[Last Time, on El WHAT?!: Our heroes, after a bit of hesitation, managed to open the door into the cottage. They also noticed that they appear to have been somehow tattooed on their left palms with a device the man inside the cottage referred to as the "Auryn", the Mark of Heroes.] [The librarian also told them that in order to escape this unknown land to which they'd been spirited away, they would have to find the answer to the neverending story. In the manner of so many beginnings, the heroes were sent on their way with a little food, a little money, and a bit of helpful advice.] [After traveling through the night, they arrived on the crest of the last hill before the town, and are ready to proceed onward.] [Session 3... START] * Tiffany has been staring at her palm for a good half hour. She is stretching her arm to it's full length, as if it was infectious and she wants to keep it away from herself. "Snakes..." she mutters to herself... "Why did it have to be snakes?" * Sophie walks towards the town. "Well come on, no sense in waiting around." * Fadi nods. "It had to be snakes because of an old movie cliche." * Fadi starts walkin' torwards town. * Tiffany follows, slowly. * Harold is still trudging on in the lead, confident enough that they're reaching their location to put his self-made map back in his pocket. * Now that the town is in sight, it seems to take forever to cross the last bit of distance to the sparsely populated edge. The first building to come within smelling distance is, unfortunately, an inn with attached stable, though at first it's difficult to see the inn itself. * Sophie peers at the town. "My... Doesn't look quite like I... expected." * Tiffany looks up, apparently noticing either sound or scent from the stables, her hand quickly forgotten. She speeds up to a light run, a warm smile breaching the grimace on her face. * Somewhere further into the town, you can hear the rythmic thudding clang of a smithy in operation. Ahhh, everything here's completely... medieval. * Harold sighs in disappointment. * Fadi breathes deeply, then caughs on the exhale. "That's what it looks like." So much for finding a phone. Oh, I'm sure they'll have some kind of communication to the outside... I just want a quick look through the stables... We have time. I'm not so sure about that... who would we even talk to about seeing stables? I guess it couldn't hurt. * Fadi shrugs. "I have no clue." ... who do we even talk to about getting home, _period_? Don't these places usually have some sort of elder or something? * The interior of the stable is dark and rather smelly. There's a small bell just inside the large entrance. * Tiffany wanders slowly through the area, slowly looking each horse over. Her eyes show a keen if not sophisticated sense of purpose. * Sophie looks the horses over and responds to Fadi: "I'm sure there's many elderly people here." * The horses in the stable are not amazingly high quality, by modern standards. They're rather small, in fact, though nearly as well built overall. They're certainly not racing horses, though. Hmm... maybe we _should_ try to find out who's in charge, and tell him about ourselves... * Sophie looks the stable over. "Hmmmm... Not bad, I suppose." * Fadi nods. "I wouldn't expect them to do anything, but at least we'd clarify who we are." * Tiffany stops in front of a dappled mare, her hand resting gently on it's head as it eats. "Not up to east coast standards, but pretty nice overall. She reminds me of Princess." ... but how do we find out who's in charge? * Tiffany turns away from the horse temporarily. "I'd ring the bell." Ask. And what's up with girls and horses? * A small voice rings out from near the entrance. "Hey! What are you doing in here?!" * Fadi looks for said small voice. * Sophie looks over that-a-way. * The small voice came from a small boy, maybe twelve years old. * The small boy has sandy blond hair and is quite dirty, and a little smelly, especially for this early in the morning. * Tiffany turns to look in that direction. "Oh, hello. We're passers-by and were taking a moment to look at the beautiful horses you have here. You must take good care of them." * The boy puffs up with pride. "Sure do. Nobody's complained in ages." Do you know who's... um... the leader of this city? * Fadi smirks as Harold speaks to the boy. The leader? You mean the mayor? Yes! Could you tell us about the mayor? We need to see him, but we don't know much about him... Of course not, you bein' from forn parts. You want Master Alfred down at the smithy. If you can't find that, you're more forn than I thought. Somehow I don't think we can miss it. * Fadi smiles to himself at the kid's smart-assed response to Harold. Ah, thank you so much! Yes, I'm afraid we're very... 'forn'. * Harold smiles happily. The sarcasm was apparently entirely lost on him. * Tiffany smiles to the kid. "Well, thanks a lot, you've been very helpful. You keep taking good care of these horses, too, you hear? Now let's gather everyone and get moving, shall we?" Yes, let's get going! Speaking of which, where's Emmet and Nick? * Harold is all too eager to get out of the smelly stable. * Sophie nods. "Yes, let us go as well." Yeah. You're okay with me, kid. Now let's go see this Alfred guy. * Emmet and Nick are not present. They may be future, though, and are definitely past. Ahh... I don't know... we were probably separated somehow. I'm sure they'll turn up later after we've spoken with the mayor. * Tiffany wanders back into the street and looks around for her lost colleagues. No reason to get worked up about it until they're missing for too long, right? * There's no sign of either boy. Well, this seems like the sort of place where it's easy to lose someone... * Sophie follows Tiffany. "Hmm... Come to think of it, where did they go?" * Fadi rolls his eyes and walks outside. "I bet they'll turn up." I... suppose. I just thought we planned to remain together. Plus, Emmet had all the food. "don't split it up" they tell me. True... Good thing we split the money. agreed. * Sophie mumbles, "Good thing we didn't listen to Nick and NOT split the money." * Fadi chuckles. "I say we see this Alfred, and then look for Nick and Emmet." Well, I suppose... They'll turn up. We can always ask the mayor to look for them if they really have gone missing. * Sophie nods. Yeah, sure he will. ... ahh... yes, we'll find Emmet first thing after we speak with the mayor... * Harold sounds significantly more worried when he's reminded about the food. * Fadi starts walkin' to the smithy. "Anyways, no point in worrying about it, right? Let's get going." * Tiffany turns to look down the main street toward the smithy. "Well, all right..." And starts to stroll down the street, her arms crossed across her stomach, trying to take in the 'rustic' atmosphere. * Harold follows, eager to get on with things as quickly as possible. * Sophie follows the others. "Yes, the sooner we talk to someone, the better." Well maybe we will have problems here. I'm finding it hard to believe that nobody on this whole continent has electricity. What sort of backwards country did we land in, anyway? I doubt it's anywhere on Earth, to be honest. * Tiffany scoffs. "Really. Be realistic. Where else could we be?" * Fadi nods. "We're not running into any parts of the 'concrete jungle' anytime soon, I think." Where are we, then? You saw that map, right? Does it remind you of *any* location on Earth? ..Eh? Depending on the scale, I wouldn't know. * Sophie shrugs. "Australia, maybe? I have no idea." I don't know, but 'realistic' doesn't apply to anything that's been happening so far. * Tiffany sighs. "Yes, Mulder... I'm sure the mayor'll have some answers." * Sophie shrugs. "What if it's not? No reason to go off the deep end until we know for sure. ..Um, excuse me, guys? Yeah. No reason to get optimistic if it is, either. Hey there! We were looking for you... where did you and Emmet run off to? * Fadi turns to Nick. "Yeah? Wha- Where were you?" -- you're back! Huh. Where's Emmet? Why would I know where Emmet was? Because you were the two people that ran off? ... well, he disappeared around the time you did, so we assumed.... I ran somewhere? When was I going to be told about that? So, where did you go then? You certainly weren't with us. ..I dunno. I was up on the hill, and now I'm here. * Tiffany looks somewhat sceptically at Nick. "Well, you weren't here a minute ago. We last saw you and Emmet as we entered town. Almost thought you both ran off with the food" Hey, now. I wouldn't run off with the food. That's uncool. * Sophie folds her arms. Yeah, and if you did, you'd have a nice long chat with my fist once we found you. * Fadi smirks. ... this is very, very odd... Well, yes... you were on the hill and now you're here... where were you in the mean time? ..There was a meantime? How'd you get from there *point* to here? * A blast of sulphury breath blows across the back of Tiffany's neck. "Sounds like *magic* to me." What? Who said that? -- who's there?! * Standing just behind Tiffany. Well, behind and above and slightly left and right, is an immense man with rather... reptilian features, including a forked tongue that flicks out occasionally and nasty pointed teeth. His skin looks rather reddish, and shimmers slightly as though it were composed of many tiny, irridescent scales. * Tiffany shrieks at the top of her lungs and runs back toward the stable at full tilt. * Harold doesn't quite scream, but does begin backpedaling madly, an expression of absolute terror on his face. <...man> Oh dear. Pardon my intrusion, travellers. * Fadi turns to the man and blinks once or twice. His gut reaction tells him to run away, but he holds his ground. "What are you supposed to be?" * Nick just cants his head to the side and stares at the 'guy'. * Sophie turns and stairs. "Wh...Wha...?" She starts taking steps backwards. * Tiffany stumbles and falls near the back of the group, and turns on the ground to look at the snake/reptile man. Her eyes are wide and she looks ready to run on a moment's notice. You're-- you're-- you're-- <...man> I am _supposed_ to be the great sorceror Draghmal. Have you not heard of my sorcerous prowess? * Nick turns around and looks at the retreating kids. "...Why're you guys running?" * Harold points at the reptilian man with a shaking hand once he finally has his wits sort of about him. "... sorceror?" His voice nearly cracks. * Tiffany looks like she's trying to voice "There's no such thing as magic" but it's coming out "th.. th... th...". ... N... No. Can't say I.. um.. have. * Fadi shakes his head and speaks calmly. "Can't say I have. In fact, can't say I've heard of any sorcerors either." ..Sorceror? Damn, there goes my theory. Yes, sorceror. You know, like a wizard, but useful in a fight? Maybe he's a *magic* alien. * Fadi chuckles with the joke. .oO(Better keep him happy...) "Nope, don't know any wizards either... unless you're talking about those guys in Las Vegas that pull rabits out of their hats." * Sophie exhales and faces the dragon...thing a bit more courageously. "Can't say I know much about that particular... um, occupation." * Tiffany stands slowly, and moves to stand behind the toughest-looking man in her group... Fadi. Faugh. Where are you from that you know not the tales of my magical prowess? ... I'm from Michigan. Please don't kill me. * Harold sounds very earnest about this. Eh, um... Earth? I'm from the United Kingdom. * Tiffany looks like she's adamantly trying not to choke on her words. "Upstate New York." * Draghmal laughs. The boom resonates through your bones down into the ground. He's very loud. * Tiffany slams her eyes shut and cringes until the laughing stops. * Harold 's knees begin to buckle in abject terror. I'm not going to kill you. It would be far too messy to do so in the middle of town. Or even on the outskirts. * Nick winces slightly, but keeps his eyes on Draghmal. * Fadi shudders cuz', well, it's shaking his bones and stuff. He tries to regain his balance once it is over. The collateral damage would be far more trouble than it's worth. ... That's good to hear. * Tiffany reopens her eyes and doesn't look like she appreciated the joke. ... th-th-then what do you want from us? * Fadi chuckles when he says that. * Draghmal blinks his inner set of eyelids, then blinks them again. "Want? Why would I want anything? I was merely passing by and happened to hear something on which I might offer my learned magical opinion." I hope you aren't offended. ... oh. * Harold breathes a sigh of relief so deep he seems to sag from the exhale. "... that's... that's good." * Tiffany continues to grit her teeth in between words, but it keeps her voice steady, "Well, you don't appear to be a.. bad... snake-thing... so maybe you could help us a little." ..Magic, huh? Well, thanks. It'd explain it. * Fadi shakes his head. "I'm not. And what's your 'magical opinion' you'd like to say?" * Nick nods sagely as if he knows what he's talking about. "Snake thing?" I'm offended. I've no relation whatsoever to any sort of snake. * Draghmal doesn't look very offended. * For a half-dragon. Well, you look kind of human.. Sort of. * Fadi scratches his head. "So... are you some guy in a suit, or... what are you?" Please forgive us! We don't have anything like you where we're from! I am, for your information, half human. I'm also half dragon. Half _red_ dragon, in fact, though I share few of my larger parent's baser tendencies. * Nick blinks at Harold. "Why're you acting so weird?" ... * Tiffany can't keep her voice steady under such direct scrutiny, "S..Sorry. I don't.. like snakes much. I'll try to remember you're... not one. S... Somebody show him the Auryn and ask what's up with it. He's a sn... sorcerer... he might know." Because he runs away from anything he doesn't know. That's why. * Harold _stares_. He's obvious thinking about the implications of that, and doesn't seem to have heard Nick at all. ... h-hey! I'm just... * Harold frowns, and tries to act not scared. Well, less scared. Auryn? Did you say "Auryn"? Don't mind, Harold. um... yeah... * Tiffany shows him her left hand and hides the rest of herself behind Fadi. * Fadi shows his left hand to Draghmal. "Yeah. This thing." We've all got one... Where did you hear that- oh dear. * Harold raises his own trembling hand to show the Auryn to Draghmar. I thought the little man in the forrest drugged us and tatooed us... or something... but now I'm not so sure. All of you? and Emmet... but he doesn't appear to be anywhere to be found. * Fadi nods. "Ya know what's up with it?" * Sophie nods. Yeah.. We're terribly confused about this... if you know something about it... * Tiffany retracts her hand from the vicinity of the half-dragon and remains hidden behind Fadi. I know little enough. Have you been to the Library of the Ages? ..Huh. That little cottage was a library? We went to _a_ library... but we didn't get the name. I believe so. Didn't he call it that? Small place, has lotsa finished and unfinished books, an old guy who didn't know much except that our stories are being written? A little old man and a whole lot of books that all look alike? Yeah, been there. Yeah, that's the place. * Tiffany nodds at all of the recounts of the story, but doesn't see the need to chime in and risk the scrutiny of the large conversationalist. * Sophie nods. * Draghmal nods and turns around, making his wings flare for just a moment before they settle down. "Come with me, please." * Tiffany has her hands gently clutching Fadi's sides, her feet firmly rooted to the ground. * Harold starts at the wingflare. "... um? G-go where?" * Fadi blinks a few times at the wings, but regains his composure quickly. "Where are we going?" To see the mayor, and talk about this matter somewhere rather more private. That sounds like a fine idea. ... oh! Oh, that's good. * Fadi nods. "Okay." We.. were just headed that way, actually. Always wanted to meet a mayor.. * Harold seems rather more at ease, and ready to follow Draghmal. * Tiffany removes her hands, somewhat embarassedly, from Fadi... though she still doesn't appear ready to walk anywhere. * Sophie has gotten well past the fear stage and is back to being her usual cheery self. Well... let's go with him. He's a local, and we know we need guidance. * Fadi notices Tiffany and smirks. "Com'on guys. We've not got anything else to do." * Fadi starts following Draghmal once the half-dragon starts walkin'. That's an understatement. * Tiffany turns away from the group for a moment and takes a deep breath. She composes her wits and turns back a moment later, looking unflustered, though her eyes tend to linger on Draghmal. * Sophie makes her way over to Tiffany. "Hey, are you going to be okay?" * Tiffany nodds. "I.. really don't like snakes. But I'll be all right... it was a bit of a shock. Hopefully he won't make any quick movements." Tif lets out a shaky laugh and a weak smile. * Draghmal walks quickly down the streets. The hammering sound grows louder quickly, and then quits suddenly. Draghmal rounds another corner, and there's the nice, open, warm smithy. * Harold winces at Tiffany, but says nothing, and just hurries along after the man. * Nick follows at a leisurely pace, still checking out his new surroundings. * Tiffany returns to a prould walk and follows the group with Sophie. * Fadi keeps pace with Draghmal. "So, you live around here?" * Sophie walks proudly beside Tiffany. I have a small house on the west edge of town, yes. * Tiffany turns back to Sophie. "So.. do you think the mayor's... human?" * Sophie eyes Draghmal to make sure he's (hopefully) not paying attention and whispers low to Tiffany, "I hope so." * Draghmal walks right up to the smithy. Inside, just finishing up a scythe blade, is a man, a human man, of medium build. He's badly scarred, from burns and cuts, but his hair is still dark and his eyes bright, though thankfully not glowing. He's wearing a smithing apron and a loincloth and not much else. * Fadi looks up. "That must be nice." Alfred. Close up the shop for today. You have visitors. Having your own domicile is... somewhat overrated. You're probably right. Still, ya don't have to deal with all the punks that want a piece of you... do you? * The smith looks up from his work and eyes the five people who are following behind the half-dragon. "Take them into the house, please. I'll be finished in a few minutes." * Harold stares at the smith for a moment, then seems to go out of his way not to look directly at him. He begins praying fervently that the mayor is wearing pants when he speaks with them directly. * Draghmal nods and walks around the front of the smithy to a small door on the side. "Come in. I can give you a little information while Alfred is finishing up." * Fadi glances over at the smith, and quickly finds the walls a lot more interesting. "Sure." He follows Draghmal. * Tiffany turns and moves toward the doorway. "I hope we aren't being an imposition." * Nick continues following the half-dragon, glancing around. * Harold all but dashes after Draghmal. * Sophie follows the half-dragon. "Sounds like a good idea." I'm afraid you can't help but be at least a minor imposition. * Dragmal takes a seat on a stool. I'm dreadfully sorry... but I'm afraid we can't help it just at the moment. * Fadi smirks. "Remember, he's the one that said we should come. Don't feel sorry for somethin' that isn't your fault." * Tiffany moves into the room and finds a conveinient wall to lean against. "Well, we'll seek to minimize the imposition as much as possible then. We have some small amount of money and can get rooms at the inn when we're done here." * Fadi finds a nice place to stand, and, well... stands. Well. About that mark on your hands... I suppose the librarian told you that it was the mark of heroes, or some such. * Fadi nods. * Nick just parks himself on the floor, next to a wall. He stares at Draghmal, hands on his knees. Did he BS us? * Sophie nods. "Something similar to that, yes." * Harold braces himself for the bad news. * Tiffany nods, and surveys her new surroundings. I can't contradict the librarian, really. My own research indicates that the Auryn isn't so much a "mark of heroes" as a "mark of destiny". What you're destined for is... uncertain, at best. * Fadi shrugs. "Never did believe much in destiny anyways." I somehow don't think destiny cares _what_ we believe in right now. Eh, looks like it believes in *us*. * Draghmal chuckles. "Destiny doesn't take away your free will. You have something to accomplish, but how you go about doing it, or not, is entirely up to your character as people." * Fadi nods. "Damn straight." That would be nice, but we didn't exactly have a choice in ending up where we did, either. * Tiffany shakes her head. "I never really thought about it. I'll fight to get what I want whether or not it makes a difference. Couldn't live any other way." And when we're done, we'll get to go home? * Alfred speaks up from behind Tiffany. "Yes, when you're done, you'll go home. Inasmuch as it's actually possible _to_ go home, of course." * Sophie turns. "What does that mean?" ... it might not be possible?! * Fadi glances at Alfred out of the corner of his eye. .oO(I hope he's wearing pants) * Tiffany turns around, a warm smile on her face. "I'm sure we'll get there eventually. It's nice to meet you. I'm Tiffany." * Alfred is wearing nothing but a loincloth, at this point, having doffed his apron when he left the forge. I'm Alfred Battan. Pleased to meet you, miss Tiffany. * Harold seems to remember his manners once he gets over his shock. "Oh, I'm-- uh-- H-Harold Essner..." Tries to introduce himself without making eye contact, his one glance in Alfred's direction showing him more of Alfred than he ever really wanted to see. * Nick seems to be focused on the wall in front of him, arms and head laying on his knees. * Sophie nods to Alfred. "I'm Sophie Asher." * Fadi glances over at Alfred and nods. "I am Fadi Al-Sabir." * Alfred nods back as people introduce themselves. "And while you may certainly make it back to what you call home, there's an old saying. 'You can never go home.'" Who said that? You'll forgive my lack of belief until I try it myself, of course. Ah. Metaphorical. Well, that's not a problem at the moment. * Nick blinks and slowly cranes his head towards Alfred. "Well, going home can wait. There's gotta be a reason we're here." There's definitely a reason you're here. I'm afraid I don't know what it is, though. Well... could we ask for your assistance in doing... whatever it is we have to do? Oh.. Well, I should let you know before we really get started... that one member of our 'destined' group appears to be missing. You can have whatever assistance I can provide, small though that is. It's somewhere to start, at least. Yeah, well... We're not gonna figure out what it is unless we start somewhere, right? Even that will be _greatly_ appreciated. Thank you, sir. Quite true. You have to start somewhere. That somewhere is doubtless the path of heroes. Known more commonly as adventuring. No matter where you go, you can be absolutely sure it'll be an adventure getting there. In other words... you don't get anywhere just sitting on your ass, right? Well, could we start by looking for Emmet? This... adventuring... can wait until we've made sure that he's not lost... right? Well... how do you begin adventuring? Going places, I would imagine. Looking for this Emmet sounds like a fine start to an adventure. ... well, how do we do that? I suggest arming yourselves. The world is often dangerous, especially in civilized areas. You'll need to defend yourselves against wild animals and bandits. Especially since your friend may well have been taken captive by bandits. ..Weapons? Well, I'd wait on putting a real search party to work finding him until we're sure he's missing... but we should probably get a few maps and a good idea where we'll head once we find him. Though arming up is probably a good idea. Yes, weapons. Swords, staves, bows if you can use them. Weapons. Things for killing people and things that want to kill you. Swords, huh? ..."things" that want to kill us? What kinds of non-human, non-half-dragon things? I think *we're* the search party, Tiffany. The path of the adventurer is fraught with danger. ... what if you don't know _how_ to use any weapons? * Sophie kneels down and opens her black case, drawing out a fencing sabre. "I'm guessing I'd need something better than this?" * Fadi shrugs. "I suppose arming ourselves would be a good idea." There are many, many things out in the world that are hostile to adventurers. Wild animals of all sorts, bandits, ogres, goblins, orcs, and worse. If your search leads you to ruins and tombs, which it often will, I can promise you, you can also expect the undead and all manner of other abominations. * Fadi pulls out a dagger from one of his pant-pockets. "I suppose weapons are a bit more commonplace, so you don't have to hide them, right?" Um.. I'm afraid I'm not much good with weapons. I've played horseshoes.. and darts... so I might be able to use a weapon that works like that... wait.. undead? ..Like zombies and ghosts? If you don't know how to use weapons, you should see about learning how. Or learning magic, if you've the potential. And yes, undead. As in, things that should be dead, but aren't. Undead? ... This sounds more and more ridiculous as I hear it. Ghosts, zombies, walking skeletons, vampires... No kidding, but I guess as they say, "We're in their world now." Well... maybe I should try to learn magic then... how do you tell if "you've the potential"? It's like being trapped in a bad video game. * Harold sighs again. "So... what kinds of people can teach us these things?" I dunno, I'd play a video game like this. * Nick stands up, stretching out. You talk to someone who has reason to know. A sorceror often can, as can dragons, the fathers of sorcery. * Sophie smiles. "In other words, you, eh?" Oh. ... um, would you help us? * Fadi looks about. "Well, I suppose if I'm going to learn how to use a weapon properly..." * Tiffany barely stifles a grimace. "All right. After this meeting is over, could you see if I have potential?" ..I'm not sure what I could do well. * Sophie smirks at Nick. "You'd play a game with no idea how?" I can pick up on rules pretty quick. ^^; You're lucky enough to have both at your disposal, yes. But I suggest you wait until after you locate your friend. Or better, until after you've experienced the beginnings of the way of adventuring. * Fadi scratches his head. So... you can't teach us anything until we go out and get ourselves killed? Oh, you can begin learning. But it's not until you go out and see the world that you'll truly understand what you learn. Well, Harold, do you still have that copy of the map from the Library? Maybe Draghmal or Alfred can point us to possible locales that Emmet could have gone off to. * Sophie shrugs. "Makes sense." * Fadi pockets his dagger. ..Hey, what exactly happened when I.. er, 'left'? Yeah, that's been bugging me too. I've been thinking, and maybe Emmet just went where I did.. whereever that is. That is an interesting idea. -- oh! Yes, I do! * Nick grins slightly. "Yeah, took me awhile to come up with it." * Harold seems to suddenly remember it, and pulls the aforementioned map out of his pocket. He unfolds it obligingly and holds it out at arm's length in front of him. Well, then we should hang around here a day or two and see if he shows up like you did. Let's look at the map, though, and see if there are any interesting 'adventuring' spots in this area for later on. * Sophie nods. "A fine idea." * Fadi looks over Harnold's shoulder. * Nick walks around Harold and peers at the map. * Sophie inspects the map. Are these circles towns? 'm trying to remember Geography.. Yes. The circles are port towns, and the inland dots are also towns. ..And that star.. The Library of the Ages. Well, that leaves the squares. Which... of the towns would be best for a group of adventurers to start with? And that circled star. Oh.. Any good suggestions for places or ruins that might house people who'd have the slightest idea where we are? I'm curious about the square in the middle of the delta, myself. Nah, the circled star's prolly a capital. Probably. Might wanna ask to be sure, though. The circled star is probably another Library on the port. Very good. The squares are known ruins. The black is Mishrak, an old city currently inhabited by swamp goblins. The white square in the mountains is Hightop, and is an old dwarven outpost that died out perhaps a century ago. ..What inhabits the outpost? The circled star is a major port, the gateway to the rest of the world. I would suggest, however, that you explore this peninsula before you venture to further environs. * Tiffany listens intently. Her gaze doesn't leave Draghmal, indicating her interest on the subject matter, and not the conveyor. Where's the land bridge lead? Our best guess is a tribe of mountain goblins, though there are likely some larger creatures playing lord over them. Perhaps an ogre or a giant. * Fadi nods. "In other words, don't go there." Lots of goblins here. * Sophie nods. "Seems so." The land bridge leads to the Crown of the World, and beyond that, inside the crown, is an immense desert inhabited by nomads. They come out occasionally to trade, and the path marked there is how they come. Is there anywhere that would be especially good to go? Hmm.. So once we're sure Emmet's ok we head north to the town at the crossroads, and then we can choose east or north again? More information at that town might help us make a more informed decision. Sound good to everyone? * Alfred points to a the spot where the river near the town and library meets the mountain chain that divides the peninsula in half. "I suggest you take a look around here. There's a band of goblin raiders that have been operating in the area, and we think their base is around there." * Fadi nods. "Sure." * Sophie nods. "Yes. Best not to act without as much information as we can get." I don't dare leave the town unguarded, or I'd take care of them myself. One good goblin shaman could demolish half the town before he was stopped. What makes you think we could take care of it then? uh.. yeah... what? ... if they're so strong, why are you sending us at them?! * Nick mutters something along the lines of 'cannon fodder'. * Fadi looks over at Harold. "No reason to get excited." You're adventurers. You'll find that people expect anything from adventurers, and they're usually rewarded for that expectation. And if there's a shaman and he starts throwing fire and lightning, I suggest running. * Fadi chuckles. "So we got upgraded from 'lost highschoolers' to adventurers." Lovely. That's how most people begin adventuring, surprisingly enough. You don't choose adventuring. Adventuring chooses you. * Draghmal chuckles at that. This isn't much of an upgrade.... I would concur with the running. So after a little training we can start looking for those goblins. Should give us that much-sought-after experience. I wanted to be older before I died. * Harold sighs. Well, let's go get some weapons and get ready to be killed... * Fadi shrugs. "Not much you can do about it, is there? Now, you said something about weapons and training?" If it's all right with all of you, I'd like to find out if I can use magic, and then get some food and rest. We walked the night here, so I'm bushed. Magic... magic sounds nice. I think that's a good place to start. I don't think I'd do well with magic.. Sounds fun, but I think I'll stick with what I know. * Sophie strikes a pose with her sword. Magic is difficult, and few truly have the gift. It takes years of study to overcome the lack of a gift, and I sense that you don't wish to spend that much time. Not that you've a master to apprentice under, anyway. Pointy things it is. Nnn. ... can I at least get a gun? * Fadi chuckles. "You'd be surprised how damaging a 'pointy thing' is." Well, perhaps we can master it in the field. Either way, something to make me and Harold useful in a fight would be very much welcomed. A gun? It's... sort of like a slingshot... but it shoots pieces of metal at an opponent very quickly. * Fadi turns to Harold. "You wouldn't want to use one." ... I don't really like guns either, but I know I'm not going to be bad at stabbing things. No, trust me. You don't want to use one. Yes, I'm sure you'd know more about than I would! ..Yeah, he probably does. I suggest you arm yourselves first, get a good night's sleep, and then consider your options. Visit the temple, if you feel you need a little divine guidance. ... temple? What kind of temple? * Tiffany yawns and turns to Draghmal. "Well, what should I do? I guess I need you to 'arm' me if possible. I'm afraid I don't know how this 'using magic' works." Where do I go to get a sword like this one? Of course you don't. Few are gifted with knowledge of magic from birth. * Fadi looks over at Alfred. "Unless you can teach me how to use something bigger than a dagger, I doubt I'd do much good armed with anything else." * Alfred grins. "You come to me, or if I don't have something to suit you, you go to a merchant. I understand there's a peddler staying at the Swimming Dwarf for a few more days. Alright. Alright... thank you. * Nick looks infused with the essence of confusion. * Fadi waits for Alfred to answer his question. And for divine guidance and the seasonal crop blessings, we've a temple to Chauntea in the center of town. ... ..Who's Chauntea? * Harold seems profoundly disappointed. "Oh... that sort of temple." Chauntea. Goddess of agriculture. And before you disparage our goddess, boy, you had best see her power for yourself. Faith has great power. Feld may not be capable of raising the dead, but he can heal anything short of a lost limb or a bad heart. Oh, no... I'm sure he's quite good at what he does. * Harold 's 'apology' is half-mumbled, though. * Tiffany looks suprised at the commentary on magic. "Drahgmal, that magic certainly sounds interesting... what all can you teach me to do?" Wow, a *useful* deity. I don't think you quite understand. It's something I think you need to see for yourself. I will test you... tomorrow, if you are still interested. I require time to prepare myself, and you require sleep. * Harold casts an irritated glance at Nick, but says nothing. Well, I'm confident it'll go well, and I thank you for your kindness in agreeing to teach me. Well, you can all get outfit with weapons or whatever now if you want, but as I mentioned, I'm bushed and need some grub. Where is this 'Swimming Dwarf'? * Alfred sighs a little at Harold's attitude, and turns to Fadi. "What were you saying about daggers?" * Sophie eyes Nick. "Try not to insult people's faiths. I'd rather not have people trying to kill us for demeaning their religion." Hey, I'm all for religion. * Fadi clears his throat. "I'd like to arm myself, but unless you could teach me how to use something bigger than a dagger, there isn't much I can do about it." I'm sure you can learn to use something better, in time. It would be best if you started with what you know, though. And the dagger is a formidable weapon... in the right hands. * Fadi smirks. "Very true." ..What if you don't know how to use a weapon? ^_^; * Sophie shrugs. "Rollerblade your way around them." You'll learn quickly, I expect. I find that anybody can use a crossbow, given a little basic training. Just point and shoot. Oh, and try not to get knocked on your bum by the recoil. All I can really do is.. well, skate. * Tiffany turns and heads for the door, obviously not getting the directions she was looking for. "Well, I'm going to get a good dinner and some rest. Perhaps we could pick up some local garb tomorrow as well, but for now R&R is at the forefront of my mind." Are you going to that inn we saw on the way here? Crossbow... that sounds decent. I suppose. Whatever's close, I suppose. We'd better make sure we know where to meet. * Fadi nods. "Don't want to get seperated." We should probably stay at the same end... I don't think we should let anyone wander here for very long, if we can help it. Don't be afraid to split up sometimes. You'll learn quickly when to split up, and when not to split up. But for now, I suggest you rest. * Tiffany yawns even wider than before and rubs her stomach in response to a loud growl it gives her, "The Swimming Dwarf I guess, it sounds like an amiable place. You guys coming or you going to do more 'work' here today?" I don't think now is one of the times we should split up. * Sophie nods to Fadi. * Alfred pulls Harold aside and whispers something softly. Thanks for the advice, guys. * Fadi yawns. "Yeah, thanks. Let's get some sleep so we can go get our asses kicked in the morning." * Harold is pulled aside, unexpectedly, and listens carefully. Hey, I'm not planning to get beaten on. Oh yes, Thank... *yawn* you for the advice. I'll see you tomorrow, Draghmal. I look forward to surpassing your expectations, so be sharp ^_^. ... well... alright. I'll take your word for it. * Sophie stows her sword back in its case. Thank you. * Draghmal grins toothily. "I look forward to having my expectations surpassed." You have my thanks as well. If you all take care of those raiders, you'll be worthy of every bit of help we've given you, or will give you. * Fadi nods. "We'll keep that in mind." He starts heading out. * Nick stretches out a bit, scratching his hair. "So, the Swimming Dwarf. Interesting name." I'm sure our... conflict... with them will show the extent of our training with you both. We shall see. Yeah... Dwarves... swimming *yawn* As long as it has comfy beds and food that isn't too gross. Knowing this place? I bet they don't even have indoor plumbing. I think we'll be lucky to find an outhouse. [Session 3... END]