"Well it is a rather mixed group to say it nicely. Oh I would love to see a world like that. It would be wonderful to wander around the plains without having to carry this umbrella to shield my eyes from the sun, do your eyes always have such a nice glow after sunset? I don't think I noticed it when we met at the tavern."
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"Hmm. They always glow, it's not as noticeable in the light."
Swen continues to survey the landscape in the dusklight, speaking in a flattened intonation.
"Home isn't a kind place. It's dark, beautiful, but cruel. I've been banished from returning by my father's decree, but I will find a way back."
Turning to Nicenzia, she states as a matter of fact, "I will kill him, even if it's the last thing I do."
"This world is not exactly kind, but as a nightchild I have to live with some discomfort during the day or turn to a silent nightlife. But I'd still like to see a world where the sun is never present. It's not a kind thing for him to do, yet it doesn't have to be a bad thing. We all have our demons mine is a vampire father who have given me this gift of life and the curse of undeath at the same time."
"I have no idea who he is, I don't even know if I can find him anywhere. I only know my mother was taken by slavers in the southern Ustalav, but she is original from the central areas and I knew got myself to ask if she was carrying me before coming to the southern parts of Ustalav with the family Caravan. In regard to your quest I like to don't think about anything that might never happen, they would just swell and begin to eat at my sanity, so I probably wouldn't plan on anything and see what my instict tells me if I ever get the chance to meet him."
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Swen crosses her arms over her chest and leans back against the wall, remaining silent as she stews in her own anger for a while.
"You were born a slave, so now you are free? For me, this world is a prison sentence. And I know everyone responsible for putting me here. I'll have my revenge and gain my freedom... someday. All this... the Silver Shields, this stupid errand, it's my way of fighting my way back home. I just hope there's something in this lost mine for me, and it's not just a waste of my time."
She lets out a sigh and gestures toward the door with her head, "Maybe we should check and see what the others have found out."
Nicenzia rests a hand on Swen's shoulder giving a breif squish "I may be free at the moment, but I haven't earned my freedom. The day will come when the Order of the Rack have traced me down and brings a company of Hellknights to bring me back to Cheliax or execute me for escaping, but I will fight tooth and nail and kill ad many of them as I can before they get me. But know this when you are in a prisonlike state of life, it's important to take what little freedom you can grasp. This world might be your prison, but you have no warden to watch over you. Take what little freedom you can so you don't loose your sanity. Make friends, find life companions or whatever you fancy and if you can't get yourself to settle down here, I'll track someone down to teach me a spell to travers the planes and send you on your suicide mission back to the shadows." she says letting go and moves in to join the others.
Ramona looks up from her seat, as the shadowy pair enter, giving both women a smile and a tiny nod. Something intense had definitely passed between them. She knew that look, the look of the hunted, always glancing back over one shoulder.
The gunslinger sighs. As long as they were on the same team, anything coming to claim either of them would have to do so through a hail of bullets. Unit first.
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After Nicenzia enters the Inn, Swen stays outside for a moment longer. She has a new conviction, to kill anyone who may come after the dhampir. Nicenzia is now the closest thing to a friend Swen has had in her life. For someone who prides herself in her ability to keep things secret, she had just opened up and shared a deep secret of her own. And for what reason? Trust?
She ponders Nicenzia's words and knows the trust extends both ways. With another exhale she buries her emotions and follows in behind.
Stonefaced, she scans the room for anything out of the ordinary.
Tush heads into the bar. She grins when she sees the gnome behind the bar. "Hiya my name is Tush. Pleasure to meet you." She climbs up on a chair at the bar.
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20+4
For a moment you all called for drinks and were speaking to the gnome... but after a moment it was clear that his focus was on one person and one person only. Running a suds covered hand through his hair, then sputtering when he realized what he did he set everything and wiped his hands off on his apron taking taking your hand Tush and very overdramitically benind over it to kiss the top of it.
"The Pleasure is certainly all mine Miss Tush, please please, take a seat I'll get one of my good cushions what will the lady be drinking?"
He asked her pratcially ignoring the rest of you. Besides the tired looking men at a couple of tables there is a dwarf standing near the fire, rubbing some sort of dark oil into a drum almost as tall as he is, A heavily cloaked figure sits in a chair in the corner next to a window, his face covered in a cowl though a long stemmed pipe hung from his lips, you cant make out his features but its clear his hands are hovering near the hilts of his swords on his hips. There are a pair of gnomish youths, you would Guess Tush just nearing full adulthood throwing dice near the hearth and laughing or groaning hilariously with each throw, their hair and features very simular to the barkeep. Finally the only other oddity is an older scholerly looking fellow transcribing some notes at the far end of the bar.
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Taking note of the other occupants, especially the cloaked figure in the corner, that’s the seat i’d have taken..., Swen joins up with the crew, taking a seat next to Ramona. She doesn’t bother ordering a drink, wanting to stay alert after the long day on the road. As subtly as she can, she looks the gunslinger in the eye and glances back to the figure in the corner, as if to say, Looks like trouble. I’m keeping my eye on that one.
Amed smiles as the gnome courts Tush's affection.
Tush takes the flirting in stride. She allows him to drag out the good cushion. "I'll have a cider if you please. What a lovely inn. Are those youngsters your family?"
After some light flirting with the man behind the bar she asks, "We need rooms for the night. Do you have any available." Tush waves to her companions. "We can share if necessary."
Ramona nods almost imperceptibly, picking up on Swen's signal, her hand resting on her pistol, concealed under her coat, assuring her companion that she had a bead on the man if need be.
"My Nephews, poor lads mother and father passed in an orc raid a few decades back, good lads hard workers."
He began offering her a nod and rushing torwards the back to get her cider. As he did so the dwarven fellow cleared his throat and with a slight nod torwards you began to rhytmically pound into his drum, humming along with it for a moment He began to sing, in dwarven despite his gruff appearance his voice was deep, warm and smooth.
A stanza in, the heavily cloaked figure suddenly rose, his hood flying back. His eyes looked wild and he poked his head out the nearby window.
"Do you hear that?!
He shrieked out some sort of strange battlecry and he crawled out the window rushing torwards the rikety looking barn.
Finally some action? Aurelain wonders as he jumps to his feat and follows the cloaked figure out the window.
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"Aurelain wait!"
Although she stands and draws her sword along with the cloaked man, she doesn't hear anything over the dwarven song. Thrown off by the strange man's self-defenestration followed by Aurelain's, How uncivilized... she points her sword at the dwarven musician, "Hshhh!" and tries to listen for whatever it was the man heard.
"Could be a trap..." she cautions the rest of the gang.
"What's going on out there?" Nicenzia says looking around confused to see why the dwarf bolted outside.
"What's going on? That's odd behavior even for a dwarf." Tush slides off her seat and follows Swen's and Nicenzia's lead.
Her gun in hand in the blink of an eye, Ramona rises moving toward the impromptu exit while heeding Swen's warning.
Oh boy.
Amed quickly drains his ale and follows the others out, perhaps throwing down to little of coin for the drink.
As most of you rush outside you seen the strange man drawing his swords from his hips slashing wildly at a large green skinned humanoid dressed in hides. It bellows back at the man in a harsh tongue one hand beating its chest with a fist while the other lifted a crude axe high. This is certainly an orc.
Sounds of at least one horse whinnying inside the barn ring out followed by the aggressive and upset braying of a mule before a second, a third, then a fourth orc come rushing out of the barn.
PARTY IS UP
Tush rushes out of the inn, and sees the orcs. "My goodness this is exciting. Orcs in town!" She concentrates on casting a spell and her bracelet glows. She aims at one of the orcs about 25 feet away.
Seeing the orcs Aurelain roars in challenge. Calling out in Orcish he bellows There is death for you here. Flee or die at my hands.
Raging, he charges the orc who is fighting the ranger.
"I'll lock his movement you remove his heard." Nicenzia says as she attempts to disable an orc with Shadow trap DC 15.
Moving forward with a smooth fluid stride, Ramona walks up a step behind Swen, locking her eyes on another of the approaching orcs as she fires.
Your beam of cold just misses high on one of the orcs.
Aurelain's blow struck true...the orcs right arm completely severed flew high in the air but the half orc's bardiche wasnt done there it continued to slice upcutting part of the orcs skull clean off. It dropped twitching in death.
One of the orcs makes a strange sound as if confusedly tries to charge forward but can budge past its shadow that somehow was anchoring it in place.
The loud report of your pistol rocks the air muting the orcs battlecries for a moment and one of the orcs suddenly howls one hand flying up to the side of its head and the suddenly missing ear from where your bullet blew it off Ramona.
Amed rushes to the nearest orc and attacks, drawing his trusty scimitar, yet misses.
The orc fighting the ranger lay dead on the ground, a testiment to Aurelain's prowess. Seeing the dead orc on the ground one of the two creatures charged torwards Aurelain both attacking with jagged rusted yet wicked looking axes.
Both orcs that had been in the stable moved out of it now into view one of them had a bow which he took and fired torwards Nicenzia the other attacked the ranger.
The third Orc that had been outside grumbled and half turned tugging at its ankle trying to puzzle out why it couldnt move in place until Amed had moved up to him and took a swing that the orc manage to parry high with an old ugly wooden shield. It returned the favor attacking the scimitar wielding fellow who quickly swatted the axe blow to the side with his blade.
The shadow caught orc is directly in front of you Amed, there is an orc in front of the ranger, and one in front of Aurelain...unless his AoO kills it. The orc archer is about ten feet behind the orc battling the ranger. The group in Melee is 30 feet ahead of Swen, 35 feet ahead of Ramona, 40 or so feet in front of Nicenza and about the same in from of Tush.
PARTY IS UP ROUND 2
The cloaked fellow laughed despite taking a cut into his thigh, nodding at Aurelain through grit teeth.
"A well struck blow friend!"
He began as he brought his longsword down while stabbing with his short sword at the orc who was howling in front of him. Perhaps though he spent too much time congratulating Aurelain and not enough on his opponent, because the orc deftly side stepped the longsword and brought his shield down on the mans off hand. He yelped and dropped his shortsword from the force of the blow.
Seeing the orc closing on him Aurelain takes a swing with the pole axe ase the creature rushes to close with him. Did you not hear? he bellows in his rage. Flee or die!
Tush fires a Ray of Frost at the entangled orc. She misses again. "What's wrong with this spell today?"
Amed laughs with bravado as the battle is joined with his orc opponent. As the magus strikes, a small lightning bolt can be seen rippling down the blade.
Dropping the bardiche the bargarian tears into the orc with tooth and claw, covering himself in gore.
The curse that seems to have befallen most of the party, envelops Ramona as well as her next shot goes well overhead. "@#%!"
AS you all quickly rushed from the rickety and ramshackle inn the orcs, after rising up to meet your challenge fell just as quickly to your skill. The local ranger gives you all a curt nod but before he can say anything the owner of the in comes out with what looks to be an impossible to use large blunderbuss complete with two scopes, three barrels an axe roped to the barrel. There is a strange metal contraption with three metal scoops at the end no bigger than spoons barely moving in the light breeze...
"Damned orcs let me at the.... oh... good work. You guys can have the night on me!"
He says giving a wink torwards Tush. When you all turn about the ranger is mounting an angry looking horse from the barn.
"No worries folks, thanks for the help, im going to follow their tracks and see if i cant find out where their raiding party came from....HIyah!"
He called to his horse kicking it forward and heading away from the inn...
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"May the Prophet be with you", waves Amed Alsaakhib-Alraed to the ranger as he rides away.
Slightly winded, the magus turns to his companions and asks, "Is it me or did that fight go on for far too long?"
Nicenzia looks around at the enemies they'd slain. "They are orcs, not really the brightest of the bounce. They'd probably never heard of giving up when they are outmatched. Stupid creatures the world is better off without them."
Tush gives him a wink right back. "We'll take those free rooms, and a couple of drinks. Fighting orcs always makes me thirsty."
Ramona simply holsters her weapon and adjusts her hat, giving her companions a smile. "Not bad for a night's entertainment." she says to Swen.
Swen rolls the bodys quickly and expertly, even discovering a silverish looking ring that one of the orcs had hidden in a almost imperceptible pocket along its dirty pants.
Inside the gnome propiertors two nephews gave you all a haphazard and high pitched huzzah before they were shooed off by the proprietor.
"Dont you hero's worry! I'll have a grand meal made up in a hurry!"
Grink began hiding his awkward gnomish gun under the bar out of sight.
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Nicenzia takes the ring and gives it a good look. "I didn't expect to get a ring from you." she jests beginning to look it over and prod the ring with her magic.
Detect magic.
"Good call could use something to eat, I'll give this more thorough look later." She responds walking with Swen to the Inn.