Zadkiel has already carried Alaris to Shiva's side, the celestial warhorse alert for signs of distress while Alaris is wrestling with logistical concerns. The paladin grabs her by an armor strap to make sure she doesn't tip out of the saddle and reaches for her hair with the other hand. "Easy... easy," Alaris murmurs before turning their head and calling out, "Caio! Nik! Pick a stopping place now! Astrid - to me, if you please! Nimue, notify the carriage that we're stopping here, thank you."
"I'm sorry, Shiva - I didn't pay attention. We're stopping, and Astrid will take good care of you."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Shiva smiles as Alaris holds her hair back for her. "Thanks, Ari. I'll be alright, I just need a good night's sleep. Sorry for slowing us down." Looking to Astrid, she wipes the sweat from her brow. "Do you have anything for a hangover, hun? That's what this feels like."
Nimue urges her horse close to the carriage, nodding to the men inside. "We're stopping here for the night." She pulls back on the reins, dropping back behind the carriage again.
Astrid falls back to Alaris's side at her call. "What's that now...? Oh, what's the matter, girl? Did you find their sacramental wine," she playfully scolds Shiva. "I'm afraid I can't help you out with anything like that until morning."
Taking a deep breath, Shiva sits up straight on her horse. "Ah, got'cha. Well, I'm pretty sure that I can continue for awhile longer if you wanted to cover more ground today, Ari. I've dealt with worse than a stomach ache for a few hours of riding." She then leans in and whispers to Astrid "Have you seen their sacramental wine? Sounds like a nice way to celebrate once we get them to their destination."
"False alarm, all - carry on. Another hour yet at least." Alaris moves towards the thinning group of followers and circles around the group, hoping more of them will turn back as the group increases the pace.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
A quick blessing of the Lady from Alaris soon has Shiva back on her feet. However, an hour later both Caio and Nimue have also grown tired and Nikolai goes in search of a place to make camp. After negotiating a spot in the barn of a local farmer, he returns to the carriage and guides the little convoy to their resting place for the night. Astrid, Caio and Nimue all settle down with their books and, but for the hooting of an owl, the night passes peacefully.
This pattern more or less repeats itself for the next three days. Alaris continues to push the priors to maintain a brisker pace and, as they do so, the number of pilgrims following the carriage slowly declines. By the time the carriage reaches the grasslands on the outskirts of the Koncowy hills, only one family remains in tow. The journey across these open plains will take just over two days, before the road enters the twilit Ostroga forest.
The wind whips across the sea of grey-green grass, sending rippling waves swirling back and forth across the expansive plains. In the distance to the east, the mountains of the Southern Spur can be seen rising up to meet the sky, beyond the dark carpet of trees that hugs the foothills at their base. A little more than two days later, the carriage stands before the treeline. The black, gaping maw of the road through the forest beckons ominously.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
The sight of the Southern Spur coming into view causes Astrid's eyes to gleam. Her gaze tracks the mountains to the north and smiles wistfully knowing the Kazad Azgaraz is nearby. She can almost smell the yeasty scent of her mother's bread baking away in the oven. The light pings of her father taping away on some intricate piece of clockwork echo in her ears.
The chill breeze of the early spring brings her back to the present. And the sounds of her father's work is replaced by the words of the Grimmi she overheard in the Temnitsa. As she peers through the forest, she hears the faint trickle of the snow melt beginning to run through the streams. She brings Bluebell alongside Alaris's steed. "There may be other dangers out there... besides the monsters that may call these woods their home. The Saramieans could be on the move to Littlewood. Something they would like to keep secret, I'd think."
“Perhaps they’re not so adept at keeping secrets.” Caio remarks, pointing out the telltale signs of a large group ahead of them. With a squawk Ghoul returns to his master’s arm, continuing to make sounds and gesture in one direction with his wing. “Something big flying ahead.”
On the second day of riding amongst the pines of Ostroga, the trees grow denser still as the track enters the deepest reaches of the forest. Amongst the deep greens of the thick foliage, the more perceptive members of the wagon's escort spot something tawny-brown and gold tangled high in the branches a short distance off the road.
Shiva stares out into the labyrinth of trees and greenery as the group treks on. She'd felt steadily better over the last few days, likely the adjustment period Other Shiva had mentioned running its course. A fog had lifted that she had been unaware of, her thoughts were concise and her perception unclouded. She continued to learn from her Other, speaking about their lives and the worlds that they had grown up in.
"So, do you have...someone? No one seems to be sticking out in your memories." "No, there have been a few who I thought would stick around, but nothing ever took like I hoped it would. Seems like you've felt something similar?" "Yeah, nothing has stuck. I know that part of it just comes with the work, and I've had an amazing time with the people I've been with. But..." "Yeah, you still want that sense of companionship. The stability of knowing and trusting that your partner loves you and will be there." "Yeah..." "I'm sorry that things didn't work out the way you hoped with Sonya, I know that you really liked her." "Thanks. That seems to be what I do, fall for people who just aren't in a place to reciprocate those feelings. I think it comes from the same part of me that can't resist powerful women. If I choose to be that vulnerable with someone, I let them pick me up and carry me high into the clouds. I know that they could drop me, and part of the thrill is trusting them to hold on to me. And it's always the same sickening feeling as I slip out of their grasp and begin to plummet." "...We're so alike, you and I. In all the ways that seem to matter. And hey, maybe things will work out with Mistress? She's a vampire, so I'm sure she'll love all this melodrama that you're spewing."
Shiva laughs to herself as she shakes off the heavy emotions of the conversation. "Yeah, maybe she will. And once you're back home, I'm sure that you'll settle down with a nice girl too." "Or boy. Seems I'm a bit more flexible than you in that department." Shiva hears her Other laugh within her mind.
Nikolai has been silent for the last several days of riding, keeping to himself and his thoughts. He reads occasionally, but he is distracted and he continually finds himself going back over the same passages over and over to a point of frustration. As they spot something strange in the distance, high above the roadway Nikolai pulls the reigns on his mount and slows it to a stop as he draws astra furora as a precaution and begins to look about the area. "Be wary... This feels uncanny."
Astrid continues to devour her book on undead during their nightly camps. She is a amazed, and a bit horrified, by some of the creatures that Van Helsing has detailed in her tome. At some of the particularly gruesome descriptions, the cleric is seen clutching her holy symbol closer to her chest.
On that second day amongst the pines, she spots something up in the trees. "Well, nothing too strange I think... This could be what Caio saw falling from the sky." She glances up again, squinting her eyes. "Something large and feathered...," she comments as she begins to guide Bluebell closer to the tree from which it hangs. "Those soldiers may have found themselves some target practice."
The voices of the others pull Shiva from her internal dialogue, and she looks up to survey the tawny-brown shape. "Are we sure that it's dead? Should someone check?"
Caio seems to agree with Shiva’s course of action, and without a word the ranger’s familiar flaps over to the much larger creature. Ghoul approaches noisily so as not to startle it, and once close enough the cormorant perches on one of the branches that has the motionless creature snagged. With a curious peck, Ghoul attempts to discern whether or not the thing is alive.
Ghoul finds a giant eagle twisted amongst branches of a tall pine tree. Long, bloody gashes mar its body and its clear that the creature has met its end.
Caio's cold eyes scan the avian corpse from the ground. "Something quite large did this, perhaps a beast or monstrosity. Whatever it is it could still be close, everyone on your guard." With that, he pushes forward while keeping an even sharper eye out for danger than normal.
Nodding, Shiva summons her blade to keep at her side as the group goes forward. Ready to act at the first sign of danger, she can't help but wonder what would happen if she gave in to her anger in an upcoming skirmish, if she would be able to control any changes that occurred. "We have a unique gift. Unfortunately, you've also seen its cost." "...ok, now who's being melodramatic?"
Caio indicates for the carriage to continue down the road and they ride on for six more hours, before seeking a place to make camp before dusk. As night falls, the shadow elf notices a strange stillness to the forest, followed by the sharp hiss of something cutting the air above.
Zadkiel has already carried Alaris to Shiva's side, the celestial warhorse alert for signs of distress while Alaris is wrestling with logistical concerns. The paladin grabs her by an armor strap to make sure she doesn't tip out of the saddle and reaches for her hair with the other hand. "Easy... easy," Alaris murmurs before turning their head and calling out, "Caio! Nik! Pick a stopping place now! Astrid - to me, if you please! Nimue, notify the carriage that we're stopping here, thank you."
"I'm sorry, Shiva - I didn't pay attention. We're stopping, and Astrid will take good care of you."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Shiva smiles as Alaris holds her hair back for her. "Thanks, Ari. I'll be alright, I just need a good night's sleep. Sorry for slowing us down." Looking to Astrid, she wipes the sweat from her brow. "Do you have anything for a hangover, hun? That's what this feels like."
Nimue urges her horse close to the carriage, nodding to the men inside. "We're stopping here for the night." She pulls back on the reins, dropping back behind the carriage again.
Astrid falls back to Alaris's side at her call. "What's that now...? Oh, what's the matter, girl? Did you find their sacramental wine," she playfully scolds Shiva. "I'm afraid I can't help you out with anything like that until morning."
Taking a deep breath, Shiva sits up straight on her horse. "Ah, got'cha. Well, I'm pretty sure that I can continue for awhile longer if you wanted to cover more ground today, Ari. I've dealt with worse than a stomach ache for a few hours of riding." She then leans in and whispers to Astrid "Have you seen their sacramental wine? Sounds like a nice way to celebrate once we get them to their destination."
"If you're sure, love..."
"False alarm, all - carry on. Another hour yet at least." Alaris moves towards the thinning group of followers and circles around the group, hoping more of them will turn back as the group increases the pace.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
A quick blessing of the Lady from Alaris soon has Shiva back on her feet. However, an hour later both Caio and Nimue have also grown tired and Nikolai goes in search of a place to make camp. After negotiating a spot in the barn of a local farmer, he returns to the carriage and guides the little convoy to their resting place for the night. Astrid, Caio and Nimue all settle down with their books and, but for the hooting of an owl, the night passes peacefully.
This pattern more or less repeats itself for the next three days. Alaris continues to push the priors to maintain a brisker pace and, as they do so, the number of pilgrims following the carriage slowly declines. By the time the carriage reaches the grasslands on the outskirts of the Koncowy hills, only one family remains in tow. The journey across these open plains will take just over two days, before the road enters the twilit Ostroga forest.
The wind whips across the sea of grey-green grass, sending rippling waves swirling back and forth across the expansive plains. In the distance to the east, the mountains of the Southern Spur can be seen rising up to meet the sky, beyond the dark carpet of trees that hugs the foothills at their base. A little more than two days later, the carriage stands before the treeline. The black, gaping maw of the road through the forest beckons ominously.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
[placeholder for Alaris/Nimue sparring montage]
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
The sight of the Southern Spur coming into view causes Astrid's eyes to gleam. Her gaze tracks the mountains to the north and smiles wistfully knowing the Kazad Azgaraz is nearby. She can almost smell the yeasty scent of her mother's bread baking away in the oven. The light pings of her father taping away on some intricate piece of clockwork echo in her ears.
The chill breeze of the early spring brings her back to the present. And the sounds of her father's work is replaced by the words of the Grimmi she overheard in the Temnitsa. As she peers through the forest, she hears the faint trickle of the snow melt beginning to run through the streams. She brings Bluebell alongside Alaris's steed. "There may be other dangers out there... besides the monsters that may call these woods their home. The Saramieans could be on the move to Littlewood. Something they would like to keep secret, I'd think."
“Perhaps they’re not so adept at keeping secrets.” Caio remarks, pointing out the telltale signs of a large group ahead of them. With a squawk Ghoul returns to his master’s arm, continuing to make sounds and gesture in one direction with his wing. “Something big flying ahead.”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
On the second day of riding amongst the pines of Ostroga, the trees grow denser still as the track enters the deepest reaches of the forest. Amongst the deep greens of the thick foliage, the more perceptive members of the wagon's escort spot something tawny-brown and gold tangled high in the branches a short distance off the road.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Shiva stares out into the labyrinth of trees and greenery as the group treks on. She'd felt steadily better over the last few days, likely the adjustment period Other Shiva had mentioned running its course. A fog had lifted that she had been unaware of, her thoughts were concise and her perception unclouded. She continued to learn from her Other, speaking about their lives and the worlds that they had grown up in.
"So, do you have...someone? No one seems to be sticking out in your memories." "No, there have been a few who I thought would stick around, but nothing ever took like I hoped it would. Seems like you've felt something similar?" "Yeah, nothing has stuck. I know that part of it just comes with the work, and I've had an amazing time with the people I've been with. But..." "Yeah, you still want that sense of companionship. The stability of knowing and trusting that your partner loves you and will be there." "Yeah..." "I'm sorry that things didn't work out the way you hoped with Sonya, I know that you really liked her." "Thanks. That seems to be what I do, fall for people who just aren't in a place to reciprocate those feelings. I think it comes from the same part of me that can't resist powerful women. If I choose to be that vulnerable with someone, I let them pick me up and carry me high into the clouds. I know that they could drop me, and part of the thrill is trusting them to hold on to me. And it's always the same sickening feeling as I slip out of their grasp and begin to plummet." "...We're so alike, you and I. In all the ways that seem to matter. And hey, maybe things will work out with Mistress? She's a vampire, so I'm sure she'll love all this melodrama that you're spewing."
Shiva laughs to herself as she shakes off the heavy emotions of the conversation. "Yeah, maybe she will. And once you're back home, I'm sure that you'll settle down with a nice girl too." "Or boy. Seems I'm a bit more flexible than you in that department." Shiva hears her Other laugh within her mind.
Nikolai has been silent for the last several days of riding, keeping to himself and his thoughts. He reads occasionally, but he is distracted and he continually finds himself going back over the same passages over and over to a point of frustration. As they spot something strange in the distance, high above the roadway Nikolai pulls the reigns on his mount and slows it to a stop as he draws astra furora as a precaution and begins to look about the area. "Be wary... This feels uncanny."
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Astrid continues to devour her book on undead during their nightly camps. She is a amazed, and a bit horrified, by some of the creatures that Van Helsing has detailed in her tome. At some of the particularly gruesome descriptions, the cleric is seen clutching her holy symbol closer to her chest.
On that second day amongst the pines, she spots something up in the trees. "Well, nothing too strange I think... This could be what Caio saw falling from the sky." She glances up again, squinting her eyes. "Something large and feathered...," she comments as she begins to guide Bluebell closer to the tree from which it hangs. "Those soldiers may have found themselves some target practice."
The voices of the others pull Shiva from her internal dialogue, and she looks up to survey the tawny-brown shape. "Are we sure that it's dead? Should someone check?"
Caio seems to agree with Shiva’s course of action, and without a word the ranger’s familiar flaps over to the much larger creature. Ghoul approaches noisily so as not to startle it, and once close enough the cormorant perches on one of the branches that has the motionless creature snagged. With a curious peck, Ghoul attempts to discern whether or not the thing is alive.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Ghoul finds a giant eagle twisted amongst branches of a tall pine tree. Long, bloody gashes mar its body and its clear that the creature has met its end.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Caio's cold eyes scan the avian corpse from the ground. "Something quite large did this, perhaps a beast or monstrosity. Whatever it is it could still be close, everyone on your guard." With that, he pushes forward while keeping an even sharper eye out for danger than normal.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Nodding, Shiva summons her blade to keep at her side as the group goes forward. Ready to act at the first sign of danger, she can't help but wonder what would happen if she gave in to her anger in an upcoming skirmish, if she would be able to control any changes that occurred. "We have a unique gift. Unfortunately, you've also seen its cost." "...ok, now who's being melodramatic?"
Caio indicates for the carriage to continue down the road and they ride on for six more hours, before seeking a place to make camp before dusk. As night falls, the shadow elf notices a strange stillness to the forest, followed by the sharp hiss of something cutting the air above.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva