War of Shadows: Chapter 2

[sarlon]

You each wake up feeling like you've just gotten over a really bad case of the flu. You find yourself in a soft bed and early morning light is just beginning to filter in through several windows.

Each of you are wearing a light sleeping gown/shirt, and feel as weak as a kitten, as if you'd been asleep for several days. None of you are restrained, and a light blanket covers your form.

[DeTess]

Elva slowly got up, looking a round, trying to get her bearings. She didn't remember anything after... whatever it was that had gone wrong with the teleport spell, but whatever had happened, they had ended up with friendly folks. "Hello, anyone there?" She called out, while looking around to see if she saw her equipment anywhere.

[sarlon]

Elva:

You don't see your equipment immediately around you, and your voice comes out rough and scratchy, your throat dry and sore, but a door opens a few beds down from you, and a elf walks into the room, looks around for a moment before walking quickly to your side. She is wearing the garb of a healer of a church of Kol'nari, she not necessarily a cleric, but wearing the garb of a healer. she smiles down at you, helps you sit up a little more comfortably, propping some pillows behind you, and offers you some cool liquid to drink (plain water), helping you drink it slowly.

"oh good you're awake! You gave us a bit of a scare there, but your fever seems to have broken finally. Are you hungry?" Her voice sounds odd to your ear. Elves tend to have their own accents, but this one sounds so foreign to your ear that it actually takes you a few moments to comprehend what shes saying, though it was spoken in perfect common.

[DeTess]

"Ah..." Elva took a moment to consider her question. Was she hungry? She certainly felt hungry, but at the same time a faint nausea lingered, and she doubted she could eat anything big right now. "Some soup or fruit would be nice, if you have it. Eh, and could you help me fill in some gaps in my memory? Last thing I knew my companion was teleporting us back to the capital. What happened, and where are we?"

[sarlon]

The woman pats her blanket covered leg gently, leaving the mug of water nearby, then stands and returns a few minutes later with a bowl of warm broth (no meat or veggies in it but flavorful), and sliced fruit that elva hasn't seen before. She checks on a few other beds while elva eats then brings a chair over to her bedside and sits down, hands folded in her lap.

"3 days ago, you and your 2 friends?" she glaces at nuka and Josiah before continuing, "were found on the coast, filled with fever and suffering from some rather deep wounds. At first we feared the plague had come back, but it seems it was just wound fever thankfully. We had healer Kiloni check you over last night, and he thought you might wake this evening. To answer your question, you're in the human settlement of Ecato'lisha."

[Deadcanons]

From under the covers of Nuka's bed comes an abrupt cough, followed by a loud, throaty groan. He sits up on one elbow, his thin braided hair disheveled. There is a moment of silence as he looks between Elva and the elf, one eye still closed in a portrait of sleep. "Where'zza toilet?" he says finally.

[sarlon]

another healer, larger than the elf that sits beside Elva's bed, enters the room. A large bulky elf with strange features, he glances at the other elf, who just nods her head once and then inclines her head. This big elf, with surprisingly gentle hands, helps Nuka to sit up, giving him a moment in case of dizziness then helps him walk to a curtained off area, both disappearing behind it.

from the other bed, Joshiah is heard mumbling as well something about not drinking again, before saying in a little stronger voice "what....where.....?"

[DeTess]

The names the healer mentioned didn't mean anything to Elva, but she hadn't been out much to this part of the world. "Wait, you only found the three of us?" she looked around again. "There were more people with us, an elf and a half-orc." she wasn't entirely sure about the half part actually, but decided not to complicate matters. "Oh, and a tiny little water-elemental." she gestured to indicate the essence's size. "Did you see any of them?"

[sarlon]

the elf frowns very slightly, before shaking her head. "Orcs are very uncommon in this area, as for a spirit of water on this land, we haven't seen anything. Another elf traveled with you?" VERY quietly she mumbles something. "You're things are safe have no worries, we had to remove them to treat your injuries, and other than a light cleaning off of blood they have been untouched."

She stands and walks over to josiah's bed to check on him (1 bed away, shes still in comfortable talking distance.)

[DeTess]

Elva quietly continued eating the food she had been brought, while processing the information she had just been given. The essence and two of her companions had gone missing. She could only hope that they had been spared from whatever happened to them. Right now there wasn't much else she could do beside recovering her strength. Once she could move around again she could go looking for them.

[Deadcanons]

Nuka is brought back into the room by the elf, who supports him with one hand on either side of his body. He pulls away, trying to stand of his own authority, but the elf gently guides him back into his clutches. Nuka is too weakened to resist.

The elf sits Nuka down on his bed again. Looking around blearily, his eyes land on Elva. He stares at her, blinking slowly.

[Tyg3rW01f]

Josiah is simply sitting up, his left hand held to one temple. He groaned, then asked in a half-whine, "Why do I feel like I got run over by a caravan of dwarven brewery trolleys? Ugh. Where am I?"

[sarlon]

the elf pours more water into clean mugs and encourages all of you to drink (it really is plain water, but clean and fresh and cool). She then pulls her chair in such a way to be facing your beds directly, "my name is healer Solina, you are in a temple of Kol'nari (no checks here, its a hospital effectively....like a doctor for more "common" aliments that don't need magical intervention). You are in the human settlement of Ecato'lisha, near the southern forests of Tol'raki. I do not know how you ended up on the coast, but you three were brought here on the verge of death suffering from grievous injuries. you have been sleeping for the past 3 days under our care."

She pauses awaiting any further questions, her hands folded primly in her lap.

[DeTess]

"I'm sorry, but my geography knowledge is coming up a bit short." Elva shook her head. "How far are we from Lotipac?"

[Tyg3rW01f]

Josiah growled as he rubbed his temple, "If the water thing or the orc has anything to do with how trashed I feel, I'll kill them until they die from it, then kill them some more. This is why we do not interact with strange objects without finding out what they are or are about...!"

[sarlon]

the elf does look slightly offended at josiahs words, but then turns to elva, "Lotipac? you could easily get there in a few days if you travel but boat up river."

[DeTess]

Elva ignored Josiah's grumbling, and adresses the healer instead "Thank you. Once we have recovered we should head there. Would there be a way to send a message before then? We where on an important mission and should send some kind of report back."

[Deadcanons]

Nuka looks at Josiah. " Yeah, I was going to ask. I take it this isn't the way that teleport spell was meant to work?" He grimaces. "And here I thought we were off to redeem the temple's honor. Stupid of me, really. I can only blame myself."

He returns his attention to the priest. "Any idea of what caused our injuries?"

[sarlon]

she reaches for the end of elvas bed and taps something a couple of times, to your amazement, an image projects a perfect image of Elva eyes closed floating a few inches above the end of the bed. She points to various places (elva as she points it out and explains your injuries your various aches begin to make more sense), there was damage from prolonged water exposure, deep cuts, a cracked rib, and minor head damage.

[DeTess]

Elva grimaced at the damage shown. It mostly lined up with the aches she felt. "It'll be a while before I'll be able to leave then." She considered for a moment. "Are the others in as bad a shape? We really need to get a message to the capital as soon as possible."

[Deadcanons]

Nuka watches in silence, eyes flicking between Elva and the magic diagram.

[Tyg3rW01f]

When the healer brought up the image, Josiah asked "What in the name of Brothers Muh'Ali Lightfoot and M'Tyson Furious-Fist could DO damage like that?!

Wanting a closer look, Josiah tried to lean over -- a very painful mistake. The young human nearly retched at the pain in his ribs. He rolled to his back, whimpering; his ribs, his jaw, his left forearm and elbow, his shins, entire right arm, both shoulders and his fists all hurt. It was as if he had gone into his Brotherhood Test, only to find it was a Shi-han Test, and he had not only lost, but failed.

[sarlon]

The nurse shakes her head sadly at Josiah, before turning back to Elva, "Will you promise to rest some more if I secure you....forgive me....do you know how to write?" her tone is VERY apologetic, you can tell she deals more with illiterate people more commonly.

"I will bring you writing implements and a wax seal, and have it to be sent to a person or location of your choice...the contents will never be seen by anyone not told whom to give it to."

She stands and leaves the room for several long minutes, while each of you waits, another nurse (also an elf) enters and gives Josiah a steaming beverage and encourages him to drink it all down (its bitter as hell, and tastes like bad mint tea). Each of you is given a similar beverage and told to try and rest.

almost 10 minutes later the first elf comes back with pen, paper, ink, wax, an unlit candle, and a small desk that will fit on your lap and provide a stable writing surface. She politely excuses herself but says to ask for her when you're ready to send the message. She pulls a curtain around your 3 beds and you begin to hear other voices attending (presumably) to the other patients that are in the room but further down. you can't make out distinct words.

[Tyg3rW01f]

Josiah recoils at the flavor profile, and shotguns the rest of his dose of the tea. He makes a brief retching sound then proclaims, "By the Order of the Open Palm, blahhghk!! I've drunk peyote that tasted better!!"

[Deadcanons]

For his own part, Nuka tips the mug back and downs the tea in two thick gulps. He lets out a half-satisfied breath as he looks at Josiah. "Don't complain. Mint and waterwort. Just what we need."

As the writing implements come out, Nuka falls silent and leans back on the bed, waiting to see who the others propose to contact.

[DeTess]

Elva immediately started writing a report, addressing it to Almira's assistant, Illidari. She described the state they found the water temple in, including the odd illusions, before describing what happened when they tried to teleport. She then started to describe their current situation and whereabouts, but that left her with a problem.

"Ehm, do either of you two know how to write 'Ecato'lisha'?" she asked her companions.

[Tyg3rW01f]

Josiah considered a moment then guessed, "E-c-a-t-o-hyphen-l-i-s-h-a-accent thingy? I dunno; just taking a wild swing in the dark there."

[DeTess]

"Eh, let's go with that then." Elva finished writing her report, then asked a nurse to give her the black signet stone that identified her as a member of the adventurer's guild. She would sue that for the seal, then have the letter send off while they recuperated.

[sarlon]

the nurse rings the stone in question and then patiently waits for you to seal the letter, she listens carefully to whom to give it to and where it is to be sent to, before nodding her head and leaving the curtained area with the letter with assurances it would be delivered within the next few days.

Each of you begins to feel very drowsy and feel yourselves falling back into slumber, perhaps there had been something in the drink...

**********************************

When you open your eyes, everything is different again. You have no aches or pains as if the past few hours hadn't happened at all. You find yourself blinking in bright midafternoon sunshine outside of Loti'pac. The elf, the other orc (tordic), are with you looking mildly amused, and the water elemental is still wrapped around Elva's wrist.

[Tyg3rW01f]

Josiah woke and looked around. "Okay! That TEARS it!!! I am getting TIRED of this magic bull-BLEEP!!! Am I gonna go to sleep tonight in an inn and wake the BLEEP up in a ship's bilge in a week?! This BLEEP has GOT to BLEEP-ing STOP!"