Chapter 1 - Raiders of Kaarthas

[Kavrae]

Expecting a cunning cover story or clever reasoning Ryn sat back to wait on Grac to speak. What came of the speech, however, left him a bit stunned. "I'm not sure which is stranger; Grac's narrative or how well it worked. At least it was easy." "You have a gift for words oh mighty emissary. He slips in a happy smirk. An uncommon gift for warriors."

[Pard]

Grac chuckled as he maneuvered the wagon into the town. He had a grin from ear to ear on and with a laugh he said, "Aye lad, 'tis tha grace o' Gundin. Ta him go all tha praise, I was only bringin' tha po' people his will."

Then a bit louder Grac yelled, "Hey Angerharm, me thinks I done betta than ye coulda. No 'fence, lad, butah I figured they's would respond ta me betta."

[Antebellum]

Ingolf looked back to Grac. "Ingolf," he said, correcting the dwarf, before he looked back to the front. I hope no part of this mission requires us to be silent.

[Pard]

"Ahh, sorry lad! Angorlf it is, me bad, must nota heard ye right before."

Grac silently laughed, going through the motions, but not the sounds. Once his fit subsided he winked at Ryn. "So, where we goin' now? AHH never ye mind! I see the barracks already. Odd thing, ye know. Barracks seem ta be tha same lookin' no matter where ye are at. Why I once stayed at a barracks in dis town an' than tha next week I was at another and sure 'nuff, they's musta been tha same buildin'! Oh bother, ya thinkin' they's 'll need me to diplomate wit 'em? I trust a warrior an' cleric o' Gundin 'll be jus' wha these lads need ta cheer 'em inta good spirits! An' speakin' o' spirits..."

Grac hands the reigns to Ryn and then dives into the back of the wagon. The sound of various bottles being moved around can be heard and then Grac reappears, a jug in hand. "This 'ere is some o' me best dwarven ale. Made it me self I done. 'll singe tha whiskers off even tha bravest o' dwarf warriors, an' them be the real dwarven kind ta!"

[DrakurRedragon]

You arrive at the town square to find it unassuming. An inn sits at two of the corners, connected by a bridge going over the street. The barracks sits at the northeastern corner, the town hall in the northwestern corner. Everything is clearly labeled with wooden signs painted by bright lettering. In this moment, you wouldn't know that anything is wrong at all.

Entering the barracks, you find yourself in a small room with a door directly across from you leading to what you assume is an office. Two sets of stairs, one each to the left and to the right, go both upstairs and downstairs. A pair of guards emerge from the basement on the right side, walking up to the second floor. They are returning from some kind of training regimen judging by the clothes they are wearing and wooden weapons they are carrying.

As you look around, a young woman sitting behind a desk outside the office stands up and clears her throat.

"You are the mercenaries hired by the Balerian to assist us, I assume? The captain is waiting for you," she says quickly, pointing to the door. She sits down again, completely ignoring you once more.

Entering the office, you see a young man sitting at a desk. Your eyes immediately notice the small protrusions on his forehead and the glowing eyes beneath his furrowed brow. He is intently reading a message given to him. He slams his fist into the desk as he finishes, knocking several small objects over. He looks up as he realizes that you are there, standing to greet you. He stands slightly taller than a human, an imposing figure to be sure. He is armored in a breastplate, but his greatsword hangs from his chair with his cloak. He offers his hand to all of you.

"I am Forthian Sorganoth, Paladin of Redragon and Captain of the Kaarthas Guard. Welcome to my town," he says warmly. "I trust that the guard station in Balerian hired you to fulfill my request for assistance with our raider problem?"

[Tsukos]

Without missing a beat, Mai took up the obvious deception. "We've been sent to perform duties concerning the raiders. I can't say as yet if it will assist you in any significant way; we were sent to assess their strength and determine a proper course of action." she said, praying that the dwarf would have the sense to at least keep with the story. "I for one would like to help you in any way I can, but unfortunately I cannot speak for my comrades." she said.

[Pard]

Grac steps enthusiastically into the room and then goes white. He quickly moves to the back of the group, attempting to hid behind Mai. Although she is taller then him, his broad body can still be seen behind the half-elf. Standing on his tip-toes Grac whispers, "Long-ears, I trust ye infernal mag-ic can keep tha demon at bay for a time? 'll start prayin' ta Gundin an' see if he won't smile upon my request for this demon ta be gone."

Grac peaks around the side of Mai's robe and gulps, before looking down at the floor and mumbling strange words in prayer.

[DrakurRedragon]

Forthian mumbled under his breath about bureaucrats before responding.

"Well, my dear, I appreciate your forthcoming nature. We will be gracious for any assistance you can provide. As for you, my good dwarf, do not let my appearance alarm you. I serve the Redragon faithfully, he responds. "I am available for any questions you may have, as are any of my guards here. You will be afforded 7 rooms in the Western Inn, all on the second floor. We will have a single guard posted there at all times for your convenience and safety. They will be my senior guards, all well trained and versed in the information you may need. Anything else you require, just ask."

[Antebellum]

Ingolf cleared his throat loudly at the dwarfs remarks. Despite the captain of the guard being a half-breed, less probably, Ingolf respected him for being a fellow devotee to Redragon. The warrior stepped forward confidently, extending his hand and shaking the captain's hand firmly. "Greetings, Forthian Sorganoth, Paladin of Redragon. I am Ingolf Whisperwind, of the Temple of Redragon. It is good to see another disciple. As Mai said, we have come to investigate the goblin raiders that plague your town." Stepping back and to the side so that everyone else could shake the paladin's hand, Ingolf continued. "What can you tell us of the raiders?? From which direction do they attack from and where do they flee?? Do they appear to be of the same tribe?? Do they seem outfitted better than other goblins previously??" The rattling off of questions soon ended and Ingolf waited for the responses.

[Pard]

Still white, Grac gave up a small prayer, uncorked the jug and took a deep swig of the drink. The liquor cleared his mind and soon his rosy complexion was back. With squinted eyes, Grac stepped forward and recorked the jug. "Ahem, it appears tha ye be a good demon. An' Gundin wish ye... ah... well he sayses to say greetings to ye, Redragon's demon captain. I'm Gr-- no... no, call me Master Zeb. I 'm one o' tha great warrior clerics o' Gundin." Grac did not offer his hand, nor did he stay in the man's presence long. He quickly backtracked behind the half-elf.

[DrakurRedragon]

"The goblins have attacked from every direction at some point, but never the same direction twice. They are better equipped than any goblin I've seen; they're weapons are of the same quality as the military grade equipment, and even better than our own here in the guardhouse. As for tribe, they bear no distinctive marking, and I can never really tell the difference between goblins. As for what direction they go, that changes as well. They've fled in every direction. We are not trackers here, so we cannot find where they go," Forthian explained. He looked to the whispering form of the dwarf. "I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me. I would prefer you not whisper, though, as it is quite rude."

 

Just as an FYI, Grac, Forthian was commenting on your reaction, not your words. He didn't hear you, just noticed that you were hiding behind Mai.

[Tsukos]

"At what times do they arrive and leave, and how were the town's defenses first breached? these goblins can't be simply in and out unless you're actively tributing them, for which I honestly wouldn't blame you, and even then a large amount of supplies and materiel cannot be moved quickly or with stealth except a little at a time or through grand magical workings." Mai asked.

[DrakurRedragon]

"They strike during the hours of darkness, at no particular pattern there again. They struck first at midnight, almost to the moment. Their attacks were fierce and unexpected. Our eastern guards were injured severely, beaten into unconsciousness. When they came to, the raiders were gone. They move quickly and in organized fashion.

To the point of supplies, they are taking what they can carry. Usually it's weapons and tools, though lately it has been food as well. We think that they may have assistance on the outside with transporting materials, but we don't know for sure. We have so many questions unanswered. but we can't find the answers with our limited staff," Forthian explains. He is becoming agitated the more he speaks. It's obvious that he truly cares for the people he protects.

[Kavrae]

"You say the golbins have weapons equal to, often better than your own. And yet the guards were merely beaten unconscious, not killed?" Ryn steps forwards and offers his hand. "You may call me Ryn."

Ryn's mind attempts to puzzle out the attacks. "The randomness of their strikes is certainly like that of goblins. Striking from different directions however..... That would take time and coordination impossible for goblins, even more so for a large group of them. Curious.... As for the guards; there's something he's not telling us. "

[DrakurRedragon]

"Greetings, Ryn," Forthian said, shaking Ryn's hand. "And yes, that is what we do not understand either. They could have easily killed the guards, but they don't. I haven't the slightest clue why. Time and time again, they strike, knock out our guards, and make off with our supplies. We move the storehouse, and they find where we move it. We have started now, however, taking small portions of our materials and spreading it out among the guards' homes. They don't seem to notice it, and it will make sure that we survive the seasons, but we are still losing far too much." He sighed deeply.

"This is why we contacted the capital. It is all too strange to understand, yet they refuse to do anything about it. They say that they will send the supplies to us should we need them, but such small scale attacks are not of importance."