"Lets just walk out of here, and if there are more in the way we kill them too. Where did your contact tell us to meet her Taemon?"
There doesn't seem to be anyone on the those floors of the gatehouse right now, though from the windows of the gatehouse and the walls of the prison one can see two people exiting the other gatehouse on the land side of the bridge connecting the prison to the mainland, running towards the gatehouse.
The horns are still going on as well.
Just a few guardsmen. We've cut off the head of this beast. Our escape is near at hand; we just need to eliminate the stragglers.
"Lets go."
Katrin attempts to make her way through the gate-keep out to the bridge.
Taemon'dow sights down his arrow, and looses a shot at one of the fleeing men.
The arrow from his bow arcs high into the air and comes down at the running man. Taemon'dow has measured the range and the man's pace perfectly, and the arrow strikes him dead on. Improbably, it strikes the man's helmet and sticks in, the arrowhead having punctured only a small way through. A small trickle of blood down the soldier's face is the only sign of a physical wound, but hopefully has a far more significant psychological effect.
The man who was struck in the head stops momentarily, allowing his comrade to run ahead of him. As the other goes ahead, he looks at the man behind him, stops, and runs back, jolting his comrade until he keeps moving. They still seem to be approaching, but this interuption has gained you time to move forward.
Lysander:
Mavro:
Katrin:
Gunter:
Taemon'dow:
Darsis:
Guards:
Aspros:
Group A:
Aspros
Mavro
Taemon'dow
Darsis
Guards
Group B:
Lysander
Katrin
Gunter
Taemon'dow moves forward at rapid pace. As he moves he stows his bow, and dons his shield, at last drawing his sword. Once within the range of a final push, he charges in, hacking a the first guard encountered.
Aspros moves in as well, ready to lash out at the first enemy he sees with a lunging bite.
The first guard encountered manages to avoid Taemon'dow's blow. The second one is not as lucky, being badly bitten by Aspros. However, he's still going to try to defend fortress, not run away as other cowards have done.
The second guard attempts to attack Aspros in retaliation, while the first guard slashes at Taemon'dow. As it is, both guards manage to hit their targets.
First Guard:
Second Guard:
Gritting his teeth at the pain of the soldier's return blow, Taemon'dow raises his sword, and brings it down in a powerful sweep.
The first guard is dead, leaving the second guard as the only one left. He seems to be thinking about blowing his signal horn, or just running, but neither of those tactics seem to have been working out for the guards in the keep.
Katrin steps back from the guard in front of her, and hits him with her glaive.
Mavro moves up to his Blood God's Avatar and applies a force of magical rejuvination, suturing the long slices across its body leaking a substance not unlike blood but that glows with an unnatural pallor.
Aspros, filled with renewed zeal, moves again at the enemy and bites at it with its vicious fangs.
The second guard dies, wounded by Katrin's glaive. It seems the way out of this place is clear. The bridge is up ahead- you could jump from there, or you could simply go past the guardhouse at the end, though there could be more guards hiding there. The water is relatively calm today, and swimming would not be much of an issue. Though the dive itself may be a problem...
"Finally freedom. Now where were we supposed to go to meet your contact Taemon?" Katrin asks as she begins to walk across the bridge. She rips anything that could link them visually to Branderscar from her person and does her best to look like just some normal warrior woman or guard.
Following Katrin's example, Taemon'dow ditches his Branderscar tabbard, throwing it from the bridge and allowing the wind to carry it away.
"Taemon'dow; my name is Taemon'dow. We are to skirt the moors outside the town. We are looking for a manor house. Once we are clear of the moors, we will find a manor house with a single lantern on the second floor. That is our signal that the house is friendly and the one we seek. Though, we do not yet know exactly who our patron might be, and what he or she intends for us, so friendly is perhaps too generous a word."
"Should we brave the guardhouse, or the fall? I think the house myself, as swimming in armour is never a good idea, and I'm loathe to give it up just yet."
"Agreed, Taemon'dow. The house will work, any guards left are probably terrified of us by now. We must show caution when approaching these new 'friends' but we do owe them at least some small debt for freeing us. I'll hear what they have to say."
The guardhouse at the end of the bridge is empty, only a lone dog barking inside it. But the portcullis is closed, making it hard to get through. The portcullis extends from the bottom of the arch to the top, oddly enough. One could get through the large gaps in it, but they'd have to be careful. There's a sizeable gap between the bridge and the land, one that a person could fall through onto the jagged rocks below. The gap would be covered by the metal were the structure down, however. There could be a way to open it inside the guardhouse.
Taemon'dow moves back to the guardhouse and looks around for the mechanism to lower the bridge.
It takes a while, probably longer than expected, but Taemon'dow is finally able to find the lever to lower the porticullus. The dog keeps yapping the entire time, but it doesn't seem like anyone's coming.
The way out is clear, or at least that's how it seems.
Katrin strides across the bridge, weapon still at the ready.
At the end of the bridge is land at last. And past the last are the deserted moors, and the Old Moor Road. On that road is the manor that is your destination.
But getting through the moors may be difficult. Then again, the group did manage to find the map, so it may be easier than normal. The prison, the road and the destination are all marked on the map, so if it's followed then there should be little resistance to your escape.
There's always the possibility that soldiers from the nearby town could come and find you if you don't hurry to the manor. But it's not that far away.
"Lets be off then." Katrin says, beginning the walk to the manor. "Don't want to be here if reinforcements show up."
Crossing the moors is a much easier task than escaping from Branderscar prison, but it's not exactly pleasant. The moors are dark at this hour, and quite deserted. It's obvious why, though. They're quite inhospitable, being full of mosquitoes and other insects who seem attracted to the travelers. They breed in the festering pools of water and stagnant streams that seem some of the only features in this trackless place. However, the map the group took is quite good, and the group is able to find a quick way through the moors and onto the old moor road. The trip takes about an hour, but soon it is all over. The night is darker now still, but not dark enough to miss the manor house. On top of a small hill and surrounded by tall, wrought-iron fencing, its the most prominent feature the group has seen on their entire trip. A large, imposing dark green building, it seems hardly welcoming. This is supposed to be your sanctuary? It hardly seems inhabited, old and deserted looking. But yes, this is the building. It's obvious from the lantern burning in the upper window that this is the place. This is the house Tiadora mentioned, and where the party has an appointment to keep.
Kaythor walks down the dark moor road, the boots of his chain ail scraping along the cobblestone streets as he made his way towards the large green house. He drew his lond, dark gray cloak around him as he walked, not to keep out the cold but rather to keep out curious glances from anyone who might be passing by. Muttering quietly to himself as he approaches the house, his right hand inches to the sword hilt at his belt while his shield sat strapped to his backpack.
"Asmodeus, protect your faithful servant, as I trust you would not have snatched me from the jaws of death to let me simply die here." Kaythor whispered to himself as he approached the wrought iron fence.
Creeping across the moor at a slow pace, a woman in a thick dark cloak approaches the green building, a lantern with a blazing fire trailing behind her. Every once in a while, tiny motes spark and glow around her body, falling to the ground as ashes. She seems focused on the lantern in the window, and tredges her way past what festering pools she can avoid.
Katrin turns to Taemon'dow, the last of her companions still remaining from the prison escape. "This looks like the place. Shall we knock?"
She spies a figure in a dark grey cloak , not too different from her own. She reaches out and calls the lantern to her hand.
"Are you here to find solace in that building? There's nothing else out here, and I doubt that you are in this muck for a stroll."
A mosquito buzzes by, attempting to settle on El'la's skin, but it incinerates on contact, flashing into a glowing cinder and falling to the ground.
Kaythor turns to the woman as she approaches. He is a little surprised a lone woman would call out to a shady figure such as himself in a place like this, however his confusion subsides as he lays eyes on her. Whoever this woman was, she certainly wasn't ordinary.
He hears her question before turning to the building, looking at it as he answered. "I guess you could say that, though I doubt solace is what I will find. What I hope to find is opportunity, and maybe, perhaps, some kindred spirits." His voice and eyes are filled with wisdom and experience which do not match his otherwise youthful appearance as a man in his mid twenties. "I would assume then that you are headed to the same place. If that is the case, you might be one of those kindred spirits. If my assumptions are then correct, I would wish the prince's blessing upon you." As he said this he removed his hood, revealing more of his face and as his cloak opens slightly you see an onyx chain with the holy symbol of Asmodeus hanging from it.
El'la also removes her hood, revealing her fiery, coppery hair and the small gold circlet and earrings she wears. Her eyes immediately rivet to the onyx chain. "The prince's blessing upon you." She says, quietly, in awe. "Father said that I would meet others sworn to Asmodeus. I have not yet made the Final Promise, but have been itching for the opportunity. I am El'la Scaldrein." Her first name is a whispery breath of vowels and crackling sounds. "Most people can't pronounce it correctly, so they call me Cinders."
Kaythor smiles softly at El'la and bows his head, "Well at risk of making a fool of myself, I will stick to calling you Cinders as well. You may call me Kaythor, humble servant of Asmodeus."
He sighed just a bit and looked back towards the green house. "I guess that must mean we are both in the right place." He looks around for others, before heading towards the door, hoping his new friend would follow. "So what brings you to this place? I am hoping to find the opportunity to repay my debts while serving the great Prince of Darkness." He continues to walk slowly towards the door, his armor grinding as chainmail does. The sound is quiet in comparison to the loud insects of the bog though.
Cinders nods.
"I too, have a debt to repay. A lifedebt, as it were."
A small black and red lizard scampers up onto Cinders' shoulder, hissing angrily as it stood up on its hind legs.
"Oh, and this is Coal."
Another mosquito flies near, and Coal darts out a bit, crunching down on it. El'la chuckles a bit. "Yes, plenty of those around." Contented, the lizard settles back down on her shoulder, keeping a wary eye on Kaythor.
Kaythor chuckles a bit at the small lizard. He then gives them both a slight bow, "Well its a pleasure to meet you both. Always nice to meet others who are enlightened to the power of the Dark One. I fear those friendly to the way of darkness are rare in these parts. Many are far too foolish to hear of his ways. Which I guess you could say is why I am here..." He waves off a hand, "That is a story for another time though. For now, we should probably not keep our host... whoever that might be... from waiting"
He walks to the front door of the green house and knocks a gauntleted fist against the large door.
El'la follows closely, allowing the floating lantern to float once again, and mentally commanding it to come closer to warm them and draw the attention of any curious mosquitoes. Coal looks like he wants to jump onto the lantern and get some more bugs.
"Don't try it. That won't hold your weight."
The lizard turns and sticks its tongue out at El'la, but decides to watch the flames from the lantern's fire instead of jump on it.
Through the grime and muck he trudged, his stolen boots squelching in the mire with each muddy step. Insects and other vermin were a minor nuisance, and while the blood suckers went after him, his companion seemed to attract the majority of the flies. His companion was once one of his gaolers, ignorantly bending a knee before the crown of Talinguarde and the church of Mitra, but now served a new master. Devoid of the majority of his flesh, without boots or clothing, the skeletal remains marched in loose fitting chain alongside the bruised and filthy escaped convict.
While he had a firm idea of the general whereabouts the safe house of his unknown patron lay, it took him a good time longer to actually navigate his way through the dreary moor and actually catch sight of the building. By the time he saw the derelict old manor he was cold and miserable, having been forced to cross more than one stagnant streams during his journey and Wencelas wasn't much for conversation at this point. When the building appeared on that lone hilltop Artorius's eyes instantly went up to the windows, searching for the signal he had been told to await. There it was burning as Tiadora said it would be. Yet soon his eyes were drawn downwards by the floating lantern light near the door. It seemed there were a few figures gathering near the entrance. Who could they be? None of his old circle remained. It was only him left. He would need to be on guard. He had only himself left to rely upon.
Keeping a distance at first, he carefully approached the iron wrought fence with his long sword in hand. It seemed possible that he had been tracked her or maybe Tiadora. He tried as best he could to dump the bodies that did not serve him into one of the fetid pools, but there was little he could do to hide the remains of the prison carriage.
Rather than waiting any longer for her silent companion to reply, Katrin just grunts and makes her way to the door of the building. Seeing others approaching through the mist she hefts her glaive. "Who goes there?" She calls out towards them.
Surprised by the glaive-wielding woman, Cinders raises her hands and calls flame to them with an arcane word. "Stand back, or you will be incinerated in the Fires of Hell!"
Kaythor turns towards the woman as she approaches. His hand instinctively finds its way to the hilt of his long sword as he answers, "But a mere servant. Assuming you are here for the same reason as us, we mean you no harm." He sizes her up, looking her over. Deciding there is only one way to do this, his non-sword bearing hand reaches towards his holy symbol, making sure it is prominent. "I am the dark master's servant, Kaythor." He says, trying to diffuse the situation.
"That doesn't sound like something a Mitran would say. Who're you b*tch?" Katrin asks cooly, not dropping her glaive. The light of Cinder's lantern reveals her to stand six feet five inches tall, with a voluptuous well muscled frame. She has thick platinum blonde/white hair and large ice blue eyes. Her skin is flawless and her expression as cold as ice. She's dressed in a chain shirt over peasant's clothing, both her and the glaive are covered in dried blood.