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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 3932089" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p><em>This is the test,</em> thinks Lord Cedric grimly, as he heaves his bastard sword from its scabbard. <em>Here is where we find out where Sir Porthos’ loyalties really lie!</em></p><p></p><p>Indeed, for the ambush that our heroes have walked into was set by Porthos’ former master, Sir Harth- Harth, the traitor. Harth, archenemy of all of our heroes. Harth, the very reason that the party has come here, to this devastated time, where the sky is a featureless cloud of maroon and all sanity seems to have vanished. </p><p></p><p>Sir Porthos seems caught by surprise. His mouth hangs open in stupefaction. <em>So long as he does not betray us,</em> Cedric thinks, <em>I shall assume his good faith remains.</em></p><p></p><p>Then the Lord of Whitewater is distracted as Otis calls out strange, mystical syllables; and suddenly a <em>fireball</em> explodes all around the knight and the onrushing enemies closest to him! They scream and cry in agony as flames lick over them. Sir Helios’ horse whinnies in fear, but dancing out of the way of the blast, behind a large chunk of rubble, then continues to push forward. The mutant men-at-arms howl in agony even as they advance through the flames. </p><p></p><p>“A nice start!” Sir Colder declares, setting his spear and thrusting into the closest mutant with a feral grin.</p><p></p><p>Then there is a loud roar, and everyone jerks their attention to Sir Helios.</p><p></p><p>Though his mount evaded the blast, he did not. Now, wounded, he roars, shaking his head- and starts to grow. He topples from the saddle as his stirrups burst, and he drags himself up to his feet, still roaring. Somehow, he no longer looks as though he will fit on the back of his mount. His armor’s straps stretch and snap; rivets pop. In several places, the metal plates seem to pinch themselves solidly into his flesh, making his anger- and his form- grow. His blond hair shades to a deep swamp green; his skin grows murky, first brown, then grey, and then a jade color. </p><p></p><p>Sir Helios faces our heroes, a huge, green goliath full of rage.</p><p></p><p>Adelle cries out a curse, stepping quickly back. “Don’t let him get too close to you, he’s a gamma mutant!” she cries. “Like Banner!” She casts a <em>fireball</em> of her own, and the blast catches Helios, his mount and one of the mutants. The blast throws the mutant down in a sizzling pile of roasted flesh, but both Sir Helios and his horse manage to withstand the blast. </p><p></p><p>Two of the mutants, their skin covered in strange, seeping blisters, limp forward eagerly towards Otis and Sir Fwaigo. Though they themselves are filthy and unkempt, it is quite clear that they have taken fine care of their bastard swords: the blades shine in the light of the flames from the <em>fireballs</em>.</p><p></p><p>Kyle backs away nervously, casting <em>mage armor</em> on himself. Then he casts another spell, more complex: <em>invisibility</em>. Suddenly he is gone! The mutants are a little startled, but they are also a little distracted, as the leading edges of the two parties crash into one another. Lord Cedric cries out, “Thir Helioth, thurrender! Harth hath betrayed you all! Throw down your armth and we will thow merthy and help you find your way back home!” The front line fighters of the party- Me, Goer, Jorgen, Colder, Cedric, Benito- stand as a wall, thrusting, cutting, blocking and dodging the blows of the mutants. Inevitably, some get through, and several of our heroes takes wounds. Sir Helios is near the front rank of the enemy troop, though the incredible transformation that he has undergone seems to have slowed his advance for a moment. Now Me steps forward, swinging his magic mace at the great form of the irradiated knight, and lands a telling blow. </p><p></p><p>But Sir Helios just roars and punches Me with a mighty, mighty blow. Me is knocked sprawling, and barely drags himself up to avoid another blow! Spinning, he swings his mace again, but Sir Helios jerks his arm out of the way. </p><p></p><p>Biting his lip, Otis hurls another <em>fireball</em> at the battle. This time, he comes inches away from hitting Sir Percival- Me- with it. But the wizard does not care. <em>If a simple dog mutated by this ‘gamma’ sorcery was so dangerous,</em> he thinks grimly, <em>how much more deadly will a trained knight be??</em></p><p></p><p>The flames wash over Sir Helios, his mount and a mutant. This time, to Otis’ delight, the horse drops to the ground, its skin blackened and cracked! Otis cackles, but his face falls when he sees the brute rage written all over Helios’ giant green face. He starts to move away, stopping long enough to cast a maximized <em>magic missile</em> at the hulking agent of Harth. <em>He’s still going!</em> Otis thinks in disbelief. <em>That, on top of three </em>fireballs... He shouts, “We have to take out the knight, now!!”</p><p></p><p>“Surrender, Helios, my friend!” Sir Porthos cries at last. “Please! Do not make us slay you!”</p><p></p><p>Sir Helios just throws back his head and roars loudly, an earth-shaking roar that can probably be heard a mile away. It makes everyone’s ears ring for a moment.</p><p></p><p>Lord Cedric, meanwhile, manages to draw back to a well-defended position and begins magically healing Sir Percival. The blow that Helios dealt him was remarkable. If Me were smart enough to feel the full effects of the blow, it might even have killed him!</p><p></p><p>Several of the mutant men-at-arms, laughing wickedly, begin to close in on the peasantry. Though most of them cringe back and start to retreat, Bates- the lad of 13 summers with whom Lord Cedric has been getting awfully chummy- pulls out a dagger and stands his ground bravely. “Leave my people alone!” he cries. </p><p></p><p>Dannelle, Adelle’s sister, steps up with a club. “Yes, leave us alone,” she says bravely. She shakes the club in her hand. “Or else we’ll beat you!”</p><p></p><p>The mutants laugh and attack, but both Bates and Dannelle stand their ground and fight! </p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the other mutants have found themselves no match for the fury of Jorgen, Goer and Colder. The three of them together easily slay the mutants facing them, then turn to race to the aid of the peasants.</p><p></p><p>Watching all of this, Banner clenches his fists tightly. He retreats, but slowly, gradually letting the peasants move away from him... just in case. </p><p></p><p><em>Just in case,</em> he thinks sickly. <em>Just in case. Please let them stop him before anyone... before anyone dies.</em> His head swims. His pulse begins to pound. Fear, anxiety, anger all build within him. <em>No!</em> he tells himself. <em>I have to stay calm. I have to! It’s too dangerous!</em> He continues to move slowly away, breathing deeply, trying to relax himself.</p><p></p><p>But it is almost more than he can take when Sir Helios charges forward at Benito, ignoring the thrust that the warrior lands in his torso on the way. Helios’ fist- the size of an anvil- cleaves through the air and smashes into Benito’s face. </p><p></p><p>His head veritably explodes. </p><p></p><p>Benito falls to the ground, clearly- undeniably- dead.</p><p></p><p>“BENITO!!! NOOOOO!!!!” cries Adelle. With an incoherent shout of rage and grief, she fires another volley of <em>magic missiles</em> into Helios, and the jade juggernaut gives another roar of pain. He turns to face her, shaking his fists and giving a great, wordless scream at her. “Come on, then!!” she screams back, tears flowing down her face. “COME ON!!!”</p><p></p><p>“Adelle, no!” shouts Otis. </p><p></p><p>“Do not worry, Otith!” Lord Cedric cries. “For even thith beatht ith no matth for the power of Clymorian!” And with that, he begins to intone a prayer to his god. Sir Helios is advancing on Adelle when Cedric gestures at him, and he simply freezes in place. </p><p></p><p>“Quickly!” cries Cedric. “I am not thertain how long my powerth will hold him!”</p><p></p><p>“In a moment, my lord!” cries Goer, running the last mutant through. “There, that’s better!” </p><p></p><p>Everyone converges on Sir Helios. Sir Porthos cries, “Please, surrender!”</p><p></p><p>“He’s too dangerous!” shouts Sir Colder, charging up and stabbing Helios viciously. “If we don’t kill him, he’s going to kill us- even if he doesn’t want to! Look at that!!” He gestures at the large, unmoving green form. “It’s so strong that we <em>have</em> to kill it, or it will certainly come out and kill us at some point!”</p><p></p><p><em>What does that say about me?</em> Banner wonders coldly. <em>The Hulk is even stronger than this thing.</em> He shudders. His stomach is full of butterflies.</p><p></p><p>Sir Percival and Sir Jorgen both charge in, striking with all their might. But Sir Helios is healing very, very quickly. As hard as they hit him, they cannot finish him off! Frantic sword and spear and mace blows do no better. Suddenly Kyle appears, as he launches an arrow into the held enemy’s kidney. </p><p></p><p>Then, of all people, young Bates springs forward. Instead of blind thrusts and cuts such as everyone else has tried, he quickly scales the bulky green form, and simply draws his dagger across its neck. Blood begins to pour out. At first it is green. Then Bates gives a cry of surprise as his footing shifts, and he falls off of the shrinking form of Sir Helios, who is returning to his normal form- with his throat most assuredly cut. </p><p></p><p>“Well done, lad!” cries Goer, clapping him on the shoulder. “You’ll make a fine squire some day!”</p><p></p><p>Bates beams at him. Covered in blood, scared for his life- but alive. And more: he is triumphant. <em>He made the kill.</em> Even if he should never again do anything worth speaking of in his life, he deserves a song for that one!</p><p></p><p>Adelle, on the other hand, is inconsolable. She and the other villagers mourn for Benito, and everyone pitches in to build him a cairn. Clearly, he was someone who meant a lot to them. Before they lay him out, they spend a long time debating whether to take his gear, but in the end, they decide that they really have no choice. It could be the difference between life and death, and as Kyle points out, if they all die, then Benito died in vain. The group piles stones high atop his corpse, many of them weeping as they do. Otis is impatient to move on, but Dahlia shushes him until the burial is done. <em>The scavengers will just dig him out soon enough,</em> he thinks, but wisely, the wizard says nothing. </p><p></p><p>After it is over, they move on, looking out for a place to rest. They are bone-weary, but the city is so pulverized that they cannot find a suitable place that does not reek of death. “This place sucks,” Sir Fwaigo says, for perhaps the hundredth time. “Do you think we have enough money to buy passage for everyone on the train?” He looks at Adelle.</p><p></p><p>She shrugs. “I don’t know exactly.”</p><p></p><p>“Is there any reason why we can’t just overpower the train?”</p><p></p><p>She stares at him as if he were insane. “Yes,” she answers.</p><p></p><p>After a moment, Goer asks, slightly annoyed, “Why?”</p><p></p><p>“First of all, do you know how to drive the Shadow Train?” She shakes her head. “Do you know how to get where we want to go?”</p><p></p><p>Goer’s face falls. “Good point,” he is forced to admit.</p><p></p><p>“Wait!” Dahlia exclaims. “Listen!” Everyone falls silent for a moment. </p><p></p><p>“What the hell?” Sir Colder sputters. “Do you hear that? Is it- it is!” He looks at his friends. “There is a party going on.”</p><p></p><p>“What?” Sheriff Jorgen is astonished. “A party? Here? Now?”</p><p></p><p>“I hear it too,” Dahlia nods. </p><p></p><p>“I think it’s coming from over here,” Kyle declares, and leads the others to a nearby building that has not been blasted to smithereens. With some effort, they manage to find a crack that they can look through, and to their surprise, they see dozens of people inside through the windows, having a great deal of drink and merriment. Platters of food are interspersed throughout the room, with pitchers of various drinks out in abundance. </p><p></p><p>There is a sign on the building’s front. In Palantian, it reads, “The Party that Never Ends”.</p><p></p><p>“Who could they be?” wonders Dahlia. </p><p></p><p>”Who cares?” Goer shrugs. “They aren’t Harth, and they aren’t the Shadow Train. That means that they’re a distraction.”</p><p></p><p>“What if we can rest in there?” Colder counters. “We need to get some sleep, and heal some.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you think it’s more likely that we’ll be able to rest in there, or that we’ll find some kind of trouble?” Goer returns.</p><p></p><p>After another few moments of debate, the group moves on, ignoring the party house. Goer is probably right. It is probably more trouble than it is worth. They walk along for another ten minutes. Then Colder exclaims and points to the side, where a huge building, probably 400’ square, looms. A large empty lot dotted with craters is next to it, and multiple large, colorful signs adorn the place, showing both colorful images of people holding a large variety of food and the characters of the Palantian alphabet.</p><p></p><p>“That thing is bigger than most castles,” Sir Porthos says. He sounds impressed. </p><p></p><p>“What is it?” wonders Sir Colder.</p><p></p><p>“It’s a greater market,” Bates explains. “It’s where you would go to get food.”</p><p></p><p>“What do the signs say?” asks Kyle. </p><p></p><p>“The City’s Farm- that’s the name of the place. That’s the big one, there.” He points. “And to the right, it says, ‘Where All Your Food Needs Are Met’. On the left it says ‘Farm Fresh Produce Every Day!’”</p><p></p><p>“So it’s a big market? All for food? Do you think there’s anything left in there?” Sir Colder inquires.</p><p></p><p>“Well, I assume that survivors would have gone to the greater markets, but they’re pretty big. There’s probably something, at least in jars and cans.”</p><p></p><p>“What do you think, my lord?” Colder asks Lord Cedric. “I could go scout it out and take a look around.”</p><p></p><p>Cedric nods. “Yeth, we might have need of thupplieth. Food, or liquor. Thtrong drink! Yeth, keep your eyeth out for thtrong drink!” </p><p></p><p>“As you say, my lord,” Colder bows his head. Then he moves into the front of the great market.</p><p></p><p>Everyone waits for a few minutes. The building is huge. “Colder could be in there for quite a while,” Kyle murmurs. “I wonder if they have anything... interesting... in there.”</p><p></p><p>Otis shoots him a dark look. </p><p></p><p>”I was just wonderin’!” he says defensively.</p><p></p><p>Still, no Colder. </p><p></p><p>Suddenly Otis’ weasel familiar* starts freaking out, making strange noises and clinging tightly to Otis. “Colder is in trouble,” the wizard announces. </p><p></p><p>“Of course he’s in trouble,” groans Goer.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> Colder’s in trouble! Will he make it to the Shadow Train? Because, <em>somebody</em> will!</p><p></p><p>*Similar to the raven familiar in Order of the Stick, apparently. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 3932089, member: 1210"] [i]This is the test,[/i] thinks Lord Cedric grimly, as he heaves his bastard sword from its scabbard. [i]Here is where we find out where Sir Porthos’ loyalties really lie![/i] Indeed, for the ambush that our heroes have walked into was set by Porthos’ former master, Sir Harth- Harth, the traitor. Harth, archenemy of all of our heroes. Harth, the very reason that the party has come here, to this devastated time, where the sky is a featureless cloud of maroon and all sanity seems to have vanished. Sir Porthos seems caught by surprise. His mouth hangs open in stupefaction. [i]So long as he does not betray us,[/i] Cedric thinks, [i]I shall assume his good faith remains.[/i] Then the Lord of Whitewater is distracted as Otis calls out strange, mystical syllables; and suddenly a [i]fireball[/i] explodes all around the knight and the onrushing enemies closest to him! They scream and cry in agony as flames lick over them. Sir Helios’ horse whinnies in fear, but dancing out of the way of the blast, behind a large chunk of rubble, then continues to push forward. The mutant men-at-arms howl in agony even as they advance through the flames. “A nice start!” Sir Colder declares, setting his spear and thrusting into the closest mutant with a feral grin. Then there is a loud roar, and everyone jerks their attention to Sir Helios. Though his mount evaded the blast, he did not. Now, wounded, he roars, shaking his head- and starts to grow. He topples from the saddle as his stirrups burst, and he drags himself up to his feet, still roaring. Somehow, he no longer looks as though he will fit on the back of his mount. His armor’s straps stretch and snap; rivets pop. In several places, the metal plates seem to pinch themselves solidly into his flesh, making his anger- and his form- grow. His blond hair shades to a deep swamp green; his skin grows murky, first brown, then grey, and then a jade color. Sir Helios faces our heroes, a huge, green goliath full of rage. Adelle cries out a curse, stepping quickly back. “Don’t let him get too close to you, he’s a gamma mutant!” she cries. “Like Banner!” She casts a [i]fireball[/i] of her own, and the blast catches Helios, his mount and one of the mutants. The blast throws the mutant down in a sizzling pile of roasted flesh, but both Sir Helios and his horse manage to withstand the blast. Two of the mutants, their skin covered in strange, seeping blisters, limp forward eagerly towards Otis and Sir Fwaigo. Though they themselves are filthy and unkempt, it is quite clear that they have taken fine care of their bastard swords: the blades shine in the light of the flames from the [i]fireballs[/i]. Kyle backs away nervously, casting [i]mage armor[/i] on himself. Then he casts another spell, more complex: [i]invisibility[/i]. Suddenly he is gone! The mutants are a little startled, but they are also a little distracted, as the leading edges of the two parties crash into one another. Lord Cedric cries out, “Thir Helioth, thurrender! Harth hath betrayed you all! Throw down your armth and we will thow merthy and help you find your way back home!” The front line fighters of the party- Me, Goer, Jorgen, Colder, Cedric, Benito- stand as a wall, thrusting, cutting, blocking and dodging the blows of the mutants. Inevitably, some get through, and several of our heroes takes wounds. Sir Helios is near the front rank of the enemy troop, though the incredible transformation that he has undergone seems to have slowed his advance for a moment. Now Me steps forward, swinging his magic mace at the great form of the irradiated knight, and lands a telling blow. But Sir Helios just roars and punches Me with a mighty, mighty blow. Me is knocked sprawling, and barely drags himself up to avoid another blow! Spinning, he swings his mace again, but Sir Helios jerks his arm out of the way. Biting his lip, Otis hurls another [i]fireball[/i] at the battle. This time, he comes inches away from hitting Sir Percival- Me- with it. But the wizard does not care. [i]If a simple dog mutated by this ‘gamma’ sorcery was so dangerous,[/i] he thinks grimly, [i]how much more deadly will a trained knight be??[/i] The flames wash over Sir Helios, his mount and a mutant. This time, to Otis’ delight, the horse drops to the ground, its skin blackened and cracked! Otis cackles, but his face falls when he sees the brute rage written all over Helios’ giant green face. He starts to move away, stopping long enough to cast a maximized [i]magic missile[/i] at the hulking agent of Harth. [i]He’s still going![/i] Otis thinks in disbelief. [i]That, on top of three [/i]fireballs... He shouts, “We have to take out the knight, now!!” “Surrender, Helios, my friend!” Sir Porthos cries at last. “Please! Do not make us slay you!” Sir Helios just throws back his head and roars loudly, an earth-shaking roar that can probably be heard a mile away. It makes everyone’s ears ring for a moment. Lord Cedric, meanwhile, manages to draw back to a well-defended position and begins magically healing Sir Percival. The blow that Helios dealt him was remarkable. If Me were smart enough to feel the full effects of the blow, it might even have killed him! Several of the mutant men-at-arms, laughing wickedly, begin to close in on the peasantry. Though most of them cringe back and start to retreat, Bates- the lad of 13 summers with whom Lord Cedric has been getting awfully chummy- pulls out a dagger and stands his ground bravely. “Leave my people alone!” he cries. Dannelle, Adelle’s sister, steps up with a club. “Yes, leave us alone,” she says bravely. She shakes the club in her hand. “Or else we’ll beat you!” The mutants laugh and attack, but both Bates and Dannelle stand their ground and fight! Meanwhile, the other mutants have found themselves no match for the fury of Jorgen, Goer and Colder. The three of them together easily slay the mutants facing them, then turn to race to the aid of the peasants. Watching all of this, Banner clenches his fists tightly. He retreats, but slowly, gradually letting the peasants move away from him... just in case. [i]Just in case,[/i] he thinks sickly. [i]Just in case. Please let them stop him before anyone... before anyone dies.[/i] His head swims. His pulse begins to pound. Fear, anxiety, anger all build within him. [i]No![/i] he tells himself. [i]I have to stay calm. I have to! It’s too dangerous![/i] He continues to move slowly away, breathing deeply, trying to relax himself. But it is almost more than he can take when Sir Helios charges forward at Benito, ignoring the thrust that the warrior lands in his torso on the way. Helios’ fist- the size of an anvil- cleaves through the air and smashes into Benito’s face. His head veritably explodes. Benito falls to the ground, clearly- undeniably- dead. “BENITO!!! NOOOOO!!!!” cries Adelle. With an incoherent shout of rage and grief, she fires another volley of [i]magic missiles[/i] into Helios, and the jade juggernaut gives another roar of pain. He turns to face her, shaking his fists and giving a great, wordless scream at her. “Come on, then!!” she screams back, tears flowing down her face. “COME ON!!!” “Adelle, no!” shouts Otis. “Do not worry, Otith!” Lord Cedric cries. “For even thith beatht ith no matth for the power of Clymorian!” And with that, he begins to intone a prayer to his god. Sir Helios is advancing on Adelle when Cedric gestures at him, and he simply freezes in place. “Quickly!” cries Cedric. “I am not thertain how long my powerth will hold him!” “In a moment, my lord!” cries Goer, running the last mutant through. “There, that’s better!” Everyone converges on Sir Helios. Sir Porthos cries, “Please, surrender!” “He’s too dangerous!” shouts Sir Colder, charging up and stabbing Helios viciously. “If we don’t kill him, he’s going to kill us- even if he doesn’t want to! Look at that!!” He gestures at the large, unmoving green form. “It’s so strong that we [i]have[/i] to kill it, or it will certainly come out and kill us at some point!” [i]What does that say about me?[/i] Banner wonders coldly. [i]The Hulk is even stronger than this thing.[/i] He shudders. His stomach is full of butterflies. Sir Percival and Sir Jorgen both charge in, striking with all their might. But Sir Helios is healing very, very quickly. As hard as they hit him, they cannot finish him off! Frantic sword and spear and mace blows do no better. Suddenly Kyle appears, as he launches an arrow into the held enemy’s kidney. Then, of all people, young Bates springs forward. Instead of blind thrusts and cuts such as everyone else has tried, he quickly scales the bulky green form, and simply draws his dagger across its neck. Blood begins to pour out. At first it is green. Then Bates gives a cry of surprise as his footing shifts, and he falls off of the shrinking form of Sir Helios, who is returning to his normal form- with his throat most assuredly cut. “Well done, lad!” cries Goer, clapping him on the shoulder. “You’ll make a fine squire some day!” Bates beams at him. Covered in blood, scared for his life- but alive. And more: he is triumphant. [i]He made the kill.[/i] Even if he should never again do anything worth speaking of in his life, he deserves a song for that one! Adelle, on the other hand, is inconsolable. She and the other villagers mourn for Benito, and everyone pitches in to build him a cairn. Clearly, he was someone who meant a lot to them. Before they lay him out, they spend a long time debating whether to take his gear, but in the end, they decide that they really have no choice. It could be the difference between life and death, and as Kyle points out, if they all die, then Benito died in vain. The group piles stones high atop his corpse, many of them weeping as they do. Otis is impatient to move on, but Dahlia shushes him until the burial is done. [i]The scavengers will just dig him out soon enough,[/i] he thinks, but wisely, the wizard says nothing. After it is over, they move on, looking out for a place to rest. They are bone-weary, but the city is so pulverized that they cannot find a suitable place that does not reek of death. “This place sucks,” Sir Fwaigo says, for perhaps the hundredth time. “Do you think we have enough money to buy passage for everyone on the train?” He looks at Adelle. She shrugs. “I don’t know exactly.” “Is there any reason why we can’t just overpower the train?” She stares at him as if he were insane. “Yes,” she answers. After a moment, Goer asks, slightly annoyed, “Why?” “First of all, do you know how to drive the Shadow Train?” She shakes her head. “Do you know how to get where we want to go?” Goer’s face falls. “Good point,” he is forced to admit. “Wait!” Dahlia exclaims. “Listen!” Everyone falls silent for a moment. “What the hell?” Sir Colder sputters. “Do you hear that? Is it- it is!” He looks at his friends. “There is a party going on.” “What?” Sheriff Jorgen is astonished. “A party? Here? Now?” “I hear it too,” Dahlia nods. “I think it’s coming from over here,” Kyle declares, and leads the others to a nearby building that has not been blasted to smithereens. With some effort, they manage to find a crack that they can look through, and to their surprise, they see dozens of people inside through the windows, having a great deal of drink and merriment. Platters of food are interspersed throughout the room, with pitchers of various drinks out in abundance. There is a sign on the building’s front. In Palantian, it reads, “The Party that Never Ends”. “Who could they be?” wonders Dahlia. ”Who cares?” Goer shrugs. “They aren’t Harth, and they aren’t the Shadow Train. That means that they’re a distraction.” “What if we can rest in there?” Colder counters. “We need to get some sleep, and heal some.” “Do you think it’s more likely that we’ll be able to rest in there, or that we’ll find some kind of trouble?” Goer returns. After another few moments of debate, the group moves on, ignoring the party house. Goer is probably right. It is probably more trouble than it is worth. They walk along for another ten minutes. Then Colder exclaims and points to the side, where a huge building, probably 400’ square, looms. A large empty lot dotted with craters is next to it, and multiple large, colorful signs adorn the place, showing both colorful images of people holding a large variety of food and the characters of the Palantian alphabet. “That thing is bigger than most castles,” Sir Porthos says. He sounds impressed. “What is it?” wonders Sir Colder. “It’s a greater market,” Bates explains. “It’s where you would go to get food.” “What do the signs say?” asks Kyle. “The City’s Farm- that’s the name of the place. That’s the big one, there.” He points. “And to the right, it says, ‘Where All Your Food Needs Are Met’. On the left it says ‘Farm Fresh Produce Every Day!’” “So it’s a big market? All for food? Do you think there’s anything left in there?” Sir Colder inquires. “Well, I assume that survivors would have gone to the greater markets, but they’re pretty big. There’s probably something, at least in jars and cans.” “What do you think, my lord?” Colder asks Lord Cedric. “I could go scout it out and take a look around.” Cedric nods. “Yeth, we might have need of thupplieth. Food, or liquor. Thtrong drink! Yeth, keep your eyeth out for thtrong drink!” “As you say, my lord,” Colder bows his head. Then he moves into the front of the great market. Everyone waits for a few minutes. The building is huge. “Colder could be in there for quite a while,” Kyle murmurs. “I wonder if they have anything... interesting... in there.” Otis shoots him a dark look. ”I was just wonderin’!” he says defensively. Still, no Colder. Suddenly Otis’ weasel familiar* starts freaking out, making strange noises and clinging tightly to Otis. “Colder is in trouble,” the wizard announces. “Of course he’s in trouble,” groans Goer. [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] Colder’s in trouble! Will he make it to the Shadow Train? Because, [i]somebody[/i] will! *Similar to the raven familiar in Order of the Stick, apparently. :) [/QUOTE]
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(Cydra) The Year 271 Campaign (Low Magic experiment)
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