Points of Light: The Twisting Halls

[GinkyGotBack]

In the beginning of the cosmos, the primordials emerged from the Elemental Chaos below and the gods emerged from the Astral Sea above. The primordials, creatures of creation and destruction and beings of raw elemental power, created the mortal world and, as a side-effect, its echoes in the form of the Feywild and the Shadowfell. The became interested in this creation and begun to shape some of it after their own natures, instilling it with a property of permanence that was utterly antithetical to the chaotic primordials. The primordials wanted to destroy the world to start over with a new creation. The gods, now invested in the world and the lifeforms they had created from it, opposed this. This opposition and certain events led to the cosmos greatest conflict, an event named the Dawn War, where primordials, gods and their servants clashed. In the end, the gods won, and most of the primordials were slain or imprisoned. The primal spirits, an expression of the world's features in form of spiritual energy, then declared that neither primordial nor god should interfere directly in the world's affairs because of the danger the power of both posed to the mortal world, and enacted the "primal ban", a property that makes the worlds collective primal energy resist entry into the world by the cosmos most powerful beings. The gods then had no choice but to try to influence the world indirectly through their believers and servants. Great weapons and monsters created during the Dawn War still remains, scattered throughout the planes, and are the center of many a plot.



The written history of Nentir Vale describes that several mighty empires have existed throughout the valley's history, civilizations of marvels that developed until they met their end and their parts were reclaimed by the wild. Ruins of these empires, filled with monsters and sometimes ancient artifacts, dot the wilderness outside the villages, towns, and cities that provide relative safety for their inhabitants, known as "points of light" in the darkness of the wild.

Some of these ancient empires include the Dragonborn empire of Arkhosia and the Tiefling empire of Bael Turath, who destroyed each other in a war a very long time ago. The latest empire was the human empire of Nerath, which fell into ruin a mere century ago. Separate kingdoms and city-states now mind their own business in the dark centuries that awaits before the rise of a new empire.
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It is a sunny day on the Trade Road as you all ride your way to Fallcrest in Traevus' wagon. The strong winds you had felt coming from Thunderspire have calmed to the occasional faint breeze, and the sun shined warmly on those who soak in its rays. Most of you sit in the back of Traevus' wagon, as is there is only room for two to sit side-by-side with the Dwarf in the front. The wagon rattles and creaks as it rolls along the old worn road. The merchant guides a team of mules with a steady hand, more interested in the long stretch of dirt ahead than in any attempts at conversation, but that's part of Dwarven nature. Or so you may presume. Though the sun is now low in the sky, you should reach the town of Fallcrest before nightfall. Since your journey with Traevus began, he has insisted on making as few stops as possible, becoming quite impatient and sometimes even threatening to leave those who dally for too long behind.

To your left, the Moon Hills stretch off southward and reach up toward the darkening sky. The fall air grows cooler with night's approach. The crickets chirp and sing as the rare firefly glows into sight before you pass it. All seems quite peaceful and it has been for some time since your travels began. It has oft been rumored that bandits, fierce wild animals, and monsters roam freely throughout the vale, threatening anyone who fares more than a few miles away from one of the so-called 'points of light' scattered throughout the land. However, this does not seem to be the case to those who are as of yet unacquainted with the valley. Given how urgently and perhaps desperately Traveus hired each of you, either together or separately, you might have assumed this was going to be a dangerous job. And yet, you find yourself not in the company of pillagers and beasts, but in each other and the constant song of the crickets.

Vanira Reinhardt Noam KingHalliwell Soap MToki ​

 

[Soap]

Aelena

HP: 31/31
Interactions: Traveus ( GinkyGotBack )
Mentions: No one.

Curious eyes roamed around quickly as Aelena focused on the small firefly that'd gotten the oh-so rare attention of the almost purple haired brunette. It'd become somewhat of a pass-time those few days alone in the forest to dye her hair with the surrounding berries, it worked too! It gave her hair a small tint of the color she'd been hoping for, oh well. It's noticiable enough, even without her dark vision she's sure someone could spot it with a little moonlight. Yeah... maybe it'd gotten a little lonely those nights alone, but was it difficult? No! And she might've been a little proud of herself... but she couldn't stay there forever. She needs things... and real food. The only way she'd get it, is if she had money. Aelena had learned that the hard way, they didn't have currency on her island. It was more of... 'you do this chore' and you get to eat later.

Though people didn't starve! That'd just be cruel...

Anyway. The point was, Aelena needed money to survive in these strange, strange lands. Especially now that she was providing for two. A Bear-Owl had crawled across Traveus’s legs and plopped down onto her lap. She casted a cautious gaze towards Traveus. So maybe she was the one who’d get yelled at for wandering around... and taking her time. It wasn’t her fault! Everyone and everything here was different and that sparked an interest in Aelena. She laid a hand Rhys effectively petting him. “Sorry, he doesn’t know... manners.” Neither did she, but he didn’t have to know that. Her accent was soft and quiet, anyone would be able to easily tell she wasn’t from these lands.

“So, why couldn’t you um... travel alone?” Surely if Aelena was the one with the money, she wouldn’t spend it on a few people to help her transport cargo. That’d just be silly.

 

[Vanira]

Riona Oota​

HP: 17/17
Interactions: Everyone

The journey had been long and quieter than the young blonde expected. Instead of fighting or being on guard every single moment Riona instead found herself sitting in the back of the cart. Head down to avoid the bright glare of the sun while shuffling her tarot deck. As the winds died down it was much easier to organize her deck to be in the right order. This may be the easiest money I ever made, Riona thought. A small, sly smile on her face as she finished shuffling the cards. If she did it right the high priestess card should be on the bottom, not that it mattered much. She learned to bullshit the cards if they weren’t the exact ones she wanted.

Placing the deck back into its holder, Riona glanced up at her traveling companions then at the back of Traevus’ head. The fact they even stopped was a miracle if there ever was one. Hardly a peep from the man since they began their travels, and really impatient. However, it was amusing seeing the Dwarf sit next to the rather talkative half-elf. Riona never knew her for long, hell, didn’t know any of them for long, but they seemed curious about everything.

I wonder how long before the Dwarf gets fed up with ‘em. The cleric stifled a snicker at the thought.

Her eyes scanned the horizons lazily. Eyes not focusing on anything in particular as she rested her right arm over the edge of the wagon she sat on. The trip would certainly be easy money, but fun? Not so much. Instinctively, Riona’s left hand reached up to touch the setting moon amulet that laid on her chest. This was not supposed to be about fun. It was supposed to be about money and getting to Fallcrest. She needed to visit the temples. Get some sort of clue on if she’s doing her worship right. Not that every god worships the same way, but when one has no idea how a holy person is supposed to act… it could at least be a lead. Riona would make Hecate proud.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t make the trip fun.

Riona ran her thumb across the amulet before turning her gaze from the scenery over to everyone else. Perhaps it was time to get more acquainted. “Should make it there by end of day, no?” She gave a wide smile while speaking in a singsong tone. “Anyone have any plans for when we get to Fallcrest?” Grey eyes scan the group as she waited to see if anyone would take the bait and answer. ​

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Soap (Aelena)

Traevus cringed as the weight of the surprisingly heavy Bear-Owl shifted onto his lap before settling on Aelena's. He squints at the bird from the corner of his eye and takes a breath from his nose. "Stupid little things, birds. Their brains are no bigger than a dog's brain, or so I've been told. The only bird I'd ever keep with me is a canary, for when I'd used to mine coal. If there was some kind of toxic gas in the mine, the canary would keel over a lot faster than the miners, and that's how they'd know to keep out of there." What followed after this odd interjection was a long stretch of awkward silence as Traevus tugged repeatedly at his long, braided beard. His hair was curly and black, and his face was square and somewhat hideous to look at. He was a massively built specimen, although a little short, even for a dwarf. The only weapon he carried with him was a light hammer made of some kind of stone, although it looked big enough and sturdy enough to cause some serious damage.

After the pause, he spoke up again suddenly, as if only just remembering he had been asked a question. "Nentir Vale's more dangerous than it seems, lass. It's good to keep a few suicidal adventurers like yourselves on hand. That way, when some ugly thing jumps out from the side of the road, it won't be me having to deal with it." The Dwarf jerks his thumb back, gesturing behind him. "Every time you pass by Thunderspire Mountain, the same group of bandits will hold you at arrow point and take whatever the hell they want from ya. If it was just the one of them I could smash his skull like a vase, but they always come at you in numbers, the cowards. The only reason they left me alone this time was because of how many of you I brought along with me, I betcha."​

 

[KingHalliwell]

Keth​

HP: 34/34
Interactions: Vanira

Keth walked alongside the wagon as it trucked along the road, eyes swiping over the road and the surrounding area for any sign of danger. His Greataxe strapped to his back as he walked. The breeze was nice, and kept him comfortable, and would sometimes howl loud enough to cover the sounds of the creaking wagon and the occasional chirping of the crickets.

Keth returned his gaze to the road, things had been too quiet for too long and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand with anticipation. Keth thought this was going to be an action filled adventure working with the other hired hands to fight off bloodthirsty animals and vicious bandits, but there had been nothing more than a few owl bear sightings off in the woods. They never got close to the wagon, and never caused any problems. Traveus had surrounded himself with enough protection that even the bandits Taveus had talked about when he hired them left them alone.

The casual conversation from the group had been enough to pass the time but he couldn’t avoid the constant boredom that plagued his mind. His thoughts drifting every now and then, to his tribe, to the few friends he had in the tribe, but he always pushed them out of his head and back to the road in front of him.

Keth turned his attention to Riona, as she spoke to the group. He thought for a second, he wanted a grand adventure but knew he would need to figure out his own things to do in the meantime. "I don’t know, this is my first time away from my tribe on my own, I can do whatever I want." He answered adjusting one of the leather straps that cross his bare chest.

Spoiler: Note about Appearance

This is the closest picture I could find to what I imagine Keth looks like. Just imagine him without the armor and very muscular. Also, I know that this is just fan art of Fjord from Critical Role, but it looks different enough.

​

 

[Soap]

Aelena

HP: 31/31
Interactions: Traveus ( GinkyGotBack ) Keth ( KingHalliwell ) Riona ( Vanira )
Mentions:

Aelena's eyes narrowed at the dwarf beside her as he insulted Rhys. She's more than sure the Bear-owl had snarled at him as well. However, she wasn't too upset. It's not like he meant Rhys in particular, just birds. And... Owls didn't really count as birds, right? Right. Of course. Her glare had faded only but a few seconds after she casted it. Pouting at the sound of a bird kneeling from the poisonous gas, poor canery. It was no secret that the girl always had a love for animals, she knew how to handle them. It's usually very simple. When they growl... back off. But if you're Aelena just try to persist just a bit and they'll open up to you. People were like that too, just not the people from her island. Or maybe it was because they'd thought she was annoying. Whatever! She didn't need to be friends with them anyway.

Especially now that she's never allowed to go back.

The thought alone had prolonged the pout on her face. Shaking her head and those terrible meaningless thoughts off, none of that mattered now. Thankfully the dwarf hadn't decided to ignore her question as he continued speaking. Aelena just nodded slowly. She knew what bandits were, despite an island of isolation, there was still a few kids dumb enough to thief around with no-where to run off to. They didn't like her that much either. "Oh." It made enough sense on why he decided to bring a few people along, to protect him. Though the thought of the dwarf being a bit defenseless had brought the smallest of grins to her face. Maybe it wasn't very nice, but he shouldn't of been rude. Besides, it was nice to know that Aelena could take him should he ever try to find out how big a Bearowl's brain really was. Hmph. "So they come at you in numbers, and they decided to didn't try to steal from us because of numbers?" It sounded like nonsense out-loud. Yes, but she's just trying to make sense of it all.

Overhearing the light-haired girl's question, she didn't speak first. Deciding to listen to the rather handsome... Orc? They'd never had any of his kind on her island. They didn't have Dwarves either, but Traevus wasn't very pretty. Perking up at the mention of tribes, this was the first time around here she'd heard someone mention them around here, she wasn't here very long... but... "Tribes? Where are you from?" Her eyes sparked with curiosity as she inspected him closely from where he walked.

"And you're green? you're... an Orc yes? I've read tons about your kind but never seen in person." The small girl had to take a breath before opening her mouth to say more, but she decided against it, staring for another moment before turning her attention to the girl, twisting an almost 360 degree angle to face her.

"Yes, I have plans." She smiled softly, extending a hand towards her. "I'm Aelena." She introduced herself to the band of 'protectors' they'd been deemed as.

 

[KingHalliwell]

Keth​

HP: 34/34
Interactions: Vanira Soap

Keth glanced over at the young half-elf, listening quietly as she rattled off her questions to both him and the human. “I’m Keth, and I’m a Half-Orc, my mother was a human and my father an orc.” Keth clarified with a soft smile. Her wonder, innocence, and excitement were cute, he just hopped it stuck around. The world had a funny way of dampening the spirits. Aelena looked to be about his age, maybe a few years younger, but it was hard to tell with those of elvish descent. They could be 200 and still look in their early twenties. He assumed it was the same for half-elves. “Yeah, my tribe is called the Raging Storm. We’re a nomadic tribe of warriors and fighters. So I’m kind from everywhere, but mostly far northeast of here.” He answered, leaving the savage lifestyle out, not wanting to color their picture of him with his bloody past.

“Where are you from?” Keth followed up, finding it odd that she was from lands without Orcs. He figured that with the lifestyle that many Orcish tribes took part in that there wouldn’t be a portion of the plane they hadn’t reached. “If you have any questions about my culture, I’m happy to answer them. I’m sure there are things that that even books don’t get right.” Keth was happy that they had all managed to get along this long, nothing was worse than traveling with a group of people angry with one another.

While Keth talked he turned his attention to the road, he wasn’t sure how close they were to Fallcrest, but as nightfall was soon he imagined it would show on the horizon any time now. He yawned, he wanted some sleep, preferably with a belly full of ale and food, and in an Inn somewhere.

Spoiler: Note about Appearance

This is the closest picture I could find to what I imagine Keth looks like. Just imagine him without the armor and very muscular. Also, I know that this is just fan art of Fjord from Critical Role, but it looks different enough.

​

 

[Vanira]

Riona Oota​

HP: 17/17
Interactions: Traveus GinkyGotBack | Keth KingHalliwell | Aelena Soap

The ramblings that came from the Dwarf was really starting to get on Riona’s nerves. Hard to make her mad but that fat-headed oaf seemed to be doing a mighty fine job of it. I might be suicidal but that doesn’t mean everyone else is. Frickin’ rude. The smile she had on her face faltered slightly as she glared at the back of his head once again.

Those gray eyes didn’t stare too long, however, as she heard someone talking to her. She turned to look over the edge of the cart at the man walking beside it. Keth, Riona remembered as she heard the perky half-elf sitting up front turn to talk to him. “First time away from your tribe, huh? I’m going to have to take you up on your offer to learn more. I’ve only heard bad things and I’m not a fan of hearing information second hand.” Her smile never left her face as she spoke to him. I wonder why he left his tribe. There must be a reason, she thought as she shifted to get a better look at him and the young woman. “How are you enjoying your travels so far, Keth? You like the taste of freedom of doing whatever you wish?”

Just as she finished her sentence, Riona was almost startled by that same woman turn to address her and the others. Hell, she even answered Riona’s question. It was a welcoming surprise as she did not expect the woman to hear her. “Aelena, that’s a pretty name.”

Riona grinned as she moved closer. Leaning over the front of the cart with her amulet dangling from her neck as she rested her bony elbow into Traveus’ shoulder. She looked over at the Dwarf with narrowed eyes. Speaking quickly with a sickeningly sweet tone in dwarvish. “You know Traveus, you won’t burst into flames if you’re nicer. Especially to those you hired to save you from Bandits.”

With that she turned her attention back to Aelena and gave her a much friendlier look compared to the one Traveus received. “This entire time I wanted to ask you something.” She glanced down at the bear-owl that sat on Aelena’s lap. Riona’s heart almost melting on the spot. “Can I pet them?”


​

 

[MToki]

Nala Ammil



Following beside the wagon was Nala, moss hood drawn to hide parts of his face, calloused fingers lightly tracing the wood to his side, steps easy and posture relaxed. He knew that seats were available, but that would mean sitting next to the other crew, he preferred to keep his interactions with outsiders to a minimum. Occasionally, he'd swing his staff around, making flower petals or leaves trail behind it. He was bored, magic helped, though he wished to cast some stronger spells. There was also the temptation to speak to outsiders, just to pass time, but the creaky voice of his grandmother always weaseled it's way into his subconscious.


'This is not what I taught you, boy! Those outsiders would skin you alive without hesitation, almost happened to your great, great grandmother, and you think small talk changes that? They are ruining this earth and all that dwells in it! Get your head straight, boy!'


He couldn't help but roll his eyes. Grandma was always very extreme in her view of outsiders. She saw the rest of the world as traitors, not only to nature, but to life itself. His village thought the same. Although, Aki was never convinced by grandmother's words. He would go on and on about people he saw that treated life with respect, and cared for the natural world as much as the village. Some days Aki would disappear, and come back with many trinkets from the world beyond their little gathering. Nala kept the belt buckle he was given, despite his confusion of what it actually was.


While he reminisces about the past, he felt his stomach sink as he was reminded of the reason why he was here. His family had disappeared. And although the village would argue that Aki was no longer family, Nala knew that he could never let Aki go that easily, especially after something like this. Aki was all that he had left. The only thing grounding him to reality in that moment was the prospect that Aki would be able to fix this, or at the least, just be there for him.


He heard the light haired girl's question, but decided not to answer. It would be best that they part after this job, he did not need strangers becoming involved in his business. Small talk leads to more personal things which leads to some amount of companionship that Nala could do without. Though, he was intrigued by the orc's answer. A fellow man of the wilderness, survivalist perhaps, a newcomer to society, just like him. He listened to the others talk amongst themselves, picking bits of information to remember, but otherwise staying quiet.
​

Mentions: Vanira KingHalliwell
Interactions:

 

[Soap]

Aelena

HP: 31/31
Interactions: Traveus ( GinkyGotBack ) Keth ( KingHalliwell ) Riona ( Vanira )
Mentions:

Aelena's eyes widened at the admission, the fact that he had a human parent meant they had something in common, and... well, she never really had anything in common with someone before. "My dad was a human." She stated and smiled brightly, she was more than sure that there were many half-breeds out there, but to fair, Keth was the only one she'd met yet. A tribe from everywhere sounded fascinating. "Oh! You probably haven't heard of it, It's an island really far from here, like, really far. Mistros." Mistros was an island southwest from here, a group of Elves that'd previously lived in an all human city had decided they'd had enough of their ways and sought out an island far from everyone else. Someone of that group was in fact, Aelena's grandmother. Even she wasn't too kind about the 'half' human part.

Although Tribes and Clans were a bit different from each other, Aelena felt more at peace with someone who grew up in the predicament of sorts. Surprise was written on her face once Keth had offered to answer questions, she had tons of them. Did they really eat people? Or was that a myth? Did their green skin really come from a poisoned lake? There was many questions Aelena had been waiting for answers for, and she made a mental note to remember to ask.

She wasn't expecting a compliment from the attractive stranger either. Her eyebrows rose and a tint of pink rose to her cheeks. "Oh." How was one supposed to take a compliment. Thanks? Yes? "Thank you." No, Aelena hadn't had many compliments given to her on the island. Much less from people who didn't look like... well... them. Not that she had a hate for Elves of course, but besides her betrothed who turned out to be a... terrible, terrible person. Aelena had never fancied any Elves on her land. Well, if you count that one time...

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the girl had spoken in another language towards the Dwarf, Aelena had known a few of them due to reading a bunch as a child, but she didn't know which language that was, instead of asking her eye caught the amulet that rested on her neck. "That's pretty." It was considered the right thing to do if someone complimented you? Right? Yeah, definitely. Perking up at the mention of being asked something, she nodded vigorously."Yes! Of course, his name is Rhys. Very sweet." Common wasn't Aelena's main language, so there was still a few bumps in her words. Eh, she was sure she'll figure it out.

"Speaking of names... do you have one?" Might was well try to befriend the stranger so they're not a stranger anymore, right? She seemed to be getting along really well with these two! And that alone made her smile a bit wider and a whole lot harder to get rid of.

​

 

[KingHalliwell]

Keth​

HP: 34/34
Interactions: Vanira Soap MToki

Keth turned his attention over to the human girl again. He knew that Orcish tribes often had bad rumors about them, that wasn’t necessarily far from the truth. So he could only imagine what she had heard. “Brief, I’ve only been on my trial for about two or three weeks now.” Keth answered, as he managed his way on to the back of the moving wagon and settled on one of the seats. He figured it would be easier to talk with the group while in the cart. “So not really freedom but, I’m not going to let it stop me from having a good time.” He knew his plan was to never return to the tribe, but he figured that would definitely reinforce the human's opinions on Orc Tribes.

“You’re right I’ve never heard of this Mistros.” Keth answered, shifting his attention back to Aelena, as he pulled the greataxe off his back and rested it next to him. Keth could see the questions forming in the eyes of Aelena. He prepared himself to answer the questions, letting go of his breath as she turned her attention away from him and on to the human who complimented her. Watching her cheeks dust with a blush.

Keth took in the man walking on the other side of the cart. Staring in wonder as the petals and leaves scattered in the wind. “So what’s your story, any plans when we get to Fallcrest?” Keth asked him, leaning with his arm against the cart. He had been the one other guy in the group and the one who had said nothing to the group the whole journey. Keth found it interesting that this man had stayed with them so long, considering he purposely set himself apart from the group, didn’t engage in conversation. It piqued his curiosity.
​

 

[Vanira]

Riona Oota​

HP: 17/17
Interactions: Aelena Soap | Keth KingHalliwell


Riona laughed lightly and gave a small nod of acknowledgment of the compliment about her amulet, taking note of the blush that creeped across Aelena’s face. Excitement soon filled the young cleric as she was given permission to pet the bear-owl, Rhys. Carefully Riona held out her hand in front of Rhys, giving them a chance to sniff it before she brushed her fingers against them.


“Hello handsome. Yeah, you’ll protect us from the big scary bandits won’t you,” she cooed as she continued to pet them. Getting lost in the softness of Rhys, she had almost missed what Aelena said. Riona’s eyes widened as she remembered she completely forgot to give Aelena her name. Now, me, don’t be stupid and give the wrong name again. The last thing she needed was to give out the name Morana by accident to a whole group of people. “I’m sorry, I completely forgot. My name is Riona.” She spoke clearly enough so that everyone who did not know her name yet could hear it.


As she pet Rhys, her focus shifted back to Keth, taking a mental note of what he said. He really was new to being out of his tribe. Newer than she thought. “Ah, so you’re out here more out of responsibility then. Well, I would ask what your trial was but I like to think I know when something isn’t my business. So, make sure to take time to enjoy yourself,” she paused to look around at everyone else on and around the wagon. Her smile falling to a neutral expression. “We all should take the time to enjoy our freedom and have fun.” She spoke quietly, more to herself than anyone in particular.

Once she had her fill of petting Rhys, who hopefully enjoyed the petting as much as she did, Riona sat back down in her spot. Finally, freeing Traveus from her bony elbow. It would seem that Riona was on the fast track of making friends. First time in a long time she could say that, but it was still too early to tell. But do I deserve to make friends? Her hand went back up to touch the necklace, thumb once again rubbing the silver moon. However, her thoughts were not on her Goddess. Instead, the mind wandered to Iva who, hopefully, was in the good company of Hecate. She wondered how long it has been since she lost Iva. On the road it became hard to keep track of time but must have been close to four months. Four months and Riona still felt like it was her fault.

Her thumb kept brushing the amulet as she only half focused on her surroundings. If it was not for the necklace she probably would have rubbed her skin raw at that point. Eyes focusing on a bag of flour, so she didn’t accidentally stare at someone again.

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[Noam]

HP: 14/14
​

Listening was almost always better than talking. You could learn an awful lot just by shutting up at the right moments. Kostin had already collected three names--four if you counted the fuzzy little bird-thing--and two hometowns. And she knew that Traevus hated birds. That last fact didn't seem useful, but she pocketed it anyway, and trotted out from between the trees to rejoin the wagon.

"No sign of any bandits," she said, and knocked on the wood of the wagon just to ward off the bad luck. The big cloaked guy was leaving flowers everywhere, which was fine, since they were on a major road and worrying about being tracked was a moot point. And as far as Kostin was aware, they weren't doing anything illegal. Probably. Maybe. Traevus was on edge, which made her suspicious, but some folk were on edge around tieflings even if nothing illegal was happening at all. Or maybe it was the big cloaked guy, who talked even less than Kostin and for all she knew was plotting to murder every last one of them and make off with whatever was in the carts.

Okay, a murderer probably wouldn't scatter flowers everywhere, but maybe.

She stayed away from Traevus, and close to Cloak Guy, who seemed predictable, in that he just didn't engage with the rest of them. The flowers he was making were beautiful, and totally out of season. She picked one up and turned it over in her hand. "Do you still make these in winter? Or does it turn into dead leaves and things?"

She wasn't really expecting him to answer, but he was the only one she didn't have anything on. Kostin liked having a little something on everyone. Kept a girl nice and safe.

 

[MToki]

Nala Ammil




Nala stared at Keth for a while after his question, contemplating whether or not he should reply honestly. On one hand, grandma would personally smite him for even attempting to make conversation. On the other hand, Nala was extremely bored. He thought about it for what was, perhaps, an uncomfortably long amount of time, before finally deciding that it wouldn't hurt to tell strangers he'd never see again about his brief plans in a big town.


"My brother lives in Fallcrest," Nala said in a rough voice, almost monotone as he spoke his words. "I have brought him bad news, but hopefully, he'll still help anyway." There was always the fear that Aki wouldn't recognize who he was, or worse, not want to see him at all. Nala knew how easily Aki could cut ties with people, forget about them, and move on. He prayed that his brother would still remember how close they were.


Then the tiefling girl approached him, asking about the flowers and leaves he produced from his staff. And again, he stared at her, trying to figure out what she might want from him. The orc seemed particularly social, not uncommon when coming from a secluded place. However, this one was different. He could see she was very observant, and had stayed relatively quiet for most of the trip. Which could mean she's trying to gather enough information in order to rob everyone else and escape, or she's just shy. One might leave his pockets empty and this trip a waste of his time, and the other is a normal occurrence. Nala liked gambling, so he'll take his chances with the robbery.


"Yes, as long as I can remember what they look like." Nala stated simply, waving his staff around, making it produce more vibrant colored flowers. In particular, bright, purple orchids and golden chrysanthemum petals, for good fortune. Personally, he didn't believe in the luck of flowers, but he also didn't believe that his whole family could disappear without a trace, plus he needed all the luck he could get. He was a sucker for showing people his magic, it made him feel better, even if times were hard. The amusement people, especially children, got when watching his simple tricks, brought him more joy than he thought it would. With memories of those moments rifling away in the back of his mind, a small, content smile stretched across his face.
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Mentions:
Interactions: KingHalliwell Noam

 

[Soap]

Aelena


HP: 31/31
Interactions: Traveus ( GinkyGotBack ) Riona ( Vanira )
Mentions: Kostin ( Noam ) Nala ( MToki )

She almost felt bad for asking when the girl didn't answer, but a smile of relief when she stated her name. It was pretty, yes, but one shouldn't over-compliment people... right? Yes, okay. Riona... she can remember that. Not that she forgot names! That wouldn't be very nice, but she made a mental note to remember hers. A small act of kindness and a smile was something very rare and special to Aelena, she wouldn't take it for granted and she was hoping the rest of her small group of protectors would do the same. Rhys perked up from laying on Aelena's lap to snuzzle closer to Riona, a small huff of breath came from the bear-owl's nose in contentment, clearly very happy with the comfortable petting. "He likes you." Her gaze had dropped back onto Riona's amulet who even she seemed to be absentmindedly interested in it, that alone had made Aelena a bit more curious on what it meant to her.

She opened her mouth to ask before getting distracted by the sudden flowers that'd appeared from the quiet man's staff. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she reached out for one before it'd touched the floor, holding onto the edge of the seat in order to grab one. "Veluthe." The young girl spoke in Elvish, even if Elvish wasn't her first language, that word alone wasn't something she'd forget anytime soon. The language itself was lovely to the half-elf. Among other things, Magic was also very appealing in different ways, spells weren't new to Aelena, definitely not. Many Elves on the island had used it for healing, speaking with animals to help with chores around and so on.

It wasn't very hard to pick up a few things, but magic never ceased to spark a little joy in the small brunette. Catching the eye of the Tiefling, she smiled softly. And... no, there wasn't Tieflings on her island either. Many of the books had written them as... quite terrifying in their own way, but their skin, so that meant she was technically harmless, no? Those are just stories. Not all people were the same.

That's something she wished the Elves on her island realized before they looked at her like she was the one who'd killed their families.

 

[KingHalliwell]

Keth​

HP: 34/34
Interactions: Vanira MToki

Keth waited for what seemed like an awkward amount of time before the man answered him. With the realization of bad news, Keth somewhat understood why the man had stayed so quiet. Delivering bad news was never fun, and receiving it was always worse. Determining a way to do that in a way that was for the benefit of both of them was hard. As much as he disliked the things his father did, it was still hard to find out that he was sick and he wasn’t going to be getting better anytime soon.

“I’m sorry to hear that, delivering bad news to a family member is hard.” He said to the man, watching as more petals drifted from the staff. “If you want my help, with what ever you are doing after with him, my ax and I would gladly provide it!” He added knocking on the large blade of his axe next to him.

Keth turned back to Riona as she spoke to him. “I don’t mind explaining what my trial is when we get to Fallcrest if you’re not too busy attending to your own plans.” Keth provided, as she reached up to touch her amulet. He let his next question die out as a quick flash of sadness crossed her features. He decided it was best to leave her be and turned his attention back to watch the road in front of him for any signs of danger. Barely noticing the return of the Tiefling as she conversed with the man.

Spoiler: Note about Appearance

This is the closest picture I could find to what I imagine Keth looks like. Just imagine him without the armor and very muscular. Also, I know that this is just fan art of Fjord from Critical Role, but it looks different enough.

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[Vanira]

Riona Oota​

HP: 17/17
Interactions: Nala MToki | Keth KingHalliwell | Aelena Soap | Kostin Noam

Despite only half paying attention to her surroundings, Riona managed to pick up on what Keth said to her. She nodded, wanting want to take him up on his offer. Hating the thought of being ignorant towards others, she wanted to take every opportunity to learn about others. Besides, it was much easier to get into someone’s good graces if you knew them. You learn their goals and past you can predict what they’ll do. You can predict their wants and needs and getting them to talk about themselves was the best way to keep people from asking about you. Quiet people get asked questions, as the moss-hooded man must have figured out by now.

The talkative ones? More often than not most people just wanted them to shut up.

Aelena was not the only one to surprise Riona that day. It made her day to pet Rhys, who liked Riona according to the half-elf. It was a bonus that she had been wrong about Keth as well. Two people that were friendly with her. She’ll take two out of six so far. Hell, only Traveus seemed to dislike her, but then again he disliked everyone.

The other four I will have to wait a see, the Cleric thought as she finally took her eyes off of the sack of flour and returned to reality. A smile returning to her face once she realized that she had been frowning. Couldn’t let people think she was upset or something. Riona was a happy person. Annoyingly happy.

Grey eyes glanced over at moss-man and the tiefling girl who just came up to join him. Riona still had no idea what their names were, but with time that might change. She hoped anyways. The Man made very pretty flowers, Riona wondered if they smelt like real ones. Oh, stop with the silly thoughts of course they do. She had missed what him and the tiefling were talking about but assumed it must have been about the flowers as he created more. The red tiefling seemed to be inquisitive of the quiet man. She wondered if it was genuine or not. Not that she would blame the tiefling. In fact, Riona would have respect for her either way. Knowledge was power.

Hm, perhaps he’ll talk more about flowers? Might get him to open up.

“What’s your favourite flower, sir?” Riona looked over at the man, wondering if the silent man would even answer her.

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[Noam]

They put chrysanthemums on graves in Marsk. Kostin left the road again and slipped into the brush, giving herself an excuse not to tread on them. It was bad luck, and more bad luck she couldn't afford. Aelena spoke an elven word and Riona inquired about flowers, which were apparently the way to get Cloak Man talking. She was starting to lean towards the idea that he wasn't a murderer, and that his silence was just a result of whatever bad news was weighing on his mind.

There was still no sign of trouble, and she slipped back into the formation just behind Keth. "What's in Fallcrest, anyway? Is it a proper city, or just a town?" So far, proper cities down south had been few and far between. It was all the fertile land, she thought. People had so much room to spread out and eat that they didn't bother living near each other. It was a bit creepy, to be honest.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Noam (Kotin) Vanira (Riona) KingHalliwell (Keth) Soap (Aelena) MToki (Nala)

The merchant scoffs, "A city in Nentir Vale? That's like looking for a crumb in a dog's dish. Not very likely." Traevus takes one hand off of the reins to scratch at his face, looking somewhat irritated. "Maybe wherever you all come from you'll see a city whenever you break wind, but here in Nentir Vale, you'd have better luck finding an ogre in a dress. Aye, there hasn't been a city around these parts in well over a hundred years. Not since those humans tried to set up their own little empire well over a hundred years ago. All you'll ever see here is nature, the monsters and bandits that make their home there, and the occasional town."

Traevus takes a moment to look in the back of his wagon to inspect his wares, as well as eyeing Riona to see if she'd taken anything and then back to the road. "Fallcrest is a fairly big town, but not nearly as much as Hammerfast. Aye, Hammerfast is the biggest, and the wealthiest, town in all of Nentir Vale. And that's of course on account of it being a Dwarven town. And it's a hell of a lot safer than anywhere else in this godforsaken continent. All these human settlements have are some puny walls and some stringy boys acting as guards. I pity them, that I do." Traevus takes a breath, and then quickly looks back to the wagon, as if trying to catch Riona smuggling away one of his goods. Seeing that she's taken nothing, he slowly turns his head back to normal, keeping his eye on her until its fully turned.​

 

[Reinhardt]

Elerys​

HP: 23/23​

The former noble was silently sitting down on her seat, with her eyes looking straight ahead - onto the path they were traversing. Not once did she take a look at who she's travelling with, nor did she even do a quick glance at the conversation that was occurring in her midst.

Eventually, as the rest of the group continued to talk, a sigh left her mouth.

Elerys wasn't really fond of casual chatter and idle talk. If she would speak, it would be for a purpose. She found it wasteful, not only of her words, but also of her voice and attention, to indulge in pointless matters such as chatting.

Her eyes darted onto the dwarven man.

"The moonlit sky will soon grace your vessel, dwarf.", she said. "Do you have any plans on stopping and setting a temporary camp?"

She crossed her arms.

"Or are we blindly treading into the shadows of the night?"

Tags/Interactions: Traevus ( GinkyGotBack )

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Noam (Kotin) Vanira (Riona) KingHalliwell (Keth) Soap (Aelena) MToki (Nala)

Traevus frowns and without turning to look at her, begins to yell at her, saying, "We're nearly there now! Fallcrest can't be more than a half of an hour away! We've already had to stop too many times for my liking on this trip," When he says this, he turns his head to Aelena and gives her and her pet a judging look, "You've got the same eyes as I, haven't you? We can all see in the dark just fine. All of us! And besides, the sun has still got a ways to go before it's completely set. We move on!" Fed up with all the chatting around him and just irritated in general with his company, Traevus glares at the path ahead and says nothing to anyone as they continue their way down the Trade Road. Anyone that attempted to make further conversation, either with Traevus or someone else in the group, was met with a harsh "Shut up!" by the upset merchant.

As you all traveled down the road, either by the side of the wagon or in it, you could sense something was wrong. The sound of grass and fallen leaves being disturbed rang through your ears and you could make out shapes dashing away on either side of your peripheral. It was the telltale signs of an ambush. With a shrill cry, three goblins came rushing out from the tall grass that had begun dotting the sides of the road. Almost simultaneously, the little green men trip, faceplanting into the dirt. Getting up and awkwardly shaking their heads and dusting themselves off, the creatures continue their charge with reckless abandon.

One of the goblins, who had decided to stay in the grass and away from the others pulled back the string on his bow and let loose an arrow. Traevus cries out as it sinks into his shoulder. It's clear these creatures mean to steal the wagon - and that probably means eliminating you and your dear Dwarven friend first!​

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Noam (Kotin) Vanira (Riona)@KingHalliwell (Keth) Soap (Aelena)@GrimGin (Nala)

Three of the goblins rush toward Nala, Keth and Kostin, brandishing their curved, jagged swords with glee. Each one seems to pick out their target, standing tall and proud in front of them, despite their small size.


The goblin in front of Keth, a female with pocked skin, attempts to slash at his leg. However, the effort is wasted as he readily steps back and out of the way of danger.


The goblin attacking Kostin, red-skinned and blue-eyed swings his sword at her midsection, cutting through her leather armor with ease as iron meets flesh (7 Slashing damage).


Another female goblin, with rugged green skin attempts to cut the druid’s wrist, but overestimates the distance between them and hits nothing but air.


The archer goblin that followed behind them nocks another arrow and lets it fly at the half-orc Keth, grinning ear-to-ear as it sinks deep into the barbarian’s thigh (5 piercing damage).


The three goblins on the other side of the road ready their arrows and let them loose at Aelena and Elerys who are sitting in the front of the wagon. One arrow finds its mark in Elerys’ arm, though it seems it did not penetrate nearly as deep as she may have feared (3 Piercing damage). The two other goblins miss, with one of the arrows flying wildly into the distance, having had no chance of injuring anyone.

 

[KingHalliwell]

Keth​

HP: 29/34
Interactions: GinkyGotBack
Mentions: Kostin ( Noam )

Keth glanced up as he heard the sounds of running approaching the wagon. His eyes followed the shapes of a group of goblins running or rather falling over themselves, towards the wagon. Alongside the yelp of paint from Traevus Keth stood from his seat in the wagon, collected his great axe, then took two steps, jumping over the side of the wagon, landing about a foot from the closest Goblin. Narrowly dodging a swipe from one of their weapons only to stumble backward as an arrow sunk into the thigh of the leg he just moved. With the yell of pain, he burst into a rage, eye bleeding red, his tusks that just barely poked out from his lips, growing a few inches, his fingernails curled into black claws. He swung down on the goblin in front of him, cleaving him clean in half. He turned to the red-skinned goblin attacking the red-skinned tiefling, snapping the arrow in his thigh with his bear hand.

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[Soap]

Aelena

HP: 31/31
Interactions: Traveus ( GinkyGotBack )
Mentions: Elerys ( Reinhardt )

Aelena had been distracted in her own world to notice at the person beside them, her eyes slightly widened when she noticed the marks of her ears. Was... she like her? Another Half-Elf! How exciting! Much to her surprise she spoke and had made good points, which of course their employer was quick to squash down. Aelena narrowed her eyes at Traveus, he wasn’t a pleasant dwarf to be around and she found herself almost wishing not to take up the job once he’d shot her and Rhys a look. It was one she was used to getting. Give her looks all you want, but Rhys? No, she doesn’t think so. “Yo— Usually Aelena would deflate and almost pout at being told to shut up, but something felt off and one second she was glaring at Traveus and the next a group of Goblins. Her eyes widened as she watched an arrow fly into Keth’s leg and the brunette grimaced slightly as another arrow flew past her as Elerys wasn’t so lucky.

What was she supposed to do? She panicked for a spilt second after just witnessing both people get shot. Rhys had gotten startled and flew off mostly away from the trouble while Aelena pulled the bow off her back and aimed at the one who’d previously shot them. Why not show them exactly how to land a shot?

The arrow had flew from the tightened string she’d been holding with the tips of her fingers as it hit the Goblin in their leg. Aelena isn’t totally judging... but those things weren’t very pretty at all.

And totally matched their descriptions in the books.

Ew.

 

[Vanira]

Riona Oota​

HP: 17/17

Interactions: Kostin Noam


At the sound of Traveus in pain, Riona stood up from her seat to see the goblins approach. Assessing the situation, she looked over and saw Keth, the quiet half-elven woman, and the tiefling. The tiefling looked like they took a nasty looking attack from the goblin in front of them. “Healing word!” She spoke clearly as she focused on Kostin (healed 6 HP), a faint glow appearing around them for half a second.

Immediately she looked over the other way and saw the goblin that Aelena attacked. With a mental prayer to Hecate, Riona pointed at that goblin with a cold look in her eyes. “Sacred flame!” White flames shoot up near the goblin but unfortunately it dodged in time. Riona held back a groan of frustration as she took one step and jumped off the side of the cart towards the goblin.


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