The Great Adventure!

I felt very good that morning, my spirits were high- so high, in fact, that even revolting Roxton could drag me down. He made some rather crude remarks, at which I just sniffed haughtily. Phoenix turned towards me and said, "Sorry about that. And don't worry, no one believes him, everyone knows he is a fool." He then turned away, seeming uncomfortable.

I sat thinking, and realized that as much as I felt like a naïve, stupid elf, I wasn’t. I was a very good spell caster, and alright with my bow. I decided that I should practice some more, lest there be another time when I needed it. "Excuse me everyone, I’m going to go practice." I said cheerfully. I went to my tent, retrieved my bow and arrows, and walked away from the camp. After all, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Except Roxton.

[OOC] I'm planning to see something- either Icarius trying to fly, or V's dwarf doing something. Is that okay with everyone?[/OOC]

 

[OOC] Way ahead of you... Me and Flink is going to try something dramatic now...[/OOC]

 

Hmm, practice DOES sound like a good idea. Wonder if Roxton will work as a practice dummy?, I thought chuckling a little. I got up and headed off as well, to a different location, so that Roxton won't have an excuse for another remark like that.

More than target practice I needed to work on getting my blades out faster. The ones in my sleeves were easy enough to get to but others such as the ones in my boots took a little more doing. After practicing for a while I figured out a form I could use to go from one knife to the next rather smoothly. Should certainly come in handy the next time we run into a group of bandits. Before it had taken me way to long to get my blades out.

 

I overslept. The sun was streaming through the tent canvas by the time I woke up. Ari was already up so I quickly got dressed and tidied up the tent, making sure everything was packed and ready for when we broke camp.

I was a little worried that I'd be expected to make breakfast, but I was relieved to find that everyone was getting their own breakfast ready. I was a little concerned at some of the portions though. If this carried on then we'd be out of food only half way to Stillwater!

I procured my own breakfast and sat down on a log by the campfire, brushing off the dew first so that I wouldn't get too wet. Someone had stoked it up again with some new wood so that it had picked back up into a nice warm blaze in the cool morning sun. I was pleased to find that it wasn't as late as I first thought and that it was a clear sunny morning. Good, we should still be able to get in eight or nine hours travel today.

I'd just settled down to my food when I heard a nauseating sound. "Good morning ladies, gents. So... What was all that awful racket about last night? Did one of you ladies get a nightly visitor?"

I couldn't believe his audacity! How rude could you get! He winked at Ari and the young man next to her in a disgustingly lecherous manner and I was hard pushed to refrain from throwing my mug at his head. "Good show my boy. I certainly did not expect you to be such a scallywag. Hehe, good show indeed."

I was just about to reconsider throwing my mug when he turned on me! "And good morning to you as well my pretty. Would you mind serving me some breakfast as well? I'm quite famished even tho I only slept last night." He winked lecherously again and I tightened my grip on the mug's handle. "This time I would however appreciate it if I could have it in a bowl. I don't have that many clean shirts left you see."

That was it! I was just about to hurl my mug at his face when Jonathon walked up to the campfire. He told Roxton in no uncertain terms that if he couldn't fend for himself then he could pack his bags and leave. I was delighted! Rather haughtilly, Roxton made his way away from the campfire.

Ari excused herself to go and practice her bowmanship and the young gentleman with her parted too. Although not in the same direction as Ari. I wolfed down the rest of my food before Roxton came back, if he's gone to get his own food at all, and made my way back to my tent.

As I reached the tent I saw Ari just disappearing off. I was glad that she looked alot happier. Perhaps she was finally getting over her ordeal.

I grabbed my equipment and exitted the tent. I looked at the sun. We'll have to strike camp in the next half an hour if we're to make a full day's travel. I noticed that Ari had also packed her belongings, so I struck the tent and shared it equally between the two of us. The tent wasn't at all heavy when divided up.

Now that we were all ready to leave I thought I'd better see if I could find Roxton and talk to him about that watch. The idea made me feel queasy but maybe I could get some money out of him for the hassle.

I wandered over to the campfire but he was nowhere to be seen. Infact, noone there had seen him for a while. I searched around the encampment and could not find a sign of him and was just about to head back to the campfire when I was intercepted by a half Elf that I vaguely recognised.

"Hello. I don't believe we've been fully introduced. My name is Kat."

 

[OOC]
Ok, We'll just go along with it and try to get things moving again after this little mishap. VerZreV will be allowed to speak for me in his next post as that was what happened before anyway. Next time tho I'd like to control what I say myself.
[/OOC]

I left the campfire to get the opertunity to smoke a cigar without getting food thrown at one of my last clean shirts. As I sat down on a large rock, I couldn't help thinking that someone was watching me... Then my suspicions where confirmed when I heard a noice comming from somewhere close! I whipped out my razor in a desperate atempt to protect myself...

 

[OOC] I'm choosing Olive as my color... [/OOC]


"Damn !, what rotten luck...!�

I crossed over a large river, carefully walking over the log of tree that served as a makeshift bridge.

Well, the watch was gone… I had looked for it all night, but to no avail… I just hoped they would mistake it for somebody else’s if it were to be found.

I sat down behind a large rock, where a talked to myself for a while…

�How am I supposed to get close to him…? Should I just walk over there and… no, no, no… far to suspicious… what about if I...�

*Crack!*

The unsuspected noise made my heart beat twice as fast as usual. I looked over the cliff…
�By the goldmines of Vendigoth !�, it was the eccentric fellow the others had called Roxton...

He was walking casually towards a flat rock, on which he sat down and fished something out of his breast pocket. It was a small silver box, imbedded with a golden “R� on the front… He opened it and took a flimsy-looking cigar out, which he proceeded to insert in his mouth, whereupon he lighted it with an equally fancy sliver-lighter.

His flamboyant showing of his riches disgusted me, as he sat on the stone while puffing his grade-A cigar.

�Damn you, you rich fat-cat!�

I put a hand over my mouth when I realized that I had spoken out loud in my amazement, and that the man had heard me!

I muttered under my breath; �Way to be stealthy !�

He was walking over to my hiding place, while I clumsily tried to load my rifle…

“I say, is anyone out there? I do declare!, I have a knife! So any potential brigand might reconsider attacking me about now!�

Comical as it where, he was getting closer, and his knife WAS a sharp one, even if I doubted his skill with such a “Crude object�…

“I urge you to run away now, unless you would not object to a hefty dose of “Roxton-wrath�

He was walking away from me now, so I put my rifle on top of a rock and aimed at his neck.
It suddenly dawned to me, a shot from Martha would be heard miles away !…

I tried my best to sound like a duck, getting his attention. After a couple of seconds, he was walking over to me with his “Knife� held high for a strike. I picked up two stones, both the size of an eye.
I threw the first one past him, into a bush, making him turn around with a“Have at thee!�
The second one hit him right in the back of his head, with a *DUMF* kind of sound….
He collapsed forwards, down in the mud...

I walked over to him. He was still breathing, or at least, his well-honed mustache slowly tipped up and down, indicating that SOME kind of breathing was going on within his powdered and manicured body…

I placed the man over my shoulders, like some kind of animal, and began to walk towards their camp…

“Now just to make up a believable story…

 

"Hello. I don't believe we've been fully introduced. My name is Kat."
"My name is Luinil. I've actually been hoping to talk to you about somehting.
"Go ahead."
"I don't know about the rest of our group, but you seem to be capable of dealing with things. I discovered some tracks leading into our camp. I was hoping you would come out and take a look around to see if we can find who made them.
"I was actually just heading out to look for Roxton, I think I may have found something of his. Why don't we go see if we can find him or whatever it was that made those tracks?"
"Sounds like a good plan to me Kat. The tracks are over near my tent if you want to start from there."
Seeing her nod, I led her to the tracks and followed them to the bush. "This is as far as I got when I looked this morning, how about we keep walking and see if we come across anymore tracks or clues?"
"Sounds like a good plan to me."

 

As I walked into the camp, people looked at me with a fair amount of disbelief. I thought about how I must have looked to them, a small figure, covered with mud, and a big beard full of twigs and patches of dried mud, and on top of that, with the unconscious Roxton over my back. Indeed, I must have looked horrible. But this, I thought with a smile, would only serve to justify my story…

I walked past a big ogre who was apparently tending to some horses. He looked after me with his jaw between his ankles. As I walked over to the fireplace where I threw Roxton on the moist ground.
He had been hit hard, so he would probably be out for an hour or less… Maybe I would be done with my errand even before he woke up?. I scouted around in the camp. The mage Luinil was not to be seen, so I decided to wait for him here, as he was bound to show up at some point. In the meantime it seemed that I had become the center of attention, so I sat down on a fallen tree, and prepared to answer questions from the crowd of people who had amassed around me.

[OOC] Come on !, try to outsmart me here !, I dare you :razz: [/OOC]

 

Some time after returning to camp, a small... something, walked into the camp carrying Roxton over his sholder. Maybe we'll get lucky and he's dead, I thought with a smirk.

The small mud lump carried him into camp then tossed him, none too lightly to my happiness, then sat down on a fallen tree. I walked over and checked Roxton for a pulse. Bit weaker than it should have been, but it was there. Ah, well, guess he might be useful if he would just keep his mouth shut.

I turned to the thing (probably a dwarf, considering his stature and strength to carry Roxton in here with no difficulty) and asked "Who are you?"

 

“Ragnor, Ragnor goldvein… That’s my name. Hunter and tracker, at your service…”

I carefully eyed the people around me, why were they looking like that…?

I looked down my coat; “Oh, by the thanes beards!, I must look a mess, oh well, that’s what you get when you do a hard days work, eh ?…” I said, as I gave Roxton a smug look.

I motioned to the noble, lying in the dirt; “I guess this fellow belong to you?” I said I began to brush the worst of the mud off.

“He was apparently hit by something, well, that’s MY guess at least… I found him like this, and brought him here, though the look on your faces suggests that you might have been happier had I just left him there...”

Behind be, I heard a groaning noise. Roxton was waking up from his little nap…

“Well, he looks like he’s coming round, so my work here is done… Eh, while we’re at it, you wouldn’t happen to have some soap now would ye? Gods know I could go for a bath now, so if it’s all right with you, I’ll just freshen up, and then we can talk…”

A man walked over to me with a hunk of soap, which I snatched from his hand.

“Right then, I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

The dwarf scuttled off in the direction of the river, leaving the baffled mob behind.


[OOC] This’ll give you all a chance to talk to Roxton, and to each other [/OOC]

 

[OOC]
Yay! I'm glad everthing has worked out. It's usually OK for people to write speech from other characters, but only as long as they can be sure to get the characterisation correct. Noone likes their character being made to say anything that's not in keeping with what they want or in a way that they feel is nothing like their character would act.

Things like little comments, or agreeing with someone are to be expected, otherwise you'd never be able to have running conversations with each person posting a few words at a time, but if you plan on making another character say anything of any length, or of importance (ie. about a major descision) then the best thing to do is PM the person who's character you wish to make say something and ask them how they would reply.

As it happens, everything seems to have worked out. And Demo, what you wrote for me seems to be OK.
[/OOC]


The half-Elven lad introduced himself. I know I've seen him before at the warehouse back in Tarant, but we'd never been properly introduced. Infact, it occured to me that none of us had been properly introduced unless we took it upon ourselves to introduce ourselves. Maybe I should get the group to indroduce themselves before we leave...

"My name is Luinil. I've actually been hoping to talk to you about something."

He seemed nice enough. "Go ahead."

"I don't know about the rest of our group, but you seem to be capable of dealing with things. I discovered some tracks leading into our camp. I was hoping you would come out and take a look around to see if we can find who made them."

Hmm.... Roxton's probably not worth my time anyway and this sounds like fun. Besides, maybe it was Roxton who made those tracks. Or more hopefully, whatever took Roxton made those tracks. We could always wish I suppose. "[/color=green]I was actually just heading out to look for Roxton. I think I may have found something of his. Why don't we go see if we can find him or whatever it was that made those tracks?[/color]"

He seemed to appreciate we joining him. "Sounds like a good plan to me Kat. The tracks are over near my tent if you want to start from there."

That sounded sensible. Luinil seemed to have some good sense. I think we'll get on quite well. I nodded my agreement and we headed off towards the tents at the far end of the camp. We then followed some marks that looks like tracks of some sort. It was hard to tell what they were. Whatever it was had been in a hurry and they were badly scuffed. We reached a small, thick bush at the edge of a woody thicket not far from our camp.

"This is as far as I got when I looked this morning, how about we keep walking and see if we come across anymore tracks or clues?"

I was looking around at the thicket. "Sounds like a good plan to me." I then looked back towards the camp. I realised something.

I pulled the watch out of my pocket and showed it to Luinil, flipping open the lid as I did so. "I found this last night. I didn't notice the tracks back then, but I found it in the camp right by where the tracks lead through the outer tents and into the inner circle. Logic would suggest that whatever it was that made these tracks dropped this watch. That means that we're probably looking for a who, not a what..."

I flipped the lid shut on the watch and put it back in my pocket. I slid my bow off my shoulder and notched an arrow in the string. Luinil and I carried on into the thicket, rather more cautiously than before.

[OOC]
OK Demo, I'll leave it up to you to write what happens. It's probably best that we find the Dwarf's camp and then hear the commotion from ours. We can head back in a hurry, thinking that we're being attacked or something...
[/OOC]

 

As I came to I had a stabbing pain in my neck. My head was pounding. Blast! I whiped my forehead with my handkerchief. I swear, when I get back to Tarant I'll have the bounder that sold me these cigars hanged from the highest smoke-stack! The pain began to subside, But I was still a bit dizzy. When I staggered to my feet the pain came back as quickly as it had gone and the world started to spin. I almost fell over again but I just managed to catch my balance.

I then began to remember what had happened. Something had been with me when I got knocked out. Something or someone... I checked for my weapon. It wasn't in my pocket, but as I looked down on the ground I saw it there, lying on the ground where I had been only moments before. What luck! I said to myself as I quickly pocketed the knife. It must have stuck to my clothes in some way... as I was carried here... Thats right by thunder! This wasn't where I got knocked out. Someone must have carried or dragged me here... I slowly began to walk over to where a few of the members of our little expiditon had gathered next to the remains of a dead tree. I just managed to catch a strange figure quickly scurrying away from the camp towards the river where I had been before my memory failed me... Thats odd... I didn't recognize the figure.

I walked over to the young man who called himself Phoenix. "Ho there! I say, young man! Would you mind telling me how I got here?" I stopped for a few moments and grabbed my neck, the stabbing pain had returned. "Sorry old been, I'm still feeling a bit under the weather. Now pray tell, What was that I saw running down towards the river?"

 

I winced as Roxton spoke to me. Why did he have to pick me to ask? Hell, his voice is even gets on my nerves now.

I answered him anyway. "A dwarf just brought you up to camp. Want to know any more than that and you'll just have to wait for him to come back from the river. That is unless you want to disturb him while he is bathing. He might not care much for that, but be my guest."

 

[OOC] You’re right Phoenix, bathing without Roxton is one of those things I enjoy most in life [/OOC]

I picked up a rock and began to beat the hardened mud out of my suede suit. When it was “clean� I placed on a warm rock where it would dry shortly. The sun was bright, and I absently began to wash with the bar of soap the kind man had provided. After I was done with the normal wash came the real chore… The beard… It was my pride of course, but not as vital for me as for some dwarves. So I hadn’t really a problem when it came to getting it dirty if no other alternative presented itself. It was the cleaning that I didn’t look forward to.

It took me a good while to reach a respectable level of cleanliness. But this, I told myself, gave me a good long undisturbed moment to think about the current situation...
I reached into my pouch and took out the small box I had got by Mr. Armand. I had not given it a closer inspection since I got it, but something told me that the contents where best left alone until I had a chance to show it to Luinil.
I grinned to myself… “And when that’s gone an’ done, I can safely retrieve my promised money from Mr. Armand.�

“I’m going to have to play my cards right. I can’t just walk over to them and show the box to the mage… It wouldn’t be good for my health if something happened to him while I’m around… I have to devise a plan… Hmm… For now, I guess I could play the role of the jolly old dwarf, until I get my chance at least…�

I got dressed, and started to walk back to the camp…

[OOC] I’m keeping the mystery box to myself for now, but Demosthenes is free to ask about it, since this involves his character [/OOC]

 

I swung the bow up again, loosing the arrow. It hit close to the center of my makeshift target, and I went to fetch it. I heard all sorts of commotion from the camp, however, and turned to go find out what was going on. I grabbed the arrow, yanking it out, then I ran to the camp. "What's going on?"

 

I made my way up to the camp; feeling refreshed after the bath, whistling a little tune while I felt the cold summer breeze in my face. It was a nice day, no doubt about that!
In the camp, people where beginning to pack their bags, but in a slow and awaiting way, as if they did it per routine, but unsure of when they would leave.
I saw a young lady rush into the camp, shouting; "What's going on?" , as she looked around as if expecting something.
In one hand she gripped a bow tightly, while the other brushed aside her hair. She was a pretty girl, rather young. I was in no doubt that this might be her first adventure. And yet, as her eyes gazed around camp and met mine, looking into them gave me the feeling that she could fend for herself quite well, and that she was not a lady to cross unless you wanted a serious wound somewhere on your person.

“Morning my good lady!�, I cheered as I walked to her, “It seems that you know the art of hunting as well… Oh, apologize my manners; my name is Ragnor Goldvein, at your service.� I gave her warm smile and outstretched my hand with the intention of shaking hers…

 

As soon as the dwarf walked back into the camp I stood up and walked toward him, ready to go for the knives in my belt if the need arose. I didn't trust him yet.

“Morning my good lady. It seems that you know the art of hunting as well… Oh, apologize my manners; my name is Ragnor Goldvein, at your service.�, he said to Ari. He certainly seemed polite, but I didn't take my hands away from my blades.

 

Luinil and I had ventured deep into the thicket. The going was tough on occaision as the underbrush was thick and although we lost the tracks occaisionally Luinil was a good enough tracker so that we always picked it up again.

Suddenly the thicket opened into an area that had abviously be artifically stamped down. It was near a small river and there was a small tent in the center. "Looks like we've found our perpetrator!"

However there was noone there. I was just about to relax my bowstring when we heard a commotion from the direction of our camp. we couldn't make out what it was about though because of te dampening effect of the surrounding trees. If our visitor is not here then perhaps....

We looked at each other as realisation dawned. Without hesitating we both dashed off into the trees.

I ran full tilt through the bushes, using animal paths to speed way way through. At some point I must have lost Luinil because when I exited the woods just outside our camp he was no longer behind me.

I dashed into the centre of the camp, bowstring drawn and arrow notched only to find Roxton on the ground and people standing around him. I unnotched my arrow, put it away and slipped my back onto my shoulder, irritated that once again Roxton was causing trouble.

That was when I noticed the Dwarf. He was standing behind Ari and that was why I hadn't noticed him. Phoenix was near with his hands near his knives. It wasn't long before I had an arrow notched again, ready to draw at the slightest problem.

Roxton stirred. No matter how much trouble this Dwarf was, if he was responsible for Roxton's condition then he had at least earned my begrudging respect.

[OOC]
A pitifully small post by my standards, but I thought I should bring the group back together. I left Luinil out because Demo's not here right now and Luinil is a major part of VerZrev's plot so I thought it would be best to wait until Demo could reply to any interaction himself.
[/OOC]

 

A dwarf assured me that everything was okay, then told me he was pleased to meet me. Ragnor Goldvein, he told me was his name. He stretched out his hand, obviously to shake mine. I stared at him. He was a dwarf, and in general, elves and dwarves do not get along very well. However, I decided to be friendly, or at least attempt it. I shook his hand. "Hello, sir. I'm Arianna, Ari for short."

 

“Glad to meet ye Miss. Arianna” I said with the deep thick accent normally associated with dwarfs. “I was wondering if I could talk to the leader of this band of… adventurers are ye?”
I looked around and saw the two men behind her.
I brushed past Miss. Arianna without touching her. Not because I disliked elves, no, but because I had noticed that the two men behind her had sneered as I shook her hand.
They where armed, I could see that much, and prepared to do anything be the looks of it. So I walked up to the nearest of the two men, and said casually; “what about you letting go of those knives, eh? And perhaps telling me why you are camping out here in the wilderness?” they looked at me with a grimace telling be that they where largely unaware about the fact that they where going the wrong way. “You going to Stillwater I reckon, well, best tellin’ ye, you’re miles off by now!, Continue this way, and ye’ll reach Tulla before you ever see Stillwater!”I looked back at Ari, who looked just as amazed as her companions.
I took my map from my bag and said; “You’ll be needin’ a proper guide then!, I said with a smile… and it just so happens that I’m free!”