Page 1 of 9

Chapter 1

Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 6:42 pm
by Tamerlaine
The beginning of the story starts here...

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:55 am
by Tamerlaine
Yilmaz' breath makes small clouds in the cool evening air as he shuffles towards the village, followed closely by his mule Freulox and syce Asil. He nods at the houses and turns to Gormlaith: "The village of Wodbury is said to have the best hotpot in the wide surroundings..." He smiles and his voice crackles a bit: "What do you say we go and find out whether that's true?"

OOC: Posted for Wouter

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:21 am
by sexyhamster
“Sounds good, old man,” the tall woman walking abreast of him replied in that aloof and abrasive way she had. But after these many days on the road in her company, the wizard would know Gormlaith meant no offense by her name for him.

She moved her arms, shifting that long bar of sheathed steel that lay along the back of her wide shoulders like a yoke. Yes, she thought, that felt a little better.

“‘Course anything will be better than that swill yon Asil cooks,” Gormlaith adds, accentuating this fact by hawking up a glob of phlegm and spitting it off to one side of the road. “Aye, give me a hotpot and all the ale I can suffer.”

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 5:08 am
by Tamerlaine
You reach a bend in the road where a shallow stream runs across the path. The skies above are darkening with the arrival of pregnant clouds threatening rain. You can see the roofs of the hamlet just beyond a magnificent ancient oak past the stream. As you approach the stream you see a trio of armed men sitting around a campfire laughing and passing around a clay jug. They see you and all three stand up, two taking up their polearms and the other resting a armored hand on the pommel of his sword.

The three are a lean, wary sort, wearing armor and helmets that appear both ill-fitting and uncared for. Holding a polearm, one is a ginger haired lad with a narrow sullen acne-scarred face. The other is a fat man with a muttonchop whiskers and beady eyes. The third one with the sword, an older man with a scruffy beard streaked with grey holds up a steel gauntleted hand. He’s wearing a dull breastplate marred by dents and nicks, which seems to give him an aura of authority.

“Hold there, you,” he states, his eyes hard under a pair of flinty brows. “You’re on a toll road, tax is one gold crown from each o’ you if you want to continue on into Wodbury. Times are hard, bandits are everywhere and other things at that. It’s the cost of keepin’ people ‘ere safe. You’ve got a problem wi’ that, then turn ‘round and sod off. You start trouble, well, there’s more of us yonder to come to my aid. Now, that’s a gold crown…each.”

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 6:46 am
by Eris
Brother Loren has been strolling along behind a pair of travelers most of the day. He hasn't been in a mood to try catching up with them, still feeling a bit embarrassed by the hash he made trying to give a sermon in that little hamlet back up the road. As evening approaches he has closed to within a couple of hundred yards of the travellers hoping to reach Wodbury before dark.

OOC: I'm a bit behind, so unless you want to do things differently, I'll have Brother Loren meet the others as they approach Wodbury.

"I never stammer!" he mutters to himself,"So why did I stammer yesterday when that pretty girl standing in the front row of the crowd smiled at me."
Kicking at a rock in the road the young Brother said,"Made a right fool of myself, I did."

Coming over a rise, Loren sees the tall woman and old man with the mule have stopped at a stream and are being confronted by a trio of men.

"Hum! Maybe there's going to be trouble. I should hurry ahead and see if I can help." Loren says to himself as he picks up the pace.

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:33 am
by Wouter
Yilmaz raises his hands and smiles sheepishly: "Now, now, gentlemen... Is this the famous Wodbury hospitality I've been hearing so much about?" He lowers his hands and shakes his head: "Aye, you speak the truth... Times are hard indeed, and so they are for us travelers. We merely seek a hot meal and a warm bed for the night, which I reckon will cost us plenty already. We will be well on our way tomorrow morning: what do you say you leave the small purse of a silly old man alone and let him and his friends pass toll-free this one time?"

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:24 pm
by sexyhamster
Gormlaith's eyes are hard, her face harder as she takes in the trio before her. She shifts the great sword on her shoulder, easy like as if the blade is a damn millstone but really it's to bring the two-anded sword to bear if need be. She's with an old man, though a wizard at that, and his servant. There is a armored man down the road behind her coming up, the barbarian having seen him far off aways earlier this day. She doubted he was with this rabble. Would the other help or keep to himself, she wondered?

Poor odds. But you deal with what the gods give you, she thought.

"Huh," she grunted, hips cocked as she spat a glob of phlegm in their direction. "What the old man said."

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 6:43 pm
by Tamerlaine
The leader's eyes narrow, his face grim. The tension is palpable now. "It's a gold apiece. Can't show you any mercy, old timer, or ol' Black Bowb'll have me head onna pike. Now which is it, your gold or your lives?"

Elris, your cleric has come close enough to hear this last.

Actions?



Brother Loren AC 6 [13] HP 6/6
Gormlaith AC 7 [12] HP 8/8
Yilmaz AC 9 [10] HP 6/6
~~ Asil AC 9 [10] HP 6/6

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 5:39 am
by sexyhamster
Gormlaith turns her head toward the wizard, her eyes still on the unsavory trio ahead of her. "I'm all for giving them steel, Yilmaz. But maybe you can do that thing, with the hand gestures and them words no one can understand."

OOC: You've got that Sleep spell memorized, right?

Re: Chapter 1

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:36 pm
by Eris
Tamerlaine wrote:The leader's eyes narrow, his face grim. The tension is palpable now. "It's a gold apiece. Can't show you any mercy, old timer, or ol' Black Bowb'll have me head onna pike. Now which is it, your gold or your lives?"

Eris, your cleric has come close enough to hear this last.
"I say!" Loren calls out, "Let's settle this dispute peaceably."

The young cleric comes pounding up behind the group, his cowl back and his bald head glinting with the late afternoon light.

"Do you have some way of proving that you are employed by Wodbury to protect this ford?"

"If not and you are authorized by the town of Wodbury to take a toll, then I will have no objection of your payment and you should have no objection to having one of your men, here, escort us into Wodbury where we can a certain that this is an authorized toll."Loren says with a reasonable tone, "That seems like a reasonable compromise to me. Much better than having a fight where someone is sure to get hurt."
Brother Loren AC 6 [13] HP 6/6
Gormlaith AC 7 [12] HP 8/8
Yilmaz AC 9 [10] HP 6/6
~~ Asil AC 9 [10] HP 6/6