The Prophets IC

[afrenchpenguin]

One night, you have a dream.

The dream is at first an incoherent mess. Psychadelic visions and phylisophocal gibberish which eventually transform into a clear vision.
A toneless voice booms in your head: "You have been chosen."
The voice has no accent, no tonality, and no sound. You do not hear it, you feel it, as if it were made of the very essence of your soul. It speaks no mortal language but you comprehend its words more than you have ever understood anything.
You see the past. Your childhood. Things, people, and feelings that were once so real now fade. All that once was simple and good.
"Forget the past." booms the voice.
You see the present. Whatever situation you find yourself in feels empty to you. A pressing doubt fills your mind as you begin to question everything you do and have done to get yourself where you are right now.
"Forget the present."
Then, you see the future. The bright, ecstatic future. You feel it calling to you. Never before have you felt raw desire such as this. Something in the dark beckons to you. You find yourself in a small, dark tavern. Lonely souls drink away their sorrows. Two foreign figures now stand next to you.
"Nothing matters except what lies ahead"
The dark room is suddenly engulfed in golden light as the lifeless expressions on the faces of the people turn to joy and excitement. The bar transforms into the grand hall of a castle; before you are three golden thrones with a crown sitting on each. People fill the halls.
"Long live The Prophets!" the crowd shouts. "Harbingers of Unity and the Finders of the one true faith!"

Time freezes and the voice chimes in once more:

"A divided world.
On the brink of war.
Three Souls
Ride to battle.

The mortals' ill placed faith
In both gods and kings
Will be the end of all things
And the breaking of the world.

Darkness is coming
Save Them.

Ride Prophet
Take the name
All shall follow
Fear it and Love it

Be with Faith
Fear it and Love it"

Time resumes.

Friendly faces invite you to take your seat on the illustrious chair. You sit down, the two figures follow suit. Everything feels within your power. Whatever you want is yours. For the first time ever, you feel a sense of completion. All fear subsides and your soul rises.

"But should you fail..."

The blissful scene is broken by the pounding of drums. The faces of the crowd change from happy to frightened. Explosions and Fighting and Screaming can be heard from beyond doors. Seventeen frugally clothed figures walk in. You know their faces. Hundreds lie dead on the floor of the hall.
The ground opens up.
The sky falls down.
Darkness.

You awake in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and unsure of what just took place.
Every detail branded into your mind, unforgettable.

Though it never mentioned it in the dream, you happen to know of a place.
A small town in the mountains. You've never heard of it. But you know exactly where it is.
Sooner or later, the pressing name in your mind, you leave for Satus.

After days of travel, you find yourself in the mountains of central Mir, following the road of pravednost, you arrive in Satus. The road winds through a valley betwixt the mountaintops. The one to the west soars incredibly high, far above the cloud line and out of view. The higher up you get, you notice lush grass and large pines stick out from the half-melted snow as the cold makes way for spring. This road is notoriously dangerous, but you face no danger on your pilgrimage to Satus. The road dips down and finally you come to a clearing.

Three sections of road meet together at an intersection, and just past it on the northeast side, is a rectangular wooden shack with one completely open side facing the road and a small, stone chimney. Smoke bellows upwards to the peaks of the grand mountain. In this great mountain, directly opposite the shack, Is a marvelously crafted stone entrance carved right into the stone. Circular-stretching stairs pour out of the great wood doorway. Stone archways and columns line the edge of the elevated platform. Above it is what seems to be another story with occasional narrow windows. The perfect carving, engravings and discolorations in the rock give it a masterful but archaic look.

Between the shack and stone creation, in the road, three children play in the road with wooden swords while a tall man sits on
the steps watching, laughing, and puffing on his pipe. A rhythmic pang of metal on metal can be heard from the shack.

You notice as you walk down the road, on the two other sections of road that approach you, two figures walk toward the crossing.
The three sections of road meet, as do the three travelers.

Just below the town, a pale-looking Elf, a small Kender, and a Halfling stand in the road facing one another.

[Blueiji]

To Asasar Besnyn, the dream hadn't just been a mysterious calling, it had become his new life goal.

Ever since leaving his old Elvish village, Asasar had been at a loss for purpose. He was usually so goal-oriented, so precise. Being let out into the world with no guidance had been truly horrifying.

But upon receiving the vision everything had become clear. He had been given the rite of circumnavigation for a reason. He had bent sent on exodus for a reason. He had seen the vision for a reason. He had been selected for a reason. And now, seeing the same two figures from the prophecy, Asasar was once again assured that things were happening for a reason.

With an uncharacteristic smile upon his face, Asasar turned to face his newly-met companions. As he wished to greet those that the True God had dictated he would be traveling with.

"Hello fellow Prophets, I assume that the three of us received similar visions that led us here?"

It wasn't the most socially tactful or graceful greeting, but it did the job efficiently and with no nonsense, exactly how Asasar liked it.

[TheMac04]

Nate lit his last cigarette with his last match. It had been a two-pack kind of day. His head throbbing with the memory of the tavern he had spent the previous night in, and the cranial injuries sustained there-in, he flicked a few embers onto the ground before taking a drag and replying to the dead elf.

"Uh...hey. So you had the freaky vision quest dream too, huh? And you too? That's...yeah man, that's pretty weird. So do we uh...go inside or something?"

If he was anxious or stressed, he wasn't going to let them know it. He made a conscious effort to stop his cigarette hand from shaking.

[afrenchpenguin]

As the halfling ignites his cigarette, he catches the attention of the man sitting on the stairs.

He casually gets up, fixing his large hat as he goes.

He walks toward you, kicking up the dirt of the road with his boots as he goes.

[Blueiji]

As the scruffy looking Halfling responded to his question, Asasar examined him closely. The throbbing head injury, the carelessly flicked cigarette embers, the uneasy-seeming speech. This kind of behavior made Asasar uneasy. Not just because it could be the indicators of an unstable personality, but because it represented the exact sort of carefree and chaotic lifestyle that Asasar had never found himself able to understand.

Asasar would have gulped, but his adam's apple and swallowing mechanisms had long-since stopped working since the transformation.

This time a little less confident, Asasar responded.

"Yes, I too received the 'freaky vision quest'."

Looking up for a moment, Asasar noticed the figure walking towards the trio.

"It seems we don't need to approach just yet, one of the people of the village is approaching us instead."

[BanthaFodder]

Leaving his tribe for the first time was already putting an immense amount of pressure on Gee, but the little Kender wanted to know what life was like outside of the tribe, and the dream presented a perfect opportunity. Seeing the anxiety of the other two travelers had increased his own, and the approaching man only intensified it.

Gee nervously respondes.

"I...uh had the dream thing al-also. Sh-should we at-attack the man before he is close enough to attack us?"

Resulting back to his predator vs. prey instincts relaxes Gee, but only slightly.

[afrenchpenguin]

The scuffing of the man's boots in the dirt grows louder as he approaches the intersection.

He is a tall human, lanky and aged, but muscular. His long pipe sticks out from beneath the brim of his large hat. He rests his left arm on the hilt of an intricate dagger in his belt. He adjusts his hat and two friendly, aged grey eyes loom over each of you. He has a bushy, but well-kept mustache that hides a smirk. He refills his pipe with fresh herbs as he approaches Nate.

"Do you have a light, stranger?" says the middle aged man, his voice brings to the tense scene a foreign sense of comfort.

[TheMac04]

"Huh? Oh, uh, I'm out of matches man, but I can light you up with my cig here."

Nate held out the lit cigarette to the man's pipe and ignited the pungent herb.

"Always good to help a fellow mess out, right?" Nate hacked a coughing laugh and took another drag. "By the way, my uh..." He glanced quickly at his companions. "Friends and I are a bit lost. Do you know what's up with this place?"

[BanthaFodder]

Gee did not understand the purpose for the lighting of the stranger's pipe, and was still nervous.

"He could be dangerous."

Gee whispered, but without confidence.

[afrenchpenguin]

The man takes a long drag from his pipe and exhales releasing a waterfall of smoke from his mouth.

He scans the rest of the group, and eyes Gee with uncertainty.

"Thanks, friend." He brings his attention back to Nate.

"There ain't nothin' 'up with this place'; just a quiet little mountain town." He pauses, then continues now facing the rest of the group. "I saw this little meeting over here and I thought it was rather unusual, if you follow me. We don't get many visitors up in these parts, let alone 3, let alone 3 coming from different directions all meetin' at one intersection of road. So, my being the sort of authority figure around here, i must ask: what brings you folk to Satus?"

[Blueiji]

Asasar, being compulsively honest, immediately answers the man.

"We're not actually entirely sure what we're here to do. For you see, we all came here following a vision."

Asasar pauses, realizing it may have been unwise to tell this stranger of the prophetic vision. Trying to change the subject, Besnyn poses a quick question.

"I'm sorry, we didn't catch your name good sir. What do you call yourself?"

[afrenchpenguin]

You see that after Asasar's initial response that the man's face changes expression.
"My name's Bishop Drusus, as I mentioned before i'm sort of the authority figure around here." He pauses for a moment, then goes back to what Asasar mentioned earlier.

"A vision?" he says.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee is confused by the interest. He had assumed that visions were common for "civilized" people, and that was how they learned how to live.

"Why is a vision so interesting to you? Has there been others recently that have come because of versions, or is this rare?"

[Blueiji]

Asasar glanced at the Kender. His statement had been extremely direct, almost rudely so. But at the same time, Asasar couldn't deny the effectiveness of such a direct question.

Turning back to Bishop, Asasar awaited an answer to Gee's question.

[TheMac04]

Nate dropped his cigarette and ground the ember into the dirt with his shoe. This whole thing was giving him a weird vibe, but he was trying to keep his cool. He thought about how he could really go for a drink right now.

[afrenchpenguin]

Bishop smirked at the innocence of the childlike creature.
"Well in most places of the world that sort of thing is fairly common, but the difference is, this isn't most places," he said. He extended his arms and faced the simple place behind him. "See this place is sort of untouched by all of the problems of the world. People out there in the world fight over all of their petty ideals, but we live here in peace. This town is technically part of Mir, so we technically have to follow all of their laws and faith restrictions or what have you. For the most part, they leave us alone though. So no. We don't get many visions up in these parts.
Bishop turns back to the group.
"Just as long as you don't go bringing any trouble with you, you're welcome to stay. It's a quaint little place, but I think you'll find you'll like it.

[TheMac04]

Nate squeezed the bridge of his nose in mild frustration. His head was really taking last night out on him.

"Wait, so you're not a priest or anything? I thought you said you were a bishop."

[Blueiji]

"Just as long as you don't go bringing any trouble with you, you're welcome to stay. It's a quaint little place, but I think you'll find you'll like it.

"Don't worry sir, we won't be causing any trouble. But, err, could you excuse us for a moment? I wish to speak with my companions privately."

Asasar turns to Gee and Nate, indicating that he wishes them to step aside with him for a moment.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee aproaches the elf with much interest in what he has to say.

[TheMac04]

Nate reached into his pocket for another cigarette out of habit before remembering that he had just stamped out his last one. He winced.

He shrugged at Bishop, then moved towards the elf with reluctance. The guy seemed a little uptight.

"Anybody else think this whole thing is really damn weird? Am I crazy? I feel like I'm probably crazy."

[afrenchpenguin]

In response to Nate, Bishop responds: "Name's Bishop. Even though its what my father woulda wanted, I never became one. Sorry, friend."

As the elf turns, Bishop says, "Do what you wish, i'm gonna get back to my boys." He turns and walks back to the small town.

[Blueiji]

"Anybody else think this whole thing is really damn weird? Am I crazy? I feel like I'm probably crazy."

"I don't doubt that you lack sanity, but I don't think it has anything to do with our current situation."

Asasar glances over his shoulder, and seeing that Bishop had begun to walk away, begins explaining himself.

"In our vision, we were told to spread the faith of the mysterious being who gave us our dream. Our dreams then led us here, to this godless place. These two factors, in combination, lead me to believe that we are meant to convert this small town."

Asasar took a short pause. Normally he'd take a breath here as well, but he had long ago ceased to require that form of self-nourishment.

"Of course, the question is; how do we accomplish such a task?We know next to nothing about this town, and even less about our god. How do we convert people to a faith we don't even understand?"

[TheMac04]

"I don't doubt that you lack sanity, but I don't think it has anything to do with our current situation."

Nate gave Gee a "who does this guy think he is" kind of look. He felt like the kender was the only one in this situation who had things figured out.


"Of course, the question is; how do we accomplish such a task?We know next to nothing about this town, and even less about our god. How do we convert people to a faith we don't even understand?"

"Woah, hang on there bro. I didn't know it was International Jump To Insane Conclusions Day. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I mean damn, we don't even know each other."

Nate stuck his hand out to the dead elf and tried not to think about what his slightly rotted arm was going to feel like against his palm.

"Nate Erasmo."

[Blueiji]

"Woah, hang on there bro. I didn't know it was International Jump To Insane Conclusions Day."

Asasar's face irked at the suggestion that he was insane. Did this Halfling not see how perfectly and completely stable he was?


Nate stuck his hand out to the dead elf and tried not to think about what his slightly rotted arm was going to feel like against his palm.

"Nate Erasmo."

Wishing to satisfy the Halfling seemingly unnecessary request, Asasar put forth his cold, stiff hand and wrapped it tightly around the Halfling's paw, delivering a firm, clinical handshake. The touch of living flesh unnerved the Elf for a moment, reminding him of a time not too long ago when he was much the same.

Dismissing the memories, Asasar asks a short question.

"If we were not brought here to perform conversion, what is it you propose we were meant to do?"

[TheMac04]

Wishing to satisfy the Halfling seemingly unnecessary request, Asasar put forth his cold, stiff hand and wrapped it tightly around the Halfling's paw, delivering a firm, clinical handshake. The touch of living flesh unnerved the Elf for a moment, reminding him of a time not too long ago when he was much the same.

Nate grinned through the handshake, his face never betraying his discomfort. Undead had always given him the creeps.


"If we were not brought here to perform conversion, what is it you propose we were meant to do?"

"Hang on man, there's three of us here."

Nate playfully punched Gee in the shoulder with a calloused knuckle and turned to face him.

"What's your deal, bro?"

He smiled a bit.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee had stayed silent for most of the conversation, not understanding what it was about, but he could stay silent no longer.

"My name is Gee Darastix."

He felt a surge of confidence from the Halflings trying to include him in the conversation and decided to put forth his idea.

"If we are going to convert the town we should first make a religion to convert them to. Since we do not know a lot about the religion's god/goddess we must be vague, and we should start by converting our selves."

[Blueiji]

Nate grinned through the handshake, his face never betraying his discomfort. Undead had always given him the creeps.

As he was giving the handshake, the Elf introduced himself. "Asasar Besnyn, historian of the Abarri Grey-Elf people."


"Hang on man, there's three of us here."

"My deepest apologies, of course. I must have gotten caught up with the task at hand."

Asasr listened silently to Gee's introduction, and then to his suggestion.


"If we are going to convert the town we should first make a religion to convert them to. Since we do not know a lot about the religion's god/goddess we must be vague, and we should start by converting our selves."

Asasar contemplated this suggestion a moment, and then his mouth fell slightly agape. He was deeply impressed at how easily the Kender had devised a solution to their problem at hand.

The elf allowed his approval and support of Gee's plan to show on his face, but turned to Nate. As he wished to see what the Halfling would say.

[TheMac04]

Nate suddenly felt like he was in way, way over his head. It was like he had agreed to be thrown into a tank full of dire sharks, and then remembered the second he hit the water that he hadn't the faintest clue how to swim.

"Okay, wow, can we slow down a bit for a second here? Or maybe a few hours? I'm jazzed that the two of you are so gung-ho about becoming the next big evangelical sensation, I really am, but we don't even know what the hell is going on. How do we know what we're supposed to do? How do we know the vision we had actually was from a god that DOESN'T want to blow up the planet? How do we know it wasn't just some crazy chemical in the water giving us all fantastically lucid fever dreams? Sorry I'm not 100% on board with the theological gravy train here, but man, let's try not to end up the naive idiots who ended up resurrecting an ancient murder demon."

[Blueiji]

Asasar sighed, this halfling seemed to have little faith.

"I know that my heart is pure, no evil would be able to instill such a vision in me. For me, that is all the convincing I need."

[TheMac04]

"I know that my heart is pure, no evil would be able to instill such a vision in me. For me, that is all the convincing I need."

This was, in Nate's opinion, the most pretentious thing he had ever heard, and he had once spent a week sleeping on the couch in an apartment filled with philosophy undergrads. He wasn't in the mood to piss anyone off, however, so he awkwardly forced a laugh and chose his words carefully.

"Okay, buddy, let's just say I'm not exactly on that level of self-confidence in my own uh...devotion to our Lord."

He thought it came out way too sarcastic.

[Blueiji]

Asasar nodded as he listened to the Halfling's worries.

"I see, that is quite troubling. Mr. Darastrix, do you have any input on this matter?"

[BanthaFodder]

Nate suddenly felt like he was in way, way over his head. It was like he had agreed to be thrown into a tank full of dire sharks, and then remembered the second he hit the water that he hadn't the faintest clue how to swim.

"Okay, wow, can we slow down a bit for a second here? Or maybe a few hours? I'm jazzed that the two of you are so gung-ho about becoming the next big evangelical sensation, I really am, but we don't even know what the hell is going on. How do we know what we're supposed to do? How do we know the vision we had actually was from a god that DOESN'T want to blow up the planet? How do we know it wasn't just some crazy chemical in the water giving us all fantastically lucid fever dreams? Sorry I'm not 100% on board with the theological gravy train here, but man, let's try not to end up the naive idiots who ended up resurrecting an ancient murder demon."

Gee was confused by what the Halfling said, but agreeing that he didn't want to blow up the world.

"How do we know that creating whatever religion we are going to create isn't to stop some sort of problem that threatens the livelihood of the entire planet. You saw what would happen if we don't succeed in the vision."

[TheMac04]

"How do we know that creating whatever religion we are going to create isn't to stop some sort of problem that threatens the livelihood of the entire planet. You saw what would happen if we don't succeed in the vision."

"Right, what I'm sayin' is, who the hell are we to say we have ANY idea what we're doing here. I'm not exactly ready to start a new religion here."

[BanthaFodder]

Gee did not understand the Halfling's reluctance to act.

"You didn't fully understand the vision yet you decided to follow its instructions and travel all the way here. Why did you do that if you don't want to follow through by taking action? It is not like you have less knowledge then you did when you first received the vision. Why did you come?"

[TheMac04]

Gee did not understand the Halfling's reluctance to act.

"You didn't fully understand the vision yet you decided to follow its instructions and travel all the way here. Why did you do that if you don't want to follow through by taking action? It is not like you have less knowledge then you did when you first received the vision. Why did you come?"

The reason for this, of course, was that Nate legitimately had nothing else in his life. He had no job, no where to live, and was filled with far too much shame to return to his family. He was, essentially, a vagrant, but he wasn't going to let the others know that.

"I...have my reasons. I'm just trying to be cautious."

[BanthaFodder]

The reason for this, of course, was that Nate legitimately had nothing else in his life. He had no job, no where to live, and was filled with far too much shame to return to his family. He was, essentially, a vagrant, but he wasn't going to let the others know that.

"I...have my reasons. I'm just trying to be cautious."

Gee was starting to get annoyed at the Halfling's lack of action.

"Then what would you suggest? What wisdom do you have that we lack that leads you to believe that our plans are over the top? Would you rather that we just stay in this boring town for the rest of our lives, coming up with ideas to the meaning of our vision, but shooting them down because they could lead to action?"

[TheMac04]

Gee was starting to get annoyed at the Halfling's lack of action.

"Then what would you suggest? What wisdom do you have that we lack that leads you to believe that our plans are over the top? Would you rather that we just stay in this boring town for the rest of our lives, coming up with ideas to the meaning of our vision, but shooting them down because they could lead to action?"

Nate was getting frustrated. The kender's response had completely thrown him off. Nate had had a read on him as a sort of shy, innocent type, and now he was having to completely rethink that. He hated when his first impressions were wrong.

"I just...we need a plan. We can't just start a religion and hope it works out. We need to think about this. Really settle into this town. Get to know the place. We don't want to look like a bunch of random asses who showed up and forced our ideas on people, right? Look, it's hot as balls out here, and I think it's making everyone pissy. Let's find a place to sit and talk this out."

[BanthaFodder]

Nate was getting frustrated. The kender's response had completely thrown him off. Nate had had a read on him as a sort of shy, innocent type, and now he was having to completely rethink that. He hated when his first impressions were wrong.

"I just...we need a plan. We can't just start a religion and hope it works out. We need to think about this. Really settle into this town. Get to know the place. We don't want to look like a bunch of random asses who showed up and forced our ideas on people, right? Look, it's hot as balls out here, and I think it's making everyone pissy. Let's find a place to sit and talk this out."

Gee was glad that he was able to nudge -- even slightly -- the Halfling into action.

"Where should we go? Maybe we should ask the man for a place to stay."

[Blueiji]

"Where should we go? Maybe we should ask the man for a place to stay."

Having been silent for quite a while, Asasar chose this as the time to speak up.

"I believe the town itself is though that stone gateway, perhaps we should head through there?"

[TheMac04]

Nate made his way back over to where Bishop was standing. His head was pounding with doubt.

"This is a stupid idea," said his brain. "You're not the right guy for this. You're an alcoholic and a heathen. You should just leave."

He slapped himself lightly on the cheek and shook his head. He kept the thoughts out.

"Hey man, could you tell us where we could find a place to crash tonight?"

[afrenchpenguin]

You approach Bishop. As you do, the three children look at you intently. The young dwarf child and human child pause sparring for a moment, then the older human -- around age seventeen who strongly resembles Bishop but more naive and lacking facial hair -- cuts back in and tells them to continue. The clanking of wooden swords and the scuffing of boots in the dirt continue.

Bishop responds to Nate's question, "I'd say you'd want to talk to Anil. He runs the Inn and the Tavern. Just head up right through those big wood doors and he'll fix you up with a nice halfling-sized rooms."

[TheMac04]

]I'd say you'd want to talk to Yuvā. He runs the Inn and the Tavern. Just head up right for those stone doors and he'll fix you up with a nice halfling-sized rooms.[/COLOR]"

"Thanks a lot man. Enjoy the weed."

He laughed and gestured toward the others to follow him.

"Let's go kids."

[BanthaFodder]

Gee was relieved by the progress, and being referred to as a "kid" made him reminisce on his time with the elf in his home village.

"Fantastic baby!"

[afrenchpenguin]

The townsfolk give Gee an odd stare after his queer outburst.

You make towards the wonderfully crafted, circular stairs and begin to climb them. Once at the top, the two old, elegantly carved wood doors loom over each of you. The stonework and woodwork looks too fine for such simple folk that live here. The amount of manpower it would take to firstly, cut into the side of a mountain and secondly, have such detailed craftsmanship is simply not possible for such a small group, at least of the one's you've met so far.

[Blueiji]

Asasar looks up at the gigantic, looming doors and begins to feel very small in comparison.

"Shall we knock?" Asasar asks, reaching out his grey-skinned hand.

[TheMac04]

Asasar looks up at the gigantic, looming doors and begins to feel very small in comparison.

"Shall we knock?" Asasar asks, reaching out his grey-skinned hand.

"Absolutely."

Nate slammed his fist into the massive door three times. A splinter dug into the side of his hand on the second hit. He grimaced, and made like it didn't happen.

[Blueiji]

Asasar winced at the sudden and loud sound of Nate's banging. Sudden noises, especially when made by chain-smoking Halflings, unnerved the Elf.

Regaining composure, Asasar awaited a response from someone on the other side of the door.

[afrenchpenguin]

As Nate pounds on the door, you hear the knock echo down into the mountain; the sound travels downward, and into darkness.

No response comes.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Bishop's hand gives the door a slight nudge, and the door slowly swings wide open. "Inn's right down that path on the left. Don't get lost now." He chuckles as he walks back to the group of kids.

A dark path stretches out before you with the occasional spot of light from a torch.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee happily starts walking in the direction in which Bishop said the inn was.

[TheMac04]

Nate followed closely behind Gee, flipping up his hood.

"Hoo man, THIS is sketchy as hell."

[Blueiji]

Pulling his cloak about him, Asasar follows his two companions, his hand resting on his spell component pouch just in case.

[afrenchpenguin]

You walk through the large doors.

The path you walk is illuminated by some small torches mounted onto towering columns. A layer of dust covers the ground, but even this fails to hide the intricacies of the aged stonework. The rectangular columns travel upwards into a moderately high ceiling. You can see walls to the left and right through the darkness. A little ways down, the torches branch from the forward-moving path left and right. Your eyes follow the diverging pathways and you see light coming through a doorway, but only on the left side. The right path keeps going and seemingly stops.

All
You all notice that the light from the torches stops on either edge of the path. Upon closer examination, there seems to be no floor on either side. Only darkness.

[TheMac04]

Nate grabbed the back of Gee's shirt and held out his other hand to signal a stop as he noticed the sudden drop. He stopped dead.

"Hoooly crap, I was right. This place is sketchy. All in favor of not falling in a bottomless pit and getting the hell out of here say 'aye'!"

[BanthaFodder]

Also noticing the pit Gee stops.

"What if there are cushions or something to break our fall?"

[afrenchpenguin]

Nate's outburst and Gee's response echo deep into the darkness below them and down the hall in front of them. No cushions catch their voices as they fall into the deep.

Another sound bounces through the hallway; the sound of glass shattering followed by shouting voices.

[Blueiji]

Asasar's pointed ears perk up at the sound of the glass, and his entire body immediately tenses in fear and anticipation.

The Elf begins taking a couple steps backwards, but not before squinting his eyes, attempting to see where the source of the shattering glass and voices could be.

Due to being Undead, Asasar has Darkvision 60-ft. Can he see anything within that distance?

Gee has the same Darkvision, so he may be able to see something as well.

[TheMac04]

Also noticing the pit Gee stops.

"What if there are cushions or something to break our fall?"

"Your optimism is going to get you killed one day, homie."

[afrenchpenguin]

Asasar's pointed ears perk up at the sound of the glass, and his entire body immediately tenses in fear and anticipation.

The Elf begins taking a couple steps backwards, but not before squinting his eyes, attempting to see where the source of the shattering glass and voices could be.

Due to being Undead, Asasar has Darkvision 60-ft. Can he see anything within that distance?

Gee has the same Darkvision, so he may be able to see something as well.

Asasar can see that nothing within vision has changed, but it seems like the sound came somewhere from in front of you and towards the left.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee's ears picked up at the noise.

"Sounds like that came from where Bishop said the inn was."

[TheMac04]

Gee's ears picked up at the noise.

"Sounds like that came from where Bishop said the inn was."

"Bishop didn't tell us diddly-bull about where the inn was. He told us it was 'right through the door'. Guess this place is a lot less of a town and a lot more of a trap than he wanted us to think. Hang on, listen."

Are we able to discern what any of the voices are saying, or the tone of the conversation i.e: hostile, laughter, etc.?

[afrenchpenguin]

Nate:

"Inn's right down that path on the left. Don't get lost now."


"Bishop didn't tell us diddly-bull about where the inn was. He told us it was 'right through the door'. Guess this place is a lot less of a town and a lot more of a trap than he wanted us to think. Hang on, listen."

Are we able to discern what any of the voices are saying, or the tone of the conversation i.e: hostile, laughter, etc.?

You hear yelling in reaction to the shattering noise. It yells for a few seconds, then stops. No words are discernible from this distance.

[Blueiji]

"Perhaps that noise did come from the inn, and someone just dropped a mug? The yelling could simply be of surprise to the sudden smashing of a glass."

Asasar quivered, it was a logical explanation, but he still wasn't himself convinced.

Taking a couple steps forward, Asasar placed himself next to Nate and Gee.

"My undead nature offers me the ability to see without light, perhaps we could advance just a bit in order to see what exactly is going on?"

[TheMac04]

"Perhaps that noise did come from the inn, and someone just dropped a mug? The yelling could simply be of surprise to the sudden smashing of a glass."

Asasar quivered, it was a logical explanation, but he still wasn't himself convinced.

Taking a couple steps forward, Asasar placed himself next to Nate and Gee.

"My undead nature offers me the ability to see without light, perhaps we could advance just a bit in order to see what exactly is going on?"

Nate took a step back and gestured sarcastically.

"How 'bout you lead the way then Bones?"

[Blueiji]

"How 'bout you lead the way then Bones?"

Asasar would've let out an insulted huff, but he didn't have the functional lungs needed to do so. Then with a smirk, Asasar replied; "Be careful, or I may have to eat your soul little Halfling."

Of course, Asasar couldn't really eat souls, but perhaps Nate didn't know that.

Then Asasr began taking small steps toward the inn, waiting for it to come within range of his enhanced vision.

[afrenchpenguin]

Asasar:
Make a bluff check. :smallwink:

You walk quite a small ways down the path until it come to the intersection, you turn left and continue walking.
As you get closer to the soft noises, you can all see light emanating from an open doorway. Just behind the aforementioned doorway, a dwarf is bent over picking up shards of glass from the floor, muttering to herself under her breath.

[TheMac04]

"Be careful, or I may have to eat your soul little Halfling."


"Right," Nate said under his breath to Gee as the elf began making his way forward. "The priest of rot stank here is gonna go all soul eater on me. I swear, this guy, am I right?"

[BanthaFodder]

Hearing Nate, Gee replies,

"How should I know?"

As we approach the inn Gee can see as well, due to his own darkvision. Gee happily runs ahead, towards the open doorway.

[Blueiji]

Asasar rolls his eyes imperiously as Gee runs ahead. Then turning to Nate; "This Kender, am I right?"

[TheMac04]

Nate took a moment of silence while all of the cogs in his brain worked themselves back into place after the elf's comment.

"Yeah man," said Nate insincerely. He had a suspicion that the elf would take everything he said at face value at this point. He thought the guy would believe the sky was green if you told him with a straight face. "Kids these days, right? But hey, you wanna get shanked in the dark? Let's go."

He broke into a light jog, approaching the dwarf woman.

"Hey excuse me," he said, holding up a hand. "This is the bar, right?"

[Blueiji]

"Kids these days, right? But hey, you wanna get shanked in the dark? Let's go."

"B-but who would want to get shanked in the dark?" Asasar replies, deeply confused. It seemed, after all, that both of his companions were a bit jiggled in the head.

As his companions both run off Asasar begins to feel the beginnings of a stress-induced migraine. Ignoring it, he pulls up his hood, and begins resolutely walking after them. After all, it wouldn't be good if his fellow prophets got shanked in the dark.

[afrenchpenguin]

The dwarf stands up, a long beard sways as it stands. The dwarf unenthusiastically says, "Aye laddie, this is the Inn. Come, sit, have a drink, yadda yadda yadda."

The room is quite large. This time the floor extends to each of the walls unlike the hallway you just came from. The stonework in this room is elegant, but faded. Patches of brick cover parts or the walls which may have decayed with age, but all that still stands is almost as beautiful as the day it was carved; the columns in this room are smaller, but have the same texture as the columns: rectangular and masterful. Empty tables fill the room, except for one man at the bar, one behind it refilling the man's cup of ale, and one sitting at a table in the corner looking at some books. On the left side where the bar ends, there is a closed wooden door.

[TheMac04]

"Thank you ma'am," Nate said to the dwarf.

Nate spent no time taking in the scenery, making his way straight for the bar. His order was coming out of his mouth before he even had a chance to sit down.

"Hey man, lemme get a whiskey sour. Whatever you recommend. And can I open up a tab?"

He hopped onto a bar stool and took a seat next to the man at the bar.

"Hey, how're the drinks here? Good?" he asked the man.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee's can no longer be reigned in. The beast is unleashed.

"Do you have beds here? I love beds! Beds are fantastic baby! Are the beds behind that door? They are aren't they?

He had only experienced such a luxury one other time, and he couldn't contain himself. Gee sprints towards the other door.

[afrenchpenguin]

"Thank you ma'am," Nate said to the dwarf.

Her smile creeps out from beneath her hairy face and she says, "Such courtesy is rare these days, thank you.



"Hey man, lemme get a whiskey sour. Whatever you recommend. And can I open up a tab?"

The Bartender is a towering elf. He wears loose, but elegant pants and no shirt. Blue tribal tattoos stretch across his bald head and his slim, but muscular body. His eyes, also with an azure quality, stare at Nate. He says in a deep voice, "We don't have any of your urban drinks here. All we have is hard liquor and ale. No chasers. I happen to have a nice bottle of Antiguan Whiskey here that you might like, but its not cheap."



"Hey, how're the drinks here? Good?" he asked the man.

The man coughs before speaking, then takes a swig from his ale. He says with a dry voice "Don't matter how good it is. As long as I'm having trouble walking afterwards, I'm happy.

[afrenchpenguin]

"Do you have beds here? I love beds! Beds are fantastic baby! Are the beds behind that door? They are aren't they?

Everyone in the bar stares at Gee queerly. The tall elf behind the counter says, "Uhh Yeah. There are."

He then turns to Nate and asks, "Are you with him?"

[TheMac04]

Her smile creeps out from beneath her hairy face and she says, "Such courtesy is rare these days, thank you.

Nate smiled and gave the dwarf a small salute.


"We don't have any of your urban drinks here. All we have is hard liquor and ale. No chasers. I happen to have a nice bottle of Antiguan Whiskey here that you might like, but its not cheap."

Nate laughed. The bartender was his kinda guy.

"I'll take the whiskey."

He could not, of course, reasonably expect to afford both the whiskey and a place to stay and food tonight, but he had drunkenly stumbled his way to success in worse situations.


"Don't matter how good it is. As long as I'm having trouble walking afterwards, I'm happy.

"I'll drink to that!"

The man at the bar, it turned out, was also his kinda guy. Nate's mood was improving immensely.

[TheMac04]

"Are you with him?"

"Just met the kid outside. Bit of a mess, ain't he?"

[Blueiji]

Asasar quietly entered the inn after his two companions and immediately was taken back by the scent and atmosphere of the room. This wasn't his kind of environment, not at all.

Still silent, Asasar scanned the room. The only relatable person seemed to be the individual pouring over books in the corner, but Asasar knew better than to interrupt a scholar at work.

The bartender also intrigued him. Although clearly a fellow Elf, the bartender's height, build, and body tattoos clearly marked him as a different sub-species than Asasar.

The undead Elf walked briskly toward the bar, intent on finding out about this mysterious elf's origin.

"Err, hello. May I, um, have a glass of your cheapest substance? I don't really intend on drinking due to a, uh, physiology issue I have, but I wouldn't want to take a seat in your fine establishment without making a purchase." Asasar said in a tentative, somewhat awkward fashion.

"In any case, those are interesting tattoos you possess sir. May I ask which Elven tribe you hail from?"

[afrenchpenguin]

"I'll take the whiskey."

The elf handed him a short glass and proceeded to take out a fancy bottle. He poured some into Nate's glass, took a swig himself, then put it back on the rack behind him.





"I'll drink to that!"

The man chuckled a small bit which immediately turned into a fit of coughing. He wiped some of the dirt from his face and continued drinking.



"Just met the kid outside. Bit of a mess, ain't he?"

"I'll say."


"Err, hello. May I, um, have a glass of your cheapest substance? I don't really intend on drinking due to a, uh, physiology issue I have, but I wouldn't want to take a seat in your fine establishment without making a purchase." Asasar said in a tentative, somewhat awkward fashion.

"In any case, those are interesting tattoos you possess sir. May I ask which Elven tribe you hail from?"

He poured Asasar a glass of water then said "This one's on the house."

After he pours Asasar his drink, he begins talking. "You're a sharp one, aren't you? I hail from the northern tribes, on the Great Sea. Acchā-kī-Nīlā is our tribe's name."

You can make a knowledge check to find out more about his tribe.

[TheMac04]

Nate thanked the bartender, happily took a swig of his drink, and asked the man next to him if he had any cigarettes on him.

"Oh," he continued to the man. "And why the hell are there giant holes in the ground outside?"

[Blueiji]

"This one's on the house."

"Thank you sir, my physiology really can be quite . . . crippling."


"You're a sharp one, aren't you? I hail from the northern tribes, on the Great Sea. Acchā-kī-Nīlā is our tribe's name."

"How interesting. How is it that you got here then? That's a long way to travel." Asasar inquired.

Two knowledge checks were made in the OOC thread.

[afrenchpenguin]

Nate thanked the bartender, happily took a swig of his drink, and asked the man next to him if he had any cigarettes on him.

"Oh," he continued to the man. "And why the hell are there giant holes in the ground outside?"

He takes out a small pack from his front shirt pocket. He places it on the bar in front of Nate. "Last one. Was saving it for later, but you seem like a nice enough kid."

"I would say to ask the guys who built it, but they're long dead by now."



"Thank you sir, my physiology really can be quite . . . crippling."



"How interesting. How is it that you got here then? That's a long way to travel." Asasar inquired.

Two knowledge checks were made in the OOC thread.

The name rings a bell. You remember from your studies that some elves left their homeland and formed independent tribes. The tribes of the north, Acchā, have been known to be experts in the teachings of soul magic - Incarnum. There are four other elf tribes, similar to this one in the east, west, and south.

"We northern tribesmen are rarely found this far from home, even less so in the east, but my story is a rather long and tragic one. I fought in the war. Somehow, I ended up here. War does this kind of thing, you know?" He pauses. He begins to speak to you in Elvish. Translated into the common tongue, he says "It is, however, nice to meet another member of the fair folk."

[TheMac04]

He takes out a small pack from his front shirt pocket. He places it on the bar in front of Nate. "Last one. Was saving it for later, but you seem like a nice enough kid."


"Thanks man, I owe you one. Next time I'm around I'll buy you a drink, swear to it." He meant it, as far as he was concerned. Nate grabbed a discarded pack of matches from the countertop and lit the cigarette.



"I would say to ask the guys who built it, but they're long dead by now."


"So the town founders were like 'Know what this place needs? Big ass holes.' Nate laughed quietly to himself.
And now y'all just sort of live with it? I can dig that. Any idea what's in 'em?"

[Blueiji]

"It is, however, nice to meet another member of the fair folk."

Also in Elvish, Asasar replies "It certainly is. It is our kind that can bring beauty to a places even such as this."

Asasar pauses, and fakes a polite swig from his glass of water.

"Oh, and where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Asasar Besnyn, historian of the Abarri Grey-Elf people. What is your title?"

[afrenchpenguin]

[COLOR="#FF0000"]"So the town founders were like 'Know what this place needs? Big ass holes.' Nate laughed quietly to himself. And now y'all just sort of live with it? I can dig that. Any idea what's in 'em?"

"Yeah, I work down there most days. We dig up what the guys who deserted this place didn't. The mines are down there. I Injured myself last time I was down there and they all told me to take a break so here I am: taking a break." He chuckled to himself, then began coughing again. After he stopped, he took another swig of ale, but it seems as though there was none left in his mug. "Anil," he said as he called to the elf.

Anil continued what he was doing, but at the same time, refilled the man's glass. The man then continued drinking.

[TheMac04]

"Yeah, I work down there most days. We dig up what the guys who deserted this place didn't. The mines are down there. I Injured myself last time I was down there and they all told me to take a break so here I am: taking a break."

"Ah, minin' man. I feel for you brother. Come from a whole family of miners. One of the villages in the south, y'know? Nothing but respect, man, nothing but respect." Nate inhaled deeply, and let the smoke lazily drift from his mouth as he continued. "What're y'all mining for? Coal? Gold? Something crazy top secret?"

[BanthaFodder]

Gee didn't care much about what the others were talking about--it seemed unimportant. What he really wanted right now was a bed.

"Can I just go in and take a bed?

Gee's eagerness left him impatient as he opened the door instead of waiting for a answer.

[afrenchpenguin]

"Ah, minin' man. I feel for you brother. Come from a whole family of miners. One of the villages in the south, y'know? Nothing but respect, man, nothing but respect." Nate inhaled deeply, and let the smoke lazily drift from his mouth as he continued. "What're y'all mining for? Coal? Gold? Something crazy top secret?"

"Whatever pays the bills I suppose. We just came across a big gold deposit deep in an area we ain't never been before. Who are you folks anyway?"


"Can I just go in and take a bed?

Anil shouts back to Gee, "Hand over five silver and i'll open up that door for you."

[BanthaFodder]

Gee happily hands over the silver to Anvil, and waits--eager to rest after his long journey.

[TheMac04]

"Whatever pays the bills I suppose. We just came across a big gold deposit deep in an area we ain't never been before. Who are you folks anyway?"

"No idea 'bout them, just met 'em outside town." Nate glanced over at Asasar and his tap water. "The elf has a small case of stick-up-the-ass, if you know what I mean. And the kender's uh...I have no idea. Kender's weird. Anyway, name's Erasmo. On a...pilgrimage, you might say. 'Unemployed', some might call it."

[afrenchpenguin]

Anil walks over to the door and pulls out a ring of keys. He inserts the key into the lock and turns it. He pushes on the door but it doesn't seem to budge. "I need to get these damn doors fixed," he says backing up and preparing himself for impact. He pushes through the door with his shoulder and it opens for you. The door's hinges look artificially jammed into the walls, foreign to the rest of the stonework. "Head up those stairs, erm, wait one sec actually." He turns to the dwarf on her knees and shouts, "Talia! Are any of the rooms clean? The she-dwarf stands up, her beard swaying as she does. She sighs.
"Yeah."
"Well, which one?"
"Whichever one I cleaned. Four, I think."
"Was that so hard? Damn dwarves."
She sighs, then mumbles under her breath, "I don't get paid enough for this."
"Sorry about that, sir. Head right on through and up the stairs on your left."

[Blueiji]

Asasar watches Gee's excited expression as the door to the inn rooms opens. Then considering this development, the Elf turns to Nate.

"Perhaps the three of us should retire for the evening? Some rest would us some good. I'm incapable of sleeping of course, so I'll probably just sit in the corner and watch you two as you slumber, but that's okay."

[TheMac04]

Asasar watches Gee's excited expression as the door to the inn rooms opens. Then considering this development, the Elf turns to Nate.

"Perhaps the three of us should retire for the evening? Some rest would us some good. I'm incapable of sleeping of course, so I'll probably just sit in the corner and watch you two as you slumber, but that's okay."

Nate paused and waited for the punchline. After about twenty seconds, he realized it wasn't coming.

"You're kidding, right?"

[BanthaFodder]

Gee was used to someone watching over him in his sleep, and was glad that he did not have to take shift.

"Thanks, be sure to wake us up if there is trouble."

Seeing the end to this long day, Gee jumped into bed and went to sleep.

[Blueiji]

"You're kidding, right?"

"Kidding about what? I really do think the two of you could get some rest.

[TheMac04]

Nate looked at the bartender, then the kender, then the dead elf, then back to the bartender, then at his feet, then at his life decisions, then back to the bartender.

"I'm gonna go sleep in the gutter outside. Kick me in the morning to wake me up. Cheers."

He exited the bar, muttering confused obscenities.

[Blueiji]

Asasar stood in the middle of the bar, unsure whether to watch Gee or Nate.

Ultimately, deciding he didn't want to indicate he had any sort of favoritism towards either of his party members, Asasar decided to simply stay in the bar. Walking towards the corner, the Elf takes a seat and begins studying his spellbook, considering which spells to prepare for the next day.

[afrenchpenguin]

Gee falls asleep quickly as does Nate.

Asasar sits down, but as he does, he attracts the attention of the man sitting in the corner. He hops from table to table, sitting down at each one and makes a poor attempt at being sneaky. He arrives at the table closest. You make nothing out of his face, for he is shrouded in a black cloak and faces away from you, but he looks over behind his shoulder at you, watching you, examining you. He mutters under his breath: "Fascinating."

[Blueiji]

"Fascinating."

Asasar, having been too focused on his prayerbook to notice the man's approach, is startled by the sudden outburst.

"Oh, er, hello there. I take it that comment was aimed at me?" Asasar stammers out.

[TheMac04]

Nate dreamed about hermaphroditic prostitutes and free lemonade/marijuana stands.

[afrenchpenguin]

The man pays no heed to Asasar's comment. "It seems to be elf kind, but its skin texture would say otherwise. He is living yet not living, absolutely fascinating."
He continues to sit facing away from you, mumbling under his breath.

[Blueiji]

Asasar rises, takes a seat at the table the stranger is sitting at, and begins to speak.

"The Ritual of Crucimigration is an ancient Elven art. It converts living flesh to dead, or rather, undead. Of course, this means that the subject is no longer fueled by Positive Energy like most living beings. Instead the state of undeath causes the subject to draw life from the Negative Energy Plane. This comes with a number of advantages, such as immunity to mind-affecting magics, disease, aging, poison, and attacks upon critical organs."

As Asasar continues to speak an unnaturally-wide, deeply inhuman grin begins to spread across his face. If there was anything the Elf loved, it was giving lectures to anyone who would listen.

"The Grey-Elves of the Abarri clan use the Ritual of Crucimigration to create historians. For you see, a historian that lives forever and doesn't need any sort of sustenance is a very effective historian indeed. I myself have served in such a position for forty-nine years, the last three of which have been spent away from my clan, observing the other cultures of the world."

Pleased with himself, Asasar leans back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head.

"Any questions?"

[afrenchpenguin]

The second Asasar beings lecturing, the man runs back to his table, grabs a large book, a vial of ink, and a pen and runs back to where Asasar sits and begins to scribble down notes.

His hood falls as he runs and you see a man with curly red hair and beard wearing large spectacles.

"Amazing, amazing," he says as he finishes up the last of his notes. He runs back to grab another book, as he does, he talks to you. "How has being dead taken a toll on your physical body? Oh! Oh! How long has it been since you took this ritual? Oh and also, what makes you any different from, say, one of these? He opens his book to a page and shows you a sketch of a creature. A hunkering, seemingly mindless corpse. "I encountered one of these in the far south. Dangerous place, that is.
He speaks with a light accent, beaten down from many years traveling, but still a hint of the sound of his homeland.

[Blueiji]

"How has being dead taken a toll on your physical body? Oh! Oh! How long has it been since you took this ritual? Oh and also, what makes you any different from, say, one of these?"

He opens his book to a page and shows you a sketch of a creature. A hunkering, seemingly mindless corpse.

Asasar's grin grows even wider. In the Elf's experience, it was a rare occurrence for a student to be genuinely interested in what he had to say.

"Being undead hasn't actually caused any damage to my physical form. The organisms and scavengers that would normally feast or decompose dead flesh are repelled by the negative energy that courses through my form. So my flesh is actually more pristine than that of a living creature."

Appropriately, a fly takes this moment to land upon Asasar's grey flesh before flying off almost immediately, apparently disgusted.

"I undertook the Ritual of Crucimigration forty-nine years ago, the same time I became a historian of the Abarri Grey-Elf people."

Asasar looks down at the drawing, studies it for a moment, and then responds.

"That looks to me like a Zombie, which is a form of mindless undead often used by necromancers as soldiers or workers. I hear that some necromantic-oriented cultures even use them for farming. After all, they never tire and don't need to be paid. But where was I? Oh yes, mindlessness. So while the Zombie in question has no free will, obeying whatever order it is given, Undead such as I are capable of our own choices. Other such intelligent undead include Lichs and Vampires."

Glancing away from the stranger, Asasar looked out the window, looking for any sunlight that might be coming in from the distant cave-mouth. Asasar was eager for it to be morning again so that he and his companions could continue their quest.

[afrenchpenguin]

At that moment, you hear a large rumbling coming from deep in the cave. A fraction of a second later, the ground violently shakes beneath your feet. Whatever tremors you have felt in your past are nothing in comparison to this. The noise of the echos of the shaking in the dark is maddening.

Nate is roused awake by a small pebble bumping him on the top of his head. The rumbling is loudest outside. A crack begins to form on the pathway he sleeps on outside of the Inn. One of the columns that travels up into the ceiling breaks in half and falls right where Nate is seated.
Make a reflex save.

Gee is jolted awake in bed. All of the fixtures in the room shake. You hear a glass break in the hallway outside of your room. You then smell burning and shouting coming from outside.

Asasar falls back in his chair as the shaking starts. Glass shatters. You see a new source of light coming from behind the door which Gee went earlier, followed by shouting.
The man next to you, shouts "Oh my!" then runs back to his corner, tripping over tables and chairs, even hitting his head at one point. He gets a piece of parchment from his pack, and loosely holds his pen over the paper, slowly sliding it forward. "yes, Yes, YES, OH THIS IS BRILLIANT!!" he shouts. He holds onto surrounding tables desperately as the ground shakes.

[Blueiji]

Deeply perturbed by the sudden interruption of his conversation, Asasar begrudgingly crawl under a table, not wishing to get hit by any falling debris.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee sprints sprints out the room, haunted by thought of some of the screams being owned by his new friends. When he sees the fire he is momentarily frozen by fear. Gee had been acquainted with the great beast of fire before, and he was not particularly fond of it. Fire brought terror to the village and the animals. Fire spread light, covering Gee's comforting shadows, not that it mattered--you can't hide from fire.

Gee's moment of fear passed, and he forced himself to try to find his new companions, instead of hiding. Gee thought to himself "maybe over coming fear is the true meaning of life". Gee hoped it wasn't

[afrenchpenguin]

As Gee opens his door, he sees the hallway's floor leading out if engulfed in flames. A broken oil lamp lays on the ground as well as a broken bottle of Mirian Vodka, which has caught as well. Standing in front of the flames is a Goblin. "Ah damn it, not the entire bottle. That was only half empty!" he says to himself. He notices Gee as he exits his room and shouts at him "Hey you! Come down here and help me put this out!"

[BanthaFodder]

He notices Gee as he exits his room and shouts at him "Hey you! Come down here and help me put this out!"
Gee approached the Goblin.
"Do you know where a walking elf corpse and a drunken Halfling are?"

[afrenchpenguin]

"Hm? What? No! Just, shut up and do something!" he shouts at Gee.

[BanthaFodder]

"Hm? What? No! Just, shut up and do something!" he shouts at Gee.

Gee begins to get even more anxious.

"Damn it! Is anyone hurt?"

[TheMac04]

Nate, jolted awake by the pebble, screamed as he saw the collapsing pillar headed right for where his head was. He rolled swiftly out of the way, barely escaping being decapitated by poor architecture.

He threw himself to his feet and began swearing loudly and colorfully. He could smell the smoke from the bar, and, not for the first time, considering legging it out of town and never coming back. He heard screaming coming from the inside. He thought of the last time he had been woken from his sleep while sleeping in a gutter. That time it was because another homeless guy was peeing on his face. He sighed.

"Anything but that, right?" he thought.

He kicked his way through the door and ran inside.

[afrenchpenguin]

The shaking briefly climaxes. With one singular jolt you are all knocked onto the floor while you hear an ear splitting boom from the depths of the mountain. The sound is followed by the crashing of rocks and the shaking gradually subsides.

The fire in the stairway to the rooms has only grown in size.

Anil ignores the fire, "You," he points at Asasar, "I beg of you, take care of this fire. I have to go and check on the others." He dashes outside leaving Asasar, Gee, and Nate to deal with the fire.

[Blueiji]

Anil ignores the fire, "You," he points at Asasar, "I beg of you, take care of this fire. I have to go and check on the others." He dashes outside leaving Asasar, Gee, and Nate to deal with the fire.

Wide-eyed, Asasar nods.

Still shell-shocked by the quake, Asasar begins wildly flipping through his prayerbook, looking for some sort of incantation to assist against the fire. The elf's hands shake violently as he searches, a manifestation of his complete lack of calm under pressure.

With an excited yelp, Asasar finally finds a spell that might work. Closing his eyes and waving his hands in precise movements, Asasar begins to incant words of power.

"Majorus satoria incrosiotus!"

As the final component of the spell, Asasar reaches into his pack and retrieves a pinch of powdered iron, which he then sprinkles into the air around him.

Upon completion of the spell, the Elf begins to grow rapidly in size. His height doubles to ten feet and his weight increases to a sizable eight-hundred pounds.

Asasar then slowly approaches the fire and sits on it, attempting to smother it under his newly acquired girth.

Asasar has cast Enlarge Person upon himself, increasing his size category to Large for one minute.

[TheMac04]

Nate stops dead.

"What the ****. What is this. What is going on. I need a drink."

[afrenchpenguin]

Asasar smothers the fire using his buttocks. As he does, the smell of burning trousers and flesh fill the air. He beats the fire down and it goes out eventually but not before inflicting great pain upon Asasar.

You take 1d6 fire damage. Good thing he didn't fart :smalltongue:
Damage: [roll0]

[Blueiji]

Asasar winces as the fire scorches his trousers, but the Elf manages to resist the pain enough to see the fire be put out.

Standing up, Asasar begins brushing himself off.

"Gee, could you be a dear and tell me if I got all the ash off my back? I can't really tell since it's behind me."

[BanthaFodder]

The death of the fire calmed Gee substantially. The Elf's rapid growth surprised him, but only sightly. He had seen creatures grow in the face of danger before, but never as dramatically.

"Don't worry, you didn't hit all of it off."

Gee replied, smiling up at the Elf.

[TheMac04]

Nate stared at the other two in disbelief.

"Well, I'm glad that was taken care of. I'm gonna go grab a bottle from the bar and then go back outside and think about my life. Goodnight."

[afrenchpenguin]

Thank you so much, that fire scared me half to death. What's your name, guy? he says, addressing Asasar.

The orange haired man drops all of his books and rushes over to examine Asasar. "THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!!" He stares at you dumbfounded. "WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!"

Talia is alarmed by the shaking, and once it ends, she goes and begins sweeping up ash.

[Blueiji]

Thank you so much, that fire scared me half to death. What's your name, guy? he says, addressing Asasar.

"Asasar Besnyn, historian of the Abarri Grey-Elf clan. And your welcome, it was both my duty and my pleasure to put it out."


The orange haired man drops all of his books and rushes over to examine Asasar. "THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!!" He stares at you dumbfounded. "WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!"

Sensing the opportunity for another lecture, Asasar gives a lengthy reply.

"No need to grow so excited, it was just a simple transmutation spell. Specifically it's based off Mordenkainen's third law of transmogrification, which states that all matter is fluid in size when applied to focused magic. By mixing that principle with some draconic words of engorgement and a little powdered iron, an effect such as the one you just witnessed can be achieved."

[afrenchpenguin]

"M'name's Janko. See ya around." The Goblin turns to the she-dwarf. "We should get this cleaned up or Anil'll have both our asses.

The man starts taking notes as Asasar talks. He begins to conjure a response but is interrupted by the sound of shouting and voices coming from the hall. "[B]This way! Take him into the Inn!"
Anil bursts in through the door of the Inn - a hurried, but calm look on his face. He approaches the nearest table and in one fell swoop, knocks everything off of it as if to clear it (or at least, what was left after the tremor). "Hurry! Over Here!"
Bishop and his eldest son carry a man by his arms and legs. Bishop's gleam has faded, reality has sunk in. They bring the man over to the newly cleared table and they place him face up on top of it. Beneath pounds of soot and black dust, he is a big, hardened and aged man in his forties. He cringes in pain as the three men around him attempt to dress his wound. His left leg, as opposed to his right, has two bends in it - one of them forced. They cut off his pant leg so they can asses the damage. His dark skin is stained with crimson and from his shin, prods an off-white bone. "Oh hell, how bad is it?" the man says in a deep voice.
"Janko, get over here, we need you." says Bishop, calmly but sternly.
"Woah, what the hell happened?!" replied the Goblin
"The Mine collapsed in the quake. Do what you can."
Janko approached the man's injury and squirmed.
"Wow. How you feelin' Darius?"
"Not as bad as I did in that swamp in Shargh" replied the bleeding man.
"Damn straight! You've been through worse." He turned to the others behind him. "I need some water, and towels. Lots of towels."
Janko began muttering incantations under his breath and making intricate, precise hand movements.

[Blueiji]

Not knowing where either towels or water were, Asasar decides to simply stand by on hand, ready to help if need be.

Watching Janko, Asasar notices that the goblin's hand-movements look suspiciously like a spell. Searching his brain, Asasar attempts to identify the spell in question.

Asasar is taking 10 on a Spellcraft (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/spellcraft.htm) check to identify the spell being cast. Asasar has a +9 on Spellcraft checks so the result is 19. The DC to identify a spell as it is being cast is equal to 15 + the spell level.

[afrenchpenguin]

The incoherent mutterings and hand-gestures form a pattern you recognize. You have seen those who dabble in healing cast this spell many a time.
The spell Janko is using is Cure Light Wounds.

Janko grabs the leg of the man. Energy pulses through it. The goblin braces himself and grabs hard on Darius' leg. The man screams and bleeds as he forces his leg back into place.

[afrenchpenguin]

Janko exhales in relief. He begins to dress the wound.

Bishop approaches the man. "Where are the others?" Bishop's kind features have faded; he now speaks calmly but heavily.
"They're down there. I know it. You have to help them." Darius says clinching his teeth in agony.
"I'll take care of him." Janko turns to Bishop. "You need to get down there."
"I'm on it. Gather everyone inside, Anil. We need to assemble a rescue party."
"Alright," says Anil as he makes his leave to go and fetch the other townspeople.

Bishop exhales deeply. He approaches the bar, grabs a bottle of whiskey, pours himself a glass and drinks it all at once. He cringes at first, but calmly accepts the burning sensation in his throat. "It never gets any easier," he mumbles under his breath. He sits and waits for Anil to return.

[Blueiji]

Asasar heads inside the bar, eager to help if he can.

[afrenchpenguin]

You all wait patiently for the townsfolk to gather in the Inn.

They all one-by-one come through the door of the Inn; some have familiar faces, some don't. A woman you don't recognize approaches Bishop at the bar.
"I need you to take the children out of here," he says to her.
She nods, then walks out of the Inn with the few children who wandered in.

The crowd grows in size, then restlessness. All chatter ceases once Bishop walks over and stands facing them.

"For all of you who don't already know: there's been a terrible accident. That earthquake we all felt caused a collapse down in the mines. Darius here is the only one down there not trapped. We need to send a rescue party down there to see what damage has been done. We all need to stay together and help each other during these difficult times, and no matter what we find down there be prepared to support each other as a community. But first, we need to take action. We need able bodies, all others who might slow us down should stay behind and tend to the wounded or find some other way to help. Those not willing to go down, do what you may; those who do, see me at the bar."

The crowd begins to disperse. People gather around Darius trying to interrogate him about the conditions of their loved one. Others leave. Others stay. But quite a few gander over to the bar with Bishop. Among them are Murdock - the smith -, Anil - the innkeeper -, Talia - the waitress -, Gareth - Bishop's son -, and the orange haired man who Assasar talked to earlier.

[BanthaFodder]

Gee -- still startled from the fire -- approaches his two new friends.

"What should we do?"

[Blueiji]

"What should we do?"

"Is it not obvious? We must assist the endangered townsfolk. I suggest we get ourselves ready and then volunteer immediately."

[TheMac04]

Nate stood in the doorway of the bar, leaning on the frame, and took a swig from the...borrowed bottle he had taken from the bar.

"Or this is a trap. Anyone else feel like this is a trap? No but for real, this place is hella sketchy."

He looked down at the bottle.

"Which means this is probably poisoned."

He took another drink.

"Well now I'm definitely not gonna pay for it..."

He downed the bottle.

"Screw it, I'm dead either way. Let's go play Drunk Adventure. OI! Barkeep! Which way to the mine? Me and my crew are gonna go break someone's neck!"

Nate is on the verge of getting completely plastered. He's not exactly a heavyweight.

[afrenchpenguin]

"Well, alright alright alright."

He turns to the other members of he group. "Mason and Anil, i'm gonna need you guys down there.", he pauses, "Gareth, like hell you're coming down there with us. Stay here and care for your mother and the other civilians."
"No. Not this time. I'm coming with you."
Bishop grabs his son by the collar of his shirt and pulls him off to the side. He whispers, but loudly. "Do you see these people? Look at their faces. They need a leader they can count on. They need hope. Can you give it to them?"
Gareth looks down ashamed for his outburst. Then looks up as if a fire inside him had been lit. "Yes, Father."
"That's my boy." He pauses, the looks over to Talia. ""You two will stay behind."
"No. Bishop, damn it. I'm tired of being forced to stay back here and clean. You know how good a fighter I am. I've been training and you watched me take down your own kid while sparring. Trust me."
"This isn't about skill in battle. Both of these men right next to me have fought with me. We've seen terrible things. We're used to it. When someone as green as you goes down there, they hesitate." He adjusts his hat. ""We can't have none of that."
"I saw my own parents butchered in front of my face. Don't talk to me about terrible things. And don't tell me what I can and can't do. I'm not your damned kid, Bishop. I'm coming down there whether you like it or not," Talia stubbornly replies.
He stops talking and ponders for a moment. "Very well."
"You six come with me. " He turns and begins walking into the dark corridor leading back to the main hall.
"Into the dark we go."
You follow Bishop. He exits the inn and you renter the large, seemingly bottomless room. At the main passage he turns left. The path continues for a while then it suddenly widens into the full width of the hall. The ceilings are more rough in this part of the hall. After a ways, you come across watch towers on both sides of the hallway. The bottom walls have collapsed on the left tower but you still see the remains of fine stonework. The one on the right still stands except for the roof which has a few holes here and there but otherwise looks like the day it was first carved out of the mountain.
Only a few meters farther, a massive fissure has opened in the ground. The fine stonework eerily stops and dives into the deep. The cliffs that descend into darkness are a rough texture of natural and untouched rock. Unlike most of the hall, which has a soft layer of dust laying upon it, the cliffs are spotless. The chasm slants down and forwards.
It catches Bishop's eye first. He whistles in amazement. The noise echos deep down into the fissure.
He takes a few steps back. Gets a short running start and jumps over the 10 foot gap.
"Come on, then." He begins lighting his pipe.

[TheMac04]

Nate looked at the rest of the group behind him with what he hoped was a cool smirk. He put the empty bottle in his bag and started running.

Made an acrobatics roll in the OOC thread for the chance of doing a cool flip while jumping over the pit.

[afrenchpenguin]

Nate clears the gap while doing a cheeky flip in mid air. He lands elegantly beside Bishop. Or at least he thinks he does, considering how much he's been drinking today.

[TheMac04]

Nate's stomach raged at him. He ignored it's protests so he could focus on being glib.

"Having some trouble over there, dead guy?"

[Blueiji]

The undead Elf eyes the ten-foot gap.

"Er, how exactly do you propose I cross this pitfall? I'm not exactly the spry lad you are."

[Blueiji]

Mustering up a bout of courage, Asasar attempts to leap over the pit.

Asasar is attempting to jump over a 10-ft. gap, which would normally be a DC 10 check. But due to Asasar not being an athletic fellow, he fails to realize he should take a running start, and so the DC is doubled to 20.

[roll0]

[afrenchpenguin]

Asasar falls deep into the depths and out of view.

Asasar falls for a while too long, for a while in pitch darkness. He emerges into a lit room and falls for another 20 feet until landing in a small underground lake. Crystals line the ceiling above him but is split by a large crack, leading up to where he fell from. There is a lot of mining equipment lying on the nearby shore of the lake. Some torches line the walls. The light is refracted through the crystals and the room glows a light orange hue. The entrance to this tunnel is blocked. Broken scaffoldings and rubble block the entrance. Two figures lie around one other. Screams of pain come from the one on the floor. A large Boulder sits on his arm, crushing it. The surrounding figures frantically try to remove it, but it doesn't budge. On the other side of the room is a smaller passageway paved in ancient stone leading into darkness.

The rest of you stand still above wondering where your ally has just vanished off to.

[Blueiji]

Asasar emerges from the freezing water and scans the area around him.

He immediately notices the plight of the miners, and resolves to attempt to help them.

Wracking his brain, Asasar tries to think of a way to help the miners, but quickly realizes that he has no applicable magic for the situation.

Instead, Asasar decided to holler for help.

"Uh, errm, companions! I would like to formally request your assistance down here. Please make your descent."

[BanthaFodder]

When first seeing the gap, Gee became nervous and fearful, thinking of the likely hood of death and what-not.

Asasar's leap into the gap didn't help with Gee's fears, and added a sense mourn for the young Kender at the probability at losing one of his new companions.

Asasar's call sent an immediate shot of joy through Gee, which was quickly replaced by the worry of possible injuries of the the elf. Prepared for the worst, but determined to help, Gee jumps into the gap.

[afrenchpenguin]

*Posting as Nate*

Nate looks down into the chasm where his associates fell. He takes a swig of whiskey.
"Eh, screw it."
He then jumps down.

[afrenchpenguin]

One of the miners takes notice of the three people who just entered the room.
"Keep pressure on it. He's losing a lot of blood." he says to the figure next to him.
"I don't know who the hell you people are, and I don't frankly care, but we need help. Now."

[Blueiji]

Wordlessly, Asasar rips off a shred of his cloak and rushes over to the pinned miner. Then, wrapping the shredded piece around the miner's arm, he attempts to create a makeshift tourniquet.

Heal Roll: [roll0]