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Turn 173.0: Journey to Cahren

Posted: 3/10/02

"The Knights of Rinder have contracted with my friends here, and the High Priests bade me join them for our meeting with the elves. We found them in their elven home, whereupon they began to lead us on this journey. They have agreed to lead us south to the coast to meet up with their aquatic cousins, so that we may cross the sea. Skandor, there are rumors of another people, another land, threatened by Caerloon and her aggression. If we can make contact with these people...if we can find them...that is our mission. I will see to it the Knights are not disappointed."

Skandor nods, taking in all that Grychac says. "Very interesting..." he murmurs.

"And Skandor, what brings you and your party to these parts?" Grychac asks.

Skandor gently and slowly sips the mug of drink offered to him. Though not a drinker like Storm, he knows how to keep up the pretense of politeness and confidence. Refusing a drink from a former class-mate might also be considered an insult, as well.

The paladin considers his words closely as he speaks them. "I was assigned by the High Priest himself to safeguard my Shield Maiden, Emma. She has been assigned a mission, much like yourself. Alas," he pauses for a moment, "I do not know all of the details. Perhaps an introduction would be in order? Perhaps our two groups meeting, for a round of drinks sometime, unless you and your companions are departing soon? We travel with an elf, as well."

"Such a meeting would be nice, Skandor, as would more time to hear of your travels. Unfortunately, my party leaves in the morning for points south..."

Skandor is content to sit with this group and chat idly, and they allow it. Always, he glances often in Emma's direction, ready to leap to her side if he senses danger. Skandor will watch thoughtfully as Hannibal and Emma sit at the bar for quite some time later in the evening. He sits at a distance, watching others enter the place.

In the morning, Skandor prays with Emma, at which time he tells Emma of his meeting with the Sword Bearer Grychac.

"Another Sword Bearer?" Emma asks, searching her memory, "Grychac...Grychac...no, I don't believe I've ever heard of him before. You say that you and he trained together? Is he trustworthy?" Clearly, she's dependent upon Skandor's knowledge of the man, but something worries her to know that there's a second mission happening parallel to their own here in Caerloon. What were the leaders of the caste of Anhur up to exactly?

"Why is he involved with these elves?" Emma continues, "We've seen little or no involvement from Elloharin's kind in the battles so far. Storm's kinsmen have shown more interest than the elves. How could they be involved? You don't think it might have something to do with the appearance of the drow, do you? El's reaction to them seemed to make it quite clear how his people feel about them. Maybe that was enough to get them interested?

"So many questions," she says, "And so few answers, Skandor. Let's see if we can't find out more about them. But we should probably say little about our own mission to them. I don't think Towers would approve of it...and I don't either. It would be better for everyone involved if the fewest people possible learn of the Rings of Damacht."

"Don't worry Emma," Skandor replies, sighing, "Grychac and his party departed early this morning, so there is little we can tell them now. Still, we can be ware in case our paths cross once again..."

In Ducat's shop, later around mid-morning, Emma's fingers trace the length of the wand as she considers Ducat's offer. A strange device to find in the land of Caerloon. It almost seems like a boon straight from Rinder's god of Sunlight himself...Nire, a deity she reveres almost as much as Anhur himself. 'It must be a sign that Nire's hand truly is guiding our steps in this quest,' the priestess thinks to herself.

She finally smiles at the old sage and shakes her head. "No, I believe I'll part with my coin before I part with this device," she says, "It could prove most useful indeed. Thank you so much for your time and trouble. I'm sorry to have awakened you so early this day." She pays Ducat the twenty pieces of gold, hoping that he won't care if it's minted from a different nation's currency.

After finishing her business with Ducat, Emma presses onward into the Caerloon marketplace, seeking out a reputable weaponsmith so she can buy a warhammer. Something small, light, and easily-thrown...a new weapon for arsenal that might replace her heavier and more cumbersome spear in the days ahead. Soon, she is satisfied with her purchases.

Crayne awakens from a good night's rest and takes the bath he had asked for the night before. Feeling like a new man Crayne makes his way into the main bar and joins the rest of Rinder's Six. There he orders some breakfast and a hot drink.

"Good morning, Mage Crayne," Hannibal says with a smile as Crayne enters the room. "I hope you slept well?"

Crayne responds with a smile, "Indeed! It is a long time since I slept so comfortably. The food and wine also were quite adequate. I will stretch as far as to say that it reminded a little of home." Rubbing his hair with a towel, Crayne continues, "I fear you missed out on that bath Hannibal. The stresses and strains from the last battle have almost disappeared. Furthermore, I smell so much better!"

As conversation is exchanged amongst the party, and Emma returns from Ducat's shop, Crayne brings to the attention of the group the fact that the town consists of three temples: Temples to worship the gods Lentyr, Faro, and Cahrendhur.

Emma listens attentively to Crayne's information. When he's finished, she nods her head and says, "I've never heard of Faro or Cahrendhur...but Lentyr is the faith of that beggar we met the last time we crossed into Caerloon. Remember? He allowed us to stay at his temple in Faren before we returned to Lowfield and participated in the Battle for Fort Dillend. And he seemed quite willing to aid us, so maybe you can find some more friends of his in this city's temple? It's probably the only people of Caerloon we could look to as true friends..."

"Your memory is exemplary, Emma! Well remembered!" Crayne compliments the priestess. "Yes indeed you are right. The man was of a friendly nature." He smiles excited with Emma's new information.

Emma nods and takes Crayne's compliment in stride. The two seem to be getting along much nicer lately. The bonds that had formed during their many travels and over the course of gaining experience with one another, certainly helps to make them stronger allies than verbal sparring partners.

It seems funny to Emma how the two members of Rinder's Six that she most often argued with before, now feel completely different to her. Now, Crayne. But before that, Hannibal... That turns the Shield Maiden's thoughts back to her newfound interest in the Hannibal. What had changed between them? Was it Bernigan's death? That moment on the bridge when she thought he wouldn't make it? She ponders those questions throughout the day, but never really arrives at a complete answer.

Awaking with a start, El stares groggily at the darkened room. Faint tendrils of light emerge from the curtains and cast an ochre glow on the floor. Always the same dreams. The horrible screaming echoing in his ears as the capital city fell. The tower of Verakli-thon burning.

El shakes the cries from his head and arms himself. He leaves his pack, but takes his sword, quiver and bow. Perhaps he'd get the chance to do some hunting today. Coming down the stairs, he meets Crayne on the way.

When breakfast is ended Crayne grabs Elloharin's arm and nods, "Elloharin, are you okay? Your sleep has been troubled recently. Is there anything else that you can remember from your past?"

El remains silent for a moment, then his violet eyes meet Crayne's. "I will tell my story tonight. When all are gathered." Then he turns to head into the common room, pausing a moment in thought. "Mage Crayne, my spell book is missing a few most basic spells. Some which I believe could be of great use to the party that I have seen you wield so adeptly. May I study with you this afternoon?"

Crayne nods to the elf in response.

Entering the common room, Elloharin spies the elf girl again. She sits at the bar alone, picking at her breakfast. He approaches her and draws out the stool next to her, sitting. He calls the barman, asking for breakfast and a glass of water.

"Water?" Says the barkeep grumpily.

"Yes. Water."

"Damn elves," he mutters, "don't drink like decent folk do."

Turning to the girl, who has yet to look at him, Elloharin speaks softly in Elven. He observes the girl closely. She is a high elf, beautiful as all elves are, and graceful, but he cannot but feel some superiority as a grey elf. "I saw you last night, with that party of humans. You are a traveler?"

"That's right," she replies, also in Elven.

"My name is Elloharin. May I have the honor of your acquaintance?"

"I am called Mirlay-var-lait...but often simply Mirlay..." She turns her head slightly to spy El out of the corner of her eye, through a few stray strands of hair.

El pauses pondering his words. He is desperate for news of his homeland. Any news at all. But is he willing to risk exposure? Surely no one in these southern lands would know where the Great Western Kingdom was. "I am late of Redaroleen alar Cai. Do you know the city? It has been years since I've been there, do you know of anything that has been going on there? It has been many years since I've spoken with my kindred. I am desperate for news," pausing to take a breath, he asks, "where are you from?"

"The northern region, in the Deeped Wood."

Elloharin's spirits sink slightly. The Deeped Wood was in Rinder, spanning the Duchies of Archadia, Seden, and Marlond. Nowhere near Redaroleen alar Cai. Still, the chance to speak his own tongue with one of his own was worth seizing. Looking her over, Elloharin smiles suddenly and asks, "Care to hunt? It has been a long time since I ran with elves. Perhaps the barman would appreciate a brace of rabbits or some fresh venison."

Turning to face him fully, Mirlay smiles. "Elloharin; a pleasure."

They walk to the outskirts of the city. They attract some note, as any elven couple would in a largely human city. But the sun is shining, and Elloharin is in a good mood. He speaks to her gaily of his childhood, keeping his stories necessarily vague and lighthearted. And then the hunt begins. 'What joy it is to hunt with elves again!' El thinks. They move so silently that the wildlife of the surrounding hills seems to open itself up to them. They spend a good part of the morning catching rabbits. Finally, they take down a buck, which El slings across his shoulders, and together they head back to the city.

Storm sleeps quite late, also happy for the extra day to relax. It strikes him as funny, though, how it is frequently easier to hide in much more populated areas than hiding in the wilderness. Somehow, he felt more secure in the middle of an enemy city than in a camp in the woods.

Most of the group is gone when Storm finally comes downstairs, and he gets a simple breakfast--yet a lot of it--at the inn before heading out. He doesn't see the dwarves in the morning, and he departs for the market, also looking to refresh his store of rations.

As he inspects his crossbow, he has another idea. He looks through the city for some kind of public academy of weapons training, or a weaponsmith who holds demonstrations, or something of the like. He does find a weaponsmith with a fairly large shop, whom he begins to talk with (as charismatically as only Storm could!) He eventually asks the smith for training in the use of his crossbow. Storm feels he's come quite a long way in his understanding of the weapon, but he wants to iron out his skill. After a few hours, Storm has gained quite a bit of knowledge about the weapon, and lost only 10 gold pieces.

With a day to waste, Crayne is happy to spend the morning wandering the streets of Daltford. He mentions to the group of his intentions and courteously invites any of the party to join him. Crayne makes it his first priority to go and buy some rations for the journey ahead.

Hannibal graciously accepts the mage's offer, saying, "I could use a walk after days on a horse."

"I am pleased to hear it Hannibal! Anybody else?" Crayne says looking around the breakfast table.

"Sounds good," Emma agrees, clapping him on the shoulder, "You're in charge of the provisions, then. And re-contacting our Lentyrian friends. And I plan to do some shopping of my own, too. We'll meet back here and compare notes when we're done." She flashes a quick smile and then departs.

For the remainder of the morning Crayne takes a closer look at the three Temples that Travis, the young scribe, had told him about the day before. He marvels at the architecture of the three buildings and visits each one. He tries to learn a little about each of the three deities in an attempt to find out what each of the religions represents.

As the day wears on Hannibal makes small talk with Crayne, staying clear of controversial subjects. He too stocks up on provisions for the journey.

Crayne enjoys the company of Hannibal. It wasn't often that the two of them talked about subjects outside of their missions. Crayne gives Hannibal a few jibes about how close he had recently become with Emma, the warrior priestess, as she is distracted by pies in a baker's shop window. He also makes some conversation relating to back home. He mentions Melli in more detail and shares with Hannibal some tales about his background.

As Crayne's interest moves towards the three deities Hannibal loses interest and bids the mage good day. "I have some other affairs to tend to Mage Crayne. Will you be ok alone?" Hannibal immediately regrets asking the last question, hoping he had not offended Crayne.

Crayne smiles at Hannibal and says sarcastically, "I think I'll manage!"

Crayne then sets off for the temples. Throughout the afternoon he learns that Cahrendhur is the god of the sea, exploration, and noble rulers. This temple is the largest and most ornate, and clearly dominant in the city, and perhaps the countryside too. The temple of Faro is devoted to the god of trade, thieves, and darkness, though the priest whom Crayne met placed an emphasis on the first of these. Scales and numbers seem a dominant theme in the temple, though overall the temple is smaller and more restrained than that of Cahrendhur. Finally, Crayne recognizes a few of the accoutrements of the temple of Lentyr, the god of sun and agriculture. Certainly not a strong presence in the city, Crayne enjoys the brightness of the structure and the general kindness of the clerics inside, though he notices that they are nearly all older men and women--not a single young priest among them.

As late afternoon approaches Crayne heads back to the inn where he orders for some lunch to be sent up to his room. For the rest of the afternoon Crayne switches back to his studies. He starts where he last left off and begins to look for any fourth level spells in Covarc's spellbook. Much to his disappointment, he finds none.

Following that Crayne memorises Stoneskin and casts it upon himself. He then memorises Enchanted Weapon. Finally, Crayne memorises Spectral Force as his second third level spell.

That evening Hannibal returns to the tavern after a long day. It had felt good to get out, to mill in the shops and just enjoy himself. It seemed that lately there had been so much going on that little time had been available simply to relax. Finding an open seat with the rest Hannibal kicks back and orders himself an ale. "Lovely night for a drink eh folks?"

Later, Emma returns to seek out her friends, curious as to what luck Crayne and others have had in discerning the lay of the land. To the Shield Maiden, it seems as though they've found their way to the mid-point of Caerloon. Moving deeper into enemy territory from their current location should be done with a good plan in mind for what they might encounter along the way.

By evening, when Storm meets up with the group again, he tells them what the dwarves said the night before. "Them dwarves be from Curt Mountain here in Caerloon. They says they ain't be involved in the war wit' Rinder, or that other place, fer that matter. They's be neutral I's guess. Maybe they's can be convinced ta join up with Rinder later, since us dwarves be fightin' fer Rinder. I's dunno, that be fer them diplomat types..." He trails off there.

"An interesting idea, Storm," Emma says encouragingly, "Perhaps you could be such a diplomat yourself? Your kinsmen would be more likely to listen to you than a few humans or an elf from the north lands. Besides, I think you underestimate your own diplomatic abilities." She playfully punches the stout dwarf's shoulder. "Get'em all happy with tankards of ale, trade a few stories of the glorious combat to be had by helping Rinder, and you just might hook them."

As the group is once again reunited in the tavern around dinner time, the topic of their departure arises. Crayne is happy to spend one more day in Daltford. He also wants to have an early start for the journey to Cahren. Crayne will suggest heading for Cahren directly southward but keeping good distance from the road.

"I don't know that we'll absolutely have to avoid the roads from here on in..." Emma suggests, "After all, we're in a much more populous area now. There's bound to be a number of travelers along the highways of Caerloon this far south, and that should make it easier for us to go unnoticed. Skulking about in the wilderness in such a large group would seem more out of place to me. But that's just my opinion. Mostly, I'd kind of like to stick to the roads so we'll make better time."

Crayne nods in response. "Your points are well made Emma! Perhaps we should travel on the road. One more thought though: it is always good to have some advantage on our side. What if I cast myself invisible or somebody else using my 10 foot radius spell. Then, the invisible rider could travel a little behind us. If we were to be attacked or ambushed then at least we would have a useful card up our sleeves. What about it Emma?"

Emma considers Crayne's idea for awhile, obviously weighing the advantages and disadvantages of such a traveling strategy. Finally, she answers by saying, "I'm not sure, Crayne. I'd certainly like to pass through Caerloon in as safe a manner as possible. But, such uses of arcane power might attract the attention of Red Dragon mages that are unknown to us in this country. So, I'd recommend that you save such a spell until we know there's an absolute need for it. Storm and Hannibal can probably scout well enough using their natural talents. That would be my advice, however. You're in a much better position than me to know if a constant use of invisibility will attract more attention to us."

Crayne scratches his chin as he thinks about it. "I suppose the magic of invisibility could attract Red Dragon attentions. But if they were looking for us with a Detect Magic spell or ability, they could just as easily locate my magical staff, or even that new wand of yours, Emma. So I don't see why we can't gain the advantages of some invisibility."

"I don't mind being the invisible one," Hannibal says, looking forward to some time with supreme stealth.

Emma doesn't object any more. Whether or not she continued to disagree, she felt that this wasn't a battle really worth fighting, especially considering how well the group had been getting along over the past few days.

The group then decides to move out in the morning, taking the main roads--cautiously--with Hannibal following just behind invisibly and Storm scouting out front. Their ultimate destination, Canter suggests, should be Cahren. The capital city of the Kingdom of Caerloon. "We'll have to be most careful," Canter explains, "but it's the city closest to the Islands of Vile, where we must go, and I'm sure from there we can find a way to cross the water to the islands."

After dinner, each member of the party heads back to his or her room, looking forward to a good night's sleep before resuming their travel once again in the morning. Soon, morning arrives once more, and after the horses are retrieved from the stable, the group sets off. The road takes them southward, away from Daltford. By mid-morning they find themselves turning slightly east, and the road begins to parallel a moderately-sized river, flowing south-east.

On the road, Rinder's Six passes by a few other traveling parties, with wagons of goods, and even an troupe of actors and musicians, who gleefully play a song as they bounce down the dirt road. As if counterpoint to the utter joy of the entertainers, later in the day, Rinder's Six find themselves passing by a column of Caerloon troops, marching northward on the road. Heartbeats are understandably quickened, but by hiding all visual references to Anhur and otherwise appearing "normal," Rinder's Six manages to get by without incident.

At nightfall, the group moves off the road to camp once more, by now a familiar ritual. In the morning, camp is struck and the journey continues. Elloharin is glad to point out that the weather has drastically improved since they left Rinder, with warm sea-breezes now beginning to reach them, softly warming their faces as they continue to ride.

By late afternoon, as they round the top of a hill, the great city of Cahren and the beautiful Cahrendhur Ocean beyond it come into view. The sun shines off the ocean water, silhouetting sails from sailboats and larger ships entering and leaving the city's port. A number of islands can be seen far off on the horizon through the clear air, they are merely specs of green on the dark blue of the water.

Emma sighs as she takes in the view, the party having stopped for a moment's rest.

"Stunning, isn't it?" Canter asks.

Emma nods in reply.

"A shame we must hate this place," Skandor laments.

"The true shame, perhaps, lies with the people who live here, not with the place itself," Emma suggests.

Skandor looks to the Shield Maiden. "How could such evil take root in a place as beautiful as this, I wonder?"

Before an answer can be found, the party begins to move again. By nightfall, they have made their way on the road down the gently sloping hill and into the city of Cahren, itself (passing another column of Caerloon troops on the way). The sun is setting over the water as they pay the toll to enter the city walls (3 cp per person).

Once inside, Rinder's Six finds its way to the city's center, where a large square holds a marketplace, now disbanding for the night. Also on the square are some very large, stately buildings, and one main road leading from the square, a very wide promenade, leads directly to the castle gate, many hundreds of yards away. Moving a few blocks away from the square onto the side-streets, the group finds an inn and tavern to stay the night, ties up the mounts, and orders some food.

Sitting around the table, they converse quietly. "What shall we do in the morning?" Hannibal asks (he is now visible so as to eat his dinner!).

"Do we want to explore the city at all?" Canter asks. "Perhaps some of those large buildings? Or the seedier parts of town?" He looks to Hannibal and Storm, who would be most likely to infiltrate whatever underground organizations are at work in the city.

"Or, should we remain focused on our mission," Emma suggests, looking around to the others, "and arrange for transportation to the Islands of Vile? That is ultimately where we must go."

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