Artifact Hunters

[BlueWizard]

Artifact Hunters:

From the depths of the earth to the far reaches of the globe to right down the hill! Fate has drawn these assorted humanoids together. Now this band of artifact hunters will seek the lost treasures of Asatru. {OOC-the religion of the Norse people}

The Artifact Hunters:
Ramona: Half-Orcess warrior, grew up with the horseman tribes of Zhe.
Tevrier: A human native to Zhe, and companion to Ramona. Seperated from his tribe and raised by others....
Raven: A recent convert to Thor. Now for the Norse churches he journeys to find the lost artifacts, he travels with his wife, the drow Illanee{NPC}, drow noble from the city of Eilistraee. died in Black Mountain, raised, and now living in Eilistrae.
Valimar: Another good drow, he is a nobleman who has been chosen by his adopted city of Eilistraee, to help aid the humans. died in Black Mountain, raised, and now living in Eilistrae.
Sonny: A former Guild Thug, gone hero!?!
Arha: A wizard lost to time, now finds herself in an unlikely group of companions.
Sharon: Rescued by the Guild, and now on a godly mission, which should increase her sorceress powers.
Anduran: Chosen by the Norse Churches to lead the band through Zhe, he also has a hidden purpose... called to duty in the higher planes
Redgar{NPC} Dark haired Zhean, burly man. Priest of Thor. He carries a fine looking hammer. died in the Black Volcano.


The Black Lake:
The source of the Black River is quite a sight, all of you have come from far to these hills. It is clear why the river is called Black. Glossy volcanic rock lines the river-bottom as if it were sculpted of black glass. Only after one hikes up into the lower hills did one truly experience the natural or unnatural beauty of it. {There are two schools of thought, but both agree dragon magic destroyed some of the Zhean hills} The ancient lava flows only went so far down the slopes, the obsidian river never reaching the plains. The lower area was typical of any river. Many turbulant eons in the high hills of this region have reduced this ancient mountain range to mere bumps of their former selves.

The water is crystal clear, and many silvery trout and bass can be seen racing in the current down toward the tribes and cities to the West. Ramona and Tevrier's tribes had other names for the river, but all including Anduran knew it as the imperial's Black River.

It is early morning, and the Black Lake will be visible by noon at the latest. Only a short jaunt up into the higher hills. The former questers of Odin will be in camp, actually breaking camp, when discovered by those who came from the old empire of the North. Tevrier in his chain shirt is still nearly silent in the forest, and if he was trying he might've been able to disguise his approach, but the large lady half-orc behind him was the first approaching soul that Anduran heard, her barbarian footfalls, also not masked.

A mist begins to form around the encampment as the human and half-orc approach peacefully. Then materializing before you all is a ghostly image of your old pal Lukan in all his armor and Odinic regalia. He is serious, but happy to see his old companions. "Hello, old friends. Don't be frightened. I have found others who quest for justice as we do.... well.... as some of us do. Raven, it is good to see you, I hope Redgar will be enough to keep you healed up. Do not fret all, I am not a true ghost, merely seperated in the Astral plane away my mortal form. Don't fret on me, other priests are fretting over me instead, when they should be helping you. These two heroes of Utag, Ramona and Tevrier are my friends and have other knowledge of a temple possibly active on the Black River. Arha, I believe, I know much of you too, now. Your Black King is still alive, and very much as dangerous. Some of his personal guardians are here, he is quite deadly and has much power still in this world. Dark undead has he become. I don't recommend revealing yourself to him again. Sonny, while I have all this sneaky knowledge I will tell you, I know of one in the Guild you can trust as far as honor in the guild goes. He is known as Vito the Fifth by his family, and sometimes just 5th or Five." Redgar is stunned by the presence of so famous a dwarven noble, without his body.

[Toliudar]

Ramona

The big half-orc woman settles back on her heels, not wanting to over-react to the new situation. She glances instinctively at the lithe woodsman next to her.

Ramona is about as muscular as you'd expect from her orc blood, and her shirt of mail strains to contain her. A bulging pack, an absurdly thick bow, and a double axe all hang from her back, and a bandolier of hammers crosses her chest. Her skin is the colour of olive leaves, and a rough mop of black hair sprawls from her head. A golden sun-disk nestles at her throat.

Uh, hello!

[Roland St. Jude]

Raven

Raven reaches for his blade the instant he hears voices, but stops short of drawing as the mist appears, coalesces and, surprisingly, speaks. He listened carefully, suddenly realizing how much he missed the priest with whom he has traveled out of the underdark. Such strange occurences lately. Reminds me of that old curse, Father Ryu mentioned, 'may you live in interesting times.'

The human called Raven stands before you with a confident, self-assured bearing, his black robes and black leather bodysuit doing little to conceal his massive rippling muscles. Standing 6'3", and heavily muscled, almost to the point of absurdity, Raven has the look of one clearly built for combat. His simple, almost crude-looking, greatsword hangs at his back over a large composite bow.

Raven might almost be good looking with his slightly tanned skin and long, slightly curly blue-black hair tied back with a small piece of leather, except for the world-weary look in his emerald green eyes and the large scar maring his face, running from brow to chin directly through his right eye (though the eye itself seems undamaged).

Few would expect that Raven is a practitioner of the arcane arts. Fewer still have seen the true Raven, a warrior-poet of considerable skill. And even Raven himself is not yet aware of the destiny that lies within him.

He looks at Ramona and her large arsenal approvingly. "Hello," he says simply.

[OOC: I picture him looking like Duncan MacLeod from Highlander but with the build of a Conan-era Schwartzenegger. P.S. Yes, I retooled this introduction from the last time we added a character ]

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Sharon

Standing in the middle of the larger group are a pair of red-headed women. One of them would be considered quite beautiful, if she ever bothered to care about her appearance. Her hair is pulled back and braided and her clothing is well-worn and patched repeatedly. She carries a crossbow and a pack. The girl nods greeting to the newcomers, but doesn't speak to them yet, sticking close to the other red-head, almost, but not quite, appearing like a would-be bodyguard.

[wxdruid]

Arha

She stands confident, ready and with a smile verging on a smirk on her pretty face. She wears black, several bracelets on her arm and has a recent scar on the inside of her arm. She has several hidden daggers and wears bracers of armor. She is obviously a spellcaster.

Her avi.....

[Ruik]

Valimar Kil'ana
Valimar looks up as the two newcomers enter their camp. He looks both over before turning to meet them, inclining his head and smiling briefly. "Welcome to our camp, such as it is."

Valimar is a relatively young Drow male, amber eyes and silver haired, with a knife scar on his left cheek and long dexterous fingers that mark him out as a spell-caster as surely as the long silver wand thrust through his belt, which has obviously seen a fair amount of use.

As is common among the Drow race, gender heights are reversed, leaving Valimar looking slightly shorter than the average male elf, though he maintains the slender elven build. He wears a fine set of blue and silver felt robes, a memory of the times when he worked in the Blue Wizards baths. Those who look carefully can also tell that he is wearing amour of some sort underneath.

He maintains a somewhat reserved manner as befits a prince of his adopted house of of Kil'ana, the ruling house of his home, though quick to smile and always willing to talk.

Spoiler

Show

That leaves him looking a little something like this:

[Toliudar]

Ramona

Trusting that the ghostly dwarf has brought them to a place of safety, Ramona steps forward, hoping that Tevrier will join her.

Thanks, bud. I'm Ramona, an' this is Tevrier. Looks like you already know Lukan.

Her features are plain, and her eyes dart uncertainly among these new people. Selecting the young drow who welcomed them, she steps forward and extends a massive hand in greeting.

Good ta meet ya! Wow, an I thought I had dark skin.

Glancing around, she nods grimly at the serious and capable people they seemed to be.

Tev' an' me, we been fightin' the squids an Voiders all over Zhe. Sounds like there's another nest a them here in the Black Hills, an some angel told us ta come here.

By her manner, this is more than she usually says at one time.

[androgial]

Anduran

Anduran stands 6'2 and wears simple leathers. his flaming red hair would seem to contrast with his skin tone and his obvious profession. aside from his backpack and a quiver he carries a longbow and two plain looking swords, one short the other long. if one looks closely enough there is something hanging around his neck but it is under his lether vest and hidden from view. Anduran almost seems to be at home in the wilderness.

"well met, we should be moving on."

Having said that he casts pass without trace again and in the same manner as they left the grove of oaks outside nerise, he leads the group along.

[BlueWizard]

Lukan nods in repsonse to Anduran, "I can only be here too long... but I hope all goes well. The path ahead is dark and dangerous, and filled with twisted evils. I don't know what else to tell you, but beware of Cthulhu. It will cause men to go mad. Incurable at times. Only great magic can fix this."

Lukan will travel with the party for sometime, but as the party comes up over the pass to a view of a great black waterfall. It cuts a swath through the vegetation of a steep hill face. There are natural pathways up through the trees. Lukan will bow as he fades silently away.

{OOC- If you have any questions, I can retro Lukan a bit. Excellent descriptions!}

[Severedevil]

Tevrier, Human Male

A wiry man in a dark greatcloak steps quietly alongside (and slightly behind) Ramona with a gait that compromises between a walk and a slink. Though dwarfed by Ramona he neverlethess stands six feet high in his worn-but-sturdy leather boots. A grin slowly grows on his weathered face as his green-eyed stare interrogates each new ally's face, physique, bearing and armament. He himself carries a vicious-looking admantium scythe crosswise on his back, the blade curving from his right shoulder to his left, as well as a pair of bolas on his thick leather belt and the promise of further light weapons bulging slightly under his cloak.

Tevrier bows to Valimar upon Ramona's introduction, causing his unnaturally reddish-brown mane - cut short on the sides but long in the middle in a swath that dangles down his neck - to flop forward slightly and back again. As he's already been introduced, Tevrier feels no compunction to speak, and smiles at Anduran's purposed efficiency as he follows after the taller ranger. "Looks promising." he murmurs to Ramona.

[BlueWizard]

Tevrier will notice that Anduran is an excellent ranger, and makes quite good use of the terrain for cover. He can tell this human is not from anywhere around Zhe, and has exceptional skill.... on par with his. Though he might not be able to tell you who led the tribe of gnolls that guarded the lower hills below the Lake. Neither ranger saw any sign of these gnolls.

The pathway cuts up the side of the waterfall, and your afternoon walk here is cooled with mist.

OOC- Perhaps now would be a good time to get an idea of how the standard marching order of this group will go. Raven and Anduran are likely leading right now. However, the hunched human and mighty half-orcess look like good strong fighter types as well. Redgar will of course volunteer, but he is your only cleric.

[amanodel]

Sonny, male human

There's only one reason you didn't notice Sonny until now. When Lukan's ghostly form appeared, he stayed away, keeping a healthy distance. He doesn't like magic, and lately it only seemed to complicate matters.

He is no small man, possibly even bigger than Raven, altough slightly less muscular. However he moves very quick and easy compared to his large (some might even call him fat, atlough not in his face) build. His face is rather non-descript, and somewhat untrustworthy, thuggish. (Think Bud Spencer, without a beard and a stiff grin.)

He wears a fine black silk robe with an orange dragon painted on it. You do not see any weapon on him, altough you're fairly sure that the hidden depths of the enormous black robe hide quite an arsenal.

He greets Ramona and Tavrier with a bow of his head, but does not introduces himself, and looks at the newcomers with the clear expression of untrusting.

[androgial]

Anduran

at the lunch time rest stop anduran proposes a marching order.
himself in the lead with raven, since he knows where they are going, valimar and illanee next, sonny and redgar, sharon and ahra, and in the rear ramona and tevrier

[wxdruid]

Arha prefers to travel in the middle with Sharon. She keeps her eyes open and occasionally chats with her as they walk.

[Toliudar]

Ramona

As Anduran proposes an order of movement, Ramona stops herself from commenting. These people don't know us, or our capabilities. They're trusting us with their backs. It's a sign of respect, you ninny.

Soun's good ta me.

So...how'd ya come by knowin' bout this place, anyway?

Spoiler

Show

Safe to assume that we at least get names and a brief understanding of who everyone is? Ramona's accent gives her away as a horse tribeswoman fairly quickly.

[amanodel]

Sonny

Altough he feels slightly uncomfortable next to the priest, he lines in without too much cursing. He's got a bad feelinga about having two strangers in the sorceresses' back, and frequently looks back to check if there's everything okay.

Spoiler

Show

Sonny's not a mistery as well. A southern maffioso type, the only question about him is how the hell he came to this holy mission.

[BlueWizard]

Lukan will have introduced everyone by name. Though he did leave your personal powers secret. It'll soon be evident if you don't know the party member.

The strange, but common, low lying mist gets denser the higher you get in the hills. It starts merely covering your feet, but spreads to be waist deep. You can't see more than 30 feet out into the surrounding hills, because of the fog. You can hear the thunder of the waterfall nearby.

[Roland St. Jude]

Raven

Raven glady takes the lead switching between his bow and his greatsword as the terrain suggests. He tries to keep a keen watch, but as time goes by he finds himself relying almost entirely on Anduran's scouting.

Spoiler

Show

Raven is far more than he appears. On the outside he looks like a heavily-muscled brute wielding a large almost crude sword. He's unlikely to start any idle or social chatter and slow to answer any questions (as he hopes someone else will answer for him).

[androgial]

Anduran


"Zhe? It was my first assignment, and the first time shadowmane and I met Mira and gwenyth. We must have crossed and crisscrossed zhe a hundred times over the years weve been here. shadowmane is going to be upset. My three precious ladies, I hope they stay safe during this."

[Ruik]

Valimar Kil'ana
Valimar is happy to fall into the position suggested by Anduran, speaking only when spoken to, taking in their surroundings as the move.

Spoiler

Show

Valimar is a pure wizard, although his LA nerfs it a bit.

[Toliudar]

Ramona

Once the mist starts to rise, Ramona nervously tests the string on her bow, and takes her axe out to have in the other hand. She reflexively checks behind regularly, uncomfortable in the confines of the fog.

Spoiler

Show

Ramona is a big bruiser, but with a shy manner.

[amanodel]

Sonny

The large thug curses continously as the fog surrounds the small party. Altough after a while you don't even notice it, as it was a part of the environment, like the rumbling of the waterfall.

Can't you magicians just chase the fog away? Or.. Just leave it be. A least we've got some cover... Dammit.

[Severedevil]

Tevrier

The not-quite-as-tall ranger nods approvingly to Anduran's marching order. Two warriors, one a scout, guarding the rear and a similar pair up front? Sensible. He treads lightly through the wilderness, keeping his eyes - or once the mist arrives, his ears - peeled for any ambush that may await them on their hostile path.

Spoiler

Show

+9 Listen. And +9 Spot, for what it's worth.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Sharon shrugs at Sonny's comment. "Can't do anything about it. Not the sort of magic I know."

[Ruik]

Valimar Kil'ana

Valimar looks at Sonny after Sharon speaks and shakes his head ruefully.

"I too cannot do anything about the fog... but I for one welcome it. At least it might keep away prying non-magical eyes."

[BlueWizard]

The fog seems to get thicker the higher you get up the mountain. You can still hear the roaring of the waterfall, but Tevrier knows that the top is near. Anduran knows the land well, but this land is in Tevrier's blood. Both of the rangers are the only ones to hear a whooshing from above, and can alert the group quickly that something is landing!

{OOC- Okay, I wanted to give you a moment... but here we go! What a better way to introduce a new thread, and let you all see what the others are capable of.}

The creature swooping down is large, and could be a dragon. Though few of the two that actually hear the swooping have enough experience with them. Tevrier fought a couple, but not in the open air like this!

Initiative:
Arha 18+7
Sonny 18+7
Valimar 14+4
Anduran 15+3
Sharon 12+3
Ramona 8+2
Raven 5+4
Tevrier 1+2

[wxdruid]

Arha prepares a lightning bolt for when she can see it and starts looking around for cover.....

[androgial]

anduran

anduran maintains his bow at the ready, there will be time enough to switch out if he needs too. (holding action until decisive identification)

[Roland St. Jude]

Raven

Raven travels stoically, but somewhat distractedly, as if deep in thought. He grips his weapon loosely, occasionally attempting to sweep away the fog before him. At the first sign of trouble, however, he falls into a slight crouch with his weapon tightly gripped and brought to bear before him.

EDIT: As he hears the call of "dragon!" he speaks a word of his own, casting True Strike and readies himself to leap at the foe.

[OOC: He's unlikely to notice the inbound creature until it actually appears or someone calls it out.]

[Severedevil]

Tevrier

Keen ears detecting the heavy flyer, Tevrier's head snaps up. Not again... we almost died against the last one... Swallowing quickly, the ranger nudges Ramona urgently. "There's a dragon."

"Dragon!" Tevrier calls in a louder voice, pointing to the sky roughly where he thinks the creature must be. Despite notable experience his mind blanks, and the ranger stands stupidly in place trying to figure out how to combat the being he assumes is a dragon. The breath, avoid the breath... spread out! "Spread out!" he adds belatedly, stepping out orthogonal to the line of the party. A pair of quality bolas flick smoothly into his hand, and he begins to spin them up in a practiced manner.

Spoiler

Show

30' move away from the party and ready a +9 ranged trip attack (range increment 20') with a +10 Strength check to trip, to deliver as soon as any seemingly-hostile flyer breaks through the fog.

Tevrier is jumping to the conclusion, yes.