Serpent Hill Saga - IC

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Serpent Hill Saga

Serpent Hill was an island in a sea of white. Every day a few locals would climb the slick stone walls of the church to stare out from atop its pointed roof, and every day they returned with the same news. The fog stretches forever. There is no end in sight.

Sounds carried strangely through the mist-laden air. Sometimes, a man could hear a conversation from the other side of the island as if it were happening alongside him. Other times, he’d hear no sound at all until the speakers were almost on top of him, spectral shapes solidifying out the fog only to disappear again a moment later. Every day at dawn, the air carried the mournful song of the same drunk fisherman, weaving his way home from the bars; every dusk carried the sound of sobbing, though the source was never clear.

The mist carried scents as well, the smells of Serpent Hill, the smells of liquor and fish. And, every time the lizardfolk made another raid on the dock, after the screams and clangs of battle had faded, the mist carried the sharp metallic scent of blood.

The one thing the mist didn’t carry was light. At its worst, down by the water, it would blur the fingers of an outstretched arm. Within a few feet, people appeared as ghostly shadows, their vague faces appearing heavy and sad. By a dozen yards, they couldn’t be seen at all.

Mistrust came easily in such claustrophobic enivrons, and every day the outsiders found more inns closed against them, more taverns where they were turned away at the door. Such ostracization found the small ones first, the lizard and his friend, then the heavyset orc who never smiled and spoke only in his cups. The red-headed elf was next; by the time the third week came along, even the human woman had a hard time finding inns that would take her coin.

With the outsiders so effectively isolated, it was a simple matter for plans to be made in secret. Malcontents spread the idea from bar to bar, always finding a few angry and sympathetic ears. Discovering which building the lizard and his friend were staying in was easy; assembling outside his door in the dead of night with weapons, torches and rope was easier.

Bursting in and killing them both in their sleep would have been easy, too, if not for the sudden barking of the halfling’s dog, deep and angry and loud enough to wake the entire hill.

[PersonMan]

Airessendria paid attention to her appearance. Not out of some desire to look appealing to others (and woe unto anyone who would suggest this), but because she, as a priestess of Aur, an Aurelian and as herself, was too proud to go around without first making sure her appearance suited her. So, when she was woken up in the middle of the night by a nearby dog's sudden barking, her first instinct wasn't to march of her impromptu shelter to shake her fist at it. No, that was what these people would do - if she went out there in the middle of the night, it would be with composure. So, Airessendria cast a spell and, with her power flowing through the air as it did her veins, smoothed out her clothes, put on her outer cloak and braided her hair.

Finally, with an appearance worthy of a priestess of her caliber, Airessendria stepped out into the night, running a hand over the broken chain link on the leather strip around her neck for a brief moment. Discarding the idea of calling upon divine light, she continued towards the source of the noise, hidden by the thick fog despite the otherwise conspicuous nature of her crimson attire. A place like this, full of criminals and other such scum, was quite potentially turning on itself now. She wasn't sure whose dog was barking, but investigating it was her duty as an Aurelian. Even if she would really just prefer to leave this damn backwater to its fate.

Approaching slowly once she sees flickering lights through the fog, taking advantage of the fact that the torches gave away their positions without revealing her due to the water in the air, Airessendria tries to get close enough to see what's going on without being seen herself. Obviously something was happening, but precisely what...well, that remained to be seen. Of course, judging by the nature of the town, it would probably be some kind of lynch mob or break-in. Damn savages, I'm surprised they even managed to put one stone on the other in this place, Airessendria thinks.

OOC:

Spoiler

So, I normally use past tense to denote things happening before the 'current action' in a post, then present when I get to that point. If it's going to be a big problem I can change it, but I'm not really used to writing what's happening "now" in past tense.

Also, Airessendria cast Prestidigitation.

[Ursus the Grim]

"Damned hound," hissed Sathis, awoken from his sleep. The night before, he had stolen up to the steeple of the church to take a look at the landscape himself. The moonlight had danced upon the mists in strange ways, and he had been unable to see a place to go, aside from the muted glow of another town to the east. He had done it in the dead of night, to minimize chances of being noticed by the apprehensive townsfolk, and had been late returning to the miserable hut he shared with his halfling companion. He had hoped he would be allowed to sleep in, to dodge the busy hours of the day that bore a brighter shade of grey.

He was no fool, though. Soleil was disciplined, and would not bark without cause. Fortunately, the dog was loud, and Sathis certainly didn't need to wake Roscoe. Rolling off of his small cot, the poisondusk crouched low to the ground, combing his mind for any tricks to escape the inevitable trouble without bloodshed. Could he slip by and flee into the foggy darkness? Almost certainly. But the halfling would have a harder time of it. You don't owe him anything, a voice whispered in his mind. He set it aside. They weren't especially close, no, but they had stuck together this long. Sathis couldn't just abandon him to whatever was at their door. A plan of action came to his mind quicker than the dagger came to his hand.

Spoiler

Assuming he had a moment between the dog barking and chaos erupting, of course. Rolled out of bed and readied his maneuvers. He would have slept in his bracers and kept the dagger underneath, but his other possessions are in his bag near the foot of the cot.

[Shinovar]

Munkin actually liked the fog. Sure, it set the villagers at ease and made him stuck here, but it also made it easy for Munkin to avoid those that so clearly disliked him. With his hood pulled up, all anyone else would see from a distance was a humanoid figure. From there it was an easy matter to avoid getting close enough to anyone to be recognized. And if he had to, Munkin could look like a human for a time. Munkin had been forced to appear human more and more as days passed. The villagers simply wouldn't deal with him as an elf, and they were reluctant to deal with him as a human. Therefore, Munkin thought it best if he just avoided the villagers.

Munkin began living more and more nocturnally. There were less locals out at night and those that were were easier to avoid.

Munkin had been exploring the town for the past several hours. He would play a game with Flit where they would both explore the same area and compete against each other to see who noticed more through the fog. Tonight the target was down by the docks. Munkin was in a good mood, having beaten Flit tonight, which was somewhat of a rarity. They were just heading back to eat on Munkin's favorite roof in town when Flit flew away without saying a word.

Flit returned with worrisome news. A mob of villagers were gathering with weapons and fire. Munkin decided to investigate, but from a distance. Following a group of men that were carrying hoes and pitchforks, as well as one old battleaxe, Munkin arrived at the scene of the mob just as the terrible sound of angry barking filled the air.

That explains it, this must be where the halfling and lizard are Now that the dog was barking, Munkin knew he no longer had any duty to wake the victims up. His new duty was to slow this group down.

[Akata]

The previous weeks had become slowly miserable for Roscoe. The xenophobic townsfolk had quickly ceased paying him to care for their animals, and with any travellers still out in the grey soup lost, he was without a good source of income; and out his passion. Fortunately, the money he had taken from the circus was holding out, but for how much longer he didn't know; or when the townsfolk would cease allowing him to buy food for Soleil.

With the rising tension in the hamlet, and with the influx of free time, Roscoe had taken to sleeping in his armor, along with compulsively cleaning his weapons every night. So when Soleil started barking a warning, he was able to lay a hand on his battleaxe fairly easily. Though of course, the lance would be utterly useless in the enclosed space of the dirt floor hut he and Sathis had been renting. Wiping the cobwebs from his mind, he quieted Soleil, seeing the ruddy glow of the torches through the cracks in the wooden door.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

With the fog so thoroughly limiting visibility, it was easy to forget how small the Hill really was. Airessendria was only a few hundred feet away when the barking started, and managed to reach the crowd before things escalated further. For their part, the mob was holding back, weapons drawn but not advancing; they'd come for an ambush in the night, not a real fight.

Munkin was able to arrive just as quickly, on the far side of the mob from Airessendria; from his vantage point, he could just make out the dull flicker of their torches, and hear snatches of their muttered conversation.

"If we're gonna do this, it has to be now.." "Just give it a few days, the whole town will be with us then..." "How yellow are you, there's only two of them!"

From inside their room - Sathis and Roscoe had only been able to get one between them - they could see the angry red glow of the torches, shining underneath their door. However, they had no indication of how many people waited outside, or how well armed they would be.

[Ursus the Grim]

Inside the hut, Sathis wrapped a claw tightly around his dagger, as if to reassure himself. How many were out there? Were they armed? He couldn't tell. But the kind of cowards who would attack men while asleep wouldn't have come alone. If needed, they could probably fight their way out, but if there was a way to end this without bloodshed, he would find one. These were scared, desperate people. They didn't deserve to die. Slipping his enchanted bag over his shoulders, he crawled closer to Roscoe.

"What do we do? I could make a break for it and distract them, making way for you and Soleil. Or we could brawl with fists and blade flats. I like option one, we don't know how many there are, and we have to leave now anyway."

He also preferred the first one because once he was on the other side, they'd have to give chase to him, which would be difficult for the average drunken, out-of-shape tallman, or try and fight Roscoe and Soleil. . . which would be even more difficult. Whatever happened, he was ready to act immediately. His claws flexed, digging into the dirt floor as the room began to grow more dim, a wreath of shadows swirling near him.

Spoiler

Slipping into Child of Shadows Stance and readying a Shadow Jaunt for if they open the door.

[Shinovar]

Knowing that what they needed most was more time, Munkin prepared a distraction. Munkin could think of only one thing certain to catch their attention. Reaching into his pouch, he started chanting.

After a few seconds, more noises could be heard in the distance.

Spoiler

Munkin cast Ghost sound. Because I am not sure how you interpret how complex that can be, I'll cover the range here.

If able, Munkin wants to make the majority of the noise the sound of a lizardfolk raid, screaming, battle cries, and the like. A few of the voices (I get the equivalent of 20 humans) would be used for humans screaming.

If I only get one sound, then it will just be of a lizardfolk raid, to the best of Munkin's ability after being in the town for a few.

The sound originates on the opposite side of the mob from the hut, about 35 feet away.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

As the sounds of battle roll over the Hill, the gathered mob curse loudly. "Gods, not again..." one of them mutters; another yells "That's coming from my boat!" and takes off into the night; several others follow at once. The rest mill about a few seconds longer, but with the initiative lost and half their number departed, they soon disperse as well.

One shadowy figure lingers longer than the rest, muttering curses as he raises a bottle to his torch, flames leaping forth to dance about the bottles neck; with one final glance over his shoulder he flings the flaming bottle at the door of the inn, the wall blossoming into flame even as he turns and runs into the night.

[PersonMan]

Airessendria's first instinct is to rush towards the sounds of battle, but stops as she sees one man throw a burning bottle onto the door. Fire...she hated fire. But she couldn't just let it burn - not with people inside. Swearing in quiet Aurelian, she rushes up to the door.

"By the might of Aurelia and in my glorious duty to the second handmaiden, I act," Airessendria says hastily, the central ruby in her necklace lighting up for a brief moment. She makes a series of symbols with her hands and then a downpour of water slams into the growing flame, hopefully snuffing it out.

Spoiler

Using Create Water! Woohoo!

Creating 10 gallons of water over the fire should put it out before it can grow.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

The sudden deluge flows down across the nascent flames, snuffing them out before the wood even became scorched.

[Shinovar]

The actions of the cleric surprise Munkin. He didn't think there were many left in this town that would help those not of their race.

Stepping into the view of the woman, Munkin says "You don't seem like the rest of them. Why?"

Munkin is so intrigued by the prospect of a human that isn't so bound by fear and racism, he exposes himself in a way that is out of his norm. However, he is prepared to act at the slightest provocation.

Spoiler

Munkin is ready to cast Blinding Color Surge as fast as he is capable at the first sign of threat or unexplained casting from Airessendria.

Hopefully we won't break into PvP before we even meet, but Munkin is cautious.

[PersonMan]

Airessendria turns to the one who spoke to her, the instinctive jumping at the surprise suppressed by years of training. It was entirely unbecoming of a priestess of Aur to jump when addressed unexpectedly. At least, that's what she had said to the priestess who had found her and Ailitia playing cat-and-mouse all those years ago. Assessing the newcomer with a glance, Airessendria suppresses the urge to speak Aurelian to him. She had learned after the first time that even the redheaded inhabitants of this continent weren't to be mistaken for her people. Airessendria's eyes don't linger on his weapons, they do stay on his eyes for a moment longer than the rest of him though.

"Of course I don't. Because I am more than they are. I am Airessendria, Augustine Priestess of Aur, the Second Handmaiden. As a priestess and an Aurelian, I cannot allow such weakness to go on unhindered," Airessendria says, looking down at the elf. Her crimson red eyes, their appearance not dulled by the fog, are locked on his, and the twin braids coming down behind her ears seem fresh, as if just made. Airessendria speaks loudly enough for those inside the building to hear her, her tone prideful.

"And who are you, to address a woman so brazenly? What brings you out here, in the night, to gaze upon my might?" She asks, clearly expecting an explanation from the new arrival. Her tone is confident and carries with it authority, or at least the sound of one who has grown accustomed to having it.

[Shinovar]

Munkin is a bit taken aback by Airessendria's attitude. Not because he isn't used to it, but because the pride and nobility remind him a bit of Rivina.

Discarding that thought as helpful to no one, Munkin responds "Greetings Airessendria, Augustine Priestess of Aur, the Second Handmaiden. I am Munkin, but a humble elf. I came to prevent violence this night. I may have failed in that task if if it weren't for your actions. You have my thanks and respect for what you have done here tonight.

I'm going to go check on those inside. I fear they may not be safe in remaining here. The villagers are distracted for the moment, and I do not believe they will return this night, but it would be foolish to take risks. You are welcome to join me. I assume those within will be grateful for an explanation of what happened here and will no doubt wish to thank you for your quick actions."

[Ursus the Grim]

Ready to pounce, Sathis lets out a breath of relief that sounds remarkably like a menacing hiss as the voices retreat. He could tell that something, someone had distracted and diverted the bulk of the angry crowd. Just as he allows himself to relax, though, a glass object is thrown against the door and shatters, causing him to hop back a step. Alcohol? As the dirt near the door quickly turns to a muddy mixture from the contents of the glass, he shakes his head in annoyance. Damned drunks. They scream at me for a copper here and there then throw away a silver's worth of perfectly good booze. The liquid flows quickly across the oversaturated mud, more and more slipping under the crack of the door. The smell of liquor is strangely absent, he notes. But what kind of mob carries glass mugs of water?

There are voices outside the door, still. For some reason, some of the villagers lingered. He hefts his dagger and glances at Roscoe.

Spoiler

Prior readied action remains. If he can see a square foot through the doorway after its opened, he will Shadow Jaunt to the other side of the angry drunken villager (or so he presumes). Otherwise he's waiting for Roscoe or the people on the other side to do something first.

[Akata]

Smelling the fire that began licking at the walls of the hut get put out almost immediately, he looks at Sathis. "Someone put that out. They may be friends." He gives a short whistle to Soleil and steps forward, hefting his axe. Trusting in the two to cover his back, he pulls the door open.

Spoiler

Roscoe readys an action to attack the first threat. He has given Soleil an order to defend.

[PersonMan]

Airessendria smiles at Munkin's reply. "You know how to talk to women, I see. Don't think that you'll get very far with me if you intend to use flattery," she says. "True, while they will go off for tonight, tomorrow they will again be on the hunt. Such fools would rather search for an easy way to ease their fears than confront them by standing watch,"

As the door opens, Airessendria turns to see the one she just saved from fiery doom. "Hello!" she says, looking down to the man who opened it. "I am Airessendria, Augustine Priestess of Aur, the Second Handmaiden and the one who extinguished the fire one of those fools tried to start," gesturing to Munkin, she says "This is Munkin, a wise elf who came to prevent bloodshed this night,"

[Shinovar]

Airessendria's actions were much in accord with what Munkin expected for one such as her. She must indeed be a noble used to obedience.

As Airessendria introduces him, Munkin steps forward, removes his hood and slowly lowers his empty hands, palms toward halfling at the door. "We are friends. Your danger has passed for the time being, but your reprieve may not be long."

[Ursus the Grim]

"Friends? In this town,?" Sathis chuckles bitterly. "You must be new here too. Call me Sathis."

Despite his harsh words, Sathis is grateful. This is no lynch mob waiting for him. He relaxes his posture, the wisps of darkness disappearing swiftly. Not releasing his dagger, he shoulders past the taller humanoids. His eyes reflect the shimmering torchlight as he tries - and fails - to peer through the mist into the distance.

"I will not stay here longer. I want to leave tonight."

[Shinovar]

"Greetings Santhis. I have a room that I acquired under a different guise. You may both rest there for the remainder of the night if you wish. The villagers will not think to look there."

Munkin knew this was a temporary solution. They had all outstayed their welcome. Perhaps it was time to leave this town, fog or no fog.

[Akata]

"Greetings. Friends tend to give their names. Under the circumstances though, that can wait. Soleil, come." Roscoe goes inside with Soleil and begins packing all their supplies various bags and packs.

[PersonMan]

Airessendria nods as the lizard speaks. "Of course I'm new here. I can't imagine staying in this backwater, culturally deprived, criminal infested and weak, drunk mob-filled for over a few months without going insane. I may have a bit of understanding for these drunk fools," she says. Her tone is hard - as if her words weren't enough, it makes it clear that she isn't a fan of Serpent Hill. "If you're planning on leaving, it would be best to make at least a vague plan. Marching out into the marsh at night with no idea of where you're going is the kind of plan these people might come up with,"

"We share the same fate, in a way. Either we go as a group, stay as one, or risk falling to the dangers of either option alone. Staying the rest of the night isn't necessary, there's not much to gain from it and with this fog, it won't matter if we go out there by day or night...except perhaps for the lizardfolk out there..." Airessendria considers. Turning to Santhis, she looks him over briefly. "You don't seem to be nocturnal. Tell me, do you know if the kind out there is?" She asks, looking down to the lizard. Her tone is curious, rather than simply commanding as it was before. Clearly Santhis has intrigued her.

"If we can avoid the attacks of the lizardfolk, or perhaps negotiate passage, I can gather enough food to keep all of us on our feet until we can leave the area covered by the mist," Airessendria continues, stating their options and her ability matter-of-factly. She doesn't let pride into her voice - now was a time to make a plan and act on it, not to bask in her own glory. Besides, they all seemed to be reasonable people. The elf was clearly well adjusted to dealing with women, the lizard seemed to keep his mind on his goals and...well, the small man was at least a pragmatic worker. Not the best entourage, but good enough for an Aurelian priestess in this foreign land.

[Shinovar]

Munkin was a bit confused by the halfling, but he let no indication color his face or his tone. "My apologies, dear halfling. I thought you had heard the noble priestess. I am Munkin, and this is Airessendria, Augustine Priestess of Aur, the Second Handmaiden."

Munkin turned to Airessendria, "If you wish to leave tonight, then let it be so. I certainly have no ties to this place and would enjoy the added safety of numbers in travel, especially if Santhis can negotiate with the native lizardfolk."

[Ursus the Grim]

Sathis listened as the tallmen spoke and watched Roscoe go back inside to gather his belongings. He nodded respectfully before speaking, sizing up the human with red eyes that matched her robes, and her shorter (but still tall), cloaked companion. It had been quite a long time since any human spoke to him like an equal. The red woman spoke loudly and spoke with a tone of authority. It had also been quite a long time since he took any orders. He resented it immediately, but what she said made sense.

"Airessendria," he began. The name felt natural to him. Longer than he would have liked, but otherwise not unlike the names Verikex gave to some of the other 'valuable' lizardfolk. "My people hunt at dusk and dawn, but we do not stalk the night. Its too cold, too dark for us. I don't know of these larger cousins of mine that war with the tallmen. I may be able to talk to them. Our tongues should be very close. The language of dragons is very old. I would take my chances with my cousins over the tallmen that no longer tolerate Roscoe and me. If we explain that you and Munkin are not like the other tallmen, they may let us all pass."

He scratched his chin before continuing.

"Still, tallmen are dangerous game. They arm with steel and fletching. Why are the local tribes attacking humans instead of easier prey?"

[Shinovar]

"That we do not know. Perhaps we can ask them that soon."

Munkin turned to Airessendria. "Do you need to gather supplies for the journey? I have paid my rent in advance and have taken to carrying my valuables with me. I didn't trust the villagers to respect privacy anymore."

[Akata]

Roscoe finishes packing his things and walks back out, leading Solei by his bridle. "If our antagonists consist of the locals and the lizard folk, then we should leave in the morning. The locals will not be back tonight, and I do not like our chances in the dark against ambushers. As it is, we require a boat and a guide. We will not be able to find out way on our own." He ponders a bit, pushes Soleil's head away on habit to prevent the dog from resting his head. "I doubt that any of the natives would guide us. They don't even want to leave their homes. We should head to the inn, and figure the rest out in the morning. Where are your rooms Munkin?"

[Shinovar]

"Follow me. In case we get separated in the fog, we need a way to communicate."

Spoiler

Munkin casts message on the other 3

"There, that should do. Now we don't have to worry about communication" Munkin whispers through their new link.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

As the party prepares to leave, angry shouts can be heard in the distance, coming from the docks; it sounds as though Munkin's ruse has been discovered.

[PersonMan]

Airessendria frowns. It sounded like the raid had been a fake - why else would they be hearing angry shouts rather than the sounds of battle?

"Our window of opportunity tonight has closed. I agree that we should wait for the morning. I will return to my dwelling, which is nearby, you two can stay with Munkin," Airessendria looks to the elf as she says this, expecting his approval but checking for it anyways.

"Tomorrow morning we can meet up here again and search for the other outsider still in the town. Then we should be able to find one of the locals who is still sane to guide us out into the swamps, if we're planning on contacting the lizardfolk. They seem to be able to navigate the area, perhaps with Sathis' help we can convince them to help us," Airessendria says, a new plan forming in her mind. A priestess had to be adaptable, after all. The drunk half-orc (or was he an orc? She had never paid enough attention to him to tell) probably wouldn't be a very useful ally, but now was the time to gather as much strength as possible before they began to act.

[Shinovar]

Munkin nodded in acceptance at the words of the priestess. Turning to the other two "Come quickly. We'll have to take a roundabout way there, but they shouldn't be able to find us with this fog."