Zorlon - Levdia

[Switch]

Ford ponders.

 

"Hmm, I'm not sure it's such a good idea to split up. Especially not if Siffli is going to be taking our strongest fighter with her!"

 

He gives Siffli a slightly annoyed look.

 

"That stuff about the arrows is odd... especially since it wasn't common knowledge. I wonder if it has something to do with what happened here..."

 

EDIT: Corrected my mistakes. :P

[Arturius]

ooc>did i get the wrong end of the stick my lot aren't at whitten are they?

 

"I thought you needed an arrow ford? surely the clue to the arrow may be with who wrote the note or this could be a wild goose chase?"

[Abramul]

"If we do split up, I'd be willing to accompany you, Siffli. But ONLY if you don't complain!"

[Switch]

(OOC: Gah! Damn it. Sorry, got confused. Will edit my post...

 

Done.)

[Malchik]

Thail looks at you. "You should be safe enough with the Held. It might help for the others to go and find a secure place for you to use as a base in Witten. As I said you will all need to be there soon. I will grant you a spell Lisette and you Lurel. It will let you make direct contact with me telepathically so I can pass messages between you."

 

Ari will lead those of you going to the Held there in less than an hour. Thail offers to teleport the others to just outside Witten.

 

OOC> You will not be apart for long but it will speed things a little to get the Witten base established and something of the city discovered while you are working out about the arrows.

 

Lurel, Ford, Midge and Ari

 

The Held's temporary settlement is of makeshift huts assembled from branches. It is very strange to see 'sixteen year old boys' breastfeeding infants. You realise that Ari might be anything from 16 to 86!

 

Ari is pleased to see that they have brought a potters wheel and some clay.

 

After ascertaining where the 'leader' is currently situated Ari takes you at once to Indril. The elderly woman still resembles a sixteen-year-old. She is far from welcoming.

 

"More strangers! What do you want?"

 

Siffli and Lisette

 

You arrive at the Eastern side of the city of Witten. The city is in a pristine state but largely empty. It once housed more than a million people but now there are maybe five or six thousand. The largest group are around the square east of the central (main) square. There is another sizeable community at the southern edge of the city. Other houses may be occupied but most presumably are not. You know that there will be a system of sewers beneath the houses accessible from some cellars.

 

The street closest to you leads in a straight line to the central square passing through the occupied square.

 

The buildings along this street are three storeys high. The street is wide enough for you to walk along without fear of surprise ambush.

 

The sky is heavy and grey but there is no sense of it stifling life as in the Held settlement.

[ThetaOrionis01]

Lurel bows.

 

"Greetings. We know this is not a good time to intrude upon you, but we have come here to ask for your help in solving a mystery involving arrows."

 

He frowns, taking in fully what Indril just said.

 

"More strangers? Forgive my curiosity, but who were those other strangers?"

[Switch]

Ford looks around at the Held.

 

'Hmm... so what they said was true. They all look 16!'

 

He motions to Ari.

 

"Hey, Ari... so... how old are you actually, then? Sorry, I'm just curious."

 

He grins slightly. Upon their arrival at Indril's hut, he keeps quiet, yet can't hide the surprised look on his face. Despite the things he'd heard about the Held, for some reason, he was still expecting an old crone crouched over a stick!

[Malchik]

"Don't try to joke, child, you haven't the knack. One stranger sent you here and saddled us with looking after a lot of other strangers."

 

(It may be odd to be called child by a sixteen-year-old!)

 

She scowls at you "What mystery about arrows? You fire them with bows. We use them all the time. I can hit a mayfly at 500 paces!"

 

She glowers at Ari "Shouldn't you be throwing pots, Ari the potter? We lost enough in the move!"

 

She glances back to Lurel and Ford. "I'm not in a giving mood today. You want anything from me you have to do something to earn my trust."

[ThetaOrionis01]

"How can we earn your trust?" Lurel asks. "I believe that it is important that we talk, but you don't know us, and have no reason to believe a word we say. Tell us what we can do for you."

 

'I'm glad we were warned about this Indril, and I don't doubt her claim about the mayfly at all.... I hope we can win her round, though.... but it would be better to mention the invoice for arrows later when she may be less hostile, I think.'

[Malchik]

"If you want to earn my trust you must complete the task I set you. Ask around."

 

At your frown she says. "I have given you the task. Earn my trust!"

 

She all but kicks you out.

 

Asking any member of the Held will give you the following information. The only members currently in the village are those too old or too young to work and wet nurses. One group is out gathering food. Another is building a protective wall around the huts. A third is guarding the sick children from Heidal

 

Ari is told again that the settlement is short of pots and to get back to work.

 

To cover as much ground as possible you'll need to separate. You won't be able to reach the hunting party. Midge is probably most use helping Ari. Ford and Lurel should divide the other two groups between them.