Unfortunately, there's not much alcohol available at the moment. Noche'Wa would know how to make some local teas, and they have casks of tea from Avistan still left.
Imogene and the others turn their noses up slightly to see Rommin sitting at their fire, but they don't protest. Kuras the half-orc and Nate the halfling eye Noche'Wa up and down, then Nate asks Rommin, "Prisoner or pet?"
Don't worry Nate. He's not here for either of your jobs.
Nate scowls at Rommin's rebuttal, mutters something lewd under his breath about Rommin's mother, and resumes eating his supper.
Imogene smiles, a warm smile on her face that doesn't reach her eyes, and says, "Don't mind him. His mother never weaned him till he was 14, and it messed up his head." She shoots a glare at Nate who scowls even more, but his mutters subside.
She turns her attentions back to the newcomers. "I am Imogene," she says to Noche'Wa in Taldane Common. "Welcome to our fire."
"Every last one of us, as you well know, since you were there with us!"
Tired of the bickering, and not really caring about it Landis seeks out Lord Brycen for a quick word.
"Perhaps I should take a few men, and head a bit South to check on the tardy group". "They should be back by now...maybe they're having some trouble".
"With halflings - no. There are not many more courageous folk than those of your race. But there are not many those who are more arrogant than Andorans as well. My hate is not for your race, but for your nation. Andorans think that everything they do is good and proper, while ignoring other peoples' customs and laws. They kill and maim intelligent beings, thinking them less than human only because they walk on four legs instead of two. They despoil nature in the name of commerce and they give birth to laws only to turn them on their heads. Andoran is worse then Chelliax. With black and crimson a man at least knows where he stands." Big man shuts his mouth, surprising even himself with that piece of unexpected eloquence.
Tired of the bickering, and not really caring about it Landis seeks out Lord Brycen for a quick word.
"Perhaps I should take a few men, and head a bit South to check on the tardy group". "They should be back by now...maybe they're having some trouble".
Lord Brycen slowly exhales a tired sigh. "I appreciate the offer, but if they have run into trouble, it's not likely that a few men would be able to do reach them in time to do anything but recover their bodies. No, we will give them until morning, and then form a search and rescue party, on which I promise you will be."
Kuras the half-orc just smirks at Noche'Wa once his warning has been translated, and takes a big bite of teku meat around a prodigious yawn.
"Now, now, boys, all this bickering won't be getting anybody anywhere. I'm guessing your new friend won't be partaking, but it really is quite delicious, Mr. Hawkridge, Mr. MacMorn. Please." Imogene cuts off a pair of generous helpings of the meat on the spit , puts them onto two pieces of tree bark, and hands them over.
|
"So because those Andorans you have met acted in a particular fashion you have decided that they are all like that..hmm..I have news for you Sir" Lilo points Eastwards "Andoran is over there..along with all the other nations we variously came from..here there are only Arcadians..if you are not prepared to accept that and intend to continue your hatred it will only lead to strife within our ranks .I give you good day Sir"
He turns on his heel and makes his way back to Hickory
"My, my, Lilo, something has you in quite the mood again today," Hickory says in her sing-song voice.
Taking the Offered meat with a nod and a smile, Finn listens to the strife amongst some of the new companions, clearing his throat before reciting:
' Strife amongst them there shall always be,
When differences lie between myself and Thee,
Former enemies must need wed,
Lest they will end up quite Dead,
Then of differences we shall all be quite Free...'
Finn sips his tea, looking for a spot if honey, sighing
wistfully before continuing in a more casual speech form, 'Amongst my Folk, there are many Clans, many old arguments and Feuds. All of that becomes very, very trivial when a horde of Orcs comes calling. The old World matters to us no longer, friends. We know not what horrors this new Land holds, but if we persist in opening old wounds , well... I fear that ours will be a very short incursion indeed.'
Finn returns to his meal, lost again in his own thoughts.
Warg watches the halfling, thinking about his words.
As the camp settles down for the night Landis thinks of his old times, and songs that his grandmother used to sing. He begins to sing in his deep voice.
Perform singing
So who all is eating of the teku meat that Imogene is offering?
Come now, fess up? ;)
Warg looks at the halfling and haltingly says: "If you are truly prepared to leave the allegiance to your nation behind and give all of your faith and loyalty to this colony, I am prepared to leave my hate behind as well and become your friend."
So Finn eats some teku, the rest dine on dire wolf, and you pass a few hours engaged in thinly-veiled barbs and suppressed hostility. The fire has begun to die down, when Imogene lets out a sudden scream of terror as a small girl wearing torn Skraeling clothing and three arrows sticking out of her back walks up to the fire, into it, and is gone.
It would mean crossing the river, but there is the enormous tree with the cavern underneath. It shouldn't be too difficult to climb and would grant an impressive view.
OoC:Er...teku? Oh well...Finn has had worse.
Startled at the scream,Finn jumps top his feet, Mage Handing Brannagh from where he lies against a tree, into his hand.
Perception to see if he can determine what has happened.
Rommin can indeed make it there and back in four hours. A couple soldiers row him across the mouth of the river in one of the little skiffs and he makes his way back to the enormous oak tree. The setting is quite creepy in the dim light of dusk, but he is undisturbed as he easily climbs up the rough bark to the lowest limbs and pulls himself up higher. After climbing about a hundred feet up, he breaks through the rest of the forest canopy to get a breathtaking view of the countryside at night - nearly unbroken forest as far as he can see following the coastline perfectly, the trees awash in the silvery moonlight. In the one unbroken spot, barely a couple hundred feet to the southwest of his current position, his sharp half-elvish eyes pick up the remains of several huts in various states of disrepair, what looks like a village of some sort, though there's not sign of life in it now.
He also fails to spot the glow of any fires to the south.
Rommin returns to the colony in time to hear Imogene let out a piercing shriek of terror.
Finn MacMorn looks up at the scream, tries to jump up, but finds his body is not responding as well to his mental commands as it should. He eventually gets up and casts his spell, which seems to take forever to get out. The sword flies over quickly enough, however, and he nearly drops it as his fingers struggle to close in time.
Noche'Wa does not detect any magical auras, except for perhaps a few pieces of equipment from those nearby (not from Imogene and her gang, but I can't recall at the moment if anybody at the fire picked up any of the goodies from the zombie cave).
For a while, Warg was lost in thoughts, but hearing a scream he draws his blade and follows Rommin.
perception
Landis wipes a stray tear from his eye at the surreal beauty of his song, and starts as the camp comes awake. He grabs up Demons Fate, and looks around hurriedly.
OoC:Brannagh is a Glaive,but no harm done ;)
Finn stumbles towards the sound, wondering what could be making him so sluggish...
Rommin slips into the firelight, followed closely by Warg, and you see nothing. It's as if the girl with the arrows just disappeared into the fire.
Noche'Wa, scanning the vicinity with his detection spell, makes a quarter turn away from the fire to find himself staring down into the cold, lifeless eyes of the little girl. She looks up at him, and says,
Imogene gives out another shriek as the girl vanishes once more.
Lilo and Hickory tumble out of their tent just at that second shriek, barely in time to see some apparition vanish into the night air.
"What's going on here?" Lord Brycen asks, hurrying up with sword drawn, an annoyed Sir Kheiron on his heels, also with sword drawn.
Carylis claps a hand over Imogene's mouth before she's able to let out a third shriek as the little girl manifests again, standing in front of Noche'Wa.
This time, she doesn't vanish right away.
Although I assune somebody is translating...