Lian arrives back at the inn and waves to Karen and the others. My friends! How goes the discussion of our new member in our absence?
Zorakir chuckled,"I mean not to insult you Karen, but I wouldn't put so much stock in the gods. I pray that you not you have to see the devestation of the Sodden lands, It fell into ruin when the Eye of Abendego appeared."
When the group returns with horses and carriage, Zorakir eyes the woman waving at the himself and the remaining group. He speaks to her slowly while communicating with her in sign language."Hello, I am Zorakir. I do not know how I got here, but I suppose it is of no importance now. Forgive me for my ghastly appearance, where I come from one must do anything in order to survive, even if it means forging pacts. I am willing to help you and the others in what way I can, as a druid I would be willing to help guide the horses."
"Why would I not put stock in the gods? I am a priestess of Irori, after all."
When the others return, Karen askes "It went well, I trust? No problems?"
"If the rumors are true and this world is truly dying. The gods are beyond us, we're mere ants to them in the grandscale of things. This is why I chose the path of the green way, venerating the spirits of the natural world and the eldest."
Ametist visits some specialised shops, trying to find a treaty on Terran language.
Later on, with or without the book, he arrives at the inn. "I'm back, guys. When shall we leave?"
"If the rumors are true and this world is truly dying. The gods are beyond us, we're mere ants to them in the grandscale of things. This is why I chose the path of the green way, venerating the spirits of the natural world and the eldest."
Lian takes note of that, and looks to see the reaction of Godwyn Blaecwulf and Drystan Goldenflame, the paladins who had seem questionable as to the new addition before.
”The gods” Godwyn said, patiently ”have, and continue to, work in our interests. I, for example, can heal the afflicted of their physical wounds and scars. I can do this for those who open themselves up to their power. Just because there are gods of light and dark does not mean that we should turn our backs. Just as we should not live this life as if though our existence ends with our physical bodies. I respect your faith, for it truly is important to protect the world which we live on and provides us with what we need to live. I would ask you to try to show similar respect to the faiths of your companions as well, even if you do not share them.”
Zorakir eyes the armoured men,"I am merely suggesting this could be a divine punishment. Even I am not foolish enough to deny as those of Rahadoum would. Try to understand where I come from, Lirgen and Yamasa were destroyed when Aroden died. I pray you need not witness the sodden lands, but with Ydersius risen, I'm afraid we may be forced to."
"I understand your fear. Believe me, I do. We know that the gods are not all powerful. They war among themselves just as we do each other. If any one god was omnipotent, then there would be no suffering in this world or any other. However, the gods who are worthy of our worship have always fought for our well being. I consider it an honor to likewise fight in their name. And should we die, or they die, then what of it? All mortals perish. Even the gods may perish, we know this. We cannot control this. All that we can do is be masters of our own actions, and intentions."
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"On the bright side as long as I just eat a whole lot and keep making undead I'm pretty square in her book. Morality is a lot easier to understand when your deity is willing to let you get away with nearly anything. I mean I guess she is technically on the Tyrants side, but Gods always seem to be on the winners side. I don't mind any deity, just as long as they aren't trying to kill me over the whole undead thing."
"Perhaps we are but ants. If so, we should be grateful that our enemies are too. If the gods have no time for us, I can scarcely imagine what eldritch horrors must be occupying their time. Ragathiel still answers my prayers, and that is enough for me. I gave my life in his service, and will do so again, if need be. Perhaps I cannot make some great cosmic difference, but if I can hold back the darkness for a few more days, and improve life just a little for the ordinary folk who don't have the strength to stand against what we do, it will have been enough." the golden-armored paladin says, with a shrug. "What else is there to do? Lay down and die? Join the enemy and still be an ant? Those aren't options."
Karen, glad to have someone else to debate moral philosophy, turns to Loc and says "So, I hear horses outside. Did you get a carriage?"
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"Oh yes I did! Something to live out of while we travel. Some people like dancing huts, some people like moving castles, I'm going to be working on this carriage once I have some parts to connect. Than it will not even need the horses. Until than I'll be looking to outfit it a bit. if you like I could get one for you as well Karen. Your always welcome to ride with me as well."
Ametist is barely listening to the conversation about gods when he realises that he hasn't thought about the Earth Lord in a while.
"Um. I don't even know if the Earth Lord still exists. Granted, my powers are not only still here, but they've grown in potency. With recent events, though, I'm not sure anymore the powers I receive are bestowed by the Earth Lord."
His thoughts are interrupted by the talkinig about the carriage. Eager to start doing something, he starts preparing the long journey to the besieged stronghold. "I should return over that interesting idea on a later time, maybe even discuss with some of my travelling companions."
Most interesting points of theology Lian says, As for myself, I recently have focused my prayers from a less pan-theistic perspective and focused more on Daikitsu. It seemed fitting, her being the lady of foxes.
A tail twitch, Not, mind you, that I have lost respect for the other gods, I just view growing nine tails as an omen.
And a carriage seems a fine place to talk omens and gods.
At the sound of the small herd of oncoming ungulates with accompanying carriage, Yamyra clicks her tongue peremptorily. A stolid but well-groomed pony & riding dog make their way from the same stall she appeared in some time before. Nodding to 'Stable Boy' to aid her, she re-seats the assorted saddles, saddlebags, and travelling gear.
"Gods exist. These events are not 'Divine Retribution'." Yamyra interjects into her recent companions theological discourse. Oddly, her tone implies not the unthinking didactic parroting of some yokel moralist, rather the studied certainty of a scholar asked to share knowledge of a subject they have devoted years of focused, soul-shaping effort to.
The effect is somewhat lost as she shakes herself, as if from a dream, with a quizzical expression suffusing her features.
The Stable Boy, now lounging on the bar with some kind of purple drink (which none of you saw him get or even saw him move), snickers at Anafa's interjection and waves art the group in general.
"Bye! Have fun storming the castle!"
Relieving the castle, actually! Brook says as she waves him goodbye.
He snickers. Same difference.
The party packs up and sets off toward the fortress that is to be your first test in your new life. The journey is long and much more difficult than you remember. The roads near the city are fine, but the further you roam the more evidence of decay you see. The roads are not well maintained and you pass through several abandoned villages that feel like scars upon the land. The constant rocking and jarring of the carriage makes any delicate work being attempted inside difficult. .
You have no trouble with brigands, probably due to your armor and weapons, but as you get further out you can't help but feel eyes watching. This is especially true on the last night of your journey. You are due to arrive in the vicinity within the next four hours or so and the hairs on your neck have been standing on end literally all day as the sun sinks below the blood red horizon.
The party follows the roads north east from Augustana toward the city of Oregent, then they follow the river east until it feeds into the river that runs to the capitol Almas. Then they cross northward and follow the river north toward the Five Kings Mountains. At the joining of the two smaller rivers that form the main river lies the fortress. it is midway between Carpenden and Falcon's Hollow and slight south of both. In all, you've traveled most of the length of Andoran before you arrive.
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Loc will be in bright spirits as they travel. When ever the group passes through a village he will look for a excuse to go out with a saw and shovel. If he can, he begins collecting legs from any dead bodies. In the mean time he has been experimenting with a couple potted plants in his carriage. Currently he is attempting to see how well he can grow a dead withered flower by making it a undead.
Once they are near to the destination he will poke his head out from his carriage. "So we agree I get custody of any bodies of the enemy correct? I'll keep my hands off any hellknights we find. Just tell me when we are near something I can kill. I feel naked with out any of my undead."
Increasingly wary as they progress, Drystan looks around cautiously. While it has been years since he felt the greasy touch of fear, in his experience foolish courage was never advisable.
Godwyn dismounted. He had rode in only partial armor, for comfort and to make it easier. Once off his horse he willed his armor to vanish, and then appear on his body. Finally, his blade appeared in his hand. Fully armored, the paladin stretched out his arms, in preparation for conflict.
"Yes, necromancer. We have an agreement, and I shall not break my word."
Despite what the clergy of Pharasma said, Godwyn had never seen any proof that necromancy was intrinsically evil. The binding of souls certainly was, but to make bodies rise up to fight for you? It was distasteful, to be sure, but how different was it from conjuring an outsider or creating a golem? Merely being disgusting was not a reason to be holier-than-thou.
Especially, he thought...as there was a real chance that they would be fighting an army very soon. Having one of their own would prove to be useful. Even he had to admit that.
Zorakir sits on the front of the wagon, ensuring the well being of the horses and that they remain steady on the beaten path.
With the collapse of the world and the surrounding landscape slowly being retaken by the wild, he became increasingly vigilant yet at ease,he was in his element afterall.
"Alright, how are we making it?"
At Loc's mention of dead bodies & the use of same, Yamyra's gaze sharpens almost explosively. When Godwyn agrees to this compact, her expression assumes such astonished incredulity that the others present take some concern that she might perhaps explode or in some other way render herself insensate.
"I most assuredly did not agree to any such thing!" She hisses, only caution & a desire not to alert the enemy keeping her words less than an outraged bellow.
"Clearly, I cannot stop you, but do not expect me to aid you in this perversion either."
”I have prayed for guidance on this, and I see no other way moving forward. By all intents we seem to all be here for a reason.” The paladin sounded embarrassed by this, but at the same time the agreement had been made and after praying extensively to his god, his prayers were still answered. So he had to believe that while this wasn’t the ideal path, it was the right one. Or at least the one that the world needed.
On the way, Ametist finds himself taking the lead on navigation. At every fork or trail he seems to just KNOW which way will be the safest, easiest, and fastest without any real evidence that the trail he chooses will be so. Sometimes his instinct goes against all logic, but his instinct is always proven right in the end.
The night passes peacefully (at least from without), though Zorakir and Drystan both thing they hear quiet laughing in the night, but they can't pinpoint it or even locate it generally. It seems to float on the wind.
The night is quiet. Unnaturally quiet. There are no bugs here. No birds. No beasts. The land is empty. You make camp in a small depression near where the rivers converge. You will have to cross the river tomorrow to get to the fort, but that shouldn't be hard as you are well upstream of the mouth.
Morning dawns glorious and clear and beautiful... without even a hint of animal or bug to sing it's praises. You are suddenly very aware of every noise you make and instinct compels you to talk in hushed voices.
Ametist's flawless travel sense leads you north and west along the western fork toward Falcon's Hollow to a shallow crossing that isn't exactly easy going for the carriage, but you make it with a little effort and a few hearty grunts. The terrain here is sandy and flat with sparse groves of trees. Your destination is now south of you. The fortress sits at the place where the rivers merge, making it a very strategic point for anything coming south or north from the Five Kings Mountains, Carpenden, or Falcon's Hollow.
You are but a short distance away from the fort now and you can hear a dull roar coming from the Fortress's direction.
Zorakir, in spite of his deafness, still hears the laughter.
His voice hushed, Godwyn adjusted the grip on his halberd. Not the most stealthy of warriors, he turned to his brother paladin and said in a low voice "It is time. Let us march into battle."
Karen spent her travelling time guiding the carriage. It had been a while since she travelled, or took care of animals, and so she took the time to enjoy the trip, hardships and all.
After fording the river, Karen will guide the carriage towards the keep, picking up speed as she hears the roar in the distance.
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Loc himself spends the majority of the ride inside of his carriage. Once they reach their destination though Loc will give himself a slap to the forehead. "Darn, your correct. I forgot to have you sign the contract and all that. I'll scrounge around for it after we are done with everything. It's pretty basic. Promise not to raise any innocent bodies. enemies are free game etc etc." As he is speaking he will raise a hand towards Godwyn before clenching his fist at chest level.
"Now where was I? Oh yes. You have my word I will do my best to not offend. May I add as well, should we do a bit of scouting before we rush in? The sooner I can get my hands on some real corpses the better. I just don't want them to be our corpses."
Godwyn felt something inside his chest. It was like when the gods answered his prayers...only...different? He couldn’t quite place the feeling. It didn’t feel wrong though. He turned around and reciprocated the gesture.
”May the gods watch us, guide us, and judge us, based on our actions.” He closed his eyes, and a soft glow appeared in his eyes. ”I am their sword, and I am my comrades’ shields.”
Ametist walks slowly down the carriage. "Just allow me a few seconds..." He kneels and puts his closed fist to the ground. Some kind of mystical energy, like a dark fluid, appears to flow from the earth itself to his body, like he was absorbing it. Ametist's face show a great pain and suffering but, meanwhile, his muscles seem to grow and harden.
When he's finished, he seems a bit bigger and more confident, and rubble and pebbles seem to orbitate around him. "I am ready. Will you allow me to scout ahead? Anyone is - or any buffs are - welcome" he smiles.
I'm pleased the trip was uneventful. Rather than her Tian Xa outfit, she'd changed into much more casual river-kingdom wear for the trip.
Lian offers a gesture, I can perform invisibility, but it won't last long. I could come with you and renew it when needed, though I'm unused to sneaking otherwise.
Those who scout head move to the south. The river sinks into a slight gulley or very shallow canyon for a few miles before evening back out with the rest of the area and becoming a wide, multi-channeled affair. It's here that you realize that the easiest road isn't always the best. Two streams of demon reinforcements converge on this area coming down from both sides of the canyon to join the main force. Your eyes follow their trail naturally.
It's not good. The fort is a pretty standard affair with ten foot outer walls in the shape of a square and 15 foot inner partition walls in the shape of an X
And it's a good thing those inner walls are there too, because the demons have breached the Northern outer wall! There are thousands of demon corpses all around the fort, but you can see the beach from here, a ragged hole that looks like something ate through the wall itself!
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Loc will wait for the information before nodding his head. "Well that sounds rather intimidating. It sounds like our best course of action is to slip into the fort and find any survivors. No way are we taking on that army by ourselves. On the bright side I can start scavenging for some powerful corpses to act as our wall before we go in to."
As the group gets a view of the situation, Karen says "whatever we do, it's probably best to do it on foot. I don't think the carriage will survive a running battle through all of that" she gestures to the horde of demons, "and while it's certainly a possibility that it will be discovered, this way there's a chance that it won't." As she says this, she locks the handbrake and climbs down from the driver's bench, grabbing her pack as she goes.