A New Opportunity
Whilst the party debate about treasure a scribe approaches them. "If now is convenient, Lord Hawklin will see you now". They once again head to Lord Hawklin's manor house. Inside they recognise the handsome man as he greets them. "We have a little problem and we thought you might wish to help us out. If you don't mind some travelling and maybe giving a few brigands a good drubbing, this should be a nice outing for you. The crown is short on manpower at the moment, and we received a report two days ago of some brigands or trouble makers north of here, near Tilverton". He grimaces, "What used to be Tilverton. Anyway. We need you to go there and get rid of the problem in whatever way you see fit, give the local area a look round, then come home. That's all there is to it. Shouldn't put you out overly much. You'll be rewarded and all that. Are you in?"
Beltain looks at the heap of loot on the floor "We need to decide how to split this up fairly" he says "But there seem as many views as there are people in the party. I suggest that for the moment we treat all unsold loot as party treasure and let the most appropriate person use it or carry it. If you like" he takes a piece of paper from his backpack, " I will keep a note of who has what, so that when we decide we can split things in accordance with whatever we agree. In the meantime we can go and adventure".
"Ahh.." laughs Lord Hawklin, "Treasure distribution - a difficult thing at the best of times"
Belatin turns to Lord Hawlin "I for one appreciate your offer and would like to take part. Can we assume that as we are acting in an 'official' capacity we may be spared the need and cost of registering as adventurers?"
"Indeed." Agrees the Lord "If you agree to take up this particular foray I will have it arranged that your first year of registration as an adventuring band is free. We can sort out the details later"
Beltain smiles "You are a very fair man. I look forward to carrying out this task for you!" he turns to the others "Are you prepared for this new adventure?" he asks with a boyish grin.
Lord Hawklin looks round at the rest of the party "What say you all?.. Interested?"
[Master] I am away from the keyboard.
Beltain shrugs "Until we can agree on treasure distribution, I think that you are the most appropriate person to have these" Beltain says to Cole and hands him the Fifth Wind.
"I would be honoured to perform this service for you Lard Hawklin" chimes in the kobold "So lets get going right away, Beaker could use a good run after being couped up in the city. Bob can you not use this leather armour? I suggest Col takes the poison for his crossbow, Bob the spider-climb potion for scouting, Feng the 'See Invisible' in case he needs to hit invisible stuff, Mr Nosnibor the acid and I will take the last spider climb if that's ok"
"If nobody wants it I will buy the book for 100gp" says Beltain
The Wizard Nosnibor protests "Rizzit I have no wish to have the acid.. It is a foul substance that I would have no use for."
"Thank you, Rizzit," Biba tells the kobold "This leather armour +1 would be most useful to me. I will take it if no one objects?" He looks around at the other party members. "I have been itching to get started, I will take you up on your offer, Lord Hawklin." He smiles broadly.
"A Fight? Great!" grunts Feng "Better'n sitting around here borin' my arse off." he adds rather discourteously.
"Its ok," says Lord Hawlin, sounding a triffle weary "I will wait until you have finished dividing treasure. I'll arrange some refreshments"
"Lord Hawklin" says Feng thoutfully "I Know civilised areas set great store by pieces o' paper n' suchlike. Please draw up our commission so we can show it to any purple dragons who might mistake us for the bandits we hunt."
"How much is this leather armour worth?" asks Biba "I feel I must contribute to the party fund as I don't deserve to take this, especially as I did not earn it."
Feng looks anoyed at Biba and the dwarf flinches
"Take it and be done. with anyluck you won't die next time and have to be carried out. I for one think that a small price to pay." Bibabobalobalos looks quickly from side to side then strokes his beard avoiding Feng's eye. Then quietly moves toward Beltain.
Feng takes a flask of acid and slots it into his potion belt "This may be useful to extract information from any prisoners. I hate them strong silent types. Only one thing now lacks. My Lord, I am a brave and great fighting man, tho' poor in material effects. I wonder if you could use your influence in order to obtain magical aid for my closest comrade? If "Laskur's Bane" could be magically enchanted I would hold myself deeply in your debt."
Bibabobalobalos says quietly to Belatin, "Are we to introduce a party fund because I would like to contribute 500 gold to pay for this leather armour. Or, is it too late to get a lot of healing scrolls?".
"Until we have decided how to split up the treasure fairly Biba, we can't sell you the Laether+1, so spend the money on what you will". says Beltain politely "But the party has, I think agreed that you will have the use of it until a decision is made. In the meantime I will record who is looking after what. I advise you to spend your coin profitably, who knows when we will see such a large city again".
The cleric turns and smiles weakly at Limara before addressing the waiting Lord "Sir, I apologise for this unseemly scramble, we are better at fighting than in apportioning our winnings, it seems. Perhaps the heady wine of your fair city has dulled our wits. I think it would be well to give us any further information you might wish and let us out into the cool night air to clear our heads and on our way to complete your commission"
Rizzit taps his foot, bored "Well I am off to get Beaker, meet you all outside for the off" and starts to head off to prepare his mount.
Lord Hawklin looks at Rizzit "Not so fast Mr Kobold.. I have more to say, I am merely waiting for your group to finish their discussion about treasure. Unless of course you want no part in the quest I am about to give you"
Rizzit sighs, "I already said it would be an honour" looks a little exasperated at the lord's obviously poor hearing or memory
"So then you had best stay" says Lord Hawklin "To hear the rest of what I have to say"
Rizzit shuffles his feet and stares at the floor mumbling in draconic "Ooo more of them snacks" he says biting the top off the candle, sits back down as he munches happily, he munches a little longer then flosses with the wick
Lord Hawklin smiles "Firstly there is someone I wish you to meet" the door opens, in walks a woman. "Elinor here will be accompanying you. I'm sure you will find her most amenable, skilled and brave." He smiles warmly at Elinor. She stands silently as he continues to talk. "When we finish here, you must each swear a loyalty oath to Cormyr and an oath of secrecy, and you will each receive a writ stating you are on the crown's business and are not to be delayed. You should enjoy that, the free food and all. The writs are only good for a month, but I doubt you'll need them that long. There are a few things the crown would like you to keep in mind, of course, as you go your merry way. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but you are not to interfere with the Purple Dragons at.....at the Black Crater. Im never going to get used to saying that. My third cousin lived there before the disaster. I think she's dead now" Lord Hawklin is silent for a moment.
"As I was saying" he continues "We are counting on you not to have to request the assistance of the purple dragons, as they have their own mission watching over the Black Crater and assisting our other forces in the area. You are to report to Captain Dunman when you arrive--ah, I forgot to say that you will be travelling to Tilverton by magic, as we don't have time for you to ride or walk there--and you should report the results of your expedition to the captain when your work is done. A verbal report is all that is necessary, although you may have to go into some detail for her. You will give a similar report when you return here, to me, and please give me all the details you gave the good captain. If not more."
"In addition......", Lord Hawklin pauses again, his expression hard to read. "In addition, you are not to discuss your mission with anyone other than myself, Captain Dunman, or a higher representative of the crown. You are not to talk about anything unusual you see at Tilverton with anyone in this city or anywhere else. The kingdom does not need a thousand new panicky rumours flying around about what happened there, we have rumours enough already. We have just completed rerouting the Moonsea Ride around the Black Crater so that travellers will not be able to see much. We might soon have to build a wall around it to keep the heroes out of it as well. What you see of the Black Crater must stay with you alone!"
Lord Hawklin studies the faces of the party "Further, you are not to approach the Black Crater under any circumstances. The soldiers and War Wizards there are under strict orders to kill anyone who tries to get to the Crater without authorization. Your Writs do not authorize any business with it. You might not wish to draw near the crater anyway, as we have good suspicions that those who enter the pit are slain, and their souls lost forever. No one who ever went into the pit has come out, and we have been unsuccessful in recovering them or even divining their fate. They are simply gone. Just do your job and let everyone else do theirs."
"There is another matter" Lord Hawklin sighs and shakes his head, a faint smile coming to his face. "You might actually see this as good news, I suppose. The brigands in the area appear to be using some ruins as their hideout. We have reason to believe the ruins are quite old, possibly Netherese in origin. You are to explore those ruins and see what they contain in the way of threats to our kingdom, remove those threats, and report back on them. That assumes any threat exists, of course, which might not be the case as the ruins have been very quiet for over a thousand years. If you do find anything there that would be of assistance to our realm or of interest to the crown, we would be pleased to know of it, of course. Otherwise, you can keep what you find, as always. Just mop up the brigands."
He looks directly at the party "As for rewards In addition to having your Adventurers Tax paid for a year, we are offering two payments. One will be paid immediately after the mission is successfully completed, and one three months later. Each payment comes to 6000gp per person in gems." He folds his arms "That's about it. When you are ready I will get your Writs, sort out your Adventurers Charter, take your oaths and then you can depart before nightfall"
"Go finish off any buying/selling, treasure distribution and come back here when you are ready"
Rizzit jumps up "I am ready to serve my Lord" salutes rather badly but with sincerity
Feng "Feng is ready to swear, and to act! I go to collect my horse and effects, then I am ready"
"So Captain Dunman is a woman?" Feng muses to himself "Cormyr must be weak indeed to press the women into service. However, for the riches in Gems, I'd report to a donkey. Feng is ready."
The Wizard Nosnibor, who had been silent up now now, speaks "Lord Hawkin. If I may ask a question of you? You say that we must 'Remove those threats, and report back on them'.. Which are we to do? Report on them or remove them? For if we remove them they would no longer be threats. Do you mean that we should remove them if we can and report on them if we cannot remove them? Or should we report on them whether we remove them or not? Also there may be some clarification or quantification upon what constitutes the nature of a threat to the Kingdom of Cormyr. This is purely to assist our assessment process you understand your Lordshipness."
Lord Hawklin sighs looks at Nosnibor, then Rizzit. He sighs again "I think I prefer the candle muncher..."
The Wizard Nosnibor continues unabashed "It is not my intention to insult your Lordshipliness, however I find clarification upon these issues early to save a lot of trouble at a later date. If we can get a base line for what is constitutes a 'Kingdom Threatening Situation' or KTS, then we will be more able to deal with said situation and certainly more able to report it. I myself have problems in the threat determining sciences and am rarely able to tell the difference between a close knit family of lovable subterranean chaps and say a 'horde of evil goblins'. Not that goblins aren't lovely in their own way. Indeed in the same ways as Kobold are lovely." He prattles on, helpfully gesturing towards Rizzit to clarify his point.
Lord Hawklin thinks a moment "Well, I will allow your group the freedom to determine the aforementioned ..um.. KTS.. how about that"
"So we have absolute discretion to assess and quantify threats to the kingdom in this area?" persists Nonsibor.
Limara breaks in " Lord Hawklin please excuse our kobold friends lack of etiquette he is not used to the ways of city life, he means well. I am sure we would all be delighted to accept this mission you mention. Unfortunately, as some of our group were 'unwell' we had not discussed the treasure situation before we arrived in town. Still I'm sure it won't take long.... "
Lord Hawklin smiles at the lovely cleric "Well. Prepare yourselves. Meet on your mounts in the outside courtyard when you are ready to go"
Nosnibor looks around wildly "Mounts? Mounts!" then turning to the others "I say! Have you chaps seen my Horse Robinson?" "Err, yes" responds Limara "I am afraid that Robinson suffered terminal temperature reducing symptoms outside the mine... it would seem that he was sensitive to the cold..."
The Wizard Nosnibor Bursts into tears and runs out of the building but ten minutes later he comes back leading a Piebald Light Riding Horse "Look what I just bought! A Pony - And his name is Robinson. He's going to be my very good and loyal friend. Pussy Meet Robinson. Robinson meet Pussy." Says the ever so slightly demented Wizard as he hold up his cat to the oblivious Horse. Are we going on an Adventure now? I do so love to go on adventures. You meet so many lovely green skinned people. They're all simply marvellous."
Limara ignores this outburst and addresses Lord Hawklin's addition to the group "And greetings to you Elinor and welcome to the party" she studies Elinor, and notices that she is a Paladin and looks for the obvious signs of her deity. On Elinor's armour is a right hand gauntlet held upright with the palm forward...Torm. Limara smiles... "Greetings ally.." she says
Rizzit marches out to fetch Beaker, returning as fast as koboldly possible
Elinor and Feng follow Rizzit get their mounts and make their way to the Courtyard to await the others and Lord Hawklin
"Greetings Lady" says Beltain to Elinor "I welcome you to our company." he bows to the paladin and then turns to Lord Hawklin. "I am happy to swear and oath of loyalty to this land but you must appreciate that I have existing oaths of fealty to my god and people. I hope that your oath will not be at odds with these? Your assurance will be enough…" he raises an eyebrow in query.
Meanwhile outside Rizzit approaches the paladin "Hello pretty young lady. I don't suppose Torm is allied to Sune is he?"
Beltain picks up the wizard's nature book and put it in his backpack. "I will carry this for the moment, if nobody objects?" he says and looks at the others
"You wanna carrry it, Fine" agrees Feng "Don't arsk me to shift it for ya."
"A Feckin' Paladin." Feng says as an aside to Rizzit "I thought I wouldn't miss Spar and I was right...for five minutes. Do we attract prisses or what? So we got you, whatever you are - two women, two old women, a Dork n' a bard. I must start wearing my helmet with it's visor shut." And then more loudly "OI! WE GOIN', OR WHAT?"
"Lady" says Beltain addressing Elinor "On what basis do you plan to join our company? If you join as an equal then you should have your say too in the method we will use to determine treasure... I would also be interested to know what skills you bring to the party and any feats that you can perform which may aid us on our mission for the noble Lord"
"We need to be off" he tells the others "Lord Hawklin has told us that time is of the essence. So let us swear our oaths and set out, this city makes me uneasy, it feels to ordered to be right..."
Limara picks up a potion of see invisibility "If no one else is going to pick up a potion I will carry the rest, but these are useful and we should spread them about evenly to maximise their usage.." she turns to Beltain and gives him a huge hug and a rather lingering kiss. "Thank you so much Bel, .." she winks.
Limara turns back to the paladin of Torm "..Elinor, I apologise for Feng's rather tribal attitude, you are welcome to join our group 'The Order of the Initiative'. I have no doubt as a Paladin of Torm you would be an asset to our collective. If there is anything you need or need to know, please don't hesitate to ask.... " she offers the potion of see invisibility to Elinor..." As a future member of our frontline, this potion of seeing the invisible may well come in useful to you... would you like to carry it?"
The Limara turns to address Lord Hawklin.."In accepting this quest 'The Order of the Initiative' swears an oath of loyalty to Cormyr and the oath of secrecy. I bid you farewell your Lordship, we thank you for entrusting us on this mission and will do our best to return victorious. We will recount our findings upon our return.". Limara curtsies and takes her leave. "It's one hour past midday already lets move. She picks up any unwanted potions and goes with Bel to the horses.
Elinor turns to face the party. "I thank you all for your kind welcome. I am Elinor, a paladin of Torm. I have been selected by Lord Hawklin to accompany you on this quest. I look forward to forging a strong alliance." she smiles at Limara, and steps forward to accept her offer of the potion. "Thank you - I will willingly carry this potion on behalf of the group. You are generous with your riches."
The paladin takes a step towards Beltain. "What can I do? I am a swordswoman, and you'll see my horse out in the courtyard. Apart from that, I trust in Torm to furnish me with the skills necessary to combat evil. And he hasn't let me down yet...". Elinor turns and bows to Lord Hawklin. "Farewell my Lord"
Beltain inclines his head to Elinor "Well spoken my Lady, Paladin of Torm, I hope that you enjoy your time with us. Please pardon my straight talking but it is important that we are clear. This band has been forged into a fighting force by combat. We have little interest in petty rules and have a reputation of getting the job done. Sometimes this will mean taking action that we all might find distasteful. That is why, I surmise, the noble Lord has entrusted us with this mission, rather than sending his knights, or maybe it is because we are expendable. I hope that your high moral code is not so stiff as to impede us in our quest to aid Cormyr?" he smiles at the end to take any sting out of his words and studies Elinor quizically
Beltain bends and takes up the remaining potions from the floor then follows the others out to the horses, eager to be on his way. He smiles, remembering Limara's kiss.
When he goes outside Beltain goes off to the side and fetches a small, sturdy cheerful looking Alsation dog. He hands the lead to Limara "A little gift" he says "The man in the shop says that she has been fully trained as a guard dog and that she is a friendly little mut" he ruffles the dog's fur and looks expectantly at Limara "I hope that you like her?" he asks hesitantly.
"Arr, monsieur with these gifts you are spoiling me...." she smiles.."What is her name?... and what commands does she know?..." , Limara crouches down and hugs the dog, strokes its head and smiles at her.
"Aaargh..." complains Nosnibor "Keep the horrible doggie away from Pussy. Pussy don't be scared of the horrible beastie.!"
"Oh, and by the way Elinors church is a strong ally of mine." Continues Limara ignoring the wizards outburst "Torm is one of the three that formed The Triad, Tempus, another of the three sponsored the divinity of my god, The Red Knight. So I am sure she will fit in as well as I have....after all, we all have our own idiosyncrasies and we've done ok so far..." she turns to the wizard at last "don't worry Nos, I wont let her harm your pussy... maybe they will get on fine... In fact it would be a boon for your cat if my dog is guarding her...... "
"By the way." retorts The Wizard "Is it me or did the noble Beluthian just say that Lord Thingy had picked us for the job because we're a bunch of amoral dungeon hackers who don't mind getting our hands dirty? I hope he didn't says that. Because I'm a highly moral Wizard who takes great care to ensure I'm always nice to strangers and passing goblin hordes. I think we're nice people."
"Err, I like to think that its because he is confident that we have those Extra skill needed to succeed" replies Limara a trifle bemused.
The Wizard Nosnibor appears satisfied and turns to Elinor "I for one am pleased to meet you Lady Elinor. I am the Wizard Nosnibor, formerly Court Magician to the Duchy of Rhoesone. Formerly of the land of Cerilia. Winner of the pointiest Ears Prize of Deepling Wood Community College of Magic and Druidic Dabblings and Proud Second Runner up in the 'What's My Cantrip' competition on no less than one and half occasions. And also may I introduce you to Pussy, formerly Minister of Cat Affairs and all round imperiously important Puss." The Wizard Nosnibor lifts Pussy up in one hand to greet the Lady Elinor and bows while doing so. Which is no mean feat until he stumbles and nearly trips up.
Belatin thinks 'Netherese, Netherese' now do I remember anything about this from my history lessons? But he can't recall a thing. "I have no idea what a Netherese is" Rizzit assures him.
"Well, arn't we all formal? Lar-de-dar." Interject Feng and nods to Elinor "The name's Feng. I kill my enemies. I do it because it brings me wealth and fame, and because I like it. Don't get in the way of my axe, and don't force me to carry your dead or unconscious body, and we'll get along fine. Oh, an It don't matter what a Nethersee is, 'cos it will die if it makes a wrong move around me!"
The party gather their mounts (and assorted pets) and assemble in Lord Hawklins courtyard. He instructs the party to leave their mounts and pets in the courtyard and ushers them back inside "The paperwork is ready for you to sign. Firstly here is the Adventurers charter. Your band has been registered as "The Order of Initiative" and as promised it is fully paid for a year.. He then hands each of the party a scroll, the Writ. It states the party are on business for the crown. He turns to the kobold "Rizzit, I have managed to put off your meeting with the Royal Magician Caladnei untill you return from this quest. Once you are back in Suzail you must see him though" He hands each of the party a inkpen "Lets get this paperwork done, then you can get going"
Beltain reads the paper and, providing there is no conflict with his religion, he signs, as does Rizzit and with disguised cynicism, Feng makes his mark
"In answer to your question." Lord Hawklin tells Beltain "The Netheril were an ancient civilization that existed on Faerun over 5000 years ago. They were destined to become incredibly powerful and doomed to overwhelming arrogance. I'm going to give you a parchment with the symbols of the Netherese alphabet. If you find any symbols or writings that match these in the ruins please inform us." He hands the party a parchment.
"5000 years is a long time" retorts Feng "I'm guessin' them old-timers won't be interested in us, however arrogant they got. How long with this feckin' spider poison last? Feng is still feeling weak after his last fight! Ladies? You want to lay hands on Feng?"
Elinor] signs then looks at the parchment of symbols, and passes it on to Beltain. "The only preference I have for any loot that we find is to distribute it to most benefit our mission. There's no point carrying a packed spell book if you are a dead warrior. On return from a mission I would expect a fair wage for all members."
Lord Hawklin escorts the party. He leads them down the promenade, Suzail's main street, to the western end of the court, the gigantic government building in the centre of Suzail. There, he leads them to a broad set of double doors that appears to be a service entrance for taking large deliveries, as from wagons. Opening it he takes them inside a brightly kit room resembling a small, empty warehouse, 60 feet square and 20 feet high. An identical set of double doors stands on the far side of the room, the sides of the room have piles of empty crates, straw, and minor debris pushed against them. The room smells like horses were recently stabled here. Bright illumination comes from a few globes suspended from the ceiling, radiating magical light. Lord Hawklin ushers you inside and closes the doors behind you. He motions for you to wait there.
"Nice pad" mutters Rizzit
Beltain takes the paper and thanks Elinor "He studies the paper and commits it to memory, he leans over and passes the paper to Limara
"The dog ,or rather bitch has no name as yet, Princess" Beltain tells Limara "Perhaps you could choose one that matches her personality? The man in the shop did tell me her skills. I think that they were Attack, Defend and Guard but I wasn't really listening. She also is able to play dead and roll on her back to have her tummy tickled… She also seems, much too likeable to trouble herself with Nosni's cat".
"I love having my tummy tickled to but no-one ever offers" says Rizzit plaintively but there are no offers.
"I think having a Paladin in the party will be just lovely" exclaims The Wizard Nosnibor "Especially with all the clever word games. I just love words that are spelt the same way forwards and backwards. Or is that a Palindrome? I can never remember. " he looks around "Did someone say we're going to be Teleported somewhere? I do hope nothing goes wrong in the spatial / thurmaturgical vortex. I've had bad luck with those."
Limara reads then signs the paperwork ignoring Nosnibor's rambling discourse.
"Well now that we each have a writ we'd better be off" exclaims Beltain "Lord Hawklin indicated that time was of the essence, and I for one have had enough of the big city. Although I know I will miss the good food and warm beds."
"So what happens now?" says Rizzit impatiently
Bibabobalobalos finally comes out of his sullen, silent mood. "Are we off then? I've been getting quite bored. Are we going through a portal or are we to be Teleported?"
Lord Hawklin turns to face the doors on the far side of the chamber. "In the name of the Forest Kingdom, and of Alusair, the Steel Regent, I bid you open" he says in a loud, strong voice that echoes in the large room. Swiftly, the doors on the far side of the room vanish, replaced by a whirling, sparkling pool of grey light about 6 feet across, hovering about a foot above ground. The pool of light then slowly sinks into the floor until it is only a half-circle, 8 feet high and 16 feet wide. The grey light filling the half-circle fades, and you see a landscape beyond it. The scene is of a rocky wasteland among high hills, at the same time of day as it is now in Suzail. Several dozen armoured men with drawn longbows, obviously Purple Dragons, watch you through the magic portal. Other soldiers behind them gaze at you with mild interest that is quickly lost. One yawns, and two others continue a conversation after only a brief scowl in your direction. One soldier in a Purple Dragon officer's uniform walks over to the portal and peers through without entering. "The sun has not set on the forest kingdom" she says stiffly. "Nor shall it so long as we hold it in the sky" replies Lord Hawklin. "Captain, please see that my companions here get food and rest. They've come to clear away the vermin you reported. Their paperwork is in order" He pauses. "All is as before?" "No change, your lordship", says the army captain. She looks tired and grim, old beyond her youth. Her eyes have a dark, haunted look "Our friends from Waterdeep are preparing a report for the reagent. It should be ready by tomorrow." "Thank you captain" says Lord Hawklin "We will be ready to receive it. The gods be with you." "I pray that they are, your lordship." The captain's weary voice and expression make it plain that she has her doubts. She looks expectantly at the party. Lord Hawklin turns and solemnly waves you onward, through the portal.
Feng touches booted feet to horses flank and spurs his steed thru' the portal "C'mon you heroes, Fortune, Glory and bloodletting await!"
The Wizard Nosnibor gulps loudly and watches the others go in before him. He doesn't seem to like Portals much. Perhaps he's had one too many bad experiences.
"I'm with you Feng, it is obvious that there is more to this than we have yet been told" calls Beltain "Let us go forward and show our mettle! Come Princess, our destiny awaits!" and Beltain moves forward...
Beltain turns and smiles at the others "Time for us to earn our rather hefty fee I think"
Elinor rides in front of Nosnibor. "Come with me, mage. There is nothing to fear from the portal. Just slip through behind me and my war horse." And Elinor's horse walks calmly towards the portal.
Elinor and Legend pass through the portal, and pull up beside Captain Dunman. Elinor turns to look back at the party and beckons for them to join her.
Rizzit spurs Beaker on and rides through "yeee haa"
Elinor turns and studies the kobold "Nice mount" she says Elinor. Legend raises an eyebrow and snorts as Beaker scoots past
"Are you eager to be off seeking adventure Elinor?" Rizzit asks "Yeah, my mount can be a bit grouchy and likes biting shiny stuff but he is good fun"
"Pretty much ready" agrees Elinor "I need to get some more battle-miles in order to progress. Hope you can keep him away from my shiny stuff" Elinor's armour and shield glints in the sunlight. I'll give you a race when we get a moment. But for now I think we need to seek some guidance from these battle-weary troops". Elinor dismounts and salutes Captain Dunman
"Greetings Captain" she begins "Lord Hawklin has sent us to deal with some brigands. Can you offer us guidance on where to find the ruins that they are occupying?"
"Its still early so we should head straight there" interjects Rizzit, ever helpful.
"When we have the time, Elinor," Feng suggests "Perhaps you can tell us what you know of Hawklin. Anyone who would pay so much to despatch a few brigands is either stupid, or not telling us everything."
"Who cares" says Rizzit "It's good money and we can take anything the world throws at us Bud - well I can, you get your head pulled off"
"Yeah, but I'm just cautious" agrees Feng "Between you and me, Rizz - If he's expecting something that he says he will pay 12k for, I guess it might end up costing him extra?"
"What's cautious mean?" Rizzit looks quizzical
"I have better armour, now" says Feng ignoring the interruption "Something tries to rip my head off, will lose it's own! Hmmmm"
Limara rides through the portal with her dog 'Gypsy' beside her. As she passes the Lord she bows her head and wishes him a good day.... "Good afternoon Captain" she dismounts, briefly stroking her dog to comfort her new pet. "My name is Limara, I too am interested in what knowledge you give to aid our mission.."
Beltain gives a slight bow to Lord Hawklin and urges his horse through the portal at Limara's side. He smiles at Feng "Twelve thousand to get rid of some bandits? I think not! There is great adventure to be had and great fame to be won. Apart from the size of the payment I also wonder why it is to be split into two with the second part to be paid much later. However our noble captain will no doubt give us the full story, will you not?" he says turning to Captain Dunman.
"Nice camp guys, anything to eat before we ride off and smite evil?" asks Rizzit forever hungry "what are these things?" he says looking at something by the horse trough.
Beltain addresses the Knight's captain "Forgive me if I speak plainly but in this matter there is no room for fancy words or lack of clarity. It is plain that Lord Hawklin has given us only the bare bones of the situation up here. It is clear that there are worries beyond the bandits as he indicated that there was a threat to Cormyr that should be neutralised. If we are to succeed then we must have all the information that you know Captain. So tell us clearly what is going on, who or what is involved and where they are to be found. We would also be interested to know what your suspicions are and how you think it would be best for us to proceed. Remember if you only give us half the story, then there is a high probability that we will fail and you will be left with this mess to clear up. So speak up – the whole story, if you please." He finishes and smiles at the troubled captain of knights.
Feng nods approvingly "Yeah! What Beltain said."
"what a load of bollocks?" says Rizzit under his breath
Beltain grins pleased at Feng's approval and dismisses Rizzit's jealous remark
"Come on you stragglers" calls Rizzit through the portal.
"This gate will not stay open for ever, it takes strong magic to maintain it. Hurry or it will close before you can come through!" calls Belatin anxious that the group does not get split up.
The party ride trough the portal. Suddenly a scribe comes running into the warehouse, he rushes up to Lord Hawklin and whispers in his ear. Lord Hawklin sighs a deep sigh "Nosnibor and Coleridge.. I'm afraid you will have to wait, there's a problem with the paperwork regarding both of you, hopefully just a small matter that can be rectified quickly." He turns to the rest of the party that have ridden through the portal "We will have your friends back quickly" he assures the party. Just then the portal closes. The warehouse from whence they came...gone.
The army campsite is on a ridge about 150ft high, overlooking the western end of Tilver's Gap and providing an excellent view of the region and approximately 3 miles from The Black Crater.. The party notices at least 40 purple dragons here.
"Ok, follow me" says Captain Dunman as she leads them to one of the tents. There the party's paperwork is once again meticulously checked. "You may stay at camp till dawn should you wish to, or you can leave now. I have a map here that shows the location of the ruins that you are to investigate. The ruins are about 20 miles to the south west. You will see a stone cairn, from there travel south east to the ruins" she states flatly. "If your friends come through the portal we will direct them to the same location" She turns to face the party "Be warned, any spells cast within a five mile radius of the Black Crater will not work, or will malfunction, I suggest saving your magic until you are out of the area." She looks to one of the Purple Dragons who has been looking at the party's papers, he nods at her "Well, it seems all in is in order"
"Let's go now! I am keen to be off" mutters Rizzit impatiently.
But the party will hope to learn more from the worried Captain of Knights before they set out!
