"Aye, whatever you wish." Brand said back to Taliesin's remark.
Soon the caravan departed for the town again, 4 carts laden with iron and steel, one for the fallen soldiers.
As you make your way to the city, the clouds seem to gather slowly overhead, looking like it will rain sooner or later on the day. Talk of last night's 'eyes in the dark' is a hot topic amongst the drivers. Most of them are saying "Evil spirits" , though some of the less superstitious, Brand one of them, just smiled and talked to each other of animals, trained or untrained they were not sure.
As the small caravan came in sight of the town, the rain started to drizzle down, slow at first, but eventually it started to rain down faster, the last two miles of the trip turning into a muddy road.
As you near the north gate, Brand calls out to you.
"We're home, you can go to the northern battlefield now, Oswin and Jake need to fill their cart too."
It's half-way in ther afternoon, you think you are able to ride for a few hours, and make camp a few miles to the north. The decision of shelter amongst the trees or camp in the open field is up to you all though.
Since this weather is terrible, how about this Brand. We unload the wagon here and now. Enjoy a good nigh'ts rest in our beds and all leave in the morning with all the wagons to the battlefield and work there for the day? this way we get some rest and get a lot more done tomorrow?
"Sure enough, lad" Brand says.
Several hours later you are all through the gates and are welcomed by the north gate guards and Gerome Hammerblow, who is already inspecting the the wagons for the best stuff.
"You know I'm surprised about the amount of good worked steel in these carts, not all of it is my or Erathian work." He says holding up a longsword and inspecting a breastplate for any stamps of the producer.
He whistles and a few of his men come to collect the carts of iron from the gate, wasting no time to get smelting.
The guards of the north gate though stare solemly as the last cart is ridden through the gates. Some salute in honour, others clap each other on the shoulder. The worst thing is when a woman recognises her husband among the dead and bursts into tears. Giving her a moment to grief, the cart eventually is being brought to the church, a small amount of people following it, mostly family members.
The monks and clerics there waste no time in preparing the dead for a fast burial, consoling the mourning family members as best they could.
Taliesin will invite brand and his team to a drink at the inn before diner
Nathaniel gets to the church along with the cart after the small things have been discussed.
He goes to the head cleric.
"Excuse me head cleric, may i have a word with you."
He talks on a lower tone,"With recent events, should i work on restoring the armor of those lost for new use after the last rites? Or will their armor remain with them?"
Elenzar looks down at himself and the others. "I like a night in a warm bed as much as the next guy but seriously, we are going to get all this filth off just to hop back in it . . . yeah. . . seriously though magic scrubbing aside we reek I will see about getting us bathed and fresh clothes after our second trip."
Elenzar accompanies the wagons to where they are being uploaded. He looks for someone in charge. "Hey there friend, day one done. I don't think lord Midway wants me to visit smelling of death and sodden with gore I think the inn keep will be mad enough. We are heading out tomorrow for another run. Do you think that it might be possible to get this bunch some fresh clothes and a bath on our return."
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Forfax will stable Scout and inquire again about Erin hoping today maybe the time away gave the stable master a to remember something that may lead him to her. Assuming three is no new info he will head back to his room to clean up contemplate more about her, both beauty and her mysterious non-existence. In the end this is all he can come up with, she was an angel sent by god to me, but why me? And now instead of answer he's just stuck with another question.
Brand looks up to Taliesin with a sly look. "Well my wife wouldn't care much for me if I went for a drink before dinner. I can't show up slightly drunk at the dinner table, got to set a good example for the kids, right? After dinner though, that's a different story." He grins before he starts laughing out loud, some of his team overhearing it also join in.
@Nathaniel
The head of the clerics, nods in agreement to your statement. "Ah yes, some of our order will be buried in their armour or given to their family. Their armour fit their station in our church and it is only right for them to be buried with them. The day is late and you have just returned, our repairs can wait till the morrow, I think Gerome Hammerblow will see to our needs ans wishes in this matter."
@Elenzar
Most of the carts are unloaded at Gerome's, except for the cart with the dead which is unloaded at the back of the church and cleansed more for a proper burial. The carts drivers and workers look at you with a look of surprise, then one grins and says to you.
"Well you could arrange a bath and clothes at the inn perhaps, but if you want to get clean quickly you might want to go to Morda's, or old Nan's as we call it. After a hard day's work at the stables or working on a sweat in the sun, it's good to feel clean again."
@Forfax
The stablemaster still doesn't recall any girl or young woman named Erin.
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David, makes the needed preparations for the return trip back to town. He keeps his senses sharp for any disturbances along the way back.
David will bundle up tight, when seeing the clouds overhead and sighs when it starts to rain. he thinks it kinda fitting the somber nature of carting the fallen soldiers back to town.
Upon arriving, David with go with Elenzar and help unload the wagon full of iron goods. He says a quick prayer, even though not officially of the church for closure and peace for those families of the deceased. He nods at the directions to Nan's to scrub up after the days work.
He nods back to Elenzar, I will be at the inn, should you need me, that is after I stop at Arvinth's.
David will trek back towards Arvinth's and see how he is doing.
Howdy Arvinth, find or see anything interesting. I am gonna head on over to the inn for a bite of warm food and a healthy nights sleep. Wanna join for dinner?
That will be splendid Brand
Taliesin will head to Arvinth shop so say hello to the old wizard and will had his voice to david's for the diner invitation
Elenzar looks back at the man picking up on the smirk and jumping to the conclusion that ole Nan's is a brothel. "Thanks I will encounter at the inn."
Elenzar makes his way to the inn and makes his way to his room. To sleep.
@Arvinth's Magic Shop
When Taliesin and David walk into the old shop, Arvinth can again be found staring into the crystal ball. He seems to look at it from multiple angles before finally standing still and motionless.
Then when you approach he snaps back to reality and looks approvingly, until he notices the smell and sight of your clothes and cringes in disgust.
"My God, that smell. You should do something about that, you know."
A simple handgesture and both your clothes are clean and smelling lightly of lavender.
"There, that's better. Joining dinner sounds like an excellent idea, though in my age I'm a slow eater." he seems to mull over the question of seeing anything.
"Nothing that needs to concern you, though I saw a glimpse of my old flame among them. She resides in Bracada, among the old wizards in the Magical University."
I assume we're skipping to the dinner scene after our smalltalk has occurred?
The group of five Greenbrookers and Arvinth have dinner together at the Rose Petal Inn and join in a meal of beef stew with barley, carrots onions and green beans. It is a healthy meal served with bread and ale, what seems good after a long day's march trudging through filth and mud.
Arvinth is questioned a lot about his past by Taliesin and David alike, he seems to remember alot about those past days and the problems he had back then.
"Ah you young lads, once I was as young and virile as you are right now. I was one of the top students at the Magic University once, not only because I was good at casting spells, but also of being quick on my feet and quick with my mind. Any duels against another student were quickly won."
He looks at you and sees you wonder, trying to understand.
"Ah, let me explain. The wizards of Bracada are the elite on most knowledge arcane, they are the delvers of secret lore and new magics to use. In that fashion they also train a lot of young wizards to help them with this lore, training them to serve them with experiments or discover great wizards for future generations. Myrvala and I were ranked one of the top students of our year, though Myrvala's magic came naturally to her and I was gifted with a quick hand and mind. Many wizards trained in Bracada remain there, either as battlemages serving in the ranks, crafters of golems and gargoyles, teachers of new students and some even lead the army when Lord Gaving Magnus, the Immortal King, bids them to do so. I for one, eventually left for Erathia again as my old home called to me. My old town of Clearwater at the western Erathian border was ransacked by a group of undead from Deyja, alas my home was lost to the winds and I settled along the roads leading west. Our town one of the few that has an arcanist still working in these parts."
After Taliesin had some small talk with Brand and the wagon drivers after dinner and a few questions to Arvinth about his story-telling. Taliesin is joined by David and Nathaniel for the drinks and later on with a pondering Forfax. Elenzar, so they have been told cleaned himself and went to bed early.
The next day the group gathers in front of the northern gate, two carts one with Brand and one of his cousins stands ready and the other with his two friends.
"We guess you'd need only one cart today, but better to have another set of eyes and another cart with us just in case. We should leave soon, the weather seems to be turning sour." Brand says as he looks up at the gathering clouds.
Good call brand let's get going then
Nathaniel doesn't need much observation to see his friend's face.
"You look a little down Forfax. Something wrong?"
The small group leaves the northside of Heartham yet again. This time to go back close to their first mission of collecting grain and wood, now collecting the old scraps of iron from the goblins that died at the battlefield they saw along the way to the wood camp.
The group makes their way further up north and glances side to side keeping a vigilant watch for any goblins prowling along the way, but eventually the rain starts and their vision is more obscured to watch over all the plains.
With the rain pouring down, the wagon drivers pull up their coats and shiver a little. The way north seems longer and hard to travel because of the rain, very much unlike the previous time they went up north. The trail becomes slippery and it is more hard to keep your footing, which makes the trip take longer.
At the end of the long journey, the rain has lessened, the raindrops smaller, but a small veil of drizzle still hangs across the landscape as you reach the small battlefield. The sight here is not much better thnan the battlefield of yesterday as the goblins here have been dead longer. though the rains have washed away much of the blood and gore and has kept the flies and smell to a minimum. The bodies though, look like you would still get very messy with bloodstains and mud.
Crappy weather indeed. Well the sooner we start the faster we get out of here. says Taliesin putting words into action
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Forfax looks at Nathaniel trying to make as happy a face as he can. "Oh, it's nothing," he hesitates trying to come up with a feasible lie, "I was just thinking of my parents and hoping that they are doing alright." He then thinks to himself I hope he buys that, I'm sure they don't want to hear me still swooning over the one that got away.
"Yeah lets get this over with so we can go home and get this slop off of us.
Elenzar reaches for his crossbow leveling it to the east. "We are not alone something an animal perhaps is moving parallel to us. Ready yourselves and look sharp."
understood elenzar
Elenzar spies the creature following them and notices it disappears as the rain lessens. The cart drivers dismount from their wagons and start their search as the veil of drizzle still hangs on the outskirts of the battlefield.
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David wil quietly eat his meal and listen to Arvinth recall about his past. The thought of battlemages, and spell duel confuses him but keeps him engrossed at the same time. At the mention of Myrvala and her talents, the questions start swirling and at the end his mouth start to blurt them out.
Arvinth, where do I begin? How is she doing? When you say her talents came naturally, do you mean like me? Does she take visitors, I would live to meet her and pick her brain as it were. Does she take students, I would live to learn from her once I am finished learning everything I can from you? he stops to catch his breath and let him try to answer.
The rain makes David sigh for a brief moment. I wonder if there wil continue to be rain on this somber of days. I hope the sun comes out to brighten people's spirits in this our darkest and saddest hour.
David, when he get to the sure will look around, seeing mist and a handful if dead bodies. He trudges through the muck, looking around for anything useful, without digging too much for it. It would like to leave the dead goblins there to let the elements do their thing. He will cast what little magic he knows to help clean the bodies and the scrap iron they find. Along with creating light for the group to better see what they are doing, since the hazy mist has enveloped them.
Taliesin will stop and head over to where the creature was last spoted. He will try to look for traks in order to identify the creature
@David
Arvinth looks at you and nods. "Aye, she is just like you, though the reason why she has such powers is different from your own. She still lives, but she is in Bracada a long way from here, I don't know if she would take visitors and new pupils, it's something I could write to her, have an excuse to do so again." The old mage seems dreamy again, reminiscing about past events.
@The small site of battle
Taliesin starts to leave the group as Elenzar calls to him that the creature was no less than 200 feet away from them. Brand mentions they should post a few sentries to look out for the creature getting closer.
Dm: taliesin will go have a look
Taliesin moves 200 feet straight east but finds no tracks as of yet, but when he moves about 60 feet south he finds two large animal tracks. The tracks have some way of a dog, though a lot bigger, they look like wolf's tracks or so he recalls them being described.
The tracks move further back east and as Taliesin looks that way he can see birds flutter, hear them sing and hear the leaves rustling in the light breeze.
The rest of the group finds some small pieces of finely made steel among the bad scraps of iron weaponry the goblins usually have. As they search they can't find any bodies of men of Heartham nor as much good steel as the larger battlesite.
heading back toward the battlefield he will try to make sense of what he has seen.
As Taliesin turns his back to wander back towards the group. He hears a growl and the quick rush of steps towards him. He turns quickly enough so that the large wolf misses him, but now the snarling thing is up close and personal.
It's dark grey fur and size make it impossible to be a normal wolf.
A howl brings the others of the group to its attention, but also multiple howls can be heard across the plains.
"Did we let him wander alone towards danger? Yes Forfax we should"
Round 1
Alright, lets see if i can do this. Lets your body go trough the motions like arvinth showed you
Taliesin slices at the wolf with fervor and gives it a nasty jape across its muzzle, adding to the scars it already has. It growl in defiance as it licks its new wound.
The Wagon drivers look scared and seem to grab for any sort of weapons they have close at hand. Brand grips an heavy axe, while his cousin has a short sword in hand, the other two drivers pull out a set of daggers, with a small handaxe still strapped to their waists.
Brand calls out to you all at the site. "Heads up, I think I see those wolves at the edge of the veil of rain."
"...Taliesin?" Did he just wander off on his own?, that's dangerous considering the war."
Along with the others, Nathaniel raises his shield and braces for conflict.