The Unknown World - Adventuring!

[Baxter190]

"Oh! Whats that way?," asked Shioto, curiously the frost spirit curiously flying about, completely caught off gaurd by the sights and souds it had encountered as they wandered through the town. they had been traveling witht his group for a bit, and really, on a whim. When Shioto and Aramous first came acrous them, the little fey spirit had suggested they go with them, and Aramous, not seeing a reason not to, just started following them. It was a bit akward at first, them waking up and seeing an Eladrin with a ELk skull on his head standing above them and looking like he was talking to himself. But, after the the first week of walking with them, they just got used to him and stopped caring.

While he was a rather unusual sight, talking with Shioto, who thye couldn't see, he found that they came to enjoy him and his odd way of talking to them, and his wierd hand gestures that usually accompanied him talking to non-fey. Unable to think up a reason why not to indulge his patron fey, he began walking away from the group, them completely unaware of his actions. As he walked around the town, it became clear how gloomy a place the village was. 'This place looks real bad. These people look more depressed than the village of Shiang-tu was after the inqusition nearly destroyed them,' thought Aramous, feeling sorry for the people. Eventually, he found himself in the village square. It only looked slightly better than the rest of his village, with a small fountain of water in the center of the coblestone pathway, with the stone and wooden church laying on one side, color fading, shutters borken or beggining to fall off, and the one of the windows had a crack inside of it. On the other side of it was the pathway to the tower, a gloomy path with a grand, forboding feel to it.

"Hey, Aramous, those birds up there are tired, can you give them a place to rest?" requested Shioto, pointing to the birds flying in the sky. While most people wouldn't be able to see it, even Aramous would be able to see it, but after the little fey pointed it out, he coudl see that the birds where showing signs of becoming tired.

Wanting to help them birds, Aramous replied, "Sure, I've got a great idea." People already giving him wierd looks because of his style of dress, he noticed they were beggining to draw into their shops, holding their children closer, and generally trying to get away from him as he started to do what appeared to be talking to himself. Walking towards the fountain, he jumped up unto the top. When his foot touched the water that was coming out of the top of the fountain, Shioto did somethng only fey could do naturally. He began to freeze the water. Standing on top of the fountain as it began to crystalize, Aramous held out his arms, forming a cross of sorts. The birds then began to land on him, sitting on his head, the antlers of his elk horns, and his oustretched arms. A pecurliar sight it was, to see the person who was just talking to himself, cloak in fur and leathe,r bearing a elk skull on top of his face, to jump onto the fountain, have birds land upon him, and have the water begin to freeze, forming a large, beautiful crytal. One byu one the villagers came out, astonished at the view, wondering it some form a miracle, a message fromm their god. And as he stood their, they began to gether around, some even starting to pray. But then a person began to run by, being chased by people that aramous notice was the people he was traveling with. realizing it was probably for the best that he helped them, he waited until the man came close by, close enough that he could jump and tackle the runner. When he finally came into range, Aramous lept at the runner, catching him by suprise. The runner was stunned, seeing a person clocked in fur and leather leaping upon him, elk skull upon his head and obscuring his features, dozens of birds also appearing to come upon him.

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(d20+1)[18]
Thats my athletics to catch the runner. I guess I should some kind of bonus for seing him, waiting, and having superior elevation, as well as an intimidation bonus.
(d20+3)[16]
That was my intimidation roll in case you needed one.

[potatocubed]

OOC: Um... Baxter? The town's deserted. I'm going to assume that the basic plan of 'wander off, fortuitously intercept the chase, tackle the guy' still stands, though.

My brain is fried from too much (ha ha) work today. I'll update better when I get home.

Oh, and assuming Sylis isn't doing anything, top of the list for actions again. Raist, feel free to throw an action in if you've got one.

Successes = 3/4
Failures = 1/3

[ixious]

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Sylis is a bit overwhelmed by all this, trust me I am online and posting nearly 24/7, if sylis has something to say or do, I will post. He just isn't quite as...talkative...as baxter and Raz's characters.

[Nefarion Xid]

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I guess the running man isn't quite down? Since the skill challenge is still going. So Aramous either only slowed him down or maybe doesn't have a good hold of him?

"GAH! Do you have any idea how cliche that is!" he shouts. Darion hops up and down on holding his injured knee after taking a spill on the overturned crates. In a wink he reaches for his daggers...but thinks better of it. Others might not approve of him skewering the man's kidneys straight away.

He recovers from his setback and resumes the chase, this time bounding off a shop wall, grabbing the overhanging signboard to slingshot him up to catch the gutters of the adjacent building, then hauling himself up to sprint over the rooftops. Spotting his prey again, running along an a parallel alley, he vaults from the rooftops, catches hold of a lamp post swings his legs around - aiming to take the bedraggled man off his feet with a heavy kick.

((Acrobatics, +7 (1d20+7)[25] ))

[Raistlin1040]

Larus casually follows his running allies, not really caring about catching the man. He draws his longsword, for whatever reason, but doesn't seem inclined to use it anytime soon. He runs a hand through his hair, looking almost exasperated at his teammates. Sensing he won't be needed anytime soon, Larus begins to sing quietly, a traditionally odd Keene-worshipper song.

And in the day, they came to stay
And in the night, they cried of fright.

While walking in the grassy plain, my love ambushed, her soul to drain
Dead men walk into the sky, how I wish that they would die.

And even though she fought them back, she succumbed to their vicious 'tack
And now my love has joined their ranks, a million strong of dead and skanks.

Diamonds drifting on the beach, treasures I will never reach
Make me wish that I were dead, my, these thoughts will never end.

A battlefield drenched in blood, no corn will grow, nor tree or spud
And I will die while you look on, a million mighty, million strong

But by my breath, I shall save you, from deathly days and greyish hue
And in the life that follows soon, you will still love me, by the moon.

And we'll be happy, ever aft, drifting on our lover's raft.
One true soul again once more, walking in, through heaven's door.

[ixious]

Nodding to Larus, Sylis walks along. Sir, why arn't you on the manhunt like the rest? I mean I think highly of a man who doesn't jump at any and every little distraction, but among adventurers it is rare to find one with so much sense. So, to the castle?" Sylis appears relieved to have someone with him as he down the street they said "led to the castle". But how much can I trust their "knowledge"? I have never been here, what makes me think they have? Is this where I am to die, not without a fight!

[potatocubed]

Startled by Aramous leaping out, the running man staggers and barely escapes the grasp of the skull-wearing eladrin. Not looking where he is going, he regains his balance and pace just in time to run squarely into the boots of Darion coming the other way. He crashes to the ground and stays there, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath as the others gather. The square you are in is almost directly underneath the escarpment: above, the castle looms, a winding path leading from the edge of the square, around the edge of the escarpment, and up towards the castle.

"No... no, no, no," the man mutters, looking up at the castle - now much closer after your sprint through the streets. "I've gone the the wrong way... They've seen us, and they'll be coming." He nods his head at the castle, then looks at you. "You've got to hide, quick! Doesn't matter who you work for if they catch you here." He glances around and clambers to his feet, although he shows no signs of bolting again.

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OOC: By my calculations, that skill challenge netted each of you... 17 experience points. You're on your way to 2nd level!

[Raistlin1040]

Hmm? Oh, Milady Keene told me not to go after him, that it would be a waste of my time. He nods, and points at the man, now ''apprehended''. You see, there was no need. He says, walking slowly with Sylis towards the castle.

[ixious]

"All works out as it should, indeed" giving a small bow

[Nefarion Xid]

Darion seethes and stares daggers at his useless compatriots (Sylis and Larus).

"What, precisely, is coming?" he scans the escarpment for any sign of the thing he saw when they first arrived, then the ramparts for any sign of guards.

"And what's the easiest way in?" Darion suspects there to be a secret or hidden way into the castle - at least one for the residence to escape from if their defenses began to fall.

"Speak quickly!" If he doesn't get a satisfactory answer soon...he puts the heel of his boot on the man's fingers and grinds them into the street.

[Raz_Fox]

Thieran runs up to Darion, shaking his head and grinning.
"Well, well. You can track down prey after all. Well done, sir!"
He claps Darion on the back good-naturedly. Then he hears what the man is saying.
"They? Who in Kor's name are they? And why mustn't they catch us?"
He glances up at the castle, and two and two click together. He turns to Lukas and Sylis.
"I think we're about to get some answers. Aramous, Sylis, you two take this man and hide in a building, now! Lukas, Larus, Darion, hide as best you can. We'll get some answers about what's going on here..."
Thieran's light voice gains an edge for one moment, as his grin turns nasty.
"... if we have to beat it out of someone."
Thus saying, he steps back into the shadows in the lee of a nearby building - a blacksmith, by the shop sign. Not the best cover, but it might work. He unsheathes his schiavona.

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Stealth check: (d20+8)[9]. Diplomacy check (if needed to get the man to follow Aramous and Sylis): (d20+7)[16].

[Raistlin1040]

Darion seethes and stares daggers at his useless compatriots (Sylis and Larus).

"What, precisely, is coming?" he scans the escarpment for any sign of the thing he saw when they first arrived, then the ramparts for any sign of guards.

"And what's the easiest way in?" Darion suspects there to be a secret or hidden way into the castle - at least one for the residence to escape from if their defenses began to fall.

"Speak quickly!" If he doesn't get a satisfactory answer soon...he puts the heel of his boot on the man's fingers and grinds them into the street.

Larus returns the look with one of pure and unadulterated boredom. Saying nothing, he follows the advice of his other ally, and give a half-hearted attempt to hide in the shadows of a different building. Stealth: (1d20-1)[3]

Unfortunatly, heavy armor, large purple hats, and pale skin don't make for good hiding skills.

[ixious]

Walking toward the castle, Sylis, attempting to hide his disgust for adventures and their "ways", says "So, this threat chasing us...doesn't that mean we should be moving toward the castle...now? It can not be more than a quarter mile from here, or are there any more houses you would like to investigate?"

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bluff to hide his frustration and disgust
(d20+3)[16] versus insight of anyone who is even listening :-p almost hoping for a low number LOL

[Britter]

Lukas

Lukas keeps quiet, and scans the area, watching for any movement that might indicate the arrival of a threat. He fights down his jitters, telling himself that his training will see him through this, but he is still nervous. This little mission was starting to look like it woould be much harder then he had hoped his first venture into the world of professional mercanary activity would be.

[Raz_Fox]

Thieran looks around at Larus blending into the wall like an elf in a room full of orcs, Lukas standing out in the open, Darion threatening the man and Sylis ignoring him and walking straight towards the castle.

He puts his head in his palm for a moment, than tells Larus and Lukas to follow Sylis with him and see if they can keep the crazy stargazer out of trouble. Amarous and Darion he'll leave alone - Amarous is wild enough, and Darion won't listen to him in any case. His grip on his sword tightens as he races down the street after Sylis.

"Kor arail'n egin," he mutters. "Or we won't last the night."

[Raistlin1040]

Larus nods and jogs to catch up with Sylis.

[Britter]

Lukas


Darion seems more then capable of handling himself, so Lukas decides to follow Therian. After all, flamboyant and eccentric didn't necessarily mean the bard was not competent...he hoped.

[ixious]

Sylis quietly mumbles to himself while walking toward the castle. Pulling out his telescope and a book, he begins jotting notes, then turns to Thieran just as he runs up, "Now is as good of a time as any, so tell me more of this tragedy you were singing of earlier. I believe even the vaguest of folk lore has a grain of truth, so I have become a bit of a collector of good stories. Sylis gives a sheepish smile, but Thieran would notice that Sylis' eyes are opaque as he walks forward.

[Raz_Fox]

As Thieran runs up, he sees Sylis's opaque eyes and shudders. Only for a moment however, then his manaic grin covers it.
"Well, you want to hear the tale of the Cyrilian, eh? Well, come over here, Lukas, and I'll tell the both of you."
He's breathing heavily, but starts moving into his natural, loping stride as he composes his memory.
"The Cyrilian was one of the most magnificent ships ever to sail the Sea of Rhun, even if it was only for one voyage. It was made out of white wood from the forests of Januli, with silk sails and elf-made rope in the riggings. It may have been even larger than the Drow ships that sail the Sea of Rhun now. The flag of the Asurans fluttered in the breeze as it set sail on its maiden voyage, carrying the Lady Kathelyn to the land of Chail across the sea, there to meet her husband-to-be, Prince Arencor of Chail. Her father, Emperor Valerian, watched the Cyrilian leave the harbor and ordered that preperations be made for celebration when the ship returned with the lovely pair."
Thieran sighs, face downcast.
"The ship never came back. Weeks became months, months became years. Finally, a ragged and filthy human traveler came before Emperor Valerian, claiming to be Derek, a human cabin boy on the Cyrilian. He told Valerian of the Cyrilian's triumphant arrival in Chail, and of how Arencor came aboard, to sail back to the Asur lands with Kathelyn. However, that night, the crew celebrated mightily, toasting Kathelyn and Arencor. Therefore, all the watchmen on deck that night were so drunk they could barely see straight."
Theiran pauses for a moment, to let the ominous words sink in.
"By the time they realized they were sailing towards a spellstorm, it was upon them. Waves twenty feet tall crashed upon the Cyrilian, demonic and magecursed creatures swooped down and attacked the crew, and the purple and red sky above them crackled with eldritch thunder and lightning. One bolt hit the top-mast of the Cyrilian, covering the vessel in unquenchable green fire. The captain of the Cyrilian, Tomach, allowed Derek to take his place in a lifeboat. The last Derek saw of the Cyrilian was Kathelyn and Arencor embracing on the deck of the sinking ship."
"Derek washed ashore with the debris of his lifeboat. He claimed to have struggled for twelve years along the southern coast, running from Gnoll tribes and living in places such as Lycia, Bern and the Abbey of the Ruby Walls. He finally struggled across the Fens of Thranc and made it to the Asur lands, where he immediately went to Valerian to tell him the fate of the Cyrilian. Valerian, it is said, went mad with grief for his beloved daughter and died soon after, leaving the throne to Ozir Orc-Bane. The events of Ozir's reign are spoken of in the Cathl Chan Elphaba'r. I would have told you the entire tale in Asuran, but that would take over an hour to complete."

As Thieran tells the long tale, he keeps an eye on Lukas and Sylis while another eye is kept on the castle, watching for enemies.

[ixious]

Spellstorm? Magecursed creatures? Green Fire? I..I don't know what to say...i mean..thank you for the story, it was very...insightful Sylis thinks to himself I have seen but 2 mages not bound to the fey in my lifetime, one of which sold his soul to devils, and I who draw my "quirks" from the gravity of celestial bodies, could the origin of these stories be of a man who forsook his soul for power and the cost of that power, or have I wandered so far from the court that I have found all that I know is false, that the untamable, unimaginably strong powers of the Elemental Chaos can, and are, captured and channeled by men unaided, and to the horror of all in their way? Gods I feel the fool for even speculating of this, it is completely unproven than an unaided.... Completely lost in thought Sylis nearly trips on a board laying in the street.

[Baxter190]

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Hey, I know this isn't what is actually going on with the poeple at the quare, the town being deserted and all, but I thought this would be a good way the enforce the image that Aramous is crazy, just not in the way most people think he is.

“Damn it, I missed him,” said Aramous, upset that his great act of athletics were but to no avail. Turning around, he saw the people around them in aw, clearly impressed with their heroics of catching the runner. Unfortunately, they still kept a distance from the Eladrin, though Aramous was unable to detect whether it was out of fear still, or out of reverence. As he walked up to Darion, who ultimately caught the runner. Not really listening as Darion interrogated the runner, Aramous and Shioto looked over the people and the scene. With the frost fey no longer freezing the fountain of water, it had melted and water was once again flowing.

The people now seemed to be more distict for some reason. Their was an elderly couple in a shop nearby, giving candy to some children that were running by, playing a game. Some of the people were still looking at him with curious looks, some out of suspicion, others out of respect, but most just unable to figure out what to make out of him. There was a preacher with a hint of elven features, whose face could be seen through the clean and untouched windows…

“Wait, what!” exclaimed Shioto, noticing the unsual. “Those windows were cracked and broken earlier,” the frost fey explained to Aramous, unsure of what the fey was pointing out.

“Yeah, they were broken,” replied the Eladrin, remembering clearly that just a moment ago they were broken. Looking up at the windows though, they were perfectly clean, and fixed. Caught off guard by this, Aramous blinked, and when he opened his eyes next, the windows where broken again, just as they were a moment ago. Unsure of what he was seeing, he looked around, his eyes focused, as if he could look right through the people.

Then Shioto spoke up and said, “Hey, that Therion guy, he said we should take the runner into the church and hide.”

Still looking around, as if to spot something that shouldn’t be there, he grabbed the man by the arm, and started to drag him into the church, the people standing around the town square were abashed at his action. Looking at them, Aramous spoke out and said, “People, get inside, there may be bad men after us,” before continuing into the church and closing the doors behind him.

[potatocubed]

"What, precisely, is coming?" he scans the escarpment for any sign of the thing he saw when they first arrived, then the ramparts for any sign of guards.

The man cringes, but pulls himself together enough to answer questions.

"I don't... I don't know exactly what they are." He glances at the castle again. "They're like wasps. Big wasps. There's the little ones - loads of the little ones - and the big ones, and the smart ones. The smart ones do something to your head; they've got the whole army marching about like they're dreaming."

"And what's the easiest way in?" Darion suspects there to be a secret or hidden way into the castle - at least one for the residence to escape from if their defenses began to fall.

"You want to go in there?" He looks aghast, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a hefty key. "Look, take this. If you go round the side of the castle you'll find a sally port hidden behind some bushes. I don't know if they know about it yet, but it's probably safer than trying to go in the front way. Now... just let me go. I've got to get out of here before they see us!"

OOC: So far I've got Aramous dragging the man into the church, Darion interrogating the man in the street (presumably before he's hauled into the church) and everyone else heading off towards the castle. Is this right?

[Nefarion Xid]

Darion mutters "Good man" before pocketing the key and releasing the soldier to...whatever he does or is done with him. Then goes the same way as Thieran and the others, though decidedly off the trail and away from the group by some distance (enough to reach them with a Run in one round) where he can easily take cover or fade into shadows.

((Stealth, +7 (1d20+7)[15]

[Raz_Fox]

OOC: Yeah. You got it about right.

Thieran puts his arm around Sylis's shoulder and gently steers him back around towards where Aramous and the soldier are.
"Saint's and Proxies, you mean you've never heard of a spellstorm? I would have thought a fellow researcher would have heard of them. They are what happens when there is a weak spot in the fabric of reality, so to say. The raw power of the energies of creation come forth above the sea - it's usually in the sea, for some unknown reason - and rain havoc upon any ship foolish enough to stray within even a league of it. The Cyrilian, in the center of the storm, had no chance at all to avoid its fate. The green fire reported by Derek is actually quite mundane compared to what can happen in a spellstorm. And as - ah, hold on for a moment."
Thieran pokes his head into the church, seeing the man and Aramous.
"Ah, Aramous! Sorry, after I told you to bring the man in here Sylis suggested that we go to the castle. Darion's already headed in that direction, and we were hoping this man here could help us look for a way in."
Thieran gives the man a brilliant grin, then turns to Aramous.
"C'mon! Let's head on out!"
As he starts to lope off again, he turns to Sylis and Lukas.
"As I was saying, you don't want to know about magecursed creatures. You really don't want to know about them. My sanity barely held up when I researched them."
He gives Sylis a serious, dark stare for a moment. Then it's broken by his manaic grin as he turns and waves for the adventurers, and their shaken guide, to follow him.

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My Arcana roll, to remember all that stuff about Spellstorms and Magecursed beasties: (d20+10)[19]. I really kinda mucked up where everyone was with Thieran's contradictory orders, and I'm trying to fix it here (if a bit unsubtlely).

[Nefarion Xid]

((To be clear, Darion is tailing the group right now - whichever way they go. And trying to keep out of sight himself because he's now fully paranoid about an ambush...and hopefully can manage to flank the attackers and catch a few of them unawares.))

[ixious]

((i can't tell, who all has caught up with me? No one talks to sylis unless forced to LOL. I am tempted to just bring my character to madness so he will fit with the group, damn me and my progression from pompous ass to nigh insane stargazer)))

[Britter]

Lukas

The antics of the strangely clad eladrin and the exuberance of the bard were starting to wear a little thin on Lukas. Why did I agree to work with this lot? he thinks to himself, as the mercurial Therian gathered the rest of the group, with the exception of Darion, who seemed to have either fallen behind or choose to go his own way towards the castle.

"While this discourse is no doubt interesting, perhaps we can wait till we have dealt with the situation at hand before any more tales are told." Lukas says, trying unsucsessfully to keep his disdain for the distractions from showing. He continues to follow Therian, Sylis, Aramous and Larus towards the castle, keeping his eyes peeled for potential dangers and wondering if his first adventure was also going to be his last. He was determined to give the best effort he could, even if the whole operation was doomed to failure.

[Raz_Fox]

OOC: I understand we've all got speed 6, but I'm going to describe Thieran as walking faster than anyone else - he's got my long stride.

Thieran strides along swiftly, beginning to outpace the slower walkers. He softly hums to himself as his thoughts race.

Sylis was becoming worrying, but keeping an eye on the stargazer shouldn't be too hard. Lukas could handle himself well in combat, but he could be taught more about courtesy and manners. Perhaps I could? That'd be a sight to see - wild Thieran and passionless Lukas. He doesn't have his head in the clouds, that's for sure...
Larus? I'll have to watch him further. The purple hat is crazy enough, but it might be the same thing as my Nov'Serran silk - a distraction from the real man wearing it. Aramous - I'll have to talk to Finolas once I return to Tan Anor and see if his behavior is natural for his fair folk.
And Darion. Ah, Darion...

I've known folk not to trust me for my eccentricies, my lack of responsibility, my emotions as wild as the Asuddel. But to truly trust a man, you must know his heart. Ioun, lady of grace, let me not have seen his heart...

Thieran shakes his head, turns slightly to check on his companions, then continues to stride along the silent streets.

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Thieran's going to be making active perception checks, as point leader of the group. He's trying his best to pay attention to his surroundings. (d20-1)[2] *Facepalm* Well, that's Thieran's attention span for you...

[Britter]

Lukas

Keeping his glaive at the ready, Lukas moves towards the rear of the group, to intercept any possible threats that may be come upon them from that direction.

[Nefarion Xid]

Darion continues following the group at a distance between 15-25 feet at a time, letting them get a little bit ahead, then dashing to new cover when no one would notice. For one, he relished any chance to practice his vital skills - stalking his teammates was essentially a game. Secondly, it was probably best that they couldn't account for his presence anyway...it would make his imminent pincer-attack all the more effective.

He carefully scans the skies for any sign of the monstrous insects that the soldier had mentioned, almost pleading for the attack to come. A skirmish was exactly what he needed to get the jitters out, and hopefully he could assess his companions for any redeeming qualities. Or, one might get picked off and...well, that would be that; one less person to worry about, one less share of the loot. It wasn't a thought he enjoyed, but those were the cold hard facts about adventuring. Some people had to learn the hard way and second chances were rare.

He removes his sword from his belt and holds it close to his chest as he continues hunting and hiding...