Backstage, Blake chokes on his drink laughing at the exposition of Dwarves striking it rich in Narfell.  "What, did they open a horse powered space heater business? To sell to the Nomadic tribes?  Or maybe all the ancient Tiefling ruins to be looted, that too Blake.  Now shut up and let the actual cast of this thread work.

  Hoal makes no move for his sword, commenting "Do you feel deserving of attack?  If it were inevitable I attack, it could be for reasonable motives just as well as unreasonable I suppose.  I have no need to attack you either way that I know of yet."  The Voidsoul has dealt with more cynical people before, but not lately.

Jake relaxes a little as the expected BWAAAA!! response followed by a charge is not given.

"Wow.  Please excuse any rudeness, sir.  No offense intended.  Just I've never seen anyone like you before, and every story I've ever been told about meeting a stranger on a lonely road never ended well."

He gives a polite bow.

"My name is Jake.  It's a pleasure to meet you, sir.  What's your name?"

  "I am Hoal, there are many things that exist which we have never perceived.  You have changed your mindset readily enough, so no harm done.  Though may I ask, If you consider traveling alone so dangerous, why do you do so?"  Perhaps circumstances have forced this poor child out into the harsh outdoors alone.  Or perhaps it was something nowhere near as dramatic.

Jake is a little taken aback by the question, though he should have seen it coming from a mile away.  He glances aside with a blush and rubs behind his head looking like he's recalling a painful memory.

"Simple answer?" he says, "Because there was no one willing to go with me.  Would you happen to be willing?  I'm on my way to investigate a strange occurrence.  There was reported a tremor followed by some unusual bird flight patterns and a plume of strange looking smoke rising from the direction I'm headed.  Could be nothing, but I may as well take a look since I was wanting to try and find myself a home in Damara so I was headed that direction anyway."

  Hoal considers this, against his long and busy schedule... Oh, right. "I believe I shall accompany you then.  Do you have any thoughts to the cause or results of these events, or was there mere occurrence out of place enough to draw your attention?"

  If the boy was hoping to find a home there, it would be unfortunate for Jake if they were signs Damara were about to collapse into the earth.  Well, unfortunate for all involved really.

"Appreciate it, Hoal," Jake answered, "Here's hoping whatever trouble we may have met separately will not be more than we can handle together.  You should know that I'm a somewhat competent arcane healer and combatant.  Artificer to be more specific.  How about yourself?

"As for guesses on the cause of the disturbance, I'm thinking some small volcanic activity."

---

I'm gunna go with 1395 DR, about 10 years after the initial outbreak of the spellplague.

  "Greater challenges may be overcome in numbers, while greater challenges may seek us out for the very same reason.  I have some experience in the more basic forms of Swordmage technique.  It makes for a poor guardian, but those who strike you in my presence will suffer for it."

  None of that fancy 'emergency damage resistance to ally' here, Hoal just warps through spacetime to Revenge Stab a dude.

Jake blinks as the thinks on Hoal's insight.

"Huh...  More allies means more enemies.  You might be on to something there.  Thinking back on what little history I was able to get my hands on, what you say rings true.  I wonder why that is?  You would think that one-sided conflict would be the norm.  Maybe it is, but people don't deem such things worthy of note so they close calls wind up recorded.  Or perhaps they alter stories to make one sided victories sound like a close call to make the story more memorable.

"As for striking those who harm me, I suppose that's just as poor a guardian as those who heal their guardian only after they've been injured make for poor healers.  So thanks in advance for any payback you exact on my behalf."

He gives a regal bow.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:10, Sun 16 Oct 2011.

  "A guardian is expected to prevent loss of health, among other things.  While a healer can not apply their skill to one who has not suffered it.  Although the intent of your words is appreciated."

  Hoal looks off into the distances towards their destination.  "As for the truth of the matter regarding saftey and danger in numbers, we shall find where our personal answer lays soon enough."

Jake is a little uneasy with the ominous sound of Hoal's prediction.  "Indeed."

He travels a little way with his new guardian before speaking up again.  "So if it's not rude to ask...  What race are you?"

  Hoal comments "I do not believe that request to be a rude one, I am Genasi.  It feels as if there are as many appearances to us as there are Genasi, but no more than an Human or Elf looks distinct from another.  We just have a more visually striking difference between us."  On one side, Mr Hair Made Of Fire.  To our left, waterfall ponytail.  Art style wise, it could probably be hard to draw the difference between Hair made of smoke, and hair made of Darkness... No, seriously.  The official art of the Voidsoul Genasi lady you can't tell the difference there.

"Genasi," Jake echoes contemplatively, rubbing his chin, "Can't say that I've heard of Genasi before.  Unless there's something missing in the translation to Common.  Where are you from?  The Underdark?  Or should I say where is your kind from?"

  "You are just as likely to have never met a Gnome or Dwarf as to not meet any Genasi."   It's not that they are uncommon, more that other races tend to come to mind first for 'this place has X race in Y amount'.  "We are found across most of Faerun, for the most part our features having a similarity to where we were born, though this may change."   Oh hi, Immune To The Dark Sun Sunsouls.

  "Though, I have not spent much time among my own.  An upbringing in an Ioun monastery, I will leave it at that."

Jake looks surprised.  "Really.  Huh.  I wonder why no mention of your kind from my studies.  But then, my home town isn't exactly known for it's library.  Meaning it has none."

He'd like to ask about the Ioun monastery bit, but seems Hoal doesn't want to talk about that.

"So the place your ancestors came from must be rather dark I imagine.  Mind pulling back your hood so I can see your hair?"

  Possible answers for various other Elemental Manifestations would include 'I'm bald, asshole'  50/50 chance of that when it comes to the Abyssal Manifestations.  "If so, then more Genasi would be gifted with sight fitting of such places."  Then again, PC version Kobolds get stuck with normal vision. He could refuse, but in the long run his hood will not be up forever.

  He lowers his hood, revealing what many Emo's would only dream of possessing.  Hair made of darkness, though as insubstantial and merely decorative as a firesoul's burning hair.

Jake's eyes go wide at the sight, and his jaw drops.  So his manners aren't perfectly refined.

"Wow.  Never seen anything like that before either.  So interesting.  I thought I caught a glimpse of something strange earlier.  What is it made of?  Is it arcane?"

  Hoal pulls his hood back up, because he likes it there most of the time anyway.  Not because he's got a kid saying he has a strange head.  "It is an echo, not a physical presence.  Genasi manifest certain elements, not all have as visually obvious clues to one unfamiliar with us.  A Windsoul will be more recognized at a glance than an Earthsoul."

  He considers Jake for a moment, "While the general knowledge of humanity seems more common, I know nothing or you but your name and claimed profession.  I do not suppose there is anything of yourslf you would like to share?"

"Wow.  An echo.  So mysterious."

He hehs and laces his fingers behind his head.

"So I'm mysterious in my own way then?  Fair enough.  I'm 14.  I come from N'Jast.  I have no living relatives worth mentioning.  And I enjoy tinkering.  Other than the bit about being an artificer...  I can't think of anything of great note.  Well there's the rumor that my family might maybe somehow descendant from the royal family of the old empire.  Not that that matters a lick these days."

  Unless it were a bloodline noble in standards and not formality, many are those who can truthfully claim to be the children of Kings to no benefit.  Those royalty types, they can really get around.  Of course, even if such things proved true, there would be no point in voicing such thoughts to Jake.  "Let us hope that should your life become noteworthy, it is in a manner you do not find disagreeable."

Jake blink-blinks as he wonders how Hoal's well wishes wound up sounding so dark and ominous.

"Thanks...." he says.

He glances around at the terrain surrounding them.

"I heard stories of goblin ambushes along this road.  Sure looks ideal for it."

  "I have always found it interesting that being prepared for an ambush often does little to prevent them.  Perhaps the time lost laying in wait is time attackers want to justify, even when the attempt is doomed."

  Hoal steps ahead of Jake, adding "Unless we choose to walk enough out of the path's way for a better view, we have no reason to stop.  As there is no apparent rush, we should do so unless we find reason not to."  Such as a cliff face that conveniently turns up, the PC are not allowed to climb, while enemies are somehow on top of the time.

  But then, that was still the most pathetic failure of a module predestined ambush ever.

"Perhaps any would-be ambushers would be less inclined to risk life and limb if we readied our weapons and complained frequently about how broke we are," Jake wonders aloud as he takes out one of his daggers, "I will defer to your greater wisdom if you decide that it is worthwhile to go off-road, but I'll admit a reluctance to try it.  Even if I could keep up with you, progress would likely be four times as slow and it's unlikely I'd be in any condition to back you up effectively if we wound up attacked."

The road is windy and steep, but passable.  The surrounding terrain is steeper and riddled with loose rock and thorn bushes, but also still passable.

---

((In game terms, think level appropriate Endurance and Athletics skill challenge where success means 1/2 the chance of random encounter in exchange for 1/2 overland speed.  Failure = lose healing surge and 1/3 overland speed or some such.  Meta tip: Ambush not inevitable, but possible.  Arrival time at destination will matter.))

  While certain artificers would laugh in the face of endurance checks, Jake apparently is not one of them.  Not to mention Hoal is on the 'Strong but Scrawny' side of statistics.  "Considering your desire to investigate things, our taking enough time to travel without strain through such areas does not seem to be an option."   Not to mention, Half the encounter rate at half the speed results as the same encounter rate as before.  With the added risk of healing surge loss as added insult.

  ICly, definite reason to give it second thought.  OOCly, the players would have to hate themselves to try now.

  "Very few bandits have cared in the past if you are lacking in coin, but perhaps we shall learn not to make such assumptions."

"I saw something!" Jake says, stopping in his tracks and pointing his dagger in the direction of what he saw, "We're being watched."

---

Started rolling stealth for the enemy, and the first one failed to get past Jake's passive perk, so didn't bother with the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:40, Mon 24 Oct 2011.

  These guys can't hike, and they can't make high Perc/Insight rolls, what a tea-wait, Jake made it? Score.

  "Fortunate of you to notice.  While making the first strike is often to one's advantage, it still remains to be seen if that is necessary."  Hoal knew this guy, where the only time's they ever managed their Perception and initiatives high enough to attack before his stalkers, only happened when it was uppity 'you are in the wrong to attack us even though we're being all sneaky and stuff' types.

  They later got eaten by a bear.  Indoors.