The Ancient Paths - Path I

[ae1vart0n]

When Hildor arose in the morning the first thing to catch his attention was a numb pain still in his ankle from the bite he'd recieved the night before. It had been his first time being injured on this trip and though his companions had suffered greater injury, he couldn't help but accuse himself of carelessness. Then he remembered the way the kobolds had treated the cadavers, the thing that had set him off. He'd need to try to put that out of his mind if he wanted to stay focused.

He stood and stretched, and made a quick lap around the cavern. it was never easy getting up first, and without another elf in the party it became all the more tedious. Hildor considered waking the mage just to see what sort of condescending phrase he could come up with at this hour of the morning, just to pass the time, but decided instead to check his own belongings and do some reconnaissance.

Being cautious as he was, Hildor moved silently down the southern path. The damp darkness was almost peaceful. Upon seeing the pile of weopons and the axe, he thought perhaps this was a training room and kobold had been careless... but then that axe was a little too large for a kobold. Had he seen that axe before? Hildor stopped to look around the room and see if he could see or hear anything else before entering. He wanted to get a closer look at that axe.

 

[Majin]

Nae'talis makes a fist over the small pearl, also tucking the wand somewhere within the folds of his robes. He then looked down at the bracers. His suspicions told him he could possibly make use of them as well, but he left them where they were as he rose to his feet. They would be magically identified as soon as possible along with the wand. At least on his person though he might have a chance to experiment with it before reaching a suitable town to procure such services.

He then strode quietly back to his belongings and looked closer at the pearl once more. Sat with his spellbook in his lap, he probed the item with his mind, attempting to glean what potency of spell such a pearl could hold within itself.

 

[hippocrachus]

~ Dowkan ~

Sunder grumbles something Dowkan can't quite make out, but the younger dwarf is sure he heard something in there about "greenhorns" and "whippersnappers."
The two dwarves go about plopping stones into the stream unhindered, and in a few minutes, have an easily traversable walkway across the rushing water.
On the other side of the stream, a tunnel continues east.

~ Hildor ~

As he moves further into the large chamber, Hildor can see several rags and furs strewn about that probably served as sleeping pallets for the kobolds.
He creeps quietly to the axe on the floor in the center of the room only to find the masterfully crafted dwarven waraxe is very familiar.
The axe Belgal used.

~ Nae'talis ~

Nae'talis can tell that the Pearl of Power can store a spell only just more powerful than a cantrip.

 

[Majin]

Nae'talis concentrates again after dicerning the class of spell that the pearl can hold, imbuing it with one of the new entries in his spellbook. After standing up again he casts a spell to protect himself, feeling a bit exposed alone in the chamber with only the currently vulnerable meditating cleric.

[sblock]Storing Sleep in the pearl. Casting Mage Armor on self.

~

Current buffs: Mage Armor

~

Spells Remaining:

Level 0 (4 + 1)

Detect Magic **
Ray of Frost ***

Level 1 (2 + 1 + 1 + 1)

Color Spray *
Mage Armor
Magic Missle **
Sleep *

Level 2 (1 + 1 + 1)

Aganazzar's Scorcher *
Melf's Acid Arrow *
Scorching Ray *[/sblock]

 

[Dhes]

During the Clerics morning meditation, Hrolf found it easier to reach Tyr. It seems that my path of pain and hardship in the serves of the just father has made me stronger.
Taking water from his water skin, Hrolf begins cleaning the blood from a stained piece of bandage. After most of the blood is rinsed out, the young cleric pleases it over his eyes and ties it behind his head.

As Hrolf get to his feat, he notices that most of the pains have left him. Looking over his shoulder, he sees the mage studying his book. Walking over to Nea’talis, he gently places a hand on the spell casters shoulder. ”I’m sorry for your lose; I only had the pleasure of fighting next to Belgal for a short time, but I too will miss him.” Looking around, taking in the cavern, ”Where is our skulking elfen companion, I have no love for him but I don’t think it wise if we leave him here. checking if his sword, I’ll go look for him, call out if trouble should arise.”

With that Hrolf moves out of the cavern in search of the elf.

 

[Legildur]

Sunder grumbles something Dowkan can't quite make out, but the younger dwarf is sure he heard something in there about "greenhorns" and "whippersnappers."
The two dwarves go about plopping stones into the stream unhindered, and in a few minutes, have an easily traversable walkway across the rushing water.
On the other side of the stream, a tunnel continues east.

Dowkan simply laughs quietly at the older dwarf's anticipated response. Deciding to annoy him a little further, Dowkan goads Sunder a little. "Come on ol' man, we haven't go all day," he whispers. "The sooner we clear this, the sooner I'll be back asleep," he adds, but without a great deal of conviction as his eyes dart about. With the two of them across, Dowkan leads out down the tunnel, throwing axe ready.

 

[hippocrachus]

~ Hrolf ~

Hrolf steps out of the lighted chamber into the tunnel to spot a slight glow coming from the impenetrable darkness to the south.
He follows the dark tunnel as best as his human eyes allow him until he comes to a larger chamber cloaked in black except for the kneeling figure of Hildor in its center.
He seems to be kneeling over an axe.

~ Dowkan ~

"Ya keep tha' forge ova spirit in check, boy, 'fore the coals burn ya somethin' fierce," Sunder snaps, catching up to the younger warrior and shouldering him behind the veteran.
The room the two mercenaries come into next shows the dried blood of a past battle, but all other signs have seemingly vanished without a trace. A cooling fire pit in the center of the chamber and a fence made of bones and sticks walling off another room are the only other signs that suggest the cavern was occupied at one time.
The tunnel continues to the east, but seems to veer off to the south. Sunder drops his torch on the ground here and begins to snoop around the cavern that is fenced.
"Keep yerself still," Sunder says as he turns his back on Dowkan and heads past the open gate.

 

[hippocrachus]

~ Syrriel ~

“I’m sending you back to Silverdown, Lady Syrriel.” Braggi gives the elven Harper a look that dares her to defy him, suggesting in no small terms that he’ll hear none of it. “I mean to see that small bastion of hope become greater than it ever was. Before the Helmites come back in numbers.”
“I would have never suspected you of being such a masterful politician, Father Braggi,” she says in a sardonic yet melodious voice.
“I would’ve never suspected you of being a liar,” he bites back with equal acerbity. The fair-haired elf breaks eye-contact with the half-giant and swallows modestly. “There is hope for you yet. You have a keen mind, and I mean to exploit it.”
Syrriel glances suspiciously back at Braggi. So far, the cleric of Tyr showed more wisdom than she would’ve ever guessed him capable of. Not to mention having a greater vocabulary than she would’ve ever guessed.
“What do you want me to do?” she asks slowly. Cautiously.
“I want you to head the reconstruction of Silverdown.” He puts his hands out pleadingly when her eyes go wide and talks over her protests. “If I trusted any of my men to it, they’d form some council to head up the forming of a council that’ll be in charge of rationing bricks. I want to see results, not paperwork.”
“A masterful politician with a sense of reality. That’s rare…” she mumbles almost to herself. By the smug grin crossing the huge man’s face, she spoke too loud.
“Your option is to go back to Silverymoon, where I hear the Harpers are not too pleased you didn’t check in with them on your last return.” He gives her another stern fatherly look she wishes he’d stop.
I’ll just slip out when they're not looking…
“You will of course be under guard.”
Damn.
“Harad has taken quite a liking to you,” he says with an approving smile. “He’ll see your orders are carried out. And that you don’t…disappear in the night.”
“When do we leave?” she asks with a resigned sigh.
“Now. I want you as far… I want Silverdown barricaded as soon as possible.”
That slip-up spoke numbers to the calculating elf.
I knew there was more to this…

 

[Majin]

Muttering a half-hearted form of thanks, Nae'talis picks himself up off the floor and follows not too far behind the cleric as the quickly come upon Hildor.

"What is that there?" the young wizard asks, quickly, his hopes raising prematurely at what he figures the axe to be. As the elf rises, the axe in hand, in response to his questioning, Nae'talis recognizes the axe truly for what it is. "Give that to me!" he spits out the words darkly. He grabs at the axe in the elven rogue's hands only to be met with startled resistance. In response Hildor finds his vision blocked by the wizard's hand near his face, Nae'talis' expression, he can just notice, seemingly having lost its normally cool demeanor, replaced by a slightly wild look.

"Relinquish your hold on it or I will burn your face to a cinder!" he growls, thoughts of Belgal fueling his rising anger.

 

[Legildur]

The tunnel continues to the east, but seems to veer off to the south. Sunder drops his torch on the ground here and begins to snoop around the cavern that is fenced.
"Keep yerself still," Sunder says as he turns his back on Dowkan and heads past the open gate.

Dowkan decides that now is the time to listen to the more experienced dwarf, and says nothing. Standing still, Dowkan's fingers unconsciously regrip his throwing axe as watches Sunder pass through the bone gate into the walled off room.