The Ancient Paths - Path I

[ae1vart0n]

In complete shock, as if coming out of a daze from the last few days, Hildor stood stunned at the elementals presence. This large earthen monstrosity, had it attacked him? Or was this what Mars had sent against the Tyrrans.

Whatever it was, Hildor wasn't a close range fighter if he didn't need to be. He needed to put distance between them, if not to get help. Hildor drew his rapier and ran toward the inn.

 

[Legildur]

"You are needed at the Temple of Tyr. Father Braggi has urgent news concerning your contract..." The lieutenant's face asks a silent question about what kind of contract the dwarven mercenary could possibly have with high ranking cleric.

Dowkan simply scowls at the lieutenant and briefly wonders why Father Braggi would have given away the arrangement. Reaching behind his back, the dwarf roughly unties the leather apron and dumps it on a nearby shelf as he curses quietly, but loudly enough for the Tyrran to hear, "What bloody contract?". Deciding to take his time, and frustrate the lieutenant a little while he is at it, Dowkan dons his breastplate armor and gathers the rest of his gear before heading out with the Tyrran. "And I want that sword finished by the time I get back!" he calls over his shoulder to Sunder - making sure he is out of accurate range of any thrown heavy objects.

 

[hippocrachus]

~ Hrolf ~

"Believe me when I say I have the utmost confidence in your faith in Tyr, Hrolf. The High Cleric and the entire collective chose you and the others because they have the same confidence. I shouldn't have waited until now to tell you that you are the only one of the four that made it to Silverdown alive." Braggi pre-emptively hushes Hrolf's outburst with a hand. "My own son, Hrolf. Don't think it doesn't hurt me any more than you. Why do you think so large a force came to the aide of Silverdown? The High Cleric suspects foul play, as do all of us. That is why I can't let you go back into those caves..."

~ Nae'talis ~

Nae'talis is sure the half-giant Braggi will be found with the rest of the self-righteous clerics in their new haven and heads towards the temple. A robed cleric lighting the candles along the walls notices Nae'talis, not a regular patron of the temple, and directs him to where Braggi was waiting.

~ Dowkan ~

"The wizard then?" the lieutenant asks his reply to Dowkan's question. He just shrugs his shoulders and leaves the smithy.
As Dowkan follows him towards the Temple of Tyr, he can hear Sunder yelling curses and outlining in rude detail where he'd put that sword if Dowkan had the melons to show his ugly face in Sunder's Smithy again.

~ Hildor ~

Showing his back to the slow-looking earth elemental after drawing his weapon proves to be a devastating mistake for the elven rogue. Hildor can only hear the lumbering rock formation glide across the ground towards him as he flees. A solid blow to Hildor's back pushes him prone to the ground (8 Damage). Hildor rolls around to face his stoic attacker just as another blow practically crushes his sword-arm's shoulder into the earth beneath him (7 Nonlethal Damage). A few grains of dirt fall into Hildor's face as he stares up at the hulking earth elemental's eyeless gaze.

~ Initiative ~

Hildor - 17 (8 Damage, 7 Nonlethal)
Medium Earth Elemental - 17

 

[ae1vart0n]

Hildor tried to move his sword arm to defend himself.

"What do you want!?" It hadn't come out well, it was hard to think in this situation let alone speak. Hildor had no idea if this thing was intelligent, but it was apparent he wasn't going to win in a fight.

[sblock](+5, 1d6+2/18+x2/S, MW Rapier), if its possible for Hildor to move his arm.[/sblock]

 

[hippocrachus]

~ Hildor ~

Hildor's scream doesn't seem to have an effect on the elemental and the rapier scraping against the being's grouted body doesn't even leave a scratch. The situation doesn't seem completely hopeless though. Hildor can make out two Tyrrans sprinting towards him. They probably heard him yell.
The elemental takes Hildor's incomprehensible plea and fidgeting arm as a sign of resistance and doesn't waste anymore time trying to play nice. The elemental's next blow does enough damage to take Hildor far from reality into a calm world full of bluebirds and sunshine (11 Nonlethal Damage).
Hildor wakes groggily with two soldiers holding their swords out and scanning the area protectively and a cleric of Tyr fretting over his pain-wracked body. When the cleric notices Hildor coming to, he says something to the others Hildor can't make out for the ringing in his ears and they rush off in the opposite direction Hildor was running to.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" the cleric asks in worried tones, holding up three fingers that swivel and blur in Hildor's vision to seem more like six or seven fingers that connect at one joint.
There is no sign of the elemental that Hildor can see.

[sblock]Whoa, my apologies, ae1vart0n. I typed Large Earth Elemental last night and copied its stats this morning before going to work when I meant Medium all along. I was wondering why I had to halve the damage it was dealing...
I wanted you to at least have a chance...[/sblock]

 

[ae1vart0n]

Seeing more than five fingers Hildor knew something wasn't right. "Five?" he guessed. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but even that hurt.

His mind started spinning. Partly from vertigo, a headache, and a slight ringing in his ears, it was now flowing with theories about how this could have happened. No theory stood out though. Hildor knew so little about his situation, he thought that, should he have had amnesia, he probably wouldn't have been worse off.

Moving on, he decided to try to move. That was a mistake. It felt like every bone and muscle in his body was trying heal around a pile of broken glass that had somehow penetrated all the way through his body, and was stabbing at him from every direction inside and out.

So he would be stuck here for a while. More time for reflection.

The first question that came to mind was: Can I trust the Tyrrans. The answer was no, not yet. They still had secrets, but Hildor wasn't ready to open up to them until he knew what they were planning and why. That included Hrolf. The others might be more tactful than the cleric, but Hildor suspected they were of a similar mindset.

Dowkan was the best of the group so far. A mercenary like Hildor. Still, he was new, and they were going to need to get to know him better.

So what about Mars? That elemental seemed like it would fit with the inhabitants of the cave, with the Kobolds. Hildor couldn't prove Mars was behind that, but he had led Hildor to that cave, and that annoying mage. Still, the long term benefits of a friendship with Radcliff were valuable if Hildor survived this. After this task was over though, Hildor wouldn't hesitate to act against Mars any more than the Kobolds.

And then there was the mage. Frustrating, arrogant, pompous. But he didn't seem to be hiding anything, and that counted for alot. Hildor trusted Nae'talis, he just didn't like him. This put him in an awkward position with the key... thats' when he realized it.

"How long was I out?"

Sooner or later Mars would try to use the key. If one of the Tyrrans had it...

 

[hippocrachus]

~ Hildor ~

The cleric of Tyr furrows his brow in consternation when Hildor guesses way too high. He places his hands on either side of Hildor's head and begins to pray in a soft soothing voice. Hildor feels the effects of the Tyrran's prayers immediately. It almost felt like he was never attacked; the only proof being the itchy feeling in his back and the slight ache in his shoulder.
"You were not out long at all, Tyr serve. The two men that found you called out and I happened to be in the area..." the cleric considers the convenience of that fact and looks at Hildor with renewed worry. "What happened? They said a mound of dirt threw you to the ground and then disappeared..."
The cleric helps Hildor to his feet and, while the elf dusts himself off, the Tyrran hands him something solid wrapped in blood-red velvet.
"You dropped this..." he says, handing it over to Hildor.

 

[Legildur]

"The wizard then?" the lieutenant asks his reply to Dowkan's question. He just shrugs his shoulders and leaves the smithy.
As Dowkan follows him towards the Temple of Tyr, he can hear Sunder yelling curses and outlining in rude detail where he'd put that sword if Dowkan had the melons to show his ugly face in Sunder's Smithy again.

Dowkan simply grunts at the mention of the wizard, but neither confirms nor denies the association, letting the lieutenant figure it out for himself. He smiles as he listens to Sunder's inventive curses fade as he walks alongside the Tyrran, fingers strumming the head of the waraxe in his belt.

 

[Majin]

"You requested an audience with me?" Nae'talis states, hardly the sound of a question in his tone. His arms crossed he spares a short glance at Hrolf who is in the room with him and then looks back to Braggi, awaiting the half-giant to speak.

 

[ae1vart0n]

In his time in Silverymoon, Hildor had seen some serious injuries dissappear with magic, but he had never been on end getting healed. It was amazing.

You were not out long at all, Tyr serve.

They probably didn't have the key then. That would make things easier, though he had secretly hoped they might just find it and get it over with.

What happened?

"I don't know much more than that. It had arms though, and a head. A faceless one."

You dropped this...

What? Hildor didn't carry anything scarlet. He was curious though, should he claim it? No, this could be a test, and Hildor wasn't in the habit of taking things that he have a right to.

"It isn't mine"