A Ravenloft Campaign [AD&D 2nd Ed IC]

[Zmax15]

Moonlight reigns on a quiet night in the Demiplane of Dread. Piercing the few open patches of sky in the ever-present mists, it is held by the few store lights of the town of Aerie. Barely twenty-five-hundred strong, the town falls within the of the tyranny of Falkovnia, and all citizens know, curse, and fear their ruler Drakov. A warrior lord, Drakov hordes military power, and his men infamously takes up roughly a quarter of his largest city. Fortunately for the Aerinites, they face but a tenth of their populus.

Tonight, soldiers prowl the streets, hungry to spend their cuts of the taxes levied earlier. The few civilians and travelers who dare to leave their homes and rooms hide in their cloaks, keeping out of sight. Even those who do stay home can rarely get any sleep this empty night. Travelers from distant lands make their respective ways to the inn, the Splintered Spear, but will find themselves distracted my the sing-songs of soldiers resonating from the tavern next door, the Busted Helm.

[Ionbound]

Alice sits in the Busted Spear, hand gently resting on the hilt of her broadsword in case a fight breaks out as she accepts any requests for healing that come to her, and watches the tavern, wary for anything awry.

[BananaPhone]

Keres

The cool breeze fluttered Keres' cape as the half-giant lumbered through the late-night streets Aerie. So far she had been unmolested by the soldiery, the grim-visaged thugs instead preferring easier prey. As such, Keres had gathered a tiny entourage of several civilians that hung close to their unwitting deterrent, confident that they were safe from the deprivations of Drakov's goons whilst in her presence. So far they seemed correct.

With her helmet under one arm, several spears, a backpack and javelins hanging from her shoulders, an enormous shield on her free forearm and a wickedly sharp sword hanging from her hip, Keres seemed prepared for violence...but a pause in her stride in front of the Splintered Spear inn quickly dispels that idea.

Turning her head to look down at the several peasants following her, their own senses darting back and forth in vigilance for Drakov's men, Keres spoke with a deep, smooth voice, "I'm entering here. You might want to stay the night as well; or take your chances with the rest of your trip."

With that, Keres turned back to the door and stepped forward. Ducking low, hugging her shoulders together and turning her body on an angle, she slowly and awkwardly squeezed through the front door and brought herself up to full standing once through. Carthatically rolling her shoulders and ignoring the gawking, she approached the barkeeps main desk and gently placed her helmet upon its flank as she locked eyes with the owner.

"Good evening; do you have any rooms available? I have had a most vexing journey and would like somewhere warm."

[Kish]

Sevilin sits quietly in the common room of the Splintered Spear. This land has a terrible reputation and the tension here seems to bear it out, though no one's actually bothered him yet since he arrived; he hasn't advertised the fact that he's a wizard.

His head turns to face the door as a giant woman comes in and asks for a room. This should be interesting, if nonhumans are as unwelcome here as I've heard.

[Fighting_Ferret]

A hooded figure sits in the shadows of the common room. A half-eaten meal and a nearly empty mug in front of him. His head slightly turns upon the entrance of the giantess, before returning to the meal in front of him. He holds his hand over his mug and shakes his head when a serving girl offers to refill his drink.

The other people in the room had already been noted upon his arrival, and up until this point he had considered things somewhat normal, but this newcomer would draw unwanted attention.

[Zmax15]

The serving girl moves around the common room, offering fills and refills, though soon leaves the inn to go back next door. It will become apparent to anyone staying at either of the shops for more than a few hours that they're run by a pair or petulantly fighting brothers, only partially working together by the insistence of their respective workers, and the constant economic struggles every store owner faces. The Busted Spear itself only has a few chairs, and no food or drink, whereas the Busted Helm offers such to those in both buildings.

Keres, the innkeeper turns away from his bookkeeping to greet you, and is visibly taken aback by your stature and dress. He takes a pause, then gets out "Um, yes. Possibly. Well, I mean, I'm afraid to common room may not work, given your..." He motions to refer to your build. "I mean, people are so easily... Turned off of the strange. Not to say you're strange! Just, well, you understand I'm sure." He takes an embarrassed moment to think, looking down at your feet on the wood board. "How much do you weigh?"

[BananaPhone]

If Keres seemed angry or annoyed, she wasn't showing it. Her face remained impassive.

"That's a bold question to ask a lady," she stated, reaching a large hand towards the short sword scabbard on her hip. Instead of the blade, however, Keres' fingers plucked a pouch from her belt, opened it an withdrew several coins that looked diminutive in her sizable digits.

Placing these on the table before the inn keeper, "Something on the ground floor is ideal. I've got my own things, I can rest against a wall."

[Zmax15]

The innkeeper looks down at your coin, then at you, confused. "Oh, oh! By the high, I apologize! I did not mean to imply! I am so sorry!" He points at the hallway behind his counter "No, yes, please! Take the furthest room on the right, it's the largest one on the ground floor! Please, feel free to move the mattress to the floor. Or not! Anything, anything."

He looks around frantically, smiles, shrugs, then leaves his desk for the door. "Ugh, I have to go talk to the people next door! How do they expect anyone to get sleep with that noise? Heh!" He walks through the door at a brisk pace, pausing only make sure he doesn't hit his face in it. The whole common room and desk are left unattended.

[Kish]

"He's going to get the soldiers from the tavern," Sevilin comments. He stands up and moves to make sure he has a clear line of sight to the door and isn't standing too close to anyone else.

[Ionbound]

Alicia sits, watching the others prepare. Well, it's not her problem. Not right now, at least. If Vlad's men show up and try something stupid, then maybe. But otherwise, she's content to relax and watch.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris ignores the man and his warning about soldiers and finishes his meal, draining his mug last. To himself he thinks, Of course the innkeeper went to get soldiers. The Lord would drool to have a giant as his property. A big reward would be granted to anyone who brought him such a prize. Why did the giantess have to choose this town on this night... He pushes the plate and mug across the table from him. He gets up to light a small twig from a candle on the bar, withdrawing a pipe and lighting it from the twig. He then returns to his shadowed spot at his table, taking slow puffs from the pipe and exhaling a good-smelling smoke every so often.

[BananaPhone]

Keres raises a slender, dark eyebrow as the tavern-keeper decides to leave and depart for next door. Pursing her lips, she leans back slightly and ducks her head to watch through the front of the inn window as he hurried over to next door.

Sighing and shaking her head, she heard a warning from another patron and suspected that he was probably right. For several seconds she pondered in her head just how the conversation in the next tavern might go: "Guys, there's a giant in my tavern! Quickly, stop drinking here and come over to my place of business instead!" might not sit well with its owner - nor with the soldiers if they didn't laugh him off and had their time wasted by coming over here to discover that, well look at that, there was no big person here.

That's if the soldiers weren't already too inebriated and distracted by whores to care.

Still, there was always the off chance that they indulged his tales and investigated. The idea of Keres getting this far into Falkovnia without receiving questions and interactions of its soldiery was ludicrous, but she'd so far been able to deflect their interest with her gift of the gab.

Picking up her helmet and turning, Keres made her way through the main bar room and headed "out back". She wasn't going to be in the designated room, instead she'd look for something like the back exit to the alley or another room that she could tuck herself away into. The tavern cellar might be the safest place - if she was discovered then it was doubtful there would be the forces necessary to retain her within its confines until help arrived.

[Zmax15]

Peeking around the main floor, you find that there are four proper rooms, the common room, a stairway leading to the second floor, and a small, simple door almost hidden into the wall behind the front desk. This door is held my a small, crude padlock. The lock looks old enough to be partially eaten by rust, though the latch's rusted bolts and eaten woodwork would prove much less difficult, if you wanted to get through.

[Kish]

As the giant leaves, Sevilin sits back down, far enough away from anyone else to be prepared if a fight starts. He keeps watching the door.

[BananaPhone]

Deciding against vandalism, Keres gently knocked on the doors of the rooms in sequence - waiting for a response from within before moving to the next one.

Avoiding the abode allocated by the inn keep, when she did find an empty room she opened the door gently and, like a spider fitting into a space much smaller than its dimensions, squeezed herself together and into the room.

[Zmax15]

The night passes without event. Those staying in the Splintered Spear's rooms had each already gone to bed, meaning you could get to sleep without interruption. Those in the common room, similarly, each eventually got to sleep on their own, as what little candlelight the inn had was put out by the single inn-maid. Hours pass.

In the late hours of the night, noise echoes through the common room.

All characters in the common room make a wisdom check (d20) at -2.

[Zmax15]

Alice, you wakes up at the noise. You can tell by the sounds in the darkness that there are a number of men, all possibly armored, walking drunkenly towards the rooms. The others are either too deep in sleep, or in their own rooms to pick up on anything. They seem to be gathering around a door at the far end, by the lead of some whispered voice. You can make out part of a conversation.

"Here, here, right here."

"You're... Ugh, sure?"

"Yes, yes, positive, right here."

[Ionbound]

Alice grabs her broadsword and shield, and puts on what armor she can before carefully begins walking down the stairs, trying to remain undetected for long enough to get a better idea of what the soldiers want.

[Zmax15]

Though you can't see any definite shapes in the dark, you can make out a mass of people, all crowding around a door. You hear the doorknob shaking, though not opening.

"It's stuck."
"Yeah, yeah, sometimes they get like that, just push it."

You hear the floorboards adjust, then a figure hit against the door, pushing it open. Unfortunately for the man, he audibly falls to the ground in the room.

"Augh! Dammit alls!"

The lot of the men funnel into the room. The sound of the one on the floor and their collective boots are loud enough to wake everyone on the first floor.

"Nothing's here!"
"What?! Whattayou mean?!"
"Nothing! No giant!"
"Damn it alls! You said!"

[BananaPhone]

Keres' eyes fluttered open at the sound of blundering armor, the fumbling of locks and drunken voices. Placing one large hand flat on the ground, she slowly stood herself up and crouched low in the room in order not to strike her head on the rafters. As the bed provided would have been only good for her legs, she had instead used the mattress as pillow and had slept curled into the corner, with her legs against one wall and her torso against the adjacent.

Having slept in her armor out of habit for traveling in this province, Keres reached out and quietly drew up her expansive shield with her left forearm. Silently, her right hand found the hilt of her short sword and drew it from its scabbard.

Prepared she took extra care to step quietly as she moved over and stood behind where the door opened into her room, so that a casual inspection from the doorway would not spot her.

[Kish]

Ah, there it is. Sevilin rises from his bed, dresses, grabs his pack and heads out the door of his room toward the noise.

[Ionbound]

Alice smiles grimly as she simply waits, wondering if the soldiers will leave or if she's going to need to step in.

[Zmax15]

"I can't believe this, damn the high, what is- Oh gods, my head."
"Look, look, I'm sure it's around here somewhere, just stay, please."
"Oh no, you've wasted far enough our time. Get out of my way!"

The group shuffles out of the way as the apparent leader heads out the front door. The his men follow, all trailed by the innkeeper. He keeps trying to plead for them to help. After the men have left and the door has closed, the building is silent, until the front door opens again as the innkeeper heads off to somewhere else.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris awakened by the excessive noise stays on the booth he was sleeping on. He overhears the voices and recognises that these men are here for a purpose. He notices the innkeeper leaving as well.

[BananaPhone]

It was easy to listen in at night when background noise was at a minimum. Thus, Keres was able to barely make out the pleas of the innkeeper amidst the departure of the goon-squad he had mustered.

Little ****stain, Keres thought bitterly to herself, selling out his own customers.

Quietly peeking open her door, the half-giant, almost comically for any onlookers, attempted her best at subtly peering around corners to ensure that the innkeeper had finally left his own residence. Convinced that he had left, Keres slowly emerged from her room and moved into the main common room where the drunk soldiers had all stood barely five to ten minutes ago. Easily looking over behind the bar, Keres reached across and plucked out several items from among the perishables that she could find – bread and salted meat in particular. Leaving the amount of copper coins she thought was adequate on the table, she moved over to the corner of the room that faced the door. There, she easily moved the table aside, turned and placed her back against the corner, and sank down so that she was sitting comfortably upon the floor – her shield like a giant bowl in front of her as she had an early breakfast.

[Ionbound]

When she hears them leave, Alice stands and says to the room at large, "Well...That could have been worse."

[BananaPhone]

Keres looked up from breakfast, her enveloping hands pulling apart pieces of salted meat with ease.

“It could have been extremely painful.”

[Kish]

"I'm surprised they just left," Sevilin comments, coming into the common room. "I guess they didn't really believe him."

[BananaPhone]

Gently turning her head to regard Sevilin, Keres spoke again, "I'm surprised they even believed him enough to come over here in the first place. Heh, silly drunks, listening to fanciful tales!"

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris stirs again at the brief conversation. He maintains his place, but can't help himself from saying, "And tomorrow when those soldiers aren't drunk, what then? You arrived in the night, no one took notice of you, but as soon as the sun is up and you leave this inn... there will be... trouble." He slumps back down on his bench.

[Ionbound]

Alice nods and says, "Indeed. No doubt every darklord from here to Mordentshire wants you for their personal collection. Hmm...Perhaps if we leave now, we can escape unnoticed."

[BananaPhone]

The half-giant offered a shrug, "They let me into the city unmolested. I did some work north west of here in the mountains - helped clear out some gnolls."

[Zmax15]

"Good. Get out then."

In the direction of the voice is an elderly man, propped up on one wall. He has a pillow supporting his back, a blanket over one knee, and a body intensely weathered by age.

"One like you, they'll be after you with half their forces once they do find you. Hells, that probably applies to all of you just for having talked to her. Might just execute you too."

He slumps against the wall, adjusts his pillow, and closes his eyes, though his sly chuckle gives away that he's not getting to sleep

[Kish]

Sevilin raises an eyebrow at the falsely-sleeping old man. "You just spoke to her. Planning on fleeing?"

[Ionbound]

Alice shrugs and says, "Might as well. I've spent a good while here anyways...Time to move on before the Darklord is annoyed. Does anyone want to come with me?"

[BananaPhone]

Kere's face frumped (http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1823819/frump_right_400x400.jpeg) in the direction of the old man - her mind pondering whether to glare at him some more or say something witty.

Or more likely she'd raise one foot and stomp it down while childishly announcing "But I don't want to go!" Fortunately she resisted this instinct.

Sighing softly, "I'm sorry for bringing this on you," Keres said to the small group of people, "they had not given me any trouble outside the city - nor in it...until that blasted Innkeeper. He'll get his..." she uttered, narrowing her eyes, pursing her lips and glaring off to the side as if distracted by private revenge fantasies.

Watching the slender human woman stand and announce her intent to leave, Keres felt obligated to help her out...if only that she was the primary force that had unwittingly compelled her to leave. "I'll help you get out," the half-giant said, clearing the things off her legs and slowly getting up into a hunched position. "It's the least I can do for forcing you to leave in the first place."

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris gets up and puts his pack on over his shoulders and walks towards the door of the inn."I for one don't care to be around when they return. I suggest we leave post haste." He looks up at Alice as she speaks. "I would travel with you, better to travel in a small group than alone."

[Zmax15]

The old man continues to chuckle to himself. "Sure thing. May the lucks shine, and that." He readjusts himself once again and quiets. "I'll just be here, poor old me, left here on my own. The guards'll probably kill me, too. I hope you lot enjoy yourselves on your journeys." He sighs. "Oh woe am I. I do hope I see you in the hells I'm surely going to."

[BananaPhone]

Narrowing her eyes at that old man and resisting the urge to give him a slap over the back of the head, Keres turned her attention to Sevilin. He seemed quite terse, things considered.

"So, want to wait around here until the soldiers come back - or want to come along with us three ladies to see how far we can get?"

[Kish]

Sevilin frowns at the old man. "Sure, I'll go with you," he tells the giant woman.

[BananaPhone]

"Well, that's settled then," Keres stated.

"I'd say the alley-ways are the safest bet of remaining unnoticed..." she trailed off as she moved towards the backdoor, "Does anyone know somewhere outside of the city where we could head to?"

[Zmax15]

"I do. I know a way, but-but, I cannot walk, for I am an old and feeble man, woe am I." The old man feigns weakness, then limply holds out his arms. "Fetch me a cart, please."

[BananaPhone]

Looking over her shoulder at the old man, Keres narrowed her eyes into suspicious slits. Again. There was something off about this geezer...something coyish. He was definitely leading them on about something.

"Where's the cart you used to get in here, 'old and feeble man'?"she asked suspiciously, taking several slow steps towards him until she stood looming above his frail figure.

"Besides, a cart will just slow us down and make a racket. Wait here."

The giant disappeared back into the hallway of the guest rooms. Several moments later she returned carrying one of the linen shields in her hands. It looked small, no bigger than a towel for her, but for the old man it was an enveloping bag. Holding it out, "Now, don't struggle," she said and got to work.

Should he not resist, then he would be packaged up and Keres would hold the sack over her shoulder like a giant Santa Claus. From the opening of this bag protruded the old mans head, comfortably pillowed by the multitudinous folds of the sheet so that he would ride in comfort.

"You're a shifty man old man, and if I fi - actually, what is your name?"

[Zmax15]

"Hey, hey now, careful," the man barks from his apparently awkward perch. He doesn't stop fighting his bag. "I haven't the need to answer any of your questions, and-and, oh, deary me I, I can't remember, ooh, no. Just please go, I need to rest."

[Ionbound]

Alice snickers at the man in the bag, but when he refuses to give up his name, she frowns and says, "Oh really? Because it'd be far easier and safer to leave you here than travel with a man that knows our names but hasn't give up his own."

((She's bluffing, by the way. She's not going to leave him here.))

[Zmax15]

The aged man blinks from his sack. "I do? No I don't. You're lying, I know nothing." He turns his attention away from you, and desperately tries to turn himself around from facing your direction. "Just go. That's all I'll say; why the hells are we still here?."

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris looks at the small group, his face expressionless, but his voice as he speaks betraying his face with a note of impatience.

"We can save introductions for later. The old man has the right of it, we should move...now."

Satyris will leave the room first keeping an eye out for anyone who might be able to detect their leaving in the middle of the night.

[Kish]

Sevilin lifts his shoulders in a shrug and heads out the door second, behind the strange hooded man.

[BananaPhone]

With that settled, Keres started to head out along with the rest of the group. Across one forearm was her large shield with her other hand grasped the neck of the improvised sack that she had slung over one shoulder.

[Ionbound]

Alice sighs and follows, hand on her broadsword, ready for trouble.

[Zmax15]

"Just go out, turn right, take a turn right." The old man adjusts his weight, straighning to get a peek over Keres's shoulder. "Jesus, why do you need so much hair?"

[BananaPhone]

"It's a gift," the half-giant muttered while still facing forward.

Following the old mans directions, the half-giant stepped out into the cool night breeze and peered both ways down the alley. Satisfied that no hostiles were present, she 'took a right' and moved down the alleyway - taking another right at the T-intersection she reached.

[Ionbound]

Alice follows, very nervous and wary of any possible ambushes.

[Kish]

Remembering something his mentor told him, Sevilin tries to make sure one of his pro-tem companions is between him and any possible angle of attack (I'd say "he walks in the middle," but that may not be possible, depending on where they're walking relative to each other).

[Zmax15]

"Don't feed me your phrases. Left here, from there just follow the light." Your group catches the attention of a group of young hooligans out past their curfews, but they just turn and head to an alleyway. "It's unbecoming of a warrior and a woman to mouth off to her elders."

[BananaPhone]

Keres made sure that her eyes remaiend alert for an ambush or signs of betrayal while following the directions of her passenger.

"I count myself lucky that you're not my elder then," she returned over her shoulder, turning left where directed and continuing straight on "to the light" - assuming that was not a coy red herring of a future betrayal.

"Who knows - I might be older than you! I'm just better at keeping my youth and startling good looks."

[Zmax15]

"Don't talk to me like that, I never asked to help you and I don't anticipate I'm going to keep putting up with it! I can leave whenever I want!"

[BananaPhone]

Smirking as she found the old mans ranting amusing, the half-giant kept following 'towards the light'. "You want to leave; we want to leave; it's why we are together right now. Which way? Keep going forward?"

[Zmax15]

"No, take a left, then turn right on the main street. Follow that until one off* main gate." He turns to Sevilin and asks, "Can you honestly believe the manners this girl?" he says with complete disregard for Keres's presence only a few inches away.

*common parlance of Falkovnia usually avoids specific distances, rather stating numbers and assuming measures, typically feet, yards, city blocks, miles, or even countries.

[Kish]

Sevilin raises an eyebrow and replies, "I've seen less believable things. Men who can't remember their names, for example." He keeps an eye out for anyone who looks dangerous.

[BananaPhone]

By now she had come to ignore the old mans prattling as she came in sight of the main gatehouse.

The main gate house? The guarded gate house...the type of people they were trying to get away from.

Figuring she had nowhere to hide around here anyway, she might as well push forward.

Moving ahead, Keres walked until she was 'one off' the gate.

[Zmax15]

Continuing forward, none of you can help but notice a few more soldiers on the streets. They slowly start to notice your party, and a few put their hands to their shields. At the gatehouse in the distance, the guards at duty adjust their stances. "Alright, turn left into that alley up there," the old man tries to motion without his arms to a narrow alleyway hardly a building's width from the gatehouse.

[BananaPhone]

Keres made sure not to make eye contact with any of the guards, instead just continuing on her way as if this was a normal late evening.

With nothing to say, and only her caution to retain her, the half-giant followed the mans directions and turned left into an alley. An alley was good, she thought. In a city like this, a being of her size could hold off hundreds in the narrow confines of an alley - their numbers reduced to just 2 or 3 at a time - easily defeated.

[Ionbound]

Alice looks at the gate nervously, and follows Keres into the alley, apprehensive that the old man might be leading them into a trap.

[Kish]

Sevilin stays with the group, showing no sign of nervousness.

[Zmax15]

You follow the alley for what feels like longer than it should be, then you figure just how long this alley is. Far off you can make out the next street, but it feels more like the light at the end of a long tunnel than a part of an inhabited city. About halfway through the old man orders you to stop, and points out a part of a wall. "It's a false wall, there. Should be able to push it in, sneak outside." You can just about make out the fake area in the dark.

[Kish]

"And how is it that a literally and figuratively nameless old man knows about this place?" Sevilin asks.

[Zmax15]

"Figure yourself. During the prohibitions I helped smuggle unmentionables into the city from a place up north, now go, go, before they catch wise."

[BananaPhone]

Keres looked at the section of wall, then turned her head to suspiciously consider the old man. He knew all it would take for her to end him is pull the opening of the bag tightly around his throat...was he some type of mage? He certainly didn't seem that intimidated or perturbed.

Looking back to the wall, she placed her shield down and pressed a large hand against it and pressed firmly.

[Ionbound]

Alice blinks and says, "Wait, what? What in the mists would you be smuggling in from Darkon of all places?"

[Zmax15]

The old man openly laughs at the question. It could be the first genuine expression you've heard from him thus-far. "Never! You could never pull that! What did your mother teach you, miss? There was a war!"

Pushing on the portion of stone, it falls back to show just some clever crafts on a hinge. Behind the new opening is a small tunnel heading down below the building. It's large enough that most men could crouch-walk through, though Keres will have to fully crawl.

"When I was your age, you couldn't get a point the magical do-dads and shill-tossers you can today, because they took them all." He emphasizes his syllables em-pha-tic-al-ly. "You think down here they'd let even so much as a silvered dagger past their watch with the Darken hordes breathing down their necks? They nabbed every damned silver, holy, and magic tool they could get, shoved it to the border and thought it could help, and what a fat lot of good that got them. Mists lie as the Mists lie. Here, set me down, I'll lead the crawl through."

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris remains silent throughout the exchange. He'll fall inline with the othes to exit through the secret passage.

[BananaPhone]

Peering into the small, low-hanging ceiling, Keres can be heard letting out a weary sigh, "How delightful..." she uttered in resignation.

Once the others had entered, Keres brought up the rear. The main problem of her crawling was, actually, her spears. Carrying several of the weapons at 20 feet each, she had to hold them in one hand as she crawled forward slowly so that the tips did not bob back and forth and accidentally make a gash in the backs of her companions.

[Kish]

Sevilin will wait until everyone but Keres has gone into the passage, so that he's almost at the rear.

[Ionbound]

Alice takes the lead, shield lifted to protect from any projectiles coming from down the tunnel.

[Zmax15]

"I swear, not a person nowadays remembers their histories, and that's the most important!" He continues to ramble as you all move through the tunnel, going some way at the occasional branch. "In any case no, I did not smuggle from Darken. I'd love to see even the hardest of smugglers manage that. No, no, I got in potions from this alchemist near Morfenzi. Nothing big, a few healing drinks, the occasional love potion for a smitten aristocrat in Borca, maybe acids or tindersticks here and there, that kind of thing." Whenever we heard from the fellow, he'd just ask us to get more salts, flowers, whatever ingredients he had. Oh, that's right I didn't say; the alchemist we got all these from just let us have them to sell as we wanted. All he wanted from us was to make sure he got his ingredients, most of which we smuggled out of Borca. The one time I met him, before we got a regular route up, he seemed swell. Kinda' young to be working as well as he did, but none of us ever complained."

You all cross over what seems to be a space where a false wall comes down, and keep on.

"About a year before the war closed we stopped getting shipments to or from him. The caravan we'd hired said he'd been finally nabbed by Drakov. It was no consolation that we got the ingredients back, that man was the easiest gold you'd ever seen, piles of the stuff every other month. Of course my partner ended up screwing me out of every piece I had, but what're you going to do? Here we go."

The tunnel becomes slightly stouter for a short way, to where the normal sized of you would have to come to an almost-crawl. While you're each noticing that though, you're surprised when you see the old man sprint-crawling ahead of you, and picking himself up to walk into a room ahead.

[BananaPhone]

Keres rolled her eyes at the old mans babbling, her attention drifting off into a mechanised automotion as she dragged herself forward with one arm and used her other to ensure her long-reaching weapons didn't skewer any of her compatriots.

Thus, it took her longer than the others to realise they had finally reached the end of their little passageway.

Once able, the half-giants six and a half foot long arm, as thick as a mans chest, protruded through the small exit and grabbed onto something - anything that felt stable. Once feeling secure, she used her physical power to haul her massive figure out of the cramped confines and into the open where she could straighten herself out.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris will take a look into the room before fully entering it. If it appears safe, then he will enter.

[Kish]

Sevilin will be right behind Satyris.

[Ionbound]

Alice enters the room as well, and looks around, curious as to where they are and what they've gotten themselves into.

[Zmax15]

First one up, a sword-point is put to your neck. Lifting against your throat, you don't have much choice but to rise to a stand. The rest of you are stopped by another sword, two spears, and an arrow pointed at the opening. Your new captors are very dirty, though none are dressed in what you'd call the clothes of a peasant. More leather or hide armors, or patchwork to make them look serious. They look like hooligans-hooligans with some coin, but a distaste for bathing nonetheless. The old man is behind them, and says something into a hall. "Close 'em!"

Keres can hear the sound of the false wall coming down behind all of you.

"Well well," says the one with the short-sword to Alice's neck. "Looks' the old man finally got something good to us." He shouts to all of you, "Drop yer' weapons where you are 'n come out quiet. We haven't the need for violence now."

[Kish]

Yeah, that's going to happen. Carefully making no threatening moves yet, Sevilin goes over his spells in his mind and decides that the best choice for this situation is the simplest, Magic Missiling the goon who's doing the talking. Now if he just moves that sword away from the woman's neck for a second...

[BananaPhone]

Hearing the commotion on the outside of the tunnel, Keres sighed and gritted her jaw. That old goat would pay. Treachery was unforgivable.

When the others moved aside from the exit, Keres brought herself out quickly and straightened herself up. Across her left forearm was her shield as she peered down at the sorry lot that had a death-wish, before peering up to spot the old man on the other side of the room.

The half-giant patted the short sword in her scabbard, "You want it? Come and claim it."

ooc:
Readying action.
AC: 3 against melee, 2 against ranged.

[Ionbound]

Alice raises her hands and says, with a look directed at Keres that said Don't antagonize the people holding a sword to my throat, "I'm sure we can come to a peaceful resolution. Trust me, you're making a big mistake. Ezra protects her faithful." As she says the last sentence, she gestures slightly behind her back, trying to cast Hold Person on her foes.

Cast Hold Person, catching as many as possible in the 20-ft. cube without harming my allies.

People Effected: [roll0]
Casting Speed 5

[Zmax15]

The front man gives a laugh as rest turn in unison to point at the half-giant. "And so I do guess that you'll be just letting this one here get a-" He stops mid-statement, as if frozen in the air. Three of the four other men look around, surprised, while one of the swordsmen continues to hold his sword in front of him, blank-faced. The free men look at you, and raise their weapons.

Two passed saving throw.
Roll initiative. (d10+Weapon Speed)

EDIT: Keres can draw her weapon and make an attack, given the Ready.

[Kish]

Seeing that the speaker is no longer moving, Sevilin changes his target to one of the obviously nonparalyzed men and utters a short, effective Magic Missile spell. If at all possible, he'll stand somewhere that makes him a less convenient target than any of his companions.

Initiative: [roll0] I take it lower is better.
Damage: [roll1]

[Fighting_Ferret]

weapon = longsword with speed 5
[roll0]

[BananaPhone]

The half-giant was a little surprised at the speakers sudden paralysis. Was he "special"? That was pretty silly of them to put a narcoleptic in charge of their little ambush team.

Still, not wanting to waste a good change, Keres drew her short sword (http://www.zombietools.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/xiphos-photo.png). The blade was considered short for the half-giant at a mere three feet in length, but for a human that was half the size of a tall man. A trained soldier before her constrictiption to these lands, Keres was intimately familiar with this blades strengths and weaknesses: stabbing was its preferred method of use with the option of hacking from the weight in its top. Either way it was perfectly suited for being up close and personal, as the half-giant was about to demonstrate.

ooc:
Keres has specialisation in the Short Sword, so she can attack three times in one round and twice the next round. Just for clarification, she makes 1 attack now and then 2 more attacks at the end of this round (after the others have gone).

Her total THAC0 is 11. 16 base - 4 strength modifier - 1 weapon specialisation. So then just minus the armor for her opponents, I suppose. You mentioned it was just hide and leather, yes? If so, then 8 AC would bring what she needs to roll down to a 3.

She's going to attack one of the men with the spears. If her first attack kills him, then she'll attack the next one and, if he dies as well, she'll then attack the next one. If not she'll attack 1 target until he's dead and then move onto the next with whatever attacks are left over.

Attack 1:
Damage: [ROLL](1d6*2)+11

Attack 2:
Damage: [ROLL](1d6*2)+11

Attack 3:
Damage: [ROLL](1d6*2)+11

[Zmax15]

Keres's sword comes down on one of the men, and he hardly makes it out in two pieces. Just after, Sevelin's Magic Missiles fully pierce the torso of the second sword-wielder. The arrowman looks at his dead friends and lets his arrow fly. Keres, the arrow penetrates a joint of your armor, and you're very momentarily caught in surprise.

The round is not yet over.
Keres, take 6 points of damage.
Alice, to push over the held man make a strength check without bonus. Failing would take your chance to draw your sword this round.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris the Scout (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=1009908)

Satyris will attack the archer.


THAC0= 15
To Hit:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

[BananaPhone]

Snorting loudly as the arrow embedded itself into her tough skin, Keres brought her angry glare around to focus on the archer that had loosed his puny weapon at her. As she did so she wretched her short sword from what remained of her first opponent.

The half-giant snarled a guttural, quaking sound at the man as she brought her huge shield up in front of her body with one hand and used the other to strike the flat side of her sword against it several times. Her great strength and the bronze-and-oak construction of her shield caused a hideous racket in the wake of only seeming mildly annoyed by the arrow protruding from her towering figure. Having just been the utensil of disembowelment, the short sword splattered blood and bodily humors across both the shield and the adjacent wall.

[Ionbound]

Alice draws her longsword and swings at the paralyzed man before her, aiming to deal a critical wound before he can move again.

It is, in fact, a broadsword, but eh.

[roll0] vs. 18-Enemy AC-Modifiers
[roll1]

[Zmax15]

Satyris's swing hits the bowman in the arm, caught completely unaware given the Keres staring him down. The sudden weight of the blow twists his chest, opening to another blow. Alice's blow likewise pierces it's target, and blood drips from the wound in his stomach.

Critical hits open up the target for a another attack; roll to-hit again.
Both petrified persons can be attacked without to-hit roll, and could be killed with just one slitting of the throat.

[Fighting_Ferret]

THACO: 15
[roll0]

[Zmax15]

Your blade cleaves into the bowman's chest, and he falls. Removing your sword, you all find the room quite. The small stone room is lit by a single torch, and more light comes from the hallway at the far end. The restrained breathing from the last remaining man (still petrified) picks up audibly.

[Ionbound]

Alice turns to look at the man and asks the party, "Anyone have any rope?"

[Kish]

"I think we'd do better to just leave him and hurry before reinforcements arrive. Maybe knock him out, but really, I doubt he'll be too eager to come after us when your spell wears off. Isn't that right, goon? I don't need to tear your soul out and eat it, do I?"

Sevilin does not, of course, actually expect the paralyzed man to respond verbally.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris shrugs his backpack from his shoulders. He begins removing his rope from the side of his pack and begins to tie the paralyzed man up, looping the 50 foot length around the man's body tying his hands, feet, and arms into a hog tie.

To Keres: "Guard the door, we'll see what he has to say."

[BananaPhone]

"There's no time. Knock him out. Tie him up. Cut his throat. Whichever takes your fancy." Keres said, grabbing one of the dead men, holding him up and cleaning her sword off on his clothing. Once that was done, she took her helmet that had been tied on her hip and placed it on her head; the blue mowhawk granting her an extra foot of height and the pitiless, steel visage of the helm making her even more imposing.

Keres then re-sheathed her blade and withdrew her 20 foot long spear. Taking long, heavy strides towards the door, she explained, "The treacherous old man was speaking to others out of sight; there are more. They know we're here, but they weren't expecting their welcoming committee to fail. That gives us the advantage of initiative - we should go on the offensive while we maintain it."

With that said the half-giant moved over to the door and stood right in front of it. Her massive shield came up and to cover from her chin down to her knee's as she brought her spear over to point forward down the hallway.

ooc:
What does she see down the hall?

[Zmax15]

On the other side of the flimsy door is a short corridor, hardly the length of a man's height. At the end of that, however, is what appears to be a kind of living quarters from what you can make out. Stew smell resonates, a small fire can be heard, and the end of a bedroll is in your line of sight. Apart from those sounds, smells, and sights, you fail to catch anything in the modestly-sized room ahead.

[Kish]

Sevilin opens his mouth to speak to Satyris, then closes it as Keres speaks. As she moves to the door, he nods fervently. "Definitely no time. Our 'friend' and whoever closed the wall behind us will be getting more guards already, with a more realistic assessment of what they need to be prepared for than 'one giant and three random peasants.' What do you see?" he asks Keres.

[BananaPhone]

"Empty living quarters," Keres responds.

The half-giant had been expecting a longer corridor - something in which she could advance and hold any incoming foes off at the long distance of her spear. Now that she was presented with the reality, however, she knew carrying a long weapon like that would only make her vulnerable to attacks on her flanks.

Putting her spear away, she once more drew her short sword. Only just noticing it now out of the corner of her sight, Keres hissed under her breath as she reached over to the arrow protruding from her body. Displaying a nimbleness that came with practiced, she twisted the shaft this way and that before before pulling it out and tossing it onto the floor.

Then, she waited for her compatriots to form up behind her.

"A couple of you should grab those spears," she gestured to the weapons the dead men held, "and stay behind me. You'll be safe out of reach, but they won't be."

[Ionbound]

Alice nods, but says, "Why are we pursuing this? Can't we just leave?"

[BananaPhone]

"The only way out is through there," Keres stated plainly, pointing the tip of her short sword to the living quarters in emphasis.

[Zmax15]

Though you continue to watch the other room, you don't pick up on any changes. Though you cannot see all of it, anyone who happened to be standing out of sight without knowledge of your precense would likely have made some noise. At some point, the previously petrified man breaks from his spell. "Hagh! The ****in' Hells, oh." He rasps on the ground, and twists in his restraints. When you look at him, he tries to scramble away. "Gods, gods please, I don't want to die, please, just let me go."

[Kish]

"Did you think we wanted to die or be enslaved when you attacked us? Maybe you should think about that for a while." Sevilin looks at the door. "Let's go."

[Ionbound]

Alice nods and says, "Mmhm. Quite. I am curious as to what lead you to believe it was a good plan to try to kidnap an Anchorite, though. Care to enlighten us? Or would you rather meet the same fate as your friend?"

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris places the point of his sword on the man's throat.

"First thing is first... How many others of you are there?"

[Kish]

"Can we please get out of here before we get trapped by the entire army?" Sevilin stays focused on Keres; if she leaves the room he's right behind her.

[Zmax15]

"Hey, hey, it was nothing personal! The-the military! And-and Drakov! The common man!" He takes a few breaths. "I really don't know why we do anything we do, Raggus was really good at persuading!" He takes a short moment to position himself against the wall. "Nobody else knows about here but us and the old man and his daughter, but those two're the worst cowards you've seen. The powers have it they've probably left by now. The other room has a ladder to a hatch, where we've smuggled through, you should go through there, should you please." He looks down at his restraints, seemingly compliant.

[BananaPhone]

While the captive spoke and plead his innocence, an innocence that was strangely absent when it was him and his buddies that were holding the weapons, Keres peered through that hallway as her mind raced with the possibilities of the old man. That he was a coward was no surprise - that she expected. But if he had offspring with him....well, there was no telling what foolish things his desperation would compel him into doing.

Besides, under normal circumstances Keres could see the value in interrogating their prisoner. However the current circumstances dictated otherwise, as there was no telling where, or who, the old man would run to in order to salvage something from the ambush that had backfired.

"Knock him out, shut up him - do whatever you want. We need to keep moving," Keres stated over her shoulder.

With that said, the half-giant turned back to the hallway and started to progress forward, keeping her eyes alert for any traps or signs of another ambush.

[Zmax15]

You push your way into the room to be met with nothing out of the ordinary. To one side a small kettle heats on unwatched flames near some tossed bedrolls, and to the other a hardly professional looking ladder stands propped against the wall, leading up to a hole in the ceiling looking out to the tops of trees. A light breeze enters by the hole, and the tips of daytime can just barely be seen in the light.

[Kish]

"Will that ladder hold you?" Sevilin asks Keres.

[BananaPhone]

Keres looked up and down at the ladder and considered Sevilins question.

"I don't think it needs to..." she answered. Placing her shield down and sheathed her short sword, the half-giant stretched her arms up and reached for the hatch. With an extra six feet gained from her arms, she possessed a reach of approximate 17 feet. She could even jump for an extra couple of feet.

Once her fingers had grasped the rim, it was just a matter of hauling herself up.

[Ionbound]

Alice looks at the ladder, then at Keres, and says, "Um...Mind letting the people that run less of a risk of wrecking the ladder go first?"

[Zmax15]

Hoisting yourself up, you can make out part of the sunrise through the ever-present mist curtain. From what light there is, you can't make out any people or animals, nor the direction of Aerie, given the abundance of low-sprouting foliage and thick tree-trunks.

[BananaPhone]

Above the hatch, Keres looked back down the hole to the rest of the group.

"That rickety thing?" she said, looking over at the ladder. Slowly, she steadied herself and extended a long, powerful arm down to haul up the rest of the group. "I wouldn't put it past that sneaky old man to cut it somewhere - a trap you wouldn't notice until you're falling."

[Kish]

"I doubt he'd do something like that unless he saw profit in it," Sevilin says, but he accepts Keres' lift up anyway.

"We should probably get out of Falkovnia as fast as we can. Just a minute." He pulls out a small book and pen from somewhere under his tunic, opens it to a list of domains, and makes a checkmark next to Falkovnia before the book and pen vanish into his clothing somewhere.

[Zmax15]

All having been hoisted up my Keres, you find yourselves in the middle of the woods. You still cannot make out the exact direction of the city, though it couldn't have been far, and you could likely figure a vague direction from where you entered the underground sanctuary. You notice a wooden hatch that must have been at some time used to cover up the hole in the ground, along with dirt and bits of plant from around the area. If any of you have a compass, Richemulot is south, and should not be blocked off, just based off of recent word-of-mouth.

[Ionbound]

Alice looks around and says, "So...Where to now?"

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris looks at the sky, noting the direction of the rising sun.

"I do not know where you want to go, but I know that way..." He points his finger at the rising sun. "... is east."

[BananaPhone]

Keres closed the hatch once the group had exited before taking her helmet off and tucking it away.

"I haven't been in these lands long enough to have a preference. Anywhere we're not attacked on sight would be preferable, however." she stated.

[Ionbound]

Enora shrugs and says, "I go where the Mists take me."

[Kish]

"Don't look at me. I've only been in Valachan and Falkovnia long enough to get chased out of it...Valachan's friendlier than Falkovnia, apparently." Sevilin scowls as though what he just said offends him personally. "But I'm not going back yet. Richemulot is that way, though."

[Kish]

After a few minutes pass without anyone else saying anything, Sevilin adds, "Necropolis is supposed to be friendly to nonhumans and wizards? It's also the most heavily guarded border, though. I doubt we could get through, but if it's what everyone else wants, I'll try it. But whether we're going to Richemulot or Necropolis, we should move, not stick around here."

[Zmax15]

A stiff wind passes over your party. A few of you feel slight rain on your heads, which might be picking up later.

The decision is yours'. Where do you go?

[BananaPhone]

Looking up at the sky and pulling her cloak around her a little tighter, Keres commented "Richemulot is more welcoming that a place called Necropolis, in my opinion,"

Pursing her lips, nodding, Keres started walking in the direction of the province, "We should get started."

[Kish]

Sevilin stays close behind the giant.

[Ionbound]

Alice nods and says, as she walks confidently next to the giant, "Quite. Richemulot it is."

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris pulls his cloak tighter and says, "I'll take the lead..." as he moves out in front of the small group.

[Zmax15]

You begin your path south to Richemulot. You soon pass across a road that heads into Aerie, but sneak across without attracting attention. Within about a half an hour, you reach river, though moving a ways downstream you come to a part shallow enough to wade through, and do so. The rest of the day you spend trekking through woods. Though you meet any people, you're all moderately sure from change in flora that you've left Falkovnia. Night falls, and you set up camp.

[Kish]

"I'll take the first watch," Sevilin volunteers.

[BananaPhone]

"Fine by me," Keres stated, finding a place where she could take her large back-pack of and rest it against a tree. Letting out a sigh as she rolled her large shoulders, the giant looked about and took several seconds to draw in the natural beauty that surrounded her. The running streams, the green vegetation, the quiet tranquility...it was often easy to over-look when living a career of violence as she had, but sometimes ti was refreshing, cathartic even, to spend time in the wilderness with nary but ones thoughts.

The half-giant unstrung several of the pouches and sacks that hung from her body and placed them on the ground. As she did so, a childlike glimmer suddenly sparkled across her eyes as she smirked and hurriedly dug through one of the bags. Shuffling about, she finally fished out a jar that appeared tiny inside her monstrous hands, but whose contents were a soft amber in color. Effortlessly, Keres popped the top off and dug a finger inside, swirled it around, then withdrew it and stuck it in her mouth. "Mmm..." she purred to herself, sucking the delicious honey from her finger as she dipped it back in for more.

The giant sat down and placed her back heavily against the tree as she continued to enjoy her jar of honey.

ooc:
Marking a jar of honey off my equipment list.

[Ionbound]

Alice nods and says, "I'll take second watch, then," as she sits down and begins to meditate.

[BananaPhone]

Keres swirled her long tongue around inside the jar so that not a single drop of the delicious substance was lost to her. Once she was done, she placed the jar upon the ground and sat there, satisfieid for the moment as her eyes narrowed sleepily. Looking about, she watched Alice take to the floor cross-legged and close her eyes - whatever for? the half-giant wondered to herself. In truth, she knew very little about any of those she was with, save that they weren't interested in stabbing her in the back.

"What are you doing?" Keres asked curiously.

[Ionbound]

Alice looks up, opening an eye, and says, "'m meditating. You know how elves go into a trance-thing instead of sleep? It's kinda like that. Only, instead of rest, I can ask Ezra questions. So far she hasn't answered, though." A short laugh before she continues, "I doubt I'm a prophet, though, so that's probably a good thing."

[Fighting_Ferret]

"I'll take last watch." Satyris sets up his sleeping bag. It was his habit to appear to sleep like the others, but as the priest had mentioned, elves don't sleep. It was always better to appear normal, than to stick out.

[Zmax15]

You all lay in for the night, and Sevilin takes the first watch. As night and mist further overtake the woods, you're all stuck by the cold, colder than you've felt outside before. By the powers, winter could be coming early. Hours pass uneventfully. By the time you feel as though your shift is coming to an end, you hear something near Keres. Looking from were you are you can make out some small creatures moving in the dark.

[Kish]

I'll wake Keres first and whisper to her that some creatures approach, then wake the others similarly.

[Zmax15]

You start to wake the party, but approaching Keres you tell that something was very close to her. You hear some chit chit sounds near her person before they all stop. As if sensing your presence, all of them skitter into the brush. You proceed to wake everyone.

[BananaPhone]

The half-giants eyes fluttered open as a combination of external chittering and her companions prodding stirred her from her sleep.

The usual awaking drowsiness seemed to vanish quickly as the possibility of danger spiked Keres' mind into action. Turning her head this way and that, her large hands reached out to seize both the hilt of her short sword and the arm-sheath of her shield.

Fortunately for her, the half-giant had employed three winter blankets for the evening. One was rolled up into a pillow, one was worn as normal and the third was perched across some branches as a make-shift canopy against possible rain. Now that Keres was waking up, however, she turned her head towards the source of the chit chitering and drew herself up, eyes scanning the darkness.

[Zmax15]

You raise yourself just in time to completely miss whatever was near you. You hear some rustling in the distance, but it soon disappears. Turning to your own person, you can make out your bag where you remember it, apparently untouched. The night clouds your vision beyond noticing details.

[BananaPhone]

Her eyes peering and scanning across the dark umbrage of the forest, Keres reaches out with her foot and draws her bag over closer to herself.

"We must stack our things in one pile," she uttered to the others, "Then sleep sitting up - our backs against the pile, and our bodies forming a circle around it."

[Kish]

Sevilin participates readily in making a pile of the party's gear.

[Fighting_Ferret]

"If you say so." Satyris says as he scans the surrounding bushes.


Can Satyris see anything looking into the bushes with his infrared elven vision?

[Ionbound]

Alice frowns as she looks around and asks, "Why? What did you see?" as she helps stack their possessions.

[Kish]

"I'm not sure. Some kind of small creatures, who ran away as soon as I started moving. I wonder if we can sleep out here."

[Zmax15]

You move your collective things into a small pile. Though Sevelin searches the bushes, Keres makes the only interesting find. Though the rest of your things are where they're supposed to be, your emptied jar of honey is nowhere to be found. After searches, no other items seem to have been lost. Eventually your party quiets down, but before any of you can get back to sleep, you all hear a sound coming from an edge of the clearing. There are the sounds of some shifting branches, but the more noticeable almost sounds to your ears as music. There are no discernible instruments or vocals, but rather some metallic ringing, forming a seamless tune off of the wind.

[Kish]

"What is that?" Sevilin asks no one in particular. "We should investigate."

[Ionbound]

Alice shakes her head and says, "Nuh-uh. Knowing this place, it'll be nothing good."

[Kish]

"You know Richemulot? Regardless, and especially if it's something bad, I think simply trying to go back to sleep would be a very bad way to handle it. And going back into Falkovnia would be even worse."

[BananaPhone]

"We can either post a sentry and wait until daybreak, or we start moving now at night," the half-giant said. Neither option was particularly attractive.

[Fighting_Ferret]

"Moving at night is something better left to times of desperation. Whatever it is, it hasn't attacked us. We can post 2 sentries, whilst the other 2 rest. I will volunteer first watch."

[Kish]

Sevilin frowns, but says, "Then I'll stay on first watch as well."

[Ionbound]

Alice nods and says, "I thank you both. Now, unless anything else happens, I shall sleep."

She returns to her bedroll and tries to sleep, but can't, too worried about what might come in the night,

[Zmax15]

Shortly after the you return to your bedrolls, the sound stops. A night chill passes over your camp, and those watch feel hints of rain through the night. Occasionally one hears a sound in a bush, but nothing beyond the wind, or perhaps some rodent. Early in the morning when the sky is hardly lit, rain starts falling hard. Everyone is woken unceremoniously.

[Kish]

"Good morning!" Sevilin says with mock cheerfulness when it becomes obvious everyone is awake.

[Ionbound]

Alice sighs as she feels the rain fall and says, "We should get moving. I don't want to spend another night out here."

[Kish]

"Let's go somewhere where I don't need to cast another magic missile," Sevilin says dryly, pitching his voice low enough that hopefully no one besides his companions can hear it. "I won't be able to cast that spell again until I get some sleep."

[BananaPhone]

The half-giant grumbles as she looks up at the rainy sky. Muttering something under her breath, Keres moved under a tree that provided some protection against the rain. Once there, she used one of her winter blankets to dry her hair. Once that was done, she removed several flasks of oil from her backpack and soaked one of her blankets in the collected pool in order to make it hydrophobic in order to keep the water off. Once this was done, she put her normal blue cape away inside her backpack and used her new waterproof winter blanket almost like a poncho in order to keep the rain off. Finally, she placed her helmet on her head in order to keep the rain out of her hair.

Once this was all done, she turned to the others, "Everyone ready to head off? If you've got a bow I hope you've put the string away in a pouch until the rain is gone." she asked.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris collects his belongings, pulls his cloak closer about himself, and finally shoulders his pack.

"Let's away then."

[Zmax15]

You set out into the woods. The thick tree branches thankfully protect you from much of the rain, but you do all still get wet, some more than others. After roughly an hour or so of travel, the forest thins and you find yourselves moving across some plains, and eventually come to a fence. On the other side is a small patch of large mushrooms, and more patches of similar farm are split by fence every few yards. You can make out sounds of conversation from the distance. Through the pale fog you can make out a several-story farmstead.

Sevilin has had more than enough time to memorize a first-level spell, and could have done so for any he knows.

[Kish]

"They might be able to direct us to an inn," Sevilin suggests.
Sevilin will prepare Magic Missile in his empty slot again then.

[Zmax15]

Upon reaching the steps up to the farmhouse, you notice the cleanliness and upkeep its owners must have. The wooden floor is shiny smooth, and the arches supporting the roof looks as though it hasn't seen a splinter in many years. Inside are many voices, all laughing boisterous laughs.

[Kish]

"I have a bad feeling about this," Sevilin mutters.

[BananaPhone]

"Sounds like a tavern" Keres whispered, making a deliberate effort to keep her voice low.

"Anyone know if we have crossed the boarder?"

[Kish]

"I'm pretty sure we're in Richemulot, yes. If that's a tavern, it's the best-maintained tavern I've ever seen by a lot."

[BananaPhone]

"Barracks maybe?" Keres asked, her towering figure hunched down so that she could peer around the place. By now she had taken her helmet off and had replaced her oil-soaked winter blanket with her blue cloak as earlier.

[Ionbound]

Alice shrugs and says, "Well...I think it's worth checking. It's almost definitely people. And people are by far one of the best things we could run into."

[BananaPhone]

Keres pursed her lips in thought before speaking, "Perhaps I should wait outside this time..." she uttered.

[Kish]

"If we're all going in at all, we might as well go in together to begin with; I doubt there's anything we could say that would significantly influence the way they react to you. If someone's just going in to ask for directions..." Sevilin trails off and looks pensively at the building before saying, "I don't think splitting up would be wise."

[Fighting_Ferret]

"A few questions might help determine our course."

[BananaPhone]

Keres pursed her lips and sighed "Hmmm..."

"Well okay, if no one as any objections..." she said, sounding reluctant.

Taking her hoplon off of her forearm the half-giant slung the shield over her back, giving her the outline of an enormous, walking turtle. Her short-sword already sheathed, she moved over to the entrance to this building. Once there, she gave the others a final look for confirmation before pressing her huge hand against the door and pushing it in as she hunched over so that she could step through and stand up inside.

[Zmax15]

You step into a bustling party. Those inside range from the most fancifully dressed you've ever seen to appear ant peasants, but every one has a smile of some kind of their face. The nearest one to the door, a young looking man of stout build turns to you and outstretched his arms. Friends! Greetings! I pray the fates have met you well! He urges you all into the home and towards the main room. Everyone! Travelers have arrived! Are you travelers? Oh I'm sure you are. Main room's that-a-way, please introduce yourselves.

The inside is warm and bright, and no less than forty people could be there in total. Most have cups of wine or beer. This building is clearly a luxurious home, though to whom you can't tell. Many give you passing glance, and most pay greeting or raise to you their cups.

[Ionbound]

Alice looks around, back and forth, taken aback by the cheeriness of the party, unused to such things. The nods to the doorman, slightly suspicious, as she nods and says, "Greetings. Indeed we are," before heading towards the main room hand hovering ever-so-slightly closer to the hilt of her blade than it might otherwise be.

[Kish]

"Hello," Sevilin says, rather apprehensive as well but hiding it. He stays with Alice.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris remeans silent and keeps his attention focused on their greeter and the other party goers. He was ill at ease amongst so many people, and revelry such as this is unknown to him.

[BananaPhone]

The lack of response immediately makes Keres uncomfortable. She'd been all over and though most people weren't hostile, they certainly had a reaction to a heavily armed and armored giant stepping in front of them. But these people? Not so much as a blink - indeed, they seemed too welcoming. Combined with the immaculate state of the building outside and instinct tugged at the back of the half-giants mind that something was very wrong here.

Scanning the inside of the building suspiciously, Keres looked down at the others - particularly Sevilin as she had seen him perform magic several days ago. If anyone of them would know about some type of mind-bending witchery, it'd be him.

[Zmax15]

You enter a main room. More people are here, and many are either reclining on furniture or against a wall while they speak and laugh. The size of the room just barely accommodates for the amount of people inside it, but it's where the most have gathered. Keeping to yourselves, you aren't approached, but soon the room quiets. An older man, likely mid-fifties, addresses everyone. "I'm glad, I'm very glad that you all could make it here. For those new faces-" he motions around, though does pause on your party "-I know this environment can be rather intimidating, the powers know not everywhere is so hospitable, after all." There are some head nods from older and tougher individuals. "But we still can have an amount of fun, can we not? And, today is a special day, as we have just brought in some of the largest mushrooms we've seen in years! Eating will be good for at least two, maybe three before we've got to go back to the normal harvest."

He goes on for awhile. The room gets to enjoy the slightly drunken man rambling his monologues about mushroom farming, the small nearby town most of these people seem to live in, and whatever goings on there are. "But fine, that's not why you're here tonight. Let's go now! Anyone new, just follow the rest towards the back yard." You're bustled along with everyone in the building towards the back and out of the home. Soon enough you find yourselves in the back yard, differentiated from the fungus patches by a soft grass ground, and a large, round, dug-in pit, at least a few good meters across with a low fence around the perimeter. On the other side from you, there is a small grate installed in the old, uneven, and loose-looking brick.

All the people gather around this installment, watching the grate intently. The older gentleman, standing near to your group, leans over to say. "You're going to enjoy this, I can betcha've never seen such a show wherever you're from." A woman in cheap, tattered clothing on the other side reaches down into the hole with a long pole, gets a hook on the end into the grate's latch, undoes it, and pulls the thing wide open. Everyone hushes in anticipation, and waits patiently for something to occur.

[Ionbound]

Alice blinks and asks, "You eat...Mushrooms?" but is quickly caught in the flow of the crowd, and finds her hand drawn to her blade as the woman opens the pit, thoughts of what horror might emerge crowding her mind.

[Zmax15]

"What? Oh, yes, we do. They're good substitutes for meat, and less hassle than pigs. Plus in this weather you can't exactly grow too many kinds of plants, so these are really the best we can do with." He pulls you in to quietly say, "Plus there are a few types we grow, tax-free if you understand. We might be able to work out a deal for the right silver, too. Ooh, wait, he's coming!" All chatter comes to complete silence as something crawls out from its hole. A mass of matted black hairs and four wiry legs, all tipped with long, ugly claws. It's long, whiskered snout turns as it stares around its new area, and but its eyes are too small and black to see from a distance. Even though it blent in with shadows of its caged off, smaller hole, in the open it's frighteningly out of place with the wide-open air.

The crowd watches as it absently wanders around its enclosure. Everyone waits, watching the thing silently march. After another heavy silence, the crowd erupts when somebody has found themselves having jumped into the pit. The person, a somewhat young man, dressed in padded armor lined with pockets and pouches. He pulls his vest off and drops it at his side, and takes a stance facing the creature. It matches him, and before your party can react, the man and the thing are wrestling, while everyone else watching is cheering wild celebration.

[Kish]

"What exactly is that creature?" Sevilin asks. He's still tense and trying to hide it.

[BananaPhone]

Keres watched in a slight stupor, her mind trying to register everything that was going on. It felt as if they had walked into some type of surreal dream...an immaculate house filled with constantly happy people who soon partook in some type of ritualistic arena fight match between a man and a swamp-thing...

Using her long arm, Keres reached over the crowd and grabbed someone by the shoulder - the man that had spoken to them earlier. Unceremoniously, she pulled him back so that he was facing the group where she knelt so that she could bring herself eye-to-eye with him.

"What is going on? Who are you people? Why is there a naked man fighting a walking pile of rags? What is that thing? What are in the mushrooms that you're eating?" she demanded plainly.

[Ionbound]

Alice hoarsely replies to Sevilin, "I have no idea...And that terrifies me."

[Zmax15]

The man raises his hands in defense, and tries to steady himself. He stumbles over a few words after the unexpected onslaught of questions. "Woah, now, please, nothing! Nothing! Nothing's in the- what? The mushrooms? They're just food! T-that thing, in the hole, is the reason we have to grow them after it ate most of our animals!" He twists his arms to push off your hands, and takes a step back. A woman turns to you with an insulted expression. "Excuse us, is there a problem?" The man sets his hand on her back and tries to turn her back to the ring. "No, no, everything's fine dear, just a misunderstanding."

After the woman leaves you alone, the man points at the thing in the arena. "That thing is an abomination, firstly. If you have a problem with what we eat, talk to it. Secondly, that man is fighting that thing so that we all can get together to actually enjoy something besides farming damned mushrooms and land-kelp for once, and maybe he'll get the chance to be a hero for the next few days until somebody else fights and most likely loses. A few yelps come from the pit, and the gentleman turns away from you to peer in. Inside, the thing is on top of the man, gnashing toothless jaws and scratching relentlessly at his torso. The man who talked to you gives a few gestures, and two men pick up two long, spearlike weapons with tiny, sharpened tips.

The two reach their weapons down into the pit and stab the creature with them. It tries to shake off the pain, but soon snarls, steps off of the man, and slinks back beneath the grate in the floor. It's closed once again, the man is pulled up, and the crowd, though disappointed, gives him some applause. "Look, if you don't can't appreciate how we spend our lives, I would appreciate you moving straight on into town. It's just southeast of here, and I'm sure you could get a room at the inn."

[Kish]

"Do I understand correctly that that creature--do you have a name for it other than--a name for it?--ate all the animals in the area, but not the plants or fungi?" Sevilin asks. "So now you hold it prisoner and people fight it as a sporting event?"

[Ionbound]

Alice blinks and says, "Yes, and if it's not infectious, I don't have a problem with you fighting it, but...What is it? I haven't seen anything like it before. And why not kill it?"

[BananaPhone]

Keres remained quiet, her eyebrows furrowed in scrutiny.

Were these people being held hostage by this creature? Were they not able to slay the beast that had taken so much from them and dramatically warped their way of life?

Silently, she waited for the man to answer Alice and Sevilins questions.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris is doing his best to remain unnoticed. He too will silently await the answers to the others questions.

[Zmax15]

The man takes a breath and lowers his voice. "Yes. That thing ate all of my animals, and most of everyone else's. We have absolutely no idea what exactly it is, but, it is safe. A few people call it the Rat, think it was changed by some gross magic, but other people see a cat somewhere in it. Hells, some kids thought it was a legitimate boar, in Richemulot of all places! Whatever it's probably not supposed to exist, but it does." A few people head back to the house, while others leave for the road. One passes by the man to say goodbye, and he thanks him for coming. He then turns back to you.

"When we caught it, some didn't much like the thought of killing it, so the druid cooked something up, its teeth fell out, and we kept it in a pen. At some point some kids took bets on who could fight it, and soon enough everyone was doing it. Now, that was two years ago now, and bet's aren't exactly so smiled upon, but still we do it." He sighs. "I apologize for my temper, please, come inside, it'll be dark soon, and you won't want to be out here when it does happen."

[BananaPhone]

The half-giant supposed 2 years of imprisonment and forced to partake in arena-like fighting matches was a hefty punishment...but why not just kill the creature and put it out of its misery?

Keres looked over her shoulder and considered that caged enclosure and the square hole that that thing had disappeared within, before turning and following the man back inside.

"Do you have anything that needs doing?" she asked, her baritone voice lowered and gentle, "I prefer to pay with physical labor over coins for your hospitality, if you'd accept the trade."

[Zmax15]

"Um... Well, huh. No, no, I don't believe we need anything done. This farm does not typically need must physical labor, and we already have all the staff we need. Besides that, this ol' place hasn't got the room." He takes a moment to think, then seems to recall something. "You know, if you don't care for coin, you might be able to get a free night or two at the inn if you helped the druid! He's just six or so south of town, and people like him enough his seal'd win close to anything. Plus he's always trying something, or hunting someone, I'm sure he'd have something minor at the least.

[Kish]

"What happens when it gets dark?" Sevilin asks quietly.

[Zmax15]

He pauses. "The what? Oh! Oh, no, nothing. It's really not anything like that, just some superstition. Folks round here aren't too found of dusk or dawn, I guess I'm one of them." He backs up towards his house slowly. "It has honestly been a very good time meeting you, I hope you all get to town well. Again, town is that way, there is a sign towards the druid, thank's for passing through!" He goes into his house and closes the door, leaving you alone outside.

[Fighting_Ferret]

"Something seems off about all of this...We should make our way to town and not waste more time here."

[Ionbound]

Alice nods and says, "Quite. I'm curious as to the nature of the beast they have chained up here though...I fear what it might be."

[Kish]

"I have a problem with them keeping it chained up so they can make it fight...even if everything he said is true. Which I doubt," Sevilin puts in, after looking to make sure no one outside the party is around to hear.

[BananaPhone]

"The man said that the druid was the one who caught it. Perhaps we should ask him for more information?" the half-giant suggested.

[Zmax15]

You head towards the town, without another obvious alternative. After a short time you reach what seems to be the center of town. You eye an inn, a smith, and a general store in the general area, plus some houses further out. The sun seems to have nearly begun to set, and the fog over the sky is tinting bright orange. A signpost in the middle of the unpaved road points in a few directions. "Barban Farm" points the way you came, "Pont-a-Museau" points northwest, and "Druid" points south.

[Ionbound]

Alice shrugs and says, "The local druid is probably our best bet anyways. Let us go," as she heads down the road marked by the Druid sign.

[Kish]

Sevilin peers around rather nervously before saying, "Despite that delightful fellow's playing down the night thing, I think it would be wise to look for an inn first--at least until we find out if anyone else has more or different things to say about what happens at night here."

[BananaPhone]

"What happens at night?" the half-giant queried as she took a step after Alice.

"I'd say it gets dark," she says with a smirk and a wink as she walked in the druids direction.

[Ionbound]

Alice glares at the half-giantess and says, "Bad things. Depends on where you are as to what, but trust me. You do not want to be out after dark, anywhere. You can maybe get away with it in the cities, but out here?" She shudders.

[Kish]

Observing that two of his companions are headed down the path to the druid despite his words, Sevilin shrugs, sighs, and follows them.

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris shrugs his shoulders and follows the others down the path, towards the local druid.

[Zmax15]

You start down a straight, narrow road cutting through the town's thick forrest. After only a few minutes of walking the sun has completely set. After only a few more darkness nearly completely shrouds everything your party-members beside you. Satyris, your infravision provides better sight than anyone else's, but only slightly more. The fog seems heavier tonight than normal.

[Ionbound]

Alice frowns and says, "I may have made a terrible error...We should head back. This darkness...I don't like it."

[BananaPhone]

The half-giant didn't share the fears of her smaller compatriots. They had already been out in the wilds at night before and nothing had happened. After first arriving in this plane, she had spent evenings under the stars on her lonesome and nothing particularly unsettling had occurred. So all in all she was quite happy to continue on to the druids hut.

...but her friends felt differently. Truth be told they were only out here because of her in the first place, they seemed content back in that inn to which she had first encountered them.

"Righteo then," Keres said, slinging her large round shield over her back and sheathing her short sword.

She lowered herself down onto one knee, "Someone get on my back, the others come here and give me a hug" she stated as she held her long, muscled arms out.

Should they go along with it, she'd hold a group member under each arm and carry one on her back before she'd pick up into a sprint back to town, her long, strong legs carrying her at higher speeds than those of less able locomotion. It'd be a pretty bumpy ride though.

ooc:
Keres can sprint around 96 a turn and with 16 con she should be able to go on for a while. I'm fairly certainly that everyone else is rather trim and each below 200lbs, which means she can carry them all well enough.

If it took us only a few minutes walking to get where we are, it shouldn't take long at that speed for us to get back to the inn.


That's my hope anyway, I could be wrong!

[Fighting_Ferret]

Satyris looks at the half-giant askew. He wasn't one for affections, especially with companions he didn't fully know. He turns his attention to the cleric, as he speaks. "We are more than likely closer to town than we are to this druid. Either way, we should carry onwards towards one of those destinations and make haste there."

[Zmax15]

Having stopped in the darkness you light the only lantern between you, which is Sevilin's. You can now easily see the path, and though you cannot see though the thick brush on either side, nothing hits any of you as out of the ordinary.