Lucrezua teases back, Keep up the compliments and maybe you can wake up in the middle of the night to my face. To the rest of the party, Come on sleepyheads, we've got some guards to catch up to.
Lucrezua teases back, Keep up the compliments and maybe you can wake up in the middle of the night to my face. To the rest of the party, Come on sleepyheads, we've got some guards to catch up to.
"Remind me to compliment you more often then. This armor takes a while to put on, so unless you would like to help, it'll be a while." He teases back.
Lucrezia will actually assist Lucius, In that case, I will help you to put it on, but only so that we can hurry to catch those men. Don't expect that it will be as easy for you to talk me into helping you take it back off later.
Lucrezia will actually assist Lucius, In that case, I will help you to put it on, but only so that we can hurry to catch those men. Don't expect that it will be as easy for you to talk me into helping you take it back off later.
"Well taking it off takes a wh...." Lucius looks a little disappointed as he gets cut off before he could finish his witty line.
"Should I consider that a challenge, Milady?" As he shows her the harder to reach straps and buckles.
You may consider yourself challenged. Maybe when there is more time we can discuss the rewards if you succeed. After buckling the last strap she says, Now mount up, on your horse, and let's get going.
"Challenge accepted then, Lady Villanova. Feel free to lead the way." He says with a smirk. Lucius will get on his steed and prepare to ride out.
Marc gets up and quickly puts together his things after dropping off the buckets and silver. He chuckles at the banter between Lucrezia and Lucius, while he works out the stiffness of having slept in his own armor.
Let's get moving.
Bealzius will inform everyone that the soldiers they are following have been wounded.
He mounts his battle steed and Threx jumps up on his shoulder.
Hafdan rubs the sleep out of his eyes as he sits his horse, waiting to head out. "Isn't it against Chelish law to be up this early?"
As you ride out quickly, you are able to overtake the three soldiers as they ride more casually. When you get closer, they slow down, seeming somewhat confused, but not particularly afraid. When you slow next to them, they look the group over.
Can we help you?
One of the guards asks and continues to ride, though they all are moving fairly slowly.
Lucrezia gives a friendly wave as they ride up and calls out a greeting to make sure the guards would not have mistaken their approach for a possible attack. If you don't mind, we'd like to ask a couple of questions as we are new arrivals to this area and are heading into the town of Gillamoor. Can you tell us anything of the conditions there?
The guard laughs and his companions chuckle as well.
Conditions there? You must not know much at all about the area miss. It's a plague-ridden town that's currently under quarantine. We just do our best to keep the peace around it and make sure no zombies or infected would-be-looters make their way out of it.
He looks over the group's attire.
You from Cheliax? If you're hear to take over for us that would be much appreciated.
Bealzius slows his horse as he rides close to the soldiers.
"What type of zombies have infected the town? Are they undead? Do they retain any of their original mental capacities?"
Marc chuckles as Bealzius unleashes a stream of questions at the men.
My friend is a bit...overzealous. We have, indeed, been sent from Cheliax. Word has reached our Lords that the city of Gillamoor is still under the effect of a plague. Unfortunately we are not here to replace you in your task, but we do plan to enter the city and attempt to end this plague once and for all. We travel with a Master of the Arcane Arts, he nods indicating Bealzius, a servant of Iomedea, who is very knowledgable in causes of such plagues, he nods again indicating Kendall, and then finally nods indicating Lucrezia, and a scholar knowledgeable about...well, as far as I can tell, just about everything.
Anything specific you can tell us would be appreciated.
"I'm hurt,you forgot to introduce me and Hafdan." Lucius says feigning disappointment."Yes, we will need as much information as you can give us if we are to combat this plague."
Marc blinks at Lucius in mock surprise then smiles. My apologies. This is Lucius, that's Halfdan, and I'm Marc. We're experts on...hrm...hitting things until they stop moving. Then hitting them until the scholars tell us it's alright to stop. He chuckles, I thought by the look of you all that you wouldn't need our introductions to tell you that.
"That's better. Though I tend to shoot things until they stop moving, its close enough." He says with a nod.
Well I'm Kendall, since we are doing introductions and seems I'm forgotten might as well do it my self. I do must press the issue of giving us any information you might have and let the inheritor blessings be with you for doing so and keeping up the law"
Bealzius nods.
"I am Bealzius, Teacher of the Academies."
Marc has a puzzled look on his face and shrugs as Kendall speaks, Are you not a servant of Iomedae? I assumed that's what you meant by that "inheritor" talk, but if I'm wrong, this seems like an...awkward...time to clear it up.
Marc smiles, But in any case, you were introduced. Or was I incorrect concerning your qualifications?
The guards seem a bit confused as they look back and forth between you all, trying to follow the chatter.
Well, you take your life into your own hands if you want to enter the town. You might want to take some clean supplies if you do. We can't exactly let you back out all that easily...but I'm sure the people in there would be glad to have some rations. Probably give you whatever they have left.
Another guard chimes in.
If there's anyone even alive in there. We keep a pretty big quarantine. Land is blighted and the undead roam around mostly free. We just deal with looters as best we can. Try to keep them from spreading the plague.
The last guard pipes up, laughing.
An'...what zombies ain't undead? I dunno what you are used to, but around here zombies are dumb, dead, walkin' hunks of meat.
He puts on his best mindless expression and acts as though he's a zombie, arms extended and moaning a bit.
Lucius lets out a chuckle at the guard's mocking of Bealzius. "I assure you, we'll be just fine. We can take care of ourselves. We will also try to help as many survivors as we can." He looks around for a confirmation from the rest of the group.
Nodding at Lucius's comments, Lucrezia adds, We do thank you for you concern, but I'm sure we will be alright. If we are able to find any survivors that wish to exit the area, is there any kind of camp area we should take them to to get checked out?
Bealzius strokes his beard thoughtfully.
"This makes no sense. If the zombies are undead, they come from dead corpses. How are the survivors any threat? Does the disease kill and then reanimate?"
He and Threx look at each other, quizically.
"We shall have to observe things for ourselves."
The lead guard shrugs.
We don't exactly have a doctor out here. We just do what we can to check out the folk. Make them sleep separate from camp for a few days. See, the rumor is...whatever this sickness is...it takes people in their sleep and they come up as zombies in the morning.
If you want to bring survivors out...that's going to be a dangerous task. If you want to set them up in a camp of your own, go ahead...we haven't actually had to check anyone that wasn't just a looter in...probably a year now. And looters don't tend to come in groups that need a camp.
Your saying that according to rumor healthy, normal people just go to sleep and then rise as zombies in the morning? I've never heard such a thing before. I am sure there is a more logical explanation for the zombies and I am equally sure that we will find it.
"Eh, zombies is zombies. Chop them up, burn the pieces, rinse and repeat." Hafdan checks his stash of rations and supplies. "Sounds like we're in a for a long haul though clearing this place out. Sooner started, sooner finished as my father always said."
"Waking up a zombie does not make for a good morning. For all anyone knows, it could be something related to their dreams." Lucius comments offhandedly.
All I know is that they go to bed sick and don't wake up. I mean not alive at least. In the morning there is just another zombie. Not to say that's the only way zombies crop up...but that's why you have to watch the looters and "survivors".
So we shall be on the lookout for zombies and diseased individuals. Anything else we should watch out for?
We could use a better idea of the layout of the town. And perhaps of the locations of your surrounding camps, or camp if there's just yourselves.
There's nine of us. We keep to one camp and I'm happy to show you all to it. As for a map of the town...we can give you one of what the town used to look like. We don't go in there and the looters don't usually make it far enough to really map it out.
The guards will then take you to their camp, which is a long day's ride away. It is a bit less than a day from Gillamoor proper, though you can see the various posts marking the edges of the quarantine zone a small distance in.
As usual, Lucrezia passes the time by singing while they ride to the guard's camp.
"Yes, a map of the town will be appreciated. An idea of what the town might look like is better than going in completely blind." Lucius says to the guards.
Marc will spend the trip making small-talk with the soldiers. He'll be very interested in what they did before all this and how they handle the quarantine now.
All of the soldiers are veterans of the Goblinblood Wars. They talk a lot about the horrors of that fighting and the awkwardness of having so many nations all fighting in one place. They do their best to avoid openly maligning Cheliax, but you get the sense that they don't think highly of the Chelish contributions to the war effort. Since that time they have all rotated around, spending most of their time along the river protecting the trade route for Cheliax, but someone needs to guard Gillamoor and that is their current assignment. Regarding the quarantine, it is fairly clear that they haven't been given great guidance or particularly effective tools in maintaining it. As it stands they just ride out and circle the quarantine area. It is wide enough that they rarely see actual zombies, but at times bandits, looters, or would be heroes try to enter the area. When they find someone, they typically bind them and leave them under guard nearer to the forest than their camp. If they survive two nights, they let them go. Otherwise they do what they can to destroy the zombie and return to their duties.
As for the map, they'll provide a pre-war map that includes the town.
During the trip, Lucius will ride quietly while listening to Lucrezia sing as usual. When the guards provide a map, he will look at it and share with Marc and Hafdan so they can provide their insight on where they should go first when they enter the town.
Looking over at the guards as they hand over the map, Do you men happen to know anything of the types of buildings located in the town? Are all the structures wooden or are there any stone buildings there and if so where in town are they located? Since we will have to sleep at some point, I'd like to at least have some sturdy walls around me.
Bealzius rides in silence, he appears to be thinking about the situation with great anticipation.
Threx occasionally chitters or trills at small insects flying be, and sometimes sleeps in the cage Bealzius carries for him.
The guards point out a few places on the map. They note that the town hall is probably a stone structure, but they aren't entirely sure what buildings are still able to be used and which are fallen to undead or other forces.
The town seems to consist primarily of family homes, though in addition to the town hall it has a small inn that also served as a store. There is also a church, probably stone as well, and the guards assume that it is a church to Asmodeus, but none of them visited Gillamoor prior to the current crisis.
"We should head towards the church first, the survivors might be hiding out there." Lucius comments.
That sounds as good a plan as any. The Church, Town Hall and the Inn seem like the best places to check first. With any luck we'll learn the cause of this plague along the way.
"Then we should head there as soon as possible. That is, unless anyone has a better plan?" Lucius says as he looks around at the party.
Let's get moving then, we're wasting daylight.
As you enter the quarantined area it seems normal at first, albeit empty. After a few hours the grass starts to become brown and sickly and an almost palpable menace seems to emanate from in front of you. There are no small animals, and other than the faint sounds from the forest in the distance, the area is eerily quiet.
"We should at least find a safe place before we make camp. I do not want to become a zombie in my sleep. I assume you all feel the same?" Lucius says to the group as he looks around cautiously.
Perception
Agreed. Let's keep moving until we've found a place to camp that isn't under the sky. Even if it means continuing in the dark.
Bealzius conjures dancing lights to help light the path ahead of them.
Some shelter from the elements wouldn't be remiss. If we're going to be eaten by zombies, at least we can be dinner in comfort.
I agree as well. Traveling in the dark sounds preferable to camping out in the open. If needed, Lucrezia casts light.