The Lands of Sanetch - Alpha

[iop]

[OOC] Before we begin our journey through the Lands of Sanetch, I'd like to address posting conventions. The color of common will be black, as we diversify into other languages, we'll go from there.

Languages:
Common
Draconic
Dwarven
Elven
Celestial

Text codes:
"Speech, whispered speech, emphasized speech, SHOUTED SPEECH"
Thoughts and dreams
Actions

If you need to change the time of the actions your character is doing, I.E. if I do a wrap-up post and you need to reply to multiple parts of it, use ~~ (or any other divider) between the different times in your post.

Example:

I ride forth to slay the dragon!
~~
I feast in the king's hall.


Start your posts with YourCharacter’sName

Please mark the OOC part of your post in [OOC]$oocComment[/OOC] brackets, or, even better, put it into spoiler text.

Use this thread for rolls (with OOC brackets, of course). I will make awareness rolls (spot, listen, scent etc.) myself when appropriate, but if you feel your character is actively sensing for something specific, name it and make the appropriate roll (“I look for anything” is not specific).



Descriptions

Marius Thanador

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Marius Thanador lets it be known without a doubt that he is a Healer, and that if anybody has any injuries, they can come by him and he will be ready to stand by for aid. Hailing from Remad, Marius Thanador however does not like to tell much of his history. He tells that "Sometimes, you have to feel pain before you can heal.", and this makes it obvious that he has had pain in the past, though most likely mental pain, agony. He rather focuses on the future, the new dawn, which brings chance, light and healing with it. At times, he can be found to pray to Pelor, though he does tell that, in specific, the power to heal comes from the world around them, and a god such as Pelor is only there to underline this fact. His prayers to Pelor is more that he is a worshipper of the deity, not a cleric.
Furthermore, he wishes to go to Malagar to visit a relative, and has offered his healing abilities to a group, because healing is most often not declined, and alone he most likely can not manage the dangers of travel.

Krusk

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Krusk likes to change the topic off himself by asking others about themselves, getting others to talk. The little that he does reveal of his own intentions and background are pretty simple: Malager was the closest office of the Justicars and was rumored to hold high bounties for wanted criminals - a task that Krusk enjoys doing a lot (he seems focused on the absolutes of the law). So he left his home to try and find their office to join their ranks, taking this boat ride to make the trip. If anyone presses more about his background, he seems to awkwardly avoid the question with a joke or replies solemnly "It's not that interestin'."

Levvenol

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Levvenol introduces himself as an acolyte of an obscure old gnome god. Speaking with accented speech, he says he has spent much time in the service of his god, rarely leaving the village of his birth. He is careful to be friendly and polite, portraying himself as a somewhat distant scholar.

Raël

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Rael prefers to listen to the others, not offering much except, "The elves won't have me." when pressed about his background. He seems wary. He does tell the others that he is a battle leader, a marshal, and that he would appreciate the aid of any who would help him get over to Malager.

Hector

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Knowledge:

In the time crossing Hector has spent much of his time reading from an assortment of books he keeps on hand, one of them being an overtly religious test dealing with the death deity Wee Jas. When approached about the topic he freely offers that he is a servant of “the lady” and has likely discussed her dogma and any misconceptions the others my have about her. When his background is the topic of conversation, he has recounted his early childhood grooming to become an engineer, his recruitment into the service of his deity, and his early exploits raiding a green dragons lair and battling a Vrock demon in his homeland. All seem likely as he carries a large Flail and a pack presumably filled with a suit of full plate. When with company he is generally friendly and insightful, but viewed from a distance he seems somewhat cold and brooding. At least once a day he is seen meditating in a circle he creates with salt and holds a small vile with a piece of parchment inside during the ritual.

Appearance:

Hector has the physique of a fit 30-year-old human male with darkly tanned skin and is six foot in stature. His hair is prematurely thinning and grey, and his skin is lined beyond his years. His eyes however are still bright and betray a clever intellect; in fact some claim a ruby light emanates from them, but one can never be sure if it’s just their imagination. During the crossing his dress has been plain sturdy adventuring clothing, with the exception of a fine silk semi-skirt he wears around his waist and falls to just short of his ankles, it has the effect of making his look regal for no particular reason.

Map of the Lands of Sanetch

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[/OOC]

[iop]

It is a late summer afternoon, when the ship “Griffon” calls at the small port of Naregal. Only 15 passengers disembark, as most of the people on the ship continue their journey to the city of Mugdal. Nevertheless, the landing is crowded with families waiting for the arrival of their loved ones and others waiting for their guests. Among the passengers is a group of five strangers: A gnome, an elf, a half-ogre, and two humans who, despite their race, could only be headed for the “Inn of the Open Hand”, the only place in town offering shelter for those who do not belong here. As the five strangers step on the landing, the crowd lets them pass. They don’t seem to take much interest, even though some parents try to position themselves between their children and the strangers. They don’t seem to mind the lumbering shape of the half-ogre so much, and it appears they have seen elves and gnomes before. Still, there are a fair number of stares, many of which are unfriendly, rather than curious.
Within instants the strangers spot Dravia, keeper of the “Inn of the Open Hand”. She is a delicate-looking woman, only 5’2’’ tall, with long black hair and a dark complexion. He knows that she must have come from the same corner of the Empire as he. She is wearing a bright orange cloth that is elegantly draped around her small frame. She wears no gold nor jewelry but a jade pendant, yet she looks almost regal in her demeanor. Also, she seems in no way fazed anyone in the group. She simply says:
“Welcome to Naregal in the Kingdom of Mugdal. Follow me, please.”

~~

The “Inn of the Open Hand” is a two-story house three blocks away from the harbor. From the seaside windows, the guests have a splendid view onto Lake Mugdal, as it is known in this kingdom. Dravia silently leads the strangers to the front door, where she turns around.
“I invite you to come into my humble inn. Although you all seem to be experienced travelers, let me repeat the rules you agree to obey once you enter here. You will leave your weapons at the door. I will keep them safe. You will not cast any spells that could affect others directly or indirectly. I will protect you and your possessions against everything that is not a just consequence of your actions. Dinner will be served at sunset, breakfast at sunrise. You may go for a stroll in the town if you please, although you will find that the locals are not very welcoming. By all means be back before sunset, because foreigners are not allowed outside during the night. The cost of your stay is 7 silver pieces and includes dinner and breakfast. As you are my only guests for the night, you may freely choose your rooms. I suggest the odd rooms number one through nine, because they have a nice view on the lake and today’s sunset should be splendid. Please play me as you take your keys. Any questions?”

[ooc]I assume there aren’t any, but if you have some, don’t hesitate to ask. [/ooc]

~~

Sunset is indeed splendid, and the meal, roasted fish over a bed of spices and potato, accompanied by some local “mud ale” (named after its dark color), turns out to be surprisingly good. A bit more doubtful is the entertainment that is provided by a elf, who is sitting at the bar, merrily talking about all his many magnificent adventures: How he once wanted to play a practical joke on a traveler to Malager, and as he was hiding in the bushes of the forest of Orbain, suddenly someone else came to hide in the bush right in front of him. So when travelers approached and the other readied himself, our hero had shouted out to the guy, who got so scared that he stabbed himself and died. Or about the stupid locals here who claim that a medusa haunts the swamp, even though the worst monsters around here were lizards – large as a calf! – and the Guards of the King, who were after him, because he did not want to be a spy for them. After all, he was going to become a protector. Even the serenely smiling Dravia seems to be slightly bored, so when she comes to collect the plates, she tries to change the conversation.
“I assume you plan to travel to the kingdom of Malger?”

[Job]

Hector Animos

"Your intuition serves you well.” says hector, as he lifts the plate allowing Dravia an easier grip. “That is indeed our plan, and if I may ask, what gave it away?” a warm smile spread across Hector’s face, as if he already knows the answer.

[oldredeyes]

Levvenol Pseftis Blackstone Tallywhack Brun

Lev eats quietly and quickly. At the landlady's question, he stares at her for a second, then laughs and says "Yes, yes, Malager. May I ask, dear lady, will we find accomodation such as this along the road?".

[iop]

"It wasn't difficult", says Dravia to Hector. "You are travellers on a boat that will continue to Mugdal. You are obviously not here to stay. Naregal is a nice town, but not worth a long journey."
The elf at the bar nods emphatically.
"The only reason why someone like you would disembark in Naregal is to travel to Malager by land."
Turning to Levvenol, Dravia continues
"There are inns along the way. A day's worth of travelling will lead you to the Inn of the West Tower, after which you will spend a day traversing the forest of Orbain to reach the Inn of the East Tower. From there, it is a half day's journey to Darsh, border town of the Kingdom of Malager. I suggest you stay there rather than in Bolagh, which you could reach by nightfall. From Darsh, it will take you another day to reach Malager."
"Not to say anything bad about your fine place here, Dravia, but the inns next to the forest are both run by elves. They serve exquisite food, especially the Inn of the East Tower!" interjects the elf.

[ooc]Job, please observe the color conventions laid out in my first post in the thread: Use black for common.[/ooc]

[SandDemon]

Krusk

After the stares on the way into the Inn, he really hasn't seemed to shake off the effect and keeps mostly to himself. He tries and smiles at their host Dravia a bit, but knowing she holds his sacred mace has him worried. Tempted to sleep outside....the city. Wouldn't break law after hours. Not really having accommodation for one of his size, he's forced to sit oddly against a post which draws even more stares as he eats his food. Lifting his plate as Dravia passes, he politely asks, "There any more? Still hungry."

[iop]

Dravia nods to Krusk's request.
"I can even bring you a larger bowl, if you'd like."
Suddenly she pauses, as she sees him leaning awkwardly against a post.
"You did take the key to room number two, I hope? The bed there might be a bit on the short side, but it is definitely wide enough."

[SandDemon]

Krusk

Half-heartedly smiling, Krusk nods saying "Yeah, like large bowl - and got key." Sleep on floor now sound good.

[Job]

Hector

After a brief glance to assess Krusk’s demeanor Hector turns to his hostess giving a polite bow in thanks for bussing the table. Turing his attention to the elf now in pause he says: “You seem the well traveled sort sir. If I might impose, do you have any local news that might be of interest to travelers such as us?” he then adds “And if I might know your name as well?”

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Hector will look to see if the elf has a place to give coin, like a hat or case

[iop]

While Dravia returns to the kitchen to bring back a serving bowl with food for Krusk, Ruudi turns to Hector and announces:
"Among humans and other strangers, I go by the name of Ruudi. Unfortunately, in this corner of the kingdom of Mugdal, nothing much ever happens, aside from the occasional strangers who arrive. I guess the only real entertainment you five could get is to get harassed by the royal guard. And don't worry about the road. It is dangerous - there are lizards large as a calf, and the locals even claim there is a medusa haunting the swamps - but I will be with you to safely guide you along the road."

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Strolling in, the human Marius Thanador puts down his weapons near the front door, a spear and a dagger. As he walks further, he picks up some silver coins from his pouch, counts them, and keeps seven in his hand. Moving closer to Dravia, he says: "Good day. I will accept that offer." And with that, he hands seven silver pieces over to her. Nodding politely as he makes sure he obtains a key, he then makes his way to one of the places to be seated and almost slumps down. Giving a subtle sigh, his gaze seems to reach deeper in thought. This lasts a bit, and after that, he looks around to the others present.

[SandDemon]

Krusk

"What bounty on medusa or lizards?" Krusk chimes in with a bit happier demeanor at the prospect.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël
Wondering who "Kalidas" is, Raël sits down at the table, having handed over all his weapons to the landlady. He attempts to ignore Ruudi, wincing slightly as the elf prattles on, and turns to Levvenol, "Which name do you propose to go by, friend? You seem to have many." ((I'm assuming Levvenol told everyone his full name, if not, disregard the question)) He finishes his dinner, finding the fish excellent, but only sips a little at his mud ale, and requests a cup of water if possible.
~~~
He requests room number seven, a door for each silver piece he paid, and after supper, makes his way there, where he goes through a complex dance of mock parries, thrusts, slashes, and blocks.

[iop]

"Alas, there is no bounty on the lizards. Mugdal is not interested enough in keeping the ways safe for foreign travelers. However, if you manage to find and kill a medusa, I am sure you'd get some recognition, even though you're not human. But as I mentioned, I don't believe there is a medusa in the swamps at all - otherwise I'm sure I would have encountered it."

For a moment, the only noise in the common room of the inn is the creaking of the ceiling beams beneath room seven, where Raël seems to busy himself in his room. Then, Krusk continues to eat his second helping.

Before either Marius, Hector, or Levvenol can ask another question, the door to the inn is slammed open, and a human stumbles inside. Sweat makes his dark hair stick to his pale face. He clutches his belly, staggers forward, and falls to his knees after only a few steps.
"Please, grant this wish to a dying man, please! Bring it back!" he exclaims with a failing voice.
He falls right on his face without making another sound. Only now can the six people in the inn (the four strangers, the Ruudi and Dravia) see the crossbow bolts sticking out of his back. Slowly, a puddle of blood is forming beneath the corpse.

Then, two things happen very quickly: Ruudi jumps up from his chair, exclaims something about guard bolts, and flees through the kitchen, while Dravia moves nest to the corpse with almost unnatural speed. She turns the man onto his side (with his back to everyone but her), and studies him for a moment.
"He's dead", she says.

[ooc]
Kai-Palin

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Raël unfortunately cannot hear anything that happens downstairs - yet. There will be more noise, soon, so please roll a listen check.

Zweanslord, oldredeyes

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Marius and Levvenol both notice that Dravia hides a bundle the size of about a cat beneath her robes as she turns over the corpse.

[/ooc]

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Marius rises up quickly, and hustled as quick as his human figure donned in a robe could manage towards the corpse. A grieving and solemn expression takes possession of his face. To be a healer and to be mocked so by one he could not save. Had he been granted but a few seconds more and that man would have had a much higher survival rate. But now.. sighing with grief he looked down upon the corpse, while he knew he had no further time to grief. Those crossbow bolts did not come from anywhere, and neither did this man die of nothing. Somebody must have shot him while he was in the entrance, having made it impossible to save this man. From his position, he quickly glances towards the entrance, and already paces towards the weapons he left behind, so as to pick them up if Dravia allows. "I think we will be needing this to defend ourselves.." He says as he walks towards the weapons.

[iop]

"Don't", commands Dravia sharply. "These are bolts of the Royal Guard. You don't want them to find you with a weapon in your hand!"

[ooc]The weapons are stored in a room next to the kitchen. Only Dravia can get to them without excessive use of force.[/ooc]

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

With that said, Marius stops immediately. Turning back as he was about to make his way towards the room, he looks at Dravia. "The Royal Guard? Well, in that case I assume they have a good reason to shoot this person down instead of capturing him." As he says that, he already walks back towards the chair he previously occupied. His face seems to show somewhat remorse for his quick reaction to grab a weapon, but it does seem more at ease. After all, the Royal Guard are here to protect the citizens, or so Marius thinks. And so, Marius is already near his chair as he looks backwards, expecting the Royal Guard to enter soon enough.

[Job]

Hector having already removed himself from his chair in the commotion, walks slowly to Marius’ side, and looks at the mess before them. Lowering his voice with the hopes that only Marius can hear him he says “Ruudi, our elf friend, took flight with such haste at the sight of a guard bolt. I don’t think this will bode well for us. Best not to act too disinterested.”

Hector turns briefly to look at Levvenol and Krusk, giving a worried expression.

[SandDemon]

Krusk

Standing up in the commotion, Krusk grumbles "What, man criminal? Why guard shoot and elf run?" He feels naked without his mace - wonder if get mace now... Looking towards the kitchen, he calmly considers it but doesn't move. Reaching above his head, Krusk slams the ceiling with his fist hard twice and yells "Raël, get down now"

[oldredeyes]

Levvenol tears his gaze from the room and turns to face Rael. He says, "In my homeland, the names I have given to you would be considered a shortened form. But I have in the past allowed humans to refer to me as Levvenol for reference. Would that suffice?"

-----

Levvenol glances at the other patrons and then, keeping his eyes on Dravia, he moves towards the kitchen door, changing his focus for a couple of moments to glance through.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël
Appearing in the doorway before Krusk finishes shouting, Raël looks around and, espying the body, walks quickly over to it. "What happened? Who is this man? Do you know who killed him?" Turning to Dravia he says, "I hope this is not a common occurrence, mistress."
~~~ (When/if he is told about the Royal Guard's hand in the killing)
He walks over to the two humans, and standing in a resting stance, he looks around the inn, waiting for something to move or speak

[iop]

Instants after Raël's arrival, the clinkety-clank of running armored guards approaches. Levvenol sees traces of the dinner preparation in the kitchen, but no sign of Ruudi, who must have escaped through the back door that is slightly ajar. Dravia gets up, lets the corpse roll back on his belly again, and swiftly moves behind the bar, right as a tall, red-haired guard enters the inn.
He is followed by three more guards, and a short stocky man with a thick beard that well compensates for his balding head, who is obviously some sort of captain. He wears a full plate armor made of mithral that is so elaborately decorated that even his crimson cape and medal-laden sash seem rather redundant.
It takes the captain a moment before he catches his breath, but then he calls out with a strong and steady voice:
"Nobody moves! Everyone here is under provisional arrest for association with criminal elements and for conspiracy against the kingdom of Malager!"
He carefully scans everyone in the room.
"Sirs, lady Dravia, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, and I hope you make it easy for all of us. Who is the contact this man", he points at the corpse, "was so desperate to reach?".

[SandDemon]

Krusk

"Krusk not break law, Krusk eat an' sleep here! Not under arrest." Knew this not good place to be...should sleep outside. Krusk fumbles with his words a bit, definitely angry about the assumption he broke the law.

(ooc: Since I've got some knowledge(law) skill, do I know anything specific about the laws that I might be able to discuss showing I'm a lawful citizen to fight this? Diplomacy check maybe?)

[oldredeyes]

Levvenol stays back, and takes a drink of Mud Ale. He says nothing.


[ooc]Blast and damnation, no spells prepared. I am an idiot.[/ooc]

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

Marius remains unmoving, as he was told, though he shakes his head while raising his shoulders towards the entering captain, obviously meaning that he does not know the answer to the question.

[Kai-Palin]

Raël

"Officer, there is no way we could know, we are newly arrived and looking to move on tomorrow." Raël says succinctly as the man's eyes sweep across him. He does not relax his ready stance, however. "I'd like to hear the answers to your questions as well." he says, throwing a brief glance at Dravia.

[Job]

Hector take two calm, steady steps placing himself in-between the captain and Krusk, while simultaneously making a small gesture of undeterminable purpose to the half-ogre.

Now looking at the captain Hector explains “Captain, our apologies, but my companions and I have no idea what has just transpired, after dinner was served this man” Hector points to the floor “burst through the door and exclaimed simply ‘Please, grant this wish to a dying man, Bring it back!’ and then collapsed on the floor, little else has transpired before your arrival.”

Hector stands ready for the coming battery of questions and demands, and takes the most non-threatening posture he can muster, hands at his sides with a wide solid stance.

[ooc]
Diplomacy roll (1d20+17)[27]
Sense motive for good measure on the captain (1d20+10)[23]
[/ooc]

[iop]

"Whether or not you broke a law is for me to decide, Ogre!" says the captain. Interestingly, he says "ogre" with what almost could count as respect. Krusk is in no way comforted. While a provisional arrest in no way means that the person arrested will be sentenced, he knows that a lot of time can pass before a judge looks at a case, especially if the arrest has been made by a high-ranking member of the guard, who is unlikely to falsely accuse people who are important enough to have to be judged quickly.

Turning to Raël, he continues: "You're trying to make it difficult, huh? There is no need to wait here for a long time if you have an appointment with this scum."

He seems to mellow a bit when Hector speaks.
"Finally, someone who decides to cooperate. So he was looking for someone in here, after all, to get rid of the compromising goods he carried." He turns to the tall read-haired guard. "Klav, check the body!"

The tall guard unceremoniously kicks the corpse as far on its back as it can go because of the arrows, and he starts to part the folds of the man's robe with his foot. There is a loud clank and the sound of shattering glass. Klav bends over the corpse and triumphantly retrieves a dagger.

"Well, if that isn't interesting", says the captain. "He wanted this dagger to be brought back". Krusk's interest is piqued, too: The dagger bears the sign of the Thieves' Guild of Malager.

At the same time, Klav looks at his hands that seem to be covered in a thick transparent liquid. He sniffs them, and then exclaims that the liquid smells like syrup. He first tastes the tip of a finger, then starts to lick all his finger with a smiling face. He seems to consider licking the dagger, too, when he suddenly becomes absolutely rigid, and falls over like a felled tree.

[SandDemon]

Krusk

"Syrup probabl....." suddenly goes quiet as Klav starts licking and dies. "Nevermind....dat dagger bad, Malagar dagger - law breakers!" He seems to throw emphasis on that, perhaps for dramatics or just to cover himself. "Dat elf run when you show too...guilty always run, I know. I catch them - my job." Pointing out the kitchen, Krusk seems proud of himself. No matter what connection was made during the meal with their hosts, it seems Krusk doesn't care at all when it comes to those that break law.

[Zweanslord]

Marius Thanador

As the red-haired guard falls over like a felled tree, Marius already takes steps towards the guard in a fast and confident pace. He does not care what the guards would say about that, for he is a Healer, and this is typically a case where such is needed. "I mean no harm, I am a Healer, let me look at what is wrong with your fellows guardsman." He exclaims in a hurry towards the other guards as he moves towards the guardsman. Reaching the man quickly, he already tries to examine the nature of the cause as he kneels down before him. Was the effect merely paralysis, a poison or otherwise?

Spoiler

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Heal: (1d20+16)[34]