Memories and Portents Chapter #2: Scourge of the Howling Horde

[hero4hire]

Antonus rushes up to check on his fallen allies, and once the medics arrive he goes to inspect the goblin's body.

Khyl, lost in the exhilaration & freedom of his wolf form continued to tear at the goblin corpse along with Canis. At one point playing a gruesome tug-of-war with the body.

 

[cog_and_taz]

Darkness

The frenzied goblin raises its flaming claw, sending it flying toward the warforged. Frozen in fear, he makes no move, perhaps because he was unable to do so. Yet, perhaps...he wanted to die. The claw strikes, and burning pain spreads across his body before blissful darkness claims him, bringing him to the ground.

His mind, still concious, swims in the sea of darkness, lost. In it, the demon's voice rings out, clearer than anything else: "It is time, warforged. Time that I claim my due." "I owe you nothing!" "Perhaps you are right. I have given you nothing, it seems, but your life. Whether you wish for your life or not is none of my concern...this body is mine as much as it is yours, and I do not intend to die with it." Zeril'thin feels his mind shoved aside, as the demon takes control, and darkness takes him again. Sweet, merciful darkness...

 

[SecondTime]

ooc: paging talik.

 

[SecondTime]

Antonus rushes up to check on his fallen allies, and once the medics arrive he goes to inspect the goblin's body.

Antonus, after dodging the still snapping fangs of Khyl and Canis, finds a scroll, two wands, and some coins on the belt of the dead goblin shaman.

Once identified by the the appraisers of the caravan, the wands are identified as primitive healing staff and a small staff of speed wands of cure light wounds (20 charges) and longstrider (25 charges). The scroll contains the magic symbols that are consistent with a House Vadalis animal charm (charm animal).

Dondel Bresh's voice booms after inspecting the fallen warforged, "We don't have any magewrites or artificers traveling with us. We will have to lug him to New Cyre and find help there..." He orders two of his hands to lift Zeril'thin into Sten's wagon after the halfling offers her services in thanks.

OOC: Sorry for the deadly combat. The next few hours of travel will be uneventful, so tommorow's update, you hit New Cyre. Let me know if anyone decides to heal Kaine before that.

 

[Ilium]

Talik rushes to his fallen allies, quickly intoning a call to the peace in their hearts to staunch their wounds.

OOC: SORRY! Man, my life is packed lately...
Anyway. Cure Minor Wounds on anybody who's unconscious (he won't take the time to see if they're stable or not). I've only got one Cure Light Wounds left for today, so that will go to Kaine in recognition of his relatively non-violent ways.

 

[Enforcer]

OOC: Oh man if you only knew what Kaine was capable of in the service of King and Country...

To the DM: is Kaine awake from Talik's healing?

 

[SecondTime]

OOC: Oh man if you only knew what Kaine was capable of in the service of King and Country...

To the DM: is Kaine awake from Talik's healing?

Talik's magic heals the nasty bite marks left on Kaine from the feral wolf's fangs.

The caravan continues to trudge its way down the trade road. The recent ambushes have left everyone on edge, and there is not more incidental chatter for the rest of the journey.

Suddenly, in the late afternoon, the trade room can be seen ending in a large group of buildings clustered on a large, low hill. As the caravan draws nearer, the buildings come into greater detail. They are mostly wooden and ramshackle, but dashes of colerful paint can be seen on rooftops, a clear, if futile attempt to make the domiciles more presentable.

Once the caravan nears the edge of the city, people can be seen between buildings and poking their heads out of buildings. Their hair is wavy and dark, their clothes loose, the women wearing dress that is inordinatly elegant for commoners, the men short cloaks and gloves. The festive nature of their appearance is belied by the suspicious, sad stare of their dark eyes.

You have arrived in New Cyre....

Dondel Bresh approaches the party, "This is where I leave you..the caravan must be unloaded, but I owe you all. I'm sure I will see you again, so that I can repay my debt once I sell my goods...," He bows to each of you in turn and then slaps his hand on Zeril'thin's still metal hide, "...you might want to get this fixed." He then rides back to his caravan.

Sten says, "I know the local Cannith artificer. We will get your noble warforged fixed and then I will introduce you to the king so that he may reward you for your service to the Kingdom of Cyre. Follow me..." She taps her horses and they move the wagon carrying the secret cargo, the goblin prisoner, and Zeril'thin further into the town.

Antonus: Kayla approaches you, looking sad, "Antonus, my grandmother says I must leave you now, as you have important dangerous business...please come back to me..." she kisses you on the cheek.

 

[Asmor]

OOC: If you're talking about the old lady who set us up, that was her grandmother, not her mother.

"Wait, Kayla. I... umm... uhh... I... uhh... I have something for you!" Antonus begins patting himself down furiously looking for an appropriate trinket to give to her... Finally his hands end up grasping a dagger. He looks at it for a second, and then mentally shrugs and holds it out to her. "To remember me by, I guess."

Kayla takes the knife, giggling, and pulls a bit of her long red tresses taut. A quick swipe and she has a lock of hair free. "And something to remember me by."

Also OOC: At some point on the caravan trip Antonus would have given the wands and scroll to whoever wants/can use them.

 

[Ilium]

Talik takes charge of their goblin captive again. "I suppose we should get this one off to the law," he says unhappily. "Anyone know the way?"

 

[SecondTime]

Talik takes charge of their goblin captive again. "I suppose we should get this one off to the law," he says unhappily. "Anyone know the way?"

Sten replies, "We'll take him directly to the King. I'm sure His Majesty will want to question the swine directly..." Just then, a cranky, crazy looking old man approaches the party from the direction of Dondel's caravan and bows in an exagerrated fashion, "Gregorious, sirs! We meet, we did..." Without further comment, he approaches the stalled warforged, runs his hands over the scorched breach, "Yes, yes.." After a few moments and wild chants, he departs.

Miraculously, Zeril'thin's metal exterior is now fully repaired. Sten shrugs, "You never know who you will meet in this town..."

The little party makes its way through towns. The view from the periphery of the settlement is confirmed by the interior...the living quarters seem mostly improvised and even the shop stalls are for the most part simple wooden shacks with only crudly painted sigs hanging over the doors to indicate the nature of their business. All in all, New Cyre appears more like a refugee camp than one of the great towns of the Five Nations...

As the party ascends the hill, the see a cluster of buildings nicer than those below, twelve of them to be exact, marked with the symbol of each dragonmarked house. They in turn surround a central building complex, surrounded by a crude 10ft high stone wall. Near entrance to this complex, two caped, armored warriors stand guard. They seem about to halt the party, but they show signs of recognition of your halfling guide, and let you through. The buildings inside are one story, but their general construction is like that of a castle keep, though not nearly as defensible. Horses are posted outside the keep entrance, but all an all the complex seems thinly served....

As the party enters the keep, they hear the sounds of a nasty argument. A high Brelish accented voice rises, "My lord, I do insist you come to my castle...with these raids, it is not right for one of royal blood to reside in this exposed settlment surrounded by rabble..." Another voice, which some of the party recognize as Cyran interrupts, "He is not a lord, but a king, Sir Nelview! And those rabble are his subjects! Now why don't you explain why your garrison hasn't acted to stop these greenskins raids!?"

Before you is a scene both noble but sad, in a small stone hall, the walls covered in various noble standards. At the far end are a group of well dressed men seated along the wall. At the center of this collective is a handsome, but gruff individual, seated in an ornate wooden chair, raised by a stone block slightly above the rest. Most are human, but near the the party's far right, seated far from the center and infront of the humans, is a dwarf. He focuses on the party intently as they enter the chamber even as the humans focus on two men standing before them; one wears glistening chainmail, the other is short...very, very short...a member of the gnome folk is appears.

The armored human, with the Brelish accent heard before responds in a tone struggling to maintain a semblance of respect for the those before him, "My lords...the Cyrans are King Boranel's honered guests, and I will do right to protect them, but I have two hundred men available to protect 16,000 souls, most of them Brelish citizens unfortunate enough to be spread out over several hundred miles..." he is interrupted by one of the humans, "The Brelish haven't been attacked, the Cyrans have! We pay our rents to your crown. You can surely defend this hill..." the man in the center raises his hand and suddenly the room goes silent. He focuses on Sir Nelview for long seconds before speaking..

"That will be all, Sir Nelview. I think I will stay in the city with my people. Good day, my lord."

Nelview eyes the man warily, "Good day, Heiness." He gives a curt, shallow bow and promptly moves the exit the room, barely looking at he party as he does so. The gnome follows him.




Kaine: The gnome taps you on the leg as he passes. Later, you will find a note that reads, "The Lanterns light even here. Pol Shortside is your contact. Meet me later."

Antonus and Vorkhad: You observe the gnome discreetly slip a note in Kain's sandle...





The King calls out, "Sten Goodseller, my beautiful lady! You have returned! Was your journey uneventful, or, discounting that succesfull?"

Sten responds, "Yes, Majesty. Your property is safe..." She quickly dashes forward and leaves the chest near his feet, "...as to uneventful. The Valenar guards were slaughtered on the return trip not far out of town, " The assembled men gasp, "...if it were not for these great men, " her hand sweeps to indicate the party, "I fear all would have been lost."

The king nods and looks at each member of the party in turn, "I am Oargev d'Wynarn, King of Cyre. Who are these brave warriors that have saved a loyal servant and property of my crown."





OOC: Phew that was long. More streamlined fluff in the future. Anywho, introduce yourselves the king, before he cuts off your head!