Axiom Narrator's page

Yeah, I think I'm gonna have to say so. I'm sorry for keeping you guys strung along as long as I did, it wasn't fair to anyone. If I get to a point where I've actually got the time and energy to dedicate to DMing a game like this, you guys will be the first to know, but I realize it wasn't a realistic thing for me at this point. Sorry again, hope to see you all around.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Feel free to split the party, if you'd like! It's much easier to manage it in a system like this than it is in face to face or roll20 or something like that.

Rashid seems happy enough to agree with the plan as soon as it's set - he's not likely to leave the cart, but he almost seems jealous that Saria and Kelrot are going to go out and try talking. "I'd come with you, myself, but... I understand wanting to have the possibility of running, and, well...." He smiles, sheepish, and taps his cane against one of his legs lightly. "I'm good at many things. Running isn't one of them."

Iryna, on the other hand, clearly wants to dismiss the idea as soon as it's brought up. She opens her mouth, ready to order the caravan straight on through, power through with the supplies they have. The order dies on her tongue, though, seeing the tired, disappointed looks on some of the other traveller's faces. "Fine. No more than a few hours. Just enough to satisfy some of your curiosity."

Geesyl has a bit of a hard time sneaking, to start out. In such a small town, a new face stands out in a way that she never did in Axiom, and without many buildings or even people to lose herself in, it does take a little doing. Still, nobody seems to think she's any kind of threat, and she finds that slipping in between the crowd at the marketplace is much easier than it was elsewhere in the city.

There, she learns a few interesting things - for one, even though the people around her seem to be speaking Common, anything written seems to be in an unrecognizable language. Sometimes, here and there, she thinks she catches a glimpse of a word in a language she knows, but then she'll blink or move her head and the word is gone. For another, she hears a few more people talking about the soldiers Elena had mentioned. From the way the people of this town speak, they're none too fond of the soldiers - coming through the town with no warning, truly believing themselves to be entitled to places in the villagers homes or to food from the market free of charge, or of the war apparently not being waged not far from here.

Jezra looks just about as confused as you feel, and looks around, just to confirm that the desert is still there. Yep. Sure is still a sandy hellscape.

She shrugs, a little helplessly.

The rest of the caravan does seem to pick up on the deception quickly enough, expressions of understanding crossing each of their faces - some, admittedly, a little faster than others. Rashid, for instance, seems to understand and be ready to play along almost as soon as Luca speaks, while Sino gives an audible "Oh!" nearly a full minute later.

The young woman who had stepped forward smiles, the concern beginning to melt from her face. "My name is Elena, and I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance. There's nobody you should need to speak with in order to stay, I'd hope! If they've put up with the soldiers, they can certainly handle a group of travelers."

Elena pauses, and turns to point her finger up the cobblestone road, to the single large building towards the southern tip of the town.

"If you'd still like to speak to someone with authority, you'll want that big building down the road. Or, if you want to stay somewhere a little more comfortable than your tents, that building serves whatever purpose it needs to, really - whether it's an inn or it's the town hall."

The little boy Kelrot grins at lights up, but he shies away behind his mother's leg, a little embarrassed to be caught staring. He peeks out from behind her and gives the half-orc a small wave.

Saria seems to be having a little less luck, however. Not that the people aren't friendly - they seem to be thrilled to have new visitors, and the moment she began to talk, they fully turned their attention to her. However, confused expressions pass through the small crowd as she mentions the desert, and after a few moments of murmuring between the people, a young woman steps out to address her. There's still an expression of wary concern on her face, but she motions to the group, welcoming.

"We welcome travelers of all kinds here, we don't get many passing through this way. But - desert? There isn't a desert for miles."

Gruknuk isn't able to find much to hide behind, save the cart the caravan's supplies are being carried on. Still, he's able to find a spot in the back just about the right size for a Goblin to hide in, and, if anyone notices him clambering in, they don't say anything.

To all eyes, the oasis village appears to be just that - Korza is able to identify a lingering magical aura, but it doesn't falter if she looks away from the village. Instead, the magic is all-encompassing, as if the enchantment was cast on the desert itself.

As the party approaches, the people walking by start to notice them, and they smile warmly, happy to see visitors that you get the impression they haven't had in quite some time. A few younger children stop in the street, tugging at their guardian's clothes to point you out and wonder about these strange new visitors. The closer you get, too, the more you're able to notice that there is something undeniably odd about these people. Not in their behavior, they are friendly enough and seem to be behaving much as you would expect, but in their physiology, their appearance.

You are entirely unable to identify a single villager's race.

Bianka is the first of the caravan to answer the party, shaking her head as subtly as she can. "No, we found no such thing. This is new." She frowns, looking back over the village. "Still... I don't sense any foulness here. It appears to be just what it seems."

Bianka will answer Saris that she is an ardent follower of Vildeis - though neither of you seem to be under the impression that Vildeis has any other kind of follower. Her healing ability is secondary to her fighting capabilities, she'll be the first to admit, but being able to keep yourself and your allies alive is a vital part of destroying evil. Even in the calm, quiet moments like this, for as much as she'd rather be out in the desert, fighting monsters, Bianka believes that healing and doing simple acts of good is instrumental, if evil is ever to truly be destroyed.

---

When you finally leave Axiom, after what feels like it must have been weeks, it is to thunderous applause. You feel as if the entire city must have come out to the gates to see you off, and really, most of them have. Some of you may be used to the attention, maybe even revel in it, but to some of you the roar of the crowd and the near-palpable weight of their eyes on you makes you even more eager to leave. The sound is muffled by the gates as they close behind you, and as this particular chapter in your life ends.

It takes much less time than you expect to leave Axiom in the dust behind you. Before you have even been traveling an hour, even despite the largely flat landscape and the clear sky, the city is nowhere to be found when you look back, and only the vaguest outline of mountains on the horizon hint at where your destination might be. You have a hard time imagining that there might be monsters here, where you can see so much of your surroundings.

The nights remind you, though. Darkness closes in around your campfire, and in it you can hear shuffling sounds and horrid, haunting wailing and screaming. Each sound that gets too close turns the campsite to tense silence, and starts a pressure in your chest that doesn't abate until it passes. You don't know where the creatures must go during the day, but you have yet to see any, and the sounds do not carry into the day.

It is two days into your journey when the new routine is broken. A wind blows across your path, kicking sand into your face until you have to shield your eyes. Looking down now, you can see that the wind has revealed a cobblestone path that the caravan has found itself walking along. It leads forward for a time, but now you can see, not even too far ahead, a small outpost, built around a beautiful oasis. There isn't much to it, truth be told, but there's a marketplace, with villagers perusing the stalls and merchants selling their wares. There's a number of small houses, and one larger building towards the South of the town. People bustle through the streets, and you can even see children playing in the water of a fountain, built directly out of the southern tip of the oasis.

Judging by the looks of the other people in your caravan, this is just as much news to them as it is to you.

What will you do?

Kelrot is able to gain a few gold pieces through finding work in the Industrial Quarter. More interestingly than that, however, he receives a visit in the form of a few members of the City Guard, late the night before the Caravan is set to leave. Among them is the Captain of the Guard, Xolani, with what he says is a very urgent, and very private message.

---

Jezra, when asked about her lack of weapons, gives Korza a confused sort of look. "Not really - I mean, a little, I've studied a little bit of magic! I do have weapons, though, I'd just kind of rather keep them out of sight. Talking things through has a better chance when they don't think you're a threat." She certainly doesn't seem to pose much of a threat, short and slim and almost childlike as she is, but she does fish an odd-looking device, something like a small hand crossbow, from the inside of her vest. She shows it briefly to Korza, clearly expecting her to recognize it, before hiding it back in her clothes. "I'm really not that much of a spellcaster, Iryna has way more experience with that than I do! I'm really interested to see what you can do, though!"

Over the next three days, as you go about your business and the members of the caravan seek you out, either just to get to know you better or for the services offered, you learn a little more about them, and about the world outside of Axiom.

Mostly, those of you who speak with Rashid learn that he has no shortage of things to say about himself, and not a whole lot of things to say that are of any real substance. He's happy to tell you about the world outside Axiom, but most of it tends to lean away from actually useful information, and a little more towards things like where to get the best meals, and what palaces are most opulent and worth visiting.

Several members of the caravan stop by the Temple to give last rites to their fallen friends, and Saria learns of the fallen - a dwarven woman by the name of Maria, a merchant who had hopes of opening a new shop in Axiom, and Monde, an older halfling warrior, survived by her husband and two children in Alran. Bianka also spends most of her three days in the Temple, offering her own healing ability to those who need it.

Cyrel, Dimas, Jezra and Sino turn out to be the most social of the travelers, and they're happy to encounter any of you at any point. Cyrel, Dimas, and Jezra tend to stick together, and you learn that they are an adventuring group of their own - Jezra is happy to tell you stories of their exploits, and they make it clear that your group will, when the trip to Alran has been completed, be welcomed to join them on one of their ventures, if you're interested. Sino is friendly and excitable, and he clings to everything you say with an ardent interest, but it isn't too hard to learn that he's horribly underqualified to be here. He can barely even hold his axe, much less fight, and you get the distinct impression that he's only a guard thanks to a lack of skill at anything else.

Iryna is hardly anywhere to be found during the three days. She's seen leaving the Speaker's house only very rarely, and mostly is seen visiting the Library. She'll entertain brief conversation, but she never sticks around for very long, and she makes it clear that she's not particularly interested in conversation.

Bianka's grin falters at Korza's question, and she looks down. "We were.... a few more. Not by many, but there were some losses along the way."

She's silent for a few moments, out of respect for the dead, before looking back up, to Kelrot. Her expression is serious, now, all hints of her earlier grin gone. "For some, you'll want your spear. You'll want them kept away from you first and foremost. For others, ending it quickly is far more important, and your sword will be necessary. I can help to guide you."

Rashid doesn't immediately respond to Saria or Lucatiel, Bianka's conversation having turned the mood across the remaining caravan somber. After a moment, he gives them both a somewhat weak smile. "I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that we would all be overjoyed to have such competent guides - and would be happy to give you as much information about the outside world as you would care to know."

Alright, I'm going to be trying to wrap this scene up before too long. If you've got questions you'd still like to ask, now's the time! Also, probably a good time to brainstorm if there's anything you'd like to get done during the three days before you leave Axiom.

Iryna waves Kelrot's question off. "Our needs are being met. All I'll need from you is to be ready when we leave."

Bianka, though, seems happy to talk on her experiences - she clearly loves fighting, and she seems like she'd be happy to talk about it for the rest of her time here. Probably for the rest of her trip back to Alran. "There were a few that we encountered, none of them quite the same - but none of them react to pain, they'll keep coming at you until they're dead. And you don't want to let any of them get ahold of you. If any of these creatures are able to do that, it's only a matter of time before their evil takes its hold on you." She huffs, crossing her arms. As happy as she seems to talk about fighting, the idea of something corrupting people like that sits very cross with her. She even looks a little antsy, as if, now she's talking about it, she can barely stand to be inside, talking, and not out in the desert with her axe.

Iryna does nod, placating, to Lucatiel. "You may be called on to fight, I won't lie to you about that. But, not all of us are combatants, ourselves. If we are in danger, and you wish to stay out of it, stand by Rashid."

Rashid shrugs, sheepish, and gestures with his cane. "What can I say, I'm utterly useless in a fight." He continues, this time turning to Saria. "We'll be staying here, with the Speakers, I believe. But I would be truly honored to have a guide around the city in the three very long days before we can set off for home. Your city is lovely, and I'm excited to see more of it."

He almost seems to cut himself off at Geesyl's question, and he grins. Sure, it was directed to Iryna, but Rashid barely lets her start talking. "Ah, of course! The question of payment. Of course, Iryna has her offers for you - monetary payment, privileges within Alran, you'll be very well taken care of, I assure you. But I may have an offer for you, myself, once we reach the city. I'd like to get to know about you before I go into much detail, but I could always use some adventurous types, should you choose to continue exploring the world after we reach Alran."

Bianka shrugs, leaning back in her seat. "Some are easier, some are worse." She seems to contemplate that for a moment, and shoots Bianka a wide, fanged grin. "They'll all fall sooner or later."

One of the guardsmen actually looks up to answer Saria - the human girl, Jezra, who has been similarly hanging off every word the group seems to care to throw her way. "The languages are interesting, you know? I mean, clearly they're at a place where we can communicate, or this would be a very different conversation, but based on what I heard, I think that's just the common tongue! See, listen to this -" She begins to rattle off some passage or other in what some of you can recognize as Elven, but it's turned on its head somewhat. The cadence is off from what you recognize, the pronunciation and grammar just shifted enough that you can follow it, but only with some concentrated effort.

"But, if I were from here, it would be a little more like-" She starts speaking again, this time haltingly and stilted, but closer to what you're expecting. "It's interesting, and I could only get someone fluent in Elven to talk long enough or I could tell you a little more but it sounds like your Elven borrows pretty heavily from Gnomish! There's a couple words we just don't have out there but I was able to figure out were pretty much just misplaced Gnomish in a heavy Elven accent and-"

It is about at this point that she realizes, quite suddenly, exactly how much she is talking and how quickly, and the blank or long-suffering looks on some of her companions, and she smiles, sheepish and flushing red. "I- I mean, it is a pretty big subject to be getting into. You could spend a lot of time studying that by itself. I'd be happy to talk to you about it in a little more depth on the road, though?"

@Korza: Thankfully for Korza, Rashid and Iryna seem to be the only ones to really impress, here. Rashid is clearly non-combatant, even if you were to ignore his cane and limp. He's dressed impeccably, for sure, but his clothes are entirely too gaudy and impractical to be of any use in a fight. Iryna, on the other hand, is in armor that, while being polished and clean, is clearly well-maintained rather than unused. There's a falchion at her hip as well, sheathed in an elaborate, opal-inlaid scabbard.

Among their caravan are a few armed guardsmen - a broad-shouldered human man sat beside a dwarf, both with matching longswords at their sides, and an absolutely towering half-orc woman, head shaved bald, and with an incredibly ornate battleaxe on her back. Of the two remaining newcomers, one does wield a weapon - a young, blond dwarf with not enough meat on his bones or apparent brains in his head, also with a battleaxe on his back - but you sincerely doubt he's got anything resembling skill with it. The final newcomer, a small, black-haired human girl, appears to have no visible weapons on her whatsoever.

@Kelrot: If anyone is offended by the sound, it doesn't show. If anything, there's a few barely-stifled laughs, and some of the guardsmen take it as a sign to go right ahead and dig in. They've been in a desert, living on rations for who knows how long. Iryna may have the etiquette of a princess, but the rest of these guys just want to eat.

You are a citizen of Axiom, and that is what you have always been.

You have never been outside your fair city, never seen anything but the expanse of desert visible from the walls. There have never been scouts sent beyond the safety of the city, nor have any reached your gates.

Today, though, the first envoy from the outside world is set to arrive. You are among the lucky few selected to return with them, and, for you, the past week has been a whirlwind of preparation. Between the goodbyes, the advice the people around you have been convinced they were qualified to give, and the requests - largely from people who didn't know you well enough to be making them - for something to be brought back for them, you're almost relieved to be here, now, ready to leave.

When the newcomers arrived, they were accompanied in procession to the house of the Speakers for a diplomatic meeting. Unable to join the meeting, you had to stand with the Guard in front of the house of the Speakers, waiting to see these newcomers and see how they measure to your expectations.

Your patience was rewarded, then, as the procession reached its end, and you were finally able to see who you'd been waiting for. It was led by a woman, tall and imposing, dressed in impeccably clean and polished silver armor, her helmet tucked under one arm. She was pale, with white-blonde hair, and stern features that, for as much as she seemed to refuse to smile or even acknowledge the crowd there to greet her, was still undeniably beautiful. She was introduced as Lady Iryna Kozac, the heiress to the kingdom of Alran.

Behind her, and in as much contrast to Lady Kozac as you'd imagine someone could be, walked an elven man, leaning heavily on a cane. Where she was pale, he was tanned, with shoulder-length black hair. Where she stared straight ahead, uncaring of the crowd around her, he smiled winningly, waving and looking from face to face in the crowd like each and every one is a friend he hasn't seen in years. When he was introduced, it was as Rashid, the founder of the Merchant's Guild.

The two of them disappeared into the Speaker's house, alongside the Speakers and the Captain of the Guard, an older Gnome by the name of Xolani, leaving the rest of their envoy - mostly guards and assistants, it seemed - to disperse into the crowd and satisfy their curiosity.

Which brings us to now. Now, what seems like ages after their initial appearance, you, your compatriots, and the remainder of the caravan are called into the building. The meeting is over, whatever decisions that needed to be made have been reached, and all there is left to do now is treat your honored guests to a proper meal. You're introduced as you enter, and sat around a large table, laden with food.

The remaining caravan guard files in with you, introduced as you were, though you're not sure you can process them all at the speed they're called out at. You hear Cyrel, Jezra, Dimas, Sino, Bianka, and then they are at their seats, with most everyone left just as clueless as they were before as to which was which. You're not really given the time to ask for clarification, either, before Rashid and Iryna are examining your group, expectant looks on their faces. Whatever you are about to face in the desert, you feel like this examination may be almost as challenging an ordeal.

You are a citizen of Axiom, but you are not sure for how much longer that will be true.

What will you do?

Those Inevitables sure are weird, huh.