On The Road Again

Descending Water 14

Aden arrived at their meeting point outside the southern gate early so that he would arrive first. To the east, light had begun to show over the horizon, but the sun had yet to show itself. Although it was clearly spring when the sun was high in the sky, winter could still be felt early in the morning and late at night. A light frost covered the fields to the west and south of the capital. Even at this early hour, not long after the gates were first opened for the day, traffic was getting heavy going in and out of the city.

Aden had staked his horse, Lady, in a field to the southwest of the city gates. Lady was a reddish brown mare plenty strong enough to carry Aden and his supplies but no war horse. Aden stood beside her going through his saddle bags making sure that nothing he needed was left behind. A red jade daiklave was strapped to his back, and a pair of red jade bracers were on his wrists. Both were gifts given to him by his parents for his graduation and trip abroad. Aden's trusty straight sword, the one he carried throughout his time at the House of Bells, has on his hip. Aden wore light linen clothes despite the cold. Heavy clothing took a lot of room, and he would not need them once they reached the South. Over his clothing he wore his father's old breastplate. It was an old piece of armor that had been in his family a long time. His father wore it before he had jade armor and so did his father before him. Over the linen and armor he wore a heavy wool cloak to keep the cold off him while still here on the isle.

After deciding he had not forgotten anything, Aden paced near his horse to keep his blood moving and to kill the time before his companions would arrive. Aden didnt normally like to arrive early, but he felt that since this was all his idea, he should be here to take charge when the others arrived. Glancing eastward, Aden noticed that the sun would be rising soon and his friends wouldnt be far behind.

---

Unsurprising to Aden, Udo was the second of the companions to arrive that morning, the Cloister of Wisdom graduate looked wide awake and fairly energetic for this early in the morning. He was dressed in a simple hemp robe that was likely a bit thin for the mornings winter chill and looked as if it might be a bit warm in the deserts of the south. Across his back Udo was carrying what looked like a fairly heavy canvas pack, his jade powerbow was unstrung and attached to the pack along with several quivers of arrows and the semi-disassembled pieces of his breastplate. Unlike the rest of his companions Udo did not have a mount of any kind with him, instead he would rely on carrying his relatively modest belongings on his back and keeping up with the horses on foot. It sounded like a daunting task, but Udo had been trained for such endeavors at the Cloister and the perfected boots that Willow Rose had given him as a graduation present would undoubtedly come in handy.

Udo blended into the crowd of people more than most Dragon-Blooded would, his appearance relatively unspectacular compared to how some of his brethren chose to present themselves. As a result Aden didn't spot him approaching until he was rather close, despite Aden eagerly awaiting their arrival and keeping an eye on the crowd for their approach. Though it was worth noting, and perhaps brought a bit of a smirk to Aden's lips that Udo's approach was anything but stealthly, quite the opposite. Carrying a heavy pack with two quivers full of arrows, an unstrung bow, and the makings of a breastplate gave each of Udo's steps a rather distinct rattle one would expect of a loaded merchant more than a traveling monk.

Udo broke into a notable smile when he spotted Aden waiting for them to gather at the southern gate, greeting his companion with a cheerful greeting.

"Good morning old friend! Am I the first to arrive?"

--FyreFly 21:02, 25 August 2011 (EDT)

---

Aden grabbed the Udo's forarm in greeting. "Indeed you are. The others shouldn't be far behind though." Aden looked past Udo's to his pack and chuckled, "Those boots might let you travel as fast as us, but I dont envy you carrying that pack all over creation."

--Macabreengel 10:32, 1 September 2011 (EDT)

---

Peleps Caedmon rode towards the south gate atop his stallion, Homer. Upon seeing his companions in the distance, he picked up the pace, sprinting towards them until within earshot before slowing Homer to a trot. He looked more like a soldier of the Seventh Legion in his blue jade lamellar armor, to say nothing of the wavecleaver daiklave he wore at his side, an inappropriate weapon for the terrain but the only jade weapon Cad owned, given to him by his uncle and aunt for graduation, a reminder of the naval service expected of any able-bodied Peleps. Cad felt silly wearing his armor this early into the trip, but found the act of packing it too aggravating to be worth the trouble. As he rode towards the pair, his hearthstones glistened as they moved through the Sun's focus.

He called out to them, "You know, Aden, one can hunt Anathema at times other than the ass-crack of dawn. Also, morning Udo." Cad finished his greeting with a nod to his less familiar traveling partner.

He brought Homer to a halt and let loose an exaggerated, but legitimate yawn. Andromeda, Cad's falcon familiar, broke a hard, looping turn and began to circle overhead. After a moment's pause, Cad put his thumb and forefinger to his lips and blew a low whistle, calling the bird down to his shoulder. When the white bird of prey, decorated with a pattern of blue, steely bars, landed on Cad, he looked around, grinning slightly.

"You know, I like these sorcerers. They seem to sleep even later than I do."

Dan 11:39, 6 September 2011 (EDT)

---

Udo smirked in response to Aden's comments about his heavy looking pack, carrying it around Creation would be an unenviable task but the unassuming Udo would have it no other way. He watched as their next companion arrived by horseback, a well prepared legionnaire by appearance.

"Morning Caedmon." Udo spoke with a flat, yet pleasant tone that showed he was likely the early riser of the group.

"Perhaps our young lovebirds were delayed with something other than sleep..." The delivery from Udo was as deadpanned and awkward as anyone would expect; the comment left the possibility open that he hadn't just made a sex joke. But it sure seemed like he did...

--FyreFly 19:47, 10 September 2011 (EDT)

---

Aden grinned at Cad, "I feared that once you got into the habit of sleeping in, I would never break you of it. The other two should be along shortly. It is unlike Izumi to be late. She may be a sorcerer, but she has a bit of a soldier in her too."

In response to Udo's mysterious comment, Aden respond, "In that case, maybe she is a soldier with a bit of a sorcerer in her!" Aden slapt Udo in the shoulder and winked at Cad while he laughed.

The sun had finished rising and you could see a sliver of sky between it and the sea when Aden cocked his head like he was listening to a sound off in the distance. Aden shrugged and sighed, "It seems they ran into some trouble at the Sesus Manse and will be delayed. She says to get started and they will catch up. We are headed along the Great Coast Road, so they can't miss us." Aden pulled the stake from ground and untied the reings from it. He placed the stake in a bag, placed one foot in stirrup jumped up onto his horse, Lady.

After his companions readied themselves for the march/ride, Aden lead them onto the Great Coast Road proper and south towards whatever their fates would be. "So Cad, you never did tell me what you did to piss off that girl of yours..."

--Macabreengel 16:22, 14 September 2011 (EDT)

---

Cad smirked at Aden, replying to his first comment.

"Even at school, I never really woke up until after lunch anyway. You know as well as I that by the time we were upperclassmen, we could do those morning drills in our sleep."

It was rare that Cad wasn't sure how to handle a person, but his lopsided grin belied his total confusion at Udo's sense of humor... or whatever that was. Fortunately, the awkward moment didn't last; upon seeing Aden cock his head to he side, Cad had a feeling they'd be on their way. He patted Homer and hopped back upon his mount, waiting for Aden's confirmation of his suspicions.

When it came, Cad cynically replied, "Trouble at the Sesus Manse? I can't imagine how that would happen..."

Cad did, at least partially, share his father's views on House Sesus, particularly some of its older members - Like House Cathak, but without the discipline, or like House Peleps, but without the tact. Either way, there was little good to be said.

As they started towards their immediate destinies, Cad obliged Aden's prying.

"Well, it's a long story and things were rocky for awhile, but... Well, let's just say that it doesn't help when your partner unloads a bunch of self-deprecating but shockingly accurate criticisms of herself at the end of a long day, and you tacitly go along with those. And it really doesn't help if you try to point out that she said them, and not you."

Cad shrugged, half-grinning.

"She'll be back."

Dan 23:39, 14 September 2011 (EDT)

---

The three travelers followed the Great Coast Road most days, but occasionally followed short cuts when locals told them of quicker paths. The group was making good time even without pushing themselves to get up too early and continue too late. The road was lined with fishing villages and farming towns that provided fresh food and cheap beds, so the three rarely had to make camp or do their own cooking. Cad and Udo discovered that they both knew a little about birds and would pass the time pointing out rare species to eachother. Aden and Cad would often drink too much too late into the night when they were staying at an inn, and they would grumble in the morning.

Aden, Cad, and Udo were following a farmers road between two fields when things began to feel queer. They had been off the Great Coast Road for about a day and a half and it was about noon. Aden was in the lead and a few paces behind him Cad and Udo were spotting birds. The stalks from last autumn's corn harvest had not yet been plowed back into the earth in these fields and it was making it difficult for Udo to do much spotting from his lower vantage point. Aden came to a stop and the other two stopped right behind him. The narrow path could barely accomadate two side by side and was too narrow to turn a horse around in, so Aden half turned his head back to Cad and Udo. They both nodded without Aden even asking. A hundred yards ahead a man had stepped out from behind a tree with a crossbow, seen them, and jumped back into hiding. Then about 70 yards ahead in the field to their right a murder of crows quietly took flight.

Aden sighed, "I suppose it is better us than an unaware farmer. Thoughts?"

--Macabreengel 14:03, 19 September 2011 (EDT)

---

((Just a guess but I'm assuming you meant for Aden and Cad to drink too much late at night and grumble in the mornings, if Udo did that with frequency it would not be in keeping with the character. -TK LOL fixed -DK))

Udo had rather enjoyed spotting birds with Cad and was glad they had decided to take this walk through the familiar countryside as it provided a wonderful and comfortable means for Udo to get to know him as well as to reacquaint himself with his childhood friend in Aden. Udo's quirky personality did not fade, confirming that his odd remarks and dialogue tone were simply a part of his personality, however it did seem far less noticeable to both of his companions by this point of the trip.

Udo went still with both of his other companions as the figure up ahead disappeared behind the tree, his eyes raised to the birds taking flight as he slowly and deliberately reached to his back and pulled the unstrung bow from his pack; he remained silent while he pulled a thick cord from his side and set about the task of stringing it to his bow with quick, practiced movements. For the moment he seemed willing to allow his more militarily gifted companions do the strategizing.

"I was thinking about the birds....." His offhanded remarked was whispered quietly, as if to himself and was the only thought he shared while setting about his task of stringing his bow.

--FyreFly 19:46, 20 September 2011 (EDT)

---

On Descending Water 14,

Back at the Sesus Family Manse in the Capital...

Tycho and Izumi woke with plenty of time to meet their companions. They were getting dressed and double checking their luggage when a messenger arrived for Izumi. He handed her the scroll and took his leave. Izumi opened the scroll and read it quickly to herself. She smiled then sighed. "My cousin exalted last night. Obviously this is good news, however, my aunt wants us to stay for a small celebration being thrown tonight. I don't think I will be able to get out of it. I guess we will have to tell Aden and the rest to go on without us, and we will leave tomorrow and try to catch up."

The two spent the morning and afternoon together because they had little to do and had already packed and prepared to leave. The party in the evening went quickly and wasn't very large due to the short notice. Tycho and Izumi got to bed early so that they could leave as early as possible and begin to catch up to Aden and the rest. Izumi had told Aden to go on without them because she didnt want to hold things back. She knew Aden would be chomping at the bits to get going.

The next morning Izumi and Tycho put on their riding gear and walked out to the stables where their horses were being prepared for them by the stable hands. Izumi's riding clothes were black, but she wore her blue jade breastplate over them. Over her shoulders was a black cloak. Her hair was down, and she wore a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun from her eyes. Izumi's Lightning Rifle was strung across her back. Her jade saddle was already on her horse, The Black Wind, as was the rest of her baggage. Izumi checked to make sure everything was there and strapped in securely before she jumped on her horse. After waiting for Tycho to do the same, the two of them rode out to the front of the estate to meet up with Tycho's retainers, which had been instructed to be ready and waiting for them there.

--Macabreengel 14:06, 3 January 2012 (EST)

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The couple arrived at the front of the estate. In stark contrast to Izumi, Tycho was wearing a white tunic and cape, sitting attop his white horse he named Mira. (Forgive the vague physical description, I haven't yet decided on a picture) Before they turned the corner they heard some yelling in the distance. Soon, their cart came into view, and in front of their cart lay a crate with packaged food and supplies strewn about the ground. Izumi's cousin, Serykh, was scolding Tycho's guard, Malam, who apparently let the crate tip off the unsteady cart. Malam had his hands folded across his chest while Serykh was cleaning up the mess.

Tycho approached and dismounted, "Good morning everyone. Is there a problem?"

Serykh closed the crate and dusted herself off, but Malam spoke first. "It seems she packed a bit too much," he motioned to the cart, which looked quite full. Serykh glared at him. She was a bit of a firebrand, which was one of the reasons Izumi was against her coming along. But Tycho tried to diffuse the situation right away. "We can afford to lighten the load a bit, there will be opportunities to restock. Have we all met? It will be a long trip, it's best we start off on the right foot."

Izumi had also dismounted as the other retainers emerged from the other side of the cart. Tycho walked over to his trusted cook, Severen, the oldest of the crew. "Everyone, this is Severen, the greatest cook east of the Blessed Isle." Severen smirked, "and this is Malam Aristide, our muscle." Malam was taller and darker skinned than any of the others, with thick arms and a large sword sheathed on his back. "They have traveled far, from household Ledaal Catala, to accompany us."

He turned to the two women in the group. "This lovely lady is Ankara," he motioned to the scout. She was small, but looked very athletic. Izumi scrunched her eyebrows a bit, wondering if Ankara's looks had played any factor in her being hired. It had. But Tycho would never admit it. "She will be our eyes and ears. And I'm sure you all know Serykh by now," he motioned to healer, dressed in decorative robes.

After the group mingled for a few moments, acknowledging the introductions and idly chatting, Tycho had to get them moving. "Let's leave some of these extra supplies here and get moving. There will be plenty of time to get to know one another on the way to Paragon."

Kirkland 17:15, 17 January 2012 (EST)

---

Tycho and Izumi enjoyed getting to know each other outside of the Heptagram as they traveled along the Great Coast Road. While she did not intend for them to be left behind, Izumi was enjoying the two of them having some time to themselves. With the other four trapped in the cart together, Tycho and Izumi spent almost all of their time in only each other's company. At night the two of them would share a room and the other four would sleep in the common room, as befit their station.

The two groups kept in touch using Wind Carried Words, with Caedmon speaking on behalf of Aden. The lead group slowed their pace (often meaning they got to sleep-in, to Cad's delight), while Izumi and Tycho got started early and ate lunch in the saddle. It took the better part of a week, but the two groups were finally about to meet up.

Before Cad could respond, the three heard the creak of a wooden wheel and the clop-clop-clop of hooves. Moments later Tycho and Izumi came around a bend in the path about 75 yards behind them followed by a cart with four others. "Aden," yelled Izumi as she waved her hand in the air at him. Aden waved back and motioned towards the path ahead of him. Then he unstrapped the Daiklave from his back and drew it. Frowning, Izumi said, "Seems like trouble," as she drew her Lightning Rifle from across her back.

--Macabreengel 08:51, 18 January 2012 (EST)

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((My apologies for not delivering the promised Thursday post. Celebrations of the end of fellowship application season were more raucous than expected.))

Cad turned and nodded in greeting to the new arrivals before looking back to the path ahead, where they'd seen the man with the crossbow, and shook his head slightly. He said, "I figured we'd hit trouble eventually. Still, we don't know the context here..."

He unlatched the leather strap holding his wavecleaver daiklave in, sliding it slowly from it sheath as he leaned in towards Udo and Aden. He spoke quietly - although their would-be assailants were much too far away to hear normal conversation, Cad's combat training was freshly ingrained, and he always kept it quiet in tactical situations unless there was a direct need for louder voices.

"If these guys are mortals, they don't stand a chance unless there's a hell of a lot of them. Are we sure that leaving these guys in a mess of their own gore is the best course of action here? Sure, if they're professional bandits who've made a living terrorizing passers-by, good riddance, but if they're trying to get an extra obol to feed their kids because of a bad harvest, creating a few more orphans probably isn't the best thing - for those kids or the nobility's relationship with the rural Realm. I'd cautiously say we have the upper hand unless there's more to this situation than meets the eye - do we want to try to see what they want first and feel out whether these guys are criminals or desperate parents? We can always capably defend ourselves if they attack suddenly."

Cad thought a bit more before suggesting a more concrete plan.

"If we do want to go that route, Cad and I could approach cautiously and Udo could keep an eye on that field to the right, in case they've got people hidden there... Still, just a thought. I could be taking us right into a more sophisticated trap and risking the whole endeavor. What say you, gentlemen?"

The tone in Cad's voice was merely suggestive rather than commanding - he wasn't insisting that the group try to negotiate with the bandits and didn't seem to mind the thought of engaging them outright (despite his pacifist suggestion, he too had daiklave in hand at this point). He was just playing devil's advocate, as he was wont to do.

Dan 17:12, 21 January 2012 (EST)

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"Absolutely, let us exercise some restraint until we know the true nature of the opponent. Surely if they are a band of mortals they should know better than to try their luck with a group of dragon-bloods. Once they see us, they should let us pass." Tycho was a pacifist himself, avoiding combat when at all possible. But that didn't mean he would hesitate to defend himself and his group if it came to that.

As Tycho spoke, their cart had come closer and Malam and Ankara had already dismounted, Malam had his sword drawn and Ankara was pulling an arrow from her quiver. Tycho turned to the two, "Ankara, Malam, watch our six." then turned back to the group, smirking when Cademon said "Cad and I ..." ((I think you meant Aden and I?)). "I'll accompany Cademon and Aden in the negotiation attempt, Izumi, help Udo keep an eye on that field."

Kirkland 12:58, 23 January 2012 (EST)

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Malam and Ankara moved around behind the cart to watch for anyone coming from behind. Tycho's other two retainers drew their weapons but remained with the cart.

"Ledaal Catala Tycho, is it? Good to meet you. I agree, the three of us will go up and see what is going on while the Udo and Izumi cover us." Then to Izumi with a nod, "Good timing cousin." Aden whispered to Cad as they got off their horses, "If there is trouble, we might get to see what this guy is made of sooner rather than later. Also, what's with the posse?"

The farmer's road was too narrow for the horses to pass eachother so Izumi and Tycho got down off theirs and met up with Aden, Cad, and Udo in front of Aden and Cad's horses. Right behind Aden and Cad's horses were Tycho and Izumi's horses. The cart was last in line with Malam and Ankara guarding it from the backside. Aden, Cad, and Tycho begin walking down the path as Udo and Izumi take position to cover them from right in front of the horses. Aden pointed to a tree about 100 yards ahead and said to Tycho and Izumi, "We saw a man with a crossbow step out from behind that tree. Then he quickly jumped back behind it." Then the three began the walk towards the tree.

About half way between the rest of the group and the tree, Aden, Cad, and Tycho heard a rustling in the fields on either side of them. Tycho, reacting faster than the other two, turned his head quickly and saw a face appear and then disappear a few yards into the field. Back from where Udo stood, he could see the tops of the crops on either side of his companions quiver as some number of people moved within. The three stopped for a few seconds, their eyes on the field besides them, but there was no further movement.

--Macabreengel 13:49, 23 January 2012 (EST)

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Cad saw Tycho's sidelong glance and began to suspect more and more that these bandits may not be friendly to negotiation. His tactical urge was to take solid footing and call out the man behind the three - if the bandits were inexperienced, this could prompt an attack and would leave Cad and his crew in a more favorable defensive position, since they'd know it was coming. On the other hand, if they were amenable to negotiation, a call out could serve as the first step. Still, Cad's level-headedness and cautious nature when dealing with unfamiliar colleagues stopped him from acting on his own. He whispered to Tycho and Aden,

"Should we call out to them? That puts the ball in our court - at the very least, we can steel ourselves for an attack before calling out, rather than risking them attacking us while we walk. Could be too risky, though."

((Dan - if the man behind the tree comes out to talk to us, I'd like to use Scent-of-Crime method with Personal Essence on him. Cad hopes to ascertain if he's feeling guilty about his crimes (if there are any). Obviously if there's no negotiating to be done then Cad isn't too worried about veiled social charms.))

Dan 14:12, 23 January 2012 (EST)

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Udo nodded in greeting to the newly arrived companions on the trip, he took a moment to look over the cart and retainers Tycho and Izumi had brought with them which caused a faint, tight lipped smirk to cross his lips. Their arrival and traveling arrangements notably less humble than his own, Udo had to remind himself that it was he who was out of the normal and not them. He turned to his attentions back to the plan at hand, generally nodding along and certainly agreeing to watch the field as the trio decided to approach in order to negotiate.

"It is unfortunate that the context of the situation eludes us, however I can not help but wonder if it is of notable relevance when looking at the big picture situation we find ourselves confronted with." Udo spoke more confidently and directly, as opposed to his typical whimsical tone, "I could not agree more with Cad, leaving these men in a mess of their own gore, as he so eloquently put it, probably does no one any benefit. However, I'm afraid that simply securing ourselves peaceful passage would be a grave oversight of our more noble duties and the charge of the Elemental Dragons for us Princes of Creation to better those who we come into contact with. We cannot allow the plague of banditry and debauchery to continue to exist, or more egregiously to spread across our beloved Blessed Isle."

Udo paused briefly to allow his words to sink in and to compose himself to continue, "I wholeheartedly do not disagree with the plan, avoiding combat and not overpowering the weak for no benefit is of the utmost importance. But whether these men are professional bandits or starving farmers looking to spring a trap; we cannot ignore that we are traveling on a farmer's road and if we do not address the problem at hand than without a doubt by tomorrow a different unsuspecting traveler will fall prey to this ambush. I fear that the next group will not be so uniquely and adequately equipped to deal with this situation as we are."

"I do not mean to be excessive, I simply mean to suggest we must disperse these bandits, though peaceful methods are undoubtedly preferred simply securing safe passage for ourselves is a response as equally inappropriate as an immediate bloodbath would have been."

(I was literally typing this up as Dan and Dan posted, so you're getting it even if it's a bit delayed in the context of the thread.) --FyreFly 14:25, 23 January 2012 (EST)

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Udo had almost no perceptible reaction to the flutter of cornstalks alongside of the path near the trio of companions, his breathing was steady and calm and his focus unbroken. He had raised his powerbow so that he could quickly aim and fire off a shot if the need called for it, until the recent movement along the path the arrow he had seated in the notch of his bow had drawn no tension along the heartstring, but the slightest draw of Udo's wrist took in the slack. He waited silently for his companions, or the bandits, to make the first move in tense silence while keeping his senses keen all around him for the impending trap. If Izumi was not as keenly focused as he, undoubtedly she would notice that Udo was preparing as if they were in for the fight of their lives, whether it was because he knew something they did not or because he entered even the most trivial of encounters with such focus was unclear.

--FyreFly 17:53, 23 January 2012 (EST)

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Tycho nodded, agreeing with Cad's suggestion to call them out. He whispered, "Call them out, we'll be ready." He took a more defensive posture and kept his eyes and ears open for any change in the situation.

((if an Investigation roll becomes pertinent I would spend 2 motes of personal essence on my Investigation excellency to add 2 dice to my dice pool.))

Kirkland 11:36, 25 January 2012 (EST)

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"I suppose here is as good as anywhere. Will you do the honors Cad? Or shall I?" responded Aden.

--Macabreengel 12:59, 25 January 2012 (EST)