[IC] Whistling Pass

[Manzokushi]

The trek through the low lands of Rohak turned out to be a slow and cumbersome. The summer rains had pushed hard throughout the vast country side causing floods and the roadways to be nearly impassable. It seemed the journey would never come to ahead.

Then suddenly the countryside changed and the once saddened lowlands began to climb gradually towards the Crescent Wind Mountains. The rises and falls of the mountain range were littered with rock and sand. And wrapped within the passes were brutal winds that could sweep a grown man right off a ledge if he were not careful.

At first the sound was eerie lurking in the back of your mind ever present but inconsistent. The closer you approached the sound began to rise and fall. No one could mistake the camp site or the entrance to the Whistling Pass. A tent still pitched was left behind along with other belongings long since torn and damaged by the winds.

The Pass, a monstrous maw with walls slanted nearly thirty feet high, the entrance was wide enough for two to walk abreast of one another. Though the winds called for one to shout in order to be heard, and the vicious winds blew blistering sand into your faces. It was no wonder that few chose this Pass, though it saved days of travel to the city. The merchant?s belongings and cart were nowhere to be found, and any tracks long since erased by the onslaught of winds. Though just inside the pass against the wall laid the top of a crate, marked with the Valelorian Merchant?s symbol.

Environmental Conditions:[spoiler] High winds and sand assault your senses when you first step into the Pass. While operating in the Whistling Pass visibility is diminished and all Spot, Listen and Search Checks take an environmental -2 penalty. Visibility is severely reduced due to the sand and dust fluttering in the air.
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[spoiler][/spoiler]

[Throndir]

The journey was filled with floods, lowlands, then mountains and their own mix of wind. As the Whistling Pass came into view, Annia had to shade her eyes as they ventured forth. The small bits of sand thrown into their faces wasn't hazardous, and though they made cause some problems during a fight, she trusted her companions enough to know that some sand hopefully wouldn't cause anyone a large mistake. For the most part, the specks of dust that assaulted them was more of a nuisance.

Annia walked beside the large minotaur, Gralof. She was always fascinated by such creatures - the guild had plenty of stranger and powerful folks, but at least to Annia it was almost funny to see a minotaur accepting a job to save some caravans. They weren't an evil race, no, but they weren't known to be the most welcoming and they usually chose to keep to themselves. She'd make it a point to ask Gralof's story one day, after all Annia did love stories.

As she pondered and amused herself with such things, she saw what looked to be the Valelorian Merchant's trading symbol.

[spoiler]Will save, DC 10
[blockquote]Will save 1d20+3 : 3 + 3, total 6[/blockquote]
If succeeds, Annia will approach cautiously, using Listen and Spot (didn't include sand modifiers), then search.
[blockquote]Listen 1d20+3 : 5 + 3, total 8[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Spot 1d20+3 : 16 + 3, total 19[/blockquote]
If she fails the will save, she'll just walk up to where she saw the symbol, and search it.
[blockquote]Search 1d20+2 : 8 + 2, total 10[/blockquote][/spoiler]

[Hasabushi]

[gfont=Eagle Lake]I[/gfont]t was clear that merchant couldn't afford the extra fee for a teleportation spell, and why not? It wasn't as though it was exorbitantly expensive by any means unless he was truly poor beyond measure. Thinking that the journey would've been easier the dwarf had not quite prepared as well as he should have, the rain the whipping winds and the dangerous floods had nearly brought them all to an end, but by Helm they had made it safely to wherever it was they were going.Whatever the reason, the journey took longer, and with the company of a large minotaur the travel was anything but cozy.

Ludar was glad when they finally stopped when having reached the pass, the wind howled like a mad banshee hell bent on destroying any who who test its path, and it was just that a small twisty unruly path that seem to disappear into the fog ahead. That was when he spotted the crate with the merchant symbol on it. He intended to head toward but hesitated as he saw the young woman beat him to it.

He mad his presence known to her but kept at a distance from the minotaur, "Be careful there mi Lady, bandits are known to leave behind traps and the like in their take n' leave."




[spoiler]spot check
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+4 : 17 + 4, total 21[/blockquote]

listen check (probably impossible due to the wind)
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+4 : 3 + 4, total 7[/blockquote][/spoiler]

[TheBigJon]

Gralof looked around with squinted eyes, analyzing the area for threats. To no avail, he unsheathed his axe, prepared to react at the slightest sign.

He strode next to Annia, near the caravan. The dwarf seemed a bit uncomfortable being near him, but Gralof didn't mind. He enjoyed having his own space. The girl however, seemed entirely different. The curious type, and always looked at him as if studying him. Gralof didn't mind that either, it just put him on the edge. He'd been betrayed before, and not that he suspected anyone, he just was always wary of those kinds of things. A grunt was all could be heard from Gralof to what Ludar had said, acknowleding and agreeing with the statement. The axe in hand, Gralof turned around and assumed a defensive stance, ready for whatever may befall them.

[Eireleen]

Branwen covered her eyes from the sands, trudging forward. She knew how the environmental conditions would be in advance. The low visibility favored ambushers. She could tell at a glance why this was one of the best places there was to set up a caravan raid.

She looked up to the cliffs above. Only thirty feet...no doubt that was where they would have been positioned. When you could barely see in front of you, there was no way you would be looking up above. Boulders or Alchemist's Fire could be dropped down easily on unsuspecting travelers.

"Can anyone climb, or fly?" She asked, still looking upwards. "We need to watch out for attacks from the cliffs." Even if they could send one person up, the others probably wouldn't be able to get up there to help. And they'd probably run straight into the brigands before noticing each other in this sandstorm. It was a risky proposition, to be sure.

While she others investigated the box, the black girl took it upon herself to scout out the rest of the valley, moving forward to the corner, she peeked around, trying to ascertain what lie ahead. The sandstorm would make it harder to see any assailants, but it would make it harder for the assailants to see them, as well.

[spoiler]Branwen double-moves at half speed, 30 feet east, and peers around the corner.

Note: Visibility penalties already included in rolls.

Move Silently
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+11 : 15 + 11, total 26[/blockquote]

Hide
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+11 : 14 + 11, total 25[/blockquote]

Spot
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+5 : 14 + 5, total 19[/blockquote]

Listen
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+5 : 5 + 5, total 10[/blockquote]

Search
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+3 : 15 + 3, total 18[/blockquote][/spoiler]

[Bootman]

The journey was tough, long and generally aggrivating, but if it got to the girl she didn't let it show on her face. Kassadin had learned a long time ago that complaining was a waste of time, breath that was better spent on a task rather than self-pity. The winds and sand were certainly a change of pace, and at least she didn't have to look at the minotaur with the obscured vision and what not.

She lazily examined the crate, then the cliffs when BRanwen drew attention to them. "I could climb, but not in these winds."

Realizing the potential for an ambush, she drew her gigantic blade and slammed it into the ground at her side with a mighty crack! Her gaze eventually turned to the dwarf standing next to her.

"Do you have much experience with bandits?"

[spoiler] Prepared action to charge any hostiles or assailents [/spoiler]

[Manzokushi]

Even now at midway through the day, the sun could not be seen. It was there but concealed within the mixed cloud of sand and dust.

Annia strides forward to pickup and examine the box lid. It appears as though the box was banged against the rock wall in haste. The hinges are twisted and part of the lid is cracked. While Annia observed the lid, a shadow crept over her shoulder, as Gralof approached.

The sheer rock face looked nearly impossible to climb. The walls were nearly smooth, given a glassy like polish along the face.
The sounds tend to rise and fall as the wind whips through the maw of the entrance. Perhaps you heard a voice or maybe it was only the wind. 

Branwen moved forward of the party disappearing into the sand cloud.

[spoiler]
Stats:
[spoiler]
Stats:

Still to move: Anyone

Spells/Abilities/Potions used since the day:

Party HP
Annia: 10/10
Branwen: 9/9
Elwood: 9/9
Garlof: 15/15
Kassadin: 10/10
Ludar: 10/10

[/spoiler]
Map:
[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[Burdenking]

In the back of the group, the large Centaur in armor that called herself Zallri entered the pass, calming her nerves after her trip. The flooded lands and harsh roads were nothing new to her, and she had little problem with the obstacles, even had some fun since the discovery, making note to come back next year around the same time. no, the real problem proved to be the climb to the pass. If it had been a wider path, maybe it would have gone smoother. Sadly though, a single glance down from the path was all that was needed to start the problem. Zallri had always feared heights, having been born in the wide open spaces of flat lands with her fellow Centaurs. After her initial realization of her height, she had immediately hugged onto the nearest stable object and froze, shaking in fear.

Hours were spent on that mountain pass, the holy warrior building her courage again and again to proceed even the smallest increments of distance. Every now and again, she would have found the courage to charge ahead, keeping her gaze ahead of her and on the mission ahead, but the slightest thing that distracted her made her realize exactly why she wasn't looking down, and she would immediately hug the nearest wall. the experience briefly made her question her own use as a warrior.

Zallri sighed then put those thoughts behind her, saving them for sometime later. she was now in a stable area where heights meant nothing, which made her feel safe and sound. She walked forward with her warhammer propped on her shoulder and her armor pelted with sand. At first, she had seen a massive shadow in the sand, and would have charged to attack had she not noticed it was her fellow guild mate, Gralof the Minotaur. She had seen him around the guild, and was more curious of the man the afraid. She walked up calmly, and saw the others, a woman examining some crates with the merchants seal. A woman whose sword was planted in the ground near the pass wall speaking to a cleric. She proceeded to walk forward, raising her hammer in the air and waving it a bit to get their attention.

[Eireleen]

Branwen trekked back to the group from the corner, hearing the loud clang of the sword embedding itself within the earth. "Perhaps you know this already, but it is far easier to go unnoticed when you are not swinging your sword at the ground. Our enemy is a group of vagabonds, not these innocent rocks." She noted sourly, "Also, indoor voices, please."

"I believe we have company." She wasn't quite whispering, for fear of her voice not being heard over the whirling sands. At the same time, though, it wasn't quite a full speaking volume. "I heard a voice that did not belong to any of you, though I did not ascertain its source by sight. I do not know if our company had seen or heard of us, however."

[Manzokushi]

Branwen returns to the party appearing from the wall of sand and dust.

A new arrival appears in the form of an armored centaur. Its hard to imagine such a creature made the journey up the mountain pass without some difficulty.

[spoiler]
Stats:
[spoiler]

Still to move: Anyone

Spells/Abilities/Potions used since the day:

Party HP
Annia: 10/10
Branwen: 9/9
Elwood: 9/9
Garlof: 15/15
Kassadin: 10/10
Ludar: 10/10
Zallri: 11/11

[/spoiler]
Map:
[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[Ihm]

    Elwood looked down at his most uncomfortable-looking friend, Myrtle; her eyes almost closed and her ears laid flat against the wind and sand. He had tried to fashion a mask out of his piece of canvas but to no avail. He took a sip from his waterskin and gave a drink to Myrtle. Given the narrow space, he contented himself to sit by a wall and peer between his companions' legs at the abandoned shelter.

    "The bandits must be well-accustomed to this place to dare an attack with these winds and those cliffs." He thought to himself as he listened to the wind in his ears.

   On hearing Branwen's news he stood up, eying the tops of the walls and listened to the wind more carefully.  Myrtle kept her place.

[Bootman]

Kassadin shrugged and leaned on her hilt, slowly scanning the area again while she spoke to Branwen. "If they notice us, then we can figure out where they're keeping the supplies. Just keeps things moving faster. What, are you afraid of bandits?"

She regarded the centaur with a level of disdain, but didn't bother showing it. The warrior looked at the horse person briefly, then back at Branwen.

[Burdenking]

Zallri walked up and joined the rest of the group, getting the idea of what was going on. "If they do attack, I'm sure all of us can handle it. merchants are one thing, but we're guild members. we have nothing to fear." She said, looking around the area, then taking a deep breath before using detect evil.

[spoiler](Zallri uses detect evil)[/spoiler]

[Eireleen]

"Overconfident, much?" Branwen stated in an almost accusing voice. Up until now, her voice had always carried an element of listlessness, speaking in a constantly tired tone. But now, it carried an uncharacteristic energy, as she shifted her gaze between Kassadin and Zallri. "You are prepared to calmly strut into a sandstorm, barely able to see your hand in front of your own face, into the territory of vagabonds who make their living performing ambushes, and you mean to tell me that you truly feel no element of danger whatsoever."

"Do you believe yourself to be made of steel? Or perhaps merely that the universe somehow smiles upon you? I can tell you with certainty that this is not the case." Her eyes were like pools of darkness - the iris completely black, almost as though it had fused with the pupil. The color had faded from them long ago. "Death lurks around every corner. You are not immortal. You will not live forever. And if you simply waltz into the arms of danger without a care in the world, you will die and I will not save you."

Her shawl blew in the unforgiving wind, breaking the silence in her pause. "When you fall in battle, who will it be that sticks out their neck to pick you back up?" She asks rhetorically, "If you intend on treating this like a game, you would be better off simply taking your sword to your own chest. At least then you will not drag your allies down into purgatory along with you." She didn't raise her voice, but she didn't need to. Her words burned through the air like acid. "You were hired to perform a task. The merchants and the Guild are both placing their faith in you, warranted or not. The least you could do is take the mission seriously."

[Burdenking]

The Centaur frowned from behind her helm, her grip on her hammer tightening. The anger forced the thought of physical retaliation to the forefront of her mind, but Zallri pushed it away. "You say I do not take this mission seriously, but you are the one who simply walked off into the unknown, away from the sight of your teammates," She began to say, wanting settle this now. "You scold me something you did and I did not, showing a measure of callousness and ignorance that matches your description of me." She continued, her voice not as controlled as Brawen's by a long shot, but still showing restraint. " You call me overconfident, and berate me for not fearing the storm. Fear has its place, but not here, because fear will lead us to ruin in such a place."

She gestured to Kassadin and herself "We have taken part in battle, and know its dangers. I show respect to Kassadin and everyone else for that. But you, your ego puts yourself above us, simply because you think our confidence is idiotic." Her tone had turned a bit harsh, but sounded restrained, as if the warrior was holding back what she really wanted to say. "That, my dark haired friend, is the real danger to our group."

She looked at the tops of the pass walls "I'm sorry about what ever happened to you to be so bleak, but show your fellow guild members the respect we deserve, not the respect you choose to give." She finished, her tone returning to normal. " By the way, before you try that again, know that I performed detect evil in this area before I even spoke, and sensed nothing. So we are ether surrounded by non-evil bandits, or they aren't here. So choose the one that appeals most to you." She said, propping her hammer onto her shoulder. She had not thought her first interaction with this group would be so hostile, and was saddened by the fact that it was. She had hoped to meet some people who enjoy the adventure, but so far none had arose in the group.