[Game Thread] Prolouge (In which the party comes together)

[Fragmaster01]

"Wow..." Ashanti is awed. "You people have such cool reasons for being here. I just came because it seemed like a good idea. Also the food," she adds, putting more ham in her maw.

[TeufelHeunden]

Balban listened raptly to the others, as he tasted different samplings from around the table. All that he tasted had either too much herb or was by far not to of his liking, nothing seemed to have the taste of the woods in it, but it was generous of their host so he ate his fill.

Evelyn seemed to be very dedicated to her order and seemed one that would likely come to the aid of the downtrodden without a second thought to her own hardship or life even it were to come to that. Sadekar seemed boisterous in his description, but his sense of self worth and confidence as he related his exploits gave the sense that he could be all he claimed. Ashanti, she was funny in her carefree demeanor, almost to a fault, but it could be believed that she was one that could hold the others spirits up when others felt downtrodden. The tale of Darian and his village spoke to the heart and explained his distrust of Zarfob. Zarfob himself was content to feed his appetite saying nary a word between bites, but by his entrance, or rather delivery it seemed that he had little choice to be here of his own free will. While waiting for Rey and Oni to speak he took a drink of ale to clear his palate and parched throat from some rather dry pieces of pork.

“It seems we are a rather mixed bunch with varied talents. Darian, I am sorry to hear your tale of the atrocities committed against you and your village, I hope you one day find the true ravagers and bring them their well deserved justice. While I can’t describe anything remotely close to that of my own heritage, my order does protect the grove from injustices committed centuries ago. As for me personally, I was raised and trained to serve the forest and her creatures and as such to defend them when needed. I have trained in combat although perhaps not as much or of the kind you have and my dedication to our heritage means that I will always be striving to improve. I am sure we will all get to know each other much better as we travel and if or when needed fight togetherIt seems we are a rather mixed bunch with varied talents. Darian, I'm sorry ta hear your tale of the atrocities committed against yoos and your village, I hope yoos one day find the fair dinkum ravagers and brin' them their well deserved justice. While I can’t describe nothin' remotely close ta that of me own heritage, me order does protect the grove from injustices committed centuries ago. As for me personally, I was raised and trained to serve the forest and her creatures and as such to defend them when needed. I have trained in combat although perhaps not as much or of the kind you have and my dedication to our heritage means that I will always be striving to improve. I'm sure we will all get to know each other much better as we travel and if or when needed blue together,” Rasing his tankard he proposes, “A toast to the Chancellor who chose us and to the Baron who has given us his backing, here is to finding and stopping this Wormtail CharacterA toast ta the Chancellor who chose us and ta the Baron who has given us his backin', here is to findin' and stopping this Wormtail Character.”

[SantaBaby]

Rey finished eating as she listened to those around the table.
Putting her napkin, on her empty plate she said, "My cause isn't as noble as some of yours." Blushing slightly she continues, "I just want to see the world before I settle down.

Rey gets up and walks to the table. "I don't know about you all, but I'm gonna take some of this with me," she said as she filled her travel bag with food from the table.

[Draycos Goldaryn]

 

Out of Game (OoG) I apologize in advance for the Harry Potter references. A prize to the character of the first player to post in the Out of Game Topic Thread all H.P. references mentioned in this post.

As the hired adventurers chat among themselves while they eat, the Chancellor only half listens. Instead he mentally worries about sending Rey on this mission. He knows she can handle it, but she is like a daughter to him and he still worries. To make up for it, he enlisted two extra adventurers than required. He knows she'll be safe now, but something nagging in the back of his mind still causes him to worry.

Not everything about this Wormtail is as it seems. And he suspects more surprises are to come. As the meal comes to a close, thanks mostly to Zarfob, Valorym stands and clears his throat. As he gains everyone's attention, he begins, "I hope you enjoyed the feast, but now it is time for business." With a clap of his hands, servants appear and begin clearing the table, cautiously avoiding the Tiger at the end. Another arrives at the chancellor's side and hands him a scroll.

Valorym takes the scroll and again, addresses the party, "As you all know, you are being hired to chase down a Sorcerer known as Wormtail. What you may not know is his real name was once Pitre Pedygru. He was a human Sorcerer, an adventurer, much like yourselves. It was early in his adventuring career when he went on a quest into the rat infested sewers of a nearby city. He discovered the source of the infestation, a natural wererat, able to change forms at will. Pitre defeated this monster, but in the process was bitten. At the time, he thought nothing of it, but that proved to be a mistake a week later when the full moon rose and Pitre transformed for the first time."

He pauses for a moment and looks to the adventurers, noting their expressions of shock. "Yes. Wormtail is actually a wererat. But even more surprising than this is the fact that, over time, Wormtail has embraced his affliction. Even going so far as to use his powers to keep himself, permanently, in Hybrid form. It is in this form that he, and his imp familiar, have gathered a horde of other monstrous creatures and have marched north north-east. We do not know what he plans, or why, but we do know that whatever he plans to do is evil and not in the best interest of the denizens of this world."

Once again, Valorym claps his hands, and a servant appears and hands each party member a package wrapped in brown parchment and tied with twine. "Presented to each of you, is an item created by one of our court wizards. It is a special Journal. One which can be written in using any pointed object. A stick, a pen, a feather, even your finger. Once you unwrap it and touch the cover, it becomes en-spelled to you. You alone will be able to understand what is written in it. It will always have a blank page at the back of the book, no matter how much you write, yet will never actually increase in thickness when closed. Use this to document your journey and your findings."

Valorym waits as everyone opens their bundles and watches as the books bond themselves to their new authors. "In addition, if you desire to give someone else the ability to read what is written, all you have to do is speak the magic words, Aparecium Revelio, followed by the name of the person, and they will be able to read your journal. This is irreversible, so be careful who you give access to." He then stops speaking and looks to each one, "Are there any questions before you begin your voyage?"

[Sauragnmon]

Sadekar noticed Rey taking some of the food, and couldn't help but realize the benefit of the idea. So he helped himself to a few of the more choice options for food, like some swan flesh, a capon, and some of the vegetables.

"Might as well take a little more with us... save on the rations some."

At that point, the Chancellor would speak up on the fuller briefing of the situation. The fact that he had embraced his condition didn't really surprise Sadekar - he had to admit, the thought had a few useful ideas to his mind, but it wasn't a thought he entertained for very long, knowing it would have its problems as well as benefits. He pondered over the latent information, his mind glossing over the mention of the journal. He took his and studied it, remembering the words spoken and the incantation. He unwraps it, keys it to him and reaches down to his pack to slip it into a pocket. At that point, he would speak up once he returned to his feet.

"I personally can't think of any further questions I might have, your honour. You don't seem to have much in depth analysis of their situation, so I guess we'll have to work that out as we go. Will there be a way for us to reach you, if we find critical information? I would hate to be in a situation where, say, we turn up a few hours late of a pack of assassins leaving the area to come here, with no means to reach you. I can understand if that is the situation, but that is probably the only question I have."

[Fragmaster01]

"Sweet!" Ash grabs her journal, pokes it twice, then stuffs it in Mr. Baggage. She pauses, having actually come up with a good idea. "You guys know where we're going, right? Like, with a map? Cuz I don't. I get shoved around to places where I need to go. Tell me to go north, and I shall ask someone where north is, because... I don't know! Ha!" Well, at least she takes it in stride.

[Draycos Goldaryn]

Valorym answers Sadekar, "That is correct. Our spies are only able to tell us so much. Even Wormtail's followers only know they follow for promise of treasure. As for trying to reach us here if needed, our court wizard is working on another invention which would help facilitate communication, however it is still in the beginning stages and not ready to be implemented. He calls it telegraphy, or Distance Writing. But as stated, it is not yet ready, I'm afraid."

Turning to Ashanti, Valorym assures her, "Though a map would be quite beneficial, one is not necessary for this quest, as Wormtail and his horde have left quite an obvious path. Just follow their signs, and you should come upon them rather quickly, especially as there are only eight of you and many of them. Also, we can lend you horses to make the journey, if you all desire."

[Sauragnmon]

Sadekar ponders the response from Valorym, rubbing his chin in thought as he thinks things over and then speaks up again.

"I wouldn't be averse to carrying something that the wizard could easily use to find us in order to facilitate supply of the telegraphy equipment. After all, Information is why I'm here..."

[Darkwulf]

Upon getting his journal, he looked at it and admired it beofre putting it in his sack. Oni was saddened by the fact that the feast was over, and became bored of Wormtail's back story.

"I don't care who this guy is or what he's done, he exclaimed. "Let's just get there and kill 'em all!" he finished his exclamation with roaring, almost sadistic laughter and then took a sip of wine from a glass and prepared to do some killing.

[Outmind]

Having been somewhat comforted by the others' kind words, Darian takes heart as Balban proposed his toast, taking the druid up on it with a raised glass and a warm "Hear hear!"

Shortly thereafter, the chancellor detailed the accursed sorcerer's past. Darian couldn't help but feel an inkling of pity for the man that succumbed to power as so many do. It was gone almost as soon as it hit him though, being replaced with images of what his minions did.

Darian did not dwell on this for long however as the wondrous journal was placed before him. Afte listening to the instructions, he gingerly unwrapped it and caressed the smooth leather it was bound in. This journal was the finest thing Darian had ever owned up until this point, and it was certainly the first magical trinket he actually touched, not counting his haversack, which he felt was borrowed anyway. Even if the magics within the journal might have seen poultry to some, Darian was eager to try and write in it. Knowing that he would need to restrain himself until they made their first camp, he tucked it inside his haversack.

The others asked questions of the chancellor, but Darian didn't say anything up until the half orc made a rather savage display similar to the goblin's, but in a manner much more ferocious. 'i hope i wasn't wrong about him' Darian thought to himself. "Oni's... enthusiasm... leads me to ask something else - how formidable a force are w facing? From all you are telling us I gather that the vile creatures I saw before were only the smaller part of his army, and even they proved too much for a village to handle. How can the eight of us rush headlong into a situation we know next to nothing aout?

[Draycos Goldaryn]

"I will check with him to see what he has available," the chancellor says to Sadekar. Shaking his head at Oni's enthusiastic outburst, Valorym addresses Darian's concern, "First and foremost, this mission is one of information gathering. You are to find out what Wormtail is up to, and if possible but a stop to it. If not, report back as quickly as possible so we may take the appropriate actions to stop him ourselves." Looking to each party member in turn, he then firmly states, "I believe each of you have your own individual talents which will be of prime importance in this quest. You may not be able to tackle this mission alone, but together, you will succeed."

[Fragmaster01]

"Right!" Ashanti shifts into a much smaller shape, that of a fluffy yet still Ash-looking fox, and bounds upward onto the table and then to Oni's Handy Haversack. A fox head is seen poking out of it, as a shoulder-pet of sorts. "Onward! Onward to adventures and violence!" Her tails wags fiercely in the pack.

OOC Take 10 on Ride check for 15.

[Sir Alex]

"Succeed. Together. Right." Evelyn tears her gaze from the fox creature and blinks rapidly. "Well, Chancellor Valorym. You say this army is easy to find by following its trail. Where exactly are we to pick up this trail? Horses will be a boon for our travel but we must know where to start. And when should we leave? I would be the first to thank you for this feast, but my feet itch to close the distance with our quarry as soon as possible."

The cleric practically trembles in her seat, as if remaining there only by great effort. She glares around at the others. Don't they understand the need for haste in this matter? We might be losing crucial ground this very moment...fattening our rumps and belching away the victory, as it were.

[TeufelHeunden]

Balban listens to the Chancellor tell of what they are charged to do and receives the bundle handed to him gratefully. Excusing himself from the table he goes to the end with Eligan and strokes her behind the ears emoting a ruffled growl and directs her to follow him to the other side of the room where he finds a chair. Paying attention to the others he notices some of them stuffing what is left of the feast into their packs and beginning to unwrap the journals.

“Let’s see what the Chancellor has given us girlLet’s see what the Chancellor has given us sheila,” he mentions to Eligan as she rests on the floor near his feet. He unwraps the journal and caresses the forgiving leather noticing a soft glow emit from the pages inside and then dim a bit as his name appears on the outside cover, “Well look at that, he wasn’t kidding when he said it would be my own to keep was heWell look at that, he wasn’t kiddin' when he said it would be me own ta keep was he.” He opens the binder and notices the attractive paper inside, nothing like what he was used to seeing before; this was a fine book of prodigious quality.

He decides to test it out and using his finger writes a few words on the first page. Amazed at the magic and how it transcribes he wraps it back up and places it in his pack. He listens to the others as they seem apprehensive to get on the road, he could never figure out how some people always seemed in such a rush, never taking time to enjoy the simple things in life. There will be plenty of time to track down this Wormtail and find out what he was up to.

As Ashanti changes into a fox and climbs up burrowing herself in Oni’s pack he smiles at the playful nature she exudes and puts his own pack on readying himself and his gear. He responds to Evelyn’s suggestion of mounts, “Yes, I think Mounts would be a great idea for us to track down Wormtail, I presume he already has a head start and they would help us in our travels, does the Baron have some that he can spare in his stablesYes, I reckon Mounts would be a ripper idea for us ta track down Wormtail, I presume he already hazza head start and they would help us in our travels, does the Baron have some that he tinnie spare in his stables?”

[Sauragnmon]

Sadekar nodded at the words and sentiments of his compatriots. Introductions aside, time to get down to business.

"I agree with my compatriots - horses are a very good idea. So let's get the scrying concept aside, find the horses, and we'll be on our way, your Honour."