Elodia

[kevintheradioguy]

We play in third person, past tense only. Generally lean to limited, but omniscient can be used to for literature exposition.
If you use omniscient, that does not mean you can put thoughts into your fellow character's heads, as well as into NPCs heads, as well as into enemies' heads.

Bare minimum formatting is to be used. Use bold/italics text to emphasize certain things if you want, use italics to show you thoughts if you want,
and just stick to the grammar rules. There is no need to make your posts bold, colourful, with borders, or sized differently than anyone else's.

Players and the DM are expected to make a post at least every 48 hours or whether to skip their turn, or (during the combat) for their character to be played by the DM to the best of is abilities.
Note, that 48 hours is not exactly a strict minute-to-minute time span. Sometimes it might mean 50 hours, sometimes - 45 - just be ready to write something every two days or more often.

There is no post order outside of combat. Use your better judgement in social situations. If two people have a conversation others won't interfere with,
it is perfectly fine to have a dozen of posts of said two people talking to each other. In combat, however, Initiative rolls determine the post order until the end of said combat.

Social rolls against the PCs are not to be made. Neither an NPC, a mob, or another player will be rolling Intimidation, Persuasion, etc. on a player's character.
It is expected that the party would be roleplaying and use their own better judgement to prove a point in game during party banters, and determine if reasons used by others make them change their character's mind or not.
NPCs won't make those rolls as well. They will use cues or described tones/gestures to try and make PCs do what they want, and it would be left to the players to decide if their characters would fall for it.

There is no enemy levelling in this game. CR 1 enemies might be sticking around CR 10 enemies, and even CR 20 enemies. It is left for the player's judgement to decide if they are going to attack an enemy or not.
In other words, if a level 3 party meets a dragon, that does not mean the dragon is CR 3 fitting for them, as well as if a level 10 party meets a goblin, that does not mean the goblin is CR 10.

Mechanics and rules are very soft in this module, and a big chunk of the game is left for the roleplay instead of dice rolls.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

Narrow, slippery corridors of the dungeons were bringing on an eerie feeling. No one saw the water running between the old stones, but from how hard it was to walk on the cold, moist floor, it was obvious it was grinding the masonry somewhere, which meant that the corridor could collapse at any moment. The queen said the place was old, but she never said it was this old. The cracks water drops created were deep, and the air was thick, as if you were breathing in some liquid - not as foul smelling as to make one's eyes bleed, but close to that. It was very much like a room that was closed for far too long under the sun far too hot. Not exactly a pleasant smell, but not an odour too.

It was a miracle the underground stood. Neither of the party saw much of the crater they were going into, however, from what they saw, it was dangerously close to collapsing. It looked like a giant bubble, that was pushing the earth and the rock away, with just maybe a third of it popping out of the ground, so the edges were steep, and ready to fall down. What didn't help was that this bubble formed in the centre of what once was a large city, so the sheer edges were peppered with stone buildings, and old constructions, only adding to the weight ought to bring them all down. Water ran between them, forming mall waterfalls that slowly filled the bubble, and whether or not it was now filled with water, or not, since, due to the high temperature around, it was all covered in mist.

One might think, why would anyone build a city in the midst of a swamp like this? Well, from what the queen told them after they were brought up by the metal-clad guards for interrogation and made sure they weren't marauders or scavengers, coming here to steal what was left in the houses of her poor people, years before the place was supported by pure magic. The woman herself used to be a powerful mage, who kept the overflowing waters away, and the now wet and rotting earth dry enough to create orchards and fields. Few rotting paintings of what her city looked like that were hanging on the decrepit walls, were the proof of how well the magic worked. The fact that she had these powers was obvious. By the looks of the castle and the city, the catastrophe happened many decades, if not centuries, ago, but she still kept her youth, pride, and beauty, even though being a human from the first glance - something very typical for people, who had magic running through their veins. With the help of a few magi, she kept the city safe, and happy, free of dirty waters running down into these valleys from the tall mountains on the North.

"This did not last forever." She explained that day. "An elven mage came here one day, during a summer festival." The woman explained how the mage was old and dying, and, as any creature that lives for centuries, he was more afraid to die than more short-living nations. He was seeking their filled with life magic, desiring to take it for himself, in an attempt to prolong his lifespan. Of course, the queen (admittedly, she was just a Lay of the city state, but she always liked how "queen of Elodia" sounded) refused to give it, knowing full well that without her powers the city would drown, and that was when the fight started. Spells were thrown, and curses put on, and in the midst of it the elven mage threw most of his powers into a giant explosion... or what she thought was it. All she knew, that one moment she was holding a psychic shield around her and her guards, and the next moment the whole city was in the air, falling inside of a bubble formed out of nowhere in the middle of her city. However much she wanted she couldn’t save all from the fall, casting a portal right under herself, taking her, and the guards, and a few civilians at her side back to the castle. Unfortunately, the mage followed.

"Our powers were equal, it seems." The queen explained. "Even if of the different schools. The mage knew it." She emphasized the word 'mage', making clear that she wanted to use harsher words to describe him. - "And then he did something. He scanned the room, and saw our jewellery locker on the table." She always referred to herself as 'we', still stuck in the light of her previous glory. "The mage grabbed it, and cast a spell. We felt weakness, and, not knowing what was going on, threw all our powers to get rid of him." She described how a spontaneous spell hit the frail body of an old elf, throwing him out of the window, and into the crater he himself created. The locker... he took with him. Only days later the queen realized the horrifying truth. "He could not take our magic for himself, so he locked it inside the locker!" - She spit out, hate so obvious in her eyes. But magic worked in the weirdest of ways. The locker now being a sort of phylactery for her powers was closed, and not being able to open, as the key from it was left with the queen. "It held the seal from our dearest deceased husband. We always wore the key around our neck." - Small echo of grief was heard in her voice as she spoke. "As to remind us that our grief is locked away, but not forgotten."

And so, they were at a stale mate. The mage held the locker, containing the queen's powers, but could not open it. And the queen, lacking her magic to fight him, could not go down. "We are using what is left of our powers to keep the city from collapsing." She explained. "And the mage inside." From her neat clothes it was also obvious that some of the power goes to keep her wardrobe well-tended to. "Lucky for us, the swamp that formed served as a shield from the bandits and marauders - little to no outlaws come here, so, for what it's worth, those people that are left and try to restore their lives, are safe."

And so, it came to this. Seeing how the party was of the trained adventurers, the queen asked them to go down the crater, and retriever her locker for her, so she can get her magic back, and restore the swamp into the green meadows and blooming orchards it once was. The mage was in it, alright, the queen felt it. And she also knew that this sickening place, and horrible deaths, and so much magic probably created horrors under the castle... and what was left of it.

The way into the deep crater would take time. First, the party had to go down the crumbling passageways under the dungeon - an old escape route built ages ago, in case royalty had to flee the sudden attack. From there, the way would lead them to what once was the city sewer system - large round halls with canals for dirty water running there from the streets. The queen didn't know for sure, but she suspected that with the city falling, parts of these sewers could provide for a safe way down. The real trick would be for them to get back up, however, seeing a bugbear travelling with them, who she saw as a servant, she had no doubt they'll find a way. Bugbears did this kind of thing, right? But first they had to get down.

It was hard to keep the lantern burning because of all the moist around, and going without it meant one member being blind. Old braziers meant to be lit up were filled with some sort of mushy oily muck after years of being left untended, and worked only as a reminder of the futility and darkness around. But what was concerning about this, at least to Alston, was the absolute absence of animal life around. The corners were covered in moss and some sort of algae, some vines grew over the ceiling - it was a perfect place for frogs, and lizards, and mice, and insects, but he had seen, heard or felt none of those. Not even once. Thus far, just an hour in, it was narrow, and cold, and crumbling, and devoid of any life asides from a few types of said moss and vines. here and there mushrooms popped up, somehow finding their way into this dark kingdom. The further the party went, the more and more obvious the building slope was: walls bent a little, and soon it was getting hard not to fall down and slide on an arching floor. Just a few dozen feet forward a crack was seen, and the ceiling ran low, as the earth slab seemed to drop down years ago, creating a natural step. The larger people would've had hard time squeezing through to ascend, but nothing dangerous or significantly hard was in getting down. At least the floor was covered in rubble and straight enough to walk on on the next step.

 

[Kenshin772]

Clack, clack, clack. Echoed the metallic thud through the corridor as Uguay marched forward leading his mistress and companions down into the Elodia crater via old decrepit tunnels worn by age and harsh environment. "The slope worsens, Mi'lady watch your footing" growled the Bugbear in a deep raspy voice, as his Halberd slid down the old mason work from the slightest tap. Despite his warning Uguay found himself struggling to proceed as the corridor shrunk more and more gradually by this point he was already hunched over and holding his polearm at an extreme angle in attempt to steady himself and guard from fall.

 

[russetrues]

Alson trudged on with the rest of his companions, mentally tired from noting the lack of animal life. Perhaps there's a mouse or a rat or something in another corridor? He kept thinking, trying in vain to keep his eyes on the decaying passageway as to avoid tripping and crashing into the others. When the bugbear at the front of the party warned Morigan of the worsening slope, the gnome could feel his stomach churning. "Think this could be it?" he asked, voice rough and tinted with a layer of fear and anticipation. "The Queen didn't mention how truly huge this place was." Muttering to himself, Alston put his right hand on the hilt of a dagger, the action soothing his nerves.

 

[Grimsvald]

Khoury missed the warm swamps above and the thick fog that blanketed them. She nearly missed the mosquitoes and swimming logs with the sharp smiles. A pale hand reaches for a snack in the darkness and pulls free old cheese from her rations. Slowly a mouse's head peeks free of Khoury's coat to nibble at the snack. She tried to push away her dislike for this cold by knowing that her companion was warm.

The barbarian gently ran her fingers across the tunnel wall. It was wet stone that felt like the exposed ribs of an old corpse. She dragged her fingernails to peel back the rotted green flesh and expose the mortal wounds set into these ribs, but the wavering lantern light brought her no clarity. It reminded her of when she used to walk battlefields with her mentor and catalog the dead.

The humidity of this cavernous path surprised her. When ever she grew parched she simply drew a long breath and gave a hard swallow.The gathered dampness of the air proved as much as a sip from the flask. The air didn't just smell of mildew and stale waters, it tasted like death and rot. It was an acquired taste and she could not recall how she had acquired it. If a suitor came to her with this on his breath he would not be turned away, his teeth would be licked clean.

What she found more repelling was the biting cold. A harsh chill had gnawing its way down to her bones and carved itself a home. She had only wrapped herself in bandages and a flowing cloak as attire. There was little to cope with this discomfort, so she pushed closer to the fire light.

Khoury nearly slipped on the difficult terrain beneath her boots, so she tucked her tiny friend away. She had already forgotten the Queen's tale of traitorous mages and sundered kingdoms. She only clung to the task of retrieving some magical locker. Once that locker got dragged back to that wretched royalty, the barbarian would be free to seek out the named one that brought her here.

 

[Xanthos]

Morigan wore a makeshift hooded cloak over her armor with her hood up. The young girl collected moss by scraping it off with her knife, and placed it a separate compartment in her bag. She followed behind her bear companion. "Sir Bearington thanks for the warning. Please be careful." She traversed carefully. Despite watching her footing she still slide every now and again. The warm wetness felt very uncomfortable, and stuffy. "How is everyone feeling?" she asked her allies, expecting to hear terrible, or even a sarcastic "GREAT!". She watched her allies body languages, especially Khourey's. She's so cool. Morigan thought to herself. Seeing how Khourey was handling the situation caused Morigan to strengthen her own resolve on their current quest, despite having a bad feeling in her gut. Morigan also perceived that Khourey had a difficult time seeing. "Everyone wait a second, I'm going to brighten up the dark corridor so mom can see," She then reached into the bag for a handful of moss she had collected. "May the angel light our way," her pray answered instantaneously. The moss in her hands glowed like a natural light. She offered the light to Khourey.

"I don't believe the Queen's story. I don't think there's going to be a box of magical jewels down there. I mean if there was, why wouldn't she just teleport down here to retrieve them?" The young girl asked her allies.

 

[russetrues]

Alston grunted in answer to Morigan's question, busy with clambering over a particularly big crack in the floor, a rare moment where he yearned for a longer stride. When the young paladin light up the moss she pulled out of her pack, he grunted again. The light was softer, in his opinion, and he welcomed the respite it gave his eyes. Anything to make the journey easier would be welcome in this gods-forsaken tunnels. A vine growing on the ceiling reached low enough to brush against his head, and he stilled for a moment, before continuing after his companions. "She's conserving what magic she has left for the city. I think the chance of the city collapsing was too great for her to risk channeling her powers into something else," he mused.

"How long will the moss's light last for?" Alston asked the paladin, gesturing to the moss, out of habit, even though he knew it would be wasted on her as they were walking in a single file and he was bringing up the rear. He had to give it to the older woman, she was very resilient. Having to carry the torch, in his opinion, added to her troubles as she not only had to deal with an even trickier crossing of the terrain, to make sure not to drop the torch, but the humid air was like a shadow to the fire, waiting to put it out. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead, and he wiped it with his sleeve, commenting, "I don't know what's worse. The rough terrain, the stink of this place, or the humidity."

 

[Kenshin772]

"Everyone wait a second, I'm going to brighten up the dark corridor so mom can see," came a small voice from behind Uguay the hulk came to a stop and turned his head to look at his companions and watched as his savior lit up a handful of Moss and offered it to Khoury. A fine idea with her being the only one who can not see in the dark he thought to himself as he turned around for a break in their trek. "

I don't believe the Queen's story. I don't think there's going to be a box of magical jewels down there. I mean if there was, why wouldn't she just teleport down here to retrieve them?" Morigan questioned

An excellent question, one that Uguay had thought of himself but was not in a position to ask. "Perhaps," Uguay spoke "There's something more to this mission then we've been told."

"She's conserving what magic she has left for the city. I think the chance of the city collapsing was too great for her to risk channeling her powers into something else," came a voice from the far back of the line from the "Small One" a Gnome from the forest Uguay knows his kind they often set up camps in forests, swamps, and such and take hostile attitudes to those around them. If memory serves they call themselves Druids and greatly warrant Uguay's caution. "How long will the moss's light last for?" the Small one asked Mistress Morigan. "I don't know what's worse. The rough terrain, the stink of this place, or the humidity." he complained without so much as waiting for an answer.

Uguay threw glances to the other party members, a particularly dirty one to the "Small One," aside from Morigan he wasn't familiar with any of the faces around him "Shall we rest here for a bit?" Uguay suggested as he outstretched from his low hunch releasing a flurry of cracks and creaks just barely audible to those around him. "I'm not sure how the rest of you know each other but I'm only familiar with Mistress Morigan, How about it? shall we learn more than just each others names?"

 

[wytchitoby]

The tight squeeze felt like home to Red, and clambering through sewer systems and everything in between in the past made the scents surrounding him bearable. The humidity, however, was left to be desired. Even still, he pressed on until one of them, Uguay, suggested they should take a break. He kept to himself most of the time, so the idea of getting to know his team was all well and good, but he hoped he wouldn't have to reveal too much about himself.

"If you guys are tired, then by all means." His voice rarely was the one to break the silence, but even when making a passing comment, it still sounded like he was up to something.

 

[Grimsvald]

Khoury trudged forward with her eyes trained on the floor before her step. She attempted to predict which way her muddied boot would slip each time she set it, but success relied more on luck than skill. She attempted to grow an understanding of the environment and what it wanted from them. It felt like a mighty monster ready to devour them like treats tossed from it's master's hand. Stones shifted in the darkness ahead, to her this was a small groan begging them to slide down the wet throat of a tunnel and into the belly of the beast. The environment's desire was to consume them and drown them in its dark depths. If its objective was any different, this journey would not seem so quiet. Not a creature was stirring, not even her mouse.

She found herself on an erroneous pilgrimage, compelled by the Queen of a sundered kingdom. She felt like a faithless priestess to a Mecca with no plans to pray. The alter of a magical locker would not bring her to her knees and it would not clasp her hands. Khoury's god is death and she did not need to pray to bring his presence here. The barbarian cared nothing for the arcane locker or the wizards quarrel that twisted this landscape. She only cared to correct her past mistakes and claim the heads of those named in her scrolls. Their bloodshed would be her worship.

The barbarian payed little attention to the conversation bouncing around among the party. They babbled about the Queen's truth, motivations, theories and conspiracy, but the point of the conversation was dull compared to her weapons. These strangers continued to pound the edge of reason against the surface of possibility looking for something to ring true. Nothing rings more true than a fatal blow in combat. The truth meant nothing to Khoury, because none of it would stop her from achieving her goals. She would cobble together a mountain of corpses to reach that magical locker, not so that she could have the locker, but to leave behind a mountain.

Khoury's face was contorted into a hideous grimace of hate and determination when suddenly she realized an outreached hand full of glowing moss. With a degree of confusion she accepted it and stuffed it in between the bandages on her chest, hoping it would light the way without occupying her hands. The glow of the moss looked to grasp up to 20ft away. "Thank you..." she softly whispered to Morigan. "I will be better when I am warm, but I cherish the pain of this cold. It reminds me how mortal we are. In this place there is but a thin vale between us and the god of death. He looks to me through it like a proud father." Her grimace fades into a confident smile.

 

[russetrues]

Alston agreed Khoury's statement about the god of death being separated by them by a thin vale, even if he didn't think the god was watching them. The smell of death and sorrow that surrounded them reminded him that his own god of nature was not watching over them, the lack of animal life apparent.

Taken aback by Uguay's dirty look, Alston felt saddened. He guess that the bugbear must've had a very rough life - how rough exactly, he could not, or would not, guess. To think that his kind, gnomes with such an apt to tinkering, would shun others squeezed his heart. Specifically that other forest gnomes would be unfriendly, even rude, to other forest folk. And yet, all was possible. The leopard always changes its spots, Alston thought. Or was it the other way around? When Uguay asked them if they wanted to stop and rest, get to know each other, he nodded to himself. "I wouldn't be opposed to taking a break," thankful that the rogue, Red, wouldn't be against the idea if the others also wanted to stop. "We could also spend some time thinking about what will come, what we'll do once we find the treasure box, you know, being prepared to fight that mage that stole the locker in the first place."

He spoke fast, like most gnomes, but made an attempt to slow down towards the end. "I think I saw some other tunnels branching off. Perhaps we could explore those on the way back? There might be a faster passage, a shortcut, so we don't have to struggle through this particular terrain again." As much as he wanted to get things done, and was looking forward to returning to the surface, he dreaded the returning journey. After all, they had mostly been going downhill, and going uphill would be that much harder. Not to mention, if the mage had... backup plans to hinder their escape.

 

[Xanthos]

"How long will the moss's light last for?" asked Alson.
"It'll last for an hour, but I have more."

"I'm not sure how the rest of you know each other but I'm only familiar with Mistress Morigan, How about it? shall we learn more than just each others names?" suggested Sir Bearington.
"Sir Bearington, I think taking a break would be an excellent decision. It'll give us a moment to gather our thoughts. We're going to be together for a while. I want to let you know you can trust me. If anything happens, I'll have your backs."

"Mom when we get out of here I'll pay for you to have a nice room, so you can relax and get all the warmth you want," she promised.

When the tall dark handsome Red spoke, Morigan's blue-green orbs shifted towards him, and her current neutral expression turned to a smile. I didn't even notice him until now.

She turned her head, and listened to the gnome speak. "After we find the magical locker we can spelunk all we want, and find a less cramp exit for Sir Bearington" Morigan did a little bit of thinking. "Alson, why don't we switch spots, just in case something tries to attack us from the rear?"

She acclimated to the stench, and the ever growing colder climate. Night must have been falling on them. "I doubt the queen told us the truth at all. This city has been dead for years. She had more than enough time to get a rescue group together, to gather her belongings. There's nothing in these sewers. No rats, no mosquitoes, not even a bullywug. Whomever goes down there, never comes back. I'm going to go down there, and we're going to punish whatever is really down there for all of those who never made it back up here!" She was very enthused to uncover the mystery.

"I'm ready when everyone else is." she said.

 

[russetrues]

Alston nodded his head as Morigan told him the illuminated moss would last for an hour, but that she had more. He was glad to know that she had a reserve of the stuff. The moss on the walls looked polluted to him, and he didn't know if her illumination would work on it or not. Even if it would, it would be damp from the humidity, and ripe with the smell.

Exploring after finding the magical locker and completing the first part of their task was reasonable, but he couldn't help the feeling in his gut that told him they might be outrunning someone - or something - on the way out. Nevertheless, he kept quiet, stepping around a large hole. When she continued, and proposed that they swap positions, he did nearly lose his balance, surprised. Whilst this idea came unexpected to him, he thought for a bit. "We might have to travel a bit slower then, since everyone except Sir Bearington will be behind me," he apologized. "If no-one objects though, I would be fine with swapping," slightly dragging his feet across the stone floor at the thought of being behind the bugbear, who didn't seem to have much love for the gnome.

The paladin's excitement invigorated Alston, strengthening his resolve of finishing this quest - which, he had to disagree, seemed to have at least a sliver of truth to it, in his eyes, and the oppressing humidity became more bearable.

 

[wytchitoby]

The idea of the queen not being entirely truthful them wasn't a stretch by any means to him. His distrust of those with a status such as herself, how she addressed herself and her disposition especially, made even the fact that she had some devious motives easy to believe. Still, they were anticipating something more to this mission than they were expecting initially, so they could be prepared at all times. He had to admit, the girl's enthusiasm about the situation was adorable in a way; like a little girl's dreams of being a big-name adventurer became a reality. He, still, was also confident that they would all make it out alive- there was always a way out, no matter how hard it seemed to find or how treacherous the circumstance.

Red's visage scrunched up in slight, but visible, disdain at the comment of their party slowing down because of the gnome, but then again the poor guy couldn't help it. Besides, they weren't in any rush and the battle of night and day wasn't against them. So he kept his comment on doing what it takes to keep the pace quick to himself. Instead, he thought back on the woman's motives and muttered something under his breath.

"She didn't even say anything about a reward..." Thinking to himself that she knew they wouldn't make it out, but he left the information up in the air for everyone else to interpret themselves.

 

[Kenshin772]

"Sir Bearington, I think taking a break would be an excellent decision. It'll give us a moment to gather our thoughts. We're going to be together for a while. I want to let you know you can trust me. If anything happens, I'll have your backs."

Uguay let out a sigh of relief and stamped his Halberd against the floor with a loud metallic clang. "Very well, let us take a few minutes." Uguay looked between his companion and laid eyes on Red for the first time since setting out, this man confused Uguay he looked similar to a man yet had animalistic features about him. As well as the faint smell of a fox, not that anyone else could tell with the musk of Uguay's mucky and sweaty fur.

"I will be better when I am warm, but I cherish the pain of this cold. It reminds me how mortal we are. In this place there is but a thin vale between us and the god of death. He looks to me through it like a proud father." murmured the Barbarian attracting Uguay's attention. She was claiming to be cold and that she'd feel better in the warmth, yet she claimed to like the cold. Uguay couldn't wrap his head around it he didn't get Humans very well, he didn't get anyone very well for that matter.

Letting out a low rumble of a growl he unfastened a rope from his neck and removed a large bear fur cloak, that up until now looked like it was part of his own coat of fur, and held it outstretched in both arms. "If you're cold you should have said something instead of bearing it in silence" Without even waiting for a response Uguay reached out across the corridor over Alston and Morigan and placed the cloak over the Human Barbarian's shoulders "Honestly I don't get you Humans, always so complicated, saying one thing and meaning another, being someone's friend then saying mean things behind their back" Uguay stopped and looked to Morigan then back to Khoury, "Sorry, I can't help but be straightforward about things, I apologize if I did any offense"

"I doubt the queen told us the truth at all. This city has been dead for years. She had more than enough time to get a rescue group together, to gather her belongings. There's nothing in these sewers. No rats, no mosquitoes, not even a bullywug. Whomever goes down there, never comes back. I'm going to go down there, and we're going to punish whatever is really down there for all of those who never made it back up here!" Morigan exclaimed from her new position at the back of the formation drawing Uguay's attention away from Khoury. "I'm ready when everyone else is."

Uguay looked to his other companions who all stayed relatively quiet beside Alston and Morigan and then turned his attention back to the front, That was short, he thought as he lifted his Halberd and struck the Masonry ahead of him by a couple feet testing the ground's solidity "Let us press on then if everyone has no objections, for convenience you all can refer to me as Ser Bearington as my mistress does" He pauses before taking a few strides ahead of the next person to maintain a five foot spacing then mutters under his breath "This is going to be great" He speaks in Goblin

 

[Grimsvald]

It would be more than a struggle to find a dry place to sit or an easy perching to rise up from. The walls wouldn't yield her a better rest than the floor, so she decided to stand at ease. She removed as much stress from her legs as possible, but there was little comfort to be found in this 'rest'. Now that the group had come to a stop the barbarian decided to tune in to the conversation. Khoury disagreed with most of the things being said.

Two large furry hands reach out from the dim light holding a cloak of furs. Khoury reluctantly accepts it. She didn't mean to sound weak in her complaints. She was showing them that there can be great joy in all things in life, including those things that bring you closer to father death. She felt robed of her pains, but knew it would be rude to refuse the furs. "An unnecessary gift, but I thank you for your kindness. " The barbarian made sure to give 100% of her attention to this interaction with the bear man as a way of ignoring the little one calling her 'mom'.

" We should try to gain possession of the locker before facing our foe. If we hold something he cares so much about it will allow us to split his attention, bargain and even make him afraid to break it. While he chases after his precious treasure we will pick him apart like wolfs in the night." Khoury adjusted her weight onto her other hip and pulled some rations out of her pack. "As for the return trip. I think we should stick to a path we know. One of these tunnels may lead to an inescapable fall. Another path may fall down around us and leave us trapped to starve. If this path gets of safely to our destination it will bring us safely back. There is no need to risk getting lost down a side tunnel and dying when we have victory in our grasp and a certain road home."

Khoury found the heavy weight of the fur gift difficult, but the heat was comforting. She pulled the cloak around her while she began to eat her ration. Beneath this cover her little mouse came out to share. Her pet had learned how to stay quiet over the years, but his presence would be given away by the moss light tucked into Khoury's bandages. With the furs wrapped around her she projected light on to the roofing of the tunnel and it was easy to see something moving around. "I did not come here for a trove of gold or righteousness. I came here for the chance to right a wrong. What brings the rest of you into this?"

 

[Xanthos]

The petite warrior of justice made her way to the back of the party. "Like I said, anything that goes down I'll do everything I can to protect everyone."

"She didn't even say anything about a reward..." Their rogue mentioned.
"Red if you want a reward I'll give you some of my gold at the end of this quest," she used her nice girl voice and was genuine in her offer.

Uguay's kind offer to Khourey was very sweet. Morigan thought to herself. It made her feel warm inside.

Khourey asked the group "I did not come here for a trove of gold or righteousness. I came here for the chance to right a wrong. What brings the rest of you into this?"
"My angel led me to this city to punish whatever evil lurks in this city," Morigan replied with a strictly business casual tone.

 

[Grimsvald]

Khoury smiled to this tiny holy warrior she had been ignoring. It was good to know she wasn't the only one with a celestial being looking over her shoulder. "Your journey is one of purity. As the bleak seneschal of the crystal spire looks favorably upon me, may your angel look favorably upon you." The barbarian sat a reassuring hand onto Morigan's shoulder for just a moment. Then she returned the hand to her side to pull free a handaxe. She planned to continue into this abyss armed and ready.

 

[russetrues]

At his companions' lack of complaints to the change with Morigan, he squeezed past the others and took her spot as she moved towards the back. "Thanks," he nodded, giving her a grateful smile that looked more like a grimace as he caught a whiff of the pelt the bugbear draped across Khoury's shoulders.

He kept quiet, not yet answering Khoury's question of what brought them here, or replying to Sir Bearington as he offered them a name by which they could call him . Instead, he listened, as Morigan spoke of an angel, that sounded, to him, vengeful in a stoic and honorable type of way.

As the barbarian spoke of her own reasons, he heard, more than saw, as she pulled a handaxe. "Like you two, I also come here, in part, to honour a deity. But I also would like to help the few survivors of this town- they did not deserve this fate, any more than the mage's right to find a way to lengthen his life," the gnome said heatedly. "He should've made most of his life before he felt the effects of aging and ridded these underground tunnels of any life," he scoffed, stamping his feet to show his dislike of the consequences of the mage's actions.

 

[wytchitoby]

Ser Bearington... another name for another face, at least. He supposed they would be getting to know each other while they embarked on their journey, which was fine with him anyway. They still weren't in much of a hurry. "Call me Red," He piped up again, so everyone else had a name to his own face.

He looked over to Khoury, quirking an eyebrow at the plan; it definitely was something he was used to, breaking and entering to rob uppity folks dry- not necessarily mages, but close enough- but the killing part didn't seem entirely necessary to him. "Do we even need to kill him?" Red asked, finally seeming to speak up. "The claimed reason he took the locker was because he's going to die soon anyway. Let's just swipe the locker and nature'll take it's course... Unless you want to beat up some old fart with his own cane which, hell, I wouldn't mind watching." He smirked, exposing some of his canines. Still, he considered the mage would be stronger than appearances let on; despite being old and close to death, he managed to steal, essentially, a kingdom's life source. If some of that was even true.

The girl's genuine offer of some of her gold wasn't confusing considering her motive for going through with this quest, but he had to laugh either way. "It's alright, dear," He responded with a quick wave of his hand. "I'll find something to take, just for compensation." And this time, it won't be from anyone's pockets... He thought, the reason of him being here coming back into his thoughts. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

Everyone's reasons of being there had such pure intentions, righting wrongs, purging evils, helping the poor people of a queen's city... nothing like running away from home to avoid punishment because he dared to try and pocket a few more gold coins from some woman swimming in riches already. "I ran away from home and needed something to do." Not the full truth, but not a lie either.

 

[Kenshin772]

Uguay turned around and looked to his companions who were now feeling more chatty than before, Perhaps it was my presence, he thought, Morigan is the only one here comfortable with me I should be weary of the others and their fear. With a slight disgruntled sigh Uguay turned his attention forward and ran his thumb up and down the shaft of his Halberd, it would be hard to fight if these corridors get any smaller. It might be smarter to have Khoury or even Morigan up front however Khoury can not see in the dark and would need a brighter light and Uguay couldn't accept placing his savior in the most dangerous position. "I'll scout ahead a bit, Small one could you stay five feet behind me, I'll slow down if I get too far ahead"

 

[russetrues]

Alston turned his head around to look at Red, as he told them it might not be necessary to kill the old mage. "What if he has the remaining strength to try to rob another settlement?" the gnome asked, torn between Red's suggestion and the desire to revenge the dead of the 'ghost' town.

He tuned out of the other's conversation, half listening, and lost in trying to figure out which option his heart was leaning towards, when he realised Sir Bearington was addressing him. "What?" he said a bit startled at first, then processing the information. "Of course, Sir Bearington. If you see any danger, yell out. I will be prepared to defend you." Alston resolved, reaching for what looked like two metal tipped sticks strapped on either side of his pack. If there was any sign of danger, he would be prepared to combine the two and use the quarterstaff at a moments notice; even if it would be a bit clumsier to use, if Bearington fell and they couldn't reach him, they could try to use the staff to pull the bugbear out of danger. He winced as one of the sticks scraped against the corridor's walls whilst he rearranged his lighter pack. Perhaps it would be more than a bit awkward to use.

After a small silence, he spoke up, thinking out loud as an idea began to form in his mind, "If we can find any sort of animal life, I could try to talk with the animal and see if it would be willing to scout ahead for." He looked around, eyes scanning the terrain, roaming over the walls and the floor of the corridor.

 

[Xanthos]

"Thank you, and may your God's favor you as well," Morigan gave a nod and a smile in response towards Khourey's action.

"Alston, you kind soul, when we get done our quest we'll do everything we can to help the locals here. I think the best thing to do though is to dethrone Queen, and imprison the mage."

Morigan's cheeks suddenly turned hot red from Red's words. She flipped her hood up, and looked down at the decrepit sewer floor. She placed her left hand on her sword, and fidgeted with the the hilt of her sword until her blush went away. Morigan would have volunteered to go ahead, but she was already in the rear of the party, also Ugauy, and Alston seemed to have had everything figured out. "Ser Bearington, what would you like me to do?"

 

[Grimsvald]

No matter what stench the heavy pelt may hold it would not bother the barbarian. It would take her a while to get used to its weight, but it would be worth the efforts. Her mouse quickly scuttled under the hefty furs, burrowing in and gathering warmth. Khoury would leave her pet there and make no mention of it. This little critter is more than a disposable scout. It is her best friend and she was not willing to risk its life for a look ahead.

Khoury quietly feel in line with the party and marched forward. Her axe ached for bloodshed the way her bones ached from the journey. She had no personal quarrel with this mage nor was she headhunting for his slight against the queens people. Her main motivation for leaving this mage as worm food stemmed from a mentor's lesson. Her master doomscribe once said, "May all your burned bridges lead to wastelands." Her take away from these words were to slay anyone you cross. If they were to rob this powerful being of the one thing it truly craved, a magical locker to give him life, they should kill him as well. He will come for the locker we have and kill us if that's what it takes to get it back.

 

[Kenshin772]

Uguay, turned his attention back to Alstonand let out a small chuckle, with his claim to protect him "Yes I will be sure to yell to you."

"Ser Bearington, what would you like me to do?" called out Morigan from the back.

Uguay looked to his savior and shook his head, "No, stay with the group I won't go too far" Uguay turned his attention forward and began walking and prodding the ground with bottom of his halberd and shooting glances down side corridors.