Brulna squinted at the location the elf pointed to. The muscular witch wondered if she could hit them at this range?

After tshe took a deep breath the woman shook her hands and prepared to cast a spell when one of the beasts came into range.

ooc: MAGIC MISSILE

"If I die to a drake, send word to my family of my honorable death."

Oswyn readies his battle axe and moves up to slightly higher ground, awaiting combat.

Not having a weapon of range, Aila heeded Petar's admonishment to seek cover.  Except for the hair daggers, she carried nothing with a point, but she did still have her "big stick" at hand as she moved to take cover until a more opportune time.

In reply to Aila (msg # 35):

Angus, being without offensive spells or a range weapon, joined Aila with his staff.

You watched as the flying creatures approached. It now became evident that they were large and lizard like, with leathery wings, lizard-like heads, and clawed hands and feet. Their overall shape resembled something akin a small wyvern, with only four legs, and a relatively short tail. Their coloration was of a bright grass tone, with darker tones on top and lighter ones along their underbelly. If anything deserved the name of "drake", these things were it.

They flew with great speed, and as they came over the clearing, they flew closer to the ground.

That is when Brulna unleashed a Magic Missile at the lead.

The glowing arrow flew straight and true, aimed at the first drake in the formation, who for a moment attempted to turn and dodge. The missile, however, would not tolerate such deviations. Despite the motion, it just turned elegantly and struck it a small measure to the side. You could hear a growl in the air from the creature as the arrow slammed into it, leaving a visible blackened spot and exposed flesh. It raised an arm into the air and guided the others towards the first of the rocks on its side of the clearing. They landed one of the larger boulders, perhaps 75 feet away, hunching like predator birds over the edges. It was close enough to see them clearly, but far enough to assure that any overt hostilities would have to cross the distance first, giving both parties enough warning of imminent intent.

The lead drake, clutching his injured side, spoke in a sibilant western common loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Leave here now, Sorevak, or you will break the compact. It will be war."

Sowen, followed closely by his half-brother, stepped up.

"You have hidden this riddle for far too long, Coldrit. It is now over. Take your brothers with you and never return, or you will have to deal with us."

"Those are unwise words, old one. War it is."

The creatures rose into the air again, turning back in the direction they came from. Neither Sowen nor Olagh attempted to do anything to stop them. When the creatures were out of sight past the trees, Sowen turned and said with urgency in his voice,

"It is done. We are now committed. Let's explore this cave and see what we find."

He turned to Olagh and added,

"I believe we can trust them. Go and summon the others. We are going to need them. Tell them the compact has been broken."

Olagh nodded silently and turned to face a south-eastern direction. There, before your eyes, his body and possessions transformed into the shape of a drake, but this one colored with a rusty orange. This drake took into the sky and flew off at a fast speed. He was soon out of sight past the trees.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:56, Sat 06 Mar 2021.

Camille stormed up to Sowen, pushing everyone else out of the way. She grabbed the trademan-soldier by the collar with fury in her eyes and screamed at him.

"Where is my sister?!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:07, Sat 06 Mar 2021.

Petar had been about to shoot but Brulna's magic beat him to it.  In those tense moments after, the elf wondered what kind of chances they had against a group of the monsters.  Maybe Exidamarall had charmed them, or allied with them .. maybe the drakes were the new cult??

The lead drake, clutching his injured side, spoke in a sibilant western common loud enough for everyone to hear.

Surprised at the parley, Petar is even more surprised as Sowen and Olagh reveal their true natures.  He had suspected them of .. something .. but of being drakes themselves?   Petar is speechless as the drakes argue.

"War it is .. wonderful," Petar mutters to himself.

When the creatures were out of sight past the trees, Sowen turned and said with urgency in his voice,
"It is done. We are now committed. Let's explore this cave and see what we find."

"How much time do we have?  What are we facing?  Can you tell us more, Sowen?" Petar asked, a bit plaintively.  Just then, Camille barged up, a lot more passionately and the elf moved beside her in solidarity.  Hopefully they would all remain friends despite the sudden revelations.

Brulna looked on astonished at the sudden change. As Olagh transformed into a drake. "If his nme is even Sowen.... what have stumbled upon"

Aila stood, quite fascinated by the drakes, some of what the strange ghost of an orc-king had said starting to make sense.  Green ones dangerous, ember ones less so.  Where does rust fit in? Aila thought as the one she had known as Olagh transformed and departed.

For the moment, though, she was interested in just how Sowen--or was it Sorevak==was going to respond to the questions which had been put to him, and her eyes darted to where she had last seen the orcs with the red skins, to see what reaction they might have.

OOC: Hey folks, just got back to normal today. Work had one of those crisis that demands all your attention and damn the torpedoes. It just finished today, so I can go back to paying attention to other details. I have a backlog of email I need to catch up to.

But my head is spinning and I feel thoroughly exhausted. I will have to sleep this day out.

Brulna looked to the male elf and Angus and asked aloud, "did either of ye have any idea that the two were dragonkind? I surely didn't. And if so do ye think the orcan knew either?"

In reply to Brulna (msg # 43):

"Only those with True Sight knew. I do not have it."

Brulna looked to the male elf and Angus and asked aloud, "did either of ye have any idea that the two were dragonkind? I surely didn't. And if so do ye think the orcan knew either?"

"It was a secret, and well kept," Petar replies.  This is why he was pressing Olagh for more.  Considering Camille's reaction, it was likely Doromas didn't know either ... which meant it was certainly a little known thing around all of Emberdell.   How many more .. were-drakes??! .. were there among the populace?

In reply to Black Angus (msg # 44):

"My head was always in my books on the farm. Except when I was working next to my sista. Pardon there broken common comes out at time. We have so much to learn Angus..."

Brulna looked to the elf as he spoke. Then responded.

In reply to Petar the Elf:
"So... you think the orcs knew? So many mechinations at once. I can't wait to delve deeper." A smile sprouted on the stern woman's face.

In reply to Brulna (msg # 46):

Angus smiled at Brulna, "I think you do fine Brulna, just fine! Your sister did too. I just don't know why she went back to the farm so quick, she feared nothing!"

In reply to Black Angus (msg # 47):

Brulna sighed, "My sista has a blood lust. She can hack anything, but can she can get... lost in the  moment."

The orcs stepped back in surprise, raising their spears and pointing them at the man they knew as Sowen. Regnok's face frowned, his mouth opened as if to say something, but closed again. He approached Petar and said,

[Language unknown: "Thi, pro ess ic pewer ionevepro widin has viressrat ek? Prman her ro betrin?"]

With a hand gesture he tried to calm his warriors down. They seemed unsure of the situation. Drakes to them had been dangerous and brutal in the past, but here, this one was not attacking. This one was actually intelligent and civilized, and yet, also capable of changing its form.

Sowen, still smiling even with Camille at his neck, raised his hand apologetically but firmly. "I assure you I don't know where your sister is. But I believe that if we follow where this is leading, we have a good chance of finding her. I am on your side. I hope you believe me." He sheathed his sword and assertively pulled her hands from his collar and took a step back. She allowed him to do it, turned around and stepped away as well, fidgeting nervously.

Lland approached, sword in hand.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you a drake, too?"

"Yes. I am. It's a bit of a story, but now is a good time as any, I suppose." His carefree smile returned to him. "And I can tell it while we explore the cave behind that rock." He approached the side of the boulder, but noticed that no one was following. He sighed.

"I see. Let's do it fast, before 'they' return." He sat on a rock and put his pack down. There, he pulled out a whetstone and began to sharpen the edges of his long sword.

"Yes, I am a drake. My name among my kin is Sorevak. I am one of many, and we live among the hills and mountains, and sometimes in towns, among people. We keep secret as we believe others would fear us, but we want the same things everyone else wants: to live in peace and enjoy our days, have children and grow old. But among our kin there are differences. Not to paint too broad of a picture, we have different ideals. There are the green drakes, who are more of a mind to take what they want by force, and there are the ember drakes," he pointed at himself with a flourish of a motion, "who desire to work with others in peace. There are others as well, but here, among these foothills, only green and ember have made nest.

We embers have lived here in a truce with the greens for generations. But lately, there has been a shift in power. Something has stirred the greens into attacking travellers, and pushing at their boundaries. With this change the orcs in the hills have also taken up arms and come down into the plains, and closer to Emberdell. We tried to learn what happened, only to discover that undead had begun to roam the forests south of the mountains. We learned that the greens were hiding something, and attacking anyone who came to the hills, but that news cost many lives. We realized that the peace we had had for so long was now at risk of breaking. When adventurers arrived and became the first front, we joined them to learn more. We have had no luck, that is until you arrived. You were the first ones to find good information, and to lead us to this place. The fact that we were challenged by Coldrit, the head of the clutch, means we have arrived at the right place. They will be back soon, and there will be more of them. The only reason they didn't attack us, even after your spell, is that we outnumbered them three to one. But that won't last long. Whatever they are protecting in here, we need to learn what it is, take it, or break it so they can't use it. I am sorry to have dragged you into this 'family conflict', but if we didn't act, I believe they would have become bolder and struck further. And I didn't want the fight to reach Emberdell."

He tested the newly honed edge of his sword and found it to his satisfaction. After stowing his equipment away, he stood again.

"We should get started. We don't want to be here when the rest of them return. My brother, Olagh, will gather many of our kin, but that may take too long. When the greens return they will be a score or two in number. It would be wise to be far away from here by then."

Mysh let out a whistle of a breath. "Two score? You mean, we've been surrounded by drakes all this time? There better be some good gold in there."

Camille asked softly, "Do you think they found my sister?"

"Priestess, I cannot tell you. I do not know. But the other adventurers didn't return, and neither did our brothers. I can only hope for her life, and if she is alive I promise you I will help."

Camille nodded silently. She gripped her mace firmly, checked the straps on her shield, took a deep breath, and steeled herself for a trip into the cave. "Let us start." She looked at Petar for instructions. "Let's get in there."

---

OOC: Sorry, fellas, I've not been feeling too well lately. That work detail I had to pull left me exhausted, quite drained. I am just beginning to feel Ok again, so I thought I'd try creating this post. I think it came out well.

Angus lined up to go inside the cave to see what they could find. He found Brulna and aligned with her.

Regnok's face frowned, his mouth opened as if to say something, but closed again. He approached Petar

Petar was careful to listen closely and offer the orc leader proper respect.  Now was not the time to alienate these new allies, and the elf believed any future battles had better be with the red orcs, and not against them.

"I see. Let's do it fast, before 'they' return." He sat on a rock and put his pack down. There, he pulled out a whetstone and began to sharpen the edges of his long sword.

"Thank you, Sowe-, er, Sorevak.  I admit you had me completely fooled, even just a few days ago when we first met I had assumed you and your brother were simple farmers with very little experience.  I doubted you would survive any battles and felt your greed for bounties was short-sighted.  I'm glad this is not the case.  Please, tell us as much as you can as the more everyone knows, the better ...."

***

"Priestess, I cannot tell you. I do not know. But the other adventurers didn't return, and neither did our brothers. I can only hope for her life, and if she is alive I promise you I will help."

Camille nodded silently. She gripped her mace firmly, checked the straps on her shield, took a deep breath, and steeled herself for a trip into the cave. "Let us start." She looked at Petar for instructions. "Let's get in there."

"I think we are all agreed to press on?" Petar said, semi-rhetorically.  Yes, this might be some kind of diabolical trap, but the elf wasn't so completely rattled that he was going to give in to paranoia.  Better to get in the cave and accomplish something.

Unless someone was vehemently opposed, they had better get started.

As they go in, torches lit and ready for guardians and traps as best they can, Petar asks Sorevak: "Do you think Gharakuh knows your nature?"

Also: "Would the greens really join forces with necromancers?  Or do you think something else is going on?"

Petar was hopeful for more insight.  Perhaps the looming battle against the Coldrit drakes could be avoided by uniting against common enemies.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:22, Sat 13 Mar 2021.

"Best to get going, then," said Aila, preparing to lead the way into the unknown.  "Will the orcs stay with us, Petar?"  There was just a slight expression of frustration, quickly giving way to calm, that she was unable to communicate to find out for herself without intermediary.

She added, "I'm fairly confident that Gharakuh did know, but it seems that he only offers information when directly asked."

"Angus I only have one spell left for the day. Is your repertoire better than mine?" Brulna unsheathed her mace and held easily within her grasp.

In reply to Brulna (msg # 53):

"I have mine yet, two spells." he replied to her.

OOC: Make sure you have a marching order. The party and the orcs are now a large group. And you'll be needing light. Who's holding light?


You stepped into the space behind the large rock, and witnessed what appeared to be a large opening through the rock and dirt. Not but a few feet into it began a series of gently sloping steps that led downwards into the ground. The walls here were made of packed dirt, and widened to almost nine feet in width, but it was not simply dug out and supported. The smoothness of the passage was entirely unseen, so well crafted that you could run your hands over it and scarcely notice any roughness. You doubted this was made by any master craftsman who might be alive today. As you proceeded down the steps, the ground became a series of elegantly placed basalt tiles, alternating in patterns and colors. The curved ceiling rose to about 12 feet in height and displayed a relief of images along a foot and a half band of light stone. It depicted scenes of men and woman in fields and cities, then the arrival of skeleton soldiers, and then a procession where the men and women walked into a 'fire' where they were turned into skeletons themselves. At the end of the story series was a figure in a large cloak, holding a staff with raised hands, under what seemed to be a 'skull sun', which shone rays of darkness below. The relief repeated as you progressed through the tunnel.

You notice that there is now a light blue glow behind you.

Gharakuh's shade is visible behind everyone else, following you as you move ahead. The orcs turned to watch, and Regnok asked,

[Language unknown: "Olhimi blepr she re? Ionli howh resineecters ouosil ilour ek."]

"I have never been away. I am not physical when in sunlight. But in darkness, I can show myself, and speak... and fight."

Satisfied with the answer, the orcs continued to follow you.

You continued your descent and noticed the slow appearance of light ahead of you, shining now up the steps. As the steps ceased you now faced a smooth even walkway. To the left and right were wall sconces holding skulls, long narrow bones with pointed horns. You remember these from three days ago, when you found one among the remains of the dead orcs after you fought the stirges. Here you see these skulls with fires in their eye sockets, silently guarding the passage you are in. Looking ahead, you see perhaps a dozen of these, one on each side, about 30 feet apart each. At the end of the illuminated passage you could see a large wooden doorway, closed.

As you approached the skulls you noticed ahead that where two of these should have been the wall has been broken. Two tall and narrow breaks dug about two feet into the dirt, with the broken remains of the walls thrown haphazardly in front of it. The metal sconces lay among the debris, unconcerned.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 55):

Angus held a torch high as they descended into the depths of the earth. He recognized the story told in the pictures as the one told of the necromancer Exdimerall, or whatever his name was. Angus didn't much care if he said it right or not. The history was good, the magic he learned could prove useful! He still planned on growing great in time, hoping it would speed up a bit, he was anxious.

Brulna was all woman, he noticed, he had become enamored with her sister as well he remembered, but that wasn't serious, Brulna was his equal intellectually as well.

The smoothness of the passage was entirely unseen, so well crafted that you could run your hands over it and scarcely notice any roughness. You doubted this was made by any master craftsman who might be alive today.

Petar was impressed, but also knew that with magic anything was possible.  Also, the ways of olden leaders and slave keepers was such that wonderous things could be built quickly with little thought to cost and worker welfare.

It depicted scenes of men and woman in fields and cities, then the arrival of skeleton soldiers, and then a procession where the men and women walked into a 'fire' where they were turned into skeletons themselves.

A grim history, or hopefully only a tapestry of tales, not actual fact.  Petar was sure the Exidamarall vision of the world was along these lines.  A whole world of undead, eternal, undying.  Such evil ... it seemed impractical: stagnant, limited in scope, without all the potential progress that living things promised.  Out of chaos things advanced, in great leaps sometimes.

<i>"I have never been away. I am not physical when in sunlight. But in darkness, I can show myself, and speak... and fight."</i>

At the rear of the troupe, Petar was closer to Gharakuh and nodded.  "Great Gharakuh the Unyielding, what do you know of this place?" he asked the specter.

My thoughts are to keep the orcs in a bloc, either at the back or front as they wish.  That way we can have the same arrangement of lights as before.  There are quite a few orcs, right?  I get the feeling they will want to be at the front - typical glory hogs ;P

***

You remember these from three days ago, when you found one among the remains of the dead orcs after you fought the stirges.

Petar reminds them of Doromas' examination:



"It should be safe to approach the door ahead," Petar says.  "Continual Light isn't dangerous, itself," he adds, trying to sound convincing.

Question about the caved in walls: does it look like something smashed in from the corridor, our something burst out INTO it?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:03, Mon 15 Mar 2021.