Staunton Bluffs V: New Blood

[BigBadQDaddy]

Alain takes notice of everyone running, and begins to run after them, going as fast as his legs will carry him.

Alain, still running and becoming shorter of breath, Finds his path is impeded by the flames of the forest fire. He stops shy of the fire by ten feet or so and looks around panic stricken. Feeling utmost dispair at his current situation, he turns to where he had come from and notices the party taking the demon down.
"HA!" He exclaims in suprise and shock. He begins to jog towards the party and as he is going, picks up speed to a full blown sprint as his second wind is discovered.
Once he regroups with the party, he is out of breath and makes the mistake of doubling over, cuasing him to throw up on the forest floor. Turning away from the group, he spits what remains of the foulness from his mouth and turns to the party looking absolutly exhausted and truly happy to be alive.

A blazing explosion thunders through the Staunton Bluffs.

A blazing explosion thunders through the Staunton Bluffs.

You all are thrown from your feet, and, falling, see the ground break and the mighty trees be sundered like sticks...

Breathless, Alain is thrown to the ground and dazed for a moment or two in the following silence. After the intial shock of what has just happened, Alain gets to his feet and looks to all directions in turn. His look is no longer one of fear, but one of caution. He takes what necessary cover he can from the falling boulders and slabs of rock, holding his trusty shovel above him in a pathetic attempt to deflect the smaller peices of debris.

OOC: Alain is a young man in his mid twentys. He has dirty blond hair which is currently sporting a mixture of old blood, dirt, ash, small bits of roch and tree and such, etc. He is of an average height and weight and wears outdated Dimentlieuise (Hmmm...dont think that is the right spelling) fashion, which is of course covered in a similar variety of blood, dirt, ash, etc. He currently weilds a shovel, which he holds onto with dear life.

[Ken of Ghastria]

"Liquid fire?" exclaims Blaise. "What is this place?" He looks around to see if the attractive redhead whose path he was following is still alive and if she needs help, then he says in response to the others' comment, "Higher ground it is! Let's go!" He glances in the direction that a couple of the other people were moving. Is that a castle over there? The blinding smoke and falling rocks make it hard for him to get a good look.

"Ignore the child!' he cries out to those who began to pursue the clearly addled youngster. "You'll join him in death! Save yourselves!" He sees another man with a shovel suddenly come into view, but self-preservation outweighs curiosity right now. He begins moving quickly toward the apparent castle.

[kintire]

Shana glances at Blaise

"what is this place? horrible! if the worst thing that happens to us is liquid fire, we will be lucky"

Shana glances around the others

"we have to reach the castle. Remeber the paintings, the visions by the noose? it all happened there. If the curse on this place can be lifted, it can be lifted there. Come on!"

She turns, and begins making determindly for the castle

[steveflam]

Jorgan was out and about in Cormanthyr , in the forest, wandering.That was when it started to become really foggy. As he kept walking, he started smelling smoke and felt the forest shift and change around him. He heard people ahead talking nervously. As the fog clears he sees the whole forest aflame and he is not in COrmanthyr anymore. What is this place? Darda will be most displeased with me now that I'm not at the appointed rendezvous! Maybe those people up ahead can shed some light on the situation.

[Ooc: You see an average looking elf jogging towards the road as he spies the party ahead. He is wearing very dark clothing, a leather armor under his travelling cloak, treading very lightly onto the road and cautiously approaching the party]

Jorgan spies the fuming mass of the dead demon and frowns slightly.
"Pardon me does anyone know where Cormanthyr is and how to get there from here?"

[VAN]

Inovidil looks one more time around in order to discern the child, but nothing she can see only the lava approaching them. So, despite she doesn't want it at first place, she turns and follows Blaise and Shana.

When she sees the elf coming she yells:

"I think none of us knows exactly where we are. We have to move towards the castle as fast as we can if we want to save our lives. Maybe there we will have some time to speak and tell our stories and where we are from. Now lets moving."

[ewancummins]

''Master Arlington! Where are you?'' Jamethon plunges into the surrounding woods, still searching for the boy.

[steveflam]

Brethana looks for the boy with Jamethon,,,, noticing the newcomer elf she smiles Hmmm that is odd another elf , I doubt he is from around here.

Jongar takes in the group, spies Brethana , then looks away, trying to hide his anger I get stuck here fro some odd reason and of course there has to be a stinking surface elf here with this band! Jongar walks behind those who go to the castle , keeping a wary eye on Brethana from the corner of his eye

[Le Noir Faineant]

[OOC: Does the castle look like it would be safe?]

[You are not in sight of the Castle. You assume it's there, for the waysign leaded there and because Fallenleaf said so. Before, the only thing you see is the forest's immediate border and the beginning of a highland plateau. Apparently, the top of some smaller hill has broken away, and from there, lava flows towards the Forest of the Red Eyes, your current location.]

''Master Arlington! Where are you?'' Jamethon plunges into the surrounding woods, still searching for the boy.

Moorkroft will find no track of the boy, nor can he see him anywhere...

It is as if the boy had never been here...

The forest before him yet seems largely unaffected by the fire, and the air is better than only a few meters before. Pure happenstance? Maghic? Moorkroft doesn't know...



In the meantime, the rest of the group moves towards the forest border as quick as people can...



Before, you the whole world seems to be in flames...

Dark clouds of dust hang in the air, and it is difficult to breath, even with some with some kind of protection.

A long river of red lava extends over the highlands towards the horizon...

And there, at the edge of the horizon, stands, his old, high walls blackened, Castle Stonecrest.







And over it, far away in the distance, and high above you in the crimson sky, a white haired man, holding a book in his hands, and flying in circles towards the darkening light of the sun, and laughing in his mad triumph.







And though it is not logically and naturally possible, you believe to hear every word he boasts out in his demented joy...



FREE! IAM FREE AT LAST!

[ewancummins]

Finding no track of the boy at all, Jamethon realizes he will not be able to find him. ''He called on his mother and she saved him. He could see she and his sister both. The fire did not claim him, nor will it claim me. Lady, I am your soldier yet.''
He turns back towards the way the others went. As he walks he wets himself with water from his waterskin and ties a cloth over his face. He skirts the edge of the burning zone, trying to stay upwind of the smoke.

[VAN]

As walking Inovidil sees the lava heading towards them.

"Hurry up, the lava is getting closer. We must hurry if we want to arrive at the castle."

Since the air is mixed with dust, she pulls a bit her cloak and covers her nose and mouth. When the white haired man appeared at the sky the wizard gasps.

"Now what? This place is getting worse as the time pass. Lets hope that in his madness he hasn't noticed us yet. But I'm pretty sure that if we manage to escape we are gonna see him again."

[steveflam]

"I would have to agree with that assessment,miss. Let us hurry to this castle before that madman notices us" Jarg's hands go to his crossbow incase he needs to use it , keeps walking with the others , hoping to make it to the castle with relative safety to himself. What madness have i stumbled upon here! What is this place? How I'd love to stick my dagger in that elf's back and watch her die slowly. Darda always says be patient , so I will.


Another mage yet again Brethana growls to herself , warily eyeing the white haired maniac, her hands clenching and unclenching. Brethana keeps walking towards the castle, her Great Sword in her hands now, just aching to cut the old man in 2, she controls her urge and keeps walking to the castle .

[kintire]

Shana looks up at the circling wizard grimly

"I think... he may be our problem."

[Nathan of the FoS]

OOC: I'm a little confused...is the entire space between where the party is now and the castle covered in molten lava? If so, does the party have anywhere to go without flying, since the wood behind them is burning? If you could make a map of where the party is relative to a) the lava, b), the forest fire, and c) the castle, it would really help!

IC: Master Fallenleaf mutters something else and points toward the fire encroaching on the group from behind, and the flames fall back a considerable distance.* Turning to examine the scene before them, he jerks back in surprise and horror at the appearance of the white-haired wizard.

"Time to consider our options," he says, almost to himself. "We've got to get to the castle..."**

*Quench--I knew there had to be a useful druid spell for this situation somewhere.

**PM on this subject coming to an inbox near you, Rafael.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Blaise looks in horror at the hellish scene before them -- and in awe at the shouting figure in the sky. "Who is that?" he asks in a barely audible voice.

Shana looks up at the circling wizard grimly

"I think... he may be our problem."

"Then let's stop him!" he says more forcefully, with a conspiratorial look at Shana. "If this carnage is his doing, then let us prevent him from leaving! He'll have a choice: Stop the destruction ... or die with us! What good is it to flee to a castle that's sinking in lava?"

He raises his arms to attack, but he waits for others who may have more knowledge of the figure to speak out.

[Don Fernando]

"I think you are once again very right my lady friend" Jarryd says to Shana, looking at the figure in the castle with puzzlement.

"Perhaps this could mean the end of this mad journey ..... Inshallah"