CH. 5: Vying Factions

[HorizonsDream]

"Poop monsters, here we come," Kendra says sarcastically. She sticks near Crystal as the other two scout ahead.

[BishGada]

Tulbas looks at the refugees and all he can think of is whether his sister is now in the same state somewhere. Since he have nothing to contribute to the tracking but his theories, he just follows Jaymes with the rest. On the way he takes his time to look at the people gathered to help them on the expedition as in contradiction to the rest, he never actually met them. He walks near Gregeddin and say, "Quiet a group you assembled here. Where did you find that mount of muscle?" he gestures at the half-ogre.
After hearing Gregeddin and asking about the rest of the group Tulbas goes near Ismene and asks, "I trust you are an experienced illusionist? Have you ever fought such formidable opponent as the one we are about to face?"


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(OOC: While walking in the group Tulbas keeps close to Gregeddin, as obviously Haaque is pre-occupied with Ismene and he gives them some room. Saying that, he tries to keep somewhere in the middle of the group and somewhat far from the Half-Ogre since as far as it interests him, it also unconsciously scares him. On the other hand he doesn't keep distance from Magnus, giving him the chance to speak to him so he might learn if he sincerely here to help or he has a different agenda.

I must say that when you wrote the refugees camp counts a hundred or so, I was very surprised. I imagined there might be thousands of refugees to make the Seeker close the gates to them, and I would also imagined their number will grow up exponentially with the tension growing in Haven. If I understand correctly they are gathering there for months. The Master cult grew over thousand people in about four days if I remember correctly. When Tulbas first came there they were less than thousand and now they are about two thousand strong, and I thought the refugees situation will be somewhat the cult reflection if not at a higher scale.

[djhyland]

Darga strides forward towards the darkness. Casting a look back towards Kendra and Crystal, he whispers back to them. "This ain't so bad. I been ta places before where people live in this kind o' place. Better than freezin' in th' cold, anyway..."

Turning back to the dark tunnels in front of him, he starts to creep silently into the darkness beyond the lantern light. "C'mon, Pen. It's up ta us ta find what's in here 'fore it finds us...an' 'fore th' light tips it off."

(OOC: Darga's moving silently as he creeps down the tunnels. Given that he doesn't know what's down here, he'll assume the worst and keep an eye out for trip wires and other teltale signs of traps. Invisible castle seems to be down, but he's got a 40% chance to move silently and a 35% chance to find traps.)

(Really OOC: I used to work at a sewage treatment plant as a summer job during college. The smell really gets you at first, but you quickly become used to it. By the end of my first day on the job, I didn't smell anything unusual anymore!)

[mgbevan]

Gregeddin walks along with the others, mingling with the group and making idle acquaintances. He is somewhat distracted by the state of the refugees. His gaze locking with countless people, lingering, as they stare back at the party. The intensity of his conversation wanes in and out of focus as he is shocked by the refugees.

There was more than some sense in what Miriam said.

But needing to get a couple of business items out of the way, responding to Tulbas he says lightly, "He, and most of them, were from within the ranks of the Master. I was surprised with the variety of peoples and talents we were able to find, but actually I think it's quite impressive what we have here."

Gregeddin also gets a quiet word in with Zoya and Mateo, "You both all right? It'll be fine, we've all got each others backs, and you've got Haahqae's, Tulbas' and my back especially. Understand?"

Feeling somewhat self important and responsible, Gregeddin prefers to walk at the head of the group with Jaymes. He launches a probing conversation to pass the time, "So what's given you the hump with mages and magic then Jaymes? It's funny, I think, that you can find it in the most unusual places. Sometimes right under your nose where you least expect it."

[JadedDM]

Haahqae, Gregeddin and Tulbas (Outside the Main Gate of Haven)
Ismene responds to Tulbas, babbling somewhat breathlessly. "Oh, experienced? Well, I suppose that depends on what you mean by that. I mean, I did take my Test and survived, obviously. But that was only two years ago. So I'm not really like, an archmagi or anything like that. I've certainly never fought anything as big as a giant before, though. I mean, I thought humans were pretty tall, until I saw Burzan. And a giant is even bigger than him? It's hard to wrap my mind around!"

Mateo and Zoya share a look. Both appear somewhat unnerved. "We'll be alright," Zoya says. "This is just...kind of out of our comfort zones, I guess."

Jaymes leads the group past the refugee camp. Many of the refugees stare at the party as they pass, but as the guard suspected, the group is too large and well-armed, so they are left alone. Some stare out of fear, others have outright jealousy in their eyes at such a well-fed group.

"Six years ago, my parents got involved with the Belzorites," Jaymes says. "They wanted so badly to believe in something. Anything. But the whole thing turned out to be a scam, led by a mage. Both of them were killed during the riot after the cult was exposed." He shakes his head. "Magic is too powerful to be held in the hands of any mortal. It can be used to destroy cities, control minds, and fool the senses. No good ever comes from it."

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(OOC: I should have made it more clear, but there are only a hundred or so refugees outside of this gate. There's not much traffic coming in from this side of the city. Outside of the gate on the other side of the city, thousands can be found.

As for as marching order goes, apparently Gregeddin and Jaymes are at the front and Tulbas is somewhere in the middle with Magnus. I'm not sure about everyone else, though.)

Kendra and Darga (Haven Sewers)
Crystal remains standing next to Kendra, in the light of her lantern. "So where did you pick up the dwarf?" she asks. "You don't see very many of them in the city."

Meanwhile, Darga and Pen creep forward, crossing the bridge and stepping onto the stone ground, just beyond the range of Kendra's lantern. Darga keeps a close eye out for traps, but doesn't see any. He does see some white substance smeared on the ground, though. It's guano. Looking up, he sees a couple of bats perched upside down on the ceiling.

Darga also tries to be quiet, but Pen's chain mail has an annoying tendency to clink with each step the kender takes. Pen doesn't seem to notice.

To the west is a portcullis with a padlock on it. Darga can see through the bars. There is a hallway on the other side, with a door on the other side of the portcullis. The hall seems to go north.

To the south, the room seems to narrow into a hallway that turns to the east.

[mgbevan]

OOC: I would imagine that Zoya and Mateo would bring up the rear, being nervous and timid. As for the others, Miriam, Ismene, Burzan, , Magnus, Raena seems like a suitable order.

---

After listening to Jaymes, Gregeddin poses a new question, "So really, is it the magic or the corruption and incompetence of the user that gives you such issue. My instinct is that your real woes lie in the latter rather than the former. More in common with Magnus back there than you might imagine..." The bard trails off inviting a reply.

[Haahque]

"Take the test and survived? Is the test dangerous or deadly then? That sounds rather unsafe, and you must be a powerful illusionist indeed to have come out unscathed. Yeah I've read about giants and never thought it was possible for something to be so tall, but then again you should never say impossible. I'm sure it will be somewhat awesome to see once we get there, but we can't let the awe stop us from killing it quickly and efficiently. We shouldn't put anyone at risk if we can help it, and minimize the risk of those that may be in a somewhat dangerous spot. After all, a good deed is just that much better if no unnecessary deaths occur from it."

Then responding to Jaymes he asks "Too powerful for the hands of any mortal? There are many different levels of magical knowledge, surely mortals should be able to control simple can trips? If they can control can trips what about rays of frost or fire? Those aren't very powerful, you could more easily destroy a city with a torch and a sword. Magic also has the power to create. If the more powerful magics are too dangerous for mortals, then who should control it? The absent gods? Perhaps magic should be limited to a few mortals who have been tested to make sure that they can handle it? It sounds to me like your problem is only with evil renegade wizards like the Belzorites, and that you should have no problem with any of the mages in our group here." Haahqae's gaze falls on Magnus, wondering if he was making a mistake trusting a dark robed wizard with a scar.

[JadedDM]

Haahqae, Gregeddin and Tulbas (Refugee Camp outside Main Gate of Haven)
"Oh, yes. Failing the Test means death," Ismene explains. "But it's for a good reason. The truth is, the Orders of High Sorcery kind of agree with Jaymes. Magic is very dangerous, especially in the hands of those who would abuse it or can't control it. That's why the Test exists--to weed those ones out."

Magnus agrees. "Those who attempt to delve into the more powerful levels of magic without first taking their Test and proving their worth are renegades; the Orders collectively hunt them down. Nobody understands better how dangerous magic can be than those of us who wield it ourselves."

"And you two...proved your worth then?" Jaymes asks skeptically.

"We wouldn't be here if we didn't!" Ismene answers. "We'd be pushing up daisies instead, or we would have given up on the magic and been content just being dabblers."

"I had no idea such discipline was required," Miriam admits.

"Certainly," Magnus says. "As a warrior, you well know that a sword in the hands of an untrained person is as much a danger to the wielder than to any enemy. Magic is much the same way, except by a much larger degree. Magic is power--raw power, really. And all power requires discipline and control."

By this point, Jaymes has led them to the outskirts of the refugee camp. It doesn't take a skilled ranger to easily point out the giant's footprints in the mud. Indeed, they are large enough that Haahqae or Ismene could lie down in one and fit with room to spare. "These tracks are old, but I should be able to follow them back to its lair," Jaymes says. "It will become harder to track once we reach the mountains, however."

[djhyland]

Hearing Pen's chain mail clinking, Darga quickly gives up on any extra effort to remain silent. He'll have to trust that the darkness will give them advantage enough...

Darga waits for Kendra and Crystal to catch up to him and Pen, then relays the layout of the room. He adds, "I kin probably open th' lock on that gate. Mebbe we kin leave that fer last, but if I kin open it, we might take whatever's back there by surprise..."

[HorizonsDream]

"We met while clearing out some kobolds from a mine," Kendra explains. "There is a whole group of guys that I met, but they are off trying to slay a giant at the moment," she adds with a shake of her head. "Darga and I were the only ones that didn't want to help in that matter." She then turns her attention to Darga once they get closer. "Then let's head south, and come back to it if we don't find anything."

[djhyland]

"South, then," Darga says. Turning to Pen, he motions for the kender to follow. As they enter the tunnel to the south, he asks in a whispered voice, "So what brings ya down here wit' us? D'ya work wit' that Crystal woman?" With a shake of his head, he quickly adds, "Not that it matters, I reckon. I'm glad yer here."

(OOC: Darga is being careful going down the tunnels. With Pen and his chain mail, he figures that he doesn't need to be overly quiet, so he's not moving silently, but he is checking for traps--especially for trip wires and ceiling irregularities. Since he's in a sewer, he figures that he doesn't have to worry about pit traps...the worst a pit trap would do would be to drop him below the level of the sewage...he'd smell bad afterwards, but at least it'd stop him from falling onto spikes or a hard floor. Darga's Find Traps ability is 35%, and Invisible Castle is still down.)

[mgbevan]

"A serious discipline indeed. But, what is the usual life expectancy of those who choose to turn renegade and avoid the test while using more complex levels of magic?" Gregeddin asks "Have there ever been tales of renegades the Orders have failed to... contain?"

At the sight of the footprints in the mud Gregeddin mutters, "And I thought horses treading on your toes in the stable was bad enough... Shall we press on then?"

[JadedDM]

Haahqae, Gregeddin and Tulbas (Refugee Camp outside Main Gate of Haven)
Magnus chuckles slightly. "It depends on how discreet they are. But we have eyes and ears everywhere; not just agents and informants, but powerful scrying devices, as well. No matter how careful they are, we always find them sooner or later."

Mateo and Zoya both visibly pale at the sight of the giant footprint. "Wow," Zoya says. "I guess it's called a giant for good reason."

"I know, right? Just imagine if it stepped on you! I guess you'd know what an ant would feel like, huh?" Ismene adds.

Raena kneels down by the footprint and looks it over. Then she shrugs and spits. "Bigger they are..," she trails off.

Kendra and Darga (Haven Sewers)
"Slay a giant?" repeats Crystal incredulously. "What's the profit in that? Your friends are either tough as nails or dumb as rocks. Either way, I wouldn't want to get on their bad side."

Meanwhile, about thirty feet ahead, Darga and Pen creep forward, the former keeping a close eye out for any traps. "Me? No, I've never met her before," Pen admits. "But I overheard you talking and I know an adventure when I hear it. And I need the extra training. Can't be a hero if you never go on adventures, after all."

The south tunnel turns eastward after thirty feet. Another thirty feet after that, it becomes an intersection going north and south. The north side is a dead end, though, so they turn south instead. This tunnel winds a bit to the west before opening up into a very large chamber. There are brown rats scattered just about everywhere in this room--to the point that it may be difficult to cross without stepping on some. They have clearly made this chamber a nesting ground of some kind. Kendra and Crystal cannot yet see the rats, but they can hear them squeaking up ahead.

There are two ways out of this room, not including the way they came from--they can head south or west.

[HorizonsDream]

"Well, considering that they hired a group of people from the cult that seems to be taking over the city, I'm leaning towards dumber than rocks," Kendra admits. "They don't really see how killing a giant, with the help of cult members, could possibly put the cult in a good light. Do you hear squeaking?"

[BishGada]

During the conversation about magic Tulbas is irritated and keeps quiet. When Magnus say they always finds the renegades he think to himself 'and you enjoy it, don't you' but instead he asks "and you sure Darewind is one of them?"
At the sight of the giant footsteps Tulbas shivers, goes near Jaymes and asks quietly " Are you sure going to his layer is a good idea? What if its awake?"