The Expected Journey Ends [IC]

[Ilerien]

Darren sighs and turns his head a little bit, pointing to the gagged woman.

- What happens to Minnet here? The one you call Princess. She was polite enough to apologize for her attack and being to tell us what's going on before more of people from this Order interrupted.

[JNAProductions]

"She'll be coming with me," the woman replies. "We'll see how sincere her turn was."

The air changes-it's subtle, but it's no longer so still. "I must be going-good luck." The leaves swirl around her, and soon disperse, leaving nothing behind.

[Lentrax]

Wait! Hinoka calls as the leaves begin to swirl.

Majesty! I know not your name!

[JNAProductions]

She is gone. There's naught you can do about it.

[Lentrax]

Doesn't matter anyway, Hinoka mutters. Especially if she really is not my patron Queen.

Hinoka steps over to where she set her things and grabs her swords.

If what she said is true, we have to go. Now.

She starts strapping the sheathes to her back, hilts down.

I don’t care if you believe me or not. I don’t care if you believe her or not. I am going for this portal. Because if this truly is a story, it’s dreadfully dull.

Hinoka opens the door.

[JNAProductions]

The hallway is as you'd expect. There's two servants working together to clean the pillars, but nothing out of place, not really.

[Ilerien]

There's still hope it's all just a drunk dream. Ah, darn it.

- The implications are immeasurably disturbing. Everyone but you being a figment of imagination of someone spinning a tale for children? My family included? All the people I'm sworn to protect if possible and avenge otherwise? This isn't something that should be taken at face value, - Darren chuckles mirthlessly. - Anyway, I'm with you. In the times of insanity follow the madman, they say. Let's find this portal of hers and see what's beyond.

Darren goes down the hallway, taking the lead.

[JNAProductions]

The servants nod as you pass by. They heard what Darren said-but it didn't seem to impact them at all.

You can hear the festivities starting as you pass by one of the halls, but you descend into the bowels of the palace. There's a small dungeon, some wine cellars, miscellaneous other rooms... And in the dungeon, just outside the last cell, is one of the portals. A rift, barely visible, in the fabric of the world. It seems quiescent, but as you draw nearer, it stirs slightly.

[Lentrax]

Mad? I think not. I just have a more active mind.

They head down the corridors to the dungeon. And they see it.

It truly is here, just as she said.

Hinoka doesn’t hesitate. She begins moving toward the portal. But then the warning about danger enters her mind. But even without a sword in her hand, she is not without power to protect herself.

She steps into the portal.

[Ilerien]

- Let's be careful. The queen mentioned a dragon... - says Darren and immediately finds out he's addressing an empty space, as Hinoka has just stepped through.

He sighs, takes out his two-handed sword and follows.

[Lentrax]

Yes. But if what she said is right, many things use these stories to get to other places. We just need to be careful.

[JNAProductions]

You step through, and find yourselves in what looks to be a small shack. The walls are not put together well-you can see dim light peeking in from the outside sun-and the door has only one hinge. There's a small window with no glass, and the outside is barren and withered.

[Lentrax]

Well, isn’t this a lovely place, Hinoka says looking at the landscape outside.

If we planted some flowers, we could turn it into a lovely summer home, don’t you think?

[Ilerien]

- Some flowers would certainly help to make it more pretty, if not exactly more comfortable, - Darren replies, approaches the window from the side to make less of a target in case there's immediate danger outside and peeks through. - I'm not complaining, though.

[JNAProductions]

With a better look at the outside, Darren sees virtually no signs of life. Dead trees, leafless shrubbery... And in the distance, what looks to be a town. If you had to guess, you'd say it's a few hours away on foot.

[Ilerien]

Darren whistles softly, surveying the horizon.

- There's a town nearby, and it looks like an adequate starting point for our search for another portal. Unless our story ends with starving in this lifeless wasteland, naturally. What do you think?

[Lentrax]

It isn’t that far, Hinoka teases.

But if you’re up for it, we can go now.

[JNAProductions]

You take a look around the shack before leaving. Are there any preparations you need before you go?

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Buff spells, meal prep, anything else. Last chance before leaving to (potential) DANGER!

[Ilerien]

- At least far enough for the stroll to become boring. I'm in the mood for a tale about your time in your queen's service, - he winks at Hinoka.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

No preparations from Darren. He doesn't have any long duration buffs that will be useful in these circumstances. As for meals, the starting item pack does have field rations, but I'm not sure if Darren was resourceful enough to take them with him to the celebration.

[Lentrax]

Truly, there is not much to tell, Hinoka says as she starts walking in the direction of the town.

She picks up a large stick that seems strong enough, and pulls a small knife from a pouch at her belt. It isn’t large enough o function as a weapon, but it has served more than well enough in the past for cutting herbs and berries from trees for her poultices and remedies. And she puts it to use here to whittle the end of the stick into a smooth handle for her hand to use as a walking staff.

As she does, she tells the tale of how she came to be ensnared in a faerie ring, trapped because she didn’t heed her senses that warned her of danger when she heard what she thought was a child in danger.

Of how her patron came upon her as the smaller pixies where “having their fun with her” and she stopped them, but gave Hinoka a choice, serve her, or be left to her own devices with the pixies who made it clear she would never leave alive.

So she gave her oath. And her new patron then said that as one who would serve her, Hinoka would be remade into something of the woods, since it was clear the woman spent much time there. How she had been taught the rudimentary basics to control her new form and the magic that came with it.

And then her patron queen sent her off through a portal, into what looked like her woods, but turned out to be where they had just left, an apparent storybook realm.

What if you? How did you come to be in your place?

[Ilerien]

Darren gathers his thoughts for a couple of moments.

- Well, I used to have too much time and too little to do with it in my youth. Being a third son of a noble family, apparently, turns you into a spoiled brat. I tried my hand in a lot of different pursuits mostly out of boredom, and some of them had naturally lead to scandals. Imagine a lordling running off with a band of assorted scoundrels to be a street performer. Or engaging in courtly intrigue, digging some embarrassing secrets of the local nobles and blackmailing them.

He goes into detail about several of his other exploits that were pretty mild overall, considering the genre of the story he hails from.

- It was only a matter of time before father dearest got fed up with me endangering the family's standing. He had this brilliant idea to send me off to become something more, a knight sworn to protect the realm. He's big on killing two birds with one stone, my father. Getting rid of a liability and turning it into an asset to boost the very same standing I had been threatening with my behaviour, unbecoming for a noble scion. And while it may seem I should resent him for it, I don't. I had sworn an oath and acquired a purpose. The emptiness lurking at the edges of my mind had been finally gone, - he takes a breath. - The recent revelations put all of this into a fairly confusing perspective, though.

[Lentrax]

I think it is confusing for the both of us, Hinoka says slowly. After all, I no longer have any of knowing if anything I know or remember is any more real than where we were.

In fact, she says, whittling another small piece off of her impromptu walking stick. I can't say for certain anymore if anything is real. But something, somewhere, has to be. And I intend on finding out where and what it is. Care to join me?

[JNAProductions]

The barrens are bereft of life. The sun beats down, leaving a little shimmering at the horizon line. But the town draws nearer and nearer as your feet eat away at the miles. As you close in, you think it might still have some people, actually-not many. But there's movement, at least.

[Ilerien]

Darren chuckles.

- I'm afraid I've done exactly this already. Otherwise stepping though that portal has been more than pointless. As would be being cooked slowly in my plate armor by the sun of this... outlying tale.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I imagine they don't walk in silence these hours. Sharing some experiences, doing small talk, etc. At least Darren would like to fill the silence to distract himself from a severe existential crisis. Paladins. :D

He stops for a moment trying to discern the faint movements at the distance in the remaining light from the sunset sky.
- So, the town isn't completely bereft of life after all. Any ideas what do we tell them? I doubt the "you're all not real, it's just a figment of someone's imagination, we're interlopers from another one of such tales" story will fly with the locals.

[Lentrax]

We should see how they react to us first. Something tells me they do not get visitors. So we see how they treat us, and if they seem amenable we can see what we can learn.

Hinoka squints and gives the town a more critical eye.

But, I agree. We leave the whole "Hi, we are searching for universal truth," story for if we really need it. If at all.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Making an active perception roll, see if Hinoka can discern anything more specific about the movement they can see.

(1d20+7)[14]

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: Perception DC 14

Show

The movements they make are furtive, nervous. They often look to the sky. You probably don't want to rush in loudly.

You come closer, passing by some abandoned buildings. They've been empty for a while, and are in a state of severe disrepair. The people are all clustered near the center, and you're close enough now to call out a greeting. They don't seem to have noticed you yet.

[Ilerien]

- I doubt we'll find a remotely comfortable place to rest here, - Darren whispers, his gaze darting from one shadow to another. - Everything seems dismal. Anyway, the locals are our only potential source of information on the location of the next portal, if there is one. Mind if I engage someone in a conversation?

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Let's see if Darren's completely human eyes perceive anything: (1d20+3)[14]
(1d20+3)[7] in case there's disadvantage.

[Lentrax]

They are watching for something. The other fairy queen said the dragon from the story had overrun the area. We need to be careful who we speak to and about what.

[Ilerien]

- Luckily, we're experts on dragons, right? - he winks at Hinoka, takes out his flute and plays several soft, almost soothing notes, and his black and gold cuirass and opulent cloak become a weatherbeaten leather brigandine and a tattered cape, both of them covered in a reasonable amount of road dust. The scabbard with the sword melts into nothingness, leaving only the dagger on his hip as a visible weapon, its hilt and sheath also appearing far more plain. Darren puts the flute back on his hip and takes a stroll towards the first person in sight, trying his best to appear nonthreatening.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Darren casts disguise self (duration is 1 hour).

[JNAProductions]

Darren, after disguising himself as a much less opulent individual, moves forward. He approaches someone, clearing his throat as he does so as to not startle them too much.

The person, a middle-aged man, turns to face Darren. "You're not from here," he says immediately.