Anyone who understood gnommish would have blushed at the steady stream of expletives coming out of Zina's mouth. She hated strangers, almost as much as horses hated her. And now? Now she would have to get on a horse with a stranger. It seemed like a recipe for disaster.
"If you do anything to me or my friends, I will freeze you into an ice block. Then I will grind said ice block up until I have a nice little Hell Rider snow cone," she said grumpily as she was hoisted onto the back of some random warrior's steed. "Understood?" The man only laughed, which in turn made the illusionist even more grumpy.
Kanon pulled himself up on the horse as quickly as possible, "Are you sure we can't take them?" He asked. They still had a mission to complete, and with their help they might just pull it off. "It's just a camp of hobgoblins from the reports. The last of the forces that were left in this area."
He didn't hold out hope that they'd join them for this mission, but it was worth a shot. They made short work of that giant....
The Hellriders push westward toward the Coast Way Road, stopping only when the sun has set and further travel by horse would be dangerous. As they dismount and begin setting up camp, the captain approaches you again.
"It's fortunate we happened upon you," he says. "We were on our way to Candlekeep on business for Eltugard when we spotted that giant prowling around the countryside. We broke from the road to pursue him, but it looks like you found him first."
He motions to a couple horsemen with sunbursts painted below the chevrons on their shoulders and directs them to heal the party's wounded.
"What brings you into such dangerous territory? From what I understand, the locals are evacuating this region..."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PBP "Beregost Blues" - Dungeon Master of Gnome Slaying +5
Pettilaen's ride was silent. He felt like he was a prisoner, sitting in the lap of this rider. But, they had--probably--saved his life, so he didn't complain. He just closed his eyes, held onto the horse, and looked at everything through Gaia's eyes. He could see so much more up above, but could tell that she was tired, having had little sleep.
Dismounting from the rider, he regrouped with his group as the captain approached them. "Yes, thank you Mr. Captain Master. Your help was most welcomed." He pauses, considering how to summarize the events as quickly as possible. "This region is under attack by a war party of hobgoblins, we think following under the reincarnated order of the Knights of the New Dawn. We think that somehow Balagos, the biggest, scariest red dragon in existence, and the Red Wizards of Thay, are somehow related to all of this, and are probably orchestrating these events in the background. And we found this gem that has someone's soul trapped inside, which some peeps up in Candlekeep are studying." He purses his lips and nods his head. That was a pretty good summary.
"Oh. And we could really use some magical weapons and armor, if you have any to spare." The request couldn't hurt.
The captain's craggy demeanor cracks a little as he tries to hide a grin.
"That's quite a tale. And you five are mixed up in all of this?" He whistles. "We've heard of the hobgoblin horde, though our reports say most of them have returned to the south. We saw a large number of orcs headed south toward this region, though we lost sight of them as we broke off to pursue the giant. We've heard reports that an elder red wyrm was spotted, but this is the first I've heard of the name 'Balagos'. I'll pass that along. As for the Red Wizards, that seems far fetched... If a wyrm is involved, it's far more likely the Red Wizards are his enemy than his ally."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PBP "Beregost Blues" - Dungeon Master of Gnome Slaying +5
Mara dismounted and stumbled over to one of the riders with the sunburst motif. She sank to the ground, and allowed the rider to tend to her wounds. She wasn't listening to the banter, she was too deep inside her own head to hear anything.
Kanon dismounts and goes to help set up the camp. When he does, he's taken aback by the efficiency as they work. There's literally no place for him to help in the set up besides rolling out his own bedroll. Instead, he sits next to Mara and asks, "Copper for you thoughts?"
He knows that travelling with this group is far different than any other experience he's ever had, but he was surprised at the complete shell-shock that Mara seemed to be suffering from. "I know we're a little different than other groups you've been a part of, Mara," he says, "But I think we'll grow on you... We're here to help each other when we fall, and we all will fall at one point or another. But we'll be there when your eyes open back up."
Mara blinks as she hears Kanon's voice. She shakes her head at him. "It's not that. I... just thought all this would be like..." She pauses, gathering her thoughts. "City watch is much different than all this. I don't think I'm prepared for all this." Mara definitely felt out of place. Giants were completely out of her wheelhouse. "Maybe I'm better off helping the refugees back at the camp. I can figure something out."
Kanon shakes his head, "You are helping the refugees. We're going to take back Beregost, Mara. That's the ultimate way to help them. You'd rather have this responsibility be put on another person? I don't know about you, but I trust myself with this responsibility more than anyone else in that keep. None of us are ready for the dangers we'll face, but did you see any of us running from that giant? We just need to be smarter in our approach... call out commands... work as a team. That's something you had in the watch. Maybe help us learn it."
Such wise advice from someone so young. Mara was impressed. "You're right. I need to remember you aren't soldiers." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. Good job out there, kid. You're brave."
Things went a bit fast, but like slow motion as she is dashing to Mara the giant turns tail and runs blowing his horn to warn his masters only to be overrun by paladins of Torm. When she reaches Mara Kanon is already healing her and the calvary is returning to pick them up fast. She jumps up behind the paladin offering her a ride.
At the camp for the night she hears Petti rattle off a lot of information with some of it still speculative. The captain had more meaty information that proved much of the enemy had returned south again, though they had seen a band of ogres that were still somewhere in the area. It appeared the attacker of Beregost had pulled out most of the troops but still had enough around to annoy anyone not ready for a fight. Maybe this news could get passed on so the main forces, now up at the Gate could reform and reclaim the area. Of course, the dragon was no figment of the imagination and the enemy army could could come back again. She definitely didn't have the tactical know-how, but this all seemed to be more positive than negative now. Lathander's light was shining on the possibilities of renewal.
She steps up to the captain and gives him a salute of honor. "I am Portia Starflower of the Song of the Morning. We were trying to do a sorte to find a group we could handle to get information, but wound up having that giant throwing rocks at us. Needless to say that was our first interaction with a giant. Your information is helpful and might lead to the possibility of reclaiming the area. Most of Beregost's elite forces and the Song of the Morning are at the Gate now. Most of the people at Candlekeep are the people that went for that option and are not much of the fighting sort. We did find Mara there who is a stalwart fighter and showed no fear of the giant."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
He takes in everything Pettilaen and Portia have said and chews on it for a few moments.
"Well, if you're brave enough to be roving about these parts, you have my blessing. And you'll need it."
He whistles and makes a hand gesture, twirling a single finger in the air. One of his Serjeants answers, rushing up to inquire that his Captain desires.
"Fetch the pup," the Captain says to his Serjeant. "I've found a good quest for him to undertake so that he may earn the title of Hellrider."
The Serjeant rushes off.
----
A few moments later, the Serjeant returns with a handsome young man, his features stern but kind and his dark, wavy hair tousled and wild.
"Argonox Vindaine," the Captain says. The young man snaps to attention. "You will escort and protect this brave band of souls as they work to serve the people of the Sword Coast. You will fight with the bravery and the honor of an Elturgardian Hellrider and you will die, if necessary, in the service of good."
Argonox salutes. The Captain nods and claps him on the shoulder.
"There, then. It's settled. In the morning, we make our way to Candlekeep and you folk go about your business. Another trained sword may make all the difference."
Mara almost snapped to attention when the unit all called out at the same time. Her heart ached for a moment, thinking of her fallen comrades in Beregost. She missed the camaraderie. Maybe these people she had just so recently fallen in with would some day give her the same sense as her unit back home. She fell back into her thoughts as she sat, cleaning the mud from her shield and armor, then polishing them to a shine.
"Greetings, Argonox. I'm Portia Starflower of the Song of the Morning. Welcome to our humble group. This is," she points at the gnome beside her, "Pettilaen. I'll be right back, but I do need to ask your captain a question that just came to mind of another matter."
She walks after the Captain and politely attracts his attention. Then says, "I was wondering if you are the Hellrider contingent sent to get Regis home safely. The lad's been through a lot. I found him along with the two gnomes and other companions not with us now when he was kidnapped and made sure he got safely to Beregost. The last thing I expected was for Beregost to fall while we went to the Gate to try to track down the possible culprit."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
At first a little annoyed by being pursued and interrupted, the Captain's expression changes when Portia reveals their role in the saving of Master Regis Kennet.
"That is, indeed, our primary charge. I did not realize you were the..." He pauses, thinking. "Elturel owes you a great debt. Follow me."
He leads you to a spot where a lone horseman is setting up a two-man tent. He gives the horseman a nod and a solemn look as he leans down to sort through a disorganized pile of equipment. As he sorts, he sets aside a longsword, a heavy crossbow, a shield, and a suit of plate armor.
"Hellrider Lorrek can no longer make use of these items," he says. "Perhaps your group can."
He claps Portia on the shoulder, sighs, and walks away.
(META: +1 Longsword, +1 Heavy Crossbow, +1 Shield, standard Plate Male armor)
Zina was more than happy to get off of that stupid horse. She wandered over to where Mara and Kanon were resting, ready to give Mara a piece of her mind. For all of the "warrior's" tough talk, she had been practically useless in the fray. What right did Mara have to judge her? Especially seeing as Zina was the only one to actually injure the giant. But as she approached, she overheard bits and pieces of the conversation between bard and fighter.
I don't think I'm prepared for all this.
And suddenly Mara became so much more personable, more human. The ex-member of the City Watch was just as scared and confused as she was. Somehow, that revelation made her feel better. Zina decided against taunting her, slinking away and walking toward the rest of the group.
"There, then. It's settled. In the morning, we make our way to Candlekeep and you folk go about your business. Another trained sword may make all the difference," the man who looked to be in charge said, introducing a young man in army way too shiny to have ever seen real battle.
"That's sweet," Zina said, eyeing him up and down. Her face clearly told anyone that looked at her that she did not, in fact, think the gesture was sweet. "But I think we're good. We don't need another farjin' newcomer."
She felt bad that she now had the equipment of a fallen Hellrider, but then again it would be put to good use....she hoped. She lugs the equipment over to where her group is setting up their meager camp.
"I have a few things donated by the captain," she pauses, "unfortunately due to the fallen."
She sets them out for them to look at. "I don't want any of it unless neither Mara or Argonox needs plate or a really nice shield." She smirks a little.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
"Thank you, but no," Mara said, frowning. "It's a beautiful shield, but I've done nothing to earn it." Hard words to say, but there it was. She went back to focusing on her own shield, thinking self-disparaging thoughts.
Anyone who understood gnommish would have blushed at the steady stream of expletives coming out of Zina's mouth. She hated strangers, almost as much as horses hated her. And now? Now she would have to get on a horse with a stranger. It seemed like a recipe for disaster.
"If you do anything to me or my friends, I will freeze you into an ice block. Then I will grind said ice block up until I have a nice little Hell Rider snow cone," she said grumpily as she was hoisted onto the back of some random warrior's steed. "Understood?" The man only laughed, which in turn made the illusionist even more grumpy.
This was going to be a long ride.
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Kanon pulled himself up on the horse as quickly as possible, "Are you sure we can't take them?" He asked. They still had a mission to complete, and with their help they might just pull it off. "It's just a camp of hobgoblins from the reports. The last of the forces that were left in this area."
He didn't hold out hope that they'd join them for this mission, but it was worth a shot. They made short work of that giant....
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The Hellriders push westward toward the Coast Way Road, stopping only when the sun has set and further travel by horse would be dangerous. As they dismount and begin setting up camp, the captain approaches you again.
"It's fortunate we happened upon you," he says. "We were on our way to Candlekeep on business for Eltugard when we spotted that giant prowling around the countryside. We broke from the road to pursue him, but it looks like you found him first."
He motions to a couple horsemen with sunbursts painted below the chevrons on their shoulders and directs them to heal the party's wounded.
"What brings you into such dangerous territory? From what I understand, the locals are evacuating this region..."
Pettilaen's ride was silent. He felt like he was a prisoner, sitting in the lap of this rider. But, they had--probably--saved his life, so he didn't complain. He just closed his eyes, held onto the horse, and looked at everything through Gaia's eyes. He could see so much more up above, but could tell that she was tired, having had little sleep.
Dismounting from the rider, he regrouped with his group as the captain approached them. "Yes, thank you Mr. Captain Master. Your help was most welcomed." He pauses, considering how to summarize the events as quickly as possible. "This region is under attack by a war party of hobgoblins, we think following under the reincarnated order of the Knights of the New Dawn. We think that somehow Balagos, the biggest, scariest red dragon in existence, and the Red Wizards of Thay, are somehow related to all of this, and are probably orchestrating these events in the background. And we found this gem that has someone's soul trapped inside, which some peeps up in Candlekeep are studying." He purses his lips and nods his head. That was a pretty good summary.
"Oh. And we could really use some magical weapons and armor, if you have any to spare." The request couldn't hurt.
The captain's craggy demeanor cracks a little as he tries to hide a grin.
"That's quite a tale. And you five are mixed up in all of this?" He whistles. "We've heard of the hobgoblin horde, though our reports say most of them have returned to the south. We saw a large number of orcs headed south toward this region, though we lost sight of them as we broke off to pursue the giant. We've heard reports that an elder red wyrm was spotted, but this is the first I've heard of the name 'Balagos'. I'll pass that along. As for the Red Wizards, that seems far fetched... If a wyrm is involved, it's far more likely the Red Wizards are his enemy than his ally."
Mara dismounted and stumbled over to one of the riders with the sunburst motif. She sank to the ground, and allowed the rider to tend to her wounds. She wasn't listening to the banter, she was too deep inside her own head to hear anything.
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
Kanon dismounts and goes to help set up the camp. When he does, he's taken aback by the efficiency as they work. There's literally no place for him to help in the set up besides rolling out his own bedroll. Instead, he sits next to Mara and asks, "Copper for you thoughts?"
He knows that travelling with this group is far different than any other experience he's ever had, but he was surprised at the complete shell-shock that Mara seemed to be suffering from. "I know we're a little different than other groups you've been a part of, Mara," he says, "But I think we'll grow on you... We're here to help each other when we fall, and we all will fall at one point or another. But we'll be there when your eyes open back up."
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Mara blinks as she hears Kanon's voice. She shakes her head at him. "It's not that. I... just thought all this would be like..." She pauses, gathering her thoughts. "City watch is much different than all this. I don't think I'm prepared for all this." Mara definitely felt out of place. Giants were completely out of her wheelhouse. "Maybe I'm better off helping the refugees back at the camp. I can figure something out."
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
Kanon shakes his head, "You are helping the refugees. We're going to take back Beregost, Mara. That's the ultimate way to help them. You'd rather have this responsibility be put on another person? I don't know about you, but I trust myself with this responsibility more than anyone else in that keep. None of us are ready for the dangers we'll face, but did you see any of us running from that giant? We just need to be smarter in our approach... call out commands... work as a team. That's something you had in the watch. Maybe help us learn it."
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Such wise advice from someone so young. Mara was impressed. "You're right. I need to remember you aren't soldiers." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. Good job out there, kid. You're brave."
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
Kanon laughs, "I had no idea if it would work." As his laughter dies down, he adds, "I'm glad you're with us Mara."
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Things went a bit fast, but like slow motion as she is dashing to Mara the giant turns tail and runs blowing his horn to warn his masters only to be overrun by paladins of Torm. When she reaches Mara Kanon is already healing her and the calvary is returning to pick them up fast. She jumps up behind the paladin offering her a ride.
At the camp for the night she hears Petti rattle off a lot of information with some of it still speculative. The captain had more meaty information that proved much of the enemy had returned south again, though they had seen a band of ogres that were still somewhere in the area. It appeared the attacker of Beregost had pulled out most of the troops but still had enough around to annoy anyone not ready for a fight. Maybe this news could get passed on so the main forces, now up at the Gate could reform and reclaim the area. Of course, the dragon was no figment of the imagination and the enemy army could could come back again. She definitely didn't have the tactical know-how, but this all seemed to be more positive than negative now. Lathander's light was shining on the possibilities of renewal.
She steps up to the captain and gives him a salute of honor. "I am Portia Starflower of the Song of the Morning. We were trying to do a sorte to find a group we could handle to get information, but wound up having that giant throwing rocks at us. Needless to say that was our first interaction with a giant. Your information is helpful and might lead to the possibility of reclaiming the area. Most of Beregost's elite forces and the Song of the Morning are at the Gate now. Most of the people at Candlekeep are the people that went for that option and are not much of the fighting sort. We did find Mara there who is a stalwart fighter and showed no fear of the giant."
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain
PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
He takes in everything Pettilaen and Portia have said and chews on it for a few moments.
"Well, if you're brave enough to be roving about these parts, you have my blessing. And you'll need it."
He whistles and makes a hand gesture, twirling a single finger in the air. One of his Serjeants answers, rushing up to inquire that his Captain desires.
"Fetch the pup," the Captain says to his Serjeant. "I've found a good quest for him to undertake so that he may earn the title of Hellrider."
The Serjeant rushes off.
----
A few moments later, the Serjeant returns with a handsome young man, his features stern but kind and his dark, wavy hair tousled and wild.
"Argonox Vindaine," the Captain says. The young man snaps to attention. "You will escort and protect this brave band of souls as they work to serve the people of the Sword Coast. You will fight with the bravery and the honor of an Elturgardian Hellrider and you will die, if necessary, in the service of good."
Argonox salutes. The Captain nods and claps him on the shoulder.
"There, then. It's settled. In the morning, we make our way to Candlekeep and you folk go about your business. Another trained sword may make all the difference."
As the captain turns to walk away, he shouts to his company.
"To Right!"
The company instantly drops whatever they were doing, stands, salutes and shouts in reply.
"To Ruin!"
Mara almost snapped to attention when the unit all called out at the same time. Her heart ached for a moment, thinking of her fallen comrades in Beregost. She missed the camaraderie. Maybe these people she had just so recently fallen in with would some day give her the same sense as her unit back home. She fell back into her thoughts as she sat, cleaning the mud from her shield and armor, then polishing them to a shine.
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
"Greetings, Argonox. I'm Portia Starflower of the Song of the Morning. Welcome to our humble group. This is," she points at the gnome beside her, "Pettilaen. I'll be right back, but I do need to ask your captain a question that just came to mind of another matter."
She walks after the Captain and politely attracts his attention. Then says, "I was wondering if you are the Hellrider contingent sent to get Regis home safely. The lad's been through a lot. I found him along with the two gnomes and other companions not with us now when he was kidnapped and made sure he got safely to Beregost. The last thing I expected was for Beregost to fall while we went to the Gate to try to track down the possible culprit."
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain
PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
At first a little annoyed by being pursued and interrupted, the Captain's expression changes when Portia reveals their role in the saving of Master Regis Kennet.
"That is, indeed, our primary charge. I did not realize you were the..." He pauses, thinking. "Elturel owes you a great debt. Follow me."
He leads you to a spot where a lone horseman is setting up a two-man tent. He gives the horseman a nod and a solemn look as he leans down to sort through a disorganized pile of equipment. As he sorts, he sets aside a longsword, a heavy crossbow, a shield, and a suit of plate armor.
"Hellrider Lorrek can no longer make use of these items," he says. "Perhaps your group can."
He claps Portia on the shoulder, sighs, and walks away.
(META: +1 Longsword, +1 Heavy Crossbow, +1 Shield, standard Plate Male armor)
Zina was more than happy to get off of that stupid horse. She wandered over to where Mara and Kanon were resting, ready to give Mara a piece of her mind. For all of the "warrior's" tough talk, she had been practically useless in the fray. What right did Mara have to judge her? Especially seeing as Zina was the only one to actually injure the giant. But as she approached, she overheard bits and pieces of the conversation between bard and fighter.
I don't think I'm prepared for all this.
And suddenly Mara became so much more personable, more human. The ex-member of the City Watch was just as scared and confused as she was. Somehow, that revelation made her feel better. Zina decided against taunting her, slinking away and walking toward the rest of the group.
"There, then. It's settled. In the morning, we make our way to Candlekeep and you folk go about your business. Another trained sword may make all the difference," the man who looked to be in charge said, introducing a young man in army way too shiny to have ever seen real battle.
"That's sweet," Zina said, eyeing him up and down. Her face clearly told anyone that looked at her that she did not, in fact, think the gesture was sweet. "But I think we're good. We don't need another farjin' newcomer."
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
"Thank you."
She felt bad that she now had the equipment of a fallen Hellrider, but then again it would be put to good use....she hoped. She lugs the equipment over to where her group is setting up their meager camp.
"I have a few things donated by the captain," she pauses, "unfortunately due to the fallen."
She sets them out for them to look at. "I don't want any of it unless neither Mara or Argonox needs plate or a really nice shield." She smirks a little.
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain
PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
"Thank you, but no," Mara said, frowning. "It's a beautiful shield, but I've done nothing to earn it." Hard words to say, but there it was. She went back to focusing on her own shield, thinking self-disparaging thoughts.
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?