Demon Tracks
H01: Waystation
<OOC> Urso says, "Question, where is this a waystation between? Include in your set if ya like ;)"
<OOC> Ga'Elian says, "Um, between the city Alexandria and the outlying villages in the larger countryside of the nation of Alexandros. Also, the dark and foreboding Felwood, where monsters roam and the tree grow black and twisted isn't far."
It's Tariday, Bernfleur 03 11:51:22 1020. The full moon isn't up. The tide is high and rising.
The sky is blue and cloudless, the sunlight is bright, and a cool wind blows from the northwest.
Today is a bright, sunny day with a chilly wind to temper the radiant heat of the direct sunlight. Traffic along the Kultari road sees a steady trickle of ranchers driving their herds and flocks to pasture, merchant caravans wending their way to fairs and markets, traveling entertainers heading toward hopefully paying audiences, aristocrats traveling upon holy pilgrimage or social visits with their guards and entourages, and military or knightly units patrolling the area. In short, there is traffic, but this is the countryside. Traffic here is considerably lighter than so very near or in the city. Off the side of he Kultari Road, not far from the foreboding Felwood forest, a travelers' waystation lies, welcoming the weary traveler, giving a place to rest, socialize, provision one's animals, and feel safe under the protection of the rangers who guard this rustic place. It has a covered picnic area heated by an iron stove, a little outdoor amphitheater with log seats arrayed before it, and places where travelers can set up camp.
It is here that Urso, the Sunblade of Daeus has been invited to meet with a known contact of the Iron Book, a secret interfaith organization housed at the Alexandrian temple of the sun-lord with a mission to fight the hells and the demons that spew into this world from those cursed realms. The contact is described as a wild elf that rides a griffon whose talons have iron claws and whose beak is silvery with a mirror polish. Exactly such a creature is descending at this moment through the sky, bearing upon its back a rider that could easily be a wild elf. As it touches down in a grassy area beside the covered picnic area, it furls its majestic wings. The rider, now clearly visible as an elf, looks around the area, evidently scanning for something, or someone.
The creak and rumble of iron-shod wagon wheels can be heard clattering over the few stunted roots that manage to make their way into the trafficked path. The click and 'whoa' of a carter calling his two draft horses to a halt. The large human sitting on the buckboard grabs a long handle that sticks up behind him. Pulling up a greataxe that he straps with ease upon his back, he steps down from the wagon, its springs flexing and rocking as he shifts his weight down. He speaks to the man, shaking his hand and then walks around to the back of the wagon where he pulls out a travelling ruck. He moves over to the waystation, lifting a hand to shade his eyes as the driver of the cart can be heard clucking to his horses, and the snap of the leather reigns on their rumps gets them moving the creaking rattle of the cart settling into a steady rhythm once again.
Urso glances up at the sky, hand over his eyes as he watches the small black speck outlined against the knockout blue sky. He nods to himself as if confirming something, then moves toward the low building. When he gets there, he turns and drops his ruck on the ground, hunkering at one corner of the building for a time as if waiting. He seems relaxed enough, but his eyes continuously scan the area for movement, constantly vigilant.
The griffon's rider hops lightly off of his mount, and pats it affectionately on the rump. He tells the beast, "Go get some water, my friend... and try not to scare the horses." in Sildanyari. The elf then looks around again, then strides with graceful tread and determined pace toward the covered area.
The wee Goblin woman appears along the road, in her studded leather armor and bearing a full backpack. She pauses on the road, peering at the waystation. Then something catches her eye and she starts down towards the building. Ending up with the horses, and the griffon taking its fill of water. "Erithamiel!", she calls cheerfully to the beast, walking up to him if he so allowed. "Does this mean Ga'Elian is nearby?"
Urso stands when Ga'Elian approaches, "Daeus' light be a blessing upon you, traveler." he glances around at the sound of a familiar voice. A smile plays across his features when he spots Murder over near the griffon. He turns back to Ga'Elian and studies the elf for a moment before hooking his thumbs in his breeches and leaning against the wall, propping one foot on the wall behind him. He says, "I take it you're the one that sent me the cryptic instructions?" his voice is deep and pleasant, and he seems affable enough.
Ga'Elian glances toward Murder when she speaks to his steed, and waves to her. At Urso's greeting, re smiles and replies in a mild voice with an exotic accent, "I suppose I am, in a way, although I knew not who would come in answer. I simply mentioned to a friend of mine in the Iron Book that I had found some demon tracks that I wanted to report, and asked that they send someone to meet me before the next rains come. I gather that they sent you. Did they not tell you why you were to come meet me?"
Murder hugs the beast and then glances around, spotting the two men in conversation. Rummaging through a side pocket on her pack, she offers up an apple to the griffon. The Goblin woman offers a wave when Ga'Elian waves to her, but she moves to a spot near the horses to sit. Removing her pack, she begins to look through her things.
Urso shakes his head to Ga'Elian saying, "No, one of the priests pulled me aside and simply handed me a message saying that I was to meet a griffonrider at this place. I thought it a nice enough day to see what it was all about. Demons, eh?" he glances around at Murder as she moves near to the horses and says, "I've never had truck with demons, so this should be educational. Whereabouts were these tracks?" If the oddity of getting a request for help out of the blue is unseemly to Urso, he doesn't show it. Instead he stands and shifts his greataxe back into position.
Ga'Elian says, "They're not far from here as the griffon flies. You're not afraid of heights are you? Oh, wait. You're as immune to fear as I am to sleep, aren't you?" He chuckles. Meanwhile, the griffon snatches up the apple and purrs. If Murder can see him and if she understands Handspeech, Ga'Elian signs to her, "About to fly off and look at some demon tracks with this human. Wanna come along?"
Sadly it seems the Goblin woman does not understand the subtle movements of Ga'Elian's hands, though she does look at him curiously. She looks to Urso then a moment, and then back to Ga'Elian. For the moment, Murder remains mostly out of earshot, obviously not wanting to intrude on what looks to be a rather private conversation. She glances to the griffon, and grins as the beast seems to rather enjoy apples.
The large man shrugs a shoulder and says, "It'll be a new experience, assuredly. I suppose as long as I follow instructions, there's little danger of the beast unseating me?" he glances over at Murder and says, "Will my weight be a problem?" as he begins moving with Ga'Elian toward Murder and the Griffon. He doesn't appear to pick up on the elf's Handspeech, either.
Ga'Elian walks along toward the gobber and the griffon. He replies, "Not at all. It was a bit on the uncomfortable side, but at one time during the Rune-Dran War he had to carry four riders at once, and quickly, too. He did fine, but it was a bit of tight quarters on his back. Still, it was a matter of life and death." As they arrive at the watering hole, he says to Murder, "Spoiling Erithamiel again, are you? How do you feel about another flight? We're about to go look at some demon tracks I found last night near the road."
Murder's eyes widen at the prospect of a flight, and she nods in reply. "Yes, Erithamiel loves apples it seems. And I take them along on journeys because they keep decently well enough. Hello Ga'Elian. Hello Urso!" She moves over to stand beside the griffon. "Are we going to Felwood, or a place closer to Alexandria?" The Gobber fidgets a little, seemingly anxious and excited at the same time.
Urso smiles at Murder's enthusiasm. He seems slightly relieved at Ga'Elian's reassurance that the griffon can safely handle the load. He stands, waiting for Ga'Elian and Murder to decide on the riding order since he's never done this before. "I did not even think to ask if it was in the Fel or not. S'a good thing Murder's coming along, she has a keen mind."
Ga'Elian says, "Let's sit in order of smaller to larger. That is, I'll mount, then Murder can sit in front of me, and the Sunblade can sit behind. As I don't have reins or a harness on the griffon, Murder and I will hold onto his fur (or Murder can grab the end of his Mithral shirt), and you, Urso, should hold onto my torso. He flies smoothly most of the time, but there are gust of wind, especially today, and take off and landing can be a bit jarring. The tracks are near the Felwood, but not deep far enough off the road for comfort. It should only take about 10 minutes to fly there. In the meantime, I recommend keeping your eyes open. If you've never seen a bird's-eye view of the world around you before, it could change your whole idea of the lay of the land. Before we take off, I also have a spell to cast on Erithamiel and one to cast upon the three of us. His will strengthen his wings, and the one on us will make sure we are comfortably warm and suffer not from the thinness of air if we are, for some reason under need to climb very high."
GAME: Ga'Elian casts Strong Wings. Caster Level: 16 DC: 14
GAME: Ga'Elian casts Life Bubble. Caster Level: 16 DC: 16
Murder grins at Urso's praise, but shakes her head. "You flatter me. Still, your height is a key advantage here, you have a better perspective than I do." She looks to Ga'Elian then when he speaks of how things will proceed, and the little woman nods when he is done. The griffon gets some attention from her, a gentle petting along his side while she waits for the appropriate spells to be cast. "Erithamiel flies very well, Urso. You'll be safe. And it is a humbling view."
Urso nods to the Elf and says, "I thank you for the clear instruction." he stands patiently as he casts his spells, then nodding to Murder says, "I can imagine it is. I should be fine though, heights do not normally cause me an issue." he grins at her and once she and the elf climb aboard, he gently climbs the side of the griffon and seats himself behind Ga'Elian. Gripping the elf's torso firmly he says, "Alright, I think I'm ready.
Ga'Elian says, "Alright Erithamiel, take us up!" in Sildanyari. The griffon runs along a straight bit of lawn that is unobstructed, the power of his lionlike hindquarters visceral under the riders, then spreads his wings to their full 25-foot span and catches the air as he literally jumps into the sky. Soon the waystation is left behind as the open country spreads out below. The rhythmic beating of the beast's wings mark a cadence as the road passes below. Ga'Elian speaks into the wind, "We'll be heading there," and points as the griffon already shifts from his climb to the start of a controlled descent.
A grunted exclamation can be heard from Urso when the beast launches itself into the air, but the only concession to the nerves he must be feeling on his first flight, is a slight tightening of his hands on the elf's torso. Finally after a few moments, he feels secure enough to push himself slightly back from the Elf and relax his grip some. He makes a noise of assent, only heard slightly over the sound of the wind. He listens as Murder asks her question, but he seems intent on watching the landscape unspool beneath them. The view is, indeed, entrancing, and he even leans out slightly to get a better view of the rill of the road, like a brown river through the landscape as it twists and turns to follow the natural lay of the terrain. His face isn't visible but if it were, the expression of delight on his face speaks of a deep satisfaction at finding out what it is to fly for the first time.
After only a few minutes, the griffon is touching down again, landing on the Kultari Road very near the Felwood. Nobody else seems to be around, except for a horse buggy heading out to farmland and almost out of sight. Ga'Elian says, "Now that wasn't too terrifying, eh?" He helps Murder down to the ground, then hops down himself after Urso swings his foot back to dismount. In Sildanyari, he tells the griffon, "How about you fly around for a while, not too far. I'll signal you when I need you, or you can screech if you need me." The elf then turns to the human and gobber, and explains, "He's pretty smart. Anyway, the tracks were just a little way's through those trees there." The griffon runs and launches skyward again.
Murder hops off the griffon enthusiastically, with Ga'Elian's help. She grins and watches the griffon run and take to the sky again. The Goblin turns and begins moving towards where Ga'Elian pointed. "What do they look like?", Murder wonders, pausing at the trees and looking around, hoping to avoid muddying up the tracks with her own footprints.
The sunblade stretches his legs to ease the tension from them, unused to having ridden that particular type of mount before. He nods absently to the Elf's words while he looks around the area and begins inspecting the lay of the land, the terrain features. He scans the area as he speaks, "What led you to this point in the fel...what made you think there were demons nearby?" he glances at Murder when she asks her question.
Ga'Elian says, "Well, before we go traipsing in there, there are tracks of many very small creatures, small enough that in some other forest I might have first guessed they were left by sprites trying to confuse some unlucky mortal. But I regularly patrol this area, trying to ensure that the road is safe for travelers against the dangers of the Felwood. You see, the Felwood produces enough evil that the effort to cleanse it entirely would be exceedingly costly. So I and others maintain a vigil on the parts nearest the road to ensure that the evil doesn't encroach on the road without being forced back. In some ways, it's like an infantry unit sending out scouts to keep the enemy from taking ground along a very stretched out territory line. Anyway, these tracks, if I'm not mistaken are from a small gathering of Swaithe demons. Individually, they're a real threat to commoners and even beginning adventurers. But in numbers like this, they worry even expert demon hunters like me, and not least because demons, unlike devils, tend not to gather into large groups unless someone else is using them for a private agenda."
Urso nods and says, "And I'm sure you and the others of your ilk that patrol these borders have a fearsome reputation amongst the folk of the village - especially the youngers." he surveys the deep woods ahead and says, "Probably easier to keep the food source away from the forest altogether so yon fae and foul don't get too brave and feel it's their right to come a-raiding if they don't have easy access." he nods as he considers this, "Did you see any other sign besides tracks?" He moves to unhook his greataxe from its hanger over his shoulder. Pulling it around in front of him with one massive right hand, he spins the axe easily in his hand as if feeling for just the right grip place on it. Once he has it where he likes it, he glances at Murder and Ga'Elian and says, "Any dead prey of the creatures around?"
Murder crouches on the ground, peering curiously. "Okay. What do their tracks look like? So that I might follow them, and not mess up the trail they have left." She looks to the other two and then points. "That is obviously a dire wolf, yes?" She points to a particularly large imprint of a canine's foot, and a trail of them leading deeper into the Felwood. "I know that there is a Sith-makar who likes to take that form, she too keeps a watch here."
Ga'Elian says simply, "Oh, yes. Shaman Un'eth. Well, as for what the tracks look like and what they might have left behind, I'll lead you to the place, and you can look around yourselves. Just stay with me, keep your eyes and ears open, and try not to make any more noise or disturbance than necessary. If you lose me, I'll find you." And with that, he retrieves his elegant elven longbow from his quiver, and nocks a couple of arrows, then leads out, walking in utter silence and leaving absolutely no trail himself.
Urso lets Ga'Elian lead the way, attempting not to make too much noise as he follows the silent elf. He manages only to break a few twigs as he goes, but it's obvious that he's not the stealthiest cat in the jungle. He's more interested in keeping an eye out for possible danger than boning up on his stealth skills apparently though, because his axe is now gripped in both hands. He mutters to Murder, "I knew an old boy once, said he'd guarded a wagon along the border road of the Felwood. Said they ended up having to camp there near the Fel." he holds back a branch to keep it from smacking Murder in the face as she passes by. "Says that along about the third hour of the night, something came from the woods and ate the horses. Said it was huge, whatever it was." he glances up to make sure he hasn't lost Ga'Elian's lead and says, "He said that whatever it was, the worst was the horrid sucking sounds the creature made while it fed." He looks back out into the forest once more, watching for bogies and bogarts.
Murder follows along after Ga'Elian, ending up in lockstep with Urso. She listens to the story told by the tall man, the hair along her arms and neck standing on end. At the end she shudders. The Goblin takes a hold of Urso's hand. "Not the best of tales to be telling while we're in the thick of it, Urso. Now I'm seeing stuff jumping out from under every dark bush."
As the party penetrates into the woods, the normal forest sounds of chirping and buzzing insects and birdsong are conspicuously absent. The smell is starting to become dank and musty unlike the fresh scent of most forests, and the canopy above grows thicker, reducing the lighting on this clear sunny spring day to twilight levels. Off in the distance, a mournful keening breaks the ambient silence, and the cold seems to emanate from the black trees rather than the fresh winds that buffeted the party while it was wending its way here on griffonback. Occasional spiderwebs catch (mostly) the tall human creepily across the face. Soon, the foul trees give way to a small clearing, the opening in the canopy above giving an eerie view of the planar rift that hangs above this forest. And the tracks of tiny feet are everywhere to be seen, with scratch marks in front of every big toe track. Ga'Elian's clear voice says softly, "This is the place. I assure you the demons are no longer here, but their tracks, even with their tiny size, indicate that they must have been here no more than about 12 hours ago. I'm going to look around for further evidence of what they might have been doing or whether anybody else was with them. I won't leave you, although you may not see me for a few minutes."
Urso nods to Murder as she speaks. He squeezes her hand slightly to reassure her then moves away, dropping her hand in amazement, forgetting for a moment she's even there as he observes the planar rift. The energies swirling in and out of it are mesmerizing to the man for mere moments, but in that time it's enough to wipe away his preconceptions of the forest. He looks over at Ga'Elian when he speaks, tears shining in his eyes and says, "That is unnatural brother..." his voice is a husked out, pitted sound, as if all the wind had been sucked from his lungs. When the Elf speaks of leaving he nods and moves up beside Murder. "Let's stick together on this one, you keep watch on that side and don't get more than fifteen feet from me. It'll be too easy to get turned around and lost out here." he glances at the rift once more, then firmly turns away from it and begins inspecting the tracks and footprints on the ground, as if trying to discern in some limited way where they may have been coming or going to within the forest. Obviously the rift is their gateway, but he seems more intent on the general directionality of the tracks rather than just following one particular one.
Murder makes a face at the smells that are hitting her nose, and her ears perk right up. "This place does not smell right.", she comments quietly, looking up to Urso and then to Ga'Elian. She nods to him. "Don't worry, I am sure you'll hear me screaming if anything happens." The Goblin wraps her arms about herself to ward off the increasing cold, and crouches down to view the feet and their curious claw marks. "Looks like they only have claws on their big toes. I wonder what they are, exactly." She peers up at the rift as well, shivering.
Urso nods as he finishes sweeping the area. He studies the arcane mark for a moment, committing it to memory, then turns to join Ga'Elian and Murder once more. "Aye, let us leave this foul place. I can feel the miasma of it seeping into my very bones. My spirit cries out once more for the gaze of the sun, let us not tarry here overlong." he begins moving with Ga'Elian back towards the road.