Toben nods, walks over and kneels down at Klale's side. He looks Klale over... not a scratch. "I had a feeling he was in critical condition, and there is so much blood, but there isn't a mark on him." A small ferret emerges from the nearby brush, crawls up Toben's arm and burrows its way into his travel pack.

He looks up at the stranger, "What happened here?"

Klale takes a deep breath...Air...wonderful stuff. He looks at the stranger. The tourniquet...thank you. He blinks. It was so warm, cozy...I was ready to go...sick once, a child...my mother kept talking to me. There was a voice now...saying, "Klale, your work is not done yet.  Please don't go." Nice to be polite.

I moved toward the voice...the draw toward the voice and its particular type of existence, is nearly irresistible. (He smiled.) It had a pinkish-orange flavor.

The voice said, "Your friends need you, still, Klale.  The world needs you." Nice to be needed...nice to know that death maybe can be kind.

He sits up and springs to his feet, fully aware now. What happened? The warrior that ran toward the other camp. What of him? He picks up and sheathes his hammer. My sword—better retrieve it.

He flexes his hands and stretches. I feel great...success then, I guess...so far.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Fri 18 Dec 2015.

In reply to Toben Ironsprings (msg # 288):

" Your comrade, he took a rather nasty wound in combat. Lost a hand somehow. I attempted to aide him, but I cannot take the credit for his current shape. The..err, woman there.. I believe she healed him, though I do not know how".

Ourn stands up, and scratches the scruff on his chin.

Klale starts and exclaims The little dragon, Kornari, Where is he?

Toben stands once Klale regains his feet. "Their leader has been dealt with." He glances past the large warrior towards Saris as she returns with the others. "It would seem the others have as well."

He gives Klale a hearty slap on the back at the mention of dragon, in hopes to somehow distract from the use of the word. "Ha, good one... uhh, I haven't seen that little firecracker since we split up."

His feigned laughter trails off, and he extends his hand Ourn. "Thank you for helping my friend here. Strange times are upon us, and there are many things that defy rational explanation of late. I'm Toben, a scholar of sorts."

Exausted from the fight Ano takes a moment to sit while the others converse.  He had missed most of what had happened back at the camp and with Klale after he lost sight of him.  He takes some time to catch his breath and listen to the others recap.  "Kornari was not to far away from me, but I lost sight of him in the smoke"

In reply to Toben Ironsprings (msg # 292):

Ourn clasps hands with Toben.

" I am Ourn Garamune, an agent of Duke Therion. I've been investigating and trailing leads on the fallen stars, on my leige's orders. My travels lead me to seek the one called Faelorn, and to ultimately press him for information - or dispatch him. Judging from the events I've just witnessed, I'd say that we share a common goal, and that the lot of you may be more well versed on this falling star phenomena than I "

Ourn glances over again at the short and glowing woman, still not sure what to make of her.

Phineas, finally shaking off his initial stupefaction at the surprising turns of events, greets his compatriots.

"Klale, Ano, I'm delighted to see you both looking hale and well! We had some concerns when so many of those beastly creatures lit off after you; I should have known they'd be no match for your prowess. Well done!" He shakes each of their hands, his bravado clearly designed to cover some relief.

Turning to Ourn, he continues, "It appears we owe you something of a debt of gratitude for joining our cause at a timely moment. Thank you for your help. I'm Phineas Highwood, Prince of the Streets, late of the village of Nost."

Toben relaxes a bit after hearing Ourn's intentions. He thinks back to their first outing as a group, and nods. "I've heard of Duke Therion. I understand him to be an honorable man. It seems quite fortuitous that you happened upon us when you did."

He looks over at Saris and smiles. "Her name is Saris. You needn't worry about her though, she has saved our lives more than once and I trust her."

Toben briefly recounts the events that occurred back at the camp for Klale and Ano's benefit. "I have my theories as to what actually happened, but we really ought to be on the move. Pauric's camp is just north of us, and given the deal he was trying to strike with Faelorn he could return here at any moment."

"Ano, can you show me where you last saw Kornari? As prickly as he may be, I don't want to leave him behind."

Ourn replies to Phineas.

" No debt is necessary my new friend. Aiding those in need is simply what those who can do, should do.".

Ourn turns to Toben.

" If she is in your company, then there is no doubt on my end of the ladies integrity ".

He then turns to Saris, and bows in respect, and then turns back to Toben.

" If you say there are more of these snakes in the wood than the ones we've dealt with, then I as well agree we should not tarry long ".

Ourn bends down to retrieve his sheathed sword, and affixes it back to his belt and then his waist.

Ano stands and stretches out his legs a bit and gestures to Toben "He was over here in the smoke, I'll show you."  He walks off towards where he last saw Kornari with Toben and talks in private with him.

"That was almost too close,  we got lucky, and it seemed like the warriors chasing us lost whatever strength they had.  If that had somethig to do with what happend back at camp then it must have been powerful magic.  My biggest question right now is who that woman is.  Is it Saris, or Nestael?"

"Ourn, a word."  The woman places a gentle hand on Ourn's shoulder and speaks softly to him.

"What must we then do to put an end to the madness and strife that plagues these lands? What is this key that Faelorn possess?"

Toben follows Ano over to where the smoke was laid down.

He kneels down and places his hand on the ground.


13:54, Today: Toben Ironsprings rolled 28 using 1d20+14.  spellcraft check .
Toben will attempt to silently cast Earthen Detection to try and avoid being noticed casting magic.
He is specifically trying to detect if Kornari is anywhere nearby.

This message was last edited by the player at 19:58, Fri 18 Dec 2015.

Ourn saved my life; and thank you, Saris, for restoring me. More I'd like to know later, but we have another group to be concerned about.

"You could concern yourself with the others, the one you call Pauric.  You would be well rewarded for taking them on now, though I cannot foresee what losses you will endure at the same time.  However, there is a greater, more urgent quest I must be about.  Faelorn and his men did great harm, and though the choice to do so was theirs, it was not their power nor my own that made it possible.  I must return to the Caldera."

Toben, showing visible signs of frustration, stands up and scans the immediate area. "Clearly, there are signs of his presence, but amidst the fighting... I can't tell where he went. I'm sure he'll turn up when he sees fit."

He bows to apparently nothing, and walks back to where Saris and the others are. "Saris?" He pauses a moment just to see how quickly she responds to her own name. "What do you want to do with Faelorn and his men? I'm no cold blooded killer, but last time we walked away from men of his ilk they ended up collecting a sizable force. A force which resides in that camp north of us."

Saris looks at Toben immediately when he says her name.  She listens intently then smiles.  "Faelorn and his men have lost that which enhanced them physically.  Most of them are in great pain back at the Caldera or in the town of Dunston.  They need to be restored and then they need to face the town's justice.  However, the people of Dunston and those caught up in the Caldera's power are in no fit capacity to make that judgment yet.  We must find and defeat the dark star, Basarshakath."

Saris looks at each man in the clearing, her gaze coming to rest at last on Phineas.  "I cannot do this alone, but the opportunity that is open to you now in Pauric's camp may not come again.  Choose."

Klale looks at Saris. Choose? When you give advice, I think it best to follow it. To Pauric's then. Saris, do we take prisoners?

"I would love nothing more than to stamp out Pauric's influence in this are, but where would that leave us with Basarshakath? Do we lose the chance to free the town of that corruption?"

He thinks deeply for a moment, "If we had to choose one over the other, my choice would be to deal with Basarshakath. Pauric is just a man with a small following, whereas this 'dark star' is something... else."

He nods at Klale, "Otherwise, I agree with Klale. Deal with Pauric then head to the caldera and try to track down Basarshakath."

Ourn folds his arms, a look of concern on his face, and addresses the party.

" I do not know of this Pauric that you all speak of, though I imagine him no better than Faelorn. I have however seen what goes on back in the city Dunston, and letting it fester and sit does not bode well with me. I will follow you, my new compatriots, as we share the same quest now, but know that I wish to see the city and its people liberated from the wasting illness and more in the most hasteful of manners possible. "

Ourn unfolds his arms to avoid looking stern.

" I only mean that I value helping the helpless. I know that it is my emotions and not my mind speaking these words. "

Toben looks over to Ourn, and briefs him a bit on Pauric. "We ran into him, I guess a couple months back, harassing a small town called Towerton. He just seemed like a small time bandit at the time, so when we took him down a peg or two, we left him to the towns justice. Had we known then what we know now, however, we probably would have dealt with him differently. After the fact, we discovered he's recruiting in the service of the Valaraukar."

Saris, I understood you to want us to take on Pauric; then, I guess, to follow you. Would you rather we go with you and leave Pauric to his own devices...I bode he'll follow us.

"I agree with Toben and Orn.  The people are what is important, let us not let them suffer longer then they have too.  We don't know how many men Pauric has, and I think we should take the star further away from him.  As of right now he does not know that we were even here.  I say we put as much distance between us and were can."

Klale keep trying.

17:11, Today: Klale Tsolo rolled 8 using 1d10+7 with rolls of 1.  Damage. +7

17:11, Today: Klale Tsolo rolled 11 using 2d20 with rolls of 3,8.  To Hits.

This has been a horrible dice-roling month for me; I'm 0 for February.