[IC] Mt. Hersh's Fallen Fortress

[Throndir]

Takes place before the Tournament arc.

Arelia tapped her foot and sighed, she had called forth summons for a few guild members, but only two had shown up. No one else was likely to come now, so she proceeded to stand before the two in front of her. She smoothed out her clothes, red satin and velvet a darker shade than her own skin.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rvbdl4hlqe6ku3c/Arelia.jpg?dl=0

Arelia looked to be a tiefling. Apart from her red skin tone, she sported a pair of horns. There was something else in her eyes that flickered dark, though you had assumed that to be part of her heritage. That said, she didn't seem like a normal tiefling. At least compared to the ones you knew. She was the guild's banker, one of the few, or perhaps the only one, that you knew to have an actual station and work at the guild.

Roll Knowledge (local) if you want more information on Arelia.

"Elys and..." She paused for a moment as she frowned as if racking her brain for a name. "Sylvir." She finally said.

"Too many names to remember." She shrugged apologetically.

"But, to the matter at hand, one of your fellow guild members sent out a distress call. A bard, named Balenar Foresend. Maybe you've met him? He didn't swing by the guild hall very often, he preferred hanging around at our capital city, Ceren. He simply sent out his location and mentioned 'Troglodytes'. Nothing much to go by."

She eventually brought forth what looked to be parchment with some writing on it. You recognized this as a mission posting. A simple request from other cities, individuals, or organizations looking for a job to get finished, and frequently plastered on their mission boards near the entrance.

Escort for the new ruins required! The Mt. Hersh exploration committee is looking for volunteers to venture through some ruins! Contact the committee's headquarters for more information. 300 gold pieces reward!

"Balenar had apparently taken up this particular mission. Though, this committee was being rather difficult trying to pry information on what they were doing. They eventually spilled it though. Seems as if an old fortress that was once magically sealed was finally broken through recently. The committee didn't want the information to be public knowledge, to prevent the rush of treasure hunters I would assume."

"You are to make your way to Mt. Hersh and head to the location Balenar mentioned and find out what has happened to him. In the meantime I'll work with the committee to see if their mission posting is still open for you two."

"Any questions?" She asked.

After this, we'll do a time-skip and get straight to the location of the RP. Be sure to set up your inventory as you see fit, deduct your gold accordingly or work with me on it.

As a start perhaps describe your character's looks for the other players.

Still open to other players so feel free to jump in and walk into the office.

[Oath]

Elys had been leaning against the wall waiting for other members to arrive. She did her best to avoid being the center of attention. She didn't know who her companion was but he seemed to be a more recent arrival than herself.  As Arelia began to talk about the reason for summoning them, Elys stepped away from the wall to be polite. 

Her hair was long, it was hard to tell if it was messy or kept in such fashion on purpose. She had a small stature and didn't look particularly strong. A dark cloak hung from her shoulders and her outfit seemed to allow for easy movement. There was a firearm at her right hip, and a pouch along her belt. As Arelia continued to detail the mission, Elys held her gaze.

The explanation finished, and Elys spoke briefly. "I can't say that I've encountered... Troglodytes before. Any information you could give us on what to expect? It is essential to be well prepared, especially when moving with few people." She flashed a small and brief smile towards Sylvir.

[frogman210]

Sylvir is not very tall but a little stocky for his height. He could be mistaken for someone living on the streets if one did not know any better. With hair a bit shaggy and unkempt appearing as if he should be on the lookout for a good sharp pair of sheers rather then an adventure...   

He looks Arelia up and down very cautiously as he listens to the situation at hand. With a strange look he attempts to notice anything else about Arelia that might explain the strange feeling that he has when listening to her speaking.. This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+5 : 4 + 5, total 9

"I am new to these parts and have not met a Tiefling before, are they all as.. exotic as you?"

Shifting his weight to look over at Elys he seems to relax a bit and exhale. Evidently, when speaking with and listening to Arelia he had forgotten to breathe.  "I am new to these parts Elys, and to the guild. How long have you been with them?"

"Trgolodytes are not something that I have been around either.. All I know is what I have read... "

Rolled 1d20 : 13, total 13

[/b]

[Arelia]

"Troglodytes? Vermin." Arelia said rather coldly as she first looked towards Elys. "Not particularly difficult, who knows though, given that Balenar used a Sending Stone to communicate with me. Those aren't very cheap. But what is a simple banker to do when asked to 'hold the fort'." Her voice dripped in sarcasm at her final remark, but regained composure shortly after.

"Balenar requested for aid, and I suppose I am the current best fit to issue out a way to help him."
Glancing as Sylvir she answered his comment next.

"A tiefling?" She almost laughed, though her eyes sparkled in mirth. "None as exotic as I am." She said simply though you noted her voice lulled into a slight husky tone.

Sylvir, local knowledge on Arelia
You are a relatively new member of the guild, that you found it surprising that the banker was able to remember, considering how many people you saw went in and out of the guild hall on a daily basis. Not to mention the fact that guild members of Galas'nor found themselves in every corner of the country. You don't know much about Arelia, though you knew her to lead the guild as sort of the guild leader. That said, members of the guild refer to her as the guild's banker, rather than the guild leader.

Sylvir, local knowledge on the average Troglodytes

CR 1 Troglodyte CE Medium humanoid (reptilian)

Spoiler

DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 9, flat-footed 15 (–1 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 13 (2d8+4)
Fort +7, Ref –1, Will +0

[close]

Spoiler

The troglodyte is a feral, savage cave dweller. They are among the most populous denizens of the upper reaches of the endless caverns of the underworld, equally at home raiding the settlements of those who dwell above or below ground, yet for all their race's fecundity and sprawl, as a whole they represent only a minor threat. At times, great leaders can draw legions of troglodytes to their command to create vast and deadly armies, but left to their own devices, troglodyte tribes are content to keep each other under control with numerous feuds, cannibalistic raids, and bitter civil wars.

The troglodyte is one of the oldest of intelligent races, and ruins found in some remote caverns testify to the fact that their empire was once among the largest in the world. At the dawn of time, the troglodyte civilization was generations ahead of other humanoid races—while those races hid in caves and worshiped fire, the troglodytes raised vast cities of stone ziggurats and twisting canals, kept other races as slaves, and worshiped ancient and inhuman gods and demons. Yet as the other races evolved and grew increasingly civilized, they outstripped their onetime troglodyte oppressors. Today, the roles have changed—now it is the troglodyte that hides in caves and lives the life of a feral savage.

[close]

[frogman210]

Sylvir looked a bit nervous as he noticed Arelias eyes sparkling.. "maybe the stories ARE true.. " He mumbles under his breath barly audible, just loud enough for Elys to over hear.

Arelia seems to have cast some kind of spell over Sylvir his body language seems to betray both nervousnesses yet a very strong curiosity/interest. Maybe too much of one...

"I suppose I will be meeting many new people and seeing many new places now that I have finally arrived with the Guild. This should be interesting."

He seems to ponder for a moment before turning again toward Elys.. " They used a... sending stone..? I seem to recall something about them..

Rolled 1d20 : 13, total 13

(to see what I remember or knew)[/color][/b]

"We may be a bit more pressed for time then I anticipated, I have pretty much everything I own on me now. Do you need to make any stops before your ready to go Elys?

"What about you Arelia?!" Sylvir questions a bit too excitedly. He quickly realized that and stammered a bit, took a step back and said.. *Ahem*.. "I mean.. will you be traveling with us, or is it just the two of us on this one?"

[Throndir]

Sylvir, general knowledge
You know of Sending Stones to be commonly used, though the price of its usage was rather expensive. It is able to communicate with anyone that the user knows, though it can only send one short message, and also only receive a short response. Upon usage of a stone, they crumble to dust.

[Arelia]

The tiefling eyed Sylvir curiously though almost blankly as if remembering something from the past, but the look disappeared shortly after and the guild's banker only shrugged.

"Too much work to do here, even if I wanted to, I can't really take a step outside. It will just be the two of you, unless you happen to drag someone along with you on your way out."

[frogman210]

Sylvir appeared to look less apprehensive at hearing the response from Arelia.

"ya, that uh sounds good. Thanks."

[Oath]

"A bit. Couldn't tell you for sure, time is hard to keep track of in these parts." A terse reply, but there were other matters at hand. She listened to the two patiently, absorbing as many details as she could from their conversation.

She had been with Galas'nor long enough to know that they often wasted a lot of resources, but didn't know Balenar personally. Perhaps he was not like some of the others and was actually in dire need of assistance. Regardless, anyone in Galas'nor ought to be able to defend themselves long enough that they don't need to exhaust themselves reaching the destination, but they should not waste too much time either.

When Sylvir and Arelia finished their conversation, Elys did a quick pat-down of herself. She had her pack, she had her bullets, powder and firearm. As she always did. "I've got everything I need. You may want to make it a habit to always be prepared now that you're a part of Galas'nor. Never know what we'll find out there."

She looked towards Arelia. "Now, perhaps the most important question. About how far away is the requested location?Should we be able to make it by nightfall?" If she had learned nothing else in her travels, planning around the time of your arrival was essential to have everything run smoothly.

The idea of being a mentor for a new member of Galas'nor was still odd to her, but Elys had decided she would try her best when none of the usual suspects had shown up. 

[Luro]

"Knock knock, sorry I'm late."

From outside the room a tomboyish voice could be heard. "I got a bit turned around, this place is bigger than I thought!"

Smiling and scratching the back of her head, Miriana stepped through the door and proceeded to look around curiously. She seemed a bit shorter than the average human; pale-skinned with straight, black hair coming down to her shoulders. From the way she was dressed, most would think of her as common rabble if it wasn't for the emblem of Galas'nor lazily stitched into the front of her vest. Tape covered her hands up to her elbows, seemingly hiding some scuffs and bruises.

She took a quick glance at the people in the room. "I guess I missed the brief, huh? Again, really sorry I'm so late. I'm still getting the hang of this place, all of these halls look the same..."

[Arelia]

"It depends on how you travel there." Arelia said replying to Elys' question of how long it might be until they reach the location. "The destination is about 300 miles away, at Mt. Hersh. The only city within that vicinity is the flying city of Topaz Downs that stations itself at the peak of the mountain. The city doesn't take itself too kindly towards visitors however. It would be a 10 day journey on horseback on the other hand. Shorter with the use of airships, or even teleportation magic - the services being in town." Arelia replied curtly. She paused for a moment.

"If need be, the three of you could take a loan from the guild. The other option is a small stipend for travelling expenses given to guild members on a weekly basis, though, don't expect it to cover the full costs."

Once Miriana was in, Arelia quickly summarized the situation.

Since the party is level 2, your starting cash should be 1000 gp. I've updated your sheets to reflect that.

[frogman210]

"Hello Miriana, nice to meet you, I am Sylvir."

"As I am new to this place I will let you take the lead Elyas unless Miriana is a more senior member and would be more comfortable with that role?"

It appears that we have a decision to make on how to travel. If we were to travel on horseback could we expect any trouble along the path?

Roll 1 1d20 : 6, total 6

a (discover if there could be chance of non friendly encounters if traveling).

I am all ways for saving a bit of coin if it means just taking a bit longer rout, but with the circumstances being what they may haste maybe our best ally.

What do you know of this petitioner for our help? Would they generally use something so valuble to contact us unless there were dire need? Maybe this person just has the coin to spare and didn't mind contacting us that way?

Roll 1 1d20 : 5, total 5

- to see if there was any publicly known info about this person I may allready know in regaurds to his character and common behaviors.

Other then the decision on how to travel, I am ready to embark when the decision is made.

Sylvir walks over to a chair leaned up against the wall and sits down and looks to the other three as if waiting to hear what the plan was.

[Throndir]

@Sylvir,
Since you don't have all the knowledge skills, I will be treating these as General knowledge checks. Since I made your sheet, and if you think this will be a big part of your character, feel free to reallocate points to the rest of the knowledge skills. Adding 1 rank will allow the use of the skill. Also consider options such as taking a level in Bard, or Scholar, or any other class focused in knowledge.

Sylvir, general knowledge on horseback travel
250 miles is a long destination. You didn't quite know the exact details of the lay of the land, though you knew Mt. Hersh to be a journey eastwards. The only safe zones are within city walls, or roads frequently traveled, though you were unsure if there were any roads leading to your exact destination that would be safe. Having a map on hand would possibly make it easier to plot.

Sylvir, local knowledge on Balenar
The name sounds familiar, though you couldn't quite place where you had heard of it. Likely just from talking you overheard in the guild hall, but nothing came to mind.

[Arelia]

"It's surprising that Balenar contacted me first. Bards usually have a lot of connections, and I would have assumed him to have made plenty at the capital city where he worked primarily. It is true that Mt. Hersh is only slightly closer to Ternadan, but perhaps he trusted his guild members more than other connections he could have made? I do wonder why he didn't choose to contact anyone closer to where he was, unfortunately, the nature of a Sending Stone means I can only send him one response, without receiving another one from him."

She paused as she went over to her desk, then pulled out what looked to be a stone from the drawer. It looked like a normal rock, though there was some faint glyphs on it.

"It's a sending stone." Arelia explained. "It's worth about 700 gold pieces. Already more than what he would have received from the committee as a reward for the mission. The only reason he would use this, and contact me, is if he believes he was already in dire need, and had no one else to contact. That would be my guess anyways."

"Perhaps in that regard, it isn't so surprising after all."

[Oath]

Elys eyed the newcomer suspiciously. Sure getting a lot of new members these days. Can't say I've seen this one.  She thought to herself while trying to figure out exactly where she was going.

"Can't say that I've ever seen this newcomer, but it is important to make sure everyone is comfortable with whatever we plan.  We should likely try to get our hands on a map and plot a course. While time is of the essence, it seems foolish to spend more than we would likely earn from the adventure. Going by horseback, while slower may be our best option. Of course that isn't entirely up to me, but that's my suggestion. While he may be in danger, I would assume that he would expect us to travel by horseback on our way to him. Do you happen to have a map in here we could use to plot our course, Arelia?