I'm an Interdiscplinary BA, searching for a job in the current market, and this site has been my introduction to role-play. I prefer medieval and/or sci-fi roleplays and am a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, RWBY, Fire Emblem Awakening, Superheroes, and Fairy Tail.
Gwyn pursed her lips. If they waited, they might not be able to find them again. But if they went unprepared..."Wouldn't it be best to rest and prepare? Supplies are a necessity within the desert after all, so if we don't grab them, someone else may come and grab them for themselves." She then peered around a bit before looking back towards them. "Besides, if any of us need rest or healing..." She glanced over to Cicero suspiciously. She couldn't see anything obviously amiss, but given his track record, she would still suspect something. "Making sure to gather the supplies will allow a chance to take care of anything before it becomes too serious."
Gwyneria pursed her lips, looking between Ashe and Cicero. "...You may call me Freda." Then extended out her hand. "We are glad that you were here. Have you been here long?"
Gwyn watched the stranger cautiously as she descended down the ladder, glad that they had had help (and more than a bit miffed with herself for missing that last throw) though still, curious about who this man was. Finally, she made it down, sizing him up more. "Well as they say, a friend in need is a friend indeed.." Her eyes then went to check Cicero over for any injuries before looking back at the stranger. "You trust your, other friend?
!1d20+1 (+2 for elven eyesight, -1 for nighttime vision) = 9
Gwyn grinned triumphantly. Got them! Now to just help with the remaining six...At least Cicero seems to have found a friend. She powered up another fireball, looking for where she could aim. The light from the last one helped luminate where they were better, though the new friend made it a bit more of a gamble of how it could go. Time was of the essence here though. One more good fireball, then she could start saving her energy by shooting arrows. Taking careful aim, she let loose towards where the undeath were thickest.
Gwyneria scowled. No way in hell was she going to let Cicero die here. Not after all that they'd been through. Not after all the times she'd healed his sorry hide! Best way to help him though was to find a way to thin out the undeath, and quickly. There was no water in the desert air though. Icicles wouldn't do the trick. And the undeath likely wouldn't care about light all that much. So within her hands, she formed a fireball then hurled it down within the midst of the undeath horde, away from the immediate area that Cicero was standing his ground.
The dusty stone gleamed under the blistering sun above. Music rang through the air from street performers while traders and locals shuffled too and fro among the store fronts, covering their head to guard their eyes. The smells of spices, fruits, and animals hung heavy in the already heated desert air, only slightly alleviated by the sea breezes coming in over the sandy beaches.
Felix swiped the sweat off his brow as the ship sailed into port. “Sure is hot here.”
Jim grunted which seemed like an acknowledgement the way Felix nodded.
Cicero took a deep breath and exhaled, "Back again. Time for a wardrobe change. I hope desert robes are your style." He grinned at Gwyn.
She pursed her lips, wiping her brow. “I believe I can manage…Do people willingly live in such heat?”
"I did." Cicero shrugged. "Now you do too. Shall I call you snowflake?" He chuckled.
Gwyn scowled then muttered to herself as she tried to shake off the discomfort.
The Captain bellowed orders as the crewmen scrambled to lower the sails. The captain smoothly cruised to the dock like a professional. Jim and Felix tied to the dock securely. Cicero checked his things and his heart sank. He whispered to Gwyn, "There's a problem…" He scratched his head, "I have no money. Did Dalius pay you for those prisoners?"
She frowned. “I know we did all get our own share from those bounties.” She reached into her bags, searching for her money pouch. “Where did yours go? Surely you didn’t spend it all buying that cabbage.”
Cicero stared abstractly in the distance as the thought occurred to him. He rested his forehead against the boat's side and stated, "It's with the Libertalia…along with my armor.." He groaned quietly under his breath.
“Rats.” She finally got the purse up, counting the coins carefully. “We’re going to have to make more somehow.”
"What kind of knight doesn't have his armor…or horse? It feels like I'm less of one every day that passes…" Cicero muttered to no one in particular.
She glanced over to him. “All that can get replaced though. But not the man…” Then she glanced out as the ship came up the pier. “Besides, your horse would be cared for back at whatever stable you left her, right?”
[color=orange]“...Yes.” He finally replied. “Merlin should be fine. Now that he’s not in any danger being around me perhaps it is for the best.” He raised his head up and said determinedly , “We will clear this whole thing up and regain our lost valor.” He thumped his fist against the ship to punctuate his remark.
“Indeed…” She double checked that all her things were in order, then straightened up. “Would there be a mailing service here?”
[color=orange]“There should be some mail birds in the town.” He replied. “Let’s do some shopping.”
“Alright…” She touched a scrap of parchment she also had in the sack before slinging it over her shoulder. “Shall we still go with Freda and Cyrano as names?”
“For now. With my friend, we won’t have to.”
Just then the Captain called out, “At last we have made it! I hope your journey was not too unbearable. A storm or two here and there, but we are here! Now…” He coughed, “The matter of the payment..”
Cicero eyed Gwyn nervously.
She simply sighed. “How much do we owe you?”
He sighed deeply. “On account of the windy journey, multiple storms..” He counted off his fingers, “Carrying obvious fugitives..”
Jim raised an eyebrow, “That would be extra..”
“A lot extra…” Felix turned around towards them.
Gwyn pursed her lips. “How much extra are we saying?”
The Captain laughed uproariously, “Hah hah hah harrr! It not be but…what do you have on ye?”
“...Tell me what you expect first.” She stared at him while reaching in and silently counting the coins within, trying to figure out for herself just how much they had. “If reasonable, we’ll pay. If not…I’m sure we can have some civil negotiations.”
He scratched his beard, “I’d say 1000 pieces for the full ride with fugitives. It’s only fair, right lads?”
Jim grunted in agreement.
“Right!” Felix remarked back.
Gwyneria frowned. Just enough, though they’d definitely need to be careful with getting anything else… Then took out the coins and sighed. "There you go."
The captain tilted his head, then went and counted the coins, before placing it into his pouch. "A pleasure doing business with the two of you."
"The pleasure is all ours, I'm sure." She hoisted her stuff up then looked to Cicero. "You know your way around from here, right?"
"Of course. This way Freda." They disembarked the ship and headed toward the town bazaar.
The two purchased appropriate desert clothing and supplies for their journey. They even had enough leftover for a single older camel. Cicero spoke the language well enough. Then they headed into the sands.
A few days' journey by camel and they arrived in the badlands. The desert was so hot and smoldering that their clothes stuck to their skin. They traveled by night to avoid the intense heat. Instead, they dealt with the freezing temperatures which Gywn was far more comfortable with.
It was about 1am when they reached Cicero’s former mercenary outpost. It stretched about a quarter of an acre. It had a barracks, 2 watchtowers, a couple of storehouses, a stable and a small perimeter fence with only a single stone gate allowing for entry. “There it is.” Cicero remarked. “Hopefully it’s not abandoned. Otherwise this will be one quick trip.”
She glanced around. "I don't know. Seems at least a place to stay…"
The gate was open and swinging in the wind oddly. It creaked as they dismounted their camel and stepped inside. “Something’s off. Can you sense anything?” Cicero inquired.
Her brow furrowed, then she closed her eyes and felt around her.
Roll: 1d20 + 1 = 19, success.
She sensed faint traces of corrupt magic emanating from the barracks.
Gwyneria breathed out in alarm. “Dark magic’s been used here.”
The duo investigated the compound. It revealed broken door frames, scratch marks on walls and arrows stuck into the watchtower. “It’s been raided..” Cicero muttered grimly. “This is the work of demonfolk. But..” He yanked an arrow from the tower, “This is good quality steel. Not something they have easy access to.”
"Why not? Couldn't they be supplied?"
"It must be someone or some group with access to a lot of resources."
Suddenly they heard the sound of moans coming from the barracks. A dozen lumbering figures spilled out of the doorway and windows. They wore rags and were disfigured. The flesh was halfway decomposed on their bodies. But yet, they were moving.
“Undeath.” Cicero stated darkly. He drew his longsword and removed his shield from his back. “We need a better position. Up the tower, NOW!” He ran toward the nearest watchtower and held his ground, jerking his head for Gwyn to climb.
Gwyn quickly scurried her way up, watching out among the undead. Finally, she made the top, honing her power. "I'm safe. Get up here!"
The first of the creatures had reached Cicero by the time Gwyn was safe. He engaged them in a flurry of strikes and repostes. It was clear they were not very tactical in their approach. They were singular in their mission: To destroy the living.
Cicero managed to lop the head off the first of the horde, but many more began to swarm before he had a chance to climb the tower. He was struggling to defend and attack. Without his full set of armor, the enemies hacked at his shield and sword relentlessly.
Manzur found himself in the opposite watchtower seeing everything going on. His ally lay wounded nearby, the reason why he had stayed there for so many days. The undeath would not let them leave. Their water and food were running low. However, the arrival of these strangers provided a perfect opportunity to leave. Would Manzur attempt an escape, or help the strangers?
Yes, Ashe is accepted. Go ahead and submit her when you're ready.
As for how skills are acquired, it depends on the story and roleplay. Based on the character's choices and actions, they can gain new skills or develop in other ways. Gwyneria for instance gained a heightened ability to detect subtle uses of magic due to her actions during the arena when doing her best to figure out what exact spells other spellcasters were using.
It would therefore be up to Spiffy and I what exactly would cause the growth and what exactly would effect that growth, but being able to roll for other's luck would be intriguing for her to have, so if she showed the character to use something like that, she might gain that ability. The other might depend on how bad her rolls are.
@Steel Legion Spiffy and I discussed things. While you'd need to wait until after the other two are introduced to become part of the story since this is done Lord of the Rings style, you are welcome to join in still. It could be interesting to have a non-combat character.
Hi.
I'm an Interdiscplinary BA, searching for a job in the current market, and this site has been my introduction to role-play. I prefer medieval and/or sci-fi roleplays and am a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, RWBY, Fire Emblem Awakening, Superheroes, and Fairy Tail.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hi. <br><br>I'm an Interdiscplinary BA, searching for a job in the current market, and this site has been my introduction to role-play. I prefer medieval and/or sci-fi roleplays and am a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, RWBY, Fire Emblem Awakening, Superheroes, and Fairy Tail.</div>
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