An old and slowly decaying castle with a surrounding village and farmland in the middle of the Charwood forest. Hidden away from most worldly concerns, even the merchants avoid the place given it is at the end of a long and lonely road. All must pass by the underground cities previously known as Rock Haven (Dwarven) and Loamburrow (Gnome) but overrun by evil forces generations earlier and now know respectively as Neang Kazan and Uriah Kazar.
Some supplies once trickled down a barely remembered trail from the north, but nothing has passed that way in a generation.

All in all Felonius is a sleepy little place. The local lord (who although has proclaimed himself a king holds little real power) has tried to maintain a military force, but without outside trade to help support the people, the best men are required to toil in the fields, the blacksmithy and other supporting industries. Even the armour and weapons are mainly second rate having been handed down from earlier generations and repaired many times.

Surprisingly to the handful of outsiders who do visit, the militia have had some small degree of success against the orcs and goblins from the south. Some would say that is because those humaniods have been outcasts from their own tribes, or drunk, or possibly even both. Even so, the general feeling of the settlement is confidence in their ability to band toget in times of crisis and hold back the forces of evil.

You however have a more realistic view of the world and the appearence of two green dragons complete with riders in the sky only add to the feeling imparted by reports of increased humanoid patrols that it's time to move on. It was a nice place to stay, while it lasted...

OOC: Get your equipment in order, etc. On the road shortly.

All good things must come to an end, Nikodemos thought to himself.  Here in this smoky barroom, everything seemed copacetic...despite the numerous rumors of seeing humanoid troops in the forest, most of the townsfolk were going about life as usual.  The general feel was that if any of those "mongrel trash" tried any rough stuff, the local soldiery would be more than capable of repelling such unorganized rabble.

Nikodemos was not nearly so naive.  He'd fought orcs and hobgoblins, and while they were far from civilized, they were often hard and canny fighters.  And he had the strong feeling that these were not merely raiders or tribal outcasts.  From what he'd heard, they acted more like scouts or forward patrols.  The overflight yesterday had cinched it for him...that reptilian silhouette was unmistakable, and he had no intention of dying choking to death.

He felt a twinge of regret...he didn't want most of these people to die.  But he had no hope of talking any sense into the local leadership...the "king" was little more than a blowhard with delusions of grandeur, and his appointed officials were toadies and lickspittles, for the most part.  He was also afraid he had little chance of convincing any of the townspeople to abandon their homes and livelihoods.  People have a right to make their own decisions, he thought to himself.  Even stupid ones.

Finishing his breakfast of sausages and fried bread, he glanced around...Ailani was off on some business of her own, but they'd agreed last night that things were likely to become less comfortable in the near future, and that they should be vacating the area today.  Well, he trusted her to take care of herself, and she'd be returning to the inn before they left; her horse had been out in the stables earlier.

He stopped off at his room to exchange his casual clothes and studded brigandine for his full armor; wars could be hazardous to one's health, in his opinion.  He checked all his weapons and made sure his equipment was packed, ready to leave quickly.  He felt no worries about leaving most of his possessions; he'd wizard locked his room upon renting it, and was fairly sure no one in town was capable of circumventing his spell.  Just to be safe, he wedged a small piece of wood in the jamb near the bottom, unlikely to be noticed...but where it would serve as a warning should he return to find it on the floor.

He made a last quick swing through the marketplace, buying a some fresh provisions...who knew when they might next have a chance to eat baked bread?  After a bit of consideration, he added a skin of decent wine...that was even harder to come by on the trail.

Whistling softly to himself, he headed back to the inn, hoping that his 'partner' would be back by then.

(...Ailani was off on some business of her own...)

"Yep! Mm hm.  That's right!  You've got it!" she exclaimed, clapping playfully.

Across from the Valley-elf were a pair of locals.  Both men stood in a highly curious position --

Each had an index finger extended directly beneath their nose, similar to what one might do if about to sneeze.  The other arm was curved up above the head.   Both stood upon just a single foot -- with the shin of the opposite leg crossed over the kneecap.

"Are -- are you sure?  It feels most awkward, I must say..."

"No.  That's it.  That's exactly the position in which we elves meditate. As taught me by my great-grandmother, Ipalilifea, when I dwelt in the Everheart forest. And you two have it down.  Keep doing it -- it will start to feel much more natural. And just wait till you see how it improves your concentration!  And, not to mention," she added conspiratorily in a lowered voice, "the difference your wives will start to notice in your, em, prowess."

"Truly?"

(People have a right to make their own decisions...Even stupid ones...)

"Oh, yes.  Wouldn't fib to a pair of upstanding gents like you. I make all my men do it.  Well, now, I must be off.  My friend and I are going to take a trek into the forest, and make sure it is devoid of orcs and such vermin. He is a ranger, as myself. We have worked together for nearly a decade, now. And remember - if you want to make the meditation especially effective - chant thrice the mantra 'Ilesere, Erevan', just as I told you.  Bye!" she waved and flashed them a winsome smile.

By Arvandor...what a religion!she reflected amusedly, as she retreated from them, trotting back toward the inn.

Fun was fun, but they had been here long enough, in her reckoning. She was growing just a little bored. And pig-snouts, blue-noses, and a pair of draco-verdant were quite far from the sort of company she wished to keep.  This place would fall ere the year was out, she wagered.

Spying Nikodemos as she neared the inn front, she waved, called "Did you get your breakfast? All set?"

"Aye, I had a bite.  Yourself?  Unless you have any last-minute things to take care of, best we be on our way."

She wore, as she often did, a rather amused expression, her eyes twinkling.  Nikodemos smiled slightly himself, recognizing her mood...no doubt she'd been up to some petty mischief or other; such things usually put her in a good mood, with laughter bubbling just under the surface.  She had once claimed, her face the model of soberness, that such things were a sacred requirement of her faith.  For his own part...Nikodemos thought she just liked playing tricks.

Lowering his voice slightly, he turned to the subject of their travel plans.  "Naturally, we'll want to head north."  If any serious troops were to move on the town, it would be from the south.  "I had thought about heading west and skirting the edge of the forest...that way, we'd have some cover, but still the ability to strike out across the plains if we needed to move fast.  But earlier I found out about an old track heading northward directly.  Maybe it would be better to stay under the tree cover, considering those greenwings we saw.  Less conspicuous."

"What do you think?"

One of the assets of traveling with this man, was that it seemed he was always prepared, always had a plan.  Of course, that wasn't her strength, exactly - so maybe he looked good by way of contrast?  Nonetheless, she had generally found his judgments sound, his reasoning on the mark.  And she had no reason to refute it in this instance.  She nodded her concurrence.

"I think it's well. Chromatics of any shade are Hell on wings. Staying out of their sight is a splendid idea.  I had some fruit this morning, it was enough, and I am ready to leave.  My steed is already packed; I can help with yours, if you've anything left. If not...then let's bid Felonius farewell."

"I just need to run up to my room and grab my pack.  If you wouldn't mind saddling Jax, I'd appreciate it."  She often dealt with the mounts; she had a natural way with them.

He took the stairs two at a time, noting his room hadn't been trifled with, and recovered his pack and bow.  He took a few moments to dispel the wizard lock on his door, so as not to put the innkeeper out of countenance, then bid farewell to the spartan room.   Time to be on the road again.

He met Ailani down in the stables and swung up into the saddle.  As usual, he took point, and the pair headed north out of Felonius.

OOC:  After we put some distance between us and the town, I'd like to do a little hunting in the early morning (let Ailani sleep in), see if I can acquire a little fresh meat to stretch our provisions.  Won't go too far from camp.

OOC: As your steed's name is Jax, I think Ailani's roan mare must surely be Cracker, or Apple. ;)

As to the rest, sounds like a plan. Late morning...yay! The life style of the rich and famous.  You hunt, she'll cook. If you bring back venison, it's fajitas.  If rabbit, then a mean haus n' feffer.  If rats...ugh...stir fry.

The day suits the overall mood - cold and wet. Soon both Nik and Ailani are drenched through, and shivering, your horses not faring much better.
The path you follow is initially fairly easy to follow given local farmers still use it on their way to and from town, but by late morning most of the farms are behind you and the once wide paved road becomes overgrown with shrubs, trees and moss, significantly slowing your progress.
Here and there patches of snow and ice resist the drizzle, sheltered underneath the denuded trees. Occasional glimpses of animals fleeing your approach the only significant signs of continuing life. Eventually you decide to seek a suitable camp site having travelled an estimated fifteen miles.
Casting about for half an hour or so, you eventually find a fallen tree, propped up on another log which will, with a little effort and time, provide a small amount of shelter. Still, without a tent it will be a long cold night, especially if you can't manage to get a fire going in the wet and miserable conditions.

Nikodemos takes some time to cut several boughs from nearby trees and lay them propped up on the angled log on either side, so as to improvise a lean-to shelter.  He also tries to find the driest (or least damp) wood that he can, to build a fire (clearing a space around, naturally).

"I hope this works," he mutters under his breath, and chants the words to a spell.  Drawing his sword, he says "blaze" and the sword shimmers with flame...he touches it to his prepared wood, trying to catch it alight while keeping himself back.

Although the elf was perfectly happy (overjoyed, even, after ample time upon the road, in conditions such as this)to be served, while residing at establishments, out here was a different story.   Her association with Nikodemos was an important one in her present life.  He supplied so much of things that were not her forte.  And had a compatible outlook on life, and an easygoing, pleasant manner.  She would be loathe to wreck such an optimal partnership.

Therefore, she did her best to pull her weight, once it was down to business.  She set about gathering firewood and shelter materials, and otherwise assisting him in the work.

However, as the half-human drew his blade, and ignited its occult flame, Ailani abruptly paused -- head slightly cocked, listening.

"Niko -- did you hear that?  Something like a drum, or gong? I am sure I heard it. But cannot tell what direction..." the priestess-rogue added with a frown of concern.

EDIT:  Alani does have the direction sense skill (and wouldn't be surprised if he has it too)...if I hear the sound again, can it be used to try and pinpoint it? 
This message was last edited by the player at 20:08, Sat 28 Jan 2012.