Back in the Day (Chapter I) — Legacy Forums

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#121

--With the necromancer's timely magic and assistance, Aethelstan went to work on Moruz.

--Aethelstan's branch still basked them in light, sticking out like a beacon in a choppy sea, from the mud. Soon however, Aethelstan knew the spell would begin to flicker and fade.

--Aerex contemplated. This is no way to take down an entire band of bandits! We all barely know each other! The dwarf alone could have slain us all. We will need a plan, foresight, tactics and luck. All but the last could be managed, he thought as he made his way among his companions.

--The cave mouth silently yawned. It was deep night now..and quiet. The sound of buzzing bugs could again be heard from the entrance of the black hole. And more bugs now, attracted by the light, droning by the hundreds in the sphere of light. A nightfly landed on Tristan's gory cheek. A mosquito plunged its proboscis into Dujek's neck. A huge moth landed on Moruz' forehead. Talia swatted away several clingy moonbeetles.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#122

Slapping the bug on his neck Dujek took the time to actually look around, looking over the carnage half-submerged in a bloody soup. Sighing a little he walked over to the only other thing that didn't fight and started cutting the ropes off of it's body. Bundling the rope up he tossed it over his shoulder and grabbed the sickle from where it was lying. "I don't know if there's anymore of them down there, but if there are I don't want to be here when they come up to investigate. But, I do know a way to keep them busy."

Walking over to the dwarven corpse he dragged the corpse to the entrance of the cave, where he gutted him and piled up his guts. Drawing a circle with various arcane symbols around the guts Dujek started explaining to the group what he was planning on doing. "I'm going to try to bring these guts of his back to life, ah... Unlife. The thing that they become is a rather unfirendly monstrosity that enjoys killing and digesting whatever it can. And you, priest, if you could, I'd like you to drive it further into the caves, rather than attacking us. After that I suggest we vacate the area and get some rest. Does anyone have any objections?"

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#123

“By my faith, ere now I had thought thee wise, despite thy study of black arts, but this plan is both blasphemous and foolhardy!” exclaimed Aethelstan.

“Putting aside the unholy nature of thy wretched scheme, I would that we rest before risking another such brawl. I, for one, would not sleep well knowing an undead monstrosity did explore close unto our encampment. Did not thy eldritch grimoires not warn thee, ‘Summon not what you may not putte down again!’

“Secondly, we know not what we may find within yon cavern. Yon churls,” he gestured toward the cooling bodies of the brigands, “may have had prisoners that would be at the mercy of such an unholy beast.”

“Lastly, do we not need their heads as surety that we have indeed slain the dreaded ‘Red Hatchet’ and his minion? Let us leave the guttes for later,” suggested Aethelstan. “On the morrow, we may essay yon cavern, knowing that we are rested and need not fear another such dire encounter or mortal trap.”

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#124

The dwarf was dead. Moruz stared at the empty corpse before him for several seconds before uttering "Cavasi" softly, peering at the glass flecks splayed on and around Red Hatchet. Reaching into a fold with his right hand, Moruz plucked out a pair of mirrored coins. Wait... he had just dropped his Ouzala. why? No matter - he took a step forward to place the coins over the eyes of the dwarf, and found that his legs decided otherwise - he, too dropped to his hands and knees, and soon onto his left side when his left arm could not support the weight of his body. He exhaled in a sharp grunt when his left shoulder struck the muddy ground below him, but he determinedly turned and pushed himself to his knees with his right arm and managed to lay the coins on the dwarfs eyes before his knees slipped in the mud and he found himself on the ground once more. The roar of battle still roaring maddeningly4 in his ears, Moruz no longer felt any pain, and his face registered confusion as to why his body did not want to comply with his mind. His blood mingled with the mud on the ground.

It seemed it would remain silent forever - nothing but the soft, dripping roar of Axtrami's caress falling all about him. Then Aethelstan appeared, saying something to Moruz which he couldn't quite make out and holding out his hand - in that hand was three pale, blood-drained digits. Aethelstan spoke something else which Moruz also missed - perhaps a prayer to that saint Senren of his - and reached down to pull Moruz's left hand to him. For the first time, Moruz noticed the lack of fingers on his own hand, and he now registered why the strange priest was running around waving fingers and toes at him. Still, a look of confusion was all that Moruz shared as he peered at his hand. He could not even remember when that had happened.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#125

There was a light, and it broke the darkness that surrounded Tristan, forcing him back to consciousness, and his mind was instantly invaded by guilt. He had failed to slay the fel creature, and the agony of it tortured his mind. Quite the humbling experience in truth. He had almost gotten all of them killed. His task was to help and aid others, not to be a righteous avenger, cleansing all evil from the world. He took a deep breath, preparing for a sigh, but began coughing as pain flooded back through his body like a flood, almost reducing the priest to unconsciousness again. With the aid of Dujek, he rose to his feet slowly, painfully. He had made a mess of things, now it was his job to fix them as he could.

Looking around, he noted that all save the Glass Warrior were in decent, if battered, condition. The spear-fighter, however, was in a very bad way. Chances are if he wasn't given aid soon, he would perish. Stumbling and falling over himself, Tristan shambled over to Moruz, trying to push the fallen warrior over onto his back before beginning a silent prayer to Trigu for divine intercession upon the desert man's behalf. Holy Father, cleanse and heal this man lying before me, that by your mercy he will have the time to turn towards your Holy Light and follow the Path you have laid for us.

Whether or not the prayer was acted upon by Trigu, Tristan could do no more, and fell limp against Dujek, unconscious once more.

(OOC: Yes I read Pariah's message, but Tristan is so IC focused on healing and overcome by sheer exhaustion that he doesn't hear the inquiry about raising the dwarf into undeath.)

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#126

"You wouldn't rest well knowing what you face, but you'd gladly sleep not knowing whether or not there are a score more of them down there that will, no doubt, notice their friends' absence sooner rather than later? I didn't ask you to kill the thing, anyone of us could probably kill one of these in our sleep. No, what I asked was simply that you drive it further into the caves so that, at the very least, when anyone comes it would slow them down, and their screams might just alert us to their presence. Would you say the same thing if I said I was going to give this rope a semblance of life that it might kill our enemies?" Stopping in his tirade for a second Dujek looked at the rope weirdly.

Or, If I could promise you that the thing wouldn't attack any innocents, but stay right here at the entrance to the cave would you be against my plan? You see, through some perverse accident, that acids that coat one of these 'monstrosities' as you called it only seems to affect the flesh of a living thing. As such, cloth and leather are both spared. If we tied this thing up here at the entrance, it'd be a guard for us, without threatening the lives of anyone innocent that might be being ravaged at this very moment. What do you say priest, was that really the problem, or is it just the dogma that holds you back?"

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#127

Aerex placed his rapier back into its scabbard, panting more with shock than exhaustion. He glanced quickly around, evaluating the carnage. "I really need to work on my swordsmanship," he muttered to no one in particular. The arrows hit home, but the shaving of the dwarf--while perhaps grimly humourous--was ineffective.

He knelt down beside the now unconscious Tristan. "He may need your services, Brother Aethelstan," Aerex said, peering up at the other cleric. "And I think you should reconsider Dujek's offer. These brigands don't take prisoners, only lives; any deaths in there will be deserved. The bounty might be worth more alive than dead, but if this... engagement," he waved his hand about for emphasis, "is any indication of what else is in there, I'll take my chances at a decreased bounty than losing my own head. And I presume that if Master Dujek can summon the undead, he can control them to some degree, yes?" He glanced over at the necromancer, then down at the bloodied corpse of the dwarf. "Besides, this one's head should bring in a hefty bounty by itself," he commented. And a bit of acclaim from the constabulary guilds, he thought happily to himself.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#128

"Well if nothing else, I think we should get him inside the cave and out of the mud." Vee said. He didn't know much about binding wounds or any of them mumble and laying on of hands, but he knew that blood and mud were probably not good for the injured. Vee grabbed the unconscious cleric under the arms and started hauling him into the cave. 'Maybe a bit of wine in the gullet might help a bit, but not too much,' Vee thought as he struggled with the body. The thought of hacking off the dwarf's head was as sickening to him as the thought of failing to use his whip to disarm or hang up the dwarf. If he had done thiat instead of rushing in with the daggers the others might be in better shape. He was going to need a pull from the bottle of wine as well.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#129

Aerex grabbed Tristan's ankle. "Whoa, not so fast," he said, glaring at Vee. "I don't know what you think is in there, but it ain't gonna be friendly." Damned thief, he thought ruefully. "You want to run in there, suit yourself, but don't drag knocked out priests with you."

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#130

"Oh, okay," Vee snapped at the inspector, "Lets leave him in the mud to drown. That is certainly better." He didn't want to get in a tugging match with the downed priest as a rope so he tried to lay him down as gently as possible. He turned away from the inspector and peered into the cave. The inspector had a point. Gathering up his crossbow from the ground he peered into the cave and decided to go exploring.

(OOC - will attempt to do the following - Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, and Listen and Spot checks as he moves slowly into the cave)

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#131

"Hey, wait!" Aerex hissed. Making sure Tristan was at least not face down, he clambered up the wet grass and moved next to Vee. "Be careful," he ordered. "They see us, it's all over."

(ooc: Attempting to Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, and Search checks in the cave)

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#132

"A fine way to start this is. Nearly killed because of a bloody great fool, and don't think I'm letting you off that easily," Talia snapped at Tristan. "Get your face seen to." And she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know what the mage was going on about. While she herself had no particular aversion to undead... things, it sounded like it would be disgusting and she remained unconvinced that Dujek actually knew what he was doing. "Regina always did say that fortune favors idiots and children... At least that would seem to indicate we have luck on our side." She followed the other two towards the cave. She was curious at what the corpses had been trying to hide, and if this fight was any indication, they'd probably need some help if things turned nasty. Moruz would be safe enough with the others.

(Mr. GM, same rolls as the other two, please.)

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#133

--Vee stood at the lip of the cave and inhaled. He liked the smell of caves. While slaying berserking dwarves may not have been his forte, delving he thought, be it a cave, a temple, or some long-lost ruin, that was his forte. The cave was large, very large. Twelve by twelve feet in width and height on the outside, on the inside the cave spread out considerably.

Limestone, wet, fungus, bugs, odor of gnoll, warm…all these thoughts came unbidden in succession. Silent, and clinging to the wall, Vee entered the mouth of the ivy-choaked cave.

--He heard a sound, but didn’t turn. It was Talia and Aerex behind him. It took quite some time for everyone’s eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness.

--Back at the site of the slaughter, Moruz rose again still privately amazed at the healing prowess of these priests. St. Senren, Andur, and Trigu? Blessed Axtrami! He had much to learn of these folk. His hand however still pained him. He flexed it several times, and it felt like a flame had been put to it. The healing worked again, Moruz felt strong, though pale and still exhausted, but his hand would always be a reminder. His fingers would not reattach, but he was not overly concerned. They could be sewn mayhaps he thought…it mattered not to him at the moment. He approached Tristan, who was barely conscious, leaning against a rock. The priest had helped him, before he had collapsed. That Moruz could remember. Good, he’s alive, though his face…Moruz slowly shook his head.

--Dujek and Aethelstan argued, Dujek expounding on the joys of necromancy, and something about hypocrites, while Aethelstan exhibited a lively wit and vocabulary as he attempted to explain to the green-robed mage, why exactly his plan was idiotic. Aerex had let them both know his thoughts as well, before he followed Vee to the cave. Aerex was deep in thought as he moved silently, sabre at the ready.

--Talia was silent as she approached the dark opening. She was furious at the group’s bumbling tactics, particularly that new righteous priest. Well, at least her vengeance had begun, she thought. How was she sure? She had heard the name Red Hatchet when her caravan was ambushed. She had not seen him, but she heard his name. This were the right gang. She was convinced.

--The cave opening led into a huge earthen chamber with two tunnels on opposite walls leading deeper on, in opposite directions. Interestingly Vee noted, the tunnels did not much slant downwards, but proceeded more or less level, only thirty or thirty five feet below the surface. Swarms of bloated bugs buzzed here and there, no doubt attracted by the dampness. No stalacites, nor stalagmites, the floor of the cave was even, earthen, and beaten down. Trickles of water made their way down moldy walls. No sounds from either tunnel. No one present, no bandits, no prisoners, nothing. The “antechamber’s” radius was approximately sixty feet. The gnoll stench was strong. Little else could be seen or ascertained at this juncture. Nothing of any significance whatsoever littered the floors or walls. It was a cave..as caves go.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#134

Talia looked around. It was a bit of an anticimax, actually. Although after that fight, an anticlimax was a welcome change. She silently pointed at the right hand tunnel, then carefully snapped one fan open, trying not to make noise. She carefully started for the tunnel she'd pointed at.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#135

Aethelstan watched his allies disappear into the depths of the cavern. Briefly pausing to recover his prayer beads, Aethelstan then drew a torch from his battered leathern pack and laboriously brought it to smoky life. Sighing, he grimly followed his allies.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#136

Pausing in his search Vee remembered his conversation with Dujek before he was hit with dwarf axes. His hand strayed to the new throwing axe on his belt and the masterwork axe tucked into the straps of his bag. Might be worth a pretty penny if he didnt learn how to use it himself. He palmed the opal in his hand and looked back towards the entrance where the others stood. As Talia and Aethelstan entered the cave he trotted back to Dujek and handed him the opal and the scrollcase.

"These don't look of much use to me, but if you can use 'em to save our butts then do so, if you sell them, just don't forget I gaven 'em to you and would like a share of whatever you get for them." Vee gave the mage a sly look and headed back into the cave, his mind swirling with better ideas for the next encounter. He would have to catch up with the glass warrior and talk to him about working together from now on.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#137

--After MUCH deliberation and argument on the best course of action, and a cursory exploration of the surprisingly empty cave, the companions gathered the head and beard of Red Hatchet, the unpleasant head of the flind, and their newfound trinkets and coin, and returned to Ganse. The travel lasting a mere half-day was uneventful, and soon the group found themselves back in the languishing, dull walled town.

--Drinking from a mug of ale in Koron’s Tavern, a small, humble establishment, Aethelstan thanked St. Senren for his good fortune. And why not, he thought, the fighting was brutal, but here they all were, alive, and mostly well. Only a few folks sat around drinking this early in the day, but Aethelstan was now well rested and even began to chat up a few locals, with an eye toward making them see the light of St. Senren, and the wonder that was Andur. Moruz sat grimly next to Aethelstan, silently debating with himself , on the best way to go about constructing his next weapon, with this new bit of hardy laurel wood, and fixing his Ouzala, as he absent-mindedly flexed his three-fingered hand.

Overheard at Koron’s

--Why, ye be heroes now eh? Heheh..we don’t get us too many heroes in Ganse.

--Ya killed Red Hatchet? We’ve heard of that deathdealer. Worked for Jervoe, or so I’ve heard.

--Priest! Can ya heal my sickly cow?

--Dem bandits are getting outta hand! No law can stop them this far from the Empire. No one cares!

--I heard they got a mage working for dem too! And gnolls!

--Vee made his way from one decrepid shop to the next, his winning smile and personality fighting back the ennui and apathy of the shopkeepers. He managed to sell Red Hatchet’s pearl earring for 20 gold, and that was after a one-hour debate with the miserly gem-merchant, who specialized in mostly semi-precious stones. He unloaded two of the dwarven axes (keeping the other two), by embellishing their potential “mystical properties” and emphasizing Red Hatchet’s prowess with said weapons. He managed to get five gold coins apiece for them, but knew, ruefully, that in a larger town he may have gotten ten or more. The Dwarf’s golden codpiece was still unsold, a golden buckle in the form a leering bearded demon head. Those that wanted it, couldn’t afford it, those that could afford it, assumed the codpiece cursed. He could not find any takers for the flindbar either, but managed to sell off the flind’s necklace of teeth, to an enthusiast for 2 gp.

Taking a momentary break from his town travels, Vee stopped in on Aethelstan and Moruz. He was a bit excited with his latest news. Apparently he had discovered something called Dollor Powder, which was on sale in limited amounts, here and there about town.

>

--It fell upon Aerex to take the heads to the obnoxious city guard. But the pleasantly unexpected occurred. The guards recognized the dwarf’s head, and were impressed with the slaying. In fact, after a few hours, a few brews, and a few exchanges of tales, namedropping, and titles, Aerex was the star attraction in the guard barracks nightly “party”, which took place inside the barracks and was not open to all. He managed to unload the two heads for 30 gold coin in all, and get a written writ to lay claim to the slaying. Aerex thought about returning to the group, but was having too much fun partying with the city guard for the time being.

Nuggets of info from guards..

--Yeah, Jervoe supposedly has a base in the great Laurel Wood, but then again, his thugs have been known to pop up in the strangest places, in a quick and mysterious manner. Mayhaps that cave you found offers clues.

--As long as Jervoe doesn’t attack Ganse in force, we care little for his activities.

--Nah, we wont go after them, Aerex. It is not feasible. Have you heard by the way that they have some “illusionist”, whatever that means, working for them?

--Hey, care to join the guard Matare? Hehe

--Talia went about her own business, and before long she had found a fellow survivor from her caravan’s massacre! Loiha Pemnes, the snake-charmer, had also managed to escape that night! Talia nearly bowled the woman over in the streets, as Loiha sat there coaxing a harmless hillsnake from a bamboo cask. No one much cared for the performance and no coins clanged in her direction. The two women got to talking…

--Dujek sat in the corner of Koron’s and studied the scroll and opal. He could not figure out what was special about that blue rock, but the more he contemplated Find Familiar, the more he thought of the necessary ritual involved. Should he attempt it? He once heard a story of another mage who had accidentally summoned a grasshopper as a companion. That did not go well. Dujek didn’t want a grasshopper….

--Tristan, morose as ever, visited the tiny, local parish in an attempt to get his face sewn back on upon his return, and afterwards, his success unkown by hsi new companions, retired to an inn room to pray to Trigu. He had not emerged in hours.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#138

The fights were savage, but perhaps they would have been less so with better equipment, thought Aethelstan. He set about finding Vee and Talia. If the items the party had found had been sold successfully, perhaps they could purchase some armor for the violent Gypsy. If she would consider using armor and shield, she would be a formidable foe indeed! And if anything was left over, he needed a shield himself and, by Andur, a decent cloak! It wouldn’t do to be brought low by a cold when there were innocents that needed his help!

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#139

"No, you can arrest him!" Aerex joked as he walked out of the barracks door, gesturing broadly behind him. He had had more grog than he'd normally allow himself, but this was a celebration, after all. "I've already got my hands full!"

"Yeah, with that gypsy, I've bet you've got yer hands full o' somethin'!" a gruff voice shouted back, followed by uproarious laughter.

Aerex waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Youse wish there was a bounty on her!" he mocked, his Jantirian accent slipping out. He snickered unnecessarily loudly. "Alright, I'll see youse later." He took the last swig of grog in his jug and dropped it by the door, walking somewhat awkwardly toward the Koron's. The inebriated constable passed two pairs of women conversing outside of the tavern. He stopped for a moment, and blinked them into a single pair, one of which he recognized as Talia. Matare gave an arrogant smirk and a mock salute before stumbling into the tavern. He started for the bar, but a queasy feeling in his stomach made him reconsider. He glanced around. It was early, a couple hours before sunrise, and the bar was mostly empty. In a corner table, he spied the necromancer Dujek. "'Ey, Dujie!" he called out. Aerex walked over to the table and sat down backwards in the chair. "How're youse doin?" he asked pleasantly. "I gotta tell youse, that was some magic you pulled back there."

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#140

Vee sat down next to Dujek and Aerex, dropping the golden demon head codpiece on the table and jingling the pouch he had the gold coins in. "37 lousy gold pieces for the weapons, the necklace or teeth and the earring. I couldn't find a buy for the codpiece and it is worth alot more than those who were interested were offering. The gem-buyer offered me 10 pieces of gold for it and it is worth more than that in weight alone." Vee scowled. "The rest thought it was cursed."
He leaned back in the booth and looked aver the current patronage of the bar. "The opal needs to wait, there isnt enough of a market here to sell it for even a fraction of it's value. Besides, it's magic or something isnt it Dujek?"

Vee was also thinking if he could find a leatherworker or an honest to goodness armorer, he might be able to swap the codpiece for a suit of better armor. It was unlikely that such a person would hve a suit suitable for a gypsy bladedancer, but if nothing else, he might be able to get the glass warrior something a bit more stout. A suit of brigandine wouldn't be bad, but scale or chain would be better. "Hopefully Matere got better for the heads."

(OOC - considering terms of encumberance, Vee is going to sell the masterwork axe he was going to keep, but is going to keep the throwing axe that almost killed him. Souvenier :p)

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#141

Aerex pulled a small cloth sack from his backpack and slammed it on the table. "Thirty gold," he proclaimed, beaming. "Not bad for a couple o' thugs. 'Course, youse'll get more for Jervoe and his lieutenants. These two weren't exactly high ranking, y'know?"

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#142

"It might have been, but I don't think I'll be able to do anything for you in the morning, Aerex." That's about when Vee plopped himself down beside the two of them. "Well, Vee and my inebriated friend. I don't think we'll be leaving tomorrow, it seems to me that there might be a small problem with at least one member of our scragly bunch. As for me, one of these spell's on this scrolls got me interested, but it'll take a while to cast. 'Least a day, I think, not much longer though. And yeah, the opal's magic all right. Soon as I figure out what it does besides glow weird I'll tell you too."

Looking at the codpiece Dujek noted, "Well, that codpiece might well be cursed. It's old owner died a mighty painful death, you can't give it away, and I doubt that it's old owner was able to sell it either."

Finally, Dujek pushed himself away from the table and went to his room to cast the Find Familar spell. Besides, if he got a grasshopper he'd at least be able to eat a farmer outta house and home.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#143

Talia was glad that Loiha had also managed to survive. The two of them hadn't been especially close, but they were still family. "I thought I was the only one who'd got away," Talia was saying, "And even that was close."
Loiha nodded. "The same for me. Maybe there were others...?"
"Not that I've seen. Everyone from the north side of camp where I was... well, we didn't have much warning."
"On my side too. It was... they were everywhere."
Talia nodded, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the two blood-charms. "I've made a start, at least."
Loiha frowned for a moment. "Well, you know I'm not much of a fighter."
Talia shook her head. "It's all right. I mean to see them all rest. Romani, ils n'oublient jamais."
Loiha smiled faintly and finished the old saying. "Et ils pardonnent rarement."
"Find a new caravan, Loiha. 'Ni Tashin will take you in. Konos was his second cousin."
"Maybe."
Aerex chose that moment to walk past, and he was clearly drunk. Talia shook her head as he saluted her. "I best go see what the others are doing."
"So you've already found a caravan, then."
"In a manner of speaking. We all have mutual interests." She started drifting into the bar. "Mai le sourire d'ancêtres sur vous toujours, Loiha."

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#144

Moruz sat grimly next to Aethelstan, silently debating with himself , on the best way to go about constructing his next weapon, with this new bit of hardy laurel wood, and fixing his Ouzala, as he absent-mindedly flexed his three-fingered hand.

Before him, Moruz had new and old - Laying on the table was his current Ouzala, in a very sorry state: There was only one salvageable tooth on it; the rest was either gone or shattered in half. The actual shaft of the weapon had several chips and cracks on it: It was already a well-worn weapon, and Moruz knew that if he kept it, it may break at a vital moment. Wearing thick leather gloves, the glass warrior plucked that intact tooth out and placed it to the side. Ritually, he also removed the rest of the teeth and set the shards in a small pile.
Also on the table was a branch of raw Laurel-wood: He had used one of the dwarfs axes to cut himself an 8-foot long, sturdy branch and now had borrowed one of Vee's knives to carve a rough shape out of it. He was now working from the top of the wood downwards, slowly detailing the wood into a useable staff with the devotion and care found in his society.
He was trying hard to keep his mind off the fact that he had lost two fingers and a toe.
It was a while before Moruz realized that Aethelstan, who sat beside him, had lapsed into a thoughtful silence: It had been more than two minutes since he last heard of Wulfhere's adulation towards his saint! While the silence was welcome, he had grown used to the cleric's mannerisms. "Share your thoughts, priest." Moruz did not stop his task of working on a new design for Ouzala, and nor did he break his gaze from his work.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#145

--Dujek sat in lotus position in a shabby third floor room. For the second time he began his chant and for the second time, the window latch blew open, and the shutters started banging, distracting him once more. Dujek rose, picked up a chair and angrily stuffed it into the open space, right after he ripped the shutters off the wall.

Again he returned to his green-painted circle on the floor, and resumed his position. He reviewed the scroll. He wondered why whichever mage had possessed the scroll prior to him, never bothered to summon a "friend".

He checked his "components". Powdered garnet, check... candlewax...check...tear of caster..check...all that other stuff, check.

There was only one thing he was missing. A 'warriror's finger'. Easy enough to find, Dujek thought, just need to find a corpse or two. maybe visit the guard barracks. Then again, there was Moruz, he thought. Dujek wondered if the glass-shard warrior would lend him his meaty digit.

------sometime later-------(with whichever finger)

Grant my wish but
Dont give me a fish
Hear me roar
Gimme something that'll soar
keep your bat
I need not a rat...I'd take a cat

Once done with his silly limerick, one he had heard as a child, Dujek began casting in earnest. Arcane words rolled up from his throat and his gangly arms began gesturing wildly.

Six hours later, Dujek awoke from his exhaustion, and cast a hesitant eye toward the green circle. Sitting in the middle of the verdant ring, was a weird six inch lizard, its hide as green as the circle it now inhabited. It briefly opened its mouth, as if in greeting, but no sound issued forth. The lizard began earnestly scratching itself with one of its spindly back legs.

For a moment Dujek thought of shooing the thing away, explaining to it in lizardish, that he was anxiously awaiting something more important in that very circle, and if the lizard would just be kind enough to go away---Dujek stopped thinking.

Instead he stared. The lizard stared back.

--The companions were gathered again. All except Dujek and Tristan. The ale began to flow again, this time in dank, dark Koron's Tavern. Plans were hatched, equipment was discussed, and gold coin counted.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#146

Aethelstan contemplated the flask of sour wine that the serving wench had placed before him. While it was true that they had little coin to spare, he hated that the fact was so obvious. He supposed that he had nothing to complain of; Moruz had sacrificed more than any of their party, yet he sat stoically, repairing his weapon with inadequate tools and a maimed and clumsy hand.

“Twas solely by the grace of the Lord of Law that any of us did witness this dawn. I was warned… given a vision of the holy saint himself, yet I failed to lead us through the trial without dire harm; a failure that doth weigh heavily upon my soul.

“After tonight’s prayers, a candle I shall burn, and meditate upon this lesson and upon the vanity that led to it,” the tired monastic concluded.

“T’would be well that we not again assay the desert lands ‘til we arm ourselves more stoutly. This day, a merchant I did see, with a wondrous harness of stout leather, bolstered in the fashion favored in the Empire’s capitol. Mayhap it would fit our Gypsy friend, for it was formed for one of slight build. I would despair of buying such a harness from one of this land’s grasping merchants, but a wrangler more shrewd than I may find better fortune.”

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#147

"I'm sure the ol' saint'll forgive youse," Aerex said, slapping the priest on the back. "Speaking of which, where's the other one? His face was lookin' pretty bad. Maybe he went into that ol' temple?"

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#148

"It was no deity's grace which brought us through. Gods have no place in the battlefields of man." Moruz snorted and paused in his work, glancing at Aethelstan, "I have seen fields of death; mountains of corpses. Every one of those dead believed strongly in their saviour, yet their bones now lie beneath the shifting sands." The warrior sighed faintly and turned back to his weapon-in-progress. "Our gods are life. There no such thing as life in combat - only death."

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#149

Talia dropped into a chair next to Moruz. "I had a friend once who said he only felt alive when he fought. But seeing as he's dead now, I think I agree with you more. Of course, the guardian spirits rather expect us to be able to take care of ourselves." She poured herself a drink, then grimaced at the taste. "So what do we do now? We can't just rush into things again. We were lucky this time. Something akin to a strategy would be nice in the future."

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#150

"Well for one that last one was way to close to the Final Dance for my liking." Vee said. He knew that if it hadn't been for Aethelstan he would number with those poor bastards outside of the cave. "But I think we really need some sort of strategy or we are going to be hacked to pieces the first time we face an organized foe. If the flind had worked with Red Hatchet I bet half of us would still be in the mud and Red Hatchet would be looking at all of our weapons and not the other way around."

"We need to come up with some sort of...marching orders. Aerex and myself both happen to be effective with bows, so we might be better off on a second row. You (Moruz) and Talia seem to be pretty good with the hacking and stabbing part, warriors through and through, and would be best as the leads of the rows. I guess that puts Dujek with us archers so he can do his magicky stuff without fear of being cut in half, and Aethelstan and Tristan can go where they are needed, since they are good with weapons, and can heal those of us who end up getting wounded." Vee said as he gave a passing barmaid his best get something for free smile.

Watching the glass warrior repair his damaged Ouzala, as he called the glass sawblade, Vee was struck with an idea. While the others sank deeper into their stupor, especially the good constable, the rogue leaned forward and spoke very softly to the glass warrior, pitching him some sort of idea...

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#151

Aethelstan reflected a while. “I know not what to say! Perhaps t’would be too madcap an idea, that we should have our warriors stand afore us, with the magus and archers behind!

“Are we resolved then? Now that the necromancer and his vile reptile familiar have rejoined us, looking even more pallid and out-of –humour than before, shall we assay the wastes again? Whether we will or no, I fear we must, for I did witness the landlord reckoning his accounts anon and we are nigh out of coin.”

Aethelstan reflected that Dujek looked like he could use some fresh air.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#152

Moruz halted in his task as Vee leant closer and whispered something to his ear. His face was indistinguishable, but a quick glance was given to the rest of the party, before he turned and studied the fellow. There seemed to be a moment of indecision in his eyes, before he gave a faint nod. "Now?" He asked the dashing archaeologist.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#153

Moruz got up and followed Vee out the door. It was drawing close to night. The companions had agreed to leave at first light, and the duo did not have long to accomplish their nefarious plans.

Heading down the thoroughfare the two skulkers quickly found what they were looking for. Moruz and Vee exchanged glances, Vee with that certain glow in his eye, Moruz hesitant....

-----sometime later-----

Moruz stood leanng on his Ouzala and occasionaly blowing in his hands to warm them up. It was a chilly evening.

"What are ye doing standing there eh? you'll catch a cold"

Moruz looked over to see two city guardsman casually strolling along the road, approaching him. He was standing along a storefront of dusty, dingy shops. They were all closed for the night.

As if on cue, some weird clonk sounded from somewhere behind him. He was not sure if his own sense of hearing was just ratcheted up a notch due to Vee prowling somewhere nearby, or if the guards heard it too. They didnt seem to notice, but Moruz could not be sure.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#154

Aerex snorted as the K'tonian and the Ouzquin left. He leaned close to Talia, sticking his mouth near her ear. "I don't thrust that punk," he said in what he thought was a whisper. "I- I'd better follow 'em." He leaned against the table for support and bumped his chair as he stood to leave. Cracking his knuckles, he sauntered out the door.

"Now which way diddey go?" he asked aloud. He glanced down the dusty Ganse streets, looking for any clues...

(ooc: Attempting to Search for them. If I see them, I'll Move Silently and Hide to watch them. All drunkenness taken into account, of course. :wink:)

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#155

Seeing the inebriated investigator lurching out the door, Aethelstan grew concerned. “Aerax, thou art deep in your cups! You needs must take to thy rest, not rashly wander in the darkness! Little profit could such a quest bring!”

The smaller man appeared to ignore him, intent on his stealthy pursuit, so he gulped down the rest of his drink and followed.

“Thou hast seen the deeds of Moruz, his prowess and strange foreign honour. Certes, there may be cause to suspect the fey humours of Vee, but Moruz is not made of such weak stuff.” The naïve cleric continued his urging, concerned that his new friend would suffer a mischief, should he continue in his drunken state.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#156

Dujek and his new friend did not look good at all. The thing just kinda sood there looking sad, while Dujek had numerous small bitemarks on his fingers from getting too near that mouth. It's a quick bugger he thought. He watched as various members of their rather impromtu group wandered off on their own, in varying states of inebriatedness. Dujek looked down at the rot-gut concoction that the 'keep was trying to pass off as ale and decided that, all things considered, sleep was looking pretty d-mn good right now. Heading back to his room he started fooling around with the little blighter again, trying to figure out just what it could do, besides stand perfectly still for extended periods of time and then bite his fingers faster than he could blink.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#157

--Meanwhile, thirty feet and a few walls away from where Moruz was standing, Vee searched the gem merchant’s hovel of a shop. He had made sure to note and remember every detail of the place, while he was arguing over the price of that blasted pearl with the gem-merchant earlier in the day.

**Where was that pearl anyway?** he thought as he continued his search.

It was no use. He couldn’t find the strong box he had spied that morning, nor anything else worth of value. He proceeded through the connecting door, inwards, to the back room of the store.

Slowly as he made his way around the cluttered shop, a realization began to dawn on him. He fought the thought back as long as he could, but it was no use.

“Keykold!” the voice in his head demanded to be heard. “Surely you’ve figured it out by now eh?” What kind of addled gem merchant would leave behind all his “semi-precious” gemstones, in his dainty little shop, and go home, leaving them protected by a wooden door and a broken window. Did that axe to the chest scramble your instincts? Get the hell out of here before you get yourself and that warrior hanged!”

Vee continued looking around despite his own inescapable logic.

Soon a new, more palatable logic took over. Keykold…what is unique about Ganse? How do these folk think? It’s a honey-combed town, holes, caves, tunnels, crawlspaces….below.

Soon he was rolling up the rug in the second room, and searching for trap doors and cubbyholes in the floor.

Jackpot! He whispered, as he found one and quickly dismantling the latch, opened a shallow pit, wherein he spied the one box he had seen earlier that day. It was still here!

It was during the heated negotiations with the merchant, that Vee innocently inquired as to any possible healing salves, which could possibly be found around town. That’s when he first heard the term “dollor powder”, and now he was staring at a veritable treasure stove of the stuff. An iron box with a dozen or so vials and pouches, some labeled, some not. Most were labeled “dollor powder”, eight containers in total.

Others were labeled “sodium”, "sulfur", "nickel", “phosphorus”, “magnesium”, and one that said “?”. The last one’s label read “iron shavings”.

Nothing else was in the hole. No matter, Vee thought, that’s enough!

Though maybe not enough to die for, he paled suddenly, as he heard the commotion outside. Moruz had company.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#158

Moruz coughed loudly as that clunk behind him sounded - both to attempt to mask the sound, and as the warning signal for Vee to be silent! His gaze passed over the two guards then went left them, as though he was not much interested in them. Bending low, he used his now toothless Ouzala as a balance(It now only looked like a strange, curved staff) as he stretched deeply. "My race demands strict discipline - I must exercise during the harshest time of the day, so I decided that I would run laps about the town in this weather - it makes us stronger, you see!" He stood from his low bending, then raised one foot behind him, balancing deftly on it, "I merely paused here to do my stretches. Would you care to join me in a good workout?" He nodded towards the street before them, which led to the main road of Ganse - if you could call it a main road.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#159

--Even drunk, Aerex did not have much trouble finding the the pair. No wait, he peered through glassy eyes, that was Moruz, and two cityguardsmen, Vee was no where to be seen.

"Is this some jape then?" Aerex could hear one of the guards saying to Moruz good-naturedly. The other city guardsman spied the stumbling Aerex, gave a smile and an eloquent greeting..."Oy"

The first city guardsman was about to turn to look at Aerex as well, when another rattling noise, drew his attention to the storefront again.

"Whaddaya suppose that was?" the first guard asked Moruz and his fellow officer.

"Mischief thy name is Matare!" , came the rich voice of Aethelstan as he rounded the corner, forty feet back of Aerex. It was not too difficult following a drunkard, even in the dark. Aerex's stumbling and swaying could not be easily ignored.

Re: Back in the Day (Chapter I)

#160

Moruz blinked at the sound in the store, and turned to glance at the building, "Dunno; I bet a cat's gotten into the building." The bellowing sound of Aethelstan's voice caused the warrior to turn his gaze as he moved to look at the two stalkers, "Ha! It seems everyone is out tonight, hm?" He was trying desperately to make those guards convince that noise was unimportant, "Aerex... Just how much did you drink anyway?"