S@squ@tch's Against the Giants - Team Black

"From what we have heard of these giants, and the other strange happenings, I think we'll find the Shadow at work here- you know what they say, even those who stand in the light of the Silver Flame have a shadow at their back. It is a bit of a comfort to know that we may be able to accept and understand the Shadow's power at work- too many folk in the civilized lands only curse the darkness they don't understand..." As Ipshivi spoke to Yoggrith, her voice was both bitter and quiet- as if even here in the dark temple she feared being overheard. When she finished, she turned back to the priest to see if he had a response to her earlier query.

Rhun said:

[sblock=For DM and Sanne]
The elf, although a bit frightened, quickly pulls himself together. He has seen worse in his life, though the thought of having his brain sucked out was definitely unsettling. Turning to his companion, Aeranduil shakes his head. "In my mind, this does not bode well for our task ahead."[/sblock]

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[sblock=DM/Aeranduil]
"No, it does not." Sanne says. "Do you have any idea what could do that?"

OOC: Sanne's an experienced officer and adventurer, but she's never run into mind flayers before, and doesn't have any ranks in the approriate knowledge skills.
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[sblock=Yoggrith and Ipshivi]
"My child, one cannot set foot upon the land of Xen'drik without being enveloped by exotic magics," the priest says while fingering his tattered brown robe.

"This land has lived for centuries in Shadow -- and only now has the shining light of the world focused upon it."

"This recent attention does not discourage those who follow the true path of enlightenment -- for we of Shadow are ever present and will not be denied our place."

"As far as dweomers and such, the only thing the Shadow has shown to me is that there have been unnatural shadows cast in this land -- from where these shadows have arose -- this has escaped me."

"However, I have not witnessed any of these unnatural shadows up to this point in time."

At the mention of the Silver Flame, the priest bristles slightly.

"Those who follow such false sources of shadow only delude themselves. They will never understand their place in the world."

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[sblock=Sanne and Aeranduil]


The grisly sight leaves you with only questions. Neither one of you has ever witnessed such a sight, and can only speculate upon the methods one would leave such a grevious wound.

The Stormlord guards try their best to keep the peace -- basically by keeping the townspeople at a distance from the corpse.

Your brief acquaintance with Barrak has only fueled the chaotic train of thought within your own minds -- who would want Barrak dead? What information did he have? Did this have anything to do with your group? Or was this completely unrelated?

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[sblock=Morika]

The giant's face twists in thought,"My child, I have not heard of anyone who has it in fer the folks of Tharashk -- they have not treated the giants unfairly, for they be only interested in the shards of creation -- not dominion over the lands of Xen'drik."

"What goes on beyond the outskirts of Stormreach be unfamiliar to me at this point -- twas time when I be a younger lad that I knew the goings on of giantfolk more..." He furrows his brow and looks off into the distance.

"Only thing I can tell ye is that the giants I knew as a lad would never attack those who did not harm them."
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[sblock=Voadam]

The drow of Xen'drik are not necessarily cruel -- they are nomadic hunters by nature, and the movements of the clan are determined by the abundance of food. They appear to be sensitive to light and make use of various scorpion based poisons.

Tharashk envoys have encountered by divine and arcane magic using drow, but it appears that they tend to favor those versed in the ways of the woodsman.

As far as the Scorrow go, the logical connection between scorpions and drow makes sense, but Tharashk scouts have witnessed Scorrow young -- meaning that the race breeds true, and are not some magical creation -- at least, at this point in time.

Dream serpents are magical beasts named for the hallucinatory effects fo their venom, having no relation to the couatl.

The accounts of the new encounters are somewhat lacking, only making mention of unnatural looking creatures transforming into hideous abominations, which struck fear into even the most hardy of hunters.
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[sblock=Morika]Morika furrows her brow in frustration. "Something's rotten here, and I'll be finding out soon enough. Sorry t' have wasted our time," she mutters, throwing the giant a kind of sketchy salute. Assuming he continues on to town, Morika will take a bit of time to see if there's some unwary creature just begging to be made a meal of. If so, she'll take the time to hunt and then dine to work off the worst of her frustrations, and then return to the Chapterhouse for some ale. If not, she'll still return to the Chapterhouse.[/sblock]

Yogrrith nods at the words of the priest, and then steps forward to the altar. He kneels down and sits back on his heels, then spends an hour in quiet and careful contemplation. He was blessed by The Shadow since birth, and these minor vigils are just one of the myriad of ways the young M'groth has tried to show his thanks.

After an hour is done, he rises and returns to the Tharashk compound. If Ipshivi is still with him, he walks casually enough to allow her to keep up, although he makes no further attempt to engage her in conversation. Especially since he probably cannot see her.

Ipshivi seemed reluctant to leave the temple without her half-orc friend- she spent the time in some form of quiet meditation. But before they left, she reinvoked the various magics which she seemed to wear as naturally as other folk where a warm cloak in winter. And once Yoggrith departed, Ipshivi followed, a tiny and soundless shadow of the Shadow

Voadam checks one more thing before turning in for the night [sblock]"I have not myself any experience of the Traveller's Curse but I would like to know a little more about it. Do you have any primers for those of your house new to the jungles?[/sblock]

Aeranduil puts the grisly scene from his mind. The elf turns to Sanne. "we should be one our way. Remain on guard, though..."

OOC: Is there an obvious representative of Barrak's House among the crowd? Sanne wants to make sure they're informed before she takes off on her own thing.

[sblock=Morika]

"Sorry I could not answer yer questions, little one." The giant says solemnly,"If ye need to talk to me agin, look for me at the tents."

With that, he turns and disappears through the vegetation without a trace.

Alone once more in the woods, you attune yourself to this foreign land. After a half-hour, you set out, on the hunt for dinner. In little time, you have found the track of something that smells much like a deer to you. You come across the animal drinking from a small creek, and quickly pounce upon it, killing it easily. When you stop and size the creature up, it looks like a deer, but the brown fur has been replaced with a green and brown leather-like hide.

You make quick work of the animal, and with your hunger sated, you make your way back towards town, trying to remember exactly where you entered the city, so as not to get lost. A short while later, you arrive at the front door of the Chapterhouse.
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[sblock=Voadam]

With a knowing smile the old man begins to speak.

"Aye, lad, many a life would be spared it there were such a primer to the lands o' Xen'drik. The toll paid for in blood has been deep by the explorers of this land, and the curse of the Traveler only exacerbates it. The curse itself won't kill ye, but it will make yer life more difficult if ye need to get somewhere quickly. Only the more familiarity you have with the land can help ye."

"If'n ya don't need anything else, we've arranged rooms fer ye and the rest down at the ChapterHouse. I need to see to some other House matters before I turn in."

OOC: The studies and knowledge that Voadam has acquired has taken some time, so you will arrive at the Chapterhouse well after the others have made their way back to it.
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[sblock=Yoggrith and Ipshivi]

OOC: I'm assuming you mean you're making your way back to the Chapterhouse, which is where you are staying, or do you want to go back to the Tharashk Compound for something? The expedition leaves first thing in the morning.


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[sblock=Sanne and Aeranduil]

You do not immediately see anyone that bears the standard of Tharashk in the crowd, but after a quick question to the guards, you find out that someone has been dispatched to their compound to alert them.

You make your way to the Lyrander enclave, with hardly a word between you both, for the sight you witnessed still weighing heavily on your thoughts.

Sanne recognizes a few of the folks as they enter the common room. From behind her comes a vaguely familiar voice.

"Hey beautiful -- who's the pureblood? You didn't run off and get married behind my back, did you?"

You turn and see a brown haired half-elf that you once crewed with on a sternwheeler, many years ago.
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