Community

"They were sleeping in this room!" He calls out behind him as he enters and begins to look around the room as best as he can, before turning his attention to the footlockers and searching them as well. "That stew does smell kind of good.."

Mechanics Show

The room doesn't appear to hold much of value, though you do find a small assortment of coins scattered among the footlockers as well as two knives in decent shape and a wide variety of clothing, likely belonging to the cultists that attacked you.

Elric grabs some clothing around his size, the money, the two daggers and decides to forget the stew. He exits the barracks and looks over to the wizard again and sighs, "Well, I think he's a lost cause. If you all haven't gotten him up by now let's move one on, he's pretty much dead anyway right?"

He then begins his trek over to the archer platform to check on that door for the usual. But seeing as some cultists ran in this general direction he pulls out his listening cone and puts it to the door and listens in.

Mechanics Show

The door does not appear to be trapped and you hear no sounds on the other side.

I guess so. .. Wizards are frustrating. Lianas leaves stand on end for a second to emphasize her feelings before she shakes herself and they drop down again.

And i wouldn't wanna eat anything those guys ate, no matter how good it smells.

Spoiler: Show

Liana will leave the wizar how and where he is at this point, don't care what you do with him. Should he die by any means while she's still around, she'll retrieve the rope though.

Shana was thinking contemplating about working slow blade press under the wizard left arm wondering if the pain will either revived him where basic first aid couldn't or called the wizard's bluff for when the wizard recognized the fatal cut working in toward that vulnerable spot, this will bring up a protest from him. One thing Shana knew for certain is if the wizard isn't faking and the pain doesn't revived him then killing him will be the only resort because unless an understanding can be found with this type of prisoner as well as enemy then carrying him around in his unknown homeworld is a hostile environment for her and her allies as well as too risky to be undertaken by the law of survival.

Shana after thinking this over said "This is ridiculous! He's too dangerous even tied up like this especially to be carried around unless we know what we carrying." 

Shana kneeled down next to the fallen wizard while unsheathing her handaxe which would be the first weapon the serious injuried woman unsheathed since she was teleport there against her will to that unknown building and attacked continuing explaining to the others; "If the pain of a slow digging cut from the corner of my small axe's blade that I'm about to dig into the side of chest under this muderer's left arm doesn't prove he's alive then I will have to continue digging until I have end his obvious suffering. 
I know the Great Melora will ordain this because her way is for all to grant mercy to all living things one finds dying without any hope and by all of our witness 'a will to live is hope at its most prime base.' All I can sensed from this madman is that of an one who lacking a will to live."

IC @Everybody including the DM Show

OOC @Everybody incuding the DM about the above  IC message Show    

Anyanka rolls her eyes at those backing away from the prone wizard.  "Fine.  He's a lost cause."  She releases her arrow, the point burying itself into his throat and up into his skull.  "There.  Now he shouldn't be a burden."

Mechanics Show

"Ah, that's better! I'm sure he wouldn't have told us anything worthwhile anyway. Seeing as he was a crazy cult leader and all that." Elric says from the archer platform, "There is stew, if anyone is famished, in their sleeping quarters at that door up there on the eastern wall and this door here is safe enough to go through as far as I can tell!"

The wizard breaths his last and the light seems to dim as an eerie green haze fills the room, and shadows begin to dance on the walls.

Liana and Anyanka Show

The retrieval of rope now totally forgotten, Liana lets out a hiss, and flicking her eyes to the unnatural falmes and shadows, moves backwards towards the exit.

Another arrow is out of her quiver with the blink of an eye; her aim is now on one of the torches.  "Elric, you seem especially skilled at poking your nose into things....  Go take a look at that torch, see if you can make anything of it...."

Elric scratches the top of his head and moves down off the platform to the nearest frozen torch and begins to examine it as best he can. Swinging the blade of one of the daggers he found through or against it, "Well that's what I've always been told. But this here seems to be something different than what I am used too.."

Mechanics Show

Elric Show

The room grows darker, as if the mist is absorbing the light of the torches.

Still moving towards the exit Liana calls back: You people really want to stay in light-absorbing fogs that came from the death of an evil, crazed wizard?

"Of course not, but there's one door left I have to peek through before we leave!" Elric says, moving away from the light, but still holding onto the dagger. He moves quickly to the southeastern door and takes a quick peek inside of it.

Shana looking around seeing the rising mist and the fading light of the torches that start happening when Anyanka executed the wizard while moving her feet to move closer to the doors that the archers used to exit.
She spoken in a normal volume to anyone who can hear her. "Was it me or did anyone esle noticed the timing of the archers' retreat?"

DC ROLLS Show

For the rising mist, the torch light fading and any theories or answers that correlates this phenomonal with a person dying.  
DC 13 Arcana
DC 16 Nature
DC 09 Heal
 (1d20+1=13, 1d20+2=9, 1d20+7=16)

As the strange mist spread Koba pinned his ears back and growled at the same subject as Ruhk glared curiously at the mixture of fog and shadows.  His mind raced as he tried to determine what type of magical effect it could be although it didn't seem to match with any spells he knew.  The bladesinger's mind began to probe at the puzzle even as he agreed with the others that it might be time to leave.

"Go"  he said to the blink dog as he pointed at the door.  The animal trots forward to inspect the door with Elric.

Ruhk stared at the green haze and shadows twisting along the wall.  Curious he backed away towards the door slowly even as he pointed a finger and spoke a simple arcane word as an orb of light appeared in the haze trying to cast its glow upon the shadows of the wall.  If this fog swallowed the glow of the torches he wanted to see how it would react with his arcane light as well.

Mechanics Spoiler: Show

Used Light at will power in the center of the fog/haze

Elric Show

VoyRager Show

Ruhk's spell seems to work as intended for a moment, then even it dims down, illuminating barely half as much as it did initially.

Liana reaches the exit of the cave only to be greeted by the startling sight of dead and gnarled trees and limited visibility. A glance at the sky reveals darkness and the sun looking dim and greenish yellow.

Well people, we're in a land with lots of dead trees and a green sun - or moon, i'm not quite sure.
Almost as creepy out here as it is in there.

"Well great," Elric says to himself as he moves ahead of the blink dog and to the bookshelf where he quickly grabs a few books that strike him as interesting, giving the rest of the room a quick search. He grabs anything else that he finds that might be just as interesting or valuable. As he moves around he keeps glancing at the dog.
Mechanics Show

Grabbing at the first book, you find that you can't get it to budge. A quick check revelas that the books all seem solidly planted on the shelf.

Reaching the door where Liana was looking out of, Shana joined in, in viewing beyond it and gasped at the sight while slowly saying..."(DC 26 Nature; DC 21 Perception and  DC16 Arcana and I hope these rolls net something.)"

THE DC NEWS Show

Elric scratches his head, "Well why would you have books you can't get off the shelf?" He tries to see if the shelf is able to be slid in any direction. If that fails he takes a couple steps back and asks the blink dog, "Any ideas?"

Mechanics Show

Elric Show
Shana Show

Inside the cave, the shadows slow their dancing on the wall, fading in and out until only five remain, slowly circling the room.

Elric sighs and laments the fact he cannot get any of the books and he decides to leave the room behind. Going through the door, he looks around and  noticing the weird shadows he moves a little quicker to get outside to join some of the others, "What a disappointing cave, hardly anything worth anything in there."

Shana seeing the torches light dimming created strange shadows taking on unusual patterns start speaking in a low musical tone to her allies at the exit's door "Uhh..., ...Excuussse me, new friennnds but the shadouuwws are doing moiiire than flickerrring from the dimming torrrchetts. they seeaaams to be channngiiiing."

IC DC NEWS Show

As suddenly as the odd phenomena began, they sudfdenly cease. The torches within the cavern begin flickering normally, and the sky turns bright blue. For a moment, the trees remain twisted and gnarled, then suddenly they are normal trees.

Voyrager Show

Anyanka watches the proceedings with a wary eye, as everything seems to return to normal.  "Alright.  Now that that's over with, any ideas as to where we are, why we're here, and where we ought to go for answers?"

This gets weirder and weirder. Liana murmurs to Shana besides her.

Maybe an illusion? Some kind of death-tinted shield? Plane shifting maybe! Oh whatever, we should find a town or something.

Liana stares out across the now normalized environment, watching for hints of civilization
(houses,pathways, smoke), or a river.

Spoiler: Show

"Well it sounded like to me that those guys were trying to summon or teleport something that obviously wasn't us. He did talk about failure and all that when we first got here. Let's just hope there is a nearby town!" Elric says as he moves away from the cave, feeling better that the world doesn't look so bad.

Slowly nodding her head Shana added "Let's also hope the peasants in the town we found are more pleasant than the heartless rustlers whom displaced us."  

"You know, those shadows and all that are gone. I wonder.." Elric starts to say as he turns around and jogs back into the cave. He goes back to the room with the books and tries again to remove them from the shelf.

Have you ever tried pushing them instead of drawing on them?

thiotes Show

The book slides easily off of the shelf.

Liana waits until everyones at the caves entrance before pointing at the smoke.

If i see that right, there is smoke to the east, should we head that direction?

Elric grins and opens up his pack while gathering up as many of the more interesting looking books into it. He also keeps an eye open for a map of the area until he's gone through them all.

Jan 7, 2013 -- 9:39PM, ff6shadow wrote:

Elric Show

Despite your efforts, the books refuse to budge

Shana Show

You aren't entirely sure what is going on. Its almost as if something is twisted but also as if something is missing, perhaps even both.

Jan 16, 2013 -- 2:14PM, ff6shadow wrote:

thiotes Show

You are pretty sure you see some smoke off to the distance in the west.
The book slides easily off of the shelf.

Jan 16, 2013 -- 3:16PM, thiotes wrote:

Spoiler: Show

Liana waits until everyones at the caves entrance before pointing at the smoke.

If i see that right there is smoke to the east, should we head that direction?

Shana only stepped a couple of steps venturing away from the exiting gate and upon seeing Liana refocus on a cleaner air she rhectorically mumbled for the sight
"East? Uh-huh? Well, more than less, finally a feel of a direction. Shall we be done toward the start with this?" The armored woman with a heavy grin with lightened pupil sparkle at the clean air by Liana looking to what esle couldn't be there that must be for reconsideration(?).

OOC Show

Elric Show

OOC - So.... waiting on you guys. Are we going? :D

Liana will venture out anyway, if the others don't immediately follow, she'll scout around a little instead of heading directly for the smoke.

Shana isn't scouting Liana yet awaits in her wake with no spoken signals on how away again to hold await.  

Elric looks satisfied as he comes back out of the cave. He notices Liana venturing away from the cave so he moves to follow her, "Getting out of here everyone?" He says as he walks, looking around the area.

I saw some smoke in the east. You look happy, i guess that means you have found something interesting?

"I finally got the books off the shelves. They were stuck until all the shadows went away." Elric replies, "There were six of them, haven't gotten a chance to look through them yet, maybe once we find a town or somewhere not out in the open. Perhaps then the smoke is a chimney from a house."

Ruhk moved closer to the others as Koba even as he remained silent.  Moments like this he almost wished he was a true mage so that he could better understand the ways of magic in the world.  Unfortunately his path as a bladesinger meant for him magic was more a tool then a focus of study.

"Considering all we have face since arriving in this place I believe any local would prove better to regroup our strength and begin to discover what has happened to us."

Koba barks in agreement with this plan, his tail slowly wagging. 

"Then let us see what is producing the smoke!" He says, turning to move in its direction.

OOC - Odd. I stopped getting post alters on this thread. Sorry about that.


Heading into the forest towards the smoke, you find yourself heading gently downhill enjoying a refreshing breeze for the duration of your trip, which is uneventful. As the sun begins to dip low in the sky, you finally come across the source of the smoke, a small village that the fading sign declares to be Harlin.

"Good, but I wonder how these people would feel if they knew about a murderous cult in a cave nearby?" Elric wonders aloud. Shrugging to himself he decides to move straight into the village with a grin on his face.
"Either way, now we'll know where we are! Just have to find some friendly faces, market and a good old country tavern!"

Let us hope they are not part of the cult. We still don't know where the archers have fled, too.

Anyway, i'll suggest someone else talks, the simple folks often scamper when i open my mouth.

Shana lifting the cloak she lifted from habitat they was displaced to covering her appearance somewhat added to Liana's words "I would also preferred to remained less attention-getting until we feel assured this isn't that cult's hamlet also. "

Moving into the village is a fairly simple affair with most folks not paying you much heed, apparently used to travellers passing through. There really isn't much to see, and outside of basic housing you can clearly spot an old but well repaired in and what would seem to be the local general store, though the door is closed and no one seems to be around.

"Well then the inn up ahead should be a good place to not stick out, none of these people are paying attention as far as I can tell anyway," he says as he continues on towards the inn, taking note of the general store as he goes by. He pushes his way into the inn when he gets there and stops a little bit into the door and looks around.

The Kalashtar listening toward the inn asided what is seen started singing softly as an afterthought

"Its always safe to miss a well isolated hole,
That is familiar with passing strangers.
Oh, how so comfortable with how lovely are we so?
For what shouldn't have just occurred?...."

Liana shortly wondered why she went back to civilization time and again. The inn sounded just as noisy and crowded as in any other village or town, and she shortly ruffeled her leaves as she thought about the smell that would be welcoming her once they got inside. She wanted to get it over with suddenly, go in, ask where they were, and out again, but she had learned that speaking true and getting help, just like that, was rather unlikely among the dwellers.

So she just followed Elric, deciding to keep her mouth shut and pray the inn had opened windows.

Thought beaten down, your first impression of the local inn and tavern, known as the 'Miner's Repast' according to the sign, is positive. Locals chat contentedly at various tables and the air is kept relatively fresh by two open windows.

The barkeep, a greying half-orc with a broken tusk, looks up at your entry, seeming prepared to offer you a drink or room is asked, but otherwise content to scratch his bent nose and wait to see if you need his services or not.

Elric glances back at those following along, "I don't think I've heard that particular song before.." He says before looking back at the half-orc.

He frowns for a brief moment, but quickly brings a grin to his face as he walks towards the barkeep, "Well, my good orc! My companions and I have been on the road for a long while and have actually gotten ourselves lost in our adventures and we've seemed to misplaced our map. If you could tell us where we are and where we can get another, we'd most appreciate it."

He pauses as he looks beyond him to see what kind of drinks he could spy, "I'll also be taking a good tankard of ale as well." He smiles again.

Frowning slightly, something stray thought pestering to be released, Anyanka shrugs and makes a claim upon a couple of empty tables, near enough to each other that they can share in conversation, but far enough way from other patrons so as not to be heard by everyone.

The Kalashtar mistaken the addressing toward the other patrons as benecial knowing how common her nearly completed hidden physical features under the robe will settled by taking on a chair with the table-placed ally while humoring a "Am I clueless on what that look doesn't mean?"

"Not orc. Half-orc. That half is important to me. But as for your questions, those answers be easy. You're in the town of Harlin and you should be able to get a local map from Holderson's, but it have to wait until morning when they open."

Reaching for a mug with a glint in his eye, he offers a wide grin. "Drink is a coppy penny, or six for a mark now. I assume travellers such as yourselves will need accomodations as well?"

"Well let me apologize for that sir!" Elric replies, digging around for the coins he found in the cave.
He finally retrieves some of them and he says, "I hope this is enough here for a couple mugs for myself this evening and if it's more than enough, you can keep the extra for yourself." He sets them down on the bar and slides them towards him with another grin.

"We do need rooms as well. Which I'm hoping you still have your finest available!" He pauses and looks around the inn, "I do not see everyone just yet, there will be seven of us in all. Plus a dog."

Filling a mug, the half-orc offers a toothy grin. "No dog. Animals stay in the stable out back. Otherwise, I've got two rooms open, room for three in each room, four if you don't mind someone on the floor. "

You can have the beds, i prefer the roof anyway..

Elric nods, "It looks like we'll be taking your last two rooms."

"How long you need them then, son? One silver mark for a day, or 3 gold pennies for the week."

"I'd say for the week." Elric replies digging out the coins and handing them to him.

Anyanka leans up against the counter next to Elric, watching the transaction.  "Ruhk and Elkantar with you, Shana and Lilith with me?  With Llana making other arrangements, seems like a fair split."  She flashes a quick smile, "Under the circumstances, anyway."

"Sounds just fine with me!" Elric replies with a grin and takes a swig of the ale, "It'll take me a little bit before I head to bed tonight though, been through quite a bit in a short time and need to unwind." He holds up his mug momentarily before taking another drink, "Fear not, I will be fine in the morning for whatever we need to do."

Shana nodded her head in agreement.

Elric finishes off his mug, holds up his pointing finger and says, "I'll have another, sir. And I would like to buy a round for any of my companions if they would be having any.."

"Three gold pennies for one room for a week and a refill as well. That we can do."

Refilling the mug, he nods to himself. "So, you folk aren't local. Or regulars for that matter. I'm familiar with most of them. If you don't mind my asking, where you from and or headed?"

"Oh I'm just from some old port town of no importance and we could probably use some work. In fact, now that I think of it, would there be any kind of bounty or contract on some crazy people that live nearby? We.. ran into them on our way into town, quite creepy indeed.."

Elric pauses for a quick drink, "Unless you all are friendly with them, if so, we will leave them alone." He grins.

"Bounties? Nah, not really that I'm aware of. We get all kinds of strange folk out here. Most leave us well enough alone as long as we return the favor to them."

"That's good, not much of a bounty hunter myself! So is there anything interesting going on around here?" Elric asks while raising an eyebrow, "Any juicy rumors or people we can speak to if in fact we do need to work, eh? You seem to know a lot about everything around here my good man!" He starts to take another drink of ale.

Streetwise Show

"Well now, I know old Alric over at Holderson's Goods is concerned that his caravan is running late. Likely just weather trouble, but they are three days late."

Nodding silently as he filled another drink for a different customer, he continued. "And then their is that activity out at the old Markerson Manor. Seems some woman moved in a few days ago and has large wagons full of supplies unloading."

Wiping out a glass, he looked toward you thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, did you say you came down out of the mountains?"


OOC - So.... part of the delay is my fault. But I keep trying to wait and give other people a chance to post something. Anyone care to call out in the OOC if they are still here?

"I.. may have," Elric replies while glancing at the other patron, "What happens to be out that way that we may have missed?" He decides to take another drink and sit up a bit straighter, looking a bit more curious.

"Did you enter from the east then? Or a pass through from the west?"

"Came in from the west, saw the smoke of something from this village and we wandered our way right in!" Elric replies.

"Ah, nevermind then. I was hoping you might have something there for me, but if you came from the west, not so much. Anyhow, what brings you folk out this direction? Not much in these mountains beyond abandoned mines and critters."

"Adventure, my friend!" Elric replies, "and what were you hoping for from the mountains?"

"Unknown passes. I've got one of the best maps of this mountain range, but I always keep an ear out for passes and such I may have missed."

"Well I will have to keep that in mind if I happen to be that way or if we have need of your maps at some point in the future!" Elric says and downs the rest of his ale, "But now I must retire to our room. We will see you around I am sure." He says as he gets up to leave.

Waving his arm, he gives you directions to the room, which is as simple a fair as you might have expected in such a small village.


OOC - You guys are up, Whats going on? 

Not really intent on knowing whats up just yet, Liana moves towards the room, then sees if there is a way to climb the roof from there.

Shana went directly to the room's private powder room to relieve herself.  

The room, residing on the second floor, has a window that will easily allow access to the roof.

Elric nods and gets up to the room to begin settling in. He removes his armor and makes sure his belongings are secure before climbing into a bed and falling asleep within minutes.

After relieving herself for comfort and the proper adjustment with her armor Shana went to an alert sleeping, feeling suspicious about their turn of good fortune from the disastrous displacement her and her newfound companions endured. 

The night passes uneventfull and you awaken to a sunny day and the sounds of a small village at work.

After waking up and tending to all the morning necessities, Elric opens his pack and pulls out the books he took from the cave and reads the titles of each one, "I wonder what I have here, hmm.."

The titles are illegible to you.

Liana hangs upside down from somewhere in front of the window.

So, what are they about?

"I have no idea!" Elric says, "I can't make out anything. I will worry about it later though, right now we need a map and maybe some more money I would say." He puts the books back in his pack and puts it on, "I'm gonna head to the Holderson's place first, then either that mansion he mentioned or check to see if we can help that newly moved in woman."

Maybe the others can read it. I'm sure we can get some languages together amongst us.

Liana swings back up, then her backpack flies through the window, not long after followed by herself.

Anyway I will be coming with you, want to see the map.

"I'm sure you're right," Elric replies and moves to leave the room. Shutting the door behind them he continues on through the main barroom and out the door.

"Can't be too hard to find." He says and begins looking around to see if it's nearby. If he spots it he heads right in it's direction.

Holderson's Goods is a relatively easy building to find, easily being the largest building in town excluding the inn. Stepping inside a bell over the door rings and you find a relatively typical general store. It is a little cleaner and better organized then most, and the inventory seems unusually sparse, but the familiatry of such a typical setting is reassuring.

Which contrasts heavily with the man that steps from the back, Large and decked in a well cleaned suit of armor, the hobgoblin offers you a blank face as he comes to a haalt at the counter. "Welcome to Holderson's Goods. What might I be able to help you with?"

"Well," Elric starts, pausing to scratch an itch on the back of his neck, "We could use a good map of the area and were told we could get one here." Keeping himself a step from the counter. He looks over at Liana and shrugs, wondering if all the shopkeepers in the town are nonhuman.

"Well, Ragnr over at the Miner's Repast has the best maps in the area, but he's not much for seeling them. Myself, I don't usually stock maps. Not much call for them, barring the occasional accident with a caravaner's maps. But I do have a one."

Digging beneath the counter for a moment, he pulls out a roll up piece of paper. "It's not much to look at, and I wouldn't trust it for any major travels, but it'll get the job done for pointing you in the right general direction. I got a good deal of it when it's previous owner got desperate for cash to settle his tab at the inn."

"All said, I think five golden pennies is a fair deal. A good map can run four to five times that."

Map Show

Shana trying to discern the written language of the area and finding some easily identifiable wordings on map thanks to the brownish colored area in which she quickly recognized as mountains and dark green area as forestry confirmed Harlin phonetically to her.

Seeing the lettering of the town's name, something she observed on signs and other written items around town; the natural insightful Kalashtar felt confidence enough to venture with the other phonetic theories she formed by observation alone to place a question of "How long of a travel time it is to 'Mar-Row-Gin' and how long until 'Ah-Lens-Bird'?"

After forming the sounding out of the town's symbols by the way they are lettered on the map Shana continued her observing of the local's accents and voice stress with the common language for more hints and solutions of their phonetically alphabet as well as their more frequent phrases and gesturing habits while she anticipate the shop owner's corrections in her pronouncing of the lettered words from
the map.

IC - THE DC NEWS (Crit on DC History again concerning the written language of the area) Show

Elric retrieves the payment from a pouch and places them on the table as he looks at the map himself. He doesn't recognize a single place on it and frowns. He says quietly to no one in particular, "might have to try Ragnr at a later time.."

He moves away from Shana and the map and walks around the shop, checking to see if there's anything that he might need.

The shop is has pretty typical inventory that you would expect in a small town, if in lower quantities then you might expect. "Anything specific you're looking for? If I don't have it, I can see about ordering it special. I get a caravan almost like clockwork just about twice a week. Though, the last one is a a day or so late now."

OOC Show

"Something cheap, made of glass. Perhaps a couple empty bottles?" Elric replies as he walks around.