Bindings of the Void IC

[Diachronos]

The last thing you remember is the battle. The clash of steel, the crack of pistol fire, the peals of thunder from the storm-wracked sky; the heavy rain and spray of the violent waves melding with the darkness to block out everything in between flashes of lightning.

And then the vortex, with the impossibly tall spire emerging from its center. The opposing ship broke off to retreat, but your vessel was caught in the pull of the whirlpool by the time everyone reached their places. Despite their best efforts, there was no escape, and it was all the crew could do to keep the ship level as it descended into the swirl of water, gradually approaching the looming tower in the center.

Then everything went black, and a deep, sinister laugh echoed in the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next sensation you're aware of is of lying in a bed, with heavy blankets piled over you and the crackling of fire coming from somewhere nearby.

[QuidEst]

Marcellus groggily came too. There was a moment of panic at the feeling of paralysis until he realized that it was blankets weighing him down, not any serious restraints. The storm? The sea-thieves? Pi-rates, that was the word the captain had used. There had been a storm and an attack. He'd flown over to try and wet their gunpowder supplies belowdecks, or else set it ablaze with alchemist's fire. That had been interrupted by the… swirling pool and column, in defiance of natural laws. That left no clear explanation about his present circumstances, though. "Please! If there is one who is here, I am lost, and wish to know how I have come to this place," he said, uneasily shifting in the uncomfortable human-bed to pull himself up into a seated position and ease the pressure on his wings.

[NeoSeraphi]

Captain Mysha Taysaia sits up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Oh man. What a cool dream that was! Haha, cannon fire in the middle of the sea, storms raging...almost makes me want to install some real cannons on my ship. What do you think ba-" she glances next to her and blinks. Her usual boy toy was not in the bed next to her. There was no bed next to her. She frowned and stood up, a little too quickly, and braced herself for the rocking of the boat. But the boat didn't rock. Glancing around in surprise, Mysha gasps. "WHERE IS MY SHIP!" she yells loudly.

[Diachronos]

The door swung open to admit a young-looking human woman, dressed in a black and indigo uniform with a large blue-and-black insignia (http://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/6/60/Dimir_Logo.png) emblazoned upon the front of her shirt. She had a surprised look on her face at the sight of the awakening group, and she nearly dropped the small basket she was carrying as she crossed the room over toward the half-orc. "Please, Miss, don't strain yourself!" She set the basket down and tried to usher Mysha back into bed.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha hesitates, then lets the woman guide her back to bed. Why was she even in bed? Mysha leans over and begins to inspect herself for injuries. "Who are you? How did I get here?" she asks, looking up at the woman.

[Diachronos]

Even a quick search revealed injuries that had been sustained in the sea battle. They were still a little sore, though they appeared to have healed completely.

"My name is Veronica. I'm a servant to Lord Khamer, the one who brought you here and tended to your injuries." A look of relief crossed her face. "He'll be glad to know that you've woken up; it's been almost a week since you've all been brought here."

[QuidEst]

It took a moment to process, but Marcellus's four eyes narrowed into a glare. "Your ship? Then you are the sea-thief who set on our ship?" His gaze flickered over to Veronica before returning to the captain. "It is well and good for you that we are guests of the same host, then, else I should wreak great mage-craft on you for the great small deaths you would have wrought." He bowed his head to woman in black and indigo. "You have my deep thanks for your care. It would pain me to bring my griefs to your door, so I lay them to rest while in your walls."

[Diachronos]

The woman turned to Marcellus when he spoke up. While she approached the outsider to see to him, it was easy to see that she was a bit unnerved by his appearance. "It's no trouble at all. How do you feel?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Khamer? Hate to tell you,lass, but I've sailed the Inner Sea since I was old enough to walk. I've never heard of a Lord Khamer. He's scamming ya. But if ya like I can give you passage back to the mainland. Just tell me where my ship is."

[Lappy9001]

Keziah's eyes snap open at Mysha's yell, and quickly glance across the room. Feeling something stuck to her face, Keziah raises her hand to inspect her lower jaw, realizing both are heavily bandaged. Suddenly feeling rather dizzy, partly with relief now that the room is no longer rocking back and forth from the violent waves, Keziah lets out a groan and places her right hand over her eyes, now dazed from the brightness of the room.

[Diachronos]

Veronica turned to address Mysha while she tended to the bandages around Marcellus' torso. "I assure you, Lord Khamer is a true noble. He was even adopted into the Duskmantle line by Queen Serana herself." She finished removing the bandages, though with how much progress his injuries had made with healing she didn't bother to put new ones on. "As far as a ship, Lord Khamer made no mention of a ship when he had you all brought here. Although... he did say you looked like you'd been soaked in the sea when he found you..."

After a moment she straightened, as if realizing something. "Did you say... 'Inner Sea'? 'Mainland'?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha glares at the strange-looking individual. "Oy, was that a threat? You best watch your mouth boy, or I'll put you in your place with my blade! I didn't kill anyone in that battle, my men were all lost to the sea just as much as the next guy! I don't know whose cannons fired upon me, the coward, but if I ever find out, I'll slit his throat myself! I just wish my first mate Durra made it. She was always so dependable. And not to mention men are much less intimidated by me when they see me standing next to a full-blooded orc!" She sighs and sits down, the weight of her lost crew heavy on her shoulders.

[Lappy9001]

This woman has never heard of the Inner Sea? Keziah sits up from the bed a little uncomfortably, "Miss, where exactly are we?"

[Diachronos]

Veronica darted over to Keziah, gently easing her back down. "You're in Lord Khamer's manor, on the edge of Duskwood." She retrieved the basket and began to pull out a fresh set of bandages. "Are you in any pain, Miss? I can fetch something to ease it, if you want."

[QuidEst]

Marcellus smiled, happy to have relevant geographic information. "Yes! In-ner Sea." He held his hands up like a bowl. "In here, there is the sea. At the edge, there are lands. Thus, they call it the In-ner Sea. But it seems you do not use this term, and that is fine. It was strange to me as well. I could show you on a map what the sea-thief means, or I can sketch one if you have my ink and books. I would not trust her so far as to let her take you some place else, though."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha glares angrily. "I'm not a 'sea-thief'! I'm a pirate! And the best there is, at that! Mysha Taysaia is my name, and I'm the captain of the fastest ship on the Inner Sea, The Second Sunrise. Who are you lot then?" she asked, glancing at the other two injured persons.

[Lappy9001]

"No...no pain," Keziah says confusedly, but letting Veronica tend to her bandages. Khamer? Duskwood? Glancing over at the wounds beneath the bandages, the wounds haven't even begun to heal. Keziah lets out a sigh, then listens intently to Marcellus.

[Diachronos]

The man's attempt at an explanation just seemed to confuse her more. "We... We don't have anything like that in Ves'Perix. I mean... there's the lakes in the Scaled Swamp, and the lake to the northwest, but the only ocean or sea I know of is the one that surrounds this continent and covers the globe."

[QuidEst]

He shot Mysha a glare. "Not kill with your hands or men, this is true. Not like some. But you would have caused small deaths. We set sail with goods to sell, and go at great risk. If you took those goods, we would come to port with not a thing to sell. Could we then pay all what they would be paid? No, such a thing can not be, not with such a great loss. There would be small ones that did not eat, great pain for what you would have done. If one were sick, then it may not live. Can you see all these things? No. But they would be there, these small parts of deaths. One big stone, ten small stones; both will weigh your soul down, and it will sink. I have seen what waits there in the depths." Marcellus shuddered as he said it, and turned away. "I am called Marcellus. I do not know of these things- the swamp and so on- but that is not strange for me. I do not know the lands of this place well."

[Lappy9001]

"Keziah. I was travelling on that ship, although we're a little farther out than I intended." Her face sympathetic, Keziah stands up despite her attendant, and turns to Mysha, "I'm sorry for your first mate," and then over to Marcellus, "and for your friends on the crew, but we might be the only ones left and we need to stick together."

Then, looking at the young woman, "Miss Veronica, is there anyone we may speak to, to perhaps get our bearings?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha nods to herself. "Yeah. I think we need an audience with this so-called Lord of yours," she says, looking at the human woman. She takes a moment to collect herself, looking around the room for any sign of anything she hasn't noticed yet. Creatures, art, writing, or weapons, and also looks to see if she still has her gear.

[Diachronos]

"Y-yes, of course. Lord Khamer wanted a chance to properly meet you all once you'd awakened." She bowed and turned to leave the room. "My master is likely doing research on your belongings at the moment, but I doubt he'll make you wait for long. I'll have something sent up for you all to eat and drink in the meantime."


Your weapons, armor, and other equipment seems to have been confiscated.

As far as decor of the room, it appears to be an infirmary of some sort, with plain white walls and about a dozen beds arranged against the walls.

[QuidEst]

Marcellus sighed, sinking back against the rear of the bed. "You are right, Keziah. We must work as one, as it seems you two do not know where we are as well. What she meant to be has not come to pass, and so it counts for naught."

[PalusAbel]

Durra came to with her head pounding and ears ringing. Every now and again the crashing waves in her skull grew stronger. Her addled mind began to recognize these periods as speech, though Durra still could not distinguish what was said. She tried opening her right eye experimentally, but found a gauze pad pressing it shut. "So it will be the non-dominant eye, then," Durra muttered disdainfully.

It had been some time since light dazzled her so. Between the desert and the open seas, Durra thought she had had quite enough exposure to overcome her racial predisposition against brightness. Hardly able to see through her tears, she slowly but firmly urged her stiff body into a sitting position. Cursory inspections with bandaged hands revealed a thick wrapping about Durra's skull, including her right eye socket. Durra sighed mightily through her nostrils as she waited for her vision to clear.

A small smile crawled out of the orc's taciturn face at the sight of her captain. "Ah, Captain. It seems I have been injured. I apologize for worrying you. ...what, exactly, has happened? Where are we?" Durra's expression soured once again when she noticed the presence of two other individuals; the half-elf was acceptable company, but the strange four-eyed creature stirred Durra's suspicion. She chided herself for judging it solely on its appearance, not least because it seemed in poor a state as she. Durra turned to inspecting the rest of the room while she urged her sluggish mind to kick back into gear.

[NeoSeraphi]

The half-orc jumps at the sound behind her and spins around, grinning from ear to ear and throwing her arms around her first mate. "Durra! Oh, it's good to see ya, lass! I thought I was gonna lose my mind here with these sods! So, lemme get ya up to speed then, yeah? This wench over here...er...Veronica, was it?" She glances to see if the woman confirms her guess, but sees that she's left. "Oh, aye, she said something about food. Well, there's a wench, and her name is...er...not important. Anyway, she says we're in a place called...er...Ves..erm...Ves...bloody hell, it's like she's speaking Varisian or some other arcane language I don't know! Ves'Perix, I think it was. I don't see hide nor hair of my cartographer, so I can't be sure where on the Inner Sea that is, but I reckon once I find my ship the two of us can set sail and pick up a new crew in the nearest port."

[PalusAbel]

Durra winces at the sudden embrace, though more out of surprise than pain. "Your enthusiasm is inspiring as always, Captain. I know not of this Ves'Perix either, but I would be glad to return to a more familiar setting than this." Memories of the stormy battle almost a week past snap back to Durra with harrowing force, prompting her to lurch forward and place a hand over her bandaged eye. "We were in a battle, were we not? And... did we crash? Sink? Where is my armor?" A small flame of panic started to flicker in Durra's breast. Part of her knew that removing her armor would have been the first step to facilitating whatever treatment she had received from their mysterious benefactor, but she felt naked without it now. Durra had long since learned to sleep in her armor and grown accustomed to the hardness of iron between her and her bedding.

[Lappy9001]

"Apparently our possessions are being 'researched,' and I assume we will receive them when we meet Lord Khamer. I'm Keziah, and I'm sincerely glad to see you're alive; your captain seemed quite distressed," Keziah says to Durra with a smile restrained by the bandages on her face. "At least...I hope we get our items back," she pauses, "some of it is very important to me."

[NeoSeraphi]

The pirate smiles and gives Keziah a salute. "Right, well, here's a bloke who knows how to charm a lady, eh? He's talking to you, Durra, go say hello now!" She reaches behind her first mate and gives her a firm push forward. "My sincerest apologies for the misfortune that befell your ship, by the way. I assure you, though my ship is fast and its crew are fierce, we do not carry firearms aboard, much less cannons. I couldn't tell you who sunk your ship, but I do know it wasn't me or any of my crew. We were just there trying to earn a little bit to keep us fed. Well, the rest of them anyway. As for me, I just heard your shipment contained a gorgeous sapphire that I was eager to have around my neck."

Mysha glances towards the door. "Oy! Wench! How much longer is this lord of yours going to be? It's rude to keep a proper lady like myself waiting, you know?" She inhales sharply and spits on the floor to emphasize her point.

[QuidEst]

Marcellus sighed at Mysha. "She cared for you for a week. It would be wise to be nice to her, as well as to not state with such pride that your work was to steal. I doubt the lord would look well on it, since they have a great deal to steal as a rule of thumb. And as we seem to be far from the sea, you may need a new line of work for some time."

[PalusAbel]

Durra winced at Mysha's sudden upraised voice. "An entire week...? How... troublesome. Mysha, I believe you would do well to heed that advice; there is no need to antagonize our hosts. Leaving us for dead would have been trivial, had they wished us harm. We owe them a certain level of courtesy, at the very least." She turned back to Keziah with a silent sigh, her face carefully set with a welcoming, toothy smile. "I am Durra Thorkas, first mate to Mysha Taysaia of The Second Sunrise. Or former first mate, as seems to be the case."

She spared a glance at the door before continuing. "As for our belongings, I would imagine that at least some of them will be returned to us. Our host may retain our weapons for the duration of our stay, understandably, but whatever items survived the 'incident'..." Durra trailed off, then continued in a lower tone. "Come to think of it, we have no way of confirming which of our items made it to shore. If our hosts tell us, 'We only recovered your bodies and the clothes on your back', we might very well have to take them at their word. I do not mean to speak ill of them, but it is a possibility, considering our current state."

[Diachronos]

A commotion can be heard from the doorway, seeming to come down the hall. It sounds like staggered footsteps, clinking metal and glass, and a man's voice rambling on about something while a pair of meek female voices try with little success to bring the man's attention to something.

"Master, please be careful, the vials-"

"-absolutely astounding how they worked the metal! The closest I've seen to this is the way the tengu fold the steel of their blades, but this metal is of a much higher quality to what you'd dig up in the taigas-"

Eventually the voices reach the door. Veronica and another servant are following an elderly elf man; the elf's clothing appears to be a mismatched combination of noble clothing and what appear to be an alchemist's garb, and his arms are laden with backpacks, armor, and weapons. It doesn't take much to realize that this is the party's confiscated equipment, or that it's beyond what a man of the elf's apparent age should be capable of carrying. The two servants appear a bit haggard, and the reason is clear when Veronica practically dives forward to catch a potion that slipped out of one of the backpacks.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha grins and waves. "So I take it you're our host then? A pleasure to meet you! The name's Captain Mysha Taysaia, of The Second Sunrise. And this is my first mate Durra." She points to the orc next to her. "You have such a lovely home. And we are ever so grateful for your hospitality in allowing us to stay here. But if I could ask one question...when you found us, did you happen to find us anywhere near a ship? Even a shipwreck? Some boards? Maybe a piece of cloth that may have once been a flag? Give it to me straight, Lord Khamer, how bad is my baby?"

[roll0]

[QuidEst]

Marcellus leapt up from his seat on the bed, hurrying over to help, glad that he kept his potions in iron vials rather than in glass ones. But if he dropped a vial of alchemist's fire, that would be another matter. He had the words to conjure a few gallons at the ready in his mind, just in case. "Thank you, sir," he said as he took some of the load, rapidly scanning the assorted goods for his spell book. "I am called Marcellus. I do not know much of how to work steel, but I do know that there is mage-craft that can take poor work and make it great. Past my skill, but I strive at all times to be more in my craft." He began laying items out on the bed, making sure to keep an eye on anything that was his, lest anybody try to appropriate it.

[Diachronos]

The elf addressed Mysha when she spoke up. "I'm afraid I saw no sign of a ship. Just you four, half-buried in the snow." He assisted Marcellus with laying out the belongings, even going to the trouble of sorting them out by who owned them.

He stepped back and adjusted his glasses, regarding the group with his heterochromatic eyes. "Now, then, where to begin... Introductions! I am Khamer Duskmantle, Lord of Duskwood and Royal Alchemist for Her Highness, Queen Serana."


Khamer is a vampire

[PalusAbel]

'In the snow? How far could we have drifted without our ship?' Durra stiffly surveyed the visitors without comment. Her eyes drifted back to what seemed to be some kind of anthropomorphic bat creature. It had introduced itself as Marcellus. She would have to speak with it at length later; there were more pressing matters at hand. "As my captain stated, I am Durra, her first mate. Before any further inquiries, my lord, please allow me to offer my thanks to you and to Her Highness for your hospitality."

She punctuated the statement with a deep bow. "I would also like to thank you for returning our belongings. I am pleasantly survived that this much has survived the disaster. Would you happen to have recovered a cart as well? Even aboard The Second Sunrise, I tended to keep my belongings lashed to a cart with a bell net. I can understand not bringing it along - we are indoors, after all." Durra swung her legs over to the side of the bed and eased herself to a standing position. Everything seemed all right for the time being, but she was not about to rush things. In the meantime, she compared which of her belongings were present in the room against a mental checklist of what she had on the ship.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah collects her possessions, especially grateful to find her bow is among the items recovered. Recalling her lessons of how to speak properly to a noble, Keziah addresses the elderly elf, "Thank you most graciously, Lord Khamer. I am deeply grateful for our lives and the return of our possessions. If I may be so bold, why were our items being researched? I know there is nothing especially extraordinary about my own, except for maybe the scrolls. If you are interested in those, I would be glad to let go of them as payment for saving us."

[QuidEst]

Marcellus spoke without looking up from his sorting. "If I may, I think that it is clear to me now. There is snow out there, yes? It was warm where we came from. No ship was found, nor have you so much as heard of the sea which we were on. Ere I passed from thought, there was a large pool formed in the sea, with a great post at its hub. A strange thing, the likes of which I have not seen. We have been moved, at least through space, and I think worlds as well. Lords, queens, and states none of us have not heard of? These serve to show its truth." He picked up the silent whistle, but paused before blowing on it. "This is not my first time to deal with such things."

He gave a quick burst on the whistle. From the rafters, a bat came flying down, landing on the pile of things Marcellus had sorted out as his own from the rest. Marcellus let out a sigh of relief, petting the bat gently.

[Diachronos]

He shook his head at Keziah's offer of payment. "No, you don't need to give me any sort of payment. The chance to study your possessions was more than enough."

Khamer then turned to Durra. "A cart? Cart, cart... oh yes, of course, the cart! I'd thought that it was how you all came to be in the ruins to begin with, but the saltwater disproved that theory rather quickly. It had been damaged during whatever event brought you all here, but it's been fixed up and is waiting outside at the stables for you."

The bat caught his attention as it flew down to Marcellus. "I was starting to wonder why the bat kept so close to you. Looking back I should've seen the connection between a familiar and its master before, seeing as I have one of my own." He blinked and stared at the batlike man for a moment, as if what he'd said had just clicked in his mind. "You say a... 'post' had appeared in the sea before you all lost consciousness? Strange... But then again... if it's connected to..." He pulled a small journal from his pocket and began to flip through the pages, muttering something about a tower.

[NeoSeraphi]

He has heterochromatic eyes? Interesting. What colors? And Know (Local) (gives info about humanoids, including elves), what does this mean? [roll0] (Obviously if it has something to do with his vampirism then Know (Local) won't tell me anything.

Mysha smiles. "An alchemist, eh? Nice to meet you!" She offers one hand in a friendly display. "I'm not sure what to make of us ending up in the snow though. That's a really odd thing for you to say, Lord Khamer. Is the climate near your home often snowy?" She glanced around to see if she could spot any windows.

Picking up her trusty rapier and attaching it to her belt, then pulling her armor over her shirt and securing it, she quickly checks to make sure everything is in order, and draws the blade from its sheath. "Uk thal majar das baal mita," she reads off the blade. "It's Orc for 'Never stop running until you reach the sunrise'. My dad told me that, once."

[Diachronos]

"Hm? Oh, the snow. Yes, here in the Veiled Tundra it's mostly snow and ice for the majority of the year. We get a few months of warm weather in late spring and summer, though. It's actually quite beautiful here around that time of year." He shakes Mysha's hand before turning back to the book, which appears to be a collection of notes.

One wall of the room has a set of curtains that stretches over 6' across, which are currently drawn shut. The only light in the room comes from the fireplace and a series of wall-mounted lamps that appear to be magically lit.


His left eye is an icy blue, the right eye is blood red. On a 17 it's enough to know that blue is a normal enough color for an elf, but red isn't a normal color for most "common" humanoids.

[PalusAbel]

Durra frowned. Marcellus' methods were entirely too blunt for her liking. Her captain, by comparison, was just as direct but not nearly as forceful. True, it seems the four of them have every reason to believe that they had been transported to a new and strange land, but that fact should make them more cautious if anything. Durra gingerly transitioned to a standing position and, once she felt secure, began to retrieve her own belongings.

"Allow me to make a small induction. Shortly before I lost consciousness, I saw a tower jutting out of a whirlpool. Just now, you mentioned that you found us in snowy ruins. I think it possible that the tower magically transported us here." She paused to gather her thoughts, drawing on her rudimentary education. "Had the tower simply been an architectural feature, our ships would have dashed themselves against it, and, if we were lucky, we would be lost at sea afloat on debris. We have no evidence that the first half of that did not occur; certainly you found us without anything resembling a ship. But the latter half remains questionable. Assuming that we did lose our ships back then out in the open ocean, how did we arrive here?"

She stopped again, this time to reconsider her question. Her eyes flitted briefly to the book. "That may be the question you are trying to answer by reading that book. If such is the case, then consider my words to be thoughts read aloud; do not let me distract you. Should you be able to spare a moment, there is a somewhat simpler matter I want to clarify. Please describe the exact circumstances in which you discovered us and brought us here."

Durra is trying to rack her brain about the nature of the tower. Her memory might be too foggy to get any details, but she will try a Knowledge (Engineering) check to determine the structure's style or age.
[roll0]

[Diachronos]

"That seems the most likely conclusion at this point. You said this tower just... appeared?" He closed the book and pocketed it again. "It's similar to something that occurred in these lands. A strange tower appeared in the ruins of Kheros a little over a week ago, and when I went there to investigate I found you in the ruins, unconscious."


The tower was definitely not of a style that Durra is familiar with. As far as its age, it looked a bit weathered, but between the battle and the storm it was too hard to make out any fine details.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha frowns and crosses her arms. "A tower? I don't remember anything like that. Though I suppose my eyes were focused on the ships rather than the sea at that point...Say, Lord Khamer? Would you mind if we investigated this tower? Maybe we can find a clue as to why it appeared in Golarion, or how it could take us home."

[Lappy9001]

Keziah's ears twitch at the mention of ruins. Kheros?

I doubt I'll know anything about it, but worth a shot [roll0]

[Diachronos]

"I have no objections whatsoever, my dear. Although, I would prefer to keep you all here for another day or two to make sure you're ready to be up and about. Getting caught in the snow like that can have lasting effects that aren't immediately apparent, especially in these lands."

He crossed over to the curtained windows. "If you'd like to see it from a distance, that much I can allow easily." The curtains were drawn open, and an exact mirror of the tower from before could be seen in the distance, its zenith piercing the clouds above.

The sky seemed off somehow; it was approximately midday by the lightness outside, but the sky was covered with blue-violet clouds streaked with an eerie reddish hue. In the few spaces where the sky could be seen, it was the orange-red color of the twilight sky, and the sun was completely hidden behind the cloud cover.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha hesitates, suddenly much more aware of her surroundings than she had been until this point. Her eyes dart around the old man, searching for any sign of a weapon. "So, we are to be your prisoners then? Until you judge us to be in fine shape?" She shakes her head. "I agree that I am injured, and I will let myself recover without leaving, but I refuse to allow you to keep me here against my will. Do we understand each other?"

[Diachronos]

"Oh, believe me, Miss Mysha, if I wanted to keep you here against your will, I'm more than capable of doing so. You see..." He snapped his foot upward, catching the hilt of Mysha's rapier from the edge of the bed and causing it to flip up into the air. Khamer snatched the blade out of the air and pointed its tip at the captain's throat. "I'm much stronger and faster than you might expect for a man my age."

He twirled the rapier around in his hand and presented it to its rightful owner. "My apologies for the rude display, but I felt that it was a point I needed to make. If you truly wish to leave now, I'll escort you to the door myself, but I would appreciate it if you all would be willing to at least stay for dinner."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha raises an eyebrow, taking the blade from him. "Be still my beating heart! Say...there wouldn't happen to be a Lady Khamer, would there?" she asks coyly, replacing her blade at her side. "And with such an energetic invitation, how could I possibly refuse?"

[Diachronos]

His smile faded a little, though he still seemed to be in good spirits. "No, I'm afraid there isn't. When most of my peers were chasing after ladies, I was busy chasing after every scrap of information I caught wind of. By the time I decided to settle down a little, I was already an old man." He shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "But that's all in the past now. No sense in wasting time considering what might have been."

[QuidEst]

Marcellus noted Khamer's display with interest, and Mysha's poor manners with some degree of exasperation. "I would be glad to stay and eat. Many thanks for your care when we had most need of it. I do not think we need to leave in a rush- it would be best for us to learn what we can of this place. But you say you too have a… a soul-bound pet? A fam-ill-yur, yes? It is a sign of mage-craft, and it may be that we both can learn at least some small things while we are both here. You have looked at my book, I take," he said eagerly, glad to be in the company of another mage. "It is true that I know just a small bit, since I am not long in the craft."

[Diachronos]

Khamer nodded. "Yes, I do have a 'soul-bound pet', as you put it. Although he'd be quite upset to be referred to as such." He chuckled and glanced at Marcellus' spellbook. "I perused your spellbook a bit, yes, though I did find it a bit lacking in new information. No offense meant, of course; you don't seem to have been practicing the craft for long, so it's to be expected that your arcane knowledge is limited to what an apprentice would know. Your species, though... Yes, you're quite a unique specimen indeed."

He clapped his hands together. "Well, seeing as you're all awake now, I take it you must be starving after a week of sleep. Care to join me for lunch?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha smiles happily. "Don't mind if I do! And if I'm coming, that means she's coming." She points a thumb back at Durra. "I'm so hungry I could eat a shark! I hope you have a nice spread at this time of day."

[Diachronos]

"I usually do, so I doubt you'll be disappointed. Though I do want to advise you of something... I'm not sure how things usually are in this 'Golarion' you spoke of, but you might find some of my servants a little... unusual."

[PalusAbel]

Durra massaged the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. There was quite a bit to digest after spending the last week unconscious and injured. At this point, a quiet meal would be more than welcome. "As she said, my sole duty is to follow my captain. I believe that that alone is sufficient for now; I have always preferred living day by day. With your permission, I would change into my proper clothing before partaking of a meal. While I do not doubt that you have washed and changed us while we rested, I would feel more comfortable in my own clothes." Her voice stiff from exasperation, she indicated the folded explorer's outfit on the bed. Certainly the long gown she was wearing in its place was comfortable enough, but it was still a garment with which she was unaccustomed.

[QuidEst]

Marcellus nodded. "I did not know if the mage-craft might be of a type not used here, but it seems to be much the same then. It is just as well for me, I think. But yes, food would bring much thanks." He followed when the old man led, warnings of strange servants aside.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah shoulders her possessions quietly and follows the rest of the group.

[Diachronos]

"Of course, of course. Take the time you need to make yourself comfortable, and I'll guide you all to the dining hall." Once everyone had changed into their favored outfits, he led them out of the infirmary and through the halls to a large study, where a large dining table was situated in the center of the room.

As they entered the study, a number of servants were busy laying out trays and dishes laden with still-steaming food. It was an impressive spread, with steamed vegetables, baked potatoes, some form of roasted fowl, and half a dozen different bottles of wine. "Hmm, a pleasing spread as usual. Although, usually there are some bowls of fr- oh, there they are!" His attention was directed to a side door, where a uniformed skeleton was walking through carrying a bowl of apples in one hand and a platter of other fruits in the other.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha blinks in surprise. "There is a corpse. There is a corpse carrying my food. Did the corpse touch my food? Have you sprayed your corpses for maggots? Have you sprayed your house for maggots? Do you eat maggots?!" She starts hyperventilating.

[Diachronos]

"Oh, dear, I should have seen this coming. To answer your questions in order: No, only the zombies, yes, and no." He waved the skeleton away after it placed the fruit on the table. "I did warn that my servants might not be what you're used to, but have no fear. Roger has never done anything to tamper with the meals prepared for my guests, and he knows to thoroughly clean his bones before handling anything from the kitchen."

[QuidEst]

Marcellus seemed more surprised at Mysha's reaction than at the skeleton itself. "What is wrong? It is just bones. There is no meat to go bad, so why fret? Worms do not eat bones; if they did, there would be no bones left in graves, now would there?" He deliberately took an apple from the skeletal servant, and took a bite. Normally, he preferred to use a little magic to make the food taste like dishes from his home, but that seemed like it would be rude under the present circumstances.

[PalusAbel]

"Marcellus speaks truly. On the other hand, maggots are a good source of protein, once properly prepared for consumption." Durra moved to Mysha's side and reassured her captain with a pat on the shoulder. Meanwhile, the orc eyed the skeleton's departure with quiet interest. She had never had talent for magic herself, nor a grasp of how to measure a magic user's power. Their host had certainly displayed physical prowess; Durra wondered what an animate skeleton might indicate. She turned her eyes back to their host. It would not do to be seated before him.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah attempts to hide her surprise at Lord Kymer's skeletal servant. Certainly, not all necromancers are evil, but the unusual eyes and the unnatural strength in an elf of such venerable age? It does not bode well. Regardless of her suspicion, Keziah remains quiet, not wanting to insult their host.

[Diachronos]

"I may as well get this cleared up now, lest we have another incident... Yes, I am a necromancer. Everyone in the Duskmantle family is, as are a number of the clergy. In fact, a large portion of our army is made up of undead who were animated so that they could continue to serve their country."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha frowns thoughtfully. "It sounds like these people were reanimated voluntarily? Like, they agreed to become undead before they died, right?" she asks hopefully.

[Diachronos]

"Of course they were. Animating the dead without their consent is a serious crime in these lands, and we even ward our burial sites to prevent such activity."

[PalusAbel]

"Thank you for clarifying, Lord Khamer, and for dispelling my apprehension. Indeed, your attitude toward necromancy is admirable. Perhaps when my death comes I, too, will be given the opportunity to rise again in service. Certainly I would have little else to do otherwise." Durra gave her captain a bemused smile. Death was both common and inevitable, and thus undeserving of fear. Better to face it with dignity. What comes after death is a topic frequently discussed among scholars and philosophers, but a warrior such as Durra had no need for such pondering. Hers was a life made for armed conflict, and in such conflict would it end should she have her way. If reanimation would prolong the termination of her duties, then there would hardly be any reason to refuse.

[QuidEst]

"Where I am from, those rights could be sold in a will to earn those left some gold. Leased it for a set time, I should say. Is it done for free here? That would be strange- I had thought the love of gold to be a fixed thing, from which one might reach rules of how men act. A math of funds, as it were," Marcellus said, his tone light enough to make it clear that it was in jest. "It would speak well of their love of the state, though. And of both your rank and how you act, that there would be those who wished to serve past their death." He gave a respectful bow, now somewhat overdue by his judgement.

[Diachronos]

Khamer pushed up his glasses while considering how to respond. "Well, for most it's simply a matter of wanting to do more for their country or their master than what they could do in life, particularly those who've grown too old to carry out the tasks they were once given. Others are reluctant to part with their loved ones for one reason or another, though usually it's to continue working at a family business; you can expect to see at least a couple of undead running a blacksmith's forge or tanner's shop, for instance." A grin crossed his face as he recalled something. "And then you have people like me, who are too stubborn to let themselves die once they start pursuing a goal."

He continued with a somewhat serious expression. "As far as 'leasing' corpses, that's simply not done. Those who wish to be brought back for their own reasons, and they're no more likely to let themselves be sold in that sense than they were in life. To value the dead's body as simply property or a resource is considered as disrespectful as desecrating their resting place."

[QuidEst]

Marcellus nodded. "I see. It is good to know- I would not wish to be rude and speak of what I do not know. In my old home, the 'lease' came from what folks wished for. Most did not know much of what it meant to have their shell raised once they were gone. They had fears that the soul would be stuck to its old shell. If a priest said it was not so, could they be sure? But for those who feared, the lease eased that fear. What was a ten year wait next to what was to come? And it was not seen as a bad thing, for it would help feed their loved ones for that time once they were gone." He paused for a moment, struggling with the words. "It might be more fair to call it a job than a lease? I can speak this tongue thanks to a spell, but it does not give the right sense at all times. 'Lease' is in the sense of set pay for a fixed time. When the time was done, a priest would give rites once more, and they would work no more. To let the shell work with no end in sight would be seen in much the same way you view the term 'lease', I think. But I see I should take care in how I speak of such things, and I am glad to have learned it."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha shakes her head, eager to get the group off such a gloomy topic. "So, Lord Khamer, could you tell us a little about this country? Since we're all outsiders, it would probably help if we knew stuff like customs, any laws that are special to your region, maybe something about your rulers?"

[Diachronos]

"I'd be happy to, Captain! Now, where should I begin..." He blinked and stared at everyone, as if wondering why they were all in the room with him. "Oh, you're all waiting for me to be seated first, aren't you? My apologies!" Khamer sat and motioned for them to do the same. "Well, I guess I should start with the rulers, since I anticipate you'll be wanting to meet with them before too long."

"These lands have been ruled over by Queen Serana Duskmantle for almost 4000 years now. She's a fair and just ruler by most people's opinion, though she's more than capable of adopting an iron-fist method of leadership should the need arise. Her Highness may appear young, but don't let her appearance fool you... she's a warpriest of the Gravekeeper, and a more capable warrior and mage than the entire Central Conclave combined."

[Lappy9001]

Keziah takes her seat at the table, delicately placing a napkin over her lap. She takes an immediate dislike to the thought of animated corpses and seemingly immortal rulers. However, she opts to reserve judgement until she sees the system in practice. This place is so strange...maybe the way things are done here are simply the best for those that dwell in this land. Lord Khamer seems a decent enough sort; Keziah owes him her life, at the least.

She turns to the host "Your land is very interesting to say the least, Lord Khamer. If I may ask, is there anything you can tell us about these ruins of Kheros? I've always had a passion for ancient civilizations and ruins "

[Diachronos]

"Kheros... a tragedy if I've ever heard of one..." He let out a small sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Kheros was a major port at the eastern edge of the tundra about 600 years ago. I don't know much about it myself, as I didn't come to these lands until almost 300 years ago, but from the stories I've heard its end was a bloodbath. Kul'Nehr'Zahg, the nightwave that lurks in the depths of the northern ocean, rose up from the water one day and laid waste to the town. Those who weren't swallowed whole by the beast or slaughtered by his minions were dragged under the surface by the flooding, never to be seen again. Queen Serana personally led her forces against Kul'Nehr'Zahg to drive him back, but by the time they arrived it was too late; none survived the attack."

He rubbed his eyes and continued. "None have settled in Kheros since then. Its ruins have been warded against necromancy and the priests gave what rites they could, but the ruins are too heavily tainted by what happened for it to be safe to live there again. At least not for the foreseeable future."

[PalusAbel]

Durra absorbed the story in solemn silence. "Forgive me for being blunt," she began slowly, "but I feel it is best to be direct. Do you know how or why we washed up on the shores of Kheros, Lord Khamer? And considering the history of those ruins, are there any side effects that we need to be concerned about? Though we seem to only have regained consciousness very recently, I understand that we have been under your care for some time now; if these ruins are as inhospitable as you say, I would not be surprised to find myself with an odd affliction." For the time being, at least, Durra noticed nothing unusual in her body or mind beyond the obvious physical injuries she had sustained, but Lord Khamer's story concerned her.

[QuidEst]

Marcellus took a seat as directed, wasting little time in getting some food after his long time unconscious. He listened intently, noting where the information was coming from. Those in power thanks to a ruler could hardly fail to describe them as "fair and just". Still, four thousand years. That was longer than any nation he'd heard of before, and exceeded the span of many civilizations. That anyone could be functionally sane after that length of time was remarkable in itself. Either her power was truly unassailable, or she was fair and just enough that any revolutions failed to gain enough traction.

"M-meet them?" he managed to get out, thinking more in terms of meeting her. His whole life was not enough to merit the least footnote in four thousand years. "I am not so proud that I would think it my right in the least. If they wish it, of course I will be there at once, but I would not think it my place. I may have learned from one of the best of my home world, but my time with her was short, and as you have seen, my book holds no great spells or lore." Really, the only sign he hadn't studied under any common mage was his mastery over the preparation of spells. Atia had been quite rigorous in her lessons, and no small part of the limited number of spells at his disposal was the amount of time she'd spent reinforcing the basics. She insisted that any wizard who took a quarter-hour to prepare a spell for something unexpected had a horrifyingly optimistic assessment of their capacity to plan for all eventualities.

"If you do not mind… I do not know what you mean by "night wave". I have not heard of a thing like that, and wish to know more."

[Diachronos]

He shook his head in response to Durra's question. "As far as afflictions, you need not worry. I had you all checked multiple times a day to confirm that there were no curses or diseases of any sort upon you, and the only 'side effects' any have experienced in the ruins are a sense of dread and the occasional attack from a spirit that manages to slip through the wards and manifest itself. To answer your question about how you arrived in the ruins... I'm afraid I don't know. It's odd that you appeared so far from the edge of the water, though; you were on the opposite end of the city from where the docks once stood, and Kheros rivaled the capital city of Nightveil for size."

Khamer turned to Marcellus. "Immortality makes one bored very easily. I'm sure if you told Her Highness the story of what happened to you all, she'd be more than willing to offer you her hospitality in exchange for the tale. At the very least, her daughter and Archmage Kehlethas would be interested in hearing it."

He tapped his chin as he considered how to describe a nightwave. "Imagine a massive shark, larger than most merchant vessels, with a hide black as a moonless and starless sky and glowing, blood-red eyes lining the sides of its head. It taints the water around itself, staining it as dark as its scales and causing it to crush and chill those within it as if they've been dragged to the blackest depths of the sea."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha looks up in interest. "Archmage Kehlethas? Who is he?" she asks curiously.

[Diachronos]

"One of Queen Serana's council, and the greatest mage in the Veiled Tundra. Maybe even the world, though he's not the sort to brag about the fact, nor the sort to show off his prowess. It's kind of ironic, what with him being a dragon and all, but I suppose his age has made him want to just laze about. You might actually see him without realizing it if you go to the castle at Nightveil."

[Lappy9001]

Keziah listens intently to the conversation and waits for a pause before speaking, "Lord Khamer, did you have any plans for us while having us recover at your estate? If not, I would simply love to peruse your study to learn more about this land's history," she pauses with a warm smile, "unless you guard your information jealously, in which case I completely understand. In fact, I do not believe I know the name of where we are. I recall you telling us we are in the Duskwood, but what do the people here call this land?"

[Diachronos]

"To be honest I'd hoped to hear more about the lands you come from, and the events leading to your arrival here, if you're willing to share that information. As for the land's history, you're all welcome to peruse my library for anything that catches your interest; I stand by Eroleht's creed that knowledge is something to be shared, not hoarded. All I ask is that you treat my books with care, as some of them are rather old." He chuckled and added, "Some even older than I am."

"The lands you're in are known simply as the Veiled Tundra. Mainly because it's a tundra, and because of the magics worked into the sky and clouds that allow free travel to those who can't enter sunlight. Some in the southern lands call our homeland 'The Deadlands,' but it's a bit of a misnomer... aside from about half the nobility and most of the military, the vast majority of the citizens are still living, breathing people. Duskwood would be the nearby town and the area that immediately surrounds my estate."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha takes a drink and thinks for a moment, before replying, "The world we come from is overrun by demons. The Worldwound is a large portal that regularly spits out demons from the Abyss. At the center of the world is the Inner Sea, a glorious free water that divides the continents, making marine travel and port based economies extremely important. But that's not all! We have dragons that rule over rich mountain hordes, goblins that gather and raid nearby towns, savage orc armies that decimate the landscape and claim their women," she indicates herself, "and a rich pantheon of powerful deities that command our world and use their influence and their high priests to act in their best interests."

[Diachronos]

"Huh... aside from the geography that sounds almost exactly like Ves'Perix. Tell me: are the elves of Golarion pompous snobs as well?" He seemed legitimately curious about the answer to his question.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah let's out a very un-ladylike snort of laughter at Khamer's comment as thoughts of her mother coursed through her memory. Clearly embarrassed, she feigns a cough and addresses the lord's question in an attempt to recover "It depends on who you ask, but most elves see themselves as caretakers of the world and knowledge as a whole. I suspect it may be similar to the leaders here; a long life and longer ancestral memory can make one seem aloof and uncaring to others." She pauses and stares away from Khamer as if looking into the distance, "My mother was full elven, and although young for her kind, she could be as overbearing as the fair folk come. I should think she would have half pulled my ear off for my outburst there, and for that, I ask your pardon Lord Khamer."

[Diachronos]

Khamer chuckled and shook his head. "It's quite alright. I only asked because that's the way most elves act here, at least those who live in the Central Conclave, and they look down on anyone who isn't a full-blooded elf. Why, they even look down on elves who treat non-elves as true equals. It's part of the reason I came north, in fact; getting mocked by my peers for showing what they called an 'unhealthy obsession' with other cultures was wearing on my nerves."

[Lappy9001]

"I'm sorry to hear that Lord Khamer. I have been very fortunate that noone has ever held my dual heritage or my thirst for knowledge against me; that sort of disrespect could drive anyone towards solitude."


Khamer certainly seems on the level, but I'd like to see if Keziah gets a hunch that he may not be entirely trustworthy.

Sense Motive: [roll0]

[Diachronos]

He's been completely honest so far.


He gave a dismissive wave. "It's all in the past. I greatly prefer the way things turned out over what acceptance I would have gotten from the other elves, in any case."

[PalusAbel]

Durra nodded solemnly as she listened to Lord Khamer's story, for she had gone through something similar regarding her own racial views. She looked at her half-blooded captain and decided on her next question. "What of this land's orcs, Lord Khamer? In my lands, orcs and elves are ancestral enemies. I, too, have been ostracized because I did not share the majority opinion - my enemies are individuals, not races."

[Diachronos]

Khamer thought for a moment before responding. "If I had to sum it up in just one phrase, I would say that they're 'noble savages.' They live in small tribal communities, usually out in the wilderness and far away from civilization, and they fit the 'barbaric wild-man' ideology to the letter at first glance. They have a strong sense of honor, though, and I dare say that the creed their warriors live by is more noble than the military of some nations."

He pushed up his glasses. "There are some groups who aim to conquer the villages and cities near where they live, most likely out of a desire for vengeance for the way their ancestors were enslaved, but a good number of the tribes only raid for what they need and keep to themselves for the most part. They make surprisingly good traders, though, and a sizable portion of the fur trade is the result of their hunting."

"That's not to say that all orcs in Ves'Perix are like that, of course. I've seen a fair share of them who found work as guards or mercenaries, even a couple who managed to earn enough money and trust to open a legitimate business. Why, one of the stable owners in Raven's Roost is an orc."

[PalusAbel]

"That description is comforting. I will be glad to meet another of my kind, if the orcs of this land can be described as such. Certainly we are of like minds, at least. Durra finished with a smile. "If I may continue, I would like to inquire about this Raven's Roost. Is that a nearby settlement?"

[Diachronos]

"Yes, it's a town town to the northwest, about two-thirds of the way to Nightveil. It's essentially the vineyard capital of the Tundra."

[QuidEst]

"As I'm sure you saw while you looked through our gear, I have sketched a great deal of plant and beast life from Golarion. Much of it was strange to me. How did it match up with what you have here? You have elves and orcs here, which I had not so much as heard of in my own home," Marcellus explained. It implied some degree of… proximity. There had been similarities between home and Golarion, of course. Trees and the like were more or less indistinguishable at a casual glance, although a close inspection would reveal differences.

[Diachronos]

"For the most part your sketches are similar to flora and fauna that we have here, though some of them are different in a few ways. The bears, for instance; the bears you describe in your sketches seem tiny compared to the ones that dwell in the forests to the south."

[QuidEst]

Marcellus nodded, largely unconcerned by the possibility of larger bears. They didn't fly, so it wasn't any particular bother as far as it dealt with him. "I see. One might guess these two worlds are in some sense "close", since they seem to share a great deal." It was a little disappointing then that even his new companions would be more familiar than him with the surroundings, but at the same time hopeful. If there was a world this "close" to his own as this was to Golarion, it would be a great comfort to travel there. How it was that he had moved from world to world this time, he couldn't say, but there had been no great ritual involved. Of course, there had also been no legion of Hrair to get though either, which likely simplified matters a great deal.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha eats her meal in silence mostly, absorbing what's left of the conversation. "Do you get many pirates in this world?" she asks. "Privateers? Sailors of any sorts? How does a woman who loves the sea make her way in a world with no ocean? It seems very...bleak to me."

[Diachronos]

"Well, I wouldn't say that there's no ocean. Most of the world is covered in ocean, as a matter of fact. Although..." He sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid you won't find much beyond the shores, other than the Isles of the Planetouched. Many years and fortunes have been spent searching for anything on the other side of the ocean, but those who have searched either returned empty-handed and near-death from exhausting their supplies or simply never returned at all.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha's eyes glow with a fiery passion. "Uncharted waters, you say? Adventure on the high seas? Danger, disaster, almost no chance of success? Where can I get a ship and a crew? Durra, this world is a blessing! We're going to conquer this legendary ocean, and we'll sail right into the sunrise with nothing in our way. A whole ocean all to myself...what a dream!"

[PalusAbel]

Durra chuckled at her captain's enthusiasm. Even in an unknown land, some things never change. "I suppose then we ought to find ourselves a Third Sunrise. Or perhaps you would prefer a Second Sunrise II? In any case, it will take some time to procure a ship and crew, so perhaps we should try our hand at land piracy for the time being." She smiled, and glanced at their other two companions, Marcellus and Keziah. Durra still had not quite formed a solid impression of either of them. Their perspective and goals in this new land might not be as transparent as her captain's. There was a common tie in their arrival here, but whether that meant the four would continue traveling together remained to be see.

[Diachronos]

Khamer burst into laughter at Mysha's and Durra's discussion. "You sound just like I did when I went into the Delgru Wastes for the first time as a young man! Oh, that trip nearly killed me more times than days I spent there, but it was worth it."

He tipped his head back in thought. "If you're looking for a ship, you'll probably need to head to one of the ports in the Central Conclave. I'd recommend Nightveil or a port in the Delgru Wastes, but the waters around Nightveil are too treacherous to sail without military protection, and the natives of the Wastes don't have a very good opinion of outsiders. The Undine from the Isles of the Planetouched are excellent shipwrights as well, but you would need a vessel to get you there to begin with."

[Lappy9001]

"Setting out to adventure in a unexplored sea in a land you are not familiar with? I greatly admire your tenacity miss Taysaia." Keziah lays the unbandaged portion of her face in her right hand and continues glumly, as she falls out of her trained etiquette "I haven't had a real home in years and now I don't even have a world to call my own...If it's not any trouble" she says, looking up at Mysha and Durra with a hopeful smile, "I would like to travel with you, crew or otherwise, and preferably with master Marcellus if he's willing. Your drive for adventure may finally give me some purpose."

[QuidEst]

"I do not see what the point is. This is a brand new world, full of things you have not seen or heard of, and what do you wish to do? Go to the one place where there is no change at all. I can tell you right now, the sea will still be big and wet. What will you find at sea? If there is just one great land mass, then there will be no ships far from the coast for you to rob, as there is no place else for them to go. There will be no ports where you can fix your ship once you are at sea, and I do not care who runs the ship, it will need to be fixed at some point. And that is not to speak of the death wish you seem to have, one I do not share. What a dull end to life- to sail out on a sea with no land until you starve or drown. And what if you do find some new place? It will be as strange to you as here, no more or less," Marcellus said, annoyed at such enthusiasm for a doomed enterprise with no chance of a worthwhile end to it. "But you can not pay for a ship as it stands, so you will have to find your grand quests on the land for the time while you work up the funds."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha chuckles. "If you've never been on a boat, Marcellus, then I wouldn't expect you to see what the point is. Sailing isn't logical, it's not something you do because it's the right thing or because it makes the most sense. I sail because I love it. The adventure. The salt in the air. The treasure, and the animals, and the freedom. Standing on my ship and knowing that it is my ship, that my crew is my family. That's what piracy is. It's a life that I will never stop living. And I'd rather die out at sea never finding anything than making amazing discoveries here on the shore."

She looks at Keziah. "The Second Sunrise always accepts new crew members, but be warned. I am not a gentle captain. If you don't have the stomach for ship life I'll toss you overboard as quickly as I would a jellyfish." Mysha nods to Durra. "Land piracy, you say? I'll take that under advisement. But there's no way The Second Sunrise didn't survive a tiny explosion like that. I'm going to scour this strange new land until I find my ship, I won't sail on anything else."

[Diachronos]

Khamer sipped at his wine while he listened to their discussion. "Well, I suppose the biggest question on my mind is... what will you all do now? Searching for your ship is a nice goal to aspire to, but we have no idea of knowing where it even ended-"

He stopped, seemingly lost in thought, before putting a hand to his head. "I'm such a fool! Why didn't I think of this sooner?!" The old elf jumped up and rushed out of the room, out of sight even before the door swung open far enough to hit the wall. A few seconds later, a small draconic creature darted into the room and flew up onto the table, settling in beside Khamer's plate.


It's a psuedodragon

It has the arcane aura of a familiar



It's actually undead

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha blinks in surprise. "That's a dragon. There is a dragon on the table. Why is there a dragon on the table. Is it hungry? Do I feed it?" She hesitantly takes some meat off her plate and offers it to the dragon.

[Diachronos]

The small dragon let out a little growl. "Do not treat me like some pet, greenskin."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha gasps and drops the food. "It talked! And it's racist! A racist talking dragon! What a strange character to suddenly appear before us!" She glances around. "Lord Khamer! There's a racist talking dragon on your dinner table!" she calls.

[Diachronos]

There was no answer at first, but Khamer soon returned, carrying a large mirror with both hands. "Nyx, how many times do I have to tell you to be nice to our guests?"

[Diachronos]

Without warning, the mirror flew out of Khamer's hands, coming to float in the air above the table. A gloved hand wreathed in arcane energy emerged, reaching and grasping onto Marcellus' arm. A voice fills the air, though Marcellus is the only one who recognizes the language. It's meaning is clear, however: whoever this was knew the strange bat-creature, and was bringing him back to his own world.

With a shimmer of multicolored lights, Marcellus vanished, and the mirror fell to the table with a loud bang. Miraculously the glass remained intact, and for a few moments the wizard's face could be seen reflected in the mirror before it disappeared.

"Well, um... that was unexpected..." He seemed to focus on the lingering motes of arcane power in the air, before sighing and shaking his head. "Unfortunately, there's no trace of what exact spell or power brought him back, so I can't replicate it to send you all home."

As he went to pick up the mirror, the door to the study swung open, and one of the servants entered, escorting a hooded and cloaked figure. Behind them was a cloaked and armored figure with a greatsword, and on the smaller cloaked figure's shoulder sat a small thrush. "My lord, we found another person who was brought to this world."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha stands up excitedly. "I knew there were others on my crew 'sides Durra who could take a hit like that! Who was it? Big Johnny? Li'l Johnny? Johnny? Black Mamba? Oh please tell me Black Mamba made it!" She looks at the servant expectantly.

[The Vagabond]

The young woman looked somewhat uncomfortable.
"Uh... No... I'm none of those. Sorry. I'm Olivebranch!" she said, walking in. Her Thrash is about to say something, before Olivebranch held it's beak close, "And... Uh, sorry, I don't really know who you guys are? May I ask your names."
She looked to the Psudodragon, and blinked a few times.
"Is that a zombie psudodragon? Who's it's master, and why is it a zombie?" She asked.
The her thrash nodded.
"*Grunt*"

[NeoSeraphi]

"I'm Captain Mysha Taysaia, of The Second Sunrise. The fastest ship on the seas, with the most beautiful pirate aboard. Me of course, not Durra. She's alright. 6.5 out of 10." Mysha smiles and pats Durra on the back reassuringly.

[Lappy9001]

Her chair screeched on the floor and topped backwards as Keziah abruptly shot up at Marcellus' disappearance. She paused, still standing as the cloaked figures entered the room. "I am Keziah, who are you, were you from the merchant ship caught in the vortex or are people reappearing from Golarion from elsewhere? And do you know what happened to Marcellus?"

[Diachronos]

Khamer frowned as he investigated the mirror for any damages. "They chipped the gilding..." After a moment he looked up and over to Olivebranch. "In any case, I bid you welcome to my home, Miss Olivebranch. Please, have a seat and join us! If your arrival was at all similar to these three, then I'm sure you must be famished."

Nyx snorted and puffed himself up. "I am no mere 'zombie', girl! I am the familiar of the greatest alchemist and artificer of the Veiled Tundra, possibly even all of Ves'Perix."

Khamer went back to examining the mirror for cracks. "You're also loud and rude, and you sneezed like a kitten when you were still alive."

"I did not!"

[The Vagabond]

Olive just stared at him for a few moments.
"Well. Could be worse. And, no, I just sorta... Woke up here. And what do you mean? I only just got here a few seconds ago, what happened?"
The Psudodragon would hear a voice:
"Did your master raise you? If so, I'd like to know if you could help her out to actually get her to work. How cruel is h-"
Olive flicks the Thrush, "Yale sounds like a little girl when frustrated."
"I DO NOT!" he shouted, sounding like a little girl. Olive closes his mouth again.

[Diachronos]

Khamer regarded the thrush with a suspicious eye. "If you mean what I think you mean, then you're asking the wrong person. A necromancer I may be, but I am not the sort you may expect."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha frowns. "Now, I admit that what I know about magic amounts to almost nothing, but I have heard a few tales on the high seas, and I've never heard the terms 'necromancer' and 'alchemist' used to describe the same person. From what I understand, which isn't much, those are two completely different professions."

[Diachronos]

Khamer chuckled. "Fair enough. I was just an alchemist before I came here, but in the past century I've begun practicing necromancy as well."

After a moment he turned to Olivebranch. "To answer your question, these three and another were pulled from a place called Golarion into this world. I assume that something similar happened to you?"

Olivebranch recalls seeing a strange tower appear in the distance while settling down for the night, and the next thing she remembers is waking up beside the road, with a couple of servants standing over her who proceeded to escort her up the road to this manor.

[The Vagabond]

The bird looks disappointed.
Olivebranch glared at the bird, and shrugged.
"Pretty much."

She looks over to Mysha, "What do you think about Necromancers, anyway?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha shrugs. "Mages are mages. They're all pretty boring, if you ask me. No sense of adventure, they just like sitting around with books and pet zombie dragons." She sighs and looks out the window. "I hope I'm not stuck here too much longer. I hate feeling trapped like this."

[Diachronos]

"Hey, I'm not that boring! Why, just last month I was exploring a ruined temple in the Isles of the Planetouched, and triggered a summoning circle for a efreeti while interpreting the runes on one of the walls! Haha, that was an interesting fight... I don't know what confused him more, the fact that his charm spells weren't working on me or the fact that I kept falling over from how hard I was laughing."

He shook his head and set the mirror down. "In any case, there's no need to feel trapped here, Lady Mysha. I have a few guards who'd be willing to spar with you if you feel the need, and with this scrying mirror I should be able to locate your ship. I'll need your help, though, seeing as I have absolutely no idea what your vessel looks like."

He brought Mysha and Durra over and had them stand around the mirror with him. Each corner of its hexagonal shape had a rune inscribed upon it, and he had the two pirates place their hands on one pair of corners while he did the same for the third pair. "Concentrate on what your ship looks like. If it's anywhere in Ves'Perix, we'll be able to find it."

Sure enough, the mirror's reflective surface began to display a bird's eye view of the land, speeding across the tundra to the west and crossing a chain of fiery mountains, finally coming to rest in the middle of a vast desert. The Second Sunrise rested in the sand, still upright as if it were floating in calm waters. "That's interesting... somehow it ended up all the way over in the Delgru Wastes. Right in the middle, too, that's going to make for a difficult... wait..."

The image in the mirror began to flicker, and the view jumped around to seemingly random places. After a few changes in the location, the scenes all held one thing in common: a view of a tower, the same as the one to the east of Khamer's estate and the one that had emerged from the vortex that brought them here. As the images began to flicker back and forth at increasing speed, cracks began to appear in the mirror, and a strange black mist began to seep from them.

Khamer removed his hands and took a few steps back. "Everyone get back!" Sure enough, the mirror shattered and sent shards of glass into the air, and the mist began to coalesce into a twisted humanoid figure that crouched on top of the table, emitting a sound that seemed a cross between an animal's snarl and a tormented moan as its claws left deep gouges in the wooden table.


Initiatives, please :smallamused:
[roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha touches the mirror and concentrates on her baby, and she is surprised when she opens her eyes to see it, moored in the sand like a poor beached whale! Then some crazy evil humanoid thing pops out of the mirror and Mysha is not having any of that! She draws her rapier and points it at the creature's throat.

Initiative: [roll0]
Know (Local) to identify humanoids and characteristics: [roll1]
Perception to gain any on-sight information about the creature: [roll2]

[PalusAbel]

Durra lazily mused at the comings and goings of her companions, her mind elsewhere. When Khamer drew attention to the mirror, however, her attention quickly refocused. "Look sharp, Captain!" Durra's hand flies to her nodachi's grip.

Initiative: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[The Vagabond]

"BY DESNA WHAT IN HER NAME IS THAT!?" she panickedly shouted, panicky stepping away.
"STAB THE THINGY STAB THE THINGY!" Her familiar cried.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"
"F***ED IF I KNOW!"

Her minion did a grunt, beginning to charge at the giant creature because what the hell is that thing.


Olive:
Arcana:[roll0]
Dungoneering: [roll1]
Nature:[roll2]
The planes:[roll3]
Religion:[roll4]
Perception: [roll5]
Yale:
Arcana:[roll6]
Dungoneering: [roll7]
Nature:[roll8]
The planes:[roll9]
Religion:[roll10]
Perception: [roll11]

[Lappy9001]

Fortunately for Keziah, she was still standing in surprise of Olivebranche's appearance.

Initiative: 1d20+4

[Diachronos]

Khamer pushed up his glasses and pointed at the creature. "Banishment!" A jet of light shot from his fingertip, striking the creature and... fizzling. The creature snarled and its eyeless face swiveled around to regard Khamer, who stood there, dumbstruck and staring at the creature. "It's... it's not of this world, so... why didn't..."

After a moment it turned its attention to Mysha, with her being its closest target. It lashed out with its claws, emitting a high-pitched shriek as it leaped off the table at her.


Creature's attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
????: [roll2]


The creature's talons slash through Mysha's sleeve and dig into her arm, leaving an odd stinging behind. The creature darted past, hissing as it crouched beside one of the overturned chairs and readied itself to attack again.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha glares and attacks the creature with her rapier.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[The Vagabond]

The Undead Minion just calmly walks up to it, and smashes it's skull in with the blade of the sword.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Lappy9001]

Jumping back to put distance between herself and the creature, Keziah quickly draws her bow and looses a shot at the beast.

Keziah will stay within 30 ft. of the creature.

Ranged Attack Roll: [roll0]

And if I hit...

Damage: [roll1]

[PalusAbel]

Durra raises her nodachi, teeth bared in wordless rage, and brings it down with all her might.

Durra makes a power attack, ignoring the usual attack penalty through her Furious Focus feat.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Diachronos]

Mysha's rapier glances off of the creature's claws as it brings them up for another attack, but the attacks of the others bring it down in seconds. The creature lets out a gurgling screech as it drops to the floor, more of the strange black mist seeping out of its wounds.

Khamer snaps out of his confused daze and begins casting a spell, which forms a wide disc of force beneath the thing and lifts it off the floor. "In all my years, I have never seen anything like this! I need to get it to my workshop right away... Veronica, would you see to Lady Mysha's wound, please?" The maid nodded and came over to treat the injury, but she gasped when she turned the half-orc's arm over to get a look at it. "M-my lord, her arm... I think the creature may have poisoned her."

She pointed to the wound as Khamer walked over. The wound itself seemed normal, but the skin around it was sporting black veins that extended about a finger's length out from the gash. The elf stared wide-eyed at the sight before grabbing onto Mysha's shoulder. "I'm going to need you to come with me so we can get that examined." Veronica placed her hand on Mysha's arm, and a few seconds later the wound had completely healed from the magic she applied.

Khamer turned to the others. "I'm afraid this is going to keep me busy for a little while. In the meantime, though, feel free to look around my home for anything that catches your interest. If there's something in particular you're looking for, Veronica can show you where to find it." Turning back to the door, he withdrew an ivory key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock. After a quick turn he opened the door, and instead of the hallway that they'd entered through it led into a cluttered laboratory with several sets of alchemical equipment lining the counters. A couple of examination tables were situated in the center of the room, and a uniformed zombie was sweeping the floor by the far wall.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha sits down on the examination table, staring at the poison flowing through her veins. "This is some fast-acting stuff!" she exclaims, staring at what used to be the wound. "So, you've never seen any creature like that one? Then how will you know how to treat the venom?" she asks, looking worried.

[Diachronos]

"It's true that I've never seen a creature like this before, but treating the venom shouldn't be too difficult as long as I can concoct an anidote." His eyes took on a faint glow as he began to examine the creature after putting it on the other table. "Which should be a relatively simple matter once I can get a sample of the venom... which might be difficult seeing as I can't detect any in this thing's body." He looked to Mysha and stared for a moment. "Or in you, for that matter. Whatever it did to your arm that created those black veins, it wasn't a poison."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha looks very worried now. "W-wait, but if it's not a poison, how will you concoct an antidote?" she stammers.

[Diachronos]

"That's the question, isn't it? Do you feel any pain or other symptoms from the injury?"

Surprisingly, there are no apparent effects from the "poison" that Mysha can determine.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha shakes her head in the negative.

[Diachronos]

"Hmm..." He examined Mysha's wound again, then headed back over to the creature. "Interesting... there's a faint presence of magic in your wound, and it matches up perfectly with whatever is holding this thing together. If I had to guess, I'd say that your 'infection' is due to some of the creature's essence entering the wound when it attacked you." He frowned a little. "There's one thing that's bothering me, though..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha frowns and looks down at her arm. "Something that's bothering you? And what would that be?"

[Diachronos]

"I've studied magic for almost my entire life, so that's over 400 years of studying. And I've never seen this before. The closest things I've seen to this kind of power would be positive energy, the same life force that makes up a soul and mends the wounds of the living, and negative energy, which animates and heals undead and harms the living." He lifted the creature's arm and examined the mist seeping out of its wounds. "This appears to be similar to positive energy, and yet antithesis to it in the same way that negative energy is."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha looks down at her arm. "But...my veins are still working, right? Like, they're still cycling blood through my heart and my body is still getting rid of any waste that needs to be gotten rid of through my blood?" she asks, looking at the disturbing black lines.

[Diachronos]

"Yes, your circulatory system appears to be fully functional. Those black veins aren't actually part of your normal blood vessels, they're more... how to put this... It's more like the paint on the side of a ship. The paint might chip and crack, but it doesn't cause any harm to the wood beneath it."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha relaxes. "So, what you're saying is there's nothing actually wrong with me?" she asks hopefully.

[Diachronos]

"Not that I can see, at least. I don't want to say that there's absolutely nothing wrong since I don't know if there will be any side effects later on, but for the foreseeable future I think you'll be fine."

[PalusAbel]

"That is good to hear, Lord Khamer." Durra steps forward as she sheathes her nodachi. She claps her hand on Mysha's shoulder as she continues. "I would be quite lost if my captain were to guide me no longer. For what services you have already rendered, and for whatever aid you will yet give us, I thank you once again."

She turns to Mysha with a broad grin that belies her deep concern. "My apologies. Had I been faster on the draw, that creature would not have been able to approach you. I am glad that you are hardly the worse for my slowness, but I will make amends in any way you deem necessary. As always, I am your sword, and you may use me as you please."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha shakes her head. "She's such a stuffed shirt isn't she?" she asks Khamer. "Honestly, I wonder what ever made her want to be a pirate in the first place. But whatever, Durra, it's fine. Little bugger got lucky, that happens from time to time. More my fault than yours. You can make it up to me by buying dinner." She blinks and then gasps and looks at Khamer. "Oh no! Please tell me this world has gold. Gold?" she begs, pulling her coin purse out and showing it to him. "Please tell me you use shiny, pretty gold as your currency and not maggots or bones or something equally ugly?"

[Diachronos]

Khamer frowned a little. "The only difference between the currency we use and the currency you use is the style of the coin. Speaking of which..." He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the coins, showing it to her. It was still gold, but its design was different from the ones that she'd used before. "I exchanged your money for local currency. Gold is gold, as far as I'm concerned, but a few of the more upper-class merchants may refuse to deal with you if they think you're using counterfeit coins, so I figured I'd save you the trouble of dealing with the authorities over a misunderstanding like that."

[Lappy9001]

Keziah smiles and bows her head in respect, "Thank you again, Lord Khamer, your kindness surpasses mere words. I think I shall take you up on your offer and spend some time in the library researching the Veiled Tundra." Turning to the rest of the group, "Good evening everyone, I'm sure I'll see you all tomorrow."

[Diachronos]

Veronica directs Keziah to the library, right from the door and down the first hallway on the left, second door on the right. The room is massive, with each wall lined with bookshelves save for a single space about 8 feet wide in one wall to accommodate a currently-lit fireplace. Nearly a dozen other shelves were arranged in neat rows, reaching nearly up to the ceiling.

A pale-skinned woman, clad in the same uniform as the other servants, rounds the corner around one of the bookshelves. She is carrying an open book in one hand, and seems to be in the middle of reading when she hears the creak of the door hinges. The woman looks toward the door and smiles before coming over to Keziah. "Ah, you must be one of Lord Khamer's guests. I am Chimi, the caretaker of my lord's library and his loyal servant for three of my lifetimes. How may I aid you?"


She is a samsaran, a humanoid race whose members reincarnate after death if they've lived a life of harmony and balance, and they often remember bits and pieces of their past lives. They're easily distinguished by their light blue skin, solid white eyes, and dark hair.

[Lappy9001]

"Greetings Miss Chimi, I am Keziah. You must be lucky to work with Lord Khamer for so long, he seems a very kind liege." She turns to look at the walls of books, "This is a most impressive study. Much larger than the one at my family manor. Could you direct me to some of the histories of your land? I was quite the student back home. Surely, you must have the story of..."

Keziah goes to recount some of Golarion's most prominent histories, to see if the Veiled Tundra has comparable tales. With luck, she hopes her knowledge of Golarion can help her learn more about this new land.

If you need a research roll or something.

Knowledge (History): [roll0]

[Diachronos]

"Certainly. Right this way." She leads Keziah to a section of bookshelves near the fire, and points out a few rows that are dedicated to the history and culture of the Veiled Tundra. She remarks that the tomes are written in various languages, but she'd be happy to provide any translations that Keziah needs.


The nation was founded by a vampire named Malus Duskmantle, who erected a barrier known as the Sunveil over the land to shield vampires and other undead from the rays of the sun, which also causes the sky to appear with a faint red-orange hue as it is always sunset. Its original name was lost to time, and for millennia it has simply been known as "the Veiled Tundra." There have been roughly a dozen Dread Kings and Queens over the years, with the current being Serana Duskmantle, who has ruled for roughly 4000 years as of the most recent writings.

The Tundra is bordered on its western end by the volcanic mountains known as the Dragonfire Crags, homeland of the kobolds, and the cold forests known as the "Land of the Beastfolk" to the south. Its northern and eastern borders are nothing but glacier and ocean, with the ocean directly to the north being known as "The Black Depths:" a cold and hazardous stretch of water as black as the night sky, and where the prison of the nightwave Kul'Nehr'Zahg lies. The capital city of Nightveil is the only major port in the Tundra, and its proximity to the Black Depths has led to a constant military patrol to defend the vessels travelling to and from the city from anything that emerges from the ocean.

The Veiled Tundra is a sort of reservoir for necromantic energy, though scholars are unsure as to why exactly that is. Some scholars, particularly those among the clergy, claim that this is because the land has been "claimed" by the patron deity of the Tundra: a skeletal figure known simply as "the Gravekeeper," whose domains revolve around death and undeath, as well as funeral rites and the resting places of the dead. This concentration of necromantic magic frequently causes the dead to animate as undead, sometimes resulting in locals awakening to find a recently-deceased relative going about whatever business they conducted in life.

While the undead that rise from proper burial sites tend to retain most of their memories and intelligence from life, those who are not given a proper burial behave in the way that Keziah would expect based on the undead from Golarion. They are mindless creatures that attack living creatures on sight, and are easy targets for the necromancers that see them simply as tools. The number of attacks by these mindless undead increase and decrease throughout the year, with the frequency reaching its lowest point in the winter (when most of them are buried under snow and ice) and its peak after the spring thaws (when the undead buried under the snow are able to break free). About 6000 years ago, Dread King Korvas Duskmantle instituted the "Grave Purge", an annual campaign led by the Tundra's military to eradicate any "wild" undead that emerge during the spring, in order to protect the civilians of the land from the hordes.

There is an entire tome dedicated to the practice of necromancy in the Tundra, though it seems rather odd compared to what necromancy rituals Keziah might be familiar with. Creating and animating the dead in the Tundra is highly ritualistic, and almost seems like a burial rite of sorts. The one performing the animation communes with the deceased person's soul, asking for permission to animate their body, and if permission is granted the animation takes place. Once the resulting undead has been used for its intended purpose, it is returned to its burial place. Animating a body without obtaining its soul's permission is considered a heinous crime (with outlaws, wild animals, and monsters being exempt from this), on the same level as rape or murder, and usually carries the death penalty.

The citizens of the Tundra have the option to be brought back as an undead creature once they have died, typically requested when they are on their deathbed and often used to either continue their craft or remain with their families for a time longer. The military is largely made up of undead who have signed over their bodies in service to the kingdom while they were alive, and they are essentially "resurrected" as undead creatures in order to allow them to fight more effectively.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha relaxes when she hears that gold is the standard currency. With how weird this world was, it was nice to know at least she wouldn't be living in poverty. She looks up and asks, "Say, Khamer, you wouldn't happen to have a map of the world that I could look at or study, would you?"

[Diachronos]

Khamer thought for a moment. "Not in here, no. But I should have a few maps in the library or in my private study. The library may be a better choice, as my study... well, as you can see from my workshop, I'm not the most organized individual."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha nods and heads into the library, looking for books on geography so she can study the major landmarks of the world.

[PalusAbel]

Durra suppresses the urge to sigh as she watches Mysha leave for the library. "Lord Khamer, do you have a training room? My body is still somewhat sore - some exercise ought to do me good." She places a hand on her shoulder and rotates it experimentally. "I trust my captain will return to me with her findings, and I would like to be in better shape when she returns."

[Diachronos]

Khamer nodded. "Of course! There's a training yard in the south courtyard. You might need to wake up Miles, but he can set you up with whatever you need."

[PalusAbel]

"Very good. Thank you, Lord Khamer." Durra bows deeply before stepping back to inspect her weapons and armor. Once she has affixed her hammer to her back, she takes her leave with nodachi in hand.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha finds a map of the world and opens it up to take a look. She's looking for any large cities near here, as well as any places where there might be orc tribes.

[Diachronos]

Th maps that Mysha finds are rather old, but well-kept and recent enough to show that Kheros is in ruins. The nearest city is situated on an island in the middle of a skull-shaped lake, likely its namesake considering the place is known simply as "Skull Lake".

As far as landmarks in the Tundra, there is a large collection of mountains in the center of the western plains labeled "The Tomb Peaks", and large glaciers bordering most of the northern coast. The capital city of Nightveil rests in the center of the norther border, with its port extending into the Northern Sea.

The only other maps available are those of the Land of the Beastfolk to the south, which is largely featureless (according to this map, at least) save for a large, perfectly circular chasm labeled "Monastery of the Reflecting Falls," and the Dragonfire Crags, which shows only a handful of surface towns accessible by mountain pass and a dormant volcano dubbed "Wyrmskull Crater", which also bears the map marker denoting the capital of a nation.

There are a couple of small marks labeled as orc bands in the Beastfolk lands and the middle passes of the Dragonfire Crags, but nothing else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the courtyard that Khamer had informed Durra of, the orc finds a wide, stone platform in the center, appearing as if it were meant to be a sort of arena. A handful of training dummies were scattered about the courtyard, some toppled over and with weapons still stuck in them.

Near one edge of the courtyard, nestled between a pair of pine trees, is a mound of dirt that looks freshly dug, and there is a small gong hanging from one of the tree branches. A crudely-made sign that says "Ring for Miles" hangs next to the gong.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha brings the maps over to Keziah and points out the Dragonfire Crags. "Let's go explore here!" she says simply.

[Diachronos]

With Mysha's injury seen to, Keziah exploring the library, and Durra training, Khamer returned and sought out Olivebranch. "Now that we have a moment alone, my dear, I feel that there's something we need to speak of. More specifically, your... chosen craft." His gaze slid over to the cloaked skeleton, giving it a studying glance. "What is your viewpoint on the act of animating the dead?"

[PalusAbel]

Durra briefly considers righting the dummies and withdrawing the weapons embedded in them, but decides against it. They were not hers to touch, and they might have a purpose for being there. She looks around for an implement with which to sound the gong, but, finding none, she leans her nodachi against one of the trees and draws the hammer from her back. "Pardon my excess, Miles, but I know not where you are; I must strike the gong truly." Durra winds up and slams her hammer into the gong.

[Diachronos]

As soon as the gong rings out, there is an explosion of dirt from the mound, and a gaunt figure bursts out, wielding a pair of tarnished pistols. "Who's there? What the hell are you doing interrupting my nap?!" The figure looked around for a few seconds before settling its gaze on Durra, one pistol trained on her. "...Did Khamer really lose his mansion to orcs? Old coot must be gettin' rusty..."

[PalusAbel]

That explains the freshness of the mound... Durra lowers the hammer's head to the ground, resting her palms atop the pommel with fingers spread to show she means no harm. "I apologize for disturbing you, sir. I am Lord Khamer's guest, not an invader. My captain and I, along with a few others, washed up nearby sometime last week, and Lord Khamer took us into his care. When I asked him about a place to train, he directed me here.

Durra smiles. "I am called Durra. Are you Miles? Lord Khamer mentioned that Miles would be able to facilitate my training, but that I might need to wake him up."

[Diachronos]

The figure grumbled before holstering his pistols. "Yeah, I'm Miles. Just gimme a minute and I'll get the training dummies set up... or do you want sparring partners? I think there's a couple around here that are still in one piece."

[Lappy9001]

Keziah peers in closely to where Mysha is pointing mulling over the location's evocative title. "The Dragonfire Crags, hm? The name conjures danger...excitement. It sounds like an adventure to say the least. Although I must say I'm more drawn to this Monastery of Reflecting Falls, here." She points at the map, "While we search for your ship, I'm sure we'll have time for both, if you don't mind being a land-bound pirate for a while." Keziah pauses for a moment before continuing, "Or do you prefer another title? I'll certainly have the tact to not call you a 'sea-thief' at the least," she finishes with a good-humored smile.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha winces. "Oh, right. I can see why a place with a volcano might not be your favorite to explore," she says uneasily, her eyes darting over the half-elf's charred skin. "By the way, can I just say that I love your outfit? It totally distracts from your horrible burn w- I mean, your less than attr- I mean, damn you're pretty!"

"Land-bound pirate does sound pretty lame. For right now, I think 'archaeologist' suits me better. I'm going to find something valuable and awesome in some ruins and then totally steal it because the dead have no property rights!" She grins proudly.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah responds with another grin, "Well thank you, and it's really quite alright, honestly it's the smell that bothers me more than anything. I only worry because it's been spreading, and I don't want to be reduced to a charred corpse before I reach thirty." She removes her left glove and touches her burnt face with equally scorched fingers, "Along with a few years of travel, this...curse I suppose has given me a sense of perspective. The fire that took my family and left me this way granted me the ability to spread those flames or mend hurts with a warm light. Fire brings death, but it is also life, and I have the choice to hurt or help others. I chose the latter, and I will be defined by that choice, not by my deformities."

After a pause, Keziah slowly pulls back her glove, "I'm sorry, you didn't ask for my life story. But...for you Captain Mysha...I think archaeologist suites you just fine. And I'm much better equipped to help you plunder an ancient tomb than a merchant vessel."

[PalusAbel]

"Dummies are good practice for drilling specific maneuvers into muscle memory, but when it comes to actual combat training sparring partners will almost always prove superior." Durra confidently delivers her view on the subject. Exchanging her hammer for her nodachi, she slowly inspects the length of the sheath for damage before doing the same with the naked blade. "In this particular case, I wish to sharpen my reaction time after a long period of rest. For that, an animate opponent is necessary." She intentionally avoids the word "living", as it seems more and more of Lord Khamer's retainers and associates seem to be undead.

[Diachronos]

Miles let out a dry chuckle. "Fair enough, little lady. Lemme see what I can rustle up..." He drew one of his pistols again and fired it into the air, followed by a few quick orders in another language. After a bit of silence, he growled. "Come on, you yellow-bellied shamblers! You been put back together more times'n I can count, one more ain't gonna hurt you!"

A trio of armored skeletons emerged from a side door to the courtyard, each armed with a wooden practice sword and small wooden shield. "These three ain't the best fighters, but they'll whip you back into shape."

[PalusAbel]

Durra assumes a ready stance and inspects her opponents wondering who they might have been, or if they might simply be constructs in humanoid form for familiarity's sake. "I wish to confirm whether destruction of these skeletons is acceptable," she calls out in a low, frigid voice.

I imagine an Initiative roll is called for here: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha scratches her head. "Fire gives life...what are you talking about? Oooooh. You mean, your mom and..." She makes several obscene gestures with her hands. "with a fire elemental...well, that explains a lot! And here I thought you were just a burn victim!" She laughs in relief.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah stares blankly at Mysha for a moment, before bursting out into laughter, "One thing's for sure, you certainly can lighten up the moment Captain. That would have made my upraising, well, more interesting at the least." Keziah wipes a mirthful tear from her eye, honestly grateful her new companion kept her from entering a dark place in her mind. Stifling her giggles, she continued lightly, "But no, I meant I can use the power of fire to literally heal the wounds of others. So while I would not suggest striding straight into Wyrmskull Crater, I can keep you, Durra, and Olivebranch if she chooses to come patched up long enough to get there and back."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha grins and nods. "Oh, like cauterizing wounds! Now I get it! That's an interesting way to think of it. You know I've always been kind of a baby about that stuff. Holding a burning stick to my skin just seems so scary, you know? But it does help prevent infections, which can be really deadly on a ship with no cleric. Fire gives life...yeah, I think I'll keep that in mind." She smiles, proud of herself for having followed this conversation.

[Diachronos]

Miles shrugged. "Khamer doesn't give me any trouble when people rip 'em apart, and they got a special magic on 'em that makes 'em reform after a while, so it's all fine. Worst you'll get is them gettin' mad that you broke a few bones."

[PalusAbel]

"Then I will be sure to offer my apologies and thanks for their services." Durra advances slowly, her nodachi held at the ready against a potential charge.

Move action to approach the skeletons, leaving at least 10 feet between her and them. Standard action to brace her nodachi.

[Diachronos]

The skeletons move in, each moving to surround Durra and strike her with their training swords.


Skeleton 1: [roll0]; damage: [roll1] nonlethal
Skeleton 2: [roll2]; damage: [roll3] nonlethal
Skeleton 3: [roll4]; damage: [roll5] nonlethal

[PalusAbel]

Durra expertly deflects the two of the skeleton's blows, but the last manages to penetrate her guard. Her retaliation is swift; she brings her nodachi down in a brutal vertical slash.

Standard action to power attack Skeleton 2. Furious Focus negates penalty, Grudge Fighter provides +1 morale bonus to attack and damage. Total modifiers: +1 attack, +4 damage.
Attack: [roll0], Damage: [roll1]

[Diachronos]

The skeleton manages to deflect Durra's strike with its shield, and they all move to strike again.


Skeleton 1: [roll0]; damage: [roll1] nonlethal
Skeleton 2: [roll2]; damage: [roll3] nonlethal
Skeleton 3: [roll4]; damage: [roll5] nonlethal

[PalusAbel]

As another blow strikes true, Durra berates herself for her poor performance. Surely Mysha would be laughing if she were watching. This image fills Durra with righteous fury, which she then channels into her retaliatory strike.

Same modifiers, attacking Skeleton 1 instead.
Attack: [roll0], Damage: [roll1]

[Diachronos]

The skeleton lets out a small yelp as Durra's strike slams it into the ground with a crunch, and its head goes rolling off the edge of the stone platform while its arms and weapon skid across the cobblestone. The other two give each other a nervous look, before moving in for another strike.


Skeleton 1: Easily knocked down to 0 by that, even if you don't crit.
Skeleton 2: [roll0]; damage: [roll1]
Skeleton 3: [roll2]; damage: [roll3]

[PalusAbel]

The first skeleton's defeat lifts Durra's spirits such that she hardly feels the third blow connect with her armor. She raises her nodachi in hopes of repeating her triumph.

At last some good rolls. Same modifiers, attacking Skeleton 3.
Attack: [roll0], Damage: [roll1]

[Diachronos]

The skeleton goes down like the first one had, and the third turns to flee.


Take your AoO

[PalusAbel]

Durra laughs throatily at her impending victory and swings her blade once more. However, as it is against her principles to attack an opponent's back, she swiftly takes a half-step forward so that her nodachi would meet the side of the skeleton's ribs.

Furious Focus has been used up, so the -1 penalty from Power Attack applies.
Attack: [roll0], Damage: [roll1]

By the way, AoOs occur before the provoking action, right? I just want to make sure my narration made sense.

[Diachronos]

The third skeleton drops as well, and Miles scowled. "You three are pathetic! You outnumbered her and you still lost!"


Technically after, but I don't see why we couldn't rule it as the attack occurring as the thing in the middle of turning around.

[PalusAbel]

Laughing, Durra returns her nodachi to its sheath. "Blame them not. I would say it was a near thing; were they equipped with real weapons and armor, I may not have stood a chance. Thank you, you three." She offers them a deep bow.

"Well, if I were not sore before the spar, I certainly am now. Thank you for your services as well, Miles. I think I shall return to my captain's side now. She was on her way to the library, if I am not mistaken. Would you kindly direct me there?"

[Diachronos]

Miles gives Durra directions to the library before starting to bark orders at the skeletons in an odd, guttural language.

[Diachronos]

Khamer escorts Olivebranch to the library, meeting up with Durra on the way there. In the library he pulls up a few more chairs at the table that Keziah and Mysha are sitting at, and begins to dig through the leather satchel strapped to his belt. "I take it you've all decided where you'll want to go after this, so I thought I'd begin helping you with preparations."

Chimi speaks up as she puts away some of the books that Keziah had finished with. "Miss Keziah and Miss Mysha both expressed interest in going to the Dragonfire Crags, my lord."

"The Crags, eh? Probably a nice place to start exploring, though the kobolds inhabiting the place tend to be a little... suspicious of other races. You'll want to be careful while you're there, though. If the wyverns and other wildlife don't get you, the landslides and lava flows might. You'll also want to be careful if you go further west into the Delgru Wastes. The locals there are... well, they're gnolls and medusas and the like, so make of that what you will."

[The Vagabond]

Olivebranch nodded to herself, the man being... Somewhat unnerving to her.
She looks to her peers with a slightly worried look.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Medusas?" Mysha repeats, grinning. "Awesome! Horrible monsters whose very visage distorts a creature and renders it completely petrified, turned to stone forever! Let's go beat the hell out of them!" She pumps one hand into the air eagerly.

[PalusAbel]

Durra finds herself grinning also, unable to resist Mysha's contagious enthusiasm. "Captain, I would recommend that we give them the benefit of the doubt. We are in a new land that may be governed by different rules; I would rather not cause more aggravation than necessary until we have become fully acclimated." She delivers her advice warmly and firmly. As Mysha's first mate, Durra would of course follow whatever Mysha's wishes were, but the same duty also obligated her to provide counsel when appropriate.

[Lappy9001]

"And perhaps we will encounter the Second Sunrise in the wastes beyond the Crags."

[The Vagabond]

Song stands up, "LET US GO THEN!" She shouted, running to the nearest doorway, intending to exit the building.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha raises an eyebrow and moves to stop the strange new woman from exiting. "Calm down there, lass! Not all of us were so fortunate to arrive here in one piece! Before we move out, we need to check and make sure everyone's ship shape. Can't set sail if you've got a leak in your hull. Much better to take the day to repair it than to get out to sea and sink. Now then, Durra. Status report. How are you feeling? And everyone else too."

[Diachronos]

Khamer held up a hand to stop Olivebranch. "Hold on a second, you don't even have an idea of where you're going yet!" He pulled a map out of his satchel and laid it out on the table, pointing to two different points on the map. "You're right here, at my estate. The closest you'll find to a direct path to the Crags is this road here..."

His finger traces a wide road marker up to what's marked as "Nightveil" on the map. "This stretch will take you to the capital of the Tundra, and from there you can take the western road all the way to Pyretown. From there it's a fairly straight path through the mountain passes to the Wastes, and there should still be a fairly well-kept road leading to the major cities in the Wastes. You, um... you might want to watch where you look if you go to Whitestreak, there are a lot of medusas there and some of them don't care who can meet their gaze."

He rolls up the map and tucks it away. "My recommendation would probably be to head northwest to Nightveil, then restock your supplies and head southwest to the border of the Crags."

[The Vagabond]

"I'm fine!" She says with a smile.
[roll0]
I don't like Khamer, and would like to talk away from him.
"Oh, thank you! Now, I suppose we shall take our leave!" She said with a smile, as she began to walk exit.

[Diachronos]

Khamer sighed. "I can understand if you'd find taking help from a vampire uncomfortable, but I really am just trying to help. At the very least, would you be willing to wait long enough for me to gather up some supplies to get you to Nightveil?"

[PalusAbel]

"Yes, Lord Khamer. I would find that most agreeable." Durra bows her thanks. Then, she addresses Mysha. "To be honest, I am somewhat sore. I had a sparring match in the courtyard while you were researching in the library. It is nothing major, but I would appreciate any opportunity to recuperate I receive." In Durra's mind, there was no shame in admitting injury or weakness. Indeed, concealing one's shortcomings could easily lead to further setbacks down the road. The idea of traveling in a party revolves around cooperation with others so that companions share strengths and shore up weaknesses. This is the most basic of basics.

[Lappy9001]

"I feel like I've rested enough for half a lifetime, so one more night certainly won't kill me," Keziah says with a half smile.

[The Vagabond]

Song was... Perburbed, but nodded, "I'll just... Sleep for the night..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha nods. "Then it's settled! Dinner, eight solid hours of rest, morning tea, and then we're off to explore a volcano."

[Lappy9001]

"Goodness, I sure hope they have tea in the Tundra! A land without tea sounds worse than death!" Keziah spoke with mild distress.

[Diachronos]

"Of course we have tea. A few that are exclusive to the nobility too, as a matter of fact, though I doubt you'll want to drink any of that." He pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill, scribbling down a few things. "Let's see... about a week's worth of rations for each of you, some winter clothing and blankets... firewood shouldn't be too hard to find along the way but I'll see if we can scrounge up a couple day's worth for you. You'll also need travelling papers, which I can make overnight for you... And I think I've got a couple of extra sols that I can give you for emergencies."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha grins and tilts her head, smiling cutely at the vampire. "Aw, you've been so sweet to me and my first mate, Lord Khamer. I don't know how I could ever repay you...but of course, vampires can command a poor innocent girl like me to do anything they want right? Perhaps that's how I'll repay you? Just open my mind up and let you command me for a while?" She winks playfully.

[PalusAbel]

Durra raises her arm to cut off Mysha's suggestion. "That is a very dangerous proposition, Captain. If service is to be our remuneration, then allow me to offer myself in your place." She faces Lord Khamer with resolute determination. "Whatever recompense you demand, I shall grant it so long as it is within my power. We... I owe my life to you, and that is not a debt I will shirk lightly."

[Lappy9001]

Keziah raises an eyebrow at Mysha and speaks after Durra, "Um, yes, I too am very grateful to Lord Khamer. But if I may ask, what do you mean by extra souls, my Lord?"

[The Vagabond]

Olivebranch just nodded somewhat concerned, "Alright, I'll stay..."
She looks over to Mysha, making a 'that is a very bad idea' gesture.
She continues to look at the Vampire with a mild amount of suspicion, "No thanks, I think our souls are enough for our trip." she said.

[Diachronos]

"It's quite alright, I'd consider the knowledge I've gained from your belongings more than suitable payment for what I've done. Besides, I get the feeling that you all might be a source of even more answers to questions that have been plaguing me for a while.

He gives Keziah and Olivebranch both a confused look, before realization dawned on him. "Oh, right! I forgot, you're all foreigners to these lands, you wouldn't know about them!" Khamer puts his satchel on the table and began to dig through it.

"Queen Serana commissioned me for a certain sort of magical item that could be used to help the people defend themselves against some of the more dangerous undead that wander the Tundra. While zombies and skeletons are fairly simple to dispatch, there are some that are damn near impossible for civilians and even some guards to deal with. Wraiths, rogue vampires, even the occasional nightshade... they essentially have free reign of the place with the Sunveil active, and while most of them are either under control or handled by the military, some of them escape notice and continue to make a nuisance of- Aha, here it is!"

He produces a runed sphere. It seems to be made of glass or some other clear material, and inside there is a faint glow, about as much as a candle would give off. A closer inspection reveals that the runes form a sort of pattern, and there are three sections that appear the be movable: two circles on opposite ends, and a ring around the center. "It took several years of difficult and painful research, but I and a few other mages managed to construct these solar orbs, or 'sols'. In their dormant state they give off a small amount of light, but when activated it radiates true sunlight. Normally they're used to repel attacking undead that are weak to sunlight, but on occasion they're used to eliminate them in whatever lair they've set up."

"Of course, there are some who would attempt to use these items against the nobility or Royal Family, so anyone who carries them is in serious trouble if they don't have a proper permit. I'll include those in your travelling papers, but you need to make sure you don't lose them."


Just because I feel like I need to get this off my chest:
I know it's not any of your faults because you wouldn't know, but out of 2 campaigns where I've used the sols, it took changing the spelling to something completely different for anybody to realize how the word is pronounced.

Rant over, I got to make the sort of explanation that I've been dying to make ever since I came up with these things, I'm good now. Thank you all for your patience and understanding

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha blinks in surprise. "...You just met us, and yet you'd hand us a group of magic items that we could use to kill you? Are you mental?" she asks, completely stunned by this suicidal level of trust.

[Diachronos]

"You lot don't seem to be the sort to stab me in the back, so I see no reason not to trust you with something that may well save your lives on your way through the Tundra. Besides..." He chuckles and pulls out a small vial. "I may be old, but I'm still a skilled combatant. And even if you did kill me, all you'd succeed in doing is invoking the anger of my servants, the people of Duskwood, and possibly Queen Serana. So really, killing me is about the worst thing you could do, if only because you risk making some very dangerous enemies in the process. You all seem like nice people, so I'd really prefer it if our acquaintanceship didn't end violently."

[PalusAbel]

"With your assistance, the likelihood of our meeting a violent end on the Tundra has dropped significantly," Durra announces with a smile. "For that reason, I have strong reason to believe your preference will come to pass. If I am able, I will send you word of our safe passage when we reach our destination. That way you will know beyond a doubt that your preparations were put to good use."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha still looks unsure, but she nods and reaches to take the sphere in Khamer's hand. "Thank you for this gift. I will keep it as a light that will shine brightly, when all other lights have gone out. Now then, I do believe that shall complete our preparations. Let us rest until dinner and head out on the morrow."

[The Vagabond]

"Oh. Well, that makes sense... Alright then, we'll take them..."

I actually understood how it was pronounced when you called them Sol's. How else can you pronounce them?

[Diachronos]

Khamer finishes his list of supplies and excuses himself to begin the preparations. The group is left with Chimi in the library, until a few hours later they're summoned for dinner. It's just as fulfilling as lunch was, though Khamer is notably absent even though a place at the table had been set for him. If asked, the servants simply announce that he is busy with their preparations and will join them as soon as he's able; however, he doesn't show up at all, even after the table is cleared. Veronica shows them to the four guest rooms that had been prepared for them. A set of winter clothing is laid out on each bed, ready to be put on in the morning for when they leave.

After a good night's rest, everyone is awoken fairly early for breakfast. Khamer joins them just as the table is being cleared; he's still wearing the same clothes as before, only now there are a few ink blots in the fabric of his shirtsleeves and on his chest. He carries a few leather-bound leaflets, each one bearing the name of one of the party members, which he passes out. "These are your travelling papers, sol permits, and letters of recommendation for any high-end establishment you might wish to enter. The last couple pages aren't official documents, but I marked down a few places that you might want to stop by while you're in Nightveil."

He produces a small wooden box from his belt pouch, and opens it to reveal four sols. "There's one in here for each of you. Take care not to lose them, they're too dangerous to let fall into the wrong hands. Also, they each only have about five minutes of sunlight stored inside, so you'll want to keep them dormant until they're needed."

After passing out the sols, he leads them to the manor's entry hall. "I brought your cart out to the front of the manor, and your other supplies are packed up inside. I'm pretty sure I planned for anything you might encounter on the way." He stops at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the front door and lets out a small sigh. "I suppose this is farewell for now since we're going in opposite directions, but you're all welcome guests here whenever you're in the area."

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha smiles. "Take care of yourself, Khamer. Thanks again for your help. We'll be back just as soon as we've found my ship! Alright, men, let's head out!" She pumps her fist eagerly as she sips her tea in her other hand.

[PalusAbel]

"Indeed, Lord Khamer. I look forward to seeing you again soon." Durra nods politely before placing some of her belongings on the cart. She keeps a few items in her backpack in case she ever needs break away from the cart in a hurry. With a smile, she turns back to her captain. "Aye, aye. You can place anything you do not wish to carry on the cart. You will find that I am a fair substitute for a draft horse, and substantially better behaved." Her laugh lights up the morning air.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah wears a smile as she again thanks Lord Khamer for his assistance, but her mood is far more subdued than her companions. This land, it sounds so dark and so cold, despite the welcome company of people like Lord Khamer. Without even the sun peeking through the clouds, Keziah was glad to be travelling to warmer places, even if one was an active volcano.

With her quiver filled, she shoulders her pack over her furred winter coat as she moves to stand by her new allies.

[Diachronos]

Khamer grins at them all, hefting his own pack as Nyx clambers up onto his shoulder. "I hope you all get a chance to visit during the summer, the countryside is breathtaking when it's in bloom."

Heading to the gates in front of the manor, he points to a crossroad to the west. "The wider paved road will take you straight to Nightveil if you follow it to the northwest. The road heading straight west goes over Skull Lake before reaching another main road running north and south, and a little ways south of that is another western road that leads toward Pyretown. Taking the southern route is more direct than passing through Nightveil, but it's also a bit more dangerous because it's a little more isolated."

[The Vagabond]

Olive nodded, smiling, "Let's go!" She said, as she began to move forward, getting on the cart as soon as he could, "Let's go!" She said eagerly.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha and the others board the wagon and the pirate captain grins and stands up, drawing her rapier and pointing it forward, treating the floor of the wagon as if it were the deck of a ship. "Onwards, lads! Let's shoot right through the southern road and reach the crags as soon as possible, and blast apart any undead who may stand in our way!"

[PalusAbel]

Once again, Durra finds her captain's enthusiasm contagious. "Aye aye, Captain. Full speed ahead, then," the orc responds merrily.

[Diachronos]

"I wish you all luck on your journey. I'm heading the other way, seeing as I've already put off investigating the tower for almost a week." He turns and starts off around the manor, leaving the group to their own devices.

[NeoSeraphi]

As the group sets out on the road, Mysha removes a book from her bag that she totally borrowed from Khamer's library called 'How to Summon Awesome Ghost Ships From Other Planes and What You Can Do With Them". She opens the book to page one and begins to read.

[Diachronos]

The group sets off down the road to the west, passing through the village of Duskwood without incident. The roads are deserted, likely because it's still ridiculously cold outside and there's little need for travelling in the middle of winter. By nightfall the group has passed the crossroad and is on their way to the west. A small section appears to have been cleared out in the snow just off the road, and from the look of the area it was previously used as a campsite.

While reading through the book she'd "borrowed" from the library, Mysha discovers a multitude of notes scribbled into the margins of the pages, frequently with some sections of the book underlined to emphasize them or tie them to certain notes. It seems that someone was doing extensive research into this matter. Unfortunately, the notes are written in a language she doesn't recognize.


Khamer's been pretty generous with what he's given the party. Along with your original equipment and items, among what's in the cart you find:

8 Cure Light Wounds potions (1d8+5)
4 Cure Moderate Wounds potions (2d8+10)
60 arrows
5 flasks of holy water
3 flasks of alchemist's fire
3 flasks of acid
40 days of trail rations
2 medium tents
A collection of books on the cultures and histories of the other nations
Instructions on how to activate the Sols
A small ivory pendant shaped like a pumpkin with a grinning face carved into it

[The Vagabond]

Song sighed, as they rode for a long, long while.
"I don't trust him. At all."
"Well, he hasn't tried to eat you, and-"
"Shut up."
They remained silent.
She looks over to the book, idly trying to decipher what it says.
[roll0] (I'll assume that's a failure greater than 5)
"I think it's something about altering it to summon giant ships from other universes to fall on folks." she guessed, "Probably not, I can't make heads or tails of it."

[Diachronos]

Olivebranch is able to decipher some of the script in the page margins. It talks about a theoretical method of turning an ordinary ship into a "host" for an ocean spirit, though the writings that go into detail about the method itself seem to ramble without coming to any real conclusion. It mentions something about making a pact with a spirit "under the eyes of the Sea God," but fails to mention what this means.

[Diachronos]

As the party begins setting up camp, the sound of horses and wagon wheels can be heard coming along the path toward them. Approaching from the west is a carriage drawn by a pair of large skeletal horses, with a balding and stocky man driving them. With the snow piled up at the edges of the road, it's too narrow a fit on the road for the carriage to easily maneuver past Durra's cart, and the man reins in the horses a few yards away before speaking up through his thick mustache.

"My apologies, ladies, but could I trouble you to move your cart to make some room? I can't maneuver the carriage with the-"

He's promptly interrupted by a woman's voice from within the carriage. "Why have we stopped?! Did I tell you to stop, Bertram? No, I didn't! So tell me, why in the Nine Hells have you stopped?!" Her accent is thick, with the manner of speech one might expect from a noble.

[PalusAbel]

"Certainly, sir. I apologize for the trouble." After a quick glance at her captain, Durra hefts the cart and everything in it over her head and staggers as far to the side as the terrain allows. "I hope this will clear your passage," she grunts from below the load.

Durra's "over head" load is 600 lb., which should be more than sufficient to perform the stunt indicated.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha grins in relief. "You guys hear that? They may not know about Golarion deities here, but they do know about the Nine Hells! That would suggest that they are at least connected to some of the Planes that Golarion is. Maybe we could find our way back after all." She smiles optimistically.

[Lappy9001]

Keziah has kept her veil drawn for most of the trip, in addition to hiding her deformity, it helps keep away the cold.

Keziah responds to Mysha cheerfully "Mmm, perhaps Captain, but I'd rather not travel through any of the Nine Hells in order to get home. It is an interesting thought, though." She glances at the other wagon.

Perception [roll0]

Just wanna know what Keziah can see about the cart or the noble. Keziah is curious, but not especially alert regarding this.

[Diachronos]

The man, Bertram, has a worried look on his face as he turns his attention back to the carriage, which from Keziah's observation is heavily gilded and its windows are covered with heavy silk curtains; it's clear that whoever travels inside spares no expense on luxuries. "A-apologies, Countess Menehr, but these travelers had to move their cart to make way for your passage. They've cleared the way and we can contin-"

"Are you telling me that you stopped because there were commoners in the way?! Who would dare to impede me?" There's the sound of rustling inside, and the carriage door swings open to reveal a black-haired woman with piercing red eyes and an angry scowl upon her makeup-painted face. Her clothing is just as extravagant as her carriage, made of many bright-colored silks and golden thread and studded with a noble's ransom in gems.

She fixes her glare upon her driver first, then on the party. "Ugh... half-breeds and orcs, the worst sort of rabble. Who do you think you are to hog the roads and bar the passage of Countess Elizabeth Menehr?!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha calmly extends one hand in front of Durra, pre-empting her first mate's reply. "I'll handle this one, lass." She narrows her eyes and steps off the cart, walking forward. Tipping her hat to the woman, Mysha gives her a smile. "Now, see here my lady. This group o' gents and I weren't meaning any harm by simply driving on the road, you see." She gestures behind her. "We have been sent by Lord Khamer, with his blessings, on our travels."

The captain turns her face back to the noble woman and draws her rapier, pointing it at her chest, right over her heart. "Oh, but where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself! The name's Mysha Taysaia, one of the deadliest thieves on these roads. And you're looking like a mighty sweet mark today, so if you don't want your purse, and anything that might be clutching it, cut, then I suggest you get back on your high horse and high tail it out of here!"

[Lappy9001]

Keziah facepalms, her other hand on her hip, following Mysha's reply.

[The Vagabond]

Olivebranch looks the woman over.
"Well. Extravagant. Practicier of the arcane arts, able to weave life into the dying with a snap of my fingers, pure human, micromanaging wizard with a mute behind me who will probably try to eat your face if you make an attack."
She is silent for a while.
"I never said it was a good reason, but it's a reason."
She pauses.
"I'm Olivebranch, by the way. Not one for royalty- They tend to try to cut my head off."

Durring this time, her Thrush is flying off, grabbing a twig, and attempting to screw with the countesses hair.
"Pardon him, he's an *******."
"AM NOT!"
"Am too, you idiotic doublecrossing bird!" She calls out to it.

[Diachronos]

The woman swats at the thrush, turning her gaze to Mysha. "You uncouth savages have been staying with my Khamer?! Are you trying to steal him away from me?!" Her face is bright red with anger as Mysha lays out her threat, and she points at them while turning her glare to the man driving the carriage. "Well? Are you just going to sit there while these harlots threaten and insult me? Get your lazy arse down there and defend me!"

Bertram's face manages to turn paler than the snow around them at that command, and his eyes dart frantically between Keziah's bow, Mysha's rapier, and Durra's nodachi. "B-but Countess, I... I'm completely unarmed!"

She looks like she's about to come out of the carriage and slap the man, but after a moment she huffs and looks at the other women. "You're lucky my Khamer is already having to wait on me. You best hope that we don't run into each other again, especially in Skull Lake!" She slams the door shut, and with the loud (and clearly aggravated) sound from the Countess the carriage began to move again. As it passed, Bertram bowed his head to them, a sincerely apologetic look in his eyes.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha gasps in surprise. "Uncouth? Uncouth? Uncouth?! I'll have you know I am the classiest savage you will ever meet! Ask any of the men I've had sex with for money, they'll tell you. Classier than a cello solo at an opera house. You're the one who's uncouth with your stupid hair and your ugly face and your trying to steal my sexy undead lord away!"

[Diachronos]

The door of the carriage swings open with a bang, and without the vehicle even coming to a full stop Elizabeth steps out and onto the paving stones of the road. "'Your undead lord'?!" Her face is beet-red as she draws forth a wand from her sleeve and aims it at Mysha. "How dare you insinuate that my Khamer would even willingly associate himself with an uncultured swine like you, let alone choose you over a proper lady like myself?!"

Bertram steps down from the carriage and hesitantly approaches Elizabeth. "I beg of you, Countess, please recon-"

"Quiet, you old fool!" She turns and points the wand at him, and an orb of white energy flies from the tip, striking the man and knocking him to the ground. When he doesn't rise, she turns back to the group of women, a wild look in her eye as she starts laughing madly. "And now you've driven me to kill my own servant... very well, then." She lifts her other hand, and a faint light glows from one of her many rings before shooting off into the snow at the edges of the road. It begins to shift, and a few figures start to rise from the banks.


Elizabeth: [roll0]
??? #1: [roll1]
??? #2: [roll2]
??? #3: [roll3]

The unknown figures are still coming out of the snow, so they don't get to act this turn unless it's pulling themselves free.

[PalusAbel]

Durra sighs as she gently lets down the cart. This outcome, while not surprising, was probably not ideal. She would follow her captain's will regardless, so there was naught to do but play her part. Durra wordlessly frees her nodachi from the cart and steels her resolve against what is soon to come.

Standard or move action to let down cart. Move action to retrieve stored nodachi from the cart.

[Diachronos]

As Durra sets the cart down, one of the shifting piles of snow rises, and a humanoid figure emerges. Its mouth hangs open as it lets out a low, guttural moan, its tattered shirt hanging freely from its gaunt form. It looks like bits of the figure's flesh have either rotted or been chewed off, and its clumsy movement is enough to know that it's a walking corpse. As it steps out of the snow it stumbles, nearly falling over before starting to shamble toward the group of women.

[NeoSeraphi]

Mysha blinks. "Undead? Here? Such flagrant use of necromancy out in the open! You...you are out for Lord Khamer's sexy sexy vampire body! You hag!" She draws her rapier and stabs the woman in the chest.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Diachronos]

Elizabeth lets out a yelp as Mysha's rapier pierces her skin, driving deep into her side. She stumbles back, and with a few words a billowing cloud of mist rises up from the ground, obscuring her from sight.

The two remaining snow piles break open, revealing a second zombie and a skeleton.