RP:Revealing The Plan
Background
This is part of the Anders' Expedition story arc.
The Expedition arrives at the Secluded Village in the Xalious mountains for the awaited meeting where the plan is revealed
In the Xalious Mountains
You are standing in a very out of the way village, nestled deep within the mountains, and the people here must live a more simple life. It seems very peaceful here, and a nice sized town, for a place so out of the way from the rest of the world. Time feels like it runs at a slower pace then the rest of Hollow, and the people are content with that. The town is smaller than most you've seen, but its peacefulness is attracting. As you look north you see the Mage Tower, and know that is another reason so few people come to this town. The spell casters of Hollow are disdained because of the secret knowledge they posses and many are afraid of them solely because of those unknown arts that they practice. To the south, you see a nice well, probably for the town water supply. To the east is a rough range that leads back out onto the tougher parts of the hills and to the west is a house, but you cant tell from here if it is occupied or up for sale. To the north is a village path that leads to the infamous Mage Tower.
Players:
- Anders - Leader
- Cornelius - Dandy
- Veriun - Guide and Advisor
NPC's:
- Anathras - Magican
- Archibald Smith - archaeologist and anthropologist.
- Bob - Knight
- Cutty Stabber - Rogue and Treassure seeker
- Methras the eagle eye - Ranger
- Reginald Swertzein - Outcast warrior
- Phil
Veriun was the first to step into the village (having been the one to guide the others), followed by his eight companions. It was late evening now, hours having passed since their departure from the cliffs at Kelays outermost border. There was little activity around them and light in the windows of the surrounding houses, some inhabited by faces peering out at the arrival of the expedition. They looked rather misplaced in this peaceful, hidden away community. Walking along the empty street with obvious purpose, and armed. Much unlike most of those who dwell here, who enjoy the protecting of the god of these mountains. There was however, someone waiting for them. Outside a house without lit windows and beside a cart loaded with bags and sacks stood a man in a full set of shining armor, flowing cape and full-cover helmet included. The avian approached this man (and the two mules to pull the cart) with the manner of someone having been long expected.
Anders walks up to the knight, passing the Avian with calm steps. As the necromancer approaches, the knight nods his head in greeting. "My lord." he then turns towards the avian and nods to him as well. "Veriun." The voice of the knight carries the tone of a gallant. "I see you have gathered a party of noble adventurers to join us in this journey!" The knight speaks a tad loudly, no doubt not caring much if people nearby hear him or not. Anders nods. "Indeed. I presume there has been no difficulties?" The knight shakes his head slightly. "Not at all, my liege. The peasants were most helpful." The necromancer nods distantly. "Good." he then turns and looks at the archeologist, who no doubt had been getting somewhat exhausted just walking here while carrying his rather sizable bag. "Place your bag on the cart. We cannot afford to be slowed down by your equipment." The zombie walks past both the knight and the necromancer, seating himself on the back of the cart, pulling his boot off. He grumbles annoyedly as he shakes it, and a series of small, although sharp-looking pebbles fall out of it. "bleeding pebbles.."
Cornelius brings up the rear, casually watchful of his surrounds even as he feigns interest in the seemingly unending stream of research material cascading in enthusiastic fashion out of the mouth of young Archibald. "Really, dear sprout? Fascinating stuff. Do tell me more". Archibald has recovered from his endurance run in the more leisurely walking pace, and he was almost bouncing as he was explaining to Cornelius how he'd effected a translation from a charcoal rubbing he'd taken at a ruin in the Nameless Desert. He is almost shocked when Anders addresses him directly, and stammers a moment before responding "Uhh, no, I'm, uh, alright, really. I've kept up this far, right? Uh, I uhm, ...I can look after myself!" He takes a slight, wary step back in case anyone tries to take his precious pack from him, goggles concealing whatever expression his eyes may have. Cornelius raises an eyebrow at the youth and shrugs at Anders as if to say 'Ah well. What doesn't kill a man, etc'.
At the very moment the knight spoke of noble adventurers a loud agreeing shout came from the little woman walking by Reginald the warrior, Just ahead of Cornelius and Archibald. While she broke out in long rants about true noble deeds and extensive plans on how to save the day the others proceed to gather around the cart (Phil soon after falling victim to Cutty's accusations of not being a real man for giving in to the minimal threat of not-at-all evil pebbles), The two elves having followed even further behind, just within sight of the scholar and the fop, now snickering internally at Phil's torture at the voice of Cutty. Ignoring all this, the avian turns and walks over to the door of the building beside the knight, trying a key at the door while Reginald spoke “So this is our tenth member? I guess we aren't going to be known as the Legendary Nine, then. And Fantastic Ten just doesn't have the same ring to it.”. Failing his attempts with the key due to a rusty lock, the avian Ignores Cutty's hearty advice to “Kick down the door!!”and simply taps it with a titanium clad finger, at which the door snaps open and the avian makes way inside.
Anders nods at the archeologist. "As you prefer.". The necromancer seems to take little notice of the elves snickering at the zombie, but the zombie does not have the same kind of patience. "Soddoff, will ya?! Bloody plant seducers! And I'll thwap ya with my boot, lil' girl." He does indeed wave the boot threateningly in the direction of the Gnome. The knight looks at him. "Now, my good sir! That is hardly the way to address our noble companions or this charming lady!" The zombie looks up at the knight. "Stuff it, Bob." The knight clears his throat. "That is Ser bob to you, Phil." The necromancer takes little note of the foul mood of the zombie and his 'argument' with the knight as he proceeds to follow Veriun into the building.
Cornelius twists his lips into a slight smile at Reginald's comment, murmuring to himself "Troublesome Ten, however, has something of a ring to it. That damn gnome'll have the deuced mountains down around our heads if she keeps up that racket on the trail" He comments to Archibald after Anders speaks "Charcoal rubbings, you say?". Archibald nods vigorously, wide-brimmed hat flapping ridiculously as he does "Oh yes, in fact I brought papers and charcoal with me in case there are any ancient pictographs or runes at the ruins we are seeking out! I've even brought sample texts from other ruins, and translations, just in case there are similarities. You see..." Archibald continues on in this fashion. Cornelius casts his gaze around the area, before choosing again to be last in the marching order, shooing the young archaeologist in before him and stifling a smile at the discourse between zombie and knight. It may be impolitic at this juncture, he felt, to applaud Phil.
Veriun was walking around in the room, lighting lamps and candles as the nine members of the future excursion entered the room. Casting a dim light over the somewhat small room, containing what seemed to be a kitchen and a long table with places for twelve. There was a door set in the middle of the right wall and a staircase to a second floor opposite the door. As the avian proceeds around the room, calling forth light within their new lair, the others have a seat. Except the gnome, of course, who rushes upstairs in favor of exploration. “So this is our holdup tonight, huh?” says the human as he sits down near the end of the table, close to the kitchen and not the door “We'll have a meeting, discuss the plan and hit the sacks, I take it?”he continued. To which Veriun responded simply: “yes.”
Anders is sitting at the middle of the table, the wild behaviour of the gnome seeming to have little impact on his calm demeanour. The knight had remained standing, and did so next to the door, casually leaning towards the wall, facing the rest of the party. The zombie had on the other hand seated himself beside the necromancer, and is looking around the room, assessing every surface, crevice and window, noting each with care. The zombie is surrounded by a notable stench of decay, something that does not seem to bother the necromancer at the slightest. The three remain silent. Waiting.
Cornelius and the knight have roughly the same idea, and the dandy finds himself a patch of wall to lean against, choosing a spot close to the main entrance - his eyes, too, casually taking in all the minutiae of the present room. Archibald takes a moment to shrug off his pack, and it slips to the floor with a loud and solid -thud-. Whatever the youth's appearance, he obviously had some strength in him - then again, if he spent his life carrying that damn thing around, perhaps there was a reason for it. The wide-brimmed hat is removed to show an unruly shock of black hair above the goggles: hair which is, at present moment, roughly hat-shaped. The youth pulls out a handkerchief and holds it over his nose, not quite able to deal with the stench of zombie.
Veriun came over and sat down at about the same time the gnome came rushing down the stairs and literally flipped into an empty seat. As silence fell within the room the avian... said nothing. Instead, Methras raised his voice “So speak! The suspense is killing me, as they say! Although I’d rather die someway more dramatic.” at this the avian nodded and gestured towards anders, who was the leader of the expedition, when everything comes around.
Anders looks around the table. "You already know that the place we are going is one of death and magic, a valley riddled with artifacts and art of a people long lost to everyone of this world. The civilization that settled this valley was a formidable one, capable of creating artifacts of great power, and equaling in magical prowess. What you do not know is that this civilization was supposedly formed out of immortals, who could create life itself. What I have heard is that the civilization was suddenly, and abruptly, destroyed by some obscure conflict of which there is little to no information. The plan is to get in, learn what we can of their magic, their civilization, and what became of them. And also to take what we can of the artifacts the people created." he looks around, gazing at each and every one of the party. "We will have to carry our supplies the last third of the way, so I would suggest that you do not bring more than you need."
Cornelius listens impassively while Anders speaks. Archibald, for his part, is listening in rapt attention from the seat he has taken at the table. At the end, Cornelius raises an eyebrow "What kind of timeframe are we looking at here, old bean? I'm currently supplied for a week, but no more than that. Do we know if there are un-tainted water sources in the vicinity of our destination? Water is heavy and bulky to take in large amounts, yet entirely necessary if we're to make it there and back with the goods without dying of dehydration enroute." He doesn't bother mentioning the other dangers which could prevent their return. Those had already been covered, and a man had to deal with whatever poor fortune life threw his way. He could, at least, ensure the basic logistics had been covered for.
Veriun put his hands together on the table and raised his voice. “There is water, yes.” he answers Cornelius' question before proceeding “The road is long, but should not take much longer then perhaps five days. A week if we are delayed. We have, however, got enough to last quite some time with us. Supplies will most likely not be an issue, lest we loose them.” turning his gaze from Cornelius onto the others. “The plan is to start off tomorrow morning and head north for approximately two days, perhaps three, until we reach a rope bridge which the wagon cannot cross. From there we'll need to cross over a mountain side and down said mountain until we climb down into a shallow region of the river underneath. There we'll locate a partially underwater cave which will lead us onto the path down into the valley itself.”
Anders motions towards the avian. "Are those answers sufficient?" The zombie snorts beside the necromancer. "Still seems helluva inconvenient trip. The bastards must have been pretty dumb not to make better roads." The knight answers the zombie's comments. "Now, now, Phil. Haven't you considered that maybe they didn't want visitors, and thus made the road inconvenient? or that any roads they had built might have long since withered? Or that they simply valued seclusion?" The zombie looks at the knight. "Stuff it, Bob. I don't want to hear your reason when complainin'."
Cornelius nods "That covers the necessities, methinks. I rather believe the rest will come down to vigilance and luck, wot." Archibald pipes up at this point "Oh! Oh! How did you get a map in the first place? I must know! None of the records gleaned from hieroglyphs, pictographs, or runes in similarly ancient sites gave any hint of the site's location, and barely referred to the place itself. Did you find another site which referred to it?" Archibald probably could have kept on going like that for minutes, except for a surreptitiously thrown pebble bouncing off the back of his head, cast from Cornelius' hand. "Egads, dear sprout, how's a man to answer any of your questions if you never stop for breath!?"
Cutty's immediate question of “How does that matter!?” is swiftly silenced by Anathras, who then gestures for Veriun to go on. “As a previous watcher, I have my ways.” He says simply, turning his gaze upon the scholar. “Libraries as ancient as the civilization we're looking into are quite likely to have a map, are they not?” he asked, a rethorical question. “Information is my medium, and I have had quite the amount of practice.” the avian finished off. Soon questioned by Methras “So you're a knowlage-mage then?” which brought forth a despaired groan from Reginald
Anders sighs. "Those of us who need sleep should deal with that immediately. I would prefer to leave by dawn's first ligh."
Cornelius thinks it would probably take a boulder to quieten the youth this time around. Whatever the Avian had said, it was like dropping sulphur into water - the lad's words come at a suddenly frenetic pace, a fizzing morass of questions and requests "Ancient Libraries? You mean Armantium? You have -access- to that!? Can I get access to that? Please? Pretty please? Even if just for an hour? I'd prefer a week, a month, no, a year, but even just an hour would be something!! Can I copy manuscripts, maps, journals, artworks? I've come across reference to ancient grammaries crosslinking the different languages, I would have to be able to copy one of those, it would shave off years of research time! Can we go? When can we go? After this expedition? Please?". Cornelius rolls his eyes at Archibald and comments to the group in general "I'll assist whoever's on watch tonight. I don't need much sleep, wot."
Veriun raised a hand for silence as the scholar seemed to plan on going on for much too long while the two elves leaned back as if to get away from the waterfall of words, The gnome laughed aloud and the human grumbled “honestly boy, please -shut- it.”. Veriun stood up from his chair and adjusted his hat “We shall see, no? You'll need to at least survive the expedition first.” he reminds Archibald before proceeding along the table. “I'll be sleeping. Anders, these are your men. I shall leave them under your command.” he said as he passed the necromancer. Stopping by the gnome and grabbing her by the neck “Although, I suppose I had better make sure this one sleeps.” and proceeding up the stairs while Cutty yelled in what seemed to be true despair “Nooooooooooooo!!!”
Anders nods as the avian leaves. "Sleep, all of you. I, Phil and Bob will take care of the watch." The zombie sighs. "No rest for the wicked, eh, boss?" The knight merely nods. None of the three seemingly pitying the despairing Gnome much as she is pulled away.
Cornelius grins as Archibald 'shuts it' after he quickly replies to Veriun's parting comment "Have no doubts, sir, I can look after myself!" Discretion being the better part of valour, the young archaeologist prepares himself for sleep. Cornelius, for his part, makes no such effort, and moves to silently assist with the night's watch.
Reginald got up and yawned “From the sound of it, I'm going to need all the sleep I can get.” he said as he headed up the stairs followed by Anathras, while the elf’s brother remained. “Oh i'm not the slightest sleepy. Besides, the gnome would probably keep me awake if I tried before she's silent.”
Anders gets up from his seat at the table. "Bob, you guard the front door. Phil, remain inside." he then makes way for the fireplace, seating himself in an armchair. He gazes into the crackling flames, his face hidden beneath the black hood. The knight nods, and simply steps outside. The zombie, on the other hand sighs boredly. "Aye, boss. I'll do the boring part." He gets up from his chair, and goes to stand in an corner where he can see the entirety of the room.
Cornelius sits himself near Phil, and drawls out "Care for a helping set of ears, old bean?" He pulls up another chair for his booted feet so that he can lounge more comfortably "So, What brings a lively chap like yourself to a dreary place like this?" Despite his banter, he adopts a watchful vigilance of his own, sabre allowed to hang from his hip by the chair where it is positioned for an easy draw if needed. Archibald, for his part, was asleep the moment his head touched the thin pillow on his bedroll.
Methras remained silent, mostly. No doubt feeling a bit excluded. And soon hearing no sounds from upstairs, followed the others example and headed up to sleep
Anders sits in silence, contemplating gods know what as the fire crackle. Phil, on the other hand gazes down at the sitting Cornelius. "I be dead, see? I just go where I'm told and do what I'm told. Not much more to it than tha'."
Cornelius nods at Phil's words as he draws a silver coin from his pocket "Makes sense. Still, for one of the shambling hordes, you're rather loquacious, wot. Most dead folks don't have a damned thing of worth to say." He sets the coin to spin and flip across the back of his left hand while conversing.
The zombie chuckles. "Aye, you see, we're a lil' bit special. The brain-dead husks ain't got nothin' on us."
Cornelius chuckles, silver coin dancing still "That is the honest truth. I've seen those things, and they're about as useful as a knight, and just as bright. I imagine that's why you're coming along on this happy little hike? Orders notwithstanding."
The zombie shrugs. "I'm 'ere because the boss told me to come."
Cornelius makes no further attempt at smalltalk for now, unless the zombie chooses to initiate a conversation of his own. He contents himself with adding another coin to waltz in tandem with its partner on the back of his hand, an old Vailkrini training technique to instil the fine manipulation of muscles required for the most advanced fencing techniques and other, less honourable, skills.
The zombie watches the coin dance for a few moments longer. "So, why'd you come?"
Cornelius stares intently as the coins move around his twitching fingers. A slight flick, and one is sent flipping over its partner before the dance resumes in a more orderly fashion "Curiosity, old bean - desire to come face to face with the unknown. It will undoubtedly be the end of me, one day - but I plan to keep myself well entertained until that day comes. Besides, I needed a holiday from my last holiday, dontcha know? Something a little more relaxing."