[Pathfinder] The Fog of War

[Shayuri]

"Um, do you want us to come where YOU live, or should we take you where WE live?" Mellisande asks, jogging lightly over to the men and picking up one of the magic "bowless crossbows" curiously.

"Actually, we should stay here and you need to tell us all about the 'not-zees' I guess, otherwise we won't have much to report."

"I'm Mellisande, by the way. Hi."

She offers her tiny hand up to shake.

 

[Mark Chance]

While the other men follow Joseph's orders, Joseph kneels and takes Mellisande's hand. She can see something akin to fear in his eyes, but his voice is firm, "Peace be with you, Mellisande. And you should come with us. We have a camp not too far from here. Those who are there must be warned that they need to move. A search-and-destroy mission is only an hour or so away. Once those who escaped get back to their headquarters."

 

[ghostcat]

Piedra is not really a people person, so he leaves it to the others to talk to the newcomers. Meanwhile he walks over to where the last, retreating, thug was kill. After relieving him of his magic crossbow he starts to search the body.

 

[Mark Chance]

Piedra is not really a people person, so he leaves it to the others to talk to the newcomers. Meanwhile he walks over to where the last, retreating, thug was kill. After relieving him of his magic crossbow he starts to search the body.

One of the new arrivals nearby starts to say something when Piedra picks up the magic crossbow, but then thinks the better of it. He's obviously nervous, not only about the prospect of the enemy returning, but perhaps moreso by Piedra's presence.

Piedra finds a double-edged knife with a long, thin blade on the body. There are many pouches and pockets as well.

"Um," says the nearby newcomer. Piedra notices for the first time that under the heavy clothes and dirt, the speaker is barely more than a child who has yet to see his first shave. "We need to go. Joseph said. They're, uh, they're leaving, uh, sir?"

Sure enough, Piedra notices the men forming up into a single file, heading back toward the forest. The other three members of his party are following along.

[sblock=XP!]
450 XP each for the game so far.
[/sblock]

 

[Andor]

Sam is looking increasingly worried as he looks about. He turns around a couple of times slowly scanning the area, then walks in a quick loop before drawing Mellisande aside and whispering to her. "Ritual magic isn't really my thing but... shouldn't there be some kind of a set-up? A ritual circle or runed archway to contain the magic? This just looks like marauders hitting peasants. If these guys were cultists where is the altar, more importantly where is the way home?"

[sblock=occ]What about languages? Does common happen to be german or do we get that double-echo of translation magic? [/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Mellisande squinches her mouth into a convincing 'hmmm' expression and looks around.

"It seems like we've been displaced along a sinusoidal barometric vector state into a hyperspherical plane that is coterminous with ours," she opines. Then she nods sagely, agreeing with her own scholarly opinion.

Then bursts into a grin.

"I'm just messing with you, I have -no idea- what happened. It's fun though isn't it? Look at this thing!"

She shakes the magic bowless crossbow.

"It's just a metal pipe in a wooden holdy thing, but I don't smell any magic at all! Isn't that weird?"

 

[ghostcat]

Piedra stops his searching and gets up, stowing the crossbow and knife in his belt. "OK son. Keep your shirt on, I'm coming." Piedra walks over to join the others at the end of the line. Noticing again has he does so, how much easier it is to move here.

Now that the immediate danger is over, Piedra has time for some serious thinking. "I wonder were we are. Things feel different so we must be on a different plane, whatever one of those is . More importantly. how do we get home, the portal seems to have disappeared. I'd better make sure I know where the portal was so that we can find it again"

Piedra, uses his survival / tracking skills to try to remember exactly where the portal was located.

 

[Andor]

Sam opens his mouth, appears to reconsider and closes it again. Instead he whistles a command and Mr. Chitters resumes his place on Sam's shoulder. He makes his way up to the leader of the soldiers, marveling at his unatural lightness. "Andrew was it? Do any of your men need healing? I'll be glad to do what I can." He strokes his holy symbol meaningfully.

 

[Shayuri]

(4rth page save bump!)

 

[Mark Chance]

Deeper into the woods the group moves. Most of the soldiers remain silent. They are obviously unnerved by the party, but Joseph also insists on noise discipline while on the march. Nevertheless, some talking is inevitable.

The party gets a picture of this strange world. The land they're in is called Poland. About two years ago, they were invaded by Germany, a nation to the west ruled by people called Nazis. Joseph and his partisan band are Jews, many of them escaped from ghettos, a sort of prison-neighborhood in a city. The Nazis have targeted Joseph's people for extermination, likening them to disease-carrying rats.

"When we get to camp, I must take you to Rav Tevye. He's our spiritual leader and a prophet of the Lord. He's...expecting you. At least, it must have been you he dreamed of."

The forest is cold and dark, comprised of old, towering pines. There's little undergrowth. Pine needles cover the frozen ground, and the party grow increasingly uncomfortable. Teeth chatter. Fingers grow numb.

"We'll get you some warmer clothes in camp," one of the partisans offers.

An hour or so passes. The land has become rockier and steeper. The hills are cut through with steep draws. The group moves down one such draw and around a bend. There ahead is the camp.

Small cooking fires crackle in the mouths of several caves. Guards come out of hiding, warmly welcoming the partisans back to camp. Blessings are exchanged, as well as hugs and kisses. As if on cue, the women and children emerge from hiding. All but the youngest children are armed with at least one of the strange hand crossbows.

The party cannot help but notice the alarm and wonder in nearly everyone's eyes.

"Anya," Joseph says happily, embracing a heavy-set woman. "Friends, this is my wife, Anya. Anya, take them into the caves. Find them warmer clothes and some stew. I must go see Rav Tevye."

Anya looks doubtfully at the party, her round face expressionless. But then, a smile spreads widely, and she nods.

"Come, come," she says, waving her hands. "Inside before you catch your death of cold."