Keep on the Shadowfell

[wade wilson]

Realms, both wondrous and dire, border the world. One such realm is the Shadowfell. Although not inherently evil, the Shadowfell is fraught with dangers, and the barrier between worlds can be thin. Sometimes the darkness breaks into the light.

Nearly two hundred years ago, a cult of the demon prince Orcus purposely created such a gap, connecting one of Orcus’s unholy Shadowfell sites to the world. Skeletons, zombies, and fouler creatures flooded through the rift into the light of day. The empire of Nerath dispatched legionnaires to eliminate the threat. The empire’s soldiers destroyed the undead, sealed the opening, and built a keep to watch over the location and contain the threat. This is the site known as the Keep on the Shadowfell.

Time passes and empires fall, and even Nerath wasn’t immune to the ravages of time. The once-great human empire collapsed almost a century ago, and only memories of its glory remains.

It is a nice, if somewhat cold, September day. You are traveling towards the village of Winterhaven, somewhat north of the cities you are used to. The wind in your face is cool and comfortable. The road beneath your feet is level. An occasional ancient cobblestone peeks through the dirt road, indicating decades of neglect. Despite this, the road seems to be fairly well used. You travel with a group of companions, all of which you know to some degree as associates of your mutual friend, Douven Staul. The man was something different to each of you, a friend, an employer, a mentor, but all of you were fond of the man.

In his younger days Douven was an avid adventurer and explorer, but left that life behind him for the most part. Aside from the occasional exploration of an ancient ruin, Douven has settled down with his wife Tressa. Three months ago, however, he found a map that revealed the location
of a dragon’s tomb not far from the village of Winterhaven. He figured if a dragon was buried there, why not also its hoard? Douven should have returned some time ago, and his continuing absence bodes ill. His wife gathered you together and asked you to investigate.

OOC:

Spoiler

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Please introduce your characters with a short description, and claim a color for your speech.

Also keep in mind that the italicized speech isn't necessarily in character knowledge, as much as flavor text.

[Lycan 01]

Zimelda casually walks along the old traveler's path, her long white hair softly blowing in the gentle breeze. Black scale-mail armor covers her whole body, though she doesn't wear a helm for various reasons. Strapped to her back is a large black mace, engraved with a few lines of Elven script and several symbols of Lolth. Her skin is a dark shade of purple, an average hue for a Drow, and her eyes are also purple. By most standards, she would be considered quite attractive, except for the fact that the majority of people in existence view all Drow with a mixture of fear and hate.

Zimelda had grown accustomed to this mixture of fear and hatred. Her mission to the surface world was not one of hostility, but rather of observation. She had been ordered by her superiors to learn as much as she could about the surface world and its inhabitants, and then to share this knowledge when she received orders to return. Unfortunately, most people wouldn't believe this story even if she was given a chance to explain it, and on more than a few occasions she'd been forced out of towns or chased by angry citizens.

Douven Staul had been different, though. He'd treated her with respect, and even offered her shelter - albeit on the grounds that she swore to Lolth not to harm him. She did so gladly - unlike most Drow, she wasn't fond of needlessly slaughtering people when presented the opportunity. Granted, if given a good reason, she would slaughter with glee. But Douven had been kind to her, and taught her much about the surface world and its culture. He'd taught her everything from basic etiquette to wilderness survival, and without his aid her mission would have likely ended in failure and possibly death.

In fact, once she returned to her mission of exploration and scholarship, she would occasionally drop by Douven's residence and inform him of how her mission was progressing. It was an odd thing, really. Being a Drow, Zimelda had never really had anyone she could actually sit down and enjoy the company of. In fact, she'd never really had anyone who could be considered a friend. Douven, it seemed, was the first real friend she'd ever had.

So it was without hesitation that she agreed to find him. When Douven's wife had told her of what had happened, Zimelda had no choice but to rescue the man she owed so much to. She may have been evil, but she wasn't heartless. Besides, the rescue mission would give her opportunities to gain untold amounts of knowledge and experience she wouldn't have otherwise come across in her normal travels.

However, she was a bit surprised when she found out she wasn't the only one going on the quest to rescue Douven. Several other travelers and adventurers apparently owed Douven some sort of debt, and now she'd somehow found herself traveling in the company of them. It was odd, to say the least. There was a creature that looked like a mix between a man and a dragon - a Dragonborn, if she recalled the name correctly - clad in plate armor, a hulking brute of unknown species dressed in what looked like animal hides, and then... was that a walking pile of crystals? Perhaps the strangest thing of all, though, was the fact that none of them had tried to kill her yet for being a Drow.

"Well..." Zimelda finally spoke, breaking the silence of the trek with her lofty and deceptively-sweet voice, "This is quite an odd group of travelers, I'd say. I don't even know what some of you are."

Spoiler

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How bright is the sun right now?

[Dekkah]

Mertes
In front of the group walks a huge andtall humanoid man. He is wearing a tough but used pair of short pants crafted out of bear skin and a simple leather armor. You can see most of his arms, leg and shaved head showing his greyish skin marked with many dark blue symbols, indentifying him as an mountain man, a goliath. He carry a few weapons, but the most apparent his is greataxe, that he holds by the handle and is resting on his shoulder.

He is setting a fast pace for the group, apparently eager to reach his destination, certainly to find his friend Douven, but it is also evident that he is impatient find some action. As he get on top of a small hill, he stop and look at the horizon for a few seconds. As the dark elf speaks, Mertes turn around and realising she probably speaks about him, he answer her inquiry.
"If you didnt pick up my name when we first met, I am called Mertes. AS for my origins, I am a Goliath. I am not too surprise that you dont know of my race, as I know little about your beside being vile and devious elves. But fear not, I dont judge people based on what they are, but on how they act. If Tressa trust you, so will I unless you proove her wrong."
With that, Mertes give Zimelda a respectful nod and add,
"The quickest we get there, the better. Let keep moving."
At that, Mertes start to walk again, setting a quick pace once more.

[Lycan 01]

"A Goliath you say? Fascinating... You'll have to tell me more about you species at some point. My name is Zimelda, and as for what you've heard about my race, its quite true..." she replies with a sly smirk. "Don't worry though, I'm not going to kill you in your sleep. Unless you give me a reason to. Hah hah hah!" she laughs loftily.

[tedthehunter]

Arjhan Dragonborn Paladin

At the back of the group, a tall Dragonborn walks clad in plate armor. He carries a shield and has a longsword sheathed at his hip.

Arjhan examines the oddball group of adventurers that he has found to be his new companions. He visibly hardens at the Dark Elf's sinister jest. He speaks up, "While I draw breath, it will not come to that. We all have a common goal here. Do not give me reason to question your motives." His pointed glare softens, and he introduces himself, "I am Arjhan, Eternal servant of the Platinum Dragon." He gives each member of the party a professional, polite bow, and continues along the path behind them.

[Dekkah]

Mertes
As he walks Mertes look back over his shoulder and you all can see an small amused grin on his face,
"Dont take it like that Arjhan, she was meerly joking. Isn't it right Zimelda? And I'll tell you more about myself, and my race, as we learn to know each others."
Look back in front, the goliath cannot help but think that this will be an interesting trip and grin even more.

[Lycan 01]

"I quake in my armor, Paladin..." Zimelda returns the Dragonborn's glare equally, somewhat irritated by his disrespect. But her own expression quickly softens into a warm (if a bit mischievous) smile. "But I am sure it will not come to that. As you say, we have a common goal, and are all united in our task. No need to let petty racial and theological differences get in the way of that, yes?" she quips in a crisp and polite manner.

At Mertes' remark, Zimelda looks back to him with a friendly smile. "Quite right. I was only joking. And I look forward to learning more about you and your species. I'd also love to learn more about the... Dragonborn, yes?" she arches an eyebrow at Arjhan.

[tedthehunter]

Arjhan

Arjhan sighs deeply, "For the sake of peace between the four of us, I will pretend that I never heard you say that, Dark Elf. I say again, we have goals in common on this quest, and I think that a lack of cooperation would bode ill for us, as well as master Staul. And if you wish to know of my people, you need only ask." He offers her a companionable smile, and nods his head at her.

[Dekkah]

Mertes
Good move Arjhan, we need to put our different aside for this mission.
Trying to keep the dicussion away from religious topics or moral ethics, at least for now, Mertes says,
"Speaking of Douven, what link do you guys have with him?"
Seeing that he better talk about it first as an opener to the discussion, he adds,
"I met him a few years ago doing a delivery from a small town. Since I was looking for something to do, he offered me a job. I have been working for him since and I must say that we became friends over time. I didnt really see any of you before, but I gues that is understandable since I rarely stay around : I usually escort and protect him or one of his allies on exploration jobs."

[tedthehunter]

Arjhan

"Master Staul rescued me from myself. I needed a sanctuary, to escape my... temptations. He introduced me to the philosophy of the Platinum Dragon, father of the metallic dragons, and the immortal protector of Justice. He lights my path, and helps me to be a better person."

Arjhan pauses at this point, and can be seen examining the decorations of his armor fondly. "I owe master Staul my service, whenever he calls for it. Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't also enjoy his and his wifes company on occasion."

[SemiteLock]

Jarvis

Having enjoyed listening to the conversation thus far, Jarvis has made some interesting choices so far. First and foremost, this "Drow" shall be a wonderful study indeed. The barbarian monster man seems to be a strong character in many ways, and someone that Jarvis feels he can rely on. As for the paladin, well, lets just hope he doesn't decide to kill the woman. It would be such a waste of a creature. Wearing simple clothes, carrying a small orb and spear, Jarvis feels it is his turn to way in on the situation.

Almost unnoticed, the purple shaded rock creature speaks up. But its mouth never moves, instead everyone hearing this in their heads:

You will have to excuse my silence while you had your enjoyable argument. I feel its best not to speak unless it is needed, and only after thorough analyzation. As for as to how I am acquainted with the old master, he has been the only human, or anything really that has any idea as to what I am. For your information, that is a "shardmind", and it seems to come with interesting perks.

[Lycan 01]

Zimelda

Zimelda doesn't comment on the Paladin's retort, opting to remain civil for the time being. She listens to Mertes' explanation of how he knows Douven, a wise decision on his part. For a brute, he seemed to be quite level headed. When the Dragonborn begins to speak, the Drow Priestess says nothing, nor does she show any outward expression. She can't help but mentally note that he seems to be very fond of talking about Bahamut. A lot. This was going to be a long trip...

"I met Staul a few months ago, when I first came to the Surface World," Zimelda states when her turn to speak comes. "He gave me shelter, and in return I swore an oath not to harm him or his family, though I had no intentions to do so to begin with. He taught me much about your world, its people, and its cultures. I owe him much for his aid, and I visit him from time to time to... "catch up on things," I believe is the term your realm uses."

Upon hearing the voice speak in her head, Zimelda turns to shoot a quizzical look at the Shardmind. "A Shardmind, you say? Do all of your kind speak directly into the minds of those around them?"

[Dekkah]

Mertes
The barbarian stop moving. Where in Kord strenght is this voice coming from... ponders the barbarian as he look around and finaly notice the gemlike humanoid probably is the one doing this. He relax a little.

"I guess you are the one speaking, your voice sound weird. I was wondering if you could talk. I never seen anyone like you before, though you kinda remind me of some stone elemental I once have seen our village shaman summon to protect the clan against some ogres."

He resume his walk telling the shardmind,
"I am not surprised Douven knew what you were, he do know a lot of stuff. Do you have a name?"

[SemiteLock]

Jarvis

Speaking out loud in a gravely voice, "In order to answer both your questions Lady Drow and Monster Man, I do speak out loud. And the name is Jarvis. You will have to excuse me, I do not mean to be coy, as it seems I still have much to learn"

However, Jarvis switches back to his telepathy But, as far as I can tell these could be dangerous times. If our mentor, master, and friend ran into trouble, it may be cause for us to be on alert. Hence the telepathy. Eavesdroppers can not hear me, and if you make the thoughts directed at me I can pick up what you are saying. Do not worry, it took Master Douven some time to get used to it as well.

[Dekkah]

Mertes
Mertes let out an heartly laugh as he is called "Monster man", but he look perplex, not sure how he could send his thoughts at the shardmind.
"I guess I'll keep speaking the good old fashioned way, I never was very good this magic stuff."
Noding to the last part of Jarvis telepatic speach, even if he feel a bit at disconfort about it,
"Make sense, you keep doing it if you want. Well it is good to know that you all have good reasons to come to search for Douven."
Switching the conversation to something that could end up usefull in the near futur, the goliath ask,
"When we end up fighting, what should I expect you all to do? Personnaly, I kill stuff with my axe." Mertes give a small pat to his weapon."You can expect me to be at the front line or picking out enemies disturbing those of you who need room to operate. I might as well warn you right now, I can become a bit... wild during combat. Douven ofthen told me I was too reckless for my own good, but that is how I am I guess."

[SemiteLock]

Jarvis

Smiling the weird smile shardminds have, Jarvis continues in his telepath It does not take much effort to communicate this way, Monster Man. Simple thoughts about me are easy enough to pick up, perhaps you will find you enjoy talking this way. Glad to see that you appreciate the illustrious nickname, giving them has always been something I enjoy. As for combat, do not be surprised if ... things... do not move as you would expect them too. He thinks with a visible wink.

[Lycan 01]

Upon being called "Lady Drow" by the Shardmind, Zimelda's eyes visibly widen with surprise. With a cheerful grin she exclaims: "Such manners and etiquette! I must say, it is quite refreshing to be regarded with proper respect. It was so shocking to discover that the Surface World is mostly a male-dominated society, and it has taken quite a bit of getting used to. Where I come from, women are the dominant gender, and any male who disrespects them is often slain in a rather agonizing manner. But I digress!" she smiles cheerfully, averting further discussion of that topic.

"I am pleased to properly meet you, Jarvis," she lightly nods to the Shardmind. "You simply must tell me more about yourself and your kind when we have the time. Now... let me see if I cannn..." she narrows her eyes, her expression becoming one of visible concentration.

CAN YOU HEAR ME?? she thinks loudly inside her head, trying to focus on the humanoid crystal.

The Drow then looks over to Mertes, distracted by his question about combat. "Ah yes, battle plans. I am quite partial to smashing in the skulls and rib cages of my enemies with my mace. The spine is good too, and also entertaining..." she observes offhandedly. "I can also impart the blessings of Lolth upon my comrades, which can help to heal injuries. Though..." she arches an eyebrow at Arjhan, "I'm not sure if you'd want me healing you in the name of Lolth, depending on your level of conviction."

[Dekkah]

Mertes
Mertes raise an eyebrow at Jarvis vague explanation, but keep it at that, not pushing the shardmind to explain further. "I just hope the enemies will keep going down, as I expect them." The barbarian wink back at Jarvis.
Still, Mertes that a good look at Jarvis equipment, thinking out loud, "I guess you'll stay out of direct combat and will need us to keep the enemies away from you, right?"
Giving a quick glance at Zimelda, and a wide smile, "Dont let yourself be fooled, womens do leads here as well, they simply leave us mens the illusion that we do lead. Ask any wise married man, they do as their wife tells them. The best they get is the last word, which should be : Yes dear." At that, he laugh out loud.
After a good laugh, he tell Zimelda with a more serious tone, "I am happy to see you are not afraid to get into the action zone. And you can heal me if you want. My faith is strong enough that I can accept any other deities diciples help without feeling as if I am betraying my own."

[SemiteLock]

Jarvis

Obviously wincing, Jarvis directs his thoughts towards Zimelda You do not need to shout, Lady Drow. Think of speaking via telepathy as speaking out loud, and use similar tones. Unlike others, I understand more then you would think. Do not worry, I will not attempt to intrude on any ones private thoughts though. Master Doven has taught better then that. If you would like, I would love to talk more about your race and mine, although I am afraid that my knowledge is somewhat limited.

Laughing in a strange, metallic way towards Mertes comments Jarvis decides to speak out loud for his comfort "I believe those are Master Dovens teachings speaking through you, Monster Man. He indeed taught me to respect everyone, but women deserve it even more, and if they have respectable qualities then all the more reason to."
For the combat, "That would be much appreciated, Monster. May I simply call you Monster? Or perhaps MM? I have a feeling you may take that more as a compliment instead of an insult. I can indeed handle myself, but unfortunately this gem skin does not do much for physical protection."

[Dekkah]

Mertes
Mertes shrug at Jarvis, his face serious, "My name is Mertes, but you can call me whatever you want, even monster if this is how you perceive me.
As the saying goes : only a man full of pride would get insulted by mere word told without ill intentions."

[SemiteLock]

Jarvis

Afraid insult may have been made, "My friend, it is purely meant as a compliment. In the deep tongue, Monster is a term used to mean great strength and power. Perhaps it does not translate as well in this other language. If you take offense to it, then Mertes it is. The last thing I would want is discourse among us as we search for our friend."

[Dekkah]

Mertes
"Fear not, I did not take it as an insult at all. You should know that for most humans, monster means some creature they fear and dont really know, which is dangerous and usually quite big. I guess that could fit me well, at least for my enemies." He give Jarvis a small funny smile.

[Lycan 01]

Zimelda

The Drow Priestess allows herself to laugh at Mertes' joke about the wisdom of marriage. "It is good to know that some men know their place," she snarks with a playful smirk. She then adds: "And of course I am not afraid of getting into the "action zone," as you put it. In Drow culture, it is the women who do most of the fighting in battle. You'll find I am just as fierce as any male in this realm, if not more..."

She then looks back to Jarvis and shrugs, her armor clinking with the movement of her shoulders. "I assumed that I needed to put great effort into it for you to hear me, since it was my first time. I will be less careless next time. And I would greatly enjoy sharing information about our two races. Civilization, culture, religion, anatomy..." she says the last word with a wink. Naturally, she was only making jest in order to gauge his reaction; she wished to see if it were possible to fluster a man made of stone.

She then looks at Mertes and smirks. "I seem to be considered a monster by many Surface Dwellers, despite my lack of being "quite big." I've had to flee an angry mob on at least once occasion, and been kicked out of more than a few towns. Have you ever been treated the same?" she tilts her head to the side, genuinely curious and not trying to be sarcastic.

[tedthehunter]

Smiling at Mertes' joke, Arjhan turns to Zimelda. "There's no need to be petty miss. The platinum Dragon is a forgiving master, and I would accept any blessing with the utmost gratitude. At least you don't worship Tiamat" With that he spits a small blob of flaming ichor onto the ground in front of him.

Speaking aloud to Jarvis, he says, "I am pleased to make your acquaintence Jarvis. However, I would like to ask, how is it that your knowledge of your own species is limited at all? Where are you from?"

Addressing Mertes, "I would seek to draw the attention of our foes, giving you three free reign over the battlefield. You'd be surprised how much disorder a little fire can cause" he says with a smoky belch. "I can offer some healing of my own, but you'll have to be near enough for me to touch you."

[SemiteLock]

Jarvis

"Good to know, Monster Man.", turning to the dark skin female and continuing telepathically I am of course willing to share anything I can with you, I always adventure to learn more about anything and everything, perhaps when we break for you to rest tonight? the joke clearly going over his shiny head. Picking up or laying on sarcasm is definitely not (as of yet) in Jarvis repertoire.

Turning to the dragonborn, who has been surprisingly quiet till now, Jarvis says "That is a long story, of which I have not as many details I would wish. If you would like to I will happily share it with you when we get to town. What of you, Dragon Man? Would your prefer me speaking to you in this way"; switching to telepathy, Or this way?

[Dekkah]

Mertes
The goliath shake his head at the drow question,
"Not really, but my race does not hold a bad reputation like your does. I guess your trouble might have come from this as most people will simply let their fear cloud their judgements."
"It is kinda like a story I've heard about the merchant from the north going to live into a southern village. When he first came into town, he was shunned by the other villagers. They found him weird with his pale skin and big accent, not really wanting to deal with the man. As the man gained a more brownish tan and learned the village dialect, the other villagers started to accept him as he was and he was finaly able to live from his trade."
When he finish his story, Mertes add, "Your situation is similar to this Zimelda. Of course people will assume your are like most of what they know of your race. But with time and effort, you can change that perspective. Probably not for your whole race, but at least for yourself."

Looking at the paladin, Mertes tell him,
"I kinda guessed you were gonna fight in the front row from your armor, but it is good to know you can also heal."

[tedthehunter]

Arjhan

Arjhan speaks aloud to Jarvis, "Speak to me as you wish, but I will speak to you with my voice."

Turning to Mertes, Arjhan says, "I serve the god of protection, I will always put my life before those of the innocent. I hope you are all innocent." He smiles at his own weak attempt at humor.

[Lycan 01]

Zimelda

Zimelda wasn't expecting Jarvis' response. It was hard to read his tone, and almost impossible to read his expressions. She couldn't tell if the joke had completely gone over his head, or if he was trying to call her bluff. Well then... she thinks back in his direction with a smirk on her face, "Tonight promises to be quite interesting.

However, upon hearing Mertes' story about the unpopular man from the North, Zimelda's expression changes to one of wary concern. "I'm not going to turn paler from the sunlight... am I?" she asks warily.

At Arjhan's questioning of their innocence, Zimelda turns back to face him and smirks at him mischievously. "Define innocent?" she purrs playfully, tilting her head to the side quizzically.

[wade wilson]

As you walk down the road, you move in between two large sets of boulders set on either side of the road. Your conversation is cut short as small creatures hiding behind the rocks spring into view and begin to move toward you. They are small humanoids, with rusty colored scaly skin. Their heads and tails are reptilian looking, and they are armed with small spears. With a shriek, the small humanoids attack.

Three of the creatures attack Mertes, but only one manages to hurt him with their tiny spears. Mertes, you take 4 damage. A fourth lunges towards Zimelda, but she neatly dodges the stab. The final creature yelps and goes for Jarvis, and the stone head of the spear scratches his crystalline skin. Jarvis, you take 4 damage.

Mertes, it is your turn! What do you do?

Spoiler

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Initiative Order
Lizard Creatures-21
Mertes-20
Jarvis-13
Zimelda-6
Arjhan-3

[SemiteLock]

Jarvis

Jarvis smiles a big smile, clearly the largest expression of emotion seen yet. I look forward to our talk then. While to him the joke goes over his head, it is hard for anyone else to tell that.

"As you wish friend dragon. Anything to make us accomplish our goal and save the good man Staul."