Rashemen - RP Thread

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Sepp was feeling much better now that he wasn't carrying the weight of the Earth's Heart. He trotted up to Del. "Del, what can you tell us about the terrain around the Fortress of the Half-Demon, and how the Fellowship of the Serpent guard it? Do you, or anyone else, have any ideas about how we should go about getting in there?"

Turning back to Atten and the others he asked, "Does anybody know of a volcano or deep pit that we could throw the Earth's Heart into? And if it comes down to some of us going to return the Earth's Heart, and some of us staying on to fight the Fellowship of the Serpent to the death, who wants to go where?"

Sepp had been dreading asking the question, he was getting used to feeling so safe with so many good fighters and adventurers around to protect him, but it seemed that their paths were headed in that direction.

 

"Ah yes, none of you have seen the fortress, have you? Then I shall describe it for you. It is about a medium-sized keep, much as you would expect it to be. It was designed by the same architect who built the De'Arnise Hold in Amn. This keep is one of his earlier works however, so it has a few odd quirks to it. There is a secret passage into the old dungeons that I know about, and several secret tunnels inside of the walls that we can use to traverse the fortress without being seen.

"Since the takeover by the Fellowship, there has been much rumbling from the earth, and I suspect that they have dug down deeper than the dungeons. Perhaps they have hollowed out a large cavern or built a honeycomb of passages beneath the keep. I know not what they have done, but I am sure that they keep most of their forces underground."

Turning to Sepp, Delphinae looked proudly at the brave halfling. "You know where my allegiance lies, little one. The Fellowship must be destroyed . . . at any cost."

 

The group walked on for the rest of the day, stopping once to eat a small lunch. They found a dry bend of the river with some bushes growing at the top, and made camp there, setting the guard duty with two watchers awake at all times.

Sepp sat down by Nakia and Atten. "Atten, Nakia, I'm going to try to go dream-voyaging. It's something that Ma would do often, and she took me along a couple times. I think I should be able to do it fine. Just make sure my body is safe while I'm gone. I'm going to try to find out exactly where the missing crystal is in the Fortress. Also, from what Gesed said, there might be tunnels going down deep enough into the earth to return the Earth's Heart right there. I'm going to try and find out, and if not there, then I'm going to find a place where we can return it. I should be back by morning." He laid down on a goat blanket and went to sleep.

The next morning, he couldn't be woken. Atten and Maron found nothing wrong with his body, but neither spells nor ice cold water could bring him back to consciousness. The group decided to make a stretcher to carry him, and the larger members of the party took turns carrying him as they went west towards the Fortress.

They passed north of Iceborn, and camped in a secluded glen that Atten knew well, and still Sepp's body was empty of his spirit.

The next day they went deeper into the forest, closer and closer to the Fortress of the Half-Demon. While they were taking a rest by a stream, Sepp suddenly sat up on his stretcher.

"Aaah! I'm hungry, hungry, hungry. Where's the food?" He took five cheeses out of his bag and started to eat. The others looked questionly at him while he stuffed his mouth. Finally Nakia took the cheese out of his hand and said, "Well? What happened? What did you find out?"

"Oh, yeah. First, there's a big snake like person who's the boss of all the Fellowship of the Serpent people. It wears the crystal on a chain around its neck. Usually it stays in the lower parts of the cavern's under the fortress."

"The caverns do go down deep into the ground, but not deep enough to return the Earth's Heart, at least I don't think so. So that's why I took so long, I had to find a place to do that. If you go north of the Fortress a long, long ways, I'm not sure how long it would take walking as opposed to dream-voyaging, but I suppose a week or two, you get to a place where all there is is ice, as far as you can see. In the middle of all that ice, a big mountain volcano rises up, spitting fire and magma onto the ice, where it turns to steam. I think that would be a good place to put the Earth's Heart back into the earth."

"Give me my cheese back!"

 

Nakia handed him back the cheese plus a couple of sweet cakes.

"So do you have a plan? I don't think Atten should go inside with the Stone. If anything should go wrong he can return it to the Earth."

She looked at Atten holding the Stone close. He was with them yet at the same time seemed apart. She wondered what effect the Stone had on him.


Glancing at Maron she smiled, "And prehaps Maron would be best outside to keep watch that nothing came near Atten."

 

"I'm going after the snake" Jex said in a subdued voice. He had become withdrawn since his experience with death. "You'll need me."

 

“Sepp, I sure hope you know what you’re talking about. Maybe we should confiscate that cheese of yours if it keeps giving you “visions” like that.”

 

Alexi giggled at this comment and started to think about what he was going to do about finding the people who killed his parents.

"I think we should keep moving."

 

"It has nothing to do with the cheese, Atten. You try not eating for a few days and see how hungry you are afterwards. This wasn't a vision though. I went there, just not with my body. It was a little harder than I thought it would be to control where I wanted to go, but after awhile I got used to it. Thanks everyone for bringing my body along and taking care of it while I was gone."

Sepp ate one more cheese, and a hunk of dried goat meat before he was full. As they walked along he thought about what the group should do. Nakia had said she thought he'd be a good chief, maybe he should start acting like one. Wouldn't Gesed laugh if he saw Sepp now?

At a water break when everyone was gathered around he spoke. "Okay, how do you think about this for a plan? When we get closer to the Fortress, we look for some good defensive terrain, hopefully a canyon, but maybe just a small valley or forest glen, the best that we can find. Atten and the Earth's Heart, Black, Maron, and Alexi will wait there. Del, Nakia, Delinos, Kelvados, Jex, and I will sneak into the Fortress by the hidden passageways and try to get to the big snake person unnoticed. Maybe Nakia will be able to steal the missing crystal and we'll all sneak away before anything is noticed. If not, there will be a fight, probably a big one, but we'll probably have to retreat through the secret passageways. Nakia, do you think you could prepare some traps that we could retreat through, and then get them set quickly as we're being chased? Hopefully we'll all get out of the Fortress alive and back to the others waiting outside, who will be able to aid us if we're still being pursued. Then we can split up, some of us taking the Earth's Heart to the volcano in the ice field far to the north, and some of us staying to finish off the Fellowship of the Serpent. Then we all go home and live happily ever after. At least that's how Pa would put an end to that story. I just hope we can actually accomplish it all. What do you think?"

 

Delphinae whispered in Sepp's ear as she passed him to take her seat, "I'm not sure we can trust having both of the drow brothers in the same place."

Out loud, she said, "I think the wizard would be better utilized defending the Earth's Heart while we attempt to retrieve the missing piece. Jex and Sepp too, but we may need Sepp to divine the crystal's location. What say the rest of you?"

 

"I would prefer to wait somewhere that less barren than a canyon. I am more comfortable being surrounded by the living force. The more trees and animals the better. A forested position would suit me."

 

"Aye, Sepp, I can set the traps and have a special one prepared that can do a lot of damage." She looks at Del and then at the others.

"It's hard to say where people will be needed most. There will be mages in the fortress and if they can raise the dead there will be clerics. Those of us going in may not come out. Atten will need help to return the Stone to the earth. I definitely think Maron and Alexi should stay with him. Maron's talents work best outside and a fighter should be with him. Mayhap we should reverse Del's idea a little. Kelvados to stay with Atten and Delinos go with us. If they be willing. Let Atten pick his spot."

 

"I don't care who stays with me, but I'm only going to wait for two days. After that, I'll assume you're not coming back and I'll be gone."

 

"Like I said Del. I'm going after the snake. With or without you guys. You want to destroy the Fellowship and you want to leave the best fighter you have on the outside." Jex growled from under his hood only his red eyes which were glowing brightly showed from under the cowl.

 

"Del, how close are we to the fortress? We need to find a spot for Atten and we should rest before we go in. We will need all our wits and I need to prepare traps to set."

 

Delinos looked at Kelvados.

"We would be best suited for darkness. Delphinae, any idea where we would be best positioned?"

Delinos reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled some extra finger blades out. He twisted the dull ones on his fingers, and replaced them with the sharp ones.

 

"Are we there yet?"

 

Delphinae abruptly stopped and motioned for the group to do likewise. Someone started to speak up, but a sharp slashing motion with her hand caused the objection to go unspoken. Soon rustling could be heard through the brush, and several hooded figures passed by, ignorant of the hiding group of adventurers.

When the danger had safely passed, Del turned to the group and whispered, "We are close. I had not thought they would post patrols... They must know somehow that we have the Earth's Heart! We must be very careful from here on in. Those of you who wish to accompany me into the fortress should follow me; the rest should backtrack with Atten to a safer locale. Decide quickly, for we have no time to waste."

 

"I have traps ready to set as we move through the fortress. Del, as you know the fortress it is up to you to tell me the best spots. I have a special very damaging one to set near where the creature with the shard is. Ready when ever you are, good lady."

 

Drawing his scimitars Jex flipped his hood off his head. His eyes were still gleaming but now they were somehow different. He was falling into bloodlust. "You know where I stand."

 

Black projected, "I'll stay here with Atten and the Earth's Heart. My sense of smell is much more acute outside than underground."

"Of course I'm going in," Sepp said. He checked all his weapons, he was ready to go.