Maverick of the Outlands - The North Expedition

[Aldurin]

Spoiler

Show

This thread is for Medic!, Urist, Moranica, TaiLiu and white rider. Other players should refer to the South Expedition thread for posting and actions.

Riding away from the Arcopolis capitol, a cloaked man looks over his shoulder at the city. He knew this would be his last time to return and live in peace, and that he would not be alone on his next visit. The ambient noise soothes his thoughts, the clopping of the hooves of his horse, the metallic clinking of his sword hilt against his armor, and the sound of the air rushing by his face. He had achieved what no one else had even dreamed of doing before. It wasn't exactly how he planned it to go, but in retrospect it may be even better this way.

Maverick of the Outlands: Chapter 1

The heavy metallic noise of elite soldiers in heavy armor marching through the palace was even louder than usual, most of the off-duty watch was more than happy to work overtime to ensure less damage in this time of crisis. Each of you walk up the stairs to the king's chamber, some faces in the group are familiar to some, and the stairs are well known by a couple of you. Entering the King's chamber, the new head of the Elite Guard guides you over to a door on the left side of the room, a chamber used for private discussions for important manners. Before entering, each of you are shaken by the sight of the princess and queen on the floor, killed so shortly before that their blood is still pooled on the ornate marble floor. An elvish woman in white robes is kneeling over one of them, whispering an incantation for a divine spell. When she finishes, her faces becomes even more sullen and she looks over to a man in dark blue robes next to her, not saying a word as the statement is clear to both of them.

Entering the side chamber you see the king and the general of the border guard in quieted discussion. The king's face is still soaked from tears. The two people from the main chamber follow in behind you and close the door. The king whispers something into the ear of the general and exits the chamber. The head of the guard motions for you to sit down at the table as he and the other court personell head to the front of the room.

The general begins the briefing, "I'm General Timeous, commander of the Western defense company of the military. The others are Ellina, the court Cleric, Zimian, the court Arcanist, and the new general of the Royal Guard, Marcus. I'm glad that each of you has volunteered on such short notice with only what little information we feel is proper for the public at this point." He nods to General Marcus.

Marcus takes over for him, "Roughly 3 hours ago, the former General of the guard, Maverick Steelheart, entered the king's chamber, killing the queen and princess and severely wounding the king before the rest of us could intervene. Upon talking with the king, who fortunately survived because Zimian insisted on using magical contingincies, we now know that Steelheart aligns himself with some organization, occupying the Outlands to the west. We believe a bandit group has become organized enough to keep itself hidden and plant agents within Arcopolis, waiting for years to strike and indicating full loyalty to Arcopolis through their actions beforehand."

Timeous continues "Unfortunately, Maverick has escaped to the Outlands, and we need to bring him to justice. The problem is that the ecosystem of the Outlands is extremely unstable, and any large military mobilization attracts the strongest of the creatures living out there, otherwise we would already be moving a platoon out there."

"What we need you to do is travel to the Outlands, posing as a group of explorers intent on mapping more and more of the area. Unfortunately, both our North and South entrances claim to have seen Maverick enter into the Outlands. We're not sure how he's done this but to make sure that we don't lose his trail your efforts will consist of two separate groups starting from different entrances to the Outlands. We want you to bring him back alive if possible, but if you have to kill him then bring the body back here. For your equipme-what is it, Zimian?"

Zimian had signaled that he wished to speak and took over, "Bringing Maverick to justice is important, but we also have a more pressing objective, that must be completed above all else. Given the failure of attempted resurrection spells and the account of the king, we believe that Steelheart bound the souls of the queen and princess to two gems embedded into his sword. King Donovan recounts that Maverick wanted to make sure that the country was in distress, even if he failed to properly kill the king and destroy his body. We need you to recover his sword and bring the gems back intact so we can properly revive the royal family."

Timeous resumes his statement, "That just makes it all the more important that we find him quickly, for equipment we are giving you all cartography equipment, basic survival gear and special sending stones with which you can contact us with weekly. Your survival kits also have secret sleeves containing sketches of Steelheart and his sword. I recommend that you maintain your cover and don't reveal your true mission out there, as you will surely be killed by the bandits if you point out that you're under our employ to hunt down one of their own."

"Any questions before you depart?"

[TaiLiu]

I was stunned when the kingdom choose me to avenge the King.

I was stunned when I passed the deceased Queen and Princess.

I was stunned when I found out that the Princess and Queen could not be returned to life.

When they told me, I was not filled with question, but with resolve. The souls of the royal must be freed.

I just had one little query.

"When do we begin?"

Rolls:

Spoiler

Show

Bardic Knowledge on the Outlands: (1d20+4)[20]
Knowledge (Geography) on the Outlands: (1d20+7)[20]

Current Character Sheet:

Spoiler

Show

Character:

Spoiler

Show

Quoeak Moonshadow
Male Neutral Good Half Elf Bard, Level 1, Init +2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 Feet
AC 13, Touch 11, Flat-footed 11, Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Whip +1 (1d3 (Nonlethal), ×2)
Shortbow, Composite (Arrows (40)) +2 (1d6, ×3)
Quarterstaff +1 (1d6/1d6, Medium)
Leather Armour (+2 Armor, +2 Dex, -1 Misc)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 17
Condition None

Spells:

Spoiler

Show

Lvl 0: Message, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation. Spell Slots; 2.

Actions:

Spoiler

Show

Quoeak spends a Free Action talking.

[Urist]

Shaken. Not only was Andrew shaken, but the whole kingdom was, the shaking born of the knowledge that one of their own, one they trusted, had turned on their sovereign. Although he had not been posted to the defense of the King, and knew, from years of watching and learning from Maverick Steelheart, that he would have been helpless to stop him, Andrew still could not rid himself of guilt. He would retrieve Maverick, and the name of the Royal Guard, no matter what the cost.

"When duty calls, loyal subjects obey, my Lords. The other group is heading south, yes? Do we have any ability to contact them, in the eventuality we do find Maverick and require reeinforcement? As well, do we have any known friendly contacts in the Outlands we can rely on?"

[Medic!]

Brother Derry

The monk's face turns stern and dark. "I see you've recruited some capable and astute men to track this black-heart down and bring him to justice. St. Mere-abelle's is happy to assist. From this point on, I should be refered to as Brother Navigator, lest my appointment as Brother Justice in this matter give us away."

Jonathan whips his black robe off, deftly flipping it inside out and redonning it as a brown home-spun, and he pockets his insignia ring. He gives everyone a quick abashed look, "Either the black robe or the ring would be a dead give-away, I'm afraid." He offers an apologetic shrug.

[Moranica]

A weathered looking man enters the room. A big sturdy longbow slung on his back and a full quiver. His friendly eyes scan the room as the general starts to speak. He patiently waits until he is finished before raising a hand.

"Indeed, I have questions. You speak of creatures strong enough to take out armies and an everchanging ecosystem. Now, while I've learned to live in the wilds, we could certainly use a guide! I mean, I can track them on our way in, but getting out would be near impossible. Which would be a shame if we had the sword of course. Or can you get us out using magic, mister Zimian?"

"Also, do we get horses as well? If we could catch the man before he reaches this camp of his, we would be more assured of a win."

"And finally, you seem to have a lot of able men here, [looking round at the general, cleric, wizard and elite guards] what makes us the right men for this job?"

[white rider]

A hooded figure in dark blue robes, Minus stands in the corner of the room leaning on a staff. He was still a bit surprised that his master had allowed him to go on this quest, but evidently even his teacher realized the gravity of the situation.
"What sort of resistance can we expect to face?"

[Aldurin]

Zimian looks at Melira with incredulity, saying "Do I look like a priest to you?" before Ellina steps in and accepts the flask. "Thank you, I'll be sure to give this to the king." She exits the room after shooting Zimian a disapproving look.

"The information is a lot to take in, but I hope it helps." Continues Timeous." He looks at Gormadoc, "The problem with identifying him by his horse is that both outposts report seeing him on it. Zimian says that the magic to create a replica of himself and his horse is too advanced for even skilled illusionists, especially for him since we've never seen him do anything except use a blade and his genius. We're assuming he has an accomplice who was under a disguise spell in order to leave through both gates to the Outlands, but that's just a theory."

Zimian speaks up again, "The possibility of an accomplice is the main factor in why we called for volunteers and chose all of you. We can't be sure of whether or not Steelheart has more allies within Arcopolis, so it'd be folly to stretch our resources at home. Each of you is established as trustyworthy and capable, and sending you on this mission won't leave Arcoplis undermanned and vulnerable to any more agents."

Timeous resumes his briefing, in response to inquiries on equipment, "Mounts will be more of a hindrance, as roads only progress for about 40 miles past the border before rough terrain overtakes them. Both outposts will have horses trained to return to the border once they take you to the end of the roads, but from there it's on foot unless you're lucky enough make friends with something that flies."

Zimian begins walking to the far wall, "Like Conleth knows, reckless travel in the Outlands is a nightmare. Anyone that survives the inconsistent wildlife and terrain is a force to be reckoned with. Just don't push your luck and go pissing off anything new you discover." He suddenly vanishes, and a moment later the wall comes down to reveal a secret room, outfitted with an odd contraption with wand, scroll and rod slots, several stones projecting odd illusion spells, one of those being a map of Arcopolis, and various other magical oddities. Zimian stands inside by one of the consoles displaying a map of the Outlands. As everyone enters, he continues, "We know very little about what is beyond the first 100 miles, since between the creatures and the mountain range, travel is near impossible, and anyone who has made it over has never come back. As you'll notice by the map, most of the charted Outlands is an arid or forested environment on hilled terrain, given how some weather systems come from some parts of the west, there could be dense jungles and dry desert depending on how the mountains restrict cloud movement. Those sending stones that each of you will have in your equipment pack also have minor Silent Image properties and a tracking feature, so I'll be able to monitor your progress and update the map as you progress into the uncharted regions."

"And I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your cover mission for as long as possible. If Maverick realizes that someone is close to getting to him, he may attempt to break one of the soul crystals as a warning. At least that's the most logical situation for someone running a hostage situation, but as it is we can't be sure of how he thinks, so approaching and engaging him should be done with caution should you catch up to him. Preferably you report it in first so we can relay the location to the other group so you can take him on together."

General Marcus approaches and begins handing you the special backpacks mentioned earlier as Zimian walks up to the main contraption and says, "Unless you have any more questions, you will be departing for the border outposts immediately. I'll need Brother Derry, Cutter, Mottierre, Moonshadow and Minus to stand on the green circle over there; and Merth, Twin Blade, O'Neil and Melira to stand on the blue circle."

[TaiLiu]

I obtained my backpack and put it on my back, planning to look through the contents a bit later. I walked onto the green circle, but I wondered at it.

What does the circle do? If it transports us, where to? What shade of green is the circle?

The general offered to answer a few more questions, but I decided not to ask them. I seemed so confident, and asking a question now could tar my image. However, could asking questions make me seem more intelligent? More open minded?

No, I had to seem confident, but not too cocky; I had to seem knowledgeable without looking arrogant.

Perhaps if I looked curious and casual at the same time...

I looked down at the circle, raised an eyebrow, then nodded.

Current Character Sheet:

Spoiler

Show

Character:

Spoiler

Show

Quoeak Moonshadow
Male Neutral Good Half Elf Bard, Level 1, Init +2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 Feet
AC 13, Touch 11, Flat-footed 11, Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Whip +1 (1d3 (Nonlethal), ×2)
Shortbow, Composite (Arrows (40)) +2 (1d6, ×3)
Quarterstaff +1 (1d6/1d6, Medium)
Leather Armour (+2 Armor, +2 Dex, -1 Misc)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 17
Condition None

Spells:

Spoiler

Show

Lvl 0: Message, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation. Spell Slots; 2.

Actions:

Spoiler

Show

Quoeak spends a Move action moving onto the circle.

[Medic!]

Brother Derry

Jonathan soaks in the information silently, and moves to the green circle when bade, the picture of prompt obedience. "Be sure not to let your guard down at home as well. If Steelheart can get a double to obscure his departure, he could just as easily have two doubles to obscure his staying right here."

[Urist]

Andrew grabs his gear and sending stone, and moves to stand beside Brother Derry in the green circle, drawing his rapier to salute the general.

"The Royal Guard's honor has been besmirched, but we will regain it. Maverick will not escape our grasp."

[Moranica]

Cutter gets his stuff and moves onto one of the circles.

"I guess we'll be off then."

[white rider]

Minus nods, giving a short salute before stepping onto a circle.

[Aldurin]

Zimian looks at both groups, and says "Ok, this will be but a moment." He then taps the displayed Outlands map at the locations of the two border outposts, and moves back to the machine. He stuffs a scroll into the tube, mounts two rods in the rod slots and pulls one of them like a lever.

In a flash you find yourself only 100 feet or so east of the Outlands border. It's a grand stone wall, reaching up for at least 5 stories, with intermittent defense towers that reach even higher. The tower closest to you possesses an expanded base outfitted with increased room and a large set of metal doors, clearly meant to allow regulated passage between the two sides of the wall.

As you approach a soldier comes out and beckons you closer, leading you into a large stables area. "Ah, so you're the ones that we're expecting."

[Moranica]

Cutter approaches, a bit unnerved by the instant relocation, and offers the man his hand.

"That depends really, but I assume you mean the group that is supposed to apprehend our runaway maverick? That indeed we are. Are you the one that saw him pass by?"

[TaiLiu]

As my companion started to talk to the soldier, I looked through the contents of my bag.

Current Character Sheet:

Spoiler

Show

Quoeak Moonshadow
Male Neutral Good Half Elf Bard, Level 1, Init +2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 Feet
AC 13, Touch 11, Flat-footed 11, Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Whip +1 (1d3 (Nonlethal), ×2)
Shortbow, Composite (Arrows (40)) +2 (1d6, ×3)
Quarterstaff +1 (1d6/1d6, Medium)
Leather Armour (+2 Armor, +2 Dex, -1 Misc)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 17
Condition None

[Medic!]

Brother Derry

"If you have any information to offer, soldier, best do it quickly, we need to be off immediately."

[Urist]

Andrew salutes crisply, his bearing suddenly stiff and formal. A grimace twists his face, and his voice drops and becomes more gruff.

"Lead on, soldier, we have no time to lose. Every second we delay is another second Macerick has to outrun us."

[white rider]

Minus steps up and grabs a horse. "I agree, we are hours behind already. Do you know which way he was going?"

[Aldurin]

The soldier responds, "I was on watch when he came through, earlier today. He said he was on urgent business from the King so we let him through quickly. He took the road from the outpost, as most everyone does. It's easier to get deeper into the Outlands when you take that path, since horses aren't well-suited for the off-road terrain. These horses here will head on back to the outpost if you send them away once you're out of road, but for that first stretch you'll be glad that you have them." He signals to a guard on the upper level, and the gate begins to open outward, revealing a well-trampled path heading off into the distance. "Go ahead and pick a horse. As you said it's not good to delay."

[TaiLiu]

I choose a pasty coloured horse and mount it.

Current Character Sheet:

Spoiler

Show

Quoeak Moonshadow
Male Neutral Good Half Elf Bard, Level 1, Init +2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 Feet
AC 13, Touch 11, Flat-footed 11, Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Whip +1 (1d3 (Nonlethal), ×2)
Shortbow, Composite (Arrows (40)) +2 (1d6, ×3)
Quarterstaff +1 (1d6/1d6, Medium)
Leather Armour (+2 Armor, +2 Dex, -1 Misc)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 17
Condition None

[Urist]

Andrew grabs the nearest horse and, loading his gear into the saddlebags, makes ready to ride. His expression grows a little bit brighter, the thrill of beginning the mission cutting through his evident pain.

"Thank you, soldier. Shall we move out?"

[white rider]

Minus finds a short, calm horse and mounts it.
"Yes, and as fast as possible. Ha!"
Minus spurs his horse and trots out of the stable.

[Medic!]

Brother Jonathan Wayne

Brother Derry checks his gear for a moment then fumbles his way onto a horse, barely managing to mount it facing the right direction. He offers no words of parting, concentrating too hard on keeping himself astride the horse, versus the opposite.

As the foul creature tramples the dirt (and from the feeling of it, the poor monk's kidneys) he jostles about in the saddle into the Outlands.

[Moranica]

"Let's go!"

Cutter mounts up and heads out.

[TaiLiu]

I rode through the gate and into the Outlands.

I knew that if we succeeded, I could get the opportunity to teach the King's daughter. However, it was on this dirt road that I realised that I could gain so much more than a teaching position. I would gain skills and knowledge; I would create bonds and share stories with my companions.

My companions.

I noticed that I knew virtually nothing about them. They were chosen by the King, so they had to have some sort of skill that made them stand out; an ability that made them special.

Why was I chosen by the King? My knowledge? My work experience? My cooking ability?

Maybe my companions would know; I will ask them later - while resting or camping, perhaps. For now, we had to know each other to work with each other. I would introduce myself first.

"I am Quoeak Moonshadow! Teacher, mathematician, chef!"

I turn to the elf with the bow on his back and ask for his introduction in elven.

"Illw aey?"

Current Character Sheet:

Spoiler

Show

Quoeak Moonshadow
Male Neutral Good Half Elf Bard, Level 1, Init +2, HP 7/7, Speed 30 Feet
AC 13, Touch 11, Flat-footed 11, Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4, Base Attack Bonus 0
Whip +1 (1d3 (Nonlethal), ×2)
Shortbow, Composite (Arrows (40)) +2 (1d6, ×3)
Quarterstaff +1 (1d6/1d6, Medium)
Leather Armour (+2 Armor, +2 Dex, -1 Misc)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 17
Condition None

[white rider]

"Ha! Ha!", shouts Minus, kicking his horse and almost falling off as it leaps forward, but he manages to stay on and ride with moderate speed down the road.
As the company travels down the rough path, Minus turns to the monk grasping his horse. "You know, I can never get over the fact that they think for themselves."

[Medic!]

Brother Derry

The monk turns to Minus, and stutters out between wincing bumps, "I...swear...I'll....train...twice...as....hard...i f...I...sur...vive...this....ride!" To his horse he shouts, "Hear...THAT!? I'll...out...run...you...one...day...blasted...bea st! "

[Aldurin]

The first couple hours down the road are uneventful, but after a turn around a hill the area opens up to forest alongside the road, and a few minutes into it a tree falls in front of the road, blocking it off, and another falls behind you, leaving about 50 ft between the two trees on the 30 ft wide road. Suddenly 6 lizardfolk appear, 3 from each side of the forest. Each trio has one with a javelin and two bearing clubs. The tallest of the group speaks to you in poor Common, "Give horse, give gold, and you not die."

Spoiler

Show

If you want to immediately take action to start the fight, let me know in the OOC so I can break out Initiative rolls for everyone (it's better bookkeeping if it's handled DM-side).

I'm not entirely set up for mapping, but in the front of your group is Cutter on the left and Andrew on the right, Quoeak is in the middle and in the back row are Minus on the Left and Brother Derry on the right. Quoeak is 20 ft from both groups of lizardfolk and everyone else is considered one square closer to their closest group.

To help visualize the area:

Spoiler

Show

-------------
-L---C-A---L-
-L----Q----L-
-L---M-D---L-
-------------

"L" indicates the lizardfolk, the center ones of each group have javelins. Each PC is indicated by initial.

[Moranica]

"HALT!"

Cutter casually takes his bow from his back while talking.

"We can't give them to you. We're following a dangerous fugutive and he could be a threat to us all. Now really, we are only a small group, but if we were not to return succesfully, an army will surely follow. Now my question to you is. Do you really want to risk having an army come through your lands, or would you rather help us succeed and keep your semi-peaceful existance."

[Urist]

Andrew draws his rapier, and prepares to dismount, if necessary, while speaking to the tallest lizardfolk.

"Unfortunately, my companion has the right of it. We have a mission of great importance, and we cannot halt. If you make us do so, we will respond with lethal force; however, if you let us go upon our way, we will not trouble you again, and we can both make our ways peacefully."

Spoiler

Show

Diplomacy:(1d20+8)[17]