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Post by Igordragonian on Oct 29, 2020 4:23:38 GMT -8
Zakkoth observe the new companions?
Warrior woman...
who was NOT kitiara. Ugh. Why did he left Teyr? He was fine, without all those humans.
'I see.' Zakkoth said shortly and dryly.
'Well, if the omens won't be too bad, Leosin might be there. How ever, they might recongnize my and your's muzzles' The blue robed draconian say to Caelin.
'So, we are having a kender now' he sigh and hold his forehead. 'I guess I'll spend my steel on drinks then. No point in keeping them in my pockets now'
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Post by GorgonHeap on Oct 29, 2020 5:07:25 GMT -8
Benyt - Female Human Fighter 2
Emotions are high and she feels the suspicion directed toward her, best deflected with some truth. "I'm a sellsword, yes. My name's Benyt, and I came following rumors of bandit raids and the possibility of easy hours in fertile country spent in the defense of farmers. Whatever's happened here is much more than I bargained for. Whatever it is, I can't abide attacks on the innocent. If there's steel to be had, my sword is at this community's disposal.
"Who do I speak with about local intelligence and employment? Greenest obviously needs fresh defenders."
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Post by Bunny Commando on Oct 29, 2020 6:02:55 GMT -8
Henry smiles warmly at Chantilly and Benyt, extending his hand to greet them "Name's Henry, pleased to make your acquaintance."
To Benyt's question, Henry shrugs and responds "Lord Nighthill is the man you seek, ma'am; but..." his gaze goes to the ruined city "...well, I doubt you will find much steel here; Lord Nighthill needs coin to rebuild the town and right now Greenest is not much of a target. So I hope you will my find my proposal interesting." Henry points at Caelin, Eliana and Zakkoth "These three fellows could provide you with informations about what happened and I'm willing to give you my share of steel, should we find it; and since you told you can't abide attacks on innocent people, stopping these attacks before they even happen would be much more helpful. So, would you consider lending your sword to our cause?" then Henry turns to the others "If you agree, of course."
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Post by Zero Prime on Oct 29, 2020 10:15:15 GMT -8
Caelin Valaerys, pariah of TarkhisisHP: 18 of 18 | AC: 17 | Perception: 15 | Insight: 17 | Inspiration: 1 Conditions: None. Caelin looked to Henry, then looked back to his companions, a quizzical look on his face. "Our cause?" He knew that Conard trusted him, that he was known to the young Knight, but he didn't trust him. Not yet, "If we're to pursue the raiders, we may end up needing your sword arm, but," a pause as he glared at the knight. "I don't even know you yet, and I certainly don't trust you." He shrugged, "And you," he turned towards the mercenary, "if coin buys your loyalty," he pulled a satchel from his travel pack. "Two hundred fifty steel coins from Nighthill's coffers, offered to me to pursue those bastards. It's yours if you join, but if you betray us." A cruel smile, "But that's neither here nor there." He knelt down, looked Chantilly in the eyes, "And you girl, if you follow there will be hardship, danger and death. I'd spare you that if I could," sadness was reflected in his eyes, "but I will not tell you what to do."And then he turned, beginning to follow the trail to the south and east.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Oct 29, 2020 12:56:29 GMT -8
Eliana reaches and grabs Caelin's arm before he can march off to certain death. "Wait," she says softly. "I know you eager, but we need to return to the keep to gather some information about Zakkoth's friend," she says. "He has disappeared. There is a good chance that he has been captured, but no one is actually sure on the matter, so I wanted to speak to the people that we rescued last night so that we can get a better picture as to what happened to him. Marching off after the Children of Takhisis right this minute isn't a great idea."
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Post by Zero Prime on Oct 29, 2020 13:44:22 GMT -8
Caelin Valaerys, pariah of TarkhisisHP: 18 of 18 | AC: 17 | Perception: 15 | Insight: 17 | Inspiration: 1 Conditions: None. As he felt the hand on his arm he spun, when he recognized it as Eliana's his face softened somewhat, then as she spoke he shifted his attention to Zakkoth. He felt guilty, ashamed, Zakkoth had risked himself to save Caelin at the doors of the chapel, had nearly died because of it. Here he was, so focused on his revenge that he ignored the fact that his companion, his ... friend ... had lost someone too. When he brought his eyes to Eliana's the anger had faded, they were softer, clearer. He nodded. "But quickly, if Zakkoth's friend is with them, they will meet a bad end before too long," and as he spoke he moved to the broad shouldered Bozak and leaned close, his voice harsh, grating, speaking Draconic. "I'm sorry Zakkoth," he paused, "you've more wisdom than I, more patience too. You know I'll help you find your friend." Another pause as he looked towards the south-east, "I just want to put a blade into Mondath's throat, and that hatred is the only thing I've ever had that's truly mine."
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Post by Bunny Commando on Oct 29, 2020 14:47:32 GMT -8
Caelin Valaerys, pariah of TarkhisisHP: 18 of 18 | AC: 17 | Perception: 15 | Insight: 17 | Inspiration: 1 Conditions: None. Caelin looked to Henry, then looked back to his companions, a quizzical look on his face. "Our cause?" He knew that Conard trusted him, that he was known to the young Knight, but he didn't trust him. Not yet, "If we're to pursue the raiders, we may end up needing your sword arm, but," a pause as he glared at the knight. "I don't even know you yet, and I certainly don't trust you."
"Do you intend to find whoever attacked Greenest and, if possible, stop them? If the answer is yes, then we share the same cause - so, our cause." Henry answers to Caelin with a broad smile, a hint of amusement in his voice "And you're certainly right in not trusting me - I'm a terrible swordsman. I spent months trying to learn how to riposte, so for your sake I truly hope you'll never need my sword."
Henry nods at Eliana's words and then point at the improvised marketsquare "I would also suggest we talk to the people selling the spoils of last night's battle. Maybe they found something that could help us in our quest; we could split up and agree to reconvene here in half an hour?"
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Matt4
Paragon
Posts: 3,545
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Post by Matt4 on Oct 29, 2020 17:40:38 GMT -8
Chantilly Sweettooth
HP: 19/19 - AC: 16 - Perception: 15 - Insight: 11 - Inspiration: No
Conditions: None
Chantilly was excited to meet all those new people. She looked in awe at the famed Reyra, imagining her while she was conjuring the lightning that stroke the dragon. Then her eyes became a bit more cautious when looking at the bozak, even though the amusing comment he made got a giggle out of her. Finally, she looked at the newly introduced Henry and the woman she spoke just moments ago. They both seemed like they wanted to help, so Chantilly deemeed both of them as very nice people, even if they appeared to be particularly interested in talking about steel for some reason.
She never got the fixation for steel, it was one of the least interesting thing to be focused on. She wondered if her father was also interested in it, and decided that she hoped he wasn't even though she would have probably tried to save some just in case he was.
She was taken aback from her thoughts by Caelin. He was so solemn and dignified when talking, but Chantilly was happy to see him became calmer when speaking with Lady Rayra.
She listened intently to what everyone had to say, then cleared her throat and said: "As Caelin already said, I'm Chantilly, nice to meet you!" while smiling. Then continued: "I also want to help Zakkoth in finding his friend!"
She then went to Henri, while pulling out 5 pieces of steel from her pouch and extending them to him: "I only have those, but if they can help Lord Nighthill rebuild these people's homes, please give them to him! I could also hunt and cook something for the ones who lost someone. It won't bring the dead back, but maybe the ones that lived will feel better."
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Post by Zero Prime on Oct 30, 2020 3:26:08 GMT -8
Caelin Valaerys, pariah of TarkhisisHP: 18 of 18 | AC: 17 | Perception: 15 | Insight: 17 | Inspiration: 1 Conditions: None. "Do you intend to find whoever attacked Greenest and, if possible, stop them? If the answer is yes, then we share the same cause - so, our cause." Henry answers to Caelin with a broad smile, a hint of amusement in his voice "And you're certainly right in not trusting me - I'm a terrible swordsman. I spent months trying to learn how to riposte, so for your sake I truly hope you'll never need my sword."
Henry nods at Eliana's words and then point at the improvised marketsquare "I would also suggest we talk to the people selling the spoils of last night's battle. Maybe they found something that could help us in our quest; we could split up and agree to reconvene here in half an hour?"
Caelin sneered, "Jests?! You make jest at a time like this? You feeking Solamnics!! Your talk of high ideals, of causes, of quests," he pointed towards the ruins of Greenest, "can you not see what carelessness your ideals have wrought! What complacency! We are not on a quest, some thrice damned fairy tale! We have a task, to crawl through mud, and shite, and blood, to slit the throats of these raiders, while they sleep if need be! So that THIS doesn't happen. AGAIN!" He snorted as he talked of splitting up, "There is no need to talk to the villagers, the Children of Tarkhisis moved into Greenest seperately, in small groups, they waited for the dragon to soar overhead and they attacked, taking lives, taking captives, taking these people's belongings. They left in the same manner, after the dragon-wrought Cyanwrath and Mistress Mondath had their sport at the Keep's gate. The dragon needs food after the attack, it has flown south and east to roost, to feed, to regain it's energy, the leadership of the raiders with it. The body of the cultist's move in small groups, avoiding the garb of Tarkhisis, they identify themselves by hand signals and coded words. Cyanwrath is cruel, he is vicious, but cunning, there will be rear guards, comprised of Zakkoth's brethren who lack his strength of will, of stalking lizards the size of small ponies, who track by scent, kobolds and cruel men. The raiders themselves are weak men, or men who have been lied to, offered wealth and favor from a fallen god." He shook his night, "No, we are not splitting up, because you are an unknown, and I want to ensure that I don't wake up with your blade across my throat."He looked to Eliana and Zakkoth, "We go to Nighthill, there to speak with the chapel house survivors to find news of Zakkoth's companion, and then we turn our attention south and east. And there will be no. more. jokes."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Oct 30, 2020 13:08:39 GMT -8
Eliana raises her eyebrows at Caelin, then looks to the newcomers almost apologetically. "Zakkoth, why don't you lead our newest acquaintances towards the keep?" she says to the older draconian. "I think I would like to have a word with Caelin, alone." Once the others start walking away, Eliana turns to Caelin, her face looking rather stern for someone like herself. "You do realize that these people are here to help, right?" she asks gently. "Sir Henry has been nothing but pleasant towards us from the moment that we have met him, yet from the very moment that you met him, you have lashed out at him," she says. "And I do realize that you distrust knights. It is going to take time for you to come to trust him, but what you did just now was uncalled for. This is a serious situation, but having everything be all doom and gloom all the time only puts a tremendous amount of pressure upon everyone, including yourself," she explains as gently as possible.
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Post by Bunny Commando on Oct 30, 2020 14:16:33 GMT -8
Chantilly SweettoothHP: 19/19 - AC: 16 - Perception: 15 - Insight: 11 - Inspiration: No Conditions: None She then went to Henri, while pulling out 5 pieces of steel from her pouch and extending them to him: " I only have those, but if they can help Lord Nighthill rebuild these people's homes, please give them to him! I could also hunt and cook something for the ones who lost someone. It won't bring the dead back, but maybe the ones that lived will feel better."
Henry looks down to Chantilly's hand, steel in her palm and seems speechless for some moments; slowly the squire shakes his head and says "I won't take credit for your kindness, ma'am. If your wish is to help the people with your steel and skill, tell Lord Nighthill yourself." then turns to Zakkoth, hand pointing Chantilly "It seems your fear was unfounded, Zakkoth."
Caelin's words ruins Henry's good mood, however; the more he listens, the more his expression becomes cold and stiff. At the end of Caelin's attack, Henry takes a step towards him - but Eliana is quicker and stops the squire in his tracks. Henry takes a deep breath, anger still in his eyes, and nods to Eliana and turns again to Zakkoth "I will gladly accompany you, Zakkoth. I would appreciate if after talking with Lord Nighthill we could stop by the marketplace, though."
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Post by Daos on Oct 30, 2020 15:36:12 GMT -8
Zakkoth leads Henry, Chantilly, and Benyt toward the keep, while Eliana stays behind with Caelin to talk privately. The keep is a large, stone structure at the top of a hill in the dead center of the village. Armed guards patrol the parapets above, keeping an eye out for any sign of returning danger. The gate is open and the portcullis up, allowing anyone who wishes to enter or exit, however. A number of villagers are still held up here in the courtyard, either still too injured to head elsewhere, or having nowhere else to go at the moment, as their homes were destroyed.
Looking around, they find the governor in his office, sitting at his desk. The governor is an older man, his hair and mustache white. The right side of his head is bandaged, and his left arm is in a sling. He is wearing the armor of a Knight of the Rose, but is currently removing it, piece by piece, with the aid of a red-haired dwarven man.
Noticing their arrival, the governor nods to Zakkoth in recognition, but he does not know the three newcomers. "Something I can help you with?" he asks, his voice tinged with a bit of wariness, dark bags under his eyes suggesting he did not sleep much or at all last night.
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(OOC: A minor correction. Looking back, I never specified which direction the dragon flew off toward, so that's on me. But it didn't head southeast with the rest of the army. Rather, it flew northwest, the exact opposite direction. Apologies for not mentioning that earlier.)
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Matt4
Paragon
Posts: 3,545
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Post by Matt4 on Oct 30, 2020 15:49:35 GMT -8
Chantilly Sweettooth
HP: 19/19 - AC: 16 - Perception: 15 - Insight: 11 - Inspiration: No
Conditions: None
Chantilly stepped back a little, her coins still in her hand, as Caelin had an other outburst. Ears lowered, eyes that showed a flicker of fear.
She was happy to take the opportunity offered by Lady Reyra as soon as it presented itself.
"Yes, Zakkoth! Please, show us the way!"
Then turned around to Henry and took his hand: "Please don't be angry at him. He lost some of his friends last night, and he's letting his sorrow turning into anger. But we need to keep our strenght to fight against the people who did this.." she said as she glanced at the rubble surrounding them "..not among ourselves."
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After arriving at the keep, Chantilly felt sorry for the man she saw in front of herself. She didn't know if it was the whiteness of his hair or the tired tone of voice, but she was reminded of Caelin while looking at him.
"Hi! I'm Chantilly!" - she introduced herself cheerily - "Zakkoth's friend got kidnapped by those attackers last night. We were wondering if anyone here had seen something..."
As she was talking, Chantilly remembered something: "Oh, right, I want to assist you in rebuilding your town. Here, it's not much but I hope it can help." she said, while showing him her steel coins, waiting for him to finishing doffing his armour.
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Post by Zero Prime on Oct 31, 2020 5:30:19 GMT -8
Caelin Valaerys, pariah of TarkhisisHP: 18 of 18 | AC: 17 | Perception: 15 | Insight: 17 | Inspiration: 1 Conditions: None. Eliana turns to Caelin, her face looking rather stern for someone like herself. "You do realize that these people are here to help, right?" she asks gently. "Sir Henry has been nothing but pleasant towards us from the moment that we have met him, yet from the very moment that you met him, you have lashed out at him," she says. "And I do realize that you distrust knights. It is going to take time for you to come to trust him, but what you did just now was uncalled for. This is a serious situation, but having everything be all doom and gloom all the time only puts a tremendous amount of pressure upon everyone, including yourself," she explains as gently as possible. Caelin's eyes narrowed, looking to the back of their departing companions, then to Eliana's fierce eyes. "I ...," his voice broke, he took a moment steeled himself. "I breathed him in Eliana." He said quietly, "Iro, he was slightly ahead of me when the ... the bolt shattered the stone, reduced him to ash. It clung to my face, stung my eyes, burned my throat." His voice quavered, but his face was a mask, emotions pushed so deep they didn't even reflect in his eyes. "Henry's too naive, maybe he's a good man, like Conard. But he doesn't *know* what we do," a pause, "what I do." He looked to smouldering ruins of Greenest, "I don't oppose the Children because I want to prevent the next Greenest," a sharp inhale, "I don't want to stop them Eliana. I want to find them, I want to kill them, to slit their throat, watch their life blood pool in the mud, see the light dim from their eyes. Because of what," his face screwed up in frustration, "what they did to me!" He thumped a fist against his chest, "They broke me Eliana, they made me kill in *their* name!" He closed his eyes, Jhaerra's looked at him, betrayal writ large upon them, a flood of guilt, of shame washed over him. A deep breath, and slowly, the neutral tone returned to his voice, to his face. He pointed towards the backs of Henry, "If I can pull the naivety from his eyes, expose the horrible, terrifying truth of our enemies, he *might* be prepared for it! But if he treats it like a sodding fairy tale, thinking he'll find glory, or honor, or *anything* good in this venture, he'll die! HE'LL DIE ELIANA! Like Iro," a crack, "Like I should have."
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Post by GorgonHeap on Oct 31, 2020 11:13:19 GMT -8
Benyt - Female Human Fighter 2
Benyt gets a better sense of the extensive wreckage as they wander deeper into town. Torn walls and blackened skeletons of once-sturdy timbers. Rooves strewn across the roads and piled in alleys. Black mud left by exhausted fire brigades. And the cloying stink of death. This hadn't been a battle, it was a slaughter. She hadn't seen an attack on civilians with such wonton brutality since she left home. Left. She shook her head and forced the unintended memory back into a dark prison deep in her mind.
That Caelin fellow was taking it particularly hard, and she wonders if he'd cracked. The Kender says he lost friends, and Benyt believed it; the man seemed desperate, and desperate men make poor decisions. Best keep a close eye on him if he insists on vengeance. She didn't know what to make of his shouting at this Henry. She had no practical experience with Solamnic Knights, having never met one as a child. Legionnaires generally speak of them as you would a beloved but curmudgeonly and mentally-lapsed grandfather. A treasured and honored warhorse who is lost in the mist of old glories. The overall Khurish opinion of the Solamnic Knights is ... more direct. Henry, however, though broadly-built, possessed the unmistakable features of laddad blood, and the great khans of the cities and deserts respect their strength in battle.
During her journey to Greenest, her intention had been to make some quiet inquiries and dig around for insider knowledge, but she couldn't have anticipated an attack on this scale just before her arrival. She didn't want to join a group of strangers in a sewing circle let alone life-or-death matters, but these folks were obviously deeply involved with these goings-on and already she's being introduced to town elders, so the circumstances were speeding her investigation along better than she could have hoped.
Too bad the price had been lives.
The draconian made her skin crawl and the scars on her cheek itch. He was calm ... but was it the calm of discipline or reptilian psychopathy? She follows at a careful distance, her massive curved scimitar resting against her shoulder, ready to swing at her defense.
She introduces herself as the conversation permits, speaking and bowing respectfully to a true authority figure, and removing her helm and scarf for the first time. Her accent thickens. "My lord, I am Benyt, a sellsword from Khuri-khan. You have my sincere condolences for the tragedy that has befallen your town. I have only just arrived seeking work, and it has already made itself apparent. Though I have much to learn about recent events, I am engaged in helping bring these criminals to justice. I ask approval of safe conduct on your lands."
It's a common practice in Khur, with the unspoken understanding that a host whose guest dies, even accidentally, may be blamed for it. Khurish nobles are all vipers, but she had no idea if a stodgy Solamnic would understand the subtle implication. She shrugged mentally. Whatever works.
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