Magefire: The beginning

Duraenos listened with quiet amusement at the two brothers as they went back and forth about Elec's idea of using Darrt for bait. He took another drink of his water he set it down as he glanced to Kaeren then to the brothers. "Using someone as bait is not a bad idea actually. I would suggest altering it a bit though. What we could do which I have seen work rather well in past similar situations is that one person goes into view of the Ukar, gets their attention and runs back to us where we wait inside the tree line. I will cast a wall of fire spell between the immediate persuers and the front group as they approach then when the few up front reach us, Elec can confront those while us wizardly fellows can pick off the ones around him. By the time the wall of fire dies, those we are fighting should already be disposed of and we can tend to the remaining lot."

Duraenos said, catching his breath a moment before gesturing with his hands to emphasize the point. "It may sound a bit detailed, but it will help control how many we have to fight at one time." he said, shrugging his shoulders as he picked up his spoon again to finish off his broth. "I imagine we could even use Darrt's idea as well when it comes to controlling their numbers, we dont have to specificly only use the wall of fire." he said as he paused then returned to his broth. "I think it sounds like a very sensible plan Duraenos, though when it comes to combat sometimes variable get thrown into the mix. I'm sure though that you all will be more than capable though of handling whatever threat you encounter there...or at least I hope you do. I wont be getting more supplies for a few weeks and wont be able to patch you all up if you should come back limping." Kaeren said as she said lightly, laughing politely.

Duraenos even managed to laugh a little at the jest as he took another drink of water. Well in case you gents don't have any other suggestions, I propose we call it a night and be rested before the morning. "You both can sleep in either of the rooms that are next to Duraenos' room if you wish. They are in that same hall." Kaeren said as she stood to gather Duraenos' bowl along with hers to place on the counter-top by the window adjacent to the fireplace.
 
Roran didn't find anything interesting at the camp. He was quite confused at why they were in such a hurry for nothing. Out of frustration, he pulled his flute out from his bag, and began to play. He did not know what he was playing, he was simply playing anything.

After about an hour of playing, he decided to let Smoke go and scout out, see if there was a nearby village or town that the Ukar might have been amassing a group for. After smoke had left, Roran went to go hunt for their next meal.

"Can't be anything on tha' kind of land, off to the forest wi' me!" muttered Roran, clearly in a dissapointed mood.

"Ooh, look a' me laddies, I'm an Ukar, I go fast, but for wha'? NOTHING!" Said Roran as he imitated an Ukar run.

As soon as he reached the forest, he pulled out his shortbow and strung an arrow to it. He quietly creeped through the forest, looking for any signs of some sort of animal nest.
He eventually found fox tracks in a muddier part of the forest. He followed them until he was brought to a little hole in the ground.

"Ohoho, jack pot me laddies!" Whispered Roran as he took out the slab of rock and placed it at the entrance to the burrow. He was going to smoke them out. He found a few leaves, and some moss, put them on the rock and said the incantation. Almost instantly the pile was smoking. He quickly ran to the other side of the burrow, searching for the other way out. He spotted it right as a little orange head poked out he let an arrow loose, but missed as the fox went back inside.

"Oh, come on now li-el foxy, Im hungray!" He hid behind a tree and kept his eye on the hole, waiting for any unfortunate fox to either run, or poke his little foxy head out.

After about 5 minutes, Roran got up and retrieved his stone, grumbling something about a third hole. What remained of the kindling was smoldering and putting of a pungent odor.

"Ah, This be smelling worse than ME!" Roran yelled in laughter as he went back to see if Smoke had returned with any news.

As he left the clearing he could see smoke, perching on top of one of the Ukar tents with something tied to his leg. Roran took the piece of paper and read it.

"Keep heading north." the note read. And Roran did exactly that.

By now the sun had gone up, and it was coming down. Roran was looking forward to getting his beauty sleep.

After about 15 minutes, Roran could see the town, with two gaurds at the gates, as he approached he asked.

"Do either of ye' laddies know where a burian could get some beauty sleep!?" Roran exclaimed with a smile.

"Just go on in, the tavern is down the path on your left."

"Thank you kindly sirs." said Roran as he curtsied and continued on.

He found the tavern and went inside.

"Who's ready for some Music! Played by the one and only Roran!" Roran yelled, trying to get the patrons of the bar warmed up for his music.

"What do ya want...You looking for lodgings? If so I suggest you get them and stop bothering my customers!" Said a short little Qwi with a raspy voice, he did not look to be in a very good mood.

"I was just wondering if I could play a li-el music, just to liven up the place. And yes I would also like a room."

"We don't need your stinkin music, now either pay for your room, or get out!" Said the Qwi as he jabbed one hand forward waiting for money, and pointing at a sign on the wall telling how much rooms were. Roran put the coins in his hand, and went off to find his room.

"Fine, I ne'er wanted to play my music for you anways." grumbled Roran under his breath.

As soon as he found his room, and taken off all his travel gear, he was out and snoring.
 
Darrt vaquely listens to the Qwi, angry that Duraenos had the audacity to interupt Burian battle planning. "Blah, blah, blah, we'll figure it out when we get thar. If they start dyin' an' we dun't, then we'll be doin it right," Darrt commented, chuckling a bit at his own wit. Quickly reaching over, Darrt grabbed the his mug back from Elec's mouth, ale sloshing down his not-so-white-anymore beard. After smirking at his brother, Darrt continued, "Alright, while yer accomodations be fine enuff, I'll be headin' tae the tavern fer me lodgings. Maybe I can round up some o' tha' bigger folk fer a drinkin' contest or two. G'night, come tae tha' tavern tae find me in tha' mornin'. I'll tell the berkeep tae keep an eye out fer ye." At that, the battlemage left the building without giving anyone a chance to ask him to stay.

(Sym's given me permission to take over for him)

Elec then piped up, "Aye, I'll do the same. Farewell, Qwi." The smithy then got up and left almost as quick as his surly brother.

Darrt entered the tavern in his usual manner: bashing the door in to a point where it almost fell off its hinges. All eyes turned to the curious Burian for a moment before the patrons returned to their previous tasks. Darrt walked briskly up to the Qwi who apparently ran the place and demanded, "Get yer arse ah movin' and clear out yer best room fer me an' me brother."

The Qwi, apparently not liking the manner in which he was addressed, replied, "I'm so sorry, but we seem to be booked."

Darrt then produced a handfull of ordinary pebbles. The Qwi, thinking that this was just another drunk Burian trying to pay him with rocks, grew very impatient. However, Darrt mumbled a few words, and the rocks first melded together, forming a bar as one might see of iron or steel. However, then the bar turned into something much more valuable: Mithril.

Tossing the bar to the astonished Qwi, Darrt then repeated his demand. The Qwi, realizing it was indeed mithril, and worth at least ten times the cost of his highest priced room for a week, scrambled off to vacate the nicest room he had.

"Bwahaha! That'll do it," Darrt laughed, then picked up his voice, "Bah! Any o' ye think ye can take me in ah contest o' drinkin'? I be drunk tae tha' gills already, and am bettin' a bar o' mithril none o' ye fools can take me."

At that point, Elec walked in and found his brother yet again calling for a drinking contest. Sighing, the warrior spoke, "Ye wanna get me a room?"

Darrt turned momentarily, "Aye, got us both one." Then the geomancer turned back to the twenty someodd patrons clammoring for a first shot for the mithril.

Roughly six hundred shot glasses later, Darrt was the only one left in the room standing, besides his brother and the barkeep. "I... I... CLAIM THIS ROOM IN THE NAME OF ROCKSTOMPER!!!! Anyone else???" the wizard roared, loud enough to awaken anyone who might be sleeping nearby.
 
(( I get it ;) :D ))

"I... I... CLAIM THIS ROOM IN THE NAME OF ROCKSTOMPER!!!! Anyone else???" Rang through Roran's ears worse than than the sound of a gong waking you after a long night of drinking games, and he knew what that was like.

"wha, WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" growled Roran as he bolted up right in his bed. He than realised it was some roudy patrons at the bar again. He decided to go down and have a little "friendly drinking game."

"Bloody ruccus, can't get bloody get any bloody sleep in this bloody dump!" he grumbled as he pulled on a green shirt, leather pants, and a little bib to go over his beard, after about the 100th or so drink, he tends to get a little messy.

"Oh Ill show ye a thing or two about how REAL drinkin is done." Gloated Roran to himself as he descended the stairs leading into the bar.

"NOW THAN! Who be causin all tha' ruccus and done went and woke me up!"
 
"Ye... Ye thar! Grab... yerself... ah... one o' those... thingy's tha' 'old ale...." Darrt stammered, teetering precariously on his stout legs.

"A mug, brother, mug..." Elec said under his breath to his brother.

"'ight... One o' them thingys... I'll take ye... ye bib-wearing bearded Qwi!" the most defintively drunken Burian challenged. However, at that moment, Darrt took one swig too many of his mug and fell over on top of one Suwari unfortunate enough to have passed out there. Suddenly Darrt's arm yanked up and grabbed his kinsman's beard. "Brother..." He pleaded, "Ye... ye have tae take 'im fer me! He's just tae sober! 's not right fer a Burian. Go, brudder! Reclaim me 'honor." At that, Darrt passed out for good, his snores rather loud. He remained there until a little later the barkeep dragged him up to his room (A difficult task for the small Qwi, considering the Burian was in plate mail!).
 
Duraenos shook his head and laughed to himself as the two brothers abruptly left. Kaeren seemed a bit relieved they hadn't stayed, especially Elec, with his leaves and forest growth still abit in the back of his hair. She went about picking up the remaining dishes as Duraenos made his way off the chair and picked up his staff that was still leaning against the wall. "Well this is certainly a day I will not soon forget." he said aloud, the days events playing over in his mind. "There's no telling what we will find at the excavation site considering whoever managed to keep this Wyr buried for so long might of very kept the very entrance to the mountain fort hid as well." Duraenos said, turning in mid-sentence to face Kaeren as he approached the doorway to the hall.

"I can only hope the gods will watch over you and your allies tomorrow. Now, go and get some rest friend, let me know if you require anything." Kaeren said as she finished pouring the pitcher and a bucket of water into a wooden tub on the counter she had placed the dishes in. Duraenos nodded firmly, then turned and walked out into the hall. The cold night air had already began to fill the house as he could hear the autumn wind rustling the dried leaves over the dirt paths and roads outside as he made his way to his room. Closing the door behind him, he walked across the room and leaned his staff against the wall before climbing up onto the bed, kicking his shoes off as he slid one foot then the other cool blankets.

Duraenos soon drifted off to sleep with the calming sounds of of the gentle wind blowing outside his window and the moons' soft light on his face and gleaming off of his metallic arm as it lay beside him atop the blankets. The hours soon passed and the clouds made their pilgrimage across the face of the moons and sky throughout the night, little did fate know what the following day would bring being that nothing is ever set in stone.

The sun rose lazily over the tops of the trees the folling morning, finding Duraenos already awake and feeling much better and meditating on his bed facing the window as the warming light shone in on him. He smiled as he opened his eyes, grateful that he felt so good and ready for the quest ahead. Hopping down from the bed, he put on his robe and tied his belt around his waist as he gathered his component pouches. Reaching for his staff as he headed for the doorway, he could only imagine what the brothers were up to.

Karen met Duraenos in the hall by the door leading outside, smiling as she walked out of the kitchen area wiping her hands on a small towel. "I've just cut some fresh greens if you'd like some breakfast before you go?" She said as she placed the towel over one of her shoulders. "Unfortunatly I will have to take a raincheck on that breakfast. I need to get going to the tavern to gather the brothers. The sooner we get moving, the sooner we can get to the bottom of this mystery involving this relic and the Ukar in the area." he said shrugging his shoulders slightly as he waved goodbye to her then opening the door, he headed out into the cold morning.

Duraenos approached the tavern at a brisk pace and slowed as he entered through the battered door that looked as if barely hanging by its hinges. Observing the door as he went inside, he mused to himself it was probably the handiwork of one of the brothers. The tavern had a strong odor of stale spirits, sweat, and vomit, the air hung thick from pipe smoke still from the night before even though few occupied the room currently. As he stood just inside the tavern doors, he looked around the room to see if the brothers were awake as of yet and about.
 
Elec Rockstomper sat on a stool sipping one of his brother's mugs. The stout Burian noticed Duraenos come in and waved politely. "Me brother decided to have a drinking contest with the whole place last night. Must've had a good many shot glasses, I stopped counting at 350... Now he's up in bed complainin' about some hang over or another... Hold on, I'll get him." At that the smithy went up the stairs. Silence followed until a heavily armored Burian was thrown down the stairs and went sprawling on the floor. Elec then calmly walked down, grabbed his brother by the breastplate, and set him on his feet.

"Me hat? Where's me hat?? Can't be seen without me hat! Wait! What about tha' Burian? Did ye get 'im, brother?" Darrt frantically asked.

"Aye, took a good hundred or so, but nobody out drinks Elec Rockstomper!" Elec responded, laughing at his boast, "As for your hat, it's on your head stupid!" Darrt then reached his hand up and felt his hat there, reassured. "And here's your weapons!" Elec spoke, tossing Darrt his enchanted mugs, "Well? Are we going to kill some Ukar or stand around all day?" At that, Elec started to walk out of the inn.

"Oi! Hi Duraenos? When'd ye get here? Hey, does ye see that Qwi right there? Tha' one with the staff? Isn't 'e funny looking? I 'ear 'e lost 'is arm tae some Ukar!" Darrt drunkenly asked, "Anyways, we best be goin'!" At that, Darrt started to walk out of the inn.
 
The musty smell of the tavern mixed with the stale odor of ale and vomit coming from Darrt's breath was almost more than Duraenos cared for. Burians it seemed, still held highly their traditions of drinking competitions. The cold morning light flowed into the dimly lit main room of the inn as Duraenos stepped to the side. Allowing Darrt, follwed by Elec to exit the inn, Duraenos half smiled to himself. He could only imagine the loud racous the brothers had caused the night before, himself never having been one for the nightlife of inns, taverns and drinking.

"I suppose we had best be going then, before you both drink the tavern dry and there's nothing left to sell." Duraenos chuckled, casting a glance at the shadowy burian who kept staring at his new gear-arm. At Darrt's mention of killing more Ukar, he grimaced and looked about the room as he turned to follow the brothers out of the inn. Duraenos glanced upward over his shoulder as he left the building, noticing the worn wooden sign that hung over the inn door. It read, "Qwi-Gone Inn". A Perculiar name, Duraenos thought to himself, swearing the name sounded familiar, he shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to catch up to the brothers.
 
Darrt walked quickly to catch up to his brother. Fortunately, the geomancer was regaining what little wits he had, so he didn't fall over too much.

"Bah, me head! It's all yer fault ye no-good beardless son of a pointy-eared fairy!" Darrt grumbled at his brother, "Let's get goin' tae this lil' encampment, I got a wee bit o' anger I be needin' tae work out. Speaking o' which..." Darrt looked around and noticed Duraenos had already caught up to them. "Where exactly is this place? An' 'ow many o' them does ye think we'll be lucky enuff tae find?" the Burian questioned his fellow dabbler in the arcane arts.
 
"From here we need to head east out of town and past the Tyrne river. Tis perhaps a full days journey from here if we don't come across any scouting parties that is." Duraenos said as he began to lead them down an adjacent street from the one they were on previously. The three heroes made their out of town as the morning sun began its ascent into the cold autumn sky, its dim light barely shining above the treetops as the chill breeze blew dried leaves across the dirt road.

"As far as how many Ulkar we will encounter once we get there...hard to determine really, I suspect there will be an encampment of sorts outside the mountain fort for certain. How many Ulkar there will be on the inside...hmm, well, I'm sure we'll be in for a good work-out, that I'm sure of." Duraenos chuckled, trying to add some levity to the conversation despite his lacking in a good sense of humor.

Several hours passed and as the noon sun had long since thawed the surface shrubs of the forest from the previous night's frost, the three heros came across an open glade where the trail they were traveling on had suddenly ended at the open field. On the far side they could see where an opening in the treeline suggested the trail resumed but why exactly this glade was here and no visible trail existed between this part and the other, they couldn't be certain.

Duraenos stopped at the edge of the trail where it met the field and stood looking out in both directions from left to right as it seemed this was a fairly large field but no crops grew in it or homes or any reason it would of been cleared. "Hmm, something is not right about this area...I'm no ranger but I smell a trap" Duraenos said, his instincts having saved his skin on more than one occasion, if somewhat barely.
 
blur said:
Yeah, where are these guys now?!?

Like with anything tired of waiting around and slowly forget about the game. Jon still ventures around here from time to time, dunno bout the others.

But if they come back they have a story they can continue on with.
 
Slowly Duraenos stepped forth into the open field, the small trinkets and component pouches on his belt jingling in the eery silence as the three moved forward. Darrt was the first notice that the breeze itself had stopped as if the air was holding its breath in suspense of something impending. Duraenos stopped abruptly in the lead when he suddenly realized.."This is no field of wheat..."Duraenos said glancing around as if looking for a safer path out of their current location but not moving. "What do ya mean, not a field? How can this not be a field, have ya lost your lil mind, Qwi?" Darrt said roughly, casually grasping at the nearest blade of tall grass, tugging sharply on it as if to show it to the Qwi. As he pulled on it though the very ground itself shook abruptly as a loud high-pitched roar filled the open air. Darrt's eyes went as he realized the Qwi was right, this wasnt a field but some beast's back they had wandered onto and upon glancing closer at the tall grass, it was some form of hair in fact.

Seeing no other option but to run back to the edge of the field, Duraenos tried to bolt around Darrt and Elec but as he turned to run, the ground heaved upwards so violently and quickly that they were all knocked off of their feet onto their backs. A rush of air escaped from the ground from a newly exposed hole in the surface they were on, blowing dirt and debris into the air a few yards from them. Sensing that they were on the edge of whatever it was as it continued to rise into the air, they half scrambled then getting up to run to what they hoped was the center of the top of the beast, least they fall to their death. "This is not a good feeling I will tell you after a long night of drinking!" Darrt exclaimed as he appeared to be a paler shade of his former skin color due to the quick elevation they were suddenly moved to. Elec tried to keep himself and his brother on their feet as the beast began to shake the loose dirt from its back while ascending high into the sky.

Duraenos, having a lower center of gravity due to his height, wasnt having nearly as much trouble staying on his feet by himself, especially while he still held onto his staff tightly with both hands. The beast finally seemed to be shaking less violently but now they could see that they apparently had stumbled onto a nesting area for the sky whales he had heard were living in these parts. Why they chose these mountainous areas, he had no idea. In fact, very little was known about these creatures at all and now here he was with an involuntary up close look. The wind was picking up increasingly as the creature seemed to be travelling faster through the air in an almost swimming movement as it gracefully flew now. The strands of hair they mistook for wheat laid back with the flow of the wind, creating almost a shimmering effect in the afternoon sun.

Though now that the creature was moving much faster now, the three hitch-hikers had no choice but to grasp onto the long strands of hair to keep themselves on the beast without getting blown off by the wind or the unstable surface they stood upon. "Well, Qwi, this is a great predicament ya got us into.." yelled Darrt, shouting over the loud wind as he and his brother continued to struggle to stand upright. Duraenos gave him a surly expression but no reply as he surveyed their surroundings, peering off ahead of them and behind, trying to decide which direction they were now headed. "Oddly enough this creature appears to be heading in the same direction we were." Duraenos shouted, trying to maintain his grasp on his staff and the hair at the same time without loosing grip of either.

"Somehow I doubt this beast is going to politely let us off at the next excavation site we come across if we ring a bell" Elec shouted back, and then stopped before speaking further as if an unruly idea had formed in his devious mind on a way to get the creature to land...or at least on the ground...
 
The cool air rushed over them all in the afternoon sky as they continued to struggle to keep their balance atop the gigantic beast as it swam through the air. They were unable to see the ground below them due to the massive size of the creature they were on and if they had tried to move to the sloped sides to see below, they surely would of fallen to their death. Just as it seemed to Elec that he was going to have to do something drastic, the beast took a sudden dive in the air flying straight down nearly. Thankfully to the involuntary riders, the speed at which the creature was plummeting from the sky and their death-grip they had on the long hairs, they were able to keep from flying free of the back of the creature.

Since the beast was now headed downward in such an extreme descent, they could now see the excavation site below, situated around the ledges of a rock quarry. The rock quarry's steep sheer walls formed almost a perfect circle, the center filled with a dark water that surely were as deep as the walls were high. Duraenos could see the encroaching forest that surrounded the excavation site, stretching out for miles...miles and miles they had covered in just minutes.

Duraenos and Darrt exchanged glances knowing exactly which spell they were going to have ready momentarily, and that was feather fall. The spell wouldnt completely stop their fall, but it would slow them down enough to not break every bone in their body upon impact. Why the creature suddenly decided to dive into this small lake was unknown like much of their habits, but all Duraenos knew was they had to survive this somehow if they were going to reach that excavation site.

"We're going to have to jump shortly before the creature hits the water!" Shouted Duraenos as loud as he could over the roaring wind. Darrt could only guess what he was saying because his words were lost in all the noise and in turn he used hand-signals with one free hand at the same then began preparing himself mentally to cast the spell on him and his brother as Duraenos readied himself also. It seemed the last few hundred yards of open air rushed to meet them, almost catching them off-guard as the beast's nose was about to breach the water's calm surface. At that moment, all three threw themselves from the back of the creature, outward. Duraenos and Darrt jumped off backwards to have better use of their hands as they quickly out of reflex from years of arcane study, weaving the brief intricate patterns in the air and ending with the single words to complete the spell.

Elec flailed through the air face-first, unable to see directly what the other two were doing as the giant sprays of water from the beast's impact were rushing up to meet him. At that instant he felt as if the air was knocked out of his lungs, not by the water by a seemingly invisible force that slowed his fall tremendously, but not instantly. The slowed fall gave him time to straighten his body for a deep dive into the water as he hit it hard. Duraenos and Darrt followed into the water after Elec did, the Qwi yelling loudly as he clumsily hit the water's hard surface. The subsequent waves that rolled out from the epicenter of the beast's entry point into the water pushed them all out in different directions as they struggled to swim back up to the water's surface.

Duraenos had swallowed a bit of water when he had hit the water, caused by sharp coldness of the water and the impact. Oddly he found that the new limb didn't weigh him down in his efforts in swimming to the surface, it's magical properties seemed to be negating the normal physics of an average gear-prosthetic. Being though it was cold water that was in his lungs as he swam upwards, he felt the burning in his chest as he struggled to hold what he left of his breath. After what seemed like an eternity of swimming upward toward the vague light of day that shown down through the water's surface, he finally broke free of the dark prison.

Half gasping and gagging for air as he broke the surface of the rolling water, he glanced around, seeing if he could ascertain the fate of the two Burians. "Figures.." he thought glumly to himself, the two brothers were more experienced in swimming than he and were already making their way to the quarry wall that surrounded this body of water with no apparent shore or way out. But of course, way out or not, the walls were as safe a place as any when it came to the center where the beast had just dived into and had yet to resurface. Using what little stamina reserves he had left, he made his way after the brothers, swimming towards the steep rock walls.
 
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