"I could use some rest to recover, yes," says Hollister, nodding. "Is it staff to stay another day in the city, though?"
__________________ -Rhun
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." -Robert Fulghum
Once you leave the depository grounds, the streets are mostly empty. Fear may have overcome panic in Gate Pass, or perhaps everyone's just too tired to be outside. You can see multiple buildings charred from fire but no longer burning. The city is almost silent. You hear no more explosions from the Scourges firebombs or the sounds of combat from the western gate. If anything, it's even colder than last time you were outside. You can't see any light yet, but it feels like dawn can't be far off.
Torrent looks around. "For whatever reason, the Scourge seems to have stopped at the gates. I would guess that if we keep our heads down, we'll be okay. Gate Pass is full of people, and it's not like they should have a reason for coming after us specifically. We'll sleep in the temple basement until we're ready to go again and then try to blend in with whoever's on the streets during the day."
What's going on?
Skill checks to better understand what's happening:
Knowledge Local Gate Pass
Knowledge Local Ragesia
History
Hollister pulls his cloak tight around him. "It seems the attack has been repelled for the nonce. Perhaps we should get some rest."
Knowledge: Local +5
I don't know how, but I missed picking up Knowledge: History...guess that is one for when we level up!
__________________ -Rhun
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." -Robert Fulghum
Liiros seems distracted for a while, following but saying little, as he considers what's going on. What did elves have to do with this? Miserable traitors. They're quite possibly putting Shahalesti at greater, or at least earlier, risk!
Eventually, though grudgingly, he replies "I suppose I too could use a brief rest from running around town, up and down flights of stairs, in this heavy armor..... But we shan't linger in Gate Pass for long! A brief respite, then we head for Gabal's Academy and seek out the miserable thieves, retrieve the case, and make haste out of Gate Pass to complete our mission."
The elf sighs and follows the others to the temple. It occurs to him that they're going to take refuge beneath a temple to the human god of thieves, and the irony is bitter to him.
DMing the PbPs: (FR 3.5) A Hard Time in HarrowdaleOOC , IC , IC 2 , RG
and (3.x/d20) The FirstOOC , IC DMing on OpenRPG: D&D 3.5 - T13K Fall of the 14th Kingdom, T13K For More Than Glory, SR3 - Welcome to Seattle, Chummers Playing: (PbP) Alaric the Alchemist, Cade the rogue, Grackle "Grubeater" Granitetop, Kerrix Malzan, Lars Crichton, Liiros Tivaniel, Vardok Stonekennel, Warren the halfling, (OpenRPG) Kaleverithis, Oobla Fat Cheeks
*EN World's Eyros Creative Exercise and Rules/Crunch of Eyros
*My Rhunaria D&D setting, prestige classes, feats, etc. *Favorite links
(Rhunaria and Links temporarily offline now)
*My Aurelia D&D thread on EN World, setting and rules; new and
revised 3e races, classes, variants, PrCs, feats, spells, etc.
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." -Robert Fulghum
Hollister smiles. "Indeed. They already seem to have enough of an advantage."
__________________ -Rhun
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." -Robert Fulghum
Torrent leads you a few blocks through the city to the Temple of Olidamarra. While generally referred to by adventurers as the goddess of thieves, Olidamarra is also responsible for revelry (of the drunken sort), gambling (for fun, not winning) and other, less socially-acceptable ways to have fun by spending money. It's not the first faith people would think of when seeking sanctuary.
The small temple is mostly empty. Most of its priests had been out in the city looking to help keep revelers safe. With the attack, who knows what happened to them. Torrent speaks privately with Sindrik, the senior priest currently in the temple, when you arrive. Sindrik then leads you to stairs down hidden in a storage room. The stairs lead to a small room stocked with water, some food, first aid supplies, and cots. Torrent and Badgerface head straight to bed.
After eating lightly of the provided food, Hollister also quickly settles down to bed. He assumed his companions would post a guard, but wasn't too worried about it. Adar would keep his eyes open; indeed, although the ferret curled up next to its master, its eyes never seemed to be completely closed.
__________________ -Rhun
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." -Robert Fulghum
Trusting in their hosts to provide them a restful night, Korrin will bunk next to Hollister, his trusted blade lying next to him within reach. Korrin sleeps in his armour having grown accustomed to its feeling on his skin.
After eight quiet hours of sleep, you awaken refreshed. Badgerface is awake, looking like he got a lot less sleep than any of you. "The city's pretty quiet," he explains. "There are some people on the streets, but most businesses are closed. As far as the attack goes, we lost. Cost the Resistance a lot of good people. The Town Council surrendered to the Scourge. Fortunately for us, the Scourge is much too big to fit into the Gate Pass so they're still outside the gates. I didn't check every gate, but it looks like they're still not letting non-military people out of the city." He yawns and stretches. "I hope those cots are comfier than they look."
Leaving Badgereye to his afternoon nap, you leave the temple. Like Badgereye said, the streets are less busy than normal for the first day of the new year. After last night, the cool mountain air is pleasantly warm, or at least pleasantly not frigid. The air smells of smoke and charcoal, though all the fires are long-extinguished.
Gabal's school is a little more than a mile away, two city sections to the east away from the Scourge. Before you can even leave the neighborhood the temple of Olidamarra's in, you get your first close-up view of the enemy. A wyvern has fallen onto a house and is lying awkwardly across the roof peak, dead.
The pampered life of a noble was a difficult one () and Korrin wasn't used to getting anything less than 12 hours sleep. Waking up at this hour, without his coffee and rhutabaga pie for breakfast left the swordsage irritable. Walking with his hands plunged deep in his pockets, Korrin hardly looks up at the sight of the Wyvern.
Liiros removed his armor and other weighty gear before bedding down for the night, only to go through the slow process of strapping it all back on after a quick breakfast upon snapping out of his trance. When he first drops the trance, he sits up and looks around for a moment, as though he didn't realize he had been in deep meditation. He mutters some prayers to Corellon Larethian after breakfast, and something about "That guy again."
The elf stretches, exercises, and waits around for the others to awaken, then after Badgerface's comment, he asks incredulously "What?! The city has capitulated already?! What cowards! Their forces couldn't have been broken so quickly!" He grumbles about it some more until everyone else is ready to leave.
The elven warrior gets ready and follows the others outside. He reminds the others to hurry so they can check Gabal's School and find a way out of Gate Pass as soon as possible, before the Scourge makes it even more difficult. His sharp elven eyes take notice of the wyvern outside, and he carefully looks around for anything that might still be about.
Rashelle shook her head as she looked around "I cannot believe it fell so fast." The priestess's eyes are locked upon the wyvern "Though I suppose the odds were rather overwhelming.."
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." -Robert Fulghum
Liiros' and Hollister's keen eyes see a single rope tied to the saddle on the wyvern trailing down to the ground beside the house. The cold winter wind sends undulations through the rope. Footprints in the snow lead away from the rope, around the house, and into a nearby alley where they're hidden by shadow.
Liiros gestures towards the footprints and says quietly "A survivor from the Scourge. Should we pursue them, or just continue to the School? I don't know that they'll do any more damage than the ones who'll enter Gate Pass later to claim their cheap prize, but it might feel good to exact some small justice, for whatever damage that wyvern-rider had likely done earlier to those who didn't just surrender."
"As much as I'd love to pursue him or her, I think we must make haste in getting out of the city so we should continue onto the school" Korrin whispers looking up at the footprints
"We should pursue...perhaps we can learn something of value that will help us escape the city."
__________________ -Rhun
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death." -Robert Fulghum
) and Korrin wasn't used to getting anything less than 12 hours sleep. Waking up at this hour, without his coffee and rhutabaga pie for breakfast left the swordsage irritable. Walking with his hands plunged deep in his pockets, Korrin hardly looks up at the sight of the Wyvern.
Linear Mode
And yet another word from our sponsors
