IC Warriors of Blackvale

[Felhammer]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Base_zpsa7b03585.png

Last winter was long and hard. It snowed like it has not snowed since the Gloom ended some fifteen years ago. Terrible beasts roamed the countryside, far too many succumbed to the Frostrage and hundreds more went hungry, and even starved, due to the heavy rains which ruined much of last autumn's harvest. Add to that, the totality of destruction wrought by the giants and the Red Queen and... Well you had a recipe for a disastrous winter. Yet, against all odds, you survived. Survived until the first of Spring and were able to let slip a sigh of relief. Winter was over, life would get better, this year would be happier than last. For the most part, it has. Crops were sewn, buildings repaired, monsters culled. You watched as boys gave wood carvings to the lasses they liked on Eluna's Day and smiled as girls returned the favor by giving the boys they liked a knitted handkerchief. You stripped your clothing off and danced around the bonfire while singing joyous songs on the Holy Day of Spring. For the last three days, you painted your skin in the colors of the rainbow and devoured food made from radishes. Life could not be any more happy, any more serene, any better.

On the last night of the Festival of Rainbows and Radishes a horrified scream echoed through the streets of Blackrock. Two children had witnessed a crime most heinous - the murder of their pregnant mother. As the whole town raced to the darkened ally where two children, little Feywulf Servantson and Fargila Servantsdaughter, sat wailing beside the bloody corpse of their fallen mother, Fenoka. After much cajoling, Commander Solvald the Bloodhound was able to glean several key details from the children. First, the assailant was female and she wore a black cloak but her skin and hair were blue. Second, the assailant whispered, "This is for sleeping with my husband, you cow" before brutally stabbing poor Fenoka seven times in the stomach with a jagged dagger. Given the clues, the Commander gathered up all of the Undine in town and discovered four women were unaccounted for - Rutavesi Butlersdaughter, Rakvesi the Old, Waldemavesi Smithsdaughter and Takvesi the Azure. All of the women were married, so their husbands were detained. Commander Solvald personally, and privately, interrogated each of the husbands. He spent all night grilling each of the detainees. At morning's first light he left Tower Rock, home-base of the Rangers in Blackvale, and greeted a crowd of people eager to hear what the Commander learned. Sadly, the Ranger's efforts were for not, as none of the husbands would speak out against themselves or their wives.

Thinking quickly, Solvald gathered the crowd and divided them into posses of six or seven, each with a Ranger assigned to act as a guide. The Commander declared that each group would head out into the Blackrock Hills and search for the missing women.

A group of seven individuals left Blackrock that morning. These seven were guided by a young, Half-Elven Ranger named Silith Amastine. Accompanying her were Aisha Silverlight, Melinda Vilhelmisdaughter, Halbrecht, Ash d'Oscine and two visiting nobles - Lucien 'Luc' Torchlord & Anrika Ruinlord. These seven individuals were pointed in a southerly direction. The sun had just created the horizon, bathing the hills in a warm, yellow glow.

After an hour of searching Anrika speaks up. Her voice is shrill and her attitude leaves much to be desired, "Why on earth did that Ranger send me, ME, out here to trudge through this dusty, rocky, vile hillock!? Does he not know who I am!? I am Anrika Ruinlord, daughter of Anrik Ruinlord, hero of the Third Battle of Rubyview! This search is... Servants stuff! How dare that tyrant send me on this fool's errand. We won't find the murderer! She's long gone by now. Probably jumped into the Ruby Channel and swam to Whitewillow. You know how slippery those Undine can be. They are as despicable as halflings and as greedy as gnomes. They are not folk nobles such as myself, and the handsome Luc, should ever be forced to associate with."

Anrika gets close to Luc, taking his arm for support. She loudly whispers, "No, this is positively the work of servants... Servants like that ugly wretch of a Ranger that so-called Commander assigned to us. Do you not think her unkempt red hair and furrowed, beastly brow most disturbing? And don't get me started on those leaf ears! There is obviously a reason she became a wanderer of the wild..."

[Lord Of Mantas]

​Halbrecht
From his position near the front of the group, Halbrecht, a Cavalier of the Starless Knights, snapped his head back around to face the haughty noblewoman. As a knight in the service of the king, not only was he adept at both mounted and foot-based combat, but he was an expert in both surviving in and tracking things through the wilds and plains of Blackvale; as such, he had been more than willing to lend his expertise in this inter-organizational venture with the Rangers. He was currently mounted atop his noble steed, a proud and sturdy warhorse as black as night named Adamant. Like Adamant's coat, Halbrecht's head was topped by a short crop of jet black hair. Beneath sat a sturdy, handsome face that had caused many a woman to swoon over the years, with sapphire blue eyes, a proud jaw, and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. He and his horse were dressed in matching gear, being chainmail adorned with his banner - a White Dragon rampant against black and yellow quarters, atop which was the crest of the Starless Knights. Both lance and sword were currently stowed for the time being, though his shield remained upon his arm.

His countenance, normally bright and cheerful, took on a stormy look as his eyes narrowed at Anrika. Had she been a woman of lesser rank, he would have unleashed a verbal assault the likes of which the world had never seen - an innocent woman was dead, a murderer was on the loose, and all she could think of was herself? But alas, she was not, and so (un)luckily, she was spared the full force of his wrath, as he rubbed his forehead in a visible attempt to cool his boiling blood. Though it may have been said on several occasions that he was not the most knowledgeable of people, having devoted his life to studying the arts of war, survival, diplomacy and little else, Halbrecht was no fool, and knew that deliberately antagonizing the noblewoman would cause more problems than it would solve.

Lowering his palm, he gazed steadily at Anrika. "With all due respect, milady," he said, being neither aggressive nor diplomatic - merely matter of fact - "We cannot simply abandon our task while a murderer is at large. Until we have discerned for certain that there is no sign of her, we must press on. Until then, I would thank you most kindly if you would keep your eyes and ears sharp." And, for that matter, shut the hell up and refrain from antagonizing our guide merely because her ears happen to be a different shape than ours, you pampered whelp. For while it could be said that Halbrecht had some rather unsavory opinions regarding orcs, it would never be said that he viewed the elven, dwarven, or undine subjects of Blackvale with anything less than respect.

That said, the flightiness of the Vanara did exasperate him somewhat. But he certainly didn't hate them.

His piece said, Halbrecht turned once more to the horizon, calling upon years of training and honed instincts in one last bid to ferret out the murderer.

Alrighty! With that purpley, expository introduction out of the way, let's kick this campaign into high gear with some DICE ROLLING!
Perception: [roll0]
Survival: [roll1]

[LordHavelock]

Luc had been as stunned as anyone by the murder of Fenoka, though he was no stranger to death or hardship in his own life, the brutal murder of a woman and her unborn child in vengeance was not something to be inured to. In his time growing up in the wilds he had learn to know the difference between the violence necessitated by survival in nature, and the colder, more savage violence inflicted by the creatures and monsters which the Gloom had brought to their full. It was only after that he began to be exposed to the altogether different sort of violence people inflicted on one another, the brutality of war and the cruelty individuals towards their fellow humanoids was oddly 'novel' to him, though he went to some effort to conceal it. 'You can't have people getting on that you're so damn green to the civilized world.' He suddenly remembered, hearing Archivist Stelldaughter's voice resound in his head, 'Let them do the talking long enough to prove themselves fools before you say anything that might incriminate yourself.' Luc had hardly understood what she meant the first time he'd heard preach that particular maxim, but now, tramping over the hills to the south with the warm light from the sunrise pouring over them, he was reminded of them again as the Lady Anrika Ruinlord continued to speak to her own misfortunes. It was clear she was trying to garner some sympathy from him, but he had to think it might be more effective if she actually gave him the chance to speak in return.

When she took his arm for support, he became aware of a potentially different motive behind her plaintive wheedling, as he took only a moment to slow his pace so as not to seem rude. He was of course used to this sort of terrain, and tracking through the early morning mist for that matter, but never in a group, which seemed to him a clumsy way to go about it. If Anrika was right about anything, it was that this search would surely go much faster if Ranger Silith were to be allowed to set a pace in keeping with her own abilities as a tracker. Her words disparaging words in regards to the character of Undine, Halflings, and Gnomes were the most alien to him however, and he failed to grasp how she could be so oblivious to the diversity of humanoid life, however many perfidious, greedy, and unkempt elves, undines, halfings, or gnomes she might have met in the past. He sighed, and did his best to steady her at his side, trying to use her hold on his arm as an excuse to quicken her pace. The first time Goodwife Veldson had managed to get a comb through his own matted and unkempt hair, and remarked how well he "cleaned up", he had been confused as to what she meant, but when the good people of the hamlet had not recognized the wild-child adopted by the Veldsons, and he suddenly found himself the subject of more of the girls' attention, he began to understand. Presently of course, the furs and cloak of his garb did little to compliment his features, but he had gone the extra length to make himself presentable for the festival and still wore the evidence in his well groomed hair and the fairness of his visage. 'It will be no small blessing to get properly dirty again by the time this trek is over.' He thought, relishing the opportunity to perhaps leap in a the next muddy puddle they came across and see how much Anrika cared to attend to him afterwards.

Trotting along at his side was Raev, the arctic fox somehow contriving to remain spotless where ere' she went, all the better to allow her coat to do the work of concealing her in the terrain. For the spring, it was a slightly speckled ashen gray, not unlike Luc's hair, though he lacked the speckles and a blonde sheen lingered from his efforts to wash it for the festival. Raev seemed to approve of Anrika no more than he, or Sir Halbrecht, as he rounded on Anrika, and said his peace before moving on. Finally turning to answer her latest question, Luc shrugged and did his best to smile plaintively, "I'm sure it's because her talents lie with tracking and guide those such as ourselves. The wilds are a dangerous place, no matter what shape your ears are." Raev decided to pick that moment to hop up onto his shoulder, putting herself between Luc and Anrika for a moment, and staring pointedly at her before Luc leaned around to smile at her again. "Truth be told, he ears remind me most of Raev's and I'm sure they're just as keen, the better to hear prey or threats." He intended the comment to be a compliment as he was quite certain Silith could overhear them, and a gentle warning to Anrika, but given his past attempts at courtly banter that did not rely wholly on his natural charm, he could never be sure anyone would take what he said the way he meant it. Looking forward again towards Silith, he couldn't help but think it again to himself; between her red hair and the tapering of her ears, he couldn't hep but think there was something pleasantly 'foxy' about her (quite unaware of what such a term might mean in any other context).

[Felhammer]

Anrika laughs haughtily then scoffs derisively at Halbrecht, "The word of a fatherless orphan to Yasgaram's ear! Yes, why don't we just break down all of society's structures and live like mindless savages in the wild? Social order exists for a reason, boy, and you would do well to remember your station. Is that not right, Luc, dearest?"

Turning her attention to Lucien she frowns, "Not you too Luc-y! Don't let those foul ideas muddle your mind." She rubs Luc's back and kisses him on the cheek, "Don't worry Sir Torchlord, I shall do the thinking for the both us. That way you can focus your efforts on killing orcs, murderers and other..." She bores a hole into the back of Silith's head, "Bad folk." She reaches into her backpack and retrieves a slice of yellow cake that has been delicately wrapped in a napkin. "My big, strong friend needs a reward for all his hard work. Here, you may have this slice of cake. Fret not, it is delicious. As it should be, it was made by the best chef in Blackrock - me!" She looks away as her face grows red from embarrassment, "I know, I know, cooking is for the lower classes but... I cannot help myself, especially when I am able to share the bounty of my home with such an attractive, strapping..." She fades off for a second as her eyes devour Luc, "Man. Now, quickly, before the commoners grow jealous, eat the cake I made for you."

As you crest a hill, you see another party of people about five miles way to the north-west.

You do not spot any humanoid tracks, although you do see quite a few wolf tracks.

[LordHavelock]

Luc is quite nearly at a loss when Anrika produces a slice of yellow cake, and continues her veritable tyrade of fawning and fretting. "Lady Anrika . . ." He looks at her, and the way her eyes seem to be appraising him as though he were the prey she was after, not their murderous quarry. 'Strapping?' He thinks to himself before glancing over towards Helbrecht, the knightly warrior no doubt rippling with muscle to bear the weight of his armor. 'Couldn't she want to share her cake with him? I thought noble ladies were supposed to like knights in shining armor.' Luc sighed and took a fair portion of the cake, if only to placate her for the moment and broke it into two halves. "I'm sure you won't mind sharing it then with me?" He says, offering her the piece in his opposite hand as Raev runs around to his opposite shoulder and sniffs at the culinary confection.

Luc certainly didn't feel prepared to kill any orcs or murderers or the like. During the engagements with the Redwillow and Blackoath forces, he'd left that with to the soldiers and knights like Sigmund, his adopted brother, and wished not for the first or last time that he'd accompanied him to Blackrock. Sigmund would know just how to handle Anrika's affections, or might even divert them from Luc entirely, although he wasn't noble-born like Luc was, Sigmund was every inch the strapping soldier, and a Ranger besides, no doubt more useful to Silith in tracking down this murderer than Luc would be. The crossbow slung across Luc's back was hardly the weapon of an accomplished warrior, and in Luc's hands it felt clumsy and complicated, but he hardly wished to be caught without it. No, Luc's abilities didn't lend themselves well to the battlefield, he had acted as a guide and scout primarily during the war, there was little enough he could do to "Ow." He was forced to say aloud, caught by surprise as Raev nipped his ear, a none too subtle reminder that he indeed had power, power which had saved lives more than once.

[BramsesII]

Silith

The last few weeks had been rather rough on Silith. Her arrival in Blackvale had not gone without problems, and the attack by a group of goblins had nearly gotten her killed. Fortunately, with the help of a few Starless Knights she'd managed to find her way safely to Blackrock, and it was there she'd been lucky enough to bump into a ranger from Blackvale. Citing her experience as a tracker and a woodswoman, she'd easily convinced the man to let her tag along a few times, and now they'd already sent her to guide a group of adventurers in search of a murder suspect. I didn't expect it to go this fast. Well, at least sir Levian'll be pleased with my progress on this front.

Silith leads the group confidently over the hilly terrain, searching for tracks that may have been made by other humanoids passing through the area. Occasionally, she looks back at the party to gauge their potential strengths. Most of them seem amicable enough, but the noblewoman somehow manages to be entirely unlikeable. Silith decides to ignore her. No reason to draw attention to myself now. I should just focus on the task at hand. And when Halbrecht starts looking for tracks, Silith immediately recognizes the technique of a skilled tracker. She nods to herself and resumes her search for tracks. She does pick up on Luc's comment however, and she quietly adds to his comment about her ears, her voice barely a whisper:"And insults."

Since Silith's searching for tracks, I might as well roll the same rolls.
Perception: [roll0]
Survival (looking for tracks): [roll1]

When the noblewoman speaks again, the frown on Silith's face becomes more pronounced. Almahara's grace, that woman is insufferable. Why'd Solvald send her along with us? She couldn't find a tree in a forest. She glances over her shoulder at the woman for a split second before turning around and focusing on her search again. This is not the best way to go about this, but I don't dare risk splitting the party into smaller groups. Too dangerous out here.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

At the moment of Luc's attempt to split the piece of cake into two halves, a half-suppressed laugh comes from further back in the group. The owner of the laugh turns out to be a girl, probably in her mid-twenties, whose somewhat casual manner of dress is more than made up for by the prettiness of her face; though at present, said features are half-covered by her hands as she attempts to stifle her amusement at the recent turn of events, with increasingly failing results. She eventually gives up, letting out high-pitched giggle before finally managing to take a deep breath and compose herself somewhat. When the inevitable confused looks turn her way, she decides to just brush them off with a shake of the head; if they hadn't already realized that the hapless Torchlord's attempt at courtesy would only encourage Anrika further, they weren't very likely to find it funny when explained either.

"Well, I think I can understand the Lady Ruinlord's sentiments somewhat. It seems a bit... excessive to send everybody out looking, doesn't it? Especially when most people really do have nothing to contribute to the search apart from bringing another body."

It's difficult to tell if the sudden change in topic is an attempt to move away from any possible repercussions for what could be construed as laughing at the noblewoman, or merely the voicing of an opinion. In either case, the words chosen are spoken rather eloquently, and carry the intonation of someone well-used to smoothing things over in conversation. Ash gives a brief shrug of her shoulders as she continues picking her way along the path, carrying herself with an easy sort of grace despite the terrain.

"Well, not that I'm really complaining about it either. We're here now, so may as well make the best of it. Try to enjoy it as much as one can, right?"

She picks up the pace slightly, gradually moving towards the front of the group in the process. When she passes by Luc, however, she quickly leans in and whispers close to his ear.

"If you aren't interested, you really should just tell her so now. Keep trying to be polite and she'll only dig her claws in further."

Ash then continues on towards the front of the group, eventually pulling up alongside Silith, who she offers a smile.

"Aw, don't be too upset at Lady Ruinlord, miss. I'm sure she just doesn't know how to appreciate the aesthetics of elven ears. I think they're very lovely!"

Only Silith would have been able to see it, but for a fleeting moment, the look on Ash's face seems to suggest that the last part of her compliment carried a lot more weight than just trying to cheer the half-elf up...

[HanaRei]

Aisha

How events seemed to unravel around her always seemed so mystifying. It had been a rather joyous festival, one she had ample time to attend as her lord had left her plenty of time to do as she so desired. It was a perk of her own acting as a messager and falconer to have plenty of down time when no tasks required her immediate attention. Even Mina, her personal falcon, was allowed to remained nestled at home enjoying some well deserved rest. It was quite a joyous occasion... at least until the murder.

She followed now with a group of mostly strangers. The ranting of the woman nearby had left her practically rolling her eyes at her obnoxiousness with spouting out the same thing over and over and sound just silly. It left her quite bothered looking at Silith as she seemed to sling quite a few insults her way. Very few individuals seemed to master such a difficult trait of being annoying to Aisha, and she took the cake and ran with it. Of course that wasn't helped when she literally pulled out a piece of cake she was offering to the Luc fellow.

She heard a familiar call as she turned her head up. She held out her gloved arm, a Falcon flying down carefully perching itself upon the glove looking upon its Master. The white haired woman smiled giving a light nod to the bird who seemed eager for a short rest upon her owner's hand as a perch. Aisha had figured taking Mina would be the best option, able to act as a messenger given any news might found.

She followed up moving a bit closer to the front. Her head turned to Ash hearing her compliment Silith. Absent minded as she tended to be at catching onto things, she felt it was her place to chime in jokingly. "If I didn't know better Silith, you have an admirer out for your heart." She let out a light laugh in response. "Any luck on finding any clues to this shady individual we are seeking?" She asked stifling her own excitement. In some truth, she was far to joyous to be going on an 'adventure', particularly one with such a dark reasoning behind it. It was enough to make her feel a bit guilty for taking so much pleasure considering it had been the life of a pregnant mother that had been lost that lead to such a journey.

[BramsesII]

Silith

Holding her bow in her left hand as always as she searches for tracks, Silith hears someone moving towards the front of the group. As the younger woman catches up with her, Silith prepares to give her a curt nod to return to searching for tracks. The friendly smile gives her pause however, and the girl's comments manage to soften Silith's expression, even putting a small smile on her face. With her free hand she tucks her hair behind her ear, bringing her half-elven heritage into plain view for all to see. "Thank you, miss... Apologies, I didn't quite catch your name." Silith looks Ash in the eye for a moment as she pauses, but if she did manage to catch Ash's hidden meaning, her face doesn't show it. "Words do not upset me, though. I know that out here we'll need every body we can get. After all, everyone can get lucky and find a crucial clue. And please, call me Silith."

Before she can continue her conversation another woman walks up beside them and addresses Silith. The half-elf turns towards Aisha and offers her a smile as well. Her comment about the admirer catches Silith off-guard, and she's unsure how to respond. The auburn-haired half-elf lets out a very nervous giggle followed by a cough and is very relieved when the woman changes the subject to their mission at hand. "No clues yet, I'm afraid. Tracking people through terrain like this is difficult." She turns her attention to Halbrecht for a moment and calls out to the cavalier. "Have you found any sign of their passing through here yet, sir?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Anrika laughs haughtily then scoffs derisively at Halbrecht, "The word of a fatherless orphan to Yasgaram's ear! Yes, why don't we just break down all of society's structures and live like mindless savages in the wild? Social order exists for a reason, boy, and you would do well to remember your station."

"Apologies, milady. I meant no disrespect." Halbrecht inclined his head in a slight bow, his expression neutral. Internally, however, nothing could have been further from the truth. Halbrecht had spent most of his early childhood at his father's knee, spending hours upon hours listening to tales of derring-do passed down to each successive generation of the Starless Knights. At the core of each story, however, was a message of the central tenets of the Knights: Honor, loyalty, and virtue. "And not just to king and country, my dear boy." Halbrecht heard his father's voice echo through his head, almost as if he were still there with him. "You must always remember, all knights - nay, all people, in the end, have a duty to express these virtues, not just to those above them, but also to their equals and to those who may be 'beneath' their station, no matter who they might be." Halbrecht grimaced. While 12 years had done a lot to dull the pain, it was far from gone. In the end, though, Halbrecht had taken these lessons to heart, and firmly believed that knight, noble, and peasant alike, owed everyone that same respect.

Adamant whickered, sensing his friend and master's discomfort. Halbrecht smiled and stroked his dearest friend's head, then once more turned his gaze to the horizon.

While Halbrecht knew, of course, that not everyone shared the same viewpoint as he did - that would be outright naive - the sheer blatancy with which Lady Ruinlord made her viewpoint known, so say nothing of the shrillness and vexing tone she used, all but eradicated any respect he might have had for her. All that said, however, he would fulfill his knightly duties and not press things further. A noblewoman was still a noblewoman, after all, and the Starless Knights needed their support, so he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize either his or his comrades standing.

And he certainly wouldn't try to mentally will Anrika to trip, fall in a pit of mud, and then throw a temper tantrum before heading home alone and leaving them in peace. That would just be unprofessional.

But gods above, that lady tests my patience! Why on earth was she sent out as part of the search, anyway? As far as I can tell, she has no skill in scouting, tracking, or combat, so all she's doing is slowing us down. He then looked back as the incommodious noblewoman put the moves on her noble companion, showering him with caresses and the delicately wrapped pastry. A frown once more creased Halbrecht's brow. And for Almahara's sake! Cake?! This is manhunt, not a picnic in the plaza! Jealous? Ha! Even if you were the last woman alive, I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole. A flash of sympathy crossed his mind at Luc's discomfort. While I would never wish to be in your shoes, good sir, know you have my support.

Shaking himself, he returned to the task of tracking, but not before one last thought crossed his mind. And somehow, given your reaction to those you consider beneath you, I sincerely doubt you were the one who baked that cake. A couple more minutes passed, the chatter of his fellow party members passing over him as he searched for clues. Then, as they crested the top of a hill, he spotted something.


"Have you found any sign of their passing through here yet, sir?"

"I spy another search party... five miles that way." Halbrecht indicated a north-west direction. "As far as tracks go, there don't appear to be any signs of humanoid footprints. There are, however, more than a few wolf tracks."

[Mathemagics]

Ash

"Forgive me, it does seem I forgot to introduce myself, doesn't it? Ash d'Oscine. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Silith."

The girl's smile seems to radiate nothing short of sincere good will and friendliness as she quietly listens to the brief exchange between their guide and the woman with white hair, including the teasing comment about an admirer. When the topic seems to shift back once more to their assignment, however, she gives a shallow nod of the head towards Silith before turning to look behind her at the others.

"Well then, I suppose I'll cease distracting you from your job. Best of luck, I'm sure you'll be able to find something useful in no time."

With that, she turns and begins to make her way a little off to the side of the pack, hands tucked behind her back and fingers interlocked; the manner in which she moves could almost be described as playful as she seems to almost wander aimlessly around for several steps before gradually making her way back towards the rest of the group, lightly humming a nameless tune as she went. Yet behind the carefree facade, she was quite busily engaged in the process of assessing her current companions. This was turning out to be rather more entertaining than she had previously expected it to be.

[Felhammer]

"Do you like the cake I baked for you, dearest Luc?" Anrika smiles warmly and flutters her eyelashes like black butterflies, "I just know you would! Who would have thought that the gruesome murder of a commoner would bring two such as ourselves together? Destiny is works in mysterious ways, would you not say Sir Luc?"

Turning her ire to the cavalier, "I am sure you meant no disrespect, Sir Halbrecht. I know these, now what did the tyrant call these... Posses? Yes, that is the word he used. These posses breed a certain kind of familiarity that, as we all should be patently aware, is unbecoming of the natural order of the world. Let us not forget who we are and lose ourselves to frivolity. It may be spring but that hardly means we should forsake our stations." Looking to the man who is nibbling on her cake, "Wouldn't you agree, Sir Torchlord?" Before he has a chance to respond, "Of course he does. Why I am the brains and he is the brawn of this..." Anrika blushes once more, covering her face with her fox fur glove, "Relationship."

The wind picks up suddenly, Anrika struggles to grasp her mane of dirty blonde hair and tie it together before it becomes a tangled mess. Silith stands atop a jagged piece of earth and gazes out across the Ruby Channel. The crystal clear blue skies allow everyone to see the shores of distant Songwillow Isle. Several ships sail in the Channel. Fisherman for the most part. One ship, a proud looking, red lacquered cog, famous on both sides of the channel as the Saintly Courtesan, flag ship of Captain Holaf Shipslayer - renowned hero of Whitewillow. The ship is venturing north west, probably on its way to the Scar.

Anrika begins another tirade about how unfair it is that she has been sent out here to this, "Monster infested hell-scape." As she does, both Silith and Halbrecht come across a single large footprint. Perhaps three or four times the size of either of their feet, with each toe clearly defined in the grassy patch. There can be no mistake, there was a giant around here recently. Their eyes scan the area for any signs of a cave or shelter... Until both the Ranger and the Knight look over the side of the cliff and realize that they are in fact standing atop a gaping maw in the earth. Suddenly, the sound of sheep baaing can be heard, as well as the snoring of something very, very large.

Both of you are able to deduce that this is the foot print of a bumbling Hill Giant, rather than a mighty Cloud Giant.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/13927713597_3ab4f22c6e_o.jpg

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
The cavalier quickly turned to the others, his face once more in a frown. The situation may not have been as bad as it could have been, but there was still plenty of room for that to change. "Ready yourselves, friends," he said, dismounting Adamant with the practiced ease of one who has spent most of his life on horseback. His voice was low and clear to avoid any accidental awakenings. "We have a hill giant on our hands." Cautiously, Halbrecht approached the edge of the hole, his eyes scanning the interior. After a moment, he turned to Silith (whose name, owing to the fact he had been focused on tracking the murderer, he was unaware of). "I am afraid my knowledge of these creatures is mostly limited to tracking them, good ranger. If you know of any important facts about them that would give us an advantage, now would be the time to share."

Perception (to try and make out the contents of the cave, as well as if there is any safe route down - or, worst case scenario, if there's a good spot to tie a rope): 13 (Copied from OOC thread)

[Felhammer]

Anrika stifles a shriek of terror by slamming her fox fur gloves over her mouth. "A-a G-g-g-giant you say!?" She grabs onto Luc tightly, "Promise me you will protect me, Sir Torchlord."

The overhang from the cliff is too great to see inside the cave without getting down on your chest and bending down to peer within. However, based on the sounds, the Giant would appear to be sleeping (either that or he is a very heavy mouth breather). Halbrecht notices a rocky outcropping to the north west that looks to be sturdy enough to tie a rope around but thing enough so it does not use too much of the rope.

Square AC 6 is where you want to tie the rope off.

[Perficio]

Melinda

Melinda quietly begrudged each step across the rocky hillside. The cramp in her leg made it seem like she'd been on the road only a few days ago, though it had been several weeks since her return to Blackvale. Something about being back in her father's home was comforting to the point of softening her. Sleeping in a familiar bed, finally hearing the chants that she only ever heard in her childhood church. Whatever it was, she could already hear her half-siblings teasing her. However I tell this story, they don't need to hear that my leg stiffened only anhour after walking, she decided.

If it wasn't for Lady Ruinlord's never-ending stream of complaints, she might have complained a little about their situation. It truly was heavy-handed for Commander Solvald to command the crowd to help. Most of them were just regular townspeople, curious about the news. What did these truly civilized folk know of walking in the wilderness, of following tracks and being quiet around monsters? They'd never hunted orcs or screamed their battle fury to the sky. One ranger, no matter how experienced, couldn't save a group of Anrikas. Fortunate indeed that most of this group handled armor and weapons with familiar ease.

No, Melinda couldn't disagree with that. She could and did disagree with the noblewoman for making the trip far more irritating than necessary. If the terribly renowned Anrika Ruinlord hadn't gone on and on about her lineage, to the point that Melinda worried about retaliation, she might have focused her magic on making distracting noises. Perhaps howling wolves would convince the noble to be quiet. But, as the nobleman and the knight were already trying to handle her, there was no sense in making the ranger's job more difficult. Melinda just kept to the far side of the group as the noblewoman, drumming on her knees and listening to the conversation with a wry grin.

She admired the view of the landscape from atop the hill, but the beauty was marred by the sounds of sheep, snoring and stammering. Melinda crept up beside the knight, peering into the darkness after him. In a quiet voice, she offered, "I've heard a few stories about battles with giants, let me think for a moment."

Knowledge (Local) (For details on giants, since they're mysteriously considered Humanoids instead of Monstrous Humanoids. She has the same Nature score if you prefer.) [roll0]

[LordHavelock]

Taking Ash's words to heart, and Helbrecht's warning of a hill giant most seriously, Luc let out an exasperated sigh and put one hand up to Anrika's lips, silencing her. Before she could interpret the gesture as anything else he turned to face her, smiled, and pushed her gently, but firmly a good foot or so away. "'Sir' I'm afraid, is incorrect Lady Ruinlord, for I am no knight. Neither do I have any title but my name. The 'Torchlords' were my family, and Lucyen was their son, but I'm just Luc now. Our ancestral home is gone, our lands reclaimed by the wilds, and any title I might have held made forfeit. I am no soldier, nor a warrior, and probably no stronger than you are, or at least, hardly strong enough to swing a sword." As he spoke he readied his crossbow and loading it with some difficulty, having to brace it against the ground and strain heavily against the sting despite that it was a smaller variety. "What I can do to protect you, Lady Anrika, is tell you to be silent, and stay behind me . . ."

Lucien moves to behind Melinda, peeking over her shoulder as he held his crossbow in both hands before him, at the ready. "Is there a reason we might wish to engage this giant? If it can be avoided so much the better to continue our search, yes?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
As Luc revealed his lack of land and title, Halbrecht's contemplative face briefly turned to surprise, both at the revelation and at the ease with which it came. As he sidled up behind Melinda, though, his expression quickly reverted to its business-like state. "Given that just beyond this cliff is the Ruby channel, and we have no way to cross water - and I no way to get Adamant down the cliff - I'd say that we've gone as far as possible. In the meantime, as a knight of the king, I cannot allow this giant to roam free when he could come back and terrorize innocent travelers later on."

[LordHavelock]

"Very well." Luc replies, "But perhaps it would be better to lure him out of his lair? Where you may make full use of your steed here in open terrain? Perhaps if Ranger Silith and myself went? I would have a way to conceal our retreat once his attention had been garnered." Sir Helbrecht's zeal and sense of duty were admirable, but Raev cocked her head at Luc, and he could feel her unease. 'Yes, it probably would be easier to kill the thing in it's sleep someway, but this is no rabbit whose den you can sneak into and snap it's neck so easily.' He thought though back at Raev, again reminded of the blurred line between violence in cruelty and violence in necessity.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She followed up as they had come upon the cliff, and the evident layer of a sleeping Giant bellow them. She looked on, keeping her arm lifted holding her falcon Mina up. She gestured her arm up, the bird taking note of her respond before flying up to the air for safety.

The white haired woman shook her head a bit. "It would be best to avoid killing if all possible. We can't be certain if the giant is indeed one causing terror or perhaps friendly. Unless we know otherwise, I stand against acting without some sign of evil deeds." She spoke up in some part on the giant's behalf. If it was seen that it was 'evil' or causing terror, she wouldn't be one to stand in the way of such a slaying. The safety of others wasn't something that could be solved with honor.



Take 10 on Handle Animal for 19.

[Perficio]

Melinda
Before she could recite any relevant snippets of tales, the 'nobleman' revealed to Lady Ruinlord that he was no true nobleman at all. Melinda hid a smile behind her hand as Luc gave a most delightful speech, and she peered around to watch the lady's reaction, anticipating embarassment or anger even in the face of danger.

After the reveal, Melinda turned to the sky and focused on what she could remember. Once confident in what she knew, she looked around at the others gathered. "From the tales I've heard, the giant probably won't stay here long. My cousins, in the north, fought one who traveled with a band of four orcs and seven wolves. He traversed several mountains and dozens of leagues before they caught up to him, a full week later." She shrugged a little at the falconer, sympathetic to her ideals but unconvinced. "The orcs started the battle, the giant joined them wholeheartedly. I doubt the orcs forced the giant... and I can't say I've heard of any peaceful giants. How might we test it?"

[Felhammer]

Anrika looks furious. More than furious. She is shocked, angry and, above all else, embarrassed! She has been struck dumb by Luc's admission. She wanders a few steps away, her face pale, "B-b-b... H-h-h-how... The rumors were false... I am betrayed by gossip... You are not my knight..." She drops to her knees and looks to the skies. Melinda even sees a few tears stream from the woman's eyes before she covers her face with her hands. The scene is quite depressing.

After a few moments, she collects her thoughts. She brushes herself off, then darkly turns to face her new-found enemy. She glares at Luc, her hazel eyes piercing his very soul like the shimmering lances of two cavaliers puncturing the hide of a dying boar. She then jams her finger in his face and yells, "YOU LIED TO ME! Do not bother to deny it! A lie of omission is a lie none the less. You are no better than these peasants! In fact, you ARE worse. You are a dissembling rogue-like villain! At least that brutish hag of a guide has not double-crossed ME, to say nothing of her sorrowful, hayseed group of cretinous WRETCHES!" She throws up her hands in frustration, "You are a vile and disgusting CUR! You are hideous and grotesque, fit only for the circus from whence your bumpkin lineage descends! You shall rue the day you thieved my heart, then stomped upon it most heinously with your jagged, poisonous, perfidious boot heel! RUE IT I SAY!" Anrika then curtly turns away from Luc and runs off in the opposite direction as fast as her noble-born legs will take her.

Silith and Halbrecht spy two gigantic black wolves the size of horses creep out of the cave entrance and look around to see what the commotion was about. As the wolves pad foot out, the sheep baaa incessantly as they run from the massive predators. After finding little of anything worth note with their eyes, the two carnivores switch tactics as they hoist their heads into the air and begin to sniff and snort. Luckily the prevailing winds are in the party's favor, or else the wolves would surly have spotted the group by now.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Very well. But perhaps it would be better to lure him out of his lair? Where you may make full use of your steed here in open terrain? Perhaps if Ranger Silith and myself went? I would have a way to conceal our retreat once his attention had been garnered."
"While I would love nothing more than to bring the combined might of Adamant and I into battle, he is not so agile that he can drop down a sheer cliff face unscathed." Halbrecht looked ruefully at his steed, clearly not liking this fact. "As such, his role in this will be to keep an eye out in case we're flanked. I do like the idea of luring him out before we strike, though, if we could arrange it such that we could strike at him all at once when he's exposed..."


"YOU LIED TO ME! Do not bother to deny it! A lie of omission is a lie none the less. You are no better than these peasants! In fact, you ARE worse. You are a dissembling rogue-like villain! At least that brutish hag of a guide has not double-crossed ME, to say nothing of her sorrowful, hayseed group of cretinous WRETCHES! You are a vile and disgusting CUR! You are hideous and grotesque, fit only for the circus from whence your bumpkin lineage descends! You shall rue the day you thieved my heart, then stomped upon it most heinously with your jagged, poisonous, perfidious boot heel! RUE IT I SAY!"

It took all the strength of character Halbrecht had to not burst out laughing the second Anrika was out of earshot; after all, a knight never laughed at a noblewoman, no matter how obnoxious or whiny she was. As such, he settled for a barely choked-back snicker.

Then the wolves came plodding out, their noses pointed towards the heavens as they sought out their quarry. Well, now we know what made the tracks.

"Everyone down, quick!" Halbrecht said as he got into prone, motioning the others to join him. "Adamant, down." He turned to Luc, a wry smile upon his face. "While I am immeasurably grateful to you for ridding us of that-" Halbrecht bit back a rather unsavory word for a lady just in time, "-of Lady Ruinlord... Lucyen, was it? I would be doubly so if you would make it a point to save the world-shattering revelations for situations where we're NOT trying to wake up hostile creatures in the future." His eyes then turned back to the valley below, his mind scrambling to devise a plan. If there was an upside to the situation, it was that they no longer had to worry about bystanders getting in the way.

"The way I see it, we have a couple of options. We could stay low and pray to the gods that they give up their search and go back into the cave, at which point we could try to get the drop on them again. Personally, however, I think the odds of that happening are slim to none - I don't think the wind will be in our favor forever, and I doubt they'll stop until they find out what made the noise."

"With the wolves alerted, my original plan is out the window, but I think we can work around that." Halbrecht looked around, assessing the armaments of his companions. "Lucyen, my good Ranger - whose name I don't seem to have caught, my deepest apologies - you two ready your bows. I have, in my pack, a length of sturdy rope, which I will tie to that outcropping over there." He indicated the rock he had spotted earlier. "The others and I will then wait for your mark. When ready, fire at one of the wolves and draw their attention while I climb down the cliff as quickly as possible. Once that's done, as the best-armored among us, I will call and try to lure them towards me, away from the rope, while the others join me down below. If we strike hard and fast, we can hopefully slay at least one of them before the giant comes out to play." Halbrecht paused to let everything sink in. "If anyone has alternate suggestions, gaping flaws in my plan to point out, or hidden talents that could help us turn the tide of battle, now is the time."

[Mathemagics]

Ash

"Oh dear, it seems you've wounded her pure maidenly heart!"

Ash doesn't even bother to conceal her enjoyment at the most recent turn of events as she teases Luc. Not as close to the cliff edge as some of the others, she doesn't notice the wolves right away and thus doesn't drop to the ground.

"Not that I particularly want the spoiled noble back, but do you think she'll be okay on her own? Not like she knows how to take care of her...self...?"

She trails off into silence when she recognizes Halbrecht taking such pains to remain hidden over by the edge of the cliff. Dropping to the ground herself, she crawls up alongside the knight, maybe just a little closer than the rules of personal space would normally allow.

"You sure about this? Those don't look like your average sort of wolf, not to mention the giant..."

[BramsesII]

Silith

As the noblewoman storms off, a frown forms on Silith's face. In a normal situation, she would've chased after her to bring her back to the group. After all, a good guide never lets group members out of her sight. However, the appearance of the wolves and the snoring of the giant makes this course of action ill advised. Looks like those wolves are looking for whoever made that racket. Better to engage them now, while the group still has the element of surprise. She sneaks up to the cliff edge, keeping low to the ground, to get a better look at the newly appeared wolves.

Taking 10: 20

"I'd guess we're dealing with your cousins' giant here, miss." She whispers in a low voice as she crawls back, keeping out of sight of the wolves. She turns to the others in the group. "We'd do better with more archers. Does anyone else carry a bow? If not..." She quickly reaches into her quite ordinary looking quiver and somehow produces a slightly larger shortbow and a couple of arrows out of the quiver, putting them on the ground. "I have a spare. As for the plan..." She turns her gaze on Halbrecht. "You'd do best to stay out of the giant's reach once he comes out. Probably the same for the wolves if you can manage that. I don't like the fact that you'll have only one way out once you're down there." She looks over the party, each in turn. "That said, I think we should go for it. We don't have much time. All agreed?"

She looks over to the outcropping that Halbrecht indicated, then her gaze turns to the cliffs to the south. I wonder if I can climb down from there. Surprise them from behind. She turns back to the group. "Once you guys start fighting, I'll come down from there..." Silith points towards the cliffs south of their position. "... and surprise them from behind."

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She looked to Melinda, hearing her question about the Giant's intentions. "Well I would think if we are to test it, we would more so be looking for clues maybe of his behavior. Maybe remains or idols or other things that..." Her words were cut off suddenly as the loud woman suddenly began to speak up at Luc. Her voice only picked up as she went on a tirade... quiet loudly.

With a loud conclusion to the scornful woman's ranting and her carelessly storming off left, it left her cringe. She had a poor way with words, that was for sure. Her absent mindedness hadn't even thought to duck down until Halbrecht ushered them all to do so. She darted to the ground quickly keeping quiet as the others spoke. Given there were wolves, it only helped to paint the giant as likely not being the 'kindest' of creatures. It was enough proof at least for herself to be weary of it.

Hearing the others discuss, finally with Silith, she spoke out loud, mostly to herself. "To bad she wandered off, she would of been a good distraction." She commented on the run away noble. Perhaps it would of made more sense for her to worry about her, though considering she did it on her own accord she wasn't about to worry about her.

As if realizing she had spoke a bit out loud her thoughts, she decided to continue on. "Well I'm not much of a bow user, though I know how to use it. I am sure given some arcane influence I can hit my shot for sure." She spoke quiet confidently.

[Perficio]

Melinda

"I'm no archer, I'll be best on the ground," Melinda responded to the ranger's offer of a bow, then considered the knight's plan. With her ring, she could provide a second distraction at the base of the rope, and let the others get down all the more quickly. And as for the giant...

"I do have a few things to even the odds." She told the knight, reaching into a sheath on her belt and pulling a carved piece of wood from it. Holding it up, she looked toward Halbrecht's eyes. "This is enchanted to briefly transform people to a giant's size. If you like, I can cast it on you before he emerges from the cave. I've a few magics of my own, to jump down safely while you climb. With a glamour around me, the wolves won't see me until I let them." Her eyes flickered toward the wolves, and she grimaces. "They might smell me, but it should protect me long enough for you to get there."

[LordHavelock]

Luc is shocked into stun silence as Anrika makes her exit, rather loudly enough to rouse the Giant's watchgods it seems, and at that point Luc is too busy rounding and listening to Halbrecht and the others to give the poor noble-girl another thought. 'Highborn daughter such as herself shouldn't have been out here after all.' He thought, 'I just hope that means she can still make it back.'

Shaking his head, Raev clambers up onto his shoulder once more as he reslings his crossbow in front of him. "I will remain out here then and provide what help I can with my bow. I have more than a few spells at my own disposal too, and certain other, talents which should be of use to us against the wolves and their master."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Halbrech listened carefully as each member of the party elaborated on their talents, paying particular attention to the modifications to the plan offered up by Melinda and Silith. At the former's suggestion of magically enhancing his size, a brief lump formed in his throat - while magic was an important part of warfare, the cavalier was more familiar with the divine aspect (courtesy of the clerics and paladins employed by the Knights to keep their comrades patched up in battle) than the arcane, particularly when the latter was directed at him. Get a hold of yourself, he thought. Now is not the time to doubt your allies, especially when being able to stand on equal footing with the giant would offer such a strategic advantage. His resolve strengthened, and he gave Melinda and Silith an emphatic nod. "Excellent suggestions all around. Now, barring anything further, I will move over to the outcropping and get to work tying off the rope. Those not on bow duty, follow behind me. Those who are..." Halbrecht paused for a moment. "Regrettably, chainmail is somewhat noisy, and as such I fear that it is more than likely I will give us away before the rope can be tied off. I would suggest that you all ready your bows now, that you might get a first shot in if the wolves should spot me."

Done talking, Halbrecht carefully removed his pack and retrieved his standard-issue silk rope from within. Then, with great care, he got into a squat and started to make his way toward the outcropping. As he did so, he noted ruefully that he had forgotten to tie hand-holds into the rope. Note to self: Take care of that as soon as possible once we get back to Blackrock.

Alrighty. Here's where the plan either falls to pieces or succeeds spectacularly.
Stealth (to move to AC7 without alerting the wolves): [roll0]
In the event that Halbrecht does not alert the wolves with loud, repetitive chinking (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0024.html), he will tie off the rope to AC6 and read an action to climb down the cliff when those on bow duty open fire.

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith nods, removing her pack to allow for easier maneuvering. "Aisha, take the bow and follow the others. That way, you can get down there if they need help. I'll head over there..." - Silith points southward - "And attack from behind. Any accomplished climbers are welcome to follow me." She looks over everyone in the party once more, looking all of them in the eye for a short moment to ensure they understood her. To Aisha she offers a small reassuring smile, and she involuntarily does the same to Ash. Then, she nocks an arrow to her bow and creeping into position. "Ready when you are."

Taking 10 on stealth: 20
Moving to R15

[Felhammer]

The wolves seem seem to focus more on the valley below and do not consider their enemies lay above them... That is until Halbrecht accidentally kicks a rock, which tumbles off the side of the cliff. The wolves look up and see the cavalier (but not Silith). They howl and growl, attracting TWO of their fellows from inside the cave. Keeping an ear out for the giant, Melinda hears the behemoth gorily yell something she presumes is, "Shut up you mangy mutts!" in the tongue of giants.

The four dire wolves creep up near where Halbrecht is tying the rope off, staring up at him with the yellow and black eyes of cold blooded killers...

[BramsesII]

Silith

As another two wolves come into view, Silith's experience in combat immediately tells her this is not a battle they are going to win easily. Not from this position. She looks over to Halbrecht's position, trying to make eye contact with the cavalier. She creeps a few steps backward, relaxing her bowstring to free up one hand, which she subsequently holds up, trying to tell everyone to stay back and out of sight. At the same time, she soundlessly mouths the word "back", hoping that Halbrecht will understand her and break off his attempted descent from the cliff.

With the hand holding her bow, she points to a position further up north, away from the cliffs and out of sight from the wolves.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Everything had been going well until he actually reached the outcropping.

Just as he'd reached his destination, an errant movement of his right foot had sent a large rock tumbling all the way down. Not only were the wolves now aware of his position, but now there were four of them.

Curse that damned Lady Ruinlord.

Looking up from the wolves, Halbrecht quickly caught sight of Silith's signals. It only took a moment's contemplation for him to emphatically nod his head and raise his upturned thumb in assent, at which point he waved the others toward where she was pointed before carefully making his own way toward the designated area, rope in hand.

Plan B was out the window. Time to regroup and think of a Plan C.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She gave a light nod at Silith, taking the bow and a few arrows in order to be used given she needs to make a ranged shot. It seemed though their plans were put to a temporary halt as she noticed her companions seeming to hesitate in response. She kept quiet keeping back holding the bow in one hand deciding to not act immediately. She figured that given their position it wasn't likely they would be springing into action immediate as it was now if one of them had been spotted. She kept back not using her magic just yet waiting to hear what they might do next. She wasn't the most experienced when it came to tactics, particularly ones involving quite odd placement.

[Felhammer]

The Wolves eye the cavalier as he retreats away, lingering around the spot where he was last seen. Waiting for him to return...

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith waits for Halbrecht to disappear from the view of the wolves before creeping slowly towards their new position up north to discuss their new plan. Damn that noblewoman. Without her we would've taken these wolves out before anyone knew what happened. Taking on four wolves and a giant - and who knows what else is in that cave - would be suicide.

Once the party has assembled, Silith looks to Halbrecht. Who better to discuss their strategy with than a Starless Knight? "So, what now, sir Halbrecht? Heading down there to fight four wolves and a giant would be a grave tactical error. We have a favorable position up on these cliffs, but we lack the archers to fully take advantage of our situation." She looks around at each of the partymembers before turning her attention back to Halbrecht. "We are not yet that far away from Blackrock. Perhaps we should alert the Starless Knights and the Rangers that there is a giant in the area. With their combined might we might even be able to capture the giant, to find out what he is doing here."

The half-elf looks around at the party to assess their reactions to her suggestion. "Judging by the snoring we heard, I don't think he will leave soon. That would give us time to gather enough allies to take him on safely. Besides..." Silith turns her gaze in the direction the noblewoman fled, brushing her hair back behind her ears with both hands. "We lost someone. We need to make sure she doesn't run into trouble." Silith sighs as she mentions lady Ruinlord. A frown forms on her face. Despite the insults and obnoxious behavior, Silith has always hated leaving someone behind, especially if this someone is in her care.

She looks at sir Halbrecht. "Sir, could you ride back to Blackrock ahead of us and alert the starless knights and the rangers? If your horse is capable of carrying one more, you should take another of us along with you so you can quickly alert both groups." She slings her bow over her shoulder and holds her hand out to Aisha to return her spare bow. "The rest of us will follow lady Ruinlord's tracks and make sure she doesn't run into trouble. There's still a murderer out here as well."

Silith looks around the party. "If someone has a better plan for taking on the giant now I would prefer to hear it though. We're risking his disappearance by leaving now. I'd prefer not to do that, but right now I don't see any other options."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht listened to Silith attentively before proceeding to mull over some other options in his head. After a few moments of intensely furrowing his brow and stroking his chin, he looked back up at the ranger. "I have a couple of thoughts. I agree that we are too short on manpower to take down the giant as we are now; however, just getting back to Blackrock will take an hour, to say nothing of the time it will take to rally both groups. Two hours plus is more than enough time for him to wake up from his nap and disappear."

"I would thus like to propose an alternative. Just before we found this place I spotted another search party five miles northwest, and I doubt they've moved too far from their original position. If Adamant and I rode fast and hard-"

Halbrecht was cut off as a soft clipping came from behind him. There stood Adamant, having finally got up and followed the group away from the cliff, Halbrecht's pack between his teeth. The horse released the pack, and it fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Halbrecht smiled. "Speak of the devil. Anyway, if Adamant and I ride fast, we should be able to reach the other group in half that time. The potential manpower would be less, but there's guaranteed to be at least one ranger, which means one more bow - and if their group size is similar to ours, there's guaranteed to be at least one more person who can handle themselves in a fight. Even that much improves our chances considerably."

"As for the second thing... You appear to have me at a disadvantage, milady ranger. I do not know your name, yet you somehow know mine. As long as we're not under immediate duress, I like to know the names of my allies." Halbrecht looked around the huddled group meaningfully, extending the invitation to the rest of the assembled party.

[LordHavelock]

"If I might suggest . . ." Luc begins, softly as he can, "To send a runner after Anrika, or for the other search party would only leave those here less ready to deal with the giant should he awaken." Raising his crossbow over his shoulder, Raev hops down to the ground and perfectly mimics the actions of a pointing of a hunting hound toward the two wolves. "I believe we should lure these two away, as quietly as possible, and dispose of them quickly as we can. If we can do so before the others are roused, we will be that much better off, and if not, we won't be any worse than if we were forced to deal with them anyway. At any rate, I don't like the odds of trying to outrun those beasts, even for you Sir Helbrecht, on horseback, and to lose the most capable and heart fighter warrior amongst us would us more vulnerable. There's no guarantee you can find the other party in time, and no guarantee they will be better prepared to deal with the giant than we are."

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She looked up briefly, seeing Mina still keeping up in the sky, keeping distance from the group. She looked back down hearing their planning with Luc adding his own bit into it. "Well... there is a chance they might not follow us... is there not? I mean we are up higher right now it doesn't seem like they would be able to get to us that easily to begin with. If so, I'd think if one of were seen, the wolves would already be coming towards us and such. Though they could be just guarding..." She spoke some parts drifting off a bit in her own tangent in the middle of her speaking contemplating the creatures motives.

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith quietly listens to her companions, nodding whenever one of them makes a point."I understand your concern, Luc, was it? And I would prefer to take them out now. However, descending down the cliffs to lure off the wolves puts whoever is down there in grave danger if the plan doesn't work exactly as you'd have it play out. And in my experience, battle plans never work out the way you want them to. I'd be willing to risk it if we could stay up here and rain down death on the wolves with arrows, but we simply lack the manpower and the weapons to do so. Besides, Aisha has a point," - Silith offers the white-haired girl a half-smile - "those wolves are not going to scale the cliffs to get to us. We're relatively safe here."

The half-elf looks up at the sky to see where Aisha's falcon is flying. "Still, chasing after lady Ruinlord right now is not advisable. Aisha," - Silith looks at the young falconer - "can you have your falcon find her somehow? I'd like to know if she's at least safe." The half-elf then turns to the others. "Sir Halbrecht will find the other party and get them to join us. I'm sorry, Luc. They'll have at least one archer with them, maybe more. The others will stay here with me, and we'll stay out of sight so we'll be safe if the giant somehow makes his way up here."

Silith then digs into the backpack she picked up on the way to their current position, and takes out a piece of paper and some charcoal, writing down a short message. "Sir Halbrecht, where's the headquarters of the Starless Knights in Blackrock, and what's the commander's name? I'll send him a message. That way, we'll at least let them know there's a giant out here. Oh, and my name's Silith. I caught yours when Solvald instructed me on what to do and who to bring along." Having finished her message, Silith creeps up north further, taking a few berries out of a pouch on her belt. She spots a dove walking through the fields and approaches the bird, luring it over with the tasty treat. The animal somehow walks up and begins eating out of her hand, while Silith speaks a few words to it. After it has finished eating, the auburn-haired half-elf takes the piece of paper, carefully ties it around the crow's neck with a piece of string. Then, she picks up the bird, whispers the location of the Starless Knights' headquarters and lets the bird go. It immediately takes off in the direction of Blackrock, carrying Silith's message with it.


Sir Menwulf,

Giant and four wolves found, cave south of Blackrock.
Will try to kill it. Send help in case it goes wrong.
6 of us here, will try to get aid from other party.
Sir Halbrecht is with us.

Signed, ranger Silith.


Casting animal messenger to deliver the message to blackrock.

[Felhammer]

Silith cajoles a dove to fly off to Eternity Tower to inform Sir Menwulf Merchantson of the impending threat and the current plan of action. She watches as the black and grey bird scurries away as fast as its wings will take it.

[LordHavelock]

"In that case, deploy me as I am needed, I will provide what help I can with my bow, and with my spells." Luc avoided using the term 'hex', though he knew from Archivist Laurenya's teachings that some of his innate magical talent took the form of what could be considered witchcraft, rather than true sorcery or the hermetic traditions of Deepoath.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
"A pleasure, Miss Silith, Aisha." Halbrecht then shook the half-elven ranger's hand before proceeding to answer her questions regarding the crow's destination. As the bird flew off, message around its neck, he slung his back once more over his shoulders before once more climbing on to Adamant's back. "Well, since we seem to have reached a decision, I'll be off - unless anyone else has something to add before I depart?"

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha looked a bit surprised seeing as Silith hearing her request giving a light nod in response. It puzzled her a bit not sending the message herself, after all she was quite She was use to being the only messenger around who could do so. It was strange seeing another take up the responsibility. Still, having her falcon attempt to find the woman seemed to make the most sense after all. She held her hand up in gesture, Mina flying down landing upon her gloved hand. She gently pet the creature lightly on its side. "Find Lady Ruinlord, the one missing of our group and come back to tell if she is in trouble." She spoke, moving her finger around in gesture towards the group before pointing to the air, helping to emphasize the missing individual.

She looked over to look giving a light nod and finally to Halbrecht as he prepared to take off himself. "Be careful." She spoke smiling as she nodded lightly. A rather simple thing to say but she always felt like it was best to say something in part before someone's departure.

Take 10 on Handle Animal (19) to seek Lady Ruinlord and give a sign of her well being.

[Felhammer]

The hawk takes off into the sky with a thunderous caw.

[Felhammer]

Silith's dove returns with a note that reads:

Ranger Silith,

I have sent five of my best knights out to meet up with you. They shall await your arrival at High Hill, which is near where you indicated the giant and his minions are located. I wish I could send more knights but we have received intelligence that Panida Whisperaxe, the Marquis of Rubgem, has sent a hunting party into Rowanoak. We do not know her intentions and so fear a possible raid. With the Rangers sent out in the field, the difficult task of garrisoning Blackrock falls to the Starless Knights.


Signed, Sir Menwulf

High Hill is about a mile away to the north-east. It is one of the tallest mountains on the western side of the Blackrock Hills.

Aisha's falcon does not return, meaning Lady Anrika is most likely not in any danger.

It does not take Halbrecht long to find the other wayward group, as they have ventured much closer than expected. The knight sees four men, armed with daggers, leather armor and crossbows, while their leader and guide is an Imperial Dwarf whose face bears the many scars of melee combat with wild beasts. The dwarf looks Halbrecht up and down and curtly responds, "What are ye doin'? Ye supposed ta be with that newcomer, what's her name, Silith! Have ye found tha murderer?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
As Halbrecht settled into his saddle, the two remaining unidentified members of the party introduced themselves as Melinda Vilhelmisdaughter and - once more, this time while he was paying attention - Ash d'Oscine.
"A pleasure to meet both of you, Miss d'Oscine, Miss Vilhelmisdaughter," he said, the smile on his face finally free of stress. He turned to the rest of the party. "And thank you, Miss Aisha - though hopefully, unless monsters start coming out of the ground itself, this should be completely uneventful." Moving his hands to the reins, he gave them a sharp crack. "Take care until I return! Adamant, ho!" And just like that, knight and horse took off across the dry hills, heading towards the last known location of the other party.

***

As it turned out, the journey was shorter than anticipated, even with Adamant going at a full gallop - and Halbrecht could not help but give a small internal jump of joy as he saw each of the men dressed, not as commoners, but as soldiers - and with ranged weapons, to boot. "Whoa, Adamant! Whoa!"


"What are ye doin'? Ye supposed ta be with that newcomer, what's her name, Silith! Have ye found tha murderer?"

This is perfect. Now, time to break out the diplomacy lessons.

"If only that were the case, sir," said Halbrecht, "but unfortunately, we've found no sign of her - or, for that matter, any humanoid tracks. No, I come because we've found something else - a hill giant, holed up in a cave at the bottom of a cliff, accompanied by no less than four dire wolves. We attempted to take them by surprise, but a certain member of our party gave us away to the wolves. Luckily, the giant itself was not alerted, and last I saw the wolves were not pursuing us up the cliff." Halbrecht paused briefly to let the information sink in. "Our group lacks either the bows to take advantage of our position at the top of the cliffs or the means to get enough men to the bottom at once to keep from being overwhelmed. I have thus come to humbly request your help in dealing with them, before they pose a threat to anyone else."

[Felhammer]

The men with crossbows suddenly look very agitated. The dwarf holds up his hand to calm them, "Hill giant you say? We haven't seen the likes o' 'em in the Blackrocks fer almost a year. This'un musta' migrated down from tha' Snowtails durin' tha' winter. Iffin' I was you, I'd be more worried about orcs than wolves. Killed two o' 'em already, saw tracks for a quarta' dozen more. Iffin' I be a bettin' dwarf, I'd say they've thrown their lot in with your hill giant." The ranger ponders the knight's strategy for a time before replying, "Aye, ye have a good plan there. Me an' my men will help you take down tha' bloody behemoth an' then find that murderer."

As the new party ventures back to the main force, the dwarf speaks up once more, "I be Konthor the Bluefingered, tha' blonde one is Baage, tha' tall one is Big Dalot, tha' short one is Lil' Dalot an' tha' other one is Berik. They may not look like much but they all fought in tha' war. Saw action at Redgem an' Dokkport. Been trainin' 'em with tha' crossbows, they're pretty good shots now. Who else is in your party 'sides Silith? Any other knights like yourself?"

[BramsesII]

Silith

With Halbrecht underway and her dove sent out as well, Silith decides that now is a good time to find out a little more about her companions. At least, everything that can be of use in combat. She looks at Lucyen first, offering the man a small smile. "If we're going to fight here, I'll need to know what you guys are capable of. Combat, scouting, subterfuge, anything. Sir Luc, your attire and weapons suggest you're not a warrior. Plus, you mentioned the spells. What sort of magic do you have at your disposal?"

After hearing out Lucyen, she turns to Melinda, offering her a small smile as well. "Miss Vilhelmisdaughter, what is it you do best? The armor and weapons suggest you're at least trained in melee combat." Then, she turns to Ash as she tucks her hair behind her right ear again. "And you, miss Ash, where do your talents lie?" And finally, she looks at Aisha. "We've met before, Aisha, but I'm not sure I've seen you fight. I know you carry a mighty falchion. What other skills do you have to offer in combat?"

Having heard all of them out, she looks at nobody in particular as she speaks: "As you already noticed, I'm a ranger, which means training with bow, sword, and a variety of other weapons. The blade has my preference, though. Besides that, I'm a experienced tracker and scout. I also know my way around locks and traps." - Silith's expression turns darker when she speaks this sentence - "It's a long story, not something I'm proud of."


Silith's dove returns with a note that reads:

Ranger Silith,

I have sent five of my best knights out to meet up with you. They shall await your arrival at High Hill, which is near where you indicated the giant and his minions are located. I wish I could send more knights but we have received intelligence that Panida Whisperaxe, the Marquis of Rubgem, has sent a hunting party into Rowanoak. We do not know her intentions and so fear a possible raid. With the Rangers sent out in the field, the difficult task of garrisoning Blackrock falls to the Starless Knights.


Signed, Sir Menwulf



The ranger is surprised when her dove returns quite quickly. She offers the animal another berry, then takes the note it was carrying and reads it carefully. Then, she looks around for a moment before adressing the assembled party. "The knights've sent reinforcements. Five men. With a bit of luck, they'll be here shortly. Well, they'll be over there." She points towards the north-east, to a particularly high hill. "That's High Hill, I think. They'll be meeting us there. Someone'll need to go talk to them while others wait here for sir Halbrecht to return. I suggest two of you head there, preferably someone with some knowledge of the terrain. The other two stay here with me, and we will intercept sir Halbrecht and his reinforcements." She thinks for a moment before continuing. "Or, if you prefer, I could go talk to them. I can move quite fast on my own."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht shuddered, then glowered at the mention of orcs. If that turns out to be true. then perhaps it is for the best that I went looking for reinforcements. If there was one thing he hated more than anything else in the world, it was orcs, and his irritation towards Lady Ruinlord dropped - if only slightly. As Konthor asked his question, he recomposed himself. "A pleasure to meet you and your party, Konthor. My name is Halbrecht, and to answer your question, I am the only one of the Starless Knights in my group. Silith is, unless I'm mistaken, the only Ranger." Halbrecht paused for a second as he tried to recall the armaments and capabilities of his companions as accurately as possible. "As far as other members, we have one Lucyen Torchlord, who has a crossbow and apparently some training in magic; Melinda Vilhelmisdaughter also has some magical talents but is armed with a sword. Next, we have a falconer named Aisha; she has a falchion and, though she does not carry a bow, apparently has trained with one. Lastly, we have one Ash d'Oscine, who has with her a longsword; I regret to say I do not know if she possesses any other useful talents."

[Felhammer]

The dwarf runs his thick, meaty hand through his sweaty hair and laughs, "Ya certainly lucked out with yer party, Sir Halbrecht! So many accomplished and powerful individuals. Makes me wonda ifin' otha' parties weren't a bit shafted by tha' concentration of quality soldiers in our groups." He laughs as he confidently strides next to the cavalier and his mighty steed.




The journey to High Hill is uneventful, save for a the fact that a few seagulls fly by and a handful of snakes are seen slithering along. The hill itself is vaguely unnatural with its near perfect conical shape. There are other such shaped hills spread out across Blackvale, Redcloud and Deepoath. Bards sing tales of how the ancients buried their kings under hills of gold but no one knows if such tales are true. The Saga of the Brave states that King Sydan the Bastard was interred in the Earth some where in the Blackrock Hills. Bards have linked the Saga and the old tales together and claim that the Dusk Ravens (or sometimes a Vanara Druid named Silma) uplifted the earth with powerful magics and laid it atop the subterranean burial chamber of King Sydan, so as to dissuade thieves and dwarves from stealing the King's funerary bounty. Prior to the Gloom, one of the Dusk Ravens sent an expedition to the High Hill to verify the validity of the theory but the plans were abandoned by the eternal winter. Today, High Hill is nothing more than a grass-covered hillock.

The party takes a seat on the side of the hill and waits for the Starless Knights to arrive. Off in the distance, you spy five men on horseback, their silver armor shimmering in the sun. Each bears a lance with the pendant of the Starless Knights affixed to it. It takes them about fifteen minutes to arrive at High Hill following the first sighting of the group. Each rider sits atop a chestnut-colored Blackvalian Warmblood, the favored breed of the Order. Their leader hops off his horse with surprising grace for a man in full plate. He is tall, with a thick blonde beard and flowing curly locks. His eyes are piercing blue and his cheeks quite rosy, "Tidings, friends. I am Sir Ulfred of Blacklake and I have come on a most dire of missions by our leader, Sir Menwulf. Is it true that a giant has been spotted here in the Hills?




You can hear the wolves toying with one of the sheep. They have separated it from the others, perhaps even cornered it. The animal screeches in terror before... The sound of bones snapping and blood gushing slams echos out of the narrow valley and up into your horrified ears.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

The sounds of the poor creature being torn apart haunts her a bit as she focuses forward at Silith's questioning. "Well... I suppose I am good at close range combat... and I dabble a bit into the arcane arts... though I'm not really as good as most in my family..." She spoke out softly as if idle in her words looking up in thought. She shifted back to attention looking at her shaking her head. "Sorry, didn't mean to drivel on about such things. I'll likely serve the most use near the front or providing supportive magic to aid others. " She spoke nudging a bit to her Falchion sitting upon her back in its sheath. It was always a bit shameful on her part that she couldn't be as good as anyone else in her family. She had some talents, more then most people in truth who venture the world, but it was far from being an accomplished user of the arcane arts.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
"Well, I don't know about the other groups, but ours wasn't all quality soldiers - at least not at first." Halbrecht's smile dimmed a little at the memory. "There was one more member of our party, one Lady Anrika Ruinlord. She had no tracking or wilderness skills, no magical training, and she had no weapon of any kind. She spent most of the morning alternately complaining about how the search was beneath her and attempting to woo Lucyen." Halbrecht gave a light chuckle that was equal parts borne of mirth and frustration. "It was her that gave us away, actually - apparently Luc was not the rich, endowed nobleman she thought him to be, so she threw a fit and ran off. Then the wolves came out looking for us and we lost the element of surprise. Just before I left, Aisha sent out her falcon to make sure she didn't run into trouble." A pause. "Although if it turns out that your orcs and our giant are, in fact, connected, that tantrum may have been a blessing in disguise."

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Ever since dropping to the ground to remain hidden from the wolves, Ash's demeanor has seem distracted, as if something were no her mind that managed to be more important than the situation at hand. Having been kicking her legs absentmindedly while resting on her stomach in the short grass, she rolls over and pushes herself into a sitting position as Silth addresses her.

"Hmm? Talents? Sure, plenty. Interested?"

Her ever-present smile reasserts itself as she stares at the sky and shrugs apologetically.

"Ah sorry, I should probably actually take this seriously huh? You meant in a fight I guess? Well, I doubt I'd be quite as handy as yourself or our handsome Sir Hal who we are currently deprived of, but I can take are of myself well enough I suppose. I'm decent with a sword and I know a few tricks that could tilt things in our favor under the right conditions."

She stands up, dusting her clothes off in the process and turning to face the indicated hill when the meeting place for the reinforces is pointed out.

"I don't mind going. Just wait around there until they show up and bring them back here is all, right? Easy enough."

[LordHavelock]

"Your talents are much appreciated, and of course, your past is your own to keep." Luc responded to Silith's admission regarding an expertise with locks and traps. He wasn't precisely cavalier with sharing the darker parts of his own past, even if there was little point in hiding his family name. "You are correct that I am no warrior, but I have inborn magical abilities," Which was not technically speaking a lie, "so my spells are at your disposal. I can conjure fog and mist to shroud us, bolster yourself or our party with great strength and good fortune, or else vex our foes with ill-luck and other ailments." Luc did not go quite so far as to distinguish which of these 'talents' were spells and which were something else entirely.

It was only in practicing with Laurenya, demonstrating his abilities that he first learned that some of these were more uncanny than others, what she deemed to be the preternatural abilities akin to those exercised by otherworldly beings and creatures. It was one of the secrets about himself he kept more closely guarded, along with Raev's part in teaching them to him.

[BramsesII]

Silith

The half-elf nods as her companions answer her question, a small smile betrays her amusement at Ash making light of the situation. Her expression quickly turns serious again as the others continue. Then, when they're finished, Silith looks around quickly, scanning her surroundings, before replying: "So, magical talents and tricks. That'll be very useful in this confrontation. It's good to know I've got talented people on my side." She glances at Ash during this last sentence, before looking around again, making sure the giant is not somehow waking up.

When Ash suggests meeting up with the knights, Silith offers her a small nod. "Very well. It should be easy enough. You shouldn't travel alone though. Without a horse, outrunning enemies is going to be difficult. Take miss Vilhelmisdaughter with you. And stay in sight. I'd like to have you where I can see you." A short pause. "That way, we can come to your aid if necessary." Then, she looks at Lucyen and Aisha. "Keep your eyes open. If those wolves or that giant come up here, we should try to stay hidden. No sense confronting them in the open like this. You should keep your fog spells at the ready, Luc, in case they surprise us."

[Mathemagics]

"Tidings, friends. I am Sir Ulfred of Blacklake and I have come on a most dire of missions by our leader, Sir Menwulf. Is it true that a giant has been spotted here in the Hills?


Ash

Ash rises from her sitting position as the knights approach, and gives a casual bow at their leader's introduction. She smiles, then returns the man's greeting with one of her own.

"A please to meet you, Sir Ulfred. My name is Ash d'Oscine and my friend here is Miss Melinda Vilhelmisdaughter. We are with the group that came across the giant's cave, aside from one other who went to seek the help of another nearby search party, the rest of our companions are over that way."

She indicates the general direction of the others and the cliff overlooking the giant's cave with a nod of the head.

"If you good knights are ready, we can take you to where we found the giant's cave. Though considering the two of us are on foot, could you possibly permit us to share your rides? It has been quite a lot of trekking over the rough country today already..."

Her tone subtly shifts to take on a plaintive inflection as she speaks, and her expression changes ever so slightly to match. It's not excessive, just enough to be endearing without crossing into the range of an overt attempt at manipulation.


General diplomacy check to endear Ash to Sir Ulfred and improve attitude. Because always handy to make people like you!

Diplomacy: [roll0] with another +1 bonus if he could be attracted to Ash.

[Felhammer]

The knight grasps both bard's hands and kisses each gingerly, "Well met Ash d'Oscine and Melinda Vilhelmisdaughter. You were wise to call for aid, Giants are terrifyingly strong and rotten to the core. The lives of two such as yourselves should not be risked on such foolhardy adventures, not without the aid of brave knights such as we five." His teeth almost sparkle when he smiles at the end of that sentence. We shall not tarry! To war! Miss Ash shall ride with me, while Miss Melinda shall ride with Sir Norin the Rabbit." The knights and the bards race off to meet yup with their fellow companions.


"I've never understood women, truly. They are strange and mystical. One minute they love you, the next they scorn you. I prefer simple. Say what you mean, speak plainly and put everything out on the table." The dwarf looks back at his companions, "Isn't that right men?" They grunt approvingly. "Aye, women are like freshly polished wine glasses - nice to look at but if ya' squeeze too hard, they shatter. Men are like tin tankards. Ya' can squeeze 'em tight, bang 'em on the table and even throw 'em on the ground and they will be none the worse for wear. Know what I mean laddie?"

The discussion continues on until the group spots a group of shining knights galloping towards a small party that have taken to resting near a large boulder. The dwarf, his men and Hal pick up the pace in order to arrive at almost the same time as the knights.

Both the other party (and Hal) and the Knights (with Melinda and Ash) arrive at almost the same moment. The imperial dwarven Ranger whose face bears the many scars of melee combat with wild beasts, saunters up to Silith and extends a hand, "Well met Ranger Silith." Citing a passage from the Ranger's oath, "We are the warm grip against the cold." The dwarf then turns his attention to the others, "I be Konthor the Bluefingered, tha' blonde one is Baage, tha' tall one is Big Dalot, tha' short one is Lil' Dalot an' tha' other one is Berik. As I told Sire Halbrecht before, my men may not look like much but they all fought in tha' war. Saw action at Redgem an' Dokkport. Been trainin' 'em with tha' crossbows, they're pretty good shots now."

Not to be outdone, the lead knight hops off his horse and helps Ash do the same. He removes his battle helm, revealing a thick blonde beard and flowing curly locks. His eyes are piercing blue and his cheeks quite rosy. His voice is as firm as stone, "I am Sir Ulfred of Blacklake. These are my companions, Sir Norin, Sir Jemming, Sir Dodalf and Sir Natto. Our leader, Sir Menwulf, Lord of Eternity Tower, has sent us here on a noble quest to..."

The knight is cut off by Konthor, "A giant. We all know that. Stop puttin' on airs, ya' lout!"

"I would challenge you to a duel if your..."

"If my head were a bit higher so ya' wouldn't have ta' bend down ta' slap me wit' your gauntlet. I've heard that one before, you sycophant wart."

"BAH! There is no dealing with this obstinate, unwashed toad! Go back to your wilderness, fool. Let the real heroes save the day."

"An' let ya' primped up pansies have all the fun?"

Then it is settled - the one who lands the killing blow shall have his dinner purchased for him by the loser?"

"Aye, Sir laddie. You shall be buyin' me dinner tonight!"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
As Sir Ulfred and Konthor finished with the traditional inter-organizational battle of egos, Halbrecht let out a loud cough, dismounting Adamant in the process. "If that matter's settled, then perhaps we should move on to strategy. If you would all just kindly huddle round here, and try not let things get too loud... We do still have wolves nearby, after all." Once everyone was assembled, he continued speaking. "Since the wolves are already out in the open, they will have to be dealt with before the melee fighters can safely descend down the cliffs. Before, we did not have enough bows to take advantage of the fact we were up at the top, or a way to get everyone down the cliff face fast enough to avoid getting swarmed. With all your help, however-" He gestured towards the newcomers, "our original plan is once more viable. The plan is this: Silith, Konthor, and his party, plus anyone else with a bow, shall get as close to edge of the cliff as possible without being seen, and ready their weapons. In the meantime, the melee fighters shall follow behind me and Sir Ulfred to the rocky outcropping over there." He pointed towards where he originally attempted to tie off the rope. "I will tie off a rope there; if anyone else spots another place to do so, they are welcome tie off their own. When ready, the bowmen will open fire on the wolves and, hopefully, take down at least one of them. As soon as that happens, the melee fighters will climb down the cliffs, whether by rope or their own means, as fast as possible. After that... Well, Almahara shall hopefully see us through." He paused to let the information sink in before turning to Silith. "Also, I didn't suppose you learned anything else about our party while I was away? I found myself a little shorter on information than I like when talking with Konthor."

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith shakes the dwarf's hand, a stern expression on her face as she returns his greeting. "We are the shatterers of chains. It is good to see you, ranger Kronthor." She offers a nod to each of the men he introduces. "Well met, everyone." Then, as the knight introduces himself, Silith turns to him. "And well met to you too, sir Ulfred. It's good to see such a speedy reaction to my message."

When Halbrecht speaks up, Silith quietly listens to his plan, shooting Ash and Melinda a quick look. When Halbrecht finally asks her about their companions, she gives him a quick rundown of what they told her, before digging out some rope from her pack and adding a few things to the plan. "A good plan, sir Halbrecht. It would be better if you had a few more ropes to climb down. The faster you can get down there, the better. I suggest you take Ash and Aisha with you. From what I gather, they should be able to support you in the melee. Melinda and Luc should stay with us up here, away from the wolves. That way they can support us with spells and whatever else they have at their disposal. And perhaps someone can provide some magical distraction to cover your descent down the cliffs?" She looks at Kronthor and Ulfred. "Agreed, sirs?" She looks at the rope in her hand and passes it over to Halbrecht. "Here, use this. If needed I'll climb down the south cliff face" - she points southward - "to assist in the melee."

[HanaRei]

Aisha

The white haired woman watched quietly as the commotion happened finally seeing as the other party found their way to them. In particular, the new group seemed just as disfunctional as their own... likely even more so. She smiled lightly giving a bit of an awkward look not sure how else to act at the exchange. As it settled a bit and she heard Silith's suggestion about herself going down as well, she gave a slight nod.

"Alright. It would be a lot easier if there was a way around to not have to climb down the cliff. Dunno how the wolves and giant really manage." She spoke shaking her head a bit in response to having to take such a route down. It was quite a bit harder when it involved having to climb down with vicious wolves on your toes she would assume, and a giant potentially smashing through the group in their efforts to get down.

[Felhammer]

Konthor chuckles, "Ay, tha' ole' "hit 'em when they ain't lookin', then hit 'em again when they be distracted" routine. Aye, that'll work."

Without asking permission, Konthor's men drop down onto all fours and crawl their way to the edge and ready their crossbows. The speed and deft maneuvering of the Ranger's men is astounding, given what had occurred before.

Ulfred pipes up, "Then we Knights shall descend into the belly of the beast and enter his lair through the gaping maw." The knights take the long way around, doing their best to hide or disguise their movements, and do an admirable job of it.

Two of the wolves appear to have either wandered away, or back into the cave, while the remaining two gash their teeth on a sheep's bones.

[LordHavelock]

Luc nods in agreement to Sir Halbrecht's revised plan, much more confident now with the weight of numbers on their side, and seasoned knights and soldiers beside, in addition to the varied magic uses assembled in their party originally. "I will do my best to support you Sir Halbrecht, and you Sir Ulfred." He says, before taking a place beside Silith with his crossbow readied in the firing line, ready to take his cue to begin as stealthy an approach as possible up to the clifface.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
"I'm certain you will, my good man. Good hunting," said Halbrecht, giving Luc a firm pat on the shoulder. He then turned to his group. "Ash, Aisha, on me. It seems my fellow knights are going around the long way." Proferring Silith's extra rope to whichever member cared to take it, he then carefully led the way to the rocky outcropping in a careful, crouching walk. Once there, he finally tied off the rope, and gave the bowmen a firm nod and a thumbs up, indicating he was ready to toss the rope over and scramble down as soon as they began the ambush.

Halbrecht, having conveniently moved back to AC7, will tie off the rope and ready an action to climb down the cliff as soon as Silith, the rangers, Melinda and Luc open fire.

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith simply nods, dropping her pack on the ground quietly. Then, she pulls out her spare bow and a small quiver of arrows and hands them to Melinda. "Here. It's best if everyone up here has a bow." She then sneaks over to the position she had taken earlier, her own bow at the ready, an arrow nocked. The half-elf looks at everyone assembled, making eye contact with Halbrecht for a moment, to make sure the knights are ready to strike. Then, she turns to Konthor and whispers. "Ready?"

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She looked to lord Halbrecht giving a nod. She followed him in suit keeping low getting ready to head to the rope. She wasn't sure just how well this would go though she hoped their assault would go over smoothly.

[Felhammer]

With a nod, he says, "Aye." with that said, the Ranger and his four companions fire their bolts at the wolves.

Dude 1 v Wolf's AC
[roll0]
[roll1]

Dude 2 v Wolf's AC
[roll2]
[roll3]

Dude 3 v Wolf's AC
[roll4]
[roll5]

Dude 4 v Wolf's AC
[roll6]
[roll7]

Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll8]
[roll9]

Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll10]
[roll11]

Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll12]
[roll13]

[BramsesII]

Silith

As Konthor and his men fire at one of the wolves, Silith decides to fire at another wolf within range. She pulls an arrow out of her quiver and fires it, aiming for te creature's neck. A second arrow quickly follows the first one, aiming for the exact same spot. "Luc, my target!" she says to the man with the crossbow standing beside her.


Attack vs wolf 3's AC (with deadly aim & rapid shot):
Attack 1:
[roll0]
[roll1]

Attack 2:
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
As Silith and the rangers opened fire, Halbrecht leapt into action, throwing the rope over the cliff before, with a simple practiced motion, making a mad scramble down the cliffside.

Climb (to move to AC9):[roll0]

[Felhammer]

Leading the charge is Halbrecht, soon followed by Ulfred and his Knights.


Ulfred's Climb: [roll0]

1 [roll1]

2 [roll2]

3 [roll3]

4 [roll4]

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Seeing the men work their way down the rope, she acted quickly in taking a free rope working on getting herself down the cliff edge. Taking the rope she worked her way down with relative ease, scaling down the wall. This is so much better then the usual droll task of simply being an 'Ambassador'. She thought to herself a bit, even mocking the word ambassador in her mind for its rather inflated truth of her job. She found herself down on the ground releasing the rope knowing battle would soon be following.

Climb Check: [roll0]

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Once the others are safely on the ground, Ash follows in suit down the rope, scaling the face of the cliff with a graceful ease. Of course it would have been just a little bit easier if the bottom of the descent wasn't crowded with a bunch of knights. Then again, at least that had the advantage of a mobile wall of metal armor being between her and a pack of very very large wolves.


Climb: [roll0]


"Well now, that wasn't so bad was it?"

[Felhammer]

The wolves are pelted furiously by arrows. They run forward and slam against the cliff-side, attempting to climb and/or jump up to their attackers but their efforts are to no avail. Their two lupine companions bolt out of the cave and race over to help their kin. Thankfully, none see or smell the ground based-assault group due to the wolves' furious rage at the archers and the winds that have, thankfully, not yet shifted.



The Wolves are occupied. All PCs are up! I will have the Knights and crossbowmen go after the heroes (you guy) act. The 24 hour clock for combat begins now. If you do not act after the timer is up, then I will give one of the other players (randomly determined) a free extra standard action to make up for your inaction. :smallsmile:

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Historically, Halbrecht had never much liked the agility-based training courses the Starless Knights put their recruits through. Even with practice, armor was heavy and cumbersome, and tended to throw off one's sense of space more often than not. But this time, that practice paid off; with surprisingly agility, Halbrecht descended the rope quickly, pushing off from the cliff before dropping down several feet and landing back against the wall. A couple repetitions, and he made a solid landing, if not the most graceful one.

The same could not be said for his knightly comrades, whose full plate ended up working against them; even as the first ones to go over the wall madly fumbled coming down, the last of them nearly lost his grip and slid down further than he meant to, crashing into the knight below him. He, in turn, slid down and knocked into the third one, who knocked into the fourth one, who finished the chain reaction by crashing into Sir Ulfred. The knights only just managed to avoid falling into the ground outright, and gracelessy flopped to the ground, attempting to pick themselves up.

This clumsiness was further accentuated as Aisha descended in the rope in a highly competent manner almost exactly like that of Halbrecht's, and Ash with such grace and fluidity that, as she landed delicately and perfectly on point, Halbrecht could not help but gape for a second.

He looked at the knights, still scrambling to get up. "Apparently not," he muttered in reply to Ash. He turned away, his brow set in the hardened look of someone about to join battle - and charged forward, drawing his longsword. "To their flanks!"

Halbrecht will make two move actions to draw his sword and move to AA19.

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith sees the knights plummeting down the cliff and winces. Hells. Off to a bad start. Fortunately, Halbrecht, Ash and Aisha make it down the rope safely and they're standing at the ready, giving Silith the time to focus on her own task: attacking the wolves. Like before, she plucks an arrow out of her magical quiver and shoots, hoping to hit the wolf in the neck again. The arrow is quickly followed by another one heading towards the same target.


Attack vs wolf 3's AC (with deadly aim & rapid shot):
Attack 1:
[roll0]
[roll1]
Attack 2:
[roll2]
[roll3]

[HanaRei]

Aisha

The silver haired woman shifts herself forward a bit. "Well, time to do what I can." She spoke softly to herself, as if giving a little prep talk. It wasn't something very usual for her to get involved with combat. She was more then likely the least experience with fighting of all the people there. It was only do to her heritage she held any bit of her strength as a person, even if it was quite pitiful compared to her family.

She changed quietly to herself, a glow forming around her as she suddenly grew much larger. Her hand clutched her weapon from her back holding it up as she prepared herself to charge in, steadying herself. It wasn't fear that seemed to cause her to shake with her... it was a natural sense of excitement she couldn't explain.

Swift action to use Arcane Armor training, then Cast Enlarge Person on herself and take a 5 foot step forward and draw her weapon.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Seeing the attack has begun, Ash glances around at her fellows in the group with a smile.

"Ready then?"

She gives a short laugh, then takes a deep breath with her eyes closed, as if composing herself. A moment later, a soft sound is heard, a single high-pitched note that rapidly grows in volume as it is held over the course of several seconds. It then fades, replaced by a lilting melody of increasing tempo reminiscent of a bird's song as she steps forward to follow the others.


Standard Action to start Bardic Performance Inspire Performance (audible). +2 vs charm and fear effects, +2 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls for all allies.
Move Action to AB-15.

[LordHavelock]

Luc makes his way up the cliff's edge on his elbows and knees, lying prone against the very cusp of the cliff face, trying his best not to breathe too heavily as Silith and the others make there way to either side. Rolling onto his back briefly, he takes a brief breath to steady himself then, as the other rangers let fly, he rolls up onto his stomach, and sights along his crossbow, hanging his elbows just off the edge of the cliff face and firing at the large wolf off to his right. Without waiting to see if the bolt strikes home, he moves up into a kneeling position and begins to reload, without looking, trying to take stock of the situation as battle commences. Inwardly, Luc is not half so focused on the process of reloading his crossbow as he is seeing where his spells might serve the most good against their foes, and immediately he picks out those wolves who have not yet joined the fray as likely targets in need of a nap . . .


Drop prone and move to J,13.
Fire crossbow at W3: [roll0]; Damage [roll1]

[Felhammer]

The Knights slam their butts on the ground as each, in turn, slips on the rope and falls to the earth. Ulfred yells, "This is not how the King's Men should behave! We are no man's fools! Let us redeem our sacred honor by slaying these wolves! STARLESS KNIGHTS, ATTACK!" All five of the men rush headlong into battle but do not make it as far as Halbrecht and Ash.

Konthor, meanwhile, smiles, "Those bumbling fools, this is why I wear leather rather than steel! FIRE ONCE MORE MEN!" A steady stream of arrows flies out and slams into the lupine foes.

Prioritizing Wolf 3, Wolf 1 then Wolf 2.

Dude 1 v Wolf's AC
[roll0]
[roll1]

Dude 2 v Wolf's AC
[roll2]
[roll3]


Dude 3 v Wolf's AC
[roll4]
[roll5]


Dude 4 v Wolf's AC
[roll6]
[roll7]


Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll8]
[roll9]

Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll10]
[roll11]

Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll12]
[roll13]

[Felhammer]

One wolf is felled, while the others remain relatively unharmed. The wolf at the cliff side is joined by one more, however, one of their number finally notices the ground assault. She lunges forward with great haste and slams into Halbrecht with the ferocity one would expect from a horse-sized wolf.

Wolf 2's vicious bite attack v. Hal

[roll0]
[roll1]

Special: If she hits, she gets a chance to trip Hal!

[roll2]

[Mathemagics]

Ash

The song does not cease as Ash swiftly makes her way across the grassy field towards the nearest of the wolves, sword held out at her side as she advances. As she approaches and raises it to strike, the blade seems to shine with an inward light and sounds out a harmony of its own as it reverberates with the song. With a graceful sweeping motion, the she swings at the creature...


Swift action to activate Arcane Strike (+2 damage).
Move action to relocate from AB15 to X18 (taking a path that does not provoke an AoO from W2).
Standard action to attack W2.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
(The bonus to attack should be +3 from BAB, +2 from STR, +2 from Magic weapon, +2 from bardic performance, and +2 from flanking. Mythweavers appears to be down at the time of this post, so I'm having to reconstruct from memory.)
(The bonus to damage should be +2 from STR, +2 from Magic weapon, +2 from Arcane Strike, +2 from bardic performance.)


The longsword slices through the air and cuts into the wolf, cutting a deep but clean gash in the beast's flank. The attack flows smoothly into a rebalancing of her stance as Ash prepares herself against the possibility of retribution from the wolf.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
As Halbrecht charged towards the wolves, one of the newcomers to the battle turned and spotted him, leaping toward him with a ferocious growl. Coming do a dead stop, Halbrecht was easily able to dodge the wolf's snapping jaws. Dodging its huge, hammer-like paw, on the other hand, was a bit more of a challenge, and it was only thanks to some quick shieldwork that he managed to avoid being knocked over.

Then the song reached his ears.

Instantly, he felt a feeling of euphoria come over him. It was a strange sensation, alien and familiar all at once. The melody stirred feelings of joy, a sense of ease... a sense of focus, almost as if the world itself had slowed down. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Ash join the fray, the delicate and beautiful melody following with her. Then, with practiced ease, she quickly maneuvered behind the wolf and slashed at the beast's flank, leaving a deep, clean cut.

Halbrecht smirked, locking eyes and giving Ash an approving nod, before letting out a mighty bellow of his own and letting loose with a thrust of his own...

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] x2 damage from Crit = 18
Crit Confirmation from OOC: 15 - It's a hit!!!
...which sank deep into the base of the beast's neck. With a pull, Halbrecht's sword came out, a crimson arc of blood flying through the air, a deep gash left in its wake.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha stood tall looking over. She watched the wolf attack at her ally standing before the cave. She ran forward, pulling her blade out as she carefully moved past a few knights by her. She stopped a little distance away from the wolf in front of her, using her size to strike at the creature in hopes of taking it down with her allies currently on it.

Move up to wolf 2 to attack.
Attack Wolf 2 [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

[BramsesII]

Silith

A single high-pitced note reaches Silith's ears, followed by a sound that reminds her of the sound of birds, the sound that reminds her of home. The sound calms her senses, greatly increasing her ability to focus on the battle. A quick scan of the battlefield tells Silith that one wolf is down and one is in melee range of her companions, making her shot difficult. She decides to aim for one of the wolves down at the cliffs, being much easier targets to hit. Again, two arrows rapidly fly from her bow, aimed for the neck of one of the wolves.

Attack vs wolf 4's AC (with deadly aim & rapid shot & bard's song (-2,-2,+2):
[roll0]
[roll1]
Edit: Critical hit damage: (16+16+17) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17707715&postcount=149) [49]
[roll2]
[roll3]

The first arrow hits the wolf directly in the neck, causing the creature to slump down - unmoving - nearly instantly.

[LordHavelock]

The result of his own bolt somewhat in doubt, amidst the arrows of the other rangers, Luc spares only a glance for Silith before his gaze is seized by Sir Halbrecht occupied in combat with the other wolf. With Ash on the other side of the beast, it is a prime target, but not for the arrows which might pierce their comrades, but his own particular brand of magic. Gathering power, his eyes shine with a faint light, as though his pupils had becomes too pinpricks of candlelight, as he lets his crossbow fall to one side. Raev is already on his shoulder, though when she arrived their it is impossible to say, as they gaze in unison, somehow managing to find the eyes of the dire wolf in the heat of the melee, Raev's own pupils an inky black compared to her "master's". To the careful eye, the shadow of the wolf might seem to deepen, even flicker for a moment as Luc's magic begins to take hold.


Evil Eye Hex on Dire Wolf 2
DC 16 Will Save to avoid -2 to AC

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She clutched at her blade a sense of vigor filling her. Missing her first blow Aisha wasn't about to give up just yet. She swung once more attempting to strike the wolf down.

Bonus standard action to attack wolfy 2!
Attack wolf2: [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

[Felhammer]

The bowmen and Konthor lob another volley at the last remaining wolf.


Dude 1 v Wolf's AC
[roll0]
[roll1]

Dude 2 v Wolf's AC
[roll2]
[roll3]


Dude 3 v Wolf's AC
[roll4]
[roll5]


Dude 4 v Wolf's AC
[roll6]
[roll7]


Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll8]
[roll9]

Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll10]
[roll11]

Konthor v Wolf's AC
[roll12]
[roll13]

[Felhammer]

Two of the knights move up to finish what the archers could not. They hurl their longswords back and slam them down upon the wolf's back.


[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]



Ulfred runs up and cheers, "We have felled the beasts!"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
It was over as quickly as it had begun. Two of the wolves were now dead by the combined might of the bowmen, one by a particularly straight arrow from Silith, and the last by the combined might of himself, Ash, and Aisha. Of course, that did not mean things were over - not by a long shot.
Quickly wiping his blade, Halbrecht looked up at the bowmen, signaling them to come down. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Sir Ulfred. We still have the matter of that giant..." He then looked to the entrance of the cave, peering carefully inside...

Halbrecht will move to V18, then try to get a better look inside the cave.
Perception: [roll0]

OOC: Okay, this is, like, my 3rd natural 20 in a row. At this point, I think a planet must have spontaneously collapsed into a black hole somewhere.

[Felhammer]

The cave is dark and dank. The entrance, though large, tapirs off into a much smaller tunnel, that veers off to the north-east quite quickly. Halbrecht notices several bats hanging from the ceiling, the dismembered bones of dead sheep on the ground and a massive gash in the cave-wall most probably caused by a hulking great axe (or some other massive semi-blunt weapon of foul design) that was slammed into the wall. No enemies seem to be near the entrance.

[BramsesII]

Silith

With the four wolves laying dead and the knights preparing to venture further into the cave, Silith gathers up her things - picking up her backpack, spare bow and arrows - and slings her bow over her shoulder. "Step one is complete. Now for the tricky part." She looks at Konthor and Luc as she speaks. "I suggest we climb down. This isn't over yet." Silith then carefully walks to the edge of the cliff and climbs down nimbly and skillfully, but not before offering Luc some unsolicited advice - "I'd use the rope if I were you, it's a tricky climb." - and some to Melinda as well. "Someone needs to watch the horses. Perhaps you, two rangers and a knight can stay behind in case a fight breaks out up here."

Climb check DC 15: taking 10 for a climb check of [18]

When she reaches the bottom, she quickly nods to everyone assembled to acknowledge their presence, muttering: "Well done, everyone. It's not over yet, though." She especially notices Ash and Aisha, offering Ash a quick smile and a well meant - "Thanks for the song. It helped." - and arching a brow at Aisha: "You've uh... grown. Unexpected but efficient." Then, she sneaks up beside sir Halbrecht, peering into the darkness of the cave as well, hoping that her elven eyes might allow her to see further into the cave. "See anything?"

Perception check: [roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
The adrenaline of battle now gone from his system, Halbrecht smiled and nodded in greeting as Silith sidled up beside him. "Well, there's no-one else right inside the cave. It looks like there's a smaller tunnel that goes from the entrance to... wherever the giant's sleeping. Also, judging by the enormous gash in the wall, he has a very, very large axe." Halbrecht frowned. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised the giant isn't currently charging out to meet us. We weren't exactly quiet... " He shook his head. "I'd say one of the quieter among us should take a quick look inside - make sure there are no traps. I don't like the idea of fighting that giant in an enclosed space."

[Felhammer]

Konthor taps two of his men to stay behind, while the other two follow the two Rangers down the cliff-side.

Silith notices that the cave is dark and dank. The entrance, though large, tapers off into a much smaller tunnel, that veers off to the north-east quite quickly. Halbrecht notices several bats hanging from the ceiling, the dismembered bones of dead sheep on the ground and a massive gash in the cave-wall most probably caused by a hulking great axe (or some other massive semi-blunt weapon of foul design) that was slammed into the wall. No enemies seem to be near the entrance. Additionally, she notices a single foot print made in a soggy piece of blood-drenched earth. The footprint is small, one would say feminine, with a thin heel. Her time in Blackvale may have been short but Silith knows that this style of boot is very trendy right now; Lady Anrika (and several of the other people tasked to find the murderer) were wearing boots that would leave an imprint such as this.

[Felhammer]

I'll go check on the horses, that way the Knights don't have to climb up the rope and risk falling on their bottoms again," says Melinda as she smiles widely.

Three of the knights faces turn beat red from entrancement, while Ulfred laughs the comment off. Konthor slaps the lass on her back and jovially comments, "Yer bein' too kind ta' these men o' metal!"

Ulfred waves the jab off and gets back to the business at hand, "Send Konthor's two companions back down after you have staked the horses. I shall leave the task of guarding those noble steeds to you, Miss Melinda."

The bard scurries up the rope with surprising speed. After a fashion, the two Rangers-in-Training climb down and join the posse.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha laughs lightly scratching the back of her head at Silith's comment. "Thanks!" It was a bit hard to tell if she got the reference to her now larger size or not. She wasn't one to really think such comments through completely. Her head turned to Halbrecht as he mentioned someone sneaking around inside, particularly with a strange lacking of a giant. "Well, maybe he left? I don't think I'd be very good at sneaking." She commented. more out of her normal self, the larger size she still maintained wouldn't be much help on that field either in being good at sneaking around.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

The song fades into silence as the battle winds down, leaving Ash looking just a little tired and drained. As the others move to inspect the cave, she takes a few slow breaths before turning to follow them, her usual smile having reasserted itself once again by the time she reaches the group.

Walking up behind Halbrecht, she places her hands on his shoulder and uses him as a support as she half-leans around him to peer into the cave.

"See anything? Also nice work back there."

Even after having gotten her own look inside the cave, Ash remains where she is rather than relocating herself to a spot less invasive towards personal space. At the same time, it's genuinely difficult to tell if this is accidental or an intentional attempt to tease the knight.


[roll0]

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith nods at Halbrecht's comment. "Right. Someone stealthy needs to take a look in there. There's a footprint over there, and not the giant kind." Silith takes a quick look at the assembled party. "I'll go. The knights'll never be quiet enough in their armor, and I'm not sending relatively fresh recruits in there. Nor are those in my care going. That leaves either me or Konthor, and since he's commanding his group..." She lets the comment hang in the air before continuing "Besides," - she unslings her bow from her shoulder and somehow manages to put it into the quiver that is not even half the size of the bow - "I'm probably the quietest one here." She shoots the others a quick look before carefully creeping up to the entrance and sneaking in, one hand near the hilt of her sword, the other almost on the rocks she stays closest to. As she advances, Silith keeps her eyes open for traps of any kind.

Perception: [roll0]
Stealth: [roll1]

[LordHavelock]

Luc keeps close to Silith on the descent, and nods in assent to her and Helbrecht's assessment of the Giant. "If at all possible, we should try to engage it on open ground, but that puts the dangerous task of acting as bait on one of our own." With Silith already volunteering to descend into the lair to scout ahead, he didn't want to presume she was volunteering to act as such, but is at a loss as she begins to advance. Looking toward Sir Halbrecht plaintively, he shrugs and attempts to smile:

"I hope we'll be able to know when or if we should follow until she's either certain or before it's too late.", but then he feels a tug on his breech's cuff from Raev as she does her best impersonation of a hunting dog again, by first pointing into the cave and then following after Silith without another sound. 'Now why didn't I think of that . . .' Luc muses, arching an eyebrow, but instead says, "Unless, Raev follows her down, she will be able to alert me if anything goes terribly wrong."

Just before Silith is out of sight, for added measure, Luc utters a short mantra, "Stars and Sigils guide you, Ranger Silith."


Fortune on Silith, allowing her to reroll any ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, taking the better result. It only lasts six seconds though, so I suggest using it on your next Stealth or Perception straight away.
Raev's Skill Checks:
Stealth- 1d20+10
Perception- 1d20+8

[Felhammer]

Silith creeps into the cavern, quiet as a mouse. She nudges along, being extra careful to not step on a piece of bone, or slosh around the bloody mud. The narrow passageway looks barely large enough to accommodate a giant but serves as an excellent choke point if the cave is ever directly assaulted. The passageway twists and turns for about fifty feet before it opens up to a much more grand cavern that is almost a hundred feet wide by half that long. The cavern is littered with stalagmites and stalactites. At the back of grotto is a finely chiseled stone throne, on which a beautiful undine woman wearing a black silken dress and thigh high black-leather boots sits. Her flowing mane of iridescent azure hair cascades down her back, creating what almost looks like a waterfall. In her hand is a very regal looking white wood staff that has an almost obscenely large ruby affixed to the top. The woman beckons a man-shaped behemoth over to her. The giant has skin the color of dirty marble and wears a dusky blue shirt that is obviously too small for his frame. Rolls of fate burgeon out from underneath the shirt like globs of melted cheese. The undine points to the ground, and the giant obeys without fail. Though she is far away, Silith can still make out the word, "Lick". As soon as the order is given, the behemoth rolls his meaty tongue out and laps up the gore that has accumulated on the woman's boot. She looks quite pleased.

It is just then that Silith notices four orcs who appear from behind a stalagmite. They wear leather armor and wield bows, hand axes and great axes. She hears whispers as well from the behind another particularly large stalagmite. If she had to guess, she would assume there would be at least 8 orcs in total, perhaps a few more.





Stealth- [roll0]
Perception- [roll1]

[BramsesII]

Silith

Deciding she has seen enough, Silith carefully creeps back to the party, making a few mental notes in her head of the layout of the cavern. After a few minutes sneaking through the darkness, Silith can feel the outside breeze on her skin again, lifting her spirits. Caverns. Not a very good place for a fight. Then again, it might be a good place to launch a surprise assault.

A small smile plays on her features as she appears before the others again. She gives them a quick report of the situation, describing what she has seen in the cavern.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
The Starless Knight had already had his suspicions when Silith had pointed out the bloody footprint at the entrance to the cave, though the realization had been slowed somewhat on account of a not-insignificant portion of his thought processes being diverted towards not trying to blush as Ash used him as a leaning post. Although he was no stranger to using his own features to charm recalcitrant negotiators, he was less used to being an object of the attention of women himself - especially done so casually. However, when the ranger reported back, his suspicions were confirmed.

They had found their murderer. Not only that, but Konthor's own suspicions were right: The orcs and the giant were in cahoots.

Immediately, Halbrecht called everyone over into a huddle. "Ladies, gentlemen, I may yet be proven wrong, but I think we've officially found our murderer. Now comes the difficult part: Her appre- app-" Halbrecht coughed as he stumbled over the word. "...arrest. All things considered, I'd prefer to take her in alive so she can properly face justice, but she has eight orcs and a giant on her hands - and as for her, having a staff that ornate screams sorcery to me." Halbrecht paused as the gears in his brain turned, trying to come up with a plan. After a minute, he spoke again. "I still have an extra length of rope, so if we can knock her out somehow, restraining her should be simple. As for how we do that, I have an idea, but I need to know something first." He turned to the magical members of the party. "Luc, Aisha, Ash, do any of you have any spells that make someone sleep?"

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Ash at last relinquishes her hold on Halbrecht's shoulder as she steps back a moment to consider his proposed plan of action. Crossing her arms in front of her, she taps her forefinger against her lips, a thoughtful expression playing across her features.

"Hmm no, I don't know any kind of magic like that, sorry Hal. I do know a few spells that might get her talking though, if I had a chance to use them without worrying about a bunch of orcs and a giant... Think any of that might help?"

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith listens to Halbrecht and Ash as she plucks her bow back out of her quiver. She slings it across her shoulder again and tucks her hair behind her right ear - involuntarily looking at Ash as she does so - before replying to the conversation. "Getting her talking might work, but if she's a magic user capturing her alive is going to be difficult, unless we can disable her somehow. We'll need some way to separate her from the giant and the orcs if we are to take her alive."

The half-elf walks away from the mouth of the cave somewhat, towards the place where the ropes hang down from the cliffside. "We could try luring out the orcs and the giant, but that carries the risk of losing our murderer within the caverns. I didn't get a good chance to see if there were any other exits through which she could escape." She turns to the others again, her expression serious."Then again, if she escapes we could probably track her down. After all, we have experienced trackers in our group." She looks at Konthor. "From what I've heard, you could track down anyone who's escaped underground."

She looks at everyone assembled. "We'll need some sort of strategy for attacking them, though. Konthor, Sir Ulfred, could you and your men take care of the orcs? That way, the rest of us will be free to focus on the giant and the magic user." She looks at everyone of the party in turn, first to Aisha, then Luc, Ash, and finally finishing with Halbrecht. She folds her arms across her chest, looking extremely serious. "If we head into a fight together, we'll need one person to call the shots. A commander, if you will. Any takers?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht waited for both Silith and Ash to finish before he spoke. "As much as luring the orcs and giant out here would even the odds, I'd rather finish this matter once and for all. I do like the idea of splitting into an orc and a sorceress-and-giant group." He turned to Sir Ulfred and Konthor. "As long as we keep the attention of the giant and the undine, I think men of your caliber should be able to handle the orcs with no trouble." He turned back to the party. "In regards to making our friend talk, Ash, hold onto those until after the battle; now may not be the time, but if we want straight answers once we're in a position to interrogate her, those will undoubtedly come in handy. As far as a commander goes... Pardon me if I sound like a braggart, but as one of the Knights, I was brought up eating, sleeping, and breathing battle tactics. I'm no scholar or mage, but if it's strategy, a sword swung, a diplomatic tongue, scouting, or tracking you need, I'm your man." He looked at Silith. "Granted, you probably surpass me on those last two, but still. Speaking of, if not I, then based on what I've seen I think you would make an effective leader." He turned back to the rest of the group. "Of course, if we're going to have a leader, it should be put to a unanimous vote."

[Felhammer]

Konthor smiles, "A few mangy orcs, eh? Simple. I could probably kill 'em all in a matter o' seconds, given the opportunity."

"You shall, Ranger, as will my men. A summer's ham for whomsoever slays the most amount of blackguard orcs?" asks the knight.

"Ye be in a bettin' mood taday, Ulfred. Aye, I'll take ye on!"

Returning their attention to the group, the two listen intently to Silith. Konthor nods, "Aye, I can track 'em underland, as could ya' probably. Two master trackers is better than one, especially if that giant fells one o' us, Almahara bless our blades."

Neither Sir Ulfred nor Konthor raise their hands when the discussion turns towards leadership. The knight speaks in a solemn tone, "This was your find and your mission. We shall both divert to whomsoever you elect as leader."

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha had kept mostly quiet sticking back. Her eyes had shifted back and forth being more at attention then anything. She wasn't all that great on planning. She smiled giving a light nod to Silith in response to her gaze upon her. She enjoyed the thrill of such a task. It seemed much more interesting then simple diplomacy which tended to be the height of many of her missions. Mentioning of a leader left her a bit lost, scratching at her chin in thought. It hadn't even come to her mind that it would be good idea, though logically it did make sense to her at the very least.

"Well... we can always do rock paper scissors to decide leader!" She spoke a bit enthusiastic before withdrawing her wording a bit. Hearing herself speak only made her realize how stupid it sounded. "Well, given of course we are left without that unanimous vote. I'm not really picky with whomever wants to lead. It does make sense to have someone direct us given the predicament we face" She spoke, using a bit more 'fancy' wording as if to mend her rather silly initial response.

[LordHavelock]

"Sir Halbrecht, so long as you continue to respect the advise and council of those in our party, you will have my support as leader." Luc announces, looking from Ash to Aisha to Silith to be sure he hasn't offended anyone. Truth be told, the notion of a defined 'leaderhship' position is not one he takes lightly, especially in the face of an platoon of orcs, a giant and an undine mystic. Neither though did he wish to offend any more sensibilities this day, as his thoughts flitted briefly to Lady Ruinlord, but dismissed her just as quickly. Silith would make an able leader as well he believed, or possibly Ash too, given her somewhat literal performance in the brief battle, and by comparison he began to feel that his own usefulness has been . . . lackluster. Suppressing a sigh, he armed his crossbow once more and called to the front of his mind those spells at his disposal which would best suit them in the confines of the cave, and especially a counterpart spellcaster.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht chuckled at Aisha's suggestion of rock-paper-scissors. "Let's save that for a last resort."

He then nodded sagely as Lucyen spoke. "Of course. Only a fool of a leader doesn't get a second opinion." He looked at Luc a bit more intently. "You wouldn't happen to have any spells that can make someone sleep, would you?"

[LordHavelock]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht chuckled at Aisha's suggestion of rock-paper-scissors. "Let's save that for a last resort."

He then nodded sagely as Lucyen spoke. "Of course. Only a fool of a leader doesn't get a second opinion." He looked at Luc a bit more intently. "You wouldn't happen to have any spells that can make someone sleep, would you?"

Luc almost looks taken aback as Halbrecht asks about spells which can put someone to sleep, as his ability to enchant creatures with a mystic slumber is not so much a spell as a . . . Raev is quick to end his trepidation and hesitation in responding though, as she scrambles up his leg to his shoulder and then proceeds to do a perfect pantomime of falling over in slumber, right onto the ground. Luc looks much relieved and beams at Halbrecht, "I can at that, and weave good fortune or ill fate in the moment for our allies and foes . . . respectively. It is not so much a matter of spellcraft though, and thus there are fewer limitations. Those spells I must prepare ahead of time though are more . . . potent. I can wreathe the area in fog and mist, afflict creatures with paralysis, blindness, deafness . . . depending on whether this Undine is a sorceress or a wizard, I should be able to limit her own spellcasting abilities as well."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht's eyes widened as Raev did her pantomime, having only now given her much in the way of any attention - from his memories of the tales his father told him growing up, most magic users had talking crows, and the concept of a seemingly intelligent fox threw him off guard a little. His focus came back on track as Luc described his full repetoire of magical abilities, and he excitedly brought his clenched fist into his hand, his mind passing over the comment about "not being a matter of spellcraft" entirely.

"This is perfect, then," he said, excitement creeping into his voice. "If that's the case, I have a pla- well, I have the makings of a plan, unless someone else is voted leader of course, but we'll get to that in a minute because I hate to let ideas sit any longer than necessary." He cleared his throat as he realized his level of dignity had dropped somewhat, then brushed himself off and started anew. "Here's my idea: Lucyen, Ulfred and I will go in front. Konthor, the rangers and the knights will follow behind Ulfred, and Silith, Ash, and Aisha behind Lucyen and I. As soon as we reach the cavern, we'll break formation. Ulfred and Konthor, you will engage the orcs as quickly as possible and keep them off our backs." He paused, frowning. "If we're not done with our parts in time to assist you, make sure you give the orcs a nice taste of steel on my behalf. Luc, as soon as you have a clear shot at the Undine, disable her as quickly as possible, if not through sleep than by any means that will keep her alive and unable to escape before we can tie her up. If that fails, I'll handle her the old fashioned way..." He drew his sword. "Whack her in the head with the flat until she's knocked unconscious. Hopefully, however, you will be able to handle her just fine, and I will be free to assist Silith, Ash, and Aisha in the most daunting task of all: Slaying that giant. Aisha, if you can still make someone large, and there's room, use that on either yourself or me once I engage the giant. Four of us going at him should hopefully result in him coming down sooner rather than later. In the meantime, Luc, if you succeed in taking out the undine, feel free to help whomever you choose." Halbrecht turned to Silith. "And last of all, Silith, I think we should hear from you on your thoughts as to a choice of leader."

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith listens to everyone, arms still folded across her chest. A small smile appears on her face when Halbrecht suggests himself as leader, though. "Seems like we had the same idea, sir Halbrecht. Fights like this require an experienced leader, and I was going to suggest you if nobody stepped up. I guess that makes us all unanimous, unless Ash objects." She looks at Ash for a moment, allowing the girl to answer, before continuing. "Anyway. I like the plan, but I have one question. How fast are you in that armor, and how sure are you that you can reach the Undine before she uses her sorcery on you? After all, Lucyen'll need some time to work his magic. I'd suggest you join Ash and Aisha in fighting the giant. Perhaps Aisha can use that spell on you. That way, I'll have my hands free to distract the murderess with arrows when she tries to cast spells. I'll try not to keep my shots non-lethal as best I can. Not aim for major arteries and such."

She turns her gaze to Luc. "Then, when you've worked your magic I'll close the distance and tie her up, freeing you up to focus your powers on the giant." Silith pauses, turning to look at Halbrecht. "What do you think, commander?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Silith
"Seems like we had the same idea, Sir Halbrecht. Fights like this require an experienced leader, and I was going to suggest you if nobody stepped up. I guess that makes us all unanimous, unless Ash objects. Anyway. I like the plan, but I have one question. How fast are you in that armor, and how sure are you that you can reach the Undine before she uses her sorcery on you? After all, Lucyen'll need some time to work his magic. I'd suggest you join Ash and Aisha in fighting the giant. Perhaps Aisha can use that spell on you. That way, I'll have my hands free to distract the murderess with arrows when she tries to cast spells. I'll try not to keep my shots non-lethal as best I can. Not aim for major arteries and such. Then, when Luc's worked his magic I'll close the distance and tie her up, freeing him up to focus his powers on the giant. What do you think, commander?"
Halbrecht stopped to consider Silith's input. "Well, at a full run, I can run about 80 feet in six seconds." He shrugged, the links of his chainmail clinking. "Chainmail might not be as protective or heroic-looking as plate, but when you need to be able to ride a horse or scramble through rough terrain in a timely manner, every bit of weight you can eliminate counts. But you're right - putting Lucyen alone against the udine will likely not be enough, and as the best armored of us five, it should be my job to keep the giant focused on me." He frowned. "Although, are you sure you can keep from killing her with your arrows? Not that I doubt your aim, after how you took down that wolf in one shot, but I've never heard of anyone knocking someone out with a bow. Perhaps Ash might be a better choice?.." Halbrecht trailed off, looking towards the bard.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She listened into the plan, nodding at Halbrecht. It excited her that such a plan was unfolding. It was hard to even contain her excitement on the prospect of doing something. Maybe I'll be able to make my mother proud after all! She thought, perhaps a little childish in her mindset, though something she would happily do. She looked at Silith and Hal as they seemed to be contemplating further of the strategy.

"Well, I mean I could always rush in if need be in person... I can be a bit quick if we need someone to get the Arcane User." She spoke scratching her chin a bit. "Could enlarge sir Halbrecht and myself and charge in at her rather quickly. I know fewer who are quicker then myself on their feat.... not to brag." She spoke letting out a awkward chuckle feeling quite strange to be saying such about herself. She wasn't the most experienced fighter after all, though she never had an issue outpacing others when it came to moving quickly.

[Felhammer]

Konthor slaps Aisha on the back and proclaims, "Aye, ye be faster than any o' those knights!"

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Having apparently only half-listened to the current exchange, Ash suddenly snaps back to attention only when her name is mentioned. Her gaze shifts momentarily towards Silith before settling on Halbrecht as she realizes they're waiting for her input on the plan of action.

"Hmm? Oh! I don't have any objections to Hal being in charge. In fact I'm quite sure he would be very good at taking the lead."

As she says this, she moves to briefly hug his arm in a rather shamelessly affectionate manner. One had to wonder whether she was really that innocently friendly or if she was just teasing the knight further after his earlier flustered reaction... In any case, she quickly releases her hold and steps back, bringing her hands together behind her head and leaning it back on the interlocked fingers as she gazes idly upward.

"Hmm, but you know... I definitely think Silith should help with the giant. It will be hard for most of us to even get close to it without getting hit, unless we have magic, and she can easily bring it down from a safe distance, especially considering what a good shot she is. And then I can help with the mage; I have studied a bit of magic myself, so-" Ash's smile takes on a somewhat mischievous tone. "-you could say that I know a few ways to really ruin a caster's day? At the very least, I'll make sure that she can't target the rest of you without paying for it."

[LordHavelock]

Luc immediately brightens after the initial shock of Halbrecht's proposal that he be the one to face off against the undine, spell-to-spell as it were, once Ash suggests lending him aid. "I agree, Ash and I should between the two of us be able to neutralize the murderess, whilst yourself, Silith and Ash have the best odds of tackling the giant. Especially if you can size yourselves up against him." Any semblance of a pun sails as deftly over Luc's head as Lady Ruinlord's advances an hour ago.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
If the Starless Knight's cheeks had been a little flushed before, they were almost certainly beet-red as Ash unleashed her triple strike of a compliment, an arm-hug, and an overwhelmingly carefree and seemingly innocent attitude. Thankfully, as she outlined her own capabilities and Luc gave his assent, he was (after a rather flustered cough) able to get back on track. "Excellent," he said with a smile. "Then it's settled: Konthor, Ulfred and their company against the orcs, Ash and Luc against the undine with magic and anti-magic, and Silith, Aisha and I against the giant with our strength of arms and a way to even the size factor. And since no-one seems to object to me leading this merry band..." He gave a slight, but very sober bow. "I solemnly swear, by all that I hold dear, I will not fail you as a leader." He then handed the spare rope off to Ash and looked toward the entrance of the cave, his sword drawn. "If no-one else wishes to add anything... then forward!"

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith nods. "Right then. Let's get this over with." She unslings her bow from her back and nocks an arrow. "I'll be ready to strike the moment you signal the attack, Halbrecht." Her expression turns especially serious as she follows Halbrecht. "Try not to get killed everyone. That goes especially for you three." She shoots Aisha, Ash and Lucyen a look as she says so.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Ash smiles at Halbrecht's little speech as she waits for him to finish, then softly steps over towards him.

"Aww, how noble of you."

Before the knight can react she leans in, standing on her toes somewhat to make up for the difference in their heights, lightly planting a kiss on his cheek before quickly returning to a slightly more respectful distance between their persons.

"That's just for a bit of good luck. Make sure not to let that giant rough you up too much, okay?"


Casting Heroism on Halbrecht. +2 on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 50 minutes.


She moves to head into the cave, but stops at Silith's latest cautioning. Turning towards the half-elf, she smiles once more, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'm not intending to die today... or anytime soon for that matter actually."

Ash's following comment likely goes unheard by anyone else in the party except Silith as she passes by close to the ranger. Equally surreptitious is the expression she shows for a fleeting moment, a sly and knowing look that almost seems to border on predatory in its confidence before vanishing as quickly as it appeared.

"By the way, I apologize if that made you feel a bit jealous. Though if you wanted, I do have a little more good luck I could share..."

[HanaRei]

Aisha

The white haired woman let out a sudden gasp as she was smacked across the back looking back over at Konthor after his rather unusual gesture. It wasn't exactly common place for people to be doing such motions as a sign of agreement for her words. She let out an almost nervous laugh, not complete certain how to react at all to his compliment. "Ah thanks." She spoke laughing lightly in response a little bit taken back by the compliment she hadn't expected.

She looked over to the others giving a light nod knowing her target. She looked over to Hal placing her hand upon him. Taking a brief moment to focus herself, she chanted softly causing a faint glow as she enlarged the man before her. Hopefully taking advantage of larger sizes can help deal with the giant's size advantage against them.

Enlarger Person on Halbrecht.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
The Starless Knight wasn't entirely sure if the giddiness and light feeling he felt was due to every drop of blood in his body rushing to his head after Ash kissed him, or the magic he felt rushing through him afterward. As his feet automatically dragged him down the tunnel, however, he realized that it was probably the latter - not only did he feel more confident, but also more focused, stronger, quicker. It was a feeling not entirely unlike the one he'd felt when she'd sung her song earlier.
As they approached the end of the tunnel, weapons at the ready, he heard Silith's exhortation, and turned around to face her. "And the same to you - all of you," he said, gesturing towards the party. "One upcoming funeral in Blackrock is one too many." He smiled. "That said, once we get back? First round's on me. And that includes you, Sir Ulfred, Konthor. No bets necessary." Then Aisha placed her hand on him, and a surge of power coursed through his veins, growing twice his size in an instant. "Right. CHAAAAAARGE!"

For the surprise round, Halbrecht and Knights 2-3 will each take a move action, Halbrecht to R19 (upper right hand corner), K2 to O23, and K3 to O24.

[BramsesII]

Silith

As Silith prepares herself to walk into the cave, Ash whispers something to her, causing the half-elf to nearly stumble over a rock she failed to see. She quickly recovers herself however, and she tries to keep as straight a face as possible as she replies. Her voice - barely a whisper as she doesn't want the others to hear - betrays a hint of surprise, and perhaps more. "Jealous? Uh... I... No. Hold on to your luck... you might need it." She coughs. "Maybe in the next fight," Silith says, turning away from Ash towards the cave and following Halbrecht inside. Focus Silith. Now's not the time for this. And why'd you go and say that last thing? Stupid! A nervous smile appears on her features, but she hides it by looking away from the others.

~

As they approach the den where the orcs and the giant are holed up, Silith hugs close to the wall, her bow at the ready. Halbrecht's signal comes, and since Silith lacks a good shot, she decides to move into a different position to get a clear shot.

Moving to R23 to hide behind a stalagmite.
Stealth: [roll0]

Behind her, two rangers move into position hugging the rock wall behind the knights to get a clear shot at the orcs.

Moving Ranger 1 and 2 to P26 and P27

[HanaRei]

Aisha

The half dragon stood quite a bit taken back as Hal shouted out to charge forward. She blinked scratching her head in a rather puzzled manor. Did I do something to the spell to make it cause him to do that as well? She pondered briefly suddenly snapping back to attention. She gripped her blade drawing it as she moved forward attempting to place her in a better position for the combat that was to come.

Simply moving forward can't do much else. ^^

[Felhammer]

Sir Ulfred charges after Hal, while Konthor slinks along the wall.

[LordHavelock]

Though somewhat settled by the presence of the armored knights and the intimidating presence he hoped they would have on the enemies, Luc was still anxious, and he could not yet see the Undine Sorceress who was their true quarry, and whose responsibility it was to see that her magics did not disrupt his allies attacks on her orcs. Not to mention the literal Giant in the room whom Sir Halbrecht and his other companions would soon be tangling with. As Halbrecht bellowed a charge however, and the knights, Aisha and all their assembled force moved into the cavern, he pushed aside all other thought, sidling along the rear of the tunnel wall in order to leave room for others to pass while Raev perched on his shoulder. With Halbrecht leading the way, he knew the knight would be one of the first to come under attack, and though he had been enchanted already for his role in the vanguard, Luc's eyes glowed to reflect starlight these caverns would never see, and he extended a hand, extending the fortune of the stars towards their commander in chief.


Fortune on Halbrecht, may declare to roll twice on next attack, skill check, or save.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

As Halbrecht sounds the charge, Ash takes a slow deep breath. A moment later, the song begins; starting as a single clear note, it slowly grows in volume and pitch until shifting into the familiar lilting sort of melody from before. Letting the knights and other warriors pass by unimpeded, Ash then waits to follow herself.


Ash takes a standard action to activate Inspire Courage.

Knight 4 will move 10 feet from M26 to O25 because bottleneck!

[Felhammer]

The cave is dimly lit but has just enough light so the entire cavern is clearly visible. The walls are slick with dripping water and what look like hundreds of stalagmites and stalagtites litter the chasm, many of which are large enough to black your path and provide convenient places for cover. The Sorceress sits atop a stone throne, drinking wine from a golden goblet. A giant kneels before her, licking her boots. About eight orcs stand around chuckling at the sight. Suddenly, a battlecry echos throughout the cave. The Sorceress drops a goblet of wine when she sees the army of soldiers rushing into her homebase. She kicks the giant in the face to make him stop cleaning her boots with his tongue and screams, "KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" The orcs and the giant ready themselves for the coming battle. Off to the side, you can hear the thunderous yelps of angry wolves and the loud clanging of chains rattling.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

As the song continues, a second voice joins it; or rather, it would be more correct to say that such almost seems to be the case. In actuality, the second voice matching the melody in flawless harmony is the echo of previous notes as they reverberate off the walls of the cavern. Rather than drowning each other out, the delicate and lilting songs instead entwine, creating a duet originating from a single singer. The music echoing all about her, Ash steps forward, slowly at first but steadily gaining in speed to match the pace of her own song.


Spending both standard and move actions to cover some ground. Relocating from N25 to S16 (60 feet).
Free action to maintain Inspire Courage.

Knight 4 will run as a full-round action, relocating from O25 to O14 (60 feet).

[Felhammer]

The Hill Giant clamors to his feet, picks up his rock and lunges into battle. The earth shakes with ever footfall. The path he took requires a bit of squeezing through the maze of stalagmites, which slows his progress remarkably. He stands before the party and roars mightily. His head bobs back and forth, looking for the nearest foe. His eyes land on Ash. The giant smiles, revealing a toothless grin, as he hoists his rock back, then hurls it at the bard with great force.


Rock v. Ash

a [roll0]
d [roll1]

The Sorceress, meanwhile, begins to sing her own song. It is incredibly melodic and entirely enchanting. She has the voice of an angel. Ash, Hal, Aisha, Ulfred and three of the Knights feel compelled to rush up and be near such an beautiful, amazing person such as this woman.



All targeting Will Save

Ash [roll2]
K4 [roll3]
Hal [roll4]
Aisha [roll5]
K2 [roll6]
K3 [roll7]
Ulfred [roll8]

If you fail: Creatures in the area who fail their saves are lured by the song and move toward you using the most direct means available. Creatures lured by the spell's song can take no actions other than to defend themselves. Once you get within 5 feet of the Sorceress, you simply stands still and for the duration of the spell remains fascinated.



Two of the Knights, Sir Ulfred and Hakbrecht succumb to the enticing lure of the Sorceress' spell.

[Felhammer]

Halbrecht and Ulfred move forward 20 feet, as they are both enchanted by the angelic spell of the Sorceress.

The Sorceress yells, "I have lured the weak minded one, attack the ones in the back!" The Orcs comply with their mistress' command and rush as fast as they can to the far side of the cave. Meanwhile, the Orc Barbarian - equal parts cunning and brutal - meanders over to the chained up wolves and frees one from its bonds...

Konthor rushes out into the open, knocks an arrow, "GAH! SHE BE A TEMPTRESS! I'LL SLAY THA' GIANT! SOMEONE KILL THAT WENCH!" then looses the arrow at the giant's left eye !



a [roll0]
d [roll1]

[LordHavelock]

The siren song of the sorceress leaves Luc momentarily stunned as he moves into the cavern proper, especially as it some what interferes with their initial intentions of dividing their foes in order to conquer them. 'All the more important then, that she be eliminated or debilitated quickly.' He thinks, with renewed determination, to which Raev gives an assenting growl and urges him forward, extending a paw towards her with as much dexterity as one would expect of a person rather than a humble animal. Luc takes the cue, seeing the distance across the cavern towards the maniacal undine, and raises his hand to his mouth, speaking with a low breathy voice in words incomprehensible to other ears as he breathes out a portion of himself. Extending his hand, the ghostly, fluttering light of the stars wreathes his hand and then separates from it, forming a perfect, spectral replica of his own.


Move and cast Spectral Hand

[BramsesII]

Silith

Out of the blue, the sorceress begins singing, and Silith instantly knows they're in trouble, especially when several of their number abandon their plan to attack and move over to her position. Before she can aim at the giant, the hulking brute picks up a rock and hurls it in the direction of Ash. She winces when the rock strikes the girl. Hope she's alright. We're off to a serious bad start.

With Halbrecht quietly moving up to the sorceress and Konthor abandoning the plan, Silith decides to shout a few commands as she fires two arrows at the giant, aiming for the brute's neck. "Luc, take her out. Quickly! Ash! Knights! Intercept those orcs! Archers, focus on the giant!"

Behind her, the rangers move into a position to get a better shot and both loose a bolt in the direction of the giant.

Swift action to activate ranger's focus on giant (+4 attack & damage)
Full attack on giant (with rapid shot & deadly aim (-4 attack, +4 damage) & inspire courage (+2 attack, +2 damage))
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]


Move actions to P22 and Q23
Standard action to attack giant (with inspire courage (+2 attack, +2 damage))
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

All four shots are completely off target, bouncing harmlessly of the rocks surrounding the giant. Silith yells out in frustration. "Grah! Over here ugly!"

[Felhammer]

Three of the orcs rush over to the wolves to relieve them of their chains. The Orc Barbarian yells in orcish, <"Kill the dwarf."> The hounds bolt off as fast as he can to harass Konthor.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She felt a sudden daze come over her. She slowly trailed her body forward compelled forward by the strange melody moving forward.

The rangers move forward lagging behind a bit. Taking aim, they fired as best they could from where they could make it towards the nearest orc despite having allies in the way.

Aisha captivated by the spell...

Ranger 3 attack on Orc 1: [roll0] for [roll1]
Ranger 4 attack on Orc 1: [roll2] for [roll3]

[Mathemagics]

Ash

The giant's attack had hurt, certainly, but on the whole that was unimportant, a minor detail in the true scheme of things. No, there was something far greater at stake here, a threat with dire consequences if left unanswered...

Somebody was trying to upstage her.

Ash's eyes narrowed, sighting down the narrow opening between the stalagmites towards the stone throne at the far end of the room and this conceited amateur sitting upon it. Oh, she was going to pay for trying to show her up at song.

It's personal now...

Suddenly Ash's song distorted, momentarily compressing into a single burst of condensed sound as she charged forward at an impossible speed, leaving a pattern of shifting colors in her wake. In an instant she was past the giant, leaving behind a gaping wound on its leg. Now nothing was between her and the sorceress as she leapt towards the carved throne, blade readied.

Now it's just you and me...

----------

Seeing their ranks quickly falling apart, the forward knight spins around, bringing his blade down heavily on the back of the nearest orc to have just passed him. His fervor only heightened by the echoing song that filled the cave, his swing connected with such force that it nearly tore the hapless orc in half as he struck him down.


Swift action to activate Arcane Strike.
Casting Bladed Dash and moving from S16 to S10 as part of the effect. Attacking the giant along the way. Movement does not provoke AoO from the giant as per Bladed Dash's effect.
Attack: [roll0] (includes +2 from heroism, +2 from inspire courage, and +3 from bladed dash)
Damage: [roll1] (includes +2 from inspire courage and +2 from arcane strike)
Move action to relocate form S10 to T4 (30 feet).

K4 will turn around and relocate from O14 to O16, then attack Orc 3.
Attack: [roll2] (includes +2 from inspire courage)
Damage: [roll3] (includes +2 from inspire courage)

[Felhammer]

The giant is brutally assaulted by a... Streak of color...? Such concepts elude the lumbering oaf. All he knows is some small person just slashed his arm and made him bleed... He doesn't like pain! He looks side to side, trying to find the person responsible. Eventually his eyes settle on a little woman standing before him. He decides she must have done this to him! "RRRAGH! PAIN NOT GOOD! ME SMASH YOUR HEAD IN AND EAT YOUR MARROW! RRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWGGGGG!" The hulking humanoid slowly gains speed as he races towards Aisha. As he nears his target, he slams his great axe against the ground three times, then heaves it up and brings it down upon the poor sorceress!


The Giant is barreling right past Hal, his great axe coming within mere inches of the cavalier. Hal should reasonably get a saving throw, with a fair amount of advantage so... [roll0]. If he makes his save, then I will allow him to make an AoO against the giant.

By the same token, Aisha gets one for seeing the giant charger her... [roll1]

Attack! v Aisha's AC

a [roll2]
d [roll3]

if Aisha is hit, she is free from the spell


Meanwhile, the Sorceress stumbles backwards and retreats near her orcish minions. When she arrives she screeches, "KILL THE SINGING KOLO!"

She withdraws to safety. :smallsmile:
Kolo is an offensive slur that means a person enjoys the intimate company of cowardly warriors.

Both Knights Two and Three get their saving throws:

2 [roll4]
3 [roll5]

And one more for Hal if he did not pass the last one: [roll6]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
He couldn't do anything. Feel anything. It was as if he was an outsider, almost, watching his body mindlessly amble towards the sorceress.

Then the giant went roaring past him, and he snapped out of it. Quick as a whip, he spun around, catching the giant across the arm.

Then the giant smashed his axe into Aisha, and he snapped.

"YOU! DO NOT! HURT! MY FRIENDS!" Halbrecht raged, swinging his sword with all his might at the giant. The lumbering hulk made a move to dodge, but just barely failed to get out of the way in time, catching another stroke across the chest.

Meanwhile, the hypnotized knights lumbered toward the sorceress, heedless of the fact that their path brought them into the jaws of a couple very angry wolves.


From the OOC Thread, since I originally made this post in error thinking I was making it there and you can't edit dice rolls into posts.
AoO: Hit, 18 Damage
Attack: ​Hit, 17 Damage
Knights 2 and 3 lumber past Wolf 1, giving it an AoO on the both of them.

[Felhammer]

The two remaining orcs from the first group divide their attention, with on wailing on the knight who killed their friend, while the other slashes the right ankle of the enlarged Halbrecht with his falchion.



Orc 3 v. Knight 4's AC
[roll0]
[roll1]


Orc 4 v. Hal's AC
[roll2]
[roll3]



The Orc Barbarian bolts over to the stone throne. As he does, Ash can clearly see the orc's mouth extend out into a muzzle, complete with four inch long fangs that looks ready to rip his/her jugular.

He just gets up in your grill. No attacks, sadly.

Sir Ulfred continues to walk up listlessly...

If either hit, Ulfred will snap out of it, regardless he gets another save.

Orc: [roll4]
[roll5]

Giant: [roll6]
[roll7]

Save: [roll8]



Konthor takes aim at the Giant and lets fly three arrows aimed at the beast's head, heart and crotch.


[roll9]
[roll10]

[roll11]
[roll12]

[roll13]
[roll14]

[BramsesII]

Silith

"Aisha!"

Things suddenly take a turn for the worse as the giant takes a swing at Aisha. Without hesitation, Silith shoots one more arrow at the giant before dropping her bow and dashing nimbly around the stalagmite in front of her. She yells at noone in particular.

"The giant! Take out the giant!"

When she arrives at her position, she pulls her greatsword out of its sheath with blinding speed. The rangers follow her command and load up another bolt, firing at the giant.

Standard action to attack giant

Attack (with inspire courage & ranger's focus, firing into melee (+2,+4,-4))
[roll0]
Damage (with inspire courage & ranger's focus (+2,+4))
[roll1]
Free action to drop bow
Move action to R19
Swift action to draw greatsword

Move action to reload crossbow
Standard action to attack giant (with inspire courage (+2 attack, +2 damage)
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha let out a loud cry being smacked quite roughly back to reality. She clutched at her weapon looking up pain filling her body. She looked up her hands clutching tightly at her weapon. She allowed herself to boil over yelling out focusing her energy into a raw rage before striking out at the giant furiously in an attempt to strike the creature down. A loud cry of fury raged from her lips as the rather docile woman appeared almost like a beast herself. She held the blade up overhead. She swung down upon it with all her might, striking at the Giant with brute force applying her entire body force behind it. She carried on the blow, striking through and pulling back after slashing diagonally down on the giant finding herself a few steps away with her flesh tearing blade in hand.

The rangers follow in suit, focusing down the big giant, hoping to take down the threat themselves, firing away after getting into better positions to fire upon the large creature.

Aisha Rages! Rawr!
Attack at Giant [roll0] for [roll1]

Rangers attack
R3 Attack on Orc 4 [roll2] for [roll3]
R3 Attack on Orc 4 [roll4] for [roll5]

[Felhammer]

Luc puts the wolf to sleep, while a knight batters another to death.

The two reaming wolves lunge for the nearest targets - two of the knights - bearing vicious fangs and pouncing upon their enemies with great ferocity.


Wolf Bite v. Knight 3

[roll0]
Trip: [roll1]

Wolf Bite v. Knight 2
[roll1d20+2
[roll2]
Trip: [roll3]


Meanwhile the Orcs near the sorceress take up defensive positions, readying themselves to strike at any who dare assault their mistress.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Tch. Figures.

Ash frowns as the sorceress flees behind the safety of her minions, then turns to reassess the situation as the large fang-toothed orc approaches. Before the brute can attack, Ash lashes out herself, hoping to take advantage of the momentum and end this new threat before it can begin.


Free action to continue bardic performance.
Swift action to activate Arcane Strike.
Standard action to attack Orc Barbarian.
Attack: [roll0] (+2 inspire courage, +2 heroism)
Damage: [roll1] (+2 inspire courage, +2 arcane strike)

5-foot step to relocate from T4 to S5, this assumes the barbarian lives. If it dies, move action to relocate from T4 to W9 (30 feet).

[Felhammer]

The Sorceress sighs when she watches her beloved Bootlicker die. She pounds her staff into the ground and suddenly disappears.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
It only took seconds for a battle that threatened to end in defeat to swing back in their favor. No sooner had he wounded the giant than it turned and, bellowing with rage, swiped its axe across Sir Ulfred's chest - but in doing so, it had stumbled and fallen, and that had given Aisha all the opportunity to go into a rage of her own and, with a powerful downward slash, nearly split its skull in half, even as several volleys of arrows flew right past.

It was all the battle needed to completely change in their favor, for not seconds afterwards three of the orcs and one of the wolves fell to blade and arrow, with another wolf falling to sleep under the charm of Luc.

Unfortunately, it also gave the sorceress the chance she needed to disappear.

It took all the discipline Halbrecht had to not shout out a big "No!" or to burst out swearing. Instead, the threat of the giant having passed and the momentary flash of rage gone, he slipped back into leader mode as best he could.

"Keep it together, everyone!" he bellowed. "Keep swinging at the orcs! We'll find where she's gone later!" Turning to see Ash engaged in a battle of her own with the Orc Barbarian, he made a beeline across the room to aid her. "Fiend! You will not see another day!" It would not be until some time afterward he realized how corny he sounded.

On the opposite side of the room, the Knights, having been snapped out of their hypnosis by the snapping of two angry wolves, steeled themselves at Halbrecht's words and brought down their swords on the mangy curs.


Halbrecht: 2 Move actions to move to U7. No attack, sadly.

Knights 2-3: Will each attack Wolfs 3 and 2, respectively.

K2 Attack: [roll0]
K2 Damage: [roll1]
K3 Attack: [roll2]
K3 Damage: [roll3]


Unfortunately, while one of them managed to sink his blade into the beast's neck, killing it, the other swung wide in an embarrasingly inept arc.

[Felhammer]

The Orc Barbarian swings his great axe at Ash, then takes a bite out of his/her right arm.


Great Axe v. Ash's AC

[roll0]
[roll1]

Bite attack v. Ash's AC
[roll2]
[roll3]



Ulfred takes a knee while he drinks a potion. Konthor yells, "Where did the Sorceress go? as he moves up and shoots the second to last wolf.

[roll4]
[roll5]

healing: [roll6]

[HanaRei]

Aisha

With the enemy slain, Aisha began moving around the pillar working to get to the other side of the attacking wolf. She let out a loud shout, emphasizing her blow as she swung down upon the lone wolf with her fury.

The rangers seemed uncertain where to go at first, before moving themselves forward attempting to find a place in more of a clearing in order to find any target that might come up in their range, or at the very least get themselves positioned easier to get a clear shot on a foe.

Aisha moves around the pillar and attacks the lone wolf
Attack on W2 [roll0] for [roll1] damage.
Rangers move themselves up further and ready themselves for an incoming enemy.

[BramsesII]

Silith

Noticing that Aisha and the knights have the situation with the wolves well in hand, and that Halbrecht is on his way to assist Ash, Silith decides to reposition herself to make sure the remaining orcs cannot attack Halbrechts flank. She rushes over to the large stalagmites where the three orcs are gathered and where the sorceress just disappeared. As Silith passes by Aisha she shoots the younger woman a quick look of concern, which turns to relief when she notices her taking down the remaining wolf.

Behind her, the rangers - having no target - reload their crossbows and prepare to fire at the first orc that comes into view.

Two move actions from R19 to W9 (60 ft)

Standard actions to ready an attack on the first orc to come into view.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[LordHavelock]

With the Giant felled, the sorceress gone and many of the orcs and wolves slain, Luc turns his attention to his allies, particularly Ash in the midst of combat with the most harrowing of their orcish foes. His eyes shine once more with starlight that has no business reflecting off the cave as he reaches out with one hand, guiding portents of fate to favor Ash's victory, cursing and twisting those that guide the orc's blade.


Evil Eye against the Orc Barbarian for a -2 on his Attack Rolls
[roll0]; I figure the hexes work the same way as spells under the house rule?

[Felhammer]

The orcs hang back, readying themselves for the oncoming storm.

Ash is up.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Seeing more than half the enemy forces having fallen and Ashe still struggling against a very powerful-looking orc, one of the knights rushes over to help. The distance to cross is too great for him to attack immediately, but his presence does cause the savage to divert his attention for just a moment. And that moment was all Ash needed.

Capitalizing on the tiny instant of inattention, Ash lashes out opportunistically at the enemy, her blade still reverberating with the echoing song that continues to fill the cavern.


Knight 4 uses two move actions to relocate from R13 to T6 (40 feet).

Ash takes a 5 foot step to S4. She is now flanking Orc Barbarian with Knight 4.
Free action to maintain bardic performance.
Swift action to activate Arcane Strike.

Attack [roll0] (+2 inspire courage, +2 heroism, +2 flanking)
Damage [roll1] (+2 inspire courage, +2 arcane strike)

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht turned around at Konthor's yell. "Escaped with one of her tricks, likely! Just focus on killing these last few!" Making good on his intentions, he then thrust his longsword at the orc barbarian...

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

...neatly skewering it through the back. A grim smile set in on Halbrecht's face.

[Felhammer]

The Orc Barbarian hoots and hollers at Ash in his native tongue, using language that would make even a stalwart warrior blush with rage. He takes his mighty great axe and brings it down upon the bard's left shoulder, then rolls that attack into a bite, with lands on his/her right forearm.



Great Axe v. Ash's AC

[roll0]
[roll1]

Bite attack v. Ash's AC

[roll2]
[roll3]

[Felhammer]

Konthor rushes up to help Ash from the barbarian by firing off an arrow at the man's back. Meanwhile, Ulfred hustles up the battlefield but his full plate noticeably hampers his speed.


Arrow v. OB's AC

[roll0]
[roll1]

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith grips her sword tight and charges forward at the orc in front of her, but before she can strike the brute lashes out with his falchion. The half-elven woman easily dodges the creatures clumsy downward slash and swings her sword in a neat horizontal arc...

Charge and attack orc 5 (AC -2 this round)
Attack (+2 charge, +2 inspire courage, -2 power attack): [roll0]
Damage (+2 inspire courage, +6 power attack): [roll1]

... cleaving the unfortunate orc almost in half. She looks at the other orcs and grimaces. "Surrender. Or you'll end up like this one here."
~

Behind her, the rangers advance and let fly at the orc attacking Ash that just won't die.


Move 30 ft
Attack (+2 inspire courage): [roll2]
Damage (+2 inspire courage): [roll3]
Attack (+2 inspire courage): [roll4]
Damage (+2 inspire courage): [roll5]

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She looked forward noticing Silith charging in. She moved forward, moving quickly making her way though sidestepping the rocks coming up behind the rock only to see an Orc hiding behind the rock. She could hear Silith's words only a moment to late as she swung towards the orc with her Fury, holding the blade tight swinging recklessly forward.

The rangers noticed as the numbers thin, working towards the back the one moving forward to observe the orc, holding his bow up, unlike Aisha able to take Silith's call for the orc to surrender, holding his bow with the arrow drawn to strike should he dare to do anything but surrender.

Aisha's fury leads her to strike at the orc out of sheer instinct before Silith's attempt to surrender register in her mind.
Attack: [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

Rangers move up, R3 readying an attack agaisnt the orc if he doesn't surrender.
Ready Attack: [roll2] for [roll3]

[Felhammer]

The orcs charge Silith and Aisha even before the would-be-attackers have a chance to begin their assault.

Readied Attacks!

Falchion v. Aisha:
[roll0]
[roll1]

Falchion v. Silith:
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Felhammer]

Seeing his companions slaughtered like animals the last remaining orc minion holds up his hands and drops his falchion, "I-I-I surrender!"

From across the battlefield the furious howls of the dying Barbarian echo throughout the cave. The orc kneeling before Silith and Aisha looks away in shame. He whispers to himself, "I may be ohorea ez koldar but at least I will live to see another dawn..."

Meanwhile the bard, the immense cavalier and the knight finish the barbarian off, decapitating the raging beast. Kondor saunters up and puts his hand on Hal's and Ash's shoulder, "You did well." The dwarf bends down and picks the head up by its long black pony tail. Blood pours out like a ripped waterskin. "I suppose ole' Garl Onyxlord," He coughs as he looks to Ulfred, "Excuse me, the Duke of Blackrock, will want this head for the battlements... If only we could match it with the damned Sorceress'..."

Honor-less Coward

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht
It was all over in less than half a minute. The giant was slain, the orcs and wolves dead or captured... but the sorceress remained at large.
The cavalier turned to Konthor. "Indeed, though somehow I doubt we have heard the last of her." He frowned deeply as he finished that sentence, the addressed the rest of the party. "Before anything else, I would like to say that everyone handled themselves well today, even..." he shook his head. "Even when I was incapacitated. Silith, make sure the knots are extra secure when you tie him up. Ash, you might want to get those spells you said would be helpful for interrogation later ready. Aisha, that wound looks rather nasty - I have a potions, if you need healing. Same for you, Ash, Sir Ulfred."
Halbrecht will offer a potion of cure moderate wounds to whoever desires one.

[BramsesII]

Silith

After the last surviving orc surrenders, Silith sheathes her blade and looks around at the carnage. A quick glance tells her that all the enemies are dead and that their side suffered no casualties. That's good. Too bad the sorceress got away. After running back to collect her bow, she walks over to Aisha to make sure the young woman is alright. "You took quite a hit there, Aisha. For a moment I thought we'd lost you. How are you feeling, can you walk?" After she has answered, Silith continues, turning to the rest of the group. "Does anyone possess healing magic of some sort? Aisha's wounds need tending to."

If nobody tends to Aisha's wounds, Silith will at least use her healer's kit to bandage them. Otherwise, she'll move on to speak to Ash.

When Silith's sure that Aisha'll be okay (after Halbrecht has offered Aisha a potion), she turns to Ash, shooting the young woman a quick smile as she tucks her hair behind her ear. "You took quite a beating as well. Are you feeling alright, Ash?" Then, she turns to Ulfred, and once she's sure everyone's wounds have been tended to, Silith turns to Halbrecht as he adresses her, her expression turning serious. "It's too bad the sorceress got away, but at least we managed to kill the giant. I'll have a look around once that scum's tied up, see if I can find anything interesting. You should have some people secure the cave while we search for hidden exits she may have used." Having offered her unsolicited advice to Halbrecht, Silith turns around and - after tying up the orc securely - begins looking for tracks, traps and hidden doors, starting at the position where the sorceress disappeared.

Tying up the orc: ((is there a skill I need to roll for that?))
Carefully searching the cave: Taking 20 on perception [34]

[Felhammer]

Silith does not find any hidden doors or secret passages. She does find the sorceress' chamber, which is well furnished. Obviously she either brought goods from town or raided a caravan as the tables are finely crafted, the bed full of feathers and the sheets silken. In the trunk at the foot of the Sorceress' bed, Silith finds ten noble's gowns, bejeweled in pearls from Eastfarm, Rubys from Micklewaif and diamonds from Suras. Beside the gowns is a small wooden case, inside of which is a pair of owl-themed goggles. She also finds a chest full of ostrich feathers, three oaken wands, an ornate golden Ma'Qranese dagger and a sack full of Deepoather gold coins.

The room to the south looks to be the barracks for the orcs. Straw-filled burlap bags serve as beds and pillows. The weapon rack has six longswords on it, each etched with the symbol of Deepoath. An armoire on the wall has a dwarven-sized breastplate, two elven-sized leather cuirasses and four vials filled with a yellow liquid. Moving the beds around a little, you also find [roll0] silver coins.

The slain orcs all had rusty daggers, falchions and leather armor. The Barbarian had a well-crafted great axe, an oversized iron belt, a blue and red sash, and a ornery looking skull mask. On the giant, you find a massive, poorly maintained great axe, a hand-sized painting of a regal looking half-elven woman and a sack full of rotten horse meat.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

The cavalier nodded at the ranger's suggestion. "Good thinking, Silith. Maybe I ought to make you second-in-command, just in case I get incapacitate again." He turned to address Konthor and Ulfred's teams. "Ulfred, if you are good for healing, take your men and go and guard the entryway - make sure no-one gets in or out. Konthor, take two of your men and help Silith look for any secret passageways." Once Konthor made his selections, Halbrecht turned to the other two rangers, pointing to one of them. "You, my good man, go with Luc and see what you can find in the northeast door. You," he said, pointing to the other one, "come with me and check the south one." And so, shrinking back to his normal size as the enlargement spell wore off, he set out to do his checks - but not before checking the door to make sure there were no unpleasant surprises.


Perception Check One (to check for traps on the door): [roll0]
Assuming he detects no traps, Halbrecht will proceed through the door and check for secret passageways, tracks, and treasure.
Perception Check Two (once inside): [roll1]
Survival: [roll2]

[Felhammer]

Hal does not find any traps on the orc's Barack's door. He does see lots of foot prints. Some of them Sorceress-sized but they go in all directions. Sadly the cave floor is not dusty enough or muddy enough to make solid tracks. The Knights secure the exit.

The room to the south looks to be the barracks for the orcs. Straw-filled burlap bags serve as beds and pillows. The weapon rack has six longswords on it, each etched with the symbol of Deepoath. An armoire on the wall has a dwarven-sized breastplate, two elven-sized leather cuirasses and four vials filled with a yellow liquid. Moving the beds around a little, you also find [roll0] silver coins.

[LordHavelock]

With the threat past, Luc sighs deeply in relief and nods in assent to Halbrecht waving the ranger over to himself and offering a friendly greeting as Raev drops down to the floor and begins sniffing about on her way over to the east door. "Let's hope there's no more surprises in this cave. We set out to find a murderer and wound up encountering a much greater threat." he remarks to the ranger, "There will be little enough justice to meet out back in Blackvale I suppose, but then, we may have stumbled onto something much more pressing, assuming she had designs on more than just ruling this little cave here full of orcs."

Luc moves to the door, regarding it warily, and invites the ranger to check it with him for any sign of alarms or counter-measures, whilst Raev does the same.


Luc's Perception: [roll0]
Raev's Perception (scent): [roll1]

[HanaRei]

Aisha

With combat over Aisha's rage subsided, and the pain came upon her. She cringed a bit at the aching, letting out a light gasp as her wounds suddenly became quite apparent to her. She breathed a bit heavier, both from the damage she sustained and by her soothing rage looking at the others who all seemed to voice some concern to her. She looked at Silith, smiling and waving her hand. "I'm good, just a little scratch." She spoke laughing a bit though not quite doing a great job of showing she was 'fine'. She looked to Halbrecht as she seemed to consider his offer, particularly considering her poor performance of playing it off. "Th... thanks sir Halbrecht..." She smiled a bit light hearted, taking the potion as she took a swig, attempting to heal herself up a bit. She figured she would stand back a bit. She had never imagined her first combat would turn out in such a way, and she hoped none of the others might of recognized her inexperience as much as the wound made her feel she had slipped up majority on her own accord.

The potion helped ease the ache, though its effects felt a bit diluted. Still she felt at least a bit better even if she was a little worst for wares over-all still.

Cure moderate wounds: [roll0]

[Felhammer]

Raev discovers a coin underneath the nightstand, which appears to have been used to stabilize the rickety piece of furniture. The coin is made from clay and depicts a beautiful ivory white swan flying over a black-colored lake.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

He smiled as Aisha drank the potion. "It's no problem, Aisha - and if you call that a scratch, well, I'd hate to see what you call a wound." His smile lessened somewhat as the potion's magic only took a minimal effect. "Never buying from that apothecary again." Before Aisha could protest, he pressed another potion into her hand. "Luckily, there's two more where that one came from. It looks like that at least stopped the bleeding, and hopefully we won't be getting into any more fights before we get back to Blackrock, but just in case, hold onto that." He then departed with the ranger to do his search.

***

Halbrecht eyed the symbols of Deepoath on the longswords with distaste, filing the information away for later, before stashing the potions and coins in his pouch and rejoining everyone in the main chamber, lugging the armor over his arm. "No sign of any secret doors, and the floor in here's not dusty enough to leave any really useful tracks. I did find something else of note, though; our orc friend's weapons are apparently from Deepoath." He then showed off what he'd found.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

Letting the song begin to fade away at last, Ash takes several deep breaths (likely more from the exertion and her wounds than anything else). Even still it takes several seconds for the notes of the melody to full shift into silence, echoing off the cave's walls as they are. When several of the others inquire as to her welfare, she waves off the questions with an unconcerned look.

"I'll be alright. It's nothing I can't take care of anyway."

Having sheathed her weapon, she then places a hand on the hilt, causing a warm glow to suffuse it and begin mending her wounds.


Cure Light Wounds
[roll0]


"If anyone else needs healing, I can use this a few more times, though if we're going to interrogate the prisoner it would help if I hold some magic in reserve. Either way, if you're bleeding out or anything, just speak up hehe."

Her usual smile reasserts itself with this last remark as she begins to stroll over towards the far side of the cave where the others are just as Halbrecht finishes mentioning the origin of the orcs' weapons.

"Deepoath? Really? Huh. Well that's weird. But do you think they were stolen or given? It could be a pretty critical distinction don't you think?"

She tilts her head back and forth a moment, as if pondering this before shrugging and heading towards the door in the eastern side of the cave, calling out over her shoulder in the process.

"Anyone else find anything interesting?"


Casting Detect Magic while scanning the eastern room for anything of note.

Also perception roll just in case.
[roll1] (includes +2 from heroism)

[Felhammer]

Ash finds that the sheets, the goggles, the coin and the red dress are magical.

[HanaRei]

Aisha


She looked to Halbrecht smiling a bit as he offered her another. "Ah... I... I guess I just feel bad taking all of your potions." She spoke looking over at Ash as she seems to heal up her own wounds. It was far from something she could possibly do. She was a bit uneasy staring at Ash before finally speaking up. "Well... I could use one heal... I'd rather not drink up Halbrecht's potion supply myself." She spoke feeling a bit awkward looking at her. "If you don't mind." She was a bit hesitant for asking for such favors but she figured she needed to get more work done on her wounds. Potions were something anyone could potentially use, actual divine arts of healing tended to be a much more difficult activity to pull off.

[LordHavelock]

Raev trots back to Luc, prize in mouth, and then casually flips it up and into his waiting hands, at which point he moves to Ser Halbrecht, trying to get the face to catch what little light is in the cave. "Just this, anyone recognize her? Or the sigil perhaps? Raev found it in a place of no small honor, so it may very well be someone not much liked by our escaped sorceress."

[Felhammer]

Ulfred walks over to investigate, "Ah, this is the sigil of House Swanlord. Their holdfast of Swanfire Tower was destroyed by the giant horde during the war. I have not heard much of Baron Swanlord since then."

[Mathemagics]

Ash

With a surprising degree of celerity, Ash makes a quick round through the sorceress's room, scooping up anything she sees that seems to radiate magic. In the process she also decides to gather up anything of apparent value, dragging it back towards the central room (especially the bag full of gold coins).

Well, no reason not to enjoy a bit of a hard-earned reward for all this...

As she steps back into the main cavern, she scans the area, double-checking to see if there was anything else particularly special among the spoils while she was still under the effects of her magically-enhanced sight. Consequently, she notes the aura radiated by the coin as Luc's fox companion flips it through the air towards him. Casually pointing towards the object with one hand, while still looking about the room, she notifies him in an offhanded manner.

"Magic. Hmm?"

Distracted from her sweep, she turns towards Aisha upon hearing her speak up about healing and smiles as she moves to stand beside her, beaming her usual smile.

"Sure, not a problem. Just hold still a moment, alright?"

Resting her hand on the hilt of her sword, the same warm light begins to glow once again. Lifting her palm cupped, as if carrying water, she turns towards Aisha and deftly slips her hand around behind the silver-haired girls head, causing the healing radiance to flow out in the process and fade like a flame being quenched. Ash does not, however, immediately remove her hand, instead idly twirling a platinum lock around her fingers before, almost reluctantly, withdrawing several moments later. She gives a light sigh, and her tone seems almost wistful as she speaks.

"Ah, your hair really is lovely you know. It almost makes me jealous of how lustrous it is..."



Cure Light Wounds on Aisha
[roll0]

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She stood quietly hearing, hearing the comment about magic. She blinked as she used her own abilities to detect magic on the objects out of her own curiosity. It wasn't something

It left her a bit surprised hearing as Ash spoke up about her request for healing. She smiled nodding her head. She watched her lift her hand, casting her magic upon her further soothing the wounds. It was much more bearable, simply aching her now. "Thank you... on both accounts. My hair comes from my mother's side." She spoke nodding her head, not quite use to the comment about her silvery hair. It wasn't something most nobles would bother to speak about unless it was some attempt to flirt towards her, granted she wasn't one to typically catch on when it happens.

She looked to the magic items wandering over observing them curiously. She wasn't the most adapt at such things, but she gave a good gander seeing if she might notice anything particularly special about the assortment of magical goods.

Might as well try and ID the magic as well. Going in order from how the items are listed. ^^
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[BramsesII]

Silith

Having securely tied up the orc and having finished searching the caves, Silith turns her attention back to the others in the group. "All clear, Luc. We should be safe here for the moment. No surprises." When Halbrecht mentions her as second-in-command, she simply nods. "If there are no objections, sure. I've a little experience with leading men into battle." She looks around the group to see if there's any response from the others. She notices Ash busy tending to Aisha's wounds using her magic and she offers the pair a quick smile, followed by an arched brow when Ash seems to be turning her charms onto Aisha now. She clears her throat.

"Well then... Shall we turn to the matter at hand? I suggest someone tries interrogating the orc before we transport him back to Blackrock. I don't want to linger here for too long. Perhaps the sorceress has backup forces stationed nearby."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht, his eyes also arched at Ash's sharing of affection with Aisha, turned and nodded at Silith's suggestion. "I concur. Ash, would you kindly break out your interrogation magics? Also, if you or Aisha would deign to share what you've learned about what we've gathered here..." He then listened briefly to what they'd learned before marching over to where the orc was tied up and preparing himself for the interrogation.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

"Hmm? Certainly!"

Ash gestures towards the sheets first, followed by goggles.

"The sheets are resistant to extremely hot or cold temperatures. I suppose when you think about it, that's a pretty practical spell to put on a blanket, huh? Doesn't matter if it's summer or winter, they should always be just right. Anyway, the goggles, as far as I can tell they'd let you be able to see better in areas of low light. Not that they're strong enough to let you see through total darkness though..."

A brief nod of the head is directed towards the small coin now held by Luc after having been discovered by his fox.

"The coin... honestly I'm not really all that sure why somebody would intentionally make something like that. It will basically turn into a boat when you want it to. Kinda weird."

She shrugs before turning to consider the last item recovered.

"This dress itself isn't actual magic though, not all of it at least. It's really just this pocket... And if you put something magic in said pocket, it can't be detected..."

Her voice slowly trails off as realization dawns on her that she forget to check the pocket. Naturally if magical things are hidden by the pocket, her previous Detect Magic casting wouldn't have noticed anything. Before continuing any further, she quickly moves back towards the article of clothing and checks inside the pocket to see if she managed to miss something earlier. Somewhat distractedly, she calls out over her shoulder.

"Did you see anything in the other room that looked like it might have been magical too? If you want to bring it out here I can take a look at it after talking with the prisoner."

[Felhammer]

Inside the pocket, the Bard finds a string of nine spherical red beads with the ends tied together to form a necklace.


Necklace of Fireball IV
(http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/m-p/necklace-of-fireballs)

[BramsesII]

Silith

The half-elf walks over to Ash and places a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye. "Well done. Now, I think sir Halbrecht needs your assistance with the interrogation. We can worry about the things we found later. I want to be out of here before more orcs show up." Then, she turns to Aisha. "You too, Aisha. If you feel well enough to do so. And Luc..." - she turns to Lucyen - "If you can help with the interrogation you're free to do so. Otherwise, stick near me. We'll keep our eyes peeled in case the sorceress comes back."

[LordHavelock]

"I'll stick with you Sillith," Luc said quickly, "Don't much like the idea of trying to interrogate anyone, let alone and orc. I can't imagine any attempt to treat with such a creature would be an exercise in much else but futility."

Moving to accompany Silith out towards the entrance of the cave, he didn't note that the idea of more orcs showing up was a harrowing one. He considered it nigh miraculous how well their foray against the sorceress and her minions had turned out in their favor, and had to wonder if it hadn't been a fluke or worse still, a trap. Raev nudged him in the ankle as she trotted along side him, and he knew he was being a bit paranoid, so he attempted to change the subject, perhaps towards Silith herself. "Of course, there is still one other matter to be resolved, besides the whereabouts of the sorceress . . ." He noted, as he followed close along her side.

[Felhammer]

Konthor and Ulfred, sensing hesitation on the part of the bard, drag the orc into the Sorceress' chamber to perform the deed.

They spend about fifteen minutes interrogating the orc. In that time, you heard a few screams, a few bones snapping and more than a few muffled grunts. One scream though... It was so violent, hate-filled and yet incredibly fearful that... It will haunt your dreams for days to come. The Ranger and the Knight exit the room. Neither is smiling nor frowning. Obviously the deed was not pleasant. Both of their hands are covered in blood. The two men are given cloths to wipe their hands, and daggers, clean with.

Ulfred speaks first, "Her name was Baavesi. The orc did not know her surname. The Sorceress enchanted the giant and the beastly barbarian. She united this little tribe. The orc was low man on the totem pole, so he did knot know of her long term plans, although he does remember the fact that a dwarf came to this very cave and delivered swords and a sack of gold."

"She's workin' with da' Oathers! That cow! I wish I shoulda' aimed fer her heart!"

"We do not know that for sure. There are many dwarves in the world and Deepoath fought the Red Queen the same as Blackvale. These weapons could simply be surplus goods, or pilfered from the dead at one of the major battles."

"Or... It was a Redwin trick to sow discord..."

"Indeed. Regardless, we must get this orc to Commander Sovald and the Duke as quickly as possible. They will have... Men more capable than us to extract information."

Three of the knights head into the room to grab the orc. As they haul his half-conscious body out, you notice a cloth has been tied around his face, covering his left eye.

The party makes its way back to the valley, then up to the horses where the bard who was fearful of combat was tending to the horses. Ulfred, Konthor, two of the knights and the orc make haste to Blackrock atop the steeds. Everyone else must walk.

The journey is quiet, more or less. That is until you come across Anrika who is sitting on a blanket, eating bread and grapes with an elderly human man whose leathery face bears a tale of a hard life. She smiles as she sees the party walk up, "Hello friends!" she sets her grapes and wine glass down, staggers to her feet, "I saw some knights race by! Were they with you? You must tell me what happened? Here," she reaches her whole forearm into a bag that looks like it would barely accommodate her hand at most. Anrika yanks her arm out, revealing enough glasses for the whole party. She passes them out and fills them up with wine. "Regale me, and my new friend Apiwulf here, of your valiant deeds!"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

The cavalier's initial surprise at Ulfred and Konthor's taking the matter into their own hands quickly turned to visible discomfort at the sounds coming from the sorceress' chambers. Though he absolutely loathed orcs, Halbrecht was no fan of torture. "Always remember, son." His father's memories came back once again. "Even when you fight monsters, you must never stoop to use their methods. Fear and torture are not the ways of a knight - either grant your enemy a clean death, or spare him. More than just protectors, it is our duty to be exemplars to the people."

The meaning of exemplar had flown over his head initially (and he'd later asked his father why he didn't just say example), but the main point had stuck. As such, it was with a bit of a foul mood that Halbrecht exited the cave - not only was the sorceress still at large and the torture leaving a bad taste in his mouth, but her name didn't match any of the murder suspects.

Back to square one, I suppose.

***

Halbrecht's mood perked up drastically as he crested the cliff face and saw Adamant with the rest of horses, Melinda having kept watch without incident. Not quite wanting to embarrass himself in front of the others with a hug, the knight instead settled for a firm pat on the neck and some affectionate words of greeting, the horse's happy whicker warming the cavalier's heart. As Ulfred and Konthor took off back to Blackrock to report on their progress, he decided to give Adamant a break from carrying him, leading him by the reins back to town (after, of course, stuffing the most recent acquisitions into the saddlebags).

Then they ran into an 'old friend'.

Oh goody. It's you.

Halbrecht somehow just barely managed to keep a straight face as they once more ran into Anrika Ruinlord, who appeared to have gotten over her 'break-up' with Luc remarkably quickly. He stopped at her call, loosing Adamant's reins, but did not make a move to sit down.

"Milady Ruinlord," he said politely, inclining his head in a slight bow. "I see you managed to avoid trouble on your way back. You left before all the excitement started, I'm sad to say." Maybe if you'd seen some combat you'd have a better appreciation for what the rangers do. "And as a matter of fact, those knights were with us. As it turns out, not only were there dire wolves and a hill giant, but no less than eight orcs and a sorceress inside that cave. It was quite the battle, really - swords clashing, arrows flying, a bit of mind control from the sorceress." A brief pause. "Unfortunately, while we were able to slay the orcs and the giant, the sorceress managed to escape. Although if the lone orc we took alive is to be believed, she was not one of the suspects we were looking for. Their leader, Sir Ulfred - who you saw ride by - is currently taking him back to Blackrock for further questioning."

[Felhammer]

Lady Anrika claps her hands, "Marvelous, absolutely marvelous! You are indeed all wondrous knights in shining armor!" She grabs the battle again and fills everyone's glass once more. The raises her own glass for a toast, "To the Slayers of Giants!"

After a fashion the old man, still seated, asks Hal, "T-t-t-t-tell me old chum, w-w-w-w-who were you looking for? W-w-w-w-w-what crime did she commit?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht's right eyebrow rose quite visibly as he stared incredulously, taking a glass out of politeness as Anrika filled them. "You must have only arrived in Blackrock today if you've not heard, good sir. Last night, a woman named Fenoka was murdered, along with her unborn child. Solvald the Bloodhound of the rangers was able to find out that her murderer was another woman, of blue skin and hair - likely undine - and gathered up a good chunk of Blackrock to form search parties for the murderess. We've only just come back from our search."

[Felhammer]

A-a-a-a-a-n Undine, you say...? W-w-w-w-why I saw a blue haired w-w-w-w-woman riding east towards the border just last night... S-s-s-s-she was as fast as lightning and practically ran me over!"

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She had kept mostly silent, the wounds festering a bit though it didn't seem to harm her spirits much. As much as she ached still, the thrill of doing combat was quite rewarding. Still, she hadn't ever thought it could turn out the way it did. Perhaps her images of glory and attempting to live up to her siblings in combat was still so silly. She had to try none the less even if it seemed almost impossible of a peek to reach in comparison. Her traits were no where remotely close to her full blooded siblings.

Seeing Anrika she was a bit surprised. Her eyes fixating on the old man whose voice seemed rather shaken. She was a bit puzzled glancing around quietly. She attempted to see if she might be able to spot her bird flying around nearby observing the situation with Anrika.

Perception: [roll0] if she might be able to spot Mina flying around (if she doesn't approach).

[Mathemagics]

Ash

"Oh dear, that sound quite harrowing indeed. So tell, sir, how then did you come to meet our mutual friend lady Ruinlord?"

Unlike some of the others who seem quite reluctant to take the spoiled noble up on her offer, Ash quickly seats herself on the edge of the blanket and gladly takes the offered glass of wine. In the process, however, she also covertly whispers an arcane syllable, about the same time her hand just happens to brush against the hilt of her sword as she repositions it to sit down...

So he just happened to see who we're looking for and shows up in our path at the most convenient time? If that isn't suspicious then I don't know what is...


Casting Detect Magic. Not sure if you want me to make some rolls or not so that this goes unnoticed, so lemme know.

After that I'll take a look and see if anything glaringly obvious can be seen via magic sight. And if allowable, I'll go ahead and make a Sense Motive roll on this Apiwulf guy.
[roll0] (+2 more if you figure it's been less than 50 minutes since Heroism was cast)

[Felhammer]

Aisha finds her faithful companion resting in the tree above the picnic blanket..

[Lord Of Mantas]

A-a-a-a-a-n Undine, you say...? W-w-w-w-why I saw a blue haired w-w-w-w-woman riding east towards the border just last night... S-s-s-s-she was as fast as lightning and practically ran me over!"

Halbrecht's eyes widened. Could this be the clue we were looking for? "Sir, if what you say is true, you may have seen the murderess. Where specifically did you see her, and about what time?"


Sense Motive (to see if he's telling the truth): [roll0]

[Felhammer]

Ash quietly casts the spell. The man does not look pleased, "D-d-d-d-o not cast your witchcraft on me, boy!" He rears his head up to Lady Anrika, "H-h-h-h-e's going to hurt me, milady!"

Anrika drops her glass and tackles Ash, "You cannot hurt my friend! He's a kind and gentle old soul!"

The man hops to his feet with surprising grace and bolts off as fast as he can, "ANRIKA, KILL THE HORSE!"

The noblewoman gets off Ash, draws her dagger and begins to rush over to Adamant.

Ash detected multiple auras on the man and one on Anrika before you were tackled.

[Mathemagics]

Ash

It only takes a moment for Ash to recover mentally after being tackled to the ground, after all, she had been expecting something like this from the very start.

"He's covered in magic and Ruinlord is charmed! Just... I don't know, try to keep her from doing anything stupid. We have to catch the old guy! He's almost definitely the sorceress in disguise!"

As she speaks, she jumps up off the ground and begins chasing after the fleeing target on foot. It would be difficult to catch up given their head start, but she might be able to close the gap if she got lucky. And besides, if all her suspicions were right she might finally get that chance to properly put the sorceress in her place.


Move action to stand up from prone.
Move action to relocate to S16 from X19. (30 feet)

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Later, Halbrecht would brim with fury that anyone would try to harm Adamant.

In the moment, however, he was brimming with fury that he'd been deceived, and one thought coursed through his mind.

You're not getting away.

Like greased lightning, Halbrecht leapt onto Adamant. As he did so, his mind moved at a speed that made the rest of the world seem to slow down.

Can't charge him - damn tree's in the way. Still, Adamant and I are the only ones who can catch up to him. Best to have magic uses bombard him, me try to knock him out, melee fighters pin down Anrika.

Or is it her? Bah, we'll know soon enough.

"Ash, Luc, stop him with magic! Aisha, Silith, pin Anrika!"

And with those orders, Adamant and Halbrecht rode after the old man, Halbrecht drawing his sword and cutting him off before he could get away.


Ride Check (to mount Adamant as a free action): 23(from OOC thread)
2 Move actions to move to O13 (position, as usual, is designated by top right corner. No attack this turn - the tree was in the way of my charge. :smallfrown:

[HanaRei]

Aisha

A sense of relief briefly filled her seeing her bird perched looking onward. It was a relief she didn't have much time to get over as it was apparent quite quickly something was up. She looked a bit baffled, reacting a bit slower to her companions. Hearing Halbrecht speak up about pinning the now charging Anrika, she complied quickly. She wasn't exactly the best when it came to such maneuvors but she had enough know how to try an attempt it. She tried grappling Anrika to stop her from her attack.

Grapple on Anrika (Provokes AoO if she can do so. ^^;; )
Grapple: [roll0] on Anrika

[BramsesII]

Silith

Silith has been quiet ever since the group left the cave, after a quick conversation with Luc about the possible ways the sorceress could have escaped the cave. She keeps quiet during the trip, letting the others carry on their conversations. Instead, she decides to hang to the back of the group, keeping her eye out for any attacks from behind while also keeping an eye on the members of the group. I wonder what Ash's game is. First Halbrecht, and now Aisha. What's she trying to accomplish? Well, at least nobody died, and I managed to help out the rangers some more. Good things may just come of today. When the group encounters lady Anrika, Silith lets out a heavy sigh - Sweet merciful Almahara, not that one again. - and eventually joins the tea party, not long before the whole situation is turned on its head.

~

Upon Halbrecht's command and seeing everyone leap to their feet, Silith does the same. Before she can react Aisha has already grabbed the noble in an attempt to stop her from attacking Halbrecht's horse. She does manage to swipe at Aisha with her dagger, though, and Silith immediatly knows what to do. Gotta get that dagger away from her before she guts Aisha with it. The half-elf yanks her morningstar from the strap on her belt and swings it at the dagger, attempting to dislodge it from lady Ruinlord's hand. She resists the urge to try and club the good lady unconcious with the weapon. That'd only cause more problems.


Move action to stand up
Free action to draw morningstar
5 ft step to get in melee range
Standard action to make disarm maneuver CMB: [roll0]

((note, Anrika gets to make an AoO but she's already used hers this round. I'm assuming she doesn't have combat reflexes so there'll be no penalties on my CMB check. Also, she gets a few penalties to her dexterity and maneuver checks, but since I hit anyway, they don't really enter into it))

With a clean swipe, she easily bashes the dagger out of lady Ruinlords hand. The weapon lands on the floor near her.

[LordHavelock]

Luc was more or less astounded to have discovered not only Anrika, but this old man as well, and her previous demeanor was enough to convince him that staying out of the way and not drawing attention was an excellent course of action at present. It came as that much more a surprise then, when suddenly Anrika was taking order from the old man, whom Aisha was accusing of being the sorceress in disguise! Halbrecht at least seemed on top of the situation, and although he had been ordered to stop the old man, Luc could not help but feel he had some recompense to make with the Lady Ruinlord, however ignobly she may have acted. Besides, none of them were as well equipped to deal with her as soundly, swiftly, and safely, especially presuming whatever ease the sorceress may have enchanted her with.

Dashing ahead to make good on Halbrecht's orders, Luc none-the-less directed his first hex towards Anrika as he passed her, reaching out with one hand as imposed a weariness for sleep upon her.


Move to R,15
Sleep Hex on Anrika: [roll0]

[Felhammer]

Anrika tries to free herself from the grapple. Her violent struggles prove fruitless against the surprising ferocity of Aisha.

CMB: [roll0]

Meanwhile the old man backs away from the cavalier and casts a spell. Hal can feel the fingers of enchantment wrap around his brain but his mental resolve whisks away her magical attack, leaving him free of her control.

[roll1] v. Will

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

He felt magic start to tug at his mind again, but this time, he was ready. Summoning his own sheer force of will, he shook off the old man's attempts to control him.

Not this time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anrika's swing go wide, followed by Aisha's easily subduing her and Silith's disarming of the annoying noblewoman. Pride surged through him. Less pride-inspiring was Luc's firing off a spell at Anrika rather than the old-man-sorceress. And he was sure now that it was the sorceress.

The OTHER old man, Luc!

He reared up on Adamant, the warhorse whinnying as Halbrecht pointed his longsword at the disguised enchantress.

"Baavesi!" He roared. "In the name of the Dragon, I challenge you!"

It wasn't a large distance. 10 feet, maybe. But it was all the momentum he needed to charge at her, the flat of his sword swinging down toward her...


Swift Action to declare a Dragon's Challenge on the Old Man. Halbrecht gains a damage boost to the target equal to his Cavalier level (+5), but suffers a -2 AC penalty against all other targets. In addition, all allies of Halbrecht get a +2 circumstance bonus on melee attacks made against the target. This effect lasts until the target is killed/knocked unconscious or the combat ends, whichever occurs first.
Full Round Action to Charge. Due to Halbrecht's training as a Cavalier, he gains a +4 bonus to Attack and no loss to AC on his next turn. :smallsmile:
Attack (with -4 penalty to deal nonlethal damage): [roll0]
Damage (nonlethal): [roll1]

..striking her with a resounding smack in the side of the head and visibly causing her to stagger.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She felt Anrika's quite weak attempts to free herself. Perhaps she was fighting whatever was compelling her forward to attack at them? She continued her grapple, attempting to pin the young woman completely in hopes of subdueing her completely without causing her any harm. As pretentious as she might be, she wasn't a bad individual, nor far from the worst she had witness with her time around nobles. If she could avoid causing her harm, things would be much better off.

She manages to do it quite well, pinning down Anrika keeping her hold upon her trying to be careful with her movements as to not hurt her to much.

Grappling Anrika, attempting to pin her.
CMB: [roll0]

[BramsesII]

Silith

A quick look teaches Silith that Halbrecht has already caught up with the old man and that Ash and Luc are on their way to assist him. She turns her attention back to the struggling noble pinned down under Aisha as she produces her rope from her backpack. "Hold her down, Aish. I'll tie up her arms and legs." With a bit of struggling and a lot of help from Aisha, Silith manages to roughly tie lady Ruinlord's hands together. The rest of the rope is used to quickly tie her legs together as well. Unlike Aisha however, Silith is not carefuly not to hurt the noble. In fact, she tugs the rope a few times extra to make sure the improvised bindings are tied securely.

She looks at Aisha and curtly nods at her. "Well done, Aish. Let's help the others out. Don't move, lady Ruinlord. We'll be with you in a moment," Silith tells the noble, a smile almost appearing on her features seeing the pompous noble in her current predicament.

Move action to retrieve rope
Standard action to tie up (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Grapple) the struggling noble (DC to escape bonds is either 28 or 27 depending on whose CMB you use)

[Felhammer]

The 24 Hour Time Limit for a turn is up. Ash and Luc get skipped :smallfrown:

Anrika struggles but cannot overcome the might of both Silith and Aisha. Her arms are quickly bound, leaving the woman helpless and at your mercy.


Hal's brutal assault on the man practically cracks a rib. Realizing he needs a new strategy, the man retreats back a bit farther and casts a spell on himself. Anyone looking at the withered old man sees him as a blur of motion, which will undoubtedly make it difficult to hit him with a weapon once more.

20% miss chance.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Even as the Old Man turned into a blur, one thing went through Halbrecht's mind.

I've got you now. You won't threaten anyone anymore.

It has been said that at their apex, a cavalier and his steed move as one being. As Halbrecht and Adamant closed the distance, and reared up once more for the attack, for a moment, those who looked upon the scene would have seen it. With a whinny, Adamant lashed out with first his left, then his right hoof, before the flat of Halbrecht's blade came soaring down.

Transcribed from OOC Thread.
5-foot step to relocate to M10. All attacks are nonlethal.
Hoof 1 Attack: 22
Hoof 1 Damage: 5
20% Miss: 21 - HIT

Hoof 2 Attack: 17
Hoof 2 Damage: 6
20% Miss: 6 - MISS

Longsword Attack: 13
Damage: 12
20% Miss: 22 - HIT

The left hoof connected, striking the old man in the stomach. He then dodged the right hoof, Adamant's horseshoe-clad foot whizzing past his head...

Which was struck with a resounding smack by the flat of Halbrecht's longsword, sending the old man crumpling to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Adamant stood once more on 4 hooves. Halbrecht sat atop him, breathing heavily. The air was still. The fight was over.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

A sense of relief filled her as Silith managed to finish tying the woman up. She remained close by, keeping careful watch over her moving herself off from being on top with the ropes leaving her secure. She looked up to see Halbrecht seemingly doing plenty to get the suspicious old man knocked down for questioning. She kept by Anrika just in case she managed any funny business with the rope as it seemed their small scuffle might be settling down.

[LordHavelock]

Luc stood in awe of Sir Halbrecht's amazing display of arms and prowess, particularly in conjunction with his steed, and as the old man crumpled to the ground, immediately moved to his side, prepared for any latest trickery this foe might be able to inflict on them, only cringing slightly at the sound of Lady Anrika struggling after she had been enchanted. 'Must find some way to undo that spell before she hurts herself, or any one else looks to take advantage of her.' He thinks, as Raev trots up along side him and begins making a thorough inspection of old man in a careful circle. Luc makes to do likewise as he opens his senses to any traces of magical auras or enchantment on their latest foe.


Cast Detect Magic
Spellcraft Check to identify Auras and subsequently spells on the old man: [roll0]

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

All was still for a moment as the old man fell to the ground and reverted back into the form of the sorceress.

It was promptly cut by Halbrecht's cheering and hollering.

"Yes! Today the forces of good triumph once more! Take that, you magically manipulative-"

It was at that point that Halbrecht remembered that he was not alone, and - as a quick look revealed - had even been joined by Luc, who appeared to be examining the sorceress along with his fox. Adamant looked up at his master and snorted, and with a sheepish chuckle, the cavalier rubbed the back of his neck. Jumping down, he once more retrieved the rope from his backpack, and once Luc was done quickly set about the task of tying up the sorceress, taking extra care to gag him with a piece of cloth.

Assuming that Luc doesn't find anything that will result in fun happy explosions if he's touched, Halbrecht will move to tie up the sorceress. Escape will require a DC 27 check.

[Felhammer]

The old man turns into an undine woman. The same woman you met in the cave.

After patting her down, you find little of use, obviously she left most of her gear back in the cave. Her staff though, that is quite magnificent. It is very regal looking white wood staff that has an almost obscenely large ruby affixed to the top. It radiates magic in waves.

It has a strong aura but no associated school. However, you fail to ascertain its properties.

Anrika snaps out of her delusional state and realizes she has been tied up, "Wha... BRIGANDS! BRIGANDS HAVE CAPTURED ME! SOMEONE HHHHHEEEEELLLPPPP!!!!"

[BramsesII]

Silith

A quick look over towards Halbrecht tells Silith that the danger has passed, and she visibly relaxes. She snickers, hearing Halbrecht cheering as she turns to pick up Anrika's dagger. She sticks the weapon in her belt after putting her morningstar back where it belongs. Then, she turns to Aisha. "Nice moves there, Aisha. You practice?"

Suddenly, the tied up noblewoman begins screaming like a harpy, and Silith turns to look at the woman. "Lady Ruinlord, calm down. Sir Halbrecht, Lucyen, Aisha and Ash are here to rescue you. They're just busy tying up the sorceress who had enchanted you. I've a question for you though. Do you remember Apiwulf?"

[LordHavelock]

Luc smiles and nods at Halbrecht's outburst, any impropriety (or ham-handedness) at reacting thusly completely lost on him. As the disguise of the old man melts away, and Halbrecht makes a point of tying her up and gagging her, Luc assists as best he can, until Anrika suddenly begins to shout. Mumbling some excuses, he rushes over to Aisha and Silith and makes sure she can see him. "It's all right Lady Ruinlord, there are no brigands, you're safer now than you were even moments ago."

Looking to Aisha, he whispers a short aside: "Have all traces of the spell disappeared from her?"


Aid Another on tying up the Undine Sorceress: [roll0] (if appropriate)
No need for a Perception check to search her I take it? Raev and I can both take ten on that.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

As Halbrecht finished putting the final knots in on the gag and ropes (taking extra care to bind the hands), his focus was interrupted by Anrika's wailing. Unlike Luc, however, he did not immediately rush over, but did a quick double check of the knots before unceremoniously hoisting up the sorceress and tossing her over Adamant's back. Once done, he patted his companion on the head before joining the rest.

"It's good to see that you're no longer under a spell, milady," he said, strolling over. "Silith, why don't you go ahead and untie Lady Ruinlord? Unless anyone else would like to correct me..." He looked at Ash and Aisha in a clear invitation. "...I'd say it's safe."

[Felhammer]

After the woman is untied, she throws her nose up in contempt, "Humph! Some heroes!" Her eyes narrow as she looks at Luc, "Always a day late and a copper short! Utterly typical. My friend Sir Ulfred shall hear of your bumbling buffoonery! The Duke too! They will see you are reprimanded for your... Intolerable mediocrity!"

[BramsesII]

Silith

Having untied the noblewoman, Silith eyes the noblewoman before her with one eyebrow arched. "There. I'm keeping your dagger until we return to Blackrock. I'm not risking my friends getting knifed in the ribs. You know, like you just tried to do to Aisha." She turns away from the noblewoman and moves to stand beside Aisha, putting a hand on her shoulder to emphasize her point to the noble lady Ruinlord.

Then, the half-elf looks over the assembled group to speak to them. "Right everyone, we've got what we came for. I'd suggest we head back to Blackrock so we can turn in our murder suspect and our intolerably mediocre report. With a bit of luck sir Ulfred and Konthor have already arrived and they'll have more information extracted from the orc. Everyone agreed?"

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha slowly lifted herself up, brushing herself up a bit more at ease as it seems things had settled down. The white haired woman let out a light laugh hearing Silith questioning of her practice. "Can't say I have." She spoke interupted by the screaming of Anrika. She didn't seem to waste much time in attempting to belittle her appearance before the others. Some nobles did seem to have quite the trouble in speaking up when it came to others.

She looked to Sir Luc giving a glance in order to detect magic and ensure things were safe as Silith went about untying her from the ropes. It wasn't likely anything was wrong with her anymore, but it was better to be safe then sorry after all.

Detect magic just to make sure things are all safe. :)

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht looked at Silith. "Agreed. Let's get moving, everyone." He then turned to Anrika, his neutral face now a scowl. "But before that, let me ask you a question, milady. That sorceress over there? The one who just had you under her spell? Not only was the giant that we found earlier working for her, but she had no less than eight orcs and several wolves, including a few dire ones, under her boot as well. Now, I can't say for certain what her plans were or are, but if my experience is anything to go by, anyone who commands a group of that type has unsavory ambitions and a very lax attitude towards prisoner's well-being - at best. Given all that, and given how we just saved you from her thrall, do you honestly think that you can call this 'mediocrity'?"

Halbrecht turned to go back over to Adamant, but then turned his head for one last repartee. "Also, just for the record: We've also met Sir Ulfred. After you left, he stopped by and helped us take down the giant."

Honestly, this dialogue is a bit confrontational, so I'm not really sure how well it fits, but - DM allowing - I'm making this a Diplomacy check to try and convince Anrika that 'reporting' to Ulfred and the Duke would be a waste. The fluff does say that Diplomacy is used to solve arguments...
Diplomacy: [roll0]
Also, if Anrika could be attracted to Halbrecht, that's another +1 bonus, bringing the total to 24.

[Felhammer]

Hal tries to make Anrika see reason. She acquiesces, to a point, and decides to only tell Ulfred about the ineptitude of Luc.

The march back to Blackrock is quickened by the manifestation of a dirt path, that quickly turns into a well worn, very old paved road. The town of Blackrock rises from atop one of the taller prominences in the Blackrock Hills. From your vantage point, you can see a tall, sturdily built wooden wall, encircling more than twenty towers that shoot up into the sky like shimmering gray spires. As you meander up the road to Axeview Gate, you spot a maze of ramshackle houses spread out around the road. You know this to be Redtown and is where the newest refugees live. Most of the people who live here are beyond destitute, relying on the charity of the Almsgivers and the Duke to survive. About fifteen people stand around a fire, watching a rabbit slowly roast on a spit. As you walk by, you notice that the rabbit looked half-starved already, it is nothing more than skin and bones. Yet, the fifteen men and women crowded around beam with joy, it is likely a great bounty for such poor folk.

The guards at Axeview Gate only grunt as you pass. They seem more worried about keeping the refugees out than anything else. The first thing you smell as you enter town is the delicious, mouth-watering aroma of warm honey and apples. Guided by your noses, your bodies face a large shop called "The Honey Pot" which specializes in sweet treats, candies and cakes. Warm honey apple sticks are a local favorite. It is about noon and already there is a line of twelve children outside waiting for permission to buy one for themselves.

Unlike the other major towns in Blackvale, Blackrock was not planned in the least. Its streets twist, turn and loop back, seemingly at random. Fifty years before the Gloom, Blackrock was nothing more that a handful of towers surrounded by a wall, to serve as a natural bulwark for the area. Then sapphires were discovered and brought many people to the settlement, which blossomed into a town as miners and prospectors flooded into town to "get rich quick." Sadly the sapphire mine proved fleeting but the people stayed and forged a community for themselves. With no central planning, the city grew unevenly. The Duke merely paid for an extension of the wall to encompass the latest neighborhood. Oftentimes the old wall was never removed because houses had been built right against it, using it for support.

This organic growth gives Blackrock its unique culture as each neighborhood is essentially its own little walled town. Inside each neighborhood is at least one glistening tower, typically owned by a wealthy family or individual who shouldered the burden of defending the neighborhood before it was encompassed by the city's wall. At the center of the city, atop a flattened hill is the oldest section of town, only accessibly by a staircase that has been carved into the cliff-side. You count over a hundred steps between Hopetown and Onyxtown.

Three towers rise out of the mesa, the tallest is Tower Rock, the home-base and headquarters for the Rangers in Blackvale. Connected to it by a rope bridge is Onyx Tower, which sprouts out of a very large mansion you know to be Golden Garl's Estate. The mansion was paid for by the King's great-grandfather when he gave his younger brother the title of Duke of Blackrock. Since then the Dukes have intermingled with the local Susi population, fast becoming the wealthiest and most powerful of the Susi lords. In fact, flying above Onyx Tower is the black and yellow striped banner of the ancient Susi tribes. The third tower is much shorter than the other two but far wider. Its official name is Dogpine (named in honor of Doglord and Pinelord, who paid for its construction) but locally it is just called the Squat Tower. It serves as the main meeting hall and armory of the Starless Knights in Blackrock.

Compared to the rest of the city, Onyxtown is sparsely populated and lacks many homes. Those that do exist are grand is scale and quite large. Obviously the domains of wealthy commoners and the gentry. The three towers are arranged in a triangular formation. A cobblestone path lines the perimeter, inside of which is a green and brown grassy field, obviously used as a training ground for most of the year. Onyxtown is surrounded by a thick wooden wall. Near each corner is a chapel dedicated to one of the four gods - Reinarra, Almahara, Sonbahar and Yasgaram. Each building is rather small, only say twenty feet by twenty feet, with stained glass lining all four sides. Spring's, Summer's and Autumn's chapels have many people going to and fro, mostly priests but some non lay-people. The door leading into the chapel dedicated Yasgaram has been boarded up with thick planks of wood and fist sized nails.

Your attention is diverted away from the chapel by a familiar voice, that of Sir Ulfred. Since you last saw the man, he has removed his armor and donned a very colorful orange and yellow tunic with blue britches and stylish leather shoes. "Greetings friends. I hope the journey was uneventf..." He stops mid-sentence when he sees the knocked out and tied up woman, "Could it be? You caught the murderer? But how?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Complaining about Luc, as opposed to all of them, wasn't ideal - but it's better than nothing, Halbrecht supposed.

As they approached Blackrock, the starless knight paused to take in the scenery. Having been transferred from Highblack, he'd only arrived the day before the Festival of Rainbows and Radishes, and the town's sprawl was major change of scenery from the tightly constructed citadel where he'd spent most of his training. As they passed the men and women cooking the nigh-skeletal rabbit, he bowed his head wearily. Even as a son of one of the knights, he remembered plenty of days during his youth where there was no choice but go to bed hungry - and a few more, as he found out later, where his own father'd elected to skip his own dinner to allow him a meal. A meal that he'd not always entirely downed himself...

Do you really think things will ever get better?

Sure I am! All the tales have good tri- sorry, trimphi- winning in the end, don't they? One day, it'll all be for the best. You'll see.

The Gloom had been rough on everyone.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Halbrecht stopped to inhale the mouthwatering scent of sweets as they entered through the gates before taking in the sight of the towers up close. He frowned a little as his gaze settled on Dogpine.

I really need to work on familiarizing myself with the layout. Four days and I barely know my way around there, much less to-

But his musings were interrupted as Sir Ulfred once more showed his face. Halbrecht's expression perked up a bit. At the very least, I have some good news to report.

"Sir Ulfred!" He snapped off a quick bow. "Good to see your injuries have been tended to." He turned to the unconscious sorceress, still draped across Adamant's saddle with all the dignity of a sleeping roll. "Regretfully, we did not catch the murderess - or at least, any of the suspects." He turned back, smiling. "But we did catch the fish that got away from us earlier, if you catch my drift. Apparently, after she escaped from the cave, she magically disguised herself as an old man and enchanted Lady Ruinlord. She attempted to trick us into a wild goose chase, claiming that she'd spotted someone matching the murderess' description riding east towards the border last night. However, one of our number-" he gestured toward Ash as he said this, "saw through her ruse. She attempted to run, but we were able to subdue her and free Lady Ruinlord from her thrall."

Suddenly, a thought struck Halbrecht, and he brought his hand up to his chin. "Then again, come to think of it, if she could disguise herself... She might have simply taken a different guise when she did the foul deed, if indeed she was-" He stopped and waved his hand dismissively. "In any case, we all know for certain she was commanding a giant and a force of orcs, and that in and of itself is a clear danger. Hopefully, further integ- questioning will show if she was involved in the murder or not, or what her plans were regardless."

[Felhammer]

Ulfred sighs as he scratches the back of his head, "So she fits the description of the murderer due to her gender and race. She is most definitely the Sorceress from the cave, who also happened to be a female undine. However... You are right, if it was her, then why would she commit the crime while looking like herself? That would seem foolish... Yet... undine are not very common here in Blackrock and no undine women came to town for the festival, best anyone in the guards, Starless Knights or the common folk can remember... Even Lord Gusti's usually reliable network of... Watchers... Verified the fact that not a single undine woman came to town. Of course... If this woman was the murderer, then she could have sneaked into town under a guise... The population of the town did swell for the festivities... That would imply that the Sorceress wanted the poor mother to see her face when she... Did the deed... Yet she left two witnesses alive, why...?" The knight throws his hands up in anger, "I hate magic!"

After regaining his composure, the tall, well built human says, "Well, His Grace, the Duke of Blackrock would like a word with the five of you." He turns his back on the party, then stops abruptly. With a child-like smile he comments, "Please, leave your trusty steed outside."

The ducal mansion is well furnished on the inside. Ornate tapestries line the walls of every hallway, spaced barely three feet away from one another. Tapestries are normally very expensive individually, to own so many is proof of the Duke's wealth. Many servants rush through the halls. As they see you come, they stop what every they are doing, stand against the wall and bow or curtsey as you pass. For most of you, such behavior is well outside what you would consider normal but, it is nice all the same.

The throne room is grand, taking up nearly an eighth of the mansion's total size. As you look around, it is obvious that this room doubles as a banquet hall as the scent of carrot cake wafts in from one of the side passages. The floor is marbled, adorned in a pattern not unlike the banner of the Susi peoples. Indeed, the white marble has a slight yellow hue to it, magnifying the effect. At the far end of the room lies the Ducal Throne. A pleasant looking seat, if there ever was one. Carved from dark black wood, most likely harvested by a vanarra tree feller, who must have ventured deeply into the Black Woods. Such highly prized wood does not come cheaply. Atop the throne is a powerful looking man, adored in shimmering golden plate mail. His tall forehead, mane of straw-colored hair and his piercing blue eyes denote his strong Susi linage. Indeed, you would not think him a descendent of a Blackroy, if not for a single shock of black hair that runs down the left side of his head. Standing bolt upright beside the Duke is a Herald. These men made from metal and stone are said to have been sent to the world by the gods to ensure mortals remember well the lessons the gods (and their chosen surrogates) preach. Most Kings, and other high ranking leaders of men, are aided by a Herald. It seems the Duke of Blackrock is no different.

Behind the two men is a stone edifice, the same color as Onyxtower. Off to the far left is a heavy metal portcullis, probably used as the Duke's private entry to his tower.

Your gaze diverted back to the task at hand by Sir Ulfred's voice, "Your Grace, I have returned with the Heroes of the Giant's Cave. Beyond their noble efforts in said cave, Your Grace, they have brought you an additional prize - the Sorceress who charmed the horde of orcish barbarians and a hill giant! They tell me they..." He pauses, looks back at the group and smiles, "I shall let them regale Your Grace of their entire journey."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

"Of course," Halbrecht replied. "First, however, there is the matter of our prisoner." With that done, Halbrecht consulted with Sir Ulfred and arranged to have the sorceress taken into custody before tying up Adamant (but not before patting him and promising a rich reward of fresh vegetables) and accompanying Sir Ulfred and the party into the Ducal mansion.

***

"Your Grace." Halbrecht bowed once more, this time much more deliberately. He cleared his throat and then began. "As you know, after the murder last night, Commander Solvald gathered up a good number of the people of Blackrock and divided them into search parties, with a ranger helming each as a guide. For us, that was ranger Silith Amastine." He gestured to the half-elf, allowing her to introduce herself to the duke. "Also a member of that party were, of course, Lucyen Torchlord, Aisha Silverlight, Ash d'Oscine, and myself." He briefly paused, allowing them time to introduce themselves as well. "And lastly, also in our party, but not present with us here, were Melinda Vilhelmisdaughter and Lady Anrika Ruinlord."

"Initially, our search uncovered no signs of the murderer, but Silith and I did find many wolf-tracks. Those led us to a cave in the cliff, where we heard the snoring of a hill giant. Unfortunately, our attempts to approach the entrance stealthily were foiled, as Lady Ruinlord found out at that exact moment that Lucyen here was not, in fact, the rich nobleman she thought him to be, and she ran off while cursing his name. Very loudly."

"Since we had no way to get everyone down the cliff without being swarmed by the dire wolves that then emerged, or the bows to take advantage of our superior height, that was when we sought help. Aisha, who is a falconer, sent out her bird to make sure Lady Ruinlord was alright, and Silith sent a dove to request help from the Starless Knights. They, in turn, sent Sir Ulfred and his men. I, in the meantime, went to seek the help of another group we'd spotted earlier, which was led by Konthor the Bluefingered. Together, we easily took out the dire wolves-" Halbrecht consciously omitted the, in his opinion, rather amusing incident with the rope, "-and descended into the cave, where Silith found the bloody footprint of a woman's boot."

"I am certain that Sir Ulfred has already regaled you about the battle inside the cave, so I won't describe it in detail. Suffice to say, we found that not only was there a giant inside the cave, but more wolves and eight orcs, and, of course, the sorceress. She brought several of the knights, and I, under her spell, but thankfully we managed to shake it off as the giant attacked us. After wearing it down, Aisha managed to cleave its head in two, and the sorceress fled, leaving us to kill the orcs and wolves with little effort. After interrogating the lone survivor, we found that the sorceress was named Baavesi, which did not match any of the suspects names found out by Commander Solvald. We also found several items with Deepoath's emblem on them, and a coin bearing the crest of one House Swanlord."

"Afterwards, Ulfred, Konthor, Melinda and the rest rode ahead to deliver the orc into custody and, I assume, the news to your Grace. As our party made our own way back, we came across Lady Ruinlord once more, who was apparently having a picnic with an elderly man. He attempted to deceive us into believing he'd spotted someone matching the suspect's description riding across the border to the east last night, but Ash suspected foul play and attempted to discern if either of them were under an enchantment. Upon being found out, he directed milady to tackle Ash and then kill-" At this point, Halbrecht realized just what the sorceress had ordered, and visibly clenched his fists. "To kill my horse, Adamant. Before any of that could happen, however, I was able to mount Adamant and then cut him off as he tried to escape. Silith and Aisha were able to wrestle Lady Ruinlord to the ground and prevent her from hurting anyone, while Adamant and I were able to knock the old man unconscious - at which point he turned into the sorceress, for she had apparently magically disguised herself. We then tied her up and gagged her, made our way back to Blackrock, met Sir Ulfred inside the walls and, well, you know the rest."

[BramsesII]

Silith

For most of the trip, Silith stays quiet. She prefers to be away from the infuriating noblewoman, and she needs time to think. Every now and then, she does glance towards Ash, curious as to who the girl is talking to at the moment.

Whenever someone decides to approach Silith for a conversation, she obliges, but she's not too forthcoming with information about her past. I'll need to speak to Konthor when we reach Blackrock. I think he'll be interested in hearing what I have to say.

As they approach Blackrock, Silith pauses for a moment next to Halbrecht to take in the scenery as well. "Nice place. Has a certain charm to it. Even though it looks like the Gloom hit pretty hard here." She nods towards the people gathered around the rabbit before continuing into town.

~

When they finally arrive at the gates, Silith walks up to Anrika, removes the dagger from her belt, and hands it back over to the noble, hilt first. "Here. It's safe enough now. Try not to get charmed next time." The half-elf quickly turns and walks away, ignoring whatever snide comment the noblewoman has for her.

For the rest of the trip, Silith stays nearer the group. The auburn-haired half-elf finds no use in putting greater distance between the group and herself. Not a lot of threats here that I could spot when I'm away from the others. She decides to walk next to Aisha, determined to strike up a conversation of sorts, but unsure how to do so. Eventually, she decides to try and strike up a conversation about their earlier fight. After all, fighting is Silith's trade. It's what she's good at, and the only thing she knows. "Well.. uh. We made it. You okay? Your wounds not bothering you?"

~

After entering the Ducal mansion, Silith stays quiet, letting the others do the talking. Speaking to nobles has never been her forte, and the half-elf is clever enough to know that upsetting the duke through her ignorance of etiquette would probably be a bad thing. So, Silith only answers questions directed at her, and she fakes a smile and nods politely whenever Halbrecht mentions her name during his tale.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She had kept mostly to herself the trip back. The ache of her wounds lingered despite her attempts to block it out. Perhaps it was her heritage that allowed it to serve more as an annoyance then true pain. The healing had done a good job of taking off the edge that pricked at her from the giant's blow. As human and frail as she appeared to be, her body was much more adapted to such abuse. Unlike the others much of her strength was natural... though her inexperience was likely far more of a detriment over any 'benefit' her bodies natural talents tended to grant her. The encounter only helped to make it that much clearer that she had to be more careful having found herself put under a spell that nearly had her killed.

She held her hand up, allowing Mina to glide down resting perched on her arm as they made their way towards the city. It was her way of giving her bird a rest, gently petting along it's breast as a show of affection for her work watching over Anrika. While they had done more then simply deliver messages, it wasn't that common for her to ask of tasks of observation. She was happy Mina had such an understanding with her to be able to observe in case there might of been trouble.

~~~

Mina took flight as they reached the city limits, keeping up in the skies. Within the city there was plenty of places for her to perch, many of which likely safer then down on the streets near her. Granted it wasn't likely for any of the lower class to attack an animal held by its owner, she could never be sure. It felt bad having to think in such a manor, but it was the truth of the city she learned very quickly. The class system wasn't the most generous system out there. Still, it helped to preserve order. Despite her mother's own grudges against it, she had always pushed to not interfere unless such power was abused to the detriment of the people. Even then, it wasn't very likely she would act. Her brother was much more directly linked with the activites of the city, though she knew very little of his own dealings. It had been by his hand that gave her a relatively comfortable place in society, resting at the brink of nobility and a common citizen.

Her train of thought had slipped free hearing Silith speak up. She looked towards the woman smiling as she nodded a bit. "Well.. it aches a little bit, but its nothing I can't withstand. If anything, its a good reminder and mark of pride of the battle we won." She spoke letting out a light laugh in response. Perhaps it was a bit cheesy and just silly sounding to call it that, but she still managed to deliver it in a relatively upbeat and serious tone. As goofy as she could sound at times, she always seemed to manage finding a way to make her words at least moderately attractive in tone.

~~

Within the hall standing before the Duke, she bowed in respect for the sire. It was always proper to treat such men with respect when it came to society and she didn't intend on miss representing her lord by not doing such. She kept quiet nodding slightly at Halbrechts words. It was hard for her trying to hide her a bit surprised expression hearing her own deeds told in such a heroic manor. It made her blush a little bit at the compliments. I wouldn't say I did 'that' much of a mighty blow to the giant... I wasn't that prominent in my actions... She thought to herself humbly. She never imagined her name to ever be told in such a context.

[Felhammer]

The duke does not speak but seems to hang on every word uttered by Halbrecht. When the tale is completed, the duke claps softly. The Herald standing behind him states in a dispassionate, some what alien voice, "Your heroism is commendable. His Grace, the Duke of Blackrock, is most impressed. In recognition for your heroism, the Duchy will give each of you thirty thousand silver kilvets..."

Garl Onyxlord smiles coyly, looks back at his Herald and nods. The mechanical man snaps his fingers. Twelve trumpeters rush into the hall, take up positions and blare a call.

"His Grace has also seen fit to honor each of you by granting you keys to the Onyx Lodge, which resides ten miles from Blackrock, near the Scar. Only true friends of His Grace, and those he deems worthy of such recognition, are given year-round access to Duke's summer retreat." The imposing Susi man stands up. A page quickly walks over, bearing a green pillow in both of his hands, on top of which are five silver skeleton keys, each covered in a unique gold filigree. Attached to each key is a finely made brass chain.

The Duke stands before with Halbrecht as he was the one who recounted the tale. He nods as he says, "On behalf of my Duchy, I thank you for your service." The Duke places the necklace over Halbrecht's head and the two men shake hands. The trumpeters bark a jaunty tune.

Onyxlord moves on to Silith, Luc and Ash, flawlessly repeating the ceremony each time. Aisha is last. The Duke allows his gaze to linger on the woman for a few heartbeats too long. He blushes as he realizes he has committed a faux pas. The man almost stumbles as he recites the phrase but recovers with the deftness one would expect from a man in his station. Garl places the key on Aisha's neck, shakes her hand and walks back to his throne.

With an imperious tone, the Herald says, "Once again, His Grace thanks you for your stalwart defense of his demesne." The trumpets toot one last time. Sir Ulfred points you in the direction of the door and leads you back through the mansion and out to the grassy triangular field.


A sturdily built cart stands in the middle of the field, flanked by four Starless Knights. Inside the cart, you spy five skunk fur bags. Ulfred, ever the gentleman, hands each of you a bag, all of which feel incredibly lightweight, as if they are empty. The knight smiles, "It is magic. Inside is you reward for slaying the giant, capturing the sorceress and felling the orcs. His Grace has paid for your lodging at the Immortal Angel Inn, which lies just south of here in Fox Town. I am told he has paid through the end of Kesalma, some forty-five days from now. If I were a betting man, I would say His Grace is going to host a party in your honor some time between now and then." He looks each of you up and down and realizes your gear is looking a bit road weary, "Please, leave your weapons and armor with me. I will see to it that the best blacksmiths in town repair and clean your gear. It is the least I can do to show my gratitude for the heroism you each showcased in the Giant's Maw this morn."


You descend back into the city proper down the narrow, cliff side staircase. The road to the Immortal Angel is convoluted but you eventually arrive. It is a classy looking, three story establishment. The inn's symbol is a white-winged angel decapitating the head of a giant with a bastard sword. The interior of the inn is as ornamented and well maintained as its exterior. A gentle looking vanarra woman tends the counter, while off to your right is a small tavern. "Welcome, welcome heroes! We have been expecting you! His Grace has paid for your lodging through to the first of Heinalma. Each of you will have your own private room. In fact, besides crotchety old Mr. Spearmanson, you will be our only guests. Please, allow Manfreid to take your bags upstairs to your rooms, while I fetch you a cool glass of ale."

The five of you take a seat at an over-sized oval table and wait for the vanarra to return with your drinks.

[BramsesII]

Silith

The half-elf takes a seat the oval table, and as they wait for their drinks she speaks up. "Well now. That was certainly interesting. And to think we were only thrown together by accident." She leans forward on the table and looks over the group. "I have a suggestion. How about we stick together for a while? We work well together, and I'm sure we all have goals to accomplish that would be much easier to accomplish in a group. I know I have." Silith leans back in her chair, shooting Ash a slight smile. "Besides, I like you guys, and it's past due I made a few friends here in Blackrock."


"I'm not originally from Blackvale. As Aisha probably knows, I'm from Whitewillow, where I was born and raised. I'm here for one thing: to find my sister. I'm not sure if she's here, but it's the most likely place for her to be. I have reason to believe she's here to seek out the druids of High Summer.

She may be following a vanara named Brone who came to Whitewillow to enlist others to the aid of his circle. That's all I know; it's a bit of a wild goose chase, I agree, but I have to do something. I signed up with the rangers in the hopes of someone finding who could help me. And, well... I was thinking we could keep an eye out for clues. Do some investigating if we can."

~

During the downtime, Silith spends quite a bit of her time speaking to her newly acquired friends, favoring Aisha over the others. After all, the two have met before, and Silith prefers speaking to people she knows over people she barely knows. Conversation with people who are still mostly strangers is not something Silith is very good at. She also takes a few trips into town - accompanied by whoever wants to join - to do some shopping for new equipment that could prove useful in the future. Wherever she goes, be it visiting taverns, shops, or any other establishments, she asks around after a vanara named Brone who recently visited Whitewillow and after an elven druid named Piwiel who recently came to Blackvale.

~

One night, she leaves the inn on her own early in the evening to lure over a small songbird and use it to send a message to someone. It leaves in the direction of Blackrock.

A small piece of ricepaper that contains the following message:

Brogus, tell commander I made friends.
Speaking to rangers, telling who I am.
No sign of Pi.

The next day, Silith seeks out Konthor in Blackrock. After finally locating him, she insists on speaking to the dwarf in private, away from prying eyes. If she doesn't find him, she'll try to speak to the person who recruited her for the rangers of Blackvale.

Silith looks around, making sure that there are no people listening in. She leans in closely to the ranger. "Konthor, I've something to tell you. I'm sure you're aware of the situation in Whitewillow at the moment? If not, let me explain." She gives the ranger before her a quick rundown of the current political situation in Whitewillow and Redwillow.

"In short, the war's still going on, and the rangers of songwillow feel it would be prudent to establish a better relationship with the rangers of the other islands. Especially here in Blackvale. It so happens..." Silith digs a necklace out of her pocket, displaying symbol that signifies her as a ranger of songwillow isle. She quickly pockets the item again after letting the other ranger examine it. "... I'm the third ranger of Dawn's Light peak. I was hoping to covertly establish a better bond between our organizations. That way, we'll be ready to support each other should Redwillow and Redcloud decide to do something... drastic. And I know, the rangers of Songwillow are supposed to be neutral, but we do have a preference."

"What do you think?"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht all but crashed into his chair as he finally was able to sit down, the events of the day taking their toll on his stamina. "Sweet Almahara, what a day." His mouth watered at the thought of a nice, cold, full-bodied tankard of ale. As Silith proposed her invitation to remain a group, he sat up and leaned forward, head resting on his hands. He smiled as she finished and spoke. "I, for one, think that is an excellent idea. After what happened today, I'm proud to call all of you my friends - and I hope that you all feel the same." He raised his tankard in an invitation to a toast, "To the future!" before ordering a nice hot meat pie.

Halbrecht frowned, but it was a frown born of sympathy and concern. "Should we find anything, I will do everything I can to help you find your sister, Silith," he said. His eyes almost seemed... sad as he said it. "More than anyone, I... I understand the importance of family." He straightened his chair and coughed. "In any case, I have no goals of my own, at least not at this time. My offer extends to all of you - if ever you need help, just call on me." He placed his hand on his chest. "Thus I solemnly swear."

***

Although it was tempting, the following week was not spent in idleness. Apart from trying to get to know the members of the newly formed party (trying particular to encourage Silith, who seemed somewhat reticent - one does not idly propose a second-in-command without trying to know them as best they can, after all), Halbrecht spent much of his time training out in the fields with Adamant. Days passed, each of them marked with Halbrecht charging at straw-stuffed training dummies, the air rent with his cries as he smashed into them with sword and lance. Eventually, it paid off - Halbrecht could feel himself grow more accurate, and more force flow through his arms.

And then, of course, there was shopping.

Although Halbrecht saw no need to spend his newly-earned gold all at once, he'd come to a realization.

If we are to stay together, we must have a physical manifestation of that pledge - a banner to fight and live under. But hopefully not die under.

The parts were simple enough - a banner with his arms and the Starless Knight's crest was but a few gold pieces. But the real innovation was something he saw a vanara selling in the market as he joined Silith one day - a collapsible pole, easily foldable into segments for easy transport. With a few alterations, Halbrecht finally fit the full image of a cavalier, a banner fluttering in the breeze from his shoulders.

Halbrecht also quickly wrote a letter, sending it with the next messenger going to Highblack.

Sir Hessmarch,
As it turns out, my assignment to Blackrock has been anything but boring. Not four days after I arrived, there was a murder in town - a woman struck down in the dead of night with her unborn child. I was tasked to help find the murderer along with several others - a ranger named Silith, a man named Lucyen Torchlord who apparently has had rumors going around about him being noble, a falconer named Aisha, and a bard named Ash d'Oscine. Together, we found a cave filled with orcs, wolves, a hill giant, and an undine sorceress, but through skill and fortune we emerged victorious and no-one was killed. The sorceress did manage to escape, but only briefly - we found her attempting to mind control one of the local noblewoman, and Adamant and I were able to knock her unconscious. We were rewarded by the Duke himself, Garl Onyxlord! In just under a day I earned more gold than I've ever seen in my life, and a wondrous bag the can carry unimaginable amounts of things without weighing you down.
On top of it all, we were given keys to the Duke's summer retreat, and have been given lodgings at an amazingly luxurious inn. I do not think I've ever seen such luxury.
But rest assured, I'm not resting on my laurels, dear teacher - I still strive daily to make the Knights proud. And my father... wherever his soul may be.
Signed, your squire in spirit,
Halbrecht

***

One night, Halbrecht slept a restless sleep, his head filled with dreams...

It was a dark, neverending void. In the void were two voices.

Why? Why won't you talk to me!?

I told you already, I just want to be alone!

Halbrecht, I'm your best friend! Friends don't leave each other alone when they're hurting! If you'd just-

I don't need any friends!

...you can't mean that. You can't.

Everyone and everything I love gets destroyed! I’d be better off alone rather than put anyone else in danger. I... I don’t need anyone.

All of a sudden, the void gave way to a violent battleground of snow and ash, mixed together into a grey slurry tinged with the slightest hint of blood. All around, scores of Starless Knights fell to the combined might of an uncountable number of orcs. Skirting around individual fights, he somehow made his way to the edge of the battle, but then, just as someone called out, he saw him.
A dark figure, yet dressed in the familiar shape of that armor and a banner that marked him as one of the Knights, standing in the middle of a group of Orcs, a giant at his back. And impaled on his sword...

NO!

The figure turned to Halbrecht, its eyes glowing red, and pounced...

"Aah!"

With a violent start, Halbrecht jolted awake. A few seconds passed before he managed to reorient himself. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he managed to haul himself out of bed. Throwing on some clothes, he blearily walked downstairs, where he half-heartedly nursed a tankard of ale until the sun rose.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

The brief pause had left her a bit puzzled by the Duke's delay and accompanying blush as he went about the formal ceremony. It was a perplexing as he finished it. Maybe he recognized me from somewhere? Perhaps a curious thought creeping into his mind? Nothing to really wonder about. I wouldn't want someone bothering me when my mind might drift briefly away, particular a Lord who demands respect from those under him. It would be very rude." She thought a bit more in depth then she really should of. With the ceremony past they were finally lead to the place they were given lodging, something she couldn't deny. She didn't live in the slums, but her own home wasn't something that luxurious as well. It would be more fitting and show more respect to take up some lodging.

~~~

At the table Aisha had kept quiet at first hearing as the others spoke their own piece. She heard Silith's suggest, giving a light nod in response as Halbrecht spoke up. She figured it was only fitting to at least speak up. "I agree. It is... interesting how such events can unfold so quickly and bring people together. It seems silly not to at least get some time to know one another." She smiled warmly nodding her head.

Aisha gave a nod hearing Silith speak. "I don't mind doing what I can to try and help. There might not be all that much I can do as far as pull within the city for information, but having more people about to try and discover about her increases the odds of someone stumbling upon it." She spoke using a more logistic reasoning behind her words.

~~~

Aisha had spent much of her time outside her work (which was relatively simple, only requiring to maintain the birds and send out messages) speaking with her new companions. She found herself converse a lot with Silith, having a connection already established it seemed as if their conversations tended to be a much more common occurrence. She went about sending her Bird Mina out on her own task. It only felt right she should try and message her mother, both birth and adopted. It had been some time now and she liked to try and keep in some contact every once in a while.

My life in the city has been going fine. I have worked tirelessly for my Lord continuing my job as a messenger. I met an old friend and have gained many new ones as well. I really hope you both have been doing well. I hope to get to visit you in a few months time. I know she doesn't come by often, but please if you could give the other letter to Sha'la, I would appreciate it.
I finally found myself in combat for the first time. I never expected myself to be taken on a Giant face to face. I managed to take him out though. I did get hurt during the engagement. It hurts, but I managed to prevail. It really sent some joy to me I never expected despite the ache to be able to do such a good dead for the greater good. I know I won't likely live up to my siblings... but I really want to make you proud.

[Felhammer]

During the week, people receive correspondences...

Silith,

Message received and passed on. We also heard from Commander Sovald, says you proved yourself ten fold in that cave.

With the aid of the Aran navy, a handful of Rangers went on a mission into Foulbone three days ago. Attacked Firetail Tower. Captured and interrogated several xill. One of them had a loose tongue after an Inquisitor threatened to brand the outsider. Turns out, Rueserond has taken an interest in Rowan, that green dragon that lives in Rowanoak... Or is it the Green Woods? Regardless, the xill told us a season ago, a company of hobgoblins, lead by a Xill Oxymancer by the name of Ethak, snuck into Blackvale via the Blackrock Hills.

Keep your eyes sharp.

- Brogus


Greetings Ranger Silith,

I was most impressed with your ability to slay the orcs and giant that had infested the Maw. I must take a moment and thank you for the aid you rendered, for without it we surly would have fallen that day.

I write to you today because His Grace has decided to throw a masquerade ball in your, and your friend's, honor. I have dedicated my life to the Starless Knights, which has not rendered unto me the time necessary to pursue more... Courtly endeavors. After seeing you handle yourself in the cave, I knew - almost instantly - that you were someone worthy of such pursuit.

If you are able, and have not been courted by other suitors yet, I would ask that you would do me the honor of allowing me to accompany you to the ball come this Reinday.

Your faithful admirer,

Sir Ulfred



Dearest friend Lucien,

I will expect you to come by my father's estate - Battle Manor - one hour before the masquerade ball is set to begin. You will wear the finest finery and spare not expense. No need to rent a carriage, we will use my father's (it is made of gold, you know).

Your ever loving companion,

Anrika Ruinlord

Dearest Aisha,

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.


Your greatest admirer,

- Garl Onyxlord, Duke of Blackrock

Inside a box (wrapped in the finest blue silk you have ever touched) is a wondrously complex and ornate masquerade mask. The flowers and feathers used in it are vibrantly, almost unnaturally, red. You do not know where the Duke acquired such finery but he obviously spared no expense.

http://www.juicyclubla.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/mask_girl-e1386029011627.jpg



Your name has been mentioned in the hallowed halls of the Dusk Ravens. When I investigated, I was shocked to learn that you have become a great and powerful warrior, one whom is now a hero in his own right. Is it true you gutted a hill giant with your own blade, then lanced five orcs with one strike and now wear a helm crafted from the head of a wolf? I am sure the bards of Blacklake are embellishing a bit but... It is good to hear you are doing well.

As for me, well, life as a Dusk Raven is full of tedious practice but I am proving quite adept at the art of sorcery.

I will be accompanying Benrik Taillord on a mission to scout out potential recruits in Blackrock. I shall arrive on this coming Forgeday.

I know we did not leave on the best of terms but... I would dearly love to see you. Share a meal, perhaps. You do not have to see me. I will understand if you do not wish to do so. Still, I would like it if we could at least visit, for a time.

Your Faithful Friend,

Arna


Hal,

I am overjoyed that you have become a knight worthy of song and that the highest echelons of our realm are recognizing and rewarding you for your good deeds.

However, I do not have much time to respond. Things are moving quickly. We will need to meet sometime... Soon. I will
搭话 राखाडी एकही नावाने एक गडद केसांचा मार्गे 上或周围 여름의 첫 번째 달의 다섯.

What ever you do, do not trust the word of Troglodytes bearing gifts.

- Hessmarch



You receive almost forty requests for your company at the ball. You note that about a third are from men and half from women. All of them are flowery and well written, almost all of them reek of desperation and fame mongering.

Just two stood out as interesting...

Ash,

You do not know me, nor I you. I am quite taken with you. Look for me at the ball. I shall be wearing a purple elephant mask...

Your's forever,

Mystery


Dear Ash d'Oscine,

We have discerning tastes. You - far more than anyone else in town - have proven yourself more than interesting. We are keen to take you to the ball come Reinday. We know little about you, so we decided to share a letter. One of us is Starwulf, the other Feybjorna. Pick which ever you prefer. Enclosed is a picture we had painted of us recently. We hope we are to your liking.

Yours truly,

Starwulf Merchantson & Feybjorna Merchantsdaughter

http://cdn.list25.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Natalie-Portman-and-Keira-Knightley1.jpg

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

The Starless Knight was still sitting at the table, groaning with a headache born of early-morning ale and a lack of sleep, when the letters came. Groggily taking the first of them, he paused in confusion at seeing the seal of the Dusk Ravens, but opened it anyway.

And his jaw dropped. Bolting to his room, he paced like a madman, rereading the letter over and over, his mind caught in a morass of conflicting emotions.

This can't be a coincidence. It can't be. Reading the letter again, his hands trembled, long-suppressed emotions welling to the surface. After all this time... do I dare?

He sat there for what seemed like hours. Then, as suddenly as he'd stopped, he wildly grabbed a pen and parchment, and attempted to write a response - but nothing came out. Several starts and stops later, Halbrecht managed to calm himself, and he quickly scribbled out a reply.

I am currently lodged at the Immortal Angel Inn, courtesy of Duke Garl Onyxlord. If you should not have time to reply before you depart for Blackrock and arrange another meeting place, I will await your arrival there.
Always Your Friend,
Halbrecht
P.S. The reports are greatly exaggerated. I'll tell you all about it when you arrive.
Quickly sealing the parchment, Halbrecht then ran out of the inn like a madman and delivered it to the nearest messenger going to Blacklake. He then stood there, gasping for breath, before remembering he had received another letter. He relaxed on seeing the seal of the Starless Knights, and opened it.

And then his face set once more in a frown at the contents.

Immediately, Halbrecht set out first to find Lucyen, then Ash, showing each of them the cryptic missive. "I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, but I need your help. My old mentor, the Knight to whom I was a squire, sent me this message, but it's got some sort of code that I can't make heads or tails of. Can you help?"

Hal,

I am overjoyed that you have become a knight worthy of song and that the highest echelons of our realm are recognizing and rewarding you for your good deeds.

However, I do not have much time to respond. Things are moving quickly. We will need to meet sometime... Soon. I will
搭话 राखाडी एकही नावाने एक गडद केसांचा मार्गे 上或周围 여름의 첫 번째 달의 다섯.

What ever you do, do not trust the word of Troglodytes bearing gifts.

- Hessmarch

If neither Ash nor Luc can or do help, Halbrecht will seek out Sir Ulfred and ask if he knows anyone who might be able to translate it.

[BramsesII]

((Note: this is just a placeholder so you guys can keep moving and include Silith in the RP. I might make it a real RP post when I'm back home.

Silith takes some time to reflect on Brogus' letter but decides not to tell anybody in the party yet.

She accepts Ulfreds offer. After all, she'll have to go with someone. Better to go with someone who knows how to behave at such a party.

For her dress, she decides to call in help. Her first idea was to ask Aisha, but Halbrechts attempts to get her to open up made her realize she needs to open up to others. So, she asks Ash to help her pick out an appropriate (green) outfit. The budget'll be around 300 gold. She's not sure how much she'll need.

[LordHavelock]

Honored by the Duke's words and commendation, Luc gives as much by way of courtesy as he can offer, but feels woefully ill-prepared for such a meeting and the proceedings. Especially as he recognizes this to be his first real chance at broaching the subject of his family, their holdings, with someone who might yet have known his parents even, or at least the Sunlords who were their lieges. Raev remains still and quiet during the ceremony, looking for all the world like a loyal hound were it not for the bushy tail which marks her a fox, yet Luc feels her influence, pushing him to make something of the matter, an opportunity not to be missed. Throughout the presentation though, he remains silent, and there is no time to hold the Duke's attention after, with all the other business that needs tending to. Still, the reward for their deeds is not inconsiderable, and although Raev feels he has passed up on a chance, and so Sir Ulfrend's mention of a potential party in their honor is both a blessing and a curse. 'I ball? A celebration? At the Duke's palace?' He thinks to himself, smiling brightly, but inwardly bemoaning how ill-prepared he feels for such an event.

Silith's offer of companionship is enough to renew his spirits however, and he heartily agrees to join with her and Sir Halbrecht, Aisha, and Ash for what may come. "As it happens, I've actually few other places to go. I came to Blackrock seeking some evidence to restore my family name, but so far have been stymied in every attempt. Many minor noble households it seems, came to unfortunate ends and the magisters are not wont to suffer another young lad with nothing to show but a noble suffix and a signet ring." He admits to them, "Our audience with the Duke was the first chance I've even had to see a member of the aristocracy. Not counting Lady Ruinlord, I suppose, which was under less formal circumstances."

Listening carefully to Silith's story, and concurring just as quickly with Ash, Luc adjourns to his room and begins by drawing out the doublet and breeches Archivist Laurenya had insisted he make a purchase of (assisting him as she did in his studies) tell him it was quite necessary if he meant to impress the nobility of Blackrock or anywhere else, and made sure he had the jewelry which would accompany it. Till now, Luc had not yet worn it, and was about to try it on when he remembered that the comfort he felt in wearing the grime and dirt of the road was no more suited to such an outfit as would he would be at the ball, and so made a point to dig through the grooming kit which had been another of the important purchases early in his re-socialization. It was laborious, and uncomfortable, but by the end he was thoroughly clean and his hair a good deal more tame, but felt otherwise too weary and unbecoming to try the new clothing on yet.



It was not in fact till he received Lady Ruinlords short, but poignant letter that he felt compelled to even look at the outfit again. Sighing, he was relieved at least for the opportunity that he may not have permanently burned any bridges with the Ruinlord family, if their daughter was approaching him with the presumption of escort to the ball (she certainly seemed to be), and so made another go of using the various grooming tools, having not quite established a daily routine of hygiene which seemed to possess most other noble lords and ladies before trying on the courtier's outfit, and it's accouterments.

It was in this state that Sir Halbrecht found Luc when he arrived with the mysterious letter, and Luc was quite unaware of any perceived change it might make to him or his appearance. On the whole however, having been seen only in his traveling gear and more casual clothes, it might come as quite a shock to the knight to see the bedraggled, even grungy spell-slinger who had delved with him into the Giant's Maw now formally attired, and a good deal more well-kempt. His hair had been trimmed and combed, the ashen blonde locks now possessing a certain luster, and very striking with his blue eyes, which stood out from his strong, almost aquiline features in a way that could only be described as comely. The doublet he wore was all the more becoming, a rich navy patterned with flourished and stylized stars and trimmed with a deep yellow chord reminiscent of gold in the light of a torch.

"Your mentor? A knight? It seems quite a strange language, even a jumble." He replies, unconscious of how he might otherwise appear as he surveys the letter on the desk, "Perhaps . . . a code of some sort. If not these markings then certainly his use of this phrase, 'Troglodytes bearing gifts.' Have you had any experience with such creatures, Sir Halbrecht? Or your mentor even?" Inwardly, Lucyen wished that Archivist Laurenya were here to review the document with him, or that he could take it to her with Sir Halbrecht, but it was addressed to the knight, and the Archivist was a very private woman herself besides.


Arcana: [roll0] to recognize it as any magical script.
History: [roll1] to see if the language is anything he might recognize from more scholarly pursuits.

[Felhammer]

You deduce that the writing is actually composed of several different obscure languages, including Tenran, Feldinian, Oraikremosian and ancient Uldosakan. Such languages are rare and exotic, being drawn from the farthest reaches of the Amethyst Isles. Without some kind of magical aid or a translation book, it would be almost impossible to translate the sentence.

As luck would have it, there will be a Ronnish delegation at the masquerade, as ambassador Undonar has been touring Red Cloud and now plans to visit King Kasmund. Uldosakan is the ancient language of the merfolk who live in the shallows around Bastion Isle, specifically the Coral City of Ronn.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

She sat in her room holding the letter and the finely wrapped box. It had been a rather uneventful day until she had found such The young woman red the letter looking rather baffled by the wording. She wasn't one that could easily read into sappy writing, poetry wasn't her fine point in the least bit. She read down finally reaching his signing off, the letter making (somewhat) more sense.

"Admirer? Does he so something in me the others did not have? Granted I was the one told to of slain the giant, but it doesn't seem like something that would garnish me with poetry, strange forms of it at that." She pondered out loud to herself, scratching lightly at her temple not fully getting just what is 'admiration' was entailing. She tended to have a terrible sense when it came to people and what they wanted unless they were direct with her.

She picked up the box, carefully opening it to reveal the mask. She glanced down upon it curiously, giving it a look over. "Such a gift, it would be improper of me to not wear it. I guess I should go out shopping for a nice dress. It will be costly, but considering the money I've gained, its not a bad investment for my job as it is." She reasoned verbally to herself, carefully placing the mask back down in the box to keep it safe.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht


"Your mentor? A knight? It seems quite a strange language, even a jumble. Perhaps . . . a code of some sort. If not these markings then certainly his use of this phrase, 'Troglodytes bearing gifts.' Have you had any experience with such creatures, Sir Halbrecht? Or your mentor even?"

Halbrecht shook his head, simultaneously giving a slight chuckle. "You can drop the sir around me, Luc. After going up against a giant together, I think no-one will object if our relationship is somewhat less formal. Indeed, I might have start practicing calling you milord, if your quest to restore your family name works out." His face reverted to normal as he thought on Luc's question. "No, I've never gone up against troglodytes - my experience is limited almost entirely to orcs, with some giants thrown in for good measure. They've been a thorn in Highblack's side since I was born. As for Sir Hessmarch... If he ever did go up against troglodytes, he never told me of it." A pause. "Although to hear of it, apparently Ash has received invitations from a few to go to the ball..."


You deduce that the writing is actually composed of several different obscure languages, including Tenran, Feldinian, Oraikremosian and ancient Uldosakan. Such languages are rare and exotic, being drawn from the farthest reaches of the Amethyst Isles. Without some kind of magical aid or a translation book, it would be almost impossible to translate the sentence.

As luck would have it, there will be a Ronnish delegation at the masquerade, as ambassador Undonar has been touring Red Cloud and now plans to visit King Kasmund. Uldosakan is the ancient language of the merfolk who live in the shallows around Bastion Isle, specifically the Coral City of Ronn.

Halbrecht sat quietly as Luc shared the results, and the news of the Ronnish delegation. "I'm not a suspicious man by nature, but that seems awfully convenient. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to try and speak with the ambassador during the ball." He inclined his head in thanks. "Thank you, Luc." As he turned to leave, however, a grin spread on his face. "And Luc? Nice outfit."

[LordHavelock]

"Halbrecht then," Luc replied, smiling and looking up from the letter after delivering what information he could about its contents. "I only wish I could be of more help, as you've already been of great assistance to me in securing at least some connection with the aristocracy here in Blackrock."

After the comment about his outfit, Luc looks sheepishly down at himself and then back up, "Actually, before you leave, there is one matter I could use your advice on. I received a correspondence of my own, and was wondering if you could help me in deciphering its contents, as this is a matter I have somewhat less experience in." Luc does his best to keep a straight face as he places the letter from Lady Ruinlord before Halbrecht, opening it for him to reveal the contents.


I will expect you to come by my father's estate - Battle Manor - one hour before the masquerade ball is set to begin. You will wear the finest finery and spare not expense. No need to rent a carriage, we will use my father's (it is made of gold, you know).

Your ever loving companion,
Anrika Ruinlord

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

"Halbrecht then," Luc replied, smiling and looking up from the letter after delivering what information he could about its contents. "I only wish I could be of more help, as you've already been of great assistance to me in securing at least some connection with the aristocracy here in Blackrock."

After the comment about his outfit, Luc looks sheepishly down at himself and then back up, "Actually, before you leave, there is one matter I could use your advice on. I received a correspondence of my own, and was wondering if you could help me in deciphering its contents, as this is a matter I have somewhat less experience in." Luc does his best to keep a straight face as he places the letter from Lady Ruinlord before Halbrecht, opening it for him to reveal the contents.


I will expect you to come by my father's estate - Battle Manor - one hour before the masquerade ball is set to begin. You will wear the finest finery and spare not expense. No need to rent a carriage, we will use my father's (it is made of gold, you know).

Your ever loving companion,
Anrika Ruinlord


Halbrecht carefully read Luc's letter, his frown growing stronger and stronger, until he reached the end, at which point he let off a derisive snort. "I should not be surprised. I really shouldn't." His palms met his face as Halbrecht massaged his newly aching head. "Luckily for you, Luc, the interpretation of this letter is much simpler than mine. Our lady Anrika, quite simply put, is after your newfound wealth. Apparently, being rewarded by the duke and receiving an invitation to his exclusive masquerade ball is enough to make her overlook the fact that your house is currently... lapsed, so to speak. And after she made all that fuss about it, too."

"Clearly, by being seen among the elite with one of the-" Halbrecht made a great sweeping motion with his arms, "-heroes of the Giant's Maw, decked out in the finest clothes and jewels imaginable - at his own expense - she aims to improve her own station." A sigh. "Such is the nature of nobles and their games." Halbrecht rested on his elbows. "I'm not going to lie to you, Luc - if you're serious about restoring your house, dealing with this sort of thing will become a regular occurrence for you. Far be it from me to generalize any group, but I've seen more than my fair share of noblemen and women who cared for naught but their own selves. And this is far from the worst thing you will see. All too often, those with wealth and power will do anything to accumulate more of it, uncaring of the happiness, livelihood, even the lives of others. There is a reason my own family tried to stay out of it as much as possible."

Halbrecht shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You asked me for advice, not moralizing." He took a deep breath. "At this point, outright rejecting her invitation would cause far more trouble than it's worth, especially if you truly aim to climb the social ladder - to make any notable progress, you need as much goodwill among the nobles as you can muster. There are, however, a few options. Keep in mind that I am a soldier first and foremost, and I was always shielded from the worst they had to offer, so take anything I say with a grain of salt."

"Since outright rejection is out of the cards, your best hope is to dissuade her in such a way that it looks like you weren't doing it deliberately." Halbrecht bore a sly smile. "If I were a betting man, I'd bet that you feel much more comfortable out in the fields and wilds than you do in an upscale setting. Also, my gut feeling is correct - although I hope it isn't - I'd wager this ball is going to be the centerpiece of some sort of commotion. Try and make yourself as central as possible to solving it, but at the same time, try and revel in the chaos a little. This should earn you the further gratitude of the Duke, while dissuading Anrika. After all-" Halbrecht put on a deliberately pompous accent, "-a lady does not associate herself with wild, rowdy men."

[LordHavelock]

Halbrecht
Halbrecht carefully read Luc's letter, his frown growing stronger and stronger, until he reached the end, at which point he let off a derisive snort. "I should not be surprised. I really shouldn't." His palms met his face as Halbrecht massaged his newly aching head. "Luckily for you, Luc, the interpretation of this letter is much simpler than mine. Our lady Anrika, quite simply put, is after your newfound wealth. Apparently, being rewarded by the duke and receiving an invitation to his exclusive masquerade ball is enough to make her overlook the fact that your house is currently... lapsed, so to speak. And after she made all that fuss about it, too."

"Clearly, by being seen among the elite with one of the-" Halbrecht made a great sweeping motion with his arms, "-heroes of the Giant's Maw, decked out in the finest clothes and jewels imaginable - at his own expense - she aims to improve her own station." A sigh. "Such is the nature of nobles and their games." Halbrecht rested on his elbows. "I'm not going to lie to you, Luc - if you're serious about restoring your house, dealing with this sort of thing will become a regular occurrence for you. Far be it from me to generalize any group, but I've seen more than my fair share of noblemen and women who cared for naught but their own selves. And this is far from the worst thing you will see. All too often, those with wealth and power will do anything to accumulate more of it, uncaring of the happiness, livelihood, even the lives of others. There is a reason my own family tried to stay out of it as much as possible."

Halbrecht shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You asked me for advice, not moralizing." He took a deep breath. "At this point, outright rejecting her invitation would cause far more trouble than it's worth, especially if you truly aim to climb the social ladder - to make any notable progress, you need as much goodwill among the nobles as you can muster. There are, however, a few options. Keep in mind that I am a soldier first and foremost, and I was always shielded from the worst they had to offer, so take anything I say with a grain of salt."

"Since outright rejection is out of the cards, your best hope is to dissuade her in such a way that it looks like you weren't doing it deliberately." Halbrecht bore a sly smile. "If I were a betting man, I'd bet that you feel much more comfortable out in the fields and wilds than you do in an upscale setting. Also, my gut feeling is correct - although I hope it isn't - I'd wager this ball is going to be the centerpiece of some sort of commotion. Try and make yourself as central as possible to solving it, but at the same time, try and revel in the chaos a little. This should earn you the further gratitude of the Duke, while dissuading Anrika. After all-" Halbrecht put on a deliberately pompous accent, "-a lady does not associate herself with wild, rowdy men."

Luc listens patiently, attentively, his features torn between consternation and relief as Halbrecht confirms many of his worst suspicions regarding the nobility and what it would likely take in terms of restoring his house and hold. Not unused to moralizing given his mentor's propensity for railing against the aristocracy and their "petty and childish ambitions" which Archivist Laurenya had occasionally spoken on, Halbrecht was the second individual in his life to be telling him this and advising to take his advice with a grain of salt. The concurrence between both experiences was enough to assure him of at least something of what he could expect for the future, but far and away Halbrecht's best advice was in regards to Lady Anrika herself.

"Ingenious." Luc replied succinctly, "You are correct in your assumption, that I prefer the wilds, and the honest toil they demand, and that alone would likely defer any future interest from her lady ship. Simply to say so however would only earn me her scorn once more." He sighed. "Whatever monetary gains I have made in this venture are sorely needed for the establishing of a foundation for my house, and would do much to get my hands on those records which can confirm my heritage and standing I imagine, thus I cannot afford to simply indulge lady Ruinlord or any other woman's designs on them. My only question is this," He arched an eyebrow as he began to remove the bits of jewelry from himself, and already began unlacing his doublet, apparently immodest in front of Sir Halbrecht, whatever other formality he attached to the man's name and title, "What makes you think they'll be some 'commotion'? Have you seen such things at these events before?"

[Mathemagics]

Ash

--At the Inn--

Ash takes a moment to ponder Silith's proposal of staying together as a group, tilting her head back and forth almost absentmindedly as if weighing various options in her mind. Her following reaction, however, makes it obvious that this was more for show than anything else, as her eager smile readily conveys her feelings on the matter. A slight nod of the head confirms her opinion as she agrees with Halbrecht.

"Yes, I think that's a very good proposal indeed. And it will be nice to get to know all of you better as well."

She is very careful to not look at anybody in particular as she says so. After all, it wouldn't be fair to single out just one person like that, not just yet at least...


--Reading Mail--

Ash sighed at the small mountain of letters that had accumulated. Granted, having a large number of admirers and potential candidates to court was not an unfamiliar experience nor an entirely unwanted one (and in fact Ash did plenty to encourage it), but she still wished they could try being a little more original than this. Almost reluctantly, the bard reached for the first one and opened it, quickly skimming its contents before confirming it was ultimately unimportant and picking up the next. Eventually, however, she reached the anonymous letter, which at least provided a bit of interruption to the monotony. Granted getting anonymous love letters was nothing new either, but at this this one had the decency to be direct about their affections. It might be worth trying to look for them at the masquerade at least.

Then she got to the shared letter; it didn't seem especially remarkable at first, apart from it being sent by two people together, but then she read through it again. Unfolding the enclosed painting, she arced an eyebrow in mild surprise, then double-checked the sender's signatures one more time. A sly smile crept across her features; now she was rather intrigued by this pair of siblings...


--Halbrecht's Letter--

Ash is a bit surprised to have run into Halbrecht, having not expected to meet any of the others at the time, but she recovers with her usual grace as the cavalier presents his request for assistance.

"Hmm? Well, I suppose I can take a look. But well, I can't promise I'll be able to make any more sense of it than you."


I'll make a Linguistics check to see if there's any sort of code or cipher in the letter (with the other languages being more of a distraction perhaps). I'll also go ahead and throw on a Detect Magic and Read Magic just on the off-chance that it's got magic written into it or something along those lines.

Linguistics: [roll0]



--Shopping with Silith--

Ash gladly agrees when Silith approaches her about help picking out a dress for the upcoming ball, and readily arranges a trip with the half-elf the next day to look for something suitable. As they browse the options of one of the more upscale clothing establishments in the city, she singles out a slim emerald green gown with virtually no back to it and holds it up.

"How about something like this? The color contrasts nicely with your hair, and the design would let you pull it back behind. Then you can show off those lovely ears again."

It's quite an unashamedly flirtatious compliment, but Ash doesn't seem to hesitate in the least in saying so. Without really waiting for a reply, she begins looking at some of the other alternatives with a slight frown crossing her features as she muses aloud.

"Wonder what I should go with though... You can't exactly wear a fancy dress and a sword while still being fashionable..."

The fact that she always could forgo the sword doesn't even seem to cross Ash's mind (or at the very least, doesn't factor into her considerations).



When not being engaged by other members of the party, Ash spends time attending to various personal matters. Mostly this is traveling around the city and meeting with various potential marks (a confidence trickster has to make a living after all) in both male and female forms. Naturally, Ash would try to keep such excursions from being found out by the others, but maybe they happen to see the bard around town and seemingly distracted, or maybe they see someone who looks like they could be Ash's brother (since they haven't encountered male Ash yet).

I'm not entirely sure what the custom would be for accepting the invitation or not, but if writing a letter reply to the Twins would be the standard then Ash will do so. And because Ash is a complete and total player, s/he will try to pull off going with both to the party.

I'm still working out what Ash will be buying for an outfit though, as she's currently in a bit of a tricky situation. She doesn't want to be parted from her sword, but sword and female evening-wear do not readily go together. And of course everyone will be expecting the female Ash so she can't just genderswap her way out of this. :smalltongue:

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht


"Ingenious. You are correct in your assumption, that I prefer the wilds, and the honest toil they demand, and that alone would likely defer any future interest from her lady ship. Simply to say so however would only earn me her scorn once more. *sigh* Whatever monetary gains I have made in this venture are sorely needed for the establishing of a foundation for my house, and would do much to get my hands on those records which can confirm my heritage and standing I imagine, thus I cannot afford to simply indulge lady Ruinlord or any other woman's designs on them. My only question is this: What makes you think they'll be some 'commotion'? Have you seen such things at these events before?"

Halbrecht showed no reaction as Luc began to remove his clothes, being used to the sight of men changing gear. "Call it a hunch. I have no evidence to believe anything will happen at the ball, but these are strange times. First there was that business with the murder and the giant, then I get a letter from an old friend I haven't seen in years, then I get a cryptic letter from Sir Hessmarch that's more suited to a bard's tale than real life - to say nothing of the chills it's sent up my spine - and now we have Troglodytes and foreign diplomats attending the ball as well. I know this is no play upon a stage, but if it were, this is where something would happen. Just keep your eyes peeled."

"Also, if we're lucky, and nothing happens? Just try to get a word with the Duke. I'm sure he'd be willing to help a town hero procure any documents you'd need, and I'd help vouch for you, if it came to that. Then see if you can get Anrika alone and let yourself run wild a little. Not enough to recoil her outright, but enough to make her think twice about attaching herself to you. Even better, if some other eligible bachelor comes to the ball, try to see about subliminally steering her towards him, instead."

[Felhammer]

Ash looks at the paper and finds it is not magical in the least, merely a note scrawled on parchment. He is unfamilair with the languages but he thinks two of the words are "gray" and "raven" but the rest of it is beyond him at this time.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Having finished consulting with Luc and moved on to Ash, Halbrecht thanked her for her help before departing. The topic of the ball fresh on his mind, he decided that then would be the perfect time to go shopping for a costume.

A few hours and a couple of shops later, Halbrecht made his purchases. Aiming to blend in rather than be overly ostentatious, he elected to purchase a very simple, but well-made black silk waistcoat, with gold filigree and designs of dragons sown in silver along the sleeves. Black silk pants and a white doublet completed the ensemble, along with some reluctantly purchased gold rings and cufflinks.

If I ever find out who made such an unnecessary and wasteful thing as thing as a thousand kivet's worth of jewelry mandatory for these occasions, I am going to smack them in the head.

The mask he ended up buying was nothing fancy in terms of shape, being a simple one that covered the eyes and little else. The black onyx and gold dragon designs, however, perfectly complemented his outfit, and by the end of it all, Halbrecht had a rather simple, yet very classy ensemble. This did little to ease his grumbling as he walked back to the Immortal Angel; he had no objections to dressing up, as Luc did, but he did have an issue with what he viewed as needless spending.

This lasted until, a few blocks down, he found a rather out of the way shop with several unique and enticing aromas wafting out of the doors. Drawn inside, Halbrecht found the building to be crammed top to floor with all manner of exotic perfumes, colognes, and cosmetics. Behind the counter sat a wizened old crone, cackling softly.

A few quips about having all your dreams come true later, and Halbrecht was another thousand kivets poorer and one dose of exotic cologne richer.

[BramsesII]

Silith

"Uh, Ash, I don't think we're supposed to arrive at the ball armed."

Silith wears a rather sheepish expression as she speaks to Ash. She subconciously tucks her hair behind her ears again. It's as of Ash's compliments suddenly give her the urge to show her ears and reveal her elven heritage. It's not something she does conciously though; Silith is far too busy thinking about what to buy. In the end, she settles on the first suggestions Ash made. She tries on the combination of dress and mask. It makes her look a lot less of a warrior, due to the dress hiding most of her rather muscled physique.

"Well? What do you think?"

~

Silith also decides to pay Aisha a visit to get her comments on the dress she already purchased. After showing it (without actually wearing the thing; it may be required for the ball, Silith certainly feels vulnerable not wearing her armor) and hearing Aisha's opinion, Silith asks Aisha who she'll be taking to the party.

"The duke? Well... Can't say I saw that coming. Then again, you are a beautiful young lady deserving of such attention. I'll be accompanied by sir Ulfred. I hope he can at least instruct me on what not to do. After all, wouldn't want to insult all those nobles who'll be attending. I would like to sneak in my armor and weapons somehow, though. I don't mind going in unarmed and unarmored, but I'd feel safer if I at least had my equipment within reach."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Later that evening, Halbrecht was taking a stroll around the inn when, upon passing by Aisha's room, he overheard part of a conversation between her and Silith.


"...wouldn't want to insult all those nobles who'll be attending. I would like to sneak in my armor and weapons somehow, though. I don't mind going in unarmed and unarmored, but I'd feel safer if I at least had my equipment within reach."

The realization hit Halbrecht like a ton of bricks. Of course they're not going to let us take our weapons and armor in this time. We're guests, not guards. He continued on, thinking hard. A concealed sword inside a cane would do the trick, but... No, a breach of trust and etiquette like that would be unacceptable. On the other hand, my sword is hardly the sort of decorative junk you find at these occasions... An idea struck him. Of course! Rather than the sword itself, I'll give it a nice scabbard. Bind it with a leather cord and it'll fit right in. It'll be trickier to draw if everything goes downhill, of course, but still better than nothing.

Another thought struck him. If everything goes downhill... I hope it doesn't, but in light of that letter, and what I know... I have no evidence, but I can't just sit back and do nothing, either.

After thinking on the matter a while longer, Halbrecht quickly scribbled out another message, this time sending it to Sir Ulfred. The next day, he stopped by the local armorer, returning with a very handsome leather scabbard.

Sir Ulfred,
A thousand pardons if this turns out to be a false alarm, but I feel this warrants warning you. Recently, I received a letter from Sir Hessmarch of Highblack, the knight to whom I was a squire. This in and of itself is not concerning, but there were two things off about the message.
1) Part of the letter was in, according to Lucyen, a mixture of Tenran, Feldinian, Oraikremosian and ancient Uldosakan. I have never known him to do anything like this. Obscure languages, to be sure - but one of which is spoken by the merfolk of Ronn, a representative of whom happens to be due to attend the ball.
2) Sir Hessmarch ended the letter with a warning: "What ever you do, do not trust the word of Troglodytes bearing gifts."This is what truly concerns me, for if I am not mistaken there are troglodytes visiting Blackrock who are intent on attending the ball. I have no evidence, but in light of this letter I fear there might be some sort of plot.
I would be very grateful if you would share your own thoughts on this matter. Do you think this is worth warning his Grace?
Halbrecht

[Felhammer]

Dear Halbrecht,

The letter is indeed most shocking and odd. What troubles the knights of Blackvale, troubles us all. I shall send word to Highblack via my squire to inquire as to the issue. He is a master rider, known for his speed. He should return shortly after the ball. Until we have more information, I do not think it prudent to trouble His Grace with this matter.

I asked around and none in His Grace's court speak such exotic tongues. I am sure the Ambassador would be more than willing to aid you, as he is a close personal friend of His Grace.

Signed,

Sir Ulfred

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha had spent some time getting her dressed ordered, having it custom fit to her body. It was a rather strange thing for to do. She had got clothing fitted before in the past, though never to the extent of having as many measurements as a dress required. She didn't want to give a bad impression at the ball, particularly if the Duke seemed to want to spend time with her. She could only hope with the final fitting that it wouldn't be too uncomfortable to be worn.

~~~

Aisha was quite surprised to see Silith arrive to see her, holding her own dress. "It seems like it would look lovely on you. I still have to pick up my own dress," She spoke nodding her head smiling warmly. While the two weren't that close to one another, her time spent around Silith had always made her come off as one she never would expect to wear such fancy clothing. Then again, she is almost certain she barely would come off as a fighter as well. It left her glad that their earlier engagement she had managed herself... at least somewhat decently.

She blushed softly smiling warmly. "Thanks, I appreciate it." She spoke in response to her compliment of her looks. She wasn't one who worried to much about how she appeared, mostly concerned about looking proper for the setting she was in. Visually how you presented yourself always seemed to say more then words ever could when it came to nobles after all.

"You just need to relax yourself. Just be nice and courteous around them and show people respect. If they go off on rants about stuff you aren't sure what they are even talking about, just nod in agreement and play along, that is what seems to work best for me." She laughed lightly in response attempting to try and ease Silith up. She often did just what she suggested at times when it came to interacting with nobles.

"I'm sure things will be fine. Its very unlikely anything bad will happen. Such events are often well guarded, with the duke being there. Having no armor and weapons helps put everyone at ease, lowering the risk I would think." She responded to Silith's concerns of being unarmored, perhaps not quite understanding her unease about not wearing armor around though giving advice with what she thought might be bothering her.

[Felhammer]

Dawn rises on the 20th day of Toukrei. The skies are a bit cloudy but it looks like it will be a beautiful day for the ball. The whole town is aflutter with activity as many of the nobles and members of the gentry from the surrounding area flood into city, leaving in their wake a sea of courtiers, attendants, servants and various hangers-on. Almost every inn in Blackrock is over capacity, many residents open their doors to strangers (for a price). The inn you find yourselves in is remarkably unchanged. Many come by asking for a room, many more offer large sums of money but the vanarra innkeeper refuses all offers. The streets are busier than you have ever seen them, people walk shoulder to shoulder, oftentimes pushing and shoving to get through.

Those headed to the event via carriage find their path remarkably clear, as pedestrians make way for a horse and buggy that could easily trample them.

Five man servants bearing the crest of House Ruinlord arrive at the inn and, more or less, drag Luc away. Battlemanor is located in Hope Town, which is not far from where luc is staying in Fox Town. Hope is much the same as Fox, except it is a bit more settled and upscale. Battle Manor is a short, plump tower made from a mix of stone and ornately carved wood. The front entrance is grand in scope, easily large enough for two horses. Three new man servants usher Luc in, not one of them making eye contact with him. The first floor, like most towers, is used for storage. It has a stone floor and about a hundred barrels of wine. Two men off to the side are loading the barrels into a cart. You notice one of the barrels is stamped with name "Greenville Mead". You know mead to be from a small village on the outskirts of Eastfarm. Although the town in controlled by the Angel Aranaxia, the village is firmly in the control of the Red Queen. It is an odd sight, to say the least. Yet, the brand is famous, even here in Blackvale, and was once considered quite the delicacy. It is probably an old casket, from before the war.

The manservants lead you upstairs to the second floor. It is a stately room, filled with portraits, wall hangings, sofas and carpets. Obviously this room is designed to impress even the richest of people. Indeed, it impresses even you. A tall, thick human with a long beard, bald head and brown eyes saunters up to you and grasps your hand. It would be like a normal handshake... If not for the fact that the man's hand is easily half again as large as your own. He brandishes a wide smile, "You must be the man my daughter will not stop talking about. Says you are intractable but worth the effort." While continuing to shake your hand, he suddenly pulls you in close, looms over you and stares into your eyes, "I do not find this funny. My daughter will not marry some two-bit would-be-maybe noble! My daughter will marry the His Grace, no one else. Not even you."

You find a carriage made from ebony, obsidian, onyx and blackened steel outside the inn. A well dressed man bows deeply when you come outside, "My lady, His Grace has seen fit for you to arrive at the masquerade ball in his personal traveling carriage. His Grace does not believe it proper to travel any other way. His Grace does not wish me to force you though, so I must ask - will you ride in the most luxurious carriage in the whole Dukedom, or would you prefer I call a simple, filth stained, rat-infested, slap dash coach?

Sir Halbrecht arrives at the inn. He is wearing a very elegant blue tunic with silver and embroidery. His coat is stark white with blue embroidery. He bears a gold scabbard at his side. Attached to the scabbard is a golden basket hilt which has been designed to emulate a knight's helmet. His hair has been slicked back and tied off in a stately ponytail. He bears a small gift. When he sees you, his eyes light up, "You look... I do not have the words to describe it, milady. You are beyond beautiful. Truly, I am blessed by Almahara to be the one to accompany you to the ball."

The twins state that they will meet you at the party because their father is staying with His Grace, which would make escorting one of them... Awkward and weird. Starwulf says he will meet you in the gardens behind the Duke's manor, while Feybjorna says she will meet you in the hall outside her room (mentioning she has bribed a guard to allow you access).

Unlike the others, no means of travel has been hired/provided for you. You can hail a coach and ride with a few others or walk through the crowds.

Arna's trip was delayed, so she arrived a day late. She will be staying with His Grace. She hired a coach to fetch you. You meander outside the inn and see a rickety old cart drawn by a pony with a deep sway back. The man on the cart is old, with tired, leathery skin, deep-set eyes and scraggly white hair. He smiles when he sees you, revealing barely three teeth in his mouth. "Yer friend dun hired me ta get ya to da big bawl. Come on up and join me here in the front. Ole' Rima here is purdy slow, so we has time ta get ta know one anutha. Me name's Ole'Pappy. Yer girlfriend dun hired me 'cuz all da otha carts dun been rented out fer da night. Can you believe that? I know I can't. So what is you, some kind o' noble or iz you just rich? Bet you dudn't 'spect Ole' Pappy ta be the un' ta get ya to tha ball! Heeee Hawww!" The aged pony trots forward at an annoyingly slow pace. Passersby stare in disbelief of a well dressed man riding atop such a... Heap.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

Halbrecht could not help but be pained a little at the revelation that Arna was to be delayed, but his heart soared at the knowledge that they would be meeting at the ball. He'd been half-toying with the idea of inviting her anyway as part of his apologies, so this was perfect.

The day of the ball, Halbrecht's eyebrows rose at the sight of the ramshackle cart pulling up to the inn, but quickly got his expression under control. He half-started to object when Ole Pappy called Arna his girlfriend, but rationalized that it was probably not worth the effort. "Given how everyone from the surrounding lands is visiting for the ball, I'm not surprised all the others were hired." He pulled himself up onto the front seat with Pappy. "And to answer your questions: I've no noble blood - I just happened to be rewarded by the Duke for taking care of that giant. And no, I thought I would have to walk to the ball. So thank you for lending your cart." Halbrecht then proceeded to make small talk with Pappy as the aged mare pulled them toward the ball, doing his best not to make eye contact with the pedestrians. It wasn't as if riding in the cart itself made him uncomfortable, but... I really could do without the stares. Ah well, suppose that's what you get for not doing noble-type things to get to a ball.

Upon arriving at the ball, Halbrecht immediately began a search for either Arna or any group that looked like the ambassador's retinue.

[LordHavelock]

After thanking Halbrecht once more, Luc calls on the innkeeper to see if their are any preparations that can be made for his doublet and breeches in anticipation of the ball, and then making a foray of his own into the merchant's district to acquire a mask for himself. After a mostly fruitless search for anything to catch his eye, he finds himself struck quite suddenly as Raev draws his attention to a particular mask on display in a more out of the way corner of a milliner's shop. With a small smile, he made a purchase of the mask, and a particular hat which caught his eye as well, and although both were of only the finest materials, he knew they would be striking in a way which was not quite fashionable.


The date of the ball, he finds himself practically spirited off to Battlemanor and quickly meeting the Lord of the House himself in person. In response to his rather assertive manner, Luc does his best to maintain decorum, not show any sign of being intimidated, despite Anrika's father's brusque and clearly ill-intentioned words. Doing his best to return the man's monstrous grip with a polite, but firm shake of his own, Raev remains cautiously outside, only able to feel Luc's apprehension and respond in kind. Luc feels the pull, the draw to reach out with his power against this man, to head off any confrontation before it starts, but he knows it would be ill-advised to attempt anything so overt at this moment.

The news of Ruinlord's designs for his daughter's marriage comes as a pleasant surprise at least, and even adds a touch of sincerity to his otherwise polite smile as he returns the lord's quiet whisper. "As you would, my lord. Lady Anrika's affections are flattering, but perhaps a passing fancy. I could never hope to compete with His Grace." Luc's tone is earnest, and his eyes can betray no possible ill intent as he takes back his hand, trying not to give it a squeeze in front of the imposing Ruinlord and make sure there is still some life in it.

"May I expect Lady Ruinlord presently?" He asks, again, all polite smiles.

[BramsesII]

Silith finds herself still trying to adjust her dress so she feels comfortable when sir Ulfred arrives. Deciding to leave it as it is, she goes to greet the knight. Siliths movements betray the fact that she is not used to wearing dresses. The green dress suits her fine, but her expression and gait are ever so slightly more uncertain than normal. The only thing she carries with certainty is the quiver that hangs from her hip. The opening is covered with leather straps, and only five - green-feathered - arrows are sticking out, also bound together with a leather strap. Inside the magical quiver - invisible due to the items nature and out of reach due to the leather straps - Silith keeps her normal assortment of arrows, her two bows, and a spear she recently purchased. Even though the items are invisible and out of reach, Silith feels more secure to at least be armed.

She wears a polite, if slightly nervous, smile when Ulfred greets her.

"Well... Thank you. You look uh... quite strapping yourself. One thing before we leave, though: I'm not used to going to balls or dealing with nobles. If I do anything inappropriate, please stop me before thing get out of hand."

Upon arrival at the ball, Silith stays by Ulfreds side, but she's mostly occupied keeping an eye out for her newfound friends. That, and she's looking around the room for exits and entrances from which a possible attack may come. After all, you can't be too careful.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Aisha glanced through the mirror, looking over the red dress (http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/30/ca/83/30ca83893ea1347a9ceb20924d6732ba.jpg) clinging to her frame. The dress reached down just hovering above the ground. Her eyes shifted up and down looking at the dress giving a brief spin around, the dress flowering behind her, each individual layer seeming to follow one another in motion. She tugged at the top a bit, as if to try and secure it over her chest better. "Its always so strange having a strapless top." She spoke softly to herself, her shoulders fully exposed by the outfit. She gently touched along the necklace, the silver necklace taking upon the shape of a flower, a small vibrant red gem endoring the pendant at the center of the flower.

Walking out of the Inn, it was a bit surprising to see a carriage before her. She saw the man making it clear just who had sent such a thing, even if it was likely obvious to begin with. She nodded a bit. "Thank you. I am not one to reject a gift. I wouldn't of minded if I had to take a carriage not of such luxury, one would be surprised just how wonderful men who value their work can maintain their own carriages, even without such lavish details put in place on them. Their kindness can also really enhance the ride as well." She spoke out in some bit of defense towards the carriage drivers. She wasn't always very fond of the 'superiority' others tended to sport over others. Consider the occasion and the fact it was a gift, she held herself back from speaking to much against the man.

[Felhammer]

Lady Anrika comes walking down a stair case. She pauses momentarily at the top before walking down. She is wearing a gorgeous purple and black gown with elbow-length black gloves. Her hair has been don up in a top bun but about a third of her flowing hair has been allowed to cascade down her back. Her outfit and hair style truly accentuates her natural beauty. She may not be the kindest of people in the world but she is most assuredly one of the prettiest. She casually drifts down the staircase, walks over to you and curtsies, "Hello, Sir Lucien. My, you look quite handsome in your attire. I see you spared little expense on my behalf." She winks at you then turns to her father, "See daddy, he is good people." Anrika grabs your hand and pulls you down the stairs, back down to the ground floor. As you leave, you can feel Sir Anrik's eye glaring at you. Once on the ground floor, you see a shimmering golden carriage attached to two sable mares. "We'll be taking this to the ball! Daddy sure knows how to make a girl feel special, wouldn't you say Luc?"

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/8c/ec/93/8cec9371f99e0d611e5337dae684ec9d.jpg


Sir Ulfred smiles, "I shall be a perfect gentleman and aid you in your endeavor to avoid embarrassment." He hands you the gift he purchased for you. You open it hesitantly. Inside the box you find a beautiful golden, chain-link bracelet. "The goldsmith said this style of bracelet is popular in Whitebuck currently, and as we all know, what is popular in Whitebuck soon becomes popular every where else." He helps you clasp the bracelet, then both of you hop into the carriage and make your way to the ball.

The each member of the party arrives at the Duke's manor house within perhaps five or ten minutes of one another. All of those invited to the masquerade ball have gathered in the grassy, triangular field between Tower Rock, Golden Garl's Estate and the Squat Tower. Before arriving, the servants mentioned it would be advisablefor you to keep your masks on at all times. A sea of people can be found out in the field, all of whom look to be dressed to the nines. Many of the women are wearing black dresses, with lace laid over top, while many others are wearing outrageously bright colors embroidered with gold and silver flowers. Many of the men are wearing black suits with seven or eight belts tied around their torso (you are told that this was fashionable last summer in Whitebuck). Every mask at the venue is unique unto itself, there are no dominant colors or styles, everyone's is remarkably different. The most striking one you see is a man wearing a black silk outfit with a pink elephant mask. As you look at the man, you can see the trunk is actually moving, left, right, up and down as if it were a real elephant's trunk!

A horde of servants walk the perimeter, offering drinks and hors d'oeuvre. The drinks seem to be locally brewed ales (ranging from pale to dark). The hors d'oeuvres range from caviar to pieces of chicken dipped in various sauces (ranging from very sweet to bitter). His Grace has not yet come out.

After giving you some time to mingle, one of the servants, an elf, informs you that His Grace will be arriving in the next thirty minutes. When he ordains to come out, he would like you to exist the manor with him.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

His initial search turning up nothing, Halbrecht resigned himself to wandering through the crowd, picking up a glass of dark ale and popping bits of chicken into his mouth as he passed by the hors d'oeuvre-bearing servants.

As he spotted some of the other members of the party arriving, the Starless Knight perked up once more, going over and greeting each of them in turn (and, in the case of each of the ladies, making sure to compliment their dresses). His demeanor cooled somewhat when greeting Anrika, but he maintained his gentlemanly courtesies all the same, with a pat on the back to Luc snuck in when she wasn't looking. However, upon seeing Silith with who could only be Sir Ulfred, Halbrecht did a double-take - and then approached the two, an ear-splitting grin on his face.

"Hah! It seems that Luc isn't the only one bringing a companion to the ball tonight." Halbrecht's eyes shone through his mask, alight with an impish cheekiness. "I trust the good Sir Ulfred is conducting himself honorably, Silith?" After awaiting a response, Halbrecht turned to Ulfred, the mischievousness gone but the smile intact. "Good to see you at the ball, Sir. I don't suppose you know whose company the Ronnish Ambassador might be keeping, do you? I've been searching with no luck."

[Felhammer]

Sir Ulfred, who is wearing a stately white coat and a blue shirt with a militant looking silver mask replies, "The Ronnish will be along once we head inside for the ball proper." As he looks around at the guests, obiously enjoying himself, he offhandedly adds, "In addition to the Ronnish, I heard we will also be visited by delegations from the Troglands, Micklewaif, Sunleaf, Maghemia, Valwayna, Bearsword, Lionglaive, Alandara - and - Vyolinna, if you can believe it! His Grace has certainly attracted quite the unique collection of representatives. Some were fairly predictable but Maghemia? They rarely send diplomats outside their own borders. Valwayna, Bearsword, Lionglaive and Alandara are all on Hookblade Isle, at least a hundred and fifty miles south of Songwillow! Vyolinna is the real shocker, however. To have one of the Four Cities sent a representative to a party for a, and I mean no offense to His Grace, a Duke is just... Odd. Blackvale maybe our homeland but we all have to recognize that it is a relatively impoverished backwater compared to Whitewillow, let alone of the the Four Cities." He grabs a drink off of one of the platters and continues, "Everything seemed to change about a year ago when Lord Gray showed up. That Herald has a keen mind and has his fingers in every bit of His Grace's business affairs. I would not be shocked to hear that these delegates were invited - and coaxed - by Lord Gray."

Just as he finishes his sentence seven belly dancers burst out of the manor-house and begin to dance their way to a raised platform located in the middle of the field. Their exotic facial features and bedazzled clothing mark them as being from the far off islands in Al Ren Hamarah. Once on the platform, they perform an borderline lewd "dance" that shocks many but allures many more. As if out of nothing, a man appears on the stage; he has dark, almost black skin and curly black hair that has been styled to look like a bird in mid flight and wears an ivory white, long sleeved robe. He pulls a massive falchion from his belt, its steel has been tempered in such a manner to emulate the crashing waves. He screeches, "Ayyyeeeeh!" and slams his weapon into one of the belly dancers.

The crowd shrieks in terror. Many men and women reach for their swords, fiddling with the leather straps to free their blades from their scabbards. As the falchion hits one of the women, she fades away, as if she were made of smoke.

Some of the crowd look shocked, many more delighted. A handful keep fiddling with their leather straps.

The dark skinned man jumps into the air and performs a combat maneuver you have never seen nor dreamed of, that involves spinning parallel to the ground. While in mid-air, he holds his blade out and swings his arm around in a long curve that starts at his hip and ends far above his head. Three more of the belly dancers disappear. While he is finishing the spin, he reaches into his belt, grasps a vial and downs it. He lands on the platform with a graceful thud, rolls into a somersault then lets out a torrent of fire from his mouth which engulfs the remaining women.

By this point the entire crowd is shocked and horrified. One of the guests finally frees his sword and lunges onto the platform. The dark skinned man deftly maneuvers around the amateurish attack, grasps the attacker's shoulders, spins him around and points to a balcony on Tower Rock. Everyone follows the man's direction and looks to the balcony. There, some forty feet up, are all seven of the belly dancers, each of them waving to the crowd.

The Duke's guests roar with applause. Never before had they been treated to such a magnificent show. The dark skinned man takes a deep bow, then quietly retreats back into the Duke's manor.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

"That is quite a list," Halbrecht agreed, filing away the information about the Herald now known as Lord Gray. And it just makes me all the more wary that something might happen tonight. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

As the dance progressed, Halbrecht had some trouble keeping his mouth from dropping open, the sensuous movements of the belly dancers eliciting both a sense of shock and of awe.

However, he most certainly did NOT ogle. Proper knights do not ogle women, even if their outfits leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Then the man with the falchion came out, and he was among the many whose hands went to their leather straps - only to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that the dancers were all fine. Well. This evening's certainly off to... a start. He shook his head to clear it and kept an eye out for what might happen next.

[HanaRei]

Aisha

Arriving in rather spectacular fashion, she stepped out of the carriage. She wandered up towards the others, seeing Silith with Ulfred quite surprised. She had recalled being told earlier of it, but seeing her in the actual attire with him was a bit surprising to her. It was one thing hearing of things, completely another to see it in action. She kept rather quiet as the others spoke, turning her head as elf walked up to her speaking. She gives a light nod at her words before turning back to the others. It still seemed rather strange to her the fact the Duke seemed to take a liking to her. In her mind it was simply for her partly undeserved combat deeds rather then anything else. She could be quite naive reading into things more then such.

She stood quiet watching the show a bit surprised. Rather then act shocked, she appeared more amused. She knew well enough of high society of the rather unique forms of entertaining, though it didn't cease to captivate her curiosity seeing the display. With the demonstration finished and everyone returning to their normal activities, Aisha returned her attention back to her allies.

"It seems like quite an exuberant cast of characters convening at the ball. Is there some reason behind it, or is it a political show?" She asked Ulfred curiously. It wasn't that unusual for politics to be in play with the higher ups. Maintaining a good image was always an important manor. It wouldn't be that surprising if the ball was thrown in part to help establish a better image for the region. There could of course be other things in the background, though she never dabbled into the nitty gritty details of such things. A messenger wasn't one meant to do anything but deliver a message and convince others of it, not to decipher its actual intentions.

[Felhammer]

Ulfred looks aghast at what had happened, his face still flush with anger, "Indeed Miss Aisha. it is quite the extravagant party. Sadly, as a member of the Starless Knights I do not take an active role in politics (at least not to the extent of other nobles). If I were to put forward a guess, it would be that His Grace is attempting to woo potential friends to aid his nephew, the King, in future battles against Deepoath and the Red Queen. There is no finer way to finding allies than to impress them with ostentatious gatherings.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Halbrecht

"If the Deepoath coins and swords found in the Giant's Maw were given rather than taken, such battles may be sooner than anyone here's comfortable with," Halbrecht said, taking another swing of ale to calm himself. While he'd suspected the 'sword-fighting' had been showmanship when the first girl had poofed into dust, his nerves were still rather shot. "Speaking of... I don't suppose we've found out anything more about what they were doing? Through interrogation or otherwise?"