Rashemen - RP Thread

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Stuffing some of the eatable food into a bag, Nakia prepares to follow Sepp into a new adventure.

 

Having returned from gathering his equipment Jex walked back into the main room of the tavern. He smiled and was quite happy to be heading back to the road. He had been getting bored over that last few days. Walking past the drunken man who had noticed him, he pulled his hood further down over his bright red eyes and made his way to the table.
"I'm ready" he said quiety to the pair of halflings.

 

Deep in the forest, Atten looked at his supplies. He shook his head. He could not put off going into the town any longer. He hated the town. The people there had no sense of nature as they went about the selfish little lives. But, unfortunately, it was not possible to be truly self sufficient in the forest.

He shouldered his bag and trudged reluctantly towards the town.

 

Leading the way out of the tavern, Sepp thought that if he never set foot in another tavern again, that would be okay. True, he had met Nakia in there, and the food was good, but there were so many people, more than he'd ever been around in his life, and the whole time he was worried about if they were going to turn out to be bad people. It felt good to have Jex and Nakia along with him, they both looked like they knew what they were doing. Sepp tried to look like he knew what he was doing, but he really felt terrified. "My witherkins were really shakin' like bottle bones," Pa had always said at the scariest moment of his bedtime stories. Sepp had always thought that he was just trying to scare him and his siblings, but if Pa had really been a thief in Athkatla, like Nakia said, then many of his stories could actually be true. Sepp had never known what witherkins or bottle bones were, but if he had them, then they were shaking now. He wasn't just going out to hunt some snowhares or spy on a band of nomads, he was going into the belly of the beast, probably never to come out of it, but if he didn't go then Gesed would surely never come out. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Nakia and Jex were following him.

"There's a dry creek bed that I came into town on. It'll bring us a ways north to where the forest road cuts close to a ravine. From there we can head north until we find further signs of the fort, or maybe Black will pick up Gesed's scent."

He made a hand signal to the dog and it took up a position a stone's throw ahead of Sepp.

He looked up into the sky and thought, "Pa, I'm gonna make you proud."

 

As Sepp glances back Nakia smiles, then looks over at Jex. She is a very curious soul and loves to know about her companions but knows that questions can be offensive. With time she will learn about this strange man-elf.

She then turns her attention to checking around her. It is automatic for her to check for danger. No place is safe.

She sighs. "Being a halfling is to live with danger. Not just the wild animals and weird monster creatures but too many humans think of us as 'dirty thieving halflings'. What we don't understand we fear."

 

Jex grinned he had caught Nakias look out of the corner of his eye. "Human's should have no right to judge the merit of other races. Especially halfings. I've never had a negative encounter with a halfling but I can even count the amount of times a human and I haven't had very nice things to say to each other."

 

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, oh my!" Sepp broke out in sudden laughter. Seeing the questioning looks from his companions, he said, "I just figured something out. Nakia said that many humans think we are 'dirty thieving halflings'. And also that the little case in Pa's bag was thieves tools. Well I just figured out what Pa must have been doing in all his stories. He was always in some crazy place with wild monsters or bad people chasing him, but he never told us WHY he was there or WHY they were after him. Well, he must have been stealing their things. But that's hard to believe too because he always taught us that stealing was wrong and would only lead to lots of trouble. Hmmn." Sepp scratched his head and looked a little confused.

"Nakia, why do so many people think that we are 'dirty thieving halflings?"

 

"Well, as we move along I might as well tell ye a few things about us ...generally speaking of course.

If I were to attack say Jex directly I wouldn't last a moment. His reach be longer and he is stronger, his weapons bigger. But by using our agility and natural affinity for shadows we can cause a lot of damage. Humans call this sneaky and 'assassin' skills. They think we should just walk up to them and get killed."

The little group moves on up the dry creek bed It would be dark soon but that should be no problem for any of them.

Nakia continues to talk: "We are mostly home folk, farmers, but a few go adventuring. We have night vision, it is natural like a cat's. Humans find it odd even magical. They don't trust folks that can move easily in what seems dark to them. We need some light but not much.

Some become thieves and even assasins. Some hire out to the 'big folks' mostly humans to scout and protect from thieves. Sometimes we just join with others for things like this. To rescue your brother.

To be fair to humans they just don't much like anyone who isn't human. Oh I met some I really like and count friend, even brethern."

With that she falls silent and moves on checking around for any signs of trouble.

 

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense. That's kind of how Pa taught us to fight mostly, plus a few rolls and tumbles to get under and behind your enemies and stab up at their soft parts. You just have to be really careful when you do that."

"I always dreamed about going on an adventure, like Pa in his stories, I just didn't think I'd actually ever be doing it, like I am now."

"It's fun to be with you and Jex and talk with you both about all you know. But it's also scary thinking about what's happening to Gesed in the fort and about what might happen to us when we get there."

Sepp suddenly ran out of things to say.

 

"Nothing wrong with being scared. In fact it can make you careful. Look out for trouble. I been scared lots of times. You just have to learn to control it, not let it control you.

Sepp, if you got questions feel free to ask. I'll tell whatever I can."

They continue on up the creek bed. Dusk has fallen and there are noises of the night creatures begining their search for food. Nakia keeps an eye and ear out for anything that doesn't fit. She glances at Jex. She knows that those with elf blood have special night vision but he shows no indication of noticing trouble. All is normal.

 

Sepp smiles and nods his head at Nakia. He settles in to a nice walking lope, keeping all his senses alert for danger.

 

Jex had allowed his vision to fall into realm of nightvision, Nakia, Sepp and Black all glowed with a faint red tinge, as did the other warm blooded animals nearby. "I feel as if we are being watched" he quietly said to Nakia as his fingers traced the outline of his scimitars. "It might be nothing, but I just can't seem to shake the feeling."

 

Atten wandered along the path. It was actually getting quite dark. He had put off leaving for too long. Now he was probably going to be forced to spend a night away from home. If he could possibly help it, he did not want to spend that night in the town.

He stopped suddenly as he sensed strangers coming up the dry creek bed. These were no normal forest creatures. Long before he could see them, he knew much about them. Their movements indicated that they were clearly unfamiliar with the area.

“Hmm, strangers. But not human. Maybe elves, or halflings, given the lightness of their footsteps. Certainly not the clumsy thud of your average townsman.”

Much as he preferred to avoid meeting anybody, curiousity was a stronger impulse. He quickly slipped along secret paths to a low ridge overlooking the creek and sat to watch their approach.

 

Black suddenly stopped and dropped to the ground. Sepp quickly followed, droping to one knee and holding up his arm, hoping the signals Pa had taught him would be understood. He whispered over his shoulder to Nakia and Jex, "Somebody is up on that ridge to our left, watching us. What should we do?"

 

"How are your scouting skills? Whoever is there has good vision. You know this area and Black can help you. But if you go be careful, don't get close. We need to know how many and what. If you're the least unsure I can go but think you and Black make a good team."

 

Atten watched with interest.

"Hmm, they've seen me. Interesting. I've underestimated their skills in the forest. They're certainly no ordinary townfolk. I must be more careful."

With that, Atten wrapped his cloak around himself, and moved off further down the ridge, stepping soundlessly in the way that only those at one with the forest are able to do. He stopped again, almost invisible in the shadows, and turned to watch what the strangers would do next.

 

Sepp nodded to Nakia, then made a few signals to Black. The dog went about thirty paces up the creekbed, then scrambled up the bank to the side of the ridge where the person had been, but a ways up the creek from there. At the same time, Sepp slid back down the creekbed twenty paces to a spot he had noticed where an exposed tree root would make it easy to climb up. He quickly went up the roots and then stood so that the tree's trunk would be between him and where the person had been, but was no longer.

For some reason, Sepp didn't feel scared at all. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to the life around him. It was not at all disturbed by the stranger, in fact, it was helping him or her stay hidden. Such a person might have knowledge of where Gesed had been taken.

He softly called down to Nakia and Jex, "I don't think this person is a bad person. I'm going to try to talk with it."

Then Sepp stepped out from the tree and called out to the darkness, "Unknown person, I greet you in the name of the Earth Mother Bhalla. I would speak with you. I have important questions regarding my family that you might have answers to. Please speak with me."

Through the soles of his feet Sepp contacted the rocks and dirt of the forest floor, trying to sense through them approxiamately where the stranger was, and if he or she was moving.

 

Atten sighed.

“Why did it have to be one of those Bhalla followers? Earth Mother indeed.”, he whispered to himself.

Atten wished he could shiftshape into something impressive to scare the strangers off. He was not really interested in talking to them. But he knew the only shape he’d be able to manage was a squirrel, and that would neither be impressive, nor useful at this point. The Bhalla-ite would certainly notice the change and would probably just laugh. He wished Darwyn was here. Darwyn would know what to do. But Darwyn was not here. Darwyn was dead and Atten was alone.

Atten sighed again. He stepped casually from the greyness, relaxing his connection with the forest, allowing the shadows to unwrap themselves. He did not relax his grip on his staff, however.

“The forest can be a dangerous place at this hour. What brings you to these parts?” he asked in a louder voice.

 

Sepp focused on where the stranger had appeared, he felt the life force flowing gently around the area and the stranger. He took three steps forward towards him, holding his staff gently in his left hand.

"We are travelling northwards, in search of a place called a fort, where I believe my brother is being held captive by evil creatures. We are hoping to pick up a trail of him and the creatures who took him from around my home valley. Have you seen any signs or tracks of such creatures, possibly carrying a load, or do you know the whereabouts of any forts nearby?"

 

"You might need to be a little more specific than that. There are all manner of 'evil creatures' that trouble these lands. What particular type are you hunting?"