Session - 1 ( 8.10.07 )

[Griznuq]

This was a one-on-one session.

Players in attendance:
Dray

Introduction:

"Fir'Ath," said Thalas, the blind advisor of the village. "These times are difficult for me, as I seldom find a soul I can trust." His forlorn tone sent shivers down your spine. Could it really be all that bad?

"I know you're ill at ease with the current state of everything, and your heart cries out for answers. Our race is young and misunderstood for the most part, but I believe you would be welcomed in the City of Embar." He paused a moment to allow you to prepare for his obvious request.

"Fir'Ath, I need your help." Something in his tone made you aware that he was asking out of necessity. Thalas did in fact, NEED your help. Something was wrong. This request made you nervous.

"Dannath Pier, a good friend of mine from the Elven lands has gone missing. They do not yet know this, but he is dead." Thalas put his hand up to preempt your questions. "I have not the time to explain right now how I know, please just take it on faith. Llannath was on a task from the Elven King to deliver a document to King Maithen." He was the king of Embar.

"I don't know exactly what the document said, but I believe it was political importance."

"That document really could be just about anywhere. We do need to recover it. This is not quite as important though, as recovering Llannath's body. It must be delivered back to the Elves, so that they can find out what happened, and who stole the document."



Rate of 30 miles a day, It'll take 50 days. (at 20 miles a day, 75 days).

The last few days were somewhat nerve wracking. You'd never been more than a few miles out of the woods, and now you were preparing for the trip that would take more than a month, even under the best conditions. You're feelings are mixed. You're certain that this is the right thing to do, but you wonder if perhaps you're not quite the right person to do it. Well, nothing to do about it now, all the arrangements had been made.

The Kingdom of Embar was, by all accounts, a fairly safe place to travel for someone who belonged to a race that didn't exist before the Emerald Dawn. It was certainly safer than the other Kingdoms on this continent. But still, there was no reason to not be cautious.

You stood before the polished sheet of metal and folded your wings behind you, and pulled on the specially made trench coat. This coat was fashioned so that the back would expand, looking like a smallish back pack. Fortunately the heat of summer was behind you, and a coat like this wouldn't draw attention.

With your hood drawn, you thought you were all but invisible! You cautioned yourself that you may not be giving the would-be onlookers enough credit, though you were confident in your disguise.

Thalas's words still rang in your head. Why you?? Of course, you already knew why. There really wasn't a more logical choice for it. ...But really, a dead body? And an old one at that! The image of yourself digging up a body in the middle of the night wasn't something you enjoyed picturing, yet you really couldn't stop.

You tried to convince yourself that the document was the important part. You would concentrate on that, and maybe afterwards, the body wouldn't seem so important. Perhaps you would be able to leave that part off... Maybe someone else could pick up that part of it after you've found the document.  ... you knew you were reaching, but it helped to keep you sane.

You took the coat off and hung it on the peg next to your door. You glanced around the room again to make sure you had everything packed, and again, you decided that you had.

It was about time for the dinner Thalas had told you they were planning, and you being the one honored by it, you thought you should probably attend. Really you'd rather just sneak out the back door and be on your way, but you understood well that this honor was more about allowing them to give, rather than you receiving.

You drew a deep breath and forced it back out, hoping it would take with it your uncertainty. It's a shame things didn't work that way.

You went over the plan again in your mind. Dinner would be brief, perhaps a half an hour, and you'd be off. Your things were already packed, fastened to Mithril, your horse (named for his unusual silver-gray color). Mithril was a gift from Thalas. You would head east, and should make it to Rockwater village within a week.

Rock water village was a small farming community. Originally, it was a simple rest stop along the road. People settled there because of the natural springs that bubbled along the sides of the road and ran down into the Shallow rivers. The largest of these springs was a ways off the road, and came up through a crack in a mostly-buried stone. Sages would say it was really just the tip of an enormous boulder, one that if exhumed, would be close to the size of a small mountain.

The water that came out was always clean, cold and sweet. The first folks who settled there, created a trading post. Eventually, someone planted some seeds and grew their crops right there to be traded, and next thing you knew... Poof, a village.

The trade still goes on in Rockwater, only now it's regulated a little better, and there are guards to watch for thieves.

After Rockwater village, there would be another week of travel, and you'd arrive at the edge of the woods your people call Ironbark Forest. There were stories told amongst your people about the Ironbark Forrest. It was said to be haunted and dangerous.

Ironbark Forrest was home to many creatures, among them, the centaurs. There was one among the Centaurs who would be your guide throughout your stay within the woods. He was commissioned to keep you safe. He would also have the instructions for the rest of your trip. Thalas explained that the rest of the trip would be kept from you until then, simply for your own protection.

The trip through the Forest would take about a week, as it was unknown and wooded terrain.  After the Forest, the rest of the way would be road travel until you reached the City of Embar.

The Dinner
The banquet table was fashioned out of a huge Knuckleroot tree. The tree shapers had spent many weeks with the tree, and changed its shape. From above, it still looked the same, but from the ground, it was as though a portion of the tree had been carved out of the middle. There table was about twelve feet in diameter. There were benches of sorts also carved out of the middle of the tree. The rest of the tree above was held up in eight places around the table where the tree remained unchanged.

All of the adults of the village were there. The dinner was a large roasted boar, a venison stew and various greens. Everyone drank the finest mead.

Of all the people in the Vilage, only Thalas knew of your task. Everyone else believed you were simply in search of answers, on a personal journey.

Actual game play:

Fir'ath spent his dinner simply eating and making small talk with Thalas. He reminded Fir'ath to keep Mithril watered well.

The meal ended, and Fir'ath slipped out of the village, on the coat tails of a chubby human merchant and his wagon.

Fir'ath forced himself to make small talk with the merchant, as he found it odd a fat little human merchant would be traveling at night, and alone. The little man was very skittish, as though he were trying to hide something... or at least make it look as though he were trying to hide something.    

The merchant confided in Fir'ath that he had a knife in his vest, for protection. Orath (the merchant) seemed to think Fir'ath should be intimidated by the knife.

Orath explained that he came to this village to trade for feathers, which he used to make blankets and coats and Quills. He said that they sold very well.

Orath stopped the wagon, and hopped down with almost cat-like grace. VERY odd for a fat little human. He dug around in the wagon and pulled out a large blanket. Fir'ath noticed the hilt of a dagger in Orath's boot. Perhaps there was a little more to this fat little man after all.

Orath gifted the blanket to Fir'ath.

The two traveled on until around dawn, and moved off of the road for about half a hand to make camp.