There was an explosion - and then a battle. Everything was covered in mist. There was a confusion, then another battle with unseen enemies. A retreat. Somehow, you have managed to stumble through a portal of some kind and the mists swallowed you.
Later, you woke up... someplace else. You've managed to regroup, but you've lost several members of the squad. Fortunately, the side effect of whatever mishap brought you from Golarion to this world was that you can now speak it's common tongue.
You've found out that the largest city near you is called Kaledun, and that you are in Kaledun Principality, part of a patchwork of domains between two mighty realms - Overduchy of Hohenbaurg and Sultanate of Tamur.
After several weeks of traveling, you are nearing the long line of wagons and people that seek to enter the city through its East gate, located on the south side of the city. The Imperial Road leads around the small mountain to the left of the line of wagons loaded with cask of wines and bags of grain, herds of pigs and sheep, long-horned cattle and halfling slaves.
Atop the mountain large stone tower rises towards the sky. The tower must be at least 400 feet tall, but it is so far from the road that it looks slender. The city itself can not be seen yet, since the hill in front of you blocks your view, but the wind blowing from the north bears the scents of smoke, filth and all those scents that follow every large congregation of folks gathered in one place for a long time.
Dawn broke few minutes ago, but the line is moving slow and you very well may wait till the evening to enter the city, unless you jump the line.
Lorth is struggling to adapt, and this pleases him. He cannot hear Pharasma's voice as cleanly in this new world - though it is still present. His arm itches and weeps blood where he has re-carved her spiral upon the dawn, but he does not seek to bind the wound.
As they approach the city, he moves to join the end of the line. Content to absorb the boredom and stifling head so that he shall not need to wait when he arrives at the Boneyard's gates.
Standing with his men in the line, he looked down to the city gates, a long snake of people and... others stretching across the field. Damn it he thought to himself.We should hurry in, but how to do so, and not break some local law and get us into trouble?
He looks around at his people and others waiting in the line with them.
** spoiler omitted **
"That gentleman looks fairly official, sir," Zeltirina adds to the sergeant, with a nod towards a distant figure, who stands perhaps half a mile away clad all in black, with a red banner hanging from the end of his lance as he rests his horse.
"If we can somehow attach ourselves to his business, that might give us a way to bypass the queue... provided he's headed into the city, rather than out."
"It's worth a shot. And it would be nice to have some semblance of a friend in this place. Who knows how many things around here we are not aware of. We'll wait until he comes nearer, then approach him. Zeltrina and Tenobia with me in the first row. We need to make a positive impression, so the rest of you stand behind us and look tough and competent, but not too tough, since we don't want to appear threatening."
The horsemen does not relax, although he removes his hand from the hilt of his blade. Now that you are closer, you can see that the sword on his hip is long and gently curved in its sheath. "Well, you must be strangers if you do not recognize this uniform. Or really clever scoundrels. Either way, you should know that I belong to the Cockatrice Knights of Kaledun. And I'm afraid that it's forbidden to us to have retainers. We work alone, you see. But I can feel that you have an interesting story to tell. Pray, do so. It should help the time pass more swiftly while I wait for my mount to recuperate."
Speaking casually to Zeltrina This a lone man Zeltrina and we are not here to entertain scuffing and almost spitting the words I mean no disrespect to his "Grace" of course making what would be a formal salute to the knight in a sarcastic way.
After listening to Tenobia speaking It is an honor alright with sincere words We also need some help that is true too and friends are short supply I hope we can befriend him, might have to use my charm on him if I must
"It is true, we came here from a completely different realm, flung by a mishap we don't quite understand. We desire to go back home, and since this was the largest city in the area, we thought it to be the best place to search for help. So, in essence we don't really know where we or how we came to be here. That is the whole story."
Arnad carefully watches the knight, too painfully aware of how ignorant they are, and that they could easily talk to a wrong person and get in trouble. So as they speak, he tries to discern if the knight speaks true or is just putting a face for them.
"Very well", says the horseman. "My name is Damyan. I am in a bit of a hurry, but your need seems to be pressing as well. And your tale is intriguing. I think that you should meet the head of my order. If there are magical mishaps in the Kaledun District that bring folks from other worlds, he should be made aware of that. Do you have horses?"
"Hmmm... Very well. There is an old saray a couple of miles from here. It's on the left side of the road, in the little valley. You will see a lot of horses there. The place is called Drum's Creek and it serves as the horse market, ever since the Lord Mayor forbid it inside the walls of Kaledun. Go there and look for the man called Jezda. He will provide you with horses. After that, you'll have a day to reach the headquarters of my order in Kaledun, or become fugitives."
The knight throws himself in the saddle and rides off. You decide to follow the road and after an hour of walking you arrive at what seems to be a large fair of horseflesh - and not only horseflesh. In the small valley in front of you thousands throng the improvised streets that lead between the roped horses, caged griffons and hipogriffs, wyverns and other flying creatures. There are even large bipedal lizards with large claws and curious-looking saddles.
In the middle of that commotion there is a large but plain building, with large red letters painted on a whitewashed wall. "Jezda's Tavern".