Hazel
"Oh no," the mage smiled, "I was looking for you. I always seem to miss you when you are town. If you have time today I would love a chance to have a discussion on the intricacies of alchemy. I am afraid there are not to many around here that follow the craft. I also have a few books on anatomy that you mind find interesting."
Arienna leaned forward in a a loud whisper spoke, "I am the only one who reads them. To graphic for the folks around here."
Straightening back up the woman nodded, "I have a few errands to run but I will be at my house at the edge of town for the rest of the afternoon if you are interested."
By midday the spring festival was in full swing. Musicians played lively tunes on the village green and many took turns dancing. Tables were piled high with food of every type and the children ran through the area filling the air with shrieks of laughter.
Various friendly competitions sprang up from arm wrestling to a game of riddles.
After a few hours of celebration, the crowd begins to quiet and part before the old man who walks into the village green. No one every seems to see him arrive although no few children always strive to do so.
His hair is long and white, flowing down to his ankles. His brown robes, knotted with a simple rope, blend into his sun baked skin. Gnarled hands grip a long staff of white ash, atop of which sits a large clear stone set within an iron claw.
Eyes filmed over in white stare blindly forward but his long stride doesn't waver. He stops in the exact center of the village and pounds the staff three times into the ground.
Ruff Dolt took a breath, loud in the silence and stepped forward to begin the ritual.
"Who comes?"
"He who Watches, " the old man intoned, his voice carrying clearly to all corners of the village.
"From where does he come, " Ruff replied.
"From the Mountain," came the reply.
"Why does he come," Ruff asked.
"To find the Foundation."
Silence descended as the village seemed to hold its breath. Moments passed and then the stone began to pulse. A red wisp of smoke swirled in the center and with each throb of color, the red swirled outward and then back on itself in a sinuous motion.
The old man began to move, seeming to use the stone for guidance. Some of the villagers reacted with relief and others with disappointment as he weaved through the gathered people.
A sigh went out as he stopped in front of a young man with wavy black hair and a valiant try at a bread. The stone flashed solid red and the old man touched it to the lad's head.
"One," the village canted in ragged unison.
The old man began to move again until finally he stopped in front of Maekrix. Again the stone flashed red, this time a deep crimson and when he pulled it away from the young man, it continued to pulse on a two count.
"Two," the crowd chanted this time more inline with each other.
The old man roved again until he came to a stand still before the dwarf. Again the stone turned solid crimson and when the stone moved away from Gundar's head it beat an increasing three tempo.
"Three," most of the children shouted gleefully, having discovered the rules to the game. But the adults mostly remained silent no few glancing at each other in surprise.
"Four!" the children shouted, this time the adults joined in in a ragged fashion as the old man removed the stone from Tilk'naldune's brow.
Now the stone swirled faster, its tempo a quick 4 beat as the old man strode through the crowd in no discernible pattern. Long moments passed until finally he stopped.
He raised the staff, the stone completely crimson and touched it Hazel's forehead.
"Five," the chant came and the old man slammed the staff down. A wave of red light flashed outward. Darker lines of red shot outward and attached to the five chosen. Five times the lines pulsed and then the lines faded.
"Foundation." The old man intoned, and strode towards the edge of the village leading towards the mountains. There he stopped to await the chosen.
Maekrix has his fill of fun at the festival, spending his time doing three things. Courting various girls, wrestling anybody that challenges him, and drinking. By the time the old man comes his head is buzzing pleasantly and he's riddled with new bruises.
~~~
Maekrix glances around at the gathered people, but when the old man chooses he just stares in surprise. It's not until the ceremony as at it's end that he breaks out in a smile, grabbing his pack and greatsword off the ground. Let's go see what the big deal is about this ceremony. He makes his way over, grinning ear to ear.
Till is enjoying the festival from the center of it. Although he rarely interacts with the village on a scale this grand, he is not a hermit and enjoys being surrounded by so many happy people. Drifting through the crowds yet remaining unnoticed, he takes in the very essence of the event.
As the old man comes to him he gives a small bow. He is not very familiar with the stories of this man but recognizes his strength of mind and wisdom.
Gundar spends much of his time near the food tables - always his favorite part of the festival. From time to time he drops a couple coppers into the hands of a passing child to go and refill his ale tankard at the tavern.
"I'd rather be up in the woods with Chadi, but can't spit at good food. 'asides, all peoples need their traditions."
Then comes the time for the "main event" of the festival, and the wizened hermit stands before the crowd. Gundar rises up from his table so as not to be disrespectful. He doesn't know much about the man, but the entire village awaits his coming every couple of years with excitement. He was obviously an Elder of some kind.
Gundar's mood begins to sink, though, when it seems the old man is making his way over to the dwarf...
... Again the stone turned solid crimson and when the stone moved away from Gundar's head it beat an increasing three tempo.
"Three," most of the children shouted gleefully...
The whitebeard moves away to continue his little ritual, leaving Gundar to sigh in his wake.
"Bugger," mutters the dwarf.
So much for waiting for Chadi, he thinks. Gundar had no doubts that Swiftbreeze would tell him to go with the hermit - the ranger treated the festival with the same reverence as the rest of the town. Shouldering his pack once more, Gundar finds Ruff in the crowd.
"Let Chadi know about this when he gets back, will you? he says to the man. Then he turns and plods over to stand with Maekrix and Tilk and the others, awaiting whatever the old man had in store for them.
"Least I'll finally learn what this bloody 'foundation' is supposed to be."
The Old Man remained silent as the five finally gathered around and then with a slight nod began walking.
A few hours into the the odd journey, both Gundar and Tilk'naldune knew where the trip would end. The Cascades. A two mile area against the mountains that was rife with hundreds of waterfalls some large, many small ones.
Another two hours and the group walked out of the forest into a clear area. The air was heavy was moisture and the sound of rushing water filled the glade.
The Old Man led them toward one of the normally larger ones, only this time of year it thundered at only half strength.
The Old Man pointed half way up the the falls, "What you seek lies beyond the Veil of Mists."
Maekrix looks up at the waterfall and whistles. "Well I suppose we could have picked a worse time to do this."
Wait, You want us to jump?
Gundar shrugs at Maekrix's statement.
"It's even better in the springtime, when the falls swell to their fullest. Noise is downright deafening, fog-mist is everywhere... otherworldly, it is."
To Tilk:
"Seems to me like he wants us to climb. No trouble really - I've been up there before. Don't know what it is he's sending us after, though."
"Yes, "Hale, the fifth member of your group nods as he removes his sword belt and loops it over his shoulder so that the short sword settles at his back, "Though I don't know how you are going to get that moose up there Tilk'naldune."
Maekrix takes out his rope, fixing a grappling hook to the end of it and tossing it until the hook has a good grip, giving it a few tugs before beginning the climb.
Gundar takes the same approach to climbing that he does to all travel - slow and steady. His deft hands grip each hold tightly before he leverages himself up and reaches for the next. He decides not to use his rope for the ascent, reasonably certain he can make it cleanly without it and not wanting to leave the rope behind.
Both me and my animal companion gain a +4 competence bonus on climb checks for one minute. This also applies to Winston... somehow
Winston will climb like a Billy goat.
Tilk'naldune reached the open cave under the falls first and pulled himself inside. Winston scrambled in from the side, let out a trumpet of annoyance and plastered himself against the half elf his body trembling from the climb.
Gundar appeared next, with Hale not far behind him. The grappling hook slipped on the slick surface but before anyone could react, a large hand appeared over the edge and with a show of strength, Maekrix pulled himself over the edge into the cave with one hand the other hand still clutching his rope.
As one the four glanced back over the side down at the fifth member of the company.
The cave large but narrows towards the back.
Heart pounding, Maekrix finishes the climb with a smile. "Bloody armor, weighs down the hook." He yells down to Hazel. "Climb's easy! Just use the rope!"
While Hazel makes her way up the cliff face, Maekrix glances around the cave.
The mouth of the cave itself is barely 20 feet wide and about 12 feet high. The cave opens up to roughly 60 feet at its widest and 30 feet at its narrow. The ceiling is about 20 feet high. The cave heads deeper into the mountain and a deep inky blackness.
"What now? Do we go further in, Hale asks nervously girding his weapon belt back around his waist.
Gundar just grunts understanding at Maekrix as he scans the cave, trying to remember anything in particular about this formation.
Maekrix points to the scratches in the ground. "Something else is here." He takes his greatsword off his back, leading the way.
Silently reproaching himself for missing the signs, Gundar swings his crossbow into his hand and loosens the leather holds on his axe, just in case.
[spoiler=Gundar] The scratches look similar to the furrow large winged beasts will leave when landing. You know the cave goes back another 200 yards into the mountain and from being here before you know the stone moves from being natural living rock to worked living rock (as with magic as apposed to tools) in the last 50 yards of the cave [spoiler]
Lol forgot the back slash
As Gundar finishes speaking, he notices movement near the back of the cave. With a deafening roar a large beast rushes towards the party.
Please then state what your standard action, move action, free action, and/or immediate actions will be.
Maekrix steps between the beast and the party, roaring and bringing his greatsword down on it.
I will be taking a full round action to use rapidshot and then Winston will charge the one I shot.
"Wait, there's -" Gundar begins as a creature stirs in the darkness. Before he can finish his sentence, it charges. The dwarf levels his crossbow and sends a bolt at it.
Once the bolt is away, Gundar drops his crossbow and draws his axe, not wishing to risk putting a bolt into Maekrix's back. He moves to flank the creature, hoping that by surrounding it they can put it down more quickly.
"With apologies there, beastie! he says as he swings the axe, "But ya were awfully hasty!
Even as he attacks, Gundar tries to remember information on what the creature is...
"Wait, there's -" Gundar begins as a creature stirs in the darkness. Before he can finish his sentence, it charges. The dwarf levels his crossbow and sends a bolt at it.
His shot went wide
Round 1
The beast thundered towards the group, its claws making clacking sounds against the stone. Its golden mane was streaked with blood. One eye oozed and gaped empty, the other blazed yellow. Other wounds seeped sluggishly across its tawny hind quarters. One leathery wing was curled to its body and the break along the membrane was easy to see.
It roared, its jaws opening wide and spraying bloody froth over Hale and Maekrix.
Maekrix tried to side step the charge but large fangs sunk into his bicep.
With a mighty roar, Maekrix brought his greatsword down, the blade sinking into the lion's back, almost severing the broken wing. The beast howled its face almost human in its agony.
Gundar drops his crossbow and draws his axe, not wishing to risk putting a bolt into Maekrix's back. He moves to flank the creature, hoping that by surrounding it they can put it down more quickly.
"With apologies there, beastie! he says as he swings the axe, "But ya were awfully hasty!
The axe dug deeply into the beast's flank and a hind leg gave out. Its large spiked tale whipped widely, struggling to arch over its head.
Tilk'naldune drew his bow and sent two arrows in rapid succession into the melee. One slammed into the cave wall and shattered, the other flew out the cave mouth.
With a snort, Winston lowered him mighty head and brandishing his antlers sprang forward to gouge the beast. His head flung back as he danced backward spraying blood across the ceiling.
Not knowing what the creature is, she figured she'd play it safe. Hazel reached for a somewhat large vial filled with a murky pink substance.
With a chocked off snarl the beast staggered and then lay still. Its sides heaved once, twice then became still as a dark pool spread outwards from its body...
Breathing hard from the adrenaline and brief exertion, Gundar is relieved to see that the big, strange creature now lies still. He turns to look deeper into the cave, trying to tell if there are likely to be any more of the animals within.
Maekrix slumps against the wall, clutching his arm. "Well that hurt. Do any of you heal?"
Dang, their all clustered together. Maekrix I got you.
MAY ERISTAL's BLESSING GO WITH YOU
Still studying the darkness, Gundar wipes his axeblade clean on a bit of rag taken from his belt.
"Ya think that's what the old man had in mind?"
"Maybe," Hale agreed and fished a candle out of his backpack and lighting it.
The group moves cautiously into the cave. Gundar is the first to see the bodies. About a dozen are scattered near the back of the cave. For a moment, Gundar takes the dead to be dwarfs but closer examination reveals the low arching brow, and deeper set eyes. He knows to the others their skin would be grey, almost blending into the darkness.
Duergar. The dark cousins. The lost ones.
They are all young, not yet grown into their beards. Their armor is enforced leather and their weapons double headed pikes. Blood splatters the walls and pools under bodies. One body is missing its head, his hand still clutching a broken vial. Another has obviously been fed upon.
Wha... what happened here? Why are there Duergar here? Hazel, is there anything you can find out from that vial that one is holding?
do the wounds match lion wounds and are lions native to this area?
Tilk - yes and yes
Gundar regards the dead duergar. "Hm. Can't say as I'm gonna cry over their corpses, but I can take a warning well enough. Keep those weapons ready, lads."
Axe in one hand, Gundar moves cautiously forward to examine the bodies more closely, looking for pouches that might contain messages, or some signet or sign of what they were doing in the area or where they came from.
In short order, Gundar has a small pile of items. 12 vials containing a green fluorescence fluid. 2 vials containing a red liquid. 6 silver armbands only 2 of which hold a crest- That of stylized anvil on which sits a gem. 6 small uncut emeralds, 3 plain copper rings, 25 small gold nuggets, and 180 small silver nuggets. 6 dwarven double picks, 6 sets of all but useless armor, and one silver daggar.
Further things noticed:
Gundar waves his fellows forward. "Gonna need help making sense of all this."
He picks up the ring. "Definitely dwarven. Ashamed to say I don't recognize it. Can't tell the rest from coal dust. I can tell there's a door here, though."