"I'm guessing you did not finish your studies. Am I right?"
You make the way to the site of the caravan and find Silas the caravan master. A middle-aged human male who is just starting to grey Silas regards you with curiosity.
"Welcome to my camp strangers, how can I help you?" he says arms opened wide.
”I’m to honest to even bother lying.
Alvoise flicks the ash from his cigarette. ”Now that sounds most definitely like a lie."
"Welcome to my camp strangers, how can I help you?" he says arms opened wide.
”Greetings,” Alvoise says with a bow then offers his hand for shaking. ”You’re Sir Silas Gribbles? A man recently travelled with your caravan from Numeria. He was murdered last night. We wondered if you had any details about why he came to Caliphas, or at the very least how he came to travel with you.” He describes the man so there isn’t any confusion about who they are discussing.
"Correct," Henric says simply, nodding to Raskir. He rubs his chin again, the lack of a 'Lepidstadt scar' now apparent.
His concentration lapses upon meeting Gribbles, and Alvoise again takes the lead. He simply stands back, awaiting a response, sizing up the greying man.
"I know who you're talking about. If you ask me the old man was fleeing the country, I know the look. He kept looking over his shoulder, asking me how much further it was to the border, didn't even give me his name. Still he paid in gold and triple the usual amount so that I made best possible time so I didn't complain." replies Silas.
Xaikon simply walked in silence observing the rest playing lying riddle games. Every now again looking up to see where Krist was flying.
When they arrived at the camp, she simply stood behind looking about while the others conversed with Silas Gribbles.
"Fleeing Numeria, or fleeing Ustalav? Did you have a destination beyond here?"
"Fleeing Numeria I believe...If you want to know more, I might be able to help you. I picked up the old man at a small town close to the border and there was a young girl there to see him off. I think I heard him refer to her as his apprentice. I'm heading back that way as soon as the wagons are loaded if you come along and find this girl I'm sure you can shed some light into your mystery assuming she's still alive."
Hearing Silas mentioning the wagons are almost ready to head back to Numeria, Xaikon quickly speaks, "I can fly above the caravan to scout for potential trouble, in exchange for food and a place to sleep."
Noting the significance of Silas' hand placement, Henric mirrors the gesture with his free hand. "That is an appropriate offer. I, for one, think that meeting with this apprentice is simply the next logical step in this investigation." He glances at the others, eyes flicking to each in turn. "I, for one, will likely depart with the caravan. I do not know what has brought each of you here, or what holds you to this place. Therefore, I cannot ask any of you to join me - but the decision lies with each of you individually."
These past few days have been unexpectedly....eventful.
Jayla looks briefly over the others with her blueish metallic eyes.
But as quick as that glance was gliding over the others, just as quick was her response.
"I am bound to nothing, this venture would be a good spendation of time. Additionally, it might provide me with answers concerning my origins. Albeit a mystery as to how long that might take."
"I'm not tied to anywhere, And this mystery would be a good mental exercise."
”Anyone here capable of making a portrait of our unidentified old man? If not let’s get one made. If we can’t find his apprentice, it will make asking people much easier.”
Alvoise smiles with a shrug. ”I just arrived here, but the offer of a reward is enticing. Numeria, here I come.”
"Well alright then! Take care of your things we will leave in a few hours. The trip is free of charge so long as you agree to defend us in the event of an attack. There shouldn't be a problem but you never know." says Silas
"Aye, I will travel with you. After a few days in the city it will be good to breathe the open air."
Upon hearing free charge to join the caravan and Raskir agreeing to travel with, a large smile forms. She turns to Raskir, "Wonder where we will end up on this journey."
”Well in the few hours I have left, I’ll find an artist to do a pencil or ink sketch of the man. Anyone want to join me? Two people working with the artist may help make it more accurate.”
"I will help."
She turns to Raskir, "Wonder where we will end up on this journey."
If we go to Aaramor, there might be questions if they see me without my previous employer. City guards ask so many questions.
”Excellent,” Alvoise says to Raskir. ”I think the constables would know of people who could make a portrait from a description in a short amount of time.”
She speaks up before Alvoise and Raskir plan to depart the caravan, "Is the body still not available to be able to make sketch of old man? Or has the body been feed to the animals already."
You prepare and you leave town with the caravan going into Numeria.
Make knowledge local check if you have ranks in it.
After a few hours the caravan leaves the main road and takes a smaller obviously less used path that goes into the mountains.
As the caravan begins to move she quickly hops onto a goods wagon to sit on top of the cargo to be able to have a better view of the surroundings. When the caravan moves into the mountains a smile forms, she hops down to Raskir, "I going to fly for a while above."
Xaikon quickly takes to the sky above with Krist following though take up a position a short distance of about 500 feet to her right side on the other side of the caravan line.
Jayla looks up as Xaikon flies in the sky.
"If something is near, they could easily notice it."
Val keeps alert on the trip
Anybody got Linguistics skill?[/ooc]
As they entered the mountains, Alvoise walks along the caravan, cataloging the edible plants. He notices the occasional deer track in the dirt. He watches Xaikon fly above the caravan, wondering what it feels like to fly.
He's avoiding the border guards.
The voice in his head startles Henric; the charcoal between his fingers, with which he was sketching the dead man's face from memory, falls to the floor of the wagon. Smoothing his face back into a mask as he picks it up, he wonders to himself why that voice was so clear.
Listen, I can't keep the others down for long, but you need to know this. He's taking the long way around, heading to an old mining outpost where Three-Fingers and I used to stash our goods and lie low for a while. We took this road all the time, because it avoids the border guards. Nobody takes this trail much - least, they never used to. The voice grows whispery and indistinct, but manages to get out one last piece of information - I remember you hearing it was abandoned nearly a decade ago. Can't think of any reason he'd be heading there. Good luck.
With that, the usual sussurus of whispers rises again.
After finishing his sketch, Henric blows off the charcoal dust, rolls up the parchment, and approaches Silas. "I have some idea of where we are headed," he says in a low voice, trying to avoid allowing anyone to overhear. "Who are you trying to avoid?"
Seeing a settlement ahead that seemed to be abandoned, she quickly swooped down to the others below, "There is an settlement ahead, though looks empty of people.". Once spoken she takes to flight again.
Alvoise watches Xaikon take flight immediately after delivering the news. He wants to ask if there were any signs of violence or general destruction, but he doesn’t have a chance to pose his questions. ”I guess we better be even more on our guard,” he says as he lights a cigar with a spark from his fingers.
"A town devoid of it's people ahead, That can't be good news."
"No people to disturb your sleep." she said in a rather flat voice.
Not that i require such a thing as sleeping.
To Henric "I am taking the less traveled route to avoid the border guards. I had to sneak by them on my way out at that old mans request so I figured it best to avoid them on way back in as well just in case."
To everyone "No worries the mining town ahead has been deserted for a long time. We will stop there for a short rest and rest the our destination tomorow monring." says Silas
Alvoise nods at the caravan’s leader. ”Did the mine run out? Anything of value left to salvage?”
From what I heard there should still be quite a bit of silver left down there but one night a star fell from the sky and hit this mountain. Most of the mines collapsed and went they tried to reopen them the miners were attacked by something and were all slaughtered. After that some plague was spreading trough the town so everyone still able decided to leave, most consider this place cursed now but I've been here several times and nothing bad happened to me." explains Silas
Upon hearing about the rumors of curses, Raskir closes his eyes and tries to sense the spirits of this place, but he feels no connection to the land here so learns nothing. With no help from the spirit world, he keeps his eyes open and studies the land to see if anything is amiss.
"A falling star? Plague?" Henric muses, rubbing his chin throughtfully. "This was about ten years ago, correct?"
Xaikon and Krist keep a watchful eye for trouble at the abandoned settlement, and it's surrounding area.
”So this was like the Starstone?” Alvoise asks, flicking ashes from his cigar. ”I thought stars look more like white fire. Not giant rocks. I guess the gods could use magic to make the rocks shine.” He shrugs and exhales smoke from his nose.
”So what’s stopping people from restarting the mining then if the curse appears to be gone?”
"The answer is simple, they don't want to find out the hard way."
Silas is silent for a moment. "Would you be interesting in having a look? There could be good coin to be made here. If the mine is clear I could certainly profit from that information and I could cut you in. At the very least I can pay for any silver you manage to bring back.
"And make a profit selling said silver.", her metallic eyes glancing over Silas.