Jemal's Prisoners

[sblock=Craft Check]Craft (Carpentry) +10 [/sblock]

Valak strides on, his heavy plate jarring with each unfaultering step, his bright banner flapping wildly against the onrushing wind. Hearing the centaur woman he cocks his head to listen, trying to discern what is being said, but since the departure of the shape-shifer, Quill, he has been unable to understand even the smallest of exchanges between his motley companions.

Turning his attention back to the skyline, Valak searches for the distant speck that is Quill. Upon spotting him, he picks up the pace once more, throwing a poisonous look over his shoulder to the others while they reorganise themselves...

OOC:As undead I have no CON. Does this allow me to run/sprint for indefinate lengths of time? I.E - can I move double speed to reach the trees faster?

(OOC - Sorry for lateness...just got home. The discs are just a foot above the ground, so they aren't significantly higher than, say, Celes... The glow is tiny...maybe a candlelight equivalent, but spread over a three foot radius disc. I can't imagine it would stand out much at a distance. Speed is 20', double moving for 40'. Normally Mei could only move one per turn concentrating, but she has a feat that lets her Concentrate as a move action by making a Concentration check. Taking 10 on this check lets her succeed. During combat, it might be trickier, of course. )

It takes a moment for Mei-Ying to realize what Eoghan wants, but just a moment. The horse-woman seems compliant, and she mounts the horse-back with ease, using her disc to levitate up, then simply settles onto Celes' back from there.

To Celes she bobs her head in a bow and thanks her...though her words are gabble, the gratitude behind them is easily readable.

[sblock=ooc]
Well it wasn't really the glowing disks they noticed, but the fact that there ARE a small group of you travelling on the barren plains now. It was only a matter of time. Plus, light sources here seem to be a lot more visible in the dimness, so that may have been a factor. BTW, welcome back Shayuri.[/sblock]

Mei-ying gracefully glides onto Celes back at which point the Centaur lady turns and takes off. Valak, unconcerned with fatigue, could easily outdistance them over long distances if he wished too, and is a ways ahead of them allready, due to their having to stop to reorganize. Eoghan takes off running after them, bringing up the rear of the group.

After a few minutes, Eoghan is getting tired, and as he glances over his shoulder to see how much they've gained, he stubs his toe on something hard and hits the dirt full-tilt(3 subdual damage). It takes him a few seconds to regain his breath, at which point he realizes that his foot is throbbing. Glancing down, he sees a trickle of blood running from his wounded foot to seep towards a black, metalic object sticking partially out of the ground. From any further away, it would have appeared to be a rock. As he watches in amazement, the blood begins swirling around the object, seeming to melt the ground away from it, revealing a pitch black gauntlet. Digging at it, he uncovers a second. As he grabs it, he cuts his hand on one of the spikes (1 damage). The gauntlet seems to soak up the blood, none of it staying on the black surface.

Eoghan sits for a moment, mesmerized by this strange pair of spiked gauntlets he has uncovered.

It takes that same moment before anyone realizes that Eoghan isn't right behind them anymore, and by the time Mei looks back, her and Celes are a few hundred feet away.

For a moment the pain seems to dissipate, replaced by a keen curiosity. Exhaustion leaves his body as he sits, staring at his discovery. He raises his hand over one of the gauntlets and allows a drop of blood to fall on top of it. Eoghan is transfixed as the blood melts away into the metal, leaving the blackened surface with a smooth sheen.

"What new sorcery is this?"

He tilts his head to the side as he slides one hand into his discovery. The spiked menace molds around his contours, fitting Eoghan as if it were made specifically for him. He slides the other on and looks down at his fists. "Amazing. These fit better than m' own pair. Absolutely amazing."

A soft vibration through the earth breaks him from his reverie, and Eoghan is snapped back into his current dillema. He pushes himself up off the ground, his gauntlets shouldering all the weight. As he stands to his full height, he looks to the growing column of riders and is washed over by a sense of excitement. A sinister grin cracks his lips and he slowly turns to continue his run back to the trees.

Even as Mei-ying, Celes, and Eoghan stop to consolidate themselves, Xing'dao Li walk ahead. He easily keeps stride with the death knight, Valak. "Tell me death knight, why are you here? What did you do to end up here?"

Noticing the dust cloud getting nearer, Xing'dao Li comments. "Those fools will be the death of us. We still do not know who our soul-bond partner is. If they dally any longer, they will surely be cut down."

Turning to Valak, he says: "We must help them for our own selves. If they die, there is a chance that we will as well. We must make haste death knight."

Unsure of the protocol, Mei-Ying gently pats Celes' shoulder and points back at Eoghan.

"He has fallen behind," she slowly explains...the slowness not making her words any more intelligible to the centaur, of course.

Hearing Xing'dao Li's voice does nothing to slow Valak, pretending not to have even heard the first two questions. The Illumian's next words were ones he could not ignore. Grudgingly, Valak turns to look down upon Xing'dao Li, his fiery gaze boring into Illumians, hating the fact that he was right. "You are right. Let us go now" he says simply, before once again setting off, this time at a slower pace.

OOC:[sblock]Valak will basically let the rest of the party catch up, but he will still keep moving toward the trees. If you could let me know when the enemy are within 600' of ME please Jemal. [/sblock]

Witnessing the shrinking distance between him and the greeting party, Eoghan clues in his little respite might not allow him to reach the treeline before they catch up to him. The dainty lady, absurdly tall man, and the undead creature have all spotted Eoghan and he knows he cannot allow his lack of concentration to be the downfall of the rest of the group. Forgetting the pain in his feet, his hand from the gauntlet, and his shoulder from his hard fall, he puts his bearded chin against his well-muscled hair-covered chest and runs with all the strength left in his body.

Rocks poke and slice into his feet as he covers as much distance as possible. His muscles, joints and tendons ache with the unusual strain Eoghan is now forcing upon himself. His chest heaves with every exagerrated breath, burning with the toil of his plight. His curly brown hair streams back from his head as his big brown eyes widen in the pain of reaching the shelter.

[sblock=Actions]Full out run for however long he can go. 30' x 4 = 120 (obviously). It's up to you Jemal as for how long his feet can handle it. But I have him running recklessly, even more so than before he tripped.[/sblock]

Upon seeing the disheveled nobleman so far behind, Valak grinds to halt. "I shall wait here for the Human. Although his stoicness is admirable, the wounds he is sustaining may well be detrimental to our survival". Reaching to his side, Valak recovers a medium sized, non-descript pouch, from which he produces a coil of silken rope & a pair of fashionable, high-cut, soft leather boots before he turns to address Xing'dao Li. "Take this and continue to the forest" he says, holding out the coil of silken rope. "Secure it between the trees, either low enough to lame their mounts, or high enough to dismount the riders. Make haste, and make sure to utilise all of the rope, and if you have time, try to disguise it. We need every advantage we can get" He states matter-of-factly. Turning to gaze at the distant Eoghan, speaking to no-one in particular, "I am going to get the Human..."

[sblock=OOC]Valak removed 50' Silk rope & the footwear from his Noblemans outfit from his bag of holding. If Xing'dao Li refuses, Valak will shoulder the coil of rope. Valak will then double back to Eoghan to lend him the boots. IF Eoghan's feet are slowing him due to any damage sustained, Valak will carry him (Light load: 532lbs) at a run. IF at any point the 'welcoming party' gets too close (500'), Valak will unleash his Eldrich Blast (Max Range 540', 20' area, 7d6 damage, Save DC16 - save for 3/4 damage.... Which should make for some pretty good fireworks!... And the nickname 'King of Kudos')

Also, Jemal - I forgot to level up to 13. Shall I wait until the encounter is over before taking a new level?[/sblock]