Just a Simple Scouting Mission (Quest)

[Verilian]

Timestamp: Summer 65, 512 AV Location: Somewhere in the Wildlands Players: Rhakash, Rezren, Yaotl, Jeram, Gorgoth, and Bojovnik (Open to first 3) Purpose: Scouting Mission Ten days of travel and everyone was weary. Though some rode on horseback, and some had the luxury of sitting on the carts they drove, none were immune to the wearying effects of summer heat and long hours of the day. There was plenty of water to go around, but even so people felt like it just wasn't enough. All the glory that had been promised them did not seem so worth it in the boring day to day nothingness that was long distance travel. But for some, those who were smart, they knew that the wait would be worth it. Something would happen, something would come up. And so it was they who responded when one of the Ebonstryfe officers called for volunteers to attend a private briefing. "I'm glad you've volunteered," the officer said to those present. "Our maps shows that we are not far from one of the shelters maintained by the Syliran knights. They are known to be full of supplies that we could use on the road. I need you to go scout the place out, see if there is anything we can use, and if so we'll send a wagon to pick it up. If you encounter anyone there, use your best judgment and deal with them however you see fit. What is in that shelter belongs to Rhysol, and we are prepared to take it by force." It was a fairly straight forward mission. Simple to understand and the shelter wouldn't be hard to find. According to the map it was due west of their location, and they would come across the hunting trail that led to it first. "What are your names," the Ebonstryfe asked, "So that I can make sure we don't leave you behind in the morning." OOCIntro posts please, then we'll get on with the mission.

[Rezren]

Rezren looked around for some water. His personal supply had run dry and he was thirsty. Walking for so many days had begun to form blisters and callouses on his feet. The ache in his legs and feet became so constant that he hardly noticed it much. Only when the walking stopped did the pain return. He didn’t mind the mindnumbing travel as much as some of his companions. Reflecting on the world around and within became a nice way to waste away the hours. It was essentially the same thing he would be doing in Ravok, but he had new people to meet and a sense of security amongst the armed men around him. The monotony, or meditation in Rezren’s case, was interrupted by news of a briefing. Supposedly some small mission was being executed. He made his way to the private session being held for others who decided to partake in the excursion and stood in attention. Standing of course brought back the pain in his legs and he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. He had taken to pacing after the first few days when the caravan stopped in order to keep the soreness at bay for as long as possible, but some situations, like the one he was in currently, demanded some restraint. As the officer talked, Rezren’s heart began to beat a bit faster in his chest. He wasn’t all too nervous, but the quickening heart was noticeable enough to distract him from a few of words the Ebonstryfe uttered. He had gotten the big picture though… Outpost, Syliran knights, supplies, etc… The possibility of confronting the knights so early in the quest was exhilarating and frightening. The mercenary’s position still was very hard to pin. At times he thought fondly of the idea of betraying Rhysol and trying to gain acceptance from the knights, but such thoughts were rarely seriously considered. The knights would be fools to trust him and he would most likely end up dead if he tried any sort of doublecross. Rezren decided at least a dozen times that he should put his morals aside and focus on the reward, but that finality was obviously shortlived. The possibilities of the mission excited Rezren. Perhaps he didn’t have to betray Rhysol and Ravok in order to cling to his flexible moral code. Maybe he could save the lives of any travelers unfortunate enough to be in the shelter. The idea of achieving victory for the Ebonstryfe while finding ways to work around his moral codes please Rezren. It was like a game and he was always willing to play a good game. Everything seemed straight forward enough. Maybe he could get first pick on whatever supplies the shelter held, though he doubted it. The hope of getting his hands on some premium Syliran supplies kept him from letting his paranoia manufacture excuses for him not to go. “My name is Rezren. I’m looking forward to serving Rhysol and furthering our quest. Success will be ours!” He exclaimed with false enthusiasm.

[Rhakash]

The ten days of travel was a lot less harsh on him than the others in his group. His curse, or what some call a gift, from Uldr made his life a bit easier. But in order to hide his state of being, Rhakash chocked his lower need for water up to living in the desert, made fake complaints about hunger, and used time he could be sleeping for planning and contemplating. He knew that whatever this mission threw at him, it would be worth it. He needed the power to kill Uldr, and no amount of training his axe would make him able to kill the Lord of the Undying. He needed another god's help, and if he pulled this off, Rhysol would reward him. Rhakash was busy sharpening his axes when the call came. "Hey, we need three volunteers for a special duty, first come, first served." Rhakash started to rise, and saw several others doing the same, and knew he needed to be one of the three. He grabbed the man nearest him by the wrist, his other right arm grabbing him by the collarbone, and began applying as much pressure as he could manage. Through stern face, and gritted teeth, "Sit. Down." The man grimaced beneath his grips, and nodded and sat down once more, and the others that saw it also backed down. "Sheesh, we are all on the same side guy, no need to be like that." Rhakash made his way to the briefing and listened to the man. Very easy. Find the shelter, kill anyone there, collect the supplies, and return. He didn't need to find out any more information, aside from who was in charge, he just needed to gather his weaponry and get pointed in the right direction. "My name is Rhakash, who is leading this excursion? If there's no one, I'll do it. None will keep Him from succeeding in this mission." He'd return to grab his axes and bucklers, and be ready to take charge and kill any, Knight or fellow volunteer, that stood in his way of achieving his goal of destroying Uldr.

[Jeram]

Even with having a higher rank than the average citizens on this journey it was still a tough one. Jeram did not have the privilege of riding a horse as some did and of course his flail and shield were quite heavy. Though they normally did not inconvenience him much they did become a slight annoyance after walking for such a long time. Not to mention how hot it was. Being in Ravok most of his life Jeram wasn't really used to such strong weather, but he was a little resistant to heat because of his heritage so that helped a little. He had made sure to take his cloak off earlier since it wasn't really needed right now. He was just happy that he had the rank that he did. Since Jeram was almost considered a member of the Ebonstryfe he still got food and supplies a little easier than some of the normal people did and he took advantage of it when he could. Jeram was still just as determined as he was before he signed up for this mission. He knew that this was all to help the city of Ravok and of course their almighty god Rhysol. Getting the prize if they succeeded was just a bonus for Jeram as he considered it. Of course when an opportunity was present to go on a side mission Jeram was all for it. Jeram stood quietly with the others at the briefing for the mission that they had volunteered for. The mission sounded simple enough. Getting to the shelter to raid it probably wouldn't be very hard. No doubt though that there would be a chance that it would be guarded or that they would just run into some Syliran knights. Jeram welcomed the chance to hurt his enemies in any way he could, whether it was physical or not. After hearing the others talk he figured that he should talk now. In direct response to what the four armed man whom he recognized said Jeram began to speak. "My name is Jeram Hirem, and as an apprentice I think that it should be my duty to watch over the others and make sure that they don't do anything that would hurt our cause." he said standing at attention

[Verilian]

The officer took down the names of each of the volunteers, grunting dismissively when the Eypharian volunteered to lead the little group. As if he was going to put a four armed freak in charge, even if it was just a simple mission. No, one of the other two would have to take the lead, and when Jeram mentioned his apprenticeship, the officer made his choice. "No, I do believe that the Ebonstrfye will be leading this mission. Jeram, this will be a good test for you. If it goes well, I'll see to it that your commander hears about it. The two of you will follow his orders," the officer turned to speak to Jeram directly, "This is a simple mission, and there should be any issues. But if there are problems, you will be held accountable." With that, the officer left them to it. Regardless of any squabbles over leadership they might have, whenever the group finally got moving, they would eventually make their way to the game trail the officer had mentioned. As promised, the trail led straight to the shelter. They did not encounter any problems along the way, and it was in fact rather quiet. As they approached the shelter it seemed like it was empty. There was no firelight coming from inside the window, though it was still daylight and any travelers might not have built a fire yet. There was a pile of dry logs stacked up outside the building, something that likely should be sent back to the army. There were no locks on the traveler shelters, that way anyone could use them freely, so trying to open the door should have been easy. It wasn't going to be that simple though. The door seemed barred from the inside, though it could be kicked down easily enough. It was not heavily enforced, and it was only blocked by a chair. When the door was finally opened, the smell that assaulted them was not a welcome surprise. It was the smell of rotting flesh, and inside were three dead bodies, all grown men from the looks of it. Whoever dared to brave the stench would find they were all armed, though none bore the crest of the Syliran knights. They were wearing studded leather, and each of them had a simple sword and shield. There were mizas to be found as well, though the sum total of the three only came out to twenty one gold mizas. It was impossible to know for sure how long they had been in there, but it was long enough for them to start to rot. Studying the bodies, only one of them was wounded. The other two appeared to have died of starvation. OOCSorry for taking so long on this. Life and such got in the way for a while. EditJust a note, the wound looks like a tear, rather than a cut from a sword. It's not smooth or clean.

[Rezren]

Rezren was fine not assuming a leadership position. He wouldn’t contest others' desires for leadership and, as an extension, responsibility. He was trying to find himself not prove himself. After all, a man who doesn’t know themselves can’t adequately prove himself. The mercenary played out the idea in his mind testing it for it soundness as he had a tendency to do. The man named Jeram would certainly prove to be an interesting person depending on how long he lived. Jeram’s Ebonstryfe aspirations were mirrored to an extent in Rezren’s own mind, but the similarity bred a sort of petty jealousy rather than a feeling of kinship. The Eypharian seemed quite enthusiastic to serve Rhysol. This enthusiasm was not shared by Rezren, whose Ebonstryfe dreams were a longing for status rather than an affinity towards the god of chaos. The journey to the shelter was straightforward enough. It would seem that Jeram wouldn’t have to do much leading after all because the shelter appeared fairly empty. Rezren figured they would just gather up some supplies and have to haul them back to the main camp. The idea of heavy lifting didn’t exactly thrill him but being on the good side of the leaders would be worth it. The situation managed to betray his expectations once they reached their destination however. The door was forced shut from the inside. That meant someone had to be inside. The door didn’t seem to have any sort of lock so whatever blocked their entrance was done from the inside and presumably whoever did it was in there as well. With a bit of physical force, the three managed to bust into the small hut. The chair that had barred their entry initially was sent haphazardly away. The smell that greeted the three was not that of any supplies. It was the smell of death... old death. Rezren, generally consciously passive, was drawn in before the other two could react by curiosity. “They’re dead,” he said very confidently. Upon realizing the stupidity of the observation, he continued observing the body’s conditions and appearances, “They are armed, but they are not knights... or maybe they are knights on a covert mission?” Too self conscious to let the others judge his theory, Rezren continued his examination of mostly obvious facts, more to think out loud then to inform the other two, “Two died from starvation or exposure or disease or... something.” They looked gaunt and not particularly healthy. The mercenary pulled his shirt up over his nose and moved closer to examine the wound on the the third. “One was murdered or killed or whatever word is appropriate...” He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, its mangled scabbard revealed bits of the blade. “I think we should either loot and get out of here very, very quickly or just leave now. Whatever is out here is scary or numerous or deadly enough to have two of these men starve rather than try their chances in the wilds,” Rezren said as he continued to examine the wound and develop his opinion of what happened. He wasn’t trained medically, but he knew what kind of wounds swords made and he figured he could rule out a few possible sources even if he couldn’t tell exactly what did it. The man's wound certainly didn't look like the work of a sword. Something else had killed this man. Something that could still be nearby... “That is my opinion of course. Jeram its your decision in the end... Maybe I'm just too paranoid...” There was a miniscule hint of bitterness in his tone. Partly due to envy, but also because Rezren figured that Jeram wouldn’t want to go back empty handed. If there was some danger around, Jeram's potential desire to complete the mission thoroughly endangered Rezren's life. His suggestion was likely to fall on deaf ears, but he could die without regrets knowing he did what he could if things got really messy. If they did get attacked or trapped in the shelter, maybe the Ebonstryfe would be kind enough to send another party to rescue them. If not, they may end up being just as unfortunate as the three travelers before them.

[Jeram]

Jeram couldn't help but give a little smirk as he was made the official leader of the small party for this mission. He knew that he was the most qualified to lead it and he wouldn't be slow to show it. Although it was a pretty simple mission it was not a time to be cocky. You should always be ready for anything in such a situation. The man named Rezren seemed to be reliable enough but there was something that Jeram didn't fully like about him but he ignored that feeling for now. He couldn't help but recognized the Eypharian from an earlier meeting during the summer. Jeram didn't pay much mind to it as he didn't really care very much, though he did respect his enthusiasm. Immediately after the briefing they left for their mission. It wasn't a very long trip before they had reached their destination. What greeted them was a seemingly poorly made shelter. It was probably a good idea to get this over with and get out before any patrolling knights might stumble by, though the challenge would be a welcomed one. Jeram figured he would be the first one to check it out. As he slowly walked up to the shelter he didn't notice any signs of life inside so he figured it was safe enough. A pile of logs was noticeable in front of the shelter. "We should probably take these logs with us on our way back." he said. It was then that he noticed the door wouldn't open very easily. "Knock it down." he commanded as they forced the door open. Inside of the shelter was a smell that Jeram instantly recognized but still hadn't experienced it too often, which was the smell of a rotting corpse which turned out to actually be three. Jeram didn't really acknowledge the simple statement that Rezren had made about the three men being dead as it was fairly obvious. Even though he knew they shouldn't leave before looting it was still a good idea to get this over with as soon as possible. The wounds from the men didn't seem to be very common, which could mean that some sort of creature might have been the cause. Jeram noted that it was time for orders to be given and he was the one to do it. "Strip the bodies of all their possessions and armor as they could be useful." he stated. "I'll stand guard while you search the shelter for any supplies we can take with us. Anything that we can't bring we'll have a wagon sent to pick up later. Don't become greedy and try to keep something for yourself either. All of this belongs to Rhysol and we shall get our reward when we get back." he said. Jeram proceeded to wait by the logs outside while the men would loot the shelter. He had to keep his eyes open for any danger that could come by, or return.

[Verilian]

The smell was hard to withstand, but the group knew better than to come back empty handed. If the Ebonstryfe expected supplies, they would get supplies. It was simply a matter of fact. Rezren stated the obvious, though there was one thing he said that was in fact rather important. The fact that the men were willing to starve to death rather than remove a simple chair meant that whatever was keeping them inside was worse, or at least just as bad, as death itself. And as Jeram ordered his underlings to loot the bodies, that very death had its eyes trained on the small trio. As the group began to gather supplies, stripping the valualbes off the dead bodies and prepping the firewood for transport, they were slowly being surrounded. The creatures were angry, tormented things. Aggressive, and changed by the waves of djed that rippled across the world a season ago. They were hungry as well, and had already been denied their meal once. They were silent creatures, and creatures of stealth. They knew how to work together, as a pack. The time for Jeram to lead would soon be upon him. Despite their anger and hunger, the creatures were prideful as well and that might be considered a weakness, however small. It was hard to tell how many there were, but the sound that rang out in the forest surrounding the small shelter was unmistakable. Their howl was not to the moon, or to one another, but a cry before battle. A cry to let their prey know it was about to die. The group heard it, all around them, coming from the trees, the howl of wolves, though the attack did not come right away. It seemed to be coming from every direction, there was no way to determine if escape was possible. Jeram would have to make a decision. Stand and fight, try to run, or do the same as the three men who hid in the shelter. He didn't have much longer to choose.

[Rezren]

Howling pierced the silence as Rezren tried to gather up any odds and ends that could be considered supplies. He stuffed as many items as he could into his bag and then reached for his sword and shield. He moved near the door because it acted as a chokepoint. The wolves sounded quite numerous and some sort way of reducing their advantage seemed like the best way to go. The final decision was on Jeram’s shoulders though. He had been put in charge and he seemed to be fairly dedicated to maintaining the leader position. Rezren turned to him but remained uncharacteristically silent. Jeram must’ve known that he had to make a decision. Fight or flight? The mercenary wasn’t fond of the idea of starving to death like the previous adventurers. Rezren took a moment to try and discern just how many toothy mouths they would have to fight off, but it was nearly impossible with the sound coming in such abundance from every direction. Maybe knowing there was an indiscernible number helped in a way as it made fighting seem like a less appealing option. His fingers grew cold as adrenaline rushed through his body and he could feel cold sweat on the back of his neck. It was all deeply unsettling. He hoped that his two companions’ combat capabilities were significant enough to hold their own. Rezren tried to figure out where they were going to come from first but shifting shadows seemed to lurk behind every tree. OOCShort post because its Jeram’s decision.

[Jeram]

It wasn't very long after the search had started before piercing howls were heard all around. It only took but a second for it to click in Jeram's mind why the men had died in the shelter. It was pretty strange for men to hide inside a shelter and starve to death unless there was something that was keeping them from leaving, such as some of the many monsters that live in the wilds. This was definitely as issue as they still had not finished gathering the supplies and it would be very hard to just return empty handed. Because of the howls seemingly come from every direction it was impossible to tell how many of the creatures there were. The howl from the creatures sounded of wolves but it was hard to tell for sure in these parts. One thing that Jeram worried about the most was getting supplies back to the camp. He had already tied up most of the firewood but there was still extra sitting around which he figured could be picked up when a wagon was sent back. Jeram was dedicated to making this mission a success and it couldn't be accomplished if they ran away. This was a tough decision for Jeram to decide as he was unsure if they had the manpower to take a large group of creatures. Of course with the way the wilds can echo the threat might not even be as big as it sounds. He decided that he would follow his instincts and have them stand their ground. No creature could scare Jeram more than the wrath of Rhysol and he would use that dedication to guide him through this. "Stand your ground! We aren't leaving this place until we have all the supplies that we can bring. I'm pretty sure bringing some extra meat back to the camp will get us a bigger reward as well." he said as he put his shield on his arm while also noticing some of the extra firewood. He quickly picked up one of the pieces of wood and chucked it as hard as he could into the bushed, hoping to nail one of the hidden creatures while he put his hand to his flail.