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Perhaps spurred on by the appearance of still more innocents on the scene, Justahl takes advantage of Kelne's tactical maneuvering and after severing one of wolfguard #1's arms, drives his sword clean through the man's torso, killing him instantly.
The ladies, now just 40' away, let out an uproarious cheer as he falls. "YAYAYAAYYYYYY!!! Justahl our HERO!!! Hee hee! 'The City Guard,' he says, why, he's the city guard all by himself!" One young lady, apparently feeling particularly bold, starts walking towards the combatants. "Justahl come here, I'm feeling quite imp...im...improprietous! And I'm going to kiss you and that's that!" The last, lone wolfguard, seeing the young student stumbling towards you all, raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?" he says incredulously "It's gonna be this easy to get out of here?"
Kephniel
All
"Back off, you drunken morons!" Kelne roared. This was by no means the kind of attention he'd expected the fight to attract, and he could guarantee the last wolfguard would turn the situation to his advantage given the slightest chance.
He, at least, was not the subject of anybody's infatuation. There was a remote chance they might take him seriously.
"Stand aside," she says to the approaching woman, stepping to attempt to keep her from harms way if it came down to it. Kephniel fires twice again at the last of the Wolfguards with two bolts.
Attack:
Damage:
Attack:
Damage:
Tanel charges at the construct with a roar, his strengtened muscles combining with his determination to protect Jorzan sending his blow in hard and fast.
Kelne's shouting and Kephniel's rapid movement seem to shake young miss von Teerimin and she suddenly pulls up short. Looking from one of you to the other, she freezes in her tracks, her vision fixed on the massive pools of blood surrounding the dead wolfguards. It is likely she is going into shock. "A...Alice?" her friends call tentatively to her.
Perhaps sensing he will get no better chance, the wolfguard bolts towards the young aristocrat, brazenly opening himself to attack by Justahl and Kephniel, with her crossbow.
Rushing across the wet grass, he slides the last few feet to the girl, who does not scream but instead just freezes. The wolfguard expertly grapples both her hands behind her back and holds his wickedly sharp kukri to her neck. He is ignoring the other students, who are looking around helplessly and making confused sounds as their night of revelry has turned into a nightmare.
"None of you move!" The wolfguard yells at the three of you. "You even try, I give her a second smile."
Tanel's charge is lethally successful; his halberd connects solidly with The Punisher's back, eliciting another odd watery gurgle from the ancient construct as it looks back and forth between Jorzan and Tanel and the four paladins rushing in to assist.
Realizing what Wolfguard #1 intended, and the many kinds of wrong that would result, Sir Justahl shouts "No!" before desperately swinging at him.
Longsword attack of opportunity: for a possible slashing damage.
Kephniel turns, her crossbow trained on the wolfguard until her takes up his cover behind the woman. She's oddly silent at the sudden movement and does not move, watching the woman rather than the other. Be brave, she mentally encourages the girl. Breathless, Kephniel hesitates.
Attack:
Damage:
Attack:
Damage:
Note: Point Blank shot is not included.
Channel Energy heals to all in 30 feet. Keph does not have Selective Channeling.
Kephniel keeps her crossbow trained on the wolfguard, waiting to see what happens, but so far the man is busy making sure his grip on Alice's wrists is secure and that his kukri is right up against her slender neck.
Justahl and Kelne:
Sir Justahl took a step to follow, but stopped at the expicit threat.
"Well what now fool? We have already established that you CANNOT take her from us, and we WILL NOT give her to you. Did you want to attract attention to your Master? Mission accomplished! Did you want to create instant hostility to this city's richest and most powerful nobility? You are well on your way. While you are at it, perhaps you would like to defile a few temples just to make your failure complete. You really should leave while you can and leave your Master some shreds of his reputation."
Diplomacy:
Reflex1:
Reflex2:
As the gurguling voice bestows the news that The Master is still alive as jagged bolt of ice and fear smashes though Jorzan's heart, causing him to freeze for an almost lethal second. As the Punisher's wicked blade lance across his flesh gouging wicked wounds, Jorzan gasps aloud from the pain. Yet his uncanny relfexes still manage to keep him on his feet. 'No!No! It can't be!' The shadowdancer thinks desperatley 'It is a trick! He says this to throw me off!' Thus, grapsing at this ragged shred of hope, the young man pours his resistance into his next thrust screaming "No! NO! You SHALL NOT HAVE HER! Nor Me! NEVER AGAIN!"
Attack & Damage:
Yet though his thrust is backed by the power of his passion his emotional state causes his aim to be wildly off as the construct easily avoids the attack. Knowing he cannot stand another lashing like the last, the shadowdancer desperately wraps the shadows around himself, hopeing to avoid detection and further damage as he moves off to the side and up one of the walls again.
Stealth:
Sir Justahl took a step to follow, but stopped at the expicit threat.
"Well what now fool? We have already established that you CANNOT take her from us, and we WILL NOT give her to you. Did you want to attract attention to your Master? Mission accomplished! Did you want to create instant hostility to this city's richest and most powerful nobility? You are well on your way. While you are at it, perhaps you would like to defile a few temples just to make your failure complete. You really should leave while you can and leave your Master some shreds of his reputation."
Diplomacy: 1d20+13
As Justahl's noble voice rings out, bouncing off the old buildings around the quad in silvery tones, the wolfguard seems to finally realize the gravity of his situation. Something about the way the Aasimar speaks...
Two of the Alice's friends have taken off running towards the southeastern corner of the quad, which Justahl knows leads eventually to the Warbanian guard house. The wolfguard's eyes dart from Kephniel's crossbow to Kelne and Justahl's swords, both dripping blood, to the fleeing students. Finally, he locks eyes with Kelne. The two northerners stare each other down.
The rain begins to pick up again, and the wind blows cold. Trees bend against the gusts. As the rain in these parts mixes often with ocean spume, the water stings your wounds. Your breath comes out in plumes of vapor and you stifle shivers, though the two northmen seem less affected by the weather than anyone else. Here you all sit, for just a single surreal moment, perched on the edge of a knife.
Alice is looking imploringly from Keph to Justahl. Silent tears run down her cheeks as she mouths the word "...please..."
Kelne:
@Jorzan (and everybody, for that matter):
@Jorzan (and everybody, for that matter):
@Jorzan and @Tanel: The Punisher seems to take fighting two at once in stride. It lashes out at Jorzan again as the shadowdancer disappears into the heavy shadows in every doorway and against every wall. The rain makes a tink-tink-tink-tink-tink sound as it hammers the nimblewright's metal body and Tanel's armor alike.
"jorrrrrzan your friends can hurt too i can make them hurt this one for example this one how loud will he scream when i cut do you think? how loud? when i cut his arm off very slowly jorzaannnnn where are you?"
The horrid creature then lashes out at Tanel with its full fury, striking the stocky Bennaladi man and easily piercing his armor.
The paladine are so very, very close...
Tanel:
Kelne held his steady glare through Justahl's speech, before finally speaking his piece, "Here's my offer," he said, "You can release the girl and slink off back to whatever hole you crawled out of. I won't pursue you. Alternatively," he continued, the contempt dripping from his voice lessening somewhat, "You can surrender. Tell the council everything you know and I'll prevail upon them to send you south out of Ormir's reach. It all depends how you think he'll react to your failure."
vs. 14
There is a long, terrible pause. The wind picks up even more, blowing the rain sideways and flinging leaves along with it. Everyone is shivering a little from the cold at this point. Suddenly a tower bell begins to chime 10:00. The wolfguard's calm breaks.
*BONNNNGGGGG*
"rrrrrrrrrrr"
*BONNNNGGGGG*
"rrrrAAAAAAAGH!"
*BONNNNGGGGG*
"You can go to hell, Kelne! You can go to hell!"
*BONNNNGGGGG*
As the clock tower continues its dolorous droning chimes, the wolfguard kicks Alice hard in the back, sending her tumbling forward right in Kephiel's line of sight. There is a trickle of blood coming from the young aristocrat's neck. The wolfguard, meanwhile, has taken off at a full run away to the north, leaving a small blood trail behind.
Alice's friends rush forward as Kephniel channels positive energy, instantly healing up the wound on the young aristo's neck. The three students are kneeling in the grass, sobbing and hugging each other, their once-nice party clothes now soaked with mud and grass stains and blood from the dead wolfguards. Cassandra walks over to them and watches, but turns away after just a moment.
From the southeast end of the quad two giant Warbanian mercenaries come running, Alice's other friends doing their best to follow the giant warriors. Pulling up to the group one of the guards asks the obvious question. "What happened here? What is going on in this city today?"
Sir Justahl hustles over to where Lady Alice was kneeling and weeping. He gently Lays on Hands her for healing, and removing the Shaken condition.
"Lady Alice, are you all right?"
To the guards, he straightens up and replies; "The Wolfguards happened. Again. Though, there weren't quite as many as there was a while ago."
To Cassandra; "Are you all right Cassandra? Seeing that up close and personal is rarely pleasant."
He thinks a bit, tapping his chin.
"What if, instead of holding on to my leg, I rig a seat on my back you could ride on? You'd have a better view, and I would have more mobility. Ordinarily you would be more exposed to snipers; but we know now that they want you alive and most likely won't risk it."
Tanel is knocked to the ground by the constructs brutal assault, shaking his head blearily from the rain and blows he stares up at the construct, feeling the wounds in his side keenly. He senses that escape would be near impossible in this incident, he takes a deep breath and stands.
The creature stabs straight through Tanel's armor as he stands, the blade glistening with gore as the the Punisher removes it, but Tanel somehow miracuclously stands. Bleeding profusely he grips his halberd tightly in one hand. 'I will not fall so easily. No, I will wreak a terrible cost from you!' Tanel laughs and raises his halberd brining it down hard on the Punisher.
The bleedong oracle does not stagger with the force of his own blow, but rather, with stunning speed raises his weapon over his head once more, he seems possessed by some greater force, some animal brutal thing, and with a broken shrieking laugh he roars 'I am war incarnate!' as the halberd falls.
Tanel's halberd somehow, miraculously, lands two crushing blows on the Punisher, one doing heavy damage and the other knocking loose a piece of metal. Obviously, as one of the mage's earlier creations, it is not as sleek or strong as The Takers are.
A blast of lightning arcs across the sky, then, and the Punisher's monologue is reduced to three words as it stares first at Tanel, then up and behind him, at something else entirely. "nnnnoooooooooooo nnnnnnnnot thaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt" The four Paladine coming charging up behind it then, each man's sword glowing silver and leaving streaks in the air. "For Iomedae! For Her grace!" They call out. The construct is struck a half-dozen mighty blows, each swing magically enhanced and blessed by Iomedae, and between this and the damage already done by Tanel and Jorzan, the ancient construct falls to the ground, a useless pile of metal and gems. The chest of the thing opens, and a small water spirit rises up. Still unable to see Jorzan, it calls out to the air. "i ammmm onnnly the firrrrrrst, jorrrrzan...onnnnly the firrrrrrrst... he comesssssssss forrrrrr youuuuuuu...hisssssssssssss faaaaaaaaaaaaaamillllllllyyyyyyyyy..." There is a hissing pop, and the creature dissolves into the air, returned to the water from whence it originally came, now no longer animated.
One of the paladins immediately turns to Tanel. "Sir! By the Lady's Grace, sir, are you alright?! I've not seen such a thing in all my days, you...it was like you...but that's not possible!" He shakes his head and sets his hand on the stockier man's shoulder. "But here, let me heal you. Let Her Grace infuse you with life and energy."
The other three paladine are looking around. "Wasn't there another one here? I thought there was a second..."
Lady Alice cannot bring herself to look at Justahl. Her hand won't leave her neck, even after it is completely healed and her alabaster skin is once again free of any mark or stain. Her voice is meek and quiet as she speaks, and her friends are helping her to her feet. "Sir Justahl, I...I thank you. My family thanks you...thanks all of you...I am...sorry...sorry..."
Cassandra walks over to Kephniel and takes her hand, then looks at Justahl. "It's okay, Shining Man. It gets much worse. I don't mind seeing this. I don't think...could I really ride on your back?!"
Kelne shook his head at the vagaries of life and set about cleaning his sword. The wolfguard could go for now, but if he saw him again, he'd be the first to die.
"There are still three of them out there by my count," he said grimly, moving to check the two bodies, "I doubt they'll come after us inside Stormfare again, but we don't want to stand still while they call in something nastier."
[b]'Thank you,' Tanel says. The paladins' healing and the rain are clearing his head, but he still only blurrily remembers the end of the fight. Deciding to stay quite about Jorzan should he not want to anounce himself, he shares a nod with the paladin and lays a hand on one of the wounds in his side, using his own healing magic.
@Kelne: The Warbanian soldier spends a while looking at the dead wolfguards' equipment and style of dress. "We will put a watch out for men dressed like him. There are more...subtle forces in the city that can keep them under surveillance. I thank you, sir, for your assistance."
@Kelne, @Kephniel, and @Justahl: Glancing at the bodies again, the Warbanian looks to all three of you -- Kephniel, Kelne, and Justahl -- and says approvingly "These wounds are deep, and well struck. This is fine work. You are skilled warriors." he squats down in front of Cassandra, then, his massive bulk still towering over the tiny girl even when crouched down. "If you are not safe with these vegtera, little one, then I know not how you could be safe." He stands back up. Cassandra grips Kephniel's hand a little tighter and looks terrified.
There is a bit of awkwardness when it comes time to decide where Cassandra should stay, but that is settled when the Warbanians offer the officers' quarters in their garrison; it is mostly used for storage since officers always stay with the line soldiers in Warbanian culture, and is quite heavily fortified. Kephniel and Justahl are able to get cots set up in the same room, and the space is part of the usual patrol routes for the Warbanians. If Cassandra is not safe here for the night, then she's probably safe nowhere.
Kelne retreats to his rooms in town, where he can gather the rest of his equipment and prepare for tomorrow's journey.
@Jorzan:
Seeing Tanel healing himself, the paladin smiles and moves over to help his compatriots begin destroying the body, reducing it to constituent parts for re-use by the professors at the university. Tanel is able to make his way back to his quarters without further incident and finally collapse from the efforts of what has turned out to be a very long day.
Sir Justahl sighs as he sees Lady Alice leave. He hated to see that kind of trauma inflicted on bystanders.
Int check vs DC15:
He will join the others in the safe quarters with Cassandra, and find someone with the craft skills to make a harness she can sit in on his back.
DIPLOMACY:
Kephniel watches the women leave with a heavy heart. She takes a deep breath and looks to Cassandra, holding her hand tightly. If even a little too tightly before she realizes it and releasing the young girl's hand. Giving Cassandra a very slight smile of apology, she pats the girl's back gently and follows her to their place of rest.
EVERYBODY: The next morning you awake to the sound of a massive thunderstorm. Lightning is jetting jaggedly around the sky as near-constant peals of thunder shake the timbers and tiles and cobbles of the city. Waves smash into the breakwalls and the docks, and foot traffic is reduced to only the occasional sprinter, running from dry place to dry place.
The rain is a thousand hammers.
The university has provided you all with combat-trained light horses (for those that don't already have mounts, that is), and some basic supplies like trail rations and the like. The paladine of the city have provided you with maps and information on The Grindylow, also known as Mind Maggots, plus the current tactical situation with the Black Dragonflight and Red Dragonflight. Kelne briefs everybody on Ormir's Wolfguards.
You have all gathered in the greatroom of a university hall, where Captain Iolan is looking at the map with you.
"Basically, as I see it, you have three 'quick' options for getting to The Wall, none of which are very good. Option one is to go north and skirt along the White Dragonhold. Dangers on this route include; Baron Ormir is after Cassandra, the weather will be brutal, and you'll be perilously close to wild lands and White Dragons at all times. Option Two is also north, but you could instead go through the Unclaimed Lands. Dangers on this route include; the mad mage is apparently still alive and pursuing both Jorzan and Cassandra, you will be very close to the cursed land of Iridian, and the last stage of your journey will take you right by the front lines of the war on the main battleplain. Option three is to go south, through the Plains of Bennalad, and south of the Protectorate of the lake. Dangers here include; Izmir is under siege, Hallas is overrun, and you will have to journey through the western reaches of the desert of Rass-La, the Old Woods of Graczne, and the sundered kingdom, hopefully scooting around the battleplain via the Great Trackless woods." The captain sighs. "In more peaceful times, this journey would be simple, with many quiet lands and allies along the way. But these are not such times, so I fear no route will be straightforward. Obviously these are not your only options, merely the most direct ones. So. How do you think will travel? Or at least how will you begin?"
Safe for the moment in the shadows a wave of guilt flows over Jorzan as Tanel takes a savage blow in his place. "NO!" he shouts out yet his voice is overwhelmed by the otherworldly battle roar of Tanel himself as a force appears to overtake the stocky warrior and the spirit of battle itself seems to guide his next two mighty blows.
In the next moment the Paladine summoned by Karthan arrive and with a fury of blows finish off the malelovant construct. As the water spirt bestows it's final warning Jorzan shivers involuntarily to himself and stpes out of the shadows.
"Yes, there was another. I am he, Jorzan, and you have my thanks. You Paladine, but most of all you, friend Tanel. I know not what you did just then but I have never seen such a feat in my life. Cassandra is fortunate indeed to number you among her protectors."
Jorzan then squats down over the remains of the Punisher, his movements strainted from his many wounds. A surge of various emotions flows through him, memories of past torments against himself and others. Memories of the sheer terror, hatred and helplessness a young child feels for it's tormentor. Most of all though the young man feels a sense of strength and triumph. Here before him, lying in ruins was one of the prime sources of his darkest memories and experiences as a child. It was destroyed yet he Jorzan had survived. Seeing this, knowing this, the shadowdancer feels the growing confidence and knowledge in his heart that the power that the Master and his constructs had over him in the past no longer applied. No longer was he a terrified child. He was a man now, and as of this moment, the terrors of his past would hold sway over him no longer.
Breathing a deep sigh of satisfaction and release Jorzan's bends to the task of carefully searching the remains for any smallest clue as to the constructs makeup or weaknesses and anything potentially of value. As he works he addresses the men before him "This construct was among the, if not the first of The Mas..." 'NO. No longer is he The Master to me, I shall name him as he is...' "I mean Bal-Zet's creations. The more he created the better he became at making them. I know not if any of you were personally involved but a group of Paladine from Izmir were the ones responsible for stoping the evil, twisted mage and freeing those of us who had been his slaves and guiena pigs. I had previously believed, because I had been assured by the Paladine, even just now again by your Captian Iolan, that Bal-Zat had been destroyed. I now believe that this was not the case. Somehow the bastard survived. And the implications of that are more dire than I can properly explain. Even worse, he appears to have designs on Cassandra... and on me as well it is clear" the young man mumbles the last to himself.
Finishing his task Jorzan slowly stands and addresses the Paladine directly "It is imperitive that you pass this message on to Captain Iolan 'Bal-Zet Lives.' And the finding of him and the utter destruction of he and his constructs Must be one of the Paladine's prime concerns. A...being of his depravity and capacity for evil must be stopped at all costs."
Turning finally to Tanel again Jorzan concludes his long speech by saying "Tanel. Again my friend, you have my deepest thanks, had it not been for your timely arrival I may not have survived this encounter. Karthan thank you for finding help so quickly my friend. Let us continue about our business and meet with the others with all haste."
OOC:
-Takes 20 on Perception check +12
Looking around briefly at the others, it seems Jorzan is the first to speak up. "I am not personally much familiar with the lands south of Izmir, but it seems the third choice would take the longest, and as I understand it, time is not on our side" and in saying this, Jorzan darts a questioning look at Cassandra.
Continuing he says "Option two would take us through the Unclaimed Lands. I know from direct experience that those lands do be an incredibly dangerous place. Many unknown threats and monsters abound but the worst of those by far is the known one. With the reappearence Bal-Zat, and especially with his interest on Cassandra, I am of the strong opinion that we must keep as far away from his as possible. Whatever else we do, I strongly reccomed we do not pass through the Unclaimed Lands. Of the options given, this leaves the first. Hard weather we can deal with. And despite Kelne's claims of Baron Ormir being a vampire" and the look Jorzan gives Kelne at this point is one of a person obviously still not quite convinced "his minions we have dealt with thus far at least have been mortal ones. White dragons are of course a significant risk, but perhaps with proper stealth, we can avoid their detection. Thus it is a say with go with option one and brave the northern lands."
Finishing his piece Jorzn looks around to hear the opinions of the others.
Jorzan & Cassandra
"Cassandra! You are well! I cannot tell you how glad of that I am. Listen dear one, I have some questions of you. Firstly, has your special sight shown you anything of one named 'Bal-Zat'? To me he used to be known simply as 'The Master', but No Longer. His evil knows no limits and, unfortunetly, it seems he has designs on both of us. Secondly, I wish to confirm little one, did I hear aright that you have a brother?? If so, why have you not said more of this? Is he ok? Is he connected to your visions? And if so would he not need protection too? Fear not to ask of us anything you might wish Cassandra, for we, for I, am at your service and shall aid you in any and every way that I might"
Earlier with the Punisher
Shuddering with revulsion and hate when he find the 'trophy pouch', Jorzan nevertheless doggedly goes through it all. As he does, he asks Karthan if he might check to see if anything in the bag radiates as magical. If not, the shadowdancer begins to hand the bag over to the Paladine, suggesting to them that perhaps they can use the letters and toys to contact the concerned parents and perhaps even help them track down their missinig children. Just before the bag leaves his hand however something catches the young rogue's eye. Pulling the bag back to take a closer look Jorzan's eyes widen in surprise at the sight of something he had never thought to see again. Reaching tentativly into the bag the young man pulls out a small, crudely made wooden dagger, dyed black. Wordlessly handing the bag over Jorzan turns the dagger over and over it his hands
'Could it be? After all these years? Yes, yes, there, the tip, broken off at exactly the same place. And yes, here! On the hilt!' he silently exclaims as his fingers course over the roughly carved J.
Lifting his head Jorzan is transported back throught the years, his eyes perceiving only the past at the moment. Remember he does a young boy, burning with pain and hate, seeking revenge but having no outlet for it. Fresh as if it was yesterday are the memories of his scraping the piece of wood on the stone of his cel, over and over for hours on end, shaping the dagger he hoped with a burning passion to kill 'The Master' with one day. And recall he does that day when first the Shadows aided him. For in no other way would he have been able to steal into the Master's forbidden chambers and pilfer the vial of ink the very young Jorzan used to dye the dagger. Black for the colour of the Master's heart he hoped to sink it in, and black for the shadows which helped protect the young boy. And finally, Jorzan remembers the day the dagger was taken from him. And how, in imputent rage his younger self stabbed his feeble weapon against the Punisher's chest. And how the construct merely laughed as the tip of the simple weapon broke against it's metal skin, the laughter continuing as it took the blade and threw the dagger's wielder roughly against the wall.
Jorzan's remembered vision fades at that point as the collision against the wall had rendered him unconscious. Blinking himself back to the present, Jorzan squeezes the dagger tight on his fist as he looks down on his former tormentor's remains "Where is your laughter now Punisher?" he says quietly to himself. Putting the dagger carefully in his belt pouch, Jorzan forgets the past for now and puts his thoughts to the future.
To Cassandra:
"Ah. So you and your brother are lost to each other for the moment. Well, never fear Cassandra. I shall speak to Captain Iolan and have him inquire as to your brother's safety. If he was on the other boat as you say, surely there must be someone who knows of his whereabouts. I'm sure the good Captain will be able to find him and make sure that he is safe from harm. And then, when we are finished our mission, the two of you shall be reunited again. Will this be enough for you dear one?"
Before (or After) The Meeting
Backed by an order by the Great Van-Galazzan himself, Jorzan takes full oppourtunity to avial himself of several items he had been previously unable to afford or have access to. Loading his magical haversack, he takes the following:
-A potion of Resist Energy and a scroll of Entangle (I'm assuming you meant a max of TWO magical items and not FOUR, yes?)
-Bag, waterproof
-Blanket, winter
-Caltrops (2)
-Mirror, small steel
-Signal whistle
-Tent (medium)
-Compass
-Acid (1 flask)
-Alchemical Grease (2)
-Alchemical Solvent
-Alchemist's fire (2 flask)
-Antiplague
-Antitoxin (vial)
-Flash Powder (3)
-Fuse Grenade (2)
-Smoke Pellet (2)
-Sneezing Powder (2 packet)
-Thunderstone (2)
-Gnomish Sleep Gas
And, since they may be facing a vampire someday he adds:
-Garlic (2)
-Holy symbol, wooden (Desna)
-Wooden Stake (2)
Finally, Jorzan discreetly asks if there may be any posionous substances available (ie. if there are, could you give me a gp limit and/or substance available list DRA?)
This is all based on THIS message from you DRA:
Here's the deal; the university will provide horses, but they are NOT warhorses/battlesteeds. These mounts will of course have all necessary tack, but no armor of any sort. If there are any mundane supplies you'd like that you don't already have, they will provide them. They will give you each a map. They will NOT provide any wondrous items, major of minor arcana, or magic weapons, but you can each choose two scrolls and/or potions of 1st or 2nd level spells, any school.
Before (or After) The Meeting
** spoiler omitted **
Before (or After) The Meeting
** spoiler omitted **
"Truth be told," Kelne said, with a slightly annoyed look at Jorzan, "I doubt we'll avoid Bal-Zat or Ormir's attentions regardless of our chosen route. They don't strike me as the types to be dissuaded by regional borders. Fankly, I'd rather not get any closer to Ormir than I am now," he continued, "Mortal minions are not to be sneezed at, and Ormir has quite a few to draw on, to say nothing of more supernatural servants and whatever allies he may be recruiting."
"Bal-Zat is more of an unknown. I imagine he has less resources than Ormir, but is better able to project what he does have at a distance. I wouldn't count on avoiding his attentions by avoiding his holdings. That said, passing closer to him would make it easier for him to find us."
"In many ways though, I think the risk of getting caught up in the war outweighs either of the two. It's very difficult to slip through an active warzone undetected, and if we're waylaid by either side, we're easier to find. I wouldn't lay odds against Dragonflight officers knowing about Cassandra either."
"I'm inclined towards the Unclaimed Lands, myself. We can always turn north to avoid the front lines once we've covered a good part of the distance. That said, it does depend whether we think we're better able to deal with Ormir or Bal-Zat."
'It wasn't a problem,' Tanel smiles, rubbing at the wound in his side. I'll have to restrap that plate. Bastard hit like a charging bull.
'We've got to stick together, and I've a feeling that over the next few months saving each others bacon's will become a theme. I'm happy to have you owe me one!' he jokes jovially.
Tanel looks up at the sky, letting the rain wash at his face, for just a moment, he tries to shake away the image of ghosts when he closes his eyes.
'How do you know so much about this Bel-Zat? And his constructs? Why is after you, you did mention he was after you?'
Tanel looks to Kelne and shrugs his apology before saying:
'But travelling towards the Unclaimed lands will also bring us near to the war, though to a lesser extent. I entirely agree that Ormir's minions form a deadly threat, each path is likely equally deadly. But I myself am equipped for a northern journey, I'm a passable mountaineer too. If we go north we never cross near the warzone, and that's important. How well do you know the layout of the land in Ormir's realm, Kelne? I understand you not wanting to return there, but I beleive its the way to go.'
Karthan shows up with two horses, one saddled, and one bearing a light load of supplies. Hung from his saddle is an enormous crossbow.
"And I have news that my father is in need of assistance near the southern route, in the Mana mountains."
"We all have compelling reasons to choose different routes - for personal vendetta, avoidance of potential complications, assisting others. I don't doubt that Kephniel and Justahl wouldn't mind going south to check on Izmir, for example."
"It is clearly in our best interests to get Cassandra where she's going with the fewest interruptions and the fewest risks to her person or being captured." He does not sound pleased by this.
Sir Justahl frowns in thought.
"I am inclined to the most direct route possible, which seems to me the northern route." He turns to Cassandra.
"But what of you Cassandra? Do you have a preference?"
"I can deal with the weather and terrain, yes," Kelne said, "But no matter how well prepared we are, they will slow us down. It may be the shortest route, but I wouldn't guarantee it's the fastest. That said, I should be able to get us through the territory I'm familiar with in minimal time."
"A point which worries me is pursuit. We've still got those three Wolfguard out there somewhere, and left do their own devices they'll track us and report back. We'll want to keep an eye on our backtrail and get rid of them as early as possible. Bal-Zat is more problematic, since if he knows who he's looking for he can simply scry on us."
Cassandra has an oddly somber air about her this morning, she seems strangely detached. At Justahl's query she simply looks at him, her eyes sad, and shakes her head. "No, Shining Man, I don't mind how we get there. Any way is fine."
To Cassandra:
** spoiler omitted **...
Before (or After) The Meeting
** spoiler omitted **