An Early Spring (IC)

[runestone]

An Early Spring
Chapter 1: A delayed execution







To sail into Tranhamn, one must pass between the two tall promontories that protect the entrance to the harbor. From the top of the southern cliff, Castle Blackrock overlooks the harbor, while the northern cliff is the site of an ancient heathen shrine. One cannot imagine how the builders of old managed to transport the great standing stones to the top, and it is not hard to see how they must have inspired awe in the simple minds of the people who lived here when the stones were raised. Soon, however, the inhabitants of Tranhamn will be able to put this dark heathen past behind them as a great temple is being built on the cliff in honor of the one true god.

After docking, one is immediately assaulted by the sounds and smells of the city and the harbor. Inside the city walls, the stench of rotting fish and melting whale grease competes with the smell of the night pots that the inhabitants carelessly empty into the streets. The people are unwashed and uneducated, and they are still subject to many of the old heathen customs and superstitions. On a market day, however, the city is transformed, and untold wonders are offered for sale: pelts of white bears as large as horses, nuggets of polished amber the size of goose eggs, and carefully carved teeth and bones from the great whales of the northern sea. It is truly strange to think that one can find such beauty among the filth and savage customs of the northeners.

- From 'Taming the Savage North' by Brother Cagon


It is the day before the second full moon after the winter solstice, and spring has come to the city Tranhamn almost two months too early. The days are as short as normal for this time of year, but it has been much warmer than usual for a month, and today, the clear skies allow the sun to melt the last remnants of winter's snow.

Grasping the opportunity after a long dull winter, the city is alive with activity. The fishing and whaling ships have beeen prepared after the winter's inactivity, masons and stone-cutters are once again working on the great half-finished temple of The One who is Four in the main square, and today is the first real market day of the new year. Yet, there seems to be a hidden tension: Tempers flare easily and people are often seen spitting and touching iron to ward off evil.

Veldt Dorimino had arrived the day before seeking answers, and as so many times before, he had spent the night in the Smiling Boar inn. This morning, he was awoken in the early hours when a nervous young squire delivered a letter bearing the seal of the ruling Redprow family, but not the personal seal of lady Kersti:


Master Dorimino,

It hurts me deeply to hear about your loss, and I hope that I will -- in some small way -- be able to help you find the answers you seek. I have arranged an audience for you with Lady Kersti, and I ask that you meet me at noon at the small postern gate, known as the Gull Door, in the northern wall of the city. In the meantime, you may be interested in an incident which I was reminded of when I heard about what happened to your wife and child: Eight days ago, one of the stables outside the northern gate of the city mysteriously burned down, and some of the neighbors reported hearing a sound like thunder before the fire started.

May the four stars guide your path


Narial of the Archway, Steward of Castle Blackrock, Faithful servant of the Guardian of the North


For Sully Donnelson, however, the path to an audience with the Guardian of the North was less straightforward. She had arrived at the city gates just after they had been shut at sunset the night before, so she had been forced to spend the night outside the city walls. This morning, there is a line of merchants and peasants at the gate -- all waiting to get in and arguing about the taxation of the goods they bring to market. The gate is guarded by two bored guards and two scribes tallying and calculating taxes.


Information about the setting can be found here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?343827-An-Early-Spring-(OoC)&p=17350787&viewfull=1#post17350787).

[darklink_shadow]

Having slept curled against a tree with her horse, laying on loose, still dead grass and dirt matted together into a mattress of filth, Sully rose in the morning as dirty as was normal for her any other day. Besides the day after bath day. With hay in her hair, leaves stuck to her clothes and dirt smeared all over her face she got in line, holding the reins of her mount, fussing with her hair, but failing to get all the twigs out.

The man in front of her threw his fists into the air angrily and consented to a 15% tax on his dyes. Briefly she wondered if those dyes were the ones grown on her farm, or if the man was the owner of said farm, but she remembered that earlier that year the ownership had changed and that they were growing cabbages instead. And raising dogs of all things. Dog. She hoped it wasn't for eating or fighting, but she couldn't picture the need for hunting dogs to be so great as to dedicate a farm to them.

The merchant in front of her walked into the city finally, having paid his dues, and Sully hesitated before the bellow of Next! urged her to step forward. Err... I reckon I needs ta' talk to the, uhm, ta' Guardian of the North, mmright? Some ghost keeps on insisting I need ta talk to her about swords and junk. Somefin about magical things or somefin.

[OzzyKP]

Veldt thanks the squire gruffly, not especially pleased to be woken up so early. He sent the boy on his way and read over the letter. He was glad to see an opportunity to discuss this matter with Lady Kersti, but worried that word had spread so fast about his family. He thought that he may need to reconsider where Helena and Vorton are hiding. But right now, he had a meeting with Lady Kersti to prepare for.

He put on his nicest outfit and then went downstairs to get a quick breakfast before heading out. He had a few hours to kill before his time to meet up with Narial, so he decided to head over to the stables and investigate the mysterious fire.

[stack]

Beorn Blackshield rides toward the busy gate, his adjutant in tow. "Bah, what's the hold-up? Ridden for days, time for a rest and a bath, not standing outside the gate like a beggar. You, guard, keep it moving up there!"

[runestone]

North Gate
Veldt makes his way to the North Gate without incident. There is a line of people waiting to get into to the city but very few going the other way. Outside the walls, the burned stable is easy to spot. The charred ruin of the building stands beside the road close -- but not too close -- to two busy smithies dedicated to the shoeing of horses and mending of cart wheels. Next to it, a poorly built temporary stable looks to have been put up in great haste.


West Gate
The two guards seem to wake up at Sully's words, and a tall young scribe looks sharply up from his work at the mention of ghosts.

One of the guards spits at the ground "Hah! And a pixie told me uncle Svorg that he'ld go and marry a princess from the south, but that ain't gonna happen either"

The other one sighs and takes a moment to look Sully over "Look, you seem like a nice girl. Why don't you just go back to whatever farm you ran away from before your lord notices that you're gone, hmm?"

The first one grins "Yeah, and before someone decides ye' ain't right in the head and sends ye' off to the Isle of Crows to live with the crazies" -- then he touches the pommel of his sword to ward off the evil of the place he just named.

His companion gives him an annoyed look and is about to speak again when they are interrupted by Beorn's shout. They quickly shoo the assembled peasants out of the way to allow the advisor of Lady Kersti to come forward. When he arrives at the gate, the tall young scribe steps forward and greets him with a nod "Master Blackshield, we've been expecting you, and I've been instructed to tell you that Lady Kersti requests that you meet Steward Narial at the Gull door at noon today"

For now, everybody seems to have lost interest in Sully.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully bit down on her teeth so hard, she worried one might crack. Now you listen here, you besotted fool! I am going to talk to the godsdamned Lady of the Keep! I have not been dealing with an annoying ass visit from some ancestral spirits to have some half-witted doubter stop me from pledging my sword to the whatshername and getting the godsblasted mote to shut the hell up. Sully pounded her fist into the wall of the city. Now get the hell out of my way! I don't have time for your nonsense! Grabbing her horse's neck, she swung up and onto her horse. You!Master Blackshed, or whatever, tell these idiots to move!

Unused to the nuances of city life, Sully felt her outburst as not only justified, but likely to succeed in gaining her passage into the city.

[stack]

Before the guards can react, Beorn raises a hand. "Steady now. A girl that eloquent deserves to be heard."

He ushers Sully in through the gate, away from the crowd. Waving his adjutant out of earshot, he leans down from his horse and speaks softly, "I am Beorn Blackshield, and I just saved you from your own mouth. Now, why don't you tell me who you are and why you are yelling at guards, who as a rule are bored and rather dim and therefore not to be irked if in a position they feel they can take advantage of? If I like your story, I can see that you are received by the Lady promptly." If not, I'll crack you over the head and leave you at the temple for the brothers to tend.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully grins at the man. Hello Master Blackshield! I'm Sully Donn... I know! Ok, damn it! I'm Sully. My ancestors and I don't agree about my last name currently. I'd prefer it if you called me Sully Donnelson for now, even though that is apparently not really what my name is supposed to be. It's a pleasure to meat someone as observant and not dim as you. I swear half these city folk don't seem to know the first thing about nothing least of all how to run a city. Sheeeeesh! Anyways, I'm apparently the great-great-great granddaughter of some warrior of old or something, and he and his forefathers, and the female version of that, I guess foremothers? Well they all combined spiritually into some sort of thing and it talks to me. Pisses me off, is what it does. Anywho, they say I gotsta go and pledge my sword to the current ruler of the area or somefin funny like that, even thoughs I don't got no sword or nothin'. Sooooooo anyways, bas'sly, I am headed to go tell the Lady Kristin that I'll fight monsters or somefin for her so I can reclaim my family's lost honor, n become a knight or somefin, so my family can own the land they work or somefin. I donno. I juss know that it, the floaty orb thingy, keeps insisting I do it, and it won't let me sleep if I don't.

So, you're a Baron?

I'm fully willing to let you crack her over the head and leave her to the temple for healing. It'll just make her adventure that much more comical. Especially when she does eventually talk to the Lady and she makes you work with her. :P

[runestone]

West Gate
The guards return to their work without further comments, though the rude on sends Sully an angry look when Beorn brings her through the gate. As they pass the tall scribe, he addresses Beorn again "I was also told to inform you that the lady will see you immediately after your meeting with the steward" He gives a bow and adds "Peace of the four stars" as is common for followers of the southern religion.

At this, Sully hears a familiar voice in her head "What? Is the entire country overrun with these mewling southern fools without respect for the glorious traditions of our past? Make haste, girl, we must set things right!"

[OzzyKP]

Veldt looks over the burned out stable, in the last two weeks he's encountered several similar scenes as he has traveled around the north. Strange occurrences, strange sights, strange noises. Someone killed, something destroyed, someone frightened. He isn't much of an investigator, and hasn't really made much progress, but he hoped that every bit of information he comes across brings him one step closer to finding his wife's killer.

He walks into the remains of the stable, the smell of smoke and ash mingling with hay and horse manure filing his nostrils. He examines the burn marks on the remaining wooden beams and he examines the ground. Veldt doesn't entirely know what he is looking for, but he looks nonetheless.


Perception check: [roll0]

[stack]

Beorn nods to the steward, "My thanks, peace to you."

Replying to Sully, with a shake of his head and a strange, bemused expression, "No, not a baron. A lowly retainer of minor house, but occasionally of use. Now, as for you...normally I would send you to the madhouse, but...strange things have reached my ears of late. Not going to say I believe you, but I am uncertain. So follow me. I have a meeting at noon, I will direct you to a safe inn and collect you once I have secured audience for you." Even a madman with a sword can be useful, pointed in the right direction. Maybe she even will get to see the Lady, but not yet. Too many questions now. And I am tired, with reports to make and students neglected. Ah well, royal inn will keep her, favors owed...

[darklink_shadow]

Sully turns to look at something that is apparently nearby and frowns. Of course, we'll try. Perhaps you should teach me more about these ways. What should I call you? Wait, stop distracting me! I need to talk to.. Sully blushed and looked back at Beorn.

S-sorry! This godsdamned spirit keeps talking to me. And when it does, it grips me so fiercely... I forget where I am. It's disorienting. But wait, you said your name was Baron Blackshed right? Sully asks, having forgotten his last name again, and misheard his first name. Well, whatever. I don't care about all the fancy titles. I'm just going to call you Blackshed, it's easier to remember.

Nodding to herself, looking proud of her decision she started walking away from the gate. Where is this Inn? I reckon I'd want a bath before I talk to some fancy lady like the ruler of this whole place. Is she really 9 feet tall? I heard she was 9 feet tall, and could cut a tree in half with a glare, and a building is half with a sword. Seems pretty scary.

Obviously not. That is ridiculous. Nobody can do that. A sword doesn't even have the reach to hit a whole building. And glares can't cut anything. You're a foolish child. But you may call me "Wisest of Ancestors." The voice whispered into Sully's mind.

To someone not privy to Sully's mind, the angry outburst seemed utterly un provoked. Awww, shut it! That's what everyone says! And I'm not calling you that. I'll call you Annie. It's short for ancestor.

That's a girl's name. Most of us honorable ancestors are male. We refuse.

Shut it, Annie. I'll play along with this whole "reclaim the glory of ages lost" nonsense, but I am not calling you by a name that long. Think of something shorter than or as short as Annie, and I will call you that.

Bill! Donnel! Becca! No, Thomas! Robert! Kirkson!...

Sully grabs her head for a moment, bending in pain as her head fulls like it will burst with all the voices screaming in her head. No! Shut up! You all talk silently to yourselves and decide on a name, but until then it's Annie!

Looking back at Beorn, she smiled apologetically and straightened up. Sorry. They just... they're stupid. Yes you are. YES YOU ARE! Shut it! Why don't we get out of this crowd?

[runestone]

The stable

Poking through the burned and blacked beams of the collapsed stable is dirty work, and Veldt's fine clothes are soon stained with soot. There doesn't seem to be anything to be found among the debris, until he notices a small blackened metal object under one of the broken beams. From the shape and size of the thing, it looks like it was once a horseshoe. But it would not fit a horse any longer: The metal must have melted and then resolidified to produce the flat semicircular object he now holds. As he moves to get the shoe into the light from the gaping hole in the roof, there is a crunching sound, and he sees that a patch of the sand that covers this part of the floor has been transformed into something black and brittle.

His investigations are interrupted by a shout from outside the ruined stable:
"Oi! What are you doing in there, stranger"

The speaker is a middle aged woman who walks briskly towards Veldt. As she gets close enough to see his swords, she sheepish lowers the riding crop she had been swinging menacingly while she walked.

[stack]

What ever possessed me to bring her past the gate?

Beorn's hand drifts to the sturdy pommel of his sword. One solid rap should do it...but she needs help, one way or another.

He waves to his adjutant. "Send word to Steward Narial, I would like to have her best scholar examine this girl. Soon, if possible."

Turning back to Sully, "I suppose it will be harder for you to embarrass me if you can't remember my name. Now, you may not care about titles, but many here do. Best to remember that. I'm taking you to an inn, frequently used by those of some status. Go to the servants entrance, that would be around the west side, small door, and wait. I will have someone sent for you. You will be provided with clean clothes and food. Bathe first. If you are not there when I send for you, I will NOT look for you. However, if you run off and I see you near the palace, I WILL gut you and have you tossed in the river, since I'll assume you are feigning madness (and doing a fine job) as a cover for some skulduggery. If one of your fits strikes you, keep your mouth SHUT. I cause enough embarrassment, I don't need help. Do you agree, or do I take you back to the gate?"

[OzzyKP]

Without standing to recognize her, Veldt continued to examine the brittle material near the horseshoe. He lifted the horseshoe and cleared other debris near it so he could get a better look at what it is. If the woman had any intent to scare him, she failed utterly. If she were an actual threat she'd be incapacitated before she finished speaking. As it was, she was merely a disruption, but hopefully she could prove useful.

After ignoring the woman for a moment or two longer than any polite man would, he replied, once again without rising from his task, "I am here to investigate the fire. I was told it happened under somewhat unusual circumstances. What do you know about the fire, and what do you know about this?"

He points out the material he discovered.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully sucked on her tooth for a moment. Her mind raged at the implications, but somehow the mote knew how fiercely angry she was getting and was urging her to keep silent. Look, I don't really know how the hell you are, and I assume all your petty threats and insults have some place in your all important social setting, but can it, nob. I dint do nothing rude to you, you got no reason to be high and mighty or threat'in. I know. I know! Look, I'll go wait at the worthless nobody entrance to your mega-special person only inn, and I'll do whatever the hell you want, but you got no right to be saying nothing 'bout skullduggery or nothing like that. I'm just doing what some spirits are telling me and I don't need your crap on top of theirs.

Sully cracked her knuckles and looked away from Beorn for a moment. I'm really steamed. I'm not going to do nothing dishonest, or bad or nothing. Just trying to tell the Lady that I'll give her my sword or whatever, 'cuz the godsdamned spirit says I hafta.

Locking eyes with Beorn again, she touches her own weapon; a farming scythe strapped to her back; grips it firmly, ready to free it from it's clasps and swing it. And don't think I don't see you reaching for your weapon. I don't actually know who the hell you are. YOU could be a bad man. An evil guy. Maybe you paid off those guards to let you in so you could do some skullduggery. I can only assume someone who would insult, harass and threaten a woman is a brigand. I don't think I want your help, but you're not kicking me out of the city, neither. And just so you know, I don't have any money. You can't rob me. And if you're looking for something else, I can fight pretty well. My ancestors taught me!

She looked distracted suddenly, then frowned. Here's a... a what? What? Well, why didn't you say that? Here's a counter-offer. You apologize, and I'll go with the rest of your plan. She let go of her weapon and crossed her arms, taking a step away from him. You should learn some manners, nob.

[runestone]

The stable

The woman crosses her arms and glares at Veldt "There were some who thought it was mysterious, yes. You poking around makes it even more so. What are you doing in my stable, stranger?" She takes a quick look at the melted horseshoe and adds "Why don't you go bother a blacksmith if you wanna know about horseshoes?"


The city

Sully's outburst scares a few chickens that had been pecking at the ground near her feet, and a man trailed by two large wolfhounds shakes his head as he passes by, but most of the citizens are too busy to care about the odd couple in the street.

Beorn's adjutant replies with a nod and a "Yes m'lord" before riding towards Castle Blackrock where the steward is likely to be found.

[OzzyKP]

The stable

The woman crosses her arms and glares at Veldt "There were some who thought it was mysterious, yes. You poking around makes it even more so. What are you doing in my stable, stranger?" She takes a quick look at the melted horseshoe and adds "Why don't you go bother a blacksmith if you wanna know about horseshoes?"



Annoyed that this woman was being more of a pest than a help, Veldt finally stood up, rising to his full height, the hilts of his rapiers catching the light streaming down through holes in the ceiling in what he hoped was an impressive display that would shut her up and ensure some cooperation.

He stood there for a moment staring her down before saying, "I am no man to be trifled with, woman."

Patience and tolerance were not among his strengths.

"Narial, the Steward of Castle Blackrock, told me about your fire and I am here to investigate. As I said."

He smacked his hands together, dusting off the soot and said, "Now tell me what you know or I'll report back to the Steward of how uncooperative you are being. Either way, I am here to investigate and will tolerate no interference with that."

Veldt was quite the people person.


I'm not entirely up on this whole interaction bidding war thing, but I guess I'll just roll everything:

Bluff: [roll0]
Intimidate: [roll1]
Diplomacy: [roll2]
Perception: [roll3]

[stack]

Beorn's eyes stare skyward as he silently implores the gods, spirits, vestiges, and anything else for patience in dealing with the ignorant, quarrelsome madwoman standing before him. He taps his foot as he takes a deep breath, taking his hand from his sword. "Girl, you have much to learn. How have you survived in the world this long? One of common birth does not threaten and insult nobles to their face, regardless of their manners. Most would have had you whipped by now, if not worse. Fortunately for you I do not stand on titles and rank, though I have both and would be within my rights to do so. I am SIR Beorn of the Blackshield house. If I chose, I could have you flogged, even hung as a seditious leveler or moon-touched killer and have whatever inconsequential farm you hail form burned to the ground for good measure. I have no intention of dong any such thing, but I feel the need to impress upon you the nature of the situation."

"Take note, I have offered you help, at my own expense and inconvenience, unsolicited. If I have called you mad, it is because that still seems likely. If it is not true, then for that I apologize. For trying to impress upon you the importance of controlling your tongue, I do not. Sadly there is no time for lessons in elocution or etiquette, though both would serve you well."

"Will that suffice, or are we at odds."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully grinned wide at Beorn after he apologized. Thanks for not flogging me! And I'm sorry for being ... err, whatever it is I am. Well, I'm not sorry I'm me, I'm sorry that you nobles don't like me. Uhh, anyways! I think I survived mostly from never having to deal with people much. Let's go to the inn! I am exciting to see how fancy people bath. And In a city no less! No way you have a river in the middle of this city!

[runestone]

The stable

Hearing the name of the steward and getting a better look at the quality of Veldt's weapons and clothing, the woman seems to deflate "I wasn't here myself, sir. My house is in the city, and I have a boy to look after the stable at night. Useless lump! Feed him and clothe him and this is the thanks! Two horses died, and the one he managed to get out ran away. You can question him if you want, but after the fire he seems even more dimwitted than usual. He's over by the temporary building"

She takes another look at the things Veldt found "I don't know what to say, it looks like a melted horseshoe to me. And I have no idea what those black things are"

[OzzyKP]

Veldt surely was no "sir", but he was in no rush to correct her. He was glad for the improvement in her attitude. He gave her an appreciative nod and then stooped down again to gather up those "black things" and give them a closer look. Did the fire turn the sand to glass? Or is this something else?

After examining them for a moment he puts them in his bag and says to the woman, "Take me to the boy."


Why the hell not... knowledge checks!

Arcana - [roll0]
Engineering - [roll1]
Nature - [roll2]

[runestone]

City square

The river Svartelv runs just outside the southern wall, but a number of canals have been dug to allow water to flow through the city. On their way to The Smiling Boar, Beorn and Sully cross one of these canals before arriving at the main square in the center of the city where they encounter the sights, sounds, and smells of the market. Everything seems to be on sale here: Tools, animals, carved whale bones, furs, rare spices from the south, holy objects and lucky charms.

To their left, a group of dwarves from Morodun are selling weapons, armor, and tools. One of them has a small display of clever mechanical toys which has attracted a group of awed children.

To their right, the great half-finished temple is alive with activity. Two of the four towers in the corners of the square building have been completed, and the third is almost done, so great thread mills and cranes must be used to lift the cut stones to the top.

On a raised stone platform in front of the temple, thirteen large flat stones and a chair carved from rock are arranged in a semi circle. These are the seats used by the council of the kings of old. There is a stone for each of the thirteen clans of the north, and a throne for the ruling Redprow dynasty. Behind the throne stands a life sized carving of polar bear, and behind each stone is a tall statue of the heraldic animal of the clan.

Sully's eyes are drawn to one of these seats. Unlike the others, it has no animal carving to guard it, and the stone seat itself has been split down the middle by some great force.

She hears a familiar voice in her head "Go! Witness the fall of our house"


The split stone seat belonged to a clan of disgraced oath breakers whose name, deeds, and symbols have been eradicated from songs and stories. The sundered stone remains as a reminder of the fate of traitors.


It belonged to the Hammerste clan, naturally.




The Stable

There had been similar signs at some of the other sites Veldt had inspected. Evidence that the fires had been hot -- too hot for a normal fire.

The woman nods and takes Veldt to the temporary stable, where they are met by a young giant of man with messy tawny hair who has obviously been beaten recently: His left eye is swollen and there are angry red marks on his forearms.

He greets Veldt with smile and a puzzled expression "... Horse?"

[darklink_shadow]

Sully feels drawn to the torn seat. Feeling apprehensive, she stops dead and grabs Beorn. Mister Blackshed. That... that... why is it torn and damaged like that? My seat! Sully exhales suddenly and bolts to the chair, and kneels before, feeling overcome with emotion. They destroyed it! My honorable ancestors... disgraced... She murmurs to herself, barely audible above the work being done. Hammerste... removed from power, from glory. Once great and beloved, disdained and treated like dogs. Our ... Her throat tightened and she couldn't speak anymore as terror and sadness washed over her in great waves, threatening to drown her in a sea of despair.

Hugging the ruin chair she began to sob. What did they do with our Pegasus? Our beautiful beast? Her only thoughts were not her own. The grief of her ancestors filled her overfull with a sorrow her mind couldn't contain. The world was lost to her, and all there was left was a sundered seat of honor, and a void in her heart where a majestic horse used to fly. She blacked out, completely unaware of the world around her. She saw only what her ancestors imagined, and heard only the wail of their memories. Agony cleaved her soul, and her spine burned with rage. Her muscles turned to mush, and her legs melted away. A single speck in the massive swirl of being that was the Mote of her ancestors cried out in her mind: It was an injustice! We had done nothing but serve faithfully! I didn't do it. And now we are reduced to this girl, who knows nothing of nobility, and wouldn't even be fit to serve us.

She will learn. We will teach her. And then she will reclaim our lost glory, and restore our house. You will be redeemed.

Sully isn't going to come to until someone physically interacts with her. Furthermore, whee!

[OzzyKP]

Veldt sighed.

This investigation was not going well, he thought. The woman had no information and now this boy seems a little... touched. However, she said this was new. Perhaps who or what caused the fire also did damage to the mind of this man. Perhaps they damaged his body as well.

Ever direct, Veldt says, "What happened the night of the fire?"

[stack]

Beorn was preparing his discourse, often repeated over the years when he would bring his students by to see the circle, when Sully interrupted. He was about to compliment her on knowing the name of the lost clan, something he would have had to think about, when he realizes the full meaning of her outburst.

Interesting. Whatever drives her seems tied to the dishonored ones...or wishes to appear so. Something has awoken. Something.

Does she have the blood of traitors? Does it matter, thinned after so long?

Interesting.

Then he breaks from his musing and sees her face. He puts a hand on her shoulder, gently. Just a girl. Not so different from mine.

"Come, we have things to do. We can talk about this later, in private. Come, you could use a rest."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully sniffed and looked up at Beorn, her sobbing stopped for now. What is happening? Why is this happening to me? Looking around, she wipes her eyes and stand up. I really want to take a bath now. Let's hurry. Sully started towards the inn, not sure how, but aware of where it was.

[runestone]

The stable

The boy's smile vanishes, and he starts to back away slowly while shaking his head "Blue, so blue ... two on two on four"

The woman takes a step forward and raises her riding crop "No more of this nonsense, answer the man you fool!"

[OzzyKP]

Veldt raises his hand to the woman, indicating she should stop, "Beating him won't help him answer."

Looking at the boy's condition, Veldt now assumes he wasn't injured in the fire, "It looks like you've tried your method enough."

Then, with as kindly a tone as he could muster, he approached the boy and said, "What was blue? I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to know what happened that night."


Diplomacy: [roll0]

[runestone]

City square

Beorn and Sully make their way across the square, but they are interrupted by a shout as they are about to enter the street leading to the Smiling Boar:

"Sir Blackshield!"

A young, blond man on a white horse comes trotting towards them fast enough to force the commoners in the square to scatter. As he reaches them, he leaps from the saddle to land in front of Beorn. But he gives a sharp cry of pain as his left foot touches the ground, and the leg buckles under him -- unable to support his weight -- so he ends up kneeling in the dust in front of them. He looks more embarrassed than hurt.

He is dressed as a warrior, and his forearms are bared to reveal the warrior's tattoos detailing his great deeds and defeated enemies. It's still a modest collection, though: There are only three of the blue images, and one of them -- a bear -- looks brand new. Half his face is swollen with an old bruise.


This Ramjo, youngest son of Lady Kersti. He was an enthusiastic but undisciplined student, more interested in legends and tales of heroics than actual tactics. As far Beorn knows, he was recently given his first command on a longship patrolling the coast and rivers north of Tranham. He has twin sister, Romja, who has been given a similar command. They have an older sister and a older brother, Frego, who is command of the northern border fortress Fossguard Keep.

[darklink_shadow]

Sullly laughs unbidden, but also unbound. You oaf! She suppresses her laughter with a dying fit of chuckles by smothering them with a knuckle in her mouth and steps forward to help him up. Oh! What pretty tattoos! There a little bear! He's cute. Except bears in real life are terrifying! I saw one once, and I ran so fast I thought my legs might catch fire or I might fly off into the sky! Err, anyways. Hello Mister Falls from Horses. I'm Sully! She extends a hand, as if greeting a fellow farmer, with a broad grin and the genuine look of delight one can only have while ruthlessly, but playfully teasing someone who's just made a fool of themselves.

I'm going to roll diplomacy here. [roll0]

[runestone]

The stable

The boy has retreated into the shadows of the temporary stable, and his only answer to Veldt's question is another string of gibberish "Cried! Fire, blue ... nohands, get out, get out, GET OUT!"

The woman looks from Veldt to the boy, and chuckles as she shakes her head "Very well, have it your way, but don't waste too much of his time. He has a job to do" then she turns and leaves them alone.

Once she's gone, the boy seems to calm down

"... horse?"

[stack]

Beorn reaches out to help him up, then speaks feigning the exasperation of a long suffering teacher. "Ramjo, what have you done to yourself now? Forgotten how to dismount, what hope is there for the lessons you did not want to learn? And what is that on your arm?"

"Oh, the young woman is a recent arrival in the city, Sully Donnelson. Sully, this is Ramjo, known to me as an impudent youth and shirker of his studies, but you probably ought to call him lord or whatever title they have hung around his neck." He allows himself a smirk, "As you can see, he's the resident master of horse."he'll use whatever the correct title is but still enjoys treating his students as children. He keeps tabs on them as far as possible.

[OzzyKP]

"Its ok, she's gone," Veldt said, "tell me about the horse."

[runestone]

City square

The young noble quickly overcomes his embarrassment and lets them haul him to his feet. He winces and gives a small smile "No, I haven't forgotten how dismount ... I ... I just thought my wound had healed better, that's all"

He proudly presents the tattoo "It wasn't a real bear" Then he grins and looks at Sully "Has he given you one of his very thorough lectures on heraldy, yet? The bear is the sigil of Clan Viitelv, and I captured Lord Torgel Viitelv after he killed the high priest of the temple in Skovla. Did you hear about that Sir Blackshield?"

Suddenly, his enthusiasm seems to vanish "But he didn't only kill the priest. He killed everyone at the temple: Men, women and children, old and young. There .... There was so much blood. It was like a beach after the whalers have butchered a stranded a flock. I've never seen anything like it"

He takes a deep breath to compose himself "It's no secret that Clan Viitelv favors the old ways, but why would he do something like that? It was monstrous. The locals wanted to burn him as a heretic, but I brought him here" He looks to Beorn for confirmation "I did well didn't I? Clan Viitelv would have taken up arms if they heard that he had been burned so his spirit could never rest with his ancestors"

At this, Sully hears the lone voice of her disgraced ancestor "They broke my body and burned it to keep me from the spirit world. Fools! They will never keep us down!"


The stable

The boy's face lights up in hope "Grey horse come back?", but then his eyes open wide in fear "Blue eyes come back? ... she come back with horse?"

[OzzyKP]

Veldt was losing hope that he'd get much helpful information out of the boy. He seemed to be too daft or traumatized to be of any use.

"Sorry, the horse isn't back," he muttered as he walked away, a wash of pity overtook Veldt and he tossed him an apple he had saved from breakfast.

As he was leaving, he sought out the woman. After finding her he says, "You're right, I didn't get much useful information from him. But if he ever strings together more than a few coherent words, let the Steward know."

He took a few steps back toward the gate, mulling over what the boy said before turning around to see the color of the woman's eyes.

[runestone]

The stable

The woman scoffs "Told you so!". Her eyes are green.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully nods, then frowns and nods. Why a heretic? Following the old ways is ortho'ox, and following the southern tomfoolery is -- Hey, that's not nice! I'm not saying that! Well... anyways Burning a body doesn't keep it from getting to the spirit realm. That's a myth. So he'll get there anyways. But killing women and children? He sounds like a monster! None of you better have done that! Her eyes look a little to the left of the young man, as if looking at someone standing there. With a tilt of her head, she wags a finger at the empty air as he shakes it slowly. Well good. Well, that's not good. Well, I guess we all make mistakes, but that doesn't exactly count. Crashing a ship is different. And a sea storm can be very disorienting. Apparently.

She turns back to the man again. Anyways Ramjo, it's a pleasure to meet you! Mr. Lord? Or whatever? What should I even call you? I think titles are stupid. Your name is Ramjo, right? I think I will just call you Ramjo. I guess Sir Ramjo is alright. Still sounds sorta forced. Ramjo is a good name all on it's own, without any fancy title before it. I guess Sir Blackshill needs the sir, though. Anyways, we're going to an inn! Have you been to one? Oh, I suppose you have. I'm sort of excited! I'm going to take a bath like a rich person!

[runestone]

City square

Ramjo smiles "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Sully Donnelson. I've spent the past few weeks among sailors with little regard for tittles, so I'm used to it by now, but yes, I'm Lord Ramjo Redprow"

"The people of Skovla called Lord Viitelv many things: Heretic, heathen, enemy of the one true god" he gives an apologetic smile "I was never very good at distinguishing the terms, but there was no doubt they intended to burn him"

He gives Beorn a sidelong glance at Sully's outburst "I ... err ... I can't say I know what goes on in the spirit world, but I do know what the country folk believe" He looks over his shoulder to see if he has overlooked someone "Uhmm ... who are you talking to?"

"You're right, Viitelv is truly a monster, and he will die for his crimes, mother will see to that. He's going to be executed today, but the manner of his death matters"

The lord of Skovla and most of the people there follow the southern god. Clan Viitelv lives in the forests north of Skovla and they are proud to follow the old ways. There has never before been violence like this between the two groups


The Stable

Looking back towards the temporary stable, Veldt sees the stableboy standing precisely where he left him, turning the apple over and over in his hands like he is studying a rare treasure.

[OzzyKP]

"That boy ain't right," Veldt thinks to himself, "But he gave me some valuable information... in spite of himself."

Veldt had gotten enough out of the stables, and now had a better idea of what he was looking for. He walked back to the city gate.

[stack]

Beorn frowns, "I have been traveling, so have only heard a bit. Would never have expected Torgel to do such a thing."

He shakes his head, "But what is done is done and he will pay for his deeds, as we all must eventually." Then, clapping him on the shoulder, "You did well. Capturing him must have been no mean feat, and bringing him here, that was the wisest coarse. Justice by the ruler's hand, not revenge by the mob. Though it must have been hard to stay your hand, seeing what we had done. I am most impressed, words that seldom pass my lips."

"You will have to give me the entire story later. This evening perhaps? Brom sends his regards, he will be jealous you got all the glory while he is freezing in the mountains guarding the dwarves' toll booths. All part of my plan of course, sending my sons away with their pretty young brides to the cold borders. Nothing to do out there but give me grandchildren. Speaking of which, should not you be off courting southern maidens, or are you still pining for flame-haired warrior women from the western isles?"

[darklink_shadow]

Sully laughed and smacked her head. Sorry! I didn't mean to talk out loud. I seem to be haunted by my ancestors, who want me to prove them innocent of something, and rekindle the honor of their family name. Maybe you can help? I don't really know. Well, anyways Ramjo, or Lord Ramjo or you really want, you shouldn't buy into all that garbage about the one true god, or any of that nonsense. There are dozens of Gods. I don't know any of them, but I guess my ancestors do. But anyways, it was nice to meet you. I hope we can talk again! Maybe when I go to the castle later on. But I have to go to an inn and get ready to talk to ... well probably your mum, I guess. Is she nice?

[stack]

Beorn again implores the heavens. What did I expect?

"Sully, please, it is considered impolite to make assertions regarding religious controversy in a direct manner to those recently acquainted. It is positively rude to shout for the attention of inquisitors around the same."

"And it may be a bit before you meet the Lady. There are forms and channels." And I need answers. The graycloak cannot come soon enough.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully frowns. Are you actively trying to get this guy mad at me? Are you? He seems nice enough, and willing to help, so stop. I'm not going to do anything else you say for a while. Sully looked at Beorn apologetically. I'm really sorry. I don't mean to be rude, really I don't. I keep taking cues from people I thought were helping. But they haven't helped at all.

Sully looks very distracted for a moment and then crosses her arms, and shakes her head fiercely. No. Hush. Blackshed, I just have one question. What is an inquisitor?

[stack]

"As long as you are in control. Gaining control over your reactions will likely be the first step."

"As for inquisitors, there are...more zealous branches of the faith, mostly far to the south, that are less...tolerant of the old ways and of those that are less orthodox. They are generally unwelcome in the north but it is still unwise to say things that would give cause for the toleration here to be questioned, though I fear Lord Viitelv has already done much damage on that account."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully made a face at Beorn, but didn't say anything. It might have been clear that she didn't believe him, or rather, she wasn't convinced of something he had said. Likely based on what a third party was telling her.

[runestone]

City square

He seems to relax a little when Beorn praises his actions "That grey ghost Narial who follows mother like a shadow didn't seem to approve. I think he would have preferred if I had quietly slit the lord's throat instead of bringing him here"

"I can't understand why Torgel would do something like that either. I mean, he has always been famous for his temper, but this was different. He was like a wild thing" Ramjo carefully touches the bruised side of his face "He gave me this while in chains, and he broke a tooth on my chain mail when he tried to bite me"

At the mention of the girls of the west, Ramjo grins and shakes his head "Ah, if only we needed alliances with the westeners. No, I'll be going south next winter. Mother has some scheme which involves me marrying a boring young lady of a great house" he doesn't look particularly pleased at the prospect "You're conspiring with her, aren't you, Sir Blackshield? I'm sure you sent Brom away just so I wouldn't have anyone to go boar hunting with"

"Anyway, I'm expected in the castle, so I'll bid you farewell now, and tell the rest of the tale tonight. Perhaps to both of you? Enjoy your bath Sully Donnelson and don't let this old man scare you. He's not as mean as he looks. It was a pleasure to meet you"


North Gate

As he approaches the gate, Veldt hears the sound of running footsteps coming from behind. Turning around, he sees the stableboy running towards him. The boy skids to a halt and presents a small bundle of dirty rags.

He unwraps the bundle with great care, slowly removing layer after layer of rags until he holds a small black object which he holds out for Veldt to take "Gi ... gi ... gift!"

It's made from the same glasslike material as the pieces Veldt found in the stable, but it's bigger.

It's a footprint.

The naked footprint of a small child.

[stack]

"It is no justice that is done in secret, Narial should have the wisdom to see that. What possessed Torgel...I cannot guess. Strange times."

He pauses in though, before taking Ramjo's hand again. "Nevertheless, well done, Hopefully I can speak with you more later. Peace on you."ready to move on to the next scene, I guess

[runestone]

City square

Lord Ramjo mounts his horse, taking care not to jar his wounded leg in the process "You asked if my mother is nice, Sully Donnelson. It is not the first word people use to describe her, but she is fair and well known to respect honesty and loyalty. Tell your story truly, and she will listen. These are strange times and yours will not be the first incredible tale to reach her ears. Good luck" Then he sets off towards the castle which overlooks the city from the cliff to the south.

When the young lord has left them behind, Beorn and Sully make their way to the tradesman's entrance of The Smiling Boar, an inn of good repute used primarily by wealthy merchants. Most inns only have one or two rooms that guests must share with strangers, but The Smiling Boar has a number of clean private rooms for those that can pay the price. It is a complex consisting of four two-story buildings surrounding a central courtyard.

At the door, they're met by a young male servant who addresses Beorn "Welcome. How may we help you today, Sir?" Seeing Sully, he adds "We have a free and completely undisturbed room in the west wing"

[OzzyKP]

Veldt turns the glass over in his hands, examining it, much as the stable boy had done with the apple just moments ago. A large grin crept onto his face. This was the biggest lead he had yet come upon. He wasn't a terribly proficient tracker, but he was certain this would make a big difference in finding his wife's killer. Just a young girl it seemed. He didn't know who this girl was or why she has carved a swath of death and destruction across the land, but he knew he was much closer to finding out.

He looked up at the boy and reached out to shake his hand warmly and enthusiastically and said, "This is spectacular, thank you so, so much. You've done good."

Perhaps the slow-witted boy couldn't understand the significance of this, but he hoped at least that he understood his appreciation. He placed a couple gold coins in his palm, and thanked him again before walking back to the gate.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully grinned at the man, not realizing at all what he was implying with those words. Great! An undisturbed room away from everyone else would be for the best. He probably doesn't want to be seen with me too much. When we're done with some business, though, I will want to take a bath. Can you have one drawn? I don't think we'll need more than.... eh? Sully shrugged and looked at Beorn, Ten, fifteen minutes tops? After my bath I have some business at the castle too. So... make me even more beautiful, eh? But not too prissy, I don't want people to think I'm some noble.

[stack]

Beorn slips a gold coin to the valet. "The young woman is in need of a place to stay. She is here on important business. Please see that she is accorded every courtesy. She may be asked to be received at court at shall need to look the part; suitable, nothing excessive. I trust your discretion in the matter. She will be receiving visitors later."

[runestone]

North gate

The stableboy receives the coins with a wide-eyed stare and deep but clumsy bow.

At the gate, the traffic into the city has slowed down, and there is only a short line of peasants waiting. Seeing the quality of his clothes, the guards allow Veldt to pass without delay. Inside, the street leading to the main square is lined with stalls displaying pottery, baskets, cloth, and other mundane items for the commoners.

Veldt is almost at the square when he hears three sharp whistles -- a long and two short -- and sees two large wolfhounds streaking through crowds to the side of a man in a brown travelers cloak. The hood is drawn up, and his back is turned, but Veldt would recognize the whistles anywhere, and he will never forget what this man had been able to make his dogs do when they served together as scouts in the orc wars.



His name is Magron. Feel free to come up with relevant details about the past. He hasn't seen Veldt, and the crowds will give a +3 to stealth checks if needed.


The Smiling Boar

Somehow, the young servant manages to keep a straight face in spite of Sully's words. He accepts the coin from Beorn with a bow, and he hides it well if he has any doubts that a bath will be sufficient to make Sully presentable enough for court "Yes, sir. We will make sure she's ready"

He nods to Sully "Please follow me".

A little latter, Sully finds herself in a richly decorated room with a large four-poster bed and a tub filled with steaming water. A serving girl arrives with a tray holding bathing salts and oils -- and a small bell "Please ring if you need anything, lady. I'll be right outside the door"

[stack]

Finally rid of the morning's unexpected disturbance, Beorn goes to find a place to sit down and grab a bite before heading to his meeting with Narial at noon. Bah, still have reports to file as well. Some mornings...They can wait, I suppose. Too many things and so little time.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully looked at all the oils and salts on the tray and frowned. I... how do I use those things? Normally when I bath I just jump in the river, and rub sand on my skin. So... help me out here, huh? That Blackshed guy is pretty harsh, but I think it's only because he has high expectations. I need to look like I belong at the castle. Or at least like I don't belong living in a barn. Which is where I slept two nights ago. And last night? I slept pinned between a horse and a tree. So... help me?

Sully blushed, but with only the bath maid here, it was too horribly humiliating to ask for help, like it would be if anyone else were around.

[OzzyKP]

The sound of those whistles sent a chill down Veldt's spine. Magron? Here? It has been years. Last time he saw him... He shuddered. Memories he had long suppressed came flooding back to him. Images of dogs ripping apart orc children, of rape, of fire, of cries of anguish in a foreign tongue. Magron was a vicious killer. Dangerous and deadly. But what was he doing here?

Veldt never thought he'd see him again. He certainly hoped he wouldn't. It was unfortunate, but Veldt could still ensure he wouldn't be seen by him again. He faded into the crowd at a moderate distance away. Keeping his head down he had little fear of being spotted. He kept his eye on him though. He had to know what he was up to.


Stealth - Take 10 + 10 = 20

[runestone]

Veldt

There is no indication that Magron notices that he is being followed as he makes his way towards the central square followed by his hounds. At the square, he ignores the stalls and wares of the traders, but pauses for a moment to look at the vials displayed by a gnomish merchant.

He doesn't stay long, and continues to the back of the crowd gathered around a young plump preacher in the white robe and black cowl of a priest of the southern god. He has taken up position next to the statue of The Father -- one of the four aspects of his god -- in front of the half-finished temple.

"... The heathen Torgel Viitelv is not alone. These enemies of god would slaughter us all and we must be prepared to fight ..."

Magron seems to loose interest quickly, however, and he continues along the street that leads to the harbor. Before reaching the docks, he stops at a run down tavern with a sign showing a broken oar. He takes a quick look around before entering -- probably more out of habit than actual fear of being followed -- but he doesn't seem to notice Veldt.

- The windows are shuttered, but there are holes that one could peek through.
- There is bound to be an entrance to the kitchen from the alley behind the building.


Beorn

The nearest place to sit down and think in peace is the common room of the Smiling Boar. A servant quickly brings Beorn a plate with freshly baked bread, boar sausage, and hard cheese as well as a mug of the weak beer that everyone in the city who doesn't want spend the night going to the latrine drinks instead of water.

Even an inn as fancy as the Smiling Boar cannot afford the luxury of glass windows, and in spite of the chill of the early spring, someone has decided to throw open the shutters to allow fresh air and the sounds of the market to enter the common room.

From his table, Beorn has a good view of the square. In front of the half-finished temple, new statues of the four aspects of god have been revealed. They are arranged in a square as appropriate, but the statue of The Father is much bigger than the others, and it has obviously been designed to look like the ruling king Sapyron. Next to the statue, a young priest is preaching to a small crowd about the heathen threat until he is suddenly interrupted by a loud shout:

"I was with Lord Viitelv when he broke the siege of Fossguard Keep. He's a bloody hero, and the likes of you ain't got no right to speak of him like that"

All eyes turn to speaker: The leader of a trio of warriors in the back of the crowd.

Ten years ago, a number of orcish warbands join in an uncommon alliance and invaded from the north. A substantial force besieged Fossguard Keep while several warbands pillaged the countryside. Torgel Viitelv led the force that broke the siege. After that it took more than a year to hunt down the scattered warbands.


Sully

The girl seems timid at first "As you command, ... lady. The salts will help clean your skin and the oils will make it smooth. Please pick one with a smell you like. When you're done bathing, I will lay out some garments for you to choose from"

After a while, however, she has trouble continuing to treat Sully as a the wealthy guests she is used to. She leans close to Sully and whispers "Did you know that the high-born ladies need help with everything? Some of them can't even undress themselves"

[stack]

Why is this morning so cursed? I only wanted a moment to rest and eat, now some bloody fool is trying to start a riot, and surprise, some other fool is happy to oblige. Should have kept walking the outposts, at least in the wild it is quiet. Beorn takes a long drink to clear his throat before standing, signaling to the staff that he intended to return to finish.

Better nip this right now.

The warrior was in the rear, closest to the Inn. Good. Beorn closes to him, speaking in a calm measured tone, audible, but not inviting response from the young zealot. "Indeed, Lord Viitelv served well. I know him also, for many years. Strange what happened, though there is no doubt of the facts. But let us not start any trouble over a pale youth looking to hear some extra clang in the coffer, right? I will have a chat with him, then his superior. Get yourself a drink, all three of you." He passes a few small coins quietly, enough for a couple rounds at a fair tavern.
[roll0]

He then begins to cross to the priest, but watches to see if the warriors take his advice.

[OzzyKP]

Veldt followed his old companion, watching his every move, but from the safety of the crowd. He was a powerful fighter, good with animals and very resourceful, but he could never match Veldt's speed or stealth. Unless Magron had unexpectedly retired to a life of farming, Veldt was sure he was up to no good. While not directly any of his concern, his curiosity got the best of him. He followed him and his dogs to the run down tavern near the docks. Staying out of sight till he went in, Veldt moved in closer to the tavern hoping to see and hear activity inside. He found a secluded spot near one of the boarded up windows and peered inside.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana carefully watched her reflection in the small mirror Narial had given her when she had been assigned to him. He had given her a number of gifts when he had shown her to her chambers, all of which he probably saw as necessities but she still felt were creature comforts and luxuries. Her reflection watched her back, calm and unassuming. She considered herself rather plain, though she had been told otherwise. There were shadows under her eyes, the faint beginnings of frown lines between her brow, and far too many freckles over her noes and cheeks. Her lips were chapped by the northern air, and her long red hair was bound in a tail lest it go wild. She drew up her hood, shadowing her features aside from her bright blue eyes. After a few long moments of focus the headache she had been fighting all morning decided to reside. It did not vanish; but then, when did it ever?

It was time to go, she knew. She gestured vaguely with her left hand, and a short shaft of oak whipped across the room, slowing to a halt just beside her open palm. Stowing away the wand, she gestured with the other hand, and a long dagger lept from a table to her hand. She put that away as well, and then she took a hold of her staff, a length of oak as tall as herself and capped on either end with steel. There were carvings down the length of the shaft, faintly runic symbols that meant nothing to the casual observer.

Adriana left her room with a brisk, purposeful stride, and reached Narial's door before her thoughts could wander too far from her purpose. Drawing herself up, she taps on his door with the end of her staff and then takes a step back to await his response.

[runestone]

Broken Oar tavern

It takes a moment for Veldt's eyes to adjust to the darkness of the tavern. But it's not hard to locate his target: It's not a busy day, and the room is almost empty. Magron is seated at a table with two men and woman, his hounds lie quietly at his feet. Magron is speaking to his companions:


"He arrives today, so we are out of time. Have you found any more heretics for me?"


"... arrives ... time. Have you ... heretics ...?"


The man with his back to the window answers:


"There was this girl at the west gate this morning, said she could talk to ghosts or sumthin"


"... girl ... ghosts"


Magron growls:


"Not much, is it? Well, it'll have to do. What about your people, will they be ready when we go north?"


"Not much, is it? ... ready ... go north?"


The last part is addressed to the other man who is dressed in the clothes of someone used to traveling through wilderness.

The woman interrupts them, leaning close to the others,


"Don't look up, but there's a shadow by the window over there. It hasn't moved for a while"


"..."


City square

The leader of the warriors -- a middle aged man with a braided beard and arms covered in the traditional blue warrior's tattoos -- looks Beorn over for a moment

"The bastards provoked him, thats what happened, if ye ask me"

He doesn't take the money, but motions to his fellows to leave anyway

"Come lads, let's go and buy a mug like the man suggested"

[darklink_shadow]

Sully

The idea of bathing with oil seemed strange. We put oil on pigs to roast them. Do we put it on our skin so we are easier for men to eat up? Giggling at her dirty joke, Sully opened the first bottle of oil and inhaled deeply before nearly dropping it and gagging. Gods above! That reeks! Like flowers that have.... fermented! Gyuuuck! Ick. Ew. Bleh!

Sully coughed and put the cork back on the bottle of oil. Gods. Ick. I bet that is the most popular with the nobles isn't it? Gah. What smell do you like? You seem more on my level than these nobs, amiright? Something a little sweet, but still with some musk, right? Maybe like... hmm, just a lavender? But mild! Not gut retchingly strong like that other bottle.

Sully spent the rest of the time gossiping and giggling with the maid. After she was clean, she wrapped in a towel and asked for clothes. Human clothes, though. I'm warning you, ... wait! I never introduced myself! I'm Sully. What's your name? And also, don't bring me any clothes that you wouldn't wear!

[runestone]

Narial's study

"Come in."

Adriana enters a room furnished for utility. One wall is hung with a tapestry showing a map of the northlands while the others are covered with bookcases and scroll cases.

The steward sits at a large desk, and looks up from the letter he is writing when Adriana enters. He is a plain looking man with short brownish hair, and features that it would be hard to describe as anything but average.

"Please sit."

"Your instructors think very highly of you, and though you have not completed your training, I plan to put your talents to use immediately. This is a time of crisis, and we cannot afford to waste any resources"

"Lady Kersti is rightly worried about the impact of the strange things that are occurring across the countryside, and she has asked me to send someone to investigate. You will be one of them. Your knowledge should be a great asset to the investigation, and -- more importantly -- I need you to act as my eyes and ears. It is vitally important that we learn the truth about these incidents"

"I assume you have read the reports I gave you? Tell me your opinion."


Feel free to spend as much or as little time as you like on the report. It's not exactly fair to expect you to give a detailed account of something that I have only given you a sketchy outline of. :smallsmile:

[RaggedAngel]

Narial's Study

Adriana brushes back a stray strand of hair as she formulates her response. "My opinion? It is fairly straightforward. Many of the reports we have received are cries for attention, or a problem being blown out of proportion, or a simple misunderstanding. Such things have been reported for hundreds of years; there have always been cries of 'werewolf' in small towns when 'wolf' is the real problem."

She smiles, though it is also a bit of a grimace. "But a number of the reports are almost certainly genuine. They show a lucidity and earnestness that is not easy to fake, especially by the kind of person that would falsify a report of the supernatural. They bode immediate investigation and research with all the resources the Order can spare. To be entirely frank, they deserve significantly more attention than the Order has given them up to this point. Not only is magic real, Narial, it is dangerous, and the fact that it seems to be returning with greater vigor in the north where the Order is weaker does not bode well."

She looks to the door, then around the room, frowning slightly. "I was told by a close friend that in cities the walls always have ears. Is that true here, sir? Because I value candor, but I also value my life."

[runestone]

Narial's study

"Good. I agree with your assessment of the reports. It is true that this may be the greatest challenge our order has ever faced, and you are not the only one to see that. However, you presume too much, if you think you know the entirety of our response."

"It is true that walls may have ears, but around here, most of the ears are mine. And no one will hear us in here -- unless they use magic, that is. And that, of course, is the heart of our problem"

"I'm going to send you north in search of a missing scholar named Canrod Kurtson. He was originally trained by our order, and I have been told that he was a brilliant student, but in the end, he was too ambitious and undisciplined, and he was never initiated as a full member. He was not willing to wait for knowledge until he was ready for it, and he was too selfish to serve the order properly. After parting with the Way, he has served Lady Kersti for many years, and she gave him much freedom for his studies. He was always eccentric: Weighing and measuring things, probing snow depths in winter, counting stars on clear winter nights and counting swallows in springtime. He even had an freed orc slave as a servant for a while."

"He left for the town of Skovla while the snow still lay thick, speaking of mysterious signs that no one else could see. I should have taken him more seriously at time, but we allowed him to go, and since then, Skovla has seen more strange events than any other place. Now, Lady Kersti wants him found, and I've helped her find people with the right skills and motivations for the job."

"I'll be sending you with Lady Kersti's investigators, partly because I need to know what they uncover, and partly to make their resources available to you. The country folk have always feared us, and this change is putting everybody on edge. You are no good to anybody if a group of peasants burn you under suspicion of witchcraft. Acting as an official envoy of the Guardian of the North should provide some protection. We are all in a precarious situation. The change is inflaming religious tensions that I have worked hard to keep under control, and I have received word that a ship bearing one of the Hawks of God -- an inquisitor -- will be arriving in a few days. Or earlier if the wind is right."

"As for the scholar: Did he just feel the change before anybody else? Or did he somehow unleash this upon us all? It is unlikely, but if he is at the source of it, it may be necessary to end the threat. Your companions should have the strength of arms to do the deed. And I trust that you have the skills to convince them -- one way or another."

"You will be accompanied by Sir Beorn Blackshield, a great tactician and faithful servant of Lady Kersti whom you must not underestimate. Few people have his knowledge of the people and the history of the north. The second companion is Veldt Dorimino, a southern merchant and an excellent swordsman. He is looking for someone -- or something -- that killed his wife and child under mysterious circumstances, and that should make him very motivated and easy to persuade if you feed him the right information. The third one is a gnome by the name Whizbang Googleplex, who was the last to receive communication from our missing scholar. He thinks that he has negotiated his way into this position in exchange for this information, but in fact, I want him with you. I have been hearing strange reports about the potions he is selling, and I want to give you the opportunity to study him. I also want him out of the city before the inquisitor arrives."

"I'll be meeting you all at the Gull Door at noon."

"There may be a fourth companion. A young lady arrived at the west gate this morning, speaking of spirits and demanding to see Lady Kersti. If you find some truth to her story, bring her with you when you come to meet me. She may be an asset for us, and the journey should give you amble opportunity to study her abilities -- if she has any. Either way, I want her out of the city before the Hawk arrives -- just like the gnome."

"Sir Blackshield's adjutant will take you to her."


Naturally, I'm not actually expecting Adriana to act like Narial suggests -- she has her own agenda, after all -- but this should give you some idea about what he is like.

[stack]

City square

Satisfied that the warriors would not be any immediate trouble, Beorn crosses to the young priest. Leaning in and whispering so no others could hear, he cautions, "Brother, One must take care in the north. It takes time for people to digest a new idea, many have not come to accept Viitelv as a traitor. That will take time and will not go faster by pushing. Stirring a crowd so is unwise, especially before the matter is fully settled. And while martyrdom is a commendable goal, being thrown from your order for starting a riot among the smallfolk is less so. Dangerous times, we must be on our guard, eh?"[roll0]

[OzzyKP]

Veldt listens intently to the conversation inside, he couldn't make it all out however. Talk of heretics, girls who can talk to ghosts and going up north. Not really much to go on, but whatever it was, it sounded like they were up to no good. He looked up at the sun and tried to estimate how much time he had left till he had to meet Lady Kersti at the Gull Door. Deciding he had a few more minutes, he remained hidden there near the window, hoping to get a bit more substantive information.


How much time *does* he have before needs to go?

[RaggedAngel]

Narial's Study

Adriana listens intently, taking quiet mental notes of the information. She sits silently for a moment or two afterwards, watching Narial's eyes. "I should be more than up to this task, especially with all the help you've provided. I find this mission of great personal interest, to be perfectly honest."

With that she stands, and walks to the door. "I will see you at the Gull Door at noon then, I suppose. I have a few books to take back to the lady's library before I leave." She is about to go when she notices that her staff is still leaning on Narial's desk where she put it when she sat down. She looks between the staff, and then Narial, and then with a gesture the staff leaps across the room into her hand. "Great interest indeed."

Adriana closes the door and walks off at a sedate pace.

If Narial didn't seem like he was done talking, she'll say and do something else. Consider her 'done' until the meeting at noon, otherwise.

As far as I'm aware, Narial did not know that she had personal magical powers. If he did, then she is simply reminding him.

[runestone]

Narial's Study
Before she closes the door, Adriana catches the look of confusion and shocked disbelief on Narial's face when her staff leaps through the air. It is almost certainly a look that very few people have seen.

At the end of the hallway outside the study, she is met by a man in warriors garb "I've been ordered to escort you to my master, Sir Beorn Blackshield. Please follow me, if you are ready."


The Smiling Boar Inn
"I'm Asti ... Asti Myransdottir." She obviously relishes the opportunity to smell -- and judge -- the fine oils with Sully and quickly forgets all about acting formal.

Once Sully is done bathing, Asti brings a pile of clothes and displays them on the bed. Pulling out one item after another and holding them up for Sully to consider. "Something I would wear? But I could never afford to wear something fine enough for court," she sends Sully a warm smile "Besides, I would never wear amor like you do. Or carry a scythe! How do we find something to go with that?"

"I'll have someone clean your amor, but it ain't gonna be shiny as the amor of the fancy knights. You'll need a tunic and a well-made cloak to cover it. I have just the thing over here. Not too flashy, but good. Go on. Feel it." The maid is right, the cloak is indeed made from carefully woven wool of the best quality.

Among the other clothing on display, a belt embroidered with winged horses made in silver thread catches Sully's eyes.


The Broken Oar tavern
The four people say a few more things to each other, but they speak quietly, and their heads are too close together for Veldt to pick up what they're saying. Then they lean back and drink for a moment before the man dressed for the wilderness exclaims "Where's the damn inn-keeper. I need more ale." He stands up, and goes to what must be the door to the kitchen in the back of the room.

Looking up at the sun, Veldt estimates that there is an hour till noon, but standing there in the bright sunlight, he is suddenly struck by a thought: Considering the darkness of the common room, and the brightness outside, his silhouette must be clearly visible through the cracks in the shudders.


The City Square
The priest is obviously not happy to be interrupted, but he seems to know his place. "As any true believer, I would happily be martyred for the glory of the eternal king Sapyron, but there was no riot here, I was simply reminding the good people to be vigilant in face of the threat from heathens and heretics. I meant no offense, my lord. Peace to you." He bows and withdraws.

At the other side of the square, Beorn catches sight of his adjutant leading a young woman dressed in the light grey cloak of a member of the Archway towards The Smiling Boar.


I took the liberty of moving Adriana to the square, so she can interview Sully. It seemed like a good way to move the plot ahead.

stack: I didn't mean to imply that the priest knows about Beorn's unorthodox belief. I just wanted to give you something to react to in case you want to do that.

Ragged: Yes, Narial was done. I tried to get everything said at once to get it over with. And, as you have probably guessed, he didn't know about Adriana's powers.

Ozzy: It'll be fine if Veldt arrives at the Gull Door a little before the others

Edit: I wrote Sully instead of Adriana in the original post. I hope there are no more silly errors like that.

[RaggedAngel]

The City Square & The Smiling Boar Inn

Adriana kept her hood up, but she did relish the outdoor air and sun; she had not yet forgotten her roots, no matter how many hours she spent inside. She also took note of her escort, his weapons, gear, and the things he paid attention to. The city was still new to her, and that meant that it was potentially dangerous. She didn't doubt her ability to protect herself, but she did question whether or not she could do so without leaving a smoking crater in the ground.

Adriana enters the inn with the bluster of someone who knows that they are important, and she addresses the room without bothering to pick out the innkeeper. "I'm looking to speak with a young woman who arrived in the city today, and who was seeking audience with Lady Kersti. Does anyone know where she is? I was told she came to this inn."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully

Horses... winged horses. Beloved of our peoples. You will wear a symbol of this majestic beast at all times from now on. The voice spoke as if entranced. Sully felt the admiration and respect of the mythical creature heavy in the voice, and the weight of love was mildly intoxicating.

Alright, I'll wear this belt. It's... so pretty. The animal here... it's special to me. I'm not sure why exactly. Asti, thank you so much for your help. Rubbing the tunic she smiled. You've really got a good eye for this, haven't you? This cloak is wonderful! And, Asti, if it wasn't obvious yet, I've never worn much but the clothes I came in wearing. Burlap pants and cheap wool my mama spun herself. I'm completely new to this whole business! Oh, and... don't have my armor polished. Have it cleaned, but I don't want it to shine. I plan to wear it a lot, and I don't want to blind people with it or anything.

Grabbing some blue wool pants, she tossed them at the girl. I like those. Can we find something to match those? I think that's my new favorite color! Look how pretty it... Oh my gosh! Purple pants?! I want purple pants! Sully exclaimed with wide-eyed delight and immediately put on the rich dark purple pants. With a pink and gold sash? And a even darker purple shirt, with gold trim and... I can't wear that cloak, I need a purple cloak with gold trim. Purple and gold are the colors of my ancestors. They... they are talking to me. They tell me I have to wear purples, pinks, gold, and tans. With wing motifs, or Pegasus designs. Like the belt.

After the outburst, Sully frowned and held her head with one hand. Sometimes they all talk at once, and start to yell over each other. It makes my head ache. I think the only reason I am even here is because some kind of magic is bothering me, and that is of interest to the nobles. I hope I don't end up being a novelty. This girl was a nobody, just like Sully, and that was probably why it felt so safe to open up to her. Please don't gossip about me, ok, Asti? I'm not really sure what is even going on anymore.

[stack]

The City Square

Beorn nods to the young priest. "No, there was no riot. Peace to you."

Beorn turns away, satisfied for the moment, when he spots his adjutant accompanying a new face. I would have expected more grey in the greycloak, but Narial knows his business. And everyone else's as well.

Feeling his stomach's protest, he decides it best to let the inspection begin without his interference, instead returning to his neglected plate. He finds little joy in it though, his mind turning over the mood of the street and pondering what what be occurring at the inn while he waited. Nothing for it. Sometimes one must sit.just biding time to let the other scene get going before butting in.

[runestone]

The Smiling Boar

Adriana is met by a servant who greets her with a deep bow "The young lady is currently getting dressed after a bath. I'll let her know that you're here. "

Sully's room in the Smiling Boar

Asti opens her eyes wide in mock disbelief "So you want normal clothes that are purple and pink ... with gold trimmings and embroidered wings?" She teasingly makes a very deep curtsy and bows her head while she giggles "Certainly, my lady. Is there anything else we should fetch for you? A crown of gold, or a small fire-ruby, perhaps?" Then she proceeds to do her best to find clothes that match Sully's description while making joking comments about how completely inadequate the selection is for a fancy lady like Sully.

However, when Sully mentions her ancestors, Asti immediately sobers up and grips her hands "I would never do that. You're nice. And funny. And such talk can be dangerous. But you must be more careful. People are scared and looking for someone to blame."

Just then, they are disturbed by a discrete knock on the door "There is a lady from the Archway here to see you."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully

When Asti returned, Sully raised an eyebrow. Where are my rubies? And my crown! You're going to be scolded! Sully giggled. With the knock, however, she lost all semblance of mirth and got very serious.

I need ten minutes to get dressed. She called out to the person outside the room. Quickly she took the clothes from Asti and stripped down and redressed. Thanks Asti, but you should probably go. But I'll talk to you when this is all down, I hope. I don't know anyone in this town, so you're just going to have be my best friend by default. But shoo! Go! Sully smiled at her new friend, and sat down in the room, waiting for whoever it was that wanted to talk to her.

[runestone]

Sully

Asti smiles "I would like that very much. They don't give me much time off, but I would love to show you the city." She gathers Sully's discarded clothing "I'll give this to some one who can use it, if you don't mind."

As Asti is about to leave, she turns in the doorway and adds "Good luck!" Then she's gone, and Sully is alone.

Adriana

The servant returns after a while "She's ready now, honored sister. I'll take you to her"

[OzzyKP]

"I'm rusty," Veldt thinks as he makes a hasty retreat away from the tavern.

After living 8 years as a family man and mostly honest merchant, all this sneaking around stuff isn't quite as natural as it used to be. Letting them see him at the window was a rookie mistake. Magron, ironically, would always say, 'You can't teach an old wolfhound new tricks, but an old wolfhound can always forget the old ones." Especially if out of practice. Veldt didn't know if he would cross paths with Magron again, or what kind of dangers he would face tracking down this girl who killed his wife, but he knew that mistakes like this could cost him his life. He needed to be sharper.

He casually headed back to the main drag and blended in with the crowd once more. With nothing else to do, and already a productive morning of information gathering, he headed over to wait at the Gull Door.

[RaggedAngel]

The Smiling Boar

Adriana follows the serving girl to the indicated room, and she silently gestures for her escort to watch the door for her. She slips inside the room, shutting the door behind her, and takes her stock of the young woman within. Garishly dressed, perhaps, but not visibly unusual otherwise. "Good morning," Adriana begins, her face an unreadable mask. She lowers her hood, however, and once her bright red hair is exposed it gives her a warmth that she had previously been lacking.

"My name is Adriana Michalson, and as you may have been told I am a representative of the Archway. I had a few questions for you about the claims you were making this morning. Know that no matter how outlandish your story, I will give it proper consideration. However, if you are spinning a tale for attention..." Adriana's eyes go hard at the last, leaving the consequences up to Sully's imagination.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully

Waving with a smile at her friend, she is filled with the anxious excitement at the prospect of seeing the city, but only after dealing with nobles, and their underlings. And potentially being turned into a noble's underling.

As the woman enters, her ancestors go into a flurry of whispering. With a little physical effort, and by gritting her teeth she silences them non-verbal cue. However, she did manage to glean a good introduction from them. Hello Miss Michalson, I am Sully Donnelson, heir to the Hammerste family which has fallen into disgrace due to the treachery of opportunistic rival families. The spirits of my ancestors have awoken and are training me to lead them back into the Queen's favor. I am here to pledge my sword and honor to Lady ... Kerste? Sully bit her lip at the end, not sure if she remembered the ruler's name correctly. Now, what is the Archway? And, what do I need to do to do the things I said?

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana raises her brow faintly at her interviewee. Either the woman was an excellent shyster or she was clueless. "The Archway, or the Grey Order, is an organization dedicated to gathering, progressing, and spreading knowledge and technological advances. A wide degree of modern amenities are only available through the efforts and inventions of members of the Order. Recently, we have begun to address the insurgence, or resurgence, of paranormal and supernatural people and creatures."

She gives Sully a moment to process the information before continuing. "When you say that the spirits of your ancestors have awoken, what precisely do you mean? Can you offer any kind of proof or at least a detail description of the effect? Have they proven to you that they are indeed your ancestors rather than something deceiving you?" Adriana's tone makes it clear that while she is willing to believe Sully, she is going to need some evidence.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully

With a faint smile, she quickly dismissed the idea that she could be being deceived but then stopped and frowned. Well, I'm not really sure. Let me... think. Sully held her lower face for a moment and looked to the side, thinking with furrowed brow. Some of those are easier to answer than others. I can describe it fairly well. Their is a floating green-ish ball, just there. It speaks to me and tells me things. I get the feeling it's telling the truth, but it's just... a feeling. I guess I have no proof. It knows a lot about old times. It has fits of emotion. But I get the feeling it is a good entity. I guess I could be... ack.. Sully paused and grimaced.

To be fair. Sully continued with grit teeth. It could be tricking me. Although I doubt it. Visibly annoyed by something, Sully barred her teeth at something in the room. No, you listen, I'm going to be completely honest, I have no real reason to trust you, gut aside. I don't care how it looks. Oh yeah? Then shut up and I won't be so godsdamned distracted! Sully swallowed hard, and shook her head. Gah... I... anyways... it says to ask me a question I shouldn't be able to know, and jokingly points out that, as a farm girl who has only just three days ago ventured beyond the farm I work, I know basically nothing about anything but livestock. It says it will then answer the question for me, in order to prove it exists. We... Sully grit her teeth again, We haven't come to an agreement on how to prove they are my ancestors and not just someone who knows a lot about the history of my family. I would like to point out however, the worst they can do to me is annoy me enough to distract me. They can't control me at all. If they turn out to be some kind of... bad thing, I'll let you know. I won't ... well, I guess I won't do things I think you are afraid I'll do.

After a brief pause, Sully's brow furrowed sharply. It is greatly important to them to know if you have heard anything about winged horses coming about.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana listens to the exchange with patience, keeping an eye on the spot that Sully seems to be addressing. Once Sully has finished her spiel, Adriana nods gently, a faint smile touching her mouth. "A farm girl, huh? I was one of those, once. It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was only a little over three years. Trust me, Sully, you will grow and learn faster than you would imagine out here in the world. Especially if you truly are gifted. Now then, information you could not know, but your ancestors might? Give me a moment."

She frowns, gazing out into the middle distance, searching her memory. "Alright. They can't know everything, so I'll give you six questions, none of which you can really be expected to know the answer to. Based on your answers we will proceed." She pauses once more, and then speaks the questions smoothly and primly, neither rushing nor going slowly.

"What types of elemental energy are most easily manipulated with spells?

Which will typically have a greater range, assuming comparable size: a trebuchet or a ballista?

What lies to the south of this kingdom, and what lies further south than that?

Who was the monarch eight generations ago?

What is the herb used to treat a new case of syphilis?

What is a narwhal whale's horn made out of?"

Could Adriana detect the spirits in any way? She has an Arcana check of 18, though no 'detect magic' abilities to speak of.

You can make up any answers you want; I'm not sure what your spirits can do, really. The Knowledge DC's are around 17 or 18 for all the questions. She asks one question of each knowledge category, in order. One or more of the question may be 'tricks', depending on how you want to flesh out the setting. For example, there may not have been a monarch eight generations ago.

[runestone]

Sully

Sully is immediately overwhelmed by a mass of competing voices:
"Syphilis! I can tell you all about that ...

... teeeeth, teeeth, they're teeth ...

... I got it from the daughter of ...

... eight generations ago? That was Hargar ...

... spells? What do we know about ...

... and I should know, I've hunted them all life ...
... trebuchets and ballistas? Southern words for southern contraptions ...

... no, not him he died the year before me ...

... in my time, we didn't allow witches to ...

... which one is a blide? That's the one you want ...

... what do you mean Hargar, never heard of him ...

... south? Gold and wine for the taking, that's what lies south!"

Finally, the voices subside and unite "If you really want to convince her, speak to her mind like we've taught you, girl."


Ok, so I guess they succeeded in giving you one of them. :smallsmile:

If you want to answer the others, use appropriate knowledge checks with DC17 and give yourself a bonus of 1--2 if you think it fits your background. Any lucky results could easily be attributed to a useful bit of information in the stream of consciousnesses.

As for the answers:

"What types of elemental energy are most easily manipulated with spells?
- Fire! and ... well, mostly fire :smallsmile:

"Which will typically have a greater range, assuming comparable size: a trebuchet or a ballista?
- Option A

"What lies to the south of this kingdom, and what lies further south than that?"
- Assuming that were talking about the entire Kingdom of Sapyron: The Fire isles and the endless sea (Thanks Ragged, why do you think I only drew a map of the North? :smallsmile:)

"Who was the monarch eight generations ago?"
- In the south: Sapyron the Kind (also known as Sapyron the Mad), in the North: Asla the White

"What is the herb used to treat a new case of syphilis?"
- Please make something up

"What is a narwhal whale's horn made out of?"
- Teeeeth!

[runestone]

The Broken Oar tavern and the Gull Door

Just as Veldt joins the crowds in the main street, one of Magron's companions -- the one who had pretended to go to the kitchen after beer -- bursts into the alley where Veldt had been standing to look through the shuttered window a moment earlier. At the same time, Magron himself comes through the front door and strides towards the window. Veldt, however, is safely hidden among the busy people in the street and neither of them discover him.

Tranhamn is not big compared to the cities of the south where Veldt spent his youth, and it doesn't take him long to reach the Gull Door. The last part of the walk requires a steep ascent, since this part of the city wall has been built partway up the small mountain that shields the harbor from the north. Towards the harbor, the mountain drops away in a steep cliff that is still low at this point but rises to great heights further out. Far away, at the top, one can see the white walls of a small temple.

The city wall is low here, and the small postern gate sits very close to the edge of the cliff. It's easy to see how it got its name: The cliff face is home to thousands upon thousands of big black-headed white gulls, and their screeches drown out most other sounds.

Though he is early, Veldt doesn't have to wait long. Soon, a middle aged man of average height wearing the characteristic light grey cloak of a member of the Archway ascends the stairs that Veldt had climbed a little earlier. He is accompanied by a young page.

As the man reaches Veldt, he makes a small bow "Master Dorimino, I presume? I'm Steward Narial. I hope you had a productive morning."

The page is short of breath after having climbed the stairs, but Narial shows no sign of feeling the exertion.

[RaggedAngel]

Never fear, Adriana has another way to test your spirits in mind if you 'fail' the questions; and this is one that the Mote can actually help you with.

And I will freely admit the "south" question was aimed to satisfy my own curiosity.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully holds her head suddenly overcome by the voices in her head. A slow creeping moaning scrapped between her teeth, and suddenly she was panting, but recovered. Gods! Gods above. Not all at once, please, for the love of all that is sacred, not at once.

After breathing, and letting out a low whine for a moment, she collected herself. Teeth... Hargor... I don't... know any of those still. Wait... things are piecing together... F-fire? No idea. South... is an endless sea. A few islands? Fire.... Fire islands. Alsa the White ruled here. The... the southern people were... Sapyron the Mad. The disease... some kind of fungus... P.. Penicillium? That doesn't even feel like a word. I don't know what a narwhal is though. Wait... teeth? No, that's stupid. Nevermind. But wait... I... hold still. I won't hurt you. But I can do something. Sully bite her lip and channeled the magics she had learned. The world, together, united, powerful. All of one mind. Let me speak, and let me hear through the World's Mind.

Sully swallowed hard and then looked up at the woman, Adriana. A pause, and an exhale. ~C-can you hear this? Can you hear me talking? They taught me.. augh... sorry, my head hurts. They taught me some strange forms of doing things. Magic, they claim. Gods, my head hurts. If she can't hear me this will all be for naught. Wait, her face, she can hear me! Wait, can she... hmmm... what if I try this?~

Sully frowned hard and stared at Adriana, but no more words came out of her mouth or her mind.

Haha! I did prepare a telepathic spell! Ahahaha!

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana's expression remains unchanging, even when Sully projects her voice mentally. She is so expressionless, in face, that it seems she may not have heard anything Sully said; a minute passes after Sully finishes before Adriana moves at all. She moves over to Sully, drawing the former farm girl into a gentle hug. "It hurts, doesn't it." Adriana's voice is very soft now, nearly whispering. "It can hurt so much sometimes. The headaches never really went away, but I can ignore them better these days. I can show you how, don't worry."

She draws back, holding Sully at arm's length. Adriana's eyes are very blue, and she seems far more compassionate than she did minutes ago. "I told you before. The world is cruel away from home. Sometimes I wish I had never left my village... but I also know I would never have been content as a nobody without knowledge or power. People like us have purpose, Sully. Magic is real now, and you and I are going to change the world in ways that would never have been possible a decade ago. I'm going to have to keep you with me; Lady Kersti is not ready to handle someone like you, but I am. My purpose here is to investigate and understand supernatural occurrences, which means that it is literally my job to take care of you."

She gestures with her right hand, a small motion, and a silver hair pin floats across the room from the pile of adornments collected by the maid. The pin floats into Adriana's hand, and the young member of the Grey Order takes it and uses it to pin back a loose lock of Sully's hair. "There. You look ready for anything. Are you ready to go, Sully? It is time to be off."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully

No. Sully murmured, but she rose anyways. But I cannot return home, and I must go forward. If you'll help me, I'll follow you. I don't... gah... I know, ok? No, I won't. I now. Alright, hush. I don't understand what is happening. But I understand a few things. Things I don't know how I know. But I trust you. No, not more than I trust you. Hush, you're such a child at times. Sully grit her teeth ~No, ancestors I don't mean to say... wait...~

After a long moment, she closed her eyes, her facial expressions revealing the strain she was under. Speaking telepathically was like flexing a strange muscle. Speaking only to one person required a much more difficult and precise flexing. I'm ready to go. But I have to ask a favor. Help me become an honorable knight. I know people. I knew animals, and I could understand them just by watching them, and now I can do that with people. You will help me. Not because I ask, or because I want you to, but because that is the sort of person you are. I can tell. Let's go, to whatever awaits me.

[stack]

Beorn finishes the remnants of his food, well cold now. He watches the settled solids at the bottom of his mug, willing the time to pass, having difficulty establishing his usual inner calm to match his placid exterior.

Finally he stands. A brief inquiry directs him to the room. His adjutant still in position, he waves him off. "Thank you Helgrim, that will be all for now. Go take the papers the garrison then get some rest, I should not need you further today."

Alone at the door, he gives it a curt rap.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana responds to Sully's request with a simple smile and nod. She draws her hood back over her distinctive red hair, her expression growing markedly more solemn as she does. She reaches for the door, only to hear the knock. She frowns, and then proceeds to open it, looking up at the large man behind it without fear or concern. "Hello? You are either Beorn or his superior, otherwise Helgrim would not have left without notifying me. My name is Adriana Michalson, as you already know. This is Sully Donnelson, who is both under my protection and will be acting as my personal guard during our expedition. Shall we be off?" Her tone is mostly polite but a bit brusk; she apparently views the knock as an interruption.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully beams at Adriana; her stay within the city has been short thus far, but thousands of times better than she had thought, especially after the rocky start. And now it seemed she had two friends, at least, with a possible third standing beyond the threshold of her door. Nobody had even threatened to burn her at the stake, which was a very real threat according to the voices in her head, and even better, someone with some form of authority believed her and even better than that, her grasp of magic had already improved enough that she had done something intentionally magical without adverse effects. Mister Blackshed! Thanks for sending someone to talk to me. It was so much easier to explain everything to her. I would... gehh. I would love to show some magic, but I can't. The room is dancing with the ceiling, and we've got to hurry to.. some place. Gods... Sully's normally good nature had been somewhat suppressed during the events prior due to abnormally, but understandably high stress, but now she seemed to be a font of smiles, despite the flinches of pain at her apparent headache.

[stack]

"Greetings. I am Beorn Blackshield. So, you are satisfied regarding her claims then? Good, hate to have wasted the coin on this room. I believe it is time for me to meet with you master, Ms Michalson, I have an appointment with him at the gate shortly You are not adverse to keeping an eye on her in the meantime?."

"Sully, I am glad you are not crazy. I am certain I will be seeing more of you soon. I will see to more permanent quarters, unless that has been dealt with already. Good day to you both."Beorn doesn't know they where all summoned to the meeting

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana raises her brow slightly, confused. "I believe you may be misinformed, Blackshield. I met with Miss Donnelson on my way to a meeting at the gates with the very same man. I are going to be investigating several troubling reports received from a town to the north of here. You are going to be accompanying me, both to lend your expertise and experience and to lend your sword arm should the need arise. As I said, the reports were troubling, though I would like to not go into detail until the full party has assembled."

She looks Beorn up, forming a better opinion of the man. "You are more than a simple warrior or guard, I would imagine. I think we will do well together, Beorn Blackshield. I promise I will be honest and forthright with you, and that I will protect you from harm to the best of my ability. Will you do the same for me?" She holds out her hand, and the motion has a gravity and significance beyond that of a normal gesture. Her eyes, blue a moment before, now seem to be a shade of violet. Beorn gets the impression that her hand offers something more than just her word.

Adriana is using her Kingship ability from the True Mage track. Beorn is being offered one of the blessings; in this case, the Scepter.


The ally who possesses this ability has the power to speak words which hold greater weight to other creatures. That ally receives a +2 bonus to a social skill of their choice, or to Awareness. When attempting to reason with a hostile creature, the ally may discharge this ability as a free action to gain a token for the social encounter.

[OzzyKP]

Veldt turns around slowly when he hears Narial and his page approaching. He follows the steward's bow with a short one of his own and says, "It is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for inviting me here and for the letter this morning. My morning was productive indeed, thank you for pointing me toward the stable."

Veldt preferred the directness of life in the army or life as an assassin to the social games necessary when being a merchant or interacting with nobles. But he could play their game when needed. He really was grateful for Narial's assistance, but had no intention of giving out more information than was necessary. Veldt wasn't sure what Narial's angle was, but was certain that his assistance was self serving somehow. This was his first meeting of the man, but he certainly had heard much about him over the years. He had his finger in everything and knew everything that happened in this land. He was sure whatever he learned from the stable is old news for Narial.

Veldt didn't even bat an eye at the fact that Narial knew about his wife and son, and about his travels looking for answers. Whatever the purpose, he was glad for an opportunity to discuss the matter with Lady Kersti.

[stack]

"I was not informed that there would be others attending. Such is Narial's way."

He takes the offered hand. "I stand by my companions. On my honor."

"Shall we adjourn to the meeting then?"taking the buff to bluff, since its his best for in-combat (-3 AC!)

[runestone]

The Gull Door
Narial smiles "I am glad to hear that. There are many strange occurrences these days, and I have been doing my best to gather reports of them for Lady Kersti. I thought nothing of the fire at first -- after all, fires happen all the time -- but when it came to my attention that you had been investigating similar incidents, I thought this one might interest you."

He pauses for a moment to look out over the harbor before continuing "This morning, I received a pigeon with a letter that may be of equal interest to you." He hands Veldt a small strip of paper with a brief message:

Honored Brother. Yesterday at dusk, an elderly woman arrived leading a horse carrying a small child. The child may have been four summers old, but I could not see whether it was a boy or a girl. It was late, but the woman did not go to the inn, and she made no other preparations for spending the night. Instead, she went directly to the blacksmith to get a new shoe for the horse. Shortly after, the Blacksmith's shop burned down in a violent fire. I found the blacksmith alive in a well behind the house. He had only suffered minor burns, but his mind seems to have gone. He keeps repeating 'The heir of storms, the heir of storms' over and over again. The woman, child, and horse are gone. - J

Narial gives Veldt time to read before continuing "Lady Kersti has asked me to send a group north to the town of Skovla which has seen more inexplicable incidents than anywhere else. My investigation is more general than yours, and I'll tell you more about it when the group arrives, but I think we can both benefit form cooperating in this matter, and I hope to convince you to go with them."

"As far as I understand, you have been trailing the source of these fires for some time -- always a few days behind your quarry. The report you just read is from a small town halfway between here and Skovla, and I suspect that the people you track will continue in that direction. There are not many other places to go up there, and as I said, Skovla seems to attract these unnatural elements."

"I have arranged for a ship to take Lady Kersti's investigators all the way to Skovla. Considering the state of the roads this time of year, they should be able to get there before the pair you are tracking."

[OzzyKP]

"That's all I need to hear," Veldt said plainly, "You have convinced me. This woman and the child from the note seem to be ones who burned down the stable, and the ones I have been tracking."

His expression hardened, "The ones who killed my wife and child."

Narial was right, Veldt was always one step behind, but these two fit the profile precisely. He was sure there was more Narial wasn't telling him, but that didn't matter, he was unusually forthright in what he did tell him and it was all he needed. Narial had a good guess of where his wife's killer would be rather than was, and had a ship fast enough to get there in time. Veldt was grateful for the chance to have his vengeance.

"I will go, and I will find them."

[RaggedAngel]

When Beorn takes Adriana's hand he feels a surge flow through him; it is a curious feeling, a light tingle running down his arm and through his body. His head feels clearer than it had moments before, and his wits feel a bit sharper. Adriana nods in assent to his request to go, and then without another word she strides out of the room and out of the inn towards the Gull Door, trusting the others to follow behind her.

She takes the time as she walks to muse on what has been said, what has been done, and what must be done before this mission has reach fulfillment. By the time she has reached the Gull Doors, she has made up her mind about another piece of power to grant. She places her hand on Sully's shoulder, looking the young woman in the eye. "I'm going to need you to be strong for me, Sully. I can't do this on my own, and I'm going to need good men and women at my back. Be a shield, for yourself and for me." Another surge of power flows into Sully, and she feels the cool, slow strength of mountains move through her.

Sully is granted the Shield power.


The first time each [Round] that an opponent’s melee attack hits an ally possessing this ability, that opponent takes 2 points of damage. In addition, as a free action, that ally may discharge this ritual blessing to create a spread with a radius of that ally’s [Close] originating from that ally, dealing 7 damage to all opponents in the area.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully looks at her shoulder and raises her opposite hand to Adriana's shoulder. If you need it, I can be your shield. I spent all of my life protecting things. Most often sheep from wolves, but I fear what sort of wolves there must be to make you a sheep. Nevertheless, I'll put this armor between you and your enemies. Sully moves her hand from Adriana's shoulder, and obeying her ancestors, slams her fist against her armor, just over the heart. A Hammerste promise is as good as fact.

Noticing the invigoration after a moment, her brow furrows as an understanding of the magic washes over her. I... you... magic! Sully looked very surprised for a moment. I know what it's doing...

Is this a spell? Is it a first level spell?

[runestone]

The Gull Door

Narial smiles without showing much emotion "Good. That was what I hoped." He withdraws a large key from the depths of his cloak and uses it to unlock the heavy oak door. Without a word, the young page hurries trough and disappears out of sight. Once they are alone, Narial continues "You may wonder why I want you involved in this, but you have seen some of the things that this change has brought, and I fear that the common soldier would not have the courage to face the unknown dangers that lie ahead. You -- on the other hand -- I believe you have the skills and the motivation to persevere."

He looks out over the city, and notices the three people climbing the stairs below "Ah, it looks like the others will be here in a moment."

He returns his attention to Veldt "I will not demand that you put the other investigation before your own. Only that you all cooperate as long as it is mutually beneficial. As I said, I want motivated investigators in this." He pauses for a moment "But if this arrangement does help you to succeed in finding the one who killed your wife and child, then I would ask that you stay with the others until they too have accomplished their goal."

When the others arrive, Narial greets them with a bow "Peace to you all." He looks Sully in the eye "You must be Sully Donnelson. It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Narial of the Archway, Steward of Castle Blackrock." The he makes a gesture towards Veldt to introduce him to the others "This is Veldt Dorimino -- merchant and swordsman. Master Dorimino, this is Sir Beorn Blackshield -- trusted advisor of Lady Kersti, this Adriana Michalson of the Archway, and this is Sully Donnelson."

He makes a gesture towards the open door and the steep, narrow path that leads towards the temple at the top of the mountain "Please follow me. We will meet Lady Kersti at the top. I will tell you about the task that she would ask you to accomplish as we walk"

[stack]

Beorn gives a polite nod as they approach. "Peace to you as well Steward."

What are you getting your fingers into this time?I figure Beorn and Narial work fine together and get along well enough, but don't entirely trust each other. Of course, there would have been heated disagreements from times they offered opposing council, but enough mutual respect to move past such incidents.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana touches Veldt, drawing him back for a moment. Her face reveals nothing of her intentions, but to Veldt she seems to have the same deep pain and sadness that has ruled his life since... since he lost his world. She motions for the others to move along, murmuring that she only needs a moment. Adriana turns to Veldt, speaking softly. "I have been told a little about you, but I will not pretend to know your mind or your intentions. I will, however, claim to know the meaning of loss, and of pain."

Her voice tightens, and a faint fire kindles in her eyes. "Or to seek vengeance. Though the culprit of my loss was sadly not a person, but a thing. I can never know revenge. But I will help you find it, Veldt, and I will help you take it if you so desire. All I ask is honesty, and trust. You will be a Sword, to cut through danger and darkness." She offers her hand delicately, and Veldt can sense that the gesture holds great meaning. If he takes her hand, he feels like a breath of cold wind has blown through him. His rapiers hum in his ears, a nearly silent promise of speed and skill.

She is offering her final blessing, that of the Sword.


Whenever an ally who possesses this ritual blessing hits an opponent with an attack, that opponent takes a -10 ft penalty to their movement speed until the end of the [Encounter]. In addition, as a free action, after hitting an opponent with an attack, that ally may discharge this ritual blessing to inflict a -1 penalty to the AC of one opponent within [Close] range. This penalty lasts until the end of the [Encounter].

[darklink_shadow]

Sully frowns at the man named Narial. He seemed to know her, but she was certain they had never met. He worked with Adriana, it was clear, because they both worked in the Archway group. He was a steward, which sounded potentially noble. She had too many questions, but she wasn't sure how to ask. For now she half-bowed to the people awkwardly. Having already been introduced, she was conflicted what to even say, but in her hesitation, it seemed the man had moved on.

~You can be quite dense, child. Loyal, and strong, but dumb. You're essentially a dog in human clothing.~

~Help me or shut up. Wait... why am I asking you?~ Sully reached out with her mind to find the connection to Adriana that was formed earlier. ~Adriana, who is Nareel? What task? What is going on? I didn't agree to do any tasks. I just need to talk to Lady Kersti. But you said I shouldn't, I thought. She isn't ready for magic, or something? And who is Burn Blackshed? He helped me before, but he sounds important now. Too important to have helped me. I don't think I should be here. Everyone else seems way more important than I am. Can I go back to the Inn and just wait for you to come back?~ Her thoughts seem to waver, and the taste of bile accompanied her thoughts.

[RaggedAngel]

Sully hears Adriana reply after a moment, her mental voice just as calm and precise as her audible one. She speaks at the speed of thought, however, conveying far more information to Sully than could be spoken aloud in the same amount of time. ~Don't worry, Sully. You are in the right place. Narial is an elder member of my order, and he has tasked me with investigating a number of reports of supernatural occurrences, things like you and me, that seem to be concentrating themselves around a single town to the north of here. These occurrences have occasionally resulted in the loss of life or property of the people involved, which is why our group is going with protection.~

The is a brief pause, and then Adriana continues unabated. She delivers the rest over the course of five or six seconds, leaving Sully's head spinning. ~Besides you and me, our group will consist of Beorn Blackshield, a noble of the court with no small skill at arms. He isn't a knightly warrior, to be sure, but the tales I have overheard suggest that he is both extremely intelligent and quite loyal to the Lady and the crown, and has been over his career. Also joining use is this Veldt, who is a fencer and cutthroat seeking revenge for the death of his wife and child. They were killed by one of the aforementioned supernatural beings, so while his loyalty is weaker than Beorn's, his drive to succeed may be even stronger. We were to have another helper, a gnomish inventor and alchemist, but I do not see him here. No matter; I am sure he will show up. Does that explain it all?~

Let me know if I got something wrong. :smallredface:

[OzzyKP]

Despite her kind tone, Veldt was deeply uncomfortable about what Adriana had to say. It was bad enough for Narial and his network of spies to know his business, but he expected him to be more discrete about it. Now a total stranger knows some very personal details about his life. And, strangely, this young girl feels ok bringing up such personal details upon first laying eyes upon him.

He had a bad feeling about this whole endeavor, he preferred to work alone, but Narial was right, he had valuable information about where the murderer was going and could get Veldt there in time. So he would play along till then. After that... who knows.

"Uhh.. thanks." he says to Adriana, curtly.

He ignores her offered hand and turns to follow Narial up the path.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana watches Veldt closely as he ascends, though she cannot quite tell what to make of him. He had responded quite differently than Beorn and Sully to her openness and honesty; perhaps Narial had left her in the dark about some important aspect of his personality. She ignored that issue for now, both ascending the stairs after Veldt and giving Sully a synopsis of the information she knew so far. She adds, as an afterthought; ~Veldt did not react well when I spoke to him about the purpose of our mission. We need to keep an eye on him, he seems to be hiding something. I do not trust him.~

Interesting. Well, I left you an option on purpose, I suppose. Veldt does not get the Sword blessing.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully scratches her head, and shrugs, moving to follow the merchant and the mystery man. ~Honestly, it just raises more questions, but I'm used to not knowing everything I wanted to know. As long as I get the important bits, who cares about the rest? You say I belong here and that I can trust you, so I'll follow you for now. My ancestors don't seem to object, and that is a good sign. And don't be so hard on the widow. I would level this castle if I thought it would give me a clue as to who killed my parents. I imagine it's worse for a husband to lose his wife and child...~

[runestone]

The path follows the edge of the cliff and climbs steeply towards the white-walled temple at the top. The uninterrupted din of the myriad of gulls nested in the cliffs means that Narial has to speak loudly to be heard "Lady Kersti is naturally concerned about the many reports of unnatural -- or even magical -- incidents that we have received. She wants you to go north in search of a missing scholar named Canrod Kurtson who has been in her service for many years. He was always eccentric and occupied by various studies, but he was entrusted with part of the education of her children, and I assume you know him quite well, Sir Blackshield? Like Adriana and myself, he was originally trained by the Archway, and I have been told that he was a brilliant student, but he never became a full member of our order."

"He left for the northern town of Skovla before anyone -- or at least anyone besides him -- had felt this sudden spring and the other changes. He spoke of signs that no one else could see, and I should probably have taken him more seriously at the time, but Lady Kersti allowed him to go, and since then, there have been more credible reports of magic from Skovla than any other place. Did he cause that somehow? Or was he just the first to see the signs? I do not know. Either way, Lady Kersti wants to know what he knows. More importantly, she wants to know the cause of this change before it tears the North apart. It will be your task to find out." He turns to Sully "You wanted to pledge your sword to the service of Lady Kersti, right? This will be your opportunity to show your worth."

"The unexplained deaths, fires, and reports of unnatural beasts would be bad enough in themselves, but it seems the people of the North have decided to take this as an occasion to rekindle old hatreds. Have you heard how Lord Viitelv slaughtered an entire congregation in the temple in Skovla? It is one of many examples of old religious differences that are being inflamed. And some people are more than willing to fan those flames."

Narial walks all the way to the edge of the cliff and looks out over the harbor "Do you see the ship down there?" He points to a big corga with two masts and the triangular white sails favored in the south which is in the process of docking in the harbor. It is just as long as the biggest of the traditional northern longships anchored around it -- but much wider and taller. "That ship brings trouble for us all."

As if on cue, a gust of wind unfolds the flag at the top of the main mast: It's a white field with the scarlet four-headed hawk of the holy inquisition which has not been seen in the North for generations.

Narial shakes his head "The inquisition has been burning people under suspicion of witchcraft for centuries, and I cannot begin to imagine how excited they must be about at the prospect of finding someone with actual powers for a change." He looks at no one in particular as he adds "Though they may well regret it when they do."

"But I digress. At least Lord Viitelv will be executed before the inquisitor gets his hands on him. Clan Viitelv would be in open rebellion if we were forced to surrender him to the hawks, but now he will be given the opportunity to die with honor in accordance with the old ways."

"We will meet Lady Kersti at Lord Viitelv's execution. It is not much further now."

Veldt notices a cloaked figure flanked by two large dogs waiting where the inquisitor's ship is about to dock.

Beorn knows Canrod to be eccentric and reserved. Always occupied with measurements and observations. He seems to have no close friends or associates, but he had a freed orc slave as a servant for a while. He has educated Lady Kersti's children in various academic subjects.



Sorry for the wall of text with little posibilities for interaction. Don't worry, the briefing will soon be over.

In case there are any medieval ship--nuts around: I guess, I'm mixing ship designs which were historically several hundred years apart ... but I don't care. :smallsmile: (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArtisticLicenseShips)

[stack]

"Indeed I do know him, better than most in the city. Hard man to know at that, few where truly close, but we worked together for some time. I never knew anyone so able to ask the questions that never occurred to others. His intellect is keen and he has a unique perspective. I never knew him to have any malice; I doubt that he would be the cause of any disaster, not intentionally, but I know of no one better suited for seeing the signs that no ones else could, no offense steward. Perhaps if I had not been away he would have confided the cause of his journey, but it is too late for that." Remember to check for notes or hidden messages in my chambers. I wonder if he ever finished his work on that special ink?

He grimaces at the sight of the ship, needing no explanation. "Under the edict of toleration, how can those bloody-minded fools even put into port? Narial, has something happened while I was making my inspections? Did they come about the supposed magic, or did word of Lord Viitelv cause a quicker reaction in the courts to the south, empower the orthodox faction? I would not have expected anything to move so quickly."

[runestone]

"You are quite right, Beorn. Fortunately, they are not that fast. No, that ship launched before the massacre in Skovla, and the inquisitor is here to investigate the general reports of witchcraft which have reached the capital. The edict of toleration is still in effect, but there is a loophole which allows the hawks to investigate certain intolerable activities, as they put it. Once they find proof -- and they are quite good at that -- some of the factions at court and in the holy orders will make a push for an end to the edict of toleration. And they may well succeed."

"The massacre is just the kind of thing the hawks are looking for, however. So I believe the inquisitor's ship will sail north as soon as they hear the details from the spies they have here in the city." He makes a small hard smile. "Though completely unforeseen problems with the supplies they are picking up here may well delay them for a while."

Narial once again walks to the edge of the cliff "Speaking of ships, I have arranged for a fast longship to take you north to Skovla." He points to a medium-sized ship anchored in the harbor. "It is that one. It sails at high tide."

Close to the summit, the narrow path joins the longer -- but much less steep -- road which leads from the city to the temple at the top. A number of people are making their way up the road to join the crowds already gathered at the temple in anticipation of the execution.

"I had not expected the hawks to arrive so soon -- the wind must have been in their favor. And now I have urgent business in the city. As I said, Lady Kersti expects to see you all when she has dealt with Lord Viitelv. Sir Blackshield, I trust you can make the necessary introductions?"

"So, if you have no further questions, I will bid you all farewell here."

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana allows her gaze to drift over the harbor as Narial speaks; after all, she is already privy to much of the information he is doling out. Once he has finished, she gives the others a chance to ask the older Order member any questions before she nods to him. "Thank you, Narial. We can take over from here; I know well how busy you are, especially with our 'guests' down there in the harbor. I look forward to hearing what a man of your caliber can do to inconvenience them." She smiles, then, and it is surprisingly genuine.

She glances to the other, mostly untested, members of the party. "I look forward to working with all of you. As I have said before, as long as we work with rationality and honesty I do not foresee any trouble that we cannot handle. I will be the first to admit that I am mostly untested in real combat, which we may see after we arrive in the north, so I ask that you watch my back. I can provide much of the same information that Narial can, minus the more secret details of the government."

She gestures towards the impending execution. "Shall we proceed? I would like to get a good look at the area before the execution commences; I suspect someone may try to incite something. We are about to kill an important man, after all. It would be an ill omen if something bad were to happen only minutes after we come together as a group."

[stack]

They will do it. They will start the burnings and there will be a war. But not like last time, no. Too many northern lords are grown fat on trade, comfortable with their positions and seeking southern titles and lands. The small folk will rise and there will be blood, but this time they will not prevail. Then the orcs will come over the border, smashing down the light wherever they go, defenses abandoned, soldiers turned against each other. The north will be ruined, countless dead, all for the glory of the inquisition.

And the fighting will last long enough and the damage be deep enough that the war faction will lose power, laid low by their own ambition. Narial, your lot will come out on top though. Always seem to.

"Let us proceed." His face is fixed in a scowl.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana winces for a brief moment before concealing the pain; her headache had suddenly flared up with a renewed passion. She glances at Beorn, confused and curious. Emotions had to be powerful before they reacted with the forces in and around her mind; Adriana had a number of powers, but telepathy was not yet one of them. Even so, she could tell that Beorn was feeling a strong brew of emotion; and the only new factor introduced in the last few minutes was the Inquisition. It didn't take a genius to make the connection. The quiet young woman catches the old rogue's eyes, her own gaze intense.

After a moment, she speaks. Her tone is calm, though she is admitting something of great magnitude. "What does the Inquisition mean to you, Beorn? For me, they could mean death."

[OzzyKP]

Veldt was thinking over Adriana's question before she even asked it. He was conflicted. The existence of real, magical creatures and people was a great threat to many. Vast power could be held by anyone. Small girls could incinerate buildings.. and people. Lives could be extinguished with but a thought. Such power is too dangerous to exist in this world. If the inquisition was trying to stamp it out, then perhaps that was a good thing.

Yet, the inquisition is power in its own right. Less power per individual, but as a group, as a force, they were tremendously powerful and have also been responsible for many deaths. Perhaps many more yet to come. Organized power vs. disorganized power.. hmm, he supposed the organized variety is more dangerous. Especially since they have more on their minds than just stamping out magic. And especially since it looks like Magron is working with them.

"Well," he finally spoke up, "something does need to be done about this sudden emergence of witchcraft in our midst, but.. not this. Not the inquisition."

[stack]

"War. Bloodshed that benefits no one. I have no objection to punishing men for their deeds, but for their thoughts? Or for what they are? No, no good can come of it. If you burn a man for having the potential to be dangerous you will have to burn everyone. If magic is used for murder, hang the murderer, do not burn the witch. But that is enough about that, let us get on with it. We have an old friend I must watch die." His mood is not improved by the discussion.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully crossed her arms. I haven't done anything bad my whole life. Maybe be a bit cross with the neighbor boys. Maybe a bit rude to a few city folk with no respect for me. But it appears I've a bit of magic myself. Would those Southerners want me dead just because some damned ancestors of mine talk to me in my sleep, and now during the day? I don't really like that idea much. It doesn't make sense. Like killing ... well, like Blackshill said. You'd have to kill everyone if you wanted to kill all the potentially dangerous people. Those people down there sound like murderers.

[stack]

"They would kill you and sleep well afterward. That is why we must be wary of them."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully bit her lip, and moved away from Beorn. The harsh tone seemed to have taken a few years away from Sully, rendering her back to being a child.Th-that's not... fair... A small trickle of bolo started down her lip. As it touched her throat, she seemed aware of it, and wiped her mouth. After looking at it for a moment, she spat at the ship. Hells no. They'll kill no one if I can help it. I'll cut them down first if I have to.

A new slow trickle of blood started up again, and after wiping that one away, her hand shimmered a blue so soft, it looked to be made of sky, and the little cut vanished. I'm not going to stand for bullies like them butchering innocent people. If this happened to me, who knows how many people, good people, got sudden magical powers?! They'd kill them all? That's a load of crap. And even if they accidentally hurt someone, what if they just need to learn how to deal with this new magic? Sure some people might be bad guys, but not many. I think most people are good people. I think those ... Inquidators... are the bad guys.

Looking away for a moment, clearly distracted, the fire in her eyes soldered. She slowly mouthed a few words, and then her eye re-ignited. To hell with that. I'll burn their godsdamned ship before I let them. Sully glared at Beorn. You can't let them murder innocent Northerns for no reason. Perhaps they have that right in the South, but not here. Not my countrymen. We're noble, strong, and honest people. We deserve better than the dogs of the south snapped their maws at us, and gnashing their teeth into the tender, innocent flesh of our people.

Sully cracked her knuckles, and looked at Adriana. We have to stop them. I know you are a good honest person. I know that Beorn is a good honest person. Even this stranger Velt or whatever is not without honor. None of you can approve of such savage butchery. And I... nnngh... I... Sully grabbed her head. Gods... I... what... was I saying? Gods, everything is all... white...

[OzzyKP]

Veldt scoffed at Sully's ramblings. "You've outlined the whole problem, girl. If people are just waking up one morning with the power to accidentally kill people in the blink of an eye, how long do you intend to wait for them to 'learn how to deal with this new magic'? If a so-called good person accidentally vaporizes a whole village, are you going to send them to school?"

For the moment he was choosing to ignore the fact that this farm girl just admitted to knowing magic. Instead he focused on what he felt was her foolish argument. "Mr. Blackshield, I understand you provide martial training to the young men and women of the royal court here. Training them in the finer points of sword play and combat must take years. And, I imagine, training involves not just building strength and mastering technique, but learning control. Learning how to master emotions, and knowing when and how to use force. And when not to."

"It took me years of work to build up my skill with a sword and I learned much along the way. I shudder at what could have happened if I had this much skill with a sword twenty years ago. But I'm just a man, and I have the limitations of a man. Nothing supernatural about me. I'd be terrified if one of my children had the power of whole armies at their fingertips. Any tantrum could result in the deaths of dozens."

"That is the fear, dear girl, some pure soul without a hint of malice in their hearts could accidentally kill dozens or even hundreds of people. If we wait till something has happened... its too late. It isn't just about good and bad."

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana hangs her head, remembering. Then she looks up at Veldt, a quiet sadness behind her eyes. Her eyes make her seem far older than her looks would otherwise suggest. "You are right, though it is unfortunate. The difference between skill at arms and this ill-understood source of energy is not only the capacity for destruction, but the amount of power available to those without the skill or knowledge to use it properly. A novice with a blade is still dangerous, of course, but they are hardly a threat to entire buildings. A novice with access to the supernatural..."

She shakes her head. "I do not think we will be able to solve anything here and now, but I would like this conversation to continue. It is a valuable one, and gives us all much to consider. However, we have an execution to attend."

[stack]

Beorn holds up a finger to Sully, a hint of grim amusement breaking through. "Burn the ship and more will come, you will have started a war most likely. Force is not always to be opposed by force. They came to investigate magic, so we must do so before them that the situation can be managed. Lady Kersti does not hold her position merely by inheritance; one must have certain skills. The inquisition must be managed and directed, sent on their way with something to show for it. Our findings will be vital to this; the situation is to tense to allow them to linger a moment longer than necessary."

To Veldt, "You are not wrong, if such be the case. But we must know more, and know it before the hawks do. Sometimes difficult decisions must be made, but I would not have them be the ones to make them."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully returns to biting her lip. Looking at Veldt for a long moment, and then she turns to look at Adriana. ~I am dangerous to people around me. Veldt is right. I wish magic hadn't woken up. I want to go home.~ Her eyes shift back to Veldt, and she looks guilty, and suddenly very sad.

Well... if I hurt people on accident, I don't think you'll have to worry about me doing it again. Maybe if we quickly learn about this magic, we can quickly learn how to teach it. And maybe... from there we can teach everyone how to use it without... Veldt... what do you think we should do? I mean, do you think it's fair to just... kill everyone who woke up with magic? That's not really fair. And then, everyone who has magic will try to hide it... and get resentful. Realizing she is babbling, she looks down.

Wanting to change the subject completely, she looks back to Beorn. Where is my horse? I'd like something out of her saddlebags. And the horse itself.

[runestone]

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/standing_stones_sketch_zps438d63c6.jpg

While the companions talk, they crest the final ridge before the summit and find themselves on a plateau where a large crowd has gathered below a low escarpment. Most of the people have taken up positions at the edge of the cliff where they will have a good view of the condemned lord's final test of character: Will he have the strength of will to face death with honor and jump from the cliff himself? -- or will he cling to the last seconds of his life like a coward until the guards throw him to his doom? At the back of the crowd, two men are accepting bets on the outcome.

During the climb, the scattered patches of snow had grown bigger and deeper, but up here, close to the top, the wind and sun seem to have conspired to remove all traces of winter. The sky is clear, the view of Tranhamn several hundred feet below is magnificent, and the ships in the harbor look like exquisitely carved toys for children. Across the harbor, the south cliff rises, and among the deep patches of glittering snow at the top, Castle Blackrock looms over the city. The distant peaks of The Fingers are clearly visible behind its walls and towers.

On the left part of the escarpment above the crowd stands the small white-walled temple which has been visible for much of the climb, and behind it, at the highest point of the cliff, one can see an ancient circle of great standing stones. In front of the square temple, two men in the traditional white robes and black cowls of the southern priests are engaged in conversation. One is a middle-aged senior cleric, while the other is the young firebrand preacher Beorn confronted in the city square earlier in the day. Two of the ubiquitous black-headed white gulls are perched on the roof of the temple just above the priests, and the similarity between the plumage of birds and the clothing of the priests makes the two pairs look rather comical.

Suddenly, a hush falls over the assembled crowd as Lady Kersti comes into view on top of the right-hand part of escarpment. She is old by the standards of the inhospitable north, but seems untroubled by the ascent. Her long grey and white hair is tied back in a thick tail, and in spite of the warm spring weather, she wears the traditional ruler's cloak made from the pelt of a great white bear.

Below Lady Kersti, surrounded by four guards armed with spears and swords, stands one of the largest men you have ever seen. He is dressed in a bearskin cloak, but his arms are bared to show a truly impressive collection of the traditional blue warrior's tattoos. His long brown hair and beard are unkept, and his hands are locked in chains. He seems not to notice his surroundings as he stares out over the crowd. Naturally, Beorn recognizes him as Lord Torgel Viitelv.

A line of city guards separates the condemned man from the watching crowds below.

In front of the temple, the two priests look rather surprised that Lady Kersti has chosen to take up position away from them, and after a short moment of indecision, they hurry towards her. But as they come round the corner of the temple, the older one collides with a young page carrying a vial of ink which leaves a large blue stain on the front of his previously spotless white robes. Veldt recognizes the page as the young boy who was with Narial earlier.

While the priests are occupied scolding the lad, Lady Kersti addresses the chained lord "Lord Torgel Viitelv, a court of fair and noble lords and ladies have sentenced you to death for the vile murder of twelve men, women, and children in the town of Skolva. Do you have any last words for the living before you meet your ancestors?"

Torgel snaps out of his previous daze and growls "You and yours have no right to judge me! My great great grandfather stood on the walls when the southeners came to take our freedom, my grandfather fought for your family in the uprising, and I saved the northlands from the orcs." He spits in Lady Kerst's direction and yanks his chains "My ancestors swore to serve the kings and queens of the North, but you are no queen, and I have sworn my life and my death to the lord of storms!"

Lady Kersti nods to the guards escorting Lord Viitelv, and they begin to lead him towards the summit.


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution1_zps175c8885.jpg
The grey mass is the crowd. The priests and the guards keeping watch over the crowd are not marked. I'm trying to get better at using Gimp, so bear with me :smallsmile:

A few notes:
- Any square which is partially occupied ny a cliff is difficult terrain.
- Anyone who ends up in a square which is completely occupied by the large cliff (e.g. by being bullrushed) suffers a hazardous fall and ends up on a ledge from which one has to climb back up.


Feel free to place yourselves anywhere in the crowds, but you'll have to interact with the guards in order to get closer to Lady Kersti or Lord Viitelv.

Construction of the temple was started shortly after the surrender of the North, and it was originally meant to be much larger. In fact, the current structure was just meant to be the foundation of one of the four corner towers in a large square building. The construction had to be scaled down considerably due to the difficulty of building at the relatively inaccessible site, and now, a big temple is being constructed in the city instead. In the end, the builders attempted to use the large standing stones from the stone circle in the construction, but gave up after transporting one of them half the way.

Gur, The lord of Storms, is an important deity from the traditional northern mythology. He is a god of war, destruction, and ... well ... storms.


The woman who was with Magron in the Broken Oar is standing below the temple [K-31], apparently keeping a sharp eye on Lady Kersti and Lord Viitelv.


Beorn spots the trio of warriors who confronted the priest in the main square earlier at a prime spot to see the coming execution at the edge of the cliff [AD-27].


On top of the ridge in front of the temple [H-34], a large butterfly unfolds its deeply black wings. You have never seen a butterfly like it.


You are sure that this is not a species of butterfly normally found in the north. In fact, it is still much too cold for the butterflies normally seen in these parts.

[stack]

Beorn works his way to the front of the crowd, near Lady Kersti, though still in the general crowd. As he nears the front, he watches to see if Torgel notices him. If so, he will give a grim nod and glance to the cliff. I owe him that much. Depart with your honor old friend, and be glad that you will not see the result of your work, the growing storm. We will have need of your strength though, should matters go poorly. But you left no choice, did you?

[OzzyKP]

Veldt nodded in agreement with Adriana and Beorn. Perhaps he misjudged Adriana, she seemed more mature than he took her for. Sully on the other hand.. She was young, too young. Young and naive. He hoped this wouldn't become a problem in the future. This magic was messy business, but Beorn was right, that is why they were investigating. And why they needed to find answers before the inquisition.

He followed the group up to the top of the mountain, taking his place alongside them in the crowd. He never really cared for public executions. He had 'participated in' more than enough private executions. He had no qualms about Viitelv being put to death, for what he did death is perhaps too easy a sentence, but he had no desire to watch. He absentmindedly looked around at the temple and other sights here on top of the mountain. He hoped it would be over soon so they could speak to Lady Kersti and be on their way.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana stays with the group, neither at the front nor the back. She is preoccupied with thought, which is normal for her. She has much to ponder, and much of what she has to ponder is far heavier than anything a person her age should have to consider. It is hers, however, and she shoulders the burden quietly and without complaint. She does not, however, give much eye to the crowd. If anything overtly dangerous happens, either Beorn or Veldt will notice, and despite Sully's naivete the young woman was also obviously very strong, built for labor and perhaps brawling. Adriana felt safe. She kept her eye on the Lady, however; in addition to being a good ruler, protecting her was one of Adriana's current duties.

[darklink_shadow]

The whole idea of an execution wasn't utterly foreign to Sully. She knew people were executed for things, and once or twice she had learned that someone she didn't know anything about had been executed. This method didn't seem as gruesome as the word execution seemed to imply, but after catching a look at the man to die, Sully found out how badly her new boots needed her to stare at them.

[runestone]

When Torgel's eyes meet Beorn's, his face is a mask of rage, and at first, he shows no sign of recognizing his old friend. Then his strength seems to suddenly leave him, and he sags against one of the guards who has to take a step backwards to steel himself to support the big mans weight.

When Torkel looks up, he stares pleadingly at Beorn. The combined noise from the gulls and the crowd drowns out his words, but his lips are easy to read when he whispers "Save them!"

Annoyed at the delay, the guards yank the prisoner's chains, and one of them pokes him with a spear. Torkel responds with a guttural roar of rage and launches himself towards his tormenter, but even a man as strong as him is helpless when chained and surrounded, and the guards soon manage to get him to the summit where his struggles scare a flock of the big black-headed white gulls away from the standing stones.

Once they reach the stones, Torgel collapses and curls up shaking on the ground. No matter how hard they push, pull, and poke, the four guards are unable to make him move, and the only result of their efforts is a series of escalating roars from Torgel and a torrent of jeers and cat calls from the increasingly displeased crowd.

Meanwhile, Sully is suddenly distracted when Asti from the Smiling Boar pushes her way through the crowd and makes a small curtsy in front of her "My lady!" She smiles and corrects herself: "My friend! I didn't expect to see you here." She nods towards a sedan chair with lace curtains parked at the back of the crowd "I'm here to attend to one of our noble guests, but she's all occupied by the show. I wonder what's going on up there."

At the temple, the young priest is still occupied with the offending page, and when he slaps the boy across the the cheek, the sudden movement makes a flock of gulls take flight from the temple roof.


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution2_zpse5fb40e1.jpg

Please let me know if I misinterpreted your positions


Everyone: You get another attempt at the DC 20 perception check from the previous post.
Veldt: Perception DC 10 to open the spoiler from the previous post.

It's not obvious at first, but something isn't right! There is a rapidly building tension in the air. As Torkel collapses and lies shaking and roaring on the ground, you're reminded of descriptions of the transformations of shapeshifters.

It strikes you that Torkel's unexplained wrath and his current breakdown match the legends of people able to take the form of animals. Could he be in the middle of a transformation?

[OzzyKP]

Veldt enjoyed mountains, the views, the fresh air, the cool breeze. He tilted his face to the sky and closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasant wind and sun on his face.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully shrugs, and then looks back at the scene. I don't really know. They want some man to jump off a cliff. But he's curled into a ball. I'm really not interested in watching a man die. There are few things I wouldn't rather be doing. Sully looks up at the temple just in time to see the page get hit. She frowns at the city's apparently love for violence. If you make a mistake, are you struck as well, Asti?

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana's eyes grow wide as she realizes what is happening. As soon as she puts the corporeal pieces of the matter together, her new sense begin to kick in. A spiral of energy surrounds the prisoner, subtle but real, and it is reaching a climax. Natural, primal energy, drawn from the sky and cliffs and the chaos of the crowd around her, and it is growing stronger by the second. Her hand whips out, gripping Veldt on the shoulder. The man was going to be her Sword, whether he wanted the blessing or not. At the same time, she sends out an unfocused burst of energy, drawing the attention of the group over the roar of the crowd.

As soon as all eyes are on her, Adriana begins speaking, intense and just loud enough to be heard over the crowd. "Listen to me. He is about to transform into something very dangerous; he will almost certainly be bloodthirsty and feral. We need to clear these people away right now, and we are going to have to put him down. Magic is about to become a reality for this city."

Veldt is given the Sword blessing, as described above. Nothing in the entry says that it has to be a voluntarily accepted blessing.

[stack]

perception [roll0]
arcana [roll1]
history [roll2]

double move toward Torgal

Beorn's mind is turning as he hears Adriana's cry. Hope she knows what she's doing. But no, I see it too. He leaves the crowd, pointing back to the guards not near the prisoner. "Protect the Lady, now!"

"Veldt, with me, if you please."

His steps are quicker now, the strange sensation of a completely unforeseen threat both frightening and invigorating.

[OzzyKP]

Veldt feels a strange sensation through his body. He wasn't sure if it was part of the strangeness overtaking Torgel or something else, but it felt unnatural. He hears Adriana's shout and he tenses up, preparing for what will come next.

"I told you magic was trouble..." he growls.

He really wasn't looking for a fight, especially after being several years removed from combat, but with all the people here on this mountain top, there could be a lot of innocent blood spilled. Especially if he is as bloodthirsty and feral as Adriana claims.

"oh well," he thinks, "I guess I could always use some exercise."

He draws his swords and follows Beorn out toward Torgel.


Veldt can move through difficult terrain with no penalty, and can jump over just about anything in his way if needed. I'm not sure what kind of barrier that is near Lady Kersti, but I'm assuming Veldt goes right through it to end up 45 feet due north at 21, N

[darklink_shadow]

Sully jumps at the cry, an within a moment is wielding her Scythe. Asti find your charge and get the hells out of here. Go. Sully pushed Asti away with her free hand and sprinted to the front of the crowd, more worried about the people than the Queen.

[runestone]

While Adriana's words spur her companions into action, everybody else is completely occupied by the scene at the stone circle.

Cowered in his bearskin cloak and still curled up at the foot of one of the standing stones, Torgel lets out a deafening, inhuman roar that makes the tens of thousands of gulls nesting in the cliffs take flight in fear. Immediately, the air is filled with the big white birds and their screeches of protest.

Torgel is still covered by the bearskin when he slowly starts to rise. In fact -- impossibly -- there seems to be a lot more bearskin than there used to be.

The circling flocks of gulls make it hard to see precisely what happens, but it soon becomes clear that something is horribly wrong: In Torgel's place, towering over the guards, stands a huge brown bear. The remains of the manacles that used to hold the prisoner dangle from its right paw. Paralyzed by surprise and fear, the four guards have no time to react before the monstrous bear falls on them. The beast is much faster than one would expect from such a large creature, and it tears through chain mail, flesh and bone with alarming ease, leaving the four soldiers badly wounded.

Torgel:
Move action: Finish transformation (just fluff) + Vitality (vigor) [roll0]
Standard action: Whirlwind (targeting the four guards) [roll1] vs AC 13, damage: 15

All other NPCs are surprised.

For some reason, this one was hard to write. Sorry about the delay.

As I wrote OoC, Adriana was the only one to beat Torgel's initiative. She gets one more round. Then Torgel acts again.

Let me know if I misinterpreted your positioning (stack: I let Beorn circle around the cliff, it seemed like the fastest reliable way to get close to Torgel)

In case it matters, the bear is large.

Edit: In case you wonder, I don't believe that political power implies that you're good in a fight (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AuthorityEqualsAsskicking). Lady Kersti was a decent fighter when she was young, but that was a long time ago.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution3_zps952d319b.jpg

The gulls aren't fleeing from from Torgel's roar: They've been summoned by it. Two large flocks are gathering over the the crowd of people and over Lady Kersti.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana takes one last calm breath, drinking in the sea and the sky and the earth beneath her feet. It has been a long time since she has had to truly use her power; and now that the time has come, she questions whether or not it will be enough. She notes, in that last calm moment, that the gulls swarming around the cliff were thicker than they had been a moment before; Adriana quickly realizes that the werebear called or summoned the birds. She makes a mental note to watch them, and plans how best to deal with them.

And then the moment collapses, and she rips apart the barrier in her mind that holds back the magic. Her hood is torn from her head, and her blue eyes turn a bright shade of violet. She raises her arms, and ephemeral force begins to buzz around her new allies, as well as Lady Kersti and the guards adjacent to the bear. She attempts to tune the energy to be in opposition to the bear's magical frequency, and a faint feeling in the back of her mind tells her that she pulled it off. Everyone, including herself, would now be more protected against the monster's claws.

Her next action requires a good bit more energy, and she knows in the back of her mind that she is earning herself a terrible migraine later. She pictures sharply the specific effect she desires: a flat, smooth, nearly frictionless area surrounding the bear. It might mean death for his guards, but they are unfortunately expendable when compared with the important figures in the crowd. With the power shaped in her mind she slams her hands into the ground, sending a stream of energy through the earth. It wells up around the bear, and the ground around it becomes as slick as wet ice.

Looks like the prisoner decided to exercise his right to bear arms.

Perception: [roll0]
Or, Nature: [roll1]

Move action: Tactical Insight knowledge check. DC is equal to 10 + Opponent's level. I'm assuming Nature is the appropriate knowledge? [roll2]
If she succeeds, everyone gets a +3 Insight bonus to AC against this guy.

Standard Action: Grease, creating a 15 foot spread centered on the werebear. Save DC is 16.


You create a pool of slippery grease on any horizontal surface within range. When you cast the spell, and at the beginning of your turn each [Round] until the end of the [Encounter], each creature in the area of the spell’s effect immediately falls [Prone]. A successful Reflex save negates the [Prone] condition.

Creatures within the area of the spell’s effect have their movement speeds halved as long as they remain in the area. For each creature, the first time each [Round] it attempts to exit a square in the area of the spell’s effect, it must make an Acrobatics check (DC 10). On a failed check, it falls [Prone] and cannot move that [Round]. A successful Reflex save negates the [Prone] condition.

EDIT- Edited to include results of rolls. We're screwed if this guy is higher than level 7, so I assumed my roll succeeded.

[runestone]

The four guards are still reeling from the first onslaught, when the huge bear rears on its hind legs to crush them all. But just then, Adriana's spell covers the rocks under the beast's paws in slippery ice, and with a surprised yelp, the bear is sent sprawling on its back.

Lying there, the bear roars with rage, but before the guards have time to react, it is on its feet again. Acting with unnatural speed and insight it lashes out against the four humans surrounding it, and guards soon lie dead at its feet. Looking up with fresh blood dripping from its muzzle, the bears eyes fix on Lady Kersti, and with alarming speed, it sets out towards her. It circles around the two warriors guarding the ruler and as its small red eyes stare intensely at the three humans before it, it seems to be waiting for one of them to make a mistake.

When Adriana manifests her magic, the crowd parts around her to form a small open circle, as people instinctively fall back from the display. Their eyes are full of fear, and they seem to be almost as scared of her as they are of the bear.

Recovering from her initial surprise Lady Kersti starts to order the guards at the front of the crowd into position, but her orders are drowned out when the thousands of gulls swarming in the air let out a collective screech and dive towards the crowds below. Filled with terrible purpose, the gulls form condensed swarms and fall on the spectators. Without any regard for their own lives, they hurl themselves against the gathered people, tearing at exposed flesh with their beaks and aiming for the eyes.

Around Adriana and Sully, people flee from this new threat pushing and trampling each other as they go.

Another group of gulls descends on Lady Kersti who draws her sword and attempts to fend off the attacking birds, but her arms and face are soon covered in scratches form their beaks.




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution4_zpsafa72f1e.jpg


Actions:
Werebear
Swift: Stand up (no attacks of opportunity since the guards are still flatfooted)
Standard: Whirlwind against the four guards [roll0] AC 13 (+3 for tactical insights, -3 for flatfooted). Damage = 15.
Move: Attempt to move to J20 (it has sufficient move to circle around Beorn's threatened squares even though the first three squares count double due to the grease. Relfex save to leave the grease: [roll1] vs. DC 10.

Gull Myriad 1:
Flail against Lady Kersti: [roll2]
Flail agains random people in the crod.

Gull Myriad 2:
Flail agains random people in the crowd

Kersti:
Attack gull myriad 1: [roll3], damage: [roll4]

Service information: The werebear currently threatens the squares occupied by Beorn, Veldt and Lady Kersti (it has 20' reach (large, level 5+, reach weapon))

Before the crowd panics, Adriana notices a woman in a dark brown cloak watching her intensely. Unlike the others, she looks at Adriana with hate rather than fear. And she doesn't withdraw from the display of magic.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully hisses as the gulls swoop down. Her desire to keep the people safe manifests itself magically as an aura of safety. Blast! No! Go away birds! SHOO! SHOO! Sully waved her scythe around menacingly.

Cast Sanctuary on myself and project it on everyone in the crowd. Then move to keep as many within the 10ft spread as I can.

[stack]

A...bear? Ah, the old sagas...Olaf fought such a creature halfway through the first song cycle. Hope the skalds did not embellish too much, how else are we to know of these things?

He calls out, "It is powerful, but clumsy. Avoid the strike and counter, it will leave itself open."It? Him? Bah, questions for later.

He slides forward cautiously, unwilling to expose himself as he tries to get in striking distance. A quick high feint gives him his opening. Gray hairs not-withstanding, he lunges forward, a swift kick aimed at the beast's knees.

identifies everything using history (savvy librarian!), takes 10 for 19, +3 att to everyone who can hear/communicate

blade is drawn, 10' reach, AC 18 from insight

partial move to flat foot, taking 10 on bluff for 18
moving to L20

from OOC, edited for math
att (1d20+11)[24], tripping DC 21
damage (1d6+8)[10] (6 base, 2 precision for maneuver)

unarmed strike: trip, disarm, deft, parrying, reach

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana picks out a cloaked woman in the crowd, and her sharp mind draws into focus. The facts fall into place, one at a time. The woman recognized the act of casting a spell. The woman reacted with instant hatred towards a spellcaster, even one working to control a dangerous situation. The facts pointed towards one thing: the Inquisition. They knew about her, it seemed.

"Well," Adriana mutters to herself. "So much for holding back." The violet gleam in her eyes grows brighter, and her red hair flushes an unnatural shade of scarlet. Her cloak flutters as if tossed back by wind, and she slams the end of her staff into the ground. She draws forth power, locking her eyes on the swarm of gulls that fills the air. It was time to remove them from the confrontation, she decided.

With a single, powerful motion Adriana thrusts the tip of her staff into the air. There is a pause, for a fraction of a second. When life had been normal, when things had obeyed the laws of physics, nothing would have come after that pause. Instead of nothing, a massive cone of violent, purple and black energy fills the air, tearing through the gulls and leaving bloody pieces of the birds in its wake. The blast is utterly alien in nature, a breathtaking and unmistakeable display of magic.

Adriana lowers her staff, drawing more power into herself. She layers herself with more of the defensive force she had woven around her allies, creating additional layers of protection should a threat other than the bear present itself. Then she steps forward, moving closer to the brawl.

As a standard action she uses her Dread Wave ability. It is a 30ft. wedge, oriented into the air to avoid all humans but to hit as many birds as possible. It deals [roll0] Negative Energy damage, and the birds become Shaken unless they make a Will save, DC 16.

As a move action, Adriana will make a Vigor check: [roll1] EDIT: She gains 10 temp HP for the encounter.

She shifts one square up and to the left.

If the bear attacks Lady Kersti, Adriana will take an immediate action to Blind it until the end of its attack. No save.

[OMG PONIES]

Hssssswhrrrwhrrwhrrwhrr

A canister streaming a contrail of gas behind it spirals into the air from the midst of the crowd. It breaks through the cluster of summoned birds, reaches the apex of its trajectory, and begins to arc back toward the ground before bursting open with a kerPWOOF. The gas within fans out in a wide cloud, coming to rest on the entire flock of angered birds. They begin to squawk more loudly and flap more violently, but it seems their attention is distracted from attacking the gathered crowd.

From within the crowd, a litany of foreign profanity breaks forth. Those with a linguist's ear can identify the complicated dipthongs and obscure consonant pairings as those of the Gnomish tongue. Some of those in the crowd are just as frightened of the explosion as the birds are, and they draw back to reveal its source: a tiny man burdened by stuffed satchels and backpacks full of all sorts of wares, with a few strands of charred, blackened hair that all fly away from his head in opposite directions like a starburst. He raises a fist to the sky and shouts in Common:

"What, it wasn't bad enough you ate the last two muffins before I could sell them?! A perfectly fine day to do some business, and you naernenflargs go and ruin it? Hope your beaks fall off and your fleerngeds rot!"

Okay, mostly Common. Before anyone can translate the words strategically left in Gnomish, the merchant reaches into one of his packs and grabs an odd little cylinder. He snags the thick goggles down from his forehead for eye protection and shouts, "Clear!" He steps on the long rope leading from the cylinder and tosses the container itself into the air. Just like the prior canister, this one also spirals into the air. The rope unwinds from somewhere deep within it, falling away like confetti at a parade. Once the rope has hit the ground and the cylinder begins its downward arc, it too explodes. However, this one is much more violent than the last.

kerBOOSH, it bellows as flame erupts from the cylinder and falls like leaves upon the back of the nearest gull. The bird's feathers are singed and it begins to squawk violently. It is at this point that the crowd thins out even more and the merchant can see the others facing down the werebear, imposing and furious as it is.

"Oi..." is all he can manage to squeak out.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Swift action: deploy Fumigator trap centered in R26-S27. Will DC 13 or each bird in the spread treats all creatures as fully concealed for 2 rounds.
Move action: mix vial for Demo Man.
Standard action: attack gull in R26 with vial. It takes fire damage as above and begins . Reflex DC 14 negates the [Burning].
[B]Whizbang appears in or around R28.

[OzzyKP]

Veldt was a bit bewildered by everything going on. Magic, and explosions, and giant bears, and flocks of evil birds. He has been in combat many times, but this was all a very new experience for him. Typically he was the quickest to react to any situation, but after being out of battle for so long and now with the absolute strangeness of this, he hesitated. While a step behind the others, he was lightning fast once he found his bearings. And then, he found his bear.

Seeing his companions work on striking the flocks of birds, he went to the source. This giant bear, this Torgel, was summoning or commanding these birds somehow. He knew it. This was a new and frightening world. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he hoped that even massive, magical monsters would react the same to cold, hard steel.

Veldt was rusty compared to his younger self, but he still had his speed. He ran toward Torgel, diving on the ground and rolling towards it to avoid it's fearsome jaws and claws. In a flash he deployed his swords, slicing up into the mass of bear fur and flesh with all the might he could muster. He listened to Beorn's advice and looked for a sensitive area in the beast's chest to strike with more impact. He could tell the bear wasn't expecting his speed, he caught him off guard. Even so, a rush of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins, he was calm and steady in combat, always ready to do what needed to be done, but he was still afraid. He'd be a fool otherwise.

After getting close for an attack, he jumped back from his foe, getting one more stab with his sword as he did. He hadn't fought a magical bear, but has had an encounter or two with the non-magical variety. He knew that a poke in the nose would be effective. He hoped the stab would drive the bear back, hopefully further away from Lady Kersti.


Veldt (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8KQFIplFJoIaDNaYzZIMzlKdUk/)----------

HP: 40 (30 base, +10 temporary vigor hp)
AC: 18 (base 10, +2 KDM, +2 BAB, +1 armor, +3 from Adriana's tactical insight)
Reflex Save (below): 24 (replaces AC since it is higher)
Damage Reduction: 1
Power Attack: -2 attack, +4 damage

Two Rapiers: (10 ft range, 5 ft step after moving, +2 initiative)

Rapiers attack: [roll0] (+2 BAB, -2 power attack, +5 KOM, +1 human, +3 Beorn's knowledge thingy)
Rapiers damage: [roll1] (+5 KOM, +1 STR, +4 power attack, +4 precision from Dance with Me)

Vigor: [roll2] (+10 temporary HP)
Acrobatics (to surprise or move through threatened area): Take 10 + 10 = 20 vs. DC of bear's AC, if bear's AC is lower than 20, then the bear is flatfooted (-3 penalty to AC) (for the narrative I'm just assuming I won this one)
Reflex save: [roll3]
Attack reduces move speed of bear by 10 feet

After Veldt's 5 ft step, bear takes additional 5 damage from Wake feat

Veldt should end up in K-22
Torgel should end up in J-19

[runestone]

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution5_zps0e08456b.jpg

Werebear:
(10-2)+(17-2)+(5-2)=26 damage
-10' movement
Veldt manages to move through the bear's threatened area, but does not surprise it.
Beorn feints the bear, but does not trip it.

Gulls 1 (by Kersti):
Loses 2 bodies to Adrianas wave, takes 10 damage
Not affected by the fumigator

Gulls 2 (by the crowd):
Loses 2 bodies to Adrianas wave, takes 10 damage
Loses 1 body to Whizbangs demo man attack, but does not start burning, 4 damage
Sully's AoO does not hit

Adriana, Sully, and Whizbang are protected by sanctuary.


The crowd has had more than enough and continues to flee form the bear, the birds, the bombs, and the young woman's blasting, but at the center of this chaos there is an island of calm: Around Sully, the birds are held back by some unseen force protecting the innocent bystanders as well as her allies. Just a few feet from her, Sully sees a young boy emerge unscathed from the mass of white bodies that had swarmed over him.

In spite of the hundreds of dead and dying birds lying on the rocks, the gulls continue their attack, focusing now on the handful of people brave enough to remain at the summit of the cliff.

Fooled once by Veldt's tricks, the bear keeps a close watch as the swordsman tries to outmaneuver it. Too close, perhaps, as it opens itself up to a precisely aimed kick from Beorn, but the bear is not easily unbalanced, and it remains on its feet. Nevertheless, it seems determined to return the favor and lashes out against Beorn with a swipe of one of its giant paws, attempting to throw him back towards the edge of the cliff and the thousand foot drop to the waves below.




http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution6_zps3f369b96.jpg


Actions:

Werebear:
Swift: Switch weapon to claws :-)
Move: Acrobatics to surprise (flatfoot) Beorn [roll0] vs. AC 19
Standard: Pushing blow against Beorn:
- Attack [roll1] vs AC 19 (or 16)
- Damage: 16
- Fortitude DC 17 or be moved (25') to P19 and suffer a hazardous fall to a ledge on the cliff (may use acrobatics to avoid falling)

Gulls 1:
Spawn new body next to Beorn
Move two bodies next to Veldt (he gets an AoO)
Flail Beorn: Damage [roll2]
Flail Veldt: Damage [roll3]
Flail Kersti: Damage [roll4]

Gulls 2:
Spawn new body next to Adriana
Move towards Sully and Whizbang (they both get AoOs)
Edit: Gulls die from AoOs
Flail Adriana: Will save DC 14 [roll5], damage [roll6]
Flail Sully: Will save DC 14 [roll7], damage [roll8]
Flail Whizbang: Will save DC 14 [roll9], damage [roll10]
Flail crowd: Will save DC 14 [roll11], damage [roll12]

Kersti
Attack gulls 1 [roll13], damage [roll14]

[darklink_shadow]

Sully reacts to the gulls swooping down by arching her scythe up into it as it descended. A quick shake and the corpse was gone, off the blade. Turning her attention to the fight with the bear, she noticed Beorn looking beaten and worn. The bear's massive claw bearing down on him again. NO! Beorn! She cried out, and her magic heard her. An invigorating rush of magic washed over Beorn, knitting his wounds together. Beorn... don't die!

Sorry, I don't have a lot of time to do much today. But I always promise 1/day, so here it is!

[roll0] to hit
[roll1] damage

[stack]

Beorn stumbles under the crushing force of the blow, but manages to roll off of it before it could send him sprawling. Instead he continues the motion to roll past his assailant, stabbing at the back of the beast's knees with his blade.partial move to flat foot, already know it passes taking 10 on bluff for 19
move to I20 (do myriads get AOOs? If so just 5' step)
swift to drink healing potion +10 HP
attack [roll0] vs flat-footed
damage [roll1] +2 precision
trip DC 19

17/30 HP

[RaggedAngel]

The crackling energy around Adriana is more than enough to hold the gulls away, at least for the nonce. And for the first time since the fight began, she had what she was looking for: an opening around the bear large enough to harm it without including her allies in the blast. She moves her staff to her left hand, and with a flick of her right a crystal-tipped wand flutters out of her robes of its own accord. She raises the wand, eyes narrowing in concentration. After a moment she shouts, wordless and angry, and the crystal at the tip of her wand flares with scarlet light. The air around the bear grows warm, tightening, and then with a flash of light a fireball blooms around the once-man. It stops short of scorching Beorn, but he can feel the heat of the flames.

Swift action to switch to her Wand (Arcane, Brutal, Magnum, Quick-Draw).

Move action to 'focus'; Perception to lower the bear's Saves by 2, DC is 10 + Bear's Level + Bear's Cha Mod. [roll0]

[roll1] Fire damage, and any DR or resistance is treated as 2 lower. Reflex DC 16 for half damage.

[OzzyKP]

An orc or a man he could dodge, even a giant monster bear he could avoid, but a swarm of birds? Feh. He didn't care for these damn birds swarming all over him, scratching and clawing and pecking at him from all sides. He was still hyped up on adrenaline so he didn't feel much, but it was quite annoying. He swatted at them with his swords when they came near, but it was too hard to secure a firm hit on them while they were right on top of him.

He dove forward quickly to put some distance between him and the birds, rolling as he hit the ground, ending up within striking distance of the bear (K-20). He was keen also to put himself between the bear and Beorn. Beorn was a competent fighter, for sure, but he just suffered a vicious blow from the monster, nearly knocking him off the cliff altogether. Veldt hoped he could provide some cover for him while also attacking these deadly creatures. Lashing out at both enemies with his deadly rapiers, he strikes with a ferocity and precision few swordsmen can muster. Flashing steel strikes his feathered and furry foes alike, dealing critical damage to both.

He was glad to feel his swords reach pay dirt on their targets. He was worried that he had been away from combat for too long, but he was feeling like his old self again. In his glory days there were none who could match him in combat. He was glad to see that even against this massive beast, he was just as deadly.

Veldt wasn't done yet though. Like before, he jumped back and stabbed the bear in the nose, driving him further back away from Lady Kersti and, if it came to it, closer to the cliff as well.



Veldt (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8KQFIplFJoIaDNaYzZIMzlKdUk/)----------

Power Attack: -2 attack, +4 damage
AC: 18 (base 10, +2 KDM, +2 BAB, +1 armor, +3 from Adriana's tactical insight)
Reflex save: [roll0] (if higher than 18, replaces AC)
HP: 34 (+10 vigor, -6 bird attack)
Damage Reduction: 1

Two Rapiers: (10 ft range, 5 ft step after moving, +2 initiative)

Rapiers attack (applied to bear AND birds with Cleave): [roll1] (+2 BAB, -2 power attack, +5 KOM, +1 human, +3 Beorn's knowledge thingy)
Rapiers damage (applied to bear AND birds with Cleave): [roll2] (+5 KOM, +1 STR, +4 power attack, +4 precision from Dance with Me)

Athletics (to surprise or move through threatened area): [roll3]
After attack, discharge Sword blessing from Adriana's True Mage boon, reducing bear's AC by 1.

After Veldt's 5 ft step (from K-20 to K-21), bear takes additional 5 damage from Wake feat

Total Damage: 19 vs. bear & birds (15 rolled above + 4 critical damage), and 5 damage (from Wake) against bear

Bear ends up in K-18
Veldt ends up in K-21

[OMG PONIES]

Whizbang scurries toward the confrontation with the werebear, drawing another strange cylinder from his pack as he moves. The clanging of pots, pans, and various other items can be heard as he hustles. The long string trails from the cylinder behind him as he runs, flapping like a kite in the wind. "Is he hurt?" the gnome calls out with a nod toward Beorn.

Move Action & Standard Action: Run to H23
Swift Action: Mix Demo Man vial

[runestone]

As sully's scythe carves a bloody arch through the mass of gulls swarming around her, it is as if a shudder passes through the entire flock, and as suddenly as they had formed, the dense swarms of gulls scatter and the birds take flight in all directions.

Ducking and weaving -- killing gulls where ever he goes -- Veldt spots an opening and plunges one of his swords deep into the neck of the bear. The beast roars in pain and frustration, and rears on its hind legs to crush the man who had hurt it so, but just then, Beorn's sword bites deep in its leg, and the bear tumbles to the ground. At the same time, the flocks of gulls swarming around them dissipate, and the birds no longer seem to take any interest in the combatants.

The huge bear lets out a low growl, and leaps up, leaving itself open to another stab from Beorn's sword. Fueled by rage, the beast rushes the three humans surrounding it, snapping with its powerful jaws, and as it passes them, Veldt and Beorn notice that the wounds they have caused seem to be closing alarmingly quickly. However, the rage that fuels the bear's powerful blows makes it unfocused and clumsy, and it fails to hit any of its opponents.

Finally free of the swarms of gulls, and realizing that there is very little she can do against the bear, Lady Kersti jumps down from the low cliff where she had been standing and withdraws from the fight.


Gulls 2 is defeated by Sully's AoO
Bear takes 6 damage from Adriana
Bear takes (19-2)+(5-2) = 20 damage from Veldt
Bear takes (17-2) = 15 damage from Beorn and is prone

Gulls take 15 points of damage from Veldt and are reduced to -1 HP (nice call on the birds vs. bear question).

Total damage to bear: 67
Total damage to Kersti: 9


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution7_zpsfe0d1463.jpg


Bear
Swift: Get up from prone
AoO from Beorn (no longer flat-footed): [roll0], damage [roll1]
Move: Heal (spend a drink from Livers need not apply) [roll2]
Part of move: Switch to bite
Free: Start power attack, 3 points
5' step to L19
Standard: Whirlwind targeting Beorn (AC19), Veldt (AC18), and Lady Kersti (AC17) [roll3], damage 21 (HP reduction: 5)

Kersti:
Standard: Move to M27

[stack]

Whatever dark magics changed you did not make you invincible. A small blessing on a foul day. Beorn gives a low sweep as he darts forward again, feinting to the wounded leg before instead trying to leverage the bear's defensive sweep into another fall.partial move to flat foot, passes taking 10 on bluff for 19

attack [roll0] vs flat-footed
damage [roll1] +2 precision
trip DC 19

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana runs forward, closing the distance between herself and the werebear further, though not quite entering its melee range. She unleashes another enormous cone of swirling purple and black energy, which clearly has a painful weakening effect on the werebear. The blast is unleashed more easily than her previous one; using her wand grants her a increased focus and power.

Move to Q22.

Blast bear with Dread Wave, channeled through her Wand. The cone is aimed to only hit the bear.

[roll0] [Negative Energy] [Magnum]

He is [Shaken] for a round unless he rolls a Will save DC 16.

[OzzyKP]

The birds are gone, Lady Kersti is moving to safety, and the bear is weakening. Veldt is feeling good about this. He is moving with the fluidity and quickness he was known for. This giant beast couldn't lay a paw on him - good thing too. Veldt continues to dance around his opponent, avoiding his powerful jaws and razor sharp claws. He slashes at him with his swords, but isn't sure whether he made much contact beyond the bear's thick coat of fur. In any event, he continues his plan of moving the bear back, step by step, toward the cliff edge. He poked it again in the nose, driving it back.



Veldt (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8KQFIplFJoIaDNaYzZIMzlKdUk/)----------

Power Attack: -2 attack, +4 damage
AC: 18 (base 10, +2 KDM, +2 BAB, +1 armor, +3 from Adriana's tactical insight)
Reflex save: [roll0] (if higher than 18, repalces AC)
HP: 34 (+10 vigor, -6 bird attack)
Damage Reduction: 1

Two Rapiers: (10 ft range, 5 ft step after moving, +2 initiative)

Rapiers attack: [roll1] (+2 BAB, -2 power attack, +5 KOM, +1 human, +3 Beorn's knowledge thingy)
Rapiers damage: [roll2] (+5 KOM, +1 STR, +4 power attack, +4 precision from Dance with Me)

Athletics (to surprise or move through threatened area): Take 10 + 10 = 20 vs. DC of bear's AC

After Veldt's 5 ft step, bear takes additional 5 damage from Wake feat.

Veldt moves forward to K-19, then attacks the bear.
Then takes his 5 ft step back to K-20, and moves the bear to M-18.

[darklink_shadow]

Just a moment ago her desire to keep Beorn alive had manifested itself into a surge of magic that had knit flesh and bone together. Rather than being startled, Sully realized that she had known she had the power to heal, she had just suppressed that knowledge because it made no sense to her. Rushing forward, she reached out with her magic to probe the defeated bodies of the guards. They were fathers, brothers, uncles, and sons; innocents caught up in this wellspring of magic that had been unleashed upon the world.

I believe I can move to M23. From there I will use incantation to heal the nearest guard [roll0] heal.

With my horse, I think I could have gotten a little closer. Do I need an acrobatics [roll1] or an athletics check [roll2]

[OMG PONIES]

"Oi, Flaerngraeth!" Whizbang calls out to the werebear, choosing to leave his filthy name calling in Gnomish. "Over here!" With that, he steps on the rope trailing from the cylinder in his hand and sends it hurtling toward the mighty beast. While he doesn't take a step, the various satchels of junk strapped to him continue jangling for an echoing moment.

Move action: mix Demo Man vial
Standard action: throw vial at Werebear. If hit, bear takes damage as below and must make a DC 14 Reflex save vs [Burning].

[roll0] vs flatfooted AC?
[roll1] +3 if the bear is flatfooted.

[runestone]

At the foot of one of the standing stones, a young man with curly brown hair awakes with a raking cough, brought back to life by Sully's burst of healing power. He sits up and stares in wonder at the new, unbroken pink skin of his abdomen behind the gaping gash in his blood soaked chain mail. His contemplation is violently disturbed when Whizbang's explosive cocktail glides past the bear's head and shatters on the ground behind it, setting fire to a few low scrubs and blacking the lichen that cling to the rocks at the summit. Meanwhile, Veldt continues to drive the bear back towards the edge with his endless stabs, but none of his attacks seem to penetrate the beast's thick fur. Beorn has more luck, but this time the bear doesn't stumble under his well placed cuts.

As the swirling black and purple energy released by Adriana sears the bear's fur, it seems to finally realize that Veldt is attempting to drive it back towards the cliff, and it immediately closes the distance to the illusive warrior. However, Veldt's fluid movements make him an exceptionally hard target, and with a snarl, the bear once again snaps at all those gathered around it.



Summary:
Whizbang and Veldt both miss (after Veldt's reduction, its AC is 21)
Adriana deals 9 damage
Beorn deals 16 damage
Veldt's Wake deals 3 damage

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/Execution/execution8_zpsa7add77d.jpg

The bear's actions:
Move: Heal (Livers need not apply), 17 rolled OoC
Part of move: Acrobatics to surprise Beorn [roll0]
5' step towards Veldt
Free: Start power attack, 3 points
Standard: Whirlwind targeting Veldt (AC25), Beorn (AC19) and Sully (AC20) [roll1], damage 21.

Edit: The acrobatics check leaves Beorn flatfooted, so the attack hits him for 21 damage and 5 HP reduction.

Total damage to bear: 67-17+16+9+3-17 = 61

[OzzyKP]

Discouraged by the bear's continued vitality in the face of their relentless attacks, but glad to be untouched by the massive creature's attacks, Veldt attacks him once more. Again doing his best to stay out of the bear's reach while pushing him back ever closer to the cliff.



Veldt (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8KQFIplFJoIaDNaYzZIMzlKdUk/)----------

Power Attack: -2 attack, +4 damage
AC: 18 (base 10, +2 KDM, +2 BAB, +1 armor, +3 from Adriana's tactical insight)
Reflex save: [roll0] (if higher than 18, repalces AC)
HP: 34 (+10 vigor, -6 bird attack)
Damage Reduction: 1

Two Rapiers: (10 ft range, 5 ft step after moving, +2 initiative)

Rapiers attack: [roll1] (+2 BAB, -2 power attack, +5 KOM, +1 human, +3 Beorn's knowledge thingy)
Rapiers damage: [roll2] (+5 KOM, +1 STR, +4 power attack, +4 precision from Dance with Me)

Athletics (to move through threatened area): Take 10 + 10 = 20 vs. DC of bear's AC

After Veldt's 5 ft step, bear takes additional 5 damage from Wake feat

Veldt moves to K-18, attacks the bear
Veldt then takes a 5 ft step to J-18
He moves the bear to M-18

[darklink_shadow]

Seeing the whirling bear, she ducked it's claws just in time. Uninterested in the bear, but unable to ignore it, she gripped the air with her fist and punched a burst of vengeful energy at the murderous creature. You! Mr. Not-Dead-Guard! Try to drag the others away from the danger zone, or they might get hurt in the cross fire! Don't just lay there, dumb and happy you're not dead! MOVE! Go, go!

[roll0] to hit
[roll1]

Also, release the shield blessing to explode for 7 damage to all enemies within close. So, just the bear, I think.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana points her wand at the bear, and she takes a moment to clamp down her focus. Giant blasts of power were strong, but not good when her allies were surrounding her foes. Instead, she channeled an intensely powerful needle of force through her wand, meant to bisect the bear.

The attack didn't turn out quite as planned; instead of a needle, she got more of a rod. Strong, to be sure, but Adriana was rapidly coming to understand that against magical threats she was far less all-powerful than she had previously assumed. She did manage to hit the bear, and despite her imperfect focus the telekinetic assault seem to cause decent harm.

Attack with wand: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] [Magnum]

Move to M26.

[OMG PONIES]

Whizbang pulls another can from a seemingly endless supply in one of his satchels, cursing under his breath at his poor aim. Instead of stepping on the fuse, this time he grips it in his teeth and launches his arm forward. However, he keeps the can clutched in hand and waits for an additional second before throwing it. It seems the gnome is hoping to outfox the bear.

Swift Action: Mix vial
Move Action: Bluff check to flatfoot bear
Standard Action: Toss vial at the bear

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[stack]

Beorn feels ribs bending, then fracturing under the blows. A flourish gives him space enough to draw a vial from his belt, the sticky sweet contents quickly dulling the pain. At the same time he turns his attention back to the bear's legs, stabbing hard.

partial move bluff to flatfoot, swift to drink healing potion +10 hp, move adjacent, standard to attack w/ trip
[roll0]
damage [roll1]
dc 19 trip

[runestone]

The bear grows ever more exhausted by the battle and the many wounds it has suffered. Trying in vain to keep its opponents at bay it circles and turns, only to be hit again and again in its unprotected flanks and back. Finally, the huge body can take no more, and the bear collapses on the ground, bleeding from a score of wounds. It lets out a quiet whimper, and the sharp smell of urine mixes with the stench of blood as it drifts into unconsciousness.

The ground is littered with dead and dying gulls charred by fire and stained by blood, but thanks to the quick intervention of the five, there are no human casualties among them. The crowds of onlookers are long gone, and the gulls circling above seem to be behaving completely naturally once again. On Sully's instructions, the lone guard is doing his best to drag one of his unconscious companions to safety behind one of the standing stones.

Warily, Lady Kersti approaches the companions and the beast they have defeated. She takes no notice of the blood that runs freely from the many small wounds on her face, hands, and forearms where she has been pecked by the swarm, and unlike the commoners, she shows no fear when her eyes meet Adriana's.


Veldt does 18+3 damage
Adriana does 10 damage
Beorn does 11 damage
Whizbang misses
Sully misses, but the explosion does 5 damage (good call, the bear would have lasted another round otherwise)

Total damage to bear 61+21+10+11+5 = 108

The bear is [dying] or [stable] at the discretion of Adriana who acted last.

[RaggedAngel]

After the long series of blows and attacks, it falls to Adriana to make the final strike. The werebear is clearly on its final string, wounded and bleeding; though no less deadly for it. The man inside the bear had no control over it, and the transformation was almost certainly the cause of his 'murders'. His final request had been to protect the men around him; the men leading him to his death.

Adriana strikes for the heart, to kill. She hits, and the line of power punches through the bear and out the other side. There is a spray of blood, and the werebear collapses, dead.

She releases hold of her wand, and it whirls back up into her robes, seemingly of its own accord. Then she turns and bows to Lady Kersti. As she does, the scarlet glow fades from her eyes, leaving them blue rather than violet. Her hair returns to normal as well, a rich auburn rather than the red of blood.

"My lady," she speaks politely. "I apologize. I did not lie to you, but I kept information from you, which is dishonest by omission. I hope you understand why I was hesitant to reveal the extent of my power until I knew you better. I daresay that I know you better now, my lady. I promise that my power, while still rough around the edges, is fully under my control."

Adriana gestures to Sully. "This young woman's name is Sully. She came here to speak with you. She is unlearned, my lady, but strong and good of heart. As you may have observed, she also seems to have magical talent. With your permission, I would like to take her with us on our journey north, both to help protect against dangers and so that I can help her understand her new abilities."

[stack]

Beorn winces in pain as he kneels to check for a heartbeat. It is for the best, old friend. We saved them. I am sorry we could not save you. What happened?

He stands slowly, crossing back to Kersti with a stone face and carefully controlled movement, unwilling to give sign of the toll the fight took on him. He bows stiffly, then speaks in formal tone. "My lady, I apologies for the disruption. It seems there has been much occurring in my absence. It seems obvious that there is more to recent events than was let on."

"I am also certain that those who fled will be spreading tales already. This is to be expected. I am more concerned with the ears those tails reach, given the sails we saw on our way here. I have no doubt that it would be wise to omit certain details of those who came to your aid, even if the event itsself cannot be silenced. I also wonder if we would not be best on our way sooner rather than later."

[OzzyKP]

Veldt was glad to know that even a dangerous beast tapping into some unholy source of power could still be felled. Better yet, that Veldt could kill the creature without suffering the slightest injury. He hoped it would be this easy when he found his wife's killer. He looked over to Beorn's wounds and the severely wounded guards and knew that not all were as skilled or fortunate. He felt better about his chances hunting down the witch who killed his wife and child, but remained concerned about the chances of others in her path.

He became concerned also about his new found companions. He put no stock in Adriana's promise that her power was fully under her control. He looked down at the hulking monster they just defeated. Did the man control the beast or did the beast control the man? He did not know.

He also didn't know what all was possible with these magical powers that have been unleashed. He noticed Sully had used some kind of magical healing to cure the guard. Could the monster have that power too? He walked up to the bear, sheathing one sword, he grasped the other with both hands. Turning it over, he stood firmly over the head of the bear and thrust it forcefully into the creature's skull. He didn't know what kind of healing was possible, but he wasn't in the mood to take chances. He heard stories, fairytales really, about the dead who walked. In those stories a sword through the brain would 'cure their condition'. He hoped it would ensure the bear never rose again.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully completely ignored the lady queen, and her fellow bear slayers. Instead he moved closer to the wounded and continued to repair all the damage she could. This would be nearly a minute's worth of work, and her lack of attention to other things may cost her the knowledge of the conversation, but in truth, she has completely tuned everyone else out. All she can see is the wounded guard, and the families she invented for them. All she can hear is the lament of children at having lost their fathers, and the groans of pain of the people in front of her. A distant echo, she could hear her ancestors bellowing at her from a great distance, commanding and pleading her to stop showing her magic so fully, warning her the dangers of standing out. But her mind suppressed their words into a hum of ambience as she toiled with her magic, mending flesh, reknitting broken bones and replenishing lost blood.

There are 4 untreated guards, and one other guard who might still show some signs of being wounded, I don't know if he is hurt still or not. I don't know how many healing waves it'll take to heal them all, but I'll heal each of them once, and then I'll continue to heal them until they are all unwounded.

[roll0] Guard 2
[roll1] Guard 3
[roll2] Guard 4
[roll3] Guard 5

Any extras that are needed will be given out from here.
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

That should be more than plenty. After that, and only after that, will Sully even notice the queen is nearby. Once that happens, I'll post Sully's reaction to her.

[OMG PONIES]

While the others engage in deep conversation, the gnomish merchant resumes his normal function. Though the crowd has mostly dispersed and all that remains are those who were involved in the battle, he makes short order of getting back to work. He calls out like a carnival barker--albeit one whose impressive Common vocabulary is largely mispronounced and heavily influenced by a thick nasal Gnomish twang. "Anyone injured? Step right up for a dose of Whizbang's Ameliorating Salve and Mollifying Tonic, for a one-time only low introductory price! Whatever ails you, fails you, assails you, or impales you won't prevail over you! Why you can even--"

His eye catches the group forming around Lady Kersti, and he stops mid-pitch to join them. He cuts in while someone else is in the middle of a sentence to address the noblewoman. "Are you the executrix of today's affairs? If so, we must discuss my compensation for services rendered. I can cover the fumigator at my expense given its schmeerparfling less than spectacular results, but the flame cans will cost you a gold apiece. Do I collect from you or a separate administrator?"

[runestone]

The Lady's attention is still fixed on the bear, when she answers Adriana "Your caution is understandable, and I'll not hold it against you. I'm most grateful for what you and the others have done here today. Someday, I will ask you to tell me about the powers you wield, but I fear there'll be no time for that today."

As Veldt plunges his sword into the skull of the bear, its entire body spams, and it slowly starts to revert to its original form. It is hard to say precisely how it happens, but the limbs shrink, the fur vanishes, and the claws retract. After a moment, the body has been replaced by the horribly mutilated corpse of Lord Viitelv: All the wounds sustained by the bear have remained, and Veldt's sword is still buried deep in his skull.

Lady Kersti makes a nod of approval, "Good, that had to be done." Disregarding Beorn's formal tone, she places a hand on his shoulder and takes a moment to inspect his injuries "Well fought, my friend. I'm glad you're back. That's the third time you've saved my life, is it not?"

Her eyes narrow slightly as Whizbang's speaks, but there is no anger in her voice when she replies "You'll get your gold -- and my thanks. But it'll have to wait." Then she turns and hurries to the standing stone where Sully is busy treating the guards. She says nothing, and there is little she can do to help, but she watches the young woman work, and offers her polar bear cloak to a middle aged guard who shivers uncontrollably after Sully brings him back to life.

Once Sully is satisfied that her patients are safe, Lady Kersti addresses them all "You fought bravely today, and I owe you all a great debt. Without your intervention, the beast could have slaughtered scores of innocent people. Sadly, there'll be no time to celebrate you valor today: I agree with Sir Blackshield, you should leave the city as soon as possible. Steward Narial and I will do our best to keep the people from panicking over this, and we'll delay the inquisitor if we can, but this will surely bring him north to Skovla eventually."

Then she turns to Whizbang "Master Googleplex, I presume? Steward Narial has told me that we have a common interest in finding Master Kurtson and that you will be joining our search."

The young priest that Beorn encountered in the city square is trying to remain hidden in the temple doorway.


Knowning: Sully's ancestral spirits generally approve of Lady Kersti. She cares about justice and the well-being of her people.


Right here, right now there is an intangible flux of magical energy. It's not nearly as strong as what Adriana experienced on the fateful night when she got her power. It's not even as strong as the burst she felt when the werebear transformed, but it's stronger than anything else she has come across.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana glances over to the temple, curious about the state of events. She spots someone hiding in the doorway, and after a moment she ascertains that it is the younger priest who had taken part in berating and beating the page before the prisoner transformed. She frowns at him, but otherwise says nothing.

That thought leads her to another, and in the space between her thoughts she feels a strange twinge. For a moment, she thinks another headache is coming on. She frowns, focusing the sixth sense that appeared the night she lost everything. There is a pause, and then she feels it, the same way she can smell fire or feel a breeze. There is magic in the air; the power of a working.

Adriana looks up, her gaze enough to draw the Lady's attention. "We may not be out of trouble just yet. I can feel power in the air, just as it was before the prisoner transformed. I am unsure what it means, however. It is not as intense. Someone could be watching us from afar, perhaps, or..." She shrugs, sweeping her gaze over the plateau. "We should simply remain cautious, and assume that our words will be heard and our actions seen. Another threat may appear, but I deem that less likely."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully smiled at the lady queen and bowed respectfully albeit a little awkwardly. Of course! We'll leave the city right away! Sully's smile faded for a moment, and her eyes lost focus. Oh right. Sully words were soft, and then she looked suddenly very serious, almost comically so.

Lady Kersti, Queen of the North, and Sovereign over the lands that I love, I pledge my myself, mind and body to your command, knowing fully that your will is only for the good of your people, my brothers and sisters. My blade is yours to do with as you see fit, for the safety of these lands, and for the honor of the Hammerste Family. When Sully stopped speaking, she frowned and looked away. Her tongue wetted her lips, and she nodded several times before biting her lips. I'll do my best. She said quietly, not to herself, but to an entity that could hear her no matter how quiet she spoke.

When she looked back up, she held out a hand towards the queen. My lady, you're injured. Would you like me to close your wounds? I would just do it, but something tells me that would be... somehow impolite.

[OMG PONIES]

"I pledge to you as well, Lady," Whizbang says as he waddles forward and kneels with only the slightest bit of sarcasm, "that my fee for today's supplies will accrue interest at a rate of 3% until such a time as I receive payment in full. Usually, I charge 5%. But for you, I make an exception. This is a very good price."

As he stands, he looks around to the others and says, "You're all searching for Kurtson? That fearthklant and I have some business to settle. Should we be off?"

[stack]

[roll0] Beorn gives a small smile, "That depends if are counting by blade or by words. I fear young Ramjo will never forgive me for doing this without him. I am glad he returned safely, facing such magics is perilous."
"I discovered Miss Sully at the gate only just this morning. It seems my instincts were correct. I would prefer to see you uninjured before we leave."

[OzzyKP]

Veldt is startled by the transformation of the man-bear, but hides it well. He calmly pulls the sword out of the man's skull. The skull constricted around his blade as it shrunk, he placed his foot on the fallen man's head to better remove his sword. Ignoring the blabbering of the others he then wiped both his swords on the ground to remove the blood from them. Once he was satisfied they were clean he put them back into their scabbards and walked over to the others gathered around Lady Kersti.

"I am ready to leave," he announced, flatly.

He wasn't about to 'pledge himself' to anyone's command.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana moves up to Veldt, nodding in consent. "I agree that it is time to leave," she says to the others. Then she looks up to Veldt, her brow raised in curiosity. She says nothing, though she moves to stand a few inches closer than the normal distance two unfamiliar people leave between each other. She draws up her hood, and leans on her staff a bit. The ruse is simple, but effective from a distance; the beautiful young woman could easily pass for a much older one obscured in such a manner.

[runestone]

In spite of Adriana's warnings, the plateau seems peaceful. The wind blows quietly and the only living thing within earshot is a gull perched on the lone irregular jet-black rock at the center of the circle of ancient standing stones.

When Adriana spots the young priest, he hastily looks away and grasps the holy symbol that hangs at his neck. After a moment of prayer, he straightens his robes, steps out into full view, and walks towards the group gathered at the summit with long purposeful steps.

At the mention of Sully's family name, Lady Kersti arcs an eyebrow, and looks briefly at Beorn, but it only lasts a moment and her expression is attentive and solemn when Sully speaks her oath. While she speaks, Lady Kersti takes a gold arm-ring from her right arm and holds it out towards the young warrior. It is shaped like two intertwined snakes, and Sully instinctively knows that she is supposed to grasp the other side of the ring while she speaks her oath.

"Sully Hammerste, you have shown great courage and dedication on this day, and it would be an honor to accept you in my service." Then she gives the traditional reply to an oath of fealty: "Sully Hammerste, bear-slayer, faithful guardian, and healer of wounds: I have heard your oath, as have the gods both old and new. Hear you then my vow to you: With red gold shall I gift you, granting good gifts as you merit, round rings rolling from my hand to yours. Among my earls shall you sit in the sumbel, with sweet mead strong filling your stoup. If to the law court you are called, in legal tangles twisted and tied, then I and all of my earls and kin shall stand as oath-helpers if you should need this. And finally, my sword shall stand between you and your enemies, my strength and my war-band beside you boldly, for bare is brotherless back."

The Lady lets go of the golden arm-ring, leaving it in the hand of Sully Hammerste as a token of the bond between the warrior and her liege. The she looks the young woman in the eyes "I would be grateful to receive your treatment." She makes a motion towards the four recovering guards "And if you ever find me unconscious on the field of battle, I trust that you will do for me what you did for them."

Then she turns to Beorn and presents him with a sealed letter and a heavy leather purse. "The letter should remove any misunderstanding if someone doubts that you're acting on my behalf, and the purse contains gold and silver for the journey." She looks at Whizbang "I'm sure you'll find that your share of the contents is more than sufficient to cover the cost of the items you have used today as well as the expenses you may have on the journey."

Adriana feels a soft throbbing pain in the scar where the anthame once cut the palm of her left hand.



Looking down, the hand is touched by soft moonlight. The smell of pines is in the air. A light breeze touches the tall trees around the clearing, and their shadows dance slowly over the ground.

There is also another smell. A sweet smell on the wind. A little too sweet. Like the scent of decaying roses.

Brendan's voice whispers in her ear: Adriana, velethril e-guil nîn

Harshly, another voice disturbs the scene, and Adriana once again finds herself back in the bright noon sun among the standing stones.

Adriana, love of my life

The young priest arrives at the scene and makes a deep bow before Lady Kersti "My Lady, it makes my heart glad to see that you are safe. I'm brother Hasun." He is tall and thin, and his short hair and carefully trimmed beard are black. "We are most fortunate that an inquisitor has arrived on this very day. He will find the source of this witchcraft and eradicate it with help of the almighty. Please, allow me to lead these people to him, so they can be questioned about the events."

The Lady's oath is shamelessly stolen from http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/oaths.shtml
The elven phrase is from http://www.realelvish.net/phrasebooks.php

The purse contains funds for the journey.

Mechanically, the letter is a homemade lesser consumable: Very limited diplomatic immunity. It works like the greater consumable, but it only gives one free token.


The priest is not a man of strong moral convictions or faith. He is opportunistic and ruthless.

The skill game:
This marks the beginning of a negotiation skill game with three sides: the PCs, Lady Kersti, and the Brother Hasun. I'll aim to give you relevant clues about motivations and such based on the skills you choose to use -- and the results of the rolls.

The DC of the skill game is 19. The available skills are bluff, diplomacy, intimidate, perception, geography, and history. In each action round, I'll give some information which will be available if you choose to use the given skill in the skill game and succeed on the roll:

The priest is not actually interested in persecuting Adriana and Sully. He has another agenda.


He hides it very well, but the priest has an almost undetectable hint of the dialect of the farmlands west of Tranhamn. He was probably a farmers son, and it is very unusual for someone like that to rise so quickly in the hierarchy of the faith. He probably changed his name at some point, as the one he is using now is not common in the north.


Once you've chosen skills and made the appropriate checks, we'll proceed to the bidding round.

We'll use PONIES's suggestion: You'll roll your skill checks where I can see them. That way I'll know when to add new spoilers like the ones above.

Keep your total number of tokens hidden, and feel free to discuss bidding strategy in spoilers.


Bluff take 10 for 19
Intimidate [roll0]
History [roll1]

[stack]

history - auto 19
diplomacy [roll0]
bluff [roll1]

do we post new or wait till bidding?

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana steps slightly forward to speak, an air of detached intelligence surrounding her. She is no diplomat or trained speaker, but she is very well-informed, and the young priest would hopefully respect her logic, if nothing else. "You wish to aid the Inquisition, to end this witchcraft? Quite reasonable, I can hardly fault you for wanting to bow to what you see as a legal authority. I would like to mention a few things that might sway you, however. First of all, note that the Lady Kersti is the supreme legal authority in this area, and that in times past when the wants of the Inquisitors and the wants of the local monarch have differed, it either goes the way of the monarch or it dissolves into violence. We don't want more violence, do we?"

She continues without giving him a chance to respond to her rhetorical question. "Furthermore, we are doing exactly what the Inquisition would want to do, assuming their motivations are what they have always been. We are seeking out the source of the witchcraft that transformed this poor man, and we aim to end or control it so that more deaths do not occur. Why, then, should we potentially get tied up talking with the Inquisition for hours or days when they want to do the same thing? It is folly."

There's the meat, now provide the Diplomacy and Bluff to make it go down smooth.

[OMG PONIES]

Whizbang listens to Adriana provide historical context to the situation before chiming in. "Also, the good Lady herself served as one of many witnesses aside from the lot of us. If you could get a testimony from any of them, that would allow you to fight the threat of witchcraft here at home while we seek to join you in the fight abroad. We'd be working together on two fronts toward a common end; It would be, how you say?" The gnome pauses a moment and scratches his chin, searching for the proper word in the Common tongue. After a short second, he snaps his fingers and says, "ah yes, a partnership!"

[stack]

"Indeed, the Lady had the foresight be gather us to begin this inquiry before the unfortunate events of today. One must always be looking out for those with the proper talents, and reward them accordingly. Each of us was brought here for a purpose, but we cannot handle the matter alone. A person of ability and skill will be needed here as well, someone to channel the zeal of those less acquainted with the north and to calm the minds of the people. Such a person would be invaluable, a true friend. And good friends go far..." He steals a significant glance to the growing cathedral below.

[darklink_shadow]

I'd like Sully to reply to Lady Kersti before the social encounter, and then talk about the social encounter a little as well. Here goes.


Sully beamed at the Lady. Everything was going so well, and she had already met with and pledged allegiance to the Lady within a day of arriving at the city. With her permission, Sully immediately set to healing the lady's wounds. You can count on me to do my best at keeping our people alive. I don't want to see anyone get hurt.

When the priest approached, Sully frowned; something about the man disgusted her. His soul was filthy, and his motives corrupt. ~Adriana, this guy... he's bad. Selfish, and... he takes advantages of people. I... I can sense a icky ... thing... he's just a not someone we can trust.~ Sully's psychic link sent her thoughts away, but at the same time, she spoke. I don't want to talk to an Inquisitor. I don't want to go anywhere with you, either. We've got a job to do, and we can't get caught up in the politics and maneuvering of the southern religion.

Like a vice grip on the base of the neck, Sully could feel her ancestors' disapproval and hatred. The Southern religion was wrong. The Inquisition was wrong. Sully didn't know how she knew this, but she knew it herself, independent of the strong feelings of anger that radiated from her ancestors. It felt like a red burning sensation up her spine into the base of her skull, and yet nobody else seemed to notice it.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana replies to Sully silently after she has spoken aloud to the young, ambitious priest. ~You can sense evil, or ill motive? That is good to know, Sully. You are a remarkable young woman, and that's coming from someone who should know. Keep your focus on him as best you can; I know that he is scum, but he may turn out to be useful scum.~

[runestone]

Hasun: Demand -- 0 tokens
Kersti: Demand -- 1 token
PCs: Pork barrel -- 2 tokens

Result:
The PCs win the bid. They get a moderate concession from Lady Kersti (to be determined later). As a result of the pork barrel, Lady Kersti gets 1+2 = 3 tokens for her demand. That gives her a significant (but non-dangerous) concession from the priest.

IC interpretation of this is given below together with Hasun's arguments for the next round of negotiations.


Lady Kersti gives Beorn a nod of thanks, before she turns to the priest. Her voice is firm, but not unkind. "As you have heard, these people have important business elsewhere, so I will inform the inquisitor myself." She looks towards the people that are slowly and warily returning after their flight and gathering on the plateau. "For now, I need you to stay here and keep the people calm. They are sacred, and they need a priest to support them." Her eyes narrow slightly. "And to make sure that they don't react violently to what they have experienced here today."

The priest makes a deep bow. "As you wish, my Lady. We are indeed fortunate to be under your wise leadership." If he is surprised or annoyed, he hides it well.

He looks over his shoulder at the people that are gathering. "You are quite right, my Lady. The commoners will demand answers soon. They're scared and uncertain of the things they saw, and before long, the story will have been told and retold until no one can remember what really happened." He smiles "Indeed, it's my sacred duty to speak to them, to reassure them, to guide them, and to make sure that they are not ... misled by false impressions. We can all see that the world is changing, but it's most difficult for laymen to distinguish between the workings of the divine destiny, and the foul witchcraft of the heathens." He looks at Adriana. "Just think of the ice that suddenly formed under the bear and it's valiant guards: Where did it come from ... and was it supposed to hinder the bear ... or was it meant for the guards it was attacking? Yes, the commoners will indeed need my help in interpreting what they saw."

As they speak, more and more people are returning to the area below the temple.

Brother Hasun
Bluff: Take 10 for 22
Intimidate: Take 10 for 21
Diplomacy: [roll0]

I forgot a bonus in the previous round.

Lady Kersti
History: Take 10 for 19
Diplomacy: [roll1]
Intimidation: [roll2]

NPC bids will be posted OoC once I know the results of the rolls.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully grit her teeth, and her mind fired off an calm reply to Andriana before her mouth fired off an angry reply to the priest. ~I wouldn't say it feels evil, just slimey, and self-serving. Icky, not evil.~

I can't believe what you're implying! After we did everything we could to save the people, the Queen, and even the guards, you're twisting events already. What are you going to say about the guards whose wounds healed themselves? Or about Veldt here, who was clearly attacking the bear, and no one else? You should really consider what it is you're implying, and who exactly you are threatening. If we are as big and bad as you seem to want to think, you'd be stupid to try to get mixed up with us. And if we're not as bad as you are saying, you'd do well to help us, and not threaten us. And don't pretend you're not trying to be subtle and imply anything. And one who was near me will know what they saw. Birds swooped to attack them, and I protected them. Those guards will know. I saved them. We all saved everyone from that bear-thing. Sully's outburst seemed to upset her ancestors, because she kept looking slightly off to the side, distracted. She took a step back from the priest and continued. I don't know much about much, but you're a snake if I ever met one. And you might see those civilians as church mice, but I'm not a mouse. And I won't be fooled by you. I'm going to go help people, and protect them. Twist that around all you want, but that's what I am going to do. After I'm done, nobody will believe a word you speak against us, because we will have made ourselves heroes, or we will have already died trying.

[stack]

Beorn raises a hand to calm Sully, then nods sagely to the priest. "Indeed. It would be shameful if the overly credulous where to hear tales of a shadowy figure in holy garb, practicing foul magics to aid the beast. Of course, such a ludicrous story could be easily refuted...by the words of honest witnesses."

He shrugs, looking over to the cliff and rubbing his chin. "Of course, many in the north would be quick to turn on such a figure. You know how they are here, such a tenuous relationship with the church. Of course, if the witnesses were to have to leave suddenly, with no friend to speak for them, such a story might take root. Especially if the malefactor perished alongside the beast, no? Such things have happened before. You recall the incident in Skole? No? Before your time. I was young then. Believed the tale of course, at the time. Always wondered since then, did that priest, young man, rising quickly, really take part in the plot, or was he just in the way. So much blood."

"But this is idle, silly talk." His thumb hooks his belt casually, incidentally adjacent to the hilt of his sword.intimidate [roll0]
bluff [roll1]
know history take 10 for 19

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana says nothing in support of her allies, at first. She simply takes a single step to stand beside Beorn, and she draws her hood back. Her eyes are hard, and as the priest watches her auburn hair and blue eyes shift to scarlet and violet, unnatural and dangerous. Only then does she speak, quietly and calmly. "You throw about the word 'witchcraft' as if you understood what you saw. As if you understand what happened. Can you comprehend the mechanics behind the formation of a perfectly planar layer of ectoplasm, or the kind of elemental detonation that helped kill the cursed man? It would be unwise to speak of such things if you are ill-informed. Someone who knows better might take offense, and then things might end poorly." Her cloak flutters softly as she speaks, of its own accord and against whatever breeze may exist on the hilltop.

[OMG PONIES]

Whizbang had been called many things, but "master of subtle social cues" had never really been one of them. Still, that doesn't stop him from feeling increasingly uneasy with the direct nature of the threats and insinuations floating around. He had always been one for dealing and compromise, but it didn't seem that either of them were welcome at this time. Instead, he finds an excuse to fiddle with his pack in attempts to avoid the ever-increasing tension in the air.

[runestone]

The priest involuntarily takes a step back at Adriana's display, but there is no fear in his eyes when he falls to his knees with outstretched arms.

"Martyrdom awaits me! I'm ready to be embraced by the light of the creator!"

His shouts are loud enough to attract the attention of some of the people gathered below.

Still kneeling, he turns to Lady Kersti and continues in a normal voice "My lady, I made no threats, I was merely pointing out the precariousness of the situation: I'm but a humble, low-ranking priest, and it may be beyond my power to keep the people calm if they think that witchcraft has been at work. Especially, if one of my superiors starts to ask questions about todays events. But to the best of my ability I will do as you have commanded."

Nothing new mechanics-wise. It's the PCs turn to make a bid.

[OMG PONIES]

Whizbang raises his hands in front of him, palms out. "No, no, my friend," he shakes his head and his hands at the Inquisitor. "This is all a large misunderstanding. We do not wish to fight you, nor are we at cross purposes. We both wish to protect the people from whatever was at play here, but in order to do so we must leave. At least hear us out."

[roll0]

[OzzyKP]

Velda wonders over to the edge of the cliff and looks out to the sea, enjoying the pleasant view and the feel of the wind through his hair. He looks back at the others gabbing away, hoping they'll finish soon. After enjoying the view some more he looks down toward the ships to see where the inquisitors and his old comrade are.

[runestone]

PCs: Demand -- 1 token
Lady Kersti: Demand -- 2 tokens
Brother Hasun: Demand -- 5 tokens

The priest wins the bid by 3 and demands a significant concession from Lady Kersti.


At Whizbang's words, brother Hasun gets back on his feet and attempts to brush the dirt from his white robes. "Yes, certainly. I'm sure none of us are interested in more ... chaos. I will speak to the people as our gracious Lady has commanded to assure them that they are safe." He pauses for a moment. "My only fear is that some high ranking cleric will undermine the message. If only there was a way to make my words carry more weight ... "

He smiles and turns to Lady Kersti. "Well, perhaps there is a way. As you know all too well, the High Priest of Skovla -- may the four stars guide his soul -- was recently murdered in the most bestial manner. As always in such situations, The First Brother of the temple has been anointed as the new High Priest, so now the position of First Brother is vacant. Your cousin, The Archprist of Tranhamn, is about to decide who to send to fill the gap, and if you recommend me for that position, I'll have all the credibility I need to convince the people of the truth and prevent them from seeing witches where there are none."

He bows to Lady Kersti, who is apparently taken completely by surprise by his request.

This is all he cares about. The joy he showed at the prospect of martyrdom was an act.


To clarify: He is willing to let you leave. We can stop the negotiation here if you don't have anything you want to pursue.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully exhales a breath she didn't quite realize she was holding in. As it turned out, all he wanted was fame and power, but then again, trying to gain political power by abusing a situation seemed like a sure sign of corruption. You want a promotion, so you can do a better job? Sully asked, genuinely trying to clarify the man's position, but unable to get the distrust in her voice to disappear entirely. It's hard to sound trusting, when magic promises you that the person is untrustworthy.

~Shouldn't he do a good job, and then get promoted? That's how it works on the farm... but I guess you city people do plenty of other things differently.~ The distrust she tried to keep from her tone was entirely obvious in her thoughts. A bitter taste accompanied them as she sent them to Adrianna.

[stack]

Ah, so that is his game. We walked into it nicely. Can we force a compromise to keep him loyal...well, not loyal but afraid to betray us to quickly? Such a man can be useful, but never trusted.

[runestone]

Brother Hasun smiles at Sully, and makes a small bow. "I'm but a humble servant of the four, and I have no interest in wealth and titles. It is sad, but the common people put so much stock in these external things. So, just as a farmer needs a plough, and a warrior needs sword, a man of faith sometimes needs ..." Lady Kersti interrupts him with an impatient wave of her hand. "Enough, brother. First, I will need you to talk to the people gathered here. Then you will do the same at the city square. If you do it properly, I'll talk the Archpriest."

Brother Hasun smiles and bows again "My Lady, it is an honor to serve. If there is nothing else, I will get to work right away"

[stack]

Beorn bows formally, no sign of the threats from a moment ago. "Peace to you, brother, and good day." He then waits impassively and silently for the priest to depart.

[OMG PONIES]

Whizbang

The tiny gnome is flummoxed. He had expected a long, drawn-out haggling session where he would have to sell his ideas like he hawked his wares on a daily basis. Instead, he couldn't help but be disappointed at how quickly everything had resolved himself. As a gnome, Whizbang's desire for a good old knock-down, drag-out haggling session was in his blood.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully maintains a distain frown. Today had been an arduous day already, and she had no desire to let it last too much longer. And yet the number of hours that had transpired where woefully short compared to the developments Sully had had to endure. Sully longed for her straw mattress now, the gentle smell of the stiff fibers welcoming her and the down inside her pillow cradling her head as she drifted off to....

Almost overcome with her own imagination, Sully realized her eyes were getting heavy and she was started to fade. Snapping her eyes fully open she resisted the urge to yawn for a short time, but soon it became an overwhelming need, and so she relented; yawning massively. Sorry. Tired. She mumbled as explanation, and then let her gaze idly rest on the priest. Her eyes conveyed irritation, and she rightfully blamed the priest for this delay.

[runestone]

Brother Hasun turns and leaves the companions alone with Lady Kersti. Her fists are clenched as she watches him go. "Now, where were we before that rat interrupted us? Ah, yes. When it became clear that we needed Master Kurtson's insight, I sent letters to Skovla. Asking -- and later commanding -- him to return to the capital. At first, the replies were evasive, and later, there were no replies at all. Finally, I sent my son Ramjo north to bring Kurtson back, but the tragedy with Lord Viitelv forced him to return before he was able to locate our missing scholar." She pales a little. "I thank the four that Lord Viitelv was still just a man at the time. My son is capable enough, but he would have been no match for what you faced today."

She glares after the priest as he makes his way towards the gathered crowd. "Once Brother Hasun is appointed to the position in Skovla, he'll be going there as soon as possible, and that means that he may well end up sailing north with the inquisitor. To prevent that, I could order him to sail with you today, but I honestly don't know where he'll do more damage. Send word to the castle if you want me to do that."

She turns to Whizbang "Master Googleplex, Steward Narial has informed me that you may be the last person in the city to receive communication from Master Kurtson. I hope that will help you all track him down."

"Now, I must go and meet the inquisitor, and I don't expect to see you again before you sail. You all have my gratitude for your actions today, and I place my trust in your ability to prevail against the unknown dangers we all face. Farewell."






I need more of the dust you sold me before I left. The one that will reveal the unseen. Have it sent to Clover Norwood in Skovla.

-- Canrod Kurtson


Mysteriously, the brief letter was delivered to Whizbang's workshop by a large black raven. Tied to one of the raven's legs was a small pouch with a large piece of polished high-quality amber sufficiently valuable to pay for the dust. The letter is not dated, but the time it was received suggests that it was sent about a week before the day Torgel Viitelv attacked the temple in Skovla.

OoC: The letter arrived two weeks ago. It's up to PONIES to decide whether Whizbang did as he was asked.



The ship leaves at high tide, two hours from now. There is some time to buy supplies, gather information ... or scuttle the inquisitor's ship if you so desire. :-)


Veldt

Looking out over the harbor, Veldt sees the inquisitor's ship being moored at the dock. The fight with the monstrous bear had been brutal but short, so the scene below is much the same as before, and the little figures in the port seem busy with their tasks as always.

When the gangway is lowered from the ship, a figure in a brilliantly white cloak disembarks. He is received by a kneeling Magron.


It is odd that the plateau where Veldt and the others are standing is almost free of snow while the southern summit is still covered in snow. The two peaks are approximately equally high.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully smiles at the Lady Kurtson, and waves goodbye before realizing on her own that she should bow. She maintains the smiles and the wave for a moment longer before putting her waving hand on its opposite hip and bowing. After returning to an upward position, she nervously returns to waving. ~She seems really nice. Like just another person. She is regal, but much nicer than what I am used to seeing in nobles. I wouldn't believe she holds much rank, if I didn't know better. Usually the higher the rank, the ruder the person, in my experience. Or is that just to people who don't matter, and now I matter enough to be polite to?~ Sully stopped waving after that thought, which was broadcasted over to Adriana.

How do we know it leaves at high tide? Is that just something people who live here know? I doubt Sully knows when ships sail. Regardless, she has a few things she wants to do before she leaves the city.

I'll make a short check list here for my own purposes.

Check on her horse
Check on her friend from the Inn
Look into this whole blue warrior "tattoo" business.
Probably get a blue tattoo. Probably of a were-bear.
Get a regular black ink (or some other color besides blue. It would depend on the options.) or her house insignia. This one is something her ancestors want her to do.
See a little of the city.
Eat something again.
Get some sort of pet. A medium bird or a very small mammal.
Send a letter to her parents.
Scuttle the Inquisitor's Ship. Or somehow pick it up and throw it on a mountain. That'd be neat. This one is probably just something she wants to do, not something she will try to do.

[OMG PONIES]

Whizbang

The tiny merchant nods vigorously, sending all of his wares clattering and jangling around him. "Yes, yes, he sent me an epistle requesting a purchase and I replied expeditiously...as always. In case you're curious, I'm always willing to do business by courier. Even when I'm not with you, I can provide you anything you need!" He pauses and winks at Lady Kersti, completing his sales pitch.

"Weirdest thing, too, the letter came by parshneeping raven, of all things! Came about a fortnight ago. Most people would send a messenger boy, but not Kurtson. Always has been the eccentric type of laergenfratz, hasn't he?"

[OzzyKP]

Sensing that the conversation with the priest was wrapping up, Veldt wanders back to the group. While "impatient" is not a word that would ever apply to the calm, and collected former assassin, he was very much ready to leave this place behind and begin their voyage. This was the best break he has gotten thus far in getting a jump on his wife's killer, he didn't want to squander it away frivolously.

"If you all have finished chatting," he said coldly, "I believe we should be on our way."

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana takes a slow, calming breath, and her hair and eyes return to their usual and more natural colors. She pulls her hood back up, looking to the others. "I agree with Veldt; the sooner we can leave, the better. I don't trust that priest any more than I would a viper, and the Inquisition almost certainly witnessed our display. I was the only one of us obviously using magic, but they may have also noticed Sully's display of healing." She turns, and begins calmly walking back down the hill.

[stack]

"Where the priest can do the most damage? With the inquisition, I expect. Where can he lend the most aid? The same. I have no doubt he will attempt to play both sides to come ahead regardless of the outcome. As long as we appear the strong choice, he will not move against us in a significant way. Unless he is more the fool than I reckon, in which case only the four know what he will do. Farewell, I do not envy you your task."

"As for me, I will make a brief stop at the barracks to arrange matters for my absence. A repose in the country should be adequate cover, with an extended hunting trip."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully bit her lip as she tried to decide what she wanted to do. In the end, she really only had one place she needed to go, and starting there was a good idea anyways. With a simple Alright, see you all later, I guess! She sprinted off in roughly the right direction as the inn, hoping to get better bearings as she got nearer to it. Her first point of order would be to have her horse taken back into her custody. After that she would see about getting her friend come help her find some decent food, and some sort of local pet.

If you want to breeze through this, that's fine. If you want to play it out even better. I think I'll go with a ferret, even though it's a bit cliché, they really are fun pets.

[RaggedAngel]

After some brief deliberation Adriana decides to follow Sully, hurrying after the taller young woman with a faint frown. This was no time to be running about on errands, and if a member of the Inquisition was on to Sully separating herself for even a few hours could prove lethal. Adriana keeps her eyes open and her power at hand in case of untoward attention.

[runestone]

As they leave the plateau behind, the companions hear fragments of the speech Brother Hasun is giving to the assembled. He seems to be true to his pormise, emphasizing the foresight of Lady Kersti, the valor of all those who fought, and the need to stand together in this time of crisis. By the sound of it, it'll be a long speech.

Sully and Adriana

Retracing their steps, the two women make their way to the Gull Door, where a single guard wordlessly lets them in. As they pass through the city, it becomes clear that the cliff top battle is on everybody's lips. Though the tale seems to have grown in the retelling, and they overhear at least one account involving flocks of winged bears.

At the main square, business is much slower than it was in the morning. People are huddled in small groups, fearful and occupied by discussions. In the far corner of the square, Sully spots a small stall with a collection of cages in all shapes and sizes holding a menagerie of birds and beasts. Among the animals on display, she can see dogs, cats, ferrets, weasels, a number of pigeons, a pair of hawks, and a single large black raven. As one might expect, most of the animals look rather unhappy to be locked up.

Across the square, the Smiling Boar is open for business, and through the open door, Sully catches a glimpse of her friend Asti waiting tables.


A black-haired woman of average height in a simple dark brown tunic seems to be following Adriana and Sully.

She is no longer wearing the same cloak, but this is the woman who took notice of Adriana's spellcasting



Beorn

Beorn arrives at the castle barracks without incident. He is met by his adjutant. "Glad to see you back, Sir Blackshield. The men are retelling an unsettling story about the execution of Lord Viitelv."

[stack]

Beorn greets the man with a nod. "Unsettling indeed. It was a strange occurrence, but the matter was sorted in short enough order. There will be wild rumors and tall tales shooting about; I need not tell you to disregard them, you have a better head than to need that advice."

"Now, I have decided I need some time to recover from our long journey. I will depart shortly for the country to relax and do some hunting. Please see to it that the reports from our journey are properly filed, not that anyone will notice with all the chatter that will set the city on fire for the next week." taking 10 on bluff of course, not that I would expect his adjutant to be TOO suspicious, even if the sudden trip to the country is unusual.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully's energy is renewed as she sees her friend. Practically vibrating with excitement, she takes a deep breath and collects herself. ~Adriana, someone is following us. She is currently standing behind a cabbage cart behind your left shoulder. If you look at the animals to our left, just as I point to them, you should see her from the corner of your eye.~ With a sudden squeak, she points at the animals. Look at the little fluffies! And the big black birdy! Ah! So cuuu~uute! Pressing her face against the glass, she sidesteps as she smears her face across the transparent boundary between her and the tiny zoo. Those two hawks look like they would be friends! Oh, but that Raven will be lonely. He looks so sad! I'm going to adopt him.

Having given Adriana plenty of time now, the younger girl grabs the mage and drags her into the store. ~I really do want to get a pet. I had to leave my pet piggy behind, and I don't want to be lonely. I have my horse, but she never warmed up to me much. She'll do what I say, but we're not really friends yet. Oooo! I do like that Raven. Oh wait, I wanted to ask if you saw who was following us?~ Once inside, Sully dragged Adriana to the caged bird and then turned towards the shop keeper and shouted: Mister! Mister! How much is the Raven?

[runestone]

The Barracks

The man seems happy to accept Beorn's praise as well as his explanation. "Thank you, sir. I will file the reports and do my best to quell any exaggerated rumors among the soldiers. Is there anything ..."

A sudden rumbling from the roof of the barracks alerts the two men to a small avalanche of snow which they barely manage to sidestep before it joins the slowly melting drifts on the ground with a wet thud.

The adjutant looks up to the roof where the snow hangs from the edge as if it prepares for an ambush. "Bloody cursed weather! ... Pardon, sir. I just hate this slush. No, give me clear cold frost or a proper spring ... this thing we have now just feels all wrong." He collects himself and continues. "Are there any messages or letters I should pass on before you leave, sir? And should I make sure that your horse is readied immediately?"


It is normal that the snow last longer on the peaks than in the city, but why was it completely melted at the northern plateau (where the execution took place) while there is still plenty left in the courtyard of the castle? The two peaks are approximately equally high.

[runestone]

The shop

The shopkeeper turns out to be an old gnomish woman. The shadows of the shop and the layers upon layers of clothing she is wearing makes it almost impossible to tell, but her high pitched voice leaves little doubt. "Sir? I'm no sir, girl." As she comes out from the shadows, they see that her grey hair is collected in a bun kept in place by two large white feathers, and when she speaks, it becomes clear that she has precisely four teeth left.

"The raven you say, hmmm? It's a fine bird. A very fine bird. Clever. Very clever. One of a kind really. It came to me, you know. It came to me this winter." She goes to the raven's cage and opens a small door to let the bird out. It has piece of string tied to one leg which the old woman deftly grabs as it makes a sudden break for freedom. Once the bird realizes that it won't get away this time, it lands on her shoulder and allows her to stoke its feathers. "You were cold and hungry, yes, but I kept you alive. Yes I did, didn't I?"

The old gnome looks up at Sully "As I said, it's a fine bird. The price is eight silvers."


The price is comparable to the cost of two sheep. It's expensive, but Sully has more than enough money after Lady Kersti gave them all funds for the journey.

Adriana spots their shadow. She doesn't seem to know that she has been seen.

[darklink_shadow]

Oh... That's a lot of money... Sully looks absolutely crestfallen, having temporarily forgotten about her money from the Queen. But it's such a pretty birdy. Can I hold him? Oh, is it a boy? Can it talk? I heard ravens talk! What's his name? Does he like boats? What does he eat? Oh, do you sell Raven food? Is it mice? I don't want to feed a mouse to him every day, it's sort of sad. Can he eat bugs? I don't know if there are bugs on the boat. Oh, I'm taking a boat! Oh! OH! I have some money actually, to help pay for the trip. Having a good companion is important right? Here! Sully quickly grabbed the coin purse up off her belt and looked through it, holding it close to her face. Eight silver ones? I don't have that many silver ones. I have a gold one. How much is a gold one worth?

[stack]

taking 10 if allowed, otherwise [roll0]"Indeed. Most unusual...Anyhow, please pass along my suggestion to the garrison commander that only the more orthodox of the men be given public duty, those of the old faith may be better served on drill away from the city or rotated to the borders for a time. Quietly, of course. And a gentle warning to keep a lid on loose talk while our esteemed guests are here, wouldn't want a jest to be overheard and taken the wrong way. I shall leave you to it then. Peace be with you." The weather rebels, one more sign of the trouble brewing.

[RaggedAngel]

Having caught sight of their tail, Adriana keeps her head down, constantly sweeping the crowd. She makes a point to never look right at the woman following them. The woman was not necessarily a foe, but she was almost certainly dangerous, and a crowd was not a good place for Adriana to fight; her strongest magic was anything but precise.

While this is going on, Sully is fawning over a bird and struggling with money. Adriana sighs, but she reminds herself to be patient. There was a time before she understood the value or exchange rates of currency. She turns to Sully, speaking just loudly enough to be heard over the din of the marketplace. "Ten silver to a gold, ten gold to a platinum. Ten copper to a silver. Remember, dear, time is a factor. We should probably get going as soon as we can. I like that bird; seems like the right choice."

[runestone]

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m148/anearlyspring/ship_sketch_zpsb42ac9fb.jpg

The harbor

Veldt and Whizbang have no trouble locating the ship Narial pointed out earlier. It's a medium sized longship with a red prow that curls up like the horn of a ram. The sides are lined with rows of shields above the oars. Overseeing the loading and stowing of a few barrels is middle aged man with tawny hair and bead. He is dressed for the sea in trousers and jacket made from waterproof sealskin.

From the dock, Veldt and Whizbang have a clear view to the inquisitor's ship which is berthed a little further down the waterfront.

The barracks

The adjutant gives a short bow before he leaves. "Yes, sir. I'll pass the message along. May The Four guide your arrows when you hunt."

The shop

The shopkeeper's eyes widen at the sight of gold "Yes, yes sure you can hold him." She places her arm next to Sully's and encourages the bird to move over there. "Stand still, girl. No sudden movement, or he might take your eye. Now, let me just hold this for you, so your hands are free." She plucks the gold coin from Sully's hand and lets it disappear in one of the myriad pockets of her dress. "Does he have a name you ask? Yes, yes, of course he has a name. Everything has name, girl. But he hasn't told me what it is, has he? Why would he do that? He is much too clever. Such a fine bird needs some privacy, yes he does." She gently strokes the bird which replies by attempting to bite off her finger. After failing to cause injury to the shopkeeper, the raven tilts its head to look in to Sully's eyes.

"Boats you say? I don't know about that, but I know what he eats. Almost anything really: Scraps, bugs, grain, berries, fruit, and mice ... yes, he likes mice ... and eyes ... I'm sure he likes eyes, but I only have two of those, and they're not for sale!" She chuckles for a while at her own joke and starts rummaging behind the counter "Let me just get you some accessories. For the gold, I'll give you the cage and the leash ... and some nice raven food, I have a few of the things he likes right here, so you don't have to worry about that on the boat. Now, where did you say you were going? Hmm?"

Meanwhile, their tail is still waiting outside. Adriana notices that the woman's left ear and cheek are disfigured by horrible burns. She must have been in a fire recently.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully smiles at the bird while he rests on her arm. Don't bite me birdy. We can be friends. If you play nice, that is! Looking back as the woman flounders around gather supplies, Sully can't help but giggle. I don't need a cage. Just the leash. I don't think he likes cages. I'll just tie the leash to me, and he can fly around a little. Do you have a longer leash? Maybe a whistle? And lots of food!

When asked about where she was going, Sully put a finger to her mouth and thought. After a while, it became apparent that she didn't know, so she shrugged with another effortless laugh. I actually can't remember where we are going! Some place north, on a boat. We are going to go visit someone! I forgot what his name was though. Anyways, Adriana is right, I need to hurry! Can you just throw everything else in a bag? And then tie the leash to my wrist? I don't want to miss my boat...

I guess I'll have to visit Asti later... but if someone is following us, I probably shouldn't go talk to her. The thought managed to be contained within her own mind. Or so she thought. Surprisingly observant. Sully made a sour face at the wall, but looked back at her new pet. You know, mister raven, I will just keep calling you birdy until you tell me your name. Take your time, though, no pressure.

Does knowing work on birds? Probably not.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana smiles when Sully has finished her purchase. She taps Sully on the shoulder, drawing her attention. "Alright, then, we should be off. We're on the clock, unfortunately. I promise that as soon as we have a little breathing room we can spend all the time you want doing all sorts of fun things, but for now, we have to get to the ship."

She resorts to the mental link Sully had created earlier, though she is concerned about how much she should tell the naive young woman. She decides to not tell Sully about the woman following them; with her luck, the farmgirl would turn and address the tail or otherwise blow the fact that Adriana was on to her. ~We are in danger, Sully. Stay aware, gather your things, and be ready for something. We need to move.~

[stack]

Beorn departs, moving briskly but not so fast as to raise question, his motion full of purpose and intent. Using his familiarity with the city, he doubles back several times on the way to the ship, watching for any sign of pursuit. His route brings him to the pier from opposite the inquisitor's craft.

[runestone]

The shop, the stables, and the harbor

The shopkeeper quickly gathers the supplies for Sully and wraps them in a piece of almost clean cloth. The raven settles on Sully's shoulder and seems content to be carried. As they leave, the shopkeeper cackles "Take good care of her, raven dear. Don't eat her pretty eyes."

Outside, the unknown woman falls into step behind Sully and Adriana as they cross the square to get to the stables of the Smiling Boar. She tries hard to blend in with crowd and doesn't seem to realize that she has been discovered. At the stable, a sullen stableboy brings Sully's joyfully neighing horse forward, and the big animal immediately starts looking for apples in her pockets.

After leaving the stable, the two women have no problem finding the docks and the ship where Veldt and Whizbang are waiting. Beorn arrives a few minutes later, and as the five companions approach the ship, the tawny haired captain meets them on the gangway. "Stow your things below and don't get in the way of my crew" He gives Sully's horse an annoyed look. "If you can't control the nag on the sea, I'll slit it's throat." Then he turns to yell orders to a couple of dock hands bringing the final supplies to the ship.

A big sailor with arms covered in colorful tattoos approaches them. "Don't mind the captain. He doesn't much like talking. I'll get you settled and answer your questions. I'm the mate, Harmondur." He points to a cage with five pigeons stowed among the other gear at the bottom of the ship "A messenger from the castle delivered this to you. He said you would know how to use them."

There is a note attached to the cage: Keep us informed, - N

The way the text is written contains subtle prearranged clues which convinces Adrianna that the letter is indeed from Narial (or at least by someone intimately familiar with the codes used by the followers of the Way).

[stack]

Beorn greets the man, then speaks softly, "I suspect our questions will be few enough. Your departure is obviously imminent. Beyond finding a place to put us that we can stay out of the way, I do not anticipate being much trouble. Thank you for your kindness."

[darklink_shadow]

With a concerned look, Sully patted her horse's neck and looked at the first mate. He won't really slit her throat, will he? Continuing to rub her horse's neck, she started to remove the loyal beast's saddle until she needed both hands. It's be really bad if he tried... I mean, I wouldn't let him... I'd stop him somehow. Not quite threatening, and more worried about the consequences, her tone portrayed more of a fear that the event would actually happen than anything else. She can get rowdy. But I saw her got born, and I've played with her most of my childhood. Once the saddle was off, she hoisted it over her left shoulder; the raven was currently occupying her right.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana accepts the birds, nodding solemnly. She then walks over to Beorn, drawing him aside to speak. Once they have a little space from everyone else, she conveys the details of the woman who had been following herself and Sully, particularly her burn. "She wasn't the smoothest tail, but she definitely didn't intend to be seen. Either that or she is very smooth, and just seemed like she didn't want to be seen. I doubt that, but who knows. I don't trust anything right now, to be honest. Oh, and speaking of trust; these birds are from Narial. I will show you the letter-cryptography that members of the Way use to convey messages within messages while we're on the ship, it may come in handy."

[runestone]

The big sailor smiles. "Don't worry about it, most horses handle the voyage pretty well, but it might be a good idea to cover his eyes to calm him. It's just that the ship is much to small to hold a wild horse, and the captain is very protective of his crew ... and the ship. Here, let me help you get it to a quiet spot." There are no really quiet spots on the busy ship, but the horse doesn't seem to mind the excitement, and he settles among crates and barrels in the hull without complaint.

The captain occasionally barks orders at the crew, but they know their tasks and each other well, so the final preparations for departure are soon completed. When the moorings have been cast, and the rowers have taken a few powerful strokes to bring the ship clear of the docks, a shrill shout is heard over the general noise of the harbor:

"Stop them! The witch is getting away!"

The woman who had been trailing Adriana and Sully stands on the dock accompanied by Magron and his two wolf hounds as well as four soldiers in the garb of the hawks, and a man who can only be the inquisitor. He is tall and lean and dressed in a brilliantly white robe with a crimson hem. His short black hair has traces of grey.

The woman falls to her knees and grabs the red hem of the inquisitor's white robe. "She burned my home, she burned my daughter! I've followed her for weeks. Please, you can't let her get away." -- But the inquisitor gives no answer and remains motionless while he looks towards the departing ship. Finally, he extends a hand and helps the desperate woman to her feet. Then he gives a small wave as farewell to the sailors and passengers assembled on the deck of the rapidly escaping longship. His right hand is missing two fingers.

The captain walks up to the companions. "Don't mind them. I'll get you to your destination, and we'll be long gone before they can get another ship ready to follow us. Especially that one." He makes a disdainful nod towards the inquisitor's ship.

Veldt recognizes the woman as the one who was with Magron in the Broken Oar.

I'll let you react to this, and then I plan to wrap up the first chapter/scene of our story (unless you do something drastic :smallsmile:)

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana frowns, considering her options. She decides to simply stand and watch as the boat moves further away from the dock. She was innocent of the woman's injury, she knew, but she had no way to convey that sentiment. Other than an illusion saying as much, but that would hardly help matters. So she stands, still and calm, enjoying the breeze and the smell of the water.

[stack]

Beorn grunts, "A fine end to our time in the city. The hawks will be on us as soon as they may and they may sooner than you would expect. They are quite persuasive."

He looks to Adriana and speaks more softly, leaning in and not inviting passing ears, "Now, Narial would not have sent you if you where a common murderer, so I do not not you, but it would do to know if there is any cause you can think of that would make this woman bring such an accusation." Not that I trust anyone Narial sent to not be keeping more than her share of secrets, but he is not fool enough to sacrifice our mission so quickly...not fool, but perhaps fox. Schemes within schemes, their entire order...

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana shakes her head, frowning. "My control of my power is not... especially precise, but it is more than enough to keep from burning buildings down. And besides, I have been here in this city with Narial and the Lady for longer than the time that the woman indicated. For what purpose would I journey out to a random building only to burn it down with people inside?"

She shrugs. "I should explain my abilities to you, I suppose; it may be relevant should we get into another fight like that, and unfortunately I deem that likely. We're going into a sort of epicenter for magical occurrences; these things are going to get worse, not better. Before I do, what do you know about magic? Real magic, not the things from children's tales?"

[stack]

Beorn shrugs. "What do I know? Little enough but more than most. Comes up often even in the best accounts of ancient times, given credence to the fact of it, though there is little reliable evidence in more recent times, though rumors and strange occurs few have been on the rise. I am well versed in the old songs of the north and the rare scrolls of the south, I know well enough what magic was said to do then. What it does now is another question."

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana nods, her eyes still watching the waters. "Then you have a good foundation to build on, excellent. Alright, as best I can tell magic is divided into two or three distinct categories. The first, the safest, and the most controllable are spells. They're pre-determined patterns of magical energy that produce a specific effect and can be used by a spellcaster once a day or so. I can only cast a few simple spells; an illusion, a spell that makes an area very slippery, and another that makes the plant life in an area entangle anyone inside it. You saw the latter two on the hilltop; nothing terribly flashy or powerful."

She draws her hood back without touching it, the fabric seeming to move of its own accord. She turns, finally looking in Beorn's eyes. Her blue eyes take on a faint violet tinge as he watches. "The second kind of magic is quite different, and I believe it is what transformed the man on the hilltop. The waves of energy and explosions I was throwing out also fall in this type, a more uncontrolled and natural energy. There seems to be a sort of... field of ambient magical energy surrounding us at all times, though most of us cannot detect it. When I move something telekinetically or unleash a blast of energy, I'm manipulating this field. I suspect the power for my spells is also drawn from the field, though more slowly so as to leave their delicate structure unharmed. It's all very complicated, even for me, and the headaches don't help."

She frowns, then, looking down. "I've had a near-constant headache since the night I gained my power. But it's gone. I didn't think it could go away; but that makes no sense, I used far more magic today than I ever have before. By all regards I should have more of a headache, not less. Unless..." She shakes her head and laughs. "Well, damn. It seems that bottling up my power is exactly the wrong thing to do. I need to use it, or there's a backlash. I've learned something new today, Beorn."

[stack]

Keep learning. I have a feeling that such knowledge will be most useful very soon. And even if it does not prove so, you ought know yourself."

[runestone]

Once the ship is clear of the last pier, a rectangular sail with red and white stripes is unfurled from the mast and the deck is soon covered in spray as the ship cuts through the waves. As they leave the harbor behind, the ship passes between the two tall promontories which guard the entrance. Both look peaceful now, though the flocks of white gulls that circle the northern peak remind them all of the unnatural occurrences of the day.

The wind is fair, and the longship travels steadily northeast for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Just before nightfall, they pass Krakaö -- The Isle of Crows -- where the people of The North have always sent those whose minds have been touched by demons. Large flocks of unrestful black birds circle above isle and the cliffs that face the sea are home to thousands upon thousands of commorants, but the only sign of human activity is one of the ancient stone circles that one finds all across The North.

The mate walks up to Adriana, Beorn, and Whizbang and points the island out to them. "Did you know, they say that there's an entrance to the underworld in the accursed place?" Then he spits, to avert the evil of the thing he mentioned. A little later, a single tall peak becomes visible on the eastern horizon. A thin tendril of smoke rises from the summit. "That's The Cauldron, it's been smoking ever since that day in the fall when the earth shook. Some say it's the home of a dragon who moves the earth when he turns in his sleep. Others say it's the chimney of the sea-witch who roasts drowned sailors on the ocean floor." He spits again. Twice.

Sully

Sully's ancestors are thrilled about the day's events, and their never ending chatter makes it impossible for her to find rest, so Sully finds herself nestled close to her horse in the hull, keeping the big beast company while the stars slowly come out. "You did well today, Sully. Very well. Much better than we could have hoped. Yes, much better. But there is still so much more to be done. Our name remains tarnished, and you have only taken the first step. Remain faithful, vigilant and strong. Remain steadfast and ..." But among the chorus from the past a single almost imperceptible voice catches Sully's attention:
"Yes, yes I am awake"
Something is odd about it. It doesn't sound like one of her ancestors. In fact, it's much more like hearing someone like Adriana in her mind ... and it sounds like what she is hearing is only one half of a conversation:
...
"A friend of Sully's? Did she say what she wanted? Has something happened to her?"
....
"All right, all right. Take me to her then"
Now, there can be no doubt: It's Asti's voice she's hearing.
"Good eveni... oh ... what happened to your face? Does ... does it have anything to do with Sully? Is she hurt?"
...
"Oh, that's awful. That's terrible. I feel so sorry for you ... but what's that got to do with Sully?"
...
"And this woman -- this witch -- is traveling with Sully now? And you think she might hurt her?"
...
"Wait, how do you even know it's the same woman if you didn't actually see her burn the cottage? She seemed pretty normal to me when she came to the inn."
...
"Oh. No, I guess it is unlikely that there is more than one witch whose eyes change color like that."

I wanted to make something personal for Veldt and Adriana as well, but I had to take a long uexpected drive, so I didn't have as much time as I had thought. I'll try to get it up tomorrow, ... and I promise you'll get to kill something soon after the start of the next chapter. :smallsmile:

Darklink: Asti was nearby when Sully used worldmind on Adriana. Since her powers aren't completely under control, I've decided that Asti was accidentally included in the effect to be able to give you an idea about what's going on in the city. It's a two way link, so Sully can send her thoughts to Asti. But it only lasts for the [scene], and the [scene] will end pretty soon.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully groaned as she failed to sleep. The constant chatter was driving her crazy, but they didn't seem to notice her demand that they be quite. Suddenly, despite the roar, she heard a familiar, not dead person talking. Ashi? She wondered, and then she realized it was, without a doubt, her friend. And more than that, she was clearly talking to that woman who screamed at Adriana. Ashi might be in trouble. SILENCE! Yell verbally at her ancestors, hoping that the thought wouldn't leak out to Ashi.

~Ashi? Hello? I can hear you... can you hear me? I'm... not sure why, but I can hear you. I... have a little bit of magic.~

[stack]

Beorn's face remain impassive at the sailor's rumors. "Or perhaps the shaking of the earth opened a hot spring or something of that nature. Maybe we should go into business and invite rich southerner's to bath in the medicinal waters or whatnot. More likely than sea witches." Until recently, anyhow.

[runestone]

Night falls quickly, and the sailors who are not on duty prepare to go to sleep.

Beorn
The mate smiles at Beorns suggestion. "That would be a thing to see! Just like the baths they have in Skovla, but closer to foreigners with gold to spend. As long as no one tells them about the dragon and the sea witch!"

Sully
Asti's voice is full of fear and confusion when she replies. "... Sully?! Is ... is that you? Are you all right? This woman said you're in danger. She ... she said I should come with her if I wanted to help you."

Veldt
In his life as a merchant, Veldt got accustomed to traveling with the northern longships, so he has no trouble falling asleep in spite of the motions of the ship. It isn't a restful sleep, however, and he is constantly disturbed by strange visions and nightmares. One of them is especially vivid:




Adres stands before him. Alive. Whole. Scared. There is nothing else. Only soft shadows and the lonely boy with tears in his eyes. Then the boy turns, and there is anger in his eyes when he looks up. "Where were you? You should save mom!" Veldt follows the boy's accusing finger with his eyes and finds that the shadows have parted to reveal two corpses. The living boy looks down on his own dead body and that of his mother. "You should have saved her!". The corpses look exactly like they did when Veldt saw them a few weeks ago: Their faces and chests are horribly burned, and Adres' gentle features have been transformed into an unrecognizable red ruin.


Adriana
Finally free of the constant headaches, Adriana finds it easy to fall asleep, and her dream begins as soon as she closes her eyes:




She stands just on the edge of the forest, looking at the clearing. It's night and there is no moon, but the stars dimly illuminate her surroundings. Everything looks like she remembers it, including the circular depression caused by her spell. But as she enters the clearing, it becomes clear that not everything is as it were: A black wall cuts through the center of the clearing. In the starlight, there is no telling how high or wide it is, but it seems infinite as it stretches across her field of vision. The wall is smooth like glass, and somehow it reflects everything much better than it should.

Her own reflection is a cloaked and hooded figure on the edge of the depression, and in a glimpse, she sees a shadow moving under the trees behind it. Instinctively, she whirls to confront the possible danger behind her, but there is no sign of movement under the trees. Convinced that the forest holds no enemies, she turns back to mirror only to find that her reflection has turned its back on her as it continues to watch the forest intently.

Looking more closely, everything is different in the reflection. The trees are not the familiar trees of clearing. In fact, they look nothing like any trees she knows. The cloaked figure in the mirror is larger than her, and there is definitely movement under the trees behind it. Even the stars are wrong. She knows with a deep and terrible certainty that these stars are not visible from any point in the land of the living.

Then the robed figure turns, and she catches a glimpse under its hood which confirms what she had already guessed from the familiar posture and movement of her mirror image: It's Brendan. He looks uninjured, not broken like last time she saw him, but there's a fear in his eyes that she has never seen before. He whispers "I don't know where I am."

[darklink_shadow]

Sully smiled, excited that her friend could hear her, and then frowned deeply when she realized what she had said. ~Yes! It's me!~♥ I'm not sure how... or why we can talk, but it looks like we can! I'm safe. I'm on a boat going to a place whose name is too weird to remember. Because I woke up one morning with some sort of magic or something weird that seems to be magic or something... well, now I am working for the Queen Kersti or something... I am gonna try to see... Hm. I actually don't know what exactly we are doing. But hey! Hi! I am so sorry I didn't say good bye to you! That lady you are with, she was following me, and I was scared she might be a bad guy. It sounds like she isn't. I guess she is just confused. The lady she thinks is a witch isn't a witch. She must be confusing her with someone else. The lady I am with is really nice and stuff. She helped stop an evil magical bear from killing people on the cliff. I helped too! I found out I can fix people who get hurt! It's super exciting! So, anyways... Hey! I know. Hold on.~

Sully paused her rapid thoughts to Ashi to think inside just her own head. ~Yeah, maybe that will work. I don't think that lady is bad or mean or evil or anything. Can you tell her that I'm... oh, maybe she will think I am a witch. Wait... am I a witch? I can do some sort of magic. No, I think witches are evil magic people. What's a good magic person? Well, can you tell her I'm a healing magic person, and I can also... well... like, connect peoples minds so they can talk? But tell her ... that I can only do it... sometimes. I can't do it again. Well, I might never do it again, I don't really know how magic works. Just tell her Sully also can do magic, but good magic. Ask her if it is ok that I talk to her... I can't really, but I can tell you what I want to say. Ashi, please! If she wants to find the bad guy, she will need to know she found the wrong person! And if she followed the bad guy into town, the bad guy might still be there! Oh, and when I come back, do you want to show me around the city? I never did get to see it. No, sorry, just tell her what I said! Oh, wait, I forgot to say, I am safe. I was sleeping next to my horse, or trying to anyways, I all of a sudden I could hear you. I just got scared because I thought the lady you are with might hurt you. But... she doesn't really seem like a bad guy. Sorry, I am rambling again. I'm just excited and nervous and a little scared.~

[stack]

Beorn gives the man a smile. "If you make your fortune on that idea, I get in free. Now, I have had a long day after a long journey and am not as young as some. I need rest or you shall see how I am when I get truly insufferable."

[runestone]

Stack

The mate nods as Beorn departs. "Fair is fair. We can be equal partners and become rich together. Goodnight."


Sully
There is a pause as Asti digests Sully's stream of thoughts. ˜I'll try.˜

Then she speaks, and Sully once again hears one side of the conversation: "I ... eh ... I'm hearing Sully speaking to me right now. I don't know how, it's very strange, but I hear her inside my head. She tells me that she is not in danger, so you don't have to worry about her. She says that you've got it wrong: The woman with Sully is nice. She's not the witch you're looking for. Your witch may still be in the city!"

˜Sully, I think she looks scared. Wait, don't say anything, she's talking again˜

...

˜Sully, are you still there? She wants me to come with her. She wants me to explain the things you just said to someone she works for. She ... she wants me to explain it so he'll stop looking for that woman you're with.˜

[darklink_shadow]

Sully chewed on her lips for a minute, thinking. She felt the pause and the silence grow, but just before Ashi asked her if she was still there, Sully spoke. ~Make her promise that nobody will hurt you... and if you believe her, go. I don't like you having to do anything... You're just like me. Just a nobody girl. Except now that I suddenly can do some sort of magic, people are acting like I'm something that I'm not. I'm still just a farmgirl. I don't want anyone to get hurt, least of all you or Adriana. You're the only people I've met since I left home that have been patient and kind to me.~

Another pause, but then Sully concluded ~Whoever she is looking for must really be a bad person to kill people. I mean, unless it was an accident. I don't know. Be safe, but do what you think is right.~

[runestone]

Sully
"Can ... can you promise that I'll be safe?"
...
Sully can taste the rising panic in Asti's next thought. ˜Sully, she said I'd be safe. But ... but I don't trust her. She is angry ... excited. Sully, I don't know what to do!"˜

[darklink_shadow]

Sully grit her teeth. If Ashi didn't feel safe, Sully did not want her to go. ~Wait. Don't go. If she says anything, tell her that you need to wait. If she is insistent, scream for help. If you don't trust her, I don't trust her.~

Sully pauses and gathers herself. ~ADRIANA! I NEED YOUR HELP!~ Sully's thoughts scream out, expecting Adriana to be asleep, and hoping to wake her.

Hopefully this scream will happen after she has resolved her dream. But Sully needs Adriana's connections to make sure Ashi can go find someone who will help her. Sully is powerless here.

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana takes a long, slow breath. She holds herself still, as still as the mountains, as still as death; if she moves too quickly she might wake, and then he will be gone. After a long moment, she finds her voice. "Is this a dream? Is it magic?" She shakes her head. It may be one, or the other, or both. He may not know any better than she does. She begins to speak, the words spilling out, and silent tears quickly follow her words.

"If this is you, I have so much to tell you. I love you, first and foremost. Forever. And... the ritual worked, far too well. I have power now, so much that it hurts; enough to kill if I don't keep it locked down. I am a full member of the order now, more or less, though they know not what to with me. We were right, Brendan. There was once magic in the world, and it is coming back, all at once. People are dying, and despite all the power I now have I don't have enough control to prevent it all. I'm strong, but I'm just not good enough. It should have been you. It was supposed to be you."

She falls to her knees, her heart breaking all over again, though the dream numbs everything. After a moment, she continues. "What do you remember? Tell me anything, everything. I will find you, I will find a way to bring you back. No matter the cost."

[stack]

Beorn sets aside his concerns, long experience teaching him the value of sleep over worrying. His echoing snores are enough to keep any evil spirits at bay for the moment.

[runestone]

Adriana

"Adriana? Is it really you? I thought I saw you earlier, but you couldn't hear me. Are you safe? Did anything happen to you in the ritual?" Bredan calms down, when Adriana starts to talk.

"What do I remember?" For a moment, his old self resurfaces, and he smiles just as he used to. "I remember you. I remember us. I remember that I love you, and I remember our last night togehter." Then his face darkens. "But I'm slowly loosing the rest. I try to stop it, but it doesn't work. I no longer remember the names and faces of our teachers. Who would have thought that I wpuld miss them?" He takes a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. "I remember the ritual. I was knocked down by ... something when we completed it. When I got up, the world had changed and I couldn't find you. I looked everywhere for you. I have power too, now. But not enough. Not nearly enough. And I don't know where I am. It shouldn't have been me either, Adriana. Then we would still be apart, and I don't want to live like that."

Something -- a sound perhaps -- makes Brendan spin to watch the edge of forest intently. Some of the shadows among the trees seem to be on the move.

Sully

Sully feels Asti steeling herself for the confrontation. "Unfortunately, I have duties here tonight and early tomorrow. I'm not allowed to leave the inn under any circumstances. Perhaps your friend could come back and talk to me tomorrow morning instead?"
...
˜She's leaving now. I think she believed me. I'm scared Sully. What should I do if she comes back?˜


[roll0]

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana stares intently into the trees beyond Brendan, trying to see what was moving in the shadows. He was still possessed of his mind, but it was dwindling; likely due to separation from his body. He was on the other side of the border between life and death, or so she assumed; but it seemed that border was no longer absolute as it had once been. It also meant that he was in danger; if he still had a mind and soul, he could be harmed.

She takes a step back, concentrating on the barrier itself. Inside a dream like this, she had no idea what would happen if she tried to use her power; but the idea of not trying to use it was unthinkable. She gathers her thoughts, grits her teeth, and unleashes a hammering blast of magic on the black wall.

She's attempting to use Hammerfall on the barrier. I have no idea what'll happen.

[runestone]

Adriana

The moment Adriana releases her power, she knows that something is wrong: Her magic is strong, but it flows too fast, too freely. The spell strikes the barrier with unprecedented force, and it is barely under Adriana's control as it ripples outward, threatening to engulf her.

In spite of the uncontrollable onslaught, the barrier stands unscathed. On the other side, Bredan calls out. "Adriana! I'm sorry, I can't stay much longer. It isn't safe. I will find you again. Look for a place where the wall is thin!"

The magic is too strong, Adriana feels herself slipping away in the stream of power. As she fights for control, the world starts to unravel around her: The shadows deepen, the stars blink and vanish, and in a moment her connection to Brendan will be dissolved.



Adriana has to make DC 16 will save to avoid waking up.

Adrinana maintains her grip on the dream and the landscape stops unravelling around her. The wall is whole. Brendan is preparing to leave.

Adriana can make a parting remark before she wakes up with a terrible headache. She is filled to the brim with new power that is looking for a way out. Take this as the moment she levels up.

[RaggedAngel]

Will: [roll0]

Will update this once I know how she did.

[RaggedAngel]

Will: [roll0]

Will update this once I know how she did.

Well, at least I get to level up. Poor Brendan. I'll post my updated sheet in the OOC in a bit.

Adriana feels the dream slipping away; her grasp was too delicate, and the blast of power was too strong. Yet again, she hadn't been skillful enough to achieve her goal.

"I will find you!" She called to Brendan before she lost the dream. "And I will bring you back! No matter what!"


She wakes up with a start, covered in a cold sweat and with a pounding headache. She sat there for a long, long moment, utterly still. And then she lay on her side and began to weep, though from happiness or misery she could not say.

[runestone]

Adriana

It's hard to say how long it takes, but eventually, Adriana hears Sully's mental cry for help.

[stack]

Brom turns in his sleep, eyes half opening, Sully? What? Hmm, dreaming.

[darklink_shadow]

~Beorn?! Oh! Beorn! Wake up! It's Sully! Help! A serving girl from the inn you had me set up at is being bothered by the witch-hunter chasing Adriana! Someone in the city needs to help her, but I don't have the friends you do! ~ Sully calls out to Beorn, unaware that her mental announcements were set to Adriana as well.

~Don't worry Ashi, I'm with the Queen's men. They will know what to do, and how to help you. And if they don't I am with other people here too.~

[RaggedAngel]

Adriana felt strange. Wrong. Her head was pounding, but that was normal; her stomach felt like it was filled with moths, her mouth with cotton, her hands and feet with pins and needles, and her ears with buzzing insects. She shut that away mentally, however, so that she could focus on Sully's call for help. ~Can you explain the situation? I couldn't gather much, I was... scrying something, I believe. Looking into another plane. Anyway, ignore that. Tell me what's going on?~

[darklink_shadow]

Sully jumped slightly at Adriana's voice. She was eagerly waiting for Beorn to respond, because she thought Adriana couldn't hear her. ~Oh! Adriana! Sure... well, the lady who was tailing us went to Ashi's place and started asking about you and telling her that I was in danger because of you. I couldn't hear what the lady was saying, but Ashi thinks about what she is going to say before she says it, and I guess with how stressed she was, she sent her thoughts to me... I guess my spell affected her too. Maybe because I was thinking about her too when I tried to use it on you. And just now, I was thinking about talking to you, and then I wondered if Beorn could help. I must have used it on him too just now.


Anyways... where... Oh! Yeah. So, I could hear that Ashi was talking to her. I told Ashi not to he worried and that I was safe. And then, I decided maybe the lady was a good person, and just confused, so I told Ashi to tell her that I told her that I was safe using magic. But that seemed to upset the lady and now she wants Ashi to go with her. Ashi got out of it for now, with the excuse that she has to work early in the morning or sommin. But I think they will come kidnap Ashi.


Ashi is really scared and says the lady sounds bad. Please! Who can help her? I don't want an innocent girl to be kidnapped and hurt just because she was nice to someone who had magic. You're... err... well, Adriana you have friends... that can help, right? And Beorn does too. I think the same friends? Maybe some kind of password she can say to somebody to get help? I think a letter would take too long. I worry Ashi will be kidnapped in the next 24 hours. How long will it take a bird to fly to tell the... whoever is ... the guy you send letters to about this kind of thing?~

Sully bite her lip. Although it seemed likely, she wasn't sure if Beorn knew who Adriana was, or her relationship with Archway. And even worse, she didn't know anything about them. She just knew Ashi needed help and she had no one else to ask for help but Sully, and Sully had no one else to ask for help but the people on this boat. And she certainly wasn't going to ask the captain.

[stack]

Bah, is sleep no refuge from you, girl? Fine, fine. Not the first time I have spirited a young woman away from the city, though usually I have met her before so inconvenienced. Have her go to my estate, easy enough to find. Try not to be followed. Tell the gate keeper...uhm,..let me think, the bird...no that was...hmm, blast why bother setting these codes if I am not going to remember them? Cold...cold...ah, the cold stone rolls thrice blue. That will get her in and protected. If she needs to get away from the city, the housekeeper can see to that as well, send her off to take service with my son until this is dealt with.

And Adriana, you may feel free to report that all to Narial. The code will be changed before your bird arrives anyhow. Besides, we have been cracking each others codes for years.

Well, what else did you think old men did on long winter nights?

I suppose he would have some elaborate scheme to employ as well. Do as you see fit.

[darklink_shadow]

Sully nodded then felt embarrassed that she did so. ~Ah, perfect!~♥ Thanks!~♥~

Sully quickly relied the information to Asti. ~And don't tell anyone where you are going until after you get there. That place is home to some fancy pants guy, who is probably a duke or something and I don't know. I think he told me, but I get the feeling he doesn't really care about his titles. Go as soon as you can. Actually go now, so you can tell me you're safe! Uh, ... and Sorry Asti, I never meant for your kindness and friendship to endanger you. I'll make it up to you somehow... I promise!~

[runestone]

Sully

Sully can almost hear Asti take slow deep breaths, while she is explaining the plan. ˜Don't feel bad, Sully. You saved me from the gulls and the bear, remember? You helped save everyone. I'll leave now and do as you said. Oh, I hope I can send a message to the innkeeper, he'll be so mad when he finds out that I'm gone.˜

...

˜Sully? I'm at the stable now. I'll sneak out that way, so no one sees me leave˜

Someone is watching the inn. Asti has to make a DC 13 stealth check to leave unnoticed: [roll0].

...

˜Sully! Someone was watching the alley, but he didn't see me! It was so scary! But I made it, I'm almost at the house now.˜