Chapter 1 - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

[BigRedRod]

Things happened so fast, it's hard to put it all in order...

The sun was just setting over Naies, the small community was stopping it's days work and most sat out to enjoy the warm evening. It had been the 15th of Kythorn, the sky was a deep red with the wispy clouds making the setting sun far more dramatic.
That was when everything changed ... Screams, people were franatically calling out for help. The villagers had rushed to see what was happening. Drawing closer it looked like a house had caught fire, but there was more that just that...
"Soldiers!" someone had cried, then a group ran towards the soldiers, they called for help in fighting the flames. The soldiers were Venterran, they all had worn the Venterran military uniforms ... so why did they attack the people, the soldiers had caused the fires, they were firing flaming arrows into the town. Why? Spiran was allied with Venterra, why did they try to raze the village?
Then the soldiers turned on the villagers who had tried to enlist the soldiers' aid. The dozen or so well armed, trained soldiers easily overpowered the villagers that came towards them
Chaos... people cried, dropped to the knees and cried to the Gods but it didn't help. Some ran but groups of soldiers were all around the village, the thick smell of smoke and burning filled the air along with the screams of those that attempted to fight or even go near the soldiers
Then the ground shook, three dragoons strode into the town square, the soldiers had started to move and herd the people towards the village square, the lead dragoon was a massive creation, it was hard to make out as much more than a silhouette
but the cockpit had opened and a voice rang out, in astrnage accent but speaking in Kinth,
"Do not resist, you are to enter the wagons as they enter the square, do not resist. There is no need for further bloodshed today"
The wagons came ... Horse drawn and there were a great many. No one understood why. Some refused to get into the wagons, the fortunate were pushed in by the soldiers others were killed outright by them
The wagons were closed, the only light was from the occasional gap between the wooden planks that the holding area was made from. The gound still shook though, the dragoons must have been around. the people wept and prayed for the most part, some tried to rationaise the attack but to no avail.
Maybe two hours passed? It was hard to tell, it was full dark when the wagons were opened.
As the people stepped into the night mant broke down they knew where they were. It was the Spiran-Loklan border, and the great fortress-prison that the Venterran had built to house prisoners from across the land.
Violence errupted again, people fled from the guards, some were killed but a majority were subdued ... no point in killing them once you had let them live this long? ... the rest is hazy as the people were dragged into the prison and possesions were hastily taken before the people were thrust into cells
But it wasn't just men, women and children had also been taken and still there was explanation
It is hard to recall much, details seem fuzzy and dwelling on the past leaves no time for the present...

The cell is windowless, has cold grey stone walls, a heap of staw and a large iron door with a grate. But the grate is blocked by a panel on the outside.
There are others in the cell...
An old man with a tatoo on his face, he watches the others and coughs occasionally
A human, a tribal by the look of him
Another human, a scruffy one couldn't be any older than twenty
A little gnome, has a frog or something-like a frog about him
A dwarvern man, who clutches at a rock

You can hear noises outside the cell, someone is shouting about their treatment, demanding to know why the village was slaughtered

[ooc: you have been stripped of most of your gear, you have the clothes on your back and that would be about it]

[SuperJosh]

Roth sits quietly in the far corner from the door. What he has seen today is to familiar for him to do anything but sit in shock. Finally the shock turns to rage, abruptly he stands, walks over and kicks the door to the cell, it is not a feeble I-can-not-believe-this-is-happening-to-me kick, it is a strong this-door-will-not-stop-me kick. When the door does not budge he turns to his companions, "Well, I do not know about you," he says in kinth, "but I have plans that do not include spending the rest of my life in here." With that he kicks the door again.

[SponkleofInfini]

The Gnome begins to chuckle at the man kicking the door, thrust into the role of tough guy, super hero who wants justice. The Gnome picks himself up, hands behind his back he paces.

"My memory is a little sketchy, does anyones remember how many guards you saw on the way in?"

The gnome stops and stands slightly hunched as if thinking about something.

"I may have a plan to escape, if any of you can provide me with any relavant information that you remember about this place can you tell me."

He places his left hand upon his head, his right on his hip.

"I myself am a wizard, so I should be more then capable to hold my own without weapons, what about the rest of you?"

[SuperJosh]

Roth thinks to himself, 'Great, a wizard with a bad memory.' Then turns to the gnome and says, "If you can take care of just one gaurd, I will be able to take care of myself."

[SponkleofInfini]

The Gnome looks over at Roth.

"Hehe, well your feisty arn't you. Lets hope your big mouth dosen't get us in anymore trouble."

[Beidamon]

The dwarf walks over to the door and examines it for a bit. Calmly taking the rock he holds in his hand he begins pressing it against where the hing would be on the other side, melting inward until only a thin layer of metal stays between it and the hing on the other side. Reaching up as high as he can, he will begin the process on the other hing.

"Just a little preperation for flight. If I melt this door off we might be able to escape"

The dwarf says calmly to the others.

"Now, before I finish my work we should figure out what were going to do when we get out, any suggestions for a quick escape other then the good old bludgeoning a guard over the head and steal their uniforms and weapons?"

(Dont you just love flaming rocks?)

[Dust]

Dron is on his feet and watching intently, but says nothing.

[SponkleofInfini]

"It looks as if my plan is now redundant, I guess we can go cliche and beat some guard up and steal his clothes. And I guess we can wander aimlessly until we find an exit."

Algerdar leans up against the back wall waiting for things to happen.

[SuperJosh]

Roth looks at Algerdar, "Things have not yet been decided little one, having more than one option is always good. Now tell me, what was your idea?"

[SponkleofInfini]

"I had a couple of options in mind. One option I considered was if one of us feigned sickness in order to get a guard to open the door, we jump him and gather any relavant info about the facility gaurd patrols etc."

A look of concern comes over Algardar's face

"This next plan I conjured is if you all are extremely desparate to escape, I personally do not recommend this."

"We allow the dwarf to melt the remaining hinges and then we jump a guard somewhere. Get a key to the cells in this area and free all that are within. Those people would create a diversion for us to make our escape. With guards busy with other prisoners, they would make for easy targets. The problem with such a plan would be that others would be hurt, hence the reason I do not recommend it."

[Dust]

"Do you think the guards would really care if we were sick?" Dron says, opening his mouth for the first time, "look at the all the villagers they killed!"

Dron flinches at the sound of his own raised voice and grimaces. He crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"We'd be lucky if they didn't shoot us," he says in a lower voice, "just to save them the trouble of trying to move us to the infirmary."

[Beidamon]

"Although I can not replenish spells without my spellbook I still know the ones I had memorized. They should be enough to incapacitate a guard or two. If it is at all posssible on our way out we should look for a chest or something where they keep the prisoners items, if they keep them at all. Just remember to be careful, one or two guards alone may not pose a challange, but if the alarm is sounded and 20 or 30 rush us at once we have no chance, and frankly I would prefer not to see the inside of this cell again."

"Does anyone have any other courses of action we might try? If not then stealing the guards uniforms and trying to sneak out a back way might be the best option"

(OOC: The dwarf examines the stone work a little. Does it seem like this place is old, and if so, does it seem like it was designed to be a prison or just a building converted into one? Do we know anything of the place we are being kept?)

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar looks over at Roth

"They may just shoot the person feigning sickness, but they have to open the door to do so. I think the guards curiosity will get to them, either way I think there is a high chance of a guard opening the door to check things out, even if his intensions are to kill the sick person."

Algerdar turns to the group

"So what do you all think, and who wants to volunteer to be the sick person?"

[Dust]

Dron stares incredulously at the gnome.

"What, are you crazy!?" he says, "what are we going to do against guards without any weapons!? You're going to get us killed!"

Dron looks from face to face and then raises his hands. He turns around and then does a full circle, pointing a finger at the dwarf.

"You want another course of action?" he says, "I'll give you another course of action. We do nothing, we cooperate, we keep our damned mouths shut, and maybe they never realize who we are and let us go!"

Dron looks for a moment as if he is going to continue, but he stops just as his mouth opens. His eyes widen just a little bit and he clamps his mouth shut, fearing that he's said too much.

[SponkleofInfini]

"You forget that me and the Dwarf are wizards, we require no weapons. If we use our spells we should be able to subdue the guard."

Algerdar crosses his arms, head slightly bowed.

"Death is always a possibility as long as we are here. The only question you need ask yourself paranoid one is when will we become expendible. When that happens they may just decide to kill us anyway. I do not take to cowards well, so if you wish to contribute in the future, try to locate your balls before adding anymore of your weak-willed comments."

Algerdar smiles after the last comment

"I still feel that luring the guard in by our terms will give us the upper hand. We will fight by our terms and should come out victorious. If need be you long shanks can use the guards clothing to scout out the place, so that the rest of us may escape."

[Beidamon]

"I still believe my plan is better. If we simply melt off the hinges we can move the door out of the way, then its a simple matter of subduing the guards. If we do the whole one of us is deathly ill and need a guard to come in and help we might as well just scream out 'Hey guards, were trying to escape'. If we do nothing, well, as you can see life doesn't mean much to these people, and a fate I have some control over is better then a fate I have no control over"

[Dust]

"The stupid and the brave are the first in the grave," Dron says to the gnome, quoting a well known proverb, "if you were such a strong magician you never would've been caught in the first place. You know what our chances of escaping are? Damn near none. This is the greatest prison camp the Venterran have, and you just plan to knock out a few guards and waltz out of here!? Listen up, short stack, I don't have any reason to leave this cell, and neither do you. We don't know why we're here, and we don't know what they have planned for us. We could be out of here without any of your stupid risks! And as long as they don't kill us outright or decide to keep us here for years, I for one would just rather they shipped me out to some work detail and escape from there. Do you know what the security is like on a work detail? It's nothing. You know what the security is like here? It's a whole damned garrison!"

Dron stalks over to a corner of the cell and sits down cross legged, arms crossed across his chest.

"You're worse than orcs," he mutters, "you might as well start chanting 'crash, crash, bash, bash' and start trying to storm the castle."

[SponkleofInfini]

"I will play devil's advocate with you dwarf, for it is a good plan, but is flawed. What do you think happens when a heavy iron door is moved or dropped to the ground?"

Algerdar starts to pace again

"It makes noise, a great deal of noise, you say my plan screams escape. But what screams escape more then the large clanging noise of an iron door hitting the ground, or being dragged out of the way."

Algerdar stops to face the dwarf

"My plan may not be full proof, but it is the only one which is feasibal at the present time, unless someone else wishes to endulge me."

[Dust]

"Mad men," Dron mutters, "they put me in here with a bunch of mad men."

[Beidamon]

"Its simple, we melt the lower hinge first, then as we melt the upper one we put preasure on the lower part of the door. As the top hinge melts it become weaker and the bottem part of the door slides out. Then when the door breaks, it will be sliding down and we can control its decent. It should make little enough noise that way."

[SponkleofInfini]

"Ah the coward found his balls, if you do not wish to escape that is your agenda. But do not call me stupid, I am far from it. You have nothing of value to offer us. The only thing you are providing us with is cowardly dribble."

Algerdar finds a place by the opposite wall

"So be it do what you all will, be it sitting in a corner crying."

Looking over at the Coward

"Or like me or the dwarf, trying to figure out a way to escape. So coward, you can sit there for your remaining years acting like a hoover, kissing the enemies ass. I'd would prefer my freedom, even if it comes at the price of death."

[Dust]

"Ah, I think I hear something," Dron says, putting a hand to his ear, "oh yes... it's the call of the martyr. Well, I wish you a properly noble and pointless death, sir."

Dron gives the gnome a mock salute.

[SponkleofInfini]

"Watch your tongue Coward, you may just find it missing. I don't believe you are in a situation to mock a wizard, unarmed, hmm. Pleasent dreams Cowardly one."

[Dust]

Dron brings up and open palm. He looks at it wide eyed for a moment, turning it to the front, and then to the back.

"Mmm... mmm..." he says.

Then he reaches that same hand into his pocket. He rummages around for a moment, a puzzled look upon his face. Finally he smiles and brings up his hand again...

And uses it to give the finger to the gnome.

He nods with a satisfied smile on his face.

[Beidamon]

The dwarf is starting to get annoyed.

Tapping a few times on the back wall to try to figure out how thick it is, and if he has any idea where it leads

"Since no one seems to like using the front door, maybe we can use the back one. If I can melt through iron doors it shouldnt be to hard to melt the wall away in a large enough area for us to get through. I just wish I knew if this wall leds to freedom or anouther cell."

[SponkleofInfini]

"Oh no, he gave me the finger, for a second there I thought he may have drawn some sort of weapon. Hehe the only good thing that finger is good for, is to stick up your ass. If the Gaurds do not kill you soon I may just have to."

Turning his attentions away from the Coward

"Hmm maybe you could make a small hole in the wall if possible sir dwarf. We can then determine if escape is feasable from that locale."

[Dust]

"Asshole," Dron mutters. He shifts so that he can rest his back against the wall and find a comfortable position.

[SponkleofInfini]

"You just keep shooting out those great come backs don't you coward. That's good, curl up into a little ball and shut up, maybe we can work better without your hinderance."

[Beidamon]

The dwarf sets to doing just that, creating a small hole to see out of to see if escape is feasable.

[Dust]

Dron just shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

[SuperJosh]

As the dwarf sets about melting a hole through the back wall Roth finally speaks up. "Well I personally do not care how we get out of the cell, although if we use the 'sick' ploy and it does not work, we could still melt the hinges off later, but if we melt the hinges off first, and we fail, I doubt they will let either of you keep your little friends, or believe the sick cry after that. As for what we do after we get out of here I think the idea of releasing the other prisoners has some merit. Not only will it provide a distraction, but it might make it easier for us to move around if we have uniforms on. Plus I imagine most of the others in here would rather die trying to escape than die rotting in a cell."

[SponkleofInfini]

"Indeed, I doubt I can stand being cooped up in here for a great deal longer. Both plans have their merits, I am impartial as to which course that is decided to take regarding escape."

[BigRedRod]

There is a loud bang from the door, a voice booms
"Keep it down in there!"

The old man who had been sat grinning bursts into a fit of laughter
"Escape!? You did recognise this place as they dragged us in didn't you? We are in 'The Alliance Fortress', it isn't some prison, it is the meeting place of the Dukes and the Venterrans, I doubt there is a better defended building in all of the -"
The cell suddenly shakes and the old man falls to his side, there is a huge crash and there is a huge commotion outside
There is a sound of fighting outside the cell and moments later the door to the cell is flung open, a tall well built man stands with a scowl on his face
"Hurry up, climb down the ladder and get through a portal. NOW!"
The man runs to the opposite cell and looks at the keyring in his hand for the right key

The corridor outside is a scene of destruction, the far wall has been destroyed, and the floor is littered with the bodies of guards. Several men are stood at the other end of the corridor, trying to brace the door, there are also a number of crates beside them along ith a table and chair, a deck of cards covers the area around the table
The loss of the far wall allows the night outside to be seen, it is hard to make out but you would appear to be on the third of fourth floor, there are a few rope ladders leading to the ground. Outside a war is being fought, there are several dragoons in a circle attemtping to fight off swarms of men and a large number of dragoons. The ladders lead down into the circle, people are scrabbling down the ladders as you own cell door is opened



The map (each square is about ten feet for this one, it is a little crude but it shows your position in relation to everything else)

Drop this text at http://www.irony.com/java/mmee
*BEGIN 0 0 rs 0
*s -1 2o 2o rs 0 0 1c 1c 1c 2o 2o 2o 2o 28 *s -1 2o 28 rs 0 0 1c
@1s 2o 1s 2o 28 *s -1 2w 20 rs 0 0 2g 20 2g o 2g 0 2w 0 *s -1 3o
@28 rs 0 0 2k -8 3o -8 3o 1s 3o 28 *s -1 3o 2w rs 0 0 3o 20 3o 2g
@3o 2w *s -1 3o 3g rs 0 0 3o 2s 3o 3g *s -1 2o 2w rs 0 0 2o 2g 2o
@2w *s -1 2o 3g rs 0 0 2o 2s 2o 3g *s -1 2o 3c rs 0 0 1c 20 1c 3c
@2o 3c *s -1 4c 2o rs 0 0 30 1c 4c 1c 4c 2o 30 2o *s -1 4c 3c rs
@0 0 30 3c 4c 3c 4c 20 *s -1 2o 40 rs 0 0 1c 2o 1c 40 2o 40 *s -1
@4c 40 rs 0 0 30 40 4c 40 4c 2o *s -1 2o 3k rs 0 0 2o 3c 2o 3k *s
@-1 3o 3k rs 0 0 3o 3c 3o 3k *s -1 2o 40 rs 0 0 2o 40 2o 3k *s -1
@3o 40 rs 0 0 3o 40 3o 3k *s -1 3o 40 rs 0 0 1o 40 24 3s 2s 3s 30
@3s 3o 40 *s e 5p 7u rs 0 *s e 63 7x rs 0 *s e 6f 7o rs 0 *s e 6r
@7t rs 0 *s e 6w 7x rs 0 *s -1 2w 28 rs 0 9zabk 2g 28 2w 28 *s -1
@3o 2g rs 0 9zabk 3o 20 3o 2g *s -1 2w 2w rs 0 9zabk 2g 2w 2w 2w *s
@-1 3o 2w rs 0 9zabk 3o 2w 38 2w *s -1 2w 3k rs 0 9zabk 2g 3k 2w
@3k *s -1 3o 3k rs 0 9zabk 3o 3k 38 3k *s -1 34 10 rs 0 9zabk 2o
@10 34 10 *s 5 5n 2f rs 0 *s 5 5z 2h rs 0 *s 5 6d 2g rs 0 *s f 70
@2d rs 0 *s -3 44 4t rs 0 Your Cell *s -3 3z 8j rs 0 Destroyed
@wall - rope-ladders lead down to ground *s -3 5l 8r rs 0 *s 5
@72 4o rs 0
*END -662rk

[Beidamon]

"Hmmm dont you love it when plan B's plan themselves?" The dwarf says to the others with a smile on his face

"When theres battles about its much better to be traveling with numbers, should we exit together and protect each others backs while we make our way away?"

The dwarf says to the others, he'll look around on the guards for a nice light crossbow (MW if any has one) and some bolts. If he seems some kind of srorage chest nearby he will melt the lock off to try to find his spellbook.

(Handy little rock, eh?)

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar sticks close to the Dwarf in hopes of locating his spellbook also.

[Dust]

Dron heads out the door, wide eyed. His eyes immediately start searching for a weapon... just in case.

(OOC: I'm searching specifically for a dagger or a quarterstaff if I can find one, but any weapon would do. Dron is far more interested in getting out with his skin than retrieving his possessions, so he's likely to break for the door.)

[BigRedRod]

The dead guards each have a longsword and a chain shirt, two also have light crossbows and 12 bolts each
The only storage area would seem to be in the crates, although it could be storing anything and they don't seeem locked
The door to the north pounds, the man who unlocked your cell finishes opening the last and directs them to leave. Seven or eight people along with two small children flood from the call and start to climb downwards
The man turns and starts shouting
"What are you still doing here!? Get out now! There isn't time for looking around we can't hold them off much longer and i'll be damned before we lose any of our men"

[Dust]

Dron grabs a light crossbow and bolts and heads for the ladder, intent on getting the hell out of there.

(OOC: The map doesn't seem to be working for me.)

[Beidamon]

Grabbing his nice new light crossbow and bolts the dwarf decides he should leave as well.

On his way out he says

"Spells come and spells go but of my life theres only one"

[SponkleofInfini]

"Indeed"

Cray makes great haste for the exit, grabbing one of the longswords.

"I am not great with one of these, but something is better then nothing I suppose."

[SuperJosh]

"I believe the dwarf is right, we should stick together. At least until we get a better idea of what is going on." Roth saya as he grabs a longsword and (If he has time) hastily strips on of the gaurds of his chain shirt. He then takes off after his companions down the ladder.

(OOC if you are having trouble 'pasting' into the map try using 'ctrl v' intead of right clicking.)

[BigRedRod]

The group hastily climb down the rope ladders and arrive on the damp earth at the base of the fortress.
The area around you is encircled by several very large dragoons, they are fiercly battling with swarms of enemy soliders, a number of the smaller dragoons commonly employed in patrolling the grounds and a single larger dragoon armed with a scythe that glows with a blue flame. The sounds of the battle fill the air. The
The circle contains several robed men stood in a line, they are forming arcane symbols in the air and swirling multi-hued brilliant beams of energy are being projected forwards, they meet in front of the men and create a flat flickering plane of light in the shape of an eight foot diameter circle
People are rushing into the energy plane, they look to be the villagers that were captured when Naies was attacked

The man who unlocked your cell and those who had been holding the door shut arrive behind you
"Get through the portal, we've been lucky so far but out little bit of sabotage isn't going to keep the bulk of their dragoons away for much longer."
The group of prisoners from your cell and the men who liberated that area seem to be the only ones left to escape. The old man struggles to keep up behind you and falls onto the ground

[Beidamon]

Fireing off one of his bolts at a enemy soldier, the dwarf will rush through the portal.

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar begins to rush towards the portal, but notices the old man fallen behind him. He moves back and helps the man to the portal.

[SuperJosh]

Roth helps Algerdar carry the old man through the portal.

[Dust]

Dron heads through the portal.

[BigRedRod]

The group rush towards the portal helping the old man along, Durn fires a bolt towards the nearest group of soldiers as he runs along. With the low light and frantic fighting it is unclear whether the bolt struck anything.
The world distorts and strange colours drift around then there is a wave of nausea and the group find themselves lying on a cold smooth stone floor.
The room is a long hall, the survivors from the attack on Naies are clustered in small groups, most look confused and some look deeply ill, a majority are lying on the cold floor. There is little in the way of furnishment in the room, there are no windows, the room is lit by a series of torches fitted into sconces around the edge of the room they burn with unnaturally strong but soft light. There is a single large door in the room, it is made from iron and is fairly ornate being covered with unfamiliar angular patterns, by the door there are a number of armed men milling around.
The large man who opened your cell gets up off the floor and leads the small group of men who followed him to the door. At their arrival the door is opened, all the armed men depart leaving only villagers, the door is then shut again and there is a loud clang.


After a few minutes the nausea subsides and the group find themselves able to move once more, the other men who assualted the fortress seemed far less affected by passage through the portal.
Despite the original population of Naies it would seem only around forty managed to survive the initial attack on the village, and the escape from the Alliance Fortress

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar helps the old man to the floor resting him up against a wall.

"I wonder what is going on here? I hope we haven't moved from one cell to yet another."

[BigRedRod]

The old man splutters and sits down, after a few moments he takes a deep breath
"I shouldn't think we have been captured. The only one's with the courage to attack the Alliance Fortress would be some rebel faction or other. It doesn't make any sense of course, we are just a handful of simple men and women, we aren't worth the risk of attacking the fortress."
He closes his eyes for a moment
"So, it looks like we are in one of the hidden rebel outposts, I doubt there is any way of escape. But we shouldn't have a long wait, I'm sure someone will be along shortly to explain what happened."
The old man smiles and looks towards Roth and Algerdar
"My name is Harken, Thanks you for helping me through the portal. I wouldn't have made it if you hadn't picked me up."

[SponkleofInfini]

"Greetings Harken, my name is Algergar, that there is Roth. It was no problem, my conscience would have plagued me if I had not helped you. I am glad to see that you are ok."

Algerdar sits next to Harken, leaning up against the wall as he sits about a foot away.

[Dust]

"Rebels?" Dron mutters to himself, barely audible to his former cell mates. Slowly a broad smile comes across his face. His body relaxes, and he casually crosses his arms across his chest, cocking his hip to one side as he does so.

Praise be to Puck for never-ending luck, he thinks to himself, saying a short rhyming prayer of praise.

[SuperJosh]

"Greetings Harken, as was said earlier, I am Roth. It was no trouble to aid you. I have seen enough death to let another die beause I was to cowardly to help." With that Roth belts on the sword he took and starts to put on the chainmail (if he had time to grab it).

[BigRedRod]

[ooc: Everyone update their character sheets with their new very meager possessions]

The great doors reopen
A tall handsome man with dark borwn hair strides in along with about half a dozen guards in full armour. The man wears a loose red shirt and black trousers with leather boots, the clothes are of amazing quality,
"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. It must be very disturbing to have been moved from one cell to what appears to be another with no explanation."
"I am Lord Kennit, leader of the ex-mercenary company the Silver Skulls. We oppose the Venterran alliance and the attack on Naies demonstrates the reason for our opposition."
He pauses for a moment , looking around the room at the villagers and continues,
"Naies is no more and it is unsafe to return to that location. You will be taken to a town in Sinst, where you can attempt to restore your lives, I know it will not be easy but it is preferrable to a life in a cell"
Some people begin to cry, others just sit in shock
"I will return shortly with a meal for each of you. I'll leave you to consider my hharsh tidings"
The man turns around and walks away, the guards stand to attention in front of the door.

The old man begins to weep
"Why our town? We had nothing they could have wanted, just simple folk with simple lives..."
He takes a deep breath and staggers to his feet and limps towards another group of the villagers

[Beidamon]

The dwarf thinks back on the fight, while a dragoon should have filled him with its usual awe he can't stop his mind from working, and he begins to analize the fight and every little thing he noticed and begins to think about what he would of done diffirently if it was him building the dragoon. He dismisses those thoughts though. It will still be a long time untill I can create something like that, the dwarf thinks to himself. One day, I shall build dragoons, not standard issue tin cans though, mine will be strong dragoons, top of the line ones, and will be like can openers for those tin cans of theirs. The dwarf goes on dreaming about this while he waits for anything to happen.

[BigRedRod]

[ooc: Beid stick your thoughts in italics, it's easier to follow when it's broken up]

A few minutes later and Kennit returns along with a number of other men, they carry trays heaped with bowls.
You are each handed a bowl and spoon by one of Kennit's companions. The bowl contains a fairly thin looking soup but contains several lumps of potato, dumpling and other bit's of vegetable.

Kennit turns to adress the room once more,
"I'm sorry that this is all we can offer you, but a life fighting injustice is not a rich one. After you have finished your soup I shall begin the task of moving small groups of you to Sinst. The town you will be arriving at is called Lodez, it is about a two day ride south of the Cavernous Wood. It is an accepting town, I am sure you can live prosperous new lives there."

The men who helped him serve leave the room, but Kennit himself sits down next to a group of ex-villagers with a bowl of soup and joins their conversation, you cannot make out his words. The room is fairly noisy now, people are voicing their concerns over this new life to one another, but the room is no longer the den of misery it had been originally. The shocked greatful atmosphere of the room is slightly disturbing

[Dust]

Dron gets up, bowl in hand, and heads over to Kennit. Not waiting for an invitation he sits down next to the rebel.

"So what group are you with?" Dron asks, shoveling a spoonful of soup into his mouth, "because you know I'm a freedom fighter myself."

[BigRedRod]

The man gives a stifled laugh, and successfully avoids spitting out his mouthfull of soup. He swallows,
"Really boy?"
He looks Dron up and down and then continues
"Well I thought I had said who we were, but perhaps I didn't. I'm the Commander of the Silver Skulls. We used to mercenary around Sinst, Spiran, Loklan, Helkin and Ronoway. Well other places too but mainly there. Like some others we saw through the "Alliance", the Allied States are little more than puppets now. And so the Skulls turned from selling their services for coin to fighting for the freedom of the states"
The man shakes his head and smiles at Dron again
"So who are you fighting with then, being a freedom fighter and all?"

[SuperJosh]

Roth sits in the room eating his soup. When Dron goes and starts talking to Kennit he slides a little closer to the group so that he can hear the conversation.

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar lets off a slight chuckle at Kennit's reaction to Roth's statement.

Would it be wise to tell them of yourself, I don't think so. They say they are helping us but can we really trust them.......I guess only time will tell.

[Dust]

"Well, I was with the Reclamation army," Dron says between gulps of soup, "for about a year and a half, working as a mechanist... well, mechanist apprentice actually. I was there at the Hagland massacre. Damn shame. Lost many friends. So, anyways, I've been on the run and hiding out since then. I'm wanted by the government, so I've been dodging bounty hunters and police forces for a while. But hey, now that I'm here I figure you're all probably wanted too. Seems like a good time to join up."

Dron says this is such a matter of fact way that most of the people around him are now staring at him with odd looks on their faces. Dron, for his part, pays no attention, and indeed doesn't even seem to notice. He puts the bowl up to his lips and finishes off its contents with loud slurping noises.

"Can I have a little bit more of this?" Dron says, taking the bowl down from his lips.

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar looks up at Dron.

"Really, you're currently on the run. Hmm thats seems a little strange. If you were as wanted as you say, then why did you want to remain imprisoned instead of trying to figure out a way to escape? It would seem that if they found out your identity, which they most likely would have eventually then you would have been executed. Does that not sound odd to you Dron? May the gods forbid that you may be telling us an untruth."

[BigRedRod]

"Soup? Of course it may not be much but there is plenty of it."
He stands up and waves over one of his guards, he whispers something to him and then dismisses him. As the guard leaves the room he stands up,
"If any of you would enjoy a second bowl of the soup please form an orderly line at the door."
Several of the villagers stand up and begin to queue, three of the men who had previously distributed the soup stand at the door giving fresh bowls out and taking in the empty ones. One of the men approaches Kennit and hands both Dron and Kennit a bowl, while taking their empty ones
He eats a spoonful of dumpling thoughtfully and then speaks again to Dron
"Hmmm, I can't just let you in you understand. We need men who can handle a dragoon or maintain them ... you say you were an apprentice to a mech for over a year, what was his name? Perhaps I have heard of him"

[ooc: remember that Mech is fairly frequently used as slang by pilots to mean mechanist]

[Dust]

(OOC: Cray? Sounds like an identity crisis, Algerdar :cool: )

Dron looks over at the gnome.

"Prisons don't look at wanted posters," Dron says, "if you keep your eyes down and your voice low, they'll never even notice you until you're already out on work detail."

Dron gives him a wink before turning back to Kennit. He gratefully takes the bowl and begins digging in once again.

"Halut Mainer," Dron says, "although I'm pretty sure he's dead now. The massacre and all. A good mechanist though. Also a real hard nose. Still, I liked him when he was still around."

Dron swallows a large lump of potato. It momentarily catches in his throat and he thumps himself twice on the chest to get it down before returning to his meal.

[SponkleofInfini]

(OOC: With all these games I was bound to mess the names up eventualy. Sorry everyone, it has been corrected.)

[BigRedRod]

"Mainer? No, that isn't a familiar name but then again it hards to stay aware of everything."

Kennit gives a long pause looking Dron up and down

"I'm gonna go with my gut here, we aren't a large group but we can't allow anyone who just asks to join in our struggle. I'm a strong believer in destiny, or as some would have it luck, you are still young and seem inexperienced, but if this is something you must do then I don't doubt that you will find some way of doing it. My gut says no at the moment, don't take it too badly. I feel almost sure that we will be brought together again and then if you still wish to join our ranks I may reconsider"


Kennit stands up, pats Dron of the shoulder and walks towards the door while finishing his soup,
"It is time that we started to relocate you, I will take you in small groups and you will be delievered to the village. I'm sorry that we can't offer more after all that has happened to you"
Kennit hands his empty bowl to one of his men, and walks towards one of the nearer clusters of ex-villagers, he whispers a few words and they follow one of the guards out of the doorway.

[Dust]

Dron stares after him with a mouth full of soup. He swallows and frowns. He looks down at his bowl, grimaces and puts it on the ground.

"Well ain't that a hard road," he says dissatisfied with Kennit's answer.

[BigRedRod]

The groups slowly dissapear as they are led from the room at intervals of a few minutes.
The room is now empty except for Kennit, one of his guards and those who had been with you in the cell (except the old man who had left with the third group who seemed to be his family)
Kennit relieves the soup bowl from each of you and hands them to the guard,
"Take these to the kitchen"
He then turns to the remaining four
"If you would follow me, I'll take you to the portal chamber."


As the group walk through the stone corridors past closed door after closed door and no other signs of life, Kennit slows down to walk beside Dron,
"Don't take it too hard lad. It's nothing personal but I need fully experienced pilots and mechs' and right now that isn't what you are."

He stops and opens a door to his right, it leads into a large circular room, the floor is covered in markings of all shape and all colour. Four blue-robed men stand at certain points in the circle, in deep meditation, you cannot make out their faces under the hoods. Kennit directs you to the centre of the circle, the robed men begin to chant and sparks leap from the floor, the runes begin to glow and slowly move in complex patterns
Kennit tosses a small pouch to each of you,
"I'm sorry there isn't more I can do, there is a little money there to help you along. I would say help you re-build your lives and settle in but I would be a fool to suggest that that will happen."
Kennit winks and grins, and the world stretches and turns


The air is cold, and the grass is wet. The sky is blue but contains a good number of clouds. You are lying on a patch of grass, you seem to be in the grounds of a large villa, small groups of trees dot the area of grass, behind you there is a large pond that contains a number of strange coloured lights, you can't make out the sources however. Ahead of you there is a gravel path that leads up the villa and out to the gateway in the walls that surround the grounds. The grounds seem well-tended and the villa itself is fairly large. The other three from your group lie on the grass a short distance from you. The other ex-villagers are nowhere to be seen
There is no feeling of nausea such as you felt when transported from the fortress, but it is still very dis-orientating

[SuperJosh]

Roth shakes his head as he reorients himself. "Well, here we are.", he says as he stands up, "What are your plans now?" Roth asks, feeling that an unspoken bond has formed with his fellow exprisoners, and not wanting to see it disolved yet.

[Dust]

Dron kicks up to a standing position and wanders off five paces, kicking at the grass.

"Damn ungrateful rebels!" he says to himself, "'sorry kid, we're just going to throw you to the bounty hunters.'"

He trails off into a string of barely intelligible curses before finally putting his hands on his hips and letting out a long sigh.

"Well, I guess I'm going to find out where I am and go from there... not that I want any of you nuts with me."

He gives the group a wink and a half wave and starts walking down the gravel path, intent on asking the first person he sees where he is.

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar, coin pouch in hand. He throws it up slightly repeatedly.
A smile comes upon his face as if enjoying and relishing the rejection that came to Dron not to long ago.

"Hmm, it seems as if Dron did not like our company."

The smile now turns to chuckling.

"I guess we should find out where we are, shall we head for the villa, see if any people can be found within these grounds."

Algerdar takes a look at hw much gold is within the pouch.

[BigRedRod]

An inspection of the pouch reveals that a majority of the coins were not in fact gold, there are two gold coins, ten silver and ten copper. Each of the pouches contains a similar amount
[ooc: everyone update your sheets with your vast fortunes and exceptional equipment]

As Dron begins to walk away a stout man approaches him from further up the path, his location had been obscured by a small group of trees. The man wears chainmail, has a crossbow strapped to his back and is holding a longsword.
"Halt!"
He approaches Dron,
"Hmm I thought you were some more of the children trying to steal the apples, you must have met Corran as he got into town to get here this quickly, still i'm not complaining."
He looks at the three on the grass, and sheaths his sword to start pointing
"Get up off there, Master Rizeth likes his gardens to remain untouched, you'll ruin it lying on it while it's wet. The Master is waiting in his study, follow me."
The man turns and walks towards the villa, mumbling just a little too loudly
"Corran is too soft, it's an easy job but he could have hired some men who had a little class ...."

[SponkleofInfini]

"This is bad, so little money......how will I be able to buy a spellbook with this lousy sum of money........I guess I should be grateful though, they did save me."

Algerdar follows the stout man upto the villa.

[Dust]

Dron looks to either side as the man begins to walk away, a guarded expression on his face. Finally he takes a cautious step forward and begins to follow.

[SuperJosh]

Roth follows the man, wondering who Corran, why he would have been sent here, and what what Master Razeth wants.

[Beidamon]

Durn will follow the man as well, not liking all this 'nature', its unhealthy for a dwarf.

[BigRedRod]

The man leads you into the villa, the interior is tastefully decorated and is largely made from black and White marble with gold and red veins. The great central staircase has a large blue-stone statue(about nine-feet tall) on either side. On the left there is a man in wearing a robe and holding a scepter, on the right there is a woman clad in full-plate armour with no helm, she is armed with a huge spear
The man turns to the group following him,
"The Master will be in his study expecting you, come along. Don't dawdle."

He walks quickly up the stairs and heads off down a corridor, he opens the large door at the far end,
"Go in, go in" he whispers and pushes the group into the study.
The room is very cluttered, lacking the elegance of his entry hall. Scrolls, books, and strnage artifacts litter table surfaces and the floor. An old man sits in the middle of the clutter on the ground reading a book
The man who led you in stands to attention and speaks rather loudly,
"Sir, here are the men you sent for"
The old man reaches for a walking stick ( which is crafted from what looks to be blue glass) and slowly stands up and turns to face the man
"Very good Barrett, you may leave us now."
The man is very old, his only hair he still has are his eye brows and they are both white. The man is very frail looking but his eyes seem to contain limitless energy,
The guard who escourted you leaves and closes the door behind him

"Did Corran explain what I was hiring for? Hmmm, I had better explain it anyhow. He trys hard but he tends to forget details"
The man takes a deep breath,
"As you must know I am Rizeth ... I would offer you a seat but my research has made my study rather untidy as of late. Although I expect you know that too, I'm not unaware of the rumours in town of my slipping mind"
He gives a short laugh,
"Well then. The job is simple, I am studying the magical field that animates Dragoons, they call it Mechanist Magic but i'm not in one of the guilds and so I can't just ask about it. Yesterday I recieved word that a small group of dragoons had been destroyed by a rock-fall a little way to the east, I'm guessing they were from the Allied-states, but who they are isn't important. I want their energysts, hopefully i've acted quickly enough and you can recover them before any else manages to. See, very simple."
The man looks at each of the escaped prisoners in turn
"Extracting the energysts should be simple. The energyst is the gem that gives power to a dragoon, they are typically located in the chest region, find the remains, crack them open and get me the gems. Each one should contain a single gemstone. Before I give you the location of the dragoons, I'll need to know if you will accept the task. So, will you do this for me?"

[SponkleofInfini]

"I would like to do this for you."

Showing great interest in the old sages task

"But I would ask a favour of you, my spellbook was lost and I require another, could you provide me and my companion with a blank spellbook if you have one?"

Looking at Durn as he asks about the spellbooks.

[BigRedRod]

"That reminds me! I didn't mention what I was going to pay you, perhaps what they say about me has a little truth to it..."
Rizeth puts his palm to his head and continues,
"I should have some unused spellbooks in here somewhere. You are welcome to them, also for each energyst you return does one hundred gold pieces sound fair?"
The old man looks expectantly at the group

[Dust]

Although he finds the entire situation odd, Dron's ears prick up at the mention of dragoons and energysts. The gold only sweetens the deal. However, he doesn't let on. He puts on a frowning face and scratches his chin.

"100 sounds a little low," he says, "after all, energysts don't just grow on trees. And there'll likely be recovery teams... I'd say 150, at least, plus supplies... tools to get at the energysts, provisions, rope, lanterns and the like."

(OOC: Bluff or Diplomacy check?)

[BigRedRod]

The old man nods
"You're right, I didn't consider the fact you could arrive at the same time as any rival recovery teams, that could make things ... messy"
He rubs his chin for a moment and continues,
"I will give you 130 coins for each you return, I don't have much in the way of supplies for the actual job, I presumed you would manage to pull that kind of stuff together ... I suppose this isn't exactly a normal task"
He sighs,
"Very well, I'm sure that Archer's General Store back in town will have what you need. Bearing in mind the fact I am gifting you with two unused spellbooks, how much will you need to outfit yourselves?"
The elderly man stares at Dron

[ooc: I went with diplomacy, seems that way to me anyhow and don't complain becuase you managed to pass it :) ]

[Dust]

"Well, that depends on how much you'd like us to succeed," Dron says, "let's see..."

Dron looks up towards the ceiling with a scrunched up face.

"I'd say we could go bare bones for a hundred... you could out the price for the spellbooks too, I suppose... but we'd have a better chance with two hundred gold pieces. Three hundred would make success even more likely... we could pick up some climbing tools; I could get a tool set for extracting the energysts quickly... So, it's your call old man. How badly to you want those energysts?"

[Beidamon]

Adamantite rock still in hand the dwarf speaks up.

"For my share 100 gold and a spellbook will be plenty enough, being able to get the chance to tinker with a dragoon a little is almost worth it alone. Its a hobby of mine you could say and i'm always seeking to improve my knowledge of it. Like you I know how frustrating it can be to try to learn a little without having to go through the guilds"

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar nods in agreement with Durn's statements.

"Yes 100 gold and the spell book will be fine."

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar nods in agreement with Durn's statements.

"Yes 100 gold and the spell book will be fine."

(OOC: Lets just hope we don't have to pay to re-write our spells in our books otherwise we may be in trouble :))

[SuperJosh]

"So, a hundred gold for supplies, plus two spell books, and 130 gold for each energynst we bring back, right?", Roth says, "I know I could use the money, since I lost all my equipment. I am in."

[Dust]

Dron looks at Roth and the others and slowly shakes his head. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Yeah, fine, 100 gold for supplies," he says, waving his hand dismissively.

I could've milked this guy for way more than that he thinks, and we could've used it too. How in nine layers of hell did I end up with these mad men! It's like being in a circus!

He takes a deep breath and then sighs loudly, trying to calm himself.

[BigRedRod]

"That is alot more than I originally offered, but I don't have time to debate this with you. I need those gems by as soon as possible. We are agreed them your group will recieve one hundred gold pieces now, two unused spellbooks and one hundred and thirty gold pieces per energyst found when you return?"
The old man looks wearied but expectantly at the group
[ooc: you have all agreed to this so i'll assume you nod and the like]
"Very well, I'll need some time to put the money together and dig out some of my blank spellbooks, go and enjoy my gardens, It shouldn't take me long and I'll find you outside once i'm ready"
Rizeth turns around and walks to a stack of crates and begins looking through a small chest sat on top of them


[ooc: beid if you say "mech" again and mean dragoon i'm gonna start deducting xp from Durn]

[BigRedRod]

The group leave the Study and proceed down the corridor and out of the main door of the villa.

Very Shortly after Rizeth steps outside, with a young boy following him, the boy is carrying two books with a pouch set on top of them. He is dressed as a typical serving boy would be from any household.

Rizeth waves the group over,
"I have what you asked for, he hands the pouch to Dron and a spellbook to Althegar and Durn."
After he had finished dealing out the goods he turns to the boy,
"I shall have a pot of tea awaiting my return to my study"
The boy quickly returns to the villa
"Proceed eastwards along the main road that passes the front of my gate, after several minutes the path will split into two, heading north and south. You should continue eastwards, leaving the road. After around five miles or so you will reach the edge of a cliff, it shouldn't more than a ten foot drop at this point. Then head northwards the cliff face will get steadily higher, two or three miles along there is the region wheere the cliff has collapsed, that is where you should find the reamins of a group of dragoons."
The old man looks into the air wistfully
"If I was a little younger I'd be able to make the trip, I knew all the land around here for miles ... but that was the past I need to move on.
Rizeth looks at the group,
"You had best hurry up, every minute you wait increases the chance that someone else will have found the site. Do you have any questions?"

[SponkleofInfini]

Aldergar looks on at the elderly sage.

"Thankyou for the spellbook, I have no questions to ask you at this point."

Algerdar looks at the others waiting to see if they have any questions of their own.

[SuperJosh]

Roth looks down at the longsword at his hip. "I am just ready to get that gold so I can buy a real sword. Lets go."

[Dust]

"Where's the general store around this place?" Dron asks, looking around.

(OOC: For my part, I'll be buying a Backpack, Bedroll, Crowbar, Flint and Steel, Grappling Hook, Common Lamp, Pouch Belt, 4 Trail Rations, Hemp Rope (50ft), Sack, Waterskin, and Thieve's Tools. Total cost is 40gp and 3sp. If someone wants to protest, we'll act it out IC. Don't forget that we have a small amount of gold ourselves to use as well as the 100 we got.)

[BigRedRod]

Rizeth looks puzzeled at Dron,
"Head back into town, I ...."
Rizeth shakes his head
"Just get back with the energysts as soon as you can"
Rizeth turns away and heads towards his villa

You are stood on the gravel path, behind you lies the gatehouse . The walls surrounding the villa's grounds are plastered white and around 12feet high, the gatehouse currently has both sets of double large reinforced wooden doors open, you can see a cart and a man talking with two more of Rizeth's Guards beyond the doors.

[SuperJosh]

"Why don't Dron and I run to town while Durn and Aldergar copy their spells into their spellbooks?" Roth says as they walk. "As for myself all I need is a pack, a bedroll, some rations, a water skin, and a change of cloths. More rope and another crowbar might be nice, just in case these things are REALLY hard to crack open, but they are not a nessecity."

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar looks pleased with the suggestion

"That would be a good Idea, but it may be best to get the energysts quickly before we do anything. After which we can do as we wish. Hence we do not have to make multiple runs to the store when we get the rest of our funds from the mage."

Algerdar crosses his arms

"We should be off, the quicker we get the energysts the quicker we can shop."

[SuperJosh]

"It is my fear that we will get to the dragoons and not have the equipment we need to retreive the energyst, and as a result will have to treck all the way back to the village, then return to the dragoons. I think that we at least need rope and some tools." Roth says.

[SponkleofInfini]

"You have a good point, maybe one person should go to the store while the rest of us go to the Dragoons and secure the site. That way we will get the items we need and make sure no one else gets to the Dragoons first."

[Beidamon]

"Im not staying behind, I want to go see those dragoons up close. With a little spare time I can look around in them and get a better idea how they work."

[SponkleofInfini]

"I do not mind heading off to the store, for I have no interest in Dragoons. But we should split up, it is the only way that we will have the highest chance of success."

[Dust]

Dron looks at each member in turn, a look of profound hopelessness on his face.

"You know, it'll only take a small amount of time to get supplies," he says slowly, "I don't think anyone is beating us there by a half hour."

He has heard of powerful magics before causing insanity. Maybe they were caught in an insanity field or something...

[SuperJosh]

"I agree, a half an hour one way or the other is not going to make much of a difference let us go to town and get supplies then head off to the dragoons."

[SponkleofInfini]

"You surprise my coward one, your lack of precaution surprises me. From past experience I would have thought you would be all for caution."

Algerdar lets out a snicker.

"Well so be it, if you need someone to hold your hand while you shop then who am I to stop you both. I will head to where the Dragoons lie, and shall wait for you there, for someone who is pretty keen to get their money you don't seem to want to secure the Dragoon site, famous last words, only half hour. If you do not mind could you get me the following while shopping. <insert items here>.

items
Backpack
Belt Pouch x2
Spell Component Pouch
Waterskin
Scroll Organiser
Ink
Inkpen

(OOC: Why do you persist in saying our characters are acting strange or insane. If anyone is acting that way it is yourself.)

[Dust]

(OOC: I'm just finding this whole adventure really wacky so far. To decide not to stop for supplies is odd. Immediately trying to escape from a cell is kind of odd. Immediately bonding and being friends, which has somehow happened, is kind of odd. It's been like an abridged book. All plot, no real seeming reactions.
Using this last little bit as an example, we're close to the town (I assume it's just down the road) and we have absolutely no supplies. And yet we want to leave without buying anything, even after negotiating for supply money? It's just realistic. I'm just trying to play my character with a certain amount of realism, and so far his reaction to this entire situation is one of total insanity.)

[SuperJosh]

"Fine," Roth says, "I will go to the store, anyone who wants to go with me is free to, anyone who wants to head on to the dragoons can. I will get as much of everyons requests as possible, though I do not know if we have enough to get everything everybody wanted. So far we want: 3 Backpacks, 2 Belts, 2 Bedrolls, a crowbar, 4 Pouchs, a Spell Component Pouch, Flint and Steel, 2 Waterskins, a Scroll Organiser, a Grappling hook, Ink, an Inkpen, a Common Lamp, 50 feet of rope, a Sack, Rations and Thieves Picks. Durn, do you want anything? Maybe some ink, and an inkpen? Also a couple of pouches, and a scroll organiser? Now all I need is the money and I will be off. I will meet you all at the dragoons as soon as possible."

[Beidamon]

"You can pick some stuff up for me while I go examine the dragoons as well. Ill need a backpack, 5 days of rations, a bedroll, a spell components pouch, a scroll organizer and a waterskin if its not to much trouble. Now lets get off and see those dragoons. I want to have as much time as possible, maybe if im lucky I could salvage a few parts for us if I have enough time."

[SponkleofInfini]

"Indeed, We shall see you both soon then. Durn we should make our way there now then."

Algerdar begins to make his way to the Dragoons.

[Beidamon]

With Durn walking along beside him, eager to see what makes these dragoons tick. But with his light crossbow ready just in case.

[SuperJosh]

Roth heads towards town ond the general store.

[Dust]

Dron heads towards town ond the general store. :cool:

[BigRedRod]

[ooc: I'll split the thread once you split up]

The four walk down the path and through the gatehouse, a merchant is sat at a table with a few guards with a scoll and is talking quietly, one of the guards gives a confused look as the escapees walk past and onto the road outside.

The road is wide and has a few trees scattered on the far side, there is a cart stopped by the gatehouse with a sheet of canvas pulled over whatever it is transporting.

The sky is blue with occasional whispy clouds dotting it, it looks like the weather will stay fine for now.

[ooc: You don't know which way the town is, or which way east is either to get to the dragoons]

[SuperJosh]

Roth notices the guard that gives the group a confused look. "Excuse me, could you tell me the quickest way to town?"

[BigRedRod]

The guard looks blankly at Roth and then speaks in a quiet level voice like he is unsure of something,
"Just head west down the road, it goes right into town."
He makes a gesture indicating which direction in west and then asks,
"Just one question : Where are you from? I didn't see you come in through these gates and you don't know where town is, so you aren't from round here. So that means you are something to do with the Master, I apologise if i'm prying Sir, but I'm sure the Master would understand you telling me, afterall it's my job to watch over the gate today, I need to know about the comings and going of everyone"
The other guard's face becomes a mask of shock as the first asks the question, and the Mercant ignores them both while he writes in a book on the table, he looks up for a moment,
"Town? Just go the way I came from, no doubt my cart tracks are still there, with all the stuff I had to have hauled up there. My poor horse is exhausted."
His head goes down again and he continues to write the book

[SuperJosh]

"You are right, we are not from around here. That is why I asked for the quickest way to town, sometimes the road is not the quickest. As for how we got into our masters estate, that is a matter between us and him, and I will not devulge that information with out his leave. Now is the road the quickest way, or merely the easiest? I am in need of haste and do not want to waste more time here than I already have." Roth says in an authoritative tone he remembers his father using in his youth.

[Dust]

Dron, in the meantime, walks away down the road without saying a word, heading towards town.

[BigRedRod]

"Of course Sir, very sorry sir. The road is straight Sir, it is by far the fastest way."
The guard doesn't look up as he talks, staring down at the table until Roth is gone

[BigRedRod]

[ooc: Dron and Roth get their own thread until they ctach up with the other two]

With the two humans heading towards town to find some provisions the dwarf and the gnome set out towards the site. After ten minutes or so the path splits and they leave the path to head across the open fields beyond.
After an hour or so the plains become more of a light forest with all the undergrowith and clumps of trees, after two more hours of travel the pair stand on the edge of a cliff. The ground below must be at least eleven or twelve feet away and the drop increases to the north and the south. For people the height of Algerdar and Durn the drop is quite daunting, the cliff is fairly rough and is at a slighlt slope. The undergrowth that plagued the jounry up to the cliff now makes climbing down a very simple task indeed

The land below is fairly clear, and the two head northwards beside the cliff-face. The cliff gradually rises as they travel, just over an hour or so passes and th section of cliff which collapsed is found by the pair, the ground is covered by rocks of all sizes and an a strange unnatural mist that makes it difficult to make out if there is in fact anything under the rocks. Upon arriving there are no sings of any dragoons (destroyed or otherwise) but there is also no sign of any other people in the area and as far as can be seen through the mist it looks like no attempts have been made to clear the heaps of rocks.

[SponkleofInfini]

"Hmm this infernal mist makes sight difficult. Shall we explore the area more?"

[Beidamon]

"Aye, lets explore the area more. We should do it together and not split up, not only will this weather make it hard to find each other but also easy to ambush either of us, and since we know there will likely be people coming here eventually we really should stay on the safe side. Now lets get looking."

With that Durn will begin to help searching

[BigRedRod]

After almost half an hour of careful systematic searching of the area, Algerdar stumbles across what appears to be an open dragoon cockpit in a small area concealed by a very large boulder, the armour plating around it is heavily dented, and the opening mechanism seems to have failed meaning it had to be forced and is only partially open. There is no sign of the pilot and the rest of the dragoon is buried under the rubble.
The mist is very light around the damaged cockpit, it was just the boulder that had obscured it from view

[Beidamon]

(OOC: Does it look like its damaged beyond repair and does any of it look salvagable?)

Durn will use his knowledge of dragoons and begin searching around the dragoon to access the damage (Knowledge or craft Dragoon check or whatever). He will locate the peice they were sent for and begin looking for any salvagable parts.

[BigRedRod]

[ooc: you can seee a cockit and a few heavily damaged armour plates. Do you want to try and ig down to take a look at the dragoon?]

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar looks on slightly intrigued by the Dragoon, he watches intently as Durn continues his examination.

[Beidamon]

At first durn will only examine what isnt buried, after that he will carefully examine the land around the dragoon and using his natural dwarven feel for rock try to figure out what the situation is like and if it will be safe to dig here. If it is then he will begin carefully clearing the rock away from the dragoon.

[BigRedRod]

After a good quarter of an hour of careful surveying of the area it would seem the dragoon isn't covered by too great a layer of rocks and it looks to be safe to begin excavations
As the first rocks are removed you can see that the damage to this dragoon is servere indeed. However the damage seems only in part to have come from the rockslide, there are multiple deep gashes in the armour that penetrate into the machinary below.
The odd thing is the weapon marks are very small (looking like they were caused by an average man's sword rather than a Dragoon's blade) but they seem to have inflicted tremendous damage.
To excavate enough of the chest region to attempt energyst extraction will take around half an hour
[ooc: thats assuming you both work at it, otherwise its an hour]

[Beidamon]

Durn will begin setting to work uncovering the mech, keeping his eyes open for any relatively undamaged parts that might be worth something

[BigRedRod]

The dwarf and gnome set about uncovering the giant's torso so that they might attempt to remove the energyst sealed inside.
The digging takes a little over half an hour, a short time after finishing the work Roth and Dron arrive carrying various equipment with them.

[ooc: Durn you have reached the conclusion that the dragoon is part of the Venterran Military from the style and markings, it seems to be a light scout, from what you have sen so far there is no part worth salvaging unless you want to strip it for raw materials and attempt to transport a few tons of armour plates and damaged machinary, although it would be very difficult to find a buyer as few dragoons are privately owned]

It is mid-afternoon and the sun is still fairly high in the sky, the mist in the area is still present and obscuring your view of the rocks and ground in that area

The armour plate that should cover the area where the energyst is held suffered damaged around the lower edge meaning it shouln't take too much work to pry off

[Beidamon]

The dwarf will begin working away at the armor plating, removing it and carefully extracting the energyst from the damaged dragoon

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar brushes the dirt from his clothes, he watches Durn carefully as he attempts to extract the energyst.

[BigRedRod]

Durn takes the crowbar from Dron and slides one end under the armour plate, with a sudden forceful push the plate lifts upwards. Dropping the crowbar the dwarf heaves the plate away and looks into the exposed heavily damaged mechanics below, there are gears and cogs (some still turning once every few seconds), small crystals that flare with light, curious shaped pieces of various matals and in the centre of it all you can see a fairly large gem that is clearly the energyst.
Durn carefully removes the machinary around it and finds the energyst cradlke has been almost destroyed, this makes removing it very simple. The gem itself is a piece of amber which glows with a faint flickering orange light, as the energyst is removed the last of the fading signs of power vanish

[Dust]

Dron lets out a low whistle.

"We're lucky to get it out at all," Dron says, "this thing is trashed."

[Beidamon]

"And not by accident it seems. See these gashes? They seem to have been made by a human sized sword of some kind, some new weapon perhapse. This scout damage makes me begin to wonder if this was a big ambush and not just the forces of nature that caused these dragoons to be destroyed. I think we should leave this area as soon as we can, before whoever did this returns" Durn says gesturing to the slash marks.

[SuperJosh]

"Riseth said that it was a GROUP of dragoons that were damaged. Have you found any hint of the other ones?" Roth asks, anxious to start extracting the energyst from the other dragoons.

[SponkleofInfini]

"That's a good question, we have yet to come across another."

[SuperJosh]

"While you are finishing up with this dragoon I will start looking for the other one. Now what area have you already searched?" After confering with Algerdar and Durn, Roth continues their careful survey of the area.

[BigRedRod]

After moments of searching in one of the more misty areas Roth touches something which is without a doubt metal, peering through the mist and using his hands to find the shape it becomes clear this is a dragoon's arm, from the angle it is rising out of the rocks it looks like it is buried quite a lot deeper than the previosuly found dragoon. The strange mist does little to help the situation.
With all four of you digging it looks like it will take around twenty-minutes to extract, although it is very hard to estimate a time

[SuperJosh]

Roth makes a mental note of where this dragoon is, and goes back to tell the others. After making sure they understand were it is he goes out searching again. His logic being if there are dragoons that are easier to obtain the energyst from get those first, that way if they have to beat a hastey retreat they will leave as few energysts behind as possible.

[Dust]

Dron begins digging, hoping to free the second dragoon.

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar finds Roth's suggestion a good one.

"I will help you."

Leaving Durn and Dron to Dig up the founded Dragoons.

[BigRedRod]

After an extensive search of the remaing area lasting just over forty minutes a single other dragoon has been found, it is the least covered on the two being fairly far from the cliff face. It's cockpit is exposed from under the rocks (although the mist does a very good job in hiding it), this dragoon also seems to have suffered extreme damage

A few minutes later Durn and Dron finish digging the rocks away from the chest region where the energyst is likely to be kept. Durn deems that this dragoon is little more than scrap metal now from the heavy damage it has suffered.

The wind changes slightly and it carries the ghastly stench of dried blood and recent death towards the group. The landscape is coated in thick yellow light as the day moves onwards towards late afternoon

[SuperJosh]

"I am going to go check on the "D"s and see how they are doing and tell them we could only find one more. Do you want to stay here or come with me?" Roth asks Algerdar.

[SponkleofInfini]

"I will stay, I doubt you all will be to long."

(OOC: Depending on how long it takes the others to return I will begin at least to write my spells into my spellbook)

[SuperJosh]

"Very well, I shall return shortly.' Roth says then heads off to find Dron and Durn.

[BigRedRod]

Roth walks to the other side of the collapsed area to find Dron and Durn stood over a dragoon that is excavated enough to allow an attempt to be made on removing it's energyst

***

Aldergar sits down near the third dragoon and begins to write in his spellbook

[SuperJosh]

"We could only find one more dragoon." Roth says to the Ds when he gets back to the dragoon they were excavating. "It is buried a lot less than this one is... was." He amends when he sees the amount of work they have done. "How long until you have the energyst out of this one? I do not want leave Algerdar alone to long."

[Dust]

"Hard to say," Dron grunts, sweat on his brow, "but I can take care of the Energyst in this one. I'd suggest you go ahead and start working on the other one."

[SuperJosh]

"Will do." With that Roth tells them where the last dragoon is and slides back into the mist to return to Algerdar and the last dragoon. "Lets start clearing the rubble away from the chest." He says as he reaches Algerdar, "The others have finished exposing the chest and will be along as soon as they extract the energyst."

[SponkleofInfini]

(OOC: How many spells did I get to write into the book? If I haven't I will continue to write until I have at least 1 written into the book.)

"Give me a minute Roth, I just have to finish something."

[BigRedRod]

Durn and Dron use the crowbar to slowly ease one of the chest plates open, after several minutes of careful working they managed to remove the plate. The interior of this dragoon is similar to that of the first, however the energyst isn't quite sat in it's cradle correctly, it looks to have slipped slightly in the fall, however this only makes it a touch more difficult to remove. The bloodstone energyst looks to be fully intact, it gives out a pulsing faint red light

***

Aldergar finishes the spell he is currently writing into his spellbook and stands up to aid Roth in uncovering the third dragoon
[ooc: you managed to do detect magic]

After ten minutes or so of the two shifting the rocks, the chest is fully exposed. However the chest plate of this dragoon has several holes across it, the holes are small (they look to have been caused by a weapon such as a human-sized sword) but they have penetrated the thick steel plating that protects the energyst

[SponkleofInfini]

"Hmm, I hope the energyst survived the attack or our efforts would be wasted."

Algerdar and hopefully with the assitance of Roth will try to remove the breast plate of the dragoon.

[SuperJosh]

"True, it would be most unfortunate of it were destroyed, but in either event we might as well take it. Sometimes you can learn as much from how something works when it is broken as you can from how it works when it is not." Roth says, as he starts to help Algerdar dismantle the chest plates.

[Dust]

"Bah," says Dron, walking up, "Energysts are tougher than they look. And these holes just make the chest easier to open."

With that he takes his crowbar and goes to work trying to open the chest plate.

[BigRedRod]

Dron is correct, and with very little effort he tears open the plate above the energyst. The machinary visible is torn and twisted into useless unrecognisable states, however sparks of energy still jump between various components.
The energyst has fallen slightly into a different position, it looks like it may have been struck by whatever also brought the dragoon down. There is a large cut on one of the sides that has nearly split the crystal in two pieces. However the gemstone still glows, although only dimly and with an erratic pattern. The gemstone is a red garnet, and looks to have been quite a well cut gemstone until it was struck.
Still despite the short fall, the gem is easy to remove

It is late afternoon now, the light of the day is turning the familiar yellow-colour that signifies it is almost the end of a man's working day

[SponkleofInfini]

"The night sky looms, we best be heading back to the manner."

Algerdar remarks as he looks above at the sky.

[SuperJosh]

"Agreed, back to the manor, and better yet away from any recovery teams that might be on their way." With that Roth starts the treck back to their employeer's house.

[Dust]

Dron nods his head, grimacing at the damaged Energyst and wondering if it can be salvaged.

[BigRedRod]

Dron has never seen an energyst repaired, usually a damaged energyst will lose power as the captured soul begins to fade away

The journey to the cliff-face is easy, it takes a little under an hour until you reach an area that resembles where you descended. The grappling hook makes the ascent far easier a task. As the four climb up into the undergrowth you can see the sun setting, the sky is a multitude of hues, a strange mixture of blues, reds and yellows.

After ten minutes or so of movement in the rapidly fading light and undergrowth, Aldergar hears a noise, there is a low growl coming from the undergrowth behind him. It sounds like an animal, possibly a wolf. The plant-life is too thick to make out what is making the noise, but it can't be very large to be so well hidden, unless it is lying flat to the earth that is

[SponkleofInfini]

"What was that? Did anyone else hear that? A growl, from the thicket over there."

Pointing in the general location from which the noise came from.

[BigRedRod]

As Aldergar points a wolf-like creature leaps from the undergrowth on to him, knocking him to the ground. It stands on the Gnome's chest and growls at him. After a long moment the animal sprints towards Roth.
It leans it's head against his leg but continues to growl at the other three.

[SuperJosh]

Roth squats down, "Easy boy." He says in a soothing voice as he holds out his hand and then strokes its head, "I missed you too. Them? Do not worry about them, they are friends." Roth continues to pet the mongrel wolf-dog. "No boy I had not forgotten about you, I just needed to earn some money and find out where I was so I could come get you. I should of known you would find me first, you always were the smarter of us. Still you covered a lot of land fairly quickly, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that you knew were I was even when I did not. I wonder if you didn't have a little help? I know, what do say I use that money I was going to spend to finding you on a big steak instead? Nice and thick and raw? Does that sound good Sy? Does it boy?" He says the last in a more excited voice and starts to play with the dog as he says it.

Almost as an after thought he looks up to his companions "It's OK fellas, he is with me."

"Come on boy, I know you have had a long trip, but we need to go a little farther before we can rest." With that he heads off.

[SponkleofInfini]

Algerdar slowly makes his way back to his feet.

"No really I am fine, thanks for asking."

Algerdar rubs his head before continuing on.

[BigRedRod]

The group continues to travel once more. The travel through the undergrowth is hard and after just short of two hours the light has faded almost entirely and the undergrowth is behind you

Roth notices that Sy looks exhausted, he is a much thinner animal than he used to travel with. It seems the search for his master took it's toll on his health

It isn't long before you find the path once again, and only a few minutes pass before you stand in front of the villa gatehouse. The gate is locked now, and you cannot see into the grounds beyond the high walls. Each member of the group is tired after a day of digging and walking

[SponkleofInfini]

"Curses, just our luck. If we cannot enter the Villa tonight we best head into town and find an Inn."

Algerdar remarks as he he whipes his forehead then resting against the wall.

[SuperJosh]

"Here you go boy." Roth says as he takes the jerky from some of his rations from his pack, "I know it is not the steaks I promised you, but it is all I have right now."

Roth then walks up to the villa gate and knocks on it, "Hello the gate!" he says in a fairly loud voice.

(edit he did not know on the gate, he knocked on it. Sorry, I hope that did not cause any confusion.)

[BigRedRod]

Behind the gate you can hear a few moments of shuffling in the otherwise silent night. A small ,previously unnoticed, panel on the gate slides open and light shines through from the other side, a pair of eyes peer out into the darkness

"Who are you? And what do you want?"

The voice is stern and hard, it doesn't sound like any of the guards you spoke with on your first visit to the villa

[SuperJosh]

"My name is Telmahar, and I have a message for Master Rizeth from Corran." Roth says to the guard, trying to appear at ease, but really worried about the change in demeanor of the villas guards. He looks down at Sy who is usually a good judge of character.

[BigRedRod]

The voice replys instantly and in a gruff unfriendly tone
"I am Corran. Explain yourself"
Sy is staring up at the door, he seems more confused than anything else

[SuperJosh]

"Forgive me Mister Corran, but your demeanor is not that of the villas usual guards, and, given the nature of the service we preformed for your master, I thought discretion might be the better part of valor. Now if you would let us in we are weary and seek to finish our buisness with Master Rizeth." Roth says.

[BigRedRod]

"What business would this be, tell me and I will let the Master know? As for my demeanor, well you musn't be from around here, in these parts we lock our doors when night falls and we don't let strangers in. So tell me what you need to see the Master for and perhaps he will allow you to meet with him , despite the late hour."

[SuperJosh]

"Yes, yes, yes. If there is one thing I have learned about people from around here it is how observant they are. You are one hundred percent correct: I am not from around here. Where I come from we do not lock our doors. If someone steals we cut of his hands, which makes it hard to steal again, and if they do, we cut off their feet which makes it hard to escape. As for letting strangers in, in my homeland their are no strangers, so it is not an issue."

"As for our buisness with Master Rizeth we were set to retrieve a package and we have. So we would like to give it to him so that we may receive our payment and be gone from 'around here'."

[Dust]

Dron's eyes widen at Telmahar's statement. He shakes his head slowly in the darkness at the description of such a place.

[BigRedRod]

"Being evasive is not getting you any nearer to the Master. But if you have a package you may give it to me and I will go and give it to the Master. You may wait here for my return. Do you find this acceptable?"

[SponkleofInfini]

"I personally do not like such an arrangement. With all due respect, money is involved and such things I would like to do in person. If we can not see him then we best come back tommorow, come I doubt we will see him tonight."

[SuperJosh]

"I must concur with my friend, as much as we have not earned your trust, neither have you ours. And as he said I do not let one I do not trust handle my money, so we have two choices, we can come back later, or you can let us in now. However if you are Corran, as you claim, you would have an idea what package we have for your master, for you were entrusted with finding someone to retreive it. Now think about how important this is for your master before you decide to send us away, for I am sure he is not the only one interested in it."

[BigRedRod]

"Very well, if you are holding what you say you are, then perhaps it will cheer up my Master somewhat after his recent news. But I am not a fool, I do not remember informing any of you about this task, however, news spreads fast with your type. I will escourt you to the Master... "
The Gate slowly opens, the guard known as Corran walk into view. He is not a tall man, but he is very broad, he wears chainmail and carries a longsword.
"Get inside so I can shut the gate"

[SponkleofInfini]

"Very well sir, thankyou."

Algerdar enters through the gates expediently.

[Dust]

Dron gives the gatekeeper a smile and nod as he passes. As soon as he is by the man he clears his throat loudly and spits on the ground.

"You'd think they'd be more polite to people they've hired," Dron says absently as he catches up to Algerdar.

[BigRedRod]

Corran allows the four through the gate and firmly closes it. After a few moments the gate is barred and Corran is leading the group towards the villa. The gardens of lit with odd coloured lights that make them rather eerie.
The main door to the villa itself is also closed, another guard against the wall, he is quite clearly asleep. Corran reaches the door and strikes him with his fist,
"Get to the gate NOW. If I catch you sleeping on duty again you will get much worse than that"
The guardsman is a younger man, again you do not recognise him from your first visit to the villa. He says something quikcly that you don't understand and runs down the path towards the gate.

Corran opens the door to the villa and leads the group once again in Rizeth's study. The man is sat at a table staring at a piece of paper. He glances up as you enter but you sense that he doesn't see you.
"Master, These-", Corran begins, but he is interupted
"Fine fine." He looks up again and a look of relief flashes across his face "You are dismissed Corran, return to your station."
"But-"
"I said you are dismissed"
"Yes,Sir" Corran smartly leaves the study and closes the door

Rizeth stands up,
"You have the energysts? How many did you find?"
The man looks expectantly at the group

[SuperJosh]

Roth tells Sy to wait outside the villas door, and pets him an the head before entering.

Roth steps forward, "Only three sir, and one broken at that. But still sometimes as much can be learned from how something does not work as from how it does."

[BigRedRod]

Rizeth grins at Roth
"You are a sharp one, there is no doubting that. But do not worry you will be paid in full for each. So three, eh? I cannot wait to begin my research. But ... I have another task for you, I've had some bad news and would like you to resolve it. But now is not the time for such discussion. It is late we all could do with some rest ... Hmm it is late, my servants are off-duty. Follow me I will show you to your rooms."
The man walks out of the study and down the corridor, he stops at the other end end, where there are four doors,
"Rest here, we can resolve your payment for this little task that you seem to have performed so well and we can see if you would aid me once more"
Rizeth walks back down the corridor, but enters a different door to his study, he leaves you stood outside the four guest-rooms. Each of you saw that the old man was greatly troubled by whatever this news was he recieved.

[SuperJosh]

"Back in a sec." Roth says before he half jogs away, toward the dooor of the villa. "Come on Sy" he says after opening the door to let his friend in. Then both of them walk back to the rest of the party. "Well, shall we retire for the night?"

[SponkleofInfini]

"Yes, I must write my spells into my spellbook before I rest tonight though. Good night."

Algerdar enters on of the guest rooms and writes all his spells into his spellbook before resting.

[SuperJosh]

Roth enters a guest room, and sleeps blissfully while Sy lays on the foot of the bed.

[BigRedRod]

The beds of the guestrooms are soft and large, after such a long period without any true rest, that has thrust four individuals into one another's company and possibly against the Venterran Empire and their allies, they are more than welcome.
Aldergar and Durn both take their opportunity to write their spells into the books provided by Rizeth, it is not a quick task but they both sleep better with the security of a spellbook that actually contains spells.

[ooc: ok thats the end of this chapter, I'll post the next after I add up the experience]

[BigRedRod]

EXPERIENCE

Roth [SuperJosh] 397

Aldergar [Sponkle] 395

Dron [Dust] 367

Durn [Beidamon] 262


[ooc: my exp system is inflated and strange, but I reward Rping and completetion of taks stuff like that, so i'm not giving it out randomly here]