Glyptemis awakens in his room, having spent the night on the floor, the stiff beds of this tavern providing even less comfort for him than they likely do for the others. Looking around the room, with its barren cabinets and simple furnishings, he thinks back to the lively, boisterous atmosphere of his village. It hits him that he hadn't quite processed the innate loneliness to this life that he's chosen. To avoid being overwhelmed by it in this moment with the rest of the group in other rooms, he does what he always does and turns to his studies as a distraction. He begins flipping through his spellbook, jotting down notes and ideas that he's been thinking might be helpful in his current situation.
"The times when I could move fast... those were so much better. And maybe if I was faster those pale elves never would have gotten away... I might get tired but maybe it would be worth it..." He scribbles down some ideas for a spell in his book that might help him move faster.
"I really didn't like not being able to rest when the group was spent..." He ponders this, leans back, and feels his shell bump the wall "A shell... what if I could put a shell around the whole group! It might not be able to move, but it would at least let us sleep" He scribbles furiously, drawing sketches and diagrams for a spell that would provide some safety for the group when they need a break.
He continues to flip through, and comes to a spell he knows all too well. "Pando!"He whispers under his breath. "I could use a friend right about now... let me see what I can do!" He reaches into his pack and gathers some incense and herbs, then pulls a small pile of charcoal from the fireplace. Gathering the materials together, he spends an hour casting the Find Familiar spell. The materials burst into flame and from the ashes a bright white sea bird (Hawk, flavored as a sea bird) climbs out, squawking loudly at Glyptemis who smiles widely for the first time in what feels like an age. "Welcome back, Pando!"he shouts, breaking off a piece of cracker and tossing it to the bird.
With the comforting feeling of Pando perched on his shoulder, Glyptemis gathers his things and heads downstairs to meet up with the rest of the group (perhaps the last one to make it downstairs due to spellcasting time), with an ever-so-slightly brighter outlook now that he has his companion by his side again.
“NOOOOOO!” Leftenant startles awake, face moist with sweat, hands clenched, swinging at the air. He is breathing heavy as he scans his surroundings looking for the un-formed assailant from his dream…nightmare.
He has to concentrate for a few minutes to slow his breathing, gather his wits, become familiar with the unfamiliar room. “It’s not here, it was just a dream.” Some memories manifest even when you’ve forgotten them.
The old soldier rises from his bed. He fixes himself up a bit before heading down to the common room. He leaves most of his gear in the room, hoping the daylight will provide the protection he needs. If no one else is present, he lights a small fire and looks for a kettle to make a warm cup of water, fetching the water from whatever well might be near by. While he’d prefer coffee over tea, he makes whatever the converted tavern might have stashed away.
He then looks the common room over for any maps of the area that might be lying around. (Seeing as it now serves as a command center of sorts.) In association with an area map, he searches for a piece of paper or parchment and begins to redraw the parties travels from the night before. He works backwards from Vinande, includes Duncan’s family demise and the shadow feline attack and ending with where it all started…the escape from their captors. Afterwards, he adds in the village of Restat and the likely path Duncan’s family took upon fleeing. He finally overlays other important landmarks onto the copy.
Once the water is ready, he makes himself a cup and finishes his work. Under his breath as he finishes (partially oblivious to any that might have joined him) he says, “Can’t very well know where we might go if we don’t know where we’ve been.”
Though Ilya is probably the first to awaken (having had a month to adjust to this malformed sleep schedule), she spends time simply sitting in her room. For the first time since this all began she was nervous. Vinande was a known quantity to her now, outside of it was not. After some time ruminating on this, she gathers her things and heads downstairs.
To her surprise, someone else is already down there, she would have figured they would all sleep until noon. It was the soldier from last night, the one who seemed to have been somewhat familiar with Garrick. LT was it?
"What are you working on?"She asks as she comes into the common area, noticing that he's hunched over a table with parchment on it.
Ilya finds Leftenant hard at work on his map. It’s a skill he developed over numerous years. Every higher command needed a visualization of what the scout and his command would detect. If a picture was worth a thousand words, a good map was worth a novel…a bad one would be worth tissue paper. In reply to her question, “A map…or put another way, a way for me to organize my thoughts…about what has happened…since my return apparently.” It wasn’t meant to sound defensive, but perhaps it sounded that way. The older man couldn’t tell after the words left his mouth. “Coffee?” He offers as a way to soften any tension. The veteran wanted to talk to her about many topics but thought it best for introductions first. “What brought you to Vinande?”
When Kalamin wakes, he still expects to be greeted with the cold stone walls of the Eyrie. So for the first few moments after opening his eyes, he's confused by his current surroundings. Then the memories of yesterday, or last night rather, come flooding back. Right...He swings his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes as he gets up. As he gathers his things with no real haste, he feels strange, a new strength that he wasn't aware of before. His eye goes to the signet ring on his finger, which seems to faintly glow with a light blue hue. Odd.
Grabbing his glaive he opens the door and heads downstairs to meet up with the others.
Lyra awakes, tired, yet pleasantly sore from the exertions of the previous night. As ever, she recalls dreaming, yet so little from what she dreamt.
Not all that is shadow is dead, and not all that is dead is shadow. Seek out the secrets, little one.
She shivers, gazing out into the wan morning light, then arises and stretches, noticing that she is the last to rise of her recent companions. Playing a soft folk tune on her dark harmonica, she dons and gathers her gear, mentally piecing together everything that had transpired the previous night. It seemed almost too much for just a few hours, after over a month of... what? Oblivion after abduction?
Musing over the mystery, she descends to the common room and smiles brightly at her companions.
"Come what may, this beats waking up in chains, a captive being transported like cattle."
"That's smart, and a useful talent." Ilya says as she steps closer, leaning over to get a closer look at the map herself. "Coffee would be great, thanks." His question was more complicated and personal than it might have sounded...But this group had been nothing but honest to the rest of them. It was only fair if she responded in kind. "I never stay in one place for long, Vinande was just the latest stop, bad timing I guess. My entire life has been one big game of cat and mouse. It's why I was so interested in this group you and your allies spoke of last night, I thought they might be the same."
She greets the others with a "good morning" as they come down the stairs. Once everyone seems settled, she asks "So...What do you all think your next steps will be from here? I know there was talk of trying to reach Neressa last night, but has a good night's sleep changed your minds at all?"
Til hope is gone, til life is gone in stark moonlight, Gentle go not into this grasping darkness of night. Against death's long reach, together we stand, To spit in his eye with last breath, every man Rage, rage, we shall, against the dying of the light.
The defenders of Vinande seem stirred by Lyra's lyrics and encouragement as she goes around the perimeter of the village. If anything, it seems to take the edge off and inspire them with hope.
"'Morning."Kal replies, setting his glaive down on an empty table while they have their discussion. "I think Garrick had the right plan. Given it hasn't been overrun, Neressa is bound to have someone in it that knows more about this than we do. It's a good starting point at least. If we don't find anything, we can always come back here and plan next steps."
"But if someone has an alternative idea, I'm all ears."
"No other destinations really come to mind other than Neressa, do they? So I find myself agreeing with you, Ilya and Kal, though I would venture a guess that we may rely on LT to guide our path one way or another."
Lyra not so sneakily places a choice morsel of her breakfast within snapping distance of the sea hawk on Glyp's shoulder, withdrawing her hand and giving both the tortle and the bird a conspiratorial wink.
"The events of last night all run together, but did I hear you say you had a cottage near Neressa, LT? Do you know who is in power there? Or at least who was, at the time of your abduction just over a month ago? All the better to know with whom we should seek an audience once we arrive..."
Leftenant sips his coffee, more of a delay tactic in answering Ilya’s question than from thirst. He contemplates his response against the options Garrick laid out last night as he mulls over the map.
“Neressa must be at least four and a half days away…even by horse. Can’t say I’m keen to go there right away.” There is a very long awkward pause after this statement before he continues.
He answers Lyra, “Yes, I’ve lived outside of Neressa for a few years now. Not sure I could name anyone in power…I barely knew my neighbors.” He takes another sip of coffee as he tries to recall. (History: 13).
He continues, “I don’t like the idea of going…back there. But we need answers. Garrick needs them too and it IS most likely the closest place to get them.”
Perking up, as he begins to feel needed, “I can guide any who wishes to accompany.” He capitulates. “I would suggest we travel at night though, rest during the day. If most of the attacks occur at night, we’d be better prepared for them…more likely to complete a full recovery each travel period as well.”
“We could start out tonight. Use some of the day to make preparations, then the remainder of the day to rest.” He tries to read the impact of his suggestion on the group, silently noting Juno’s absence.
Neressa is governed by Lady Anet Nolte - for two decades she personally commanded Northwatch Keep, which guards the sole passage to Baria in the north. In that time, Northwatch saw several large scale skirmishes with Baria's undead. She famously personally took part in the fighting, and her tactics are lauded for their effectiveness and low casualty rate.
Given what you've said, Leftenant likely owns a home outside the city's walls, somewhere near the woods.
"Um... actually" Glyptemis pipes up a bit meekly, but then Pando lets out a loud squawk, getting everyone's attention "I... think I have a way that we can protect ourselves whenever we'd like to sleep... a spell I've been working on that will create a sort of.. shell around our camp. If I do it right, it'll keep out both creatures and magic, and make it pretty hard for them to even realize we're there. It could help us to travel more safely during the day and stay guarded at night... if you're interested, that is. I'm fine either way.."
"That's wonderful Glyp, we'll definitely make use of that."Kal says, genuinely glad the young Tortle had spoken up. "Unless you all really just want to fight through those things every night. It'd be a nice exercise in character building I suppose."
He collects his weapon off the table, moving towards the door. "Let's go find Garrick then, tell him our plan, and see what supplies we can get."
Leftenant looks at the bird as it squawks, and listens to Glyptemis. Then watches as Kalamin strides off to inform Garrick. “No, fighting our way through for days wasn’t my preferred stance.”
“It makes little difference to me if we travel by day or night. But Glyp, will your ‘sanctuary’ be large enough for all of us. What about mounts? I hadn’t planned on using them as I figured they’d be slaughtered in our first encampment. Does your plan…can your plan facilitate them?”
Addressing the rest of the group, “I’m not sure I require any other supplies personally at this time.”
LT will sit for a little longer, studying the map and conversing with those that don’t immediately depart with Kalamin.
"Erm... mounts... well, no, probably not... not horses anyway. Maybe a few goats? Sorry.. I didn't think of that... " You notice Glyp's head is very slowly receding into his shell out of embarrassment, but Pando gives the top of his head a quick and loving peck and he come back out.
"I'll take any reprieve from dealing with these shadows that I can get. We're lucky to have such a talented mage with us." Ilya comments with a smile. She moves to follow the paladin out to find Garrick. "I can take you to his home, we might find him there."
Ilya is able to take you to Garrick's home, little more than a small cottage on the northern end of town. You knock on the door and almost immediately it opens up, the old veteran standing there in his armor. "Ah, you're here. I take it you've all made a decision on your next move?"
Leftenant tries to smooth over the possible faux pas with the tortle wizard. “No need to worry my shelled spell-slinger. I know how to select a location for camp off the beaten path but that doesn’t prevent the persistent hunter from finding its prey. Do tell me more of this plan for securing us shelter in the wilderness. As I fear, the wilds are far more untamed lately.”
The scout is expecting to hear of a great, near invisible tortoise shell made of a magic force field. Or perhaps a tale similar to ones he’s heard from sailors that tell of inhabited islands floating in the sea ladened on the back of giant turtles. He’d often wondered what a shock it would be to discover beneath your home was a living creature with all the power to destroy everything at once simply by breathing too hard.
As LT listens, he wonders how the others are fairing with Garrick.
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Glyptemis awakens in his room, having spent the night on the floor, the stiff beds of this tavern providing even less comfort for him than they likely do for the others. Looking around the room, with its barren cabinets and simple furnishings, he thinks back to the lively, boisterous atmosphere of his village. It hits him that he hadn't quite processed the innate loneliness to this life that he's chosen. To avoid being overwhelmed by it in this moment with the rest of the group in other rooms, he does what he always does and turns to his studies as a distraction. He begins flipping through his spellbook, jotting down notes and ideas that he's been thinking might be helpful in his current situation.
"The times when I could move fast... those were so much better. And maybe if I was faster those pale elves never would have gotten away... I might get tired but maybe it would be worth it..." He scribbles down some ideas for a spell in his book that might help him move faster.
"I really didn't like not being able to rest when the group was spent..." He ponders this, leans back, and feels his shell bump the wall "A shell... what if I could put a shell around the whole group! It might not be able to move, but it would at least let us sleep" He scribbles furiously, drawing sketches and diagrams for a spell that would provide some safety for the group when they need a break.
He continues to flip through, and comes to a spell he knows all too well. "Pando!" He whispers under his breath. "I could use a friend right about now... let me see what I can do!" He reaches into his pack and gathers some incense and herbs, then pulls a small pile of charcoal from the fireplace. Gathering the materials together, he spends an hour casting the Find Familiar spell. The materials burst into flame and from the ashes a bright white sea bird (Hawk, flavored as a sea bird) climbs out, squawking loudly at Glyptemis who smiles widely for the first time in what feels like an age. "Welcome back, Pando!" he shouts, breaking off a piece of cracker and tossing it to the bird.
With the comforting feeling of Pando perched on his shoulder, Glyptemis gathers his things and heads downstairs to meet up with the rest of the group (perhaps the last one to make it downstairs due to spellcasting time), with an ever-so-slightly brighter outlook now that he has his companion by his side again.
“NOOOOOO!”
Leftenant startles awake, face moist with sweat, hands clenched, swinging at the air. He is breathing heavy as he scans his surroundings looking for the un-formed assailant from his dream…nightmare.
He has to concentrate for a few minutes to slow his breathing, gather his wits, become familiar with the unfamiliar room. “It’s not here, it was just a dream.” Some memories manifest even when you’ve forgotten them.
The old soldier rises from his bed. He fixes himself up a bit before heading down to the common room. He leaves most of his gear in the room, hoping the daylight will provide the protection he needs. If no one else is present, he lights a small fire and looks for a kettle to make a warm cup of water, fetching the water from whatever well might be near by. While he’d prefer coffee over tea, he makes whatever the converted tavern might have stashed away.
He then looks the common room over for any maps of the area that might be lying around. (Seeing as it now serves as a command center of sorts.) In association with an area map, he searches for a piece of paper or parchment and begins to redraw the parties travels from the night before. He works backwards from Vinande, includes Duncan’s family demise and the shadow feline attack and ending with where it all started…the escape from their captors. Afterwards, he adds in the village of Restat and the likely path Duncan’s family took upon fleeing. He finally overlays other important landmarks onto the copy.
Once the water is ready, he makes himself a cup and finishes his work. Under his breath as he finishes (partially oblivious to any that might have joined him) he says, “Can’t very well know where we might go if we don’t know where we’ve been.”
Though Ilya is probably the first to awaken (having had a month to adjust to this malformed sleep schedule), she spends time simply sitting in her room. For the first time since this all began she was nervous. Vinande was a known quantity to her now, outside of it was not. After some time ruminating on this, she gathers her things and heads downstairs.
To her surprise, someone else is already down there, she would have figured they would all sleep until noon. It was the soldier from last night, the one who seemed to have been somewhat familiar with Garrick. LT was it?
"What are you working on?" She asks as she comes into the common area, noticing that he's hunched over a table with parchment on it.
Ilya finds Leftenant hard at work on his map. It’s a skill he developed over numerous years. Every higher command needed a visualization of what the scout and his command would detect. If a picture was worth a thousand words, a good map was worth a novel…a bad one would be worth tissue paper.
In reply to her question, “A map…or put another way, a way for me to organize my thoughts…about what has happened…since my return apparently.” It wasn’t meant to sound defensive, but perhaps it sounded that way. The older man couldn’t tell after the words left his mouth.
“Coffee?” He offers as a way to soften any tension.
The veteran wanted to talk to her about many topics but thought it best for introductions first.
“What brought you to Vinande?”
When Kalamin wakes, he still expects to be greeted with the cold stone walls of the Eyrie. So for the first few moments after opening his eyes, he's confused by his current surroundings. Then the memories of yesterday, or last night rather, come flooding back. Right...He swings his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes as he gets up. As he gathers his things with no real haste, he feels strange, a new strength that he wasn't aware of before. His eye goes to the signet ring on his finger, which seems to faintly glow with a light blue hue. Odd.
Grabbing his glaive he opens the door and heads downstairs to meet up with the others.
Lyra awakes, tired, yet pleasantly sore from the exertions of the previous night. As ever, she recalls dreaming, yet so little from what she dreamt.
Not all that is shadow is dead, and not all that is dead is shadow. Seek out the secrets, little one.
She shivers, gazing out into the wan morning light, then arises and stretches, noticing that she is the last to rise of her recent companions. Playing a soft folk tune on her dark harmonica, she dons and gathers her gear, mentally piecing together everything that had transpired the previous night. It seemed almost too much for just a few hours, after over a month of... what? Oblivion after abduction?
Musing over the mystery, she descends to the common room and smiles brightly at her companions.
"Come what may, this beats waking up in chains, a captive being transported like cattle."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"That's smart, and a useful talent." Ilya says as she steps closer, leaning over to get a closer look at the map herself. "Coffee would be great, thanks." His question was more complicated and personal than it might have sounded...But this group had been nothing but honest to the rest of them. It was only fair if she responded in kind. "I never stay in one place for long, Vinande was just the latest stop, bad timing I guess. My entire life has been one big game of cat and mouse. It's why I was so interested in this group you and your allies spoke of last night, I thought they might be the same."
She greets the others with a "good morning" as they come down the stairs. Once everyone seems settled, she asks "So...What do you all think your next steps will be from here? I know there was talk of trying to reach Neressa last night, but has a good night's sleep changed your minds at all?"
The defenders of Vinande seem stirred by Lyra's lyrics and encouragement as she goes around the perimeter of the village. If anything, it seems to take the edge off and inspire them with hope.
OoC: Lyra take a point of inspiration. :)
"'Morning." Kal replies, setting his glaive down on an empty table while they have their discussion. "I think Garrick had the right plan. Given it hasn't been overrun, Neressa is bound to have someone in it that knows more about this than we do. It's a good starting point at least. If we don't find anything, we can always come back here and plan next steps."
"But if someone has an alternative idea, I'm all ears."
"No other destinations really come to mind other than Neressa, do they? So I find myself agreeing with you, Ilya and Kal, though I would venture a guess that we may rely on LT to guide our path one way or another."
Lyra not so sneakily places a choice morsel of her breakfast within snapping distance of the sea hawk on Glyp's shoulder, withdrawing her hand and giving both the tortle and the bird a conspiratorial wink.
"The events of last night all run together, but did I hear you say you had a cottage near Neressa, LT? Do you know who is in power there? Or at least who was, at the time of your abduction just over a month ago? All the better to know with whom we should seek an audience once we arrive..."
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Leftenant sips his coffee, more of a delay tactic in answering Ilya’s question than from thirst. He contemplates his response against the options Garrick laid out last night as he mulls over the map.
“Neressa must be at least four and a half days away…even by horse. Can’t say I’m keen to go there right away.” There is a very long awkward pause after this statement before he continues.
He answers Lyra, “Yes, I’ve lived outside of Neressa for a few years now. Not sure I could name anyone in power…I barely knew my neighbors.” He takes another sip of coffee as he tries to recall. (History: 13).
He continues, “I don’t like the idea of going…back there. But we need answers. Garrick needs them too and it IS most likely the closest place to get them.”
Perking up, as he begins to feel needed, “I can guide any who wishes to accompany.” He capitulates. “I would suggest we travel at night though, rest during the day. If most of the attacks occur at night, we’d be better prepared for them…more likely to complete a full recovery each travel period as well.”
“We could start out tonight. Use some of the day to make preparations, then the remainder of the day to rest.” He tries to read the impact of his suggestion on the group, silently noting Juno’s absence.
"Yeah...Trying to get a full night's rest out there would be impossible. Traveling during the night is the right call."
On the subject of preparations, Ilya nods. "We can find Garrick, he mentioned a willingness to provide supplies."
Leftenant
Neressa is governed by Lady Anet Nolte - for two decades she personally commanded Northwatch Keep, which guards the sole passage to Baria in the north. In that time, Northwatch saw several large scale skirmishes with Baria's undead. She famously personally took part in the fighting, and her tactics are lauded for their effectiveness and low casualty rate.
Given what you've said, Leftenant likely owns a home outside the city's walls, somewhere near the woods.
"Um... actually" Glyptemis pipes up a bit meekly, but then Pando lets out a loud squawk, getting everyone's attention "I... think I have a way that we can protect ourselves whenever we'd like to sleep... a spell I've been working on that will create a sort of.. shell around our camp. If I do it right, it'll keep out both creatures and magic, and make it pretty hard for them to even realize we're there. It could help us to travel more safely during the day and stay guarded at night... if you're interested, that is. I'm fine either way.."
"That's wonderful Glyp, we'll definitely make use of that." Kal says, genuinely glad the young Tortle had spoken up. "Unless you all really just want to fight through those things every night. It'd be a nice exercise in character building I suppose."
He collects his weapon off the table, moving towards the door. "Let's go find Garrick then, tell him our plan, and see what supplies we can get."
Leftenant looks at the bird as it squawks, and listens to Glyptemis. Then watches as Kalamin strides off to inform Garrick. “No, fighting our way through for days wasn’t my preferred stance.”
“It makes little difference to me if we travel by day or night. But Glyp, will your ‘sanctuary’ be large enough for all of us. What about mounts? I hadn’t planned on using them as I figured they’d be slaughtered in our first encampment. Does your plan…can your plan facilitate them?”
Addressing the rest of the group, “I’m not sure I require any other supplies personally at this time.”
LT will sit for a little longer, studying the map and conversing with those that don’t immediately depart with Kalamin.
"Erm... mounts... well, no, probably not... not horses anyway. Maybe a few goats? Sorry.. I didn't think of that... " You notice Glyp's head is very slowly receding into his shell out of embarrassment, but Pando gives the top of his head a quick and loving peck and he come back out.
"I'll take any reprieve from dealing with these shadows that I can get. We're lucky to have such a talented mage with us." Ilya comments with a smile. She moves to follow the paladin out to find Garrick. "I can take you to his home, we might find him there."
Ilya is able to take you to Garrick's home, little more than a small cottage on the northern end of town. You knock on the door and almost immediately it opens up, the old veteran standing there in his armor. "Ah, you're here. I take it you've all made a decision on your next move?"
Leftenant tries to smooth over the possible faux pas with the tortle wizard. “No need to worry my shelled spell-slinger. I know how to select a location for camp off the beaten path but that doesn’t prevent the persistent hunter from finding its prey. Do tell me more of this plan for securing us shelter in the wilderness. As I fear, the wilds are far more untamed lately.”
The scout is expecting to hear of a great, near invisible tortoise shell made of a magic force field. Or perhaps a tale similar to ones he’s heard from sailors that tell of inhabited islands floating in the sea ladened on the back of giant turtles. He’d often wondered what a shock it would be to discover beneath your home was a living creature with all the power to destroy everything at once simply by breathing too hard.
As LT listens, he wonders how the others are fairing with Garrick.