Planescape: Chrysalis

[Ashy]

Noi'nu nods turtly. "Your company will be missed, as will your skills." The masked man pauses for a moment and then ads, "Should you change your mind, know that you are welcome always..."

That said, Noi'nu mounts his horse and tells the others, "I know you're all tired, but there is a slaver with a head start on us. He is also tired - and wounded - we should be able to catch him soon and end all of this. Let's ride..." He spurs his horse into the direction indicated by Zee...

 

[Cabe Zeree]

Hail! Planewalkers!

Nara looks back, a smile dances across her lips, but she turns away quickly, and then with Rabian, they both disappear into the night.

The others waste no time in getting to their horses, and Zee pushes ahead of Noi'nu to lead the way. The moonlight aids the chase, and the grass is tall enough that the mercenaries cut a swath in the breakneck dash. Still, every so often, Zee brings everyone to a halt and dismounts. He checks the earth, pushes into the tall grass to the right or to the left of the trail, and checks the ground again before jumping back in the and giving the signal to ride on.

Its at one of these stops Zee holds up his hand and thr group falls into silence. The sound of hooves pounding the earth carries on the wind, but its is coming from behind the group, not in front. Zee's and Noi'nu's blades appear in their hands, while Kort has his crossbow knocked.

"Hail! Planewalkers! Hail!" A voice cries over the sound of hooves, its a familiar voice. The horse and rider coalesce out of the darkness. “Hail! Planewalkers!” Nara shouts a second time. Kort lowers his crossbow, and the two blades disappear.

Nara reigns her steed in, it prances and gives a thankful whiney, even in the darkness Noi’nu can see the sweat stains along its neck and saddle straps. The horse tosses its head; its eyes are wide and they flash as they catch the light.

Nara’s breathing almost matches that of the horse, and her wide eyes lock on to Noi’nu. “That offer still open cutter?” Nara laughs and the emotion rolling off her seems infectious because everyone seems to be smiling. “What a ride! And more to come!” She proclaims as she givers her horse a pat. The animal snorts, and the paws the earth as it gnashes at its bit.

 

[Ashy]

You can hear the smile in Noi'nu's voice, "Aye, Nara. That it is..." For once in his life, Noi'nu wishes that he did not wear the mask that he bears, for right now, more than anything, he wants Nara to see the smile that blazes upon his features.

"Good to have you back, Nara", Rexx retorts, "but honey, we're goin' to have to get you a shiv or somethin' - that mace is just too blunt..." The tiefer chuckles a bit at his own bad joke.

Zee shakes his head and puts his hand to his forehead. It is closest the gith has ever come to laughing, he thinks...

 

[Cabe Zeree]

Over here, land flows like windblown sand.

Kort provides Nara with a big grin. “Good thing you shouted, I almost stuck you with my crossbow, and then where would we all be?” He ends with a big smirk and glances around.

“No worries boy, I saw your aim during the battle, I woulda been just fine.” Nara winks at the boy as she finishes her jibe, but he quickly bows his head. She urges her horse closer and slaps him on the back. “Come Kort, the planes will eat you alive if you don’t learn to get as well as give!”

Kort brings his head up and glances at her from the corner of his eye, “I’ll take that challenge.”

“Excellent!” Nara says with a laugh. Nara notes Panaver watching her and inclines her head. “Master Trallhorn.”

Panaver sagaciously nods. “Good to see you again.”

“Never tempt a former planewalker with the trail, she just might take you up on it.” Nara glances towards Noi’nu and winks. “Enough of my wastin time, we have a prey to hunt!” She nods towards Zee, and he motions forward as he urges his horse into a gallop.

The six ride on and continue their pattern, ride hard and rest for a short period while Zee checks the trail. At one of the stops Nara gets off her horse, and begins to chant, when she finishes the many of the horses whiney and paw the earth. “We’re working them hard but they should be able to last a little longer now. Still I don’t know how much longer they can hold out.”

And Zee mercilessly pushes everyone forward. Shortly after the moon begins to set a tingle blossoms at the base of Noi’nu’s neck and spreads through his arms and chest, and the voices in his head go silent for a brief second. Rexx feels something like an itch behind his eyes, and Zee gets a sensation like he’s falling and can’t stop himself. It’s a sensation Zee has felt before and the githzerai calls everyone to a halt.

“I know everyone just felt something. It’s different for everyone, but it all means the same thing.” Zee pauses and glances around. “We’ve passed into the Hinterlands. Over here, land flows like windblown sand, it’s a place one step away from Chaos, but Cedric’s trail pushes on.” He eyes Noi’nu directly. “We can continue on or not, if we do, it’ll be the strength of our will that leads us to Cedric, not the speed of our horses. You’re acting general,” he ends with a nod.

 

[Ashy]

"We ride on, but I will not push the horses to death. Cedric'll have to stop sometime..."

 

[Cabe Zeree]

Zee nods, and takes the lead once more. He jumps in the saddle and urges the horse forward at a walk.

The Hinterlands, a land where both Chaos and Nothing have sway. Planes are born in the Hinterlands and planes appear there as they loose their battle against entropy.

Zee half turns in his saddle and provides one bit of advice. "Empty your minds of everything save the cur Cedric. Fan the fire of your hatred for him, and maybe will find him quickly. The more our minds stray, the more we fall off his trail." The githzerai turns back around, but, riding nearby, Rexx believes he hears Zee mumble, "But you'll take us wherever ya feel like anyways, just like last time, won't ya?"

And the horses plod on. The light isn't strong enough to view great distances yet, but Panaver uses a knife to collect a few branches and leaves as they ride past trees. He doesn't recognize any of them, and he begins sketching in his book.

Shortly after steel gray light begins to spread through the sky, three shapes appear in front of a copse of trees in the distance.

“Three horses,” Rexx offers.

 

[Ashy]

Noi'nu finds it exceedingly difficult to silence all of the voices within his soul, but tries, at least, to focus them all on Cedric. When the forms are spotted, Noi'nu eyes them closely, "Are we sure? Be ready for anything. Cedric may have help, or for all we know, these could be yeth hounds....or worse..." The masked man makes sure that his blade is loose in its sheath as they slowly approach the forms. If he sees something that looks humaniod, he will call out a neutral greeting to it.

 

[Cabe Zeree]

Where are they going?

The group approaches the copse of trees, which as they near proves to be a finger of a much larger forest. Tall hills surge out of the morning gray beyond the party like the back of a great beast rearing from the sea.

One edge, Noi'nu listens intently for any sounds be he only hears the sound of common animals, birds, rodents of the woods, and the like. The three lone horses whinney and snort a greeting as the party closes.

"Ran them near death then deserted them." Nara frowns and shakes her head. The tangy stink of sweat is heavy in the air, the horses are dark with their own perspiration, and each is shivering. They're standing around a stream that tumbles and snakes out of the forest. The woods continue on a gentle incline for a couple hundred strides before the first of the first line of hills simply thrusts upward.

Zee slides from his saddle and walks towars the three horses, his hand rests on his blade. He stoops to examine the earth walks closer towards the edge of the woods and then doubles back.

"They went in."

"The horses were near death, they'd have too much trouble in the hills with them," Nara says and nods.

"Where are they going?" Panaver asks.

"Anyplace we won't follow," Rexx quips.

 

[Ashy]

"Or so they think..." Noi'nu adds grimly. He leads the horses by the stream, where they can both graze and drink and pats them lovingly. "Rest, faithful ones - you have earned it." He instructs the others to do the same with their steeds and then asks Zee if he can pick up the trail.

 

[Cabe Zeree]

Now if I got all the sizes right

"Following charging horses through grasslands was easy enough. I'm not as sure of my skill in the woods," the githzerai replies honestly as he scratches his chin.

OOC: Noi'nu is actually proficient in tracking, he did it for a living back on his Prime. If Zee can't pick it up he should feel confident that he can.

Nara pats her horse and breaths in deep. "Ahhh!" She then looks around, her dark eyes sparkle in the morning sun. "Leaving our horses, no packs decent for a trek, and at the end of our rations. Embrace it boys! The life of a planewalker!" She gives Noi'nu a bright smile.

"What, no breakfast? Shirking on your duties as an innkeper Nara," Kort says with a shake of his head.

"HAH!"

Panaver has taken a quick seat and he's furiously drawing on his sketchpad. Rexx looks over his shoulder. "Lad, your hands must be possessed by a slaad for all the time their still."

The young man doesn't reply, but he stops drawing and shoves the pencil behind one ear. He rips off the sheet of paper that produces pronounced growl of tearing paper, and then tosses the drawing into the air. It flutters towards the forest a few paces and then begins to expand. Noi'nu feels a familiar tingle run along his nerves.

The paper continues to ripple and expand, but as it does, it drifts towards the earth. Its center hits something invisible and the paper, now nearly the size of a tent canvas, continues to fall like its draping over something. All the sides of the paper-canvas touch the earth, it definitely defines a shape that “lies beneath,” but as everyone watches, the rough shape becomes more defined. Details materialize before everyone’s eyes, and finally the canvas colors itself in, when it’s all done, six rugged hiking packs sit in a jumble on the earth.

“Well I’m the son of Graz’zt himself!” Rexx exclaims.

“Now if I got all the sizes right,” Panaver says with a large smile.