Kulan: Knightfall's Heroes of Carnell Game [IC]

[Tellerian Hawke]

Angus is surprised to hear the voice in his mind, but his curiosity is undiminished. He says, telepathically: ~If you were not once a living, breathing being, how do you have a mind and a soul? This is all very confusing to me. It would seem that your spirit, your lifeforce, would need to come from SOMEWHERE. Were you granted sentience by the gods? And for that matter, who forged you? And when? I don't want to seem pushy, but I am a curious being; all Centaurs are, by nature.~

 

[Knightfall]

By way of Phar's translation, Angus says, in Centaurish: "I can carry Maur and Quinn, and keep up with you guys no problem. At my normal pace, even with two riders, I can easily keep up with the rest of you, even if you all choose to move at a hurried pace. Mount up, slow pokes! Ha ha, a little joke there."

OOC: Carrying Maur & Quinn = Medium load (60' move, instead of my full 70'.) Normal pace for 60' move = 6 mph. Party's hustle movement = 6 mph.

Angus watches as Caerth rushes off along with the locals and the two human prisoners. Phar writes something down and soon follows them out. Maur and Quinn head back to the forge with Xander to save Qi and Aureus follows them, obviously annoyed by the delay. Angus finds himself in the corridor alone surrounded by dead cultists until the others exit the forge. The duergar locks it and seems to be waiting for Maur to give him permission... for something.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Angus saunters over to Maur, and repeats himself, although he is forced to do so in Dhaoninian: "Ah sed moont ep, sloopucks."

Angus is chuckling, in a good-natured way; it is obvious that his statement was meant in jest, rather than as an actual command.

Spoiler: Translation

"I said mount up, slowpokes!"

 

[Knightfall]

Angus is surprised to hear the voice in his mind, but his curiosity is undiminished. He says, telepathically: ~If you were not once a living, breathing being, how do you have a mind and a soul? This is all very confusing to me. It would seem that your spirit, your lifeforce, would need to come from SOMEWHERE. Were you granted sentience by the gods? And for that matter, who forged you? And when? I don't want to seem pushy, but I am a curious being; all Centaurs are, by nature.~

Angus sees an image play out in his mind. A massive meteor is tumbling in a dark void full of stars and then it enters into Kulan's atmosphere. The meteor becomes a fireball and then explodes in the air. Chucks of it continue to streak towards the earth. Angus recognizes the continent, Harqual, and the largest slams into the plains of the Thunder Lands. Savage men find the rock and worship it as a god. Ages past and the rock is lost to time. The Divinity War rages in the heavens while the Mortals' War consumes the continent and several generations.

As the Mortals' War ends, the rock is rediscovered and broken into pieces. Dwarves, elves, orcs, and men all claim a piece of the star stone while the last piece is captured by a cult of dragon worshippers. The dwarves create Azurak. The elves create Ta’kira’kerymor. The orcs create Kang. Men create Cruel Justice. The Cult of the Dragon use their piece to create Qi. These are the Star Arms and all gain a form of intelligence imbued not by their creators but by the nature of their origin in the meteor. They pass through a multitude of hands over the year and then seem to fade away, lost in burial mounds or on a battlefield. Cruel Justice is soon possessed by the first Lord Pendour and becomes an ancestral weapon. The others 'find' their way to the Strandlands, a land of mercenaries and soldiers.

Angus sees all this in his mind as do Aureus, Maur, Quinn, and Xander. Aureus and Quinn already know the history of the Star Arms. Cruel Justice had already shown it to them, as both of them have wielding the adamantine scimitar. Xander is shaken by what he sees.

Angus saunters over to Maur, and repeats himself, although he is forced to do so in Dhaoninian: "Ah sed moont ep, sloopucks."

Angus is chuckling, in a good-natured way; it is obvious that his statement was meant in jest, rather than as an actual command.

Spoiler: Translation

"I said mount up, slowpokes!"

"Uhm, CJ and I have already spent more than enough time together lately," Aureus says when her head clears. "I'm going to take the boat."

She rushes off to join Caerth, Phar, and the others already on their way out of the temple. She heads for the grotto and just beats Caerth and Phar there. "Angus is giving the others a ride through the underground passage. Let's go!"

"Where's the duergar?" Wieland demands.

"Maur will make sure he doesn't run off," Aureus replies. "Of that, I'm sure!"

"You better be right," Timmins notes. "Or Lady Pendour might have your head."

"Let's just get going!" Meridith exclaims.

"I will row," Brutus volunteers.

Meanwhile...
Xander hopes the centaur will let him ride too, and he's the first to accept Angus's offer. Once mounted, he turns to Maur and Quinn. "I will lead you to the secret passage on the level above. While I don't know the way, the two of us should be able to guide your friend here through the passageway. Tarrak has a head start, so we need to get moving."

The duergar waits for Maur's answer.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Angus telepathically responds to CJ one last time: ~Tell Quinn to mount first, because I don't want the Duergar right behind me, where he could slit my throat or otherwise betray me; if the Duergar is sandwiched between Quinn and Maur, I'd feel a lot safer. He may have surrendered, but I haven't heard him swear any oaths of loyalty yet. And my mother always told me to never turn my back on a Duergar.~

 

[ScottDeWar_jr]

" ahem I should be in front of us three, so as to let the light of order lead the way."

Once mounted Quinn pulls the Scimitar, saying telepathically to Cruel Justice, 'I am always impressed with the origins of the 5 star weapons.. Thank you for letting me see the becoming once again.'

 

[Knightfall]

Angus telepathically responds to CJ one last time: ~Tell Quinn to mount first, because I don't want the Duergar right behind me, where he could slit my throat or otherwise betray me; if the Duergar is sandwiched between Quinn and Maur, I'd feel a lot safer. He may have surrendered, but I haven't heard him swear any oaths of loyalty yet. And my mother always told me to never turn my back on a Duergar.~

" ahem I should be in front of us three, so as to let the light of order lead the way."

Xander shrugs and lets Quinn get up onto Angus's back first. The duergar mounts the centaur next and offers a hand up to Maur. The ordained champion seems hesitant, at first, but soon relents. Saving the people of Carnell is more important than his pride.

Xander tells them the way to the secret passage up on the top level of the temple. Once there, he tells Angus, through Cruel Justice, how to get it open. The design is well hidden but when Angus activates the secret door, the wall of the corridor slides open.

"My design," Xander says with pride.

Angus makes his way into the passage carefully and once Xander assures them there aren't any traps on the other side, the Harqualian centaur is soon trotting through the underground passage. his magical horseshoes increase his speed well beyond what anyone else could have paced without having to rush headlong into danger and risk fatigue.

Once mounted Quinn pulls the Scimitar, saying telepathically to Cruel Justice, 'I am always impressed with the origins of the 5 star weapons.. Thank you for letting me see the becoming once again.'

"You are welcome, my friend," Cruel Justice replies. "In truth, the more of them we find, the more of the story I remember. Being lost to time can lead to a lost of memory."

Hours of magically enhanced trotting later, Xander begins complaining about his butt being sore. The group takes a break, allowing Angus a chance to rub several itches against a large rock. The other stretch out their sore muscles.

"We will overtake them soon," Cruel Justice whispers. "You should try to find out how many in the horde."

"I don't recommend that," Xander says shaking his head. "If we get to close, they will discover us and you don't have enough blades here to take on Tarrak and his ghasts, and don't underestimate the danger of the forge's hell hounds."

"You do not get a vote," Cruel Justice intones.

Quinn and the two dwarves mount up once again and Angus trots off into the darkness with CJ's light leading the way. An hour later, Angus hears them. The horde is ahead in a large chamber. At the edge of the chamber, CJ douses his light and the trio of adventurers can see what they will be facing.

"More than I thought," Xander whispers to Maur. "A lot more."

Maur can see that there are dozens of ghouls and ghast in Tarrak's horde, as well as some zombies. The four hell hounds are obvious and half-a-dozen men dressed similar to the Prelate stand guard around the Ghast Lord, Tarrak. The horde seems to have made camp like they are waiting for something.

"We must get to Carnell and warn Lady Pendour," Cruel Justice says. The blade sounds worried. "I can sense the chaos. It is troubling."

"We have to sneak around them," Xander suggest.

Maur can see that there is a way. A side passage splits off from the cavern roughly 200 feet before the encampment of undead and cultists. If they are stealthy, the trio of adventurers and duergar will be able to slip by in the darkness. The ordained champion looks at Xander and can sense the duergar has no desire to get caught by Tarrak's forces.

Xander leads the way to the entrance of the side passage. Angus moves as quietly as possible with Maur and Quinn taking up the rear. Then, there is the sound of a horn blowing. The four unlikely allies freeze in place. The sound seems to echo throughout the cavern. Then, Angus sees it. Coming out of another side passage, on the far side of the cavern, is a small band of what looks to be more undead and Malotoch cultists. In the lead is a hulking figure that towers over the others. It looks strange. It could be some sort of troll.

"By Vulcan," Xander gasps. "That's a cave troll."

"Keep moving," CJ insists.

Angus keeps one eye on the troll as Xander leads the trio of adventurers into the side passage. Once they put the cavern and the horde behind them, Maur, Quinn, and Xander mount up and Angus is soon trotting through the darkness once again but with a bit more urgency.

"If you can, my friend, go faster!" Cruel Justice suggest. "We must get to Carnell quickly!"

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Angus nods, and tells his riders, in Dhaoninian: "Hang ahn, lads. Aet gates boompy frahm ere. Ahm ghanna peekoop tha pace a'wee bet, aend risk saettin' me loongs afire. Meilikki praeserve mah soul."

Spoiler: Translation

"Hang on lads, it gets bumpy from here. I'm gonna' pick up the pace a wee bit, and risk setting my lungs on fire. Meilikki preserve my soul."

And with that, Angus begins to hustle toward Carnell.

 

[Knightfall]

Meanwhile...
Once Caerth and Phar prepare the message for Carnell and tie it to Screech's leg, the half-orc druid urges the bird to fly to the village. Then, the two of them head for the grotto where they find Aureus and the others preparing to cast off with the launch. Quinn and Maur are not with the hutaakan rogue. She explains that they and Xander are going to 'ride' Angus through the underground passage.

Aries and Eike sit in the center of the launch. Their hands and feet are tied and both have been gagged. Wieland is glaring a them. Brutus sits in one of the spots to oar and Meridith moves to take the second position.

"We were beginning to wonder if you were coming with us," Timmins says. "Caerth, if you will."

Aureus holds up a rope harness she's been working on. "This should work."

Caerth slips into the water and wild shapes into a large shark. Brutus watches with fascination as Aureus slips the harness on the druid/shark. Phar finds a spot to sit comfortably. Once the harness is secure, Caerth rushes for the opening of the grotto. The launch lurches forward and the rowers begin finding a rhythm in time with each other and the wild shaped druid's swimming. Caerth has to fight the current but he easily makes headway in the rising water of the tide.

By the time the adventurers in the Underearth are sneaking past the undead horde, Caerth and the launch are approaching the beachhead where the village's dock is located. The sun is low in the night sky but there is still more than 5 hours until dusk. The launch pulls into the dock and Aureus jumps up to tie up the boat. There is no sign of the other launch.

Peering into the sky, Phar see no signs of rooks flying above Carnell. Perhaps they were defeated? Then the paragon elf smells the scent of blood and smoke.

Meridith doesn't wait. She rushes onto the dock and then up the hill towards the village.

"Meridith, don't!" Wieland yells.

"She's too worried, lad," Timmins says. "I'll go after her. Stay with the prisoners."

Timmins exits the boat and rushes after the young guard. He moves more carefully.

Brutus takes both prisoners by the scruff of the neck and half drags them out of the launch. Aureus sets her bow and waits for the young half-ogre and Wieland to escort the prisoners in front of them. She waits for Caerth to wild shape back into himself, and she takes up the rear position behind Phar in order to watch their backs. At the top of the hill, there is still no sign of the rooks in the sky, but they soon come upon two dead rooks pin-cushioned by arrows.

The village comes into sight and you can see the fight against the rooks didn't go well. yes, there are more dead rooks, but there are even more dead villagers. The survivors have covered their dead friends with blankets and tarps. Members of the militia are gathering up the dead rooks and tossing them into a pile outside of the village.

"Oh no," Aureus says. "I knew it might be bad but nothing like this." She shakes her head in dismay.

Several of the villages buildings are smoldering and the militia is working to douse the flames of a small house that is burning badly. Rosey's inn looks like it is in shambles. In the distance, smoke rises from Pendour Manor. You can see figures standing on its ramparts watching the sky.

"They came out of nowhere," a voice says. Sir Ghal walks up to them. He is battered and bruised but looks like he will survive. He moves to Caerth and hands the half-orc druid the message sent with Screech. "I wish this could have gotten to us soon but I realize from Phar's description that it wasn't possible." He looks at one of the tarps. "We lost many today and I think we will lose more once this Tarrak gets here. I've sent riders to Belporte, Fort Symas, and Hazepoint, but I doubt they will be able to help in time. We're likely on our own, for now."

"How many were there?" Aureus asks.

"A dozen, at least, but it was the damn eagle and its rider that did the most damage. They got away as did some of the rooks. I didn't have anyone to spare to go after them."

"How many did we lose, lad?" Timmins asks the young knight.

"Too many... dozens... maybe more," Sir Ghal replies. "Bronzethegn's young apprentice is dead. both Sir Gareth and Quinten never made it back to shore. We can't find them or the other launch anywhere. Several members of the militia did find this, however," the knight pulls a scrap of bloodied cloth from his belt. Sir Gareth's tunic.

"My parents?" Meridith asks.

"Your father was assigned to the manor," he says glumly. "He died in the first wave of the attack. I'm sorry."

"Mother," Meridith says with her eyes downcast.

"I don't know," Sir Ghal replies. "There aren't enough of us left to check every farmhouse. Go if you must." He turns to Wieland. "Go with your cousin and check on your family, but I will need both of you back as soon as possible."

Wieland nods and the two cousins rush out of the village to check on their families.

"Lady Pendour?" Timmins asks the question Aureus is afraid to ask.

"She is fine but badly shaken," the young knight replies. "I don't know if her rule of Carnell can survive this mess."

Sir Ghal finally looks at Aries and Eike. "Brutus, take them to the manor and lock them up in the deepest cells. Strip them of everything, even their clothes. No dignity." He looks at Caerth, Phar, and Aureus, one after the other. "Now, where are the others? Quinn, the dwarf Lady Pendour hired, and the centaur? Did they die? And where is your other prisoner? This dark dwarf."

"No, they're alive. They are taking an underground passage that the duergar knew about. There wasn't enough room in the boat. They are all riding Angus, the centaur, so it won't be long before they get here. We hope."

"Let us hope so," Sir Ghal says glumly. He watches as the militia puts out the last of the flames, but there is little left of the burning house. An old woman is crying on her knees in front of the ruined home. An elderly gentleman consoles here. "At least they still have each other. Both their children died today, among the militia."

The timbers on another old house give way and the roof collapses.

"Damn! So much destruction! These evil bastards are going to pay!" Sir Ghal loses his temper.

 

[Knightfall]

Angus nods, and tells his riders, in Dhaoninian: "Hang ahn, lads. Aet gates boompy frahm ere. Ahm ghanna peekoop tha pace a'wee bet, aend risk saettin' me loongs afire. Meilikki praeserve mah soul."

Spoiler: Translation

"Hang on lads, it gets bumpy from here. I'm gonna' pick up the pace a wee bit, and risk setting my lungs on fire. Meilikki preserve my soul."

And with that, Angus begins to hustle toward Carnell.

The Harqualian centaur rushes as fast as he dares. Any quicker and he be risking death. The passageway snakes through the Underearth to the northwest and soon their is the smell of stagnant seawater. The passageway's floor becomes muddy and Angus can hear the sounds of waves crashing. Or is that the sound of his heart beating wildly?

The passage rises at a steep angle and Angus is forced to rush upwards. By the time the passageway opens into an old sea cave along the cliff face of the Fogbight, he is nearing exhaustion. He breaks through the gloom into the fading light of early evening and is soon standing on the cliff overlooking Carnell. There is smoke rising from the village and Pendour Manor.

"We're almost there," Cruel Justice urges. "Keep going!"

Angus rushes as fast as possible, his legs and lungs burning. Before he reaches Carnell, the others get off the centaur's back and run themselves. Maur beats Angus to the village, as Quinn tries to force the centaur to go slower. Angus is completely exhausted by the time he reaches the village but it could have been worse if the others hadn't gotten off him.

What did his father always say about two-legs... never let them ride you!

OOC: The PCs are back together again in the village. there is roughly two to three hours before sunset. Maur knows it will take Tarrak's horde some time to make it to the village. They have time to prepare, but they likely can't rest. I'll figure out the math tomorrow. That's all for me tonight.