Chapter Two: Caerton

[Woe]

If there's no horse for Shaha or Elizabeth he offers his own, if the ladies would rather walk he'll walk leading the horse.

"That's quite kind of you, but I'd prefer to walk. I've been on a boat since Abertawe and my legs need a good walk to shake off the sea."

Shaha is welcome to ride. That might be an interesting visual, a lone rider being escorted by guards. Hah! Incognito!

[Woe]

"Excuse me, friends, but I have an old aunt that lives in Caerton. Let's say I make a quick stop at her house and meet you at the tavern ?"

"Whereabouts in Caerton? Maybe it's on the way and we can walk together for part of it."

[Mint]

"Excuse me, friends, but I have an old aunt that lives in Caerton. Let's say I make a quick stop at her house and meet you at the tavern ?"

"Whereabouts in Caerton? Maybe it's on the way and we can walk together for part of it."

(OOC: Unfortunately Joscelin has already made tracks down the gangway and is out of earshot.)

Shaha nods to Elizabeth and turns to answer Edward.

[Longman]

William is all about the Two Moons. I head straight there. If others want to run ahead of me to arrive first, I don't care.

Before I go and get supplies from the The Tallow and Tinder, I will raise the subject of provisioning with Shaha.


"Excuse me, Miss Shaha. As we are to be accompanying you on a dangerous voyage, we will need provisions as you rightly suggest. Do you have any means of funding this? Or are we to be purchasing supplies at or own expense? Also, what sort of journey will it be? Will horses be required? Tents? Really, it would help to know."

I have long since given up on asking where we are actually going, specifically. Maybe some info about the nature of our trip will not be too much to ask.

[Woe]

there is a party of three ready to take Shaha to the tavern, and had she been faster at saying her goodbyes, Alrone probably would have come too. What's taking her so long to leave?

[Mint]

After watching Alrone and Joscelin make their excuses and go hurrying off on their errands the remaining group of Elizabeth the almost paladin, William her erstwhile squire, Kynndelic the wandering elven warrior and mage, and Edward the half-orc druid confer for a few moments before deciding to make their way to the Two Moons tavern by the shortest route possible. Shaha meanwhile stands quietly to one side.

Waving their goodbyes to the Captain they make their way down the gangway and along the docks and quay until they get to Strand street and follow it as it winds it's way up the hillside to Harborview road. At this point Elizabeth pores over her map, the group around her. Fingers point in different directions before she folds it back up and the group proceeds.

After a few minutes they find themselves at Eastgate where the party is momentarily stopped and questioned by the guards. One of them spies Edward and seems about to say something but Shaha steps forward and looks him in the eyes for a moment and he blinks, shakes his head, and looks away seeming to have forgotten that there was anything to object to.

Making their way through the busy gate they turn left on Shrine road and discover that this part of town is, at best, seedy. Most of the faces they see are either closed or grim or, worse, sullen. As they come to the end of the road they see a small shrine to the right which is in need of a bit of repair but nevertheless has a number of supplicants in attendance along with ubquitous beggars.

Turning right on Southwall road the party continues on it's way passing Southgate after about fifteen minutes. This part of town is no longer even seedy and perhaps to describe it as "rough" is overly generous as well.

Just as they pass the first street after the gate a group of tough looking men step into the road from shadowed doorways and the street behind them. They are dressed in a motley array of clothes and rags.

Their apparent leader steps forward as two men come up quickly behind Shaha holding a knife at the small of her back.

"Well now. It's as fine a group of pullocks as I've seen in a season and longer it is. Watch 'em boys they have theirselfs weepons they do and I'm a bettin' they be foolish nuff as ter think they knows how t' use 'em too." He pauses, looking over Elizabeth and Shaha with a leering eye and running the tip of his tongue lightly over his lips.

Nodding to himself he says, "We can make this here real simple me boyos. Walk away and leave the women folk behind...or we'll keep these fine lasses and your heads. What say you?"

He gives an evil sneer and his men (numbering around six) draw in closer to you...

[Longman]

In normal circumstances I would attack almost at once, with my sword.

Is it set in stone that Shaha has a knife at her back, before we can react? We were escorting her, after all. If that has definitely happened, I will not attack just yet. But if there's a way of protecting her before it gets to that point, I'd shoot anyone who advanced on us threateningly.

[Hywaywolf]

"Miss Shara, she said her name was Aili." Edward stops talking abruptly as he sees men begin to appear from the shadows.

((Since this is the first encounter it probably isn't inappropriate to comment on the fact that we had no opportunity to react before anyone got close enough to put a knife to Shala's back. Edward is walking behind her (as I said I would follow her that was meant literally as well lol) they would have had to knock me aside to do that. Again, this is the first encounter so I hope its ok to ask "what happened to initiative?"))

[Woe]

Longman, we royally fail at being escort guards!

Assuming nothing changes about the situation, Elizabeth will rest her hand on her halbred. "Really, what makes you think it won't be your heads up on a pike by the time we're through?"

Conveniently, I don't need to draw.

[Mint]

Time stops...and reverses itself.

A split in the fabric of reality opens like a crack in a mirror. Out steps a woman dressed head to foot in black leather with a cowled satin cape swirling about her. Strapped to one thigh is an open leather holster in which is placed a black leather book with pages of gold and letters of silver. Around her neck is a glimmering platinum necklace on which hangs a large crystal pendant. In the pendant are spinning polyhedral shapes made of diamond, ruby, emerald, and sapphire.

In her arms she carries a black cat which purrs in her ear as she pets it. Around it's neck is a leather collar from which hangs a nametag on which is the name Fiat.

At her ankles yaps a little white dog - it's tag reads Rules. The woman taps her foot and it skitters back nervously...the yapping stops.

The woman walks forward and amongst the street toughs stopping at the side of the one with the knife in the back of Shaha. The little dog growls. Stroking the cheek of the tough almost sensuously the woman sighs and steps back. Overhead the skies darken and a shaft of coruscating light crashes to earth striking the man. For an instant he smokes and light issues from sudden cracks in his being and then there is only a small pile of ash in the street. The dog quiets but the cat yowls.

The woman pets the cat, quieting it. In Lyndon-Upon-Tems the heart of the aging king falters and stops. The healer leaning over him pales. The old woman sitting next to him puts her hand over her mouth, her circlet slipping from her head as she turns away in grief.

The woman walks on, measuring the distance between the party's assailants and the adventurers with her eye. Once again the little yapper growls. The woman makes a small movement with her hand and the distance grows wider and wider still. Once again the cat stirs disconsolately.

The woman runs her finger down the cat's nose and in distant Yiren a young rat drags itself weakly out of a sewer and totters a few paces before dying. A moment later a flea hops off it's carcass and jumps onto a passing child biting it unnoticed.

The woman looks around and nods to herself. The dog and cat remain still. The woman smiles mischievously and snaps her fingers before walking back through the split in reality.

Every cobble in the street uproots itself and stands on end like a miniature monolith and in the hair of every tough a sprig of mint appears.

Time restarts....

...Just as they pass the first street after the gate a group of tough looking men step into the road from shadowed doorways and the street behind them. They are dressed in a motley array of clothes and rags.

Their apparent leader steps forward. "Well now. It's as fine a group of pullocks as I've seen in a season and longer it is. Watch 'em boys they have theirselfs weepons they do and I'm a bettin' they be foolish nuff as ter think they knows how t' use 'em too." He pauses, looking over Elizabeth and Shaha with a leering eye and running the tip of his tongue lightly over his lips.

Nodding to himself he says, "We can make this here real simple me boyos. Walk away and leave the women folk behind...or we'll keep these fine lasses and your heads. What say you?"