The Life of Adventurers

[Grimtina]

http://www.krath.org/arania/TLOA/eastports_002.jpg

The winter winds have been blowing constantly, but not too fiercely, for several days and formed the landscape into a sea of waves of frozen water. The roads were relatively easy to travel on still, but anyone with a bit of weather sense is able to feel the bad storms coming.

In the east of the Salenic Baronies, beyond the forest of Elionde, the winters are known to be relatively mild, with lots of snow but with manageable cold. The village of Eastports - which does not have a port at all, just a small docking port without even a pier - sits at the meeting place of two small rivers allowing trades with small boats. The village is famous in a way, because of the "green thumb" priests using magic all around the year to keep the fields, gardens and orchards green and fertile. It also holds one of the few temples to Yamanta, a demon-turned-lawful good deity which is also their main god, although they respect all others not of evil intent.

Due to the many pilgrims, the place has a large inn called The Dying Dragon. Prices are known to be affordable, while there is a certain luxury to the place that cannot easily be matched in larger settlements even.

Each of you may have wanted to travel there for different reasons, but you have traveled together for at least a week, and you've had but one encounter with a group of Darkwood-Tribe goblins which turned out nothing more than a scare to initiate their new warriors. All in all, the journey hasn't been unpleasant. Nearing Eastports however, you notice a suprising lack of travelers. The temple is known to recieve pilgrims all around the year, and there is a special sect revering Yamanta as the Winter Saint, who usually flock to the place as soon as there is snow. There is also no sentry posted at the western bridge, which might be due to the weather but it is sure unusual, as you had been toild before your journey that the villahge would expect a token entry fee to cover the costs for the magic used to produce the superb food. There are some people moving ahead in the village, so it seems, but as the snow has started to fall in heavy flakes, it is difficult to make out. There sure hasd been no one coming and going across the bridge for at least an hour; any older tracks would have been covered by snow already.

[Pawbarian]

Hallan Korwick, the Holy Hobbit, as his family usually called him, stood in the drifting snow in front of the bridge with a frown, tugging on his backpack belts in thought while downing another gulp of the fine brandy in his flask. It sure looked way too deserted, and he hoped the temple hadn't closed for some reason. While he wasn't a follower, he was looking forward to visit it and pay respect to a demon-turned-good-guy, and he had heard the iconography was superb. So was the ale and wine in the tavern supposedly.

Stomping his feet a little - it was hard to get used to boots but he had promised his adoptive mother he would wear them in cold weather - he squinted his eyes, then took another gulp. "Not minding the lack of a fee," he said. "But even a one-eyed ogre with his other eye swollen shut could see something's not right in the lands of Pilgrimtown. So, that leaves us three options. One," he started counting his fingers, flask still in hands,[COLOR="#A52A2A"] "we turn around and pretend we didn't notice anything. Two, we go in and pretend we didn't notice anything, and three, we go in and demand to know what in the name of the snow queen is going on, and how to fix it."He took another gulp. "Of course, option one would leave us in the cold in the snow again tonight, with what the next rest stop likely being too far away to get there by dark, and two would mean we might be taken advantage of or get trapped or something. So really, there is only one option." Hallan blinked at his flask, shook it and downed the rest. "Asides, my supply of heavenly liquid has run out, and I need to fill up. Three it is, then?" With a hopeful look of not having to be the only one marching over the bridge, he looks at the others.

[TheFamilarRaven]

"Perhaps some ceremony has the town preoccupied this day." Olgrim suggested as he stroked his long black beard. We cannot assume to know the customs of these village folk." The druid concluded, shifting his weight to lean on the haft of his greataxe.

Olgrim stood towards the back of the group, as he was taller and broader than anyone by far. A heavy brown cloak enveloped his green body, protecting him from the snow that drifted along the wind. "How about you, O'Grosh?" The half-orc turned his head downwards to the black wolf, who panted happily by his side. A broad smile formed on Olgrim's face. "Does this smell suspicious?" to which O'Grosh responded by barking once, not taking his eyes off the druid.

"Regardless, I say we press onwards. I am eager to learn the rituals that keep these lands healthy. And if something is amiss, then they will no doubt need our aid."

[WindStruck]

For some time now, Blossom had been riding on the back of Olgrim's big black wolf, O'Grosh. She lied along his back with her legs straddling his belly, arms hugging the shoulders, and head resting on the neck. From behind, the scene almost looked like the wolf had grown a small pair of crimson butterfly wings, sticking out from a tangled and disheveled rug of pink draped over him. Even without her protective spell, Blossom probably would have been warm and cozy sandwiched between the wolf's fur and her lengthy hair.

Flying all the time was tiring, as was trying to keep up with the other much larger folk on foot, through snow and mud. She could only imagine how weary Hallen must be by now. Thankfully, O'Grosh and his master didn't mind; she was tiny and her meager weight could easily be carried. And besides, why wouldn't a druid want to help a pixie?

Once they got to the bridge, however, the warm fuzzy ride was over. There already? She must have drifted into sleep at some point. Blossom climbed off the wolf and gently patted him, then she listened to the others talking, stretching and yawning all the while.

"Turning around just because we don't see any townsfolk right away would be quite silly, wouldn't it? I agree, let's see what is going on first!"

Now the only question in Blossom's mind was whether or not she should conceal her presence or not. It seemed villagers either feared fey or revered them. Usually it was the former, but this town, given its reputation, probably was the latter. On the other hand, there was a possibility something strange was going on here. In the end, she opted for her favored approach and took a few seconds to make herself invisible.

[Iktus]

Lloyd

The lean half-elf pulled his scarf from over his mouth. Because of the cold, the man could see his breath in the air. He thought to himself:

I wonder, would this curious effect be called steam? Steam usually has to do with boiling water. Mist perhaps? It probably is more akin to droplets of water suspended in the air, so yes, mist, I suppose

He smiled at the silly thought, which reminded him of something:

He reached into his pocket, pulling out his wooden pipe already packed with tobacco. He called upon the strange entities that gave him his magic to invoke a simple cantrip and snapped his fingers a few times above the pipe; sparks flew and the tobacco lit. He gave a good pull on the wooden instrument and exhaled the smoke loudly.

Smoke. That I can disambiguously put a name on.

Standing behind the others, Lloyd observes his would-be companions. A strange bunch, to say the least. He had known the pixie for some time now, but the others were newcomers. He certainly wasn't used to travelling with so many people at a time - an idea of the optimistic winged creature, of course - but they had proven to be interesting company. The small one was rather talkative and annoying at moments, but Lloyd had to admit that his high spirit was comforting, especialy in the face of this dour weather. The omens were quite clear: winter was coming.

He pressed on, thinking of the so-called <<green thumbs>>. Lloyd was hoping their expertise of botanics were as great as the stories seemed to portray them to be. His ingredients were running low, and with the coming cold, it could only get worse. He would have to stock up as much as possible. Maybe if the makeshift group decided to stick together, the other half-man - of orc descend most likely, thought Lloyd - would allow him to attach satchels to his beast. That would definitely lighten his load.

What a funny thought... wanting to stick with theses strangers...

Loneliness always seemed harder to bear when winter arrived...

Could I be so bold as to inquire where the lot of you thought of putting up residence? I was thinking of the Dying Dragon?

[TheFamilarRaven]

Olgrim chuckled If they'll stable a wolf, I'll gladly board with the inn. i'd welcome a warm shelter for the night, rather than foraging the wilderness for one. If not ..." The half-orc shrugged, Then perhaps these green thumbs might."

[WindStruck]

Blossom replies in a sprightly tone, now sort of as a disembodied voice, "I could tolerate staying at the inn. But a nice pile of snow is quite comfortable too. Perhaps, if any of you would be interested, I could show you!"

It really did depend though. Maybe if their beds and blankets were extremely soft...

[Smileybastard]

Elentis & Anakkat

Elentis has been silent so far, simply observing. The world was a puzzle and he had taken upon himself to unravel it. A seemingly empty village could mean so many things, but if the guards were not there it likely meant trouble of some sort.

Elentis was a tall elf of medium build, wrapped tightly in his cloak against the day's cold, longbow held in his left hand. Anakkat walked beside him, his bright green blue fur with green stripes looking very out of place in the snow.

Elentis said calmly "I suggest we enter and see what is afoot, before deciding anything. I suspect something. A lack of guards in rarely a benign sign."

Anakkat replies in his far too human voice, aloof as always. "Humans are rarely benign anyway, at least in numbers. I am unsure about the number zero."

Elentis's perception [roll0]
Anakkat's perception [roll1]

[Pawbarian]

"Well, then, it's agreed," the hobbit says cheerfully. "The sooner I can get out of these boots, the better."

[roll0] perception

[Iktus]

Lloyd

It was now brought to the attention of the half-elf that the guards were indeed missing. Strange. There weren't any obvious signs of violence, but you could never be too sure. His natural suspicion returned and he cursed himself:

Sentimental fool. Never let your guard down. You should have noticed something so obvious.

Instinctively he drew his short staff, it felt comforting in his hand. He could hear the spirits whispering indistinctly in his ear.

《 let us press on 》 he said

[Grimtina]

The snow has gotten a little heavier, and a slight fog is coming from the water, making it hard to notice anything. However, Elentis can see a group of people, probably 3 or 4, carrying something on a board, or maybe in some sort of hammock, towards the other end of the village.

[Smileybastard]

Elentis

"Wait" whispers Elentis. "I see some people ... over there." He points to them. "I doubt they see us yet. Maybe we should watch them and see what they are doing."

Anakkat

Anakkat begins to move towards the people. "Let me look."

Perception [roll0]
Stealth [roll1]

[WindStruck]

Blossom giggles at the Elf's paranoia. "I can't imagine any reason to be so secretive." It was the only indication that she may have disagreed with such behavior. Then again, she did it all the time herself. At least for the most part, she had a reason.

This should be amusing, she thought.

The pixie probably could have done a better job spying on the villagers herself, but it would be even more funny watching this ball of green fur trying to sneak up on them. She casually trails behind Anakkat to both spy on the villagers and see how long it took before he was spotted.

perception: [roll0]
stealth: [roll1] + invisibility, though I do imagine she might visibly disrupt snowfall slightly.

[Smileybastard]

Elentis

Elentis speaks quietly with no real trace of emotion, other than possibly curiosity. "I strive not to limit myself to what I can imagine. I have no idea what is going on other than no guards and a lack of people in general. I also find that if you ask people what they are doing you often get a different answer than from observing."

[TheFamilarRaven]

"Indeed, I too find that often one's true nature is revealed when left to their own devices." Olgrim added, pulling his cloak tighter around him, while scratching O'Grosh's head.

But, whatever it is; best figure out what's going on quickly. Or else I should start to look for a shelter from this cold." Olgrim finished.

[WindStruck]

"Hehe, alright then! I do hope someone here has a more vivid imagination than you and me. Perhaps later this evening we can make a game of it and see who can come up with the best story."

The pixie either could not grasp the possible gravity of the situation or merely made light of things that most people took very seriously. It was probably both.

[Grimtina]

Coming closer, well hidden in the snow, it is clear that the people are carrying a dead person - from the little you can see, a woman. But they don't look all that well themselves, either. They move out of the city towards east.

[WindStruck]

Blossom whispers to Anakkat: "How unfortunate. Shall we go tell the others, or do you want to make sure they don't eat her or something?"

[Smileybastard]

Anakkat

"I think we should report back. I fear they may be diseased."

[WindStruck]

"If you say so..."

When they get back, the little pixie reappears and twirls about in the snow throwing up a handful like confetti. "Good news everybody! It isn't some death cult bent on destroying the world! We think it's only a plague!"

[TheFamilarRaven]

"My dear little fey, there is nothing good about that, even by comparison." Olgrim spoke grimly. Then he frowned, pondering the circumstances. "Something may still be amiss. This is a village with dedicated priests. And from the sound of the power of magic they wield, one would think they could eliminate, or at least contain, any normal disease. We should investigate further, but be careful not to come into contact with the villagers, lest we contract the illness before we have a chance to help."

[WindStruck]

Blossom says a bit disappointed, flumping to the ground, "Aw, I thought you'd be happy to know they weren't doing something bad. And besides, I've never seen a plague before... I hope they'll be alright though..."

[Smileybastard]

Anakkat

Anakkat describes what they saw in some detail.

Elentis

"It does sound like a disease, and if it is a serious one based on what we can see in terms of depopulation. Looks can be deceiving though."

[TheFamilarRaven]

Olgrim grinned as blossom plopped herself into the snow. It snapped him out of his stern expression. "Heh." The half-orc chuckled a bit. "Don't mind me little fey, I'm just a mean ol' orc." He said kindly, stooping over to offer his hand to Blossom in order to help her onto O'Gosh's back.

[WindStruck]

Blossom smiled up at Olgrim through her mass of tangled hair, and because of her recent antics, she had gotten quite tangled in it herself. As he helped her up and onto his wolf again, she said, "No, you are not a mean orc. You are a kind orc, the kindest I have ever met. And a druid," smiling warmly. Then she practically killed the compliment by saying, "Well, I've only ever known three orcs, and two of them turned out to be bloodthirsty killers."