The Sunday Stroll

After a long night's march, camp was made in a partial clearing some ways from a main road. The vampires had dug their temporary graves and the beastmen had been ordered to stand ground. The group (Drake, Kazadar, Lotus, Lyn, and Theudis) investigated smoke in the distance, discovering a burned down village and drag marks that led away. Following the trail led them to another town (Nalanc) where they heard rumor of chaos plaguing common villages and towns (a mark on the palm of the hands suggested destruction by fire and a mark on the back of the hands suggested the town's population would turn into beastmen).

While the knight went to procure a lance (he was told it would take two days), the others went to investigate rumors of survivors from the burnt village. Five pregnant women were identified as the survivors and told the story of their village. Lotus discovered Lyn's presence affected the unborn children and that, while affected, she could manipulate the bodies and souls of the fetuses. Lotus attempted to repair the changes wrought by Lyn's presence and thought herself successful. Ultimately, for calming and reassuring the women, the bartender at the tavern offered the group free board for the night because one of the women was his sister.

Traveling between towns, Ruin came upon a strange camp. She waited long enough and was able to procure a few items, primarily of a useful or lucrative nature, as well as luring away one massive mare (Theudis horse) and one pegasus stallion. She took an alternate, long route to the nearest town (Nalanc) in case the camp's owners should happen back and sold the pegasus for a hefty profit before attempting to hide the mare.

The group traveled back to camp in order to procure their gear and discovered they had been robbed, all of the beastmen gone except for two unconscious ones laid out nearby. Kazadar had lost his runesmithing hammer, Lotus had lost her leather oil, Lyn had lost a length of rope, and Theudis had lost the oils for his armor and had also lost his horse. Lyn ultimately turned one of the beastmen into a fungus version of its former self and the other ran away upon seeing its herdmate's new body.

Lotus and Lyn took Lyn's pegasus, hunting for the missing horse by Lotus' ability to sense souls (particularly familiar ones). They were attacked by the town's defenses (ballistae) for being unfamiliar and a potential threat. Lyn's pegasus was severely injured, then healed, and quickly flew away. Ultimately, Lotus and Lyn were knocked unconscious by town guards for harassing the local horse trader and they were thrown in jail.

In heading back to town to look for his horse, Theudis ultimately allied with the female thief (Ruin) who took his horse and he made arrangements to have their equipment returned. He learned of his friends' imprisonment through the bartender's son. He also began to realize that, if he was to be a true knight, he needed to obtain a squire and a proper set of colors (personal heraldry).

The story picks up as Theudis has made arrangements for restitution regarding his friend's crimes. Back at camp, Drake and Kazadar are waiting as the vampires begin to dig themselves out of the ground. It's approximately an hour after sunset.

I believe that covers most of the overview for the last session. If there's any details that need to be cleared up, let me know.

After the proper arrangements are made at the jail, Theudis recommends to Ruin that she come with him to camp to talk to Kazadar about the note and to return the items stolen. He also lets the guards know that he will return in the morning.

Ruin: "Perhaps it'd be better if I stayed. I have a few lose ends to tie up here in town, such as reclaiming your friends' things. I certainly haven't kept them on my person. I also may need to intervene on your behalf with those 'friends' you encountered in the alley." It's obvious she means the thugs who had ganged up on your prior to finding your horse.

Theudis nods. "Very well. Meet me at 'The Snipe and Crow' in the morning then. I'll be sure to bring him along so he can explain more about the note."

With that, he mounts up on his horse and makes off to camp, hoping to make it in time before the vampires rise.

Ruin: "I'll see you at sunrise." She shares a long look with the guard captain as she leaves, but there's no obvious clues as to what the look means.

As you leave, the captain tells you he'll send word along to the tavern to expect your group later. I'm assuming you'll ride quickly. When you arrive at camp about a twenty minutes later, you quickly assess the situation as tense. All of the vampires are awake and watching your allies very closely with a less than happy expression on their faces.

Drake and Kazadar: It's fairly obvious as the vampires awaken that they are not thrilled. More than a few of them have lifted their swords a few inches from their sheathes and seem to be testing the keenest of the blades against their thumbs. A spokesman steps forward from the group, addressing both of you in general. "We were promised glory, but all we've seen are restrictions. Where is the battle? Against whom, exactly, are we to test our skills? Three months we've travelled and we know no more about the foe than we did before."

After realizing that without a permanent base for the foreseeable future the group is especially susceptible to theft, Kazadar begins to work out a means of tracking lost items. Thinking over the runes he has learned and heard of. Perhaps a variation of the Rune of Magnetism on a stone that could be split in two through the rune. If done properly, one half should be inexorably drawn to the other.

Drake looks around as he watches the vampiers started to wake up. He starts to fly just a little higher as the first one breaks free. He tries once again to cast an illusion of a small dragon as he looks down at the vampiers with his magic sight.

Kazadar: That sounds like an acceptable theory. I'm gonna assume for ease that you started this right after the group discovered the theft. After finishing the rune, you prepare to split it in twain. Dice roll: 12 As the stone splits, there's a flash of red and you note that blood drips from the split rune, a splash of it blatant upon the ground. The blood stops after just a few seconds.

Dice rolls: 98 Drake doesn't notice.

Lotus and Lyn are unconscious until morning or until someone intentionally wakes them, whichever comes first. No NPC will wake them tonight.

Noticing the Vampires demeanor, Kazadar stopped his search. Unshipping his great hammer he moves to Drake’s side

Drake: Dice roll: 32 In watching the vampires, you catch notice of something peripherally. Under your boots, a half dozen eyes blink up at you amid razorsharp teeth and sinewy tongues.

"Well, Thats odd..." He stares down at the odd vision under his feet as the vampiers begin to talk. "I wonder, do you talk you weird floating thing under my feet?" He looks up at the vampier who mentioned something about enemies. "Enemies, there will be plenty for you to kill and drain once we reach our destionation. As to where thats at... As the knight, he should be around her sometime." He then goes back to watching the disk.

Drake: In response, one of the tongues in hazy conflux wraps itself around your right ankle. The pressure it applies over the joint is not insubstantial and your leg quickly begins to tingle. Btw, no you didn't manage to summon the dragon or do any other magic.

The vampire bares his fangs in a snarl. "We are tired of waiting on the knight. Bring us a challenge!"

Theudis responds:

"The challenge we seek is ending Chaos itself. Did you not notice the change in atmosphere? The fact that outlying villages are suddenly being abandoned and people are migrating into the larger cities? That people are turning into Beastmen more frequently than usual? A prophecy fortold of what the Sigmarites call the "End Times", when a Warpgate would needed to be closed within a year's time before the forces of Chaos consumed the world itself. That sign came a few months before I met you all. The reason for our excursion is to reach that Warpgate and close it before it consumes us all."

Theudis paces back and forth in front of the vampire cohorts as he continues:

"I seek the same challenge you do. I seek to prove my honor and glory. If I found this to be easy, I would never ask you to come with me. I can't begin to imagine what challenges you all have faced in your years. What glory and honor you have already faced and honing your skills for martial prowess to overcome all who stand in your way. I also cannot begin to imagine what horrors, nightmares, and abominations guard that Warpgate. That, my friends, is the challenge we must overcome. We must prove that this can, and will be done! Our glory and honor, the challenge you and I seek...

He points to the mountains.

"...is just over those mountains."

Kazadar mumbles "Finally. Someone remembered the damn mountains. Can we get a move on now?"

Theudis: "What you seek, human, is a worthy battle," the vampire acknowledged, "but your honor and duty slow us down. If we're going to meddle in the affairs of peasants instead of leaving them to their fate as chattel for chaos, it should not be done in half measures." There are murmurs of agreement from others of the undead. "Either find a way to protect the feeble humans or provide us with a means of traveling through the day as well. We-" He shares nods with the other vampires. "-need not the sleep you require."

Drake narrows his eyes as he ignores the other conversation and looks as the tounge wraps around his ankle and squeezes. "I take it that you cannot, in fact, speak but can interact with me. However It seems you are not a friendly... thing. would you mind letting go?" He says as he gently shakes his foot. " And sorry if I'm stepping on your eye..s. I cannot find a clear spot to stand unless you can change your shape to accomidate?"

Drake: The eyes and teeth and tongues rearrange somewhat, forming one monstrous smile with a dozen tongues and too many eyes ever shifting around. At last it lets go of your ankle and licks its many fangs. All at once it seems to close on itself and you can no longer distinguish where any of its features are. You get the distinct feeling, as the tingling goes away, that perhaps this things doesn't really like you. Dice roll: 96 The entire entity is so far out of your realm of comprehension that its mere presence leaves you feeling out of touch, disoriented from what's around you.

"Our delay comes in the form of our companions, who seem to have gotten themselves in a bit of trouble with the local town guard and some of our equipment being stolen. I have arranged for their release, but the crimes it seems does not permit it to be immediate. They will perform community service in exchange for their release. The Life Witch can better tell us what is going on here in the immediate area than I can concerning the peasants and how to address that. There may not be anything we CAN do for them. In the meantime, we need to figure out how to get you all to our destination now that our..."

Theudis looks at Drake

"...means of transportation is nullified."

He then turns his attention to Kazadar.

"I've arranged for your hammer to be returned. In exchange, the woman who stole it wants to know what her name is doing on a note that was given to you. She'll meet us at the inn at sunrise."

How much further do we have to go to where we need to be? IE: The World's Edge Mountains.

Theudis: The vampires are silent for a moment. "We'll give you a week to find a solution that will quicken our pace. After that, we'll make our own plans for travel."

It's about a 3 month journey at your current pace. If you could travel day and night, it would take about 45-ish days to reach the mountains. Actually getting past them is a variable. The quickest would be two days.