Draslei Bleeds [IC]

[PersonMan]

"To war, once more!
Amongst the blood and gore,
The ancient order crumbles.
Thousands of stories remain untold,
Of heroes and villains all so bold.
But this story will not fade,
Held in verse and ink."
-Trium Dierum de Bello (Chronicles of the Three Wars), part I

Few clouds remain in the sky; barely a hint of the thick grey covering that concealed the blue of the heavens and the shining sun only yesterday. The summer storm that had come, assaulting the earth with a downpour and everything that stood with strong winds. After the heat of the afternoon, some may have welcomed with sudden rains, if they weren't accompanied by constant thundering coming from the clouds and the occasional flash of lightning that struck the earth. Then the rains ended as suddenly as they began. Now only the puddles of water and fallen leaves remain as proof of the storm's existence, of the violence with which the winds had pushed at everything not flat on the ground. The road, an ancient path built during the time in which the dragons ruled all Draslei, has been maintained well enough that you need to have no fear of soaking your boots; the ditches at the side of the road are still full of water, but none lies on the stones of the road itself.

Not too far ahead, the walls of your destination are visible. Oppido, the last town between here and the massive Flurovi River that parts Dar and Terei, lies before you. It's here that you were told to go, the last stop in your journey to meet the other members of your new group. Pecuniam's Blades, the letter called it, named for your new noble patron. The terms were simple, the deal a well-known one in Draslei. You would fight in the war in Lord Pecuniam's name, carry his banner on the battlefield and bring his house glory through victory. In exchange, you would have the strength of noble backing behind you, a guarantee of high-quality equipment, fine places to rest and, of course, the rights to act freely in completion of your orders. It was the last bit that made the arrangement special - you were no simple troop to be armed with spears, given shields and told to stand in formation. You would be fighting true opponents - men at arms, or knights, or lords, rather than peasants given a weapon and a promise of glory.

But for now, all that is still in the future. As you approach the gates of Oppido, coming to a halt at the end of a long train of camp followers - the cooks, butchers, servants, whores and craftspeople who inevitably formed to follow any larger force in war - that extends perhaps a hundred feet to the wall. Luckily, a lone rider comes along the line of people and carts, searching for those in the service of Lord Pecuniam, and brings you into the town through another gate, bypassing the mass of waiting people entirely and avoiding what would surely have been almost an hour of waiting in the summer heat. Instead, you enter the town following the rider, a young elf man wearing simple leather armor and carrying the same wood-and-iron spear you would have been given if you were simple footsoldiers. Although Lord Pecuniam is not present, the man explains as he bids you to follow him towards the keep on the hill in the center of the town, there was a representative of his who was to travel with you. They would meet you at the keep, where you would need to announce yourselves at the gate.

The walk up the town's roads doesn't take too long, although the summer sun's shining heat does begin to build as you ascend the hill to the keep. Once you arrive, passing into the shadow of the tall stone walls, the rider stops before the portcullis, looking up to the spear-wielding guards on the wall.

"I return with three retainers of the Lord Pecuniam, to present to his living will under the shade of the Tree," the man says, gesturing to you. The reply comes swiftly, from a guard with a rough voice.

"Announce yourselves and you shall enter."

A note to everyone: You're all aware that a lord or lady's "living will" is essentially a certified representative of theirs, who they've invested with the power to act in their name. It's a fairly important position, not limited in number, but its actual power, responsibilities and such are dependent on the noble in question.

The bit with the shade of the Tree is standard Traiean greeting stuff - he's basically saying "we're not heathens".

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Lionel Theaone, of Sworteria." Says the young elf with a smile. He turns to face both of his new companions as they spoke. While they did so, he fussed with his dark hair absent-mindedly, leaving a patch of it sticking up at an odd angle. His eyes wander of their faces, and he wonders what made them unique enough to have received a letter to become the Blades.

[Hazuki]

Antia

An unburdened woman walks along the sun-parched road to Lord Pecuniam's keep, boots treading lightly upon the ground even as the shadow of the castle begins to loom over her. Her outfit flows lightly in the wind, and she looks more fit to be a visiting nobleman's daughter than a soldier enlisting. The lack of an escort betrays that idea, as does the pair of blades subtly sheathed at her waist, wrapped mostly in red so that only their hilts are evident.

When she's called upon to speak her name, Antia's slightly-hunched posture straightens slightly, and a few moments pass before she gathers the courage to speak aloud. "Antia." She answers, her voice cracking halfway through, and her eyes immediately drifting to the floor.

[Hattish Thing]

The final member of the unique trio speaks last. The imposing man had made his way up to the guards with a certain laziness, clearly taking his time. Once he arrives upon the scene, his presence settles. The man owns the very air around him, and there's an aura of resilience about him. He's quite intimidating. Should the others turn to glance at the man, their slow stares will reveal a giant of a man, a veritable tower of metal plates and sharp edges.

The figure appears to be about six and a half feet tall, easily weighing about four hundred pounds. Black armor, thicker than most, interlocks in plates and buckles all over, coating him in it's steely protection. A greathelm with two eyeslits covers his facial features, and steam pulses rhythmically from the eight holes around the mouth and nose as his heavy breath met with the humid sit air.

He grunts a bit as he peers over to gaze at the others, scoffing as the female's voice cracks. He adjusts the large black and steel warhammer, easily as tall as a small man, at his back before removing the heavy helmet. A face is revealed, roughened and pitted from long work doing chores, and having combat practice in the hot sun. His skin is leathery and tan, and his black hair drips with sweat. Dull green eyes flash from the guards to the woman again. He doesn't say anything to her, but does state his name. Caius Greyburn. His voice is low and gruff, and there's a sort of raspy humor in his voice.

He seems quite different from the average soldier...

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage looks over the group yet again. The mountain of a man is certainly a warrior, and the young lady is.... another caster? I can see the swords, but how much can she really do with them? She seems too quiet to be a soldier. He turns to face the guards upon the wall. "So, now that that's out of the way, how about we get to work?" He brings a hand up and tucks his holy symbol underneath the links of his chain shirt. It wouldn't help anyone to have that being too prominent at the moment.

[Hazuki]

Antia

Antia's head stays low even as the clunking of metal gets louder and louder, her arms hanging limply in the air beside her and her breathing quite steady. It's only when the large man speaks his name out loud that she remembers something vitally important and flicks her head back up to meet the gaze of the guard who'd first requested their names. Her lips curl up into a light smile, and she gazes over everyone to make sure that they all know she's smiling.

There's the person who first escorted them to the keep and seems like the most blatantly pleasant of the bunch, the guards with a voice like crumbling rocks, and the two other people who'd agreed to be...Pecuniam's Blades. She wavers in her mind as she remembers that name, thinking it not particularly the most inventive, but she's sure not going to bring it up with anybody. Then her eyes drift back to the grunting man, who's very tall and very wide, and has a crossbow attached to him.

The sight of the crossbow and the lack of weight on her back makes Antia worry for a moment, twisting around and glancing at her back until she catches sight of the shortbow that's definitely still nestled between her shoulderblades, along with the small quiver tucked into her sash. With a little sigh of relief, she looks at the last man present; an elf who's very elfy. With that settled, she looks back to the guards and just tries to keep smiling.

[PersonMan]

You see the gruff-sounding guard on the ramparts look down as each of you say your name, his gaze going back to you as if comparing you to something, then nodding each time. After you've all announced yourselves, the man hands something to one of the other guards, who scurries off out of sight, and calls for the gate to be opened. A moment later you hear the sounds of grinding chains and wood, then the metal grid before you shifts. Rising slowly, it gives you a few moments to look into the courtyard before being able to enter. Within the outer walls of the keep is a thin strip of grass and you count perhaps a dozen guards either on the stairs to the other parts of the wall or walking to or from the inner construction. Your guide moves with you into the courtyard before dismounting, leading his horse across the grass as three guards step before you. The one you recognize as being the one with the gruff voice speaks, the source of his strange tone clear: the man bears a red burn scar that covers all of his visible throat, extending to his chin.

After introducing himself as Comitor, Captain of the Guard and telling you to follow him, the man turns towards the slowly-opening great wooden doors at the end of the path that leads from the gate to the inner fortress. With the other two guards at this side, Comitor leads you across the open ring inside the walls and through the doors. Directly inside is a large chamber, in the center of which sits a great table. Food lies ready in the center; everything from steaming meat to the more uncommon foreign vegetables to simple bread, with plenty of wine standing ready to fill the goblets set out next to the still-empty plates. You count a total of seven chairs, including the one facing you, which is occupied. As you enter the room, the doors close again, light entering through several windows and aided by torches on the walls.

At the end of the table sits a woman, wearing clearly expensive dress (dark purple is the most expensive dye to be found in Draslei), who smiles as you enter the chamber. In a moment, you recognize that she is clearly well-endowed, curves plainly visible even in her modest gown. A moment later you notice that, despite her very human build, her ears are long and even curved back somewhat - signs of an incredibly pure elven lineage. This is the first time you've ever seen an elf with her build. In the relative darkness you've just entered, it takes a few moments for the color of her eyes to become clear, but their dark green color is another typical sign of a pure elven line, oft extending long past the disappearance of the dragons. What is visible of her hair is brown, both common and appreciated in Terei for its supposed place as a sign of piety.

"Three? No matter, I was expecting less, to be honest. Welcome! Be seated, if you wish. We have a few matters to discuss before we travel west," the woman says, smiling. "I am Alma of House Cinxi, living will of Lord Pecuniam under the shade of the Tree. I have heard your names, feel no need to repeat yourselves. Before we begin, I will ask if you have any immediate inquiries of great import."

[Vixsor Lumin]

With a smile, Sage takes a seat near Alma. "Thank you. I don't know about the others, but I believe I'm ready to get started." He takes his longbow off of his back and leans it against the chair he chose.

[Hazuki]

Antia

Antia shuffles into the large meeting room, glancing along the windows at first, then swiftly avoiding the gaze of Alma as she takes a seat on chair closest to the edge of the table. She sits on the very edge, so her shortbow doesn't nudge into her back, and only answers the woman's question with a meek shake of her head once she's been looked at. Then her fingers twitch slightly, and she raises her hand slightly off of the table, seemingly unsure with even speaking.

When she's asked what she wants, she speaks up again. "Who named us?" She asks softly and avoids the elf noble's gaze. "Pecuniam's Blades, I think?"

[Hattish Thing]

Caius doesn't speak as Comitor guides the troupe. His mind is still on the possibility of having to share the battlefield with a woman. There were no woman soldiers! No female Knights! That was what he was taught by his father, and so that is what the muscular mountain of man believed. The other one didn't look like much of a warrior either, but Caius knew the stranger would learn his place in war, or die. Either result was suitable to Caius.

Soon, he is led to the large and pleasant smelling dining room. The large man moves to the nearest chair, sliding down sloppily into it. The journey here had been long and arduous, and it was too hot for his tastes. He'll rest his large black greathelm on the table before moving to grab a bottle of wine. It's not an aggressive movement, but certainly rude. He'll pull the cork off and begin eagerly drinking the entire bottle. Within a minute he'll have downed the entire thing.

He'll grab a napkin on the table and wipe his mouth, making sure to dry the wine off his scraggly black beard. The man finally turns to actually gaze upon his host, raising a thick and unkempt eyebrow as he slowly ogles her from across the table. "Strange," he thought, "She's got the hips of a whore, but the face of a lady." He chuckles lightly at himself before burping loudly and speaking to all. "Inquiries? Nah. We don't make 'inquiries', missy. We're not yer scribes and bookkeepers. We're warriors. I don't have questions. Ya just point and I kill whatcha point at till its dead. So, you're the... Aheh.... Lord I'll be killin' fer?

[Hazuki]

Antia

The young woman shifts her head as she watches the tall man at the table obnoxiously belch, then her eyes flicker to the course his eyes are taking, and then narrow into a glare almost as swiftly. All-too-nimbly, she slips out of her chair and backsteps ten paces in the blink of an eye, drawing one of the blades at her hip as she goes. With a flick of a wrist, a dagger is in her hand, then she charges forward across the same ten paces she'd just taken, slamming her kukri into his shoulder and piercing the pauldron. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17778280&postcount=17).

Swift Action Anklet of Translocation, Free Action draw Kukri, then Charge.

[roll0] +10 (Battle-Leader's Charge) = 14

"Don't do that." She chides him, pulling her kukri free from his shoulder.

[Hattish Thing]

As Antia began to stride backwards, Caius wasn't looking. Instead, he looked to be staring at a fairly nicely sized bit of cheese resting on the table. That looked quite good, especially seeing as he hadn't eaten much. He's not looking towards her, and so is easily struck. Needless to say, the sudden stab was less than expected by Caius. Never once had he been struck off the battlefield, and he was certainly not expecting it here at this meeting. The pauldron is bypassed easily by her small blade, the light curve of a kukri sliding right through and into his shoulder. The armor was made to withstand larger weapons and shrug it off. It wasn't meant to be struck at from such a close distance, and from such a small blade. He jolts a tad as he feels cold metal pierce into his skin, and lets go a small grunt of surprise and pain. He won't attack her back or anything, for he's not exactly ready for combat, and just beginning to feel the effect of all that wine. He turns his head a tad to gaze at the kukri sticking out of his shoulder, growling as the pain gets more and more annoying. With a less than enthused glare, he'll turn his head up to look towards Antia, his face distorted into a clear scowl. Cute. He'll move an arm to attempt to grapple the arm that was attached to the blade now lodged in his shoulder, and attempt to twist said arm about and push her backwards. He speaks to her one more time as he responds in kind to her strike. Where's your honor? Striking a man when he's drinking? Barbaric. But impressive. With that, his turn will be over.

[roll0]

Clearly, he misses her with his wild grab at her, but his sudden flailing should be warning enough not to go near him again. At least he hasn't stood up, or drawn a real weapon as of yet. He doesn't seem to want to kill her, or anything like that. But it's apparent he certainly doesn't like her. He'll be breathing heavily after he misses, but does manage to speak again. ...Ugh. That was a good shot...

[Hazuki]

Antia smirks as she watches Caius flail impotently in an attempt to strike back at her, even forgoing the opportunity to strike at him again as he leaves a clear opening for her blade. The blonde young woman twirls her kukri around her fingers and watches the lummox grunt again with the stab she inflicted on him, then clucks her tongue. "Honor is for the honorable." She says, keeping her kukri in her fingers as she perches on the edge of the table beside her seat, as opposed to sitting down properly. "Not perverse oafs." She flicks her eyes over to the other residents of the room, who are surely looking at least antsy by now, and gives each of them a firm look to let them know that the matter is over.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage didn't even have time to stand up. He sits there gripping his bow, unsure of how to react. Seeimg that the fight doesn't look to be continuing immediately he shouts, "What the hell are you two doing?! We are supposed to be allies, and the second we meet you do something like this?" He stops and slowly stands up, looking at Antia with trepedation. "Caius would you let me take a look at that?" He says keeping his hands visible and setting his bow down.

[Hazuki]

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me!" Antia hisses at Sage as he has the vocal outburst, her eyes narrowing on him specifically as she clutches the kukri again. Her movements are subtle, but threatening, as though she's prepared to leap off the table at another slight. "And go ahead. The point was the pain." She then says, gesturing to Caius with her free hand, giving him permission to heal with a considerably more laidback attitude.

Antia's intimidation is mostly me roleplaying that she has a +8 bonus to it. Not rolling, obviously, but yeah.

[PersonMan]

Alma seems about to say something as Caius blatantly ogles her, but before she can Antia makes her move. The noblewoman sits silently, watching as the other woman launches herself through the room to plant several inches of steel into the seated knight's shoulder. As the two have a brief exchange, of words this time, as Caius' grab finds nothing but air, the elf stays still, barely moving during the entire event. As things settle down somewhat, she shifts in her seat, lifting up a fork from beside her plate to tap it once against her goblet. The metal-on-metal noise seems to grow in the hall, being reflected from the stone walls rather than simply fading away in the size of the room.

"Antia, thank you. That was quite the impressive display there. You have, in a mere moment, shown me why my Lord extended his offer to you far better than the writings ever could. You've also shown Caius that proper manners are something he should strive for," Alma says, offering the blade-wielding woman a soft smile. "Now that that matter has been settled, would you like to take a seat? I would be flattered if a great fighter such as yourself would sit at my side," she continues, gesturing to the seat on her left. Turning back to the others, she nods at Sage. "You were contacted because of your healing talents. I think displaying them would do well, and leaving a wound open during a conversation isn't a very polite thing for a host to do, no matter how deserved it is."

As Antia sits down beside her, Alma turns to her, moving in her chair most than she has before to move closer to the warrior woman, her voice quiet as she speaks. "Lord Pecuniam claims that he named the group, of course. But I'm not sure he did. Either way, it's just a placeholder for now. The hope is that you - we - do something that leaves enough of an impact to gain a new name before long," the noblewoman whispers with a conspiratory smile. "But given what I've seen that won't be a problem."

[Hattish Thing]

Antia smirks as she watches Caius flail impotently in an attempt to strike back at her, even forgoing the opportunity to strike at him again as he leaves a clear opening for her blade. The blonde young woman twirls her kukri around her fingers and watches the lummox grunt again with the stab she inflicted on him, then clucks her tongue. "Honor is for the honorable." She says, keeping her kukri in her fingers as she perches on the edge of the table beside her seat, as opposed to sitting down properly. "Not perverse oafs." She flicks her eyes over to the other residents of the room, who are surely looking at least antsy by now, and gives each of them a firm look to let them know that the matter is over.

The large man breathes deeply before slowly turning his neck to gaze at the small bit of blood currently pouring out into the armor. Only a small bit of the dark crimson fluid can be seen dripping onto him, most pooling between his shirt and armor. He shrugs again, gritting his teeth through the pain, testing how deep the wound was and how much he could still move. The blade had avoided most of his muscles there, but he could still feel twinges of pain rocket up to his fingers. That's probably why he missed. He glares at her for a good few seconds as she moves away before smiling lightly. At least I know you're not completely useless. If you're half as good as you are at stabbing unarmed men, you'll prove yourself quite the capable warrior. He frowns before continuing. I've been struck with longswords many times before, yet no blow from such a large blade hurt me as much as that little thing did. He doesn't look to be worried, but on the inside he's just a tad nervous about that injury. It definitely smarted, and was quite the ego blow. He'll have to make that up by smashing some things later.


Sage didn't even have time to stand up. He sits there gripping his bow, unsure of how to react. Seeimg that the fight doesn't look to be continuing immediately he shouts, "What the hell are you two doing?! We are supposed to be allies, and the second we meet you do something like this?" He stops and slowly stands up, looking at Antia with trepedation. "Caius would you let me take a look at that?" He says keeping his hands visible and setting his bow down.

The fighter furrows his brow as more bleed continues to pool out. Now, he can feel it against his skin, and smell the strong scent of copper faintly. The gash in his shoulder seemed to just keep on bleeding! A marvelous shot that was. He looks over to Sage before absent-mindedly replying, keeping his eyes on Antia. He's studying her right now, looking for weapons on her, and any show of injury. Maybe she had a limb, or a scar, or a weak looking part of her. Good information to recall later, should the dagger-wielding warrior decide Caius needed some more stabbing later. He speaks to the cleric now. I'm being stabbed right now, actually. Just a bit of blood... He licks his lips before pressing his fingers against his pauldron and looking for blood. It doesn't take long to find a bit of blood. He speaks once more to Sage as he comes closer. Uhh. Sure, feel free. I never found looking at bloody shoulders particularly interesting, but maybe you will? He'll gently and gingerly slip off the pauldron covering his shoulder before turning to get a better look at the wound. It was deep.


Alma seems about to say something as Caius blatantly ogles her, but before she can Antia makes her move. The noblewoman sits silently, watching as the other woman launches herself through the room to plant several inches of steel into the seated knight's shoulder. As the two have a brief exchange, of words this time, as Caius' grab finds nothing but air, the elf stays still, barely moving during the entire event. As things settle down somewhat, she shifts in her seat, lifting up a fork from beside her plate to tap it once against her goblet. The metal-on-metal noise seems to grow in the hall, being reflected from the stone walls rather than simply fading away in the size of the room.

"Antia, thank you. That was quite the impressive display there. You have, in a mere moment, shown me why my Lord extended his offer to you far better than the writings ever could. You've also shown Caius that proper manners are something he should strive for," Alma says, offering the blade-wielding woman a soft smile. "Now that that matter has been settled, would you like to take a seat? I would be flattered if a great fighter such as yourself would sit at my side," she continues, gesturing to the seat on her left. Turning back to the others, she nods at Sage. "You were contacted because of your healing talents. I think displaying them would do well, and leaving a wound open during a conversation isn't a very polite thing for a host to do, no matter how deserved it is."

As Antia sits down beside her, Alma turns to her, moving in her chair most than she has before to move closer to the warrior woman, her voice quiet as she speaks. "Lord Pecuniam claims that he named the group, of course. But I'm not sure he did. Either way, it's just a placeholder for now. The hope is that you - we - do something that leaves enough of an impact to gain a new name before long," the noblewoman whispers with a conspiratory smile. "But given what I've seen that won't be a problem."


As Sage supposedly moves to heal the deep gash in his shoulder, the warrior speaks to Alma from across the table. It was never a matter. Had it been a fair battle, then it would have been a matter. He was obviously quite sore about being stabbed while sitting down. Definitely not a good way to go, especially for a soldier like him. Caius sighs as Sage gets closer before asking Alma a question. So, you've seen that... whatever her name is, is particularly good at stabbing seated men. What am I to do to... heh... prove myself? Not exactly like there's a huge amount of expenda... exp.... not a lot of things for me to break around here. He doesn't have the greatest vocabulary, nor education.

[Hazuki]

Antia slips off of the end of the table and gives her kukri a twirl and a flourish before sheathing it in the wrapping around her waist. With a few more steps, she's at the other side of the table and takes a seat beside Alma, her aggressive mood calming somewhat in the face of compliments that would normally allow her to slip back into a more agreeable mood. Indeed, when the living will informs her of who gave the group their name, and reminds her of the question that she'd asked just a minute ago, her eyes begin to soften.

It's only when she hears Caius continuing to complain that he was sitting down, ignoring the fact that he is still adorned in more metal than the average castle gate. So, the blonde woman leans back in her chair, rests her hands behind her head, and laughs uproariously at the brute of a man attempting to shield his ego. Beyond that, she doesn't say anything and trusts that the lady beside her will move the conversation forward adequately.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage says nothing as he examines the wound. It was much deeper than he had anticipated and the blood slicked his fingers as he probed the wound making sure it hadn't gone deep enough to nick the artery the man's armpit. He reaches down to his belt, pulling free a small flask of pure alcohol he kept on him. "This is going to sting." He says as he tilts a few drops into the gash. Not waiting for a response, he hooks it back to his belt and in the same motion pulls out a piece of a big leaf and crushes it between his fingers. The leaf oozes a sticky resin that he drips into the wound, relieving the pain and replacing it with a cooling tingling sensation.

"That should help it heal. I'm fairly certain that you just proved yourself by taking a blow like that and not passing out. Something like that would have damn near killed me." He says as he pinches Caius' wound shut. When he lets go the sap holds it shut, and staunches the bleeding. He turns and goes back to his seat in silence. What in the Name of Heaven have I agreed to? he questions himself. "I'm ready to continue if you all are." He says, clearly unnerved by Antia's laughter.

DC 19 heal check [roll0]
if successful, it heals [roll1] plus 1 for every 3 over the DC for a grand total 5 points of healing.

[PersonMan]

"Well, there isn't really a good opportunity at the present time. But if I find something you need to smash, then you can do that for me," Alma says, shrugging and making a gesture as if sweeping away the issue with one hand.

"The current plan is for us to head west, following the route around the Elder Sapling Temple, where we will cross the former border at the bridges. Further details will come once we have more recent information," She smiles softly. "You may stay in the castle overnight, where you may converse with others in Pecuniam's service and attempt to get a feel for the man who will be supplying you with equipment and luxuries. There are plenty of opportunities within these walls, to show off your skills and rest, if you require it, as a taste of the rewards you will earn. If you serve well, that is."

[Hattish Thing]

Sage says nothing as he examines the wound. It was much deeper than he had anticipated and the blood slicked his fingers as he probed the wound making sure it hadn't gone deep enough to nick the artery the man's armpit. He reaches down to his belt, pulling free a small flask of pure alcohol he kept on him. "This is going to sting." He says as he tilts a few drops into the gash. Not waiting for a response, he hooks it back to his belt and in the same motion pulls out a piece of a big leaf and crushes it between his fingers. The leaf oozes a sticky resin that he drips into the wound, relieving the pain and replacing it with a cooling tingling sensation.

"That should help it heal. I'm fairly certain that you just proved yourself by taking a blow like that and not passing out. Something like that would have damn near killed me." He says as he pinches Caius' wound shut. When he lets go the sap holds it shut, and staunches the bleeding. He turns and goes back to his seat in silence. What in the Name of Heaven have I agreed to? he questions himself. "I'm ready to continue if you all are." He says, clearly unnerved by Antia's laughter.

DC 19 heal check [roll0]
if successful, it heals [roll1] plus 1 for every 3 over the DC for a grand total 5 points of healing.

Caius groans a tad as Sage mucks about the gaping and bloody wound on his shoulder. He doesn't pay attention to Antia's laughter, more concerned about the healer's fingers so close to his damaged shoulder. It was... uncomfortable for him, to say the least. He normally bandaged and healed his own wounds. However, he'd never sustained such a well-placed strike before, so he trusted the far more experienced healer to take care of him. Well... Once, he had taken a particularly deep slice to his side, but he'd had a combat medic fighting beside him at the time. The medic had helped Caius off the battlefield, then cauterized the wound that day. Without his help, Caius was sure the wound would have eventually killed him. He didn't quite understand it, but sometimes wounds can kill a man over time. Something about diseases and things he didn't really care to know much about. He grips the hilt of the small dagger at his belt as the pure alcohol is dribbled into the wound. He doesn't seem to feel too much pain, but he is gritting his teeth and grinding quite hard. Before he can begin to really start complaining about the wound, the leaf is used, which cools down the stinging that the alcohol brought on. The wound appears to look much better. He shrugs once more, before placing and buckling the pauldron back on. Hmm... Thanks, I needed that.

He simply nods at Alma now, clearly his mind is on other things. He does speak to Sage once more. What's your name? You remind me of someone I knew. He continues to ignore Antia.

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Lionel, but I'm more likely to answer to Sage. It's a nickname I got from giving unwanted advice." he drones pinching the bridge of his nose. Facing Alma as she speaks, he listens respectfully. "Thank you, but the people I want to learn the most about are you two." he says, pointedly looking both of them in the eye. "Primarily, wether or not I should trust either of you after that little display. Clearly you did something Antia found utterly abhorrent." He accuses Caius, then turning his head towards Antia, "Then you stabbed someone you should be working to understand and trust."

[Hazuki]

"Don't tell me what I should do." Antia glares at Sage as he looks at her and leans forward in her chair, ignoring the words of Alma in the face of this new slight. "It's just what you want me to do, and I think it's bull****. Stabbing is quick, easy, and he's learned not to ogle when it's unwanted. Which is always, given how disgusting he is. Do you think," She lifts up her fingers and makes quote marks in the air "Understanding and trust would do that efficiently? **** off." The young woman almost spits the words like bile. "I'd say it, you'd go 'oh, that's bad, can you stop?' and that sleaze would say 'no'. Then you'd slowly get him to open up about his feelings, expose his heart and try to steer him to be less of an *******! So heartwarming a tale!"

She snorts and rolls her eyes. "Or I can stab him and he'll learn the lesson right away. So, unless you're planning on being a similarly seedy slob, you can trust that I won't stab you. And if you do, well, I won't stab you as hard. That's all you're gonna get."

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage closes his eyes and composes his thoughts, reigning in his temper, which had run free for too long. "You're right." He opens his eyes, to look Antia in hers. "That is what I want and it was wrong of me to try to push that on to you. I mentioned just a second ago, that I had a habit of giving unwanted advice. That's the nice way of saying that I think everyone should act in a way that makes sense to me, which just isn't how the world should or does work." He gestures towards Caius before continuing. However, you are wrong in your assumption of how I would have dealt with Caius. I don't know either of you well enough to expect you to 'expose your hearts' or to listen to anything I have to say. I would have told him how I felt about what he did, and ask him to explain why he had done it. Why people do things is just as important as the act itself, which is where our difference in method truly shows."

He looks her in the eye, wanting her to really listen what he was saying, and to know that he was trying his best to be sincere. "We were called together for a reason. At this rate I don't expect us to be friends, but we are going to have to learn to work together long enough and well enough to be allies due to circumstances we can no longer control. I want to be able to trust both of you, and hope that you two can expect the same of me."

His long-winded reply coming to an end, he folds his hands across the table and waits to watch how she would respond, trying to understand her so that he could appreciate where she was coming from and form a more complete picture of who she was, and what would happen when they were forced to stand back to back against their future foes.

[Hattish Thing]

"Lionel, but I'm more likely to answer to Sage. It's a nickname I got from giving unwanted advice." he drones pinching the bridge of his nose. Facing Alma as she speaks, he listens respectfully. "Thank you, but the people I want to learn the most about are you two." he says, pointedly looking both of them in the eye. "Primarily, wether or not I should trust either of you after that little display. Clearly you did something Antia found utterly abhorrent." He accuses Caius, then turning his head towards Antia, "Then you stabbed someone you should be working to understand and trust."

With a little chuckle, Caius continues to listen. Sage. What a particularly fitting name for the healer. Caius seems to ignore Antia once more, choosing instead to slowly pull a small whittling knife from his pocket. He'll then begin to slowly whittle away at a block of scrimshaw he'd been working on. It looks to be a hilt of bone in the making, and Caius seems to enjoy putting plenty detail into his carvings. When Sage accuses the large warrior, Caius just shrugs and scratches behind his ear, before continuing to whittle. As the pair begin to fight louder and louder, he begins to smile lightly. What a clash of personalities! He squints his eyes a tad before staring over at Antia once again. He sighs and speaks to her now from across the table. "You are such an angry one... I wonder why?" He looks over at Sage once more before groaning. "I wouldn't bother. Just leave her be, before she... explodes or something."

[Hazuki]

"I know why." Antia replies to Sage with a shrug of her shoulders as she leans back in her seat, dusting invisible dirt off of her jacket in a dismissive motion as she looks over to the elven man. "It's not my fault that you can't see he's nothing but a brute with all the wit of an orc and twice as ugly; probably the result of an incestuous lineage." She smirks again. "And I trust you as much as any soldier; I don't trust him to do anything but molest whatever womenfolk he wanders past." She glances to the side. "And if you were planning on appearing wise, Caius, you might not want to get wood shavings all over a noblewoman's floor."

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage drops the issue. Caius' shoulder had been dealt with, and he was reasonably sure that they wouldn't try to kill each other again in the near future. "Fine, whatever you say. How do you propose we spend this time then. I'm open to any suggestions." He says exasperatedly, seeing that this snarky response was probably the best he was going to get.

[Hazuki]

"I'm going to be training." Antia says with a shrug of her shoulders. "You seem like the type to investigate who you're working for. Not that you'll get anything other than 'My, how fantastic Lord Pecuniam is!' when his living will is less than one hundred feet away."

[Vixsor Lumin]

"Do you have a garden of some kind anywhere? You would be surprised how many common plants can be used medicinally." Sage questions Alma. "After that, I will try to get some more practice in with my bow."

[Hattish Thing]

Caius doesn't bother asking for where things were. He really didn't need to, and the brute of a man always found exploring much more interesting than just immediately knowing where everything was. He had no time limit right now, and he was always told that the journey was half the fun! So, the fighter will stand up and tilt his head a tad towards Alma, before waving a bit at Sage. "Perhaps I'll find you in the garden sometime this evening." He doesn't look anywhere close to Antia, clearly wanting to ignore the other warrior. With that, he'll move to leave the area and go out wandering and exploring the fortress.

[PersonMan]

With a few words Alma informs Sage that there is no fortress garden, but the sacred grove may have some plants that could yield what he's searching for. It doesn't take long for the man to find it - in the center of the fortress complex the structure opens to the sky, a great tree taking up most of the space in the courtyard-like opening. Surrounding it are a number of plants Sage doesn't recognize, interspersed with those he knows from the north. Oddly enough, despite his time spent in the region, he hasn't seen them recently either. Many of them are entirely new to him. Not long after he finds the sacred grove, he spots a green-robed elf circling the tree, seemingly inspecting the roots. As he passes closer to Sage, the medic hears soft whispering, too quiet to be properly understood but just loud enough for him to hear.

Antia leaves the chamber, seeking a place to hone her skills. The fortress, unfortunately, does not appear to be rich with good places to do so. After some searching, she decides that using the stairs positioned at one corner of the outer walls will give her the proper unusual terrain to make her training bear fruit rather than be a useless exercise. Shortly after making her decision, a young guard confronts her, requesting that she leaves - a caustic response, crossing the border to threatening, sends him back up the stairs. As Antia begins her training, she spots the guard speaking to an older-looking figure and drooping, as if receiving disappointing news, before nodding and walking further along the wall away from the corner she had chosen as her training ground.

After some time spent practicing, Antia notices a familiar figure approaching from the inner fortress. Alma has emerged from her place in the hall and is now silently watching the warrior woman from a safe distance. She seems to have changed from her former attire, now wearing a simple brown cloak that hides most of her body, leaving only her face revealed and curves hinted at by the fabric.

Caius leaves the chamber to explore the fortress. Moving through the halls barely large enough to contain his bulk, he finds that the ground floor contains several rooms to store food, a well-staffed kitchen, what seems to be several barracks rooms and a locked, guarded entrance to an armory. At the end of his path through the winding halls he finds the sacred grove, a sort of small courtyard in which a great tree takes up most of the space. He spots Sage there, as well as a green-robed figure circling the tree, looking down.

[Hazuki]

Antia stares at the stairs that she'd, at some point, decided would be a better training ground for herself than an open courtyard. She paces back and forth for a few moments before it, tilting her head and flexing her fingers a little, before she rolls her eyes at the relatively dull practice grounds presented to her. With a stroll over to the base of the stairs, she ducks low for a moment before darting forwards; her feet practically gliding across the stone steps until she reaches their very peak, ducks low, and kicks off of the edge with a mighty leap. Practically gliding through the air, she covers over twenty five feet of distance with her leap before landing with one foot on the ground.

With the momentum maintained in her left foot, she swivels on the toes of her right and twists at the hip. Just at the moment that her sole hits the stone wall, she pushes off of it and leaps the height of three men to land with a slight bend of her knees. Now standing on the corner of one of the watchtowers, she shifts her posture and catches the sight of the noblewoman watching her, having emerged from the hall below, and tilts her head for a moment. Her eyes glance over the layout of the courtyard, the garden somewhere off in the corner of her eye and a large empty space between her and the hall she had initially emerged from, before settling on the lip of a window.

The finely-dressed woman crouches low again, but without a run-up, and leaps clean across the courtyard without losing a single inch in height. Just as it seems like her momentum is about to end, she slams her foot upon the edge of the stairs she'd initially leapt from. The finely-honed muscles in her leg clench for a moment, but her face is relatively calm as she swims through the air and lands on the lip of the wall without smashing her face right into it. Instead, her palms are braced against each edge of the stonework, and her foot is pushed sideways against the jutting length of stone. Standing back up to her full height, she simply allows herself to fall backwards.

Antia flips backwards in the air and lands with a gentle thud just a few feet before Alma, a three-point landing before she gets back to her feet and folds her arms over her chest with nary a piece of dust on her outfit.

"Yes?"

[PersonMan]

"I wanted to speak with you about a few things. Nothing related to the Blades, more of a...private conversation," Alma replies, a warm smile on her face. "We can take a stroll around the outer ward* and discuss a few things, if you like," she offers. In the shade of the walls, the temperature is significantly milder than it was on the road, but the warmth of the day remains. The weather is quite nice for something like a walk through the cool outer ward, especially after the heat that was already beginning to build up from performing her leaps.


*The section of green you're now in, between the outer walls and the keep.

[Hazuki]

Antia stares at Alma for a few moments, her eyes narrowed slightly as she glances over the woman's face before she reluctantly lowers her somewhat defensive stance. "Fine." She says, staring expectantly at the woman to start leading the walk. "You speak first."

[PersonMan]

"Thank you. I wanted to speak to you about the future, although I will thank you again for your earlier actions," Alma begins to walk, moving slowly at first until Antia has begun to follow her before returning to a normal walking pace. She flashes Antia another smile before continuing. "Things are different among the nobility, but seeing that you share my affection for immediate reprisal in response to unacceptable behavior is refreshing. I believe our travels will not be entirely joyless. Although I must admit I am curious - what moves you to fight for Lord Pecuniam in this manner?" After her question Alma stops briefly, turning entirely to Antia.

"Please excuse my questioning. It's been quite some time since I've met someone who has proven to be both fascinating and of clearly noble character in such a short time," she says.

[Hazuki]

Antia slowly strides along beside Alma, her steps firm and her movements graceful as her head is held up high, quite obviously confident with every inch she travels. Though she keeps an eye on Alma even as the grass is tread beneath her boots. It's only as the elven woman speaks that her stature starts to diminish somewhat, her straight back turning into a slightly hunched over one, her stride turning into more of a shuffle, and her eyes casting themselves down at the ground instead.

"I don't know..." She answers, her voice soft. "I was told it would be a good place for me."

[PersonMan]

"Well it certainly does seem to be that way. A talented young woman like yourself doesn't really have a place in the peasant formations," Alma replies once the two have resumed their walk. The kukri-wielding woman notices that Alma has been watching her change intently out of the corner of her eye, giving her more attention from the moment her demeanor began to soften. "If there's something bothering you, or if there's something you'd like to ask about, don't hesitate to come to me. I do feel myself in your debt, and I would welcome the chance to speak with you more as we travel."

For a few moments, Alma is silent, before she speaks again. "Have you ever been to Dar? I've heard the entire country is much like northern Terei - barely a hill to be seen, no deep forests, lots of small villages spread about..."

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage nods to the elf and smiles "Hello, I hate to interrupt, but would it be alright if I took some of these?" he asks, gesturing at the plants that surrounded them. He stoops to examine one of the unfamiliar herbs. Not wanting to waste time on guessing what uses each one might have he adds, "And perhaps some help with knowing what some of these are?"

[PersonMan]

The robed figure rises as Sage approaches, turning to reveal a sun-tanned elven face. It's obvious that this man's days are not normally spent within castle walls. As Sage speaks, he smiles and nods, looking at the plants the medic indicates.

"Of course, of course. I was told some of the new arrivals may be interested in our grove. The Lady Alma made sure that it would be available by the time you arrived," he explains, lowering himself into a crouch, feet easily finding place among the roots as he looks to see which plants Sage is pointing out. "You may take clippings or roots if you need them for the war, although our grove does not contain many plants of special nature, I'm afraid. Those are from the south, brought up here when the sacred grove was expanded as Lord Pecuniam took residence here twenty years ago. They have all done quite nicely - I had feared they might wither, as they are not normally found this far north," the man continues, extending an arm to feel some of the leaves as he mentions the plants' origin. "I guess, if you don't know them, that means you're not a southerner. I assume this is your first time in a noble's fortress?"

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage kneels in the dirt and wonders at this patch of beauty surrounded on all sides by gray stone. "Is it really that obvious?" he says with a laugh. "No, I came here from Sworteria, and I spent more time out on the plains than I did in any building." he removes his hands from the stemhad been examining. "I think I will leave everything the way it is. I have enough for the journey, and taking the little I need isn't worth disturbing a place such as this."

[PersonMan]

The elf chuckles as Sage's question, shaking his head. "I've always had a good sense for where people are from - it's probably not as obvious to most people. In my time, I've become so much more in touch with everything around me that I can see things in ways many others don't," he says, standing as the other elf mentions not taking anything. "I'm glad to see a young man with such respect for a grove. It seems far too common in these times for the youth of the north to treat our sacred groves as little more than pleasure gardens."

With a sigh, the elf shakes his head. "But there's no point in speaking of my grievances with them now. Most of them are off fighting the holy war in Dar. You said you came from Sworteria? That's a long way from here. What brought you all the way to Terei?" He asks, seeming eager to change the subject.

[Hazuki]

Antia notices the robed woman's shift of attention, but doesn't pay much mind to it besides noticing that sometimes she adds a particular stare at the end of her sentences. She gives a little bob of her head in response to the compliment, her expression quite neutral before, with something of a startle, she remembers to smile and beams gently as her eyes shift over the grounds around them. "I have...had a person to talk to before." She admits, fingers clenching and unclenching loosely beside her hip. "She had to go back to her regular duties. And...thanks"

When Alma asks the question, she gives a slight shake of her head. "I don't think I have."

[PersonMan]

Alma nods, expression sympathetic. "We all feel the pull of duty at some point in our lives. Many of those I know well have been called to fight against Dar; those who I used to speak at length with every day I now have to write to, and it takes weeks for any kind of message to get to them," she says. As Antia mentions not having been to Dar, Alma smiles again. "In that case, we will both be experiencing something new. This is actually the furthest north I've ever been, and I haven't come close to the border any time in my life so far. Are you looking forward to going somewhere foreign? Even if it will be as part of a holy war, we won't be fighting the entire time. It can be a good opportunity to see more of the world."

[Hazuki]

Antia listens silently to Alma, as she explains the details of her relationships and the fact that she's scarcely even left Terei. There's probably a good reason for her ending up as the will of a Lord, even if she hasn't had any experience outside of Terei, so the young woman gives a nod of her head and returns the static smile. "I don't know." She admits, voice wavering a bit. "I don't do much. It might be good, though. Maybe there are buildings to climb up." As she finishes, a slight glint comes to her eye at the thought of being able to gaze at new vistas.

[PersonMan]

"I do think there will be. And, as a member of the Blades, you won't have to worry about pesky people trying to stop you from climbing up the towers of a castle," Alma says, suppressing a quiet giggle. "I take it you enjoy climbing, then? I haven't met anyone whose first thought of going to a foreign land is that there will be new buildings for them to climb up," she continues.

[Hazuki]

"Isn't it, um elsehwere...?" Antia begins, her smile twitching for a moment as her eyes flicker about in a slight bit of panic. "I mean, is Pecuniam in charge there? So I can climb their things?" She asks, though a pink haze covers her pale cheeks at Alma's next comments. "It's...I don't know. I like what I can see. It makes me feel...happy."

[PersonMan]

"In charge? Not quite. But unless we've made a mistake or are infiltrating something, we'll only be off duty in parts of Dar already occupied by our troops. Being part of a noble's personal force gives one significant freedoms there - certainly enough to climb a few buildings," Alma replies, voice soothing as she appears to notice Antia's brief moment of insecurity. "Don't feel shy about it - there's no shame in enjoying something unusual. If you enjoy climbing things and seeing the world from up high, that's wonderful; certainly better than what some people seem to live for. In the end, I think it's better to look forward to climbing a tower than drinking oneself into a stupor or counting coins all night."

[Hazuki]

Antia enjoys walking alongside Alma for a few moments, her arms idly swinging by her sides as she looks around and takes the occasional chance to adjust her outfit, fidget with her scarf, or wonder if she's ever heard anything about the architecture of Dar. Of course, she hasn't, so her mind drifts back to the conversation, considering the elf's words, before she realizes that she hasn't responded. Silence hangs in the air for a few more moments before she tilts her head at the woman. "What do you enjoy?"

[PersonMan]

"Myself? Well, it varies," Alma begins, pausing for a moment before she continues, possibly gathering her thoughts. "I enjoy many parts of life. A well-cooked meal, fine wine, a soft bed at the end of a long day. The heat of summer, the cool breeze of autumn, the growth of spring..." the elf stops speaking for a moment, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply, each movement slow and deliberate as she exhales. Then, opening her eyes again, she turns to Antia.

"As well as walks with wonderful young women," Alma adds, smiling briefly before she continues. "There are many things I enjoy. Listing all of them would take quite some time, I fear. Tell me, is there anything you are particularly curious about? I'd be happy to tell you all about it."

[Hazuki]

Antia stands stock still for a moment as she watches Alma apparently slip into some form of reverie mid-sentence, like she'd suddenly been put half to sleep or slipping into a flashback. She lifts her finger up, as though she's about to pose a question about the woman's health, before she remembers that she knows nothing about the arts of healing, so even if Alma did have something wrong with her, she wouldn't be able to help or figure it out. And somebody else probably has looked it over anyway. So she awkwardly lowers her finger, just at the point that the elf starts talking.

Her back hunches a little, her cheeks growing pink again, like she's trying to hide the effects of the compliment. "Well...I like fashion. I think." She brushes a hand over her skirt. "They said it'd make me feel confident. Do you like fashion?"

[PersonMan]

"Do you feel confident? The proper dress can help, but it's not always enough to make one feel secure," Alma replies as Antia explains her interest in fashion and its roots. "I do enjoy dressing up, although at times my attire is...less than typically acceptable," she continues. Looking around briefly, her gaze going primarily along the empty section of wall that's in view, Alma opens her cloak somewhat. Her former attire has been discarded in favor of a significantly more airy one; one that also reveals much more of the elf's skin. The front is a deep green, but cut scandalously low by noble standards, revealing not only Alma's collarbones and the flat expanse of skin below, but even showing some of her cleavage. Golden colored trimming adorns the deep green of the dress, which is clearly the work of a great tailor. Of course, noble gowns were always made by tailors of significant talent and skill.

"When I'm not confined by all the rules a noble Lady must follow, I do enjoy a variety of less courtly attires. If you're interested in such things as well, perhaps we can sample them? There may not be much there that you could wear, but it could be an enjoyable way to spend some time otherwise wasted," Alma says, closing her robe once again.

[Hazuki]

Antia tilts her head as the noblewoman pulls her cloak apart, swiftly averting her eyes before noticing that the woman hadn't, in fact, taken it upon herself to start flashing random soldiers. Once she's certain the elf is wearing clothes, she looks over the dress she wears beneath her cloak and smiles slightly, upon seeing the gold trim that's similar to the design on her own outfit. "I couldn't wear stuff like that..." She admits, as she tugs on one of the little ropes that tie her own dress together, making the light chain shirt beneath it jingle slightly. "I have to wear protection most of the time..."

"I'm glad you can, though." She adds, her smile genuine, even though she suddenly grows all too aware of her stance and whether it's too awkwardly placed or not. "I, uh, might like to try some new clothes on...if that's okay." She says, fidgeting again.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage stands and brushes the dirt off of his legs. "I am one of Pecuniam's Blades now actually. I recieved a letter asking me to join, and I figured this was a place where I could do the most good." he faces the man and slightly embarassed, adds "It would seem I have forgotten my manners. People call me Sage." He bows respectfully to the other elf. Then he stands and waits for the man's response.

[PersonMan]

Antia

Alma smiles. "Well, you don't have to wear armor all the time. At least when you're here, there's no danger of attack," she says. Then, with a gesture she indicates to Antia to follow her and makes her way across the outer ward, reaching the very entrance you passed through earlier and heading to the side of the room, now cleared of table and chairs. Regularly looking back to make sure that Antia is following her, she leads the other woman up into the second story of the fortress, steps light on the stone floor until she comes to a stop in front of a door. "You won't want a servant to help you, will you? You seem too shy to be used to that," the elf says with another smile, opening the door and stepping into the room, beckoning Antia to follow once again.

Inside is a spacious room, though much of the space is filled by the large bed (easily big enough to allow three people to sleep in it in comfort) and a row of oaken wardrobes. At the end of the wall covered by their bulk is a large mirror, featuring one of the, if not the, greatest luxuries Antia has ever set eyes upon. Glass, made to be entirely reflective, covers the surface. Rather than the polished metal that is used in most mirrors (which are all smaller than this one), immensely high-quality glass has instead been used.


Sage

"Pecuniam's Blades? Well, that is a surprise! I hadn't thought you the type," the man replies, nodding. "Not to offend you, but you don't seem to be a man all too interested in gold and glory. But I have only just met you," he says. As Sage introduces himself, the man chuckles and responds with a bow of his own. "No need to apologize. I came north to escape all of the dreadful courtly manners that are being pushed into everything these days. My name is Hortulan, but I doubt you'll be needing it often. You won't be here for long, will you?"

[Hazuki]

Antia

The young woman keeps her head bowed low as she is led through the halls of the keep, taking care to avoid passers-by well in advance, and sticking to Alma's heels wherever possible so that she doesn't get lost in the unfamiliar environment. When the question about being helped to dress and undress come up, she lifts her head up and sates at her hostess for a few moments, taking the time to blink slowly before shaking her head. "No servants, thank you..."

The bedroom that she'd led into only makes her eyes grow a bit wider, as she wanders in front of the upstanding glass mirror and looks at herself in it. She wanders up to it until her nose is almost pressed against the glass, reaching a tentative hand up to touch her face and make sure that it is herself that she's looking at.

[PersonMan]

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" Alma asks, closing the door behind Antia and moving further into it herself. Discarding her cloak on the bed, the elf watches the warrior stare at herself in the mirror with a growing smile. "Be careful. That mirror is probably the most expensive thing in this part of Terei," she says, coming up behind Antia. She doesn't get too close, seeming to have a good feel for the warrior woman's comfort zone, but does stand closer than she was outside. "It's wonderful, isn't it? You can look into it and see how you really look - you don't need to rely on someone else's eyes."

[Hazuki]

Antia

The warrior woman gives a slow shake of her head, shifting it slightly to the side so that she can watch the shorter elf walking up behind her. She releases a breath as Alma stops before violating her comfort zone, smiling as she nods at herself in the mirror. "It's nice..." Antia confirms, running a finger over her bottom lip and pulling it down slightly, then adjusting the ascot that's tucked into the front of her attire. "But...I don't know what to think." She reveals, a frown creasing her brow. "About me. I don't think I've seen me before."

[PersonMan]

"Well," Alma begins, moving to look at Antia's reflection from a different angle, "what would you think if that were someone else? It's the same, in the end, how you feel about others and yourself. But how you feel about yourself is more important," she continues. "I think you're a very good-looking young woman, but that's only me. Just look at yourself and see if you feel good about what you see."

[Hazuki]

Antia

After a few moments of continuing to stare into the mirror, Antia's eyes suddenly turn from a curious and wary gaze to a glare. She reaches out as though to pull the mirror down, but instead bows her head so that her hair provides a shroud for her face, then turns on her heel to look at Alma. "I don't like looking at my face. I'd like to look at the clothes, though..." She adds, forcing a smile onto her lips as she meets the elf's almond-shaped eyes.

[PersonMan]

Antia

Antia and Alma spend several hours in the elf's room, the normally armored warrior trying on several extravagant gowns that were being kept in the room. Alma helps her with several and all but showers Antia in compliments, telling her that it would be a shame for her to return to the armor she would need to wear in Dar. After some time, the two go their separate ways, Antia returning to her training and the elf leaving her with a last smile. As the sky darkens, the warrior returns to the fortress and is led by a servant to her room. Fairly small, it contains little more than a bed, chair, small table and a small drawer.

Sage

Sage and Hortulan speak for an hour or so, with the grey elf eventually taking his leave to practice some of his own combat skills in preparation for the obstacles in the west. After some time spent training, the sky darkens and a servant comes to bring you to your room. Fairly small, it contains little more than a bed, chair, small table and a small drawer.



------------------ * ------------------

The sun rises again, and you with it. After eating a small meal in the fortress with Alma, you gather before the gates. To move quickly, you're traveling light - Pecuniam's gold will buy you food and board, rather than you bringing supplies with you. Apart from you three and Alma, there is one other traveling with you - a man-at-arms who carried Pecuniam's banner and has been tasked with providing any assistance you may need along the way.

[PersonMan]

You leave with the sun at your backs, heading out of the fortress' gates and soon the town's. The midday heat has yet to come, and the road is mostly clear due to the early hour. It is the first of many such mornings, rising early and going onto the road soon after doing so. After a day's travel, you settle down to rest and prepare for the next day of walking, moving ever further west, towards Dar, towards the battles and challenges that await you in that foreign land. Each time you pass through a village or town, Alma checks to see if any there know of recent developments in the war, and occasionally you do get news - the armies of Terei seem to be advancing, devout faith and discipline prevailing over the witchcraft that Dar has sent onto the field. Every few days, you are reminded that you are not the only ones headed west to join the battle; one morning you pass a field which houses a camp in which hundreds of men and dozens of knights are gathered under a noble banner. Alma tells you that it's the force of a minor southern noble, who had come all the way across Terei to join the holy war in the west and would be arriving to aid in the fight sometime next month, most likely.

The heat of the summer days fades somewhat as you head west, growing less oppressive after the eight day of travel. For most of the second week, swift winds from the north bring respite from the heat. Eventually you come to a halt at a village on the thirteenth day, and Alma announces that the border to Dar is only half a day's travel away. Your rest is easy, the morning bright and cool as you rise once again. Leaving the village behind you, just as you left Pecuniam's fortress behind you two weeks ago, you eventually come to the border. The Flurovi stretches before you, every bit as wide and impressive as you've heard it is. You follow the road until you spot your crossing - a large bridge of wood. Alma tells you that it is one of two that were built for the invasion. A small fort sits on each side, and you can still see some signs of the fighting that occurred here; a broken crossbow bolt in the trampled grass, areas of the shore covered by half-burned mobile walls of wood and straw. Terei's banner flies from each fort, and as you approach the wooden gate of the closer fort opens.

Six men-at arms emerge, surrounding a man in well-kept heavy armor who wields a sword larger than that on the belt of the men surrounding him. As they approach, Alma speaks.

"Hail and well met! We are Pecuniam's Blades, come to cross to the west and bring our lord glory under the shade of the Tree," she announces. The men-at-arms stop, their leader stepping forwards and giving a shallow bow.

"I am Lord Orior, charged with guarding the river crossing under the shade of the Tree. I have received word of your arrival and am relieved that you have come. We have spotted a band of men from Dar not far from the other shore, who we believe are here to burn the bridge. Our own guard is not large enough to search for them without giving them an opportunity to attack," he says. "I wish I could greet you with more formality and courtesy, but we have been waiting for aid for five days - I fear that the heathens of Dar will strike this night."

[Hazuki]

Antia

The young woman glances around the gathered soldiers and the landscape that surrounds them. She raises her hand slightly, then clears her throat. "I don't see any spies around here. So tell me what your plan is, direct me to the troublemakers, or get to whatever point you have. Or do we need to watch you and your boys do another dramatic entrance?" She asks Torio quite venomously, then folds her arms and looks expectantly towards Alma, waiting for the elf to translate into noblepeople fancytalk.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage listens quietly, no longer surprised by Antia's demeanor. "Well since we are here, we may as well be of use." He reaches up and checks that his arrows are loose in his quiver, to avoid them being caught up in each other. "I must echo Antia's question, would you rather we went out to find them, or since you suspect an attack would you rather we aid in the defense?"

[PersonMan]

Lord Orior is clearly put off by Antia's caustic opening, but as Sage speaks his neutral expression returns.

"We have enough men to defend if they attack us, but not enough to actually go out to find them without compromising our defense-" he begins, before Alma raises one hand slightly, signaling that she wishes to speak.

"You know who we are, so you know our goals. I would think that we could move into your other fort in a way that we avoid being spotted, then you send your men out, making sure they are spotted. That way, when they come to attack the bridge, we will be there and cut them down," Alma says, ending with a smile. "Send your men in force, so they believe it is a desperate action - they will likely avoid a battle and not ambush them but rather go to attack the bridge while they have a window of opportunity. Does that sound like a good plan?""

Lord Orior nods, but it's clear that Alma's question was more directed at you all than him. It would, after all, be you fighting, not the noble.

[Hazuki]

"Not unless we know their numbers. We're a warrior, a tart, a pansy, and a pervert. I won't be able to hold off everyone all by myself, unless their feared attack force decides to line up like Captain Fancypants." Antia answers, folding her arms over her chest as she looks between Alma and the Captain of the forts. "You'll need at least a small force somewhere nearby to put pressure on them. To stop them from swarming, and to stop them from retreating."

[PersonMan]

Alma's gaze goes to Lord Orior, who shakes his head.

"We don't know their exact strength, but it's eight to ten men at most. It would be very difficult to send more all the way here without them being noticed, and I doubt they have more than one or two men-at-arms; the rest are probably peasants," he says.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Ignoring the insult in Antia's comment, he replies "I agree, a small force to cut off a retreat would be useful. Ten men will be a a notable fight, but we ahould be able to handle it." he says l, speaking in reply to Alma. Normally he wouldn't be so rude as to openly go over the Captain's head, but the time traveling and the persistently snide commentary that had followed him had worn away at his sense of courtesy. "I may not be a warrior, but do you think this pansy could handle a few peasents?" he says to Antia, trying to lighten the mood.

[Hazuki]

"You struggle to carry your own clothes. I don't think you could handle their grandmothers." Antia snaps in response to Sage's attempt at lightheartedness, "Find a defensive spot and pressure them with arrows." She says, then looks to the Lord. "So, who can you spare to stop retreat?"

[PersonMan]

"Send the men guarding the river out. Bring four of these men to the other shore to aid in defending. After moving out of sight, the ones guarding the river till move to block a retreat," Alma speaks almost to herself, nodding as she looks back to Orior who replies with his own nod.

"We could do that," he says, turning to the six men behind him. "Allifen and Suri can stay on this side of the river, the other four can come with you."

[PersonMan]

Without anyone objecting to the plan, it's decided that it will be the one carried out. Crossing the river will easily be done without being seen, the noble assures you. The other shore is secured by palisades that are kept under watch.

Lord Orior and two of his men stay at the small wooden fort they had emerged from, the other four men-at-arms prepare to cross the bridge with you. Alma speaks to the man who has accompanied you thus far, and he turns back the way you all came, going east. The rest of you make the way across the bridge, which is wide enough for perhaps ten men to stand almost shoulder-to-shoulder. Beneath it the Flurovi flows slowly, seeming almost sluggish in the afternoon heat. The journey across is made in silence, your four new companions taking up the rear as you approach the other shore, where a pair of wooden towers guard the bridge's western end.

Growing closer, you can make out more of the fortifications on this side of the river. The two wooden towers make up the greatest part of it; one of them seems to have an extension on one side that probably houses the guards, and both offer protection for the soldiers inside. Arrow slits line every side of the tower, and further behind them you see what looks like a palisade gate.

As you arrive, a door on inward side of one of the towers opens, and a soldier (wearing less armor than the men-at-arms with you - he's clad in the leather armor of a peasant conscript) emerges, looking over to you with a spear in hand. Waiting until you're within normal speaking distance, on the last few feet of the bridge before it gives way to the pathway on the shore.

"What business brings you here?" The man asks, looking over your group. Alma explains the situation and the plan briefly, the man listening with a mixture of surprise, brief disbelief, and eventual understanding. Glancing to one of the four men-at-arms with you for confirmation, and receiving it, the man leads you into the small fortification. Behind the towers are palisade walls that form a hexagon, the river forming one side and the gate the opposite one. The walls have been built with a small walkway on the inner side, and three men are on it - you notice they're standing behind the highest points of the wall, and even spot an arrow sticking out of the top of the wall.

In the space between the walls and the towers, two more men patrol the wall and a final one stands in the center. All of the men here are equipped like the first - simple leather armor, a spear and (for the ones on the wall) a large ovular wooden shield - with one exception. The man in the center of the area ringed by the defensive walls and tower wears plate mail, a step above the chain shirts the men-at-arms bear, with a sword and dagger strapped to his waist.

The man announces you to the well-armored one, who in turn introduces himself to you as Arverd, the third son of a northern noble. He's been left in command of the shore defenses. In the brief conversation that follows, he explains that he'd been attempting to expand the fortification, potentially even build a small fort further west to guard the nearby roads, but as he'd begun one of his men was killed in an ambush. The band of Darese had tried to move on the fort itself, but had been repulsed in a brief skirmish that had no lasting effects, apart from revealing that they only had a handful of men.

Alma describes the plan, and Arverd seems eager to go along with it - he describes in detail how hard it's been for him to sit and wait, unable to join battle with the heathens hiding outside the gates. As the hours pass, he tells the fort guards of the plan as they rotate their watch. You learn that there are a total of eleven of them. Three in each tower, three on the wall and two on the ground in the fort. Dusk comes eventually, and the entire guard gathers in two squads of five, with Arverd in front of both. They move through the gate, holding it open and letting it fall closed behind them.

You hear Arverd shouting outside, demanding that 'you Darese cowards come out and fight'. You hear another shout, then another, each growing further away until his voice is only a quiet sound coming from the trees.

Alright, you've had a couple hours in the fort, so you can be anywhere within it. Each tower has two floors, each with two arrows slits pointing out on every side. For now, give me a rough starting location and I'll make a more exact map for when combat begins.

The path here isn't the same as that on the other side. It's far newer, although it's already been used heavily enough that there's barely any grasses or other plants left.

[Hazuki]

Antia finds a somewhat low, but still elevated spot with cover from which to soften up the combatants when they arrive, and to allow her to leap into the fray with ease.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage climbs the west most tower, and goes to the lowest arrow slit. He tries to make sure there is a clear path for him to travel in case he needs to get out onto the battlefield in a hurry.

[PersonMan]

It takes some time, but eventually you hear things from the other side of the palisade. A few minutes after the noises begin, you see a rope fly up from behind the palisade wall, catching on one of the sharpened ends sticking upwards. Another two follow it, and before long a man climbs up each. They're all dressed slightly differently, but their attire is simple. The one closest to you is clad in a a blue tunic, a worn hat on his head and pouch on his waist. He carries a large axe, although it's clearly meant for chopping wood rather than being a weapon crafted for war. The second wields a large club with metal spikes extending from its head, wearing a light blue tunic with white sleeves. The final man holds a halberd that had been on his back as he emerged over the wall, and a knife is sheathed at his belt. Unlike the others, he wears a yellow vest over a blue tunic.

They don't seem to have seen any of you yet. The first two, who tossed their weapons over the palisade as they came up over it, are picking up their weapons and climbing down to the pounded earth inside the walls. The man with the halberd points to the gate and, turning back to the palisade, shouts that the fort is deserted. The plan seems to have worked so far - you can hear sounds from outside that seem to indicate more men scaling the walls. Those already inside are heading to the gate.

You have a surprise round, but you won't lose it if you choose to wait. Act in any order during it.

[Hazuki]

Antia shoots at the leader guy, then leaps across the battlefield with both kukri drawn to stab him, and then swiftly rolls away to block access to the gate.

Blood in the Water stance.

Bow:
Damage: [roll1]

Jump: [roll2]
Jump: [roll]1d20+19

Battle Leader's Charge: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Swift activate Anklet of Translocation.

[PersonMan]

http://i.imgur.com/orn9HwW.png

Antia's arrow finds its mark, and the man cries out in pain in the moment before she jumps down from the roof. All three of the intruders cry out in surprise, and half-raise their weapons as Antia sails through the air, before she strikes the halberd-wielding man down in a single blow, kukri cutting into him and rending his flesh. Dead by the time the steel leaves his body, the man falls backwards, mangled torso sending blood in all directions. By the time the fountain of blood subsides and the body rests on the ground, the warrior is in a new location, blocking the way to the gate.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage sees Antia spring into action and follows her lead. His eyes zero in on the scruffy man on the right. He quickly sums up the man's defenses. Seeing that he is wearing little to no armor, he skips looking for weak spots and instead looks at the man's stance. He can tell even from this distance that the man had very little practice in fighting with real weapons, and that any shot that hit him would most likely be enough to have an impact.

He pulls back his bow and lines up the shot. He hesitates for just a brief moment. It's the first time he has ever shot at a person. He says a quick silent prayer asking for strength, and then releases.

attack [roll0]
damage [roll1]

crit confirm [roll2]

[PersonMan]

http://i.imgur.com/2k5sxzx.png?1

Sage's arrow flies true, striking one of the remaining enemies in the chest. The man stumbles, clearly severely wounded, but stays on his feet. The other man looks over at the towers, surprise clear on his face, but the energy seems to drain from him suddenly as he does so. His movements become sluggish as he turns back to face Antia. Moments later, the towers open and the four men-at-arms emerge, rushing towards the gate. The Darese exchange looks and pull back, getting some distance from their suddenly numerous opposition as three more of their own clamber over the wall. Scrambling down from the platform, they rush over to the other men already in the fort, wielding clubs and hatchets like their allies. One of them shouts as he comes over the wall, a single word at the top of his lungs.

"Gate!"

From outside the palisade you hear what sounds like something heavy being dropped onto the ground.

It's your move again.

[Hazuki]

A haze descends upon Antia's eyes as she watches her Kukri slice the commander of the Darleks in twain, the sight of such a perfect kill fueling the anger and bloodthirst inside her as she stands with both kukri drawn, spinning on her heel to glare at the gathered walking corpses. It's only when there's a heavy thud that her attention is really earned, and she smirks to herself at their attempt at misdirection. She turns around from them and starts sprinting in the opposite direction, her kukri sheathed in an instant, before leaping high into the air and landing atop the walls of the keep in a crouched position. She draws her kukri once more, flourishing them in an aggressive stance.

Move to Jump, Swift and Standard to recover maneuvers.

Jump check: [roll0] I jumped 13 Feet high with this roll.

Balance: [roll1] And can balance on something 7-12 inches wide with this one.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage thanks the Queen of Heaven for the strength he suddenly found suffusing himself. He knew that at least for the battle, he would be able to do what was needed. With that thought in mind, he knocks a new arrow. He adjust his aim slightly to the left, zeroing in on the man closest to the gate to the left of Antia. He notices that the man seems to favor his right leg, probably from an old injury. With that in mind, he aims low.

He releases his breath and waits for a pause between his heartbeats. The second he was able, he looses the arrow towards its target.

aiming at the guy all the way to the left.

attack roll [roll0]
damage [roll1]

confirm crit [roll2]

[PersonMan]

http://i.imgur.com/BlvftWj.png?1

Antia jumps up onto the wall without trouble, standing on the gate and looking down at what's just outside it. There is indeed something happening there - she spots four men shortly in front of the gate. Two more peasants, hauling a wooden crate with a wet rag emerging from a hole in the top, shuffle towards the gate. The one closer to Antia holds a lit torch in his left hand, and nervously looks between it and the crate every other step. Behind them are two others, clearly more well-armed than the others. Both armored, only one has his face exposed, his armor decorated with some fur. As he sees Antia he scowls.

"Set!" He shouts to the men in front of him, as his more heavily armored companion hefts his weapon. It's a massive glaive, larger than any weapon of its kind Antia has ever seen. As the armored man readies it, she realizes that with its great length, he could even strike her from where he currently stands. Even on top of the walls, she isn't quite outside his reach. Of course, the drawback of the weapon immediately becomes clear as well - if she could get closer, he would be unable to strike at her with it.

Sage doesn't let the shout he hears from outside the walls distract him, taking aim and firing another arrow. This one hits as well, its target gasping and barely staying on his feet. A moment later the four men-at-arms rush towards the uneven line of Darese, one cutting down the man Sage had hit, another inflicting a severe wound on another of the peasant soldiers. This one bleeds heavily, barely surviving the swing. The other two both attack the same man, although he manages to avoid each swing.

The injured Darese retreat, one making it to the wall and climbing back up to the platform, the newly injured one only stumbling back from the men-at-arms, wild swings of his weapon keeping him safe for a few more moments. The two healthy men flank the easternmost man-at-arms, each cutting into him with a hatchet as his defense fails, overwhelmed by two attackers.

Outside, the peasant soldiers drag the box up to the gate and turn to run, the one closer to Antia hastily dropping the torch on the top as he does so. The rag catches fire quickly, and as the two men run the flames spread across the top of the box. The armored men focus on Antia, clearly waiting for her to make a move. It looks like they're in fairly defensive stances, so she thinks that moving backwards might let her slip away without having to worry about even the massive glaive.

[Hazuki]

Antia smirks at the heavily armored man on the other side of the gate, as well as the lackeys he's ordering around, as the stench of blood is still fresh in her lungs. She sheathes her kukri once more, then simply leans forward on the edge of the gate and entering a minor bout of freefall, through which she flips and lands in an elegant crouch. In a movement just as swift as her fall, she snatches the burning box within her arms and tumbles with the momentum. She clutches it in one hand as she twists her leg at the end of her roll and utilizing her momentum to sprint up the gate. Then, at the apex of her wall-running, she spins around and hurls the burning box at the heavily armored knight. The box hurtles through the air at him, as she once more lands on her feet.

Free fall, Move grab, Swift Translocate, Standard throw.

Attack: [roll0] vs touch AC.
Don't know the damage so. d:

Also, Antia auto-succeeds on reducing the first 10ft of fall damage both times.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Sage swears that time seems to be dragging on far too slowly to be real. He writes it off as something he had read about when studying combat. Seeing what was happening to the men near him, he shifts focus. Antia could handle herself, but he wasn't so sure about his other allies.

He twitches his aim to the right and zeros in on the bearded man closest to him. The man's back is to Sage, seemingly distracted by the man at arms he was locked in combat with. Knowing that if he could sink an arrow into the base of the skull he could kill or at least paralyze the man, he aims there.

attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

Crit confirm [roll2]

[PersonMan]

Posting from school, so no battle map update for now. I'll do it once I get home from school, though.

MAAB steps right two, autos BFH.

A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]

MAAR steps right one, autos BFH or steps right three, autos HSS.

A: [roll2]
D: [roll3]

MAAU and MAAP step one right and swing at SwG.
U
A: [roll4]
D: [roll5]
P
A: [roll6]
D: [roll7]

BFH and HSS swing.
B
A: [roll8]
D: [roll9]
H
A: [roll10]
D: [roll11]

Swg and Oal Ser step right and swing at MAAP.
S
A: [roll12]
D: [roll13]
OS
A: [roll14]
D: [roll15]

B. D.
[roll16]

CoopSplat
[roll17]

SGRef
[roll18]

DJSrap
[roll19] + 1 F

SGRef2
[roll20]

RelPesRef (M)
[roll21]

SG steps diagonal down-left one down one to swing at Antia or TD.

A: [roll22]
D: [roll23]

RelPes steps diagonal down-left to swing at Antia or irrelevant.

A: [roll24]
D: [roll25]

SP goes diagonal down-left one down one (ham) to swing at Antia.

A: [roll26]
D: [roll27]



As Antia hurls the crate at the glaive-wielding Darese, he raises an arm as if to try and block it, letting his massive weapon lower, but the wooden container goes past his attempt at defense and strikes his helm directly, flame-weakened wood breaking under the impact. There's a slightly muffled clang, metal-on-metal, before the rest of the crate comes apart and a large metal sphere falls from it. One side has a muted glow, and as it strikes the other crate, beside the heavily armored Darese, it explodes, a surge of flame erupting over everything nearby. Shards of metal shoot from the blast, burying themselves into the gate and ground.

Reflex save (DC 15) to take 2 damage, otherwise 6 damage from burning shrapnel.

As the first blast clears, Antia sees that the armored Darese is still burning, surrounded by a field of fire. The crate that was just beneath the blast seems to be all but gone, a patch of blue flame in its place.

Inside the fort, Sage's shot finds its mark, although the man shifts to avoid a swing of the man-at-arms in front of him just as the arrow strikes. Instead of hitting his neck it buries itself into his shoulder. The man cries out in pain and nearly falls, but stays standing, legs trembling. The men-at-arms closer to the gate rush forwards, cutting down the Darese as they try to flee. One has to step up onto the ladder leading to the platform, but manages to do so and finish off the injured man who had gotten onto it. Outside a gout of flame shoots up over the wall, following a strange sound that resembled that of a smashed pot and spreading flame.

The men-at-arms closer to the river move to flank one of the Darese between them, but both fail to hit. One actually swings far too strongly and hits the dirt with his blade, cursing in frustration. The Darese perform an identical maneuver, signalling to each other and flanking the man-at-arms closest to Sage. Only one of their attacks connects, cutting into the man's back and adding to his injuries.

Outside the fort, the still-burning Darese moves through the fire, armor ablaze, getting closer to the wall and attacking Antia with the massive glaive. Just afterwards, the other well-armed Darese moves to attack as well, maneuvering into a flanking position, exploiting the fact that she had sheathed her weapons in her earlier maneuver. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air, but the glaive-wielding Darese remains completely silent.

"You've made your own pyre!" The man shouts as he swings.

First attack hits for 15, the second for 12. Unless I'm missing something, Wall of Blades isn't available because Antia isn't holding her kukri.

The square that held the box next to the glaive-wielder and all adjacent ones are on fire. Ending your turn in a flaming square causes you to take 1d6 fire damage. Ending your turn in the blue-burning square causes you to take 2d6 fire damage. Moving through the flames causes you to take 1 point of fire damage for every two you move through, not counting the one you started in, if you have some form of protection (Tumble 5 ranks, protective gear or Medium or heavier armor).

[Hazuki]

Antia chuckles gently to herself as she watches the armored man get engulfed in flames, her laughing getting louder and louder as the Darese sink their blades into her flesh and fills her lungs with only more blood. With each kukri in hand, she twirls them around her fingers and ducks low before darting along the wall that the Darese believe they have her pinned against.

In that order.

[roll0] 30ft of distance moved.
[roll1] Vs DC 17. Can tumble past 10 dudes at once.

Then, once she's reached her destination beside the wall, she leaps directly upwards with some of the trees as cover, attempting to land atop the fence once more.


Also, if it turns out that I can't use Wall of Blades, Antia will instead use a move action to pick up the box, then use her Swift as Sudden Leap to jump up. I'll edit this once I find out what.

[roll2] 12ft high with this one, 13ft high with the last, which did succeed.
[roll3] Can balance on anything less than 2 inches wide.

[PersonMan]

http://i.imgur.com/kCFvFWW.png

Inside the fort, Sage finishes off the man he shot in the shoulder as the men-at-arms close around the final Darese peasant, whose shouts grow louder as he wildly swings his weapon. Just as he seems to realize something and begins to throw it down, their blades rain on him, slicing into him and bringing the man to the ground, dead.

Outside the walls, the remaining Darese split up, peasant and more lightly armored man dashing off into the woods to the north as shouts come from the west, heralding the return of the remaining guard. The still-burning wielder of the massive glaive turns in the other direction, rushing to the south with amazing speed for one encased in heavy armor. The flames on him seem to dim somewhat, although it may simply be that they are being overshadowed by the brighter glow of the spreading fire on the path, which is quickly engulfing some of the nearby low-hanging branches. The sparse vegetation remaining around the fort walls begins to ignite as well, a small fire spreading slowly over the grass.

Combat is effectively over - unless Antia gives chase, you won't be able to catch the fleeing Darese immediately. Antia expects that they'll run into the approaching force, with possible exception of the glaive wielder if he continues with his massive burst of speed that took him off into the trees. Even then, he can't escape in the long term. The trail of destruction his mad dash left is visible even from her spot in the branches.

[Hazuki]

Antia chases after the man in armor and draws her bow as she runs and once she's a sufficient distance from him, she notices him stop to prepare for an attack, she draws her shortbow and looses an arrow at him. Then, she leaps into the nearest tree for cover and range.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Blood in the Water ends this round.

Jump into tree: [roll2]

After shooting, draw Kukri as a free action.

Swift into Punishing Stance.

[PersonMan]

Four rounds of chasing and closing distance pass. Antia is now 60 feet from the enemy, about 500 feet from the fort.

[roll0]

Antia gives chase, jumping over the undergrowth of the forest to easily close in to the armored warrior who is forced to trample through it. Antia's arrow collides with the burning armor of the glaive-wielder, whose thick armor protects him from the impact. Moving slowly, the smell of burning flesh that had followed the heavily armored Darese filling the air now that the frantic running has stopped, he drops his weapon, dropping into the foliage and pressing himself into the earth several times, managing to smother the fire. Slowly rising, massive glaive still on the ground, a hacking cough rings out of the helmet of the knight as he raises his arms as high as possible in his restrictive metal plating. After a moment's pause, he steps onto the weapon, putting both feet on it in an awkward motion.

[Hazuki]

"If you wish to surrender," Antia declares as she slips her Kukri into its sheathe, taking one of the ribbons out of her outfit and wrapping it around one of the slashes caused by the shrapnel from before. "You will need to remove that armor. And throw that glaive closer to me. Understand?" She asks, giving him a cold stare from her perch, as she draws her kukri once more.

Taking 10 for 9 vs 6. [roll0] healed.

[PersonMan]

The armored Darese nods, seeming to relax when Antia speaks, stepping off the glaive and giving it an awkward throw that brings it somewhat closer to Antia - it doesn't go very far before it hits a somewhat larger bush and ends up under the side closer to her. Then the process of removing the thick armor begins, layers of steel coming down one after another. The helmet, oddly enough, is never taken off.

After two minutes, the former glaive wielder stands, the lower layer of the thick padding beneath the chain layer of his armor still remaining, charred and bloodied, with at least two pieces of metal sticking out from injuries the warrior has sustained. Antia can tell that the sort of damage he has taken would have killed up to ten normal men.

[roll0] minutes pass.

[Hazuki]

Antia spends some time using another one of the wraps around her waist to bandage up the gash in her side, along with a little water from her flask to heal the wound, while the armored man strips off his armor. By the time he has finished, she's wrapped up her wound and hops down from the tree with her bow sheathed and one kukri still in her hand. She hefts the blade as she approaches him. "Spread your arms and legs apart, face against the tree." She instructs, sheathing the glaive across her back as she removes a rope from her belt.

Assuming he'll obey... Taking 20 on Use Rope for a result of 33. Binding it so he can't move too much, but can shuffle.

[PersonMan]

Again, Antia receives a nod and slow obedience. It's clear that moving causes the former glaive wielder pain, and he all but slumps against the tree when reaching it, pushing himself up to a straight posture after a brief loss of composure. He says and does nothing as Antia binds him, and before long she has his weapon secured as well.

[Hazuki]

Once the injured man is bound, Antia gives him a thorough search for any other weaponry or objects that he might be concealing on his person. If she finds something, she confiscates it, then starts to lead him back to the fort with one hand guiding him, the one wielding her kukri placed on the small of his back, while the other clutches the glaive. Before leaving, she collects the stripped armor and bundles it together in her tunic, using its arms to tie it like a makeshift backpack.

[PersonMan]

Antia's search doesn't discover any other weaponry, but as she's patting down the surrendered Darese, she finds several areas of padding, just under his ribs, that seem to be thicker than the rest. Although his body language makes it clear that her search is causing more pain from his severe wounds, the former glaive-wielder is completely silent throughout the entire procedure. Eventually, she does find something. Among the armor is a small piece of metal, made to resemble a stylized sun. It seems to be made to open, but a piece of shrapnel pierced it, destroying whatever was inside as well as the mechanism for opening it.

After about two minutes of walking, they emerge from the trees. Inside the fort, the gate has been opened, the two boxes brought within the walls and the slain Darese piled off to one side. Most of the blaze is contained, the fort is safe, but flames still flicker on the road where the first box exploded. As Antia and her prisoner approach the fort, Sage is tending to the wounds of one of the men-at-arms, and Lord Orior is heading off into the northern woods with two of his men.

As Antia reaches the fort, Alma approaches her, smiling.

"Well done! I didn't see everything, but what I did catch was amazing! You even brought back a prisoner..." she says, looking at the Darese with raised eyebrows.

[Hazuki]

"Observant as ever." Antia drawls, as she looks over the remaining soldiers that Sage is tending to. "Who can escort the prisoner to a secure holding, who can examine the weaponry and armor, and who is going to take care of those...fire-boxes?" She asks in quick succession.

[PersonMan]

Alma seems to ignore Antia's comment, and one of the men-at-arms, who has clearly already been tended to by Sage, stands, weapon sheathed. "I can keep an eye on him," he says.

"I have a good eye for Darese smithing," Alma says after a moment, nodding to the weapon and armor Antia took from the prisoner. "I can take a look at them, but I doubt they'll be of use. How anyone can use that massive thing is beyond me, and armor like that will need to see a smith if anyone else wants to wear it..." she says, eyes briefly going to the captured warrior, who remains silent. "I think I'll have a talk with the prisoner, though. It will be good to know which of the lords of Dar sent him and his men."

"We have the boxes and I can look into them once I've finished tending to our wounded," Sage says as he finishes a bandage on one of the men-at-arms.

[Hazuki]

"Take one of your friends with you. And make sure the holding is secure. I don't want to set him on fire twice." Antia says, urging their captive towards the man-at-arms. "And there was one other." Antia tells Alma, then describes the other leaderly fellow who accompanied the heavily-armored soldier. "I require healing. Will you be coming to play dress-up with me later?" She asks the lady elf, her voice quite clearly imitating a child.

[PersonMan]

One of the uninjured men-at-arms joins the one who volunteered, and they bring the prisoner into the southern fort tower. The captive moves cooperatively, never making a sound. As Antia describes the other Darese leader, Alma nods.

"Orior and his men should find him. Not many places he can escape to," she says. "I'm afraid Sage will have to help you with your injuries, but if you feel up to playing dress-up, feel free to find me later," the elf continues, the taunt seeming to flow past her without evoking even the slightest response. Then she turns, following the two men and their prisoner into the tower.

[PersonMan]

Alma and the two men-at-arms go into the southern tower, speaking with or guarding the prisoner respectively. The other two men-at-arms dump the slain Darese peasants into the river, then cut down the ropes used to ascend the wall. After about half an hour, Lord Orior and his men return, several injured, the body of the other well-armed Darese being dragged behind them. The men who went south return shortly thereafter, reporting that they found and killed another Darese peasant who had been hiding and had tried to attack them from a small campsite. They bring some food and a woodcutting axe with them.

Sage tends to Antia's wounds, carefully stitching, binding, cleaning them and even removing a sliver of metal that had buried itself in her arm. Once this process is complete the two examine the remaining two boxes. Neither have the opening the one placed against the gate had, and seem to be loaded with soaked rags. Shortly after opening them, Sage and Antia are struck by a horrid stench that seems to burn the insides of their noses. There's a hint of alcohol in it, but it's something neither of them have experienced before.

Lord Orior brings the body of the other Darese into the south tower, and perhaps ten minutes later it's brought out of the fort, where several conscripts begin to dig a grave. Those who are injured are tended to by Sage, and every one returned.

After some time, Alma emerges from the southern tower, speaking to Sage and Antia. She tells them that she plans to spend the night in the fort before moving further into Dar, taking the time to write to Lord Pecuniam and extract more information from the prisoner, who she says is an important nobleman from southern Dar. Alma plans to bring him with the party until they can find an opportunity to ransom him back or give him to a larger force of Traiean forces. She has Sage tend to his wounds, explaining that she managed to extract an oath from the prisoner to not attempt to escape in exchange for treatment.

The party's supplies are supplemented by some of the fort's, and another group of troops goes out to retrieve the remains of the Darese camp, returning with a surprising amount of supplies - a tent, several bedrolls and enough rations to feed someone for twelve days. After their return, Alma returns to the southern tower and emerges a short time later, triumphantly declaring that she had gotten more information from the prisoner. In exchange for getting to sleep in the tent just to the side of the southern tower, still under guard, he explained that the explosive boxes were given to him without more than a vague explanation of what they did and that they were unknown in Dar, at least to him, before that point.

Overnight, a small night guard keeps watch over the fort, including one additional man for the prisoner's tent. In the barracks is a single closed-off room meant for Lord Orior, but Antia and Alma are given it for the night, the man returning with his men-at-arms to the other side of the river. The elf offers to let Antia take the bed, making due with a stack of furs, bedrolls and heavy blankets herself. The night passes uneventfully, the sleep is deep and rejuvenating. In the morning, Alma greets the kukri-wielding warrior with significantly more cheer than she usually does, prepares herself for the day and manages to send off one of the conscripts with a letter to Lord Pecuniam before the man has even finished his breakfast.

After everyone has eaten, had a chance to wash and dress, Lord Orior comes from the eastern fort to offer a grateful thanks for your efforts, telling you that he has sent a letter of his own. "From this day until your last" he promises you, "you will always be welcome in any holding of House Orior in the shade of the tree."

By the time Lord Orior is finished with his talking and returns to the other fort and everything is prepared for the party to leave the sun is almost at its zenith. The prisoner, still wearing his helm and some padding from his armor, seems tired, but his wounds are healing well. His bindings have been changed so that he can keep pace with the party, although his hands are still bound in front of him. Just as the party is about to leave, someone approaches from the east, coming across the bridge.

The man approaching is clearly well-supplied, wearing well-made chainmail with both a large steel shield and several weapons on his back or at his waist.

---

Rhen

After weeks of travel, you've come to the crossing where you were told the other members of Pecuniam's Blades were headed. Arriving at the fort on the Traiean side of the river, you explained to the lord of the fort, Lord Orior, your situation. Showing him the letter given to you as proof of your claims, you were allowed to cross the bridge and now approach the other fort. Between the two wooden towers, you see the group. Coming closer, you can make out each of them, all but one matching the descriptions you were given.

Alma, with a curvaceous figure all but unheard of for the normally slim elves, wearing clothes clearly meant to both allow for easy travel while still communicating the class of the wearer. Antia, the warrior woman wielding two small, curved blades and clad in a blue-and-white armored outfit. Sage, another elf, wearing light armor and various supplies for aiding the sick and injured. The one you don't recognize seems to be wearing the padding one normally has on under thick armor, the steel helmet hiding his face, and seems more tired than the rest. Coming closer, you realize that his hands are tied in front of him. A prisoner.

[CWater]

Noticing the group that matches the description he was given, the newcomer directs his steps towards them without breaking his stride. When he comes closer, the others can see that even though the long travel has covered him in a thick layer of road dust, his armour and weapons are of good quality and look almost new. The man himself is tall, even taller than Antia, and his looks are a mix of both human and elven features, with short black hair, ghostly pale skin and blue eyes that seem somehow dull, despite their naturally strong colour.

He stops in front of the group and greets them with a stiff bow. "Excuse me for my boldness, good lady and brave warriors. My name is Rhen Antaner. I beg your pardon, but might you be the Pecuniam's Blades? If so, please accept my humble apologies for not being able to meet up with you in Oppido. I was delayed on the way." He speaks in uninflected monotone, that contradicts with his overly polite words.

You guys have already taken all my usual colours. Will have to try to get used to this.:smalltongue:

[Hazuki]

Antia spends her morning in a pleasant, if introverted, reverie. A night of good rest for her bones and a comfortable bed does wonders for the young warrior, as does the company of the well-meaning leader of their group. After a relaxing breakfast and some time spent grooming herself with the adequate facilities available to them, she spends the morning trailing Alma. With the blessing from Lord Orior, she says little, and does her best to keep smiling while seeming insignificant. And then it comes time to leave, she gives a few weary glances at the large warrior she'd conquered the day before and does her best not to interact with him.

As they leave the fort, she has the large glaive wrapped up in bundles of cloth and is using it as a walking stick, to help her with the firebox that's strapped across her lower back. She doesn't seem particularly perturbed by the weight, and she sticks to Alma's side as they leave the fort. It's only when the heavily-armored man approached from the road that her shy smile slips into an all-too-familiar scowl.

"I don't like this one." Antia says, as she turns to Alma. "He talks like a bitch."

[PersonMan]

"He's only being formal," Alma says, turning to Antia. "Besides, it's not how he talks that's important, but how he fights," she adds with a smile, before turning to the newcomer.

"We are those you seek. That you were delayed is unfortunate, but not an issue. It is good that you have joined us before we progress further into Dar - we may not have assistance in the future as we had today," Alma says with a nod.

I'll leave a bit of time in case you two want to play out some of this interaction. A bigger post moving things along will come later today or tomorrow, depending on how things turn out for me today.

[Hazuki]

Antia chuckles to herself at Alma's response. "That explains why you're a diplomat."

[CWater]

"I shall hope to prove myself in battle then, honoured lady", Rhen replies in the same emotionless voice, and bows slightly to Alma a second time. Turning to Antia and Sage, he says, "May the great Tree bless our blades and offer us strength and protection in the fights that we might soon face together." Again, he's tone doesn't match his words, it lacks spirit, like he's reading the line straight from a book.

[PersonMan]

After their brief exchange, the party sets off, heading out of the fort and going further west. Further into Dar, albeit still in the area that had been conquered by the Traiean armies. With the goal of finding a lord or lady from Terei with whom to leave your prisoner, whose silent obedience remains unchanged during your travel, Alma leads you along roads that bring you west and north. She regularly checks a hand-drawn map, adding detail to it with each break you take on the side of the road. At the end of the first day you come to a small village, Lapitor, where the locals meet you with no small degree of apprehension. Alma soothes their worries with a few words, although her generous offer of two gold in exchange for a night's rest in a cottage near the edge of the village seems to drive the worry from them more quickly than her introductions.

The night is peaceful, Alma and then Rhen keeping watch on the prisoner, who sleeps alone in a small tent set up beside the cottage. In the morning, you eat a small breakfast supplied by the owner of the cottage in exchange for another of Alma's coins before you set off. Your route continues north, bringing you through several tiny villages where the locals avoid you completely. Your second day of travel ends much like the first, although the village you rest in is large enough to have a building dedicated to providing housing to travelers. It's a simple place, but it makes it easy to keep watch on the prisoner and does give you protection from the wind that had picked up during the last few hours of daylight.

You leave after another restful night, and Alma proclaims in the morning that you should arrive at your destination, a wooded area along the Emperor's Line, one of the three great canals that extend south from the Grand Canal. She explains on the road that the area is home to a group of elves who moved west centuries ago, who had kept their faith throughout the conquest of the region by the Darese heathens. It was a perfect place for a Traiean army to make camp, and a fairly prestigious target as well. The locals had been forced by the heathens of Dar to cut down many of their sacred trees and throw them into the river to be fashioned into wood for building materials - to this day the blasphemy continued. Alma explains that these stories had reached almost all of Terei, and that they made the otherwise unimportant area a region worth fighting over.

Noon comes and goes, you eat a simple meal, and the landscape changes. Rather than the gently sloping hills and fields you had seen before, the patches of woodland grow thicker. The trees edge closer to the road and before long you see your path going directly into a true forest. Continuing into it, you find yourselves in a place reminiscent of southern Terei - great trees rise from the ground, their bark adorned with a handful of carved wooden charms. The road you had followed before slims quickly in the shade of the trees, and before long it loses the dimensions needed to be described as such. You're on a path, now. Wide enough for perhaps three people to walk side by side, it's edges are marked by smaller plants that thrive in the patches of sunlight along it. After perhaps half an hour, you find the next signs of habitation.

Built high in the canopy of several of the massive, holy trees are dozens of small platforms, walkways and huts (http://i.imgur.com/nwBbXi5.jpg). As they come into view, you see shifting movement in the bushes ahead and two elves come into view. They are lightly armed and armored, clad in leathers, wielding stone-tipped spears. Carved wooden charms hang from their necks. Their eyes go over your group briefly, and they seem to relax slightly as they look over you. Despite this, they seem to be on guard.

"Who are you? You don't look like Darese," one of them says, uncertainly looking between each of you. His eyes eventually settle on Alma, who steps forwards, nodding.

"We are not. We come from the east, from Terei," Alma responds after a moment of looking directly at each of the lightly armed elves' face. "We seek our kin. Have these trees seen the passing of any Lords or Ladies of our land?" She asks, smiling. Although she doesn't turn to you to say it, you feel with a distinct certainty that she knows that these two can be trusted.

The one who spoke before shakes his head, but it's his companion who speaks. "No," she begins, straightening her spear and setting the blunt end down on the path. "We have no Lords or Ladies here, yours or our own. You are welcome to come to our homes; all can be explained there," she says, briefly looking to her comrade, who nods after a moment of uncertainty.

Alma turns back to you, asking a response with her expression and posture. She seems to want to take their offer, but gives you a chance to speak your mind before she continues.

[Hazuki]

"If it can be explained there, it can be explained here." Antia says quite firmly indeed. She slips one Kukri out of its sheathe, certain the tree-dwelling folk won't take it as a threat. Considering their weapons are already drawn. "And, frankly, you couldn't scream 'This is an ambush' any harder."

[CWater]

Rhen stays silent, just eyes the two elves with an impassive face. He looks mildly surprised when Antia draws her weapon, but still doesn't say anything.

[PersonMan]

The two elves exchange glances, and Alma shrugs, turning back to them.

"She does have a point. Your situation can surely be explained here, can it not?" She asks, looking between the two. Eventually, the elf spearwoman nods, looking back towards the platforms in the trees before she speaks.

"The Lord of these lands left to Camintun, to speak with his lords and tell them again that we would not turn against them. They would not listen, and imprisoned him instead," as she speaks, the elf's anger becomes apparent, her grip tightening on her spear. "They treat us like traitors, threatening to slaughter our people and Lord if we do not bring more wood to them for the war, even though all we wanted was peace."

[Hazuki]

"So what solution have you been using?" Antia asks next, tilting her head at the elves. "Sending them wood?"

[PersonMan]

The elf woman shrugs, but she clearly isn't as calm as the gesture is meant to make her look.

"I am not privy to all of our plans. We can bring you to those who will decide if you will be told them, if you don't insist on staying here," she says.

[CWater]

"Why would you stay loyal to the Darese?", Rhen asks, apparently found his voice, "They don't understand or honour our values, which I've heard you share. They have no respect for the Great Tree." His tone is not accusing, more like confused.

[PersonMan]

"Given a choice between family, harvest, peace, and massacred people, scorched earth and death, which would you choose?" The elven woman replies, shaking her head. "War with Dar was something some of us wanted, but no one wanted to watch our forest burn. Now things are different, but then we saw a way to protect ourselves and the trees from the axes and fires of war."

[CWater]

"..." Rhen looks away. "Must it always be such a choice..", he says, probably just to himself.

[PersonMan]

After a short exchange between Alma and the spear wielding elves, you all follow them somewhat deeper into the forest, coming to a wooden stair built on the side of one of the great trees. With the female elf leading and the male behind you, you move up from the forest floor to the branches, where the platforms and huts rest amongst the leaves. Your arrival seems to be noticed, some branches rustling and some figures moving on the platforms above you as you reach them. Looking down, you see that you are quite far up - easily seventy feet from the ground. One step to the side and you would be plummeting down to the earth, unless you could catch yourself on the branches extending from the trees around you. Luckily, the steps are steady, and the bark offers a reassuring steadiness to any unnerved by the distance to the ground.

Not long after you find yourselves so high you emerge from the winding way, stepping onto a wide wooden platform that seems to have been built as a room - apart from the branches just outside the holes in the few walls, nothing immediately appears as an indication that this place is almost eight feet above the ground, rather than the second floor of a simple wooden building. Joining you in the odd room are two more armed elves, making a total of four that you can see. They each wield a spear, just as the first two, but theirs end in iron heads rather than stone.

Sorry for the slow post, I've been working things out and didn't want to write up a big post on a national holiday. :smallwink:

This is going to be another two-parter, unless either of you have something you'd like to say/do before I continue.

[Hazuki]

Antia kisses Alma.

[PersonMan]

As Antia suddenly steps towards Alma, the elf turns to her, questioning look on her face, while the elven spearwoman speaks to one of the iron-tipped spear wielding elves. A moment after the human's lips meet her own, the elven woman returns the gesture, but before more than a few moments pass she pulls back, smiling and placing a finger on the tip of the warrior's nose.

"Come now, we must'nt let ourselves become too distracted. There will be enough time for such things later. We do have things we must tend to in the mean time, Antia," Alma says.