Zoltan cursed under his breath and quickly stepped forward and grabbed the man's left and with one hand and left shoulder with the other hand.

"I'd listen to him if I were you." He dug his fingers into his shoulder.


19:10, Today: Secret Roll: Zoltan Zanderhawk rolled 17 using 1d20+3.  Strength check to hold the jerk.

The old man's sudden shrieking stunned Goliad for a moment, a man of such age had no business to exert such stress on his lungs. And the surprising acts of spontaneity continued when Jehan leaped into booth with sharp intentions for the old man while the swordsman went to grab hold of him. Goliad was at quite a loss, and felt rather sheepish amongst the flurry of events, so he did only thing that felt natural: Flex with all his might until the glorious feeling once again filled his being with equanimity.

"Ahhh yes, if any onlookers were to gaze this way, beset upon their eyes would be my phenomenal physique! Surely such a display would alleviate any assumptions of adversity!"

And with this calming thought, the orc did flex...
Flex like his life depended on it...
Flex like never before...
This message was last edited by the player at 00:34, Sat 27 Feb 2016.

Eike takes a step back and lets the bard do the talking. He's usually better at that. Still feeling good about getting better control over his magic lately, Eike remained a few paces away from the hut and kept an eye out for anyone who wandered a bit too close. He also took this chance to look around and see if there was anything of note near the hut.

There was a shout. Eike turned to face them and said to himself. You'd think I would have learned by now to leave Jehan alone when it came to these matters. Always getting carried away with himself. He stopped pacing and gripped his staff in both hands.

"TROUBLE AT THE GATES!" Ol' Phil had shouted twice. Swift as he could, Jehan leapt into the shack and seized the nightman at knife point. Zoltan assisted and held his arms. Earlier this evening they had killed a man, maybe two; now they were beating up an old man – those morals were plummeting ever faster.

Once Jehan put his dagger to the old man's throat, he ceased shouting and alarmingly stared at the knife – stared at it with the expression 'I can't believe these people are threatening to kill an old man.' But his cries still caught attention. Apparently the phrase 'Trouble at the gates' was known to the residents of Varna, for after he'd said it, the lanterns flickered on in a couple nearby houses. On top of this, a group of patrons, who were lingering outside the tavern, had begun to run toward the west gate. They were not far, fifty feet at the most, and one was carrying a lantern borrowed from the tavern doorway.

The patrons saw the group of adventurers ahead. One cried, "Hey, someone's trying to hurt Ol' Phil!" "Hurry!" said another. And they continued running closer. Jehan ordered Ol' Phil to call them off, but it seemed a little late for that; nonetheless Ol' Phil gritted his teeth and gave a meager call of, "Everything's fine." However, this didn't cause the patrons to slow down any and they kept coming. Things were getting wild, and fast. Meanwhile, Goliad stood in the street and flexed his rippling pectorals. While this seemed to do nothing at all, it was inexplicably inspiring for morale.


This message was last edited by the GM at 15:24, Sat 27 Feb 2016.

Eike marches into the room when he sees a knife at the mans throat. Looking for a way to get out of this situation he knocks Jehan on the back of the head with his staff to get him to lower the blade. "What are you doing?!" He almost yells at Jehan, meanwhile trying to give him a wink to go along with him. "You said you were going to talk to him. Not put a knife to his throat." He then looked to Zoltan, "Let the old man go, it's not worth the trouble."

{If they listen to me step back from the old man}
Eike digs in his pocket and then looks to the old man. "Look I'm sorry about my friends here." Pulling his hand out of his pocket, "Here, what do you say you take this for the trouble and let us be on our way." He opens his hand to show 5 gold pieces for the man.

If the man opens the gate, Eike runs out down the road.
If he doesn't open the gate, Eike opens it and runs out down the road.


17:04, Today: Eike rolled 14 using 1d20+3.  Diplomacy; old man bribe. .
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Sat 27 Feb 2016.

The shouts of the townspeople not slowing down was... less than what he had hoped for. things were going so well. Suddenly with a -thwack-, Jehan snapped out of his bloodlust, but still deciding to cut his eyes or not...

Jehan took the point of his dagger, and rested it on Phils forehead lightly. "All we wanted," he said as he tapped the point on the mans sweaty brow, "Was passage or information to help the people of your city, you fuckin, crook." The bard let go giving the man time to lean his neck down and give it a solid crack. "You can keep your eyes... this time." he said with a huff, seething the blade. "We're not the bad guys. Your barron is."

Jehan stepped out and stood behind Eike. "You better be right about this."

The bard turned his attenion to the gateman, "Oi Phil," he said with his regularly melancholy tone. "You have your eyes, tongue and some extra gold. How say you open this gate and let us go. We'd rather not paint the town red if you catch my drift." Nodding toward the group of people coming toward them.


Suddenly and without warning, he jabbed Eike with the but end of his Rapier, not fully taking out the bade. "And stop hitting me in front of people. It makes me look bad."

Zoltan sighed and let go of the old man, realizing Eike was right. They would gain nothing by threatening or hurting him.

"We should run," he said. He glanced to Phil, hoping that he would listen to Jehan and open the gate. He prepared to run.

Noticing the inefficiency in his actions, Goliad lowered his arms. That there existed people who lacked the capacity to truly grasp the blessing that was his body was a fact he had come to accept over time.

What had become increasingly harder for him to accept, however, was just how consistently chaotic the events became as the night progressed. The possibility of a melee among his fellow townsmen disturbed him deeply. But even though Varna had become his home, Manual had been like his brother; to leave an honorary Brawnlimb's deviously devised death without rectification was an option that simply did not exist to him.

Due to his position, Goliad chose to stand his ground, ready to run towards the gate for escape if necessary...or protect his new acquaintances if even more necessary...

Ol' Phil snatched the gold from Eike but didn't leave his shack. The townsfolk were getting closer and closer.

"Madmen, the lot of yuh," Ol' Phil grumbled. "I hope yuh get the noose."

He wasn't going to do it. Quickly realizing their position as the townsfolk closed in on them, Eike dashed to the gate and lifted the latch. He beckoned his partymates to follow. Together, they bolted through the doors and out into the darkness. The forest swiftly enveloped them as they ran, its overhanging branches blocking out the night sky; and looking back, they saw the shrinking light of Varna disappear as the gates were shoved closed behind them. Putting more distance between them and the town, they jogged a little farther along the road and stopped once they felt they were safe – at least from the townsfolk. The forest, however, was another matter.

Everything was silent now, save for their own panting and a lone hooting owl somewhere far away. The dark woods walled in both sides, utterly still. The adventurers felt tired, for they'd had a long, long day.

"What do we do know?" asked Zoltan.

"Set up a camp," said Eike, trying to sound confident. That was, after all, the next logical step.

But they weren't entirely confident. Something about the woods at night gave them an eerie feeling, as though they'd entered someplace they knew they shouldn't be - much like they'd broken into a house while the owner was still sleeping. They felt like every sound they made was an intrusion on some hushed meeting, an agreement of stillness that every creature in the forest knew about – except them. Nonetheless it was still a forest: there were fallen branches for firewood, clearings for a campsite, maybe even some food. It would be just like camping in the backyard when they were kids – or at least, that's the lie they told themselves.


This message was last edited by the GM at 14:24, Wed 02 Mar 2016.

As his friends took off beside him, Jehan locked eyes with the Phil, holding out an index finger; trying his best to come up with something truly devastating to him after being told he hoped they all got hung, nothing came out. He stood perfectly still for a moment, finger outstretched until a grin began to form. "Oh yeah? Well I hope y-" His long awaited insult was cut off my a rather large arm.

In the hustle and bustle of everyone running, Jehan was the only one left still. Goliad noticed this and without a second tough picked him up like a piece of wood under his arm and charged off after Eike and Zoltan. The bard was in shock for a moment, body still underneath the completely unreasonably sized arm of the orc. He had nothing. He just stared blankly at the trees as they flew by as Goliad easily caught up to the two, free arm swinging in tandem with his run. The two looked at Jehan and held back laughter as he was carried like a two by four with an expression to match.



"Well this is creepy" the bard said plainly in the darkness, as if to calm himself and the others. "We should get a fire started. Most nighttime critters are scared of fire."

Should a fire be made, Jehan picks a specifically long branch, one end still in the flames for him to grab as a makeshift torch, or flaming bludgeoning weapon should the need arise

Goliad was still hesitant when the townsfolk began to close in on the party, but the wizard's quick thinking provided a course of action. As he ran toward the gate, he saw that Ol' Phil was about to get verbally ripped into by Jehan, who had clearly wanted to puncture his pride as painfully possible. The orc picked the bard up in one quick swoop as he flew by, for he knew damn well whatever Jehan had in store would not be quick.

The party made their escape into the forest west of Varna, and once they were engulfed in the dark, uneasy silence, he gently placed Jehan on his feet and said, "Apologies for suppressing your rhetorical digression, good sir, but time was of the essence." Goliad then glanced around warily, trying to notice anything perilous in the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Never knew this forest was so...unsettling."

Notions of camp and a fire were soon suggested, and Goliad agreed with both. "A night's rest might just be the best respite from these contrite events", he said as he began setting up the campfire. "Although...it is difficult to disregard this apprehensive ambience. Perhaps we should take turns standing guard?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Fri 18 Mar 2016.

As night deepened a mist rose between the trees, like a dim cloud swirling and hovering above the forest floor. The hooting of an owl echoed from far away. Goliad, feeling on edge in his thoughts, gathered some dead branches together and piled them in a grassy clearing, where he made a campfire. His flint and steel ushered a spark onto some hollow, dry twigs, and soon a small fire grew into a large blaze that was radiant and comforting. The sheltering warmth made the group feel much more at ease and spared them from a bitter cold night.

Huddling around the fire, they sat on a couple fallen trees and watched the crackling logs as it steadily rained a bed of ashes beneath it. Goliad threw on another log and watched it flare brightly for a moment, then fell into a contemplative silence. Jehan poked the fire with a stick trying to get the end to burn, but he couldn't seem to make it burn longer than a few seconds. Eike and Zoltan sat on the opposite tree, gazing into the lurid light.

The forest here had cast a very different mood on them, as though they had entered another world, another quest. Although the campfire was very comforting, it couldn't seem to completely dispel the sense of eeriness that enclosed threateningly around them, as though waiting for them to lower their guard and takeover. Zoltan was the first to speak after a few minutes.

"Perhaps we should get some sleep," he said. "We'll need our strength for the morning, if we want to get to the Baron and, finally, to the bottom of this mystery."

The others agreed and laid their sleeping bags around the fire, trying to get as close as they could to the protective glow without being afraid of rolling into it. Despite the haunting darkness of the woods, the group actually felt their eyes grow heavy and tired; the fire sang its persuasive, crackling lullaby, with crescendos of pops and crumbling logs, gently lulling them into a sound sleep.

The next morning, Eike was the first to awaken. It was early, for the sun still gleamed through foggy trees and the air was chill. He pulled himself out of his sleeping bag and remembered they had much to do today, and there wasn't an hour to spare. He glanced over at Jehan to wake him but was to surprised to see him missing from his sleeping bag – which was odd, for Jehan rarely ever woke before Eike. Eike turned to wake his other companions but found that Zoltan and Goliad were also missing from their bags.

He felt bewildered twice over, once at the fact that they were all missing at the same time, and another that they would leave without telling him where they had gone.

"Jehan? Zoltan?" called out Eike to the forest, thinking that maybe they were just using the bathroom, or finding breakfast. But then he noticed that all their belongings, even their weapons, were still here too – how could they hunt without their weapons?

Clutching his staff tightly, Eike began to wander out into the woods, seeing if he could see any signs of where they had gone. He felt a deep pang of loneliness, for he had not found himself this alone in a long, long time; there had always been somebody there. He called out their names again but heard no response, not even the sound of a critter or the rustling of a leaf. Suddenly he heard a whisper.

"Over here."

Eike turned sharply to where the voice had come from but saw nothing. Warily he walked in that direction, trying to find the source. He waded through the trees, and did so for about a minute before he saw something strange up ahead; he walked a little farther and found, in the middle of the woods, a stone pillar about fifteen feet high, crumbling at the top.

His eyes widened in horror, for at the base of the pillar were Jehan, Zoltan, and Goliad; all three had daggers in their chests and laid pale, dead, before the pillar, like some cruel sacrifice to it. Jehan's pleading frozen face gazed at him in perfect stillness, and then it spoke, "Come. . ."--

Eike woke up, jerking upright in his sleeping bag in a cold sweat. Panicking he looked around, and was stunned to see it was still nighttime; he looked anxiously at his companions but was relieved to see all three were still in their sleeping bags, fast asleep. It had only been a dream.

The fire had calmed to glowing embers, so after taking a minute to breathe, Eike threw another log on the fire and collapsed back onto his sleeping bag, looking up at the night sky. He felt himself cooling down, yet still reasonably warmed by the dim blaze. Goliad jostled in his bag and leaned upward, peering at Eike.

"Are you feeling fare my frightened-looking friend?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"Yea. . ." said Eike, still gazing at the sky.

He felt a powerful surge of gratitude. It had only been a dream. . .

Still trying to make sense of the dream.. no, nightmare, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It took Eike a few seconds to process that Goliad even asked him a question. He with an almost far off tone, "Yea. . ." Finally processing the question, "Just a dream, that's all." Eike didn't take kindly to his dreams ever since he was a child. Especially the nightmares. "It just felt so real. It must just be the cold. Not use to spending the night in the woods. Does things to the mind." He attempted to brush it off in an attempt to convince himself more than the others. Although he wanted to simply forget the images he saw just moments ago, he committed them to memory in case it was more than just a simple dream. He spoke back to those that were awake, "Keep your eyes out for a stone pillar while we're making our way through the woods. These dreams are usually nothing, but it was calling to me."

A harsh snort erupted from the bard whos sleep was cut off in a rather unsettling manner. He needs his beauty sleep. As he sat up, hair wild and frizzy, half covering his face, the rest reaching for the sky or nearby trees as if reaching for something to hold on to.

"Why..." He posed, in a high, near whining tone, "Dreams are just that- dreams. You dont need to check on us every time you freak out" Jehan began rubbing his eyes and flattening his hair with his hand, "The fact could be that you're just a bitch." He chuckled as he arched his back, letting out a satisfying crack. This body was meant for large soft and squishy beds, not bent in unusual shapes due to the rocks, sticks and strange lumps of the earth... which upon later inspection turned out to be a field mouse. This time, he restrained his normal feminine scream however. He had been practicing.

"A stone pillar though, eh?" He said returning to the dream of the sorcerer, although he knew dreams to be nothing more than the minds subconscious working on mental problems or simply keeping itself occupied while the body slept- these facts however are overshadowed by the presence of magic in the blood... strange forces indeed. "Any idea what it could be, and is it more important that following the trail of the sketchy miners? I would be willing to do either personally. Nothing more exciting than an evil, murderous structure of stone." He grinned, hair now looking like normal. He felt rather proud of himself, as made apparent with the fact that he ran his silver stud on his tongue along his teeth which produced a light click as the metal made contact with each tooth. A tell, if you will, the bard did when felt proud of mischievous. Eike and Zoltan knew this and 'somehow' always tended to beat him in poker.

Goliad didn't always dream, but when he did they never made any damn sense.

This dream was no different.

At one point, there was what seemed like a...goat baking him a pie...that might have contained snails. At another, he was in some kind of financial altercation with a bunch of spiders. There might have even been a battle-armored fish in there somewhere. This stream of fantastical events continued until he was attacked by a grotesque, flower-shaped creature that could best be described as a hybrid of plant tissue, human organs, and metal. It made some loud, unsettled moans until it finally lunged at Goliad and jostled him out of his sleep.

Thouroghly confused and rattled, the orc leaned up in his bag, peered around the campsite, and quickly noticed a rigidly upright Eike looking far more disturbed than himself. Fright was heavy in the air and Goliad asked if Eike was feeling well, if only to break the tension. Once calm, the wizard explained that he merely had a troubling dream, but also advised to be on the lookout for a stone pillar that appeared in it.

Not wanting to withold anything that might also potentially manifest, Goliad just said, "We should also be wary of any talking flowers we come across," before laying back down and attempting to recollect as much as he could from the fleeting tale he had just awoke from.

"Hm?" Zoltan looked up and yawned. "A pillar? Huh, okay, whatever you say." He stretched his arms up to the sky and relaxed, dropping them to his sides. "I don't believe flowers talk, but I suppose we can keep an eye out for that two," he said with a shrug.

Standing up with another stretch, he rubbed his scratchy face. He hadn't had a good shave in a few days. "I feel we should focus on the miners and their schemes. But we'll poke around for some pillars."

After their brief awakening by Eike, the adventurers laid back down in their sleeping bags. Being the middle of the night, the atmosphere was dark and oppressive, the stars blocked from view by the looming trees; the only audible sound came from the fire, crackling low. And not long after they laid down came the first snores of Goliad, who dreamily murmured something about battle-fish. The rest fell asleep soon after.

They awoke the next morning with the dawn. Eike, still remembering his last false awakening, pinched himself to make sure he was really awake. Aside from a little tinge of pain and the tiny mark on his arm, nothing happened.

Jehan stood and stretched, doing some calisthenics to get the blood going; he felt a little stiff from the less-than-five-star conditions. "Next time, we keep going til we find a hotel. . . Have anymore weird dreams, Eike?" he asked.

"No," said Eike, not feeling very cheerful this morning for some reason. "Just the usual."

"Wait. . . my friends. . ." said Goliad ominously as stood, wide-eyed and fearful. They gave him their fullest attention. "I had a dream, one I think is very serious, a portent of our future."

"What, what is it?" said Eike with a flash of concern.

"You were there, Eike, and I, and all of us. . . We were riding the giant war snails of Kalafar into battle against tiny men; but we resolved the battle through dance! I think we should heed these omens my friends."

Eike breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yea, well, when I see a giant snail, I'll start getting worried," said Zoltan dismissively.

"You didn't have any wierd dreams, Zoltan?" asked Jehan.

"Hardly," he replied. "Just a short one about a big cave. It was weird, I guess, cause I wasn't even in it. Oh, there was some guy made of metal, I think, and a big metal spider. And maybe something about goblins after that; but that's all I remember."

"Don't worry, that's not a weird dream," said Jehan comfortingly. "It's just a sign you're going bonkers."

Zoltan threw a sock at him.

They made breakfast, cooking some of the dried meat from their rations for bonus flavor. When they were done they cleaned the campsite, packed their bags, and were then ready to depart. It was a new day, and odds were something really exciting was going to happen in it.

"So we got a few choices," said Eike to the group. "The first is go back to town, and if we do that, pick where we're going to go next; and maybe have a plan for once. Or, we could go look around the woods. Or, we could leave; get out of hickville and go to the next town. I suppose there's always that option, though we'd be breaking our promise to Henri. . . So, what'll it be?"

Eike simply leans on his staff while they attempt to make a decision. "Well we can be on the look out for some giant metal spiders, but I think we'll be okay." he says chuckling to himself. Since the others are not speaking up Eike just can't get that dream out of his head, it just seemed so real. "Well while you guys are deciding about what you want to do I'm going to take a stroll around the woods here. Feel free to join me if you'd like."

He turned to his left and started walking without a response from the others to see if he could find anything of interest.

Goliad stood stock still, paralyzed for what seemed like days...no...months. What was this terrible, creeping sensation permeating his entire being? It began with a tight, invasive feeling in his chest before it descended into the pits of his stomach, twisting and gnarling his innards into knots. He heard Eike say something or another, but this feeling of mortal dread made words incomprehensible upon Goliad's ears. Suddenly, the wizard turned around and started to walk away, frightening the orc even more. He had to warn him; something just wasn't right! He reached his arm forward as he took his first step towards Eike's salvation and opened his mouth to speak words of reason and prophecy.

But those words never came.

For as soon as Goliad took that first fated step...the largest, most raunchy fart to ever escape the depths of his bowels assaulted the senses of everyone around on all fronts. Now experiencing levels of embarrassment that had never even entered the realm of his imagination, Goliad hurried to follow Eike wherever the hell it was he was headed. At the very least, Goliad was relieved of that ominous trepidation...for now...

It had changed their lives forever. Jehan was in awe, thinking that for the rest of his life, even when he was an old man, he would never forget this day.

"That's was the most epic fart I had ever been witness to," he said admiringly.

Goliad was embarrassed, to put it mildly, and rather than explaining or apologizing or any of that other sissy stuff, he did the manly thing, and bolted as fast as possible from the campsite, running to catch up with Eike who was (hastily) leaving for a walk.

At first Jehan and Zoltan thought he was leaving simply because he felt embarrassed, but they soon realized he had chosen the smart option; for when the smell came, it caused the hair on their heads to curl and knocked both of them unconscious.


[Private to Eike; Goliad Brawnlimb:

Goliad slowed to a walk beside Eike as the campsite disappeared behind them through the evergreen trunks. "Nice day, no?" said Goliad casually, preemptively diverting any comment about the recent sound of thunder.

"Yes, very," coughed Eike awkwardly, hoping that there wouldn't be any more future storms.

But despite that brief bit of thunder, it did look like they would have some good weather today. The sky was largely blue and home to puffy waves of clouds. The morning air was still crisply cool from the night, and dew droplets coated the needles on the trees.

"Wait!" said Goliad suddenly in a hushed voice.

Eike stopped abruptly, thinking that Goliad might have seen a person or some dangerous animal, but instead Goliad crouched by a tree stump and touched a lonely small blue flower. "It looks like the flower from my dream. I knew it were a sign! How are you my flowery friend? Do you speak?"

He's gone mad, thought Eike.

"Uh, Goliad. I don't think it actually talks. Odds were that it probably really was just a dream. Just like how there's probably no riding snails, and no pillar either. They're just dreams, you know?"

Goliad picked the blue flower from its stem and held it to his ear. "Mhmm. . . I see. . . Yes, that's true. . ." he muttered, as though the flower were whispering to him.

Eike wondered if he should call for help.

"Mhmm. . ." continued Goliad. "Ah, this way!" Goliad suddenly walked at a brisk pace in a northerly direction, almost leaving Eike behind.

"Wait up!" called Eike, going after him.

Goliad kept up his rigorous pace with his long orc stride; Eike had to jog just to keep up. After about a minute Goliad stopped as abruptly as he had started. Eike hustled next to him, panting. He was a man of magic and knowledge – not an athlete. Goliad stared ahead in dumbfounded surprise; Eike glanced up and was soon doing the same.

Before them in the middle of a clearing was a stone pillar. It was about fifteen feet tall, but it had apparently been taller in the past; the topmost part had since crumbled away and become boulders littered near the base. The clearing was small, only a twenty foot circle around the stone, but it was enough to shelter its location from anyone who didn't already know where it was {New Location Added to Map}. No grass or weeds grew onto the pillar itself, as though the plants were afraid to touch it. Goliad put the blue flower to his ear again.

"Mhmm. . . Spooky. . . Ouch!" He dropped the flower and sucked on his finger.

"What happened?" asked Eike.

"The flower grew thorns! It did not have thorns before," said Goliad spitefully, as though resentful of the flower's rudeness. "Oh, and it also said the stone thing wanted blood. . . a lot of it."

Eike looked down at the flower, which looked just like any normal wildflower; then he looked at the stone pillar – which was just like any normal stone pillar. . . right?

The pillar stood there patiently, waiting, as though it had been expecting them for a long, long time.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:45, Thu 30 June 2016.

Eike turns around and looks back the way he came to see if his friends had followed. When seeing they didn't he shouts, "Hey wake up and get over here! We found something!" No response.

[Private to DM Ryan; Eike; Goliad Brawnlimb:  He looked back to Goliad with a little disbelief. "I'm still not sure about your dreams." He said suspiciously.

Eike took a moment to look around the pillar, to see if there was anything of note or any signs of someone else being here. {Search check} "Let me see that flower" He grabbed the flower from him and used one of the thrones to prick his hand. As he let the drops of blood drip onto the ground and the pillar itself he watched it closely to look for anything happening.

11:07, Today: Eike rolled 16 using 1d20+1. Search check.
]

[Private to Eike: A few drops of blood fell from your finger onto the pillar. As they dotted the old gray stone, you felt a light tingling beneath your skin, as though some magic were trying to happen - but it was no more than a faint tickle. You got the feeling that you'd need to use a whole body's worth of blood to get a reaction from it. The tingling sensation disappeared.

You searched around the old boulders, remnants from the pillar. Although the pillar was free of vegetation, the boulders were not, and most were completely overgrown with moss and weeds. However, among a clump of clovers, you saw something sticking out and touched it. It felt metallic. You grabbed and pulled it from the ground, dirt pouring off it. It was a dagger.

The dagger was so rusted that the blade and hilt were no longer visible. It, too, sent a slight tickle through your hand. It was unidentified.]

[Private to DM Ryan: Eike thought for a moment to try to remember anything he might have come across or learned about previously. Anything to give him any kind of insight. "Maybe it requires some kind of sacrifice?" Remembering that dream made him feel a little uneasy. He also looked at the dagger, trying to get any sense of the strange piece of rust. "Is this even a blade"

09:28, Today: Secret Roll: Eike rolled 11 using 1d20+3. Knowledge Arcana; Pillar.]

[Private to Eike:

Friendships can change so quickly, even among flowers and orcs. As soon as Goliad brought the flower to his ear, he heard a hazily familiar and cheerful voice dance around in his head. "Ah Goliad!", he heard it exclaim, "it is so wonderful to see you again! And to be honored with such a greeting after what had happened. I can not apologize enough! There was vile trickery at work and had I no control! I hope you understand. Though...it is quite troubling to meet you here. This forest is not the safest of places, dear orc. And if you and your friend there find yourselves here, I would assume you two are rather lost, no?"

When Goliad confirmed this to be true, the flower continued, "I would find no greater happiness than to be of assistance and redeem myself! There is a place not too far from here that I am sure will be of great help to you, just as I am sure it was by no mere luck that we were reunited! Turn to your left slightly and head in that direction, past that huge tree over there. Quickly my friend! The calm and quiet betrays the deviousness of where we are."

Totally confident in the validity in his floral friend's advice, the orc obediently walked briskly for a short period until the sight of an astonishingly ominous stone pillar stopped him dead in his tracks. Consulting the flower had seemed to be the only logical option to Goliad at that point, and when he raised it to his ear, the voice he heard had lost its liveliness.

"Goliad.
To stay truly protected while making your way through this forest, tribute must be paid to the Obelisk.
It will not be cheap.
In fact it will be a very hefty sum, and the only acceptable payment is blood.
Allow me to...help you get started with that." Sharp thorns suddenly grew from the flower's stem and pricked one of Goliad's fingers, causing him to drop the flower before he explained the situation to Eike.

Still rather peeved about what just happened, Goliad was busy fussing over his finger when he noticed Eike dripping some of his own blood onto the ground, staring intently at the pillar. The orc soon followed suit while he pondered on the possibilities for weaponized flora.]

[Private to Eike; Goliad Brawnlimb: Goliad approached the obelisk beside Eike where both of them pricked their fingers with the thorny flower and let a few drops of blood fall on the stone. They watched in shock as the blood disappeared into the stone instantly, soaked up as though the pillar were a sponge. Both of them felt a tingle in their bodies, but it hardly equaled the buzz from a shot a whisky; it vanished a few moments later. It was clear to both of them that, if they wanted to gain what this pillar offered them, they would have to offer more blood, a lot more – a body's worth. . .  and that it didn't have to be their own. . . But what was it exactly that the pillar offered? Even this much they didn't know.

Something caught Eike's eye in the moss-covered rocks that littered the base of the pillar, and he picked up a dagger from the dirt, one whose blade and hilt had been rusted beyond all recognition. This, too, tingled in his hand, bearing some kind of unknown power.

They glanced at each other, then at the pillar. They did not wish to kill each other – this much was obvious – to discover what this pillar did; and so, knew they did not have what the pillar wanted, at least at this time. With nothing more to be done, they decided to leave and return to their companions. But just as they were about to exit the clearing, Goliad remembered the blue flower, which he had unconsciously dropped a second time; he turned and looked for it and found it near the base of the pillar, except that it now looked nothing like it once did – it had died, its petals dry, brown, and withered.

So he left it there, wondering what kind of magic was at work here. Catching up with Eike, they left the obelisk together, wondering who built it, what purpose it served, why it was built – and in asking every question, they always knew in the back of their minds that there was only one way to find out.]


As Imbellem and Zoltan regained consciousness, their worst fears had been confirmed – Goliad had returned. Eike and Goliad, approaching from the woods, re-entered the campsite. Imbellem immediately dived for something to plug his nose.

"Do not worry, friends," said Goliad assuringly. "I have no more gases for this morning."

Imbellem ceased rifling through his sleeping bag and, hesitantly, decided to trust him on this.

"Enjoy your walk?" asked Zoltan.

Eike and Goliad exchanged glances.

"Yea," said Eike. "It was fine." He left it at that.

They spent the morning packing their things, dismantling the campsite, and getting reading to start the day once more.

"Well, all that remains now is to wrap up this mystery once and for all," said Zoltan. "Manual Keirch is counting on us to find justice for his brother Henri's death. And though it's a good bet the Baron's responsible (not to mention he's got ties to Vaterland invading the north), we don't have any proof. It's up to us to get that proof."

"And that proof," continued Eike, "is waiting for for us in Baron von Auspitz's manor."

"Yes, that is right my friends. Then what are we waiting for? Amazing adventure awaits!" cried Goliad.

Gathering their wits and their things, they headed back to the town of Varna. To their relief, the town gates were open and unguarded, like they typically were during the day. No mob waited to lynch them. No assassins waited to snuff them. No doubt the excitement of last night was passed of as some of the usual ruccus. And since the town of Varna, being a quiet place, didn't have any official townguard at all, there was no one to watchout for – except perhaps Ol' Phil, the gatekeeper they had seriously pissed off last night, and of course, cronies of the Baron.

They walked through town, seeing the townsfolk bustling along the street with their usual business. Passing by the General Store, they glanced inside and saw the shopkeeper was in an exceptionally good mood, sweeping with gusto (his date last night must have gone well). They continued through the main part of town and turned onto the road leading to the mine. There, half way to the mines, they saw the side road which led to the Baron's manor, its spires and high windows peaking out of a large copse of trees.

They went down it, continuing through the fields, then through the copse. Only after they had passed through a thick veil of pine did they see the manor. It was big, easily the largest building in town, and definitely the most stylish: Four stories high, antique architecture, freshly painted, gargoyles on the corners, a large set of doors in front, surrounded by garden, all encased by a wall of forest for privacy, yet able to see the whole town from its upper towers. The Baron knew how to live.

Out front a couple gardeners toiled, one in the flower bed, another in the hedges. Smoke rose from a chimney in the back, probably from the kitchens. Somehow, the adventurers knew they had to get inside. But how exactly? That was left up to them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:10, Sat 06 Aug 2016.