AoW: The Whispering Cairn

[Raharanor]

Fortus

The day had been as normal and mediocre as the last in one sense of the word. On the other hand though, Fortus' life took him to faraway places...in his youthful mind that is. Shifting in his chair, the young artificer attempted to make sense of the intracacies of the repair serious damage spell and sighed heavily to himself. Such a spell was presently out of the range of his artificing skill, but if only he could make a name for his skills outside the cesspool that was Diamond Lake. Maybe someday...as soon as Allustan thought him equipped enough in the arcane arts to set out into the world with strangers, as his master had cared for him and taught him all that he could of the arcane arts since his childhood and understandably did not wish for his charge to be unprepared for the world around them on Khorvaire.

"Much you have learnt in your time with me..." The wizard suddenly mused behind him which made Fortus jump in startlement," but does the Cyrian blood course through your veins anymore than it did when you first came to me?"
"It does indeed Master Allustan," Fortus admitted stolidly," and my ability to repair Slade the warforged has increased in recent months...coupled with the fact that I have been more restless than I would usually be of late also..."
Allustan nodded sagely and regarded Fortus for a few moments more in silence. Then he said,"Your day is nearing Fortus, but as to which day..." The wizard interupted by the distant movement of a warforged...by the name of Slade, which he saw outside the small window of his house.

"Slade has arrived Fortus! Looks as if he is after more than a simple repair job..."
At that the young man jumped out of his study-chair and promptly opened the door to greet the warforged nearby in the street.
"Slade my friend, what brings you to the house of Allustan once again? Are you after a repair by any chance?"

 

[Colvin]

Slade

He understood the secrecy behind what needed to be said so as Fortus greeted him, he quickly shifted to begin walking, assuming the artificer would simply juxtapose himself and follow stride by stride.

"I am not in need of any repairs Fortus. I have come here to request your services for an endeavour I wish to take on alongside Mohan. It is not a matter you should speak of openly"

He went on to explain the possibility of gaining enough money to break out of this prison-like environment of Diamond Lake and the grand aspirations he actually had with the plan. Fortus, afterall, had been the only one who he had instantly connected with after the many times he had been repaired. Conversation was easy between the two...or at least that is what this warforged believed.

"Would you be willing to accompany us?"

 

[SJ_the_Bartender]

Allustan's Residence

Allustan, "the smartest man in town", is known as a friendly wizard. He ushers Fortus out of the house to greet Slade. Fortus likely expected this, knowing how Allustan prefers to entertain company outside. To the warforged, Allustan says "Welcome, Slade. Glad to see you in good health this time.

Well, I've got work to attend to. I'll leave you two to talk. I'll be in the garden if you need me."

Allustan heads off to stroll through the meditation garden in his yard. The house is a charming red and deep blue in color. It sits on one of the rare stretches of healthy grass. The garden abuts the face of the house, incorporating vertical stones and small pools of concentric circles. The fresh paint and well-tended yard contrasts sharply with the rest of the seedy town, a testament to the locals' respect for (or fear of) a man whose prowess is known as far as Sharn.

There is a rather large tree stump in the front that Allustan often uses as an impromptu table for company, especially on the rare occassion that someone from town comes to hire his services as a wizard. Both Fortus and Slade would have used it before in their meetings to discuss repairs needed and proper payment, most likely.

 

[Raharanor]

Fortus

Fortus breathed in and exhaled while listening intently to Slades' talk of breaking free of Diamond Lake and setting out to claim riches and fame from the Whispering Cairn. The artificer nodded soberly at the description of the imminent adventure by Slade and wondered at how such an adventure would improve his abilities not only as an adventurer but as an artificer also.

Gazing at the warforged levelly, Fortus said," Slade my friend, as long as you're embarking upon this mission to the cairn, I shall accompany the party to assist where I can"

 

[Colvin]

Slade

"Very well. We shall convene and meet here at noon after all the preparations"

Slade did greet Allustan accordingly but he never did deal directly with him. Allustan was a man of great influence, and he respected it though didn't think it would help him any with his goals.

"I shall meet you here before we leave"

Now with an extra traveller, an artificer at that, he felt better prepared to serve this mission well with what he knew best. Battle!

 

[SJ_the_Bartender]

Allustan's Residence

It seems that Slade has successfully attracted a new member for the party.

The pair agree to meet with the other adventurers at the designated location, at noon, and then they go about their separate ways again.

{OOC: You hear the Final Fantasy music play to signify that a new character has joined the party.}

 

[Lowthor]

Mohan

After leaving the other two, Mohan headed first to the garrison to pick up his ruck sack and a few items he thought he might need. He also left a message for Slade, which he assumed the warforged would find when he returned for his gear. It read "follow the clawmarks on the trees". Just a little note as to how he would mark the trail to the abandoned office.

Then he headed North towards the abandoned office along the most obvious trail, as he thought that the one they would follow. Every so often he used one of his short swords to mark three cuts into a tree trunk to act as the claw marks for them to follow.

If his journey was successful and uninterupted, he would arrive during the night, giving him time to have a good look around and then bed down to rest before the others arrived.

((Search: Take 20 > 19))

 

[SJ_the_Bartender]

Abandoned Mine Manager's Office

It is very dark, but Mohan can see fine by the starlight. He comes across the office as expected. The modest dwelling squats upon the crown of a small hill. While the rough stone walls of the first floor look mostly intact, the second floor has completely collapsed. A half height wall rings the house, but it too is in a state of severe disrepair. Rubble and dense weeds choke the yard.

 

[Lowthor]

Mohan

The shifter drew one of his swords and with his bow slung over his shoulder, entered the office. He did not bother with a light source. He did not need it. He could see better than any man, and as well as most beasts, in the darkness.

(Still taking 20 on search > 19)

 

[Tifferzzz]

Jaiden

Part of being a bouncer at a place like the Midnight Salute was getting your hands dirty. Well perhaps dirty wasn't the best word. Perhaps the best choice of words was blood-drenched claws and bruised fists. Jaiden had a knack for severely injuring the patrons when they became a little to rowdy and rough for the 'employees.' She delighted in the fact that she was able to let loose once in a while and fully pound someone into the ground who thought himself better than everyone else because of his size. The last patron that she'd taken down had caused a major ruckus claiming that his coin should allow him any type of pleasures that he desired. When Jaiden found out that the pleasures he desired involved the end of a cigarette and flesh, she went on a tearing frenzy. Granted, she took a major beating in the process, but in the end she had been victorious and had nearly killed the man. He would never be back again. The employee wasn't harmed to terribly and would heal rather well.

Jaiden ended up at the Jorasco house of healing. It wasn't the first time that she'd been here. In fact, Hazrad, the halfling who worked there, was the only reason that she didn't internally bleed to death. This last time she had spent many weeks there recuperating before she was let free once more. She considered Hazrad like a brother to her in the fact that he had saved her life many times, and she would put hers on the line for him in return. They had a mutual respect for each other and she trusted him more than anyone else she knew.

Striding up the familiar dusty path, her hand rapped on the door with it's repetitive cadence. If they needed someone to heal, he was definitely the person that would fit the bill.

 

[SJ_the_Bartender]

Inside the Abandoned Office

Inside, Mohan can barely see, as only a small bit of the light from the moon and starts filters through the broken windows, dancing through clouds of dust in the stale air.

Small mounds of debris litter the floor of the building's interior. Loose stones, dead weeds, and grime cover virtually every surface. Paintings must have once adorned the place as indicated by the particular stain patterns marring the walls.

 

[Oscuro]

Hazrad

The doorknob positioned low in the door rattled, and the door creaked open into the small building. It wasn't much more than a two room hovel with bunkbeds lashed together to accommodate the guests. Hazrad of course, stood at the doorway, and motioned Jaiden inside. He already knew she was injured, just from the timing. He just wasn't always sure how badly she was injured.

He had pulled many glass shards from her flesh, and knitted together her wounds so often, he had come to learn her body most likely better than she herself knew it.

"Good Evening, welcome. When I said you should come by more often, I did mean come by without needing to be tended to. You do realize that right?"

He then turned and gestured to a pair of gallon jugs that sat near his supply table and with a few hushed words, the jugs could be heard filling from an invisible source of water. Hazrad always preferred to use clean, fresh water when working on people, as it lowered the possibilities to infection.

He took a moment finally to look her over, and take in the wounds she had received. Shaking his head, he began by drawing a jug of water over, and using a clean cloth, started cleaning some of the cuts and scrapes with gentle care. "Do I want to know the result of the offending patron?" He knew she was a capable warrior, and his House didn't quite seem to mind his special rates for those he knew, considering the buisness they brought with them.

 

[Tifferzzz]

Jaiden

If Jaiden had come to know a place as her home, it was this place. She always felt comfortable and safe here. No other place allotted her that.

"Do I want to know the result of the offending patron?"

The feline-style smile spread across her face and for a moment the tips of her teeth refracted the light. "I was just taking care of business." She rolled her shoulders even though the victory flashed in her eyes. Though her eye was still bruised, she wore that more as a trophy than a wound needing to care for, therefore when he attempted to heal it she merely brushed the hand away.

"Hazrad, I have a...proposition for you." Her voice rolled out. "You know of Mohan, and well...let's just say he can't live without me." She grinned standing up to stretch. "He's proposed this adventure of sorts, apparently money's involved..." She paused to yawn for a moment. "Mohan said that he needed a healer....and I thought....well...of you." A devilish flick appeared in her eyes as she looked to him.

 

[Lowthor]

Mohan

There was not enough light getting into the room, he would need to provide himself with a torch. He went back outside, cleared some ground and then set his bow and rucksack down. A few moments looking around the area provided him with wood of various lengths, as well as some dry grass. Then he build a fire, and kept a couple of inch thick branches, two feet long, to one side to use as torches. He lit a fire using his flint and tinder, then once there was a good blaze going, he wrapped some of the dry grass around the top of one branch, and set it aflame. He left his bow and rucksack outside, and then with his sword once more drawn, entered the building using the torch to illuminate the room.

 

[Oscuro]

Hazrad

For as long as Jaiden had known Hazrad, his eyes seemed to be a bit...dull. As if this place itself was drawing the life and vigor out of what should be a young and energetic halfling. As she spoke, something was sparked in his eyes.

However, he kept it in check for the moment. "Where? All of the cairns around here have been looted since before the war or something. I should know, I've patched up more than a few would be adventurers seeking to strike a hidden vault, or something else. None have come back with more than dirt, dusts, rocks or wall prints. Some of them went broke with it, like Lanchast, or Grovin."

It wasn't as if he was cynical...well, maybe he was to a degree. He had seen this sort of thing more times than he needed to.

 

[SJ_the_Bartender]

The Abandoned Office

Mohan can now see plainly just how badly the state of disrepair is in this place. The roof of the first floor appears strong enough to provide shelter at least.

Mohan examines the other rooms. The first floor consists of five chambers, the largest of which is a living room. Part of it has completely collapsed. To the right is what was once an office. The bookshelves and desk have been thoroughly rotted and what few tomes and mine maps remain are ruined and illegible. Adjoining the living room is a sizable dining room. The remaining furniture is completely soiled and worthless. There is a kitchen, which contains an actual firepit. The pantry attached to the kitchen has a number of empty and broken shelves, along with two empty barrels.

A staircase in the living room is choked with debris and leads to the remains of the second floor. Another in the kitchen leads to a crude cellar. The second floor is in complete ruins. There is no proper roof in the current state. The cellar is partially collapsed, but stable. Along one wall, a crumbling wine rack still stands, although others have already plundered it, leaving a pile of empty and broken bottles at its base.

 

[Lowthor]

Mohan

Nothing of value, but nothing seemed to have made this place its home either. The floor looked a bit hard, so Mohan went back outside, tossed his torch back into his fire, then settled down on the ground. He lay down and dozed off with his cloak over him.

 

[Tifferzzz]

Jaiden

"Where? All of the cairns around here have been looted since before the war or something. I should know, I've patched up more than a few would be adventurers seeking to strike a hidden vault, or something else. None have come back with more than dirt, dusts, rocks or wall prints. Some of them went broke with it, like Lanchast, or Grovin."

Her shoulders rolled as she absentmindedly toyed with some trinket. "I wasn't really listening, and I don't rightly care. I'm tired of the same surroundings." She wouldn't let on that she was loathing every day that she continued to go into work. The customers were getting more out of hand and it was taking more out of her to keep them in line. One could only keep that up for so long. "Besides..." her eyes shifted to his once more in silence, easily noting that the color of his eyes had begun to disappear into a greyness that was comparable to the sky on the morning before a snowstorm. "Fresh air could do us both some good." It was at that moment that she felt a sudden need to get him the hell out of there. It went beyond the want to just romp and play elsewhere, to the realization that if she didn't get Hazrad out of here then he was destined to be another mindless drinking idiot that roamed Diamond Lake. This place just had a way of doing that to people. "Hazrad." She pushed off of the wall and moved towards him with full sincerity in her face. Since he was seated she knelt down to become eye to eye with him. "I'm not asking you to come along. I'm telling you that you're coming with me..."

 

[Oscuro]

Hazrad

He sighed, running his fingers through his rough, unkempt hair. "I suppose I can't change your mind?"
He had a lot to consider in all truth; this was his post, where his House had stationed him. Not only that, but because he was tied to his house, he would have to charge for his services. Not something he really liked doing in the first place, and he hated it even more when he was forced to charge those he knew. His House forced him to be a health mercenary. It was after all, the Merchant House of Healing that he was effectively born into.

Shaking his head, he looked up at her and muttered, I'll get my things. As well....when are we leaving then?"

 

[Tifferzzz]

Jaiden

She quickly stood and nodded.

"We're leaving now. Pack light for I have a feeling that we're going to be traveling quite some distance."

While he left to pack she looked around in boredom, toying with any available objects that might be out in the open. She couldn't help it. She was always antsy. She could never sit still, especially in quiet places such as these.