A Keep On The Borderlands: Arrival
- Thread starter Dr Simon
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Dr Simon
Explorer
OOC: Thanks, it is hand-drawn, but not by me. I found a nice resource of maps for MERP online, and one fitted the fort quite nicely.
[sblock=Sh'aah]
None of the nearby hills are high enough to get a really good view into the compound, but even so Sh'aah can make out the shapes of several buildings around the edge of a central area, in which burns a large bonfire. Figures of beastmen move around the fire; Sh'aah estimates about 30 or so, and there are at least another 5 that he can see silhouetted on the walkway of the palisade.
[/sblock]
Meanwhile, back at camp, the Prison Legion and House Arcata troops have set up camp. Cassie has located a small stream that runs down to the larger river for water supplies. Far off in the woods several miles to the north, twinkling lights can be seen between the trees, and the ruins on the top of the hillock seem to take on the glow of the moonlight. It almost seems like something is moving up there, like a dance of light.
[sblock=Sh'aah]
None of the nearby hills are high enough to get a really good view into the compound, but even so Sh'aah can make out the shapes of several buildings around the edge of a central area, in which burns a large bonfire. Figures of beastmen move around the fire; Sh'aah estimates about 30 or so, and there are at least another 5 that he can see silhouetted on the walkway of the palisade.
[/sblock]
Meanwhile, back at camp, the Prison Legion and House Arcata troops have set up camp. Cassie has located a small stream that runs down to the larger river for water supplies. Far off in the woods several miles to the north, twinkling lights can be seen between the trees, and the ruins on the top of the hillock seem to take on the glow of the moonlight. It almost seems like something is moving up there, like a dance of light.
Sh'aah
[sblock=Sh'aah]
Counting beastmen is hard. Many look the same. Not sure this was a wise thing, the ranger thought to himself from a hillside perch. Could end up in a fight I can't win. Still, no fairies to see. Easier to kill them then, if the Lady wants to fight them.
Glancing up at the position of the moon, Sh'aah judged the night to be over halfway and a now was a good time to withdraw. Don't want to get caught for any money or fancy armour. Can't use anything when you're dead.
Picking his route carefully back towards way he came, the half-orc did his best to not make any new tracks. His skills were nowhere near the point that he could walk backwards in his old footprints and make no new tracks, but he tried. Practice makes everything easier.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Sh'aah]
Counting beastmen is hard. Many look the same. Not sure this was a wise thing, the ranger thought to himself from a hillside perch. Could end up in a fight I can't win. Still, no fairies to see. Easier to kill them then, if the Lady wants to fight them.
Glancing up at the position of the moon, Sh'aah judged the night to be over halfway and a now was a good time to withdraw. Don't want to get caught for any money or fancy armour. Can't use anything when you're dead.
Picking his route carefully back towards way he came, the half-orc did his best to not make any new tracks. His skills were nowhere near the point that he could walk backwards in his old footprints and make no new tracks, but he tried. Practice makes everything easier.
[/sblock]
Bastian Sangue, human cavalier
Bastian tenses at the twinkling effect, but other than double-checking the guard schedule, he's not inclined to go chasing after fairy lights in a strange land. He does take the opportunity when no one else is in earshot of Lady Arcata, however, to ask, "I and the men have no means of sensing the otherworldly, but given how little we know of this place, I'd consider it a boon if you could lend your own talents for at least a visual sweep. It's probably just a trick of the light, but... well, we still don't know what's happened or who was behind it, so I'm hoping you'll indulge the last lion a bit of paranoia?"
Bastian tenses at the twinkling effect, but other than double-checking the guard schedule, he's not inclined to go chasing after fairy lights in a strange land. He does take the opportunity when no one else is in earshot of Lady Arcata, however, to ask, "I and the men have no means of sensing the otherworldly, but given how little we know of this place, I'd consider it a boon if you could lend your own talents for at least a visual sweep. It's probably just a trick of the light, but... well, we still don't know what's happened or who was behind it, so I'm hoping you'll indulge the last lion a bit of paranoia?"
Arcata glances at Bastian, looking away from the spectacle herself.
"That's much too far away for my spells to sense, 'last lion.'" She spoke the last teasingly, with a grin. Her youth, sometimes hard to detect in her demeanor, surfaced in that mischeivous grin and reminded him of just how young she was. How young they all were.
"It's elves, I expect. Or maybe even fey. We can investigate the ruins once we're secure in the keep."
She said it without pause or wryness; though it was hard to tell if she spoke so casually of retaking the keep out of confidence they were up to the task, or ignorance of hard it would be with these untried soldiers who lacked any kind of siege works.
"Even so, I suppose it couldn't hurt to see if anything magical was gathering among us," Arcata finished, and with a murmured word and a twist of her fingers just so, her eyes filmed over with a dim blue glow, though only for a moment.
She nodded to Bastian and began walking slowly through the camp, stopping occasionally to pirouette around in a circle.
(OOC - Scanning with Detect Magic. She checks a 360 degree circle, and if nothing pings, she moves 120' and does another 360' scan.)
"That's much too far away for my spells to sense, 'last lion.'" She spoke the last teasingly, with a grin. Her youth, sometimes hard to detect in her demeanor, surfaced in that mischeivous grin and reminded him of just how young she was. How young they all were.
"It's elves, I expect. Or maybe even fey. We can investigate the ruins once we're secure in the keep."
She said it without pause or wryness; though it was hard to tell if she spoke so casually of retaking the keep out of confidence they were up to the task, or ignorance of hard it would be with these untried soldiers who lacked any kind of siege works.
"Even so, I suppose it couldn't hurt to see if anything magical was gathering among us," Arcata finished, and with a murmured word and a twist of her fingers just so, her eyes filmed over with a dim blue glow, though only for a moment.
She nodded to Bastian and began walking slowly through the camp, stopping occasionally to pirouette around in a circle.
(OOC - Scanning with Detect Magic. She checks a 360 degree circle, and if nothing pings, she moves 120' and does another 360' scan.)
Dr Simon
Explorer
OOC: "last lion" is good, it ought to be capitalised.
[sblock=Arcata]
The glowing effect on the top of the hillock amongst the ruins shows up as some kind of illusion magic. There is no sign of anything else infiltrating the camp.
[/sblock]
OOC: I keep calling it House Arcata - that's her first name, it should be House Dulat! Sorry!
[sblock=Arcata]
The glowing effect on the top of the hillock amongst the ruins shows up as some kind of illusion magic. There is no sign of anything else infiltrating the camp.
[/sblock]
OOC: I keep calling it House Arcata - that's her first name, it should be House Dulat! Sorry!
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(gasp...is it within 60 feet? Hee, the description made it seem much farther away...thanks!)
A faint crease of concern appears on Arcata's forehead as she concentrates on her spell. Then she looks at Bastian.
"The light is some kind of illusion. Best to keep the men away. I'm not sure if it's meant as a signal, or to lure people in, but either way we haven't got enough to risk it. We'll have to keep very good watch tonight. This area's a lot more active than is safe."
A faint crease of concern appears on Arcata's forehead as she concentrates on her spell. Then she looks at Bastian.
"The light is some kind of illusion. Best to keep the men away. I'm not sure if it's meant as a signal, or to lure people in, but either way we haven't got enough to risk it. We'll have to keep very good watch tonight. This area's a lot more active than is safe."
Dr Simon
Explorer
The mysterious lights do no more than twinkle, and the night passes uneventfully. Shortly before dawn, a lone figure comes jogging towards the camp; the half-orc scout Sh'aah. He glances at the guards who meet him.
"I have a report for the Lady," he says. "Fort held by thirty, maybe forty, beastmen, but they are very poor at guarding walls."
"I have a report for the Lady," he says. "Fort held by thirty, maybe forty, beastmen, but they are very poor at guarding walls."
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