Back in the Day (Chapter I) — Legacy Forums

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#41

*rolling intimidation check*

"Empire?" the first guard mumbled. The second one graced Aerex with "mmm".

Th Empire was not mentioned often in far-off Ganse, but like trained dogs, the word struck a chord of submission in those who were fearful of its yoke.

--Aerex spoke, the guards listened, but by the time the guards realized the truth, riding after Percy seemed a futile exercise. After all he stole a pony and some stranger's bauble. That wasnt enough to rouse the guards into leaving the relative safety of the town's walls for any significant amount of time. Besides, there was that Xaren mess to check on. One guard had died during the attack.

Frustrated with the whole exchange, Aerex mumbled something along the lines of.."The Xaren had more wits than these guards." as he returned to the Harpy's Kettle.

Arriving, he found a few dead, a few recuperating, and a few standing or sitting in disbelief.

--Talia did her best to tend to Moruz' deep chest bruise and gashed shoulder. The man was now leaning against a wall, breathing heavily and wincing, as he drew in breath. He had at least one cracked rib, mayhaps completely broken, thought Talia.

--Vee tended to Aethelstan, who had finally recovered, and was sitting on a stool, his back leaning on the same bar he had crashed into not long ago. Once he realized the priest would live, Vee checked on the skinny, crop-haired man in the green cloack. Vee had recollected him, did he give a name?... he had approached the group and entered into their conversation, right before the Xaren changed everyone's dinner plans.

The dead were dead, and the living were living.

Eventually after much discussion, debate, and some good old-fashioned elbow grease fixing the taproom, the guards dispersed, strongly advising everyone else to do the same. Six of the guards and an additional four men, who had entered the inn with buckets and tools, descended into the cellar to seek survivors and patch up earthen walls, to prevent further attacks from the fell Xaren. Other guards began to drag the carcasses of the Xaren outside.

Aerex stood in the doorway and looked on, as he spied the last six people remaining in the inn, himself included. A lull, a hush of sorts hung in the taproom. Only occasional groans from Aethelstan and Moruz, disrupted the silence.

"Well, look here", Vee announced casually, as he bent down suddenly and picked something up off the floor, not far from where Moruz battled one of the beasts.

"An Opal" he announced to everyone, and flung the black shard into the air, catching it again, and pocketing it.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#42

Darkness... And the memories of endless nights spent talking to the sleepers...

Hey kid, it's ok. It's all right, you just lay there and let those gaurds cart you off to where ever they feel like. I think we could learn to live there, probably on a stake with a bunch of logs round us. It'd bring us a taste of its freedom. Unconsciousness is true happiness, no? What? Don't know what to say?

Dujek rolled over and opened his eyes, immediately wishing he didn't. His head, and all that light hurt. Pushing himself up he realized what he'd been laying in, a nice mix of ale and his own blood. Blood? Opening his eyes again he looked around at the wreckage, slowly remembering the fight. Remebering his wound he walked over to the bar and looked for something to clean his wounds. He saw one of the barrels of ale, only leaking from a couple of holes, and decided to use that. Cleaning out the wound on his forehead as best as he could, he walked over to the bar and tried to look around, still having a bit of trouble determining which of the two rooms he was seeing was the real one.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#43

Moruz accepted Talia's help wordlessy, simply giving a small nod of appreciation. Every touch of his chest caused him to wince slightly, but he never audibly registered the pain. During the first aid, Moruz's eyes rarely left the door that Percy left from. "I must find that child..." he informed Talia as she neared completion of her first-aid. Still, he remained where he was - he was in no condition to go charging off after Percy, no matter how much he wished he could.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#44

"He's probably halfway across the plains by now." Talia watched the other fellow get up and make an attempt at cleaning the cut on his forehead, then shook her head and went over to him. "You'd best let someone bandage that properly." He still looked rather dazed, not that she blamed him. "Well, this was fun," she said to no one in particular. "What in blazes were those things, anyway?"

Whatever they were, she didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in a town that played host to them. Plus, she still had bandits to kill. She didn't know if these people would help her or not. She rather hoped they would; they seemed like they could handle themselves in a fight.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#45

Aerex glanced as the injured mage. "Hey, you alright?" he asked. The question sounded stupid as it came out, considering they were in the shattered remains of a bar with two huge xaren corpses in the room. The blood on his head hinted at a concussion. Aerex pulled a stool out for him and placed it before him. "You should probably sit down," he recommended, the advice sounding only slightly less stupid than the first question.

Aerex walked over near the glass warrior, who appeared to be injured. He knelt down beside him. "Bad news is, that kid got away with your circlet," he announced to Moruz. "Good news is, I saw which way he went." He turned to look at Talia. "Which way did you say those bandits were coming from? I've got a feeling that kid was going to make some dirty coin with his loot."

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#46

Moruz acknowledged Aerex's words with a nod, and he pushed himself up to a stand, using the wall as support. Listening to the rest of the investigators words, and recalling Talia asking earlier about requesting help for killing bandits, Moruz turned to the woman. "Listen... Help me find my orb, and I will help you slay as many bandits as you require!" The man hobbled over to one of the few unbroken nearby chairs and sat heavily in it, peering up at the woman.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#47

Talia nodded. "Fair enough. What of the rest of you? Are you in? For whatever reason?"

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#48

Aerex considered him options. There was no point in going back to Jantir now, as the corrupt officials were certainly still in power. Arresting a gang of bandits like Jervoe's Tribe would get him enough prestige to get a cushy job in another city, perhaps Ephenil or even Port Rose. Besides, that punk kid ran off with stolen goods, and Investigator Matare always catches his man...

"Alright, I'm in. Investigator Aerex Matare, at your service," he said with a slight bow.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#49

Brother Aethelstan stirred. He opened his eyes, and instantly regretted it as the pounding of his head grew worse. The double vision didn't help matters, either. As he grew able to focus on the ruin around him, he could see that there were people who needed his help, people in trouble. He had to act!

Immediately he leapt to his feet... or that was the plan anyway. After his ribs advised against that, he decided to roll over and crawl instead. After he was sure who here was hurt most seriously, he would release the power of the healing prayers that Abbott Thorn had spent so many hours teaching.

"So, this is what it's like away from the monastary," he thought.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#50

Vee felt exultant, the pulse of adrenaline still carrying him high. Why shouldn't it? Everything that Kollekter Solip, his old mentor in Nimz, had told him had not panned out. For a bit he had been worried that the dried up old sage might have been right. He had really been hit hard when he ended up selling his weatherbeaten old pony about a week ago. There was not much left of that silver now, but the opal...now that was something else.

As the others tended to the wounded and removed the corpses of the Xaren he stepped close to one of the lamps to get a better look at his new find. He turned the pale opal in his fingers, letting the light play across it's vitrious surface and reflect through its iridescent depths.

(Request for Appraise check Mr. DM)

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#51

*rolling appraisal check*

--Turning the opal shard over in his fingers, and allowing the light to help with his examination, Vee quickly realized that there was something strange about this stone. Not black at all as it first appeared lying on the floor, the stone was blueish and iridescent in the lamp's light. Smooth, and a near perfect oval, the size of a robin's egg. Only one side of the stone, probably where it broke free of the Xaren's studded torso, was a bit rough. Its value? well, Vee estimated it could be sold to a gem dealer, merchant or enthusiast for thirty maybe forty gold pieces. Not bad. That was thirty or forty more than he had now, he mused to himself. But there was something else, something Vee could not quite put his finger on.

*Rolling Cure light Wounds* (courtesy of Aethelstan)

--Moruz listened to the sermon. Over the next ten minutes he learned more about some deity named St. Senren, than he ever wished to know. But if this holy warrior (for Moruz considered the young man to be a warrior and respected Aethelstan's suicidal stand against the Xaren earlier) could heal this cracked rib, he was all for a religious lesson. He wouldnt say this to anyone, but his rib wasnt cracked...it was broken. One sudden move or another direct chest hit, and his shredded rib could potentially puncture his lung. Moruz sighed (even that was painful) and waited. For his part, Aethelstan merely lay his hands on the glass warrior and recited his prayer.

When he was done, Moruz sighed again. But this time it wasnt so painful. He felt better immediately, and it seemed to him, though how this was possible he did not know, that the cracked bone simply healed and reattached itself. He drew in a long breath and rose.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#52

Moruz raised and tested his repaired body by stretching slowly. Yes... his rib wasn't broken anymore. He wasn't back in perfect shape - there was still a bruise or two - but it was good enough for the glass warrior. Nodding his thanks, he eyed the cleric over, "Perhaps you had best do the same thing for yourself..."
Now healthy enough not to have to worry about his own well-bieng, Moruz peered over the room, studying those who were still in here. Most of the patrons had left - either at the first sight of the Xaren's, or at the advice of the guards. Now there was only a half a dozen or so in the room.
Moruz gave one last inspection of the room itself, looking it over closely to see if there was anything that the guards may have missed.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#53

Sitting down in the chair he mumbered thanks, and reaching into his cloak pulled out a small bundle. Unrolling it he looked through all those wonderfully useless herbs and ashes and scraps of this, that, and something else. Finally he found what he was looking for, ground willow bark. Reaching for the nearest cup with anything in it, he poured some of the powder into it and drank it. That should help with the headache.

"Bandage my head? OH, right. Cleaned it but that just kinda..." Getting up he walked over to one of the bodies and torn off come cloth. Pressing it up against his head he tied it tight in the back. "And sure I'll go with you, looking for someway outta town anyway, and you guys look about as safe as any of these wonderful caravans that head through here and get robbed a couple of days outta town."

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#54

“Perhaps St. Senren will bless me with his aid again, but if he doesn’t, I’m going to need something for this headache. I suppose that if I can’t find any healing herbs around here, one of those bottles of methyglyn on the floor will have to do,” pondered Aethelstan. He had always avoided strong liquors, but they certainly seemed to help some of the brethren back at the monastery when they woke up feeling ill in the morning. As he picked up the miraculously spared bottle of spiced mead, he asked the glass-clad warrior, “What did that kid grab from you? Was it something important?”

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#55

Vee pocketed the opal again, it felt nice knowing that he had something he could trade for a bit of gold. How long had it been since he had felt the comforting weight of gold in his palm. While the others were busy with healing the wounded and cleaning up the mess he slipped behind the bar to help himself to a few rounds...on the house. Before the young monk could indulge in the liquor and whatever powder he had added to his cup, Vee supplied him with what seemed to be a fourth rate merlot from some ten acre vinyard near the edge of Jantir. He poured himself a quick cup and followed with a pull from the bottle. It was better than the swill he had been getting earlier...something red cut with two parts water for his copper pieces.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#56

Talia became very still when the man with the headwound made the comment about caravans that got robbed. Did he just not listen? Talia had been a member of one of those self-same caravans. That was the whole point of the excercise, to get revenge for her caravan. She put it up to addled thoughts from the blow to the head; besides, she was in no mood to spill blood needlessly, particularly when this man might help her. Still, she was angry. She turned away from him sharply, and addressed the one who had introduced himself. "Inspector? Well, I suppose you know your way around a fight, but I don't imagine your title will impress those I'm after much. Not that it really matters. I am Talia Bladedancer, late of Caravan Tolochis Ni Konos."

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#57

Aerex nodded his head. "The pleasure is mine, Madame Bladedancer. The title comes with the uniform, of course, though I do intend to use it. The Western Reaches are in need of some order and justice. I intend to bring it."

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#58

--Other than broken chairs, broken tables, shattered barrels, blood, guts, rocks, stones and pebbles, Moruz could not see anything worthwhile, as he glanced slowly and deliberately around the taproom.

--"My son, My boy!" an old haggard woman pushed her way inside and rushed over to her son's corpse. She hunched over him and wept. It was the youth who had deigned to be a warrior.

--The door opened a crack again and a guard looked in.

"Didnt I tell you folks to scatter! Get going! The inn is closed, until further notice"

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#59

Moruz stared at the Priest of st. Senren incredulously for a few seconds, before blinking. He had been travelling the outlands for nearly two years now, but sometimes he still forgot that these people didn't know much of his society - many didn't even know that the Ouzquin Dremorix exist!
Absently, the warrior raised his hand to touch the empty space on his forehead where the circlet used to be.
"That child stole a headband from me - the band itself isn't of much concern to me, but in that band is a glass sphere about so," Moruz raised his hands to shape out an orb about half the size of a chicken's egg. "This is called Ouzala Hemisa by my people, and we all own one. It is given to us when we are young, and is a symbol of our lives - to prove that we can hold the Hemisa is to prove that we are worthy to guard our own life. That child - Percy - stole my life. As such, his life is forfeit!" It was at this stage that the door opened and an old woman coddled her now-dead son. It was also at this time that a guard peered into the door and reprimanded the stragglers: "Didn't I tell you folks to scatter! Get going!"

Moruz shrugged faintly, then walked swiftly for the door. "Thank you for your healing, Priest. You may know me as Moruz." The glass warrior paused just before the door before glancing back to the rest of the party, "Do what you all will, but every second is a wasted one - I am hunting that child. Any help would be appreciated." With that, The Ouzquin Dremorix left the Inn.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#60

Aethelstan hurried to keep up with the glass warrior. Moruz seemed friendly, even though Aethelstan’s question had obviously struck a sore point. Beside that, the man would need aid to recover his mystical bauble.

That kid… Obviously, he wasn’t what he appeared to be, reflected Aethelstan. Taking the opportunity to steal during the attack of those strange stone things, then slipping out smoothly during the carnage… And with the most valuable thing in the place, judging by the way the desert warrior was glowering. Furthermore, who ever heard of things like that attacking a crowded tavern on the midst of a city? That sort of thing was…uncanny. Perhaps the attack was less than coincidental. That “kid” had some explaining to do…

Justice WOULD have its proper time, just as the vision of Senren had foretold.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#61

Seeing the warrior in the shiny armor and his young priest friend leaving the ruined inn, Vee felt no particular desire to be left behind. Besides, there was the matter of him offering that good looking woman to help get her revenge and whatnot. He grabbed another unbroken bottle of something, not sure what, and made his way discretely out the door.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#62

Talia followed the others out; she was just as glad to leave. "We were about... two days away from here when the bandits attacked. They can't be based too far away." She glanced at Moruz. His outlook, at least, was something she understood. Maybe not the theory behind it, but the sentiment. Some said that the gypsy folk didn't pay their debts. True enough, sometimes they failed to produce money asked for. But the really important things, those were the real debts, and those were always paid. And always collected... "And it may be that little thief would be in the same direction; he can't have gotten too far away in any case."

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#63

The thief that had taken Moruz's precious 'Ouzala Hemisa', the brigands that had slaughtered Talia's caravan: Both lay in the same direction. The small band found itself in accord, determined to bring the lawless to justice. Stopping briefly to pick up a few days' rations and refill their water flasks, they set out after the villains.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#64

As the others filed out of the door Dujek muttered to himself. "Aight, let's go then." Grabbing his cane from where he'd left it he jogged out of the door after the rest.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#65

Aerex fell into step next to Talia. "I'm going to have to watch that glass man," he said in a low voice. "Sure he took his orb or whatever, but killing a kid for it? C'mon." He glanced behind him. "But I mainly don't trust that trader. He's a thief, I can tell 'em a mile away. I'd watch your your back with him around."

He stepped away and cleared his throat loudly, reaching into his backpack. "Now then," he said in a louder vocie. "Let's see what about this Jervoe's Tribe." He pulled out a leather-bound codex stamped with the words Royal Constabulary Criminal Codex, Western Reaches Ed. Aerex thumbed through the book. "Let's see... Jervoe, Jervoe, Jervoe... Ah, here it is," he said, tapping his finger on the page. He began to read it aloud...

[ooc: Mr. GM, I'll let you decide what info's in here. :wink:]

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#66

....As to the gangs and brigand bands east of Ganse, which are as numerous and interchangeable as jackals, one needs to be noted on these pages. Jervoe's Gang, though innocuous in name, stand out as a particularly sharp thorn among the bandit clans which vex travelers and the Empire's goodfolk. His hideout moves from place to place, and his reputation over the last decade has prevented scared folk, from helping law enforcement set a proper trap. He is an iconic figure to the Kinless of the misty hills, and tales of his gangs exploits have catapulted the killer and thief to near legendary status. Of his men and their numbers, little is known. Jervoe has a brother, Mingo, and it is said, Mingo leads the bandits in their heists and pillaging. A final note: Rumours have begun to circulate that Jervoe has recently acquired some weapon or object of magic, which has further cemented his position of power among the clans. It is even said that Jervoe has made a recent alliance with some gnolls. Something needs to be done soon, in this surveyors estimation.....

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#67

Sounding as chipper as possible Dujek blurted out, "Oh, alright. So we go out, slaughter him and his brigands, and be back here skipping and dancing for out morning tea tomorrow. Assuming we find him, and his buddies and blood-kin don't dice us up, and that this magic item of his doesn't fry the skin from our flesh." Pausing for a second he said, "If he's deemed such a threat, does that book mention a bounty?"

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#68

On The Road...

--East of Ganse stretches rough, no-mans land of grass and rock for many miles. Poor roads and paths meander among sparse patches of laurel and elm wood, followed further east by a sea of foggy hills and spooky fields, where dwell the scattered, superstitious Kinless. A great Laurel forest seperates the broken lands from the Holubuska Hills of the Kinless. After asking about town before their departure, the "justice-seekers" ascertained it would be a three day journey to reach the bawn of this wood. It was said by those in Ganse the group had questioned, that most of the bandit clans had hideouts in this very wood. Talia Bladedancer had mentioned this forest as well. Her caravan had circumnavigated it, on their journey towards Ganse, but when the bandits struck, she remembered they had come from the direction of the forest. Aerex as well, found a few more passages on general banditry east of Ganse, and confirmed the forest a good a place as any to start.

--Leaving town on foot, since even if the group had the funds to purchase mounts it would be quite difficult to find six available horses in this decrepid place, the companions by necessity and serendipity, followed the beaten road east. After three or four hours of somewhat forced and uncomfortable silent marching, (after all, they were strangers!) they paused beside the road to collect their thoughts and eat cheese, bread, and wild onions. A thick twisted laurel tree, a few hundred feet from the road, on a knoll of burnt orange grass, served as their base. The sun was less than an hour from its descent. A few thought of revenge, a few of justice, and a few of boredom and sore feet.

No travelers passed along the road. A flock of screeching crows flew past, and disappeared behind a distant hill. A persistant breeze blew from east, as if gently urging the group back from whence they came. A light drizzle began to fall.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#69

Talia had eaten quickly, then had gotten up to stretch and work through a simple practice. She hadn't really practiced in a while, and walking had tightened her muscles. Standing away from the others, she pulled her fans out and opened them. It felt good. She was a dancer by trade, and that was evident in the way she moved. She had never been really sure if her fighting style was what they called a martial art, or dancing, or something in between. It didn't matter. Half way through her routine, she paused and watched the crows flying overhead. "I wonder..." She resumed her practice, but her mind was elsewhere.

(Yo, Mr. GM. Which direction did the crows come from?)

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#70

Aerex buttoned up his coat as the drizzle fell. He glanced briefly at the crows, but thought nothing of them. Poking at the fire with a stick to keep it going, he noticed the light playing off of Moruz's armor. He watched him out of the corner of his eye. "So," he said after a minute or so, "where do you come from exactly?"

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#71

Moruz was seated cross-legged several feet away from the Laurel tree, allowing that drizzle of rain to wash over him instead of finding shelter. Glancing towards the clouds, he wondered if the rain would get heavier - he liked storms; enjoyed the sound of thunder and the tug of the wind - the raw essence of Axtrami flowing all around him.
The Ouzquin warrior was taking this time - between bites of a large chunk of stale and half-soggy bread - to study his weapons: The rain could not rust his glass gear. The Zunouza - his spiraled, glass dagger - had already been inspected, and was now thrust deeply in the soft earth just before him, and the Ouzala was rested on his lap as he went over each glass tooth to make sure it was inset properly in the treated wooden shaft. Moruz did not look away as Aerex spoke.

"My clan originates from Karikun; which you would know as the Black-Snake desert of Kalcha." These are the first words not pertaining to the bandits or Percy that Moruz spoke since the rag-tag group had left the mining town - Instead of bieng tired from the travel, he seemed slightly more relaxed, at peace. He was used to long travel, and the time it took had given him time to calm himself. "From there, I travelled across the southern seas to Ssembra and made my way north through the wilderness to Ganse." He paused a moment, glancing to Aerax before speaking once again, shortly, "You must forgive me if the things I do seem strange to you, Aerex. I do not know the ways of your persons... ah, of the outside people, well."
He offered a small shrug and turned back to watch the grey skies once more whilst listening absently to the rythmic training routine of Talia. He smiled faintly at the sight of a faint flash of light in the distance - there WAS lightning in the air... but would the storm come to them, or move away? Moruz was not great at predicting weather.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#72

Aerex nodded. "Mm, there's a lot to learn. Most in the Western Reaches are pretty forgiving, though, so long as you follow the law." He hoped that the last part might strike Moruz, who seemed to Aerex so obsessed with killing that thief. Such vigilantism was brazenly criminal in the constable's mind. But the glass warrior seemed unfazed, nodding slightly as he continued to inspect his weapon.

Aerex yawned and stood, stretching in the chilly mist. Having eaten and wanting some physical activity, he drew his rapier and practiced a few techniques in the air. Parry riposte. Beat parry riposte. Thrust retreat. Feint thrust. Parry seconde riposte...

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#73

Aethelstan completed his meditations and stood up, stretching to work his sore muscles. He’d be feeling the effects of that fight back in town for some days yet, the sore monastic reflected. Still, it wasn’t really much worse that the training regimen that Brother Charter was always pushing on them back at the monastery.

While he was praying, a thought had occurred to him, an idea that had been germinating in his head since he had been knocked cold and had been given a vision of the holy Saint Senren himself.

“Friends!” he announced, trying to overcome his nervousness. “This rain may be a sending: A good omen for our quest. The villains that we seek are lawless and wicked; such low and weak-willed men are likely to retreat to their lairs while the storm passes. We need not fear that they will do more harm before we can find them.

“In town, I was granted a vision of the wise and noble St. Senren, attired as a Soldier of the Lord of Law. In the vision, he warned me not to act rashly and reminded me that justice cannot be rushed. I suggest that we press on carefully, letting those most skilled in stealth guide our steps. We may thus ensure that we remain the hunters, rather than the hunted.

“The 35th Precept of Andur also comes to mind: “When choosing your dwelling, look to the land.” Despite their lawless nature, we may be able to deduce where such a band of brigands would choose to lair. It will be a place well hidden with an easy route for retreat, a shelter that does not require overmuch work to prepare (as such low persons disdain honest labor), yet not more than a few hours walk from where they may prey on passing travelers. Are any of you skilled in tracking, that we might spot the sign of their passage when we draw nigh unto their lair?

“Lastly, while we rest here, I suggest that we keep two of us on watch at any time, so that none can creep up on us. That is the way that the Crusaders of Law prescribed many years before, and none have ever gainsaid the wisdom of that puissant legion."

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#74

--Talia spied the general direction from which the murder of crows had emerged, as she gracefully trained with her steel fans. They flew forth in a flurry, from behind a neighboring hillock to the south, two to three hundred yards across from the road, where the companions were now entrenched.

--The warm afernoon haze was gone with the now incessant drizzle. The sun was setting and dusk was upon the companions. Soon it would be dark. The drizzle progressed to a full blown downpour.

--Aerex checked his tome again, before beginnning his sabre training, rifling through the sections on compensation for delivering criminals "wanted" by the Empire or local judiciaries, with Dujek looking over his shoulder. The pair soon ascertained that there indeed was a bounty on Jervoe's head, not to mention his gang members. Five gold pieces per head or corpse of confirmed and proven gang member, ten gold for any culprit brought to justice still alive. Fifty gold for Mingo, one hundred for Jervoe himself! Another fifty for his "magician", Bassilinor (though nothing but his appellation was mentioned) and twenty more for someone named Red Hatchet. Peculiarly, the references on the two brothers, Jervoe and Mingo, did not mention "dead" or "alive".

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#75

The cloistered monastic had huddled close to the small fire, chilled without a proper cloak or bedroll to give shelter against the rain and wind. He noticed Talia’s distant gaze as the fleeing crows distracted her from her practice. “Crows? That never occurred to me…” he muttered quietly.

Aethelstan rose to his feet, clapping his helmet onto his sodden arming cap. “Friends, the Bladedancer’s spotted something. If we hope to discover more, we had best act now. Aerax, you’re a quiet fellow; could you take point? We can follow a spear’s cast behind.” Grasping his mace, “The Justice of Andur”, he headed toward a nearby gully that would mask his movement as he approached the distant hillock.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#76

"Not so fast, brother," Aerex said, sheating his rapier. "We don't know for sure what kind of defenses they have. This almanac was issued over a year ago, anything could have happened between now and then." He rubbed the wide brim of his hat between his thumb and forefinger. "Hm. Maybe we need some more cover. If this rain keeps up, there shouldn't be much of a moon out tonight. Darkness would provide excellent cover. Anyone object to a night strike?"

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#77

Looking up from the dirt, where he had been scribbling some figures, Dujek said, "I don't think the priest was suggesting that we attack them, only that we look at what's on the other side of that hillock, which I think is a extremely good idea. You see, which night and the storm coming we're going to be at as much of a disadvantage as them, and right now we're in between two small mountains. The king and his calvary could probably sneak up on us without us being any the wiser." Grabbing his bag and cane Dujek jogged over to the overly zealous one, "I'm gonna go with him, if you guys want to wait here it's your choice."

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#78

Talia hadn't said much as she'd watched the others talk amongst themselves, merely waited until a few of the others had decided to investigate beyond the hillock. Already she was forming opinions of them: the outlander, Muroz, he seemed like a dependable type. The priest seemed a bit of a flake, but he wouldn't turn on them. She wasn't too sure about the others yet. It didn't matter all that much.

"If you're coming along, hush." She eyed the hillock as they started towards it. It was probably just paranoia. But she had been ambushed enough recently, and she'd like to be on the giving end for a change. She started looking for a way around the other side of the hill with some cover.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#79

Aerex furrowed his brow as he followed the small group. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered. He pulled the bow from his backpack, stringed it with relative ease, and notched an arrow. He treaded carefully over the brush, keeping an eye out for anything unusual.

Re: An Age of Heroes (Back In The Day)

#80

Moruz pushed himself up to a stand using his Ouzala, and snatched the dagger out from the earth, shaking off the dirt stuck to it. As the rain got heavier, Moruz felt more restless. "I will come." He had waited long enough, and wanted to get into action. He felt naked without that circlet about his head. The warrior slung his Ouzala across his back and moved quickly but silently with the group.