[Game Thread] [Chapter Zilch] Myth busters

[Hanz]

CHAPTER ZILCH (that's 0)

Myth Busters

The Præsidium. A cold and harsh plateau which governs the war. Either city's troops are often ambushed by the other set of troops while trying to reach out for Emberton, a city beyond the Præsidium.

However, this time it wasn't a simple skirmish, it was a full fledged war. 10,000 Troops fought on this day, and only 3 survived. The Sumdivean Covenant of Paladins the greatest warriors ever trained under the Military force were able to defeat many an odds to secure themselves. Not all of them though, they did have a casualty, their inquisitor had gone missing, assumed dead, as were the rest of their side.

The three paladins stand silent for a bit, perhaps a tear can be caught drenching little Amery's boots, but they were sorrowful for the loss of not only their companion, but many brave souls.

But from the midst of their grief, came a sparking light, a red beam transcended the air up into the heavens above, a column of odd fey, never sensed before by any of this party, the beam seemed to have peered from a large pile of bodies, Summerfolk, they were, many dead.

Galahad and Ferris quickly rushed to clear the bodies, the pushed them aside, one by one, until they revealed the source of the beam.

It was her, Visenya, the Inquisitor, the Warlady, she had fallen, a large spout of blood can be seen dripping from her hood, it seems she had received a rather hard blow to the head by some sort of club or mace.

" Visenya!... by the gods, what is this beam of light? " said Ferris, bewildered by this strange occurance.
" G-Guys... I can feel a pulse... I think she's alive... " said young Amery, her hand gently placed near Vis' heart.

" We need to take refuge, there's no way we'd make it through the Præsidium alive, we'd freeze to death. " remarked Galahad, smart thinker as always.

" Alright, then we take refuge in one of these Icy caverns in there, these should hold us the night, until Amery nurses Vis back to her health. " adds Ferris, in agreement with Galahad.


45 Minutes pass, and the party had made it into the Cavern, It's spacious and wide, and seems stable to contain them, they unroll their sleeping rolls, and start a simple fire using tindertwigs and the likes.

They all sit down next to the campfire, Amery lays Vis down near it as well, on a blanket, to stay warm.

OOC Alright guys, this is the Prologue chapter, to see how you guys roleplay with me and with eachother as a group, you can post your actions now as you like. Note: nothing you actually obtain during this adventure will carry over onto the actual game, however, if you gain XP or level up, you get to keep the XP/Level, so that's a good thing, I guess.

[Herb]

'How does she fair Amery?' Ferris rubbed his hands over the fire to warm then before adding some more of the wood they'd found into the bundling fire pit. His eyes moved slowly over the rest of the Covenant, each had taken wounds and were as weary as him, thoughts drifting over the battle that they had somehow survived.

His helmet resting by his side still covered in the blood of his enemies, he picked it up and began to wipe it clean with the edges of his cloak.

[jaerauq]

"She...ahem...she will be..." she whispered with a dry throat. She was not quite qualified to answer that question.

She was in her head examining a new type of wound she'd not seen yet.She heard, and even began to respond to Ferris' words... but she needed a moment to react to her current emotions. Amery Indenbriar was spent. Emotionally, physically, and very nearly spiritually. She had gone out with the army with a smile on her face, and a song ever on her tongue. She remembered how she had danced with the other clerics in fervent praise to the Pantheon.

That were ages ago on another world... back when we feared no enemies...

Among thousands of comrades she marched, eager to fight for her people, and watched as everyone she'd ever fought with died. Stressed by the gravity of this recent discovery of the Warlady Visenya, the young woman gripped her short hair for a moment... and breathed in deep looking at the wounds.

Morningstar? No... Light mace? I don't see any punctures... there is just a fracture o' the skull. She might even've been clubbed by a sword hilt... wha'ever it was, 'twere most certainly metal.

She couldn't simply heal this wound with normal artifice. She would need Korada for this one. The Skull was cracked and blood was leaking onto the icy cavern floor in small rivulets. Visenya had maybe a few more minutes. She had to act now. She had to pray to the god that allowed all her friends to die...

Remember them wisewords Amery. She told herself. Never lose faith... the tests of the gods are many... in the end it is all their will. Old Seneschal Corburn'd say as much...

And he was dead as well... she remembered that now looking down at the ornate and silvery light mace on her hip. She shook the foolish feelings away and smiled to Ferris.

"Ahem... D-don't you worry none sir..."
Her smile was bubbly beyond proportion to the situation as she pointed eagerly to the heavens outside the Cavern.
Remember that... um... holy light we seen? That means...uh... well clearly that means...that.... the... Pantheon won't be allowin' her death! Yeah! Surely the Pantheon was... er... well at work when we saw the light rising into the sky! The Gods must have some kind of a purpose for milady Valtyra, and I for one will do all I can to see that she'll be alive and kicking when its time for her to fulfill that purpose... wha'ever it might be..."

The Paladins had endless vigor and faith in her eyes. What would they say if they knew my faith is being tested? She shook the thought away smiled at their hardiness, both for herself and for their reassurance that the great Warlady Visenya was not lost.
She smiled wider and began humming the familiar tune she always sang as she healed, and shook her head free of pain and loss with a wider smile...with red swollen eyes now dry of grief, she produced her wooden Spiral from a pocket. She'd nearly lost the amulet in her attempt to flee the Summermen that caught her trying to heal soldiers... The Spiral of Korada the calm...

"She's lookin' right stable on the outside, but she's definitely bleedin... so I could be wrong. 'Wha'ever light we saw out in the field might've 'ad something to do with this... its as if 'er bleeding wounds are slowed."

Amery examined the womans wounds while she staunched off the blood with a bit of cloth to be sure of exactly what she needs to do. She could not afford to waste any of her more useful Orisons on her if all she needed to do was mend the flesh... but blows to the head are often dodgy at best, so she examined the damage as best she can...

Then:

"Alright 'ere we go! ... Um... oh yeah it goes...Um... By the Spiral! Yes! By the Spiral and the Pantheons might, I Rebuke Death: Healing Domain Supernatural Powerrebuke this creeping death from Warlady Visenya Valtyra! Return to us Warlady, for you are not to die on us yet! In the name of Korada be healed! In the name of the Light be healed! In the name of the Pantheon be HEALED!!"

Dice Roll:

1d4

3

Her hand and spiral shone with a pulsating light, and she quivered and spasmed a bit as she felt The God enter her body and channel his power... she smiled, as the presence often made her do. And watched as Visenya's breathing became a little bit less shallow... a little more steady... The bleeding from her tatooed head had stopped but the wound was still very much there... again she smiled.

"Now I'll need to see about closing them wounds now that the bleedings stopped... I'll be honest. I've little experience with head injuries... but she should be more than fine!"

What'll she say when she wakes up and I've mended her brain wrong? I've never done skull fractures and brain damage of this scale... Korada help me... She had never spoken to the Warlady, and she knew precious little about these other Paladins she had met. She feared the Inquisitors, mainly because they never seemed to be happy or have fun doing anything in service to their Gods... if Amery couldn't dance and sing in the presence of the gods, she didn't know how she could have gotten through the war. But Inquisitors were ever grim... ever droning their prayers into the darkness and striking swiftly at the enemy. She didn't understand... I guess that's why I do the healin' and these grim folk do all the face-caving ugliness to the bad folk. Amery just wanted everyone to get along in the world and join her in praising the Gods... but the world is rarely that agreeable. Shaking her head, she reached for the bottle on her hip, and drunk deeply of the harsh alcohol therein. Her head cleared a bit, and some of the fear was gone in the first sip. She was sure to make the liquid appear to be water, she had two flasks, one for water and one for the rotgut brew she had distilled in a pitcher out of some old sugar candies. 'Tis shameful for one such as me to be caught drinking in the face of adversity... but dammit I needed that. Idly, she consulted her book of Korada for the second prayer that would bring lady Visenya back to life.

[dbaque]

Galahad remains by the cave entrance. While wearied as much as the others, someone has to keep watch in case any of the enemy force also survived. Fortunately, his heritage keeps the worst of the chill off him. He sits against the cave wall, nibbling at a trail biscuit. His helm stays on though, to minimize his unsettling appearance. His mind can't help drifting to thoughts of the bloody battle they survived (by the heavens' grace alone). The tiefling knight cannot help beating himself up over the tactical mistakes, big or small, thinking that maybe their losses would not have been so severe.

Looking back at Amery's handiwork, he smiles: "I'm sure the warlady will be just fine from your efforts." Noting the extra heaviness in the healer's bearing, he asks: "As to you, Sister Amery, how are you holding up?"

[jaerauq]

Amery freezes at the acknowledgement from the Tiefling near the entrance. The fearsome mans voice is kind sounding... civil. She nods, somewhat taken aback by the acknowledgement.

"Um... you are too kind sir... and thank you for asking milord... I'm fine, don't worry about me! All in a days work y'know?" The smile is false, and clearly so. Of course it wasn't all in a days work. They'd lost everything this time, and in the beginning it looked like victory would be theirs. Amery reached for the flash again, as memories of Pudd returned to her. Screaming as the Summermen stabbed him and flayed him... The old Seneschal being split in two by a greatsword, his holy symbol still glowing as his entrails burst. She had hidden behind a rock then... wary of their comments about the lack of living females. She should have died with the rest of them, but she'd been a coward... a novice still learning the ways of the cleric.

"It seems kind of... far away now in my mind... like everyone we once knew 'as all flown away like a flock o' gulls... do you think any of 'em survived 'asides us?" Tears were welling in her eyes as she smiled, and she turned away at the last second. She reached for the bottle instinctively, raising it to drink a large sip of the sugar based liqueur. "Of course they did... others... must've..." Eager to change the subject she swallowed another mouthful and asked: "Sir Galahad, Sir Ferris, do either of you require medical assistance?"

[Herb]

' You need not Sir me Amery, you know that....Simply Brother will suffice.' he waved a hand at Amery dismissing the word Sir in an instant. before letting a warm smile slide softly over his face and a laugh erupting to shatter the sullen atmosphere.

' I tell you now, if my Father could see me like this, he'd be furious that I was involved in such a battle!' Laughter continued to spew forth from Ferris as tears of humour streamed down his smudged and smeared face leaving behind a trail of clean skin. ' And no child, I don't think anyone else survived that......mess out there.' shaking his head at the thought and quickly looked down for this sword having entirely forgotten to check it for chips or cracks.

[Hanz]

After the warm conversation, it seemed like an eerie silence has struck, no body was speaking for about 25 minutes.

Suddenly, however, like a storm piercing through the silent night, a panicking voice can be heard approaching from the outside.

" H-Hello? Is anyone in here? I could've sworn I heard someone in here... " says a young man's voice, getting louder as it progressed onwards.

Visenya's bleeding seems to have stopped, and her heart rate had returned to normal, she was only feinted at this point, but who knows if she might awaken from this coma.

[Herb]

Ferris darted up and readied his blade at the sudden voice from outside, his eyes sharp on the entrance, ear's straining to make out anything over the sound of the storms fury. Moving to stand beside Galahad at the cave entrance out of side so as to take the possible attacker by surprise.

'Maybe there were more survivors after all, we should have gone back and had a proper look!' he whispered to Galahad so no one else could hear him.

[Hanz]

Suddenly, as you stand near the entrance, you see a Man enter through, he notices Amery and the fire, and begins to walk towards her.

" Hey! You! please! I need help! " he shouts towards her.

He is dressed in Summerfellian armor, he is holding his blade in one hand, and his other hand rests on a stomach wound.
He drops his blade and continues walking towards her, blood spilling from his wound.

[jaerauq]

Amery had been tending to Visenya quietly... she had meant to respond to Ferris' kind words, but couldn't quite work up the courage. All her life she'd been talked down to by his like, and so it was her custom to talk back up to them. The last Knight she'd not called "Sir" or "Milord" had cuffed her so hard she saw stars for a fortnight.
"Know your place wench!"
The brutish Knight had told her on the long march to the Praesidium.
"Your little wooden spiral doesn't armor you from sword cuts!"
And he had laughed... The unpleasant memory caused her to smile pleasantly out of reflex, looking down all the while after nodding briefly to Ferris.After a while she had been about to speak, having carefully formulated a suitable reply for 25 minutes... "I..." but then the Summerman entered, his dour armor and bleeding wound bringing back reflexes of fear. She did not recognize this one. If she had recognized him as one of the Summermen that killed her friends, she might have simply furrowed her brow and broken his legs. I don't think I could kill them though...

Still she grabbed up Pudds old boar spear, not willing to approach unprotected, but also not trying to threaten the man. Tactfully she approached with a look of motherly concern on her face, spear head down to the ground, and the weapon wielded like a wizards staff.

"Easy now traveler..." She didn't know what to say. She looked back at the paladins with the words "Help me!" in her eyes. She wasn't about to just murder this man... she'd never killed a man in her life. As the man stumbled she Dexterity roll?"kicked" his blade away to be safe, far from his reach as she reached out a hand to steady him. Her eyes watched his, looking for any movement for his blade.

Perception:

Dice Roll:

1d20

5

+3 untrained= 8 on that roll. :P

[Hanz]

As you kick away the blade, the man falls down on his bottom, he starts to crawl back, his wound looks like it hurts him quite a bit.

But then he stops, and sees the Symbol of Sumdiveas on the crest engraved on your belt buckle, his face turns different, a mixture of fear, and perhaps a hint of anger can be seen in his eyes.

" You Sumdiveans may be Dishonorable, but you wouldn't kill an unarmed wounded man, even if he was your enemy.. " He continues, obviously he had some sort of reason to hate Sumdiveans, perhaps told to by his government, or maybe he has a personal Vendetta..

He doesn't reach out for the spear, however it seems he has not noticed Sir Galahad nor Ferris, who are now standing in his opposite direction near the entrance.

( Jaq, can you please roll a Diplomacy check Every time you talk to him? (1 Check per post) )

[Herb]

' Kill an unarmed man? No. Kill a wounded soldier? No. You're only my enemy on the battlefield. You are save amongst us until you are treated and rested. Then you can be on your way.'

Ferris made to stand just above him, sheathing his blade as the soldier turned to see who had spoken, leaning down he placed his hands round the soldier and made to pull him back to the fire pit and the warmth it would give him. After situating the wounded soldier he went and retrieved the discarded sword and sat back down next to him.

'I'll keep this until it is time for you to leave, and I'll stay put in case you happen to try anything. I may be oathbound to aid you, doesn't mean I have to trust you.' His golden eyes piercing into the soldier beside him.

Actions Dice Sense Motive: 1d20+6 (11)+6 Total = 17 Dice Diplomacy: 1d20+9 (14)+9 Total = 23 Dice Perception: 1d20+4 (11)+4 Total = 15 Perception is to see if he carries anything concealed or additional weaponry.

[Hanz]

The man is young, he looks gullible, and must have survived by luck.

It seems he only had his blade to carry, but you did spot a locket around his neck, it's made of nickel and copper, and it looks like it had been painted gold earlier, but the paint had vanished, perhaps from sweat.

It doesn't look like this man is capable of killing, he looks far too innocent, and attempts no struggle to unleash his bounds.

" Ergh, I feel so humiliated. I'm being saved by you people? What pathetic Irony. " He says, perhaps it would have been better to bind his mouth as well.

OOC Please roll your highest between Knowledge: Dungeoneering or Knowledge: Nature, if you have both Untrained, then make a Perception roll.

[jaerauq]

Amery steps aside as Ferris lowers him beside the fire. She is wary. She's not sure this is a good idea after all. You see this is the reason I liked Pudd... he was too broken in the head to understand that killing foemen wasn't a game. He'd have just speared this lad and sang a happy song... simpler that way I think. But he appears innocent enough... maybe... Amery puts her spear down and looks into her pack as she observes the boy.

Dice Perception check:

1d20+3

(11)+3

Total = 14

[dbaque]

Galahad looks warily from the cave entrance at their visitor, Detect Evil (sp, move action, single target version)concentrating a moment, before returning to his watch. The tiefling remains silent; Ferris had made a decision, and he wasn't going to disturb it now. Still, he was an enemy combatant, and Galahad would have demanded a surrender before treating the prisoner's wounds. Speaking of which, Galahad concentrates a moment before looking on the Deathwatch (sp, 60' cone)state of his companions and the prisoner.