Chapter 3: The Enemy Within

[Joe]

Streko has his handy haversack strapped tightly to his back and slides easily down the rope. When his feet touch the ground, drops to his knees and kisses the earth.

"Blessed Olladra, thank you for safe journey to our present destination. Your gifts are appreciated."

He then stands and looks to his friends. "Let's be off then, shall we? There are numerous places we must go and many things we need to get. Dallying is, as someone once told me, only for spies and beggars...and I am neither."

With a smile and a light step he hasn't felt in some time, Streko takes his place within the framework of his friend's travelling order.
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Before leaving the ship, I need a knowledge check for Streko...does he know anything about the care and feeding or the abilities of a cockatrice? If he does, he will tell Ralsor, Fherina and Amal what he knows. If not, he will only advise them to BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL!!

[Jeff]

"Gee, thanks," Ralsor says as he watches Streko kiss the ground far below, his voice still in good humor. "Didn't know it was so terrible up here."

Streko and Kal both know that a cockatrice is an inherently magical birdlike creature, capable of turning other creatures to stone simply by touching them. It is certainly an odd thing that a creature capable of turning other things to stone would have been turned to stone itself. They know they prefer dry, grassy climates, and that flocks of them have been known to dwell in various regions of the Talenta Plains. Likely they subsist on hardy plants, but possibly small lizards and bugs. They don't know for sure. The true experts on such exotic beasts are the humans of House Vadalis...or any people who dwell near where cockatrices live.

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Knowledge (arcana) = Streko (21), Kal (22).

[Darren]

"Anyway," Kal calls up to Ralsor, "don't get too close to that thing, right? Don't let it touch you. Seriously, d'Lyrander, NO ONE wants a half-elf statue. That wouldn't look good with anyone's decor." Kal laughs. It feels good to laugh after the events of the last few days.

"Okay, friends. Let's not waste anymore time. Windshire awaits." Kalarian hefts his sharrash to his shoulder and begins walking.

[Jeff]

Presumably, Goran also descends the rope ladder. It is hardly an effort for the nimble ranger.

From the view you'd seen aboard the Thunderhead, it seems a fairly simple route to walk north and west toward the town of Windshire. The sky is blue, the trees are green, and the air is somewhere between warm and slightly warmer. Everything seems peaceful here. A glance back at the rest of the Duskwood suggests that it could get pretty dark and thick and there, and it's easy to imagine that local folklore would account for all kinds of stories.

A family of deer graze from a distance, the buck staring, frozen, at your group as you walk away from the ship. Tangat barks once at them, but they're a ways off and don't seem bothered by the dog. Kal knows Tangat's just happy to be moving around on the ground again. His energy seems boundless. At one point, he starts to nip at Kal's cloak, doing the same to Grafth's coat, as if egging them on to play.

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As a general point of reference, where does your character typically position himself in the group?

[Darren]

Jumping around a bit to avoid his friend's teeth, Kalarian gestures over towards the deer. "Go ahead," he says to his friend. "Give 'em some exercise. Just make sure and catch back up before we get to town, okay?" Kalarian watches Tangat run off as he walks along at the head of the group, continuing towards Windshire. "So, where do you all want to go first?" he asks over his shoulder.

[Josh]

"I don't think we'll know until we get there." says Grafth. "Let's see what Windshire has to offer."

Grafth heads up the northbound path, assuming everyone wants to head that way.

[Joe]

Streko will fit into the center of the group. Assuming that Goran is out ahead and Grafth and Kal (in the order?) are in the lead, Streko will stay just behind Kal.

"Torhak, I am not much of a tactician, but perhaps you can guard our flanks, in case something should come up from behind us? I am sure with our half-elf and shifter friends to guide us, we can anticipate anything up ahead."
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Just a suggestion...not stepping on toes or ordering anyone around...

[Jeff]

Tangat takes after the deer with a merry bark. They immediately retreat and the wolfdog turns back at half the distance, beginning to encircle the party. After doing this for a minute or two, he suddenly springs into the air behind Goran and actually manages to yank an arrow out of the half-elf's quiver. With stolen arrow in his mouth, Tangat trots alongside Kal again.

Streko, as he moves past Torhak, notices that the exposed portions of the burly dwarf's arm are completely covered in slightly-faded tattoos. He's fairly certain they depict skulls and axes amid blood; mostly the axes seem to be cleaving the skulls. And Streko is also pretty sure the skulls are orcish in shape, if slightly exaggerated.

[mike]

sheriffjoe said:

"Torhak, I am not much of a tactician, but perhaps you can guard our flanks, in case something should come up from behind us? I am sure with our half-elf and shifter friends to guide us, we can anticipate anything up ahead."

Torhak nods in assent. "Aye, my halfling friend. No villain shall sneak up upon us."

"I am more used to leading the charge in battle, but Goran and ... Grafth, is it? ... seem more than capable of scouting out danger."

Torhak brings up the rear, whistling a somber tune.

[Jeremy]

Goran will distance himself a little ways ahead of the group, to give an appearance of not being with them, but keeping them in his sight (and vice versa). Goran has let everyone know that his first priority is to get more arrows at the first available opportunity.

Before leaving, Goran warns the others about the wisdom of spending "an hour or two" in any local watering hole. In his opinion it would be best to keep the lowest possible profile, which includes staying mobile whenever possible. Ten minutes for a quick pint is one thing, holding forth over a table full of mugs is quite another.

[Jeff]

Grafth chooses the path, Goran scouts the vicinity around them, while Kal, Streko, and Torhak form the middle. Eventually, Tangat grows bored of trying to get anyone to play with him. He drops Goran's arrow in front of him, allowing the ranger to retrieve it again.

About ten minutes later, the trees fall away almost completely. Grafth leads the group up to the tip of a hill. When you crest it, you look down and see the town of Windshire: a walled town (vertical logs lashed together, forming a fortified wall), roughly rectangular in shape and of moderate size. Three faint roads—dirt tracks formed simply being trodden many times—lead up to the town from the north (toward the Wynarn River, which you can see in the distance), the west, and northeast (toward a scattering of farmsteads, which you can also make out from your vantage).

It would appear there's two ways down to the town from where you stand: straight down the hill, or off to the right a ways where some orchards would provide a little bit of concealment, a longer route but with more cover. Here at the crest of the hill, you're very visible to all and will certainly be observed by any guards at the gate long before you reach them.

[Darren]

"What do you all think?" Kal asks, stopping to look at the roads leading in. "I say we have nothing to hide, really. And it's not as though our presence will go completely unnoticed in a town this size, anyway. I see no reason to go skulking around through the orchard. They're going to know we're here sooner or later, right?"

[Joe]

"What do you all think?" Kal asks, stopping to look at the roads leading in. "I say we have nothing to hide, really. And it's not as though our presence will go completely unnoticed in a town this size, anyway. I see no reason to go skulking around through the orchard. They're going to know we're here sooner or later, right?"

"Quite true, my friend. Also, the best way to hide, in some cases, is out in the open. Although I do suggest that, should be be questioned, that we all have a similar story of where we are all from and where we are all going. Just because we are not skulking into the city doesn't mean we need to alert everyone to who we are. Perhaps we can be a team of adventurers who met in, say, Ghalt and are making our way toward the Eldeen Reaches for various and sundry reasons. I am open to whatever suggestions are presented.

"Oh, and Tohrak, please don't take this personally, but it would be best if you let others speak and pretend to be mute. You are many years out of your time still...and being mute would be the best way to hide your inexperience in this brave, new world you find yourself in. Oddly enough, that, too, can be a good excuse for why you are with such an eclectic group as ours."

Streko smiles to show his new dwarven friend that he is sincere in helping him.

[mike]

sheriffjoe said:

"Oh, and Tohrak, please don't take this personally, but it would be best if you let others speak and pretend to be mute. You are many years out of your time still...and being mute would be the best way to hide your inexperience in this brave, new world you find yourself in. Oddly enough, that, too, can be a good excuse for why you are with such an eclectic group as ours."

Torhak shrugs. "It matters not to me, Streko. I am a dwarf of few words, regardless of the place or the year."

"Besides, I usually prefer to let my axe speak for me."

[Jeremy]

Goran nods at Kal's words, giving the landscape before him a careful examination*.

"My thoughts exactly. I propose we just stroll on down there. High profile, but of course without deliberately attracting attention to ourselves. The only problem is that we will all be seen together. We must assume that word is out everywhere for people to find us, and a group like this is likely to attract the wrong sort of attention.

"Therefore, I suggest that Streko and myself go down first, and we will wait at the first thing we find that look like a square or plaza or major intersection of roads...whatever. Something close in from the gate to lessen the chance of getting genuinely separated.

"Then, give it at least fifteen minutes, perhaps even half an hour or more, and the rest of you come down as you see fit -in a group or singly-, and we'll meet up and I can stay in front of us as we had originally planned, as we scout this town for necessaries."

---

* Jeff, forgive my ignorance of the specifics, but what can my ranger skills help me with here, in detecting the lay of the land and the approaches to Windshire? This is kinda close to my 'home turf', too.

[Darren]

"Your plan makes sense, Goran, but, as you say, anyone looking for us is going to recognize us no matter what, and I think it might be best if we stay together. Streko's story probably works to our advantage. A group as," he glances around at all of them armed as heavily as they are, "ah, distinctive, as we are will probably attract attention, anyway. People are bound to ask us what we are doing here. I think Streko is right. Let's say we're passing through on way to the Reaches on a job. Keep it simple, don't offer a lot of details. If anyone asks anything more, we simply say that our employer was secretive and didn't give out a lot of extra information, and what he did give out, he doesn't want us to share. Now," Kal pauses. "I know many of you may not agree with me, but I suggest letting me do the talking. I have a way with people..."

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Seriously....Kal's Charisma is crazy high....

[Josh]

As they talk, Grafth listens with little interest.

[Jeff]

While Goran has never been to Windshire before (he originally exited the Eldeen Reaches much further to the south), he does have a good sense of the land and a basic familiarity with the layout of farms and outlying buildings in respect to towns in this part of Khorvaire. He feels confident that a more or less straight walk down to the western gate (requiring you to veer left) would be a sound path. In fact, he can see that there's a fair amount of traffic on that western road to the town that merging onto that road before reaching the gate would draw even less attention to the party.

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A party decision has not yet been reached and agreed upon. So I'm going to wait and not decide for you guys. Note: Jeremy's Internet access is a bit sporadic at the moment.

And Kal's "crazy high" Charisma is only going to help him with NPCs, not strongly sway his fellow PCs. Unless they let him.

[Jeremy]

Goran mulls over the idea of going in as one group, and shrugs his shoulders.

"You may be right, it may do us no more good to be apart than together, but then again, it may. Even if it prevents our being singled out for a few extra minutes, that could turn out to be crucial. But I will defer to the group's decision. I think from now on it's too important to make these sorts of decisions with just one person's voice."

The half-elf fingers his bow absent-mindedly.

"I will do what the party wishes...though I still think I should stay fifteen or more paces ahead of the rest of you, and not appear to be part of the group. That way if something happens I can see it coming, or at least attack from behind."

[Josh]

"Alright, let's go then. I see no reason to avoid the main path."

[Jeff]

By the time your party reaches the western road, Goran has moved into a point position but a short distance ahead of everyone else.

You see the few other people walking on the road appear to be
locals—traders and farmers. When they reach the open gate, the one militiaman standing there says nothing, simply watching them pass through. The guard is armored in leather and wears the standard of Aundair. He holds a shortbow in hand and has a sword at his belt.

The guard only seems to stop one man: a ragged warrior type who approached along the same road by horse. The guard asks him a few questions, then waves him through without checking the man's identification papers.

As Goran approaches the gate ahead of the rest of the party, the guard eyes him. He seems to recognize that the half-elf, like the warrior who preceded him, is not a local.

"You've business in town, friend?" the guard asks, his tone non-confrontational but clearly requiring a response.

[Jeremy]

Goran looks at the man in the eye, just as non-confrontationally and yet, just as earnestly.

"Aye, no arrows means no hunting, I'll need a fletcher. That, and I've a date with a good, deep mug of grog. Any suggestions where I might go?"

He finishes with an engaging grin, as if just another weary traveler looking forward to a simple comfort or two.

[Jeff]

The guard chuckles at Goran. "Understood. The Sundered Cup might serve you up something serviceable, eh?"

He waves Goran through.

When Kal, Grafth, Streko, and Torhak approach, he turns his eyes with a bit more scrutiny on them. A dwarf, a shifter, a human, and a halfling evidently strike an interesting band.

"Your business?" he asks, stepping out just a little bit, as if to make it clear they're not just going to walk through the gate without a bit of exchange.

[Darren]

"Not much in the way of business, friend. Just passing through. Need a place to rest, maybe a drink or two, and then we're off again. We could probably use some rations to carry with us on our journey. Where's the best general supply store?"

[Jeff]

The guard nods, but seems to be appraising your heavily armed party. "Sure thing. Where you comin' from?"

[Darren]

"We come from all over. Wherever the work takes us. You know how it is, since the war ended, right? Our latest trek has taken us from Karnaath clear across Aundair. Good thing the job pays well," he says, giving the guard a wink.

[Jeff]

"If that's true, friend," the guard replies, "You'll probably want to get yourself some horses. Sure come along way on foot, eh?"

He gives Kal a friendly-but-warning look. "No trouble inside." Then he waves Kal and the rest of the party through. "Keep those weapons stowed. The militia is pretty touchy about it."

You pass into Windshire, a fairly large town, and the Aundairian crest emblazoned on the wall just above the gate.

The outer section of the town just within the walls seems to account for most of the residents, and it's obvious that the road you're on leads toward the center. It doesn't take long to go the distance.

Two buildings dominate the center of town. The first is a large, boxy, wood and stone structure that seems to be the town hall, flying the Aundairian flags and even a sculpture of a dragonhawk at the roof's apex. Directly behind it is a small mansion—perhaps the mayor's home?

The second, situated across from the town hall, is a wide, two-story decagonal* building, its conical roof reaching two more stories up. Four entrances—double doors currently opened wide—are arrayed equidistantly around it. Windshire's marketplace—vendors, carts, wagons, and makeshift stalls—encircle this building, for it is clearly the center of all interest here.

The closest door that your street leads to has a large size naming this building The 'Marked Pavilion. Nailed into the wood to one side of the door is a list of its contents:

- Cannith suppliers, blacksmith, & magic shop
- Deneith protectors
- Ghallanda grocer & inn
- Jorasco healing house
- Kundarak bank
- Orien transportation agency
- Phiarlan entertainers
- Sivis message station & documentation
- Vadalis handlers, trainers, and livestock
- Tharashk inquisitive-for-hire

It would appear the sign-maker wasn't sure whether "V" came before "T" in the Common alphabet. However, it would also appear that neither House Lyrandar nor House Thuranni have representation in this dragonmarked mini-enclave**.

A loud bird cry rents the air, alarming you for a moment, and everyone around looks to the sky—where two dragonhawks descend. It takes only a second or two to realize that they're normal, brown-feathered dragonhawks...not a freakish one you fought with last night. Each beast has a rider in Aundairian livery. You can't quite tell, but they could easily be the same sort who patrolled the skies around Fairhaven...or Passage.

The great birds descend in front of the town hall, neither they nor their riders paying any attention to the milling crowds around the Pavilion. You can't help but wonder how visible the Thunderhead would be from the skies.

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* 10-sided, for the lazy.
** Think a mini-mall for dragonmarked houses.

[Darren]

Seeing the sign for the Sivis station, Kal nods in that direction. "That's where I need to go. After that, I'll go wherever you need to."

As he begins to move off, Kal casually opens the note that Amal gave to him and scans it to make sure that the Blademark made no specific mention about where they're going or their mission.

[Jeff]

Kal sees no direct references in Amal's letter. It seems truly personal.

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Note: all the dragonmarked "stations" are within the one building, so the party can enter as a whole and separate there, if that is the desire.

[Josh]

"Well," Grafth says, looking around, "this is heartening. Perhaps our stop can be both brief and fruitful."

He looks to Kal, "While you send the message, I believe I'll see if I can procure an artificer, at Ralsor's behest. After that, I believe some supplies will be in order. Let's not loiter as such a large group... but let's not leave this building unless we've gathered once again." Grafth heads toward the Cannith station, observing with interest the goings on around him as he moves.