Drakkenheim: Over the Sea

Shivering at the sudden cold of winter, Moz pulls his cloak a little tighter. Hearing young Cassie's cries, he fishes out a waterskin of Beef's milk they had collected earlier. Handing the milk up to Alorin wordlessly, he stomps through the snow over to Valanthe. Standing beside her as they look over the town in the distance.

"Enniskillen, you wont find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We best be careful." He says sagely to her with a wink. 

Looking over to the Rivyre and Alorin. "It isn't a smoking ruin! Looks like we beat those dog worshipping leg-humpers here" he yells over to them with a big grin. "They probably are stopping to piss on every tree between here and Darryl tho............" he stops sudden mid word and looks at Valanthe " Do you smell burnt toast?" There is an audible pop, Moz go cross-eyed and like a marionette who's strings have been, Moz crumples to the ground.

"Scum and villainy, you say?" smiles Valanthe, looking down at her new friend "They're the ones who'll need to be careful..."

Looking back at Enniskillen, Valanthe is a little underwhelmed. She's not sure what she expected from a human settlement, but Enniskillen seemed to lack it, and the young elf wondered how this town compared to Darryl and whether all human settlements were so brown. Valanthe opens her mouth to ask a question just as Moz collapses.

Dropping to her knees, she scoops him up "Moz? Moz! Quick - someone get him some toast!"

Rivyre turns suddenly when she hears the "pop" & just barely catches the glimpse of Moz going cross-eyed as he crumples to the ground unconscious & exclaims, "FIRE BURN IT! WHAT IN THE HOLY FLAME WAS...., oooooh nevermind." She chuckles in slight amusement knowing what just happened as she kneels down next to Valanthe holding Moz's limp body. She places one hand over her heart & her other on Moz's head & prays,

Stars above, guide my hand; By holy light bring healing now to Moz. Thy holy flame, pure & bright, chase away the shadow's night." (Healing Word: 2d6+3= 6) A golden light emanates from Rivyre's hand as it travels all the way down Moz's limp body & then slowly dissipates.

Rivyre speaks aloud to everyone, "He should come to here shortly, although he might wake up with a bit of a headache. It seems our leisurely 1 day jaunt on 'Skipping-a-Derry Road' resulted in a fair amount of time passing here on the Material World & thus Moz likely violated one of the terms of his blood curse, & paid the price for it. We should head into town & find out exactly how much time has passed."

Opening his eye Moz finds himself in a featureless black void. Picking himself up and rubbing his head. " Aahhhh crap this isn't good." He says to himself looking around. The sea of blackness stretchs endlessly around him, in the distance he see a pinprick of light. Dusting himself off and fixing his motley he starts walking towards the light.

As he gets closer, he begins to make out the light. It looks like a brightly colored striped bit of canvas. As he gets closer he can see it is the flap of a circuses tent with a single lantern above it in an endless black void. Steeling himself for what will come next, he pushes the flap aside and step through.

He is immediately bombarded by a cacophony. The smell of peanuts and popcorn fills his nostrils. The din of laughter, singing, roars and cries deafening his ears. Lights flash and bright colors swirl all around him. Stumbling through a throng of .....people? He falls on his rear in the dirt.

He is in the center ring of a great circuses. All around him is the chaos of the circuses . Acrobats leap through the air, a man stands before a Manticore with a whip and a chair, clowns are spraying each other with acid, an owlbear balances on a ball, firebreather, knife throwers, contortionists, dancers, jugglers, stronggnomes, elephants, lions, dragons, horses and unicorns and countless more swirl about in a chaotic dance, and in the center of the Grand Ring on a dias, staring down at the small goblin is the ringmaster..... Shegorach, He who Laughs First.

Moz stares up at his Master with combination of reverence and terror. Looming over Moz, Shegorach is dressed in the rich blood red crushed velvet jacket of a ringmaster. Gold scrollwork twist over his black leather boots and gloves. A Phoenix feather stabbed into the brim of deepest black felt tophat and beneath it a gold mask of Comedy. The masked figure looks down and the circuses freezes, the lights drop, and a spotlight appear on the two of them.

" Aaah Moz the Magnificent, I am so glad to see you. Tell me, have you brought me my gift?" He say, dramatically extending his hand towards Moz, his voice sweet and melodious. The head tilts slightly.  " I don't see it ......." Suddenly his head spins around like a mechanical toy, revealing a gold mask of Tragedy. ".... how disappointing." The voice says now low and quiet with menace.

Scrambling to his knees, Moz quickly touches his forehead to the ground. "Master! ..... About the gift.... there has been a slight hicup..... apparently the job was double booked..... just crossed wires..... no one's fault really..." the goblin stammmers.

Flames begin to flicker in Tragedy's eyes. "Such a simple task I asked of you. Prehaps I made a mistake when I saved you from that mob, Moz." The flames burn brighter in the eyes. " Tell me, did I make a mistake?"

"No, no Master! You could never do such a thing." He says groveling on his knees. " I live to serve. I will bring you your gift.....  but ....." he says taking a big gulp, he musters his courage. Standing to his feet, he looks up at his Master and with touch defiance in his voice. " I if I am to serve you to in a manner equal to your glory, I must ask why did you send Alorin?"

Shegorach stares at him, each second feeling like hours, when the head spins again back to Comedy, fireworks appearing in his black eyes. " Aaah there he is... such a impertinent creature.... " The voice once more sweet and melodious. " Fear not dear Moz..... a Great Game is being played...... with my counterpart.... and you are one of my pieces .... I see greatness in your future.... are a Pawn or a Knight?... ..the task is still within arm's reach...bring me what I Desire...."

One moment he is on the dias and the next he is behind Moz with his hands on his shoulders " But first my dear Moz..." his fingers tapping there up his shoulders and neck, resting om the sides of his head. The head spins again to Tragedy. "...we will need to make some changes..." he says menacingly, and slowly his fingers sink into Moz's  skull and to tickle his brain. Suddenly the house lights come back and circuses roars back to life. Noise rushes in and the circuses swirls around him at a dizzying speed. As he loses consciousness.... a last thought crosses his mind...... who is screaming?


Moz's crumpled body suddenly breathes in deeply and his eyes flash open, suddenly a blood curdling scream erupts from his lips...... non-stop..... for four minutes straight...... with no change....

The screaming stops as suddenly as it started. Springing to his feet with a slight wobble. " Did I just die? I think I died..." he say rubbing his head "What's the plan? "

Alorin

As Moz collapses mid-sentence, Alorin is more than a little worried for his friend. Once he sees Rivyre heal him, the worry eases somewhat, but knowing the nature of the pact Moz owes to his master, Alorin has an inkling that he might have had a rather unpleasant encounter in the interim. And this flash of insight also brings with it the realization that, despite (or perhaps because of) growing up a lone wanderer through lands both mortal and fey, he is starting to become incredibly good at intuiting the thoughts, emotions, and intentions of others.

He also takes a minute to secure a now-well-swaddled and warm Cassie onto El, gives her a quick pet in passing, and then begins to ensure that his blades are clean, sharp, and ready, giving them each a practice swing. Who knows what kind of violence may lie in their future - it was better to be prepared. "Two blades are better than one," he muses briefly, before turning his attention to other matters. He quickly glances through a journal, and anybody with a keen eye can spot scribblings in half a dozen languages within. It is evident that Alorin uses these several languages in his journal entries to simultaneously maintain his proficiency while also making his journal entries hard for any third party to easily peruse.

Content with his preparations, Alorin turns to the rest of the party and says, "This place is a friendly town, for the most part, though we may want to clean up a bit before heading in, both to avoid startling anyone, but also to not appear threatening in any way. And let's keep any disparaging remarks about the Flame to a minimum, if we can; we don't need anybody else looking to fight us right now. Glad you're still with us, Moz, but if you feel well enough, would you do the honors? And once we're done with that, we have a choice to make - do we go to the monastery, the chapel, or the clan hall? I'm not sure if Sir Lorn has arrived here yet, or where he would go if he had."

Rivyre speaks to Moz, "You had a brush w/ death, but you didn't fully expire, though your uncontrollable screaming was an interesting side effect of you coming back from the brink."
Turing to Alorin, "I can't say for how my colleagues will be like here in Enniskillen, but the Sacred Flame does teach it's worshipers & devotees to be respectful, offer compassion, hope, & redemption, even w/ the Flames political doctrine of intolerance towards other faiths. Of course i'm not saying there are not zealots among my colleagues much like a our Kromacian Druid friend. Alorin is right..., we can scarcely afford more blood curses or other consequences. In short, be polite & keep any negative associations to yourself."

Wobbling slightly still with his hand still on his head, looks over at Alorin. " I don't know what you are talking about. I am the very soul of decorum. People love me." He says picking his hat of bells up and dusting it off. " It's this hooligans you need to worry." Gesturing to the others. " You know how uncouth Elves can be." He says with a wink to Valanthe.

Cat-Sith comes prowling out from among the trees and sits down staring at the goblin." I have grown tired and bored of your antics Fool. You will release me. Now."  The familiar's voice says in Moz's mind. "Summon that sycophant Iago or one of the others. I am done with you." Blinking a few times at the familiar'sbluntness. " You know it is polite to say please." He says to the cat, who responds with a guttural growl and hiss. "Alright, Alright... don't get your tail in a twist." He says holding up his hands. Clearing his throat. " I thank you oh glorious Cat-Sith, the Stalker between Moonlight. I release you from my service." He says with grandiose bow. The cat's tail swishes imperiously. "When my time of bondage to your Master is done."  A disembodied voice says originating from the cat. Lifting a paw he extends a single claw. "I will hunt you and carve your beating heart from your chest and consume it as you still breath."  The familiar shimmers and blurs, fading away.

Pulling a small brazier from his pack and stuffing a handful of herbs in it and placed it on the ground. With an arcane word the herbs catch alight. Multi-colored smoke billows froth and Moz begins an arcane chant, as the smoke billows out it starts to swirl forming into a circling portal. Emerging from the portal is Iago, the fairy imp. "Boss!" He says with genuine surpise. "You are alive........ What a pleasant surprise." Behind him a small impish hand sticks out of portal doing the 'pay up' gesture. Iago nonchalantly hands a coin to the hand and the portal vanishes. " Never doubted you for moment." He says with a straight face, looking over Moz's shoulder. " Did we get the baby and who are the meatsacks?... ohhh Elven meatsacks, how fancy. " Looking around. "Where is the baby?" He asks.

"That is complicated .." Moz says nodding toward Alorin holding Cassie. The pair spend the next few minutes staring at each other as Moz fills Iago in on recent events. " Damn Boss. I am gone a few days and look at the mess you are in." Iago says with a low whistle. " I told you, you can't trust that cat..."   he says fluttering in the air. "Where are we?" He says turning to survey Enniskillen.


"Ugh..... Enniskillen.... " the imp says, his long pointed nose wrinkling in digust. " You remember the last time we were here? Words were said, feelings got hurt,.... fires got started.... so many fires...." Iago says with a dreamy smile. " They'll probably remember Mozzarella... you are going to need a new face, Boss." 

"Ya, ya I know. And for the record you started half of those fires." He says, pulling a mirror from his pouch and holding up to his face. "Who to be...." Uttering an arcane word he starts shifting through various appearances " No.... no.... maybe... gods no..."" he mutters as he swipes his hand left dismissing each disguise. Dozens of disguises are dismissed (he is hitting the random face generator) before he pauses." Ohhhh hello there handsome what's your name?" The illusion he has settled on is the face of a young halfing male, with thick unkempt back hair, slightly oversized ears and nose.  His motely shifting into ratty traveling leathers. "Now what's your name... I am feeling..... a Felix..... ya.... Felix ...." he says, looking down at his hairy feet. "Harefoot! Ya that works."  He says twirling around to showcase his new appearance. Facing the others "Good day Governor, top of the morning to you." His voice changing to an over the top Dickinson Street Urchin. "A little much?" He says in his regular voice. " I will work on it."

Alorin

Alorin shakes his head at Moz's antics, but chimes in, "Yea, it's best not to go in with a face that's notorious around town, not when we have all this mess on our hands. But if you're happy with how your look turned out, would you mind cleaning the rest of us up a touch? Though maybe not too much, just in case that gets the wrong sort of attention as well!", pointing to the bloodied and travel-stained look his companions are sporting.

Hopping up on a log, Moz bows and suddenly a banner appears put of thin air and unfurls. Fastidious Felix's Fireside reFinement . "Roll up, Roll up.... have you been the road for a long time? Are the dirt stains getting to you? Are your unmentionables becoming mentioneables? Is it your smell that is keeping the random encounters away?" He says as he pinches his nose for dramatic effect. "Here at Fastidious Felix's we got Prestidigitation for all sorts. From bloodstains too sweat stains too 'brown' stains we have a Prestidigitation to clean you right up. Is your B.O keeping both friend and foe away, well try one of our custom Prestidigitation scents too attract that specialfriend or foe." There is another shower of spraks " All for the low price of a few silver you can have it all."

( Moz will cast Prestidigitation on any one who wants it.)

Valanthe watched in silence as Rivyre placed her hands on Moz's body and spoke the words that brought him back to life. And then Valanthe held him on her lap, sort of, whilst he screamed and screamed. She stood after he jumped up and winked at her and quietly watched him as he summoned a small creature from smoke, unsure what to say or do. His energy was erratic and frantic - a front perhaps for something she didn't understand. As the small whirlwind of a goblin uses his magic to make her look more presentable, she says softly, "Don't do that again. The dying bit. Ok? That wasn't fun."

Alorin, Rivyre, and Valanthe

As Moz screams for a four straight minutes, his mad shrieks echo across the still lake. Far away, across the lake on the other shore, Alorin, Rivyre, and Valanthe spot under the dull overcast sky, a movement of light from the line of buildings of Enniskillen. Moving around the eastern shoreline, barely visible, the lights are diffuse points, but grouped together, like a cluster of torches. It appears that they are coming closer, before the lights round the bend southwards and vanish into the forest.

Valanthe's soft words cut through the chaos of Moz's mind, pausing for a moment, he lets the 'mask' drop. Taking one of her hands in both of his. " I will try and not make a habit of my dear." Giving her a smile. " Sorry if I seem so flippant about death, I am not..... use to having.. others... care .....much about me...  thanks... it's....nice." he says quietly as he starts to blush, suddenly he gives her a quick peck on the cheek. He then shakes his head dramatically "brrrr.... Right enough of that....." As the 'mask' descends back down, he gives her hand a  squeeze. " Now about your custom scent.... I think this one will do nicely. I call it Autumn Dew at Twilight. Take a whiff"

Rivyre observes as the small lights move across the town, around the river, & the disappear into the forest. "Hmmm..., I think you might've roused the locals Moz. I think perhaps we should head into town & find shelter. I don't think Cassie will enjoy sleeping in a campsite out in this cold winter air. I'm sure there's inns available..., or while it's not everyone's first choice given our various religious differences, but I might be able to use my position as a Flamekeeper to secure us some guest quarters at the monastery for the evening."

Alorin

"The monastery is a nice place; they have some nice books worth reading," Alorin muses, half to himself. "Let's head on over. Though, we'll probably run into the townsfolk before we get to the town. Let's hope we're not about to get blindsided by more violence. And I do hope Sir Lorn is already here." He makes sure no obvious signs of any faiths are visible on him, and anybody near him can hear a jingle of multiple amulets underneath his armor. He also makes sure his weapons are sheathed, but within reach, and that Moz's spell has cleaned him up and made him look presentable (though still a little travel-weary).

Hopping off the log, he heads off with the others to Enniskillen. Iago flying along above them.

" Hmmmm guest rooms in a monastery." Moz says with a sour expression, as he walks along " A cold penitent cell's bare walls with a straw sleeping pallet. Water with gruel and bread to eat , and deary hymns too listen too... yippy........oorrrrrrr" he says with grin, turning around with a pitch. " We find a warm inn with a lively taproom. Feather beds, music and dancing. Nut brown ale and rose wine. They do this roasted duck here, with little potatoes and cinnamon apples.... muphhh"  making the 'chef's kiss' gesture. "Amazing!".

Looking up and reaching with his mind to Iago " Hey, make yourself  useful  and check out those lights"

" Send the familiar to scout ahead, so original Boss" The fairy imp telepathically replies sarcastically  as he fades from sight and flies toward the lights.

(Moz sends Iago to scout out the lights and report back.)

A number of riders on horseback are moving at a fast trot along a southward greenway around the lake towards the party. It's not green now, of course; it's covered in snow, churned up by hooves. The riders appear to be scouts or guards of some sort. They are armed, and carry torches and horns. Though furs and leathers keep them warm, the style of their clothing is different than that of the Lochlann clan. Cut in wool tunics with leather boots and padded coifs, their fashion looks almost mainland.

Rivyre listens to Moz's elaborate description of Sacred Flame temple accommodations & responds, "Even as a child long before I joined the Sacred Flame I never lived w/ such luxuries w/ my family on Almorra. We lived in a simple wooden house, much like the longhouses back in Darryl. Thus when I joined the Faith, the simple life felt just like home, she chuckles. While not an entirely inaccurate description, not all temple & cathedral living arrangements are the same. I at least had a wool stuffed bed, pillows, & blankets in Altbruke & which was more than I ever had as a child & THAT felt like my luxury to me at the time, she chuckles again. Food was about the same same as I grew up w/: Breads, other grains, vegetables, mixed into a soup or stew, & paired cheeses, fruits. Though my first experience w/ alcohol in the clergy..., well..., i'm not going to talk about that."

"However, clergy quarters in Lumen are a little more than modest the one time I took my pilgrimage to the Holy City & became ordained. Probably funded by tithes of gold in exchange for our divine spellcasting services, a current day practice that is frowned upon by many, myself included. A simple life you learn to appreciate what you have, & enjoy the little things that get overlooked if you live a lavish lifestyle. But, that's a topic for another day."
"Has Iago spotted anything..., hmmm come to think of it I should re-summon Syletha at some point again. Hopefully she's not charmed anymore."

Rolling his eyes theatrically, as he skips along. "Enjoy your simple lifestyle, I am going to enjoy this thing called civilization." He says with a laugh. " We do have incoming. Judging by their bad fashion taste it is villagers. They don't seem overly hostile, but definitely on alert. If they have patrols in place then I  suspect Sir Lorn has reached the village." Checking his reflection in his mirror and adjusting his disguise. "Remember I am Felix. Not Moz."

Acknowledging Moz she responds, "Of course, "Felix", she says w/ a wink. "Perhaps I should greet them as they should be more friendly to the Sacred Flame & we can avoid some unpleasantness to prevent any hostilities."