroundings.

Mechanical Rolls:
Spot; Take Twenty: [27]
Listen; Take Twenty: [27]
Knowledge (Nature): [roll0]
Knowledge (Geography): [roll1]

[Aard_Rinn]

"A fair plan." Aldreg readjust's his hold on the sorceress as he speaks, lifting her a little higher and getting a better grasp on her shoulder. The raven Myr seems annoyed at the restless movements, and takes a short, hopping flight to perch on his mistress's lolling head. "I've never seen the like - they look like carved bone. The plainsmen carve the bones of their herdbeasts, I know - we see the work every so often, travelling through - the pieces are popular as trinkets in the south, worth good money to a traveler looking to fill his pockets with something to sell when he gets home. Usually that's little animals, though - I've not seen human figures before; mostly birds and herdbeasts..."

He pauses. "Hey, Myr. Can you take a message?"

The raven croaks and bobs, as if nodding a reply.

"Can you go tell the Temple to prepare a bed for Sarjiiya? Tell them that she bashed her head on a rock, okay? And tell them that we have visitors from the Howe - see if they were expecting anyone, okay?"

The bird bobs again, the tips of it's feathers brushing gently over Grall's and Aldreg's face as they are spread, a few strong beats all that is required to send the bird rising up into the sky. Aldreg watches as he ascends, before turning to your group.

"No need to upset anyone, okay? I hit her fair hard - she'll probably need a day or two to sleep it off, but she'll be fine. Don't mention the... particulars... of her little accident to anyone, okay? She'll be understanding - as long as you guys are gone well before she awakens - but all you'll do is upset the clerics, so this might be a good topic to... breeze over, if you would." He smiles, a bright, toothy grin, perhaps only a little less brilliant than it might have been on a happier night. "Besides, Myr'd kill me."

DFSpot; Take Twenty: [27]
Listen; Take Twenty: [27]
Knowledge (Nature): (1d20+3)[4]
Knowledge (Geography): (1d20+3)[9]

You gaze at your surroundings, carefully scoping the area out. The trees are thick here, swaying silhouettes made of shadows, black-on-black. The occasional insect flits by, wings ahum, a fast, dim blur scooting across your field of view. They land on you, ocassionally, but your hide and your hair are thick, and you hardly notice when they bite, save to occasionally swat them away when they land too near your face.

In the sky above you, your keen, almost animalistic senses let you hear the shrill squeakings of bats as they pursue those same insects. The cries might be annoying - a constant cacophony of squeaking and chirrups - but in the deep, pervasive stillness of the woods, they are a reminder that you are no alone; that here, life goes on, even as the moon nears it's zenith.

In the woods, you hear a crashing, like the sound of many hooves - it startles you, the sound like that of pursuers riding through the night, their horse's hooves trampling the underbrush; it takes several long moments to calm your heart, but you are put at ease when you see the pale forms of a herd of deer moving calmly and purposefully through the woods, their forms like a river of ghosts flowing through the low browse as they make their way through the darkness.

[PersonMan]

Eirea nods. "I doubt we will be staying long after the others awaken tomorrow morning. We have no time to dally," as soon as the rites for Virill and Rishaad had been finished they would leave. There was no reason to stay longer, and she's sure that the drive she feels to get moving as quickly as possible is shared by the others. Of course, in the short term there was a slight issue with the man's plan...

"I am unsure as to how convincing a tale of a head injury will be if her head is clearly uninjured," she says, nodding to indicate the formerly frenzied woman's now-hanging head. One would expect at least a bruise from someone knocked out by a head wound, after all.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Don't worry about that - bruises like this take a while to rise, and it'll be below the hair, but she'll have a hell of a lump after a hit like that. I am an expert, after all..." He gestures offhandedly to his spear. "This is fair heavy, even if it isn't lead-lined. Besides, they won't ask questions - I'm a trustworthy guy, and they know I'd never do anything to cause her harm." He gives a pensive glance to the woman slung over his and Grall's shoulders before continuing.

"It's more a matter of... omitting unnecessary facts. Of course I'll tell the truth if asked - but, to be fair, she certainly fell, after a fashion, and she did crack her head rather hard..."

[PersonMan]

"I see," Eirea says. That didn't change the fact that by the next day his lie would be obvious, though she doesn't care enough to follow that topic any further. It was his business, not hers, what he told the clerics. No need to get involved with frivolous village affairs when they had important things to do, after all.

Eirea stays silent as they go to the temple, increasing her pace almost imperceptibly, trying to get the group to speed up with her.

[IamL]

Grall
"This might be a little bit awkward...I worship the warrior aspect of the Phoenix, and so the way I meditate and pray for spells is by performing Poomse, or as some would call it, Kata. It requires that I wield my sword, and I don't want it to seem like I'm about to attack anybody. Do you know of any place where I could meditate unobtrusively?"

[Aard_Rinn]

"Sure! Once we reach the temple, you can use the prayer yard - it should be plenty big. I'm sure the priests won't mind - they often have visitors, and I doubt you're the only priest who needs space to meditate..."

[IamL]

Grall
I nod.
"Thank you. What do you know of the Ruugukhan? I recall legends, of course, but I was wondering if you knew any more than just basic information.

[Aard_Rinn]

As you continue to talk, you round a final corner and the Temple moves into view. It is dark, but two lights shine in the first floor windows; the lantern outside is lit, and an older man, perhaps in his late thirties, stands waiting for your arrival.

"The Ruugukahn? Hmm... It's a powerful artifact, I know that." Aldreg seems to contemplate the question for a moment, ordering his thoughts as the priest rushes over to help with Sarjiiya. "It kills it's wielder, or so Virill told me - but it's said that a servant of the Phoenix, divinely chosen by the God himself, can wield it. Even Virill had to keep it chained up - according to her, even misdrawing it while reaching for her own blade might be enough to strike her dead. Crazy, huh?" He grins. "What's the point of a blade that kills it's own users? Even as a divine tool... who would ever pick it up and swing it, knowing that it'd more than likely kill them?"

The priest grabs Sarjiiya's legs, and together, he, Aldreg and Grall manage to carry the woman inside. Entering the building behind them, it seems less like a temple and more like the foray of a house - heavy leather boots sit in a neat line beside the door, and the only really open space is a room to the right - it is empty, with a wide glass window the length of the room overlooking the river.

Aldreg and the priest manage to get Sarjiiya onto a couch, and the priest begins to examine her. "What happened, exactly? Myr woke me up - said she'd hit her head?" The raven sits perched on one of the chairs placed around the nearby table, slender feet gripping the wooden frame. He fluffs his wings and lets out a soft croak, eyeing you curiously.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

<Eyes Deer, casts Sleep.>

Mechanical Stuff:
Casts Sleep on the deer; one deer has two HD; Sleep will affect two deer.

[Aard_Rinn]

One of the deer, a pale, moon-bright doe, stumbles, the deer around her regarding her with curious concern. Another trips, and drops to it's knees - a graceful fawn, slender neck drooping as it fails to resist the spell. The doe, too, collapses into sleep, and one of the herd gives a low, trumpeting call - the deer race off, vanishing into the mists of the forest, save one - a stag, his rack broad as the boughs of a tree, comes thundering back through the woods, turning to snuffle at the fallen pair. Content that they are alive, he bugles, and his voice is answered by a call from the fleeing herd - he snorts, pawing the earth as he swings his massive head around, searching for any threats to dam or fawn,

In him, the glow is more brilliant; he shines out in the night like the moon himself, silver pelt casting dim and flowing shadows over the trees around him as he moves. His antlers are impressive - he would be a prize beyond compare to any hunter, but they match his massive body - he is easily six feet at the shoulder, and rack and all, he approaches ten.

Roll me a hide check and a Knowledge: Arcana/Religion/Local - whichever you have trained.

[PersonMan]

Eirea, glad to be in the temple at last, considers how to answer the priest's question. They needed a single story on how it happened, otherwise inconsistencies would crop up and make it harder to sell the entire thing. Of course, such a story required a bit of thought to come up with something good. She needed to make sure the guard woman didn't do anything too out of character, and make sure that the entire experience was believable.

"Yes, shortly after she came to speak with us there was an accident. One of our number, a hobgoblin woman, was leaving and Sarjiiya stepped forwards just as she was walking by. She was agitated and worried that our presence would threaten the safety of the village - I imagine that's what distracted her enough to trip over the leaving one's feet. If she hadn't been carrying her weapon, I doubt she would have struck the stone so firmly," Eirea says, the lie coming easily once she's composed the story in her mind. A set of coincidences. Just unlikely enough to be the kind of thing that would happen. Aldreg would confirm and they would finally turn their attention to more important matters.

Bluff: [roll0]

[Aard_Rinn]

"Ah. I... see?" The old priest glances to Aldreg, who nods. This seems to be enough for the man, who busily goes about cleaning the handful of scrapes and bumps from where the sorceress fell.

"Friends of yours, Watchcaptain Aldreg?" He glances over at your group with a smile before returning his attention to Sariiya.

Aldreg shakes his head. "Friendly enough, I suppose, but we'd never met before today. They said that they were coming up on a mission for the Temple in the Howe - but the priests they were with got trapped in the hall when it burnt, and the artifact they guarded is lost. They were supposed to pick up supplies here for the journey to Raahlsheim, I believe?" He looks to your group for confirmation, though he seems to have kept his words circumspect enough that the priest would be unable to guess at the particulars of your mission if they were not already known to him.

The old man rises to his feet. "They were the ones with the elementals? I had assumed - the building exploded right after; I had assumed that they were the ones who set the place ablaze..." He looks at you sympathetically, pity vying with curiosity in his gaze.

[Etherion]

After DF runs off, before she dusguises herself and stuff.
I am going to go make sure she doesn't get herself killed. We'll meet in Raahlshiem, correct?
Did I spell that right?
Alderon walks off, following the path the hobgoblin took.

[IamL]

Grall
"The building was ablaze before we arrived; we smelled smoke, Revenant here sensed life aura in the building, and Shaada and Virill entered. The figures he carries contain the life aura he sensed, which pointed to treachery. We were then attacked, but the...man that set his minions upon us was arrogant and felt that we would fall to them. He claimed he was going to bring the artifact to the location we were bringing it to, as a 'last request' sort of thing. I believe he is too arrogant to believe his minions failed, so he shouldn't be back here any time soon. When the fire has finished burning, I am requesting that we gather the ashes and either I can perform the seevice, or one of the Raalsheim preists can."

[Sliver]

Revenant looks at Grall and places his hand on the man's shoulder. "If you don't mind, part of my job is the sending off."

[IamL]

Grall
I nod. I should have remembered that.
"Fine by me."

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I eyed the Bacchara, surprised to see one in such a herd. Why was such a powerful creature there. To battle it would be foolish; it would produce no meat. Still, such a stag could be helpful in other ways. I walk up front, confronting it.

"Bacchara," I said, "What brings you to these woods?"

[Aard_Rinn]

"Ah. I'm sorry for your loss - If you need somewhere to spend the night, we have blankets and pillows we keep for visitors - if you want to stay in the main room, you can feel free." He gestures to the room on the opposite side of the hall, and turns to Aldreg.

"Watchcaptain... I assume you will remain as well, since Sarjiiya is in no condition to travel? I can pull a cot in here for you, if you wish..."

Aldreg nods, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you - I'd like that. And I'll help this lot search the wreckage and guide them back to the Raahls-Howe in the morning." He nods to you with a sad smile, clearly a bit upset with the though of the grim task to be done.

The drake sticks her head up, her hissing voice sedate. "I can show you where Virill died, if you want. Arryuna and Riishaad... they were at the heart of the blast; it shouldn't be too hard to find... and Malkavos... he was with them." Her voice turns soft, almost silent as she finishes, and she curls her head back in, body seeming to merge into a flowing ring of fire as her draconic form looses distinction.

DF
The stag snorts, tossing his head at you in surprise at your sudden appearance. He paws the ground, lowering his rack and placing the bulk of his form between you and his companions. After a few long moments of carefully inspecting you with a single grey eye, he snorts again, and turns his head to carefully nudge his unconscious companions, though his ears flick back in your direction, carefully listening for any sound of your approach.


E
You follow the hobgoblin woman through the woods, her path easy enough to track even on the packed soil of the winding trail. She seems to have gotten well ahead of you - you can't hear her, try as you might, although you do hear the panicked cries of a distressed raven some way ahead of you after about half an hour of walking.

After about an hour, you finally spot her. She stands a few feet away from a silver stag that glows faintly in the moonlight; the great beast snorting and pawing the ground as the pair face off. After a few moments, the beast turns aside, but it doesn't run - however, you can't see what it's doing...

[Etherion]

Alderon slowly walks towards Drowning Fish, hoping to avoid frightening the stag.

[Aard_Rinn]

DF
The stag raises it's head to snort at the sound of twigs snapping behind you. Looking over your shoulder, you see Alderon emerging from the thicket - he has a few stray twigs in his hair, and little bits of leaf stuck in his armor, but other than that he seems none the worse for the wear. He straightens, approaching, and the stag paws the earth, but it does not run - it eyes him suspiciously, but makes no move to charge, either.

E
As you enter the clearing, twigs snapping underfoot, both Drowning Fish and the stag turn to glance at you. The stag snorts, pawing at the earth, and eyes you suspiciously as you approach, but makes no move to attack or flee. Beside it, you can see a pair of smaller deer, their hides glowing the same silvery colour, laying on the ground, seemingly uninjured, but unmoving.

[PersonMan]

"I would like to collect some of what remains," Eirea says quietly as the others begin to speak of putting the lost to rest.

"I thank you for your offer, but I will not rest this night. I will remain at the side of the fire," she adds, remembering the man's mentioning blankets. There would be no rest, especially on a day such as this. Eirea would spend the dark hours pressing her feelings into the obsidian dagger her mother had told her a vampire's heart must become. Perhaps, she considers, the vampire had had a similar experience in her living years, leading to some of her views...

Either way, Eirea would draw upon every bit of ruthlessness she had been taught in the past, if that was what was needed.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I glanced at Alderon, wondering what he was doing here. Did he follow me? Was Alderon even Alderon? What if it was a shapeshifter, taking his form after the raven attempt failed?

Well, time to kill two people with one sword. "Alderon," I said warily, "Do you remember the name of the tavern we first met at?"

[Etherion]

The Haversow, I think. Why?

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was either Alderon, or a spy that was following Alderon.

"No reason," I answered, "Why are you following me?"

[Etherion]

Mostly to make sure you don't get yourself killed on the way to Rhaalshiem.

[Aard_Rinn]

Party @ the Temple - if you want to just post a night post, that's fine. Just put something up so I know we can move to the next day.

DF & E
As you speak, the stag paws the ground, seemingly growing uneasy as the pair of you continue to idle near it's fallen companions. It gives a loud snort, and exhales a puff of warm air that fogs faintly in the cool air of the autumn night, dried leaves crackling as it shifts on it's feet.

[Etherion]

So, what's that? I've never seen a stag that size before.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I snorted. I could defend myself just fine; I had survived a war and a mate, after all. "You're going to slow me down," I said, "This was meant to be a quick messaging mission, not some heroic quest."

Turning around, I glance once at the Bacchara. "That's an overprotective creature," I muttered, "who appears to be threatening us in some roundabout way."

"You, there," I exclaimed to the stag, "I'll make you a deal - I'll awaken your companions if you agree to bring me and my friend as close to Rhaalshiem as possible."

Mechanical Rolls:
Diplomacy: [roll0]

[IamL]

Grall
I think for a second, then come to a decision.
"Eirea, I'd like to talk to you in private--either at the fire or in the prayer yard, whichever you prefer--it should take about an hour or so.

[Etherion]

Alderon blinks in surprise, and speaks slowly to DF
You are talking to an animal...

[PersonMan]

"Then come with me, I will return to what remains of the town hall. What is it you wish to speak of?" Eirea replies, roused from her thoughts by the goliath's mention of speaking to her. What is it, she wonders, that would need an entire hour to discuss? Outwardly calm, although internally swelling with impatient curiosity, Eirea begins to walk the way back to the fire, going at a slow pace to allow Grall to join her before she gets far. Then she speeds up into a more natural walk, waiting for him to begin speaking.

[Aard_Rinn]

The night sky is peaceful, though the stench of ashes fill you nose - the acrid smell of rotting wood and burnt timbers. Smooth grey plumes still rise into the air - they look like black shadows as they sway across the sky, blocking the stars from view. In the rubble of the burned building, pockets of fires still glow, and even on the hill, you can feel the warmth emanating from the wreckage, slowly fading as the night wears on.

In the morning, as the sun begins to rise, you are given your first good view of the burned-out building. Wreckage and rubble cover the ground, blackened with soot and ash. Towards the center of the ruins, a tall beam remains intact, shoved over on it's side - you can see the rivulets of metal where the fire was hot enough to melt the tacks that held the frame of the building. Behind it, a small fan of floor seems miraculously untouched by the flames, the wood peeled and cracked from the heat but unburned.

It isn't long after dawn that Aldreg arrives, carrying a basket full of hot buns and a carafe of tea. He offers the drink to others before taking a mug for himself, sipping it and munching on a bun as he surveys the wreckage of the building. "This is the worst I've ever seen, I'll give you that. No problem believing that it was mageset, now I've seen this."

As he speaks, the drake emerges from where she spent the night, curled up on Grall's chest. She slips over to the basket, and takes a bun, holding it in delicate paws as she rips into it. Aldreg watches, amused, while she eats.

The stag snorts, and paws the earth - it tosses it's rack, taking a step forward. Then, he rears; but he wheels even as sharp hooves plunge downward, slamming them into his companions. They dissipate, fading swiftly into the mist, and the stag turns and begins to stride off into the forest.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I watch as the stag crushes the bodies, causing them to fade away. "Yes," I said, "I'm certain animals can do that."

"Look, this is the plan: I will run non-stop, for days, until I reach the church. If you want to follow me, take off your ridiculously heavy armour" - here I look at it with disdain - "and try to keep up. Maybe we can find some wild animals to ride along the way."

"Or, alternately, if you don't think you can make it, go and return to the others, or maybe try to find that stag. Who knows; you might be able to persuade it. Either way, I don't have time for this. Goodbye."

With that, I run off.

[Etherion]

Alderon glares at DF for a moment, sighs and shrugs, and begins following the stag through the forest, while trying to keep track of where he is.

Survival check? Why not.
[roll0]

I guess that's why...

[Aard_Rinn]

DF –
As you plunge on through the darkened woods, your footsteps light as you leap over logs and dart over the occasional stream, the woods grow darker, the foliage above becoming denser until even the moonlight is blocked out, and it becomes tricky for even your keen eyes to see in the all-encompassing blackness. Only the scattered lights of fireflies remain, their pulsing yellow lights blinking between the trees as they flit about, wheeling their ways through the darkness. The occasional sound from the underbrush startles you as you race on, but every time you look, it is merely some small night creature racing off into the woods, it’s nighttime activities suddenly interrupted by the crash of hobgoblin feet.

Still, you press on, though your body begins to tire from hours maintaining such a grueling pace, and eventually, the forest begins to thin again, branches parting so that you can see the stars that fleck the night sky. Through the canopy, you can see the silhouettes of bats flit by, hunting their meals in the hours before the sun rises, and once, the sweeping, silent wings of an owl are enough to block out the moon.

It is some hours before the forest breaks before you, and instead of dense woodlands, you find yourself crossing an open plain, a few scattered trees the only remnants of the forest you’ve left behind. The trail is easier here, a dirt path easy to follow through the grass in the blue moonlight; you can see the Arrask Mountains rising up before you in the distance, a few faint lights marking the towns that dot their steep slopes. With the moon beginning to set beyond the mountains, the sky behind you begins to fade from the deep blue-black of nighttime to a silvery purple-blue. The few clouds that dot the distant sky take on a pinkish tint, and when the sun first begins its ascent above the horizon, the mountains seem to glow with the coppery blush of the new day.

The mist that hangs heavy in the low areas of the plateau is pale and ghostly – it moves slowly, almost fluidly, in the nearly windless morning. It seems to fade away as the sun rises, however, and soon the misty field of the morning is replaced by a wide-open grassland, even the sparkling dew wicking up into the drying air.

In the distance lies a small village, a herd of horses and cattle being grazed beside it. A few young men, human-looking, though it is hard to tell from this distance, watch them, accompanied by a pair of dogs. The village seems too small to be Raahlsheim, and you are fairly certain that you have not yet travelled far enough to reach the northern city; this is no doubt merely one of many smaller towns along the Raahls-Howe, selling provisions and mounts to travelers who lack the supplies to reach the mountain fortress without restocking.


Alderon-
You follow the stag as it trots through the underbrush, it's body the only light you have by which to discern your path. The darkened woods are quiet after Drowning Fish runs off, the only sounds your own footsteps and those of the stag. He continues on through the brush for some time, stepping lightly over branches, the occasional twig snapping beneath his hooves seeming too loud in the quiet darkness.

If the beast is aware of your presence, he seems not to care, following some invisible path through the woods until he reaches a small clearing. It is nearly empty, save a man lying in the center, sprawled out on his stomach, disheveled and seemingly unconscious. The deer strides over to him and bows his head, vanishing as soon as his muzzle touches the mans dark hair and leaving you in the blackness of the clearing; the only light remaining is the moon's, too faint to see even the woods around you.

[IamL]

Grall
I wake up uncharacteristically late, past sunrise, even. I am exhausted from the events if the night before, and the warm spot left by the drake on my chest is quickly disappearing to the cool morning air. I take the tea and buns gratefully and ponder the events of the past two days, particularly the death of Virill and Shaada.
The events of later last night with Eirea manage to float to the surface of my thoughts, as well. As the drake literally digs into her bun, I smile, then speak to her.
"You said you could show us where they died? Revenant, do you need to make any preparations?"

[Etherion]

Alderon picks up a branch off of the ground, and, using his flint and steel, lights it on fire as a makeshift torch.

Do I need to make any rolls here?

[Aard_Rinn]

E
Nope, 's all good. It has less to do with remembering where the guy was, and more to do with not tripping over stuff, tho, up to and including the dude you're trying to check out.
As you light the torch, the clearing is illuminated by the flickering golden light - the man seems to be alone, laying on the soft ground, though he is surrounded by a confused mix of hoofprints, as if an entire herd of deer had tramped through, rather than the trio that you saw earlier.

The man is unmoving, even when the light is lit - he seems to be unconscious, even dead, though the nature of his injury is not apparent from where you stand.

[Etherion]

Got it.

Alderon goes to the man, and checks for a pulse.

[Aard_Rinn]

E
As Alderon approaches the man, the injury that has laid him low becomes apparent - around one of his legs is a huge metal beartrap, it's jagged teeth covered in coagulated blood from where they have bitten deep into his skin. The blood is black and caked - it looks as if the man may have been lying here for days, unable to escape on his own.

When Alderon takes his hand, the man groans faintly, eyes cracking open just a bit. His voice is weak and raspy, as if his throat is dry from dehydration - "Is someone there?"

[Etherion]

spot check: [roll0]
search check: [roll1]
Use whichever is applicable, or higher.
Alderon looks around for any more traps.
Yes. How badly are you injured?

[Aard_Rinn]

E!The man raises his head as much as he can, struggling to lift himself onto one shoulder. His face is pale, as if he is in shock, and it takes him a moment to speak coherently. "I... can't tell. Been here for hours... didn't think anyone'd find me. My leg... hurts real bad, and I can't fix it - th' trap's iron, I can't even touch it." He gasps, collapsing with a sharp cry to the ground. "Can't heal it, either, not with the metal still in it. Do you think you could get it off of me?" He hisses in pain and shuts his eyes tight, the exertion of talking clearly making the pain worse.

[Etherion]

He can't touch iron? What is he?

knowledge (misc) [roll0]

Alderon attempts to open the trap, while trying to avoid injuring the man further.
Strength check? Strength check. [roll1]

[Aard_Rinn]

As you wrench the trap open, straining against the lever holding it shut, the dried blood caked onto it cracks and pulls away from the scabbed-over cut, and fresh blood begins to ooze from the wound. The trapped man cries out in pain as his leg is freed, jerking it from the trap as soon at the jaws open. He curls up in a ball, clutching his leg to his chest as he heaves with great gasping breaths, sobbing in pain and clenching his teeth as he struggles not to scream.

It is several minutes before he begins to calm, and when he does, he starts to pray, in a language that you cannot understand. He falters at first, unable to speak clearly over his own gasping breaths, but his words grow in strength as he proceeds, a green light seeming to wash over his body as he does. The wound on his leg begins to heal, slowly at first, but faster and faster as the light concentrates around it - and it masses around other injuries as well, healing scrapes and scratches no doubt caused by his struggles to escape the trap.

Finally, the worst of his injuries seem to be healed, the only signs of them the caked-on blood and a series of thin white scars where the magic couldn't heal the wound completely. The man lays there, still trembling, for a long minute before he once more struggles to his knees, only now seeming to view you.

"Thank you. I'm Jason - I guard the forest here. Wasn't expecting that - the humans should know better than to trap in my woods. Ah!" He cried out, staggering as he attempts to rise to his feet. "Damn, iron like that's bad news for me. Take it with, would you?" He gestures to your pack with a grimace.

[Etherion]

Aw man! I hate failed knowledge checks!
I am Alderon. What do you mean, you guard the forest?
Alderon wipes the blood off of the trap (onto grass and such), as best he can before putting it away.

[Aard_Rinn]

The man watches with distaste as you wipe off and stow the trap, but he seems to cheer up immensely when it is gone. "I'm a druid, see? A servant of the Endless Gyre, may it turn forever with the seasons and the moon-change and the tides. This forest is my home, and I defend all of the creatures who live here from those who would needlessly disrupt the forest's flow through time." He scratches the back of his head and grins.

"Or at least, that's what I'm supposed to do. Was actually doing a decent job, too, until that thing got me... It's bad news, if someone's tossing those around. That's not the sort of thing that sees much use, in these parts - though I've heard they're a common problem up North... Could mean that they're expecting an attack of some kind, through the woods; something like that'd slow me down a good bit, if I'd seen it get one of my friends while we were creeping around in here. Still, I don't want to think what would've happened to me if you hadn't come along - no need to check a trap if you're not hunting with it, after all..."

Roll for me, all of your Spot checks! Bring to me some Spot checks three!

[Etherion]

Why would someone be expecting an attack from the woods?

I have no idea how many spot checks you want me to make, so here (some spot checks three? Does that mean x*3? CONFUSION! Apply them in order, depending on how many you want...) :
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]

[Sliver]

Revenant shakes his head to Grall's question. If anything transpired during the night, it is impossible to see on the undead man's face. His eyes scanned the remains of the house as he himself had doubts about remains of their companions. If they were ash, would they differ from the ashes of anything else?

He turns to Uethos. "Can you show us where it happened? Where they were the moment of the explosion?"

[Aard_Rinn]

"I... I think so. I know I can find the epicenter of the blast - that's where the Beine Riishaad was, and Lady Arryuna stayed with her. And Lady Virill shouldn't be hard to find, either - she fled the blast with us, and I'm not certain exactly where we were when she fell, but... Malkavos was with her. He was my... I'll be able to find him, even though there won't be any remains. I knew his fire as well as I know my own." The drake bows her head.

"I don't know if we'll find anything of them, though. Virill told me, once, that mortals leave their forms behind when they are destroyed - but we immortals don't, you know that, right?" She eyes you all questioningly, an odd look in the cinders that are her eyes. "We go back to the Planes, and become one with the Worldflame, to exist as one with all the fires that have ever faded, all the sparks that have never kindled. But... we don't leave anything behind." She gazes downward, almost as if she is upset to have to tell you this. "When we're gone, nothing is left of us; only ash and the smell of smoke on the wind."

Jason scratches the back of his head with a confused grin. "I don't know, to be honest. I try to stay away from humans, for the most part - I come out occasionally, to help lost hunters or children who have wandered too far from their homes, but I'm a creature of the forest; I have no real interest in the goings-on of human towns. But humans are always worried about attackers. I try to warn them, if anyone's coming through the woods - they like it when I do, and I like them, so I'll help if I can. But nobody's ever mentioned why they keep attacking each other - I figure it's a bit like bears; they're just really angry sometimes, and they don't much like anybody else except their families..." He shrugs, gazing up at the trees. "Who knows? I don't much mind, as long as they keep their fighting out of the forest. I always figured it's just humans being humans; they're a bit odd, really. But it'll be a problem if they're putting those out." The young man gestures to your pack, indicating the trap tucked inside.

He glances at the woods around him, carefully examining the darkness with his pale green eyes, before beckoning of into the night. "I don't suppose we could go over there, if we're going to talk? I'd like to get some of this blood off, and there's a stream."

[Etherion]

Of course. So, what are you going to do about the traps?

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I sniff the mountain air, feeling the cool breeze, the moist weather, and the realisation that I still had many a way to go. It was no time to rest, though; I had the message to deliver, the prize to receive. An uncertain prize, perhaps, but a prize nevertheless. If the prize is uncertain, though, perhaps I should take an uncertain stance, a muddled path. A dangerous trade, but it should do.

I walked up the one of the humans and asked, "How much for your fastest horse?"

[IamL]

Grall
"Shaada was only half-Efriit. We're not sure whether or not she'll leave remains."

[Aard_Rinn]

"... I guess, maybe. But I don't think so... She wouldn't want to be left behind." The drake gazes off into the fire, voice quiet, and the tips of her flames began to take on a dusky grey.

DFThe man takes a step back, eyes wide, when he sees you, his hand going to his blade. It takes a moment for your words to register, and when they do, he seems confused for a moment, backing away a little further. "Ah! Uh... I... I would have to ask Omassar. Wait... wait here, please." He stammers out his response nervously, before turning and sprinting towards the village, his hound at his heels, leaving the horses to idle, the nearest, a pale palamino, glancing up to give you a casual snuffle.

Etherion
"I'll have to talk to the villagers, I suppose. They're good folks - I'm sure we can work out a solution that's less dangerous to the animals and I. Maybe they could use copper, or brass - that way I could free any animals that got trapped, but they would still feel safe? Or I could keep a closer watch out for people sneaking about, so they don't need the traps?" The druid frowns, scuffing at the dirt as he walks. When you reach the creek, he settles down on it's bank, using a handful of moss to scrub at the blood on his leg. A few feet away, under the flowing waters of the stream, you spot a twisted pile of something reddish, looking mouldered; it seems out of place in the woodlands.

[Etherion]

What's that over there?
Alderon points towards the pile.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Dunno." The green-eyed man places his moss on the stream's bank, reaching out to grab the tangled mass. However, as his fingers brush the object, he pulls his hand back, hissing, and you can see slight blisters on his fingertips before he places them to his lips, wincing in pain for a moment before turning to you.

"Iron, whatever it is. You'll have to pull it out - I can't touch it." He eyes the object suspiciously before returning to cleaning the blood off his leg.

Remember, E, you can be a bit fluffy in your descriptions. Most stuff, as long as it could reasonably be assumed to be there, can be pulled in by anyone - you don't need to ask me if there are sticks in the woods, or if you're trying to find a random dude in a bar - in my other game, my PC's just randomly added an old lady weaving a basket to a scene; you just gotta roll with it. So if you want to be a bit frillier in describing scene-setting actions, go for it; as long as it wouldn't change the actual happenings of the scene, 'tis fine!

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I watch the man and his dog leave, getting smaller and smaller in the distance. As the horse sniffs me, I wonder if I should steal it; it would certainly be easier than paying. Still, I decide not too. Living things were much more difficult to take than objects, and I was too exhausted to even try. I plop myself against the horse's side, trying to get as much rest as I could before continuing on my journey.

"You're lucky," I muttered to the palamino, "Your life is simple. No problems, no worries. You don't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from; it's on the ground." I giggled at myself. Who knew I could envy an animal? "You don't get much of my kind around here, do you? I'm from one of those hobgoblin tribes up north, near the mountain ranges. I'm was a Honourbound, one near the top of our hierarchy. See, the chief and their family goes on the top, then the shamans, and then the Honourbound. We're warriors, the cream of the crop, meant to personally protect the chief from harm. Like my mother before me, I was selected to become an elite fighter. I ran away, joined a war, entered a bad relationship, and hopped onto a wild adventure to deliver an artefact that kills if you so much swing it."

"I was afraid, you know. Of the training, I mean. It was intense, and I didn't have the confidence to believe that I could go through it. I thought I would become a failure, disgraced." I gave a grim laugh. "I joined the Children's War to try to kill myself, and ended up killing others. The zeal, the rush of murder... It was so strong, you know. I still feel it, and it threatens to envelope me everyday. I hate this, I hate myself, and I hate this Phoenix forsaken 'adventure.' I'm broken in so many ways, and the quest only burns away the thick cloths I used to hide them. I tried to mend, but nothing works. The only reason I'm here is because I was promised a favour from the high priest, and I'm hoping that favour will help me, however unlikely."

I place myself on the ground, sighing. "Sometimes, I feel like I should just quit. My companions mean well, but I doubt they've travelled with someone like me before. The first time real combat starts - the first time someone with a weapon actually attacks - I don't know how I'll react. I know I can't keep doing this, though. This journey is stressful, and as time goes on, bad thoughts float up from my subconscious more and more."

...

"You know what I'll do? I'll go up the the high priest, demand my favour, and then leave. People tire me, so maybe I'll start up a little farm in the middle of nowhere. I'll have chickens, and pigs, and ducks, and horses. I won't kill them, and we'll live like a nice, big family." I smile. "Would you like to be the first one?"

[Aard_Rinn]

DFThe horse nickers softly when you settle beside it, eyeing you suspiciously. As you speak to it, however, it seems to decide that you're not such a bad sort - at least, you seem close enough to the humans he knows that there's even odds you've got an apple in your pockets, and that's good enough for the dun gelding. He begins to nudge you, discretely (for a horse) nipping at the grass you sit on in an effort to discern the treat-holding potential of your pockets. He seems amiable enough to your suggestions - when he has decided that there are no easily-swipeable treats in your pockets, his head rises, and he seems content to peacefully ruminate on your hair.

After a few more minutes of sitting in the quiet calm of the field, the only sound the quiet shuffling of horses and the low rumbling of your companion, you see a group of villagers approaching, the horseherd at the lead, pointing you out to the others. However, this is no trading group - six men stand abreast behind the herder, clad in rough armor; though it's unlikely they could cobble a full suit together between them, they all wear leather vests to supplement the scattered plate, and all hold spears, though only a few carry the weapon with anything approaching skill. They look less like soldiers than like villagers, but for all that they're a motley crew, they seem confident.

Behind them strides an old man, a sword at his belt. He hardly looks like he has the strength to lift it, however - a younger man walks at his side, assisting him as he todders along, leaning heavily on his gnarled cane.

When they are about fifty feet away, the group stops, and the men with spears part so that the old man can slowly walk forward. He eyes you suspiciously, then shouts: "Filthy goblinkin! What do you want? Speak now, or we'll drive you off, make no mistake!" He shakes his cane at you, and the men with the spears give shouts of agreement, waving their spears in a threatening manner.

[Etherion]

D: I suck at descriptions though...
Also, spot check, if it applies: [roll0]

Alderon goes over to the red pile, and takes a closer look at it.

[Aard_Rinn]

As you lift the tangles mass of chains and wide, curved pieces of metal, you examine it closely, attempting to divine it's purpose. It takes you several long minutes to even untangle the rotten chains, the rust that covers them like a thick paste making it hard to separate them. Several links break as you fiddle, their metal too rotted out to hold together under even mild force.

At last, you manage to unwind the whole thing, laying it out for examination on the mossy bank. It is clear, though the components are corroded heavily and some are impossible to distinguish, that this is another trap, though one seemingly much older than the one that ensnared Jason.

[Etherion]

I thought you said traps weren't much of a problem around here? This one looks like its been left here for years!

[Aard_Rinn]

I guess I'm just gonna skip you guys ahead to the building - please post IC so that we keep things moving, even if you haven't finished your chatter convos.

Aldreg stands in silence, watching the drake. He seems to want to give her a while to gather herself - it is only after a few long minutes that he crouches, offering her his arm. "Here - we should go." His voice is gentle, and she nods, climing lithely up his arm to perch at his neck, tiny clawed hands hanging onto his hair to balance.

The guardsman looks back up at the rest of your group as he begins to climb down the rocky scrape towards the burned-out building. "C'mon, we should hurry if you want to catch up to your friends. They've had all night to get ahead of you, but if you move, you might be able to pick up some horses in Ulxor - I'd offer you some, but you'd have to take the long way round the woods, and since you've not got a cart, straight through'll be faster." He finishes scrabbling down the slope, landing with a neat leap at the bottom, and strides towards the ruined building, unholstering his spear as he approaches and using the steel tip to break up the few pits of fire still burning outside the structure itself.

"Be careful!" He calls back to you, waiting for you to catch up before entering the ruin. "There's still fires burning, and I can't guarantee that this rubble won't shift! Try to stay out from under things, and watch out for nails and broken glass - we don't need anyone tripping and slicing themselves up..." He eyes the ruin as Uethos leans forward, the little drake whispering in his ears. "Uethos says there's still magic in the fire; she says it shouldn't bother you, but she's got to stay clear of it. Keep an eye out, okay?"

E
"There shouldn't be... I haven't seen any traps here before - and I use this stream all the time. Maybe it got washed down from closer to the village? We did have a big storm a few days ago..." The druid eyes the bits of rotted metal with a look of distaste. "Or maybe it's been here a long time, and I just never noticed it? It's covered in rust, so that means it's old, I think... maybe it's been here, and I just never noticed it."

[Etherion]

What's wrong? Does this all mean something to you?

[Aard_Rinn]

"Huh? What?" He looks up at you, confusion in his eyes. "Oh... no, no it doesn't. It's just worrying, is all. I'm just thinking... If the Baccara hadn't found me, or you hadn't followed them... I'd probably still be lying there. I don't even know what brought the sacred herd - there were never Baccara in these woods before..." He gazes into the woods, carefully looking past the trees into the inky blackness beyond.

"What brought you here, anyways? You're not from the village - what had you traveling through the woods at night?" Jason finishes cleaning his leg, and tosses the moss into the water, the dirt making a silty stain on the stream's surface as the clump bobs away. He continues to dangle his toes in the water, though, splashing about a bit as he leans back to gaze up at you.

[Etherion]

Just passing through.

[Aard_Rinn]

The druid eyes you with a touch of suspicion before rising. "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you, if you've got somewhere to be. You know the way out of here, or you want me to guide you out? Least I could do..."

He nods to the rusted metal beside the river. "Although I'd be in your debt if you could take that too... I don't have any way to get rid of it, and the last thing I need is to step on a shard and get it in my foot." He winces at the thought, the memory of his recent encounter with the metal clearly fresh in his memory.

At least give a shot to describing what E is doing as he speaks, and the tone he speaks with; even a bit of how he's thinking at the moment is helpful. It gives me a little more to work with than just lines of speech...

[Etherion]

Sorry.
What isn't he saying? And why does he seem to be in a rush to be rid of me?

A guide would be fantastic, but first there a few things I'd like to figure out...
As he speaks, Alderon casually moves his hand closer to his weapon.

[Aard_Rinn]

Jason ***** his head to the side, looking curious. "Oh? Like what?"

[Etherion]

Well, earlier it almost sounded as if the villagers were afraid of you attacking.
Alderon does his best to appear neutral while speaking.
Bluff check I suppose. I think my modifier is 1, but I am not entirely sure cause I can't check my character sheet right now.
[roll0]
...
Belkar has better spot checks than I have bluff checks. I guess Alderon is a chronically terrible liar...

[Aard_Rinn]

Not sure what you were trying to bluff about... As long as Aldi thinks it's true, you don't need a bluff check, even if you know something's false. Unless he's intentionally falsely accusing him of something? :smallconfused:
Jason takes a step back, a look of surprise and fear on his face. "What? No!" his voice is frightened, and his eyes flicker to your hand where it rests on the hilt of your weapon. He takes a step back, baring his teeth in a frightened snarl, then another, casting his eyes this way and that as if deciding whether to run or attack you. He is clearly caught off guard by this accusation, surprised, but their is a flicker of shock as your words sink in - whether is is truely innocent surprise or shock at being found out, it's hard to tell.

[Etherion]

"Trying to appear neutral." Do you not make bluff checks to affect body language and such? Cause I've noticed PM doing that...
All I'm saying is, it's obvious the villagers have been setting traps here for years. And when I asked about it, you mentioned that it would slow you down, in particular. And as our conversation continued, it seemed as if you were hiding something.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

Oh, great: more cocky humans. I stumble my feet, holding my hands up as a sign of surrender.

"I just want to buy a horse," I grumbled, "Your fastest one. I'm an agent of the Church Of The Phoenix, and I need to get there quickly."

[Aard_Rinn]

DF"Get out of here, filth! We won't have any dealings with your sort!" The old man spits in your direction. "Servant of the Temple - phaugh! Lying goblin murderer, more like it! Get out of here before we kill you!" He gives you a hateful look, and one of the spearmen takes a step forward. Beside you, the palomino gives a little snort, pawing nervously, but he doesn't run.

Aldi
"No! They've never - I've never found traps before!" Jason takes another scared step back, eying your flail as he prepares to run. "But... something's wrong, can't you tell? The stars are wrong; the woods are different, and the Bacchara have never been here before! Even the stream's shifted - and Ryuun, my familiar, she hasn't come, but I've been calling and calling!" He sounds desperate, desperate and scared. "I don't even know these woods - the trees are all wrong, and they don't know me! Can't you feel it?"

[Etherion]

Look, just stay calm. I'm only trying to figure out what's going on. What do you mean you don't know these woods?
Alderon does his best to seem calm and soothing.

[Aard_Rinn]

Etherion
"Please... Please don't hurt me. Don't come any closer!" Jason's voice is pleading, and he suddenly seems much younger - a scared child flinching away in fear. "I don't know! I don't - all I know is that everything here is wrong! These are my woods - I know where we are, and I could find the edge of the forest, if I where looking for it, but none of the trees will answer me - they say that they don't know who I am, that I'm a stranger, but I've guarded the woods here for hundreds of years! And the Bacchara... They need a lot of power to exist, and the blessing of the Mortal God himself, or that's what I was always told - they need magic, be it that of the fey or the forest... How could they have found me? Why were they even here to begin with?"

[Etherion]

Alderon moves his hand away from his weapon.
The Mortal God?

[Aard_Rinn]

Jason hesitates, calming only slightly as your hand slips away from your weapon, still prepared to bolt at a moment's notice. "Yes, the Mortal- oh, you humans have a different name for him, don't you? The Raven-man, or something like that? The god of death, and the balance. The Bacchara are his, or so I was told as a child. The spirits of fallen druids, who He allows to return to the forests that they loved in life..."

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I seethed with rage. Insults were one thing; factually correct insults were another. Still, I suppose I could use a few more lies...

"Goblin?" I said, "I do believe your eyes need some checking. I am as human as any of you!"

Mechanical Rolls:
Bluff: [roll0]

[Aard_Rinn]

"Oh, and mad besides? Listen, lout - we'll not be taken in by your tomfoolery! Madwoman or no, you're still a goblin - we'll kill you if we have to, see if we won't!" the man shouts out to you, shaking his fist. At the talk of killing, them men with spears perk up a little, glancing at each other as they raise their weapons menacingly.

Congratulations! The man believed that you thought you were telling the truth! :smallbiggrin: However, he doesn't believe that you're a human...:smallfrown: So now he thinks you're crazy! :smalltongue:

[Sliver]

Revenant frowns at the still burning fires as he casts a protective spell. "Don't risk yourself, Uethos." He says as he approaches the wrecks. He didn't mind for any nails or potentially falling objects too much. His nature would allow him to shrug off most of the damage from those. Fire might a bit more of an issue, but he could heal and fix up any harm done to him, as long as it's not fatal.

Then he began searching through the building, taking his time.

Taking 20 on search and spot for 22 and 21, respectively.

[Aard_Rinn]

The drake pauses, then leaps from Aldreg's shoulders, twisting and writhing as she glides through the air. She falls a little short, claws catching onto Revenant's cloak as she misses her mark by inches, and she latches on, carefully pulling herself up to sit on his shoulder. "I'll be cautious. I only have to worry if I fall into a poisoned fire - the spell shouldn't be able to infect me, not without a flame as the catalyst. Just... don't go hopping about so I fall off, okay?" She curls her tail around the undead man's neck lightly, and places one delicately-clawed hand on his ear, carefully balancing herself.

Once Uethos is content with her position, she sweeps her head around, trying to aquaint herself with her current position in the labyrinth of broken wood and shattered stone that was once the town hall. Finally, she points out a path, guiding the group through the wreckage towards the patch of unscarred floor you had seen from on high. When Revenant reaches the clear area, she leaps from his shoulder, landing catlike on the unburned floor. "Here," she says, sweeping her gaze over the rubble. "This is where Virill was." She noses the point of the cone, scuffing at the wood. "You can see where she was when she raised the fireward."

Casting your gazes around the area, it takes a minute to see anything in the piles of charred and blackened wood that surround the clearing. It is only with careful examination that you spot the charred and blackened splinter of shattered bone sticking up from a pile of oily-looking ashes, as long as your hand, at least, and thin as a finger. A few more scattered pieces are discernible, tiny and fragile from the intense heat of the inferno, and they are scattered all around - it's clear that in the heat of the flames, what wasn't burned away entirely was shattered as the heat made it brittle and steamed away at the moisture within.

[PersonMan]

Eirea enters the ruins with the others, following carefully, walking in silent reverence. Her expression is perfectly calm, movements calculated and smooth. With her pale skin, she almost looks more like a moving statue, clad in black, rather than a person going through the burned out rubble. As they come upon Virill's remains, her silence seems to deepen. Her entire attention is on the soft pile of ashes that were once a person. Eirea is reminded of how the young priestess - although she was nearly twice her age, she would always be "the young priestess" in Eirea's mind - had been playing with the sheep and Revenant's undead hound shortly before they spotted the smoke in the sky. Shaada's coin trick comes to her as well, the glimmer of light along her hand. She had never gotten around to asking the half-first worlder to reveal her true form. Now she never would.

Kneeling before Virill's remains, Eirea reaches out to take one of the bone shards between her fingers, holding it with more care than one might expect one to hold a newborn with. Then she stands, turning to Revenant, stepping aside to let him perform his rites.

Nathan's remains, she decides, will see no such treatment.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Is... is that what gets left behind, when one of you mortals dies?" Uethos' eyes are wide as she spots the blackened shard, scampering over to lay a paw on Eirea's knee, lifting herself up to eye the piece of bone. When Eirea rises, the drake pauses, then follows her to where she stands beside the others, once more clambering to her spot on Revenant's shoulders. "I've... never seen a mortal who's properly dead then, I suppose. Mostly, you just look like you're sleeping..."

Aldreg looks to the drake, sorrow in his eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but then shuts it wordlessly, shaking his head. There are tears in his eyes as he gazes at the shard, and he flickers his gaze away, unwilling to look at it any longer. "No... No, that's not quite right, Uethos..." His voice is a mere whisper, and those few words are all he manages to choke out before he stops, unable to continue.

[Etherion]

How long has this been going on?

Alderon looks and sounds concerned.

[Aard_Rinn]

"The Bacchara... they were the first thing I saw, through the red haze of pain from the metal burning me. I... I didn't know what they were, at first. I thought that they were ghosts, perhaps, or servant's of the Mortal God, sent to take me home. I thought I had died." Jason lowers his gaze, looking upset. "But the pain didn't stop, and when I tried to go to them, I was still bound. I... I think I slept, for a while - I couldn't hold onto my consciousness through the pain, I didn't want to. I don't know how long I was lying there - hours? ...days? And then you pulled me free, and I thought that the things I was seeing, the wrongness of it, were delirium, from the metal and my own exhaustion. But it's not; something is wrong with this place! I was born of this forest - the trees should know me as a son; the beasts of the woods should come and greet me as a brother, yet I have seen none! And the sky is wrong - the stars are the same, but they have shifted; it is as if I had spent weeks, months, trapped there, rather than mere days!" He looks distressed at this thought, the panic rising in him once again, and when he raises his gaze to meet yours, you can see that he is distraught.

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

I back off a little, trying to keep my distance from the weaponry. Meanwhile, a familiar formula resurfaces to my head, and I take my chance, discreetly changing my appearance to that of a male human.

"Please," I said, "Look at me. Do I look like a woman or a goblin?"

Mechanical Rolls:
Sleight Of Hand: [roll0]

Drowning Fish casts Disguise Self.

[Aard_Rinn]

DF
The men step back, weapons rising - the old man staggers back, groping for his blade even as his companion attempts to hold him up. At the same time, the younger man gropes for the thin silver circle around his neck, clutching the symbol of the Kirin tightly - he meets your eyes, and calls out to his companions, voice desperate:

"Sorcery, illusions and lies! Kill the beast before it brings it's allies down on our home!" He lowers the old man to the ground as his comrades steel themselves and begin to advance, their courage seemingly bolstered by the presence of their comrades. At your side, the palamino stamps in panic; he seems alarmed by the presence of so many armed men, but uncertain of which way to bolt, pressing in closer to you with eyes wide with terror as he paws the earth.

[Etherion]

Do you have any idea what could be causing this?
While Alderon continues to appear and sound concerned, he also seems intrigued.

[Aard_Rinn]

"No... No, I don't. I've never even heard... But we should move - at least keep moving, if you don't mind. I... I'm not sure if the woods are safe, for either of us if I can't count on warning from the trees." The druid shifts nervously on his heels, eyeing the dark woods. "I'm not good at fighting, not alone, anyways... And I don't think I could count on the forest to protect me, if we get attacked by the humans the villagers are worried about."

He takes a hesitant step towards you, still cautious, and looks up at you. "So... who are you, anyways, if you don't mind my asking? You aren't a raider, are you? Do... do you have anything to do with what's been going on?" He looks a bit alarmed at this thought, but seems too unnerved by the woods to be eager to run off now that you've shown you're not a threat.

[Etherion]

If I was, do you really think I would've stopped to save you? Like I said, I'm just passing through on my way to Raalshiem.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Raahlsheim? ...Let's start walking, then. I can take you to the edge of the woods, at least - I want to be out of the deepwoods, at least till I can talk to the villagers and find out what's going on. You... I'll be fine on my own, I guess - I wouldn't want to keep you, and I'll be safer on my own; I can hide myself, and I know to keep an eye out for those traps."

Jason glances all around him, then points. "North is this way. If we hurry, we can reach the edge of the woods in a few hours, I think, and skirt them until we reach the Raahls-Howe."

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Acolyte Of Empathy

Inwardly, I moan, frustrated. It seemed that my disguise had failed, and I needed to resort to other tactics. Fine.

I whipped out my dagger and held it out threateningly. "Don't you dare make me hurt you," I said, "Let me buy a horse, and I'll let you and your town go free. Attacking me is ill advised."

Mechanical Rolls:
Bluff: [roll0]

[Aard_Rinn]

DF"Treacherous goblin filth! Let us go free? We'll string you up in chunks from the village walls - then we'll see if your coward friends feel like letting us go free!" The man who speaks has bronzed skill, and wears a miller's heavy leathers beneath his pauldron. He snarls, enraged, and lowers his spear, bracing himself to charge forward at you. Behind him, his comrades let out a roar of enraged approval, readying themselves to back up his attack as the old man's attendant bustles him to a safe distance. The palomino lets out a scream at the noise, rearing in a panic, and prancing nervously on his hooves - he skitters off a few feet, then spins and dances back towards you, uncertain of what to do.

[PersonMan]

"No," Eirea replies to the fire drake's question. "How a mortal looks after they die varies, based on what killed them," she says, still holding the bone shard, looking at it as she speaks.

[Etherion]

Well then, let's go.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Oh... so they were dead, after all..." The drake seems saddened by the thought, gazing transfixed at the shard of bone. "It looks so fragile, now. It's strange to think that it was Virill, once. I... I think our way is better, in the end. Nothing... nothing left behind like this, nothing lost... Do you think... could I take a piece, so I have something to remember her by?" The creatures voice is faded, distant - it claws carefully at a piece of blackened bone at it's feet, unearthing it from where it lies buried in ash before gazing up at Eirea with a mix of uncertainty and sorrow in its eyes, seeking her approval or rebuke.

Jason nods, and waits for you, guiding you though the woods - you follow the stream for a fair way, the underbrush thinner by the water's edge. Occasionally, Jason stumbles, catching himself against the nearest tree before he can slip to the ground - he seems less steady on his feet as you travel through the woods, the uneven terrain seeming to cause him more and more trouble.

"So... why're you going to Raahlsheim? Not a lot of people come this way anymore - you can't be a trader, or you'd've had to head around the woods. Are you on church business? I've heard that they've started a church to the Mortal God there just recently - it seems like an interesting thought... I know most humans don't worship him like we do."

[PersonMan]

Eirea nods. "The remains of the deceased can be kept with one, to remember them and to ressurect them later on," she says. "You knew Virill far longer than I; if I have a right to her remains, so do you,"

[Aard_Rinn]

"Ah. Alright then... I guess I'll take this one, then." The drake eyes the shard before her, and her maw opens. With a flick of her head, she tosses back the sliver of bone, swallowing it down with an easy roll of her shoulders. "So... do you want to go look at where Beine Riishaad was, too? It should be over towards the epicenter of the blast..."

"Which is this way, right?" Aldreg gestures, and Uethos nods. "I can see where the fire was most intense... Even if she left a body behind, I'm not sure what we'll find of her... Not if Virill was this... This." He chokes on the words, and it is clear why he has not spoken - tears stream silently down his face as he gazes at the object in his hand, a slim bit of red ribbon charred at either end.

"It's... it's alright." Uethos hesitates, but she seems to do her best to be comforting. "I... I have her ring. That's enough, right? That's the bit that's important..." Aldreg shakes his head, but Uethos doesn't seem to notice, watching Eirea's actions intently.

[PersonMan]

Enough for what? Eirea wants to ask. Of course, it becomes obvious after only a moment of thought. Resurrection, of course...

"It depends. Resurrection magic either requires a part of the body or...well, a legendary amount of energy to be put into making a new one that the soul can inhabit. If she was like you, though...I don't think it's possible to bring back a being without a soul to fish back with magic, or a body that is simultaneously its spirit," Eirea explains solemly. Riishaad was almost assuredly gone forever, and she wouldn't want to resurrect Virill without communicating with her soul beforehand. A world without her commander, that she had already expressed issues about?

She may prefer the afterlife.

[IamL]

Grall
"There are certain...lesser-known spells that could resurrect an outsider, though they are far beyond my grasp. Having a personal artifact would certainly help."

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Victim

Damn it, damn it, damn it! It seemed that today was not my day: bluffs failing, spells ineffective, murderous humans...

I quickly assumed a defensive position, placing my back against the horse as cover, and attempted to roll under a human and escape.

Mechanical Rolls:
Tumble: [roll0]

[Etherion]

Was delivering an artifact to the temple, but... it was stolen along the way.
As he says this, Alderon appears quite sad.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Ah... I see. But... her ring is what gave her her body, right? I know that's why she didn't like not wearing it... she said it 'gave her body back, and made her feel whole again'." The drake tilts her head, looking a bit confused. "She said it had her... Glammer? Glamur? ...Something like that on it. And she always took it off, when she wanted to become herself again; one of us, that is. Her proper self. I always thought that that had all the human bits in it..." The drake seems uncertain, looking more and more confused as she speaks. Finally she pauses, then sighs."...I don't know. I don't know much about mortals at all, except what Virill taught me, to be honest. Is that what a resurrection is, some kind of mortal thing?"

Before Drowning Fish can dart past the men surrounding her, the old man's attendant gestures, letting out a cry as he flings a bolt of energy outward towards the first man to have spoken. The power hits the man, and he lets out a mighty roar, seeming invigorated; he readies his spear for a blow even as Drowning Fish tries to slip under one of his companions.

Meanwhile, the man Drowning Fish darts beneath is startled - he attempts to stab at her as she moves, lashing out with his spear and cursing as it strikes only the soil.

AoO
[roll0]
[roll1]

The other men chase after her, charging past the panicked horse, who bolts away as soon as he spies an opening, racing towards the village with the horseherd at his heels. They stab at her again and again as she does her best to dart between the spears, furious as their blows hit the sod but with shouts of jubilation when they strike her and draw blood.

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]

[roll8]
[roll9]

[roll10]
[roll11]

Alderon
"Stolen? That's horrible! Do you know who took it? Are you going to find them?" Jason's voice is excited, although he seems sympathetic. "What sort of artifact was it? For which god? I bet it was something powerful, and that's why they took it, right?"

[Etherion]

It was an artefact of the Phoenix. And it was not the target. The bearer of the artifact was, and she was killed. Taking the artefact seemed like an afterthought to the one who did it. And yes, I will find him. And when I do, he will be sorry.
Alderon gets progressively more angry as he continues his tirade.

[IamL]

Grall
"A glamour is an illusion, typically, so the ring contained some sort of illusion spell, probably. A resurrection is when you bring the dead back to life."

[PersonMan]

"Mortals have two parts," Eirea says, nodding at Grall's explanation of resurrection. "A body and a soul. Without a soul, you're nothing but a drone - you've fought undead with Riishaad before, right? The ones that don't think or act like people any more. It's like that. You have no mind of your own.

Without a body, though, you're not alive. A mortal soul can't exist normally without a body. Most of them leave to an afterlife, some stay as ghosts. When a mortal dies, the body is made uninhabitable for the soul, but without incredibly strong magic, the soul is unharmed.

Because there is a soul left, if you can use magic to remake or repair the body, a mortal can return to life after dying. Provided of course you have the power to get the soul back into the body," she explains. "A being like yourself has only one thing. You. All of your being is a single entity, mind and body. That is the greatest difference between mortals and those of the other worlds,"

[Aard_Rinn]

"Two parts? That seems... confusing. How do you know... But I suppose it's probably second nature to you, if you've been like that your whole life. So resurrection's just sticking the two bits back together?" The drake looks almost bemused at the idea. "For us it's different. Its not like we just... fade away, when we die. We still exist, we're just, well, changed, really. We go back to the fire; we loose what makes us individuals, what makes us us... That's why... it hurts, having lost Malkavos; it hurts so much, but I know I'll be with him again. Having a soul, though, something to keep you different always..."

A tremble runs down her spine at that, tail twisting in unease at the thought. She falls silent for a moment, then plods off, sliding carefully over the rubble after Aldreg. "I've heard of magic that can separate us from the fire again. We call it rekindling - it sounds almost like resurrection, at least as far as the end result. In the beginning, we are kindled, the spark of our lives drawn forth from the maelstrom; in death, we are as ash, and our beings return to the fires of our birth. But it's said that someone powerful enough can bring back a spark that's faded away... I don't know if I'd want that, were it me. It seems like it'd be too lonely, to be alone again after having been back with everyone you've loved... But with Lady Virill and Malkavos both gone, I don't suppose I have much to come back for. If I did, I suppose it would be different."

"Oh... I'm sorry. Was it... not someone you were close to, I hope?" The druid seems upset at having raised the matter; he hesitates only a moment before reaching out to lay a hand on Alderon's shoulder. "Do... do you want to talk about it?"

[Etherion]

We hadn't known each other long.

[IamL]

Grall
"But since we're all individual, since we're all different, we cling to life like a baby to his mother. We long to leave an impression, some sort of mark that we've been here. At least, most of my people do. Were I slain in the encounter with Nathan, I would have wished more than anything to be resurrected-despite the fact that I would have, presumably, been with my father in the afterlife. I would have seen that my duty to Shaada and Virill be fulfilled, that the oaths I swore would not be empty. Rekindling Shaada and Virill's flame is now my goal, next to slaying the being called "Nathan." And I will pass all obstacles. I suppose that life is far more fleeting for us, so it is far more precious. At least, to most of us, anyway."

[Aard_Rinn]

"Hm. I suppose it would be hard for a mortal to understand what it's like." Uethos twists her head back to glance at the three of you as she speaks, but her attention returns to Aldreg when he swings himself over a beam of wood, rounds a corner, and stops, a sharp hiss as he draws in a breath.

"This's it, then, I'll assume?" He speaks to the drake, but his eyes are fixed on the scene in front of him, and his hands shake slightly at his side.

The drake nods. "Yes - I can feel the power of the blast." She slides across the ground like water skittering over a hot pan, standing next to Eirea's feet with one paw on the girl's knee for support as she surveys the scene. "Phoenix defend... I - I didn't think it'd be this bad."

Before you lies a wide room, perhaps thirty feet to a side. You can only vaguely see the frames marking out where the walls once were - unlike the rest of the building, here their is little wreckage on the floor save the shattered floorboards, the roof and walls blown clear of the blast by the force of the fireball. Much of the floor is hardly even burnt - it would appear that the speed and intensity of the explosion were enough to put out much of the fire in this part of the building, though ashy tracks still trace across the floor where the fire began to creep in afterwards. The floor looks almost scalded - the wood covered in blisters and boils where the pitch within melted and bubbled up, thick scabs of metal oozed over the ruined timbers where a brass candlestick or a iron nail lost the battle against the irrepressible heat. In the center of the room, the centerpoint of the explosion is clear - a sooty blast marks it clear enough, a slagged disk of bright copper at it's center. Uethos begins to scan the wreckage, but she does not wander, seeming hesitant to explore such rough terrain while poisonous fires may still burn unnoticed between the timbers.

"Oh, I see. Still, I can't imagine - it must be hard..." The boy continues to follow the same unseen path winding through the woods. He pauses for a moment, scanning the brush, then points.

Off in the distance, you can see the point where the woods begin to thin, the pale moonlight streaming through their branches. Beneath the trees there stands a pale stag, the same one that guided you though the woods to Jason only hours before. The druid lets out a little hiss of breath: "Bacchara."

[IamL]

Grall
"Now, what could the copper be?"

Three knowledge checks here:
Knowledge (arcana): [roll0]
Knowledge (architecture and engineering): [roll1]
and Knowledge (religion): [roll2]

[TaiLiu]

Drowning Fish, Failure

Oh.

The blood; the gore. My blood; my gore. Bloody, bloody spears, with guts and all sorts of red material. How wonderfully painful.

I tear them off, laughing. "Are you killing others without introduction? No, that is not the honourable way to do things." I rip a spear out of my liver. "Here, let me teach you the ways that I have long abandoned."

I toss my dagger to the ground. "I am Drowning Fish, Chosen-For-Honour and She-Who-Has-Eaten-Her-Name." I toss my holy symbol onto the ground. "I'm afraid I don't have time to teach you how to eat your names, so I suppose I'll be taking this secret to the grave."

"Ha ha! Go on, then: kill me. May the Phoenix give you their blessings."

[Aard_Rinn]

The man grins, and spits at the ground in disgust. "Filthy goblin - how dare you speak of honor? Lies and treachery - that's all your kind have to offer!" He grins, leveling his spear, and slams it into her, knocking the unresisting hobgoblin to the ground. Standing over her, he leans down, pulling a dagger from his belt as he does and laying it at her throat.

"**** you, goblin. You'll rot on the walls for what you did to J'hara." His words are quiet - he is not whispering, but the words are intimate, the venomous speech of a man who's hate is as pure as it is absolute. The blade slams down, and a spurt of blood oozes upward as Drowning Fish heaves one last shudder and lays still.

Since you're absolutely gonna die, I thought I'd make it a touch cinematic, a bit more plotty and cool than another round of being beaten to death. I can roll it in the OOC if you want proof, tho. G'night, DF! May the tea you pour in heaven be ever at an amicable temperature!

[PersonMan]

Eirea looks over the wreckage silently. In a way, this was exactly what she wanted - to see a place where someone, not a full day ago, had lost their life. Two people, even. A place to explore their death and feel its power still resting in this world. However, the way this happened...Although she hadn't known them very long, Eirea had grown to like the pair. Virill the still-young priestess and Riishaad, with living flame for one of her parents. Now it was their death she was seeing the aftermath of - not even their bodies she was seeing. The pile of ash and splintered bones that remained of Virill could hardly be called a body, and it seemed like Riishaad had been completely obliterated. Seeing the piece of metal in the center - obviously the source of the immense blast, putting together what she already knew - Eirea turns down to the fire drake before she moves.

"Climb onto me if you're worried about the poison fire, I'm going to go examine the copper slag," she says. "Although it may be prudent for you to avoid it, I'm unsure as to whether or not it's imbued with the magic that harms you,"

Once Uethos is secure or with someone else, Eirea goes to more closely examine the piece of metal. "Grall, do you know anything about this?" She asks. "If Nathan follows the Phoenix as you do, it may be that you recognize some of this."

[Aard_Rinn]

The drake scrabbles onto Eirea's shoulder as she turns to approach the disc of copper. She hisses at it in distaste. "Yes. It tastes of poison and of death - but I don't think it can hurt me, not without a flame to carry the curse. Be cautious, though..."

The disk is broad and flat, perhaps a foot wide, it's surface faintly curved where the molten metal pooled. Dark, oily smears like the noxious smoke from a grease lantern seem to shimmer below it's surface, staining the otherwise bright metal; they flow slowly across the object as you watch, pooling and clumping as they shift. The only point that they do not touch is a circular point about an inch in diameter at the very center of the disc - it remains bright even as the blackness pools around it, a stylized image of a three-petaled flower stamped into the copper and seemingly undeformed, even by the massive heat.

When you carefully pry the disc free from the floor, brushing away the ash, you can see that the darkness extends to the bottom, the shadows slipping over the edges and seeming to gather around your fingertips in inky pools, regardless of what lies between your fingers and the still-warm metal. The ring of clean metal does not appear to go all the way through - the oily darkness swirls across the entirety of this half of the disk, and no mirroring flower appears on this side. Instead, the surface is uneven - bulging oddly in places where the metal flowed into the wood beneath, stains of what looks like iron in three neat points in a line where it lay across a trio of nails.

The area it lay on is different from the rest of the room - in most parts of the room, the floor is shattered but bot seriously burned, as if the explosion had ruined it, but the fire itself was too intense to do more than scald the wood. Here, directly below the dish, is a bed of soft ash and charred wood - as if the disc had somehow been so hot as to burn away the wood beneath it, leaving nothing but fine white powder and blackened oak as it cooled...

[IamL]

Grall
"Copper is one of the Phoenix's holy metals, but I can't figure anything else out."
What about the symbol? Should I re-roll my knowledge checks?

[Etherion]

That's the one that led me to you.
Alderon points at the stag as he speaks.

[Aard_Rinn]

Etherion
"I know - I recognize it. But... Let's go. Dawn is coming - we don't have long." Jason's breathing seems to quicken anxiously, and he begins to move more swiftly through the trees, eyes locked on the stag. He hisses in pain, jerking his foot back as he lands - "****. More of those things. Leave it - I'll get one of the villagers to take care of it. We should move." The rusted trap that his foot brushed against is rotted almost to pieces, nearly invisible in the dark amongst the crinkled oak leaves that line the forest floor. It seems as if it might dissolve at the slightest effort - it looks ancient, though you lack the metallurgical knowledge to make a more precise estimate of it's age.

The reddened mark from where the metal brushed against his skin has already begun to fade as Jason continues on through the trees, the stag remaining in the clearing, watching as he walks away. When he gets about a hundred feet ahead of you, Jason pauses, turning back to face you as he drops over a log. "Well, are you coming?"

Grall

[Etherion]

Alderon looks at the trap for a moment, then jogs after the Jason.

[Aard_Rinn]

AlderonYou plunge through the forest together, the light of your touch casting bizarre shadows on the trees as you carry it away from the stag. The woods are quiet, save for the sounds of your footsteps amongst the leaves and the quiet buzzing of the night insects as they perch amongst the creaking branches of the trees – only the occasional panting gasp from Jason breaks the calm.

It is as the sun begins to rise that the trees start to thin, the light filtering between their branches to spill in broken pools across the ground. The forest begins to awaken – the soft chirping of the night insects becomes the dull, throbbing hum of cicadas, and the chirping of birds rings across the canopy in a constant statticco. Squirrels scamper amongst the leaves, chirruping at each other in irritation as they squabble, only to drop into sudden silence as the flitting shadow of a hawk in the canopy above flows silently and effortlessly across the forest floor.

It is perhaps a little less than two hours before you reach the edge of the woods. Jason draws up short, hanging back to remain beneath the canopy, as if hesitant to step out of the forest’s embrace. He points, and in the distance, you can see the smoke rising into the cool morning from the chimneys of a small village. “See that town? That’s a little farming village named Dharta. They raise horses, there, good ones, or so I’ve been told – I’ve never visited the place myself, since they aren’t adjacent my forest like Khalis is. But the Raahls-Howe runs right alongside – and if they can provide you with a horse to get there, I believe it’s only a day or two of travel to reach Raahlsheim.” He sighs, glancing back at the forest behind him.

“Listen, Alderon. I want to say – thank you. I’d still be stuck in those woods, if it weren’t for you… I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’ll try to figure it out; I’m sure the villagers will help me with the traps. But… If you ever need any help, let me know, okay? I might not be at the top of my game right now, but I’m still a powerful druid – I’ll do what I can for you. And if you need any help from my fellow fey, just say that Jason el’Khaliis owes you a debt, and he’d consider aiding you to be a personal favor… They’ll know my family name, even if they’ve never met me.” He turns, gazing back into the woods, and takes a step deeper, then another. By the time he is only three steps deep, he is nearly invisible, his very body seeming to have melted away into the branches of the trees around him; you can only see him when he turns to gaze back over his shoulder at you.

“Good luck, Alderon. I wish you the best in recovering this object you seek – and I am sorry about your friend. May she find the Mortal God awaiting her to carry her into death, and may her soul rest ever easy in the vastness of His Forests.” He turns away from you, and he is gone, the fluttering of falling leaves the only sign that he was there at all.

You cross the broad field, headed towards the town, and are surprised to see the gate sealed tight. It is a few moments before you note the young man seated against it, seemingly also locked outside the village’s walls. Your companions soon follow, though you see no sign of Drowning Fish – an older woman arrives soon after, a cat on her heels, and so within the span of less than an hour, quite the crowd is now gathered, trapped outside the city’s gates.

Eirea, Grall, Revenant “Yes, that would probably be for the best, if you wish to reach Raahlsheim within the next few days. I think that the woodland route would be fastest, especially if you’ve a mind to pick up horses – I’d offer some of ours, but they can’t be brought through the forest. You’d have to go the long way round – practical enough when you’ve got carts and luggage, but it’ll be longer even on horseback. However… On the other side of the forest are grasslands called the Imiri Plains. There’s a village there, called Dharta – they’re well known for their horses in these parts, bred off desert stock. Hardy animals, small and quick – they’ll get you to Raahlsheim fastest. As for your mules… There’ll be caravans coming up this way in a few days, headed back from the fair in the Howe. I can send those two along that way, and have them brought to the temple to be put up – what did you say the male’s name was, Morris? I remember Rhys, of course; lovely animal. They’ll take good care of them…”

Aldreg leads you back through the wreckage, and through the village until you reach the long road tracing up towards the forest, waiting only long enough for you to gather your things. Uethos perches on his shoulder, then makes a fluttering leap to Eirea’s once she has gathered her gear, coiling round her neck like a thin scarf of flowing, molten gold. The track Aldreg has led you to is narrow, not well-worn like the cart road, but seems well-travelled, and in the light of day, the forest looks unassuming.

“Be careful in there, of course, but the path should be safe. It’s been years since travelers have been assailed on that road – the woods are almost empty, really, have been for as long as I’ve been alive. They say you can see the Bacchara, some nights – why, I couldn’t tell you, though Sarjiiya might know. Still, you should be fine – just head through the woods, and when you reach the field, Dharta should be within sight. Tell them that you’re on church business, and that it’s urgent, and they should see you geared up with mounts and whatever else you need fast enough; we all know our responsibilities to the Churches, after all. If you wouldn’t mind, tell the head hostler - big, burly man named Darreg – that I said hello; he’s an old friend, but I haven’t visited him in quite a while.” He waves goodbye as you set out before turning to return to the town, striding back between the buildings towards the temple, and presumably Sarjiiya.

The forest is cool and calm, only the sounds of running squirrels and the dull hum of cicadas interrupting the quiet, along with the crunching of leaves underfoot. A cool breeze blows the dried leaves from the trees, and they swirl to the forest floor in a mix of reds and golds, settling in amongst the brown of the oak leaves to flow across the forest floor like a sea of fire-colour. Uethos leaps down from Eirea’s shoulder when she first sees them, frolicking amongst them and nipping the occasional brilliant red or coppery gold from the air in delight as they flutter by.

The walk through the woods is pleasant, and though it takes a few hours, it is not too long before the woods open again before you onto a veritable sea of grass. The blades are beginning to turn to the gold of winter, but they are still green, and though they rise to Eirea’s knees, the grass is not so deep as to be impassible – indeed, there is a small dirt path leading out of the woods, winding like a thin snake across the field to lead to a small village in the distance.

As you near the village, you notice the young man sitting behind the gate, which is still shut tight, despite the hour. Besides him is seated a familiar face – Etherion – but Drowning Fish is nowhere in sight. Only a few minutes after your arrival, another woman strides up, a cat at her heels – quite a crowd, now stranded outside the city gates.
 
HephasteusIt’s been quite a bit of walking, the trip from Cluunen to Dharta – the Imiri Plains are vast, and the mountain city is quite some distance away. Still, the travel has not been hard – the skies are clear, the sun is bright, and a cool breeze rolls over the land, taking away the worst of the summer’s heat. Still, it is with some consternation that you reach the small town and find it’s gates still barred, despite the fact that the day is no longer young – though you call for the gatekeeper, you receive no reply. Choosing to wait it out, you settle down outside the gate – despite the pleasant weather, your supplies are low enough that continuing on would doubtless prove problematic – and content yourself to wait.

It’s a few long minutes before the young man strides up to the gate, and another before he notices you; only ten or so minutes after, up comes not one but three travelers, a strange, veiled woman and her two companions, a goliath and a… human? You can’t be quite certain – accompanied by a slender creature seemingly made of flames that winds itself between their feet in flashes of fire and light. The last to arrive is an older woman, a cat padding along beside her; quite the crowd now stranded outside the city gates.

 
Elena & TGLThe two of you make quite the pair – the woman and her cat, winding their way up the Raahls-Howe. The trip is not a short one – and being forced to take the route around the woods added a day or two to the journey – but at last you’ve reached the other side of the forest, and the plains open up before you. The pair of you walk in companionable silence as you stride towards the small town, a cool wind sweeping over the grass and blowing away the autumn heat as sparrows flit through the blue sky above – but when you reach the village that is your destination, you are surprised to find the gate sealed, and a small group gathered outside. Two young men, a lady in a veil, a goliath, and an older… man? You aren’t quite certain… are all waiting at the gate, unable to enter; quite the crowd to be stranded outside the city’s walls.

[Etherion]

Alderon walks up to his companions.
Hello! I don't suppose any of you have seen Drowning Fish? She ran off earlier.

[TaiLiu]

The Grey Lady, Betrayed By Gods

Elena was right: the walk was refreshing, and a definite respite from flight all the time. Still, it was exhausting all the same, and I couldn't wait to go get a room a rest. Unfortunately, it seemed that it wouldn't happen anything soon; the gates, strangely enough, were closed. If we were in a hurry, Elena and I could easily bypass such a barrier, but we were not, and I decided to ask the crowd about it. Perhaps they would know something we didn't.

"Akr'ka za," I said, "Do any of you know why these gates are shut?"

[Thokk_Smash]

Hephaestus

When he reached the gate, Hephaestus was tired, hungry, and wanted nothing more than to lie in a mildly-soft bed. Teenager though he may be, traveling for as long a he had would take a toll on anyone. Hell, he'd make a bed himself if that's what it'd take.

But alas, the gates to the city were closed, and so he finds himself sitting outside, debating the merits of attempting to climb his way up. His charcoal grey eyes seem to flash as he considers his options, when he spies the male stranger approaching. Hephaestus nods out of habit but says nothing, continuing to eye the gate with frustration.

When the second group arrives, more of his attention is grabbed. A creature made entirely of flame? And it hadn't set the brush alight yet? He had heard stories of similar creatures, but cannot be sure what it is. He holds his tongue as the first man addresses the group, but then the older woman walks up and asks the area at large about the gates. Well, no time like the present.

Hell if I know, he says. I called for the gatekeeper for a straight minute, and no one showed. Mighty inconsiderate of them, I gotta say.

Motioning to the group with the fire thingie, he says, If you don't mind my asking, what is that fire being? I've never seen the like before.

I call Purple deep sky blue as my color. Happy to be playing with you all!

[Sidwwinder2k]

TaiJust curious, does The Grey Lady have a name that I would know? To use in my internal monologue if nothing else, considering they have been traveling together for some time. I'm just going to use Lady as a stand in for now.

Elena

Elena walked at a brisk pace down the road alongside her companion, she relished these moments to simply enjoy the world around her. Oftentimes The Lady preferred flight to travel upon the ground, and while she could certainly see the benefits of such direct paths, no cat was meant to fly; even one such as herself. Seeing the crowd at the shut gates, Elena looks up at The Lady from her considerably lower height just as she addresses the other two-legs. As it seems she has things under control, Elena keeps her silence for the moment; people hide things far less from normal cats than they do from other beings they judge to be equally as intelligent as they.

While The Lady discusses the blocked road with these other two-legs, Elena moves among them, careful to be sure she does not appear as more than she would seem to the naked eye. Anything from their scents to the items they keep hidden under robes could provide clues as to how trustworthy they are.
Bluff. Just because I can, its supposed to be difficult to tell I am anything more than a simple cat in any case: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1] Just to notice any specifics or anything they try to hide from The Lady.

[PersonMan]

Eirea's pace is steady, measured steps forming a simple rhythm of walking that she never changes for more than a moment. One might think she was appreciating the beauty and serenity of the forest at first, but as her silent, dispassionate expression and posture stay even once the trees are behind them, it becomes clear that this isn't the case. In the bright light of the sun, the stark contrast between the black of her hair and clothes and the pale white of her skin is even stronger than it normally is. As always, the grey blindfold Eirea wears covers her eyes, hiding any emotion they might show, completing her almost statuesque appearance. The necklace of bones and teeth - now with a carefully shielded piece of bone from the recently deceased Virill - is barely visible, but still where it always is.

As they approach the town gates, Eirea's gaze goes briefly over those gathered - Alderon she greets with a nod before he comes close enough to speak with them, the rest she ignores after a quick glance. As the man asks about Drowning Fish, Eirea shakes her head.

"She never returned to us. I imagine she left for more work somewhere else - not everyone looks for vengeance when they can instead continue to live their lives," she says, voice silently pulsing with magic energy, each world almost supernaturally clear. Then one of those waiting at the gate speaks. Turning to them, Eirea gives him another brief appraisal before she replies. "A being of flame from another realm. If you wish to know more, ask her yourself, she can be very friendly," her tone is open, welcoming, friendly and entirely fake.

Just gonna take 10 for a 30.

[Aard_Rinn]

Uethos eyes the young man who has asked about her, sliding across the ground to place a paw on his knee and look into his face. "I am Uethos-born-of-fire. I am a firedrake. Who are you?" She replies with a slight nod, eyeing the man curiously, before being distracted by something much more interesting.

The drake lets out a low hmrr as she spies the cat moving amongst her companion. She glides over to it as easily as a snake, examining it carefully, gracefully extending her neck to sniff at the creature. When she has finished examining it, she offers a polite smile, settling back on her haunches before inquiring in a friendly voice: "Hello... what are you?"

It is a few moments later when you are interupted, though Uethos pays little mind, still focused on the cat. "Hello? Hello!" The voice that calls down from the top of the gate is friendly, and it is moments before a head covered in a mess of chestnut hair peeks over the ramparts. "Hello down there! Sorry about the wait - we've been having some goblin troubles over the last few weeks, and I was helping some of the men with the body - you'll be travellers headed up to Raahlsheim, I assume? Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to wait a little while longer, until our cleric arrives. We had a goblin just outside the walls earlier today, rambling like a madwoman - man? We couldn't be sure, really, but when some of the men tried to run it off, it shapeshifted into a man - a human man - and started ranting about how it was a human, not a goblin, even though everyone had seen it shift forms. Thank god Fieke was there, or it might have been able to fool someone and slip away when they hesitated..." The girl smiles down kindly at all of you. "But we're going to have to ask you all to let Fieke take a look at you before we let you into the village. Don't want to risk them pulling the same trick twice... Sorry for the trouble, though! Shouldn't be too long, he's on his way!"

[IamL]

Grall
"Goblin troubles? Say, the crazy one wasn't named Drowning Fish, was it? She was part of our group but ran off and was...prone to moments of extreme insanity followed by moments of extreme lucidity."

[Etherion]

We were travelling on a mission from the temple, but she ran ahead.
Alderon adds to Grall's question.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Oh dear, I hope not." The girl on the wall gets a worried look in her eyes. "I don't know - they said that she was harrassing one of the horseherds; shouting, demanding a horse. When some of the villagers when to confront her, she started ranting at them, then tried to convince them that she was a human... and when they weren't fooled, she charged them, and they brought her down. I hope it wasn't your friend, but... if it was, she was a fool to press them when they told her to leave. Like I said..." her voice grows soft, and she looks away, "we've had problems with rogue goblins lately."

[IamL]

Grall
"Well, the first part sounds like DF, but she wasn't viouldent. Of course, that could well be her...though I honestly wouldn't blame you guys if she attacked you first. I will mourn her death, and ask Revenant if I can help with the obsequy, as we both worshipped the Phoenix. Though she is more sturdy than even I...it would have taken a while, and she would have been able to escape. If she was lucid."

[Thokk_Smash]

Hephaestus' eyes widen in further curiosity as the being of fire speaks. Fascinating, he says as Uethos slides away to speak with a...cat. A cat? Yes, it is a cat; apparently, where Ed Uethos is from does not have felines, to draw her attention so. She seems sufficiently distracted to not care, but he says in response, I am Hephaestus, born-of-woman. You are an intriguing being, Uestos, and quite a sight for the eyes.

When the guardswoman appears, he sighs with relief before he realizes that he won't be getting in quite yet. Still, the reason behind the further delay stops him cold for a moment. After the surprise recedes his face shows mild concern while inside he cannot help but cheer. Maybe this will be easier than I'd thought, he thinks as he turns to face he guard.

So the creature is dead, then? he asks. And how will your cleric be inspecting us? Nothing invasive, I hope, he says with a thin smile.

Had class followed by last minute work. Thank god for breaks.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Ah... well, I don't know if she named herself. But I'm sure that the men will be willing to show you the body, and release it to you if she was your companion. I think that they were going to toss it up on the wall as a warning, but... something like that wouldn't be right, not if she was just an innocent madwoman." The woman shakes her head, looking unsettled at the thought.

When Hephaestus speaks, she looks up, seeming relieved to have some distraction. "Oh, don't worry - it shouldn't be any issue at all, as long as you are what you seem to be. Fieke is a cleric of the divine Kirin, see - in her benevolence, she has seen fit to bless him with the ability to see through all lies and twists of magic. Illusion, invisibility, disguise - it's incredible, really."

[Thokk_Smash]

Hephaestus chuckles, though the sound is uneasy to a cunning listener. Yes, that sounds truly amazing, he agrees, unconscious smile on his face. It holds little mirth. This Fieke must be a good man, to have been so blessed by the Kirin.

Knowledge (Local) on Fieke: [roll0]

[TaiLiu]

The Grey Lady, Betrayed By Gods

Aesd, this was going to be a pain. I would have no problem passing through, but Elena could have trouble, depending on how zealous this cleric was. I decided to try and bypass the entire thing directly.

"Yes, blessed is he, as am I. You will not allow one of Kirin's servants and her companion to suffer the indignity of this suspicion, I hope."

Technically true.

"Perhaps Fieke and I could discuss theology. It would certainly be a better way to spend the time than being searched like a common criminal."

[Sidwwinder2k]

Elena

Elena lets loose a quiet huff of breath, narrowing her eyes at the drake addressing her, it seems the creature wasn't going to allow her to simply play at being a pet. Still, with the imminent possibility of this cleric seeing through her in any case, she may not be keeping her secret much longer anyways; at least not from present company. She glares at the fire drake as well as her small feline face will allow, and lets out a simple quiet 'meow' as a response. Perhaps The Lady would be able to cover for her at least for a few more moments until this cleric showed up and they were able to see just how revealing his sight was.

During the wait, she sits daintily back on her haunches and grooms one forepaw while trying to remember anything she could about this town, or even about this Cleric Fieke.

Knowledge (Local) for the town: [roll0]
Knowledge (Local) for Fieke: [roll1]

[Aard_Rinn]

Uethos eyes the cat. She leans in close, until her nose is almost pressed against its, and snuffles it carefully, provided there's no objection from the cat. Then, she leaps back, and stands, legs splayed out, a few feet from it, eyeing it intently. "Guys! Guys!" She isn't shouting, but her voice clearly shows that she is excited by the furry creature before her. "What is it? What's it called? It's so strange - why won't it talk to me? Does it... does it not like me?" The fire-creature seems a little upset at the thought.

Meanwhile, ignorant of the drake's drama on the ground below, the conversation from the wall continues. "Aye, he's a very good man -" the girl on the wall is cut off for a moment, her head dropping down below the side of the walls, and you can hear the sound of giggles. After a moment, she pops back up, a young man behind her, arms wrapped around her shoulders in a loose embrace as he peers down at you.

"Sorry! Sorry!" she calls down, a flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "A good man - righteous pain in my arse, more like!"

"Hello down there!" the young man calls with a smile. "Sorry - hope I haven't kept you long! I'm Priest Fieke - I serve the Kirin as protector of this town. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I'll admit you've come at somewhat of a hectic time - I assume Mareth told you about the goblin attack we had earlier today?" He glances down at Mareth, who nods.

"My apologies, but we will have to have some evidence that you are as you appear before we can permit you to enter the town. The creature that attacked us earlier used an illusion spell to try to convince us that she was human - she may have been raving, but we cannot be sure that she was the only on to have such powers." He pauses, surveying the group, and bows his head to Grey.

"I am sorry for the indignity, sister, but I cannot overlook you, no matter the bonds we share in faith. The wretched creature that was slain earlier today was clearly mad, but she attempted to claim that she was on a mission for the Phoenix's Church - I cannot be certain that her more canny clanmates would not try a similar ploy. I must beg your forgiveness, but insist."

[IamL]

Grall
"What did she say her name was? We are on a mission for the Phoenix, and recently, a goblin known as Drowning Fish ran off from our group. She was prone to moments of extreme insanity followed by moments of extreme lucidity and wisdom. I personally would like to know what the raving goblin's name was-it could be our friend."

[Etherion]

Well, more like occasional moments of moderate lucidity and wisdom...
Alderon replies dryly.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Drowning Fish?" Fieke's face pales, and there is shock and sorrow in his eyes at the name. "Oh gods... I'm so sorry! She was mad, raving - we tried to just run her off, but she threatened to attack the village if we didn't aid her, and then she attacked us... Here, let me come down-"

As he speaks, he waves a hand, and a quartet of men appears on the wall with him, armed with crossbows. They eye you as the young priest tosses a rope ladder over the wall and clambers down, leaping down the last ten feet to land neatly on the ground a few feet away from the group.

[PersonMan]

Eirea smiles at Uethos. "That is a cat, Uethos. They don't speak - well, most of the time. My mother told me a story about a speaking cat she once knew, but those are anything but the norm," she explains, recalling for a moment the stories her mother told about an odd cat she once met, who had put a human prince under its thrall and opposed her usurpation of its position.

As Grall's question is answered, Eirea's smile fades, and she looks up to the man Fieke's position. The cold rage in her heart stirs, but after a moment she presses it down. No. Perhaps at some other time, if she deemed the situation of the hobgoblin's death to make those responsible worthy of her wrath. But for now she had no time for such sidetracking. It would be foolish to to try and enact vengeance on this town, especially if their plan was to find Nathan before he realized they were alive. Still, these people were no allies. At most they were puppets, to be pulled and directed until they had served their purpose, then abandoned.

Eirea's true emotions are hidden flawlessly behind a calm mask, briefly bent into a frown before returning to its neutral expression. Perhaps she would simply kill the one who had made the final cut, at a later date. Once Nathan was dead, she would cut away the lesser ones before turning her gaze back to her other goals.

"Although it saddens me to hear that her decision ended so poorly, the past is the past, and we should not let the specter of one death overshadow the present," Eirea says after a moment, false sadness in her voice. "I had worried that she may do something foolish when she left, but this is truly worse than anything I would have expected, even from her,"

[roll0]

[Sidwwinder2k]

Elena

At the sudden movement of the small drake, Elena moves back a little as well, acting as any startled feline would and moving into the shadow of The Lady. For a moment, she thinks the odd little creature's outburst will necessitate her reveal to this group, but thankfully one of the strangers provides a response which will hopefully cover her for at least a few more moments.

As the cleric climbs down from the wall, she slips quietly behind The Lady, hoping that perhaps the man will discount a woman's cat as being not worth suspicion, especially if she is mostly out of sight. Elena keeps herself hidden behind The Lady as well as she can and hopes The Lady is able to keep the two of them separated from these two and their lost apparently crazy traveling companion.

[Aard_Rinn]

"Ah... so. Um... for my service to the Kirin I have been blessed with a touch of her divine power - the ability to, by Her grace, see through all illusion and magical disguise. If you have any such spells upon you, I will see through them, but please, don't worry; it will not hurt, only reveal to me the truth behind any disguises. If you are as you seem, no harm will come to you, and I welcome you to Dharta." He smiles, as if to reassure you, before continuing. "If you are goblins, and this is some sort of trap..." his face grows stormy, and his voice cold and harsh, "The road is there - turn back now, and we will let you leave with your hides." He glances up at the crossbowmen on the wall, who's eyes are hawklike as they track your movements, and then back to you, waiting for a response to his declaration.

[Thokk_Smash]

Hephaestus snorts, rubbing his stomach. I've never seen these people before in my life, neither the trio over there nor the lady and her cat. I'm certainly no goblin; my mother was human, through and through. I've been traveling through the Imiri Plains for what feels like weeks, and all I want right now is warm food in my belly and a place to sleep that's softer than the ground. So can we please hurry this up, so you can open the thrice-bedamned gate? He tries to keep his voice as calm as he can, but irritation seeps through unintentionally.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

And nothing he said was false, so no Bluff necessary.

Wow...I actually called in my head that I would roll a 1 on that. Why did I even roll it?

[PersonMan]

Eirea isn't happy when the boy Hephaestus starts talking. Perhaps it's simply that she's annoyed by this whole business and wants to get on with it, without anyone making a comment that could delay the process, but perhaps it's because she'd already seen the conversation as one between her and Fieke and felt he was interrupting.

"I imagine we're all eager to get inside," Eirea begins, voice soothing, knowledge, charm and magical power working together in each word, "Let's get this done so we can do so, I think anyone who would object to the search can simply stay away,"

[roll0]

[IamL]

Grall
"I have no objection to your search. It seems only logical. Though, when you're done with this, I would like our comrade's body, at the very least. Last rites of a fellow phoenix-worshipper. It seems far too many of us are dying lately. First J'hara, then Shaada and Virill, then Drowni-"
I cut myself off when I realize I was thinking out loud.

[Aard_Rinn]

"If you're human as you say, you've nothing to fear, so hold your temper and your tongue! I have a duty to uphold, and I will not be badgered by some arrogant traveler for not catering to his whims quickly enough!" The priest glares at Hephaestus as he speaks, temper clearly wearing thin as he glares at the boy. He glances away when Eirea begins to speak, however, seeming to calm down as he listens to the girls soothing words.

He nods, seeming to force himself to cool his temper as she speaks. "You're right. Just give me a moment - I must pray to the godess..." He bows his head, and closes his eyes as he begins to speak, his voice clear and solemn as he prays.

"Holy Kirin, progenitor of justice, you from whom sprang the first law; grant me by Your grace the power to burn away deception, and to see with clear vision Your truth, the sacred Truth of the Law."

His breathing slows and evens, and when he opens his eyes, they are no longer a warm brown; the cold and brilliant blue of the Kirin's power surges in them, and there is no softness in the priest's gaze.

His eyes pass first over Eirea, Revenant, and Grall; they linger on the undead man for only a moment before passing on to Alderon with a nod of approval. Even the firedrake seems not to give him pause. It is only when his gaze passes to the other two that his eyes widen in surprise, and he takes an uneasy step back.

"Fieke!" One of the bowmen shouts down to the priest, and the other three raise their crossbows, leveling them at the older woman and the young man. It takes a moment for the priest to react, but when he does, he raises one hand, staying the guardsmen.

"Hold fire!" he shouts, and the man give curt nods; however, their bows remain aimed at the pair, and their eyes are suspicious. Fieke returns his eyes to the pair, settling on the cat between them for a long moment before moving on to the boy .

"I don't care what you are." He finally says, after a long moment of silent deliberatione. "I don't even want to know. I don't know why you've come here, and I don't know where you're headed. You aren't goblins, so I'll assume that whatever harm that you mean to cause by sneaking around in disguise isn't intended for Dharta. But if you hurt anyone - if you so much as look funny at any of my people, I will rip you limb from limb." He glances at the sky. "There's a waystation about fifteen miles up the road,an easy distance even if you're walking. You can come in - resupply, restock - but you, all three of you, will be out of the city before dusk, or I will have you in chains."

He glances at Eirea, Grall, Revenant, and Alderon. "How long were you planning on staying? You're welcome here, of course, but I would suppose that you don't intend to tarry long, if you're in haste on a mission for the Phoenix's Church. We can provide you with horses, if you'd like - the trip is only another day and a night, if you're skilled in the saddle, and your horse is fresh. UP GATE!" He shouts, suddenly, to the men behind him on the wall, who lower their crossbows, and call down the order to the men presumably handling the gate-winch.

[TaiLiu]

The Grey Lady, Betrayed By Gods

Inwardly, I sigh. This journey was meant to loosen my ideologies and strict way of thinking. Instead, this man only made me tighten my grip.

"I'm disappointed in you," I said, "I was hoping, at the very least, that you would treat a sister with respect. Instead, you threaten her, - an ageing woman - a cat, and a young boy with death." I point at the gates. "Your situation is not unique: you believe you are danger, and take measures to protect yourselves. Whether or not the danger is genuine is irrelevant; the patterns are all similar enough. Paranoia is a dangerous disease. It may only affect outsiders right now, but soon, it'll turn inward: your sight is powerful, but I am well aware of its limitations. Friends will suspect friends, and neighbours will suspect neighbours. The end result is chaos and destruction, the type no god could contain."

"Take heed, for you are not above history. I will leave before dusk, and you will think on my words."

Gesturing at my companion, I walk into the city.

[Thokk_Smash]

Yeah, that's about what I was expecting, Hephaestus thinks as the bowmen draw back their strings. He gulps softly before the priest waves them down. The young man's proclamation brings a frown of annoyance to the boy's face, but he shrugs.

Better than nothing, he says. After the older woman speaks, Hephaestus walks just a few steps closer to Fieke; close enough to speak to, but far enough that the bowmen's fingers don't get too itchy. Speaking softly, he says, But even without your warning, I wouldn't have hurt anyone in your town. Do not presume that I take this form out of anything other than necessity; were others able to see me for what I truly look like, how do you think they would react?

But thank you for not having your men shoot me, I guess, he says with a grateful nod of the head. It'd put a bit of a damper on my being able to find my father's killers. With that, he walks closer to the gate, giving the priest a wide berth.

[PersonMan]

Eirea's opinion of Fieke drops rapidly over the course of their brief exchange. No self control, clearly a pawn of greater forces, and resorting to direct threats? He was clearly far from what she had originally thought him to be. Of course, none of this is shown in her outward expression. To reveal that she had decided he was at best a minor intermediary between them and whoever was truly in control of the city. There were few things her mother had given her that resembles moral guidelines, but the concept of host-kindness was one of them. In the town they had come from, her own annoyance at the lack of it was overshadowed by the issues of Drowning Fish and negotiations, but now...

"Our stay will be brief," Eirea says in reply, a message for the others* in her words. It says This place is dangerous, don't trust these people.

"Do you know where we would find a man with the name Darreg? Aldreg told us he wanted his greetings brought to him if possible," she says, changing the subject. As always, her true opinion of the man and his town/city/what-have-you is concealed.

*Revenant, Grall and Alderon

[Sidwwinder2k]

Elena

Elena flinches inwardly as the clerics eyes focus upon her for a moment, though she is grateful that he at least refrains from revealing her or having his cronies make her into a half-porcupine. Her eyes narrow slightly as the man makes his threats, though she is not all that concerned; after all, they had not planned to spend all that much time in the town. She is somewhat upset that her hope to remain concealed for the moment has inconvenienced The Lady though.

As The Lady moves off into the small town, Elena takes a moment to twine herself around the boy's legs, rubbing her side against his shin before following The Lady into town. He had been the second focus of the cleric's sight, and as far as she was concerned there was no reason not to make friends in unfriendly places. When she catches up with The Lady she tilts her head upwards and speaks to her quietly before any of the others catch up and have the chance of hearing her. "I'm sorry I caused such trouble, you know how I like to stay hidden when I can though..." She pauses for a moment, "We could get a horse here if you want, then you wouldn't have to walk anymore." The cat glances around as they enter the town proper, falling silent again as she pads softly along beside The Lady.

[IamL]

Grall
I bite my tongue. After all, this man is supplying us with horses. I am not skilled in the saddle, but it will still be faster than walking the remaining four days. First I stop by the arrogant traveller, though.
"It is best not to be unkind to your hosdts. Remember your place as you walk through halls of law and order. Even I, a disciple of chaos, am aware of that."
I then walk towards the guard.
"Thank you. Do you have our comrade's body? Drowning fish may not be the type to accept resurrection, but I would still like her for last rites."

[Thokk_Smash]

Hephaestus looks around for a moment, eyes wide. I don't see any halls around my head, stranger, he says, voice laden with sarcasm. And when my host holds a metaphorical dagger to my throat, then I'll respond in kind. I am very grateful for the opportunity to restock, don't get me wrong; but we cannot help what we are, he finishes with a look at Fieke.

With that, he walks through the gate, looking around for the general store.

[TaiLiu]

The Grey Lady, Betrayed By Gods

I stay silent as we continue walking. Eventually, we reach what seems to be the centre of town, and I raise my eyes and look around. "Don't do that," I muttered, "Don't apologise for others' faults. He's the suspicious, threatening one, not you." I silence myself for a bit, continuing to scan around before answering her suggestion. "There's no need to purchase an expensive animal. We can camp in the woods, and I can summon one up tomorrow."

Eyeing a nearby shop, I point my staff at it. "We can get some food, if you'd like."

Knowledge (Geography) on the area; take ten: [15]
Knowledge (History) on the town; take ten: [15]

[Etherion]

I thought you were looking for goblins? Or are you afraid of everything that is not human now? Well, at least you will be rid of all of us, human or not, soon enough.

[Sidwwinder2k]

Elena

As Elena reaches the center of town with The Lady, and as The Lady mutters seemingly to herself; the cat does something very odd. She nods. Just a short down then upward motion being enough to show agreement with The Lady's plan. If nothing else, they can find some food and basic supplies in this small town before being on their way. When The Lady points out the shop with her staff, the cat moves off towards it, already looking forward to some food; perhaps even a bowl of cream.

Weaving her way into the shop through the legs of townspeople, she slips along the back wall while trying to remember anything she could about the region.

Knowledge (Local): [roll0]

[Aard_Rinn]

Fieke's whole body is tense as the trio of travelers passes by him to enter the city; he holds his face in an expressionless mask as they speak to him, though his eyes are dark. When they are gone, and Alderon speaks to him, he seems to sag a little. "I know, alright? I know. I shouldn't have spoken to them like that; it was uncalled for. I am aware of that fact." His eyes flash as he snaps the words to the fighter. "Just... I haven't slept in days, alright? Haven't slept, haven't eaten... Unfortunately, sometimes we have to make sacrifices when we've got a job to do; and protecting this town is my most important job. Unfortunately, they will just have to deal with it." The words are almost snarled, defensive, as if the cleric expects some kind of belittlment for the import he places on this task. After a moment, he lets out a long, heavy breath, seeming to deflate a little; his eyes, previously full of fire, seem to dull as her regards you before shaking his head and turning to trudge back into the town. "Just... come and get your friend's body; it'll be one more problem out of my hair. We got news from Khallis, praise the godess, and they haven't been burned out by raiders, so if my problems keep going away at this rate, I might be able to get some rest sometime next week." As he walks away, not waiting for you to follow, you can see the way he seems... wilted, almost, like a plant too long deprived of water. One leg lands heavily as he walks, and his arm is held close to his side, as if it pains him - even his robes are smudged, the blue hem stained with dirt and mud, and the flecks that spot it's white sleeves look suspiciously like blood.

Elena & her Lady:
Despite the suspicious treatment of the guardsmen at the gate and the town's priest, the other people within the town take little notice of the woman striding down the streets with a cat at her side. The street is full of people going about their mornings, though it lacks the bustle of a larger town - still, many of the sights are the same; women stand together talking as they carry baskets of laundry or lean out their kitchen windows working the week's dough, and men carry tools and baskets of food and meat to and from the various small shops open on the lower floors of the slope-roofed, two-story houses. There is generally a cheerful air, the occasional sweet sound of an instrument drifting through the sounds of chatter, but along with it is a steady undercurrent of unease, as if the whole town is on edge.

The shop the Lady points to seems to be a bakery; the warm smells of fresh bread and hot onion soup surround it, and you can see several people seated at a bar inside, eating. No one seems to care about the cat that slips in beneath the door, and they spare the older woman only a passing glance as she enters; at the counter, one of the men rises, taking his soup in hand, to offer her a place to sit in the crowded room with a polite nod and a "Ma'am."

Elena's Catventures Under the Tables
As Elena slinks along behind the counter, gazing around herself in interest, she is suddenly leapt on by a lithe form - with only the chance to let out a squeak of surprise, she finds herself rolling head-over-heels behind a group of barrels, her attacker seated on top of her; tiny needle-sharp teeth have a firm grip on one of her ears as the other creature bears down on her, although it doesn't put any real pressure on the bite, certainly not enough to bloody the ear. After a few moments, when her attacker seems confident that it has captured the cat, it releases the ear, though it is large enough to keep the kitten pinned without that particular threat.

"I saw you! You talked!" The firedrake's voice is quiet, but it seems delighted with itself for managing to stalk the smaller creature so successfully; it's lithe tail flicks back and forth as it examines Elena with wide, burning eyes. "Talk to me - please? I've never seen a cat before!" It seems thrilled by the novelty, practically abuzz with excitement.


Hephaestus
Despite the suspicious treatment of the guardsmen at the gate and the town's priest, the other people within the town take little notice of the woman striding down the streets with a cat at her side. The street is full of people going about their mornings, though it lacks the bustle of a larger town - still, many of the sights are the same; women stand together talking as they carry baskets of laundry or lean out their kitchen windows working the week's dough, and men carry tools and baskets of food and meat to and from the various small shops open on the lower floors of the slope-roofed, two-story houses. There is generally a cheerful air, the occasional sweet sound of an instrument drifting through the sounds of chatter, but along with it is a steady undercurrent of unease, as if the whole town is on edge.

As you stride along the streets, seeking out a general store, a building slung with baskets and barrels of all sorts catches your eye. It seems to be full of people going in and out, and the sound of hearty laughter echoes from within, but to all appearances, it seems to be a general store, or at least a traveler's market. Heavy bolts of sackcloth lie in folded stacks outside of it, and through the window, you can see worked leather goods - if you need something for the road ahead, it would seem that this is the place to find it.

[Thokk_Smash]

As he walks down the road, Hephaestus thinks back on the priest. Now that he thinks about it, the guy looked worn ragged. Some small part of him wonders if he had been too harsh, but he frowns and pushes the thought away. Now was the time to think about food and such.

He looks into the store, nodding as he sees their stock. He should be able to get some rations here, as well as assorted sundries.

He walks up to the counter with a smile. Hello, there, he says congenially. I'd like some trail rations; enough for about fifteen days. Some packets of dried noodles and vegetables, if you've got 'em. He leans back on his feet, smile still there as he considers what else he might need.

Edited: Lowered the number of rations asked for. Not by much, granted, but a little.

[Sidwwinder2k]

Elena, Catventuring Under the Tables

Following the quick tumble behind the stack of barrels, Elena finds herself looking up at the fire drake as it demands for her to talk to it. She glares up at the little creature, somewhat upset that she allowed it to get the drop on her. "My name is Elena, and most cats are not like me. Now I would appreciate it if you would get off of me..." She says quietly, her voice icy as she addresses the creature, hoping she hasn't accidentally revealed herself to anyone else.

[PersonMan]

Eirea's idea - this Fieke is a puppet of greater forces - is made stronger when he mentions being...run ragged by these issues. No food or sleep, and his judgement is already impeded? If he were truly a master of the forces he commanded, then he would simply rejuvenate himself with divine energy. Her mother had told her of people who could do such things, so it was clearly possible - she had seen a man's wounds healed by a priest of the Kirin before with her own eyes. How was this different?

"I'm surprised to hear how hard things have been for you," Eirea says, following Fieke. She considers whether or not she should voice her curiosity, and decides that it would fit the character she's built in this interaction so far. "You seemed so energetic before...Are you not revitalized by the Kirin's power?"

[Aard_Rinn]

"Revitalized? Would be nice..." The man seems irritable, though he doesn't give any indication that he isn't willing to speak. "The goddess does lend us priests her power, to a point - but even then, there's only so much we can do. I've been running on empty for days, now - the old priest, my mentor Hassur? He died a few months back. I've been requesting aid from the Church in Raahlsheim for weeks, now, ever since we started having problems with the damned goblins; even a journeyman would be enough to give me some time to rest, but as things stand, I have to handle everything myself." He winces as he takes a step forward and stumbles on a loose cobble; he seems hardly able to steady himself before he falls, though he manages to recover in time.

"I don't even have enough left in me to handle these injuries properly - I have to hold onto what little I've got left for the next fight. And that spell? 's powerful, but it takes a lot out of me - I would've had them turn you back at the gate if Aldreg hadn't sent word you were coming, and would need horses..."

Elena
The drake seems to consider Elena's request for a few moments before shaking her head. "You're just going to bite me!" she states accusingly, looking almost hurt at the cat's icy tone; her tail lowers, and she seems to droop in response to the unenthusiastic greeting from the other creature. Still, she does roll back on her haunches, taking most of her weight off of the pinned cat.

"Um... my name's Uethos. Do cats have names?" The drake regards her 'prisoner' with a mix of curiosity and nervousness, as if she isn't quite sure if the question is a rude one, or if the creature will try to take a swipe at her.

Heph
The woman behind the counter smiles at the young man she perceives to be standing across from her; she listens to his request, and nods, turning to begin gathering up the items he's requested. "Well aren't you a charmer?" she asks with a kind smile and a laugh. "First time on the road, then? You don't look old enough to have traveled much before... Where're you headed?"

[PersonMan]

Eirea stays silent for a moment, and shoots Grall a quick look. A glance at him, to get his attention, then a motion of the head towards the man and a cocking of her head to the side. A simple collection of motions which, put together, form something far more than one might expect them to. The truth behind what she is considering remains hidden, of course. Even the others in their group aren't privy to that, at least not yet.

Eirea sends him the secret message of 'You have the power to aid him, do you not? Although your powers are granted by the Phoenix, you use divine strength...Perhaps you could let him rest and recuperate?

[TaiLiu]

The Grey Lady, Betrayed By Gods

Ugh, food. A necessary evil, unfortunately, but a waste of time. I thank the now-standing man and take a seat before placing my order, leaning my staff against the counter.

"I'd like a rich dish of fish, eggs, and meat, as well as some milk and cream. Some old bread, too, if you wouldn't mind parting with it."

The former was for Elena; the latter was for me. Speaking of Elena, where was she?

Spot: [roll0]

[Thokk_Smash]

Hephaestus gives a wide grin. Oh, aye, this is my first time out in the big, scary world all by my lonesome, he says, playing the role of greenhorn traveler as best he can. It's a tad overwhelming, I admit, but I have nothing but confidence in my abilities. I can cook m'own food, and I know enough to boil any water I use to keep the dysentery away.

But it is a big world out there, and books can only give me so much information, he continues, sighing. Like I heard happened recently; a goblin ranting and raving, then changing their form to look like a human. The priest, Fieke, said that she used some sort of spell to change her appearance. I can't imagine that happening in my out-of-the way town.

He takes a breath as if to steady himself; though he is loath to part with it, sometimes the truth is the best way to find answers. He says, I'm heading to Raahlsheim; seeking information, actually. You see, my father was...killed, about a decade ago in Dharta. His voice lowers as he says this, and he leans in closer. The men who did it burned my house down with him in it. And the strangest part, is that I swear one of the men changed their form from human to orc and back: no incantation, no magical gestures, just from human to orc in two seconds flat. I implore you, have you heard anything at all about shapeshifting men around these parts? He claps his hands together beseechingly and allows a plaintive note into his voice.

Taking 10 on Bluff for 19; only because he doesn't know exactly what happened in the house before it burned, but he's had plenty of time to imagine it.