Session 15

[Bynw]

21:03 <~bynw> |------------------------------------------------
21:03 <~bynw> |          Session 15 - Imperial Dreams
21:03 <~bynw> |------------------------------------------------
21:03 <~bynw> |
21:03 <~bynw> | The trio have come to the Gateway in SouthWind
21:03 <~bynw> | and with Lord Hagen they cross it's magical
21:03 <~bynw> | threshold and travel in mere moments the 1000's
21:03 <~bynw> | of miles that separate SouthWind from the Uthani
21:03 <~bynw> | mountainous capital of Deever. And emerge from
21:03 <~bynw> | the Imperial Gateway there.
21:03 <~bynw> |
21:03 <~bynw> | Lord Hagen takes them to one of the inn's that
21:03 <~bynw> | surround the Gateway area. Once in the safety
21:03 <~bynw> | of the inn he explains that there has been a
21:03 <~bynw> | change of plans. Instead of 2 men at arms, he
21:03 <~bynw> | will be joining them directly on this mission
21:03 <~bynw> | to capture Chadwick. 
21:03 <~bynw> |
21:03 <~bynw> | He lays out the basic information of the plan.
21:03 <~bynw> | We will leave from here on horseback heading
21:03 <~bynw> | south and west towards the area of Chadwick's
21:03 <~bynw> | tower and his owlbear guardians. What happens
21:03 <~bynw> | after that is anyone's guess.
21:03 <~bynw> |
21:03 <~bynw> |------------------------------------------------
21:04 < Alianna> "Well, that's reassuring."
21:05 < Alderic> "Horseback?"
21:05 < Alianna> "No, the 'what happens next' part."
21:06 <~bynw> ::Hagen:: "I know you are a mage. But this Chadwick is also a spellcaster. Riding in will be less noticed then suddenly appearing in a blink of the eye, would it not?"
21:07 < Alianna> "Oh, I don't have a problem with the horseback thing, though I'm not the most skilled rider."
21:09 < Alderic> ::Looks a bit haunty:: "Yes. Well. Horseback, how provincial."
21:09 <~bynw> ::Hagen laughs:: "Do you have a better suggestion?"
21:09 < Alderic> ::Stands and begins pacing slowly:: "It's a modern age you know?"
21:10 < Alderic> "Many ways to get about." ::waves his arm for emphasis::
21:11 < Alianna> "Yeah, and I'm used to ships as my main way of transporting myself."  She laughs.
21:11 <~bynw> ::Hagen:: "Everyone knows generally knows how to ride a horse. But I'm open to suggestions Alderic. I'm sorry Alianna we don't have any airships available right now."
21:12  * Alianna laughs again.  "Not airships, sea-going ships."
21:12 < Alianna> "But they don't work in this case, so, horses."
21:12 < Alderic> ::purses his lips:: "Yes. What of Air ships, or something like that?"
21:19 <~bynw> ::Hagen:: "No available airships small enough to go unnoticed. That is part of the plan. Not to be noticed."
21:19 < Alderic> ::chews his index knuckle in thought::
21:21 < Alianna> "Well, staying unnoticed as long as possible does seem a good idea."
21:27 < Alderic> ::His eyes drift to the table in the room and a slow smile spreads across his face::
21:27 < Alderic> ::He mutters:: "Yes that might do."
21:28 < Alderic> "When do we leave master Hagen?"
21:28 < Alianna> "What might do for what?"
21:29 <~bynw> "As soon as we have made our final arrangements. So when you are ready." ::Hagen says::
21:30 < Alderic> ::To Alianna:: "Can you help me bring this table to the stables?"
21:30 < Alianna> "Sure, but why?"
21:30 < Alderic> ::Grabs one end of the small table:: "A spell."
21:31 < Alianna> "Oookay."
21:31  * Alianna picks up the other end of the table and begins to walk with it.
21:34 < Alderic> ::As he passes by through the common room he flips a gold coin to the inn keeper:: "For the table." ::As he exits:: "Thank you."
21:35 <~bynw> ::the inn keeper catches the coin and stares as they pass out the door with the table::
21:36 < Alderic> ::Once in the stable he kicks the table legs off. Sets the now legless table top on the ground and draws an arcane circle around the small table top::
21:36 < Alianna> "We're drawing attention to ourselves."
21:37 < Alderic> ::As he finishes the circle it glows faintly with arcane power. He puts his hands on the table top and chants softly::
21:37 <~bynw> ::Hagen and Maylda watch the spectacle and keep on-lookers away::
21:37 < Alderic> ! df4
21:38 < Alderic> !df 4
21:38 <@ChanServ> Result: (-)(+)(-)(-)
21:38 < Alderic> ((damn))
21:40 < Alderic> ::For a moment the table top rises and begins to float above the ground. Alderic smiles and stands, but as he does his foot scuffs the circle, breaking it. With a crakle and pop the magic dissapates and the table drops to the ground::
21:41 < Alderic> "Dammit!"
21:42 < Alderic> ::Looks to the horses in the stalls and sneers::
21:42 < Alianna> "Oops."
21:42 <~bynw> ::Hagen:: "It would have been an interesting sight."
21:43 < Alderic> "Horses." ::sneers again::
21:43 < Alianna> "Oh, seriously, Alderic, if I can get over it and get on a horse, so can you.
21:43 < Alianna> "
21:44 < Alderic> "your not Haldren."
21:45 < Alianna> "I'm not what?"
21:45 <~bynw> "Other mounts attract too much attention as would any airship I can get hold of right now. If we could have 6 months to prepair instead of 1 ... then a small airship might have been possible."
21:45 <~bynw> ::Hagen says while heading to the horses::
21:46 < Alianna> "Well, whatever."
21:46  * Alianna follows Hagen over to the horses.
21:47 <~bynw> ::Hagen mounts up:: "In case you haven't noticed Alianna. Your friend isn't human. He is Haldren, or using a more understood term. He is half-dragon."
21:47 < Alderic> ::Approches the horses warily, talking to them as he nears his intended mount:: "Now listen here, I'm not happy about this either. But we're stuck with each other so let's not make this a problem shall we hmm?"
21:48 <~bynw> ::the horses seem completely at ease with Alderic::
21:48 < Alderic> ::Reaches for the reins of his horse::
21:48  * Alianna raises her red eyebrows.  "Well, he hasn't incinerated me yet, so I suppose he's not going to."
21:49  * Alianna takes up reins and mounts a chestnut gelding.
21:50 <~bynw> ::Hagen smiles:: "He can't incinerate you. Unless he uses magic like any spellcaster. No need to worry about it."
21:50 <~bynw> ::Maylda mounts up on one of the horses::
21:50 < Alderic> ::Pulls himself up onto his horse in an entirely graceless and fumbling motion::
21:51 < Alderic> ::Nearly over balancing and falling off the other side he catches himself in time. Wide eyed he smiles tightly and waves the reins a bit:: "Let's go."
21:52 <~bynw> ::Hagen leads the others out of the stables and down the road heading west and out of the city::
21:52  * Alianna directs the gelding to follow Hagen's horse.
21:53 < Alderic> ::Flicks the reins again, speaking to the horse:: "Giddy-up."
21:53 <~bynw> ::it takes a bit of time to ride slowly through town before exitting the city gates::
21:55 <~bynw> ::once outside of the city the landscape changes from city to an outlying ramshakle city and finally to terraced farms on the mountainside and then to forest::
21:57 <~bynw> ::as the group rides into the forest Hagen shifts in his saddle. figetting with his bracers and fingering the gun that hangs at his hip::
22:00 < Alianna> "What's wrong?"
22:02 <~bynw> "When we get near to Chadwicks tower. Long before we will see it. The horses will know of the owlbears"
22:03 < Alianna> "Well, yes, animals are sensitive to that sort of thing."
22:06 <~bynw> ::Hagen:: "We are more than a day's ride. We should make camp by sunset"
22:06 < Alianna> "Should we take measures to protect the horses?  I should think these owlbear creatures will eat them, given the chance."
22:07 < Alderic> "They will warn us."
22:10 <~bynw> ::after several hours of riding there is a stream near by:: "We can water our horses here and rest for a while. Go a bit further and then camp unless you would choose here instead."
22:11 < Alianna> "Well, how far can we go with the stream near us?"
22:12 < Alianna> "Fresh water is good for us as well as the horses."
22:15 < Alderic> "I need to rest before we get to the Matrix."
22:16 < Alderic> ::His fingers dance for a moment and he mutters to himself a moment::
22:16 < Alderic> !df 4
22:16 <@ChanServ> Result: (+)( )(+)(+)
22:18 < Alderic> ::His eyes glow a moment and then fade out:: "I should be able to give us a few moments warning if something comes for us."
22:18 < Alianna> "A few moments is better than nothing.
22:18 < Alianna> "
22:21 <~bynw> ::Hagen dismounts and helps Maylda down:: "We can rest here for a bit and follow the stream. At least for a little while. But we will have to go away from it to reach the tower."
22:21 < Alianna> "Understandable. But perhaps we can camp for the night a ways downstream so we have fresh water to cook with in the morning."
22:25  * Alianna dismounts and leads her horse to the stream.
22:27 < Alderic> ::Dismounts as well, nearly falling. He too leads his horse to drink:: "We should put the horses between us and the tree line tonight and take turns as sentries::
22:27 < Alianna> "Yes, a night watch is a good idea, too."
22:31 <~bynw> ::Hagen:: "All good ideas. We will move down stream and find a suttable place to camp for the night then." ::he says getting ready to just walk his horse downstream:: "Flying in would be so much easier. Maybe some flying spell or something that could work too."