Devil's Plow - Leaving Ironcraig

Welcome to Ironcraig, gents. This post will be covering some general info.

First off, characters were chosen on the basis of how well they meshed, their bios, and the RPing vibe I got from their players. If your character doesn't appear below, it's nothing personal-your character just didn't have the feel I wanted for this game. That said, the following characters will compose the starting line-up.

-Tobe Anonced, played by Kerrz
-Ethyann "Sorrowsong" Silverblade, played by Steve Gorak
-Thraxus, played by Pheonix
-Jonath Stonescale, played by Psychotic
-Troll, played by Komodo

This list is subject to change if Komodo and Ferrix produce suitable characters today.

A note to Jonath and Thraxus: get along. I don't care how, but find a rules interpretation that will let you avoid killing each other. I'm making this substantially easier by getting rid of the paladin's detect evil at will, because that kind of ability really doesn't fit the campaign. Use your heads.

Next, posting stuff:

All out-of-character stuff should be in red. If you're having an OOC discussion of something not directly related to the game, do so in our lovely OOC thread here.

Thoughts should be in italics.

In-character dialogue should be colored. I prefer shades of orange, for the sake of readability, but anything that doesn't burn my eyes is okay.

When doing anything that requires a roll, please give your applicable bonus at the bottom of your post in OOC. In combat, I'll keep a short stat blocks with your AC, attack bonus, HP, and any modifiers in each post, but anything else should be given. I feel much more inclined to figure out a round of combat when I can easily look at your bonuses and just roll the dice, rather than hunting for and through your character sheet.

So, a post might look like this.

"Seeing the band of orcs moving steadily towards him, Joe decides that a fight is an option to be avoided. I'm hardly a useful scout for the others if I'm dead. Not wanting to risk sneaking back through the camp behind him, he turns to the cliff beside him. Carefully grabbing hold of a solid rock at the edge, he eases himself down and steadily starts descending towards the valley below.

OOC: Start climbing down cliff. Climb +7."

I'll start up the game later today, once I figure out our last players' statuses.

"Ah, you have arrived," said a militiaman to the four men congregated on the worn stone steps of Ironcraig's keep, a structure cut out of the face of the mountain on which the city perched. Between him and his comrade lay a heavy steel door, which the pair slowly pulled open. "The Duke will see you in the Meeting Hall," the soldier told the four, knowing that every man, woman, and child in the community knew where the Hall was. The Meeting Hall was where the Duke and his advisors, including several elders and the Captain of the militia, met with the common folk of the city to decide matters of great importance. All four men had, in the past few days, wondered why their group had been formed without holding a meeting. Hoping to finally recieve their answers, or at least their orders, the four stepped into the fortification and walked to the Hall.

The grand Hall, easily the biggest room in the town, dwarfed even the enormous man within. The ceiling stretched high into the mountain, and the room's stonework was complemented with an unusual quantity of wood, given the difficulty of bringing timber to the isolated fortress. The men wasted no time admiring the room they had sat in many a time before, and instead walked towards the throne upon which Duke Ghenthar sat expectantly, wearing a heavy suit of dark field plate in place of his usual fine clothing, and wearing an axe strapped to his back.

"Come, sit and we shall speak of your-or rather, our-task," he calls to the men across the room, gesturing to the seats around the table before his throne; those normally reserved for his council.

Tobe enters the Meeting Hall as he has many times before in the service of his Duke over the years. With his gleaming, gilded horn dangling at his side and a fresh shave to go with his freshly polished breastplate, the young bannerman cuts quite the figure while approaching the Duke. Giving his Duke a crisp, appropriate show of deference the young man comes to a stop before the throne before leading himself towards one of the seats at the table.

Seating himself, he finally unburdens himself of the question he has been waiting to ask since arriving in the room to see the Duke fully armed, "My Duke, you say our task, and you are dressed in your armour. I am no fool, I know what this means, but I must ask your reasoning. What must be so important that you feel risking yourself is a justified measure? This community would crumble without you... what are we to do that is so dangerous it requires your finest troops and your esteemed self to join the fray?"

With barely a thought to the size of the meeting hall, Thraxus simply walks across to the seat that he was gestured to. It takes some time to unstrap the shield from his arm, removed the sheath from his belt to lay gently on the table before him, as well as unsting his bow (he always found it wise to carry his bow strung over one shoulder whilst walking through the town, but even the best made bow would lose quality if strung forever) and lay his quiver of arrows against the side of his chair.

Seating carefully upon the chair offered, so as his armour would not leave any lasting impressions, Thraxus took a moment to look at his new companions before speaking.

Thank you for offering me and my friends this opportunity my liege. Anything that I can do to better our standing in the world that we have left I am prepared for.

The armored Duke nods to acknowledge Jonath and Thraxus' statements, and then turns to Tobe. "A fair question, and one that I have called you here to explain today. We face trouble in ahead, but you have undoubtedly guessed as much," he says in his deep, commanding voice. "We number only a few among the many men capable of defending this city, but few can survive the wilds for long. You are such men who can, and I need you. I ask that you join me in a journey far from the safety of this place and deep into the Plow. I promise no rewards beyond the continued safety of Ironcraig. Are there any who find this unacceptable?" he asks, looking at each of the four in turn.

Ringmereth said:

The armored Duke nods to acknowledge Jonath and Thraxus' statements, and then turns to Tobe. "A fair question, and one that I have called you here to explain today. We face trouble in ahead, but you have undoubtedly guessed as much," he says in his deep, commanding voice. "We number only a few among the many men capable of defending this city, but few can survive the wilds for long. You are such men who can, and I need you. I ask that you join me in a journey far from the safety of this place and deep into the Plow. I promise no rewards beyond the continued safety of Ironcraig. Are there any who find this unacceptable?" he asks, looking at each of the four in turn.

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Thraxus looks about the table at each of the men before saying in a calm but steady voice: "All I find unacceptable is that there are only a handful of us willing to make this journey, what have our people amounted to that we have been reduced to so little by such a common foe?"

"I require no reward past the chance to bring us out of this Dark Age of humanity, let's make our new masters pay for their crimes."

"Oy! Me father's blade is yours to command! I be the light of Justicebringer, and I serve to pierce to dark of these days!" Jonath accepts, standing at attention stance with chin high. "It is not me will to question me deity's wishes. Heironeous guided me here. Here is where me must serve. I have but to wonder. What is it that you wish us to do?"

PsYcHoTiC said:

"Oy! Me father's blade is yours to command! I be the light of Justicebringer, and I serve to pierce to dark of these days!"

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Thraxus smirks at this, never trying to hide his disdain. It was people like you that lost this war for us, perhaps if you had spent less time praying to gods that were more concerned about morals that the survival of their kind, and actually fought with your heart...but I guess this union will make strange bedfellows after all."

Tobe looks his Duke in the eye when he responds, "My liege... I will follow you to the ends of the world and come back to tell the tale. Lead on and we shall be behind you every step of the way."

With a grunt and a laugh, the dark-haired figure continues on, "It shall be just like the stories of old. The goblinoids will fear our wrath and we shall bring down mighty retribution on whoever stands in our way. It shall be glorious - something to tell the grandchildren about when we are old and gray-haired."