Cob begins to fly up again, guiding the group through the turns the guard provided them, but keeping an eye out for any sign of the apparitions.
"Any idea what those were?" Cob calls down. "When they joined together to become super ghosts, they might have gotten more powerful but they were easier to hit too."
“They are not something I have come across before”, Drexon replies to Cob.
”Did any of you hear their voices in your minds?”, he asks.
“I heard a worrying phrase. Break the wall... and let loose... the hounds of darkness. I assume it relates to this wall at Bast Trench”, he continues with a concerned look in his face.
Cob looks back at Drexon when he mentions hearing a voice talking of breaking walls and hounds of darkness at Bast Trench.
He shakes his head and continues on.
While he flies and looks ahead, Cob idly plays his fiddle, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Would be a good time to be hearing your drunken voice, you old goat," Cob says to the air around him as he flies ahead. "Breaking walls sounds like something you'd be interested in."
Cob pauses in his playing for a moment, listening to the wind but when he doesn't hear Hyrsam's voice he shrugs and goes back to playing as he follows the route to the train station.
{{This is good, I think. It kind of fits that Dvark is the only one rolling high.}}
Dvark, you were once a citizen of Vortesso and later commute here for work some of the time. In fact, the Latem Anvil, the Smith Guild in the Verdant Trammel, has one of its branches located southwest of the station. Dvark has experienced enough commute to know that there are 3 types of tickets sold there: commuter, cargo, and high-speed. A high-speed ticket is for one destination only, with a very specific train number, platform, and departure time. It is also the most luxurious, with food and beverages requestable during the trip free of charge. In return, the price of the ticket is considerably high.
A commuter ticket, on the other hand, is more flexible. It is an account that is opened on the ticket counter, and the ticket connected to that account can be used to commute between all stations on the Northern Spine Line. The ticket will be logged on the entry station and payment will be charged at the exit station. This means that you can board any train to any destination and exit at any station at any time. These types of trains leave the station every 10 minutes.
Karm, as you think about the creature that has struck you to an inch of your life, you are reminded of a report on the Third Age. You stumble upon this tale by accident in your search for clarity and information as this kind of information is restricted only to the Librarians of the Archive of Ages. The creature that has chased you has many names: the Seeker, the Procurer, the Runner. Its true name, as recounted in the battle report of the very first fight in the War of the Best, is the Retriever.
This creature is not of this world. This is a Meanwhile, creature that exists and doesn't exist at the same time -- a paradox. They are echoes of people that have yet to form but already exist in an out-of-phase form. At first, they are thought to have been ghosts, but even ghosts flee on meeting them. There are also speculations that they are people, but from a world that is parallel to this one and cannot fully materialize in this world. They are thought to have been sealed away together by the deity known as the Braveheart at the end of the Third Age and the War of the Best. No one to this day knows what the Meanwhile's purpose is.
"These tickets are for a highspeed rail to Eledon. They aren't flexible. Maybe we can trade them in but without a receipt I doubt it. If we make it we should be able to but new tickets for an earlier time but they leave in thirty minute intervals so we won't save more than an hour if we are lucky enough to make it by then. I still say we should take a cautious route to the train station and if we make it early we can discuss again then." he shrugs his shoulders and looks around at the at the group "but I'll go with whatever the group decides."
“If the creatures that are after the box are here, they could turn up anywhere. A slow train that stops at every station provides multiple opportunities for these things to attack, or get ahead of us at least. High speed sounds safer to me”, Drexon says with a shrug.
He also didn’t mind the idea of waiting at a packed station amongst a panicked crowd for a little while, but he didn’t say that.
Dvarks eyes widen with sudden realization "Come to think of it there's a guild hall just southwest of the station. I can get us in there if we want to wait out of direct line of sight for a bit."
Dvark nods "a temple would be best I agree. I just work for the smiths guild in the region so I know the guildhall well. There would probably be food Cob, but I agree with Karm, line of sight probably isn't the main issue. Eremos and I have the most meat to us so one of us can take the box since Karm is feeling a bit unsafe. I can run fast and I've got the old orcish fortitude so I'd be happy to do it." Dvark pauses for a second thoughtfully before muttering seemingly more to himself "not like I'm not already marked I suppose..."
Dvark, as someone who has worked in Vortesso, especially in the Industrial District, knows that there is a small shrine dedicated to the Auctolis -- The God of Creation, Forge, and Power -- about 5 minutes walk from the Latem Anvil Guild Hall and the Kandela Station. It doesn't have a religious order attending it, but it is quite crowded during lunchtime as workers sometimes spend their time there to find inspiration. By the direction that has been given by the Riders, the group will pass it on the way to the station.
{{Also, I assume we are walking and talking and not just standing around.}}
Also, all of you did notice during the chase that the creatures cannot pass through a powerful enough magical barrier and move slower when phasing through objects or people.
"As much as the idea of a crowded place full of people to slow them down appeals, that seems a little cruel on the people. However, we have to work with what we've got. Let's see what comes across our path shall we", Drexon says to the others as they walk.
He is constantly looking behind them for signs of the creatures, or anyone else following them. He will also renew the telepathic bond with Cob every time he comes close enough.
As the group starts to follow the Rider's direction down the alley, the group begins to notice the difference between this side of the city and the side the group came from. This part of the city, the Industrial District, is a bit less clean and constructed more for space efficiency than comfort. It is a jungle of brick buildings separated by narrow alleys that forms into a maze the deeper one travels into it.
There are fewer colors on this side of the city, but it is also unique in its own way. With each turn, the group can see arcane sigils carved into the walls of some buildings that glow a faint blue and white hue. Despite the dust and dirt on the pavement, arcane sigils can also be seen carved into the very middle of the alleyway, particularly in junctions, tight turns, and along the wider alleys. The sigils give ample lighting along the alley when the sky is particularly cloudy and when the sun is not high enough in the sky, which is almost half of the daytime in this part of the city.
Drexon, you do not notice anyone following the group, but people poke their heads out of the building once in a while to see the strange group that is traveling with the grace and confusion of someone that is not from the alley proper. As the group makes their way deeper into the alley, you begin to see a couple of people sleeping or sitting on the side of the alleyway with thick clothing wrapped around their bodies, hidden by shadow or under a makeshift shelter. These people have signs of green rashes on their faces and neck, and they are sometimes barely conscious. The people who live in the buildings mostly shy away from these homeless people, talking about them disdainfully and with disgust hiding a hint of fear.
{{Drexon, with a 24, you also notice something else.}}
While there is nobody behind, from the corner of his eyes Drexon catches a glimpse of movement on the roof, trailing slightly behind the group starting when the group enters the Industrial District. He quickly loses notice of it the deeper the group travels into the maze that is the Industrial District, but once in a while, he catches a glimpse of the movement again.
Cob Intelligence Check: 8
Cob begins to fly up again, guiding the group through the turns the guard provided them, but keeping an eye out for any sign of the apparitions.
"Any idea what those were?" Cob calls down. "When they joined together to become super ghosts, they might have gotten more powerful but they were easier to hit too."
Dvark also tries to recall the train station tapping his orcish brow like winnie the pooh.
intelligence: 20
Has Karm maybe read about creatures like that in the archives? Im gonna roll preemptively, just ignore it if not the case.
History: 22
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
“They are not something I have come across before”, Drexon replies to Cob.
”Did any of you hear their voices in your minds?”, he asks.
“I heard a worrying phrase. Break the wall... and let loose... the hounds of darkness. I assume it relates to this wall at Bast Trench”, he continues with a concerned look in his face.
Cob looks back at Drexon when he mentions hearing a voice talking of breaking walls and hounds of darkness at Bast Trench.
He shakes his head and continues on.
While he flies and looks ahead, Cob idly plays his fiddle, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Would be a good time to be hearing your drunken voice, you old goat," Cob says to the air around him as he flies ahead. "Breaking walls sounds like something you'd be interested in."
Cob pauses in his playing for a moment, listening to the wind but when he doesn't hear Hyrsam's voice he shrugs and goes back to playing as he follows the route to the train station.
{{This is good, I think. It kind of fits that Dvark is the only one rolling high.}}
Dvark, you were once a citizen of Vortesso and later commute here for work some of the time. In fact, the Latem Anvil, the Smith Guild in the Verdant Trammel, has one of its branches located southwest of the station. Dvark has experienced enough commute to know that there are 3 types of tickets sold there: commuter, cargo, and high-speed. A high-speed ticket is for one destination only, with a very specific train number, platform, and departure time. It is also the most luxurious, with food and beverages requestable during the trip free of charge. In return, the price of the ticket is considerably high.
A commuter ticket, on the other hand, is more flexible. It is an account that is opened on the ticket counter, and the ticket connected to that account can be used to commute between all stations on the Northern Spine Line. The ticket will be logged on the entry station and payment will be charged at the exit station. This means that you can board any train to any destination and exit at any station at any time. These types of trains leave the station every 10 minutes.
Karm, as you think about the creature that has struck you to an inch of your life, you are reminded of a report on the Third Age. You stumble upon this tale by accident in your search for clarity and information as this kind of information is restricted only to the Librarians of the Archive of Ages. The creature that has chased you has many names: the Seeker, the Procurer, the Runner. Its true name, as recounted in the battle report of the very first fight in the War of the Best, is the Retriever.
This creature is not of this world. This is a Meanwhile, creature that exists and doesn't exist at the same time -- a paradox. They are echoes of people that have yet to form but already exist in an out-of-phase form. At first, they are thought to have been ghosts, but even ghosts flee on meeting them. There are also speculations that they are people, but from a world that is parallel to this one and cannot fully materialize in this world. They are thought to have been sealed away together by the deity known as the Braveheart at the end of the Third Age and the War of the Best. No one to this day knows what the Meanwhile's purpose is.
"These tickets are for a highspeed rail to Eledon. They aren't flexible. Maybe we can trade them in but without a receipt I doubt it. If we make it we should be able to but new tickets for an earlier time but they leave in thirty minute intervals so we won't save more than an hour if we are lucky enough to make it by then. I still say we should take a cautious route to the train station and if we make it early we can discuss again then." he shrugs his shoulders and looks around at the at the group "but I'll go with whatever the group decides."
“If the creatures that are after the box are here, they could turn up anywhere. A slow train that stops at every station provides multiple opportunities for these things to attack, or get ahead of us at least. High speed sounds safer to me”, Drexon says with a shrug.
He also didn’t mind the idea of waiting at a packed station amongst a panicked crowd for a little while, but he didn’t say that.
Dvarks eyes widen with sudden realization "Come to think of it there's a guild hall just southwest of the station. I can get us in there if we want to wait out of direct line of sight for a bit."
Line of sight wont matter for those things. I'd say we go somewhere with a lot of, lets say escape routes
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Cob tries to pay attention to the path ahead and the conversation below.
”Which guild? Anything good to eat there?”
Cob dips a little lower.
“Agreed. Those beasties seem to sense the box. Is there somewhere that could mask whatever message it’s sending?”
Eremoz looks towards Dvark. "Maybe a temple near the train station? That might deter them some."
((do I know of any temples near the station?))
Dvark nods "a temple would be best I agree. I just work for the smiths guild in the region so I know the guildhall well. There would probably be food Cob, but I agree with Karm, line of sight probably isn't the main issue. Eremos and I have the most meat to us so one of us can take the box since Karm is feeling a bit unsafe. I can run fast and I've got the old orcish fortitude so I'd be happy to do it." Dvark pauses for a second thoughtfully before muttering seemingly more to himself "not like I'm not already marked I suppose..."
Cob nods at the temple idea.
"As long as we don't have to worship or anything while we're there," Cob says.
He looks at the size of Dvark and Eremos and then down at his own small physique and smiles.
"I wonder if they can fly?" Cob muses. "That would solve some of our problems if they can't."
He returns his attention to the route to the train station.
"But if they can do their little phase through people and walls thing, getting of the ground might not be that hard."
Dvark, as someone who has worked in Vortesso, especially in the Industrial District, knows that there is a small shrine dedicated to the Auctolis -- The God of Creation, Forge, and Power -- about 5 minutes walk from the Latem Anvil Guild Hall and the Kandela Station. It doesn't have a religious order attending it, but it is quite crowded during lunchtime as workers sometimes spend their time there to find inspiration. By the direction that has been given by the Riders, the group will pass it on the way to the station.
{{Also, I assume we are walking and talking and not just standing around.}}
Also, all of you did notice during the chase that the creatures cannot pass through a powerful enough magical barrier and move slower when phasing through objects or people.
(Yes - definitely still moving towards the station)
"As much as the idea of a crowded place full of people to slow them down appeals, that seems a little cruel on the people. However, we have to work with what we've got. Let's see what comes across our path shall we", Drexon says to the others as they walk.
He is constantly looking behind them for signs of the creatures, or anyone else following them. He will also renew the telepathic bond with Cob every time he comes close enough.
Perception: 24
As the group starts to follow the Rider's direction down the alley, the group begins to notice the difference between this side of the city and the side the group came from. This part of the city, the Industrial District, is a bit less clean and constructed more for space efficiency than comfort. It is a jungle of brick buildings separated by narrow alleys that forms into a maze the deeper one travels into it.
There are fewer colors on this side of the city, but it is also unique in its own way. With each turn, the group can see arcane sigils carved into the walls of some buildings that glow a faint blue and white hue. Despite the dust and dirt on the pavement, arcane sigils can also be seen carved into the very middle of the alleyway, particularly in junctions, tight turns, and along the wider alleys. The sigils give ample lighting along the alley when the sky is particularly cloudy and when the sun is not high enough in the sky, which is almost half of the daytime in this part of the city.
Drexon, you do not notice anyone following the group, but people poke their heads out of the building once in a while to see the strange group that is traveling with the grace and confusion of someone that is not from the alley proper. As the group makes their way deeper into the alley, you begin to see a couple of people sleeping or sitting on the side of the alleyway with thick clothing wrapped around their bodies, hidden by shadow or under a makeshift shelter. These people have signs of green rashes on their faces and neck, and they are sometimes barely conscious. The people who live in the buildings mostly shy away from these homeless people, talking about them disdainfully and with disgust hiding a hint of fear.
{{Drexon, with a 24, you also notice something else.}}
While there is nobody behind, from the corner of his eyes Drexon catches a glimpse of movement on the roof, trailing slightly behind the group starting when the group enters the Industrial District. He quickly loses notice of it the deeper the group travels into the maze that is the Industrial District, but once in a while, he catches a glimpse of the movement again.
"I think we are being followed by something on the rooftops. Can you see anything?", Drexon asks Cob through the telepathic link.
Karm is curious about the runes. Is there something he can gather from just observing while walking?
Arcana: 18
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist