Dowrenland - Emeralds & Roses

[Linguz]

After regaining his spells, Skrib watches Alessia. He'd never seen something like this before, so it interested him. He waits until she's seemingly done to ask, "What was that?"

[Erasmas]

The small band that had seemed to gather together in common purpose gathered their gear and set out once more. You all once again find the yellow-cobbled road and turn southwest upon it. The party walks for the majority of the day, unmolested by the forest-dwelling creatures known as fey.

Near the ending of the hours of light, a fork in the road appears up ahead. One of these branches seems to head further towards the west while the other makes a sharp turn southward. Down this route, you can see snow drifting on the air and the forest that lines it are burdened with the white powder.

"We stop here for the night", came Enya's voice as he dropped his pack and begin making camp and little ways off the road.

"Tomorrow we cross over the threshold of my Lady Mirana Callevasia, and into the Kingdom of Clubs. It will be cold on the other side of the border, so I hope you all are prepared."

[Linguz]

"I would say yes, if I was a dromite of the cold. Alas, I am resistant to sound, not cold." Skrib goes about, tending to his business and playing music (take 10, 18). "Olezen, don't try to stay up the whole night again. Wake one of us up if we, again, don't choose to plan out how we'll spend the night safely."

[Tegannie]

"Thanks for the warning, I can ask Pelor for the spells to protect us from the cold. Each casting will protect one person for a day." Cassie says, preparing her bedroll. "Also, I can take a watch once I have rested enough to regain my casting energy."

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Filling all my level one slots with endure elements, who wants one!

[Erasmas]

Olezen adopted an air of shame at Skrib's comment. He continues to set up his bedroll as he spoke, somewhat under his breath.

"I apologize forr allowing us to be taken advantage of last night. I had intended to rremain vigilant, but alas... I failed."

[Linguz]

"It's fine. Really, it is. But we're here too, so allow us to help you help us." He changes the tone of his medley, trying to make it more joyful.

[Yuki Akuma]

Alessia... does not answer Skrib's question. How rude! She just follows along in silence for the day.

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Binding roll, not that it matters much unless we get attacked during the night: (1d20+4)[9], DC 20

[Erasmas]

The warrior fell into a long and somber silence, keeping to himself as the party wound down for another night out on the road. The evening was quiet and uneventful, leading to you all falling asleep with little effort. Olezen offered to take the first round of watch, followed by Enya.

Before long, it seemed, Jessica found Enya gently shaking her shoulder and whispering her name. Once the cleric was fully awake, the white rabbit bid her goodnight and tucked himself into his bedroll. No sooner had the messenger fallen asleep, indicated by his shallow but elongated breathing, then a low purring voice pierced the darkness.

"You trravel with strrange company, gods' child."

The disembodied but familiar voice drifted to you just audible above the crackle of the campfire.

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Tegannie... you posted your character's name as "Cassie" in your last post.

[Tegannie]

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OOC: oops, Cassie's the name of another character I'm playing :/

Jessica starts at the appearance of the strange voice. "History and legend are filled with stories of adventuring groups filled with people of all types. None of my companions are any stranger than a purring disembodied voice."

[Erasmas]

"Perrhaps you speak some trruth."

You hear the softest of thumps, behind a nearby tree, and then you see a lithe figure slinking its way out of the shadow and into your firelight. It is, of course, Pindarra, the kazzbah you met earlier on the road. She shoots a smooth glance in the direction of Olezen's sleeping form and sways her way over to where you sit. In a fluid motion, she lowers herself into a sitting position beside you and flashes her toothy smile. You would swear that her teeth and eyes both sparkled in the orange light for the briefest of moments. She leans over and fingers your holy symbol, tracing the outer shape of the thing with her padded digit.

"Tell me, gods' child... why arre you herre in ourr worrld? What is it that you hope to accomplish?"

[Tegannie]

Jessia pulls her holy symbol away from the woman, saying, "I...don't know exactly. We received a message telling us to follow Enya, who led us here. I suppose I'm here to find out what that message meant. Why do you care?"

[Erasmas]

Pindarra hardly seems to notice your recoil. She leans back on her arms and her tail whips dangerously close to your neck.

"Everryone in Dowrrenland has an agenda orr a purrpose... orr both. Often times theirr purrpose is to fufill the agenda of anotherr. I have been to yourr worrld and have seen that this is also sometimes the case therre, no?"

[Tegannie]

Jessica scoots away from the woman. "I suppose that is sometimes the case. But having a purpose or an agenda isn't necessarily a bad thing. It depends on what it is. Like I said, I am here to learn what that message was about. An to learn about this place. And to help my friends, to protect and heal with Pelor's light. What about you?"

[Erasmas]

The kazzbah reclines all the way backwards, laying flat out on the ground.

"I serrve Bajja, as you have learrned. But unlike this Pelorr... my saviorr can be touched and is prresent herre amongst us."

Suddenly, she springs to her feet and slinks up behind you leaning close. You feel the tips of her whiskers brush your neck as she whispers.

"Bewarre who you trrust herre, gods' child. Nothing is what it seems in this land."

A different voice sunders the darkness, and you realize that it is Olezen.

"Who arre you talking to, Jessica?"

When you whip around, you see that Pindarra is nowhere to be seen.

[Linguz]

((Totally forgot about this. DC 0 to hear ordinary conversation, +1 per 10 feet. I take a -10 penalty due to being asleep. I take ten, get a total of 5. That means if the conversation is happening within 50 feet, Skrib wakes up. So he heard the conversation. And as long as it's within the same distance, he understands it once he awakens.))

Skrib had woken when the conversation had started and stayed faking his sleep while the catgirl was around, and is still faking it, not wanting to be known to be awake.

[Tegannie]

"Sorry for waking you, friend. It was Pindarra. She...was curious about our purpose here. I am glad she is gone now."

[Erasmas]

Olezen throws off his winter blanket in a hurry and scrambles to his feet, sword in hand.

"Pindarra?! Herre?! Wherre... wherre is she?!", the warrior roars the words out.

[Tegannie]

"Gone, it seems. She is quite...interesting. If you don't mind, I would like to ask Pelor for my spells. Unfortunatly, I shall only be able protect three of us from the weather with Pelor's light. It will last a whole day."

Jessica begins her morning prayer

[Yuki Akuma]

Alessia doesn't notice a thing, apparently. As she awakens, she grumbles something about cats being too loud, opening her eyes to give Olezen a withering glare.

[Erasmas]

Enya informs Jessica, "Oh, you don't have to worry about my, sweet girl... but thank you all the same!"

"I... will also be fine," the kazzbah warrior said, somewhat uncertainly. You see him cast a sideways glance towards the great white forest to the south, oblivious to Alessia's glare.

You all pack your things and finish breaking camp. Once rituals are complete for everyone, your motley crew sets out once again... back onto the yellow cobbles, gleaming in the morning sun. The road ahead of you, however, you can see becomes just as blanketed by the falling snow. As you approach, it strikes you as a little odd that the snow and iced-over trees form a distinct line along the ground. In fact, looking around a little bit, you notice that there are even trees that are only partially "winterized" with the white portion of them being smartly divided from the green, also along this barrier. If one looked close enough, there were even individual leaves that held a bit of snow on just an isolated part of itself... as if someone had drawn a line into the white powder and simply removed one side of it.

Enya, however, seems to notice none of this at all and wraps his cloak tighter and raises his shoulders higher against his neck. He pauses only momentarily as he pulls his hood further down upon his face and calls back over his shoulder.

"Now brace yourselves; this can be a bit... brisk."

The white rabbit then pushes past the seemingly invisible wall and marches on into the white landscape. Olezen looks to the rest of you, with no small amount of apprehension brewing behind his eyes.

[Tegannie]

Jessica grabs her holy symbol and lightly touches Alessia's arm. Light surrounds her briefly. She them does the same for Skrib and herself and afterward says, "We should all be protected from the cold for a day."

She follows Enya and Olezen.

[Linguz]

Skrib nods and thanks her before following her. He hopes that the spell affects his possessions as well, not wanting anything to happen to his lyre.

[Erasmas]

You all eventually push your way past the wall of winter, finding that 'brisk' might have been understated. Luckily, the prayers that Jessica placed upon you seemed to be warding of the worst of the chill. Although it was very cold... the land around you was startling beautiful - white covered everything and drifts of snow were settled on every branch and against every trunk. However, unlike any of the tree you had ever seen succumb to such seasonal weather back home, these tree seemed to thrive despite the added weight and harsh conditions. Likewise, the forest still was teeming with life, with snowy-colored versions of many of the animals you were already familiar with darting this way and that... observing your presence.

Walking the entire day, you eventually see that the sun begins to drop from the sky, turning it a multitude of vibrant colors which are reflected partially off of the snowy ground.

[Erasmas]

The night is far colder than the day and building a fire is difficult, but after nearly an hour... you finally get one to spring to life, roaring orange light against the heavy blue darkness. Huddled tightly around the warm life force supplied by the campfire, Enya assures you of your destination.

"As inhospitable as the lands of the Kingdom of Clubs are... I assure you that the gracious nature of my lady will more than make up for it."