[4e] The Wolfcrown, Chapter 1

[DistractingFlare]

[sblock=ooc]So if anybody has any last-minute questions for these characters, feel free to ask them. I'll post under the assumption that everybody is ready to leave. Go ahead and talk a bit amongst yourselves while I've got you traveling, too.[/sblock]

The road out of Black Lake Proper is a long one, cobbled with red and black stones. It's a whole day's march to get the White Vale. You'll be expected to arrive right around dusk.

Outside of the city, a long plain stretches before you, and far off in the distance, you can see a deep valley full of towering trees.

[sblock=ooc]I'll post back around the end of the day after a few people have posted.[/sblock]

 

[Rathan]

Doren reads his companions.

Doren gathered his items once more and shook everyone's hand before gathering his backpack beside him and readied himself for the long hike. His mind wandered as to what this all meant to him, thus he was quiet as they first got started out of Black Lake itself.

"What did this all mean?" Doren wondered to himself, pondering if this was what Blackmoor visited him for and should he be this ill prepared in life to show his patron deity what he is REALLY made of this early in life.

Doren's mind wondered to past, present, and then future as he remembered his training as a law giver in times past. He knew it would take every thread of his training to keep his companions, and more importantly, the Queen safe.

Doren pulled himself back to the present and smiled upon his allies now looking about to each one. Torath caught his eyes first, the strong paladin full of courage and valor. He was able to take a few blows and still stay his course to his goals. Doren respected him greatly for his faith in the Four and the law they keep, yet it was not the time to shower him with praise, not just yet anyways. Next Doren turned his eyes to Squeal, a mysterious machine with the thirst for battle. Yet he also had a side of him that was very logical. Squeal peaked Doren's interest and knew his large friend would take roles in their upcoming events that would show his true form and skill.

Doren turned his head slightly behind him to catch a glance at Thomas. A schooled fellow with a knack for summoning magics, a talent not easily mastered however Thomas did so with calm conviction and steadfast concentration. Thomas was also a man Doren respected but not for his manliness but more for his conviction to his trade and his resolve in the face of danger. Quickly he turned his head to the stout dwarf Baern. This was a being he related to in many ways, but in many more they were completely different. Both he and Baern had a lust for law and a passion for seeing it through. For this Doren respected him the most out of all his companions gathered with him in the present. However the last face he turned to sent shivers down his spine. Not out of fear mind you, but uncertainty, which was easily the most unsettling feeling Doren had felt sense sitting in the cell awaiting trial on something he had not done.

Thorn was something to be feared to most. A person of many faces and many mannerisms. 'She' could be anyone and anything she desired if the need struck her. The coldness that Doren saw in her eyes was what unsettled him the most. Doren was a good at reading other people, yet with Thorn he got nothing but a cold blank stare. Her future in his eyes were vastly uncertain and what could transpire for her, the options left endless. Thorn was Doren's least favorite of the group however he knew that her skills would prove to be most valuable in this newest endeavor.

One foot after the other Doren strode with the pace of the rest keeping up in armor as best he could. Shaking the thoughts of uncertainty he spoke softly as he looked out over the rolling hills and then down into the deep valley of trees.

"Beautiful... truly beautiful. If people respected this planet more for what it was truly made for, a home for us all, I doubt missions like the one were on would even have to exist." Dorean said with almost a heavy hearted tone.

 

[Shayuri]

Thorn chuckled. "It's because it's a home 'for us all' that we do," she points out. "Ask three different people how they want a room to look, and you get three different rooms. How do you cope? You can respect some people's opinions above others...in which case those who are not respected will naturally look for ways to change that order...or you can simply give out more rooms."

She waves a hand at the rolling landscape. "But the world isn't endless. Sooner or later you run out of rooms."

And that's when the knives come out, she thought, though in the interests of not antagonizing the priest unduly, she kept it to herself.

 

[Phaezen]

Squeal, Warforged barbarian

The warforged lead the group along the road, head moving from side to side as if to take in the scenery before it.

Using the attached sword on its arm, Squeal points out several landmarks, including the forest ahead asking about their names and origins.

"This one has not left the city since it was awakened" Squeal explains, "And would like to know more of the area we are going to. Does this one's companions know anything?"

 

[DistractingFlare]

[sblock=ooc]A solid History check will reveal a lot of information about the peoples of the White Vale. A Nature check might reveal some information about the region, too.[/sblock]

 

[Phaezen]

Squeal, Warforged barbarian

Squeal tries to remember if it has overheard anything

[sblock=ooc]
History = 9, Nature = 20
[/sblock]

 

[DistractingFlare]

Within Squeal's memory banks, he discovers that the White Vale is a massive, sprawling forest over twice the size of Black Lake Proper. Its inhabitants are mostly elves, eladrin, and gnomes, but occasionally exiles or hermits will settle in the area. Beneath the White Vale lies the Gray Grove, a subterranean tunnel that leads north, all the way to the Black Forest in the far north. The first fey are said to have emerged from the Gray Grove, and some may live there still.

 

[industrygothica]

The dwarf was typically not at a lack of words, but in this moment he chose to keep his mouth shut and savor the surroundings.

'Won't be so peaceful fer long,' he thought.

 

[Rathan]

Doren thinks back to his past to try and remember anything that strikes him in his readings about the Peoples of White Vale and the city itself. He tries to remember if he'd ever had the pleasure to visit before. Perhaps if he'd not gotten as far as White Vale maybe he'd visited the outlying forests and rolling hills such as these before.

[sblock=History and Nature Checks] 1d20+7=24 (History) and 1d20+4=23 (Nature)[/sblock]

 

[yzard]

Thomas, Summoner Wizard

Near the rear of the group, and as the others, Thomas gathered his thoughts to give a summary of the history of the area to Squeal. Though he and his family DID travel occasionally, most of his knowledge came from study and not experience.

[sblock=check]
History Check (1d20+11=30)
[/sblock]