Company of the Bitter Blade - beginnings

[ShaggySpellsword]

Tok sits quietly for a moment, taking in all of the Captain's information before responding and thinks to himself Going back into Cyre...not Cyre, the Mournland, will likely be the only way to find clues concerning Keidi's object...I better see what I'm up against...

"What sort of creatures have been wandering into Karrnath and causing trouble? Also, what sort of dangers can we expect in the Mournland? Is the mist poisonous? Magical? Alchemical? Do you have a map of the keep or the area that we can use to plan our approach? I've heard stories of all manner of foul things walking the Mournland...which are true? What can we expect?"

Tok says all of this with a rather calm, analytical voice: strictly business. As he asks his questions he takes out a few sheets of paper from his pack, an inkpen, and gets ready to jot down some notes.

Here goes nothing...

 

[Patlin]

"Do you know if the rift to Khyber can be resealed, and if so, how?"

 

[Elocin]

"Hobbes, I understand that you want peace, however heroes are rarely afforded that which they most want. Instead they are called upon so that they can sacrifice what they want in order to do what the must." Boltam seems to have a hint of sympathy in his eyes and voice.

Continuing to pace the room, "I have not asked to be a hero but I can see that what I want is not to be. You do seem sincere and my companions seem to trust you, so I vow to stay with my pack and help you where I can."

"Here is my proposal. I ask that you investigate a watch tower on the other side of the river, in the Mournland. The tower is roughly 200 yards back from the river & was once an observation post for our nation. However I believe that is now being used as a jump-off point to attack and infiltrate this city. House Denieth believes that the attacks are merely wandering monsters; however they do not know what I know. Hidden in the basement level of the tower is a sealed entrance to Khyber. And I do not believe that this seal is still secure."

He spreads out a small map of the area and indicates a spot on the other side of the river directly opposite Karrlackton.

"The main objective is for you to eliminate the threat from whomever is occupying the keep. However, there is also a chest in the officer’s quarters. This chest is emblazoned with the symbol of Cyre and houses an item that I would like to have back in Cyrean hands. This chest should be your secondary objective, if you find it please bring it back to me, however it is not worth your lives. I need the four of you in one piece more than I need that chest." He looks up "Any questions?"

"I can see my companions are relying on their instincts and asking the right questions. I would like to know as much as you can tell us of what we are up against so we can better prepare ourselves in order to make it back alive. As Tok already mentioned we would like a map of the watch tower if at all possible. Anvuss has another good point and if we are going to do this job right we will need to know about this entrance you mentioned so we might close it permanently. Where does this entrance enter the city? I think it would be best to travel to this watch tower by using the passageway. By doing this we can cut off their access to the city and collapse the tunnel behind us, if we are able to. If we approach above ground they might spot us and make their escape into the city where we will lose them."

 

[GPEKO]

Magnus

Magnus looks at the map of the region and the northern Mournland. Such devastation... Those who did this will pay, one day. And we will have a new Cyre, a better Cyre. Snapping out of this reverie, he talks after his three companions. "Well, this seems like a noble and interesting quest for sure. I trust Dol Dorn to provide me strength in this endeavor. But you said you'd be our patron. What do you offer us in return for our services? I don't need much but, as it's my goal to restore Cyre one day, I need some funds. Or perhaps you could promise me your support, should I ever try this."

He pauses for a moment and adds. "And what about this item in the chest? It shouldn't be harder to get it, as you want us to clear the place of it's occupants. But, I wonder, what is it? A powerful magical item?"

 

[Sidekick]

"Hobbes, fortunately the passage does not connect the city to the tower, the passages instead connect the tower to the Dragon Below. I believe that a small group of abberations - most likey chokers and thier ilk are using the tower as a means to access Karrnath."

"As for re-sealing the access to Khyber, that is where I come in"

The Captain reaches under the table & heaves up a small shoulder satchel. It seems heavy and is packed full of The Host knows what.

"This my friends is one of House Denieths newest and most dangerous toys... A sachel charge. Thanks to Cannith's tinkers & some very imressive alchemy this sachel can explode with the force of a Fireball. It requires lighting this fuse the longer the fuse the longer the delay in the explosion."

"This will allow you to seal the entrance to the depths below. However if you set the fuse too short then you could run the rist of traping yourselves as well."

"As for my offer of Patronage, take this job for me & you shall each receive 250 gold pieces. This is in addition to full rights to all items found in the tower and below, excluding the chest I require that is."

He turns to Magnus "The item is seek I have never seen, some reports say that it is a large dragonshard or shard-embedded sword, others a sivis monitoring device. I would reccommend that it should NOT be opened in the Mournland, who knows what such a magic device may do in the chaos of the mists.

 

[Patlin]

"This my friends is one of House Denieths newest and most dangerous toys... A sachel charge. Thanks to Cannith's tinkers & some very imressive alchemy this sachel can explode with the force of a Fireball. It requires lighting this fuse the longer the fuse the longer the delay in the explosion."

"How exciting! I have never seen a device of this type before. The construction seems intricate, in spite of the straightforward effect. Could you please provide instruction on adjusting the timing of the fuse? Is there some formula, such as 5 minutes per inch of fuse? I take it that while the damage done is similar to a fireball, it is more in the way of concussion than simply fire, correct? Will it really cause a widespread collapse of the tunnel? Can the device be defused easilly if needed?" After these mostly relevant questions Anvuss continues to request information, getting farther and farther affield from the practical, until he realizes (belatedly) that he is starting to anoy his host. Then he becomes quiet.

 

[Elocin]

"Hobbes, fortunately the passage does not connect the city to the tower, the passages instead connect the tower to the Dragon Below. I believe that a small group of abberations - most likey chokers and thier ilk are using the tower as a means to access Karrnath."

"As for re-sealing the access to Khyber, that is where I come in"

"As this is good news for the city, it will make our journey more challenging. Can you suggest a way for us to travel to the Watch Tower and a safe way to get across the river?"

OOC - Is there any travel through the Mournlands or is it some barren wasteland where none dare to travel? I will try and read the CS tonight to learn somre more about the general lay of the land, so I am not pulling anything out of my...errrrr thin air.

The Captain reaches under the table & heaves up a small shoulder satchel. It seems heavy and is packed full of The Host knows what.

"This my friends is one of House Denieths newest and most dangerous toys... A sachel charge. Thanks to Cannith's tinkers & some very imressive alchemy this sachel can explode with the force of a Fireball. It requires lighting this fuse the longer the fuse the longer the delay in the explosion."

"This will allow you to seal the entrance to the depths below. However if you set the fuse too short then you could run the rist of traping yourselves as well."

"As for my offer of Patronage, take this job for me & you shall each receive 250 gold pieces. This is in addition to full rights to all items found in the tower and below, excluding the chest I require that is."

He turns to Magnus "The item is seek I have never seen, some reports say that it is a large dragonshard or shard-embedded sword, others a sivis monitoring device. I would reccommend that it should NOT be opened in the Mournland, who knows what such a magic device may do in the chaos of the mists.

"I will leave the dealings of this Satchel Charge, as you call it, to Anvuss as he seems to be facinated with its workings. I also think your offer is resonable and I agree to your terms."

 

[ShaggySpellsword]

Tok's eyes grow large when the satchel charge is set on the table. By the flame Cannith has outdone themselves this time!

"Surley something like this can be disabled one started..." or improved? "Also, knowing it's exact destructive capability would be most useful, so I can determine exactly at which point in the tunnel to set it for maximum effect."

Tok jots down a few notes and looks up and says "Oh yes, one other thing, you speak of possible magical interference with the object in the chest...what known magical interferences does the Mournland currently cause?"

 

[GPEKO]

Magnus

"These magical devices are without doubt impressive but they will never replace a good sword arm. I'll let you handle it, Anvuss, but don't get too excited with it. I don't want to die in a stupid accident!" Magnus laughes loudly. "So, how should we do this? I think none of us are really stealthy. Maybe we should approach this tower by the cover of the night?"

 

[Elocin]

"There is no time like the present so I say we leave now as dark is upon us and it is not that far away. If for whatever reason we do not make it to the tower this evening we can always find a place to camp during the day and keep a watch on this tower to see if anything enters or leaves it. I will just go upstairs and pack my things and I will be ready shortly." After saying this I look at the captain to see if he has anything else to say and if not, I leave the room and head upstairs to pack.