Back to Basics Chapter 1: Where are we ?

[ewancummins]

During the ride , Dalorna will chat with the others. She tries to learn more about Sara, Alia, and the Professor--as they were strangers until quite recently.

[kintire]

Alia is happy to talk, although she seems easily sidetracked from her own history. born in Calimport ("That magnificent city of a thousand domes, and ten thousand minarets, where the shimmering Western Sea rolls against the white quays of its spice-laden harbour, stocking its bustling souks and bringing the wealth of all the lands to gild its palaces and robe its merchants in the finest silks, where the green and shady groves and fields send wheat, figs, dates, oranges and a thousand other crops flowing through its brazen gates, the first lift of the flowing sands adding mystery to its silent horizon. City of magic, learning, and arts of all kinds...) trained in the arts of the dancer ("by the adepts of the desert tribes that wander the flowing sands, whose dances spring from the swirling whirlwinds of the desert djinn and the circling of the silent birds, whose songs and tales speak of mysteries of the innermost deserts, veiled from all but the most venturesome of mortal eyes, and of the timelost secrets hidden by the placid sands beneath which tenthousand years of history lie buried, to arise at times to bless or curse the doings of this modern era, or to lure the seekers of gold and knowledge into their timelost ruins to find either treasure or a grisly doom.... or both") and brought up to show off these arts in Cormyr (land of rolling hills and gallant knights, champion of the chivalric arts and defender of the peace of the north, whose prosperous farms and peaceful lands can only be gazed at in envy by the miserable inhabitants of the surrounding wilds) and Sembia (land of merchants rich and [wait you're from Cormyr right?] devious, filled with treachery and duplicity, alien to honour and repelled by virtue, defying their rightful destiny under Cormyr's crown")

[ewancummins]

Dalorna rides in silence, soaking up the bard's tale. When Alia has finished Dalorna smiles and says, “Judging from your stories, I’m afraid you have seen more of my native land than I have, Alia. I only know good old Marsember and the country very near it. We have fine fishing at home, and the city smells of spices, well, it smells like that when the spice traders are in town. You don’t want to get caught on a canal downwind of a nightsoil barge.”

Hob squawks, “Barge, barge!”

“I’ve lived in Halruua for most of the past four years, and I hadn’t seen any of my family from the time I left Marsember until just a few days ago. Master Delthrin managed to get me into the Royal Academy of Sorcery in Hallarh, a great honor which I surely do not deserve. I’ve tried my best to live up to his expectations and his teachings.” She sighs before going on in a bitter tone, “I was to see him along with my kinfolk, but I came home to find that he’d been murdered by a gang of vicious criminals posing as watchmen. They tried to kill my little brother too, but a brave gnomish hero saved him. Those filthy assassins escaped justice, at least for now. “

[VAN]

Sara listens carefully Alia's story as Dalorna's remarks.

"You did have a really great life Alia and you have travelled a lot. I know none of the places you mentioned though. As I told you before I'm from Richmulot, my family has an estate at Sant Ronges. We are rich as family but this life isn't what I wanted. I like the risk and have adventures, I think this is the right way to live not spend it in a house doing nothing. However I like learn things and I have studied geography and a bit the other lands around Richmulot. That's why I know we are in Nova Vaasa now. I use to spend my time though training, a friend of mine tought me to shoot, open locks and search for traps. He said it will be useful if I ever decide to leave my house and start adventuring. Which I did 2 days ago. I said goodbye to my family, got my horse and head away. But wolves attacked me, was unable to fight all of them so tried to hide in the fog. Then found myself by the river with you guys."

[BigBadQDaddy]

Listening to the young dancer weave her words the Professor feels that slight pang of homesickness. He smiles just the same, thanking her for sharing her gift for narrative.
"I find it absolutely fascinating that we as such widely diverse individuals, all on greatly varied paths in life, can find ourselves sharing the strangest of adventures.
"Prey tell, Lady Delorna, of Master Delthrin. I was was in a most desperate attempt to seek his council when I discovered he had been murdered. Such a shame." His voice carries off softly.
"You see, I am suffering from a debilitating affliction. It saps my strength and I have searched far and wide in my attempts to stem this draining sickness. Oh, have not a worry. Near as I have been able to discern the effects are not in the least bit contagious."

[ewancummins]

"I'm sure that Master Delthrin would have helped you in any way he could. He was a very kind man. "

[Lord Skybolt]

As the group travels back to the fishing village, time travels quickly as they discuss there backgrounds and where they have come from .
As the group gets back to town the fishermen are coming in with their catches with large smiles on there faces at their bountiful fishing since gaining the nets that the party traded to Ping for some items of value .
They wave and say hi to the group as it passes through the village to the large hut that has been reserved for there use as long as they wish to stay in the village for there saving of the villages children from the "Forest Goblins" or "Demons" .

[ewancummins]

Dalorna makes sure to spend a minute or two shaking hands and exchanging greetings with the local people.

Once the party has reached the hut, the young wizarding student tells the others-

"Well, we came through that okay, but of course there's a second level left to explore tomorrow. I want to do that in the morning. The magic door--if it exists-- may be deeper in the dungeon. What do you guys think? Anything we should plan to do?"

[kintire]

Alia looks thoughtful

"Its a strange place. it doesn't look like any mine I've ever heard of. Who cuts dormitories and offices out of hard rock when you can build them on the surface? It isn't very deep. its more like... a vault. Somewhere secure. Maybe a fort..."

She shakes herself and looks around

"But I am a simple girl and know little of mines or quarries. Lets get some rest, and with dawn's fair radience perhaps our minds will be inspired to grasp the truth!"

[ewancummins]

Alia looks thoughtful

"Its a strange place. it doesn't look like any mine I've ever heard of. Who cuts dormitories and offices out of hard rock when you can build them on the surface? It isn't very deep. its more like... a vault. Somewhere secure. Maybe a fort..."

She shakes herself and looks around

"But I am a simple girl and know little of mines or quarries. Lets get some rest, and with dawn's fair radience perhaps our minds will be inspired to grasp the truth!"

''Hmmm, well, parts of the 'mine' looked as if they had been shaped by magic. Now, maybe it was really a mine, but I didn't see any clear evidence of that. No picks, or um, minecarts, lumps of ore-- that sort of stuff. But maybe it was a mine and later it was used for something else? Isidar knows a lot more about underground work. "

Dalorna turns to Isidar,

''Well, what do you think?"

[Zilfer]

OOC well here goes first post....



Arnulf listens to the discussion, though the long day seems to wear on him though he tries to hide it well trying to toughing it out. Upon the mention of the mine being made with magic he begins to wonder aloud to himself.

“Maybe if the Magician can make walls without tools, he can mine ore without tools as well?” He then shrugs knowing very little about magic itself. “And if there’s a magic portal the creators may have left that way, do you think they’ll be nicer than their pet?”

[ewancummins]

OOC well here goes first post....



Arnulf listens to the discussion, though the long day seems to wear on him though he tries to hide it well trying to toughing it out. Upon the mention of the mine being made with magic he begins to wonder aloud to himself.

“Maybe if the Magician can make walls without tools, he can mine ore without tools as well?” He then shrugs knowing very little about magic itself. “And if there’s a magic portal the creators may have left that way, do you think they’ll be nicer than their pet?”

''That's a good point, little brother. I wonder what ore could be so valuable that mining with with magic was worthwhile? I mean, a magician of such power probably has better things to do with his spells than dig up ordinary silver. Unless maybe it was a really big amount of silver. I don't know... The locals seemed to think that's what it had been, a silver mine. But they didn't seem sure."

[Zilfer]

Arnulf yawned, before speaking. "Maybe he's got more of that adamenti stuff laying around." Arnulf was determined to stay up a long as his sister was awake just in case anything happened but they were in the village now so not too much seemed to be happening but talking. He perfered action.

[ewancummins]

''Maybe so. In any event, I'd love to see what is locked in that safe. For now, though, I'm going to take a nap."

[VAN]

Sara paces around nervously. Then stops for a second and says:

"I agree that is strange if a mage used his spells for the mine, but maybe he did that to go faster, maybe at the lower levels is a mineral more precious than silver, like gold for example. In that case the mage might be paid from someone to dig fast and make the mine safer. Or the mage can be the one that discovered the mine and the mineral. Master Ping seems a powerful mage, maybe he is the one that made the mine and he just doesn't want to tell us. In fact he might have told us about the portan so we clear it for him. I don't know why but I don't trust this man. Anyway, I believe we will get some more answers tomorrow when we head to the lower level. As about the box, it is the first one I see that is so hard to open. For sure contains important stuff but alas, we have to wait till we finish the open till try to figure out a way to open it."