Without further concern, Alberich led the group to the lake he had visited during his quest for revenge. It was long walk, perhaps at least a few miles, and the sun had almost fully set as they arrived to the lake. He set his pack down next to a rock, yet the lumberjack kept his weapons on his person for not only his safety, but for the party's as well. The territory near the Dark Lord's fortresses was no doubt friendly to the party, yet the Dark Lord's soldiers were always prowling the outskirts of their master's lands. The burned village from earlier in the day had proven that statement quite true, and Alberich didn't wish for the orcish warband to stumble onto their campsite and catch the party off guard.

The lumberjack looked around the location, and took a second to analyze the party to decide who would be best fit for the duties at hand. Alberich placed a hand on his chin, stroking his mustache while entranced in a deep thought. "Ysran. Thiara. I believe you two are best fit for keeping watch while the rest of us begin to set up camp." Alberich stated, choosing the elf and the witch for their combat prowess. If Ysran had the capabilities to knock even a brute like Alberich down and Thiara had the destructive power she had shown before the adventurers set off for their hike, the group should be safe for the time being.

"Sakem, Elyria and Caractacus. With night falling, we'll need to start a fire for warmth and feed our bellies. There should be plenty of sticks and logs out there for you to collect in the woods, and we'll certainly need many if we desire to illuminate our surroundings and build defenses so anyone with allegiance to the Dark Lord doesn't stroll through the darkness and slits our throats at night." Alberich explained, glancing at the small group of zombies falling the necromancer. Surely, with his help aiding the other two, the party would have enough wood to burn for several nights to come.

Finally, Alberich turned his attention to the archer. "Kathryn, how good are you with that bow? Can you search the nearby forest to see if there still happens to be any sort of wild game?" He took a second to look back at his pack, wondering what meals would be worth prepping. "I believe there might be a few birds or rabbits still left in the woods. Since the sun has set, I imagine many of the forest critters will be sleeping, so it shouldn't be that hard to find some for us."

"I can handle everything else that I didn't state, such as prepping the meal that Kathryn catches for us. Do any of you have any objections to the plan?" Alberich asked, waiting for a group-wide approval.

---

Elyria waited til Alberich was finished and added, "I'll surround the camp with a protection spell that will keep others from seeing or hearing us." She quickly got to walking the perimeter of the camp and chanted an incantation as she went. Anyone inside the perimeter would be invisible as well as inaudible to those outside of it.

As soon as she finished that Elyria began picking up green wood as it would burn the best. A memory made her smile. She remembered doing just this thing a couple of summers ago while out with her father on a hunting trip. Working on the campfire she had found the best spot and surrounded it with larger rocks to keep the wood in the correct place. Her father had teased her because she nearly caused a forest fire when she had learned to start a fire. Finishing the firewood pile she lit it and watched a slow blaze start up.

@Remipa Awesome @Lich @dereken @Lord Orgasmo @Aquanthe @AtomicNut

As the large man barked out orders to the party, he eventually said something about finding food. He asked the archer to hunt for food, but Ysran had a better idea. "Actually, yes I do object. Kind of. I know how to get us all fed. Hope you guys like fish." Ysran walked to the lake's perimeter while speaking, and then held his hands up to the sky. "I knew this would come in handy.*ahem* Niis...Adagita!" On queue, the lake began to crash, as waves violently appeared on the surface. Bringing his hands down, he pointed to the ground behind him. Suddenly, dozens of fish flew from the lake onto the ground, flopping wildly. "Uhhh... maybe I overdid it a little. Y'know now is usually when-" Ysran immediately collapsed to the ground and assumed the fetal position. His head pounded. It was going to be a few moments before he'd be getting up again. Such is the price of Occult magic.

Elyria looked up to see dozens of fish in the air and she ducked and covered her head facing away from them. When they stopped hitting her she looked at Ysran with wide eyes and ran the few steps to where he lay on the ground. "Are you hurt? Is there anything I can do?" She wasn't aware of the give and take effects of occult magic. She wasn't aware that there were side effects to it's use. All that she was aware of was that he was hurt and there were fish flopping all over the place. One of the fish hit her hand and she swatted it away.

She brushed Ysran's hair away from his face to make sure he wasn't covered in scales again.
@Lord Orgasmo

Caractacus sighed, deciding to take a few steps away from the ever growing party. It was maddening, humans and elves and whatever else Ysran was, all crowding and squawking and chattering. He sighed, admonishing himself, that however much he dreaded it, friendship with the mob was better than trying to go it alone at this point. They at least were mildly interesting to watch.

The group had come to an agreement, it seemed, to relocate to a nearby lake, and make camp for the night. Caractacus had no qualms in such a decision, and so, he voiced none, instead keeping toward the rear of the party, surrounded by his undead, as they made for the waterfront. He kept his silence during the long march, though at times he felt the toll of his magic use throughout the day. His stomach growled along the way, his legs ached though it was far from extreme exertion, and he found himself stepping with his staff as the miles dragged on. Were he alone, Caractacus would have merely had his zombies carry him, but he had no inclination of such indulgences when in front of others. He would look foolish.

Finally, the group reached the lake, and quickly began dividing up labor, with the lumberjack taking the lead. The warrior assigned Caractacus to wood-gathering. He frowned a moment, assigned to such menial work as to traipse through the woods for sticks, but he supposed his zombies were well suited to the task. "Very w-well." He waved an arm, and gave his minions the order and hey stalked off into the woods to execute it. Caractacus followed along with them into the woods, if only to make sure they do not start a fight with whatever other strangers may be wandering out there.

Kathryn was given the job of Hunter. A skill she was not really good at, she was tempted to say something, but stopped. She figured it was better that people believed she could do something rather then know her weaknesses. Her bow skills were... Okay. She can point and shoot at a close range. And if lucky, medium range. "Sounds good fellow... People." And she wondered off to go Hunting. She figured it can't be that hard? There are still animals around no? Plus, her hunger definitively gave her motivation.

Almost as soon as she left the camp she noticed one of her new party members with their undead army. It... it gave her chills. But since he was alone, Kathryn figured this would be a good chance to make an ally, or at the least learn some weaknesses of her potential enemies. "So wood duty? Having fun?" She spoke calmly as she approached, trying to keep the undead unit in her line of sight. As long as she could see them all she felt she could stand her ground. She didn't see a need to, but she still needed to trust these people.

He was tall, his cloak did make her uneasy, and curious, but mostly suspicious. The undead made her worry though, most of her encounters with the Undead normally meant she was forced to fight former allies. Or kill enemies she had already killed. "I'm not sure I got your name? Mine's Kathryn. Most people I talk to though call me Kat though." She was trying to act as friendly as possible, though she kept a watchful eye on her environment, and its many characteristics.

A full five minutes had passed before Ysran had regained his senses. Thankfully nobody had seemed to notice his little display. Except for Elyria, if course. Groaning, Ysran slowly managed to get to his feet. He began to speak slowly: "Okay...I think, uh... I think I'm fine. I'll just... Cut back on the magic a bit..." He gave Elyria a quick nod, as a means of thanks, and he began to slowly collect the fish scattered around. Once he had an armfull, he returned to Alberich. "I uh... I got some fish. There's still a whole bunch more over there..." He pointed to the area beside the lake. "I need to uh... sit down for a moment... maybe I'll read something..." He shuffled slowly towards the fire and dar down. Putting his pack in front of him, he began to go through it. There were some candles, chalk, a few books, some detailing spells, the others, we're likely some other sort of ritual. Ysran was a little to tired to translate through the books, and tried to find one in common. Pulling our a small paperback book, the title read: "Choose your own adventure! Dungeons and Dragons: Fall of Wintersrock." a bit of a silly read, but he needed something to help him relax. That is, of course, until they were attacked by who-knows-what. Things always seemed to go in that direction for him. Taking his crossbow and blade off, he set them beside himself, and began to dig into his book.

The party had more or less went with Alberich's barked orders. Each one set out to do the task he had asked of them, although there were some changes in Alberich's plans. Elyria had chanted a spell that cloaked the encampment in an invisibility field, while Ysran used his own magic to summon what seemed to be hundreds of fish. The elf's magic had taken a toll on him as he collapsed, yet Alberich was distracted by the sudden explosion of fish that swarmed the shores and now flopped around on land. The lumberjack was in disbelief, but he quickly came to his senses and pulled out a large net-like sack to gather as many fish.

"We'll surely be full for days thanks to you, Ysran." Alberich replied once the elf had came to his senses and handed him an arm full of fish. "Yet there may be too many for us to eat before they spoil. I wonder if we could use these - along with whatever Kathryn might catch - to convince some of the locals to fight with us. They know the terrain, and we're at a disadvantage in numbers against the orc horde. Their help would be a boon in all regards." The lumberjack nodded to himself as he drew a knife and prepared a fish to roast over the fire that Elyria had set.

Running the blade against the fish to descale it, Alberich gazed towards the water. "If you three intend to stick around and fight the Dark Lord with me and whoever else wishes to stay, I believe our encampment should have a name." The lumberjack stated, brushing fish scales off his blade as he sliced open the belly to remove the insides. "Since we're camping by a lake and we desire victory over the Dark Lord... how does Victory Bay sound? Cheesy, I know. I was never one for names to begin with." Alberich chuckled as he tossed the organs in a small container for later use as bait or to sell to the local villagers. Food was usually hard to come by this close to the realm of the Dark Lord, and every scrap saved could be someone's saving grace.

The work was slow going but simple, as Caractacus's undead gathered anything that could be described as a stick on the forest floor. One held two armfuls of twigs, dropping dozens as it bent to pick up another fistful, while another was dutifully dragging a log back toward the campsite, and the rest were gathering somewhere in between the two extremes. Caractacus made sure to keep a watchful eye on all of his undead, and that they did not wander far. As he swept his gaze to follow the log-dragger, he caught sight of one of the party members, the warrior woman, approaching.

Caractacus turned to face her, though he kept swinging his eyes back on to the zombies to be sure they didn't attract any harmful attention. She was making small talk, asking him how the work was going. Caractacus narrowed his eyes slightly. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. This woman wanted something from him, or was looking to distract him. He made sure to look around thoroughly once more before putting on a smile so fake it could peel paint. "The work goes, ah, well. I--er, I suppose they, are quite adept at it." He looked to the zombies once more. "And y-you are hunting, yes?"

The woman introduced herself as Kathryn, or Kat. Caractacus nodded, far too quickly. "Yes, yes, a p-pleasure to meet you, Kathr--Kat. Or, er--ahem." Caractacus cleared his throat, taking a deep breath. "In any m-matter, I am Caractacus Dool. Y-you may call me...Caractacus." He finished his own introduction with a nervous chuckle. Surely the ambush was coming, wasn't it? He looked around once more for the woodsman, or perhaps the beastly man, sneaking up on him.

Elyria nodded at Ysran and cooked some fish to eat. She looked around at the others. There were a few others here who did magic although a bit differently than she did. At least they had that in common. She still felt alone, even in a camp full of misfits such as these. She covered her hair back up and kept her things to herself. Elyria knew she needed to find a way to fit in better but how? There were a couple of warriors, a witch, a necromancer and an occultist who conjured fish. How was a petite blue haired witch who specialized in protection and defensive spells going to fit in with these people? She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared into the fire with worry.

When Alberich brought up naming the camp Victory Bay she cocked her head sideways a little and thought about it. "Is this lake really a bay though? What about Camp Victory? She asked him.
@Aquanthe

Oh boy, was all she could think as he spoke. He was scared shitless, what she wondered though was it of the situation at hand or was it at her? Or was it at something she had no understanding of? Probably the last one. Maybe he was planning to pull something against the newly formed Fellowship? Would that be why he is so scared? For now though she would just keep a watchful eye of her surroundings and the dead. Seemed that the man would be doing that himself.

He eventually introduced himself as Caractacus. "Car-act-a-cus" She attempted to sound out his name. She figured she was pretty close. Caractacus was an interesting name, though she knew a lot of strange names. "And I was asked to hunt yes, but truth be told I am not a big fan of bows. Or that decent with them. I just have it because some asshole was trying to taunt me from slightly out of my reach." she would leave the part out about how they were less them five feet away in eight inches of water. "But I figured I would try anyways, worst comes to worse I could always take my knife and take care of a bird or something with it? I mean, much bigger and throwing a knife will only do so much." She stopped for a bit and smiled. "That is if I were aiming for a clean kill." She laughed a bit, then stopped realizing her joke was leaning a bit on the darker side of humor. "Sorry, seemed funnier in my head...."

She looked at the undead army slowly but more or less.... kinda.... they were trying hard to gather wood. "Do you need any help? Worst comes to worse with my job and we go a single night without food, I am sure we could find something decent later if we really had to. But I don't really like the idea of freezing to death." Making small talk was hard for Kathryn, she simply tried to smile and act nice... This was probably the hardest task of her life.

She took off her helmet letting her ungroomed hair free as a sign of good faith, this man seemed scared of his own shadow. Or maybe it was the only thing he wasn't afraid of? "So what's it like to have these guys around you? Doesn't it get a little..." She was going to say creepy, but necromancers didn't normally seem bothered by the dead. "A little strange?"

The necromancer watched her as the warrior continued chatting, acting friendly. It was disconcerting, as though she were trying to keep him disarmed. I won't fall for it. Caractacus thought, dropping the fake smile. He stopped sweeping the treeline for a moment to focus as she continued speaking. Evidently, she was less the hunter than she was taken for, more a warrior. Her armor seemed more for combat than stalking some beast in the woods. Caractacus let out a small laugh, this one far more genuine than his earlier attempt, at Kathryn's joke. "No, no, that was f-funny. Quite funny."

The warrior was clearly still anxious about the undead, she clearly flicked her gaze to watch them as they worked. Though maybe she was watching the spectacle of a half-dozen zombies gathering wood with the characteristic intelligence of their kind. Still, they surely were going at least as fast as if Caractacus were doing the work himself, and they didn't get tired. Caractacus considered Kathryn's help to gather firewood for the night. On the one hand, it would make the work itself faster. On the other, she could simply be using it as part of a convoluted plot to get him away from his zombies and murder him. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think..." Caractacus stopped, turning to watch as one of the zombies started ripping and tearing at the bark of a tree. "I suppose that yes, I'd l-like your help some. Not that I cannot, b-but...yes, thank you."

Turning back to look at his compeer, cocking his head to look at her as she removed her helmet. It certainly made her seem less threatening, or at least less immediately ready for combat. "It is not so strange. Is it weird when you hold your sword? They are like tools. They-they do the work of people, but are not so treacherou--that is, not s-so unreliable. Er, no, that does not work either..." Caractacus shook his head. "In any m-matter, I am quite accustomed to their p-presence. The dead can serve in a multitude of ways." An idea struck him as he looked at her bow. "In f-fact, I think I could help you with your work as well. If you need it, of course."

---

The blue-haired witch was right. The lake wasn't much of a bay, and Alberich wasn't sure if it was connected to any other bodies of water. He sat the knife down as Alberich placed his hand on his chin and considered her suggestion. "Camp Victory, eh? It sounds nice for a small camp for us, but Elyria, you have to always dream big. It's what I used to tell my daughter when she was... still alive." The lumberjack grew silent for a few seconds as he shook away painful memories. "We're next to a big body of water, trees all around. A good location for a town, or even a city. I may sound insane, but building something more than a camp here could draw people that hate the Dark Lord as much as I do or other potential adventurers to our cause." Alberich replied, taking a glimpse back at Ysran, Elyria and Sakem with a smile on his face before returning to the fish he was preparing.

"I have more suggestions, but the villages and towns where I had grown up always sounded guttural to foreigners. Like Achteresch or Haslangkreit. I could try to think up something that fits our spirit, but I'm not sure if any of them would work." Alberich said, rolling his words to make the various crunchy and guttural sounds for the names of the villages that once existed near his childhood home.

Ysran stared at his book. Should he follow the Silver Knight? He had no clue who he was, but he hadn't led him astray yet. But there way the alternative path to his left. There'd likely be some cool stuff down there, and it would be a good chance to escape from the Knight should he be planning something. The fire in front of Ysran cracked loudly. He flinched. Jumping back to reality, he put the book back into his pack and stood up. His headache was mostly gone. It'd probably pass in a few moments. He heard the mighty voice of Alberich. He made some guttural sounding...sounds. They almost sounded like his Occult language. Either than, or some language he didn't know. He walked over towards Alberich and Elyria. "So, what do we do now? Is there a village up ahead? Speaking of which, where are we? I've kind of got no idea where we are. Ysran thought back a little further, only hearing scraps of what they were saying. Something about naming this place."Oh yeah, didn't you guys say something about naming this place? We could always go the comedic route. That'd probably make it stick in people's minds. Like... The Abusement Park. Ysran yawned loudly. He suddenly realized just how tired he was. "I'm gonna head off to bed soon. If you need anything, speak now or forever hold your peace."

---

"We're on the edge of the Dark Lord's territory. I'm certain there'll be a few villages here and there, but after that scene earlier today, I wouldn't press my luck to see them thriving." Alberich replied to Ysran as he grabbed a few sticks from the area, and stabbed the fish through the mouth. With caution, the lumberjack then placed the sticks deep into the fire, letting the fish roast in the heat. "The sun has begun to set, so we should all get some sleep soon. Tomorrow should be plentiful day. If we're not delayed by skirmishes with the orc horde near us, I'll try heading to the villages I spoke of earlier to get some help building this encampment. With luck, there might be a few men or women wanting to fight with us." The lumberjack replied, staring into the fire as he watched the fish cook to ensure they didn't burn. Burned food was hardly edible, and more importantly, it couldn't sell well.

While Alberich watched the fish cook, Ysran brought up the topic of a name once more. "Joking around will get us nowhere, Ysran. We need something strong and powerful rather than a name that'll make us a laughing stock. When I was in the military, my superiors would've certainly reprimanded me for trying to suggest something comedic. Kathryn would probably understand what I'm talking about." The lumberjack frowned as the elf suggested a comedic name. Looking up at the sky for a short moment, Alberich sighed. "We can discuss the details some more tomorrow. You three should get some rest. I'll keep watch over the fire and a look out for the other two when they return from their escapade into the forest." Alberich replied, glancing at the treeline. It had been awhile since they left, and Alberich was worried they might've ran into a problem.

"Gonna keep watch huh? Well, I think I might know a guy who can help. *sigh* Let's hope this doesn't hurt to much." Ysran took a deep breath. He raised his hand and stuck in in front of him. "Ok... let's give this a try. Torezodu!"

On command a swirling dark hole had opened in front of him, about three feet in diameter. So far so good. A claw stuck it's way out of the hole and gripped the ground. Then another. Ysran walked over and grabbed the arms as the creature slowly rose from the black vortex. With a quick yank. The creature had risen from the hole and stood before the group. "This is Chuckles. He's a Shambler. Not undead, just your average everyday lesser horror. Chuckles, keep watch. And do whatever he tells you." He pointed towards Alberich. Ysran rubbed his temple. His head didn't hurt that bad, but it still hurt nonetheless. He patted Chuckles on the back playfully.

Elyria quietly stared into the fire and turned to look at Alberich and the others. She shivered slightly and looked up at the very tall man and then glancing at the others. "Have any of you fought the Dark Lord before? Why are you fighting him now and you should be aware that he can turn a magic user to his side...He did my mother, right after he killed my father. I've been performing spells that will prevent him from turning me evil since that awful day." She shivered and she looked a little vulnerable but she seemed determined not to be turned.

"My agressive magic is not well practiced but I'll protect and heal as much as I can and those skills of mine are very good. My archery is as good as any elf's which is to say it is impeccable. Are your reasons for fighting him deep enough that you will not be swayed to join him?"

@Lord Orgasmo@Aquanthe@dereken

---

The burly lumberjack was disgruntled when he saw such a monstrous sight appear from the portal that Ysran summoned. Alberich felt disgusted that the Shambler even existed, but for now, he had to come to terms with the creature. He felt some relief as Ysran ordered it to do whatever Alberich said, and he thought that the stocky lesser horror could be of some use if Elyria's spell was broken and the party had came under assault by the vicious orc horde or any other evils prowling nearby in the forest. "For now, Chuckles... Ah, go seek out Caractacus and Kathyrn. They've been gone a long time." Alberich told the creature, but quickly had another idea. Digging in his pouch, the lumberjack quickly wrote a few words on a parchment. "Take this with you as well. If they see this, it should be enough to keep them from attacking." Alberich nodded to Chuckles as he handed the parchment to the creature. It was surely odd to have a nearly mindless being do your bidding - it was something the lumberjack didn't feel entirely comfortable with.

As Chuckles went off to find the two deep in the forest, Elyria spoke her worries about their reasoning to fight the Dark Lord. She desired to know if their heart was in the right enough place, their will strong enough to keep themselves from being swayed to join the Dark Lord. For a moment, Alberich had grown silent, yet his clutched hands were the telltale signs that Elyria had made him think of memories that he didn't want to remember. Taking a seat by the fire once more, Alberich sighed as he stared back at the witch sitting across from him. "If you desire to know so much, then you'll get your answer. I have my reasons for wanting to take the Dark Lord by the neck and rip his entrails out, yes." His tone was much more serious than the previous cheerful nature from before. The memories brought on by Elyria's questioning burned his hatred for the Dark Lord brighter, and it shown through Alberich's response.

"Elyria, close your eyes. Imagine a peaceful village, deep in a forest. Children playfully running around while their parents were busy with their work and various duties. Now, think of that same village, except it is now midnight. People are screaming in terror while the village is ablaze. Corpses surround you, but you can't flee - they want you to fight. So you fight, you fight until your axe had drank the blood of numerous elves and goblins. With your childhood friend, you fight until find your own flesh and blood - your wife and daughter, but a large troll steps in your path. Right in front of your eyes, the troll cuts both of them down like he was taking candy away from a baby." By now, Alberich is visibly trying to hide his rage while he speaks. Speaking about his past was hardly something he did after that fateful event years ago, and whenever Alberich remembered why he was fighting the Dark Lord, he would often take his anger out on numerous trees with his large battleaxe. The lumberjack was a military man, and he had seen things that many with a weak stomach wouldn't dare wish to see, yet the death of his family continuously bothered Alberich.

"Now, rage has taken over you and your best friend, and both of you charge the troll, but the beast is always one step ahead of you. One moment you believe you landed a strike, but you glance over and your friend is dead on the ground with his guts hanging out of his stomach. You have to think quickly, so you grab his shield to parry the troll's next swing. Luck finally shines on you, and the troll stumbles back in a daze long enough for you to leap forward and slice his arm off, but then the retreat is signaled. Your own compatriots, your companions force you to flee while your family and best friend lie dead in front of your eyes. You don't get to bury them, or any of your neighbors that died. Their bodies rot while you must retreat to ensure the safety of everyone else survived." Alberich stated, standing up from his seat and gazed at the lake. It was a calming sight as the flow of water was always peaceful, but for the warrior, it was hardly enough. Alberich needed to do what he always had done in the past, to find a place to take his anger out. Walking over to his belongings, the lumberjack picked up his battleaxe and heaved it over his shoulder.

"Elyria, you asked for my story, and I told you it. Now, if you excuse me - I need a moment." Alberich stated to the elves and human that had remained at the campsite before taking off towards the direction the Shambler went, and ventured off deep into the woods.

"I honestly don't even know who this Dark Lord guy is, but from what I've heard from you guys, he's apperently not a nice guy.I don't have anything against him, but if he truly is evil, then I'll join the fray. I've got some... past sins to pay for, and while I'll never forgive myself for them, I find comfort knowing that I can fight for the good guys now." Ysran looked back. Chuckles was wandering towards the trees, still clutching the paper.

Chuckles walked through the forest, following the sounds of undead moaning and chatter. As he kept walking, Chuckles eventually spotted several figures. One was robed and surrounded by several others. This must be who Master wanted him to see. Sauntering out from the shade, Chuckles gave a loud grunt to get their attention. Shuffling forward still, he stuck out his arm grasping the paper. He bagan to shake his arm back and forth in a 'come hither' manner.

Elyria listened carefully as Alberich told his story. She knew when she had asked that they might have some truly deep horrors in their pasts connected to the Dark Lord. She could feel the emotion coming from Alberich's words. His grief was very real. As he ran off into the woods she sat there thinking for a moment about the memories she had just made him relive. Sorrow filled her heart for his loss for a few moments. "That poor man." She remarked sadly.

Upon hearing Ysran's words she felt less grief and more repentance for his sins. She hoped it was enough to keep him on the right side of this fight. Watching the creature he called Chuckles wander about aimlessly she asked him "Does he know what Caractacus and Kathryn look like? How do you know he won't hand it to some random stranger or worse?"

"Ysran? With your magical abilities how do you know the Dark Lord can't turn you evil?"

@Lord Orgasmo@Aquanthe