Tales of Faerun

[AurianaValoria1]

"I've got to stop this burning," Rhaine breathed, sheathing her sword and carefully leaning over Conall's lycan form. She glanced with an uncertain look in Nawen's direction, then held her hands over Conall's mutilated hide, "I do not know if this will work as well on this body, but I must try." She channeled a strong Heal spell into him, and the seared flesh smoothened and seemed to become less angry, but the skin was still blackened, and his body still trembled with pain and shock. Looking up at Aera, the Doomguide backed away, "Please...carry him to his tent and we can continue to care for him there. He is still in critical condition."

 

Aera wordlessly nodded and, with astonishing ease, slid her hands under the white werewolf and lifted him from the dirt. She then led the way back to camp, heading straight for Conall's tent, as Rhaine had instructed. Meanwhile, Rhaine made her way over to where Marie lay, and when she glimpsed the girl's milky eyes, she gasped as if she'd been hit in the stomach, "Oh, sweet gods above...Marie!" The Doomguide knelt by the Ordain sister and hovered a hand over her blinded eyes, "Can you see anything at all?"

 

Zorica, uncertain of what to do other than try to stay out of the way, began gathering up the pieces of Conall's armor that had been violently expelled off his body, all the while addressing Rameses rather bitterly, "There's nothing more we can do...the wretch flies off anytime he comes a hair's breadth close to death. I think his name is Slitherus...Sillisus...something like that. I have no idea why he's staked us out as his foes, but I'd wish he'd go rot in the hells."

 

Argyros watched the darkness with keen silver eyes and spoke with a dangerous tone, "He will if he comes back."

 

Abby, who was not at all comfortable with a foe as strong as that having gotten so close to camp, slowly followed Aera back to the campsite with a quite murmur, "I think I'll be pulling an all-nighter now..."

[FreemasonGamer]

As much as it frustrated Rameses, Zorica's sharp words only supported the reality that there was in fact nothing he or any of the others could do to retaliate after that mage's surprise attack; such helplessness borderline infuriated the fire genasi nearly as much as the sheer arrogance and madness of the mage's actions. Additionally, Rameses slowly came to realize bickering among his fellows or chasing after the airborne mage wouldn't accomplish anything good, so he sheathed his longsword, cursing sourly in Primordial under his breath. With blood still trailing down his left arm, Rameses held his cut as tightly as he could. Aching pain also pulsed through his bruised and battered form, but he did not dare ask for treatment when so many others had broken bones, charred flesh, and possibly much worse afflictions. The loss of his dagger also angered the genasi, but his boiling frustration was waning; perhaps he could find the blade in the morning when all was said and done.

 

Rameses then watched Codswell begin to rush off into the night, and he snapped to the halfling, "Don't waste your time, Codswell." After noticing the snarking anger lingering in his tone, he sighed in less hostile voice, "Go back to camp and help the others keep watch, if you want to be of help. We're not going mage-hunting tonight."

 

Finally, Rameses took Hazel's suggestion and staggered over to Dri and Weyland, the latter of the two seemingly much worse off. Watching them for a moment, the genasi only noticed their bruises and slight burns from the fireblast; however, Dri's dazed writhing and Weyland's panicked cries clearly hinted at mental trauma of some forsaken variety. Finally, he kneeled down and attempted to sit them up. "What in the name of Tempus did that bloody mage do to you pair?" Rameses asked, attempting to speak as non-threateningly as possible.

Edited May 5, 2015 by FreemasonGamer

[Diamondragon62]

Codswell stemmed his anger as much as he could and came back to camp and began vigorously tying all sorts of knots, but shockingly most knotted ropes were made into nooses as he began laying traps muttering angrily at his own inability to have done nothing. His rage knew no bounds as he kept working setting up such an elaborate trap even he had trouble getting back to camp afterwards. "I set up everything to catch the brighter. There is no possible way he could dodge all those traps unless he was me! And he wont worm his way into my mind! I dealt with mages trying to break into my mind before! Officials who were trying to pry information from me! I learned how to block them out so this time I won't be caught off guard and this time....... I will not let him escape alive. This time he will fall. Even if I have to die in the process. Nobody harms my friends and lives afterwards. Nobody!" Codswell barely kept himself in control as he fought the urge to rush off again. He sat down and after a while started to sob, "It's like the purge all over again.......... unable to do anything but watch as hundreds of innocents were hung, beheaded, and drowned." He stopped after a minute and smiled, "Hey all you know what we need? We need a good song to lift our spirits, eh?" Codswell broke out into a happy little jig in an attempt to make things better, "Come on guys, join in! Laugh! We still got our heads and our lives right? So let's not all be sunk in dread and sadness. Let's sing so the heavens hear us and the gods smile at our happiness!" He keeps on singing merrily.

[Flipout6]

Dri was faster to recover than Weyland was. The warrior still lay on his back, holding his head and babbling under his breath. Even then, however, she was thoroughly confused and still disoriented. She couldn't think straight, as if her mind itself was refusing to cooperate with her. There was so much she could remember now, that she hadn't before...or...

 

...Maybe it hadn't happened to her at all.

 

"I....don't know." She managed to stammer out to Rameses. "I don't think I'm injured..."

 

"Not physically, no." Amendale said darkly, having looked them over for injuries. "This isn't something I can heal. It was some very dark magic he used against the two of you." He frowned. "It'd odd, though...usually such magic leaves its victims stark raving mad if not outright dead. It looks like Connall and Nawen saved your sanity by intervening before he was through with you."

 

"Thank you." She whispered, primarily to the werewolf and drow in question. "Could we have a bit of space, please?"

 

"Weyland's still out of it." Amendale stated matter-of-factly.

 

"I know. I'll try and help him, but please...space." Amendale nodded respectfully and went to check on anyone else who might be injured.

 

Marie squinted at where she thought Rhaine's hand was, fighting through the stinging of the freshly-healed cuts on and around her eyes, but saw nothing but blackness. She blinked a few times and tried looking again. Nothing.

 

"I can't see a thing." She admitted, voice trembling with fear. "There's only black."

 

"He blinded her?!" Arland demanded. "Can it be healed?"

 

"I don't think so." Marie murmured. "Hazel's healing only helped the pain."

 

Arland looked at Rhaine for a second, and then back at Marie. "I've never heard of magic doing anything like that."

 

"Her eyes look like they've the same affliction Silithus's do." Amendale pointed out as he poured a bit of healing magic into her, only for her to report that her sight had not improved in the least.

 

"Let's at least get you back to the camp." Arland decided, pulling her to her feet. He steered her back towards the campfire, holding on to her by the elbow to help her keep her balance. Annette stayed by Marie's side, worrying and fretting over her sister, while Sybille helped haul the wounded Connall back to a tent at the camp, concerned about his labored breathing and the smell of burnt fur.

 

After much coaxing and cooing, Dri managed to get Weyland on his feet as well, but had to let him lean on her shoulder as she walked back with Amendale's assistance.

[FreemasonGamer]

Rameses was quick to give Dri and Weyland ample space after she asked for it, standing to his feet as Dri's strange voice—or thoughts, rather—lingered in his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he also saw his bloodstained dagger resting in the sand. So, the genasi was quick to reach down and grab his blade before sliding it under his belt. As his comrades began to move back to the camp to tend to their wounded, a weary fatigue began to settle in Rameses' bones as he sighed deeply. The others did not seem to need any further assistance with helping their afflicted members back to camp, and Amendale seemed much more capable to assist the mentally-shaken pair, so the fire genasi helped himself back to his tent, his feet dragging through the sand as droplets of blood trailed behind him while he held his bloodied left arm still. Once at his tent, Rameses was met with the concerned gaze of Jarl, the normally abrasive and seemingly uncaring camel of his.

 

"I'll be fine." Rameses said quietly, looking through his bags and satchels. Eventually, he found a roll of old bandages and used them to poorly care for his cut arm. Don't be weak, Rameses chided to himself in thought, You've gotten this far alone, the rest should be easy. "Didn't have a mad mage chasing me before." He countered under his breath.

 

Once his arm was tended to—which itself overstated Rameses' attempts at treating his cut—the genasi checked over himself and confirmed that his aching was not caused by any broken bones. Even though he had hoped to prepare himself a dinner before the battle erupted, Rameses' appetite was nowhere to be found. So, he sat down where he once was not ten minutes ago and took out his blades, resting them in his lap. Releasing a quiet sigh, Rameses began to clean and polish his dagger, thinking of that mage all the while. Who or what he was and his intentions for causing such harm were unknown, and any feasible course of action to stop him was also currently unknown. Therefore, the fire genasi came to a pitiful conclusion as he thought to himself, on the run once more.

[Llhunara]

Sitting near the fire, half aware of what was even going on around her, Llhunarra had been slow to react to all the commotion outside of camp. At first she had been lost in a state of confusion, fuzzy mind attempting to pinpoint exactly where the sound was coming from. When she had figured it out the redhead had made no rush to assist, confident in those that had been patrolling the perimeter of the camp. If they couldn't handle whatever creature had stumbled out from the forest, then what help was she going to be? Combat wasn't really her forte and based on previous experiences with the group, she was of little use. About to gaze back into the flames dancing before her, the rogues eyes would instead widen at the sound of an explosion.

 

That hadn't sounded good...no matter who had caused it.

 

Scrambling to her feet, scooping her belt off the ground, she moves in the direction of all the commotion. The last to arrive on the scene, her slight buzz evaporated when she saw the aftermath of whatever spell had devastated the area...and several of her companions. Weyland was in the worst shape, his fur blackened and his armor in pieces, this the first time she had gotten a good look at him in his altered form. Marie seemed to have lost her sight, the healing soon bestowed on her doing little to return it. Others were injured as well, and on top of it there was no fallen enemy in sight. Whoever had done this had escaped.

 

Swallowing some, Llhunarra was unsure what to do. She could not heal nor find words that would be of any help...she was useless. Glancing to the woods she then looks back to those gathered. Before she even realized it she was moving away from the group, silent footsteps carrying her past the treeline.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Llhunara

[Diamondragon62]

Dances over to Llhunarra smiling and singing, "Come on lass, don't you frown. At least you didn't fall on your crown. Come on and sing with me. Let's sing and be free. Be merry and smile we are all still alive. I'm sure next time our enemy won't escape alive." Codswell makes funny faces and all around acts like a complete fool trying desperately to make the rogue smile and laugh as well as the others. "Come on guys we're not down yet. There is a cure, I'm sure I'll bet. All we has to do is think, with maybe the occasional drink. We laugh we cry, we live, we die, but right now, here we stand, and we should all be glad. An instrument I would have, if I could whittle down a staff. I'd play you a song, to right all wrongs."

[Flipout6]

"We don't need a song, halfling!" Arland snapped at Codswell as he escorted Marie to a seat by the fire. "What we do need are perimeter guards and extra hands for the healing. So stuff the merrymaking, we don't want it right now!"

 

"Ease up, Arland." Sybille said. "He means well."

 

"And he's annoying the hells out of me." Arland scowled, but relented. He handed Marie a canteen of water and a bowl of stew and sat beside her without saying a word.

 

Sybille, still suffering from some injuries from the explosion, let Annette tend to her, downing the potion handed to her without complaint. Her back as covered in first and second-degree burns and her left arm and side had been cut to ribbons by flying rocks and sticks from the explosion. Thankfully, she'd shielded Annette from the debris, and the Ordain girl suffered only a few scrapes and very minor burns.

 

Weyland and Dri didn't say a word all night, save to each-other, as they sat on the fireside. Amendale would come back around and check on the two of them every few minutes, but only received a barely-perceptible dip of the head when he asked if they were doing alright. Weyland perked up a little bit when the Moon Elf came around but he was still obviously shaken. He held Dri's hand the entire time, sometimes squeezing if he thought she needed it. She conveyed her gratitude to him- and only him - through her amulet, not with words but simply feeling. By the end of the night, though, they were little better than they had been when they were first rescued.

 

In-between checking on the two of them, Amendale spotted Rameses and his wounded, badly-bandaged arm and approached the genasi.

 

"You should have just come to me and I'd have healed that." He scolded Rameses impatiently, his temper being somewhat more volatile than his usual clam self. He grabbed the wounded arm gently nevertheless, placed his hand above the wound and channeled healing magic into it. "There. You're fine, now."

[josh900]

Leif stared at Codswell's antics with an incredulous look, unable to believe what he was seeing. "So... you're a bit on the addled side I see."

 

Having watched the attack from a distance, Hexol returned back to camp shortly after it was safe and witnessed Codswell's dancing and singing. With a sigh he approached the halfling and tapped him on the shoulder. "Umm.. Cods... I know that some would say that I'm really hyperactive and cheerful all the time but, even I know that there's a time and place for it, and right now isn't the best time for the "happy happy fun time" shtick. So stow it." Hexol said in a surprisingly serious tone of voice before moving to sit next to Leif, angrily muttering under his breath as his hand unconsciously slipped into Leif's pocket and withdrew a few coins which he began to fiddle with.

-----

 

"That bastard son of a festhall working leper!" Azuris swore as he got back up to his feet.

 

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked with a groan, his chest feeling like it had been beaten in.

 

"Partially." Azuris spat.

 

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked as he looked over to Azuris and got his answer. Whether from the blast, or having been thrown to the ground and scraped against something, Azuris's right cheek and jawline was a bloody, hairless mess.

 

"After we kill him, I'm taking his head, getting food poisoning, and I'm gonna let it all loose in his skull." He growled as he wiped his bloodied cheek. "This is gonna take months to grow back damnit."

 

"Well...it could have been worse." Lucas said as he got back up to his feet with a wince.

 

"Yeah.." Was the only non-profanic thing he said as they made their way back to camp.

[AurianaValoria1]

For much of the night, Rhaine spent her time moving back and forth between Conall and Marie, trusting Amendale to care for anyone else who had been injured in the blast. They had pulled a blanket over Conall's unchanged form - for whenever he morphed back, he would most assuredly be naked - and the Doomguide applied healing salves and restoration magic frequently to the mangled flesh of his chest. For Marie, Rhaine administered potions and mild curative magic in hope that whatever affliction had struck the girl's eyes, it would not spread to other parts of her body. In between sessions with both companions, the Chosen flipped through her prayer books and references in hopes of pinpointing the exact curse Silithus had bestowed upon the Ordain sister. Sometime after midnight, however, she let them alone as they slipped into a deep sleep. She, herself would not. Her thoughts were too active, and she resolved to speak with Weyland and Dri as soon as possible to discern the specifics of their magical ordeal.

 

Zorica noticed Llhunarra wandering off by herself and almost said something, but then decided against it. The half-elf was a grown woman and could make her own decisions. The paladin prayed that their attacker was long gone and would not bother the rogue, but she did little else. Instead, she remained alert and on guard, keeping watch along with Argyros in case anything decided to disturb them again.

 

Abby, true to her mutterings, stayed awake for a long while as well, staring off into the flames of the campfire in a trance. She found such solitude and peace in watching the licking tendrils of flame that she forgot all about the prank she had played on Leif. She would eventually fall asleep in front of the dying embers close to sunrise, curled up in a fetal position in the dirt, a half-empty plate of Leif's cooking at her side.

 

===========================================

 

When dawn finally broke, the camp began to slowly stir. Zorica had given up the watch and gone to bed only a few hour previous, but Argyros remained vigilant, silvery eyes scanning the horizon. Abby yawned widely and stretched, brushing the dirt off of her body with a slight scowl before clapping a hand to her stomach, "Hmm...when's breakfast?"