Valley of the Dead: Chapter 2 "Home of the sleepless"

[Myth and Legend]

"HAR HAR - ya good one thar Orc man!" - Bolgrim bellows and punches Thok in the shoulder with no ill intent apparent. "Yer God? Dun be careful if that's ol' Gruumsh. That one eyed bastard wud kill us all if he could. And drag ye in the pits with 'em."

Meanwhile Ferviel observes the newly formed group, while a pouting Adelaide regards Kye with a piercing stare. It seems she is touchy on the male - female subject. She instead turns towards the pale Elven maiden that recently joined the group and addresses her: "Lady Coranarya, it seems you were Lazarus's hidden trump card. We knew one of your order would be forthcoming, but not for a few more days. It usually takes a bit for all the arguing to end."
Ferviel turns towards the now empty altar and the flickering fires before Lathander's Holy Symbol and makes a face, clasping his hands together and bowing to the group in a true priestly manner, almost unbefitting his rough character.

"Well ok then, I'm off to do Lathander's work. - states the Dawnbringer with a pleased look on his face. - get to know each other. It helps. You are free to do as you wish 'till seventh bell. Then come for the pretty parade. It'll help boost the people's mood. And - he looks at Thok, Alevyth and Latham in particuler - don't start any trouble."

[sblock]Last minute opportunity to shop and roleplay. I'll post the departure sequence if you don't have anything to add. Let me know in the OOC[/sblock]

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Yes, God killed Thok in dream. Not a good God, Thok thinks." the half orc says and shrugs

OOC: Do we have gold to spend? I thought I only had the sword.

 

[Malachei]

„I presumed as much,“ the elf offers coldly, as she evades the orc’s gaze. Carefully, her long and slender fingers fasten a brooch of silvery metal in place, keeping her robes locked in its grasp. Now what is next, a kobold paladin? Children in chain shirts? she thinks, as she surveys the party. Unpleasant, most unpleasant, indeed. Perhaps the slightest wrinkle on her nose is an indicator of her puzzlement, or a certain restraint on allowing the proximity of an orc.

After a while, she asks, rather nondescript, and to noone in particular, but in the general direction of the group, „And what brings you here?“

Silvery reflections of the church candles dance on her dark hair, and her voice echoes in the dark. As she looks back over her shoulder, her expression is questioning, and her mind is full of doubt, But I cannot be mistaken... this must be the right way...

 

[Dragonwriter]

The peculiar halfling shrugs. "What brings anyone here? Anyways, call me Herriman," he says, voice flat and distant. His mind wanders and wonders a little as his eyes scan the crowd of people. An old, supposedly-dormant, part of him starts evaluating which ones would likely be easy pickings and actually worthwhile...

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Thok's here following destiny. Thok's path crossed with many people, now Thok protects them by killing undead. Yeah. Oh, wait... if they already dead, how Thok kills them again?" His head full of questions, the half orc paralyses in confusion.

 

[Myth and Legend]

There is not much to do for the group until the Paladins pack their belongings and are ready to march out of Angelwatch. The sun is already an hour past zenith, and Ferviel had blessed everyone with the Noon Prayers of his God. The host now stands assembled, armour gleaming in the bright and clear fall day, gold and gems glittering, hinting at the might and riches of the church of Lathander.

A noisy crowd has now assembled at the Temple Square and alongside the Eastern Road that leads out of the city and towards the Valley. The roar of thousands of throats hums like a swarm of angry bees, while the Angelwatch Cirty Watch and Lord Balar's sworn swords keep the common folk a respectable distance from the gathered holy warriors and mercenaries.

The sight is awe inducing and splendid, a throng of mail clad Paladins and Clerics, equipped with shining gold plate and silvery chain, with the Dawning Sun engraved on their chests and shields. Behind them, a multitude of colourful and unique individuals, some with leather armour, others in plain grabs or even those in silken robes fit for royalty - they are like patches next to the homogeneous fabric of the followers of the Morninglord.

The group is arrayed in a neat fashion - four riders per row, with no end in sight to the column. Leading the parade is Lazarus Trimenheim, proud and stalwart on his white mount, his golden helmet resting beneath his left arm as he surveys the cheering crowds and waves occasionally. Next to the Paladin is Dawnbringer Ferviel, riding an orange spotted brown mare, the Cleric now giving blessings in the sign of Lathander to the peasantry and forcing a smile almost convincingly.

Behind them the rows continue on and on, until right behind the main group of the holy warriors and right before the mercenary companies, the unusual scouting party is situated. Fervial had given them their mission - they were to disassemble from the parade structure as soon as they left town, and were to ride ahead and scout until they reached the Lychgate some six miles North-East of Angelwatch.

Kye rides with Thok, Alevyth and Herriman right behind Lórquelië, Adelaide, Latham and Keht.

The procession advances slowly trough the street, the horses hooves clanking across the still damp pavement, the autumn sun's rays too weak to dissipate last night's rain. The Paladins were nice enough to provide horses for the group. Not before Ferviel reminded them that scouts needed mounts to be effective, of course. This seemed to annoy Adelaide even further, despite her having possession of her own fine black stallion.

Somewhere on the right, as the group passes trough town and with the Eastern Gate already in sight, Thok and Kye can see Merry and Jill on the side, waving two pieces of white cloth and throwing flower petals at the passing warriors. In fact the peasantry here is quite jubilant and is cheering loudly, throwing wild flowers and petals at the crusaders.

Suddenly, without warning, the frame of a small little girl, no older than four or five, scurries past the line of City Watchmen and yells at the passers by (this is in fact, Jill for those who've met her).

"YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE! YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIEEEEEEEEEE! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She shrieks with a horrid voice, louder than even the cheering crowd. High pitched and chilling, this voice echoes in the narrow cobblestone street and startles some of the horses, while the girl glares at the passing army with milky white eyes, pointing a tiny finger. "YOU WILL DIE ALL AND MAGGOTS WILL EAT YOUR FLESH! ALL OF YOU! DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAAAAAAD!" She froths at the mouth as she screams with a wicked voice, much too loud for a little girl her age and size.

The guardsmen seem stumped and sit there for a moment, dumbfounded. Some of the paladins eye the girl with concern, others even place their hands on the hilts of their weapons. Adelaide turns to her right and blinks with surprise, while Merry tries to squirm past the guards and retrieve her sister.

 

[Voda Vosa]

Thok frowns after understanding dawns in his mind. "This be no Jill, this be angry dead witch speaking through her!" the half orc proclaims, and dismounts. He approaches purposefully towards the young girl.

 

[Myth and Legend]

Thok dismounts and approaches the little girl. Meanwhile Merry convinces the guards to let her trough and she pull Jill back in to the crowd. When the Half Orc finally reaches them, Jill smiles broadly and hugs his leg, her little arms barely long enough to wrap around the appendage of the muscular Barbarian.

"Hi Thokey! - she yells, overcoming the cheering crowd. She seems to be her regular self, but Thok notices her holding Tatters in her hand. - I think this is a good name for you. It's not as scary as Thok." Jill declares, while her sister eyes her with a mixture of fear and confusion in her eyes.

Meanwhile the procession continues slowly trough the narrow streets of the town. Up in the sky, clouds can be seen rushing across the clear autumn dome of azure silk and cotton.

 

[Dragonwriter]

That might be worth more investigation. But later, Herriman thinks, riding by on whatever animal was given to him, for the purpose of this parade.

The halfling keeps an eye on the crowd and the goings-on, but remains relaxed.

 

[Myth and Legend]

Soon Thok joins back the slow moving procession with a puzzled look on his face. The street eventually reaches the gate and Lazarus signals the Hornbearer, who sounds a large brass instrument, polished to a vivid shine, and the army proceeds to gallop out of Angelwatch, accompanied by numerous bells ringing in the distance and cheering crowds alongside the gate and outside the dry moat.

In less then a few minutes, once the town starts sinking in the horizon, a signal is given and the army assumes regular pace - the galloping was just for the sake of appearances, and obviously now Lazarus wants to conserve the animals' endurance.

Soon, Ferviel breaks off the head of the column and rides back to where the scouting group is. "Time to go boys and girls - he speaks with his gruff voice, earning a cold look from Adelaide's emerald eyes. - the Valley has only one entrance, called the Lychgate. You'll know it when you see it. It's approximately six miles North-East from this position, there is an old cobblestone road that leads to it, although it's overgrown at times. Open your eyes and ears and signal us in case any trouble is spotted. Don't try to play heroes and monsters when an army can back you up. Unless you're stupid, which you ain't."

Ferviel seems very serious as he rides back to the head of the line. The Angelwatch fields and green pastures cover the surrounding landscape, with a mixed forest darkening the edge of where the eye can see to the North.