The World of Skara Brae

Mellara quickly closed her eyes as she felt the sting of the smoke and hastily attacked with her staff right in front of her... hitting the poor door of the fletcher and likely damaging it somewhat in the process.

The druid coughs a bit and then waves her arms to force the smoke away, calling upon a gentle breeze to help with it before she tries to follow the mysterious woman's escape route.

Sam for her part acted quickly and decisively. Such are the advantages of a simple way of thinking. The moment she saw that face she knew it would be nothing but trouble, so without hesitating for a moment she dove to sit on the woman, drawing her hunting knife to strike at her with the pommel on the forehead and then attempt to immobilize the woman with the threat of cold steel an inch away from her throat.

"James Tsif" said the werewolf.

When the unnaturally fast woman saw Sam's face she said: "Oh no, not you again. And I suppose the blue elf is with you too." However, the woman didn't struggle. Either she was afraid to move because of Sam's knife, or she had something else in mind.

Drek got up off the ground and said: "Sam, do you know this person?"

The fletcher just crossed his arms over his chest and muttered something about thieves, but then he went inside, leaving the door open behind him.

Meanwhile, Mellara was following the quick woman's trail. Mother Nature seemed to guide her, despite the urban environment. Mellara could feel the urban wildlife around her, the mice and rats that live in the alleys and sewers, the birds that perch on the rooftops and fences, the cats that prowl by night and sleep by day, the insects and spiders virtually everywhere. Their collective voices all told her that the woman she was seeking was around the corner, immobile.

As all this was going on, the monk called Dyaus Glasia was saying to James: "A pleasure to meet you, I'm sure. Follow me, please." The monk strode ahead towards the doors, Tagana following behind, and the guard resuming his post. Dyaus said: "That's an interesting surname. I don't believe I've heard that one before. Do you mind if I ask where you hail from? Onomastics.. the study of names... is something of a hobby of mine."

Kalan obeyed Richard and approached him "Yes?" The young boy looked quizzingly at the Prince and lets his hands hang by his sides. Perfect position to let a couple of knives slide into his hands if he need them to do so

"One more sound and it will be the last" Promised Sam, her gaze steely as she pressed the dagger just a tiny bit closer to the woman's throat, not letting her focus waver for a single moment "She's one of them... the people that tried to burn down the inn we met in Drek"

Mellara for her part, finally turned around the corner to see her quarry firmly caught by her companions. At this she relaxed and gave a little smile "Well, good one there you two. Was afraid she might have slipped from my talons for good"

"Saw little missy there skulking around the shadows, jumping from roof to roof all suspicious like so I decided to follow her until she started to pick the lock to this building behind me"

James responded "I got it from my mother's side since my father didn't really have a surname. My grandfather didn't know the surname of either of his parents, so he just spelled the word fist backwards with his name. He was skilled at unarmed combat, he actually took down dragons with unarmed strikes."

Prince Richard whispered in Kalan's ear: "Seek out Paul Of Targos, a bard who works in and around Karnport City."

Meanwhile, Drek was saying: "Ah, excellent work, Mellara. Seems you flushed her out right into us." Just then the fletcher stepped out of his house with four bundles of arrows, just as Drek had ordered. Drek said to the man: "I say, good fellow, would you happen to have some stout rope for sale or rent?" The fletcher said: "Aye, I have rope. How much did ye be needing, then?" Drek gave the man the 30 gold for the arrows, as promised, and said: "Oh, about ten feet should do. Enough to tie that thief up with" The Fletcher replied: "Tell you what, m'lord, I've throw it in as a thank you for taking care of that thieving scum. Makes me feel safe that there be folk like ye ready to catch such as that." Drek nodded and said: "Thank you, it's much appreciated my good fellow." The fletcher rummaged around behind the turkey cages and produced a length of rope, which he handed to Drek saying: "He ye go. And a good day to you, mlord." With that the fletcher picked up a turkey cage and took it inside the house with him, no doubt to resume the practice of his craft. Drek took the rope and the arrows. He strapped one quiver on to his back, and strapped another onto his hip. He then gave the other two to Claire and said: "Hang on to these for a moment while I tie up our hapless villain here." Claire nodded and said: "Okkies!" Drek took the rope and said to the would-be-theif: "Show me your hands, and don't try anything or you'll get the point.. of a knife!" The woman had a sour look on her face, but she put her arms up and said: "Fine. Here."

Meanwhile, Dyaus Glasia was opening the doors to the temple of Tyr. The huge doors swung open slowly until there was space enough for the three men to pass. As Dyasu entered the temple he said to James: "Wait a minute... If he was your grandfather... then I think I've heard of the man. One of the original adventuring companions of Eruantian The Ring-Bearer was called Tsif, if I remember correctly. I know the name only through the bards tales and various snippets of information the historians have pieced together. Did you know your grandfather well?"

Inside the doors was a huge rectangular marble hall lit by candles and a circular hole in the roof. At the far end of the hall was a high altar made of obsidian and gold. Behind the altar was a massive statue made of gold, marble, onyx, and obsidian. It was about 40 feet tall, not including the high stone dais it rested upon. It depicted of what could only be Tyr. The statue depicted a marble man. The chair it sat upon was apparently carved from the largest single chunk of pure obsidian ever found, for it was about 20 feet high and nearly half-again that wide. The marble statue seated upon the obsidian chair was clad in onyx armour (it looked like it was supposed to be leather armour) that had kite-shaped gold chest plate. Gem stones on the gold chest plate were arranged in a triangle. inside this triangle within which was a set of which scales, in bas-relif, and made entierly of platinum. The statue was missing it's right hand, and only had a stump there. It was clear the artist who made the statue had carved it that way deliberately, not as the result of some accident or vandalism. The statue was holding upright a huge sword in the left hand. A golden war hammer was propped up next to the chair, while a golden book was resting on it's lap. Of course, these items were really just part of the statue, not individual or separate items, but the illusion was rather convincing. Above the head of the statue was a gold halo. All that precious metal and expensive stone was simply awe-inspiring, for the effect was that one was walking up to a giant marble god. To the right of the statue were two lesser marble statues, about half the height of the central one. They depicted men clad in plate armour, probably some sort of heroes, demi-gods, saints or something like that. These two statues were facing the larger, middle, statue, and were depicted with their arms raised in worship. Standing around the huge central altar in a circle were about two dozen men and women in white hooded robes holding candles and chanting something in an unknown language.

edited 24th Nov '12 4:34:15 PM by TheSarge

"Be careful, Drek" says Sam as she keeps glaring daggers at the woman, getting off her just enough for Drek to be able to tie the thief but never taking her knife off her throat "She's a slippery one"

"Indeed, these types are the most troublesome to keep prisoner I have heard" says Mellara, holding her staff in both hands. Her posture and demeanor were lighthearted in appearance, though in truth she had a spell or two right on top of her mind in case the woman tried something.

"Thank you my good sir~ I shall ask my master if there will be an oppurtunity to do so." Kalan said and bowed to the Prince

"Yeah, he actually taught me quite a bit" replied James, "he liked taking on beasts without weapons because he thought it would bring them closer to their levels, and that even included dragons."

James's grandfather had taken on a few dragons unarmed and he had trouble transformed and with his glaive. Sometimes the werewolf couldn't help but envy the monk.

It was amazing how elaborate everything in the temple was. Though he had bigger priorities, James couldn't help but notice the statue with the stump. "That statue without the right hand, can you tell me a bit about it?"

As Drek bent down to tie the thief's hands, she did her best sexy-face and said to him: "Not too tight, darling, I chafe easily." Drek smirked at her and said: "Oh, you don't like rope? That's too bad, you'll be seeing a lot of it. Mostly from the hangman." Drek tied her hands up expertly, and then tied up her feet as well such that she would be able to stand and walk, but not run or kick. As he did this she said: "Hangman? Oh no, I'll be long gone before anyone can hang me. I'm only sticking around now because of all the pleasant company. Or didn't Sam here tell you how I escaped the last time she and I met?"

Just then, the bartender brought Prince Richard his brandy, pouring the brandy from a bottle into a glass right there by the table. Meanwhile Prince Richard said to Kalan. "Yes, yes. Well, when he gets back tell him I went home. There will be a mountain of work for me there, no doubt. There always is when war is afoot. And so, I bid thee farewell." With that, Prince Richard rose from his chair. The prince took the bottle of brandy with him as he left, saying: "Put that on my tab, there's a good fellow." The bartender, visibly annoyed that the prince wasn't paying for the bottle now sighed and mumbled: "Yes, m'lord." A the prince closed the door behind him, Orren snorted disapproving said: "Are all human royalty like that man? Arrogant, self-assured, autocratic and vain? Thank the gods my people were never cursed with rulers such as that one." Cecilia said: "Yes, sadly all the royalty I've met seem to have an arrogant streak in them." Gerrard said: "What about Drek? He's royalty, right?" Cecilia replied: "A prince from a fallen empire who renounced the throne? Doesn't count as royalty in my book. And if he was ever arrogant or vain he seems to have left it behind long ago. No, I'd say he earned the right to have whatever we might see as arrogance or vanity in him. Can't say the same for the king's uncle we just met. Hope the king is a little better than that." Gerrard said: "At least Prince Richard is on our side now.. more or less." Mal said: "Less than I'd like, personally, but at least he's trying to kill the Drow who follow Lloth now instead of to trying to kill me." Cecilia replied: "Right, yes.. well... speaking of Richard, what did the man whisper to you, Kalan? Anything good?"

Meanwhile, Dyaus Glasia whisperd to James: "That's the statue of Tyr. The ancient texts say that eons ago, before the age of men, the gods foresaw that the end of the world would come from the monstrous wolf Fenrir and decided to shackle it. However, the beast broke every chain they put upon him. Finally, the gods made something unbreakable; A ribbon made out of of abstract ideas and things that only existed then but do not now. The gods hunted down Fenrir and said to him: "Here is peace offering, a ribbon to adorn you, that we might be friends." Fenrir sensed deception in their words, but he was also vain and greedy and so he desired the ribbon even though he did not trust it. He therefore told the gods that he would accept their gift if one of them put a hand in Fenrir's mouth. Tyr, known for his wisdom and courage, agreed. He placed his hand in the wolf's mouth as the gods placed the ribbon on the wolf. When Fenrir realized that the ribbon would bind him and was unbreakable, he bit off Tyr's hand. And thus, the ribbon known as Gleipnir has bound Fenrir ever since, and Tyr has needed others to act as his right hand of justice ever since."

As Dyasu whispered, a man in red robes floated out from behind a column. The man was hovering just inches off the marble floor. He was wearing an ornately decorated silk hood on his head and around his neck was a gold chain set with rubies and emeralds. The chain ended in a gold medealion with the symbol of engraved on it. In his hand he carried a steel mace that glowed faintly in the darkness. Dyasu bowed and said: "Justice be with you, my Lord Archon." The man with the mace said, in a strangely compelling and deep baritone voice: "I would say the same to you, good brother, but I have a a question for you first. Why have you brought these two into the temple just now, against our instructions, just as my brother priests summon the spirit of Tyr here that he may choose my successor from our number?" Dyasu bowed again and said: "My Lord Archon, these men come to seek our help in dealing out justice against the Drow, whom they claim have invaded the surface world again." The Archon said: "Yes, I know." Dyasu blinked in surprise and said: "You do?" The Archon said: "Tyr showed me a wolf in a vision, and told me what to do with it. One that you bring here is that wolf. But he showed no such vision to you and yet you abandoned your prayers and brought them to me, even though you know only priests are allowed inside the temple at this hour. Why?" Dyasu bowed even lower and said: "My Lord Archon I set my heart to find where justice would direct me, and my heart said justice directed me to bring these here." The Archon placed his left hand, which still held the mace, and brought it up above Dyasu's head, saying: "And your heart was correct, Dyasu. It is good to see that your heart is still guided by justice. You have done well, brother. Go now, return to your prayers, with my blessing. And shut the door behind you." Dyasu bowed again and said: "Yes, My Lord Archon." With that, Dyasu scurried out the door and closed it behind him. The Archon said to James: "I am Glennis Vell, High Archon of Tyr. You are James, a ranger of the king of Skara Brae. But, you at once are and are not the furry wolf in my dreams, but I see that it is you. The voice, the eyes, the bearing... yes, just so. Strange that Tyr would choose to show you to me as a wolf. Stranger still that the good Monk would relate that tale of Fenrir and the Gleipnir just as you were about to meet me. I do not know if that bodes ill or well, for Tyr does not illuminate everything for me. However, he did illuminate some things, and now that you are here his will is very clear." With that the man removed his hood with his left hand, and under it was the head of a bald old man with a long white beard. His eyes were covered over with a white bandages, indicating that he was blind in both eyes. He brought up his right arm to his face, which ended in a stump bound with silvery silk wrappings. He said: "Don't let my appearance fool you, I can see just fine. Tyr sees all and has lent me a portion of his vision, blessed be his name. I can see that I am to take you to where you will gather the things you need to defeat the Drow, but that is all I am to do. And then I will watch as you will go under the earth where you will face your final challenge, and there the vision ends. Tyr has also told me that there is a disturbance in the lower planes. He says that Lloth, who was sent there when Eruantian killed her, escaped the lower planes in the stolen body of a demon, only to loose that body and be imprisoned anew. Now, there is a war in hell and it's echos can be felt here in the material world. Oh, and you and your master had some small part in all this. You do not look like the jailer of dead gods or a summoner of demons to me, so surely there is more that Tyr did not tell me of. Care to enlighten an old priest?"

edited 1st Dec '12 1:35:23 AM by TheSarge

"Thank you for reminding me of that" says Sam as she moves to try and prevent a mistake in the past to repeat itself "Drek, her hands"

Sam then moves her knife down to cut the woman's belt right off her and then move it beyond her reach.

Seeing Sam's movement, Mellara smiled "Oh, magical items? Lets see if she is not hiding anything else" says the druid, casting one of the most simple spells she knew. One to detect magic in the area.

James said "To be honest, I'm here because I need somebody for mass teleportation. The wolf you saw in your dreams, did it also have black fur and a green bandanna on his neck?"

Drek put the woman's hands behind her back and finished hog-tying her, but the moment Sam touched the woman's belt, the three of them vanished in a puff of smoke. Mellara's spell of magic detection revealed that the belt was magic just as the three had disappeared, which was too late for Mellara to say anything about it before the three vanished.

Drek, Sam, and the woman suddenly found themselves in a dark room somewhere else. The sudden change in lighting conditions momentarily plunged three into complete darkness. Drek, being an elf, had infravision, however just like but like normal vision it would take a few second to adjust to lighting conditions. Startled by this, Drek straightened up... and banged his head on something. I will tell you that he winced, as banging his head on something without a helmet hurt (though nobody could see the wince.) He said "Ow... what in blazes?" Sam could hear the distant and muffled sound of crickets coming from outside of whatever building they were in. Sam knew that crickets only chirp near sundown and they are only active in the summer. This told Sam that wherever they were it was far from Skara Brae, for it was still afternoon in Skara Brae, and also not summer. Sam could also smell sea air, and some other odd smells she was sure she'd never smelled before. The tied-up woman was said: "Well, perhaps escape has eluded me, but I did succeed in abducting the both of you. Hahahahaha! Get them, girls!" Sam and Drek, their vision coming back to normal but still mostly blinded by the absence of light, immediately heard the sound of footsteps in the dark and had only moments to prepare to defend themselves.

[GM's Note: Here's some theme music for the fight and to set the scene for the exotic locale Sam is about to discover]

Meanwhile, Glennis Vell replied to James: "Yes, it did. And you are that wolf. A lycanthrope, it would seem. No matter, I can see your heart is set on justice and your cause is worthy. That is enough for me to heed the call of Tyr. And what of your companion here, the elf-mage. What role is he to play in this quest of yours?"

edited 8th Dec '12 8:20:48 PM by TheSarge

"Yes, that belt is magical alright... Never good to touch that stuff, no" says Mellara after seeing her companions seemingly disappear. She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm in order to keep her spell going. They were gone... that much she could tell given her spell to detect magic, but it was recent enough that she might feel the aura of the magical device which wisped them away. There was little information she could learn from this... just how strong the device was and with some luck which school of magic it belonged with.

It would not give her much, but it was information that would be lost to her forever soon enough and it would not take her long to collect. Once her spell wore out, Mellara moved. She would return to the inn to let Drek's friend know of what happened... and then she would need to find a big pool of water.

Sam cursed under her breath at the turn of circumstances. The sound of Drek banging his head against the ceiling warned her about standing up too quickly... though given that she was shorter than him, she might not be in danger of hitting herself. Still, the words of the troublesome woman earned her a quick in the dark from Sam. It would have been worse if not for the sound of footsteps approaching.

The young huntress didn't have much time to take in the new scents, the strangeness of this place where it was summer and the crickets chirped when they ought not to. Right now she must move if she is to survive.

The dagger she held in hand to threaten the tied up woman she used as a projectile, launching it with all her might in the direction from which the sounds of steps came. She then unsheathed her adoptive father's blade and waited for what would come.

"Oh, he just asked if I could go talk to a person, I'm going to ask Master once he comes back about it." Kalan said and looked down "I should also get some pants, a long shirt can only keep you warm for so long."

Mal said to Kalan: "You mean you don't have any pants on under that?! Well, we'll soon fix that." She said to the innkeeper: "Where can a boy get new clothes in this town?" The tavern owner replied: "I'd say to try the market square, but with the condition it's in right now I don't think anybody is going to be selling anything there today. Most of their stock would have been out there on the floor of the market square, so they're probably out there right now salvaging what they can of their ravaged stock. Still... perhaps if you were to go help they might sell you some of what wasn't destroyed. If there's anything left to sell, that is." Orren said: "I don't know... between that dragon and Lloth's horde of spiders and whatnot, that place got well and goodly wrecked. I mean, you all saw it. I can count on one hand the number of stalls that were left standing after the battle." Celecia said: "Yes, but there's still a fair chance there's some pants out there that are still in on piece. If not, I can sew some pants together from whatever scraps we might find. I'm quite good with needle-and-thread work, if I do say so myself." Orren, with a half grin on his face said: "What say ye, Kalan? Care to go pants-a-scavenging?"

Meanwhile Sam and Drek found themselves fighting in the dark against unseen attackers. Drek was beset upon by two fighters armed with a large fishing net weighed down at the edges with round lead balls. The strands of the net were made from braided hemp, and each strand was approximately 1/3 of an inch wide. Though Drek struggled valiantly, he was ensnared in the net before he could manage to slice or stab his attackers with his sword. However, just by sheer luck he somehow managed to stick his sword through the net and stab one of his attackers in it's head. The sound of steel meeting flesh and bone was unmistakable to Sam, though she didn't know who had stabbed whom.

Sam was fairing a little better than Drek was, as she was only attacked by one assailant. Her assailant was unarmed and was rather quick, and was very short. Still, Sam was at a disadvantage; Her eyes were still unable to see much, and so Sam was forced to rely mainly on her other senses. Her years of stalking prey in forests at night was serving her well now, for she was experienced in using sound and smell alone to sense her surroundings. Still, though, she was not familiar with the layout of this room, and that was hampering her efforts; She kept bumping into various things she couldn't see. Though Sam faired well under the circumstances, she only managed to evade her attacker for a while, and could not hit it with her sword. Ultimately she lost the fight; her attacker jumped up on Sam, grabbed Sam's arms, and then something metal was quickly clamped onto both wrists. This metal thing now bound Sam's arms together, making movement of the arms very constrained. In a high squeaky female voice, the attacker said: "Ha! Gotcha! This is too easy, Maud. I almost feel sorry for these fools." It now dawned on Sam that the attacker might be a Dwarf, or perhaps a Gnome. Though she'd met very few Dwarfs in her life, and no female Dwarfs (Dwarvettes?), the voice of this one was not what she would have expected. She'd been expecting something lower and less squeaky. Perhaps this was not a Dwarf after all, but rather one of the fabled Gnomes she'd heard of but had never met. Whatever the case, with her hands shackled and the room so dark, Sam's effectiveness with her sword was now drastically reduced. Still, now that her attacker had spoken, the sound had been a valuable gift to Sam: She now could pin-point with her ears where her opponent's head was. If she could only hit it in the head with something, she might just have a chance to escape.

edited 8th Dec '12 8:01:35 PM by TheSarge

"Could be useful. I would have more places to hide my knives then-" Kalan said and looked at his bare feet, ankles and shins "-and I wouldn'd freeze as much. I lost my previous pair when a girls father found me in her bed. I didn't have time to dress properly before he came waving with a sword, she was very nice and she didn't ask for anything in return for giving me food and shelter. It was unusual." He then put a finger to his chin "Oh, and is it possible to get me a pair of shoes too? Walking in the wilderness and on rocks is hardly comfortable."

Sam took very good notice of the sound of her opponents voice. She hated the feeling of her hands being bound by the iron... she could not use her blade this way, the sound of battle Drek's way had died down after a sound that was either terrifying or reassuring depending on whose skull was it that made it. She and Drek were so close to being captured, in a place so strange where it was summer at night and the scent of the ocean was nearby. More than anything, Sam knew that none of her friends was in this strange new place.

Thus, she could not give up. She could not surrender. Her primal fear and rage gave Sam speed and strength as she went for the high pitched voice of that who had bound her wrists. In a single movement she let go of her sword, interlaced the fingers of her two hands into one big fist and then swung it at the source of her rage... trying to use the very irons on her wrists that kept her hands captive as weapons against the Gnome that had bound them.

Mellara meanwhile kept her run towards the inn, keeping a lookout for any big pool of water she could use.

As Mellara ran, looking for a pool of water, in her mind she was trying to make sense of the information that her spell had pored into her mind like a stream catching water from a waterfall. Her connection to the natural world told her that the magic belt itself was no ordinary belt: To her utter shock and surprise, nature was telling her that the belt was not made of animal skin or plant matter. Rather, it had somehow been made of some sort of material from the earth itself. She'd seen men make copper and iron and even steel from things they had dug out of the earth, and she knew that they did not consider what they did to be magic... most of them at least. But to make a belt that looked like leather from materials dug out from out of the earth? What strange magic was this? What was worse was Mellara's spell told her that the magic belt, never mind it's material, had been enchanted with infernal magic. Apparently, someone foolish or mad enough to consort with demons and devils had bent that kind of magic to his and/or her will and used that power to make a belt that could teleport. Sadly, Mellara's spell did not give the location of Sam nor Drek, but it did give her a good hint as to where they went. In her mind she could see Gaia holding water in her hands like a mortal might hold a bowl. And in that water was an island that had very strange ships floating in the air around it. Just then, the very ordinary world of the town of Targos caught her mind's attention again as she realized that Claire was running along behind her, trying desperately to catch up to Mellara without dropping the bundles of arrows that Drek had entrusted to her.

Meanwhile, Sam's twin-fisted fury had knocked her gnomish opponent out cold with the satisfying sound of metal-bound wrists shattering a skull. Strangely, however, Sam also heard the sound of glass breaking, as if the person she was fighting was wearing glass on her head. Perhaps some kind of decoration or jewellery? What kind of fighter goes into a fight wearing that kind of thing? Even stranger, though, was the fact that Sam had not sensed that her opponent was wearing any such thing while they had been fighting. Truly, then, this was a strange place she was in, with strange people. Meanwhile, the woman Drek and Sam had caught and tied up before she had abducted them to here (wherever here was) said: "Stop messing around, Glinspir, and stick to the plan! Get the ring already. We've got a deadline to meet. And for the love of Garm Glittergold, somebody untie me!" Nobody answered. This one-sided conversation told Sam four things: First, that she'd just knocked out someone named "Glinspir." Second, that these people were after Eruantian's ring. It seemed obvious to her now: Even if the ring didn't have the magic it once had, surely someone somewhere would be willing to pay large sums of money to own such a thing. Thirdly, whoever had been fighting Drek was being strangely silent, as was Drek. Fourthly, the tied-up woman was apparently the ringleader of his little group of thieves.

Mwanwhile, back at the inn, Orren was saying to Kalan: "Shoes, eh? Not exactly my field of expertise. I prefer to bare-hoof it." Gerrard said: "Aye, can't see you ever needing the things, Orren. But the lad will need some. Say, from my experience I have found that cobblers are like smiths in that they need specialized equipment to make their trades-wares. Surely they can't have had all that out in the market square. At least some of it would have had to be in a building somewhere else."

The innkeeper then said: "Aye, that's true as far as it goes; There's three cobblers in town, and they all have their workshops down Westwolf street. That's about two blocks to the north of here, right across from the Fletcher Achinsar's house. But as I said before, most of the wares those three make would have been out on display in the market square."

Orren downed the last of his ale and said: "Then that's where we should look. I'll go with the boy, I could use a few things myself. A new spear for one, I broke my last one fighting that dam demon." Cecilia said: "I'll go too." Mal said: "As will I." Gerrard said: "You folks go ahead, I'll stay here and look after Aaron and Edvin. Hey, barkeep, gimme a mug of your best dark stout." The bartender crossed his arms with pride and said: "My best dark stout is Glenichandiand Special Reserve, direct from the mountains of The Spine Of The World, far to the north of the Suldenesilarian province of Danakar. 100 gold pieces a bottle." Gerrard just stared at the man in disbelief. After about ten seconds of silence, he said: "Really. 100 gold. For a bottle of beer." The barkeeper said: "Aye. You did say you wanted the best." Gerard shook his head and said: "I don't want it that much. What have you got for one gold peice?" The barkeeper nodded and said: "Why, that would be me own fine brew what your centaur friend just be drinking. Brew it me own self, in me own brewery. I call it Bainsbrook Brown Brew. Finest brown ale in Targos." Gerrard lifted an eyebrow and said: "Do I want to know what's in it?" The barkeep, now taking offence to Gerrard's tone, said: "I'll have you know I only put the finest barley and hops in me brew, all locally grown and painstakingly selected for the best quality grains. This is a quality establishment. Why, my family have been brewers of beer since before the kingdom of Skara Brae was founded, so I'll thank you to keep that in mind when you talk about my brewery." Gerrard put up his arms like he was surrendering to an army and said: "Ok, Ok, finest brew in Targos it is, then. I'll buy a mug, then. Bring me to your ale, that I may taste of it's fine nectar, oh brewmaster." The bartender was still a bit offended at his imagined slight to his honor as a brew master, but he just said: "Coming right up."

edited 9th Dec '12 4:08:28 AM by TheSarge

Sam took a deep but quiet breath after her successful attack, trying to calm her rage at least for the moment now that it had been canalized into that hit on her opponent. There were no sound of battle, which alarmed Sam... though no answer for the bound woman might be a good thing.

Still, they were after her father's ring... and no matter what happened, she could not let them take it. She didn't know if they had some magical means of finding it... indeed, such a possibility never passed the young uncultured girl's mind at all. Thus, she immediately came up with a plan to delay the ring being found in the worst of circumstances. She fished for the ring inside her pockets, thanking the Gods for them being so shallow. She then slipped it on her heart finger and should the battle fare badly, should she be overwhelmed, she would fall the floor and then try to swallow the ring as inconspicuously as possible.

Still, that was the possible future. Right now, Sam was still potentially in the middle of a skirmish. She crouched down low to be less visible, stepping quietly towards the downed gnome as she looked all around, begging for her sight to adapt just a little bit quicker. Though in the meantime, her instincts and her other senses would have to do. She tried to peer over to where she had heard Drek fighting... how that battle had fared would dictate how she would act next.

For the Oak-Father, how oblivious can I be? Thought Mellara in shame as she recognized Claire running behind her trying to catch up. She stopped right on her tracks and waited for the little girl to reach her side. She then took a couple of the bundles from her arms as she crouched down to look her in the face.

"Little girl, sorry for forgetting... Still, we have no time. The two of them were taken away, to some place far away. Aside from that though, they should be alright. The woman did not do anything but take them away. We are close to the inn now... only a block or two away. To find out where they are, I need to get as fast as I can towards a pool of water. Still, Drek's friends need to learn of this events. I need you to get to the inn, inform everyone of what happened and bring them to me" says Mellara, trying to grab hold of the other bundles of arrows "I'll hold these on for you... nothing will happen to the trust placed on you by Drek, this I promise you"

Mellara then stood and looked around once again, begging the Oak-Father in her mind for some sign of water.

edited 9th Dec '12 5:25:52 PM by daltar

James responded "My friend is for teleportation. I actually came here because I needed to teleport people for a trial to prove that Drow are returning. It's not just for the help, I'm trying to get my race a better reputation."

Glennis Vell said to James: "Well then, where did you want me to take you and your friend? I can go anywhere on Septera... anywhere solid, that is. Put the image of your destination in your mind and we shall depart."

Meanwhile, when Sam put Eruantian's Ring on her finger she suddenly could see in the dark. She could see Drek trying to use his sword to cut his way free of the net that was covering him. A female gnome was over by the tied-up woman, trying to untie her, and so not looking at Sam. This gnome was wearing some strange contraption on it's head that covered it's eyes with little glass disks, kind of like a blindfold but with glass over the eyes. That same contraption (except broken) was on the head of the gnome she's cold-cocked just a few moment's before. There was another female gnome on the floor near Drek that had a sword-blade shaped hole in it's face, and was most certainly dead. She also heard a voice in her head that said: "New user detected: Samantha Hunter. User worthiness authentication scan: Valid user. Ring functions impaired by unknown factor: Limited functionality available. Voice interface activated. Ultravision activated. Awaiting commands."

Back at the Inn, Orren, Mal and Cecilia headed for the door. Orren said: "Alright, let's go. I hope they haven't cleaned everything out already."

Meanwhile Claire was saying to Mellara "But... but where did they go? What's happened?" as she ran along beside Mellara. Just then, Mellara spotted a large wooden washtub sitting on a roof about a block away. The tub looked like it could hold perhaps four gallons of water, give or take a bit. Two women were bending over the tub rinsing clothes and hanging them on a clothes line for drying. That meant there must be water in that tub, although from this angle Mellara couldn't be completely certain.

[GM's Late edit: I should have mentioned the the roof the tub is on is flat, and that the building is one story tall.]

edited 15th Dec '12 5:00:56 AM by TheSarge

Sam shook her head and tried to look around as the voice sounded on her head, saying her name and quite a bit of other stuff that didn't make all that much sense... though at the very least she was very grateful for being able to see what was happening around her.

She almost let out a cry of happiness at seeing Drek unharmed, however, given the imperativeness of stealth in the current situation she did not allow herself such outburst. Instead, she crept towards the last enemy standing... looking down at where she stepped in order to avoid making a single noise. Then, if she got to her enemy she would swing the chains holding together her hands in front of the gnome's neck to try and strangle her with them, pulling her close into her superior bulk.

"The belt on that woman took them away to somewhere far away, little child..." said Mellara just before she caught sight of the washing tub. Not ideal by any means, but to the desperate druid, this was the most beautiful sight she had seen all day.

She ran towards the two women washing clothes and then told them "Madams, I am sorry but this is of the utmost importance. A hero of the people and a poor young maiden have been taken by the evil forces which have shaken this city today. As a disciple of the magics of nature all I can do to discern their whereabouts is only possible if I have access to still water... water like that on that tub. If you would please let me perform my ritual, this hero and young maiden might receive the help they need as soon as possible"

James couldn't help but ask something "You mean, I just think of the destination rather than say it?"