Book 1 - Chapter 3: The City on the Hill

[Asta]

The moment Cecilia's finger finished tracing an imaginary line from one glyph to the other, a small jolt of energy ran from the door into her hand. It was more surprising than painful, and was quickly overshadowed by a sudden orange glow from the center glyph. The light pulsed for a moment, and as its glow faded so did the door. The solid stone slab that formed the presumed entrance of the mound simply winked out of existence, leaving an opening in the side of the hill. A staircase, also formed of stone lead down into a gloomy subterranean space.

"Drunk or no, still a fancy trick." Scathach mused.

[info]Book 1 - Chapter 3.2: Beneath the Barrow[/info]

[Asta]

Location: Outside the barrow, west of Aite-Aerd
Date: Oaeksaber 8, Erstdey, 795
Time: 1630

You emerge from the barrow into the fresh air and fall sunlight once more. The city is an hour away, sitting visibly on the horizon and waiting for your return.

You have another day yet before the expeditionary force leaves for Telan, so once you return to Aite-Aerd it may prove prudent to rest for the trip south.

"Back to town then?" Scathach asks.

[pringerbeam]

     "I don't see much point in staying here. I need a bath and some wine." Said Thedrin as he went to mount his horse.

[info]Will top off anyone that needs it with Lay on Hands (I have 5 per day so that plus intervening time waiting for expedition force should be enough)[/info]

[Throndir]

[info]Keep alert for the journey back to town in case it's needed
This dice roll has been tampered with!
Perception 1d20+7 : 10 + 7, total 17

Once back in town, change into her richer looking clothes, try to find and purchase the following:

x1 Arrow, Blunt (20) for 2 gp
x1 Dagger for 4 gp

Sell:
Torches x10 for 5 cp
[/info]

[pringerbeam]

[info] Downtime Activities

Find someone to identify the oil from the dungeon

Purchases
Large tent (30 gp)
Heatstone (20 gp)[/info]

[Asta]

Thedrin:

After some asking around, you are directed to an apothecary that can identify the oil. As it happens, he is an acquaintance with your uncle Bregan, and is willing to identify it for free since he was once assisted by Bregan in the past.

[info]The vial contains an Oil of Enlarge Person[/info]

[Oath]

[info] downtime - learning the spells from the spellbook.
[/info]

[Asta]

Location: Outside the west gate of Aite-Aerd
Date: Oaeksaber 9, Wohlsdey, 795
Time: 0800


The morning of the departure arrives at last. After packing up your belongings at the inn, you muster outside the west gate of the city with the expeditionary force.

The expedition consists of twenty men, their horses, and two wagons with supplies. Though the number of soldiers numbers less than a quarter of what Thedrin had tried to bargain for, their quality looks sufficient. It seems that the Righ and Bhenneit ensured that the majority of the men to be sent south with you are seasoned veterans, it also appears that they have brought along a few mages.

Before long, once everyone is saddled and the wagons hitched the captain of the expedition, a sturdily built middle aged human named Iwan Maddox calls for a forward march and your journey back to Telan begins.

[info]This is essentially the end of the chapter, you may continue engaging in dialogue if you want but the thread is soft closed.
Continue here: Book 1 - Chapter 4: Forward, to Conflict[/info]

[pringerbeam]

     Once the expedition had been travelling for a few hours, Thedrin rides up next to the expedition leader. "So... Tell me Sir.. Maddox was it? What exactly is your rank and title?"

[Asta]

Maddox glances Thedrin's way as the latter made his approach. The man's eyes are hard and don't linger on him for long before returning to scan the horizon. There is a distance in them, that speaks of a life spent on the edge of death.

"Captain. Just captain." Maddox replies.

"Only because he keeps turning down higher commissions." another voice adds. The speaker is a greying man with a sergeant's knots on his shoulder and a thick scar running down the left side of his face, through his eye. "Probably be a knight of some kind by now, if we had them here. To speak comparatively that is."

"Enough, Eoan." Maddox chides the sergeant, though you can tell it wasn't intended to be a true reprimand. "Why do you ask?"

[pringerbeam]

     "Ah but such things are always important. As comrades in arms we should know each other well. I would never wish to follow a man I did not know and where better to start than rank and title? I am Thedrin Ashewake, knight errant, slayer of Eiltin the cursed." Replied Thedrin with a puff of his chest. "So, this expedition, surely an excellent opportunity for distinguished service. What kind of title might we expect for routing the goblin menace?"

[Asta]

"Fair. That must have been quite the adventure." commented Captain Maddox.

Quietly from behind Scathach made a comment to Rhenri, "Eiltin the cursed, he says..."

"Distinguished service, yes. There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow man in troubling times." Maddox continued, "I'm sure that the Righ would be inclined to grant you some form of honor if you are so inclined to ask for one once Telan is safe. Protector of the Realm or some such thing maybe, if something of that nature is of value to you."

[pringerbeam]

     "Protector of the realm... I like the sound of that." Said Thedrin, his mind instantly drifting off to fantasies of what status such a title could garner back in Albion. It sounded just important enough to mean something regardless of what kinds of duties it actually afforded. Of course, duty and power would come along on their own after establishing a proper list of titles with which to gain notice and favor to start with. Whatever the captain might have continued to say was lost on Thedrin as his mind drifted off and he fell back in the marching order.