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Post by Tiny Tim on Oct 14, 2013 8:23:09 GMT
Charlotte sets to work rapidly on Goldoth's manacles You know, all of this reminds me of those books I read that father brings back from Indum. I want to go there some day... visit the amazing cities of the west. While speaking Charlotte is deftly applying force to just the right areas of the manacles and using her hammer and punches to pop hinges out or her chisels to pry segments apart. In short order she is finished and moves on to help Henry. These manacles seem to be lower quality than the ones the Empire normally uses. Where are you from Henry? Is it an amazing city?" Seeming to just be trying to take everything in, Mae quietly excuses herself, "I'm going to see if I can find Jhon and see what he thinks of all this. I'll return in a minute."For everyone: The hay loft covers about half the total are of the barn, from the wall farthest the doors to approximately the half way point. Access is provided by a ladder at the back of the barn. For the people in the loft: The hay in the loft ranges from a foot and a half thick to, in other places, several feet. Through the window in the back visibility is provided in one direction only, but from which you can see what looks to be some type of orchard.
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Post by sacrier on Oct 14, 2013 15:24:56 GMT
Seraphym leans over to the side to look at Paul on his way up, blinking for a moment before looking back out into the orchard. "Everything is all quiet from what I can see, thank goodness too." He sighs, finally loosening up a bit from the more formal speech earlier since he's no longer in the middle of such a large group of people. "What's ya' thoughts, quiet man? Or are ya just gunna keep to yourself?"
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Post by psichomancer on Oct 14, 2013 20:04:58 GMT
Confident that things should be stable for the time being, Alstar relaxes somewhat and reclines on some shuffled hay facing everyone. He's slightly shocked about how much more comfortable it was over their previous living space and gives a small laugh. Those amber eyes close and he inhales deeply, deciding upon a small nap. Or at least to just rest his eyes. DM note: Alstar casts detect magic in the area in front of him. He positions himself to hit everyone and is trying to bluff concentration as resting. Hopefully no one will notice and he'll cast for three rounds or until Mae returns. Sal is still flying for him or is resting on the top of the barn, your pick.
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Post by Rasq'uire'laskar on Oct 14, 2013 21:33:11 GMT
"Well, we've got sentries up..." Henry says, turning to Juhka. "What will your hawk be able to tell us?"
Henry keeps the shackles after Charlotte removes them.
"I'm from Lucein, a port on the northern shore of Mezentia. You could walk from one end of the docks to the other in a day, and wander the shipyards until daybreak. You would see ships of all sizes, even five-masted junks from the far southlands. If it could be found west of the Kraigor Reaches, it could be found for sale in Lucein. Which is why it's so odd that I have never heard of Eriodem."
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Post by Rotaretilbo on Oct 14, 2013 22:19:07 GMT
Goldoth rubs sensation back into his wrists and ankles, now free from the barbed manacles and fetters. "Goldoth thank Sharlett." Rising to his full height, Goldoth stretches and then turns to Jukha and adds, "Goldoth want find Beth now. Jukha and Goldoth go?"
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barcaii
Galaxy Nation Builder
Posts: 48
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Post by barcaii on Oct 14, 2013 23:26:35 GMT
"We will go search for Beth soon Goldoth. Maybe she is somewhere here in Eriodem but before that, let us wait a little bit longer. Maybe Jhon knows where Beth is, it would be a shame if we left before he came here. If you want something to do, you can climb up there and listen to their stories, maybe they have see Beth before? Or if you want to I can tell you a story about Bharag Bol." Jukha smiles a bit sadly while speaking to Goldoth before sitting down leaning against a stall facing the barn doors.
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Post by psichomancer on Oct 15, 2013 5:57:57 GMT
"So far so fair, mister Southgard. Sal doesn't see anything out of the norm," Alstar responds to Henry. Then, to Jukha and Goldoth, "Just out of curiosity, do you two mind telling the rest of us about this Beth? Judging by your praises, she must be quite the lady."
Alstar yawns, settling further into the straw. "I don't mean to pry, so don't feel obligated to indulge me. Or, if you'd like, we could swap stories. I once knew a beauty named Sasha..."
His voice trails off, and his eyes seem to get cloudy. "...Sasha..."
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Post by Rotaretilbo on Oct 15, 2013 6:09:10 GMT
Goldoth turns to regard Alstar. "Beth Goldoth sister. Beth see like Sharlett. Goldoth have Beth earring." Goldoth fumbles with a small pouch hanging from his neck and produces a small silvery earring shaped like a dragonfly with tiny little green eyes. "Beth lost. Beth not know Beth earring. Goldoth find Beth and give Beth earring."Note to DM: To anyone that succeeds on an appraise check, the earring is made of about an ounce of silver, and the eyes are tiny emeralds shards.
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Post by sacrier on Oct 15, 2013 17:16:06 GMT
Seraphym shrugs, looking outside at the orchard impatiently. "Where is he...? I want some answers and I doubt we'll get much out of those two downstairs... Nice women, but something just doesn't seem right about this whole situation." He thinks out loud, trying to see if the quiet man has anything else to add. "She claims the nearest mountains are weeks away, yet we washed up on the river. Unless that river has some insanely quick currents we would have had to have been out for days atleast."
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Post by Pheonix on Oct 15, 2013 21:23:56 GMT
Something is...not right. Paul says after some time. Being in a river for days would have killed us long before we were found, assuming none of us drowned while being unconscious anyway. We need information. Being in a land that none of us has heard of is no good.
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Post by eruletho on Oct 16, 2013 0:41:54 GMT
Garuk, stirring slowly, manages to keep his wits about him and remain both still and silent, taking in the scene mentally before even opening his eyes. He briefly remembered the fall, and then nothing, for what the brutish-looking orc now supposes was days ago if the two humans were to be believed. Noticing the rest of the assemblage, Garuk notes that only two of them still have shackles, with a small girl presently working to free them. Noting this as a sign of good faith, the orc decides to play it quietly a little longer, seeing what he can learn from the others before revealing anything himself.
Hearing of the troubles for non-humans in the lands, Garuk gets the feeling that the fates have dealt him another challenge. His perpetual mission of enforcing freedom has now been given an entire country upon which to practice, beginning with the present company and, eventually, the enslaved and downtrodden of this entire realm. It matters not where the orc came from, nor where he eventually ends up, but if there exists slavery, Garuk would eliminate it.
If possible. First, he had to figure out where he was and, more importantly, where he could start. Seeing the older woman leave, he finally speaks up from the floor of the barn. "Little one, your companion mention'd helping others b'fore. Know you where some others might need being helped reside?" Realizing that his wording was wrong, Garuk curses that he still, despite all his time among the various races of the realms, has not yet completely mastered common.
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Post by psichomancer on Oct 16, 2013 1:51:39 GMT
"Ah," he said, coming out of his reverie. "Well, best of luck in finding her then. Goldoth, is it? I'm sure you'll be able to get it back to her someday. The one I lost was a part of a...company of mine. One day, we were doing our usual job, but then a traitor captured and enslaved us. In the process, we were sent to different markets. I'm still looking for her too."
Noticing the other orc, Garuk, Alstar turned to address him. "I think it'd probably be best if we first figure out what in the Nine Hells happened to us. Perhaps it would serve our mutual interests for the time being. Although Charlotte, if you'd be so kind, I'm sure everyone else would love you to answer this one's question."
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Post by Rotaretilbo on Oct 16, 2013 2:27:06 GMT
"What mean...'tray-turd'?"
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Post by psichomancer on Oct 16, 2013 3:35:39 GMT
"Someone who betrays your trust," Alstar's fists tighten and he stands up, brushing off the hay sticking to his back. "He set us up. Worked with me long enough to earn my trust, lower my guard and when we least expected it he struck. It was during a mission. I heard Sasha scream, and I ran over. A knife was plunged into her back, but she somehow survived. And then he backstabbed me, hauling us away as soon as we passed out. Good thing he was such a bad sneak. But, in the end, I didn't mind too much. Our new captors slit his throat after he killed too many potential slaves when he took us in."
His eyes smoldered as he thought about his one-time employee, who he once thought of as a friend.
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Post by Rotaretilbo on Oct 16, 2013 3:47:40 GMT
"Allster talk lot big Beth words. Goldoth not know Beth words good," Goldoth grumbles, turning away from Alstar. "Jukha, talk Goldoth words. What Allster talk?"
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Post by sacrier on Oct 16, 2013 14:31:23 GMT
Seraphym looks over at paul, nodding as he idly picked up a pice of hay and began to turn it over in his hand. He was nervous about everything going on, but hearing someone else share his suspicions made him a little happy. "Good, glad to know i'm not crazy and imagining this all." He leans over to inspect the man beside him, eyeing him up and down and after a second he spoke again. "So, neither of us know where we are. Well, i'll be honest with you when I say this, if we spend more time together and a fight breaks out... I'm no fighter. So may I rely on you to be the one doing the fighting, paul? I am a talker, not a fighter. Would that be a fair trade?"
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Post by Tiny Tim on Oct 16, 2013 21:23:33 GMT
Charlotte begins to respond, but as she does the door to the barn opens and a slender-built middle aged man with, as most in the party can tell, stress beyond his years enters. You assume that this man is Jhon. He spends a moment scanning those still assembled in the lower barn area. He speaks with a firm, but kind tone. "Why are you lying to us? Do you expect us to help you further if you do that? Is that how they repay kindness in your home of Lucien, Henry? Do the orcs of your homeland live up to the vile reputation that the Emperor would have us believe, Jukha?"
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Post by Rotaretilbo on Oct 17, 2013 0:13:15 GMT
Goldoth perks up at the mention of orcs. "Jukha, what mean...'viol'?"
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Post by Pheonix on Oct 17, 2013 11:23:36 GMT
Paul just nods to Seraphym as he listens to what is going on below the loft and prepares to hear shit go down.
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Post by Rasq'uire'laskar on Oct 17, 2013 16:26:23 GMT
Henry Southgard nods at Jhon in greeting.
"What makes you think I am lying?"
"As for the orcs, the ones that deserve their vile reputation make for terrible slaves. I would presume that these orcs are domesticated, or nearly so."
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Post by psichomancer on Oct 17, 2013 18:21:45 GMT
Alstar had been concentrating long and hard on something. He waved a hand at Jhon, unsure of how he wanted to proceed. "Hello there Master Jhon. I apologize for the misunderstanding here; I believe it was I who began the falsehoods spoken here, but I didn't intend to harm you or your home. It's a bad habit of mine, one I had developed before being enslaved and mastered during that time. My reasoning behind it was to not frighten you, but I doubt I have that chance now. I have been studying this place for a while, and I must admit I am not all that I appear to be." He takes a deep breath, struggling against every fiber of his being telling him to stop. "I am one who can use the arcane arts. I lied because I was afraid and didn't know what had caused all of this. Yet, you all deserve any answers we can currently give. I have studied some sort of magical force that most likely landed us here. If I could have a bit more time, I could probably pin-point the school involved. The residue is on all of us you found, as well as that pile of hay," he points towards one of the stalls in the barn. "Please forgive my hastily mad and poorly arrived decision. I realize now it may be harder to trust me now, but know that what I speak of now I do not lie." He raised his hand, closed his eyes, and a bright blue light shone from his palm. "I am what your Empire would call a rogue magician." DM note: Alstar takes a moment to cast Light on his palm, and then continues to focus on the residue on himself and, more stealthily, on what exactly is going on with Seraphym's aura and anyone else with their own magical powers of the arcane.
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Post by Pheonix on Oct 18, 2013 0:39:18 GMT
Paul chuckles to himself about the man lying in front of followers of the Eater of Lies thinking that He must be getting a light snack from all this.
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Post by sacrier on Oct 18, 2013 3:37:48 GMT
Upon the new variable, Jhon, entering the barn Seraphym looks around in a bit of a frantic manner. Not knowing anything other than a presumed relationship to the two women downstairs, he was attempting to find a route to deal with him. He slowly got up on all four's, crawling towards where the ladder is. He would hold up a hand towards paul, hoping he understood what he meant. He cringes slightly upon hearing the "rogue magician" part and starts to crawl towards the opening in the loft while looking out and trying to gauge the distance, hoping he can climb out and attempt to escape the situation. For the dm: Well, while he's moving he attempts to be silent , and should he somehow succeed and not be interrupted in some way he tries to climb out the loft and probably fall to some inevitable injury.
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Post by Tiny Tim on Oct 18, 2013 6:56:06 GMT
Jhon eyes Henry and Alstar carefully, taking a second to process what was said. "Slavery. That's shocking, but in a way it makes sense. Your chains and manacles were not of a design used by any nation I have heard of. Likewise the condition you were in, the worn calluses of one used to hard labor. But where did you come from? No nation practices slavery anymore. Not even the savage tribes of the north. Though to be fair the Empire does not reject slavery out of any real kindness. More they believe humans to be either too superior for anything of the sort, and the view non-humans as being too unreliable. You were probably in the river for three or four days. It is a swift current. Perhaps the magic that Alstar detected shielded you from harm. Tell me, please, a little bit more about what happened to you."
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Post by psichomancer on Oct 18, 2013 7:07:44 GMT
A faint smile crossed the sorcerer's lips. "Gladly. We were taken through an underground cavern on the way to the largest slave-trading center in our land. There was talk of earthquakes, but no one among us gave them much heed. Suddenly the ground shook with such force it split the carts and cages we were in, and then there was the icy water flowing beneath us. I passed out when I hit my head on some rocks. I'm sure magic was involved in keeping us alive, but if you say slavery isn't practiced here anymore then we've come quiet away from home. Also, my friend Sal is trying to get my attention. Would you mind if I poked my head outside for a moment? I'm getting rather curious about it myself."
Alstar flashes another smile and makes his way towards the barn door, anxious to see the surrounding landscape with his own eyes.
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Post by sacrier on Oct 18, 2013 14:26:01 GMT
He stops, looking down at the floor as he listened. His instincts tell him to try and escape but his curiosity is getting the better of him, and he begins to creep back towards the ladder. He didn't pay paul any mind right now, even though he looks odd with his shuffling back and forth like this. After a moment of listening he gives a confused look, mouthing the words "four days?".
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barcaii
Galaxy Nation Builder
Posts: 48
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Post by barcaii on Oct 18, 2013 22:45:22 GMT
*Jukha speaks in another language*Note to DM: Orc: "He is talking about the enemies of Bharag Bol. The ones who sell their friends and allies for a few gold pices. His Beth was stabbed by a knife as was he then sold as slaves by their companion." As Henry talks to Jhon about the orcs as if they are not there Jukha stands up and glares at Jhon before turning his head towards Henry. "I am neither a liar, nor am I "domesticated" like some animal. I am very proud of my heritage and I would prefer if you did not insult it." After snapping at Henry Jukha turns back towards Jhon. "I am a man of honor, as is Goldoth. Neither of us would harm you or your family after the risk you are apparently taking for our sake. We always honor what we owe others." Seeing Alstar moving towards the barn doors Jukha stops his small rant and instead growls lowly. "I would not him just leave, I do not trust someone so quick to lie just for his own convenience. I think we should sort all this out before we start running around outside and maybe endanger our benefactors."
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Post by Rotaretilbo on Oct 19, 2013 1:07:38 GMT
"What mean...'dumbest-kate'?"
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Post by psichomancer on Oct 19, 2013 1:28:09 GMT
A slight hint of irritation seeps into his voice. "I did what I did to protect them, since if they didn't know who we were they couldn't be pressed for information if they were questioned later. It was a bad judgement call but that's what my intention was. Now, I'm just going to peak out for a moment." He ignores the orc and heads for the door. "Sal and I both think something's going on outside, and I'd rather if things got hairy and any soldiers of the Empire arrived we could engage them out there. Prepare yourselves in case someone is coming." Note to DM: Alstar prepares to cast Daze if he is attacked. He is wary of Jukha especially, but he'll give a warning before casting to anyone who comes closer than five feet. Before they reach that distance (between 10-5 ft) he will say, "Don't come any closer," in his most intimidating voice to anyone other than Jhon, Mae or Charlotte that approaches him. When he exits the barn, he will call to Sal and have him either circle around in search of anything suspicious or to come back and perch on his shoulder and whisper praises into his ear. If he sees soldiers, Alstar will return to the barn door and relay what he sees. If they appear to be a small force, he might tell them to wait in ambush or strike. Yet if nothing is out there, he will stay near the barn and have Sal continue flying above. He will let his guard down if no one is outside.
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Post by Rasq'uire'laskar on Oct 19, 2013 1:43:11 GMT
Henry is somewhat impressed that Jhon can tell the make and manufacture of what he regarded as generic manacles.
"Jukha, please speak in a language we can all understand. Respect is a two-way street. As for you, Alstar, climb up in the loft and get a good look around before you step outside."
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