A Keep On The Borderlands: Arrival

Axel · Jan 16, 2013

Sh'aah

Sh'aah sat astride his horse, waiting for the others stoically. The group was larger than he wanted, and was certainly too large to avoid attracting notice. Too many to hide. Go to Dwarf road, then follow. I remember watchouse across big pass. Find Dwarfes there.

He waited further. Humans didn't ever seem to be able to achieve anything without a lot of words. Why they couldn't ever just get on with it was beyond the Ranger. He sighed and fidgeted while the holy man and the lady mounted up. Glancing to the north-east, he squinted against the sun, now well risen above the hills. At least fog is gone now. Spying no movement that was not a bird he turned and began to ride at a slow walk in that direction. They would have to pass through the foothills, not far from the unburied beastmen slain before the taking of the keep, on their way to striking the Dwarf road. Sh'aah did not relish the prospect of keeping nearly a dozen city types in shining, clanking armour close enough together for them all to emerge at the same place. Maybe I just ride in front. They follow, or get lost...

Dr Simon · Jan 23, 2013

The small group travels through the wilderness for several days. They pass an abandoned farmstead, not too badly damaged. The settlers may have fled, or been killed by, beastmen or other monsters, but at least the buildings remain more or less intact.

The route skirts to the east of the Forest of Lanterns, although there is no sight of the mysterious lights that sometimes appear under the dark eaves, and can be seen from the Keep on a clear night. And so up into the hills, with tall snow-covered peaks looming in the far distance where the Zwergenberg mountains climb and fold into a mighty massif of rock and ice.

After several days the trail begins to climb for real, and becomes more obvious as a trail, although Sh'aah can tell that it has not been travelled for a long time. It follows a terrace up above the valley of a lively river flowing down from the high mountains, climbing up above the valley along a steep precipice.

And then, rounding a shoulder of rock, the group catches its first glimpse of Fanjyr Waystation, a curtain wall jutting out from the roght-hand cliff, ending in an onion-domed tower. An imposing barrier across the trail. The mighty metal-bound doors are closed. There are signs of figures keeping watch amongst the battlements and if they are paying attention they cannot have failed to see your approach.

Axel · Jan 24, 2013

Sh'aah

Sh'aah sat quietly on his horse, who was struggling with his weight and the steepness of the path, and waited for the others to catch up.

"Is Dwarf land past here. Must go speak, too many peoples to climb." The ranger hoped his point had been made as he began to move forward at a walk and the others would begin to follow. Once within a long bowshot of the walls Sh'aah raised his arms, palms facing outwards to show he held no weapons and scanned the walls for more information.

The Dwarves held no love for any of his type, though they were less inclined to shoot first and talk later than beastmen.

Shayuri · Jan 24, 2013

Arcata nods at Sh'aah and rides closer to the wall ahead of the others, letting them see she didn't carry any weapons, nor wear armor.

"I am Lady Arcata Dulat," she called up. "My forces have taken the keep, and driven the beastmen away. I would speak to your lord, of trade and the friendship of our people. May we enter?"

Dr Simon · Jan 25, 2013

There is some movement amongst the figures on the battlements. Fyfe looks to Bastian and Arcata, about to ask if he should translate, when the gates on the curtain wall slowly swing outwards, to reveal a short passageway through the wall. A short stocky figure with a polearm stands to one side of the tunnel, backlit by bright sunlight in the courtyard beyond.

jkason · Jan 29, 2013

[sblock=ooc]I'm very, very sorry that I haven't even managed to get to this thread to check in. Things in RL have been crazy, and my posting ability extremely limited-to-nonexistent as a result. I'm trying to claw my way back out of the muck, but I wanted to apologize and let you know it's still going to be a while before I'll be back to anything resembling 'normal' on the posting front. It totally understand if Bastian needs to suffer a horrific accident as a result.

[/sblock]

Shayuri · Jan 29, 2013

With a quick glance at her entourage, Arcata rides on to the now opened gate at an unhurried pace, giving the dwarf a smile and nod as she comes up to him. Her main attention is ahead though, as she would expect their hosts to stop them before they got all the way in, to assess their strength and purpose.

Axel · Feb 2, 2013

Sh'aah

Sh'aah fell into the column as it rode through the gates, trying to place himself nearer to Bastian than he normally rode. He knew his "kind" were rarely, if ever, welcome in Dwarven lands and hoped to at least get through the wall before any arguments started. Bastian was of a similar height and build, with his heavy armour adding further bulk. With any luck, he'd be ignored in the gloom as just another knight.

[sblock=ooc]
Are folks losing interest in this RP? Seems to be going very slowly.

[/sblock]

Kaodi · Feb 2, 2013

Brother Comoray follows silently, nodding politely as he passes the dwarves but otherwise making no moves.

Dr Simon · Feb 4, 2013

The dwarf on the gate watches impassively as the embassy from the Keep enters Fanjyr Waystation. Beyond the curtain wall, the place looks in a poor state of repair, with the squat, functional buildings practically falling down - not the kind of thing one would expect from the supposedly fastidious and hard-working dwarves.

From the nearest of these shabby buildings steps a dwarf dressed in fur-trimmed robes of dark-blue velvet. A gold chain hangs around his neck, with a single blue stone set in the pendant. His eyes are a sparkling blue and even his beard and skin seem to have a vaguely blue tone. This odd colouring is matched in the two armed guards who flank him and, now that you think of it, in the gate guard too.

"Welcome, Strangers, to Fanjyr Waystation," says the robed dwarf, in Common. "I am Haxmar Schattenstein, called by some the Cobalt Dwarf. I greet you as honoured guests. By what names are you called?"