After thinking on Ashlyn's words, Elizar shakes his head slowly.
Ashlyn looks somber at Elizar's words. She shakes her head, but doesn't argue aloud. A big drop of pumpkin innards drips off of her hair and onto the ground at the motion. Ashlyn doesn't seem to mind.
She waits to hear the opinions of the others.
Evie nods sombrely at Elizar's suggestion
"We need to ask Ramona about the previous settlers and their information, I presume she has the last ship's manifest."
Evie looks around her at the others standing there thoughtfully. "I am presuming we were all picked to ensure we can work together well and harmoniously. Would they not do the same for the settlement before us? I would presume that building a community together is tough but certainly unifying"
Evie, also feeling the unusual cold chill straightens up and takes in a deep breath.
I think we need to find out more information before going back to Ramona, perhaps we can piece more together. Shall we continue and look at these huts around us?"
"They were smart to wait for Aurelian," the swordsman notes, then looks around. "We should find this hole of theirs so Aurelian can finish rescuing them."
Ashlyn nods in agreement at Evie's suggestions. "Good idea."
To both Aurelian and Evie she replies: "Yes, let's keep looking. If there's any survivors, they might be in hiding."
"You know it's possible any rift between the colonists was not of their own doing... some outside influence may have been behind it... Steel your minds and be prepared to fend off any kind of intrusions. Anyway, before we report, we need to search the village for more clues, survivors, whatever might tell us what happened here."
"Outside influence...?" Ashlyn wonders aloud.
Elizar suddenly goes rigid at Fleur's comment. His eyes are wide and scared. A wail builds up in his throat and then he starts screaming. He shakes his head violently back and forth and tears at his hair with his hands as he yells. Pumpkin goop goes flying everywhere.
Ashlyn flinches in pain and clutches at her head. She hurries over to Elizar and starts patting his arms, murmuring "Shhh, shhhh, shhh... It's okay! It's okay! I've got you!"
To her comrades, Ashlyn remarks: "I'm sorry! Some things set him off... He'll be fine in a moment!"
Then she goes back to soothing Elizar.
Elizar's screams quiet as Ashlyn pats him, eventually calming to a mournful, whimpering sob. He clutches at her in fear.
Suddenly he looks around confused, then seems to focus again. He looks at Ashlyn and pats her face, leaving trails of oozing goop all over her cheeks.
Ashlyn smiles. She coos at him in Azlanti.
"Sorry," she announces again to the others. "We're ready now."
"Aurelian's mind is like a steel trap!" Aurelian reassures Fluer. "It is impenatrable, like a Chelaxian paracountess's boudoir would be for a less man than Aurelian!"
He watches Elizar's hysterics.
"Not like that," he points out, making a grimace at the ectoplasmic, and real, goop getting everywhere. "The only thing that should leak out of people is blood, if they face Aurelian in a true duel."
Sarine grimaces at the mention of infighting among the colonists. "Unbelievable...it's like they brought Galt with them. Let's find these people, if they haven't killed each other yet."
Sarine heads toward the buildings in the area of A14.
Following Sarine's lead you head up the beaten dirt track, peering into the buldings on either side as you go. There is little to be found in the buildings themselves, which are some of the smallest and least completed that you have seen so far.
As you reach the crossroads the houses become a little larger. They are clearly recently built and are as deserted as the rest of the village. Many of the houses have no shutters, and in some cases even lack doors. Nearby once-cut grass has begun to regrow undisturbed.
Evie makes sure she is searching everywhere she goes thoroughly
"Anyone else find anything?" she asks, still wary about things not being as they may seem.
Ashlyn checks everywhere she goes, in every shack, shed, nook and cranny.
"I found something," Ashlyn announces. "Here... and here... See? There are strange tracks--a straight furrow in the ground with an odd, alternating pattern of five sided shapes behind it. Something was rolled along here by something with her strange feet. They come from that direction," Ashlyn points the proper way. "And they go that direction." She points the proper way again.
"Lets see where they come from, shall we?" She says aloud as she follows the tracks to their start.
Elizar follows behind Ashlyn, muttering and whimpering to himself quietly.
"As if we needed something else strange to go on here." Sarine says, taking a look at the tracks.
Evie follows Ashlyn in the direction the tracks came from constantly keeping an eye out for any dangers lurking nearby with her rapier ready.
Jenner snorts softly to himself at Aurelian's ego, but his eyes help rake the earth. He stops to murmur words of a prayer here and there, occasionally scanning along the track for signs of magic.
"A barrel, do you think?" the dwarf says with a tug at the Abadaran key in his beard, and a nod at the tracks. "Eyes out, either way..."
Jenner takes up a position near the front, also following the tracks back to their origin point.
Eyes fixed firmly on the tracks you retrace your steps, back down the main street towards the plum tree. You pass the fields on your right and continue further down the track away from the stockade until the path splits in two - the right hand fork heading back towards the beach and the left hand fork, where the tracks go, heading out of the stockade up a sloping hill towards a small farmhouse, with a neatly tilled garden (now sprouting weeds) and a small well outside. This house is one of the better ones, it has a door, shutters and a fully thatched roof.
A large stone near the entrance has been painted with the words 'Levin Farm'. The tracks terminate in front of the farm, where the ground is too hard packed for you to tell exactly where they end. The door stands ajar...
Evie, with her 'do now, think later' attitude, quietly attempts to approach the door sideways on with her rapier out taking care to listen for any noises, particularly any animalistic noises.
Just before Evie steps inside she pauses, catching sight of a floorboard which stands slightly up from the rest. If she had trodden on it, no doubt it would have squeaked loudly. Perhaps it could be pried up entirely to avoid 'accidents'?
Just before Evie steps inside she pauses, catching sight of a floorboard which stands slightly up from the rest. If she had trodden on it, no doubt it would have squeaked loudly. Perhaps it could be pried up entirely to avoid 'accidents'.
Before touching anything, she silently gestures for everyone to look towards the floorboard and casts detect magic.
Sarine attempts to follow along quietly, trailing behind about 20' to give Evelyn room to work. She's leaving her greatsword sheathed for now.
Ashlyn also helps look around for other signs of trouble before entering.
"Hang on a second, guys. Let Elizar check it out." Ashlyn requests.
Ashlyn turns to Elizar and focuses on him. She takes a deep breath and places her arms out, then drags them back in towards herself. As she does, the ectoplasm that makes up his form is pulled back into her. Elizars form lightens, until he's completely see-through, like a ghost.
"You remember what to look for?" she asks him.
Elizar nods, then drifts down, disappearing under the porch.
He then floats back into sight, and does the same thing to the door, slipping right through it and checking around before returning to Ashlyn's side. He goes no further than 25 feet from her.
Fleur waits patiently for Eliazar to finish his scouting...
Evie detects a faint aura coming from beneath the floorboard - it reminds her of the enchanted weapons she occasionally found in the Osirian tombs.
Elizar returns and moans long and low.
Carefully levering the floorboard up you find a greatsword, with a gleaming silver blade and a handle wrapped in green leather and bound in golden wire. The blade glows with a pale emerald light in the gloom under the floorboard, shedding illumination throughout the room as it is retrieved. The blade is etched with fine runes in gold down the centre of the blade. Even to Evie's relatively inexperienced hands the balance is superb.
Aside from the floorboard there is nothing else of significance in the front room. A door at the back leads onwards, further into the house.
Evie smiles at Elizar and says thank you in Azlanti holding out her hands so she could see the object.
"I...." For a second she looks speechless until she shakes herself and continues. "This is definitely Azlanti - the first Azlanti relic I have ever held! It is so beautifully crafted, just look at the balance. Sarine, I truly think you would appreciate the craftmanship of this sword."
As she is handling it and rotating it she noticed the beautifully carved runes. " Hmmm.... These runes here must mean something too, let me have a closer look.
Evie starts running her finger over the runes and reads "I was forged in honor, to strike down the veil." She looks up, with a look no one has yet seen her show, curious yet definitely confused. "What is this, veil, that they mention? Has anyone ever heard of this, it is not something I have come across in my studies."
Evie looks up and offers it towards Sarine.
"By any accord, Sarine, this sword is magically enhanced and that is why it has lasted many an age. I would love to see it in action and I am sure that you could show us how it would look?
"A fine Azlanti blade! That is a wonderful find! Exciting but what is this 'veil' mentioned in the runes. I wonder... some separation between the planes? or perhaps it is meant to pierce the veil of illusions? or something else entirely! It's a mystery! For now at least."
"Wonderful, Elizar!" Ashlyn exclaims.
As Evie pries up the floorboards, Ashlyn turns to Elizar, takes a deep breath and pushes her arms out, a gush of ectoplasm flows from her and splatters all over Elizar. His form absorbs it, until he's solid again in a few breaths.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" Ashlyn remarks. "Yes, you should take it, Sarine."
"...." Jenner resumes putting distance between himself and Ashlyn Orellis. He throws furtive looks sidelong at the others to try and see if he's the only one who finds this creepifyin' as hell.
***
By the time the sword is discovered, Jenner's regained his normal balance enough to let out a low whistle at the sight of the blade. His brows climb higher when he hears it's Azlanti workmanship. "You don't say! I'll be damned and druthered. Mind if I take a look at her, see what I can of the forging?"
His interest is less magical than it is that of the blacksmith. Naturally, dwarven forging techniques are the best, but he supposes those old Azlanti might have had a few tricks up their sleeves.
Jenner hooks his thumbs into his belt and chews the stem of his currently unlit pipe. "So, now, here's a riddle though. This house is one the colonists built. This Azlanti sword didn't show up in the floorboards of its own volition, hey? Someone in the colony found it, tucked it away in their floor for safekeeping. But things went all pear-shaped, and the sword's owner didn't come fetch a blade like this to keep his-- or her-- family safe? When there was all this infightin' we're presupposing? Hmn."
Jenner shifts his pipe to the other side of his jaw, rolling his tongue thoughtfully around inside his cheek. "Anyway, that sword's a fine find but it's not whatever was rolled away from this here house. Let's see if we can't figure out what that was."
The dwarf moves through the house, eyes narrowed, trying to see if his guess of a barrel is matched by any outlines of a missing keg on the floor, or the like.
"You're right, Jenner," Ashlyn agrees. "Somethings off..."
Ashlyn and Elizar help Jenner search!
Sarine takes the greatsword, a bit dazzled by the excellent craftsmanship but allows Jenner to examine it. She grows concerned as Jenner voices his concerns about why the sword was there, however. "You're right, Jenner: we have a mission to take care of and this sword adds to the mystery more than anything. We've made enough noise out here that anyone friendly would have noticed us. Be ready."
Sarine moves toward the back door & opens it. She has her old greatsword sheathed and is carrying the new weapon.
There is nothing much to be found in the main rooms, although the tracks clearly lead into the back of the house. As Jenner approaches the back door he gets a second or so's warning from the slurred groans coming from the other side before the door swings open and two shambling figures burst into the main room. Sarine's great sword suddenly blazes with light, the subtle white glow deepening into a menacing emerald.
Party Up - no surprise rounds either way.
"Abadar's underwear!" Jenner yelps. He wastes no time, however, in swinging his axe at the thing in front of him. "Trouble!"
Reacting quickly to Jenner's unusual curse, Evie starts muttering in Ancient Osiriani drawing on the spells she learned throughout her studies.
That's a wall blocking sight between me and the chokers, right?
---
If it is...
Ashlyn moves forward, then through Jenner's space and continues moving until she's directly in front of Fleur. Now that she's got a clear shot she focuses her mind and casts telekinetic projectile, hurling a dish at the choker in front of her.
---
If it isn't a wall between me and the chokers..
Ashlyn casts telekinetic projectile from right where she is, hurling a pot at the choker right in front of her.
---
bludgeoning.
---
"What are those?!" Ashlyn exclaims.
---
If that is a wall blocking line of sight from Ashlyn's original position and the choker...
Elizar drifts forward three spaces so he's between Ashlyn and the choker. Then he attacks, slamming into the choker once.
---
If that isn't a wall blocking line of sight from Ashlyn's original position and the choker...
Elizar five-foot steps forward diagonally, positioning himself between Ashlyn and the choker. Then he attacks, slamming into the choker twice.
---
If he strikes with either of his attacks the choker must make a Will saving throw (DC 12) or take a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting fear and emotion effect.
Sarine springs into action as her sword flares to life and moves up to the strange creatures. Caught up in her bloodrage, Sarine growls at the enemy. "I'm done with this...it doesn't matter what they are. They're being evicted."
Fleur begins to sing, inspiring everyone...
Aurelian moves up to joing Jenner. "No my friend, you must be subtle, as with a willful horse or a beautiful woman who resists your charms - not that that has happened to Aurelian Fache!"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jenner misses his blow as the creature contorts away from his strike. This brings its head right into the path of Ashlyn's hurled plate, which smashes with a tinkling sound and leaves the creature dazed. Aurelian take full advantage and his rapier flickers out, leaving the choker gasping through its ruined throat.
Elizar flails but his ghostly fists do little to his foe. That honor is left to Sarine and her new sword which carves the air and the choker with barely a hitch - leaving the creature in two steaming pieces on the floor as the Bloodrager cuts it through with a single strike.
The remaining choker lashes out and grasps Aurelian around the throat. Unfortunately for it the Swashbuckler is too quick and he ducks with a mocking smile. "Come, you must do better if you wish to dance with Aurelian Fache!" Seeing itself overmatched the creature withdraws into the room it came from.
-------------
As Evie releases her magic the choker's eyes roll up in its head and it collapses bonelessly on the bed - sound asleep. In the bedroom can be seen a mostly empty barrel, which by the smell contained liquor of some sort. That might explain how sluggish the creatures were...
Combat Over... It'll sleep for 10 rounds so you have plenty of time to end it.
Sarine falls out of her bloodrage with a weary sigh. She leaves finishing off the second choker to her companions and moves into the bedroom.
"Could this barrel have made the tracks we saw earlier?"
Sarine never really got a close look at the tracks and leaves that investigation to her allies, choosing instead to look around the room. Maybe there are clues here about what happened to the colonists...