[Game Thread] Alost

[Rasgorn]

Wagon Master stands up, dusting himself off and wiping his nose. He doesn't even look at Ivyian as he walks past Ivyian, heading north. Jurdikai easily lifts first one chest and then the other into the wagon. Brinna and Eisen climb in next to them with one of the wagon men. He seems eager to learn and is helpful. The other men listen to Ivyian and start turning the wagons around and headed back to Blosque. Until one of them walks up to Ivyian, Burning the bridge? That, that is troubling. It is the only reliable bridge for miles and we all use this bridge. Now, farther up the road, closer to Alost, there are more bridges, but this one is all we have and the spring rivers are running high. If you burn this bridge, all the produce will have to go to Alost rather than Blosque, because the water will be too high for them to cross. As a favor, could you leave the bridge? I am happy to help you Master Nightblade. I grew up around here. I know the roads and side trails quite well. I am not a soldier though, not even a hunter, but I know some who would gladly help you.
------
Lylanna crouches down, her ears instinctively flattening when a bugbear surprises her walking but a foot from her hiding place. This bugbear is tall and lean, almost like a gnoll. Lylanna notices he is carrying a rune scribed spear that smells like ozone. As she watches him, she doesn't hear him. He is careful placing his feet, moving slowly and with certainty. He is hunting, sniffing and looking. She sees him look to another bugbear and mouth, "wolf." The other bugbear's ears flatten and it lets out a low growl and starts sniffing and looking as well. The first bugbear grimaces a warning to the growling bugbear and for a moment the two face off, until the second one backs down.
The short interplay goes unnoticed by all the others, except Ciardha. Lylanna can see he is now looking in her direction and detecting with some kind of spell. She feels it furl the hair along her spine as it passes over her. Ciardha holds up his hand,There is something amiss here, something like a spy or something or someone. Come, come by the winding mere, come and see your face right there. Ciardha calls out and Lylanna feels the charm circling around and dusting her. She feels the need to rise and come out to greet the druid. A desire to follow his command.

OOC-Lylanna SA Will

[donsr]

Ivy listens tom the Fellow. he lowers his head and Nods,,..alright..leave the bright in tact.. move now as fat as the wagons
can travel with out right stampeding the horses..

he looks at the fellow with a sad smile,..It is good to speak your mind... Now..let us get these wagons and people moving...

He shouts to his people,..we still have a scout out there..'ware you
shafts, do not Bring down a wolf, unless it leads other wolves.. anyone else coming from that direction.. you drop without a thought

Move if you want to see your homes again!..Move! he watches the wagons began to move and the poor folk who were supposed to be food moving as well.

My people!.. stp intot eh trees..no more the 5 yards off the road...

Then he shouts, more then a little anger in his Voice,..Never forget, that the CArdimal and his rump lickers, were ready to allow each and everyone of you to be Orc food, just so that knight could have those chests.....The Sisters
smiled on you this day, for we were here to aid you...many folk i knew, had no one like us...Move..your lives depend on it...

Ivy shakes his head thinking of the knight...not only willing to feed this many folk to Bugbears, but hiding while his allies died...

[Tigra]

Lylanna feels the spell about her as she fights to resist it. There was no way that she was going to the dark druid, as she painstakingly moves slowly to avoid the bugbear searching for her.

 

Lylanna HP CHP AC AC Wolf Dodge Wolf SP CSP 34 -- 17 21 26 33 -- Note: Lylanna can not speak vocally and speaks via touching one's mind (telepathy) but can not read or see into one's mind. Rolls Dice Will Save: 1d20+16 (13)+16 Total = 29

[Rasgorn]

Lylanna moves away, slinking through the alderberry and thistle, as she shakes off the druid's spell. She watches the bugbears sniffing for her, watches the the druid, casting about, then calling down to old crows, their feathers mottled and spotted with...mold? Moldy crows. She watches the crows fly on awkward wings, one crows wing looks half broken and she sees a worm in it's eye. The crows are dead! This druid is working necromancy or has a necromancer ally. Lylanna hastens in her leaving, smelling the sickness in the air as the druid calls up more dead crows and two dead foxes to hunt her.

The wagons get moving and Ivyian's band moves into the trees on either side of the road. Only Eisen, Brinna and Jurdikai stay with the wagons. Eisen and Brinna working on opening the chest and Jurdikai there to guard them and the men. They make good time and within an hour they are only a two miles from Blosque. Ivyian hears Voraiya let out a whistle, calling him to the east side of the road. Ivyian finds Voraiya and Giardi twenty feet up in a tree looking east across a pastures and fields of turnips towards the river. Giardi kneels on a branch with his bow ready, waiting. Giardi, with his human sight can't yet see anything. Once he climbs up next to Voraiya she points what she sees. Across the fields on the edge of the trees are seven worgs, two ogres and at least twenty gnolls. They are creeping through the trees, stalking something down by the river's edge. Ivyian would guess the foe is about a mile and half, to two miles from their position.

OOC-Lylanna Roll for spot and hide, Ivyian roll for spot

[donsr]

Dice Roll:

1d20+13

(1)+13

Total = 14

spot

Yelling down to the Others.....MOVE!.... FAST!.... Signal; the
the Town.. keep these people and tHE WAGONS MOVING, DEVON..KEEP THEM MOVING.. DON'T STOP FOR ANYTHING..

Then he looks over the field...we cannot fight this band.... we have to watch .....then we move fast to get to the town.

turning to Lylana's friend,..where is the Elf Maid...

[Tigra]

Lylanna could not stand the smell of the sickness that the druid called forth. She let the flow of nature engulf her as she ran letting the Earth Mother guide her. The dark druid was bad news and she wanted to be as far away from him as she could.

 

Lylanna HP CHP AC AC Wolf Dodge Wolf SP CSP 34 -- 17 21 26 33 -- Note: Lylanna can not speak vocally and speaks via touching one's mind (telepathy) but can not read or see into one's mind. Rolls Dice Spot: 1d20+7 (6)+7 Total = 13 Dice Hide: 1d20+4 (16)+4 Total = 20

[Rasgorn]

Lylanna stays hidden using the thickets and march grass by the river until she feels safe, then breaks into a run, moving full bore through the forest and the fields, running as hard and as fast as she has ever run. Lylanna had never felt anything like the dark druid's power. She knows it for the twisted foulness of it's feel to be some kind of necromancy or Blood magic. It doesn't take her long to get clear of the tainted feel and shortly after that, she smells familiar scents of her friends and allies. Then the road comes into view and then she sees members of the band moving through the shadows of the trees and up ahead on the road, the wagon with Eisen and Brinna in back, opening trunks and examining their contents. She doesn't see Ivyian, but she smells him and hears him whistling commands to the others.

Ivyian gets most of the band moving, flanking the wagon on both sides as they head back to Blosque. He slows, watching the river, watching these news foes. Ivyian and Voraiya and Giardi are joined by Devan and Ogmund. Everyone else is with the wagons. They watch the worgs moving, slowing to creep. A slow moving mist flows up from the river, obscuring some of the foe. Ivyian sees one worg sniffing and walking, then suddenly it disappears. He can't tell what happened. The worg may have dropped over the bank and out of sight, it may have gone into an old burrow or cave. He is not sure, the mist is making it difficult to see. Then he sees a gnoll lean against an old willow tree and it's head suddenly pops off!. The smooth bark branch of the willow wrapped around the gnolls chest, pulls it down and out of sight. Judging from the other gnolls and worgs, they are completely unaware of what happened. Voraiya blinks and looks over at Ivyian, Did you see that? she whispers,What is that, what did we just see happen?

[donsr]

Ivyian's mouth forma straight line, a slow shake of his head, his eyes move back and forth trying t to catch whatever 'new' think he has seen.

..something....out here, appears not to like our foes?..or maybe... it
could only reach our foes.... for whatever the reason, let us get back to the Wagons and move..forced march until we get inside the gates..

I want to know what is in those chests before we take it to
The Lady... and we will make a full report.. to her..about the Knight..

Climbing down he shouts for LyLanna... ELFMAId... FOLLOW THE WAGONS!

then begin to trot after the wagons and the men who were to be sacrificed for the orcs and Bugbear's dinners..... You all remember this
day... your remember how lcose you came to make the journy through an Bugbear's innards... and you remember who gave you to them! .Father Ainen and Sir Huenes !

troting along siode the wagon he asked,..what is there , that
has so much import to the knight/

[Tigra]

Lylanna paused in the shadows and took in what was going. She had heard Ivy but made no move at the moment as she made sure the way was clear for her to continue.

[Rasgorn]

Lylanna hears Ivyian shout, then sees the oddly moving fog. It's drifting against the wind and not burning off in the sun. It is a weak sun, but still. She sniffs the air, smells the earth moving, deep soil upturned, she smells the blood of dead gnolls and ogres and worgs. Her hackles raise instinctively at the scent of the worgs. They are all dead though and the mist is flowing away, leaving only the bodies of the dead.

Ivyian watches the fog slowly dissipate as well. It is an eerie sight. Ivyian can see it has unsettled a number of his own company as well as the men on the wagons. Eisen and Brinna seem not have noticed the fog in their checking the chests and jewelry casks. Brinna looks over to Ivyian and shows him paper scrolls. Brinna says,These look like marriage documents, deeds to land, deeds to confer titles of Knighthood and estates. Here, we have an estate grant to one, Sir Huenes of Alost, champion of the Church and this one gives a Vicarage near Antwerp to Father Ainen of St. Jordain. HrrmmmmBrinna's brow creases and Ivyian watches her mouth grow tight as anger flushes her skin,The Countess Alicia of Blosque has signed these, but the signature is a bit faded and most likely a copy or a forgery. I can't see the Countess we met signing any of these. Several of these documents say she has agreed to marry Sir Gaynier of Alost and transfer all her estates and titles to him. Brinna sits down on a turnip sack, shaking her head, she says, These are not particularly valuable to anyone but those mentioned. And the Cardinal of course. To the rest of us though, it is just paper and writing and worth little. I wonder what the Countess will say when she hears of her impending nuptials?

[donsr]

[ Ivy swears in a stream of elven... then he says... Tear of the parts
that have her name.. Burn the rest rest of the parchments.. we'll show her the signatures, but there will be nothing left of the papers them selves...If she did sing them, she will have to do so again.... but for now.. the sheets no longer exist..burn the
scatter the ashes left and right..and do it now!

..Keep moving, and fast.... if we make it to the GAtes I will buy one drink for each of you.. MOVE!

we wil talk to the Lady for certain.. with out that Middling
dandy with her... I want to see what she says...without him peering over her shoulder.

[Tigra]

As Lylanna smelt the earth, her paws dig into the ground as she gave thanks to the Earth Mother. She scented the air once again and then heads off to catch up with the group. She relays to Friel about the dark druid as she shadows the group still staying out of sight of them.

[Rasgorn]

Ivyian hears Friel say, Ciardhain a low, angry voice. She doesn't look at him or say anything for a moment before saying, Lylanna's coming. She is unhurt and has news. She has seen some things. The Knights met up with some bugbears and a druid. They know their ambush failed, but they are not pursuing. They may not have known what was in the wagons, at least not exactly. Friel doesn't say anymore.
Brinna lets out a gasp and holds up a beautiful dress, a bridal dress of white silk lined with pearls along the collar and sleeves. Eisen, who is looking through the other chest, is holding a fine crystal decanter in one hand and a porcelain plate in the other. They both have silly smiles on their faces as Eisen says,Looks like a wedding with all the fixings. I wonder if this dress would actually fit the Countess. We can't have her try it on though. I wouldn't want anyone to wear it. The thing is enchanted with charms and domination spells. Eisen is now shaking his head,Ivyian, these people are not focused or coordinated. Planning this wedding, these documents and this dress and then leaving it all to the chance or orcs, does not seem wise or well thought out. Unless are foes have a foe among them. That is the only thing that makes sense to me. Eisen stops talking as at that moment, the sky darkens and the clouds drop a rain of black fire, quickly followed by another, to the north of them, near the town of Alost. It is miles away, but they all see the dark flames roaring down from the heavens.

Lylanna can easily catch the party and the slower moving wagon. She stumbles when the fire rains from the sky. She doesn't actually see the first burst, but she feels it, a divine fire, a fire of anger and harm. She sees the second fire storm though and knows it is far from here and can't harm anyone here.

[donsr]

Ivy 's face darkens,..slavery, in one of its many forms....forcing someone to do something...

..destroy the dress as well, smash the plate and anything else.. scatter the Bits as we ride...

Pointing to the large kegs of drink.....break them open.. let us make sure the drink was not tainted as well..and? see if there is anything hiding in those ..but do it as we move...

... all the money and lands they steal from honest folk, and yet they must stoop to the low pathways of magic to get a wife! ..destroy the things
now.. Burn the Dress.. only save the papers , save her signature...

[Tigra]

Lylanna pauses as she watches the fire rain down from the sky off in the distance. She lets out a snort and continues on her way. She was not sure why they were heading back to where they had come from. She continued to follow along, stopping once and awhile scenting the air to make no one was following them.