Chapter 1: Caged

Ancient and powerful, the rulers of the Calabim posses a dark secret. Through fell ritual their lives can be prolonged at the expense of others, and by this act Alexis and Flauros have created a decadent vampiric aristocracy. Their battlefield success comes at a price they are only too happy to pay -- the blood of their human thralls, kept in miserable conditions to serve as little more than cattle. This secret would surely incense all honorable nations of Patria, but could even the strongest compare to the might of a vampire lord? Perhaps their enemies are willing to dismiss the ugly rumors as just that, to avoid the danger of sharing the fate of the sad Calabim humans.

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The Basement and the Village

Post by Vardaen » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:00 pm

Up you go, one by one. The women and the children seem absolutely at home in the tunnel. They have no troubles with the angle, the narrowness, or the cob webs scattered about. You struggle in the places, but after a time everyone has exited into the basement chamber.

The queen looks at you, "One more favor, please see if the Slavers have gone from our village. We can't risk them hiding out to capture us again."

Arianne nods, "I agree, I'll come with you if you would. I know the layout and can help."
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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The Basement and the Village

Post by ManWithDoor » Fri Jun 07, 2019 5:34 pm

The barbarian nods. "Smart. You know village, Mongo is stranger." He re-equips himself, and stretches a bit to get out the kinks of being in the tunnel earlier.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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The Basement and the Village

Post by JohnnyWeird » Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:48 pm

"We'll be glad to know we've seen the Slavers' backs too."

Tolan breathes slowly, centering himself.

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Haven Fara

Post by Vardaen » Mon Jun 10, 2019 3:55 pm

Gathered in the basement you slip upstairs to what appears to be some sort of general store. Its nothing more than a slightly larger house filled with various items stocked and piled on shelves or hung from hooks. Things like tomatoes and eggs and bait sit next to tools and weapons. The outside seen through the windows seems hazy, like looking through a silken sheet. Arianna looks about and sighs as she sees a dead man on the center of the floor. "Harc.... looks like the slavers killed him." You inspect the corpse, its a few days old, and the man appears to have been stabbed through the back with a spear.

You peek out of the door to see the town before you. Its a very strange town, there are a dozen or so building in a clearing in the center of the hills. The surrounding hills have vegitation, trees, and the like that hide the valley the down is in well. Yet there are two strange things going on here. The first is that in the center of the town is a great big sailing ship. The galleon is the sort that should be out on the seas sailing with pirates or some naval force. You guess this may be Captain Imrazor's ship. The second strange thing is that the whole down is blanketed in a massive spider web. Draped over the place like like blanket or a huge circus tent is a huge spider web that shades the vale and hides it even further. You can see patches of dark spots, large spiders the size of cats scampering about here or there.
Map-HavenFara.jpg
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You have come out at E
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
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Haven Fara

Post by Grimbold » Mon Jun 10, 2019 7:15 pm

"Spiders in village? Think this is strange, me" Eyris says, as she sees the village.

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Haven Fara

Post by JohnnyWeird » Tue Jun 11, 2019 12:33 am

"You normally get ones that big?"

Tolan's voice has no trace of unease, no matter what he feels.

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Haven Fara - Searching for Survivors

Post by Vardaen » Tue Jun 11, 2019 2:06 pm

Arianna nods, "This is Haven Fara, those spiders are our guards. I am happy they did not kill them all." She seems not bothered by the large arachnids at all. Moving out into the street she looks around. "I wonder if anyone has survived besides us. Come."

She starts clock wise around the village poking her head in windows and doors looking into buildings and shops. one of the building close by has the shape of a house fly burnt into a wooden sign hung over the door. "The Black Fly Pub" she comments. She let's you push the door to the pub open, and you see inside 2 concentric rings of tall tables arranged around a central island bar. There are no chairs, and suspiciously few candles, and the small corner fireplace appears inadequate for cooking or heating. A hammock hangs in a small back room. Signs of struggle are all about, slavers were here no doubt. She pulls a rug up from the floor to reveal a root cellar hatch and motions down stairs. You investigate the cellar and find a secret tunnel that leads out of town. "I hope some managed to escape into the forest."

You continue your search around town, a half dozen houses, they have an odd design to them, all seem to have hammocks instead of beds. Various personal items and half eaten meals are scattered about the people here fled in a hurry; a few signs of struggle are also present.

As you near one of the houses on the western edge of town you hear noises from inside, like someone rummaging around or looting the place....
E - General Store (secret tunnel into the dungeon)
D - Black Fly Pub (secret tunnel west out of town)
G - Homes

You are near the homes where the "A" is on the map

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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Haven Fara - Searching for Survivors

Post by ManWithDoor » Tue Jun 11, 2019 7:13 pm

Mongo needs to be persuaded to walk outside of the store, and even then has to be herded along to keep him from running inside a house to hide. He keeps muttering in horror at the Many-Legs, and categorically refuses to get within arms reach of any of the thick webs. He looks with confusion at the hammock-beds, being a bit slow on the uptake as to why they are used.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Haven Fara - Searching for Survivors

Post by Grimbold » Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:37 pm

"Oh, something to hunt!" Eyris says, as she takes out her bow and holds an arrow ready in her other hand. "Let's go!" She stealthily closes in on the western edge of town.

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Haven Fara - Searching for Survivors

Post by JohnnyWeird » Wed Jun 12, 2019 9:22 pm

Tolan stumps after Eyris, her slow and careful gait almost a match for his normal one.

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