Riding Through the Night
Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's
"I hope not. I don't ever want to see those things again, much less two nights in a row." Farron leans back and closes his eyes, glad of the fire and the warmth it provides.
From: Ty
Subject: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night
Rennik pushes his pony hard, and the group from Overlook make good time. Within hours, the sky turns a faint red in the East, and the air begins to take on a dim light. The cloud cover has lasted several days not, but it is impossible to get used to. There is an unnaturalness to it that defies acceptance. Garyth's mind wanders as the thud of his horses feet hypnotize him. Would the unnatural dark eventually begin to drive them mad? Would it kill all of the plants? Could the demon win by just starving them out? He wonders idly how many ships might be sitting outside the heavy cover right now, waiting for it to pass so they can make port, and cursing because the lighthouse has gone dark.
Robert rides up next to Osred. He is quiet for a while, then begins speaking in low tones. "Do you think Hieronious took Pickle to him? Pickle- I mean Kenneth, wasn't a very religious man. His church was whorehouses, I think." Osred laughs. He'd never met a man more obsessed with women than Kenneth. Robert continues, "But he was a warrior. He'd fight like a demon for his friends. He never prayed to any gods, I don't think. But might Hieronious take a man like that anyway? For being a warrior? For being true to his friends, and dying in battle?"
The Falcon rides quietly for a moment. "I don't like to think that the demon got him. Or any black gods for that matter. What happens to a good man who does not pray?"
Behind them, Pensive rides lost in thought. Or, something both less and more than thought. The tapestry of lives on the island. The thousands of connections and feelings that drift across him like spider webs. Men in east, filled with terror. Men in the west, hiding in confusion. And always, always the black and red throb to the north. Like a heavy weight of rage smashing down on everything. Pensive instinctively knows what the others do not. That the clouds, the army, the murders and burnings and ravaging are just symptoms of that rage. Anger like a terrible storm. Anger that abandons reason. The demon surely has plans. Surely moves to secure its power and its eventual release. But even if it did not, it would murder and burn and darken anyway. Just to make others suffer like it suffers. It is a reckless hate defying thought. It makes his head hurt.
His hand drops to his side, and brushes up against something hard in his pocket. He reaches in and pulls out a small figure in hammered silver. There is a leather cord on it, like a necklace. A charm? But holding it in his hands, he feels a warm peace radiating from it. The faint touch of something vast and divine. A holy symbol then. And one with power. But where did he come by it?
Elvira. She must have slipped it into his pocket when she embraced him. He is surprised at her hidden depths once again. He did not think a human would have had sufficient skill to plant something on him without his knowledge. And how did she come by such an obviously potent token in the first place? There is more to her than he knew. He feels something shift, with an almost physical click. A connection falls into place with her, and by extension her people, that locks him firmly into place. He is her champion now. She is sending him off to battle with the demon carrying her most potent weapon. He is surprised by how right it feels.
The day comes and goes, Rennik allowing the men to stop only once. By nightfall, everyone is falling asleep in the saddle. When they stop, no fire is built. A quick meal is eaten, and then men collapse into a sleep plagued by nightmares.
[stopping for RP or whatever. Everyone please check in.]
From: Ty
Subject: ok, both groups are on the same day at least
So, after the overlook group checks in, I will write turns for both groups for the following day.
From: Ty
Subject: ok, both groups are on the same day at least
From: Dan
Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's
I don't have anything that needs to be said, Ty. If you want to put some words in Kasen's mouth that's fine, I won't be back online until some time on the sixth.
"I Am Asha Eradu"
Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night
Pensive keeps the figurine in his pocket until they make camp, and then runs his fingers over it, strains to see it in the dimness. Beneath the canopy of the forest, without daylight, with no stars or moon, even his elf-sight is of little use for such a task. He would have to examine it more carefully in the morning.
He has seen holy objects before-- the ruadil of the low elves, and the behilim of the gnomes. Something is different about this one. He'd held the behilim of Little Grelling-- he'd had to, in order to be baptised into the gnomish community-- but felt nothing like this.
It was like holding a piece of the Mossground. The peace of the Mossground. Pensive lifts the figurine to his nose and breathes deeply. It wasn't the Mossground. . . but it was, somehow. Something of Stone formed it, something of Blood filled it.
Champion. The word whispers to him from the figurine, passing through his fingers, to the tattoo on his neck, warming it. His arms and legs tingle against the cords of silk he's tied there. This holy object was not an affront to the Path. It was a complement to it. Such a thing. . . Pensive kisses the figurine, tastes Stone, tastes Blood. He lifts the cord over his neck, lets it dangle down his chest. It is right. Though no monk of the Path of Blood and Stone had ever worn a holy object before, it is right that he do this now. Had not the Kaishin come? The Path would be washed clean by Blood, the Stone renewed. And perhaps this. . . he had no name for it. This holy thing was a herald of that renewal. A symbol of hope on this dark island. I will wear you, until I am you, he whispers to the figurine. It is an echo of the monk's earliest prayer-- to walk the Path until his flesh is Stone.
Wearing it, the evil of the Shadow does not beat at his mind so much. Here was the tether that bound him to Elvira, to all the people on the island. In this holy symbol, he was their champion. And they were his own people, elves or not.
Pensive rises in the darkness, and finds Garyth. "There is something you should know, Garyth, that I have not told you." He keeps his voice low. "I am asha eradu-- I'm sorry, there's no word for it in Common. I can feel emotions from other people. Strong emotions, only-- I cannot keep from being cheated at the market any more than the next man. But I know that on this island, there are men in east who still run in terror from the Shadow we saw on the battlefield; and in the west, I know that men are cowering from the Shadow they expect to see." Pensive pauses. "I know the guilt you felt when Kenneth was murdered. I know that you still feel it like wound-- like a wound that won't close."
"I know what Kor Garesh is feeling. I've felt him. . . reach for people three times now. All ordinary people, all townsfolk. When he touched them, they became part of his hunger. They became choatic and hurtful. Spiteful. I don't know. . . I don't know if he could reach anyone in our company."
OOC: Ty, the holy symbol is a great touch.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night
Pensive will take first watch.
It's All On Osred
Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night
A rapid succession of emotions run through Garyth as Pensive speaks. Anger and vulnerability at the thought of his emotions being invaded, quickly tempered by a strange relief that his pain is shared, then fear of the demon's power, then resolve.
"Thank you for telling me this," he says. "It makes it all the more clear that we must be swift and remain vigilent."
He turns and beckons to Osred and Rennik. When they draw near, Garyth repeats Pensive's worries about the demon's power to them. "We have to be careful," he says. "The demon's arm is long, and none of us is completely safe from him. But I think of all of us, sergeant, you may be the safest--your closeness to Hieronious may help shield you." He pauses for a moment and looks straight into Osred's eyes. "If the rest of us should fall to the demon, you must see this through." He lets the words sink in for a few seconds, then continues. "In any case, for now we're still our own, and we should take what precautions we may. No solo patrols or watches--not that we would anyway, of course, but the less time alone any of us have the better. And though we must be watchful, we cannot allow our suspicions to run away from us. I'm sure the Black One would like nothing better than to see us all die stabbing each other in the backs."
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night
Osred gazes steadily as Robert as the man speaks, then finally shakes his head. "Kenneth made his choice. He worshipped at the altar of worldly pleasures, and he'll collect his reward for that. It's a hard truth, Robert, but better you hear that than a comfortable lie. You make a choice in this life, you face the consequences. I was a brawler before I found Hironious, and I worshipped the false gods of ale and flesh, same as Kenneth. If I'd died before Hieronious lifted my face to His Light, I'd have had no god to protect me in the life after this one. I'd have been alone in the cold, lost forever in the freezing darkness."
"Kenneth has a chance he wouldn't have had if he'd fallen at the hand of an ordinary enemy. The foe that ended him was the tool of a Great Evil, and Kenneth stood before it, sacrificing himself that those townpeople might live. Because of him, fewer souls will be devoured by the abomination, and there are fewer servants of that Evil to do it's work. That is was a great good, and the gods of good may take pity on him and guide him in the next world because of it. Hieronious may yet offer him a place as a foot soldier in his Great Host."
He rides in silence for a moment. "This is a time of testing, Robert, and the gods watch what happens here. Hieronious can be your shield against this Evil. If you feel the tentacles of this Kor Garesh wriggling at the edges of your mind, call on The Lord, and he will help you."
From: Jake
Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night
Osred meets his captain's eyes, his face grim. "My strength is nothing compared to Kor Garesh's, sir, but my Lord is stronger still, and he will not let me fail in this. Through His grace I will finish this."
OOC - Ty, I've updated Osred's upcoming spell list to reflect the new, not shepherding situation the PCs find themselves in.
The Wizards Arrive; Tichenor Gone and Back
Subject: Re: Leaving the town behind; riding through the night
Pensive says to the men gathered near him. "The Shadow is subtle. If it reaches for you, you may not notice it." He remembers how _right_ it felt. How. . . justified. "The first time I felt it, I was watching a group of boys bully a younger boy. I tried to stop them, and the Shadow touched one of them. It fed his aggression and anger." He swallows. "And mine as well. I was ready to kill him. It felt so. . . right. Justifiable. The Shadow does not place its own thoughts in your head. It feeds the thoughts that are already there, the equivocations, the small miseries, the furies that spin about in one's mind.
"We are all vulnerable," Pensive says, but he is looking at Rennick. How far could the halfling be trusted, wild as he was? Certainly, he had a good heart-- Pensive had seen it at the farm. That would have to be enough. He hoped it would be enough. Hoped that the goodness in Rennick's heart would win out over his wildness when the proving time came. "I met an old woman who shrugged off the touch of Shadow-- though her life had been bitter, still she was able to push it away." The reverence in his voice is clear-- and he is touching Elvira's holy symbol, openly displayed on his chest.
"Blood and Stone will abide," he finishes. "I know what Sand and Shadow feel like, and what words they whisper. And I will stand against them with you all. I will warn you when I feel them, and help protect you all."
From: Dan
Subject: Re: The wizards plus one; almost to Gully's
Well, as my posting on various fora has obviously demonstrated, I'm back online and not confined to public libraries any more. While I don't have many kind things to say about the process of moving, at least I'm online again.
Anywho, were we waiting for me to add something before moving on with the wizards, or are you swamped at work again, Ty?
From: Ty
Subject: Everyone moving toward Gully's
The Wizards and Kasen
Kasen wakes the wizards up by making a lot of noise with the breakfast preparations. Sa'id rises feeling better than he has in days, a feeling amplified by seeing his friend also wake up. Farron still looks gray and drawn, but there is a hint of color in his cheeks, and he seems to be able to move about without help. Once again, he eats like a starving man, making apologies the entire time.
Kasen takes a twig from the breakfast fire and lights a lantern. Now that they are under the thick canopy of trees, the faint light coming through the heavy cloud cover is almost non existent. Fortunately, the path the knight found is well worn and clearly visible. The group has only been following it for a few hours when Kasen calls a halt. He gestures Sa'id forward and asks, "Is that it?"
Sa'id can barely see it through the thick growth and dim light, but there is indeed a wooden building thirty or so feet ahead. He rides forward a little bit, and it comes into focus. It's one of the outbuildings. Probably the smokehouse. They have arrived at Gully's.
Unfortunately, the trading post is quite dark. No smoke from the chimney. No lights come from any of the windows. It is also very quiet.
[Let me know what you want to do]
*************************************************
Garyth, Rennik, Osred and Pensive
The men retire to their bedrolls. Robert had clearly been sobered by Osred's words, and had spent his time at dinner staring morosely into their small fire. It was so out of character for the usually chatty Falcon, that even the taciturn Munch tried to draw him out with jokes. But Robert would just shake his head.
Vincy had gotten a chance to speak to Osred to one side, and said "Sergeant, you know Robert and Pickle were close. You couldn't have gone a little easier on him? Not that I question your understanding of things spiritual, mind you. You are a true man of the Gods, and no mistake. But maybe now wasn't the time for the harsher side of religion?"
Osred grabbed the corporal's shoulder roughly. "Now is exactly the time. Now, when good and evil meet so openly, and with such high stakes. Now, when all our lives may be forfeit. Now is when the truth must be spoken, Vincy. No mincing, no hiding harsh realities. Face the facts of your existence head on, or turn around and go back to the town. Or do you think that demon will be careful not to hurt your feelings?" Vincy did not reply.
In this state the men went to their beds. The following morning, they speak little.
Rennik once again leads them at a hard pace, putting miles behind them very quickly. The horses are beginning to show signs of weariness, but they are given no rest. If they fall over dead at the trading post, they will have served their purpose. No horses would go with them into the jungle.
They stop once again for a short lunch, but this time when they are ready to leave, Rennik whistles and calls to Tichenor with no success. The wolf seems to have disappeared. Garyth is prepared to wait and let Rennik find him, he has not forgotten how useful the wolf has been as an ally, but Rennik shakes his head and climbs on his pony. "No. He is full grown. No need to coddle him. He'll rejoin us when he wishes." But the Halfling can't hide the worry on his face as he says it.
The rest of the day passes without incident, and when the group stops, Rennik declares them less than a days ride now from Gully's. "We will see it by afternoon tomorrow." As he is speaking, Tichenor suddenly appears, trotting over to his master, his mouth open in a big wolfish grin. Rennik grabs the wolf roughly by the fur around his throat, and thumps his flank. "Where have you been?" The wolf just sits down and begins licking its chops. Though, when Rennik pats his flank in one spot, Tich gives a little yelp. Rennik searches under the fur and finds a wound. Narrow, shallow, and long. A knife cut, or possibly an arrow graze. He looks the wolf over more carefully, and finds blood on the wolf's muzzle and face. Not his own blood.
"Who did you get in a fight with?" But the wolf doesn't answer, he just continues to grin.
[Stopping for check ins]
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward Gully's
"Is that it?" Kasen asks.
Sa'id nods. "Yes," he says, quietly. "It looks like he's gone, his wolf would probably have greeted us by now. Wait a moment."
He dismounts, rummaging in his component pouch. "I will cast a pair of glamours and look."
OOC: I don't have my list handy, but I want Pro' Evil and Mirror Image if I've got 'em. Then I'll go around to the front door and have a look. I'll also look in any windows I pass by.
From: Dan
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward Gully's
Kasen shakes his head. "We should go together, Sayeed, if the owner has fled or been consumed the undead army will have moved on. If they lie in wait for us, well, Elise has a very good idea of what tricks we three have up our sleeves. I doubt we'll be able to approach undetected. Better to go on as one."
Searching Around Gully's
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's
"Careful", Farron insists. "Gully's smart and knows there's darkness at work that knows where he lives, too. If I were him, I'd make this place look as abandoned as possible whether I was here or not. I got the impression that his wolves would obey him if he told them to stay hidden. Maybe we should let him know who we are and that we're out here before we go sneaking up on him." He thinks for a minute and adds, "There's another possibility, too. We did send that young halfling back this way. It's possible that Gully has gone to try to reunite him with his people."
(ooc - if I recall correctly, there were several wolves, not just one. right?)
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's
Already a few paces ahead, Sa'id turns to look at the other two men. "I'm going to knock on the door. There won't be any sneaking. Kasen, it's more important that you stay with Farron until he regains his full strength." He pauses. "I don't expect trouble, but I'm prepared for it... and I'm not going very far."
OOC: For now I'll just cast Pro' evil, not Mirror Image. Then, as described, I'll go around to the front door. If I don't see anything notable on my way, I'll knock on the door and identify myself.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's
Pensive has nothing to add-- he'll take the first watch.
From: Dan
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's
Kasen sighs, "pick your battles," he thinks, "there isn't going to be anything there anyway."
Nevertheless, he wasn't going to be completely foolish about this. "Very well, Sayeed, this trader does know you and the sight of a large man in armour might unnerve him a little. But we'll follow you until we can see the door."
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's
Sa'id nods. "That's a good idea. I suspect the place is empty, but better safe than sorry."
OOC: D'oh, I meant to suggest that. Off I go!
From: Ty
Subject: Searching around Gully's
Sa'id mumbles the words of the Protection from Evil spell, and moves across the clearing from the smokehouse to the trading post. He can hear the clank of Kasen moving into position behind him. He also seen Farron looking through his spell book that morning, and it was reassuring to know that his friend probably had a head full of spells to cover his back with.
In the very faint light, the trading post looks dead. The windows are still broken from the skeleton attack, and most are boarded up. No light shines from anywhere. No wolves can be seen. Sa'id suppresses a shiver, and then knocks on the big split log door. Nothing. He turns back around to gesture at Kasen, when he feels the door open behind him. Sa'id feels his back go tense, expecting the sharp pain of a knife or the grasping bony hands of a skeleton. Nothing.
He turns around, and in the dim interior of the trading posts main hall, can see the little Halfling. He is standing in the middle of the room with one of the big winter wolves by his side. Gully is not in sight. The wolf is not growling, but there is something in its stiff legged stance and watchful eyes that makes Sa'id nervous. He thinks back two weeks. Did the boy speak common? No. He only spoke Halfling. Thank goodness Sa'id knows that tongue.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's
Two weeks ago. It might as well be a lifetime, but thankfully years of memorizing arcane glamours had left Sa'id's memory fairly robust. Manut, the halfling boy they'd sent to Gully's on a magical mount with a note from Farron explaining the situation. And here he was, at Gully's, but no sign of Gully himself. Sa'id does his best not to think about what that probably means.
Sa'id crouches down slowly and looks at the boy, trying to be as open and reassuring as possible. "Hello, Manut. Do you remember me?" he asks in the Halfling tongue. "I'm glad to see you made it here safely... I'm sorry that Gully wasn't here. We thought he would be."
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's
"Gully is here," says the voice from the dark doorway to the kitchen. "And I remember you, sir. I remember you fighting to save my home from the skeletons. I hope that you're the same person that left here, but that ain't sure, not by a long sight. Many who've come by lately look human, but ain't on the inside."
Gully moves a little way out of the doorway, and Sa'id can see a large loaded crossbow in his hands. "The redhead came back and took her horse. She killed one of my wolves for fun. Now all the rest've run off, 'ceptin' Cutter, of course."
Sa'id catches a glint out of the corner of his eye, and looks to see Manut pulling a large knife from behind his back. One hand is on Cutter's broad back. Sa'id gets the feeling that if he makes the wrong move, Gully's crossbow bolt, and Cutter's enormous teeth will be launched at him at the same moment.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's
OOC: Gully speaks Halfling? O_O That's very lucky for me! :)
"I'm sorry," Sa'id says, this time in Common. "I'm sorry she came back here." He glances at his feet, then looks back up at Gully.
"I have two friends outside. The other wizard who was with me before, and a friend from Nesalin. We were separated from the others but sent them a message to meet us here. I hope they will be here in another day." He pauses, extending his right hand. "If it will help, throw me one of your crossbow bolts and I will cut my hand to show that I bleed."
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's
I mentioned that when you ran into him the first time, I think. He spoke to Rennik in Halfling, and mentioned that he trades with the wild folk quite often.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's
Gully hesitates a moment, then lowers the crossbow.
"No. No need for that. You are welcome to stay here, though I have precious little left to offer." He gestures around the room at the mostly empty shelves. "When those tattooed little folk come through, they help themselves to whatever they want. Cutter and the boy and I wind up hiding in the woods till they leave. I've got a few supplies hidden away that I can share."
He puts the crossbow down, and says to Manut, "Put the knife away, boy. These are friends."
Manut nods. He slips the knife into the sheath on his back and steps over to Sa'id. In Halfling he says, "I remember you. Thank you for sending me here. The fat man is very nice to me." Gully laughs. "I guess he didn't see many fat men in his life in the wilds. He seems amazed by my gut."
Gully walks over to the broken and boarded front window, to peer out through a crack. "I guess you should call your friends in. The soldier is starting to look nervous."
From: Raja
Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's
Sa'id smiles, and switches back to Halfling. "Thank you both. Shuk'ran, as my people say."
Standing, he pokes his head out the door. "You can come in -- Gully's here," he says to his two companions. Turning back to Gully, Manut, and Cutter, he adds, again in Halfling: "Our soldier friend, Kasen, has some provisions from Nesalin. He's a good cook. Maybe we'll be able to help you as much as the other way around."
OOC: That's right, I vaguely remember that Gully spoke Halfling, now that you mention it.
Garyth Proposes a Patrol
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward GUlly's
Garyth frowns. As tired as they were, they could ill afford to be attacked now. "We need a secure perimeter before we settle in."
OOC: If Rennik is amenable, Garyth will want to do a short patrol around the camp before bedding down, say 50 or 100 yards out. Rennik on point, Garyth and Vincy flanking, and Robert trailing for covering fire. The others to remain on guard until the patrol returns.
Kasen Enters the Inn
Subject: Re: Searching around Gully's
Kasen exhales slowly, trying not to let on that he had been holding his breath for the entire time Sa'id has been talking to shadows. Nodding at Sa'id's call he comes into the inn.
OOC: Ty, what do we have in the way of provisions?
Sa'id Asks About Elise
Subject: Gully's
Sa'id waits while Kasen and Farron tie their mounts and come inside. Gully's is a wreck. It looks like he didn't even have a chance to properly clean up after the battle they'd had here. And the Devourer's soulless halfling servants are still looting the place at every opportunity. He wonders, idly, about the mechanism by which the imprisoned entity is able to consume and subvert the souls of others. There was the contracts they had seen among the Murrkat tribesmen, but it seemed that it might not always work that way. And who issued these contracts? Had Elise signed one?
"You said... the woman came back," Sa'id says to Gully. "Was this some time ago? More than a week? We've encountered her or her servants several times since we left here, but we have yet to get the best of her. We're after her master now."
Sa'id sighs. "There has been so much death... the priest who travelled with us, she murdered him. I just hope our other friends are still alive."
Rennik Approves
Subject: Re: Everyone moving toward Gully's
[OOC: Sorry it's been a while. Work's been busy.]
Rennik takes the time to clean Tichenor's wound with water from his pouch, and the wolf then laps at the graze with its tongue. Saying a small prayer of thanks to Mielikki for his companion's safety, he approaches Garyth and the others.
"There was a scout. At least, I hope there was only one. By Mielikki's grace, Tichenor sensed our danger. It seems from a small slash on his flank, and the blood on his muzzle that his attacker did not fare well."
He pauses while his words take root.
"If what Friend Pensive says is true, and the dark god already knows where we are, I can only guess the scout's intentions. Perhaps it was to lay a trap for us, or to spy on us. Perhaps it is part of a larger hunting party. It is impossible to tell."
Garyth is the first to respond, and Rennik once again sees how he is growing into a strong leader.
"We need a secure perimeter before we settle in. If you and the wolf take point, Vincy and I can flank you. Robert, I want you to come along to offer covering fire."
Rennik only nods and leaves the bulk of his equipment at the camp, taking only his weapons. Garyth's men spring into action just as quickly, following orders with trained efficiency and devotion to their leader.
[OOC: All good for the perimeter sweep. Hopefully it will be uneventful.]