[Game Thread] Part I • Chapter 2: A Dangerous Business

[Roekahs]

Bazziox still feels the lingering effects of the ingested oil and it leaves him feeling weary. The already tense company had become substantially more tense after the incident. At least it had finally occurred to the dragonborn that he could mitigate some of the discomfort. Still, it will never be too soon to put this day behind them. Bazziox is hunched over, cradling his stomach and puffing on a pipe that doesn't quite help reduce the discomfort he feels inside when Horizon appears on the horizon. Bazziox's demeanor changes abruptly as the floating islands suddenly spring into view. The dragonborn's hunched form slowly straightens as his eyes remain fixed on the distant destination. The pipe gently tilts as his lips fall apart slightly. "Never gets old ..." he says to no one in particular. Horizon. A place he has never managed to stay as long as he would have liked. So many wonders to investigate, but also many watching eyes. Especially pertaining to certain patrons. As they approach the city and decide to make camp outside the walls - much to Bazziox's chagrin - the dragonborn suddenly remembers their mission and the Princess and his previous recollection of all the eyes that he has drawn in Horizon. As they all settle around the tent, Bazziox finally speaks in hushed tones so that his voice does not carry, "I am afraid that I may draw more attention than would be ideal." He shakes his head, "I had not considered it before. It has never bothered me in the past." Bazziox takes a few puffs on his pipe, glancing at the city and blowing a wobbly smoke ring into the still dusk air. "I think it is best if I appear to be traveling alone through this region, for those that would recognize me would be ... surprised to see me keeping such company." A dry chuckle grates from the dragonborn's throat, though it is not clear what exactly he finds amusing. "I think there is little immediate danger here, except the discovery of who we truly are," his eyes stray to the Princess ... and remain there. "We must find a guide. We can no longer rely on the hero. He may be delayed or worse. While the eyes of Horizon are bad for us as a group, they do lend some advantage in this other endeavor. I shall split from you all and rejoin once outside Horizon's sphere of influence again. With any luck, I will even have a guide in tow that I trust." A quick facial change accompanies the last word. Was it a flinch from the dragonborn or just a trick of the firelight?

[Aethera]

Ultimately the point of camping outside Horizon so they had time to plan came to nothing at all. Finding a guide was too important, they didn't have a choice about entering the city, no matter what the princess said. The question of how was the only thing they had to decide upon, then, and Bazziox had an idea that, for lack of a better turn of phrase, was well-intentioned but dumb. Splitting up meant less protection for the princess, even if it had half a chance of fooling anyone who was looking for Bazziox. They were all sitting in one camp, after all, if someone was on the lookout, they'd probably already been spotted, no?

That left some discussion to be had, but finally the group could agree on something; they should all be present in hopes of finding the best guide for their group. Bazziox would enter alone and seek a guide straightaway, with the others following shortly and making a show of perusing travel necessities, all to meet up at the Blue Dragon Inn recommended by Emak. The dragonborn and the lizardwoman eating together might be of note in some taverns, but not there. If there were cause to continue their separation, they could do so at different tables. If not, there was no reason not to eat together. Sleep came as a blessing, with the understanding that tomorrow they had searching to do within the city, and no long hours of horse travel until the following day. After three days spent in the saddle, even potentially dangerous alternatives sounded good.

 

Breeze Breeze's hopes of perhaps finding a ship to sail on amounted to little, unfortunately, but the collection of a few rumors about fatal troubles finding ships lately. The fishermen of Whitecliff had little else to talk about, so sooner or later he grew tired of hearing the same tales repeated by new mouths. It wasn't the first time an afternoon had been wasted by the chaos-bent gnome, but it was one that he'd hoped for far more than perhaps was usual, only to be denied. It was something of a letdown, and as he rode back up the service elevator his mind was churning with ways to regain some of the promise he'd seen for the day. That strange man Ishmael had been part of the impetus for him going out looking for potential adventures, perhaps he ought to seek him out? He might even still be at the Observatory, if his luck held, but luck hadn't done him many favors that day, so perhaps it would be safer looking elsewhere? Who knew where Ishmael would choose to stay that night, or if he would even stay in Horizon. Breeze spent a little while idly seeking the man in the highly visible pumpkin-colored robe, but he wasn't in any of the places the gnome checked, including the Observatory and some of the inns farther up the city which were of particular interest to the learned types, both those that lived here or traveled through. He ended up with little to show for himself that day, but tomorrow was a new dawn.

 

Kerr The paladin spent a good deal of the remainder of his day at the Order of Wayfarer's headquarters, mostly seeking recent information about variations on the routes of travel between here and the Citadel. Because of the way the Abyss lay across the southern lands, they had choices for the first part of their journey, but would ultimately have to pass by the Citadel fairly close. It lay between the coast and the tip of the Abyss, and danger would be lying on both sides, just waiting for them to blunder in. Likely their survival at that point would be a matter of figuring out how to pass without a trace, or to hide from one or the other threat while giving the other a wide berth. If it came to Kerr's choices, he was a paladin of the Gold, fighting demons was fairly second nature; at the same time, hazards of being attacked on the road (even by new enemies not seen in this Age) was part of his job description. It would probably depend on which the others felt that they could best manage, and that would likely have to wait until he'd met them. He had little information on the party as a whole, just the de facto leader who needed a guiding hand to remain in the good graces of the Light. He almost didn't realize how late it had gotten, poring over maps and records, but once he left the building his fatigue hit him hard. It was a good thing the priestess had offered to put together saddlebags for him, otherwise he might have had to delay travel the next morning, and that was never a good idea.

Towerday, the 24th of Rainmoot

The day dawned bright and clear with much cheerful birdsong; very much a relief for everyone who had grown tired of gray days. It was a lovely day to enter Horizon for the heroes and their disguised comrade, and after the dragonborn took down the tent and bundled it with his belongings, he made his way into the city, leaving the others to finish breaking camp, feed the horses, and decide how long they were willing to wait until they followed.

Bazziox and Kerr: A Not-so-random Bumping Into Horizon was the sort of town that if you knew where to look, you could find something at any hour, but early morning was pleasant. Farmers and those who needed to assemble their wares to sell in street markets were on their way, but not set up yet, and the night business had already disappeared with the sun's arrival. The dragonborn knew Horizon enough to vaguely recall where the inn was that Emak had mentioned that wouldn't look suspicious with multiple non-humans at the same time, but he walked up the curving cobblestone road to the first floating level and checked, just to make sure. Once he'd spotted the sign, he asked around until he found someone who knew where the Order of Wayfarer's guild headquarters was in Horizon, and got directions. He hadn't gotten more than a few streets away before he was hailed by an armored warrior carrying both sword and heavy weighted club, one hand raised to catch his attention and then a few required moments for them to navigate the swelling crowd to meet one another. Though neither recognized the other, the man in armor was able to show Bazziox a note with their current mid-street location, Bazziox's rough description, and the information that he had been hired by a priestess yesterday afternoon to take a group to Santa Cora. He seemed a little surprised that Bazziox was alone, but with the description as good as it was, there was no mistaking the dragonborn. It was the sort of thing that Bazziox could see being completely up the agents of the Priestess' alley, so though he was cautious about how much he told the other -- who introduced himself as Kerr Ironheart, of the Knights Templar -- he didn't see any particular reason to reject what the man told him. If he had already been hired, that was one less thing to attend to. Kerr knew there were a pair of saddlebags waiting for him at the shrine of Nimu, Lady of Masks, goddess of magic, but a horse would probably need to come out of the money for expenses which Bazziox had been given back in Axis. It seemed to Baz that it was a good excuse to make sure the story about being hired by a priestess was true, so both turned to head toward the shrine and then to brunch at the Blue Dragon.

Breeze: A Familiar Face The smell of the inn's morning baking woke Breeze as it did most mornings, and as he drank a bit of water and thought about how he was going to go about finding Ishmael, if the man was even still in Horizon. He had tried most of the places he could think of the afternoon before, and without any bright ideas to chase down today, it seemed like the question might stump him until the man had already gone. He started trying to remember the basics of a "lost my keys" spell he had learned while still at the School, and realized he had most of the odd material components to perform it, too. As he was tying knots in a piece of string, he caught sight of something orange in his peripheral vision. Even as quickly as he turned his head, there was no sign of Ishmael. When he went to look around the chimney, he instead spotted a certain dragonborn who had interesting tastes in magical research following an armored knight into the Blue Dragon's common room. Ishmael it might not be, but interesting was nearly as good. Right?

When the camp outside Horizon had been broken down, and the horses had been fed (and the people had snacked lightly), Maelona asked an intelligent question. "Should I be answering to a name other than Maelona? I know there are others in Axis who name their children after me, but that's usually in the years after I was born. I look too old to be one of them, I think." While on the road her name didn't matter, they were traveling alone, in a city the size of Horizon, even speaking her name once could potentially be remarked upon. It might be unlikely that the people who could be following them would learn of it, but unlikely didn't mean it was impossible. Indeed, most of the sorts of people who might have connected Maelona's disappearance and the heroes' departure had an uncanny knack for discovering tiny details such as that.

As they led their horses toward Horizon with belongings tied extra-securely, Emak and the princess discussed ladies' names, up until Maelona realized that it would be easier to answer to something she was familiar with; her favorite maid's name was Jolene. She could be Jolene for a bit. Might be an interesting layer of security. They would have to mention it to Bazziox as soon as they met up with him, so he didn't use her real name, but that seemed like a trifle compared to the secrecy of their mission. They took their time entering the city, making sure they stopped and looked at street vendors' wares and were generally noticeably not with Bazziox, just in case, but their route led them to the innyard of the Blue Dragon Inn, where they were able to stable their horses for the length of time it would take to have brunch and hopefully figure out any other business they needed to accomplish. The stable boy swore up and down that no one stole from horses in these stables, and everyone had to go through him, so belongings could be left there instead of taking the time to unload and then reload again after brunch.

The Blue Dragon was much as Emak had described it. Even if it wasn't specifically aligned with the Three, the name alone was enough to bring the more uncommon races to stay or sup here, and the only true humans in the inn's common room other than Maelona-Jolene herself were the barkeeper and the man in armor seated across from Bazziox.

GM And so we begin again! Kindly check the stat block below for your basic stats, I believe I got everything correct as I combined notes on six players, but I could be mistaken. No, Tel hasn't joined you, but he's not far off. I'm hoping to finish his solo scene as you all get acquainted and discuss your group's needs. The column in the stat block marked 'Tokens' is for a houserule that grants you bonuses. Each of you have earned one over the course of the game so far, and Roekahs two for being so prompt about posting even when things were lagging behind. Use tokens as you like, they'll help near-miss rolls work to your advantage. You'll only get to keep one when we get to a new chapter, so like Icon Relationship rolls, use them or lose them!

 

Characters	Hit Points	AC (PD / MD)	Recoveries	Tokens	Icons	Conditions
Telephus	48 / 48	15 (16 / 14)	4d6+28 / 8		Elf Queen5	nil
Kerr	60 / 60	24 (16 / 17)	4d10+2 (Strong Recovery)9 / 9	W	Diabolist5	Ring of Defense, prevent 10 damage IF the attack does seven or moreRT 7
Bazziox	60 / 60	22 (17 / 17)	4d8+38 / 8	WW	-	nil
Scabb	48 / 48	19 (17 / 17)	4d8+19 / 9	W	-	nil
Emak	54 / 54	18 (16 / 17)	4d8+28 / 8	W	The Three6,6,6,Wyrm cursed2	nil
Breeze	42 / 42	+2 vs Opportunity Attacks15 (15 / 16)	4d6+18 / 8	W	-	Ring of Defense, prevent 10 damage IF the attack does seven or moreRT 7
Maelona	52 / 52	20 (Resist all 12+16 / 17)	4d8+18 / 8	-	-	nil

[GrandCommander13]

Scabbard of Iron Scabbard of Iron entered The Blue Dragon behind Emak, next to "Jolene". He took one last look over his shoulder, concerned for the safety of the party's items as a result of the stable boy's great protestations that no concern was necessary, before turning his attention to what was in front of them. The addition of himself and the Princess had doubled the amount of humans in the common room, and the only guest with such heritage was currently speaking with Bazziox; as Emak had said, it attracted a different crowd than the normal power players in the Imperial capital. Perhaps that would find them a bit of safety, but since they still didn't know who would be against them it would be wise to remain on guard anyway. Still, they had come for a purpose. The three of them made their way to the bar, as their goal was to not be seen as associates of Bazziox. "Barkeep," he said to get the man's attention. "What's good on tap?" After the man recommended a beer for humans he ordered one each for himself and the Princess and allowed Emak to place her own order. Starting on his mug he surveyed the room again while watching for when the barkeep was again unoccipied. "So," he said. "What's his story?" he asked, motioning head head towards the man with Bazziox. If the man has an answer to give he listens to it, but either way the monk pays for the drinks and takes his mug over to the table, allowing Emak and the Princess to follow him. "Gentlemen," he said to the two. "I am called Scabbard of Iron, and these are Emak and Jolene. May we?"

[CharlesM]

Breeze Breeze hurries down from the roof of the inn. It has been a while since he ran into Bazziox at the library. Breeze visited the library every now and then to satisfy his curiosity about one thing or another, but ever since he met Bazziox he made a point of walking through the stacks whenever he passed within two blocks of the place hoping Baz might be there. For him to show up here, and now, seemed like providence. Once on the ground, he makes his way inside the inn. He scans the room but doesn't see Bazziox right away. Dragonborn have a tendency to stand out in a crowd, so Breeze figures he has gone upstairs. He crosses the room to take his usual seat at the bar, and a small group of people standing around a table in a corner of the room draws his attention. Once seated on the relatively high perch of his barstool, Breeze realizes that Bazziox hasn't gone upstairs after all. He is the center of the little group's attention so Breeze just didn't see him. Rather than interrupting, Breeze decides to go ahead and get breakfast. "Good Morning, Indigo," Breeze says to the Innkeeper when he appears behind the bar. He reaches across the bar to set a few coins on the opposite side and says, "It looks like you're having a busy morning! I'm in no hurry, but I'd like a bowl of oats when you have time, please." While he waits, Breeze watches for Bazziox to look in his direction. When he does, Breeze smiles and waves hello.

OOC The entry in the stat block for Breeze is correct.

[Roekahs]

Bazziox wakes early. The dawning of the day is glorious. There had been similar days that had dawned over Axis, but those days had been bleak in comparison. Today Bazziox is out of confinement, free to wander where he may. Well, as long as that wandering takes him in the general direction of Santa Cora. Sure, their guide had disappeared and the secret mission is now hanging in the balance. Still, shedding the walls of Axis is a wonderful feeling. The smoke curling up from the dragonborn's pipe is the only disturbance in the predawn light. Slowly the birds and other forest critters rise. When at last the princess rises, Bazziox quickly stows the tent and, without a word, clambers to the black steed's back, flicking the reins once. As he rode toward the city a nagging thought stuck in the back of Bazziox's mind: should he have said something to the others? It had all been decided the night before. There wasn't anything to say. Yet, it seems awkward to have just departed without a word. Inwardly the dragonborn curses the nuances of travel with others, but he does not turn back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The inn is simple to find. At least that part of the plan goes well. The impending issue of finding a guide, however, is now the prominent task. Truthfully, Bazziox admits to himself, he has no plan whatsoever for finding a guide. What is he to say? Come with me young, valiant warrior of the Light for I have a secret mission to whisk myself and my companions across the demon-lands and into Santa Cora! Right, that would not draw any attention to them. Perhaps he could try to find someone to accompany just himself and then 'hire' others for protection? That might ... Bazziox's thoughts are interrupted when he hears a shout and notices a raised hand in the crowd. He is about to return to his thoughts when he notices that the grizzled face is turned his way. The burnt-gold of his scales glints in the morning sun as his head cocks to the side in curious contemplation. Rapidly puffing on his pipe in agitation, the dragonborn manages to clear most of the way to the warrior by smoking out the passersby. Upon approaching the man, Bazziox is amazed to note that his own usually imposing height seems diminished by the armored warrior's presence. Unnerved by this initial impression, and despite the relative safety of a street in Horizon in the early morning, the dragonborn's hand falls to his mace. The note containing a location and description quickly explain the odd meeting, though it does little to ease the dragonborn's nerves. Still, discussing anything further in the street would not be wise. Still puffing vehemently on the pipe - which is now emitting only a trace of wispy smoke - Bazziox glances around the slowly increasing bustle of the street. "To the Shrine, then. We must find a better place to talk before we discuss anything further. Lead on, Kerr Ironheart." Bazziox follows a step behind his apparent new guide until they reach the Shrine. Any other time, such a chance encounter would have found the dragonborn slipping away in some side alley the first moment he could. This time, however, everything seems different. Everything to do with this particular assignment has been so far from ordinary that he cannot rule out the Priestess's agents - or even the Priestess herself - meddling in their efforts. Besides, it isn't like he had any real plan for finding a guide. With the saddle bags in hand, Bazziox silently leads the way back to the Blue Dragon Inn. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With the errand, the two had only arrived minutes before the door swings open to reveal Emak, Maelona, and Scabbard. Bazziox has only had time to refill his pipe and is about to delve into the details of Kerr's interception of him on the street, but the arrival of the others causes him to pause. Instead, Bazziox straightens in his seat and begins to puff gently on the pipe, studying the man seated across from him. Although he is focused on Kerr, Bazziox does take note of Scabbard keeping the others estranged from himself. Bazziox should have expected nothing less from the highly disciplined monk. When Scabbard and the others finally approach the table, Bazziox greets the introductions with a raised eyebrow, his eyes springing to meet the monk's. The silent message contained in Scabbard's eyes is quickly received and Bazziox curses himself for not thinking of such a thing earlier. As he draws his gaze back to the room, Bazziox catches another raised arm. Startled, he catches another pair of eyes trained on him. Immediately he recognizes the gnome. Cursing his luck and something about the ability of humanoids to raise their arms above their heads, the massive dragonborn stands and removes the pipe from his lips. With a gesture and a bow that brings him close to Scabbard, he offers the table to the three that had approached. Quietly he says, "Let us not linger, this is our guide." Quickly straightening from the bow, Bazziox takes strong purposeful strides across to the bar. Any other day he would have been thrilled to see the peculiar gnome again, but this day has already drawn more attention than he would have wanted in a month. "Put your arm down, fool," he snaps more harshly than intended. Then, jamming the pipe back into his lips, he says more gently, "If you promise to stop drawing attention to us, you can join our table."

OOC Whew that was a lot of ground to cover. Sorry if it got a bit sparse at the end, but it was getting long.

[CharlesM]

Breeze Breeze feels his smile begin to fade from his face but he catches it and forces it back in place before it gets too far. "Hi, Bazziox! It's good to see you," he says. "Even if you did wake up with your head in the chamber pot today," he mutters. As he climbs down from his barstool he calls over his shoulder. "Indigo! I'll be at that table over there with my friend. Will you have Lapis bring my breakfast over there when it's ready?" He turns back to face Bazziox, "Lapis is the waitress. She's nice. You'll like her." Breeze extends his right hand to Bazziox for a handshake, then realizes that because of their height difference he would have his arm raised again, and quickly changes his mind. Instead, he steps past Bazziox and begins crossing the room to the table at which he had seen Bazziox seated. "I've been hoping I'd run into you again, but I didn't expect you to turn up on my doorstep. How did you know I'd be here? Do you need some more help at the library? Uh oh..." Breeze stops short when he notices Emak and turns to face Bazziox. "Do you know that lizard lady over there," he asks in a hushed voice? "Well, I do, and she may not be quite as happy to see me as you are. Remember me telling you that strange things happen sometimes when I 'm around? Well, I was out for a walk one evening and decided to take a shortcut through an alley. I turned the corner and as soon as I did one of those things I told you about started up right next to her. I think it scared her pretty bad. I tried to apologize and explain but it didn't seem like it was doing any good so I just excused myself and hurried on my way. Do you think she'll be mad at me? It really wasn't my fault. It's not like I can help it, you know?"

[AwesomeEllie]

Emak the Meek and Guythraxix the Hungry It had taken concentrated effort for Emak to try and be open and up front with her new travelling companions, but it seemed that her forced joviality did not mesh well with the horrific discomfort her own incompetence had inflicted on the others. It had all happened so soon on their journey, too, and just like that, Emak kind of... dried up, no longer able to spill forth the light conversation or genuine friendliness that had been there before. Instead, it was nervousness and cautious, half-question responses, which only somewhat abated when she was able to provide an apt meeting place within the walls of Horizon - The Blue Dragon was a bar that was not nearly as seedy as some, even if Emak wouldn't want her mother to catch her there, but it was accepting of all types and the clientele and proprietor seemed to not even blink at the weirdest of things. Unfortunately, Emak's slowly building confidence in her knowledge was soon sent a-scatter when the princess tried to get some assistance for a pseudonym, for it seemed that Emak knew little about contemporary human names. A niche skill that would have been quite useful to have, even if now-Jolene was able to do all the brainwork anyway. Getting to the actual inn was good, though, perhaps a chance to turn things around! Emak ordered a drink for herself, a particularly large drink whose alcohol content might have surprised those fooled by her smaller stature, and then one for her female companion, a relatively refined drink that tasted mostly of flowers. Once the drinks were acquired, she carefully followed in Scabbard's wake, using the ripples and eddies left by the taller man to easily cut across the dining area. This kept her suitably preoccupied from noticing the other patrons, at least until one apparently recognized Brazziox. Worse, Emak recognized him. Double worse, immediately followed by triple worse, there was a clear flash of recognition in the gnome's eyes when he saw her, in spite of the pants of disguise, and Guythraxix let out a barely audible chuckle from his sling across her front. Emak was not ready for any of this, and somehow it made the last few days of uncomfortable scratching and shuffling seem like an elegant, social ballet. What the impending situation could be compared to, she had no idea, but she did know full well that she was not prepared, and she doubted there was enough time in the world to prepare, even if She Who Whittles gave Emak all the time in the universe. More than anything, Emak panicked. She panicked, zipped towards the table, did her best to sink below it while still staying in her seat and deploying Her Highness Jolene as mobile cover, and promptly through back the content of her tankard, inhaling her drink as if she were about to exhale fire. To the Princess, she only whispered a piecemeal explanation, glancing over at the gnome. "I think he saw something weird."

 

Emak the Meek Emak the Meek HP: 54/54 AC/PD/MD: 18/16/17 Recoveries: 8/8 (4d8+2) Battlecries Hang Tough! (temp hp) Pull it Together! (2/2 per battle, recovery) Take Heart! (early end condition) Spells At-Will: Battle Chant (L3, attack at range with battlecries), Crescendo (close range escape attack) Recharge: Vicious Mockery (damage and damaging debuff), Song of Heroes (Attack bonus and save bonus for everyone) Daily: Charm Person (duh), Song of Thunder (song for many attacks) Expendables: Healing Potion (1) Effects: Circlet of Approachability (looks as if she belongs here) Action:

[Roekahs]

Bazziox can't help but smile at the discomfort the gnome displays when trying to shake hands without raising his arm. It hadn't been an intended outcome, but it is quite humorous to the dragonborn nonetheless. More importantly, though, it gives Bazziox an idea. The young gnome has always been particularly intriguing ever since they first ran into each other. Of course Bazziox has been otherwise preoccupied ever since with duties and decorum and other falderal that the Priestess and Emperor had dreamed up. The golden eyes shift to where his companions are gathered, then down to Breeze, whom apparently had taken his leave toward the table in that fleeting moment. With a rye smile, and gentle, thoughtful puffs on his pipe, Bazziox strides back across the tavern. He had only been trying to get the young one to stop gawking at them, but perhaps there is another opportunity. The chaotic swirl that either dwells in, or is, Breeze is certainly a concern. Then again, competence is not easy to come by and the lad had shown at least glimpses of that during their first meeting. As Bazziox nears the table and Breeze stops, the dragonborn's eyes fall on the highly disciplined monk and then their new, stoic guide. Capable, yet boring sorts without a doubt. What would it hurt if he dashed a bit of ... fun into the mix? It would certainly go a long way for improving his own mood. Even if he doesn't know ... well ... much at all, really, about this Breeze. Yes, he certainly doesn't deserve to suffer this entire trip away. Bazziox blinks slowly at Breeze. The gnome had been whispering something. Then he glances in Emak's direction, finding the lizardwoman trying to make herself invisible. The dragonborn snorts derisively, sending a pair of smoke clouds billowing out of his nostrils. Turning back to Breeze, Bazziox says in a low voice, "Breeze, would you be interested in traveling with us to Santa Cora. The road will be dangerous, but if you can channel your ... abilities against demons rather than against the poor folk of Horizon, you might find that you are more useful than you have ever imagined." Bazziox pauses, his eyes almost wander back toward the table before he catches himself. "I must deliver ... something important to Santa Cora." Suddenly his voice drops to a whisper that Breeze has to strain to hear, "It is possible that the fate of this Age lies with this delivery."

[Grimbreath]

Kerr Kerr Ironheart walked out the main doors of the Fellowship Hall of the Order of Wayfarers. Instead of immediately leaving, he turned to walk behind the massive building. Following through a small alley, he found the courtyard that housed the stables. For an order of warrior monks whose job was to travel, the care and upkeep of the animals was of great importance. Grooms ran about readying the animals for the fast-approaching night. Standing in the midst of grooms was the stable-master, an old knight whose battle injuries had kept him from further active service. Kerr showed his ring and was able to convince the man to deliver two pack mules to the Blue Dragon Inn the next morning. Then, without anywhere else to lay his head, he was allowed to curl up in some straw and rested till the morning. Morning comes early in a stable, and at first light Kerr was up and moving toward the rendezvous point. The streets were already thronged with merchants setting up their wares. He always hated the lower level of Horizon. Between the crowds, and the feeling that the floating city above him would drop at any minute on his head, the city gave the weathered traveler a sense of claustrophobia. As he walked toward his destination, he saw an unmistakable sight ahead of him; the massive dragonborn Bazziox, walking toward him and savoring a pipe! Things were getting stranger. Raising his hand to get the attention of the cleric, they met and exchanged introductions. Bazziox did not appear to be too amazed at this seeming, “chance” encounter, as if things had already been orchestrated for them to meet. The two went together to pick up the supplies from the Temple then headed to the Blue Dragon. While Kerr knew that his job was to Inquire as to the extent of the dragonborn’s repentance (and bring chastisement from the Light if needed) he could not help but like the cleric, puffing away at his pipe. Once the pair reached the tavern, he and Bazziox took seats at a table. Kerr sat with his back to the wall, as was his custom. With a slight scowl, he surveyed the patrons. At that moment a little gnome caught the attention of the cleric as several others joined their group. A man, a women and one of the lizard folk approached the table. The lizardwoman, Emak, seemed gentle, but the man -- who introduced himself as Scabbard of Iron -- was clearly no one to be trifled with. He moved with a measured step that spoke of a warrior as he introduced himself and his friends. With Bazziox occupied with the excitable gnome, Kerr rose and nodded. Taciturnly he held his hand out, palm up, to indicate seats at the table for them “I am Kerr Ironheart. I am to be your guide,” he said simply.

 

Sorry about the long post, I'm trying to catch up to you all after a crazy week at work. PS Aethera I'm hoping that Kerr can "requisition" those 2 mules from the Order rather than having to buy them. They should be handy if the party has to walk as they can go places a horse can't.

[CharlesM]

Breeze Bazziox's offer drives thoughts of breakfast and concerns about Emak from Breeze's mind. He does his best to match Bazziox's quiet tone. "Are you kidding me? I mean, yes. Yes, I would! I've been thinking that it was time I saw a little more of the world, and I'm sure I'll be able to help. Well, pretty sure, anyway. I've never actually seen a demon before, but I'm as much a mage as anyone else in that school, you know? It's just that sometimes when I work with magic some random stuff happens, too. I don't really know how to explain it. It's mostly harmless, though. You'll see. I just need to grab my things. It'll only take me a minute or two. I'll be right back!" With that, Breeze darts for the door and disappears outside. A couple of minutes later he reappears with his few belongings wrapped up in his rain cloak and strapped to his back and begins making his way across the common room to rejoin Bazziox.

[Aethera]

The barkeeper at the Blue Dragon Inn was being kept quite busy, but he at least had a chance to respond to Scabbard of Iron's question with a shrug and a negative head shake that indicated he didn't know the armored warrior seated across from Bazziox. His grunt of greeting directed at the shortly thereafter arrival of the gnome was about all the pleasantry he had time for, however, so Breeze was left alone to wait for his meal when Scabbard of Iron and the two ladies he was with moved away from the bar with their drinks.

Amid the hubbub of morning breakfast or brunch, the conflux of adventurers at a particular table was all but unnoticed, tables were filling up quickly and the fact that one group needed to share a table with another pair of people was to be expected, even if the dragonborn left the table almost immediately and headed toward the bar. That they would run into others they knew at the very same inn that they'd agreed to meet at was an almost concerning coincidence, but Bazziox quickly made it clear that he didn't want attention brought to himself or any of his table, and invited Breeze to join them. Upon reaching the table, both gnome and lizardwoman were quickly uncomfortable, and the coincidences seemed to be piling up. It seemed that fortune, or fate, whichever they might ascribe to as their personalities dictated, was having a laugh at their expense.

A spur of the moment invitation offered by the dragonborn to the gnome turned a table of six more or less strangers into a group beholden to one another, even if the new additions had no idea the full import of their participation. A suggestion of it was offered by Bazziox to the gnome, but it wasn't something he could really explain further at this point, making the hint more of a puzzle than information. It's enough of a hook to land one eager gnome, however, and Breeze disappears from the common room even as his oatmeal is brought to the table by the waitress, who remained to ask if anyone else wanted anything.

Names were exchanged. Intentions were laid out, at least in part. Now they could order a meal and gird themselves for further travels, but they knew better than to discuss too much in detail while surrounded by a crowd of potential listeners. If they had any more business in town, they would have to accomplish it before they'd wasted too much of the day, otherwise they would have to pay for room and board that evening. At minimum, they now had two horse-less travelers, and would need to make arrangements, assuming anyone in the city was willing to sell them horses that would be at risk on the roads east of Horizon.

As the gnome returns from gathering his things outside -- he must have had them hidden somewhere awfully close for him to be back so quickly -- his shadow seems to flop around behind him like a beached fish, and in doing so knocked over a tankard of ale onto a half-orc across the table, making both the tankard's dwarvish owner and the half-orc leap to their feet and begin shouting at one another and Breeze. The shadow's oddity did not stop there, however, it knocked into someone at the next table over and got a fierce-looking wood elf leaping into the fray.

GM Because Breeze is basically GM intrusions waiting to happen, I figure you might as well learn this now. Enjoy! You can choose to fight this as a combat, or deal with it as a skill check, whichever you like, but you all must decide one way or the other. Both choices have potential pros and cons. If no one makes a choice OOC, whoever posts first gets to choose and the rest of you will have to deal with it.

[CharlesM]

Breeze Breeze is horrified by the way his shadow is behaving and realizes that if he doesn't do something quickly, Indigo's dining room is about to be trashed. Not knowing what else to do he decides to side with the other patrons of The Blue Dragon against his shadow. "Now see here!" he says, as he comically tries to turn around and take hold of his shadow. "You can't go around bumping into people all willy-nilly like that. It's rude! They were sitting there minding their own business and here you come --Wham! What do you have to say for yourself? You apologize right this instant or it's going to be out into the sun at noon for you! I don't know what's gotten into you that makes you think you can get away with embarrassing me in like this. Do you think that because we're in public I won't lay my hands on you? Well, you thought wrong!" Breeze then attempts to tackle his shadow and wrestle it back outside if it won't come along peacefully.

OOC It's a gnome's prerogative to change his mind. I will argue that being a runaway orphaned child, Breeze has had to clown his way out of situations like this many, many times. Hopefully, his antics will Dice charisma+level+runaway orphan background: 1d20+4+4+4 (7)+4+4+4 Total = 19 diffuse the situation with minimal damage to The Blue Dragon (or to Breeze).

[Aethera]

For all that this might be Horizon, the sight of a gnome wrestling with his shadow is not something easily explained away, and even the quarrelsome dwarf and soggy half-orc had to stop their argument to stare at Breeze. Whatever illusions he might have been able to wield, there was a certain resistance to his efforts that playacting would not be quite able to reproduce, leaving most of the bar watching the dramatic exit.

Breeze did manage to get himself outside and the high sun made his shadow essentially disappear, rendering any magic it might still have been affected by moot. He found himself in the inn yard looking up at two mules led by a man who frowned at the gnome's arrival on the ground outside the door.

The others were left at their table, blinking after the strangeness that had just happened, wondering if they would be remarked upon leaving immediately after such an event. Perhaps it would be wiser to stay, finish their drinks, and then make their way outside as if everything was normal.

[Grimbreath]

Kerr stared in disbelief at the antics of the gnome's shadow. As the offended parties around their table began to rise and grumble, the paladin's first inclination was to insert himself into the fray and keep the peace. However, in that moment he realized that neither his job as guide nor his task of ensuring that Bazziox stayed on path of the Light would benefit from his intervention.

If this escalates I'd like to see how the cleric handles it, the paladin thought to himself. It's harder for a person to hide his true nature when he is suddenly forced to make a decision.

The Inquisitor decided that he would observe until things came to blows, then would wade in. He sat slightly back in his chair, seemingly casual yet ready to act at a moment's notice. Outwardly, the morose scowl never left his face as his eyes searched each patron, observing faces and hands for signs of trouble.

However, the situation seemed to diffuse itself as the gnome wrestled his shadow out of the tavern and removed the object of the other patron's wrath. As everyone seemed to relax, Kerr's eyes moved toward the tavern door as he growled at the party, "He's coming with us, is he?"

Then, as if to himself, "A bad journey badly begun"he muttered, "Coepto itinere male malus"

 

I love Breeze's personality and the way CharlesM handled this; Kerr's just naturally grumpy and so he's going to complain no matter what!

[AwesomeEllie]

Emak the Meek and Guythraxix the Hungry Somewhere along the line, Emak had managed to procure two more tankards of beverage that were called suck loosely, perhaps because their eye-watering intensity had more in common with cleaning agents than something sane people would normally drink. Unfortunately, she was a people under extreme duress as she tried to fade into background while sitting squarely in the foreground, so she didn't even bat an eye at downing another drink. Thankfully the gnome left, and even when he came back, he promptly had to leave again, causing such a scene that suddenly made it quite easy for Emak to fade out of notice, even as the cause for her to do so left. Instead, she took another big gulp of her probably last beverage of the night and squeaked out a small echo of Kerr's words, "...is he?" She glanced around the tavern, to make sure nothing was going to escalate, and she had been ready to step in if she had to, but that was just more nervous fuel for the worry fire - that gnome already had seen her and Guythraxix... being weird, and now it was very obvious that he was very weird himself! And while she and Guythraxix had an understanding, one evident by the suppressed, silent laughter that was just barely shaking the book in his sling, she wasn't sure how much more weird she could take. Especially if he also thought she was weird. So if he was to come with them, then they would have to interact! And something might come of that, which was... well, it made the scales down her spine go cold in a way that could not be thawed by the fire in her belly and throat. She shot the others a look, pleading silently to not let this be true, but with a glance at her fellow reptile, she knew it was too late and that he had sold them out!

 

Emak the Meek Emak the Meek HP: 54/54 AC/PD/MD: 18/16/17 Recoveries: 8/8 (4d8+2) Battlecries Hang Tough! (temp hp) Pull it Together! (2/2 per battle, recovery) Take Heart! (early end condition) Spells At-Will: Battle Chant (L3, attack at range with battlecries), Crescendo (close range escape attack) Recharge: Vicious Mockery (damage and damaging debuff), Song of Heroes (Attack bonus and save bonus for everyone) Daily: Charm Person (duh), Song of Thunder (song for many attacks) Expendables: Healing Potion (1) Effects: Circlet of Approachability (looks as if she belongs here) Action: