Party 4

Status
Not open for further replies.
As Beldar settled in, awaiting the tale of the Vistani, he turned his gaze from companion to companion wondering if they were as interested in the story as he was. As Stanimir began to talk, Beldar's gaze had settled on Dess and he thought, Even thou she agreed to come and talk she clearly... and before he could finish his thought, his attention snapped back towards Stanimir as the campfire flared up in sea of colors.

With his attention now firmly fixed on the fire, he watched as images began to form as the story progressed. He quickly rubbed his eyes to make sure this wasn't in his head, but as he reopened them, he continued to see shapes and movement, unnatural of any fire he had seen before, almost controlled by Stanimir as a puppeteer controls his stringed creations. As he watched and listened, he began to feel for the so-called prince, and cheer inside as he fought off the dark shapes. His feelings then grew to sadness as the speaker spoke of the curse and tragedy that had befallen their home.

It took at least a few moments before Beldar realized that the story was over, and the fire he was staring into was now simply a normal campfire, with the occasional flicker and wave. Slowly looking up, he looked at Stanimir, wondering if that look of hope in his eyes was indeed genuine. Beldar then sat back, and for the first time addressed Stanimir, "My good Sir, would you afford us a few moments of privacy to speak among ourselves?"

Addressing his companions, "I believe we have need of discussion before returning to the Duchess."
 
Dess watches the story unfolding in the fire, struggling to maintain her cool composure as her blood chilled. Her family had never known it, but she'd seen it before in Luskan. Knives in the night, coming for a family fallen from favor. Someone out of favor but with well established connections could become a threat, and the High Captains of Luskan did not tolerate threats if they wanted to keep their positions. Knowing how capable assassins sent after a royal warrior would be, the ferocity of the attacks these people and their guest had suffered scared her, especially the thought that the one who fought them off had turned tyrant. As Stanimir finishes, she takes a moment to ensure her voice is steady before speaking.

"I see your people are truly talented at presenting a tale, Stanimir. While we may not be able to do its telling justice, but it may indeed interest the Duchess to hear the tale of what brought you to her lands."

She cocks her head at Beldar, then shrugs and gives a brief nod.

"Pardon us."

She bows her head to Stanimir again, then steps back from the camp far enough for a discussion to be masked from the camp by the wind, pulling her cloak tighter around her in the windy night.
 
Juniper watched the flames dance from orange to green. As the images appear her jaw drops. She watched the images with dismay. What perplexing people these Vistani are. She soon is immersed in the flames and their story.

Stanimir was right. He does have a way with storytelling. As Juniper sees the glimpse of hope in Stanimir’s eyes, she begins to feel overwhelmed. Curses. This is a lot to take in. There is no possible way this would help me find Badger. Taking on such a task might veer away from my priorities. Her hand finds the necklace Badger gave her.

Beldar’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She waits till Beldar and Dess make their remarks and stands up. She walks towards Dess and as she passes Stanimir, she pauses. “I am very sorry you and your people are faced with this misfortune. I hope you are released by such burdens soon, may it be with help from us or not.” She looks around for the older woman who offered her wine. Finding her, she tilts her head in appreciation as she joins the others.

The Duchess will be in jubilant spirits to know that these people will be gone by tonight. I am sure she will not be pleased by what the Vistani are asking of us. My heart goes out to these vibrant people but… Her thoughts were cut short by the brisk wind. She didn’t remember how cold it was until she left the warmth of the campfire. Part of her thinks this may be another illusion from the Vistani.
 
Seeing the others rise and head off from the camp a ways, Beldar rose and nodded towards Stanimir. "We shall only be a few moments," he said with a smile, as he turned to follow Juniper to where Dess was walking.

As he walked towards the others, many thoughts whirled through his mind. Do we help them? It would seem to be the right thing under normal circumstances, but are these normal circumstances? We still don't know if they have been harassing the townspeople and charming the guards. Were we charmed during that storied display of flame and images? How can we be sure... and the thought cut off as Beldar stopped short before he walked right into Juniper.

Turning towards Dess, "They definitely have a flare for the dramatic. And their story was rich and detailed but" Beldar paused to exhale, "how do we know that it's not just a story? How do we know we aren't all under a spell by the Visanti?"

Looking over his shoulder towards the campfire, "I apologize, we should wait until we are all here until we discuss the circumstances," he said to Juniper and Dess as he noticed Ash was not yet with the group.
 
Dess nods slightly, her collected mask dropping to reveal the worry and fear that the Vistani's story aroused.

"I'm not sure we can know for sure the extent of the truth of their story. The people you send to hunt down a powerful noble soldier would be terrifying. And he supposedly destroyed those forces before turning tyrant himself. That makes him even scarier to consider, and really makes me nervous about the idea of getting involved in any way. As for the latter, well."

She opens her belt pouch and sinks cross-legged to the ground, pulling out her spellbook, flipping smoothly through the pages to lay it open on her lap.

"This will take a few minutes, but it's the easiest way to be sure there's no magic lingering to mess with us."

Her hands start tracing through well-practiced gestures as she drops into a ritual chant, weaving the magic with studied practice.
 
"It is quite concerning. I wonder what kind of curse was placed on this prince?"
I am sure we aren't the only ones whose even considered such a dangerous task.
"So, what do you think Stanimir meant by 'put his troubled soul to rest', are we talking about eliminating this tyrant or finding some way to lift this curse?"
Juniper hesitates before asking her next question. She didn't even try to hide the distressed looked on her face. "Are we really considering this?"

She glances at her companions not quite meeting their eyes. Part of her wanted them to say yes. The fact that the Vistani would have to continue traveling in the realm they considered unknown hurts. If she couldn't return home.... the thought made her shiver. Her body ached for the forest she knows and loves. Even for the days of training with Badger.
No one deserves to be ostracized from their home.
Then again, for her own selfish reasons she wanted them to say no.
 
Ash stares at the fire, momentarily stunned by the fantastic images before her. Her heart truly ached for these people...but her life was one of travel, even if she did consider the Moonstrider her home. One thing she held dear, was the idea that home was not a place- it was a people. But perhaps...she was just trying to justify not helping them. After all, she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Daggerford so soon with absolutely no leads on her mother's whereabouts. However, if her new friends felt compelled to help these strangers, she would be left quite torn...what if her mother returned while they were gone? What if she didn't? What if Ash stayed, and all of her new friends were hurt, or worse? They were here, in the now, and her mother was a mystery. As much as it would hurt, should it be their decision....she would have to join them.

As Ash rouses from her thoughts, she realizes the rest of her party have left the campfire to mingle nearby. She stands quickly and shuffles over, just catching Juniper's last line.

"I am fine with doing whatever you all think is right...though, for personal reasons, I would rather we stay in Daggerford. We should at least inform the Duchess..."

She speaks quietly, ignoring the ache inside her that desperately yearns for the others to agree to stay.
 
As the ritual casting finishes, Dess's chanting voice falls silent as she concentrates on her spell, seeking any signs of magic affecting the group. As she half expected, her divinations find nothing, and after a few moments, she releases the spell with a slight sigh, closing her spellbook and tucking it safely away in its pouch again as she rises to her feet, watching the encampment with curiousity.

"Well, as reassuring as it is intriguing, there doesn't seem to have been any enchantment woven into their show, or at least not any that's still lingering. Personally, I would prefer to see them on their way, and be done with them. I'm glad they're more amicable than I feared, but I'd still rather not associate with them after their behavior here and in town."

She pulls her cloak tight around here against the wind, shivering slightly in the chill as she muses quietly.

"Still, talented storytellers and bards, at least. In other circumstances, it could have been an entertaining party. Shall we head back to the keep, and let the Duchess know she can expect them to be leaving in the morning?"
 
After talking amongst yourselves and determining that there is no magic in the air, you eventually make your judgment on this mysterious band of Vistani and decide to leave the premises. As you head back to the camp and say your farewells, Stanimir looks to you all and nods with a solemn smile. "I bid you farewell, my friends. Perhaps our paths will cross another day. Damia, Ratka - let us return." He takes one last look at your faces, almost as if to memorize them for such a reunion, he slowly turns back to the rest of the camp, the others following without a word.

Left to your own devices, you eventually make your way back to the duchess's home. The party long over, the bright lights and music that you had left were replaced with dimly lit braziers and the occasional whirlwind drifting past. The guards on night shift recognize your faces and let you in, while a servant hurries over to wake up the Duchess with news that you had arrived.

You convene in the waiting foyer just inside the hall, and after a while Duchess Morwen makes her way down the hall, dressed in sleeping garments and a nightrobe. She looks to you all with a tired smile. "Ah, good to see you all in one piece. Do you have any news for me? What of the camp?" It's clear that she probably spent a good part of the night worrying in your absence.
 
Dess offers the Duchess a warm and reassuring, if somewhat tired smile, bowing politely as she lets her cloak fall open again, finally safe from the howling winds behind the doors of the keep.

"Yes, Your Grace, good news that will hopefully allow you a better night's sleep after you hear it. The Vistani should be on their way come morning. They were polite, and offered an entrancing and extraordinary tale for their presence, but they seem to have borne no ill will for being asked to move on."

She runs her hand over the top of her head and down to the nape of her neck tiredly, her whole body sagging slightly under the lateness of the hour.

"Would you like the details tonight, ma'am, or shall we let you sleep, and we could fill you in in the morning? I don't think there was anything else of pressing importance in our exchange, unless one of you can think of something I've forgotten?"

She looks at the others, hoping she hasn't let something important slip her mind.
 
Beldar bowed low to Stanimir and followed his party back towards the Duchess' residence. The entire walk back Beldar spent scribbling in his notebook everything he recounted from the meeting with the Visanti. Straining his eyes in the dim light of the night, he put to paper everything from the way the Visanti dressed to their speech patterns and accents. So engrossed was he in his writings that when he finally looked up, they had arrived at their destination.

Placing his book back into his chest pocket inside his clothes, he nodded at the guards as he moved inside to meet the Duchess. As he enters the room and sees the Duchess, he frowns, wondering if it was prudent of them to wake her at this hour of the night, but as he looks her over further, he realizes that she may have been up this whole time anyways, waiting on their report.

Beldar turns his head towards Dess as she relays the message of their encounter. Nodding approvingly as she finishes, he then switches his motions to a quick left to right motion, indicating he has nothing additional to tell the Duchess, especially since the party hasn't decided on its' next course of action.

Glancing at the other party members, he ponders if they will have anything of note to add.
 
Morwen nods at Dess, relieved to hear her explanation of what had gone down. "I thank you for your service. You all seem tired as well...but it is good to know that you are all safe and sound. I can see that you are all tired from the long day - I don't want you to over extend yourselves, after all." She breathes a sigh of relief, relaxing her stance ever so slightly. "Perhaps my paranoia got the better of me. Ah well, at least it's over now. If you wish, we can reconvene in the morning and see where to go from here. There's some other business that I may have to send you off on, but that's a discussion for a more well-rested day."

She smiles softly at you all, a sense of gratitude on her face. "Is there anything else you wished from me? Otherwise, I bid you enjoy the rest of your night. Once again you have my sincere thanks for assisting me in this matter."
 
"If I could have a word with you, Duchess..." Ash steps forward, blushing slightly as she nears the other young woman. Clearing her head, she focuses on her intentions, now that the Duchess was in a good mood, she could ask....

...but then, the room is gone, now replaced with misty forest. "Duchess?? Duchess? Where are you? Are you ok?!" She calls out in panic, looking every which way. Her vision is obscured and warped by the mist, causing her to stumble, light-headed. Ash's heart aches with the Duchess's sudden disappearance, and her stomach twists in painful worry.

She fights her legs, which seem to have a mind of their own, propelling her forward. Heart pounding, she flails and tries to at least move closer to the other members of her party. Ash opens her mouth to yell in desperation once again, but she's overtaken by a fit of coughing; This mist was thicker than any she had encountered out at sea, and it caught her off guard.
 
His head nodding slightly, Beldar snapped it back up, not realizing just how tired he was.

As Morwen finishes speaking, Beldar begins to look more forward to retiring for the night. As he is about, to say good night, Ash steps forward to add some additional thoughts. Rubbing his eyes, Beldar starts to wonder just how tired he is, as his vision starts to waver and the scenery distorts. Shaking his head again, he gets a feeling something is off.

Feeling himself being pulled, though mud and mist, his heartbeat starts to race.

"Is everyone else seeing this?" Beldar let's out with an anxious tone.
 
As her eyes are clouded by the thick mist, Juniper shuffles for her dagger out of instinct. She has no thoughts but fear. She's never felt so fragile in this moment, so unaware of her surroundings. As the mist continues to push her foward she frantically looks around trying to get a better scan of the trees. Finally she gets a grip on her thoughts.
What in the world is happening right now. One minute we were talking to the Duchess and now this. This couldn't be another illusion from the Visanti. This feels darker than that.
Hearing Beldar's voice brought her comfort. She clung to it because it was familiar unlike this place.
Juniper's voice was soft when she said, "I don't think we're in Daggerford anymore."
 
Didn't think I was that tired. As the mist envelops the room, Dess grabs out for a wall, thinking for a moment that the night's exertions have her about to collapse on her feet. As her hand hits not a stone wall, but a tree, her head snaps around to her hand, and a look of disbelief and anger flashes across her face.

"Bhaal's vile touch! Now what in the Hells? Is it too rutting much to ask to get a good night's rest before having to deal with some other weird mysterious bullshit?"

As she leashes her temper, Dess glares out into the woods and fog, still muttering profanely under her breath. As Ash starts coughing, Dess give her an encouraging thump on the back, taking long, slow breaths to handle the thick fog better herself. Despite her irritation at whatever the hell just happened, her voice is still affectionate and slightly concerned.

"No dyin' on us, Ash. Not allowed. This is creepy enough a place without it. I don't know what demonspawned pain in the arse decided to just ruin our night, but apparently it wants us somewhere. What say we find out where that is? Then figure out if we owe it thanks or a slow painful death afterwards?"

Her displeasure at the thought of another hike is obvious, and her irate expression makes her current preference for the "slow, painful death" option clear.
 
Last edited:
Now that Juniper had her wits about her she no longer felt that fear. She did still however felt a weird darkness about this place.
As Juniper steps closer to the large iron gates to better inspect them, the gates swing open. Juniper lurches back and falls to the ground. She fake laughs and stands up wiping the dirt from herself and says, "well wasn't that a neat trick."
Sweet brithla what just happened. We need to find someone who can tell us where we are. I guess there is only one way to find out why the hell we are here.
Juniper walks toward the statue's severed head, plucks a weed and walks towards the open gates. Before she passes the threshold she stops and turns to the group, "are yall coming?"
As she scans the group a smile slightly shows on her face. "The tallest trees are the ones that are cut first!"
 
Even thou Beldar had only known Juniper for a short time, her presence made this otherwise terrible and possibly dire situation bearable and somewhat enjoyable. Was it because he was more focused on the gnome and learning more about the race and the person, then his surroundings?, he thought. Regardless, he knew that standing around never solved anything. If there is one thing his father taught him, and he did teach him many things, it's that idle hands are of no use to anyone.

Making eye contact with Juniper as she smiles and let's loose a witty remark, Beldar smiles back and says, "We might as well venture forth, because," then he pauses for a moment and scans the area, "I don't see any other options except to move forward." In a quieter more serious tone he adds, "But please be on the look out for anything and everything."

Beldar then proceeds to walk towards Juniper and follow her through the gates.
 
Last edited:
Ash blinks at Dess a few times, then nods, comforted by her presence. Her friends must be confused and scared, and panic would only make things worse... she had to be strong for them. No matter how bleak the situation, Ash and her crew back home had always figured it out. This was no different.

"Right...At least we're still together..,We'll figure this out."

Ash straightens up and follows close behind the others. When they reach the gate, she pauses to examine the statues. It's...unsettling how life-like they are. Kinda creepy.

"It's almost like they were...petrified in a moment of fear."

She tilts her head, becoming more curious than afraid for a moment, but can't seem to discern much more information. Instead, she carries on walking, looking around at their new surroundings.
 
Juniper wipes off her goggles with the edge of her cloak. The mist seems to become thicker and thicker as she tries to see what lays beyond the gate. She squints and can only see a hint of outlines that look to be buildings up ahead. As Beldar joins her, she whispers, "what do you think we'll find up there? Fields of ravens and flower? Death and decay? Or a nice little tavern with drinks and songs?"
Once she hears Ash talk about the statues, shivers ran up her spin.

If there are buildings up ahead, that should indicate people live in this place right? Its filled with such dread. One may think that such a place consumes those who live for the sunlight.
 
"Or we won't. Given the number of anything's that might have happened, who knows if we'll ever figure out what the hells just happened. I'll settle for who and why."

Dess smiles gently as Ash composes herself, and keeps a wary eye out as she follows her to the gate, looking over her shoulder at the statue.

"Curious. And disturbing. Like a lot of this a
place appears to be. Like this encroaching mist."

As the fog grows even denser around them, she frowns again, running her hand over her hair and down her braid as she tugs at it nervously.

"We should probably find cover. I dislike the thought of what lives in the fog when the fog itself is so predatory."
 
Chuckling, perhaps louder then he should have in this situation, Beldar looks towards Juniper.
"A nice little tavern sounds perfect, especially if it had a nice cozy room with a soft bed and warm fire."
Turning his attention back towards the mist, his smile reverts back to more modest demeanor. "However, the ominous nature of arrival more than likely means we aren't walking into a pleasant situation."
Beldar starts to reach into his breast pocket, feeling for his notebook, but as he looks into the mist, he slides his hand down to the handle of his sickle. I can barely see as it is, no use in trying to write any of this down now, he thinks to himself, best to be prepared for the worst.
Looking towards Dess, "I agree, shelter does seem prudent at this point."
 
This village is beyond eerie. What happened to this place? It looms over me like a shadow. It's hard to have joy in a place of... sorrow. I really hope such a place doesn't... and before Juniper could finish her thought, she hears mournful sobbing coming from somewhere in the center of town. As she hears this, Juniper stops dead in her tracks to listen closely. She hears it once more.

Juniper was trained to protect people. She didn't spend years of training with Badger and protecting her home to idly stand by when someone needed help.

Juniper hesitated for a second because she had to think of the group now. It wasn't just her life she could be risking, it was her new comrades too. As she hears the sobbing again she turns toward her group and mouths 'sorry' and takes off running towards the center of town.
 
Dess rolls her eyes as Juniper goes darting off, not even raising her voice or even sounding at all serious as she calls after the scurrying figure.

"Stop. Don't. Come back."

Before Juniper gets out of sight, Dess moves to follow her down the street with a sigh and a fond, but stiff smile. Looking over at the other two over her shoulder, her words are amused, but her voice is worried, and her steps are slightly brisker than normal.

"Let's get after her, before she gets in over her head. It won't take much, and I don't trust this place. There is a lot of... wrong... here."
 
Once Juniper finds where the sobbing is coming from she pauses. Her mind is overcome with sadness. Juniper's legs kind of falter by this looming feeling. She stood there in front of the house for a minute to regain some sense of strength. As Juniper steps closer to the door she notices that it wasn't closed properly. As she opens the door she notices what a mess the place was. Juniper walks towards the table where it looks to be an untouched dinner for two. She picks up what piece of food that is on the table, smells it, licks it, proceeds to eat it until she notices the sobbing coming from upstairs. She creeps to the edge of the stairs. Juniper takes two deeps breaths trying to calm her heart. She slowly begins to creep upstairs with a hand on her dagger. As she's halfway up the stairs she begins to talk.
" Hello? You have no need to fear me. If you need help, I can help you. I am coming up the stair so don't be alarmed. It's just me inside the house, but there is about ten of my friends who are badass warriors right outside just incase you were wondering."
My word. My heart is pounding through my ears. I think they can hear it too. I hope this isn't a bad idea. I hope this isn't a bad idea. Please don't be an evil bear ready to pounce on me.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Similar threads

Brianne13
ISO of RP Partner
Replies
2
Views
326
Brianne13
Brianne13
Back
Top