At the Edge of Humanity {IC}

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha hovered over to the table and made sure he was slightly away from everyone else as he then fixed his bowl of soup, he added no mixtures to it as he began gulping the soup from the bowl as if it were a cup. In doing this, he spotted Omar glancing over at him. Vutha calmly put down his bowl and looked at Omar saying, "We can do this one of four ways. Surround and attack during the day/night, or send the look-a-like humans in first to try to get them to surrender nicely. One way or another, i'll only die in battle..." He then says in a slightly lower tone as he fixes himself another bowl of soup but just before he begins drinking it again, "I'll make sure of that."

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar fixes himself a plate and starts eating as he listens... he might be a walking plant now, but sunshine and soil alone don't quite get it done. Of course his metabolism must be orders of magnitude faster than any normal plant's. Speaking of metabolism, he can't stop himself from wondering just where Vutha's soup is going...

[JonRG]

"We'll have the upper hand if we go at night, since more of us should be able to see in the dark than them." Jerid would have to ask Abdul what this meat was.

[Stegyre]

"How are we planning to travel?" asks Tai.

[whoiam]

"I walk most places, " Alala admits. "Unless one of you has a faster means of transport than me, I don't mind carrying passengers as I go..."

[JonRG]

"That depends. Are we attacking them outright or taking the... diplomatic approach?" Jerid's voice drips with contempt for the final two words.

[blackwind1kaze]

Vutha stops drinking the soup as he calmly puts down the bowl and says, "I usually walk as well. So far I have yet to find anything that can support my state."

[Swami Monsoon]

"We clearly need some more detailed information from our, uh, employer. I'm not a soldier, but if somebody was sending soldiers on mission like this there would be a briefing... objectives, enemy strength, rules of engagement and so forth..."
Omar looks around, wondering where Abdul is right now.

[Incendius]

"We can likely acquire some horses for those of us capable and needing an alternate form of transportation. Not the quickest form of travel, but absent more information it is one of the most likely. Our host may have an exotic form of transportation that could accommodate all of us, but whether we could acquire the use of it is the real question." Xylona folds her hands upon the table after finishing her meal.

[~Corvus~]

It seems says a voice beside the table where there was none a moment before, that since you're discussing the assignment prospect you've all accepted? He smiles triumphantly and nods. Wonderful. I have just the thing to get you there. Omar is correct, though: I need to let you know what is going on.

Versuvia is embroiled in civil war. There are the dragonblooded humans from the south, a group of merchants and their personal armies making the Central Versuvian Alliance, and a loose federation of the Martial Schools, for now scattered across the north. The lower Craaz steppes had been in a state of literal upheaval until recently. This caused the dragonbloods to move out from the area, but the Alliance moved in to seize the often-uncovered minerals or gems from Craaz, using servants or slave families with great cost of life. Now that the region is stable, the dragonbloods want to re-settle the area, but the Alliance wants to mine it for resources permanently.

The Federation decided to protect many people from being enslaved. so what's resulted is a bitter war where the Alliance is fighting several battles at once and is grasping for more resources.

He pauses for emphasis and to let all of that information soak in.

Now, the Alliance is sending its slavers into the northern spine for a few reasons. I know there are slavers that will pick up whomever they can find, but what worries me is... he pauses for a moment. The Dwarven council of twelve, after having fractured for seventy years, is having a moot. The Dwarves are the closest you may have to allies. Help them and they will remember it. Bromin Steelstring, one of the twelve, is on his way back from trading with the Versuvian martial Federation.

Abdul looks to the party, and finishes with You must find Bromin. I know the Alliance slavers will try to capture him, if they haven't already. The Slavers roam in bands of fifteen or so men, and there are likely to be two bands competing to find him.
What's worse, I believe they intend to bribe several Hunters in the area to help them in this task. Their prize? Bromin's gem, a pink sapphire. Your top priority is to ensure Bromin Steelstring's arrival at the Gemsmoot. I doubt the Hunters will harass him unless apprised of his valuable gem and its abilities, but they may pursue you instead.

I only have suggested rules: diplomacy will not work with hunters. Approach them when they are resting or on the move, and hit hard. Slavers tend to not want to die: they will lean more towards talking something out.

Finally, This picture was drawn by Gulrath earlier today. I'm afraid he only remembers "Tha bard when 'e was a wee lad"
He passes a small but very well-drawn picture of a young bard

Spoiler: Bromin Steelheart (young)

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If you all are ready, I have made teleportation arrangements for you to the surrounding area. If you'll all follow...

He leads the group to the sleeping area, where in the back, a large chalk design has been drawn upon the marble ground. Upon the forked points Gulrath the dwarf and Teft the halfling are intoning words that seem to thrum with power. The two are wearing robes similar to Abdul's but without the golden trim or jewelry: simple and comfortable. Nimidia, the gnome, is wearing a simple brown robe this morning and greets him silently.

Spoiler

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As he opens his mouth, she says The ritual is nearly complete. A few minutes.

With only a few minutes pass, whereupon Abdul explains that you will be traveling between northern Versuvia and the Northern Spine, north of the main road between them.

Any last questions?

[Incendius]

Xylona shakes her head in the negative and yields the floor to any of her fellows. Resolving herself to the likelihood of comabt with a small sigh, she reaches into the pack on her dog's side and pulls out an unstrung bow and a second bandoleer of vials. She slides the bowstave behind a strap on her back and dons the second bandoleer of vials crosswise from the first.

[Swami Monsoon]

So they were going to be bodyguards? That sounded better than simply hunting people, even ones as awful as slavers...

"Is there any proof we can show to Bromin that we're on his side and not just another one of the groups trying to hunt him down? Or are we basically going to have to kidnap him to protect him?"

[~Corvus~]

You will not be a normal group, right? Steelbeard is a man who remembers the Cleansing and voted against it. He will believe you.

[Stegyre]

"Just a picture?" Tai asks. "You don't have anything of this Bromin's with his scent, do you? It's hard to track from a picture."

And by "hard" I mean, "impossible., he adds, mentally.

[whoiam]

"Do you know the route he'll be using? Presumably we could just hunt backwards along that until we find him, and then accompany him the rest of the way?"

[Stegyre]

Tai gets a good whiff of Gulrath. At least, I can know what "dwarf" smells like, he thinks.

[JonRG]

Jerid grunts to indicate that he has nothing further to add.

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar makes one last check of his equipment and personal effects and waits for the others to start moving towards the portal...

[~Corvus~]

Abdul is about to respond to Alala when the chanting of Gulrath the Dwarf and Teft the halfling stops on a note of Yom.

The sound seems to be thrumming from the chalk lines on the floor. Nimidia flexes her fingers in a series of gestures that pulse with the thrumming sounds, and when she brings her fingers and thumbs together, the thrumming intensifies. We are complete, she says. Adventurers, you have fifteen seconds to be in the circle on my mark...


Mark
In the gap of time after you all have assembled, Abdul says Dwarves subconsciously travel in straight lines. He is traveling from somewhere in Northern Versuvia to the middle of the Spine, ca-- The thrumming turns into an ear-splitting throb, and just when the sound becomes too loud, it ends in a deafening
crack

∴∵∴ ﷼ .:|:. ﷼ ∴∵∴

As the scene of the world shifts, you are all deposited a foot into the air. The drop is (mercifully) short and onto long, dry grass. Once you straighten yourselves out, you check out your surroundings. You appear to be on a hill and at some vantage to see around you. In front of you sprawl tall and imposing mountains, and the sun looks to be above them. Some distance away you see glimpses of a worn, wide and paved road that opens up near the mountain and forks: it leads across the mountains or to the paths leading into them. On the other side of you, the hills roll into goldenrod expanses of the same, though far in the distance, on the other side of the road, a column of smoke has widened into an expanding gloom that pours into the sky.

There seems to be no indication of where a dwarf might be traveling around these parts without further looking.

[whoiam]

The centaur shouldn't have anything to fear out in an empty patch of countryside. Nevertheless, she looks visible uncomfortable as she takes a quick glance around her surroundings.

"Well, I... don't really know where we are or where we should be going. I don't suppose one of you cares to lead me?" Her tone of voice is nearly pleading by the end of the request.

Spoiler

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In all her life she's made the grand total of one unsupervised trips into the countryside, and that was the blind flight from captivity that brought her to Abdul. Every other time she's been part of one form or other of caravan. The idea of picking her own route still feels fundamentally wrong to her, hence the discomfort.

[blackwind1kaze]

"Assuming the last part I heard from Abdul, we must be close to this Spine he mentioned. However since i'm not from here I'm currently not much of help" Vutha said deciding this wasn't the time to remain silent with this current group of adventurers.

[Stegyre]

Tai

"Information, first," says Tai. He sniffs the air and ground, seeking any tracks or scent in their immediate area. Then, he focuses upon the distant column of smoke, tracing down as far as he can to its base. There, he thinks, show me.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Survival (track) (1d20+9)[15] -- no sense using any Inspiration on it, yet.

But more importantly, clairvoyant sense to visualize the area of the smoke. This may still be some ways up in the air (I imagine the closest he can specify is a point he can presently see, since he's never been here before and has no other familiarity), but that should get me something, even if it is only a better vantage point for another instance of clairvoyance.

[JonRG]

Jerid tries not to roll his eyes. "I'll scout ahead. See if I can't get a better view from up above." He unstraps the dagger from his ankle and places it in his haversack, along with a few other items that don't fit so well on a flying creature. "I'll return shortly. Keep an eye on my stuff, would you? Good." Jerid changes into a raven, then flies towards the column of smoke, examining the land below for any signs of humanoid passage. Tempting as it might be, he doesn't dare stray too much farther than that.

Such a brave little dragon.

Spoiler

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Much as I would love to startle everyone by turning into a dragon, flying high up in the air in my true form is likely to get every hunter group in ten miles making a beeline for me, so it'll have to wait until I get back.

This is my first Alternate Form use of the day, since he went to sleep in human form.

[Incendius]

"I am similarly unsuited towards quick reconnaissance like our companion's flight, though for future reference I am extremely capable of sneaking about through shorter distances." Xylona raises a hand to shield the sun as she watches Jerid fly away. After a few moments she averts her gaze to scan the landscape, hoping to orient herself in regards to the map, the teleport's intended location, and Abdul's hints.

Spoiler

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Survival roll so as to get her bearings from the landscape. I paired it with a Knowledge: Geography check if necessary.
Survival - (1d20+9)[14]
Geography - (1d20+7)[8]

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar studies the distant pillar of smoke for a few moments... "Somehow I suspect that fire didn't start by accident."
He turns back to the conversation. "I can't fly or move extra fast either. But I'm very good at not being seen."
He steps over to a clump of vegetation, and for a minute he appears to merge into the undergrowth... then reappears on the other side of the bushes.

Spoiler: Stealth Demo

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Turn Walk Unseen (Invisibility) on.
While invisible, Stealth (1d20+30)[50] (to see how good a job I did)
Turn Walk Unseen back off.
If anyone can see invisible they would have noticed Omar "adjust" his cap (and thus reveal his true form while trying to blend into other plants) before he tried to sneak around. He reactivates the cap before reappearing.

[~Corvus~]

Tai the dire rat seems to be focusing upon something distant, and Jerid flies off in pursuit of the distant smoky column.

Spoiler: Tai

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Tai chooses a reference point that seems to be positioned somewhere in the middle of the column despite its perceived proximity to the ground. He manages to note that the smoke higher up is being blustered by winds and dispersed. However, staring downwards, it's tough because much of his sight is obscured by swirling black-and-grey debris, smoke, and flakes of burnt plant matter drifting upwards.

Through breaks in the swirling of smoke, and after several minutes, he seems to piece together what's happening: A fire has burnt through a large region of several square-shaped areas. He has trouble seeing a definite starting point, as it almost seems that it has affected many squares throughout the area, and yet others remain untouched. Finally, and most recently, many humanoids are scrambling to prevent it from traveling further around what appears to be a contained body of water and several buildings. It's a bit much for a Tai to grasp solidly, but it looks like the fire was contained or deliberate at different places, and got out of control. Just as he's beginning to piece things together and do another sweep to look for anything he could have missed, the spell fades.

Spoiler: Jerid

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Jerid-as-raven flies towards the burning column of smoke. As he catches a gust of wind, he realizes that it's much further away than it appears. He does see something, far in the distance, that appears to be more than just the simple towns nearby. Flying towards it a little ways, he manages to see that it's a sprawling fortress of some kind, but judging by its relative size and its distance away, it's a fair distance. He spots no travelers, but upon his return flight, he definitely spots a group of humanoids.

On the other side of the road, and almost totally obscured by the long grasses, they are mostly at camp. One, however, is quickly moving towards the column of smoke, and would likely reach the fire-bound area by evening at Jerid's estimate. The dragon can see that the area where the group has arrived already has lines of pressed-down grasses: it's already been tracked, it seems.

Meanwhile, Xylona tries to think up what she remembers about Grasslands, but little comes up regarding where they are specifically.

Spoiler

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The grassy hills of Versuvia vary significantly in reference to their access to water and civilization. Northern Versuvia, because of its distance from Thisk, relies upon its farmers.

With reference points and through thinking about the map, Xylona quickly manages to figure that the group is very close to the Northern Spine, and they are on the Northern side of an East-west road that leads to an unlabeled expanse in Versuvia's northern region.

Meanwhile, Omar is entertaining himself with his stealthy tricks, and manages to blend--beyond perfectly--into the brush and out the other side.

[JonRG]

Jerid's blood runs cold. He couldn't see any slaves with the humanoids, so those had to be hunters. The raven flies back to the group and lands at Alala's feet, shifting back into his true form. "No sign of any slavers or Bromin yet, but there's a group of hunters ahead. One of them ran off towards the smoke, which appears to emanate from some kind fortress. I didn't get too close." Jerid continues to speak in a level tone, hoping that he can hold at least some of their respect.

[Incendius]

Xylona looks up from the map and swears at Jerid's information. "This has escalated quickly. The question now is do we attack to eliminate the potential threat, or do we try to run and search for our actual target?" She snaps up the map and stands to face the rest of the group. "If they do not know we are here, then we have the element of surprise on our side. I am adept at such ambushes and having the first blow can decide a fight."

"But it also undoubtably a danger, most of us are unused to fighting alongside each other. If they do not know we are here we may also try to avoid them. I have a good idea of where we are and it should not be too hard to get onto the straight line path Abdul spoke of." She motions to the mountains at their backs. "What are your opinions? I am undecided at present."

[whoiam]

"How many are they, did you see? If the group is small enough, we should attack. While it's true we're not a well-coordinated fighting group (yet), that's not something we can solve without either time to drill together... or going into battle together. Battle's quicker. So, how many d'you think we'd be up against?"

So far, the Centaur seemed to be taking the little dragon seriously enough. Although that may just be her getting distracted by the thought of getting to see her new colleagues in battle...

[Swami Monsoon]

Omar does a quick doubletake as the crow changes into a small dragon. So Jerid wasn't joking. And his abandoning any pretense at disguise suggests that it may too late to avoid a fight...

"If it turns out we have to fight, there's something I need to do first... Abdul didn't exactly give us much time to prepare. I'm not especially good with weapons, and I don't exactly cast spells like a wizard. I fight, well, sort of how a dragon fights... by melting things or setting them on fire. That will get messy if we're in close quarters. But I have a way to keep you safe from all the nasty things I breathe out. It will just take a moment..."

Spoiler

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He's referring to the Endure Exposure invocation.