Follow the Gold

[whoiam]

Each of the group had been contacted, one after another. The message had been the same in all cases - it had told them to go to a particular village, wait for a particular day, and at dawn on that day, set off up a particular pathway.

This village was the first opportunity the strangers had to meet one another.

The villagers were none too forthcoming with the details - when they were asked about the pathway, their reply was generally a simple 'unless you've been invited up, don't go' - but they refused to discuss the matter further. Anyone travelling through and willing to question people in pubs would have learned a little more - that whatever was up the path was, to a large extent, responsible for the well-being of the village itself. But this was as far as even the drunkards could get before being hushed by their neighbours.

Ultimately, the allotted day came. The trail wound steeply up into the mountains. Here was the second chance for the strangers to meet one another: For there was noone but they on the path this day. A human walking unaided would need three hours, from leaving the village down in the foothills to reaching the top of the pathway: The point where it curved around a house-sized boulder... and behind it, there was nothing but an unmistakeable (and rather massive) hole in the mountainside.

The path clearly continued into the cave... only a few thin beams of light illuminating the rocky floor...

(Note: You get to choose when your characters meet up - The village, the path, or the cave mouth. You don't all have to meet one another at the same time.)

[4is111]

You said in the recruitment thread that we would have a chance to get equipment once the game started. Would I miss that by starting at the cave entrance?

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

A man who's countenance is darkened by the weather walks into the village, glancing around. Not one to trust blindly, he does ask after the path, but does not immediately make his way up it, instead checking around both for those who know of it, and those who seek of it.

Spoiler

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HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet

[industrious]

A tall, dark-skinned man in clothing stained and faded from travel entered the village. As dawn was over twelve hours away, the man entered one of the inns, sat himself in a quiet corner by a fireplace, and smiled as the he let the conversations wash over him.

[appending_doom]

Klaus

A short creature, cloaked in concealing brown and green robes from which poked a massive beak, entered the village late the night before, where she sought to engage the people in inquisitive conversation. Quickly shut down, she, too, began to ask about the others who had interest in the path from the village.

She spoke plainly but genially, and eventually settled at the table of the dark-skinned man.

"You look like you're waiting for something," she said quietly. "That puts you in a minority around here. Mind if I wait with you? I don't like sitting around on my own in strange towns."

[industrious]

"By all means." The dark-skinned man waves a hand to the chair opposite him. "I'm simply waiting for the dawn. And I like it here; the noise and bustle, people coming in at the end of a day to have a drink and converse with friends. But where are my manners? Please allow me to introduce myself: Ari Outis, at your service."

[Barbarian MD]

Richard - Paladin/Bard

A young man, a boy really, strides up the causeway to the village on bowed legs. He had been journeying this way for eight days now, sleeping on his traveling cloak and eating out of his backpack. The clothes he was wearing now were clearly not his best.

He enters the village gates--or what passed for them--and continues to the center of town before stopping, turning slowly to take in the sights and find his bearings.

As he turns, a casual glance would reveal that the man wears no sword, no armor. Just a dust-covered pair of brown breeches and a loose-fitting gray shirt. The only thing that stands out are his boots: high topped and incredibly shiny. They seem out of place on a weary traveler.

From the town square, the man (whom his friends would call Richard and others would call Hey-You) tracks the trail winding up the nearby mountain with his eyes, following it up to the top where it winds out of sight around one side.

With a longing glance at the inn, the man continues through the town and out the other side, hoping to find a poor man's bath in a stream or pool. It takes some time, but eventually he locates one and sets up camp, settling in for the night.

...

An hour before dawn, the young paladin wakes with a deep yawn and wipes the sleep from his eyes. Humming to himself, he takes particular care this morning to clean himself up, shaving, bathing, grooming. Thirty minutes are spent on his boots, and then he retrieves a new set of clothes from his pack, and suddenly the boots do not stand out. This is a garb of a knight, complete with a bright white tabard.

The transformation is startling, or would be, if anyone had been there to see it. Setting off just as the sun is beginning to crest the horizon, Richard begins the trek up the path towards his destiny, still humming quietly to himself.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
A large humaniod figure walks out of the forest and into the group as it leaves at dawn. Her walk is somehow unnatural, perhaps it is that each step is exactly like the previous one in every way, or perhaps its because her knees aren't bending in quite the right place, but whatever the cause, there is clearly something unnatural about this woman. She is covered head to toe is a worn brown cloak, but through the many rips and teers is visiable equisite armor crafted from the purest mithral. The art is so prominant that the armor must be for cerimonial use only. The woman raises her head, letting her hood recede to reveal a warmask of an almost perfectly beautiful human adolesant. She says nothing, but meerly walks towards the cave with the party, nodding to answer the occational question.

[appending_doom]

"Klaus," the short woman replies. The hand she reaches out is clawed, although the claws have been filed and smoothed.

"As the locals assure me no one is here except those who live here and those who are going to answer Lord Svataril's summons, you must be here to see him."

She sits and fixes a pair of beady black eyes on Ari. "It's a pleasure to meet you, more so if you'll plan to keep me company on the way to our meeting place."

[The DM]

Darius

After getting his extended leave of absence reluctantly approved by a Captain of the Guard, Darius set out several days ahead of the appointed rendezvous with his mysterious benefactor. He didn't know what to expect after receiving his mission from the paladin, but he knew that it would be important, and he'd be expected to waste no time.

Arriving in town, the tall aasimar checked into the largest local inn, spending the next several days exploring the village and its surrounding area. Familiarizing oneself with the terrain was important in establishing a background level of knowledge with which to interpret the facts of any situation. So was making your face known around town. People might loosen their tongues to a stranger after an ale, but they spoke freely to a friend they've spent a few nights carousing with.

Darius knew when to stop pushing. As soon as the subject was broached, the villagers clammed up about his destination up the mountain. Smiling and apologizing for the breach of etiquette, he moved on to other topics with his friends, though he learned little of true use.

The evening before the appointed date, Darius was at the inn's tavern. As expected, there was an influx of strangers...and also as expected, many of them looked apprehensive or nervous. Keeping to himself for a while, Darius watched and waited, observing a pair of young adventurers doing their best to remain aloof and mysterious. Ordering another ale, Darius turned on his stool to keep an eye on them, not bothering to conceal his curiosity.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai

POP!

"--ks a lot."

And suddenly there was a traveler at the village gate.

--------------------------------------

It was not uncommon for Nikolai to be running late. He never did have a terribly good sense of time, and living in a library filled with interesting new knowledge to learn hadn't seemed to help much. So it had come as no surprise to Robert when Nikolai burst into his quarters, asking hopefully if he had a Teleport Other left.

"Six years, and you never seem to learn. What if I don't?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. You study Travel. You developed that spell yourself, and you never shut up about it. You and I both know that you'd practically pay me for the chance to use it"

Robert sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a second."

"Sure thing. Hey, than--"

--------------------------------------

After a moment of disorientation, Nikolai headed straight into the village. It was getting dark, so he made his way to the only real sign of life -- the pub.

Entering the rather small tavern, he made a beeline for the barkeep to ask him if he knew where the path was -- or if he was in the right village at all. Almost before he opened his mouth, though, the barkeep just shot him a rather irritated glance and jerked his head in the direction of the fireplace. A closer inspection revealed two rather incongruous persons.

Oh good, I'm not alone.

Wandering over, Nikolai flashed a smile and offered his hand.

"I hear you're not from around here either?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

"That's putting it mildly," Klaus replied. She reached over to tug a chair to offer the newcomer.

"My name is Klaus, and this is Ari," she continues, pointing at her companion. "If you're here because of the summons, you're welcome to join us." She abruptly laughed, a discordant cackling, like the call of a raven. "You're welcome anyway, but from they way the people here talk, it'll only be for tonight."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

The deeply weathered man, as part of his questioning on those seeking the path through the village, finds himself pointed in the direction of the pub, and the three seated there. He greets them warmly.

"So... there's others here too. Hmm... good to know I'm not the only seeker. Call me Keith, if names are in order. Has anyone been able to get any clear idea on what lies ahead?"

Spoiler

Show

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet

[industrious]

"Please, have a seat, Keith. My name is Ari, and the one across from me is Klaus. And all I know is that we must be at the end of the path before dawn. I find it very odd, though, that all of us are mages of some sort or another; I see no weapons, no armor among any of us. So now, how did all of you meet Socrilii?"

[Hashmir]

At the sound of the strange, beaked woman's laughter, Nikolai's robes began to rustle. He lifted a few folds of fabric and a small, beaked head poked out.

"SQUAAAWK! Friend? Friend?"

Nikolai chuckled and pulled the raven out of his pocket. "Oh, it seems you've caught Anya's attention. Do you mind?"

As he spoke, the small bird flapped the few feet over to Klaus's shoulder and perched, leaning forward to stare intently into her eyes.

"She's my familiar. Loves to sleep in my pocket, but don't ask me why. In any case, it seems she's glad to see a familiar face -- so to speak," Nikolai explained. Turning to Ari, he continued. "As for Socrilii, I met him on my 16th birthday, when he was passing through our village. Long story short, I was impressed with what he could do, and he brought me to study at the Library of Knowledge. I've been there for the last few years, working on whatever I could get my hands on. How about you guys?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

A sharp hiss from the neck of Klaus' hood cut through the gathering, and a moment later, a brown-skinned viper's head appeared on one side of Klaus' neck, obviously reacting to the presence of a competitor.

Klaus gently tried to push the raven from her shoulder before turning to Nikolai. She gave an unconcerned shrug. "I met him around," she said, reaching up a hand to scratch the viper's head with her wicked-looking claws.

"He must get around a lot to make the acquaintance of such varied people."

[industrious]

"No, that's the funny thing. I came to him." Ari shrugs. "I was supposed to question him...on a certain matter relating to my Order. I return with the answer five years later, and the Order is no longer my Order. Such is life."

[Hashmir]

Anya leapt back to Nikolai and proceeded to hop back and forth between his shoulders and head, ruffling her feathers in agitation.

"Attack! Attack! Man the defenses! Retreat! Surrender!"

"Oh, calm down," Nikolai grinned. "Don't mind her. I often suspect she's spent a little more time than is healthy listening to Gareth's stories.

"And while we're talking about stories, yours sounds like an interesting one, Mister... Ari, was it? Not that it's any of my business, but ... well, when you spend years studying knowledge and divination, you tend to learn just how hard it is to really hold a secret."

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

The weathered man smiles a bit at the byplay as he proceeds to answer the question that was placed directly to him.

"I had a bit of a disagreement with a few people, and ended up having to leave with little more than the clothes on my back. He put me up for a while. There's always a bill to be paid eventually, so here I am. "

Spoiler

Show

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet

Oh, and I keep putting this here because it's easier to clone it every time than it is to seek out the last one I put up once combat starts...

[appending_doom]

Klaus

Rather than submit to questioning about her past, Klaus stretched her arms, yawning theatrically.

"It's been interesting, and I should be glad to meet you on the path early tomorrow. But I need my rest -- a professional hazard, I'm afraid."

So disengaging herself, she bargained for a room for the night, and true to her word, was standing at the base of the path scant moments before dawn the next day, carrying a nearly-empty bag that to all appearances contained only a single large book.

[industrious]

Ari stands up as Klaus leaves. Sitting down soon after, he converses with the other two at the table for an hour until he, too, excuses himself. Going to the edge of the path, he settles himself inside a nearby ditch with the ease of habit. When the sun rises, he wakes up, and looks around to see who else is there.

[Hashmir]

After exchanging pleasant -- if unenlightening -- conversation with Ari and Keith for a bit, Nikolai retired for the night to a nearby inn. No reason to abandon creature comforts, after all.

The next morning, he awoke at dawn and, after getting distracted by his book for a few minutes, hurried over to the path. It appeared that all of the others were already there.

"Oh, hey. Is this everyone? Are we good? Onward and upward?"

"Tally-ho! Charge! Forward, men!" Anya added helpfully.

[Jack_Simth]

Keith

Keith as well makes his arrangements for the evening, then meets at the trail head with the dawn, saying to those assembled: "Shall we go?"

Spoiler

Show

HP 13/13
AC: 12, Touch 12, Flat-footed 10
Saves: +5/+2/+4

Currently Active Spells: None

Sheet

[The DM]

Darius

As the evening wears on, Darius elects to remain apart from his soon-to-be companions, content to observe. He instead socializes with a journeyman carpenter that he'd met two nights before and keeps only a distant eye on the three in the corner.

When first one, then a second, and finally a third member of the quartet leave for the night, Darius decides to follow suit. Bidding his friend goodbye, he passes close to the last traveler by the fireplace, pausing long enough to flash a smile and say, "I advise rest, friend, we've an early appointment with a certain paladin in the morning." He winks, and disappears up the staircase to his room.

Rising early, as usual, Darius pays the innkeeper and heads out of town on the mountain path. Up ahead, he spots two of the people he'd observed the night before in the tavern-a short female swathed in a cloak incapable of fully concealing avian features, and a gruff, weather-beaten man. Hustling to catch up, he eventually intercepts the man (Keith?) and the female (Klaus?) as they encounter a youth dressed in holy warrior's garb breaking camp.

Description (I forgot to earlier)

Spoiler

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Darius is tall and fine-featured, his celestial ancestry evident in his silvery hair, lightly golden skin, and noble bearing. His sleek build conceals an almost supernatural musculature and resilience.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

Richard's quiet tune is interrupted as he steps out onto the trail to discover that he is not alone. A small crowd has gathered about 30 feet back down the trail, and they appear to intend to climb it this morning.

Who are these? Fitzgerald said nothing of others.

"Hail, friends!" he calls, "What brings you out this fine morning?"

[appending_doom]

Klaus

The short, robed creature replied almost immediately. "An old friend has called me here to fulfill an old agreement. I presume it is the same for the rest."

[industrious]

Ari smiles at the newcomer.

"I presume that we are all walking along the same path, and that a mutual acquaintance has called us together. Paladin Socrilii was not a patient man, though, so we should begin our journey."

The dark-skinned man gestures to the path, and begins walking along it.

[4is111]

Cold Stone
The figure nods, and follows promptly.

[Hashmir]

Nikolai jogged a few feet to catch up, and then matched pace with the others. As the group went, Anya flapped back and forth across the path around them, investigating the plant and insect life.

[Barbarian MD]

Richard

The name Socrilii is the password for this young paladin, and he had half expected this coincidence. Still...

He spends a moment intently studying this group of walkers...

Spoiler

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Detect Evil, on all of you. I don't expect anything, but cough it up in a PM if you're a wolf in sheep's clothing

...and then breaks into a big grin.

"Well, it would seem we have more in common than our choice of walking trails this morning. I go to Svatarilli myself."

He falls in step with the others. Still, he makes no indication of whether he is on his way to celebrate the paladin's birthday or slay him, as the others have yet to do so themselves.

"Richard is my name. How do you know Socrillii?"