Tales of Faerun

[DracoRazgriz]

Collecting his thoughts Myn took a deep breadth to give himself some time. Then, he began to speak slowly "My name? Well, it's a mouthful, but since you asked and my mother had a sense of humor... it's Mynos. Mynos Argantes Ty'rii, but I've always disliked Mynos... and I usually prefer to just be called Myn instead. As for why and how I was buried there, that is a rather long and boring tale. Suffice it to say a cut down variation will work just as well, if not better in this case. So... to begin, I had some pressing need to cross the Anauroch a month hence ago, the reasons why that is I rather wish to avoid, but that I made poor judgement in choosing caravans should be noted upon." At this Myn stopped briefly to take another long drink from Kalin's waterskin, then continued "We were nearly a week out in our crossing when we stopped at an oasis not too far from here and were promptly set upon by bandits. Now, as I am a swordmage and former ranger of the Silver Marches, I signed onto the caravan as protection. And once we were attacked, I began to fight the bandits in hopes to save the others. The caravan master, it seemed, had other plans."

 

Once again Myn stopped his tale, but this time, he was quiet for some time until he realized that he was deep in thought and remembering his time in captivity, and as he realized this he shuddered greatly. "The rest, I would like to keep to myself, though I will say that I spent some time as the bandits prisoner and that it invariably led to my being buried."

Edited February 23, 2013 by DracoRazgriz

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine nodded, "As you wish. I am Rhaine Alcinea, Chosen of Kelemvor. My companions and I are escorting a caravan on a trip to Shadowdale. You are welcome to join us, if you wish. We will be leaving again in a few hours, but for now, you should rest."

 

The Doomguide then rose and walked back towards camp, putting the kit away and sitting beside Sori.

 

Maeve smacked her spoon on the side of her pot, smiled, then called out, "Oatmeal's ready if you want any!"

[josh900]

After a few minutes Tannin came back to the camp. Thoroughly missing in-door plumbing he tried his hand at a spell he was once taught that would clean just about anything. His hands did glow a bit as he cast it but he was still unsure as to whether or not it worked. Figuring it wouldn't really matter in the long run he went ahead and got a bowl of oatmeal and ate it as happily as one could with finding sand in his meal. "Have I mentioned how much I hate the desert? Sand just goes....Everywhere." He said in a grim tone.

[Flipout6]

Weyland shot an incredulous look at Tak'We for stealing his preserved bacon, and then moved both himself and the bacon out of arms reach of the bacon-napping Thri'Kreen. He was one of the first to grab oatmeal, politely thanking Maeve for preparing the meal. He sat away from Tak'We to protect his bacon and ate, enjoying the meal. At Tannin's comment Weyland had to agree.

 

 

"Nothing more than overheated dustbowls, really, filled with bandits, nomadic tribes, and the occasional patch of sanity taking the form of an oasis. The sooner we're out of here, the better. I'd had enough of deserts long before I met anybody here." He ate another mouthful of oatmeal.

 

 

Amendale had come over to grab some as well, and sat down beside Weyland as he ate. He may be at least familiar with most of the people in the camp, but Weyland he'd known the longest and therefore usually stuck by the most. He still didn't say anything, though.

 

 

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Arland was a little surprised to find Ginafae cooking, but he supposed that even an evil witch like her knew some practical household skills. He shrugged it off and found somewhere away from the other two to think about anything he could do.

 

 

It was, to him, a moral dilemna. He could serve them in order to learn more about Weyland, only to discover later that his brother was dead, as he had originally thought. And even if Weyland lived, Arland would likely come out of the ordeal steeped in the blood of

innocents. He wasn't sure if it would even be worth it to bother with these two, even if they were his only lead. Perhaps he could eventually find Weyland on his own.

 

 

But then, Weyland was one man in the entirety of Faerun.

 

 

Arland sighed internally, having come to an impasse. He was used to getting his hands dirty to serve the greater good. But the entire issue came down to whether finding Weyland would turn out to be the greater good, or if it was just Arland's selfish desire to find him again.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Flipout6

[Deleted6317247User]

Nawen thanked Maeve for the oatmeal and joined the others at the camp. She only chuckled at Tannin's comment. It's true some of their meals had sand grains in it but Nawen wasn't picky when it came to the food.

 

"I hope we'll encounter big enough animals that are worth hunting. With Tannin's and Amendale's cooking skills we'd have a feast." She commented as she ate the oatmeal. She meant no disrespect to Maeve's cooking, her oatmeal was very good but she could never say no to a cooked meat.

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine took a bowl of oatmeal for herself and winced as her teeth crunched gritty sand. She bore it without complaint, however, grateful for something other than hardtack and jerky. After a few bites, she commented, "According to our new friend Myn, there's an oasis not far from here."

 

"Gods be praised," Bilron replied with a look of obvious relief, "Let us hope it is not overrun with Zhents."

 

"I do not know about Zhents, but Myn did mention bandits," the Doomguide added.

 

Maeve frowned, "I'll be sure to load the crossbows tonight, then. I'll be damned if I'm going to let them take our livelihoods from us!"

 

"Mama, we are going to be OK aren't we?" Sori looked up at her parents with big eyes, suddenly not her usual lively self.

 

"Of course we are, little'un," Maeve answered, exchanging glances with Rhaine. The Doomguide merely nodded in response, her unsaid reply understood between them.

 

Turning to Nawen, she added, "Maybe we'll run into some camels, eh? I hear the Bedine live off of them."

 

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Maydiira followed Kento closely, trying not to let herself lose her air of confidence. She met the staring gazes of the townsfolk with her steady silver eyes, not letting them see the fear and nervousness that tightened and twisted her stomach inside. The drow consoled herself by mentally repeating that she was not like her wicked kin...she did not fear the light; she stood with courage beneath the sun.

 

In an attempt to take her attention off of the villagers, she asked her comrade, "So...what do we do now?"

 

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Before long, Ginafae had transformed a substantial pile of meat and vegetables into a hearty stew. The heavenly smell permeated the shop...almost masking the scent of blood.

 

Almost.

 

With a distinct lack of ceremony, she pulled two of the smith's bowls from the cupboard, filled one for herself, then filled the other and practically threw it at Arland.

 

"Eat it or not, jaluk. I don't care. But that is all you get from me this day. Consider it your reward for eliminating the nuisance," she jerked her head at the closet.

Edited February 25, 2013 by AurianaValoria1

[GrueMaster]

Tak'we took a bowl of oatmeal after finishing the meat he had, the sand not bothering him terribly. He looked at Weyland in puzzlement, wondering what he'd done to receive such treatment. "What did thiss one do?" he asked honestly. "When thri'kreen travel, everything isss shared."

 

He twitched, hearing his clutchmates speaking about their journey through the desert. *Tck!* "If thisss desert iss the same asss the sandss thiss one iss from," the thri'kreen said, getting up and walking over to Nawen and Rhaine. "Food shouldn't be a problem. Thiss one sstill remembers how to hunt in the desert. Ssuppliess should be used carefully, sstill."

 

Tak'we heard the anxiety in Sori's voice. "Don't worry, Ssori, " the thri'kreen comforted, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Thiss one won't let anything happen to softskin hatchling." There was a strong conviction in his voice; he'd grown to love the sweet child in the short time they'd been traveling together. And I'll tear anyone who'll hurt you or clutchmates apart, he swore silently.

 

 

 

Kalin didn't eat anything when Maeve called out that dinner was done. "No thanks, milady, " he spoke politely, "I'm not terribly hungry right now." In truth, he didn't need eat or drink, his body being sustained by psionic energy as it was.

 

He took back his flask and watched the others as they ate and drank, sadness and envy coloring his mood. He could eat, drink, and act like a human all he wanted. But for them, it's so normal, he thought, missing his old life as a human. I wish I'd died that night. I should've died that night. The elan twisted the ring on his finger, the last thing he had of his family. That way I'd be with my family.

 

He stared into the fire, lost in his thoughts on his existence. Yes, I'm alive, but to what end? Everything was taken away from me, and now I'm considered a freak even among my own kind, so why was I spared? He shook his head. Oh, listen to yourself, Kalin. What good will self-pity do you? Irritated with himself, Kalin spoke to Weyland and Amendale, eager to learn about his companions and distract his mind. "So, you two seem to have known each other a while. Know any tales to pass the time?"

 

Edited February 25, 2013 by GrueMaster

[josh900]

Tannin smirked at the mention of the oasis being guarded. "Zhents, bandits, either one should worry if they try and stop us from using that oasis. But then maybe we'll be able to negotiate with them. See if they'll allow us access without us having to put anyone at risk." He said in a hopeful tone.

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Sensing her fear Kento slowed down to walk beside her. "The man i hunt had a saying, that if you act like you belong somewhere, people will assume you do. He could infiltrate the most secure keeps in the world by walking through the front gate. Smile, wave, show that you are not a threat and they will not see you as one." He said trying to help her calm herself.

"As far as what now... I do not know. I have been following a path I believed would lead me to the man I hunt, but the path has ended here. He may be here, or will be here." He said in a frustrated tone, obviously angered by the lack of direction.

[Flipout6]

"Yeah, sure. Just using that as an excuse to steal my bacon." Weyland muttered and sidled away from Tak'We, guarding his bacon jealously. Of course when Amendale mischeviously swiped a piece Weyland shot him a withering glare that would have tamed a lion. Amendale was of course unfazed and maintained a perfectly oblivious poker face.

 

 

 

As he went and sat on the other side of the fire, Sori's unease was quite evident from her fearful demanour and tone of voice. Tak'We did his bit to calm her down, and then Weyland added his bit as well, even if it was perhaps not the most effective. "No worries, if anyone tries any cute tricks I'll personally disembowel them. If they're stupid enough to try anything when we have Tak'We around, anyway. The intimidating, strong, bacon-nicking Thri'kreen."

 

 

 

In response to Kalin's question, Weyland began to tell a story. "Well, there was this one time way back when a few years ago when this Undertaker comes to us and tells us that he would go to work every morning and find empty graves. I don't mean undead, I mean graverobber. Well, it turns out that the graverobber robbed the bodies and turned them into undead. So we tracked him down in this house in the slums, and then we find the man with at least five zombies and a skeleton down there. It was pretty spooky in the dimly-lit room. So we take most of them down before the necromancer hits me with some spell and freezes me solid just as Amendale cuts down the last zombie. So they start firing at each other with this spell and that, and the graverobber tosses a fireball that misses Amendale entirely, sails through a wall and then blows up an entire half of the house before Amendale hits him with an acid arrow and melts him into a puddle, poor guy. He had to spend the five minutes barraging me with fire and leaving me out in the sun before I could move again." Weyland chuckled. "I remember the expression on the guard's faces as they arrived clear as day, watching as the house collaped and I was literally being immolated in fire. I believe that was also the same night that Amendale got drunk and belted poetry out at the top of his lungs while standing on a table."

 

Amendale chose that moment to chime in. "That was you, Weyland. Quite an entertaining scene." He smiled, amused.

 

Weyland waved it off. "...irrelevant trickery and misinformation. It was still funny."

 

 

 

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Arland cut the bowl without spilling any and decided that he might as well eat it while it was hot and there in his hands. He dug in, surprised at how good it actually was, though he wouldn't be complimenting Ginafae anytime soon unless it was a double-edged blade, so to speak. He finished it and then sat down to polish his blades, figuring that he might as well kill time until he was assigned some other task by one of his two new enemies. Maybe he ought to just forget about Weyland and go back to assassinating nobles, at least then he was acting of his own will. These two were probably manipulating him. If he found out they were....

Edited February 26, 2013 by Flipout6

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine smiled as Tak'we stood close to Sori. It was obvious that the thri-kreen had become rather attached to the girl, despite her dubbing him "Bugman." The title was an affectionate one, though, and Tak'we seemed to have taken it as such. Tannin then spoke of negotiations, to which Rhaine replied, "I doubt it. If there are Zhents, they will undoubtedly try to kill me if they find out who I am. Our churches do not get along...and that's putting it lightly."

 

The Doomguide had not failed to notice Kalin's momentarily fallen spirits, and she hoped that she had not offended him by not partaking of his drink. She did not comment, though, listening to Weyland and Amendale as they shared a tale. She frowned when the warrior spoke of the necromancer, "Despicable souls...inexcusable. Those who disturb the rest of the dead deserve no mercy. I am glad you brought him to justice and gave his perverted creations peace once more."

 

Sori finished her bowl and leaned back against Tak'we, her complete trust in her insectoid friend obvious to all. Maeve and Bilron exchanged glances, then merely shook their heads. She then turned her head to where Xallistine was, "Hey Tentacle-Face! You've been real quiet. Why don't you share a tale, too?"

 

Rhaine smiled, rising quietly and setting her bowl aside before walking a bit from the camp. The Doomguide wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a few moments, as she often did in the evening hours. She did not go far enough to lose the sound of her friends' voices, however; it was unwise to wander a great distance from the group.

 

For a few breaths, she simply stood, breathing in the cool air and shivering slightly from the constant breeze. Rhaine looked up at the marvelously clear sky, peering as far as she could into its depths. She offered a few prayers into the purple-black depths, speckled with silvery glitter and punctuated by the bright orb of Selune.

 

Her amulet and ring hummed softly, giving off a brief flicker of warmth, and she smiled again. At this point, she never had to guess...she knew it was Kelemvor saying hello. Rhaine continued to gaze up at the stars as all mortals were want to do - staring at the worldly heavens in an attempt to see the planar ones. Then, the Doomguide sighed heavily, as if trying to shrug off her worries with her breath.

 

May the gods continue to smile on us, she prayed, guide us and protect us...and give us the strength to prevail when all seems lost.

 

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Maydiira attempted to follow Kento's advice, breaking into a nervous smile and waving at a gawking boy. He promptly let out a yell and scrambled into a side alley, running as fast as his little legs would carry him and not daring to glance back over his shoulder.

 

She sighed, "Perhaps we should ask someone? Surely there is one here who knows this man."

 

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Ginafae ate her stew in silence, her thoughts focused like a razor sharp point on trying to find this Weyland fellow without exposing either herself or Sana. Arland was certainly the key, and though she detested even letting the pathetic man live, she knew she had to balance blackmail with rewards to keep him both afraid of leaving and wanting to stay for whatever information they gleaned.

 

At last, she deigned to look at the lamia, her ruby eyes glittering, "So, l'thi...what does this Weyland look like? What are his habits? What type of jaluk is he?"