Clutches of Evil - IC: Chapter Two

[Nonlethal Force]

Eion and Varius:

The town of Theropa is one of the grandest cities in the land of Barghost and it is obvious upon entrance that this town is special. The gates are finely kept and the city itself seems to be kept clean. The city guard stands at attention and appears to take their duties quite seriously. From above the gates, the guards can be seen taking careful inventory of who and what is entering the city.

Theropa has a fair amount of religious intuition as well. The temple district has a varied range of temples, but those following Heironeous, Altua, and Moradin are likely to feel the most welcome. Yet there is room in the city for the worship of most deities - even those worshippe in secret.

The main issue surrounding the city is the rumor of Jithar. Rumor - of course - is a truly inappropriate term for what Jithar is. There are many who claim Jithar is a powerful mage who controls many aspects of the city. There are some that say Jithar is a being that has found a means of reincarnating himself over and over again to continue a life longer than most can live. There are those who believe Jithar is a fairy tale told by parents to teach their children about life and danger. There are many who think that the legend of Jithar is a production of the local thieves' - er ... rogues' - guild. Those who follow this last assertion believe that the rogues have invented Jithar to divert attention from their own doings.

Theropa itself is the second largest city in all of arghost, boasting a population of around 21,000 residents. It is only smaller than the city of Hipposus - the capitol city of Barghost. As is true for the majority of Barghost, the land and the people typically follow a lawful bent. Almost anything that is desired can be found in Theropa so long as you have the money and information needed to find it for sale.

The area surrounding Theropa has six significant suburbs. Of note is Great Bend for its Bowmaking guild and Yellow Cave as being the residence of the mage Viastor. The rest of the suburbs are typical suburbs whose population farm, fish, and lumber in support of the larger Theropa.

[Sblock=OOC]So, go ahead and start RPing as you come into town. Where would you like to head? This section of the story doesn't have a strong plot to it - it is designed to allow you both a chance to RP together and get into character.

Also, feel free to pick a character color. I ask that you do not pick Lime because that is the color I do NPCs in. Bahruul is Orange and Destiny is Olive but those two will be leaving the game shortly. Keryth is Silver I believe. Byntrou is Dark Red I believe.[/Sblock]

 

[unleashed]

[SBLOCK=OOC Eion and Varius]Nonlethal Force is correct with the colours jkason and I are using (for Byntrou and Keryth). So if you could avoid choosing either of those colours too, just so it's easy to see at a glance who's speaking, it would be much appreciated. [/SBLOCK]

 

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

Byntrou and Keryth:

In fact, all of the miners that the party encounters are more tha willing to get out of the way of the party. They seem to be here to do a job and understand that the job is dangerous enough without confronting an armed party. The majority of them are unarmored and armed only with the tools of their mining trade.

A few of the miners appear to have received advanced notice of their coming as they are already out of the way when the party comes upon them. These miners are more frequently encountered the closer the party draws to the surface.

“Well, either our own progress has been reported to miners further up the tunnel somehow, or the two that fled have reached the entrance and are waiting for us... probably with some reinforcements, unless they’ve been told they’re to handle us on their own,” Keryth offers, softly enough so that only his companions can hear. “So, shall we move forward boldly, and rush the entrance, or try a more cautious approach?”

 

[Fenris]

Eion and Varius meet the Merchant Guild's guards at the destination warehouse, signing over the safe return of the caravan. they then headed over to the Guild quartermaster and reported the location of the banditry attempts on the route and, with the paperwork completed, finally collected their pay.

Pockets full again, Varius turns to Eion. "Well that was a fun trip" he says with a smile and a tap at the new dent on his armor. "But it was thirsty. let's find a decent tavern to wash the dirt out of our mouths." As the two wander to towards a tavern Varius adds, "I know the Guild wants us back, but I have to tell you Eion, this has grown tiresome for me. I am not yet ready to return home, as I know you are not. But still, if I cannot return yet, still I cannot continue this any more. What say you? But if not in the army, and not guarding fat merchants, what then does a bow and a sword do?"

 

[Rino]

Eion walks with Varius

but fat merchants pay really good, but there attitude are mostly just terrible. they always complain about that we move to fast, or that they cant find me in the woods o or even on the open field. but what else could we do? find some good adventure that will give us fame and honor. where will we find such an adventure

 

[jkason]

Byntrou, roguishly sorcerous barbarian

“Well, either our own progress has been reported to miners further up the tunnel somehow, or the two that fled have reached the entrance and are waiting for us... probably with some reinforcements, unless they’ve been told they’re to handle us on their own,” Keryth offers, softly enough so that only his companions can hear. “So, shall we move forward boldly, and rush the entrance, or try a more cautious approach?”

Byn frowns.

"I'm not sure we have all that much choice," Byn says. "They've already shown they have no problem killing us even when we're posing them no immediate physical threat. The only thing I've got other than charging in is my sometimes-reliable glowing sprite. Might do for a minor distraction, or it might at least flush out some of the ambushers if they're too bowstring-happy."

 

[unleashed]

Keryth, Male Drakontos Cleric

“Well, I could create a mist once we near the entrance, which would be centred on me when I invoke it... hopefully that would give us some cover to slip out. So your glowing man and my mist then... Destiny, do you have anything which might help?” Keryth asks.

[SBLOCK=OOC]Whatever happens, Keryth will also activate his Divine Vigor ability (+8 temporary hp, +10 feet speed) before they go out.[/SBLOCK]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Byntrou, Keyth:

Destiny replies, "Well, I do have that power I used back against the scorpion. It allows me to see what's on the other side of things. I could use it when we get near the entrance to look out the entrance and see if anything is waiting for us."

Bahruul smiles and says, "Well, I could once more go into y fury. That'll help us out, too!"

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Eion, Varius:

As they walk (and keep on talking) they come across a simple tavern called the Rusty Anchor. It looks inviting a place as any. There is clearly a section for tavern (food & drink) and a seperate door simply for the bar.

 

[Fenris]

Varius heads to the tavern door: "Hungry?" he asks Eion.

"Yes," Varius responds to Eion's early reply "merchants have purses to match their girth. As for adventure. I sorely miss it. While I dare say I have had my share and perhaps even too much, some would say, even myself at times. Still these things are elusive. A life without adventure is a life wasted I'd say. Though you can chase it, only the gods can help you find it. But now it is time to quench our hunger and thirst from trail food. Adventure cn find us eating if she likes." Varius adds with a laugh.