[Adventure] Kingmaker (DM:renau1g; judge: garyh)

[Scotley]

"There is someone back at the trading post who may be of help."

 

[Leif]

Faustus Tiefling Avenger of Lauto

Faustus keeps his thoughts about getting rid of the 'dead weight' to himself, because, after all, next time the dead weight just might be his own!

 

[Shayuri]

"So...you slipped from Chaos into the Fey world," Ezmerelda says, summing up the newcomer's unlikely journey, "Then slipped again to wind up here. Just as we were coming past. And I know none of us made a portal. If we had magic like that, we'd all be riding bloody flying carpets right now 'stead of plodding around on the dirt."

She sighed and nodded at Ruarc. "But we can talk while we plod. Whatever happened to him doesn't look like it's getting any better. Maybe he's allergic to kobolds..."

(OOC - I'll run Arcata in seperate posts just to keep things straight until Ez takes off. )

 

[Leif]

OOC- SOME folks are special and get TWO characters. Others just get one, and a devil at that.

OOC: Thanks for the good thoughts, [MENTION=40754]HandofMystra[/MENTION]! And thanks to [MENTION=11520]Scotley[/MENTION] for the good actions!

 

[HandofMystra]

OOC: Others just get one, and a devil at that. At least its a devil that you choose. I can't give xp to anyone arghh!

 

[FourMonos]

"Aye, Madam, that has the ring of it," Razam easily lifts the litter with the downed goliath and takes off in the direction indicated.

"But tis not my nature to question the why of things too deeply. There is a purpose to my being here, so I venture forth to find it!"

He seems quite nonplussed by his sudden predicament.

 

[Scotley]

Mari treks along quietly observing the newest members of the group.

 

[Shayuri]

Somewhere off the coast, a ship lies at anchor. The sailors, brave men though they be, refuse to set foot on this strange new land. Instead, they work the ropes and pulleys to lower a boat overboard. When it hits the water, it's cut loose and the captain hurries to raise the sails and be off. Not a man there even watches to see the fate of their strange passenger, so great is their superstitious dread.

The small boat arrows toward shore, propelled by strong arms pulling the oars. For a moment it rocks dangerously in the swell, for it is surprisingly top heavy: there is a tree planted in the middle of the boat. The actual passenger is invisible. Perhaps he is sitting with his back to the tree, concealed by the branches? No - when the boat at last grounds itself on the beach, the oars drop from the tree's grasping limbs, and it shifts itself up and over the side.

Ironheart places his roots solidly on the new land and turns slowly around, surveying it with distaste.

Though she'd seen its sails earlier, it wasn't until Arcata found a high cliff overlooking the sea that she got a good look at the ship as it dwindles rapidly away from the shore. By her reckoning, it had never gotten all that close to begin with, and its lines and banner were strange to her. A foreign ship? Pirates, maybe? This shore was far from any city...maybe they'd lain anchor here and now sped back to terrorize...

She sighed and murmured, "Arcata, you're doing it again." With an annoyed thump of her staff next to her foot, she turned and started down the escarpment. Soon she'd come to the place where the river poured out into the sea. Then, by the directions she had, she'd be near to the Trading Post.

But before she got that far, she'd have to deal with the tree by the boat.

The sight brought her to a confused halt. There was a rowboat washed up onto the beach down a ways from the high point she'd climbed down from. Next to it, in the sand no less, was a tree. Not a particularly large one, as such things went. A roughly man-sized trunk, with spreading branches that crowned it in green and brown.

Of more concern than the tree though was the boat. Ruffians from the ship, sent ashore to pillage and steal, no doubt. Arcata quickly put her back to the tree and looked around warily...wishing not for the first time that she looked more intimidating. No beautiful and terrible sorceress was she, with flashing eyes and lips curling in disdain as magical wards flickered and flared around her. No, she was pretty, with golden hair and clear blue eyes, with just a little spatter of freckles over her cheeks and nose. Clad in a midnight-shaded cloak and fine clothes of royal blue and cyan, with a staff of yew in her hand...she looked like easy prey for any bandit or ne'er do well. Fortunately, she hadn't left the Academy of High Art a helpless stripling. Unfortunately, she'd had to demonstrate that power more frequently than she liked. It only took one run of bad luck, after all.

"Is anyone there?" Arcata asked, still looking around with her back to the tree. She hoped her voice was calm and commanding, but she didn't feel that way. "Come out!"

 

[renau1g]

OOC: [MENTION=79945]JoeNotCharles[/MENTION] - just a little bump

 

[JoeNotCharles]

There was no sign of any ruffians, but somebody had clearly been there, because a long-hafted axe was leaning against the tree. As Arcata looked around for the axe's owner, she realized that the tree was not as healthy as she had thought. Leaves only topped the branches on one side - the other was crowned by withered and twisted twigs. The bark all down that side of the tree was blackened from fire. Thrust into a gaping hole in the trunk was an iron rod, engraved with runes that glowed a dull red. Looking at the rod gave Arcata a creepy feeling, and she had the distinct sensation that someone is watching her.

She turned to search out the source of the feeling. "Is anyone there?" Arcata asked, looking around with her back to the tree. She hoped her voice was calm and commanding, but she didn't feel that way. "Come out!"

[sblock=OOC]Sorry to fill in the actions/feelings of your character. Hope you don't mind - your intro was so well written that I wanted to make sure mine flowed with it![/sblock]

Suddenly the trunk behind Arcata's back shifts slightly. A deep voice rumbles, "Come out? There is nobody inside me!" Arcata spins around to see a pair of deep brown eyes staring at her from she had thought were knots in the trees trunk. "Squirrels have nested in me, and once an owl," the tree continues. Its entire trunk shudders as it heaves a sigh, "But those were happier times. When I still had a grove." It twists awkwardly to stare up the beach. "There are no trees here at all. Or any plants! Is this whole land like this?"