LOF: Awakenings

[Sever]

Sever

With pride only slightly restored at the morning's revelation, Sever wasted no time in getting back to the task at hand. He checked into his room at the inn and offered his escort a flamboyant fairwell. No sooner than closing the door behind him did he drop his "drunk" act and curse quietly. Pandaros and Xaver weren't going to be happy.

With every possession he'd need already on his person, Sever walked straight across the room, opened the window and lowered himself down to the narrow space between the town wall and the inn. Ideally, he wanted the manner of his narrow escape from the Locke Manor to remain plausible. To do that, his exit from the town would have to be made without being sighted by the town guards. But that was a secondary concern. Too much time had elapsed for him to rejoin the group without taking a few minor risks in the process. If a guard did sight him, the consequences were minor and not immediate. Far more important was it to get on the trail of his comrades before it was too cold to be followed.

As he reached the East gate of town, he happened on yet another oddity in this seemingly normal town. A trio of elves and a wolf were also leaving for the forrest via the same gate. Short term visitors, he guessed, healing and restocking from whatever adventure they had come from, they were now off to find another. Or were they? As he neared, Sever noticed something in their eyes, even in the eyes of the wolf, that was unmissable yet indescribable. A sadness perhaps? Was their adventure more of a solemn duty? Sever had grown up in a city of vast races and cultures, but he had never seen elves and half-elves (as one of them now appeared to be) quite like the trio before him. He had certainly never seen a wolf like that one! But there were many places in Ironworks and he knew he couldn't appraise this lot based on what he knew of the elves in Kromdale. Guessing them unrelated to any events currently considered important by him, Sever offered them an unspoken greeting as he passed. A variation on a common elven greeting mixed with his own charismatic thief's humour. He finished the gesture with a nod of acknowledgment and turned away from them to continue his hasty departure.

Many farmhouses were there in close proximity to the town gate and Sever promptly set about questioning the farmers as to the direction travelled by Pandaros and Xaver. Several attempts and a jar of preserved apples later, he learned that a dwarf, at least, had been asking around, but was still none the wiser as to a direction. Reasoning that the pair had split up to cover more ground, Sever decided that it was now time to start investigating the edge of the forrest proper. Pandaros would be in his element searching the woods, he guessed. Sever could only hope that his own eyes, attuned to the city as they were, could pick up a sign of their passing.

OOC>> Acquired jar of preserved apples for 5 drakes.

[ 03-28-2007, 03:43 AM: Message edited by: Sever ]

[Morgeruat]

Yevaud

Yevaud nodded, he hadn't had more than a few hours to rest, it had helped ease the fatigue that bore on him bone deep that travel had not permitted to fade much. He entered reverie, a state not unlike sleep and reached out for the land touching it tentatively basking in nature and the tended but mostly unspoilt woodland around him.

[Armen]

Gillian

Gillian smiled, stood up, brushed the front of his trousers and walked straight to the newly revealed door. Approaching it he looked at it’s unusual construction with interest* and tried to find another knocker or bell cord. If nothing is apparent he will knock on the door. If there is no answer he will open the door so long as it opens easily.

*OOC: Check traps

[Kazilan]

Pandaros

Pandaros flexed the muscles in his repaired arm and offered a crooked smile.

"Nothing like a little divine aid in a tight spot. Thanks, Xaver."

The scout moved slowly to his feet, testing the muscles in his back by turning one way, then another.

"Much better." He wiped the blood from his sword and replaced it in its sheath, then stooped down to retrive his bow. After a moment of searching he spotted the giant's tracks.

"I doubt we'll have any more trouble from animals while we're together. The tracks continue this way," he jabbed his bow in the corresponding direction, "let's not delay any longer."

[ZFR]

Xaver and Pandaros

Pandaros led the duo through the forest, keeping his senses sharp for any aberrations in the landscape. Another slip up like the last and something worse than a cougar could surprise them. As they progressed, the scout made an attempt at conversation, although he kept his voice low.

"Xaver, what did you make of that group we passed on our way out here? Definitely a strange bunch, traveling with a wolf. Although that elf, the leader, she seemed friendly enough."

"I'm not sure what to make of them. That elf lady was a cleric, and as far as I could tell a good one. As for the other two, they looked like her bodyguards to me... one of them especially did have much more weapons than your average traveller. I was disapponted that they heard and saw nothing in the forest. But that could be good news actually; it would simply mean that it's really nothing major."

Xaver kept looking around as he was talking. He could generally make out their path fairly easily; it was a giant they were following, after all. At times though he lost the tracks, but Pandaros knew where to go. He looked at the sun and prayed they would reach their target before it got too dark. As a dwarf, he could see well enough in nighttime, but he knew his companion didn't.

[Larry_OHF]

DM to Pandaros and Xaver

Your journey continues with the two of you realizing that the terrain is getting more steep and the trees are thinning out as the ground becomes more rocky. The climb is tricky enough to cause you to watch your footing, and soon a large rock ledge comes into view towards the West. Climbing to this ledge and looking in the direction that you just came, it is obvious that you have left the forest behind while traveling North-West and are now in the vast foothills of a mountain.

The ability of Pandaros to track this creature now has to take on a different challenge, for instead of footprints in the dirt and leaves, you now have to find those prints within these rocky slopes.

However, there is hope. A quick look around finds a campsite location complete with a circle of blackened rocks and ash where the fire had been. It appears recent, maybe days or up to a week at most.

DM to Sever

Sever was tracking the man who was tracking a giant. Sever's knowledge of what was out there was limited to what the Lockes had talked about and these footprints that Pandaros had obviously taken an interest in, and they were obviously large.

Now...Sever was no tracker nor did he have the expertise that Pandaros had in sniffing out a trail, yet being trained as a spy and having some advanced thieving tactics had their perks and following a trail that a dwarf leaves behind is not hard at all. The trail was only a few hours old and easy to see. Pretty soon, he stumbled upon a location where it appeared that the two pals had fought something, for there was obvious blood splattered about. There were some animal tracks, like a cat or dog or something. It did not matter. The fact that the tracks led onward and there was no more blood seen in any large quantity told Sever that his two friends were still walking.

OOC>>>Sever is behind the party by a matter of about an hour now. The rocky slope slowed Pandaros and Xaver down as well as their fight with the kitty and the doubling back that was being done.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Kuankreid (& Ainyra)

Kuan approached the shack and noticing the open door stepped inside. Noting the other mage inside the shack, he called out. “Gillian! Well met!”

Strolling over to the other mage, Kuan ventured a smile. It seemed that the young elf seemed to be in better spirits than before, having recovered from his bout of sea-sickness. “Isn't it a wonderful day?” he asked with a grin, “No rolling waves, nor endless surf. Ah, to be back on dry land!”

“You there! Mage.” Ainyra called to Gillian, from her usual perch on her 'master's' shoulder, “He's being going on about how wonderful it is to be back on dry land ever since he woke up! Take him out for a drink or something and get him intoxicated enough so he's rolling under the table and I don't have to put up with this.” She sighed a long suffering sigh, “But then he'll complain about a hangover. Anyway, as soon as you're done here, take him out somewhere. He needs some male company.”

“Ainyra!” Kuan exclaimed, utterly outraged by his familiar's latest suggestion, “How could you suggest something like that?!”

“Oh hush.” she chided, “The way you act, everyone'd think I was your wife or something; I'm not. And you spend too much time grouching and keeping your nose in your scrolls - alone. It'll do you good to have a friend.”

“Hmnph. You could've fooled me.” Kuan muttered sourly at the 'wife' part. “You certainly act like it.”

“What did you say, Kuan?” The little sprite's eyebrow arched and she tapped her foot on his shoulder; almost daring him to gainsay her.

“Oh nothing dear, nothing at all.” Turning to Gillain, Kuan muttered, “Never get yourself a familiar that can talk back to you; you'll regret it every da- ow! What was that for! There was no need to-.” Kuan winced, rubbing his stinging ear. A rather ired - and smug - Ainyra had slapped it hard enough to turn red.

“I must have slipped.” She replied sweetly, “I really must be more careful...” the 'I' really meant 'You'; Kuan knew that much and sighed. Grumbling, he leant against the shack wall and asked the other mage with a sigh “So, how has your day been...”

[ 04-02-2007, 05:59 PM: Message edited by: Calaethis Dragonsbane ]

[Kazilan]

Pandaros

The scout paused as they entered the campsite, scanning the location for any signs of its previous occupants.

"Hopefully this is a good sign. Most likely it was left behind by the mercenary hired before us, as I doubt the giant makes camps like this. Then again, I don't know much about giants."

Pandaros picked up a stone and started flipping it in the air as he thought aloud.

"Tracking is going to be more difficult up here, I'm not as used to the mountains as I am the forest. Our pace will be slowed. But should night fall without us finding anything, we have a pre-made camp to return to."

The scout snatched the stone mid toss and grinned at Xaver.

"Who knows, camping here may ensure that the giant finds us. Let's keep moving."

The scout returned to his inspection of the trail, taking slightly more time than before now that he was in less-familiar terrain.

[Armen]

Gillian

Having heard Kaunkreid’s approach before his greeting Gillian had time to finish his checks and casually turn round rather than jump in alarm at the other’s arrival. He smiled warmly and raised a hand in response to Kuan’s greeting. Unable to get a word in past the talkative sprite he was forced to listen without interruption to the stream of words from Kaun and his familiar. Gillian cursed the delays that had got him into this situation – he had put a lot of time and effort into the plans for this meeting with Oley and an elven mage with a nagging familiar had not been part of them. And there remained the question of why Kuankreid was here at all.

”Oh, you know, quiet,” he said in response to Kuan’s last question. ”There’s not an awful lot to the place of course although I met an interesting character in the smithy – seems like there are a few people passing through the town at the moment.” He turned back to the door and attempted to slide it, asking casually, “what does bring you to Lockesville Kuankreid? We never really discussed it on the boat”

[Larry_OHF]

For Pandaros and Xaver:

The area is searched well, and there are sightings of a footprint here or there, but going in varied directions so as to not be able to determine a correct route to take. It appears that this pass is a frequent path for the giant, coming and going. Finally, a breakthrough occurs when Pandaros discovers a set of footprints that are human in size and shape. They lead off further North, higher into the rocky hills. The visual capability in this area is very good, and with keen eyes, one can see what appears to be a cave entrance in the same direction as the footprints of the human. Some of the giant prints also go in that general direction.

However, it will be getting dark soon. Within the next hour, actually.