Ary grabs onto Xander and Valais, while Lann hooks his arms around her neck. It wasn't the most elegant method of evac, but the Lord-Commander of Drezen was strong! Just as she starts to take flight with the three of them in tow, the two Legionnaires take off at a run in their general direction, so that they are just 180' away.
As she lifts up, one of the Legionnaires calls out, "You there, Xander, stop! You are under arrest for smuggling illegal divine magic into the country!"
Ary flies away towards the river, leaving a gleaming trail of motes in her wake, twinkling like fireflies in the night sky. As she picks up speed, it only takes her five minutes to reach the river.
Between the gates and the river are several miles of flat farmland, broken up only by the occasional farmstead, which are all interconnected with simple dirt roads. It is night, so there is no one walking the roads below, save for the occasional guard patrol.
The river is surrounded by farmland on both sides. There aren't any boats going down it towards Azir at night. Far beyond the northern stretch of farmland, to the north, is the desert. They are still invisible, thanks to Xander's magic.
"They can see through his invisibility." Ary thinks into the group link as she flies towards the river. Once there, she slows, landing, and letting the others go. She looks over her shoulder at the trail that she'd left. "I should probably go one way and you guys go the other. They'll follow the trail I've left a lot more easily than yours. I'll go away from where Unafe and the others should be, you move towards them?" she suggests.
"I'm going to try to lead them away from Xander and the others while not letting myself be seen too easily, creating an alternate trail that goes over the river for a bit. I'll loop back around towards the rest of you after fifteen or so minutes. I'll fly back along the path I came on and then make a fork as well, so it looks like this direction is false, maybe. I can't really cover the path, but I can double up on it. sh e shares into the link. "Just try to cover up your tracks as well. With any luck, they'll have to move slower than you guys will, though we have experts in the Crusades that can track at full speed, so I wouldn't rely on it."
Ary leaves Lann, Valais, and Xander in an enormous field of wheat near the river, where they all crouch down and try to hide. Irrigation canals help move water from the river out into the crops. Valais sits down, her back leaning against the wall of one such canal. She's busy writing in her journal all of the latest developments for her chronicle. Ary then takes off, intending to leave a confusing trail for others to follow.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Unafe pauses after running for a few miles. Considering the geography, she judges that the river is behind them.
'Ary, Xander, Lann, Valais, do you know where Isilme is? I know she could probably talk herself out of a tyrannosaur's belly if she had to...but it might be worth it to see if some of you can intercept her on her way back to our hidey-hole, to save her an unpleasant encounter with the town guards.
'Hinagiku and I are safe for now, I think. We'll try to circle back toward the river. No sign of Ehren. I'd guess he's probably tracking us, but who knows. Maybe he's heading out to look for Isilme himself.'
After placing a (somewhat slobber-covered) Hinagiku on her back, Unafe shrinks to her normal height and shifts into her hybrid form. She says, "Here's my suggestion. You ride on my back to help us move fast. If I focus on it, I can avoid touching ground more than once in a handful of seconds. Hopefully that throws off anyone who might be following my tracks."
Hinagiku asks Unafe to wait, so that she can scrawl out a message in the sand to let the guards that are pursuing them know that she is alive. She then rides on Unafe's back, holding on tight as she works on curving back around through the desert and to the river.
Closer to the river the desert gives way to farmland, thanks to the irrigation canals that stretch out from the river. They are immense and sprawl out for miles around the riverbed, in neat and orderly rows.
Thanks to the divine connection between Ary and Unafe, and the fact that both women are fairly adept at keeping their bearings straight, they are able to easily coordinate meeting up with each other.
Now Ary, Unafe, Hinagiku, Xander, Lann, and Valais are reunited in a large field of wheat on the northern bank of the Jodin River. It is the middle of the night, and nobody is out working the fields at this hour. Xander's invisibility magic has long worn off at this point.
Deciding to wait on Isilme, the druid flies around while occasionally landing on different spots in the vicinity of the sylvan hideaway, keeping an eye out for the half-orc.
Ehren switches forms and then flies around the area in the form of a small native bird. He waits and watches for several minutes. At this time, the woman that was in the hideaway exits the trapdoor. She and the man who was standing guard have a brief conversation, then the man takes off at a brisk jog southwards. The woman stays behind, standing at the entrance of the trap door. She crosses her arms and stays there, immobile.
"Sorry, Lann. I cast a spell while you were asleep and left you out of the effect, we've been communicating in our heads. I'm letting Unafe know where we are, she's suggesting one of us go to meet up with Isilme... which I suppose means following the road."
"I don't even know if Isilme has left the city, yet. And I can't just fly back and forth along the road looking for her; that kind of defeats the purpose of having ran away already. I think Xander with magic and possibly Lann are the only ones we have access to that could look for Isilme at this point. Valais, you, and I are all clearly magical. Maybe Hinagiku is an option? She would be able to tell them where to rendezvous. We need to pass on to Isilme that they can see through illusion magic, regardless of how we do so."
Ehren waits for what feels like at least an hour.
At this point, above, Isilme arrives, in the form of a raven. Below, she can see a dark-skinned woman is standing next to the the trapdoor. She wields a scimitar in one hand, and her hair is tied up in a blue headwrap. She stares resolutely out into the endless desert in front of her.
Valais sits submerged in the wheat, her back leaning against the irrigation canal, scribbling in her book. Unafe, Hinagiku, Ary, Xander, and Lann are all crouched nearby.
"Yeah, I guess so...." Valais replies to Ary absentmindedly, when she references her other-worldly nature, courtesy of a life-changing visit to the Plane of Heaven. "So the plan is to send Lann and Hinagiku back to the extradimensional trapdoor to let Isilme know she needs to rendezvous here with us in this field of wheat?" she asks in a detached sort of way.
"I did bring a scroll of sending," Xander comments.
"One or the other, not both." Ary says in response to Valais. "And definitely not directly to the trap door, just along the path to there, and don't go near it if there are guards. I prefer to avoid using consumables when they aren't vital, we can hold it back for if things go more wrong."
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Hinagiku had not thought that any mode of transportation could be weirder than riding a giant bird who wast in fact her boyfriend. But, it so happened that being dragged in a giant leaping saurian's mouth was indeed weirder. It was hard to pinpoint whether the leaping or the being in the mouth was the strangest. Nonetheless, she was thankful for having been plucked out of the awkward situation with the legionnaires.
Now hiding in the wheat field, Hinagiku listens to the plan being put forward, before sharing her opinion:
"Even if I were to revert to my human form, the legionnaires were scouring the region, anyone they find would most likely appear extremely suspicious. Without magic, to either communicate with them or make us unseen, I doubt we could make this owkr."
"That's a fair point." Ary says, nodding to Hinagiku. It wasn't something she'd really considered, given how limited her interactions had been with those who lived here, though Hinagiku had spent more time interacting directly, so she didn't have any arguments with that.
"We'll have to find a way to regroup quickly in the future, I think. Infiltration usually doesn't include the bad guys finding the other group before our people return. I'm not used to competent adversaries."
"OK then, do we want to look for a way in? Or a hiding place? Or both?
"Thanks to this belt Ehren made for me, I may have some flexibility for entering via tight places...but you know I'm no good at sneakily investigating. The Ancestors make themselves known.
"Xander, you mentioned that Isilme was looking for a way for us to get in, and placed for us to hide...and that she planned to come back out tonight. Given that, I wonder if we're best off bedding down for the night, rather than scouting further.
"If we think we'll want to wait out the night outside, before going in, I'm happy to take a look for a suitable site that's relatively out of sight."
If there are no objections, Unafe will head a bit further afield, looking for a cave, crevasse, or other sheltered area where they might spend the night inconspicuously.
She sighs to herself as she ponders her options. It was clear that the group must have fled, as she found it hard to believe that they had been detained, and the fact the woman was there at the trap door meant there hadn't been a fight. The only possibilities then were to either attempt to stay out in the field and hope the group returns at some point, or to return to her inn and attempt a sending in the morning.
In the end she decides she can't risk being spotted again. Without her rapier her runic magic had faded, and she was no longer able to assume a different form. Blowing her cover was just too great a risk at this point. A few moments later she takes off again, heading back towards the city. If she moved quickly she might be able to re-enter the city without needing to expend further magic. Perhaps she could scout one of the empty buildings quick before returning to the inn room for the evening.
Currently, Ehren sits in the form of an earth elemental, unnoticed by the Pure Legionnaire who stands guard at the trapdoor. He's been sitting here for at least a half an hour, waiting for Isilme.
Isilme takes flight to get past the gates of Azir. Passing the Saah Ban Gates towards the Hideaway, Isilme can tell that there is double the Legionnaire presence below than there was when she had entered the city. But this doesn't necessarily concern her, as she remembers that Xander had just been caught trying to cross the border at that gate illegally just a few hours ago. However as she continues to fly, she notices a larger number of Legionnaires patrolling the roads on camelback, as well as troops of Legionnaires escorting dogs through the fields of wheat.
Once Isilme's spell wears off, she reverts back to the form of a half-orc traveler, and lands. To walk back out to the desert, she would have to choose between walking on roads northwards away from the city, which would take longer, or trekking out into the middle of the fields of wheat, which is a more direct route.
"Okay, so I guess the plan's a no-go..." Valais says, dramatically crossing the last few sentences she had written out in her book. "So now the Clan-Liege of the Demetae will go find a... what exactly are you looking for?" she asks.
"I don't like the idea of us splitting up any more than we have to. We should cross the river again, and seek out shelter together... otherwise there's no way of knowing how we'll possibly get into contact with Isilme and Ehren again." Ary replies. "But I don't mind you being ahead of us at all, you can cover a lot more ground than I can, so you'll be better suited to finding a safe place."
The heroes opt to stay together, rather than risk being split up. They head northwards, towards the desert (back the way they had came). Once they reach the limits of the irrigation canals, the farmlands give way to desert. The heroes walk for an hour, going several miles out into the desert. As far as they can see, walking northwards, there is endless sand and dunes. Occasionally there are small scrub plants, less than a foot tall, or a short, scrawny tree, too thin to hide behind. They don't see any other living souls, except for the occasional small animal.
It is at this point that Ary's divine link between the heroes ceases, leaving them only able to communicate with each other by speaking out loud.
Finding a quiet spot in the fields away from the guards, she quickly takes the form of a raven again and heads back into the city, choosing to fly back over the walls in a different location than she'd flown out just to be safe.
Once she's back within the city walls, she wanders the back alleys for a while before heading to the main thoroughfares and back to her inn.
Ehren lurks around the premises in the form of a tiny, inconspicuous native bird. Two hours later, a large troop of Legionnaires arrives. There are twelve soldiers, five camels, and three dogs. They surround the area, and several Legionnaires head down into the Sylvan Hideway.
Isilme heads quickly back to Azir, to the inn room she had already rented for the night, and then promptly falls asleep. She would need to sleep in a bit this morning to be clear-headed enough to prepare new spells the next day.
Valais walks alongside the others into the desert. She is irritated. Walking through the desert was uncomfortable, she had sand deep in the crevices of both of her boots. "How much longer are we going to go?" she asks. "Or are we just going to set up camp somewhere?"
Once they are off into the desert, Unafe looks at the low scrub, and sighs.
"Give me 20 minutes to scout ahead. If I can't find anything, maybe we just need to hunker down in the sand."
Unafe jogs out ahead for 10 minutes, seeing nothing but rolling dunes, then jogs back for 10 minutes to rejoin the others.
Unafe comes bounding back and shrugs.
"I don't see anything better than this. I'll set up my tent and can take first watch."
Valais nods, unrolling her bedroll, and getting ready to set up for the night. "Alright, then. Who is taking watch after Unafe, then? I call not it."
Unfortunately, it is simply too dangerous for him to wander the streets in his human form, even at night. His best chance of remaining undetected is to continue to masquerade as wildlife. Ehren looks for a tall, preferably enclosed and unmanned structure to roost in for the night. Perhaps in the morning, he could prepare some divinations, or one of his allies would attempt to contact him.
Ehren flies all the way into Azir. He is a common animal, and he finds many other redstarts sleeping in the roof of a stable. He spends the night sleeping among them, while camels below slumber in the hay. He will need to sleep late into the morning at this point to ready himself for the preparation of new magic.
Isilme shuts herself in her room at the inn and quietly goes about sitting down and reciting the stars in the sky above, or at least those she thought likely to be there. Her cloak--and the rest of her gear, for that matter--were with Ary and the others, wherever they were now. She finishes her prayers in silence then turns in for the night.
As they travel, Ary keeps glancing to the sky, but honestly has no idea what to look for in this sort of environment... and everything seeming constant in the skies above does little to give her a nudge in the right direction. Maybe one of the others would have a better idea.
When they find absolutely no kind of accommodations to their needs for shelter, Ary isn't surprised. Nothing about this had been easy, and it was only going to be harder in the future. Ary rolls her shoulder and reaches into her bag, running her hand along Faith to borrow its magic to help them stay awake. When the shield doesn't oblige her immediately, her lips pull into a crease and her brow furrows. Then she shrugs, without mentioning anything more about it.
"If Daisy's okay, I'm comfortable with just her being on watch, otherwise, we can take shifts with her. The less time we sleep, the better. If you get too cold or hot, wake me up, and I can bolster your resistances, Daisy."
"Oh! Hinagiku, if you're really rested enough, I'm grateful. My legs ache a bit from all that running and I know we want to be up before dawn. I wouldn't mind going straight to sleep. Let me know though, if you need a break."
Before laying down, she wets her finger and holds it up to test the wind, wondering what kind of weather the night has in store.
Then Unafe takes out Sicrwydd from his familiar pouch, feeds him his belated dinner, and curls up with him in her cloak (his head poking out). Within moments, she's asleep (soothed by the light buzz of the spirits that surround her).
"Of coures, it is not a problem at all. The monks at the temple taught me how to focus my body on resting, so 2 hours are quite enough. I will keep guard, simply rest. As for the cold, I will be fine, Ary, but thanks for offering."
Having said that, Hinagiku retrieves the white furred cloak that was given to her years ago during their campaign to reclaim Drezen and puts it on to keep warm. And, just in case they are found, Hinagiku switches back to her human form.
The winds are picking up. You expect strong, blustery winds for the next 24 hours, which make it difficult for tiny creatures to move around.
The heroes decide to camp in the middle of the desert. They only have one tent, which Ary assigns to Valais and Lann. Only Xander, Lann, and Valais had brought bedrolls. Hinagiku keeps watch by standing on top of a nearby dune, giving her as far of a vantage point as she possibly could see. Ary and Unafe are asleep, laying directly on the sand, since they had not brought anything else to sleep on.
After just two hours Xander had woken up. Not enough time had yet passed for him to prepare new magic. So he was instead sitting upright on his bedroll in deep contemplation about their situation. He had been meditating for several hours now, waiting for the sun to rise. He bides his time counting the faintly glowing motes that litter their campsite. Ary left them wherever she went, so Drezen was always filled with them, especially the cathedral (which was where Ary had a tendency to pace), leading little Sana to call them "The Castle Fireflies". Also, wherever Unafe went, she left a strange presence - sometimes muted spectral roars could be heard in places she had been, or a strange, purplish-blue light would be seen, similar to the color of the spirits that always surrounded her. Xander entertains himself by counting off how long it took for him to hear another odd, ghostly indication that Unafe had passed by within the last few days.
Hinagiku can see dust being kicked up in the distance, to the south, maybe 200 feet away.
You can hear the soft thud-thud-thud of footsteps on the sands in the distance.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Xander meditates to try and let go of the feeling of frustration that comes from all of this running-around-aimlessly. There was some sort of danger, and a presumably limited amount of time in which to solve it, and the group was spending their time running around in the wheat fields. So far, he had learned an important lesson: to prepare glamer effects. But they were no closer to reaching their destination.
Now, as he keeps watch for the camp, he hears the thumping of approaching footsteps. He squints into the dunes, but doesn't see anything quite yet, so he simply calls out loud to his allies, "Hey, wake up, I think there's something coming."
Then he stands and casts a minor divination spell, one which might speed his reactions and perception. He imagines that a thump audible from out of sight probably comes from some sort of giant, but... it is a new, unvisited land. Could be anything. Hand on his machete handle, he hesitates before drawing it. Could be farmers, for all he knows.
Xander calls out, waking everyone else up.
Years lived in the Darklands taught Lann that survival was often a matter of being a light sleeper. His time stationed in Drezen has perhaps made him a tad more complacent, noisy neighbors not withstanding, but Xander's warning compel almost immediate action. The crusader scrambles to his feet, snatching up his sheathed longsword in the process. Fortunately, the lightweight chain he wears underneath his clothing was comfortable enough to sleep in. His shield on the other hand, remains on the ground, leaning against his backpack.
As tired as she is, Valais scrambles out of her tent when Xander calls that something is out there. Rather than a weapon, she pulls her notebook out of her pack, as well as her kitharodian pen, which jumps up hovering in anticipation of dictation. Her new Heavenly body thrums with power, giving her enhanced extrasensory perception to better view events.
Ary, Unafe and Hinagiku are up!
Unafe wakes with a grunt, grabs her haversack, shrugs it on, and shifts back into her hybrid form.
"If it's guards who've tracked us, do we run or fight? I think, at this point, we don't have a better option than knocking them out."
At the sight of the sand being kicked up, Hinagiku moves down toward the camp.
"There is a cloud of sand from which I can hear footsteps, 200 feet away... I say that if this is the guard, they sent a large group to capture us... and I would rather not fight them. They are not onis and not followers of destructive gods..."
Ary is up!
Unafe's lip tightens.
"If the guards have tracked us down, and if we want to continue avoiding harming them, we're in a rough place...And I fear that the presence of my ancestor spirits and Ary's divine motes may make it difficult to hide anywhere else either. Xander, could you make the company invisible with one of your spheres again? If so, perhaps Ary and me running will let the rest of you go undiscovered.
"Hopefully you'll find a way for us to join you inside, but for now we're just a detriment."
Ary sits up and hears Unafe mention guards once more. She hangs her head with a sigh. She was getting tired of running and hiding. She doesn't rise, instead simply sitting up enough to grab her masterwork backpack and the heavier of the two bags of holding. "Yes, we should probably split up. They'll be able to track us wherever we go so long as we stay together. So one group goes, one stays... I don't care which. If I'm staying, I'm certainly not fighting... I'm talking. As such, I would prefer if people took my bags with them."
At that moment, a man riding a camel crests the hill. He is wearing a similar white and gold uniform to the others the heroes had encountered earlier, but the sash around his waist and the matching turban around his head are black, rather than red or gold. He wields a scimitar.
Upon seeing the heroes, he calls out, pointing his scimitar towards Xander. His voice is loud and clear. "That hobgoblin, Xander, is under arrest for smuggling illegal divine magic into Rahadoum. You now will all drop any weapons in your hands and raise your hands above your head. Surrender now and you will not be harmed."
Behind him a group of seven Legionnaires riding camels likewise crest the dunes in the distance.
Xander is up!
Lann's spaded thumb brushes against the crossguard of his sheathed sword, not yet tied to his belt, but does not make any move to draw it. Yet. He does not want to fight these warriors, but he will if he must.
"Your call, Ary," he says to his friend and superior officer, dutybound to follow her lead whichever way she decides.
Before answering, Xander's mind flashes through a number of possibilities -- personal surrender, immediate violence, personal escape -- before settling on a medium option. It wouldn't carry through without his allies' cooperation, but there wasn't much he could do on his own in this situation other than blow the camel riders all to kingdom come. And he could do that anyway if the Legionnaires chose violence in the end.
Throwing his hands up to show their emptiness (and allowing his iron staff to begin orbiting around his body), he strides across the dunes to Ary's side. She could better protect him there, and standing beside an angel tended to make one look a little better.
He speaks to the Legionnaires before opening fire with his magic, hoping to stall them or, ideally, disarm them completely. "Yes, I tried to enter the city earlier today, and I brought with me some personal items that were created by divine spellcasters, but I assure you, it was not my intent to smuggle divine magic into Azir. We are foreigners here, yes, but we mean no trouble for the Pure Legion. We are here hunting fouler prey."
The fastest of the Legionnaires clears the distance, bringing her camel to a halt in front of Hinagiku and the tent that Lann is still inside.
The man who had addressed them first keeps his scimitar out and aimed at Xanderghul. He nods, seeing Xander raise his hands above his head. "Very good, do not resist. Now, lower your illegal weapon so that we can confiscate it, and kneel in the sand."
The woman who had gotten closer to the heroes continues, "Worry not, Avistani foreigners. We are not barbarians. You will see your day in court, and will have a chance to prove your innocence."
Unafe is up!
What do I know of these godless foreigners? Nothing. How much can I trust people who shut their ears to the gods, and even to their own ancestors? I'm frankly not sure. The surest way to defeat the Blackfyre Adepts might well be to knock this troupe out cold and leave them here..but I think it's time to listen to Ary and try this.
I have watched Old Aye broker peace between warring clan-lieges before. Old Aye, with your guidance, I will do my best to follow in your footsteps.
Unafe takes in a slow breath and stands to her full twenty-foot height. She nods to the nearby soldier and holds out her own massive hands in front of her, palms up (in the hopes that this looks nonthreatening, despite her towering size).
"Greetings. I apologize that we got off on the wrong foot. As you note, Xander tried to enter Azir. He did so honestly, through your front gate, but he--we all--misunderstood what he would be allowed to bring in. I know he broke your law by refusing to relinquish what he brought, and by leaving without your permission.
"He alludes to why, but I will try to add some color if I may." Unafe takes another deep breath. Can I trust this soldier with our secrets? Well, if my companions want to try for a peaceful solution, I think we must, at least a little.
"We all are warriors who risk our lives daily to stem the invasion of demons through the Worldwound. In so doing, we know of a cult of demon-sympathizers bent on destruction. We just received word--extremely reliable--that they have hidden in Azir. They are powerful, and if they get word that we're onto them, they may well escape and we will lose a precious opportunity to save countless lives.
"Should we have approached your Council of Elders directly? Perhaps, but we worried for both speed and discretion--in case these powerful cultists have spies who the direct path would have alerted. Do you have magical means to discern lies? Or to sense evil in the hearts of others? If so, I give you permission to test me. I trust my comrades will say the same. If you do not have the means, please note that while we've acted in secrecy we haven't harmed any of your citizens, soldiers, or property.
"I don't know what authority you have to grant us leave, but I beg it, for the sake of our work to stop foul cultists from killing untold thousands of innocent people. If Xander needs to submit to your courts, I'd ask--due to the extreme urgency--that that be handled after we handle this matter. I know this is a lot to ask but I pray that you will trust me on the urgency. Please, prove to us that we were in error to choose speed over following the correct channels, but don't ask us to slow down now, when so many lives are at stake."