Sioned positions herself between Kloss and Lawson. "Don't you know the rules here? People who start fights here get arrested and it'll be your word against ours. Do you really want to risk it?"
With a sad look in his eyes, Caliban continues to bristle...
Suryani is momentarily frozen by the display of hostility, and is even a bit reluctant to intervene. When Kloss goes down however, she overcomes her shock and kneels down, reaching out a hand to him to let some of the Dawnflower's healing power reach him. You'd better not be some evil demon...
Looking up at Timeon, she says, "Tim, stop, you're not helping," her voice breaking with panic.
Drunk
Lawson turns his head to look at Sioned, as Crabb offers nervously: "Maybe she's right, Law. Let's get outta here before Dawai..." but the other mercenary cuts him off. "She's just talking out of her ass, I'll leave when I'm good and ready."
As Suryani heals the downed Tiefling, Caleb's speech seems to have fallen on deaf ears as well. "I can 'detect evil' fine enough with mine own eyes. We're taking this wretch to the..." But he trails off at the sight of the elf ready to draw his sword. "Hey, now. Let's not get too hasty -" he drops his sword as a gesture of good will and raises an open hand to the sky "- let's take the Imp to the hunters together, let god sort this one out."
drunk, intimidated
drunk, intimidated
drunk, power attack
Timeon thinks this is his moment to shine. He spits "I'm sick of listening to this drunk a#$*+#*." and sucker punches Lawson in the gut once his head is turned. Lawson only growls at this. A well-trained wrestler, he unceremoniously frees his hand from the younger warrior's grasp and throws him to the dirt. Then, like any good lackey, Crabb kicks the boy in the ribs once he hits the ground - for good measure.
Lawson puts his hands back up in the air and retreats a few steps from Suryani, seemingly ready to talk. Timeon whimpers in pain on the ground while Crabb chuckles, "You stay down now, if you know what's good for you."
Caliban: INIT 16
Timeon: INIT 19, Prone
Lawson: INIT 10, Drunk, Intimidated, HP -3
Crabb: INIT 10, Drunk
Sioned: INIT 7
Caleb: INIT 6
Suryani: INIT 5
Kloss: INIT 5, HP -9
---
Arshea, grant me grace Sioned thinks to herself.
While everyone's distracted, Sioned lunges at Lawson's dropped sword and grabs it.
"Where I am from, a 'man' still proves his worth with a man, not against a child. Leave."
Stars... Light... Desna?.. Kloss' head is spinning as he mutters random words and phrases. Man.. no man.. ritual.. blood
And you, moon? The moon doesn't let me in. Say something...
Kloss looks at Suryani and finally says Star... as his consciousness seeps back in. Feeling weak, and not sure what to expect, he tries to back away over the ground.
Caleb will draw his bastard sword and step over the tiefling putting himself inbetween Kloss and Lawson and his cretin friend, This man has done no harm to anyone here. If you strike him again you will have to answer to me for your dishonorable conduct!
Suryani kneels next to her brother with a concerned look on her face. "Tim, you fool, when are you gonna learn some restraint," she whispers as she quickly checks for broken ribs where he got kicked.
She then stands up and positions herself next to Caleb, placing a hand on the paladin's shoulder. Her hand starts to glow softly with a golden light, that quickly envelops her body, and takes the form of a pair of golden wings that just as quickly dissipate, leaving behind a soft golden halo that shimmers around her head.
"You best listen to the man. We're all on the same side here, and if anyone truly had evil intent in their heart, do you really think they would arrive here on this holy day?"
Sioned scoops up Lawson's sword as Suryani and Caleb present a unified front against the sell-swords enveloped briefly in holy light. Seeing this isn't any normal troupe of refugees, the mercenary finally relents. "Alright, alright. I get it..." Crabb looks to his friend for guidance and receives only a nod in the direction away from the fire.
Lawson's eyes scan each member of group, finally resting on Caliban and striking a more serious tone than before. "He'll be a man soon enough, Elf, it's time he learned this lesson. As for the rest of this sorry crew - you are the company you keep." He sneers, eye staring daggers at the slowly retreating Tiefling.
Lawson then holds out a hand out to Sioned. "Return my sword and I'll take my leave. I'm in no mood for any more of this." Crabb hangs unsteadily on the hilt of his sword, still sheathed, trying to look more serious himself but too drunk to stand firm.
---
Caleb will reach a hand down offering to the tiefling to help him up. Are you hurt my friend?
Suryani helps her brother sit up and tries to relax; the young woman is still visibly trembling from the excitement. She slaps her brother on the shoulder, but smiles as she says, "What did you hope to accomplish, you big fool, let me take care of that," clutching the symbol around her neck.
"Sarenrae, mend my brother's wounds and forgive him, he is brave but foolish," the woman whispers as a soft blue light radiates out from her.
Lawson then holds out a hand out to Sioned. "Return my sword and I'll take my leave. I'm in no mood for any more of this."
"I'm glad we agree." At that, Sioned lobs the sword towards Lawson's feet. I should be tossing this farther away from him... Sioned thinks.
Sioned then turns to Kloss. Kloss, are you all right now?
The false bravado of these humans, typical... Although I almost sounded like one there... sigh
The elf returns to his stump, keeping half an eye on the retreating drunks, and half on the group surrounding this Kloss.
Lawson bends down and roughly scoops his sword off of the ground. The two mercenaries disappear off into the night without another word.
Timeon rubs the back of his head sheepishly and quietly apologizes to his sister, "Sorry, Suri... I was so sure that I could help." You can see the disillusionment in his face as he wipes the dirt and tears from his eyes with a piece of cloak. He gives a weak smile to the group, "That's enough revelry for me for one night, goodnight all." and leaves for the evening.
At his departure, everyone notices that the fires have died down considerable from the start of the night and many other crusaders are also slowly packing it in and returning to their tents. There are still other singing and carrying on, however, around other fires with no interest in sleeping quite yet.
---
Suryani nods to the others, as she quickly hurries after her brother to find a suitable place to bed down for the night. Her eyes dart left and right, eager to avoid another scuffle.
Kloss feels disoriented after passing out, and just asks was I away for a long time?. The blackness seemed like an eternity, but then the lights! I would've sworn...
Drunk louts, almost had me. I should be careful it doesn't become a habit around this place.
You and your brother... Kloss resumes, talking slowly as his head is still spinning, .. you stood up for me. I appreciate that. Saying this, he also nods to Caleb, Caliban and Sioned.
Kloss makes sure he doesn't stray too far from these helpful individuals - he's learned his lesson.
Interesting, it expresses thanks. Unusual, this bears watching...
"Best wishes all. goodnight."
Kloss feels disoriented after passing out, and just asks was I away for a long time?.
"You were out for several moments but Suryani healed you quickly. We were able to quickly shoo off the drunkards without anyone getting killed or even stabbed. I use 'we' loosely since I'm not sure how much I actually helped."
Caleb is going to look around for a shrine or something to Ragathiel, he wants to get a better holy symbol than what he has.
Caleb is going to look around for a shrine or something to Ragathiel, he wants to get a better holy symbol than what he has.
hours
You talk to many of the people still awake around the campfires, and although you find a scant few followers of Ragathiel, no one knows where you can get a better holy symbol, especially at this time of night.
After 2 hours, most people have gone to bed and you will not be able to continue searching.
He will do his best to encourage the followers of Ragathiel in a manner befitting a paladin.
Still a little stiff in the neck from the beating, Kloss sees nothing further to gain in the evening, and gets ready to call it a day. He makes sure to stay reasonably close to the people that helped him earlier, and remain awake until he is sure that it is safe enough to sleep - making sure to hide his appearance when he does so.
As Caleb walks back from his little journey he walks back to the camp. Seeing the tiefling still awake he asks, Is there something wrong? as he sits down on a log close to the fire and close to the tiefling.
Kloss is having a look around who else is within earshot, and with a hushed voice asks a return question to Caleb, in a somewhat absent-minded voice You ever been scared of the dark when you were a child?.
I never was. I should have been.
Suryani finds a place in the corner of the encampment, away from the general thoroughfare. The adrenaline has left her body and replaced her anxiety with anger, which she directs at her brother. "You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? They could have killed you, and what would I have had to tell our parents then?" she sighs, and starts rolling out her bedroll. "I swear, I don't know how you're gonna get by without me."
At Caleb, Kloss continues Saw what you did there, kid. Do you think you could have taken him?
To Kloss, The darkness of night is a natural darkness, the darkness of the interior of the soul is not. We need the natural darkness just as we need the sun. Perhaps I could have taken him, perhaps not. My objective would have been the same, getting him to not hurt someone who could not defend them self, even at the cost of the shedding of my own blood.
"I swear, I don't know how you're gonna get by without me."
Timeon replies, "I'm not so sure myself anymore. This is not what I expected - not by a long shot." He looks over at the city walls dimly illuminated by campfires and moonlight, and nods his head resolutely "Sarenrae teaches us patience, even those sell swords will someday know her light. And I will soon join the fight in her name."
"Come sister, don't be cross. Kenebras during Armasse should be quite the sight to behold!" Smiling to himself, Timeon unfurls his bedroll and lays down to go to sleep.
Seeing that Kloss isn't replying, Sioned decides to set down her bedding at the opposite end of the fire and call it a night.
I believe I've found a good group, Sioned thinks to herself, if they're willing to defend a tiefling then a worshiper of Arshea like myself should be safe. I'd rather not think about how those drunks would treat me if they knew.
At that, Sioned thinks about her rescuer yet again. Her rescuing me, her being rescued...or her forcing herself on me. What shall I fantasize about tonight? And her body, will she be a bad girl or a good boy? Or perhaps...
Sioned's thoughts continue on these tangents the rest of the evening.
's Not what everybody would do. Kloss adds matter-of-factly. A moment of silence in the conversation. Better get some rest Kloss finally says, not sure whether he meant that for himself of for Caleb.
How can he be truthful? Risk his life for the sake of someone he doesn't know? Kloss thinks as he finally retires.
Good night my friend, may Ragatheil, who is very similar to you in background illumine the darkness. he says as he pulls out his bedroll and goes to sleep after saying his prayers.
All of you awake, even those of you that didn't plan on sleeping, in pitch black darkness. Muscles sore, heads pounding, you cough on the dust in the air unable to even guess which way is up for the first few moments. You can hear muffled rumbling - screams perhaps? - from a direction far in the distance, and closer more immediate groaning in the space your are sharing with currently unknown parties. Rocks are still shifting and creaking around you.
As you try to get your bearings however, there are two islands in the inky blackness. Eyes, sickly and yellow, floating nearby.
Once the dust settles you can see the group is in some sort of cavern, half-buried under a rock slide. But it will still take a moment for you to get your bearings.
As you try to get your bearings however, there are two islands in the inky blackness. Eyes, sickly and yellow, floating nearby.
If I can see two eyes like that in the dark then it's already seeing me. May as well remove its advantage.
Sioned casts light on her flail.
Standing and shaking his head to clear it, Caliban looks around from the emerging light of Sioned's light spell.
What you see around you is not in fact the campsites of last night, but a cavern of some sort - filled with slowly dissipating smoke. The yellow eyes belong to Kloss, of course, and you allow yourself a small sigh of relief. Better the devil you know... they always say.
The ceiling and far walls of this vast cavern recede into darkness. On one side, the wall has collapsed in an enormous mound of rubble—here and there a grizzly scene of arms or legs of those that did not survive this cave-in protrude. In the back of the cavern, a disturbing shape looms. Nearly the size of a horse, what appears to be an immense black spider crouches silent and still on the ground.
You also see many of the members of the camp from last night - Caliban, Sioned, Caleb, Suryani, Kloss - and two people that you have no recollection of... or do you? Something happened in the interim between the camps and here. You have a flash of memory, sitting in a set of bleachers with your group from last night, bathed in the bright sunlight of mid afternoon. These two men were sitting in the same area but not together. They are also slowly coming to their senses, it seems.
There is a groan from the rubble.
Okay, we're in a pit with what I hope is a giant spider. We could probably kill it but one of us is certain to be poisoned if we get close. Or we could leave it be and hope it does the same. Sioned focuses her attention on the spider-like thing to determine if there's anything out of the ordinary...and if it's a spider-shaped demon.
--
Suryani groans as she sits up. Ugh, my head. What happened last night? I didn't have any of that whisky, did I? The woman looks around, then stands up and looks around some more.
"Timeon? Where a..." She starts to ask, but stops as she startles slightly at the sound of her own voice breaking the silence.
She goes to check on the other people, but backs away if she recognizes them to be the same bullies from last night.
Cautiously drawing his longsword, and keeping an eye fixed on the giant spiderthing Caliban asks, "Is everyone ok? Does anyone know what happened?"
Caleb will head towards the sounds of the groan while asking, Is everyone alright? and looking to see what the groaning is coming from.
In the darkness, Kloss lets out an annoyed groan. His affliction allows him to see in the dark, and is temporarily blinded as Sioned casts her light spell. You! he reacts, what foul trickery is this?
Is this another of them? I should've known better than to trust these people! And what foul creature did they bring
Seeing the spider, Kloss instinctively reaches for his longbow. He is about to start shouting at the people near him, suspecting them to be cultists, but adjusts his stance as he sees Caliban draw his sword in a defensive stance, clearly directed at the spider. At least he is not one of them. Two is better than one.
After a quick pat down of backpacks and pockets everyone finds that they have all of their equipment from the campsites, but the pain from the bruises and scrapes you have received finally registers.
Suryani goes to check on the two other survivors - neither is her brother - and immediately hears a infuriated whine from the smaller of the two humanoids.
"Are you just going to sit there gaping, you dumb cow, or are you going to help me up! Don't you know who I am!! but sadly Suryani has no idea who he is - although she can guess he's a nobleman. Now having her attention, he yelps in pain holding on to his wrist, "I think I've broken my hand in that blasted fall."
The other man beside him is no man at all, but an elf. He says very little but looks much worse for wear as his face and head are sticky with burns and blood. My eyes.... he mumbles, feverish with pain.
Caleb walks towards the back of the cave in a sees a woman struggling to free some rocks from her leg. Her eyes close and she swears in obvious pain from the movements.
In the darkness, Kloss lets out an annoyed groan. His affliction allows him to see in the dark, and is temporarily blinded as Sioned casts her light spell. You! he reacts, what foul trickery is this?
"Sorry, just me."
Not seeing anything from the…spider?, Sioned looks around at last night's associates and the other survivors. Caleb's got the woman, Suryani should help the elf and likely will, as will Caliban, and Kloss snarl at the noble more than anything else, so that leaves me…
Sioned walks to the seeming nobleman. "You'll have to forgive my associate, she's far from Kenabres and only arrived just before Armasse." I think that was last evening but I'm not sure of the time anymore. "The elf has blood on his face the woman is trapped under some rubble, once my associates get their needs out of the way we'll see to yours as soon as possible. I'm here for you in the meantime, don't do anything strenuous with that hand but do move it a bit so I can see what the problem is."
Glancing back over his shoulder at everyone else, "This spider seems dead, although is still spasming; do you need help back there? I am not one for healing the sick, but I can remove debris." Returning his visual attention to the spasming corpse, "Alternatively, does anyone have any idea what happened? I can only recall our altercation last evening with some drunkards."
Removing the rocks and the clutter from the woman's legs, he will ask, Are you all right? as he tries to help her up.
"I'm here for you in the meantime, don't do anything strenuous with that hand but do move it a bit so I can see what the problem is."
Sioned was hoping she might recognize this man, if his is indeed a noble, but alas she does not. "Well at least someone here has the good common sense to treat a man of my stature accordingly," he says, standing up to show you his hand - it has a minor scrape on it, but nothing that requires medical attention. "Horgus Gwerm's the name, should you not already know it. I will pay you 1000 pieces of gold if you can get me out of the wretched hell hole alive and in one piece," he adds magnanimously.
---
Not so much spasming, but the spider's abdomen seems to be bulging in and out slightly. It will take closer inspection to figure out much more.
---
Removing the rocks and the clutter from the woman's legs, he will ask, Are you all right? as he tries to help her up.
The rocks are difficult to move at first, but much easier for someone standing than for the woman pinned underneath them. Once freed, she thanks Caleb and introduces herself, You'll have to excuse me if I don't get up to thank you - I still need a moment to collect myself. The name's Anevia Tirabade, at your service. She repositions herself a bit but is obviously in considerable pain.
Greetings Anevia Tirabade. I am Caleb D'Natin. Would that we met under more pleasant circumstances. Can you walk?
Kloss stands by Caliban, bow in hand, and responds to his question: I remember the drunkards quite well, rubbing his head, I sat by the fire later, but I have no recollection after that. But more importantly, where am I and how do I get out of here?
Moving cautiously forward, and keeping his bow aimed, he moves to inspect the spider.