Difference between revisions of "Dangerous ground - RPLOG"

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The pass itself is only three carts wide, and thirty feet cliffs tower along both sides. The ground a mixture of rock and sand common to this area, with small splatterings of blood in various spots. The depths of the pass is black from the shadows cast by the setting sun, holding whatever lay within from view for now...<br> <br>Fenris steps down from the cart and looks around. &quot;I can see why the commander wouldn&#39;t want to send a lot of men down there,&quot; he says. The liger takes a quick look around at the others and shrugs. &quot;Shall we?&quot; He asks before sauntering quietly down the pass.<br> <br>Thele&#39;s first thought upon arrival is: &#39;Damn, it&#39;s dark. At least I brought a lantern.&#39; He does, however, have the common sense to not light it for recon. Drops from the cart. Tries to move quietly. And low to the ground. Which means his guisarme is dragging through the dirt. Fixes that by holding it in one hand. Strong wolf. &quot;We shall, yeah.&quot; Glances back at the other beings. &quot;Try not to die? I like you guys.&quot; Then quietly returns to moving up after Fenris.<br> <br>Yvls keeps his shield held high, taking quick steps to head towards the front of the group. &quot;Mmh. I&#39;ll provide the cover.&quot; The lynx offers, evidently wanting to get things done with.<br> <br>Rev hefts his axe against his shoulder, and follows the others out the tent. Upon climbing into the wagon. The large wolf once again spends the teip sleeping despite how short it is, and awakens upon arrival. He gazes about their surroundings as best he can. Before heading deeper into the pass behind Fenris.<br> <br>Rainer catches the apple out of the air! ...with his hands, not his mouth. &quot;Yer a credit to yer house~&quot; the pup coos in way of thanks, and he&#39;s got that fruit stripped to the core before they even make it to the second wagon. Hopping down on arrival in the pass he grimmaces at the strewn wreckage and lingering traces of bloodshed, hand straying near to his blade, consciously or not, and finding others making straight for the pass he scoots to fall in with them. &quot;Shouldn&#39;t we raise a ruckus and spook &#39;em out? I mean, if we&#39;re going to get ambushed we might as well do it on our terms.&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy taps on the chin of her mask before turning on her paws and setting off with the rest. &quot;Well then! Let&#39;s see what we find,&quot; she murmurs before nodding at Rainer. &quot;Yes. As we get closer, we should maintain quiet, if we can.&quot;<br> <br>Natska keeps pace with Cassidy, quietly drawing her swordbreaker into her off hand as the group begins exploring. A small, tamed breeze dances around the jaguar, and she nods her head at Cassidy&#39;s suggestion, moving with silent steps.<br> <br>The pass is mostly quiet as they make their way inside, passing into the darkness of the shadows forces them to take a moment to adapt to the new lighting. The deeper portions appear to be littered with boulders and fallen rocks, including an old dried tree trunk or two that seem perfect for hiding behind.  
 
The pass itself is only three carts wide, and thirty feet cliffs tower along both sides. The ground a mixture of rock and sand common to this area, with small splatterings of blood in various spots. The depths of the pass is black from the shadows cast by the setting sun, holding whatever lay within from view for now...<br> <br>Fenris steps down from the cart and looks around. &quot;I can see why the commander wouldn&#39;t want to send a lot of men down there,&quot; he says. The liger takes a quick look around at the others and shrugs. &quot;Shall we?&quot; He asks before sauntering quietly down the pass.<br> <br>Thele&#39;s first thought upon arrival is: &#39;Damn, it&#39;s dark. At least I brought a lantern.&#39; He does, however, have the common sense to not light it for recon. Drops from the cart. Tries to move quietly. And low to the ground. Which means his guisarme is dragging through the dirt. Fixes that by holding it in one hand. Strong wolf. &quot;We shall, yeah.&quot; Glances back at the other beings. &quot;Try not to die? I like you guys.&quot; Then quietly returns to moving up after Fenris.<br> <br>Yvls keeps his shield held high, taking quick steps to head towards the front of the group. &quot;Mmh. I&#39;ll provide the cover.&quot; The lynx offers, evidently wanting to get things done with.<br> <br>Rev hefts his axe against his shoulder, and follows the others out the tent. Upon climbing into the wagon. The large wolf once again spends the teip sleeping despite how short it is, and awakens upon arrival. He gazes about their surroundings as best he can. Before heading deeper into the pass behind Fenris.<br> <br>Rainer catches the apple out of the air! ...with his hands, not his mouth. &quot;Yer a credit to yer house~&quot; the pup coos in way of thanks, and he&#39;s got that fruit stripped to the core before they even make it to the second wagon. Hopping down on arrival in the pass he grimmaces at the strewn wreckage and lingering traces of bloodshed, hand straying near to his blade, consciously or not, and finding others making straight for the pass he scoots to fall in with them. &quot;Shouldn&#39;t we raise a ruckus and spook &#39;em out? I mean, if we&#39;re going to get ambushed we might as well do it on our terms.&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy taps on the chin of her mask before turning on her paws and setting off with the rest. &quot;Well then! Let&#39;s see what we find,&quot; she murmurs before nodding at Rainer. &quot;Yes. As we get closer, we should maintain quiet, if we can.&quot;<br> <br>Natska keeps pace with Cassidy, quietly drawing her swordbreaker into her off hand as the group begins exploring. A small, tamed breeze dances around the jaguar, and she nods her head at Cassidy&#39;s suggestion, moving with silent steps.<br> <br>The pass is mostly quiet as they make their way inside, passing into the darkness of the shadows forces them to take a moment to adapt to the new lighting. The deeper portions appear to be littered with boulders and fallen rocks, including an old dried tree trunk or two that seem perfect for hiding behind.  
  
Deeper still, comes the sounds of bickering in a harsh and sharp sounding tongue, almost akin to stone cutting stone. Those with acute vision would notice the outlines of some Craige workers, the shorter lizard like beasts boasting no show of flame about them, instead they seem almost completely made of stone. In total there resides ten of these workers, five making marking motions at a side of the pass, while five more are scanning the sky of all things... It&#39;s obvious they are searching for something.<br> <br>Fenris does not speak, only uses simple signs to point out the Craige where he can see them, keeping to the deep shadows. There is more to see here, he is certain, but first a little help. The liger focuses a moment on his mathemagic, using air and water to drop the ambient temperature. Hopefully it will slow down the Craige.<br> <br>Thelergramor glares at the craige. But not basilisk glare, just an angry stare. Yep. No effects. Uses his own magic to obscure himself in darkness. Near solid, cloying darkness. On his body. For extra armor! Then follows after Fenris. Quietly.<br> <br>Yvls suddenly draws a cloak of shadow from apparently nowhere, draping it around him and providing cover for himself. &quot;Going to see if I can&#39;t sneak in and make a distraction to draw the group together, and then you guys can strike. I&#39;ll make it out, don&#39;t worry.&quot; He starts pathing his way towards the craig, slowly. Trying not to get caught.<br> <br>Rev&#39;s ears twitch at the sound of bickering voices. The large wolf frowns, and a transformation comes over his form. A change that leaves him with a very distinct transformation that leaves the large wolf in the form of a kirin Which happens to rip the bandages away from the left side of his face. He stares at Criage, an then looks up as he wonders about just exactly they are looking for. However he only looks upwards for so long before returning his gaze to the criage. The kirin begins to prepare himself to cast righteous clames over some of the criage. Once the others go on the attack.<br> <br>Rainer hugs the wall of the pass most of the way, frequently turning his eyes upwards, that the little beasties might come flowing over the cliffs towering above them. Voices from up ahead draw his gaze, but squint as he might at the darkness no shapes emerge, even as he strains to follow Fenris&#39; direction. &quot;...neat.&quot; he utters underbreath to himself, as Yvls just melts away into the shadows. &quot;Wish I could do that... o well, just have to settle for bein&#39; the greatest swordsman in the world, eh?&quot; Grinning, he turns to gently elbow Rev, only to find a... horse thing where a wolf ought to be, doing a double-take and managing not to yelp in surprise... by a rather narrow margin.<br> <br>Cassidy lets out a soft little breath as she falls into step behind the others. Her foot steps make no sound, as usual, and she leaves her hands folded behind her back while her tome sways from her hip. After a moment, one of her hands starts to drift swords the rapier, but she does not draw it yet.<br> <br>Natska watches Yvls slip off, nodding her head. She sticks close to Cassidy and the others, easily settling into a readied stance as she waits to see how this develops; she makes a small adjustment to her hat&#39;s brim, her feather almost glinting in what light there is as she bides her time.<br> <br>The Craige seem mostly unknowing of the presence of the Freeswords, the five that are making marking motions continuing to look around and seemingly scout for something. As they get closer, some would begin to notice a small crystal held in the hands of one of them. As Yvls approaches however, just a few displaced rocks seem to cause the five that are watching the sky to tense up and look around. The Freeswords still concealed from their vision, they move closer to the others, while keeping an eye out and barking out what must be orders to the other. Fenris&#39; spell does take hold, and the temperature drops down some, however it seems that the Craige workers arnt as weak to the temperature as the past warriors had been...<br> <br>Fenris watches the creatures carefully, disappointed that they don&#39;t seem so susceptible to the cold. Still, the time to strike had not arrived yet. &lt;I want to see what they are waiting for&gt; he signs and mouths, hoping others will be able to interpret his meaning. The liger inches closer, wishing again that he had been able to get his &#39;sources&#39; to speak up about these creatures. Darn Spirits.<br> <br>Thelergramor looks over the actions being taken by the others... just waits, levelling his cannon at the targets. Which, he can clearly understand Fenris&#39;s signing for once. Success! Waits and watches. Ready to fire and make explosions. For recon.<br> <br>Yvls realizes that he&#39;s starting to blow his cover. Resting his foot on a heavy, reliable spot and then grabbing his small hand axe. Picking a target...inching nearer...and then he kicks off from his ledge and does his signature quick stab, trying to make his execution of craige as brutal as he could possibly make it with wild hacking at his target...trying to shake the others who get to watch.<br> <br>Rev nods in understanding to fenris, and holds off on attacking. However he does move to a better position. To blast the criage with his righteous flames. Once they have discovered what the criage are up to he intends to unleash his flames upon them. The large Kirin sighs, as he notices someone has already begun the attack so he raises his head, and unleashes a gout of righteous flame from his mouth, and attempts to coat as many of the cariage as he can.  <br> <br>Rainer gets over that mini-heart attack quick as he can, looking back to the rest, a touch unsettled, but he can see Fenris waving his hands about and mouthing words... What&#39;s that, boy? Timmy&#39;s fallen down the well? ...no, that can&#39;t be right. Half off all recipes at Sally&#39;s School for Artisans, today only? Getting warmer, I think... Suddenly there are sounds of scuffling! And then fire flying around! It must be time for the attack. &quot;Hah, finally! I was getting sick of all this sneaking crap!&quot; He draws his sword and charges into the fray! &quot;Come get some!&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy frowns a little as people start to jump into the fray. &quot;What a bother.&quot; She brings her fingers up and snaps them, a bit of purple lightning flashing up from under one of the opponents, this time, rather than being launched directly from her.<br> <br>Natska gives Fenris a little grin as the fighting starts, then shrugs her shoulders; she raises two fingers, focuses on her math, then flings her own bolt of lightning at one of the Craige, hoping to blast it off of its feet and leave it tazed while the group deals with the rest. That done, she draws her rapier and raises it in a guard stance, stepping just in front of Cass.<br> <br>As Yvls jumps out, one of the Craige falls beneath his blows as the others are suddenly washed in fire from Rev, two flailing and trying to put the flames out as Cassidy and Natska&#39;s spells fry two more whom fall to the ground charred and broken as the remaining five turn and go to try and retaliate! One driving his pick at Yvls, while the other four charge at Rainer and the others!<br> <br>Well. That had not gone according to plan. Fenris holds forth a hand at the charging lizard men, urging the very air around them to freeze. Perhaps a little forensic investigation would reveal what they had been up to, but best to finish the fight quickly.<br> <br>Thelergramor looks over the actions being taken by the others... just waits, levelling his cannon at the targets. Which, his companions will be relieved to learn, is not firing an explosive round. Just a cannon shot. At the nearest craige. &quot;...The one time I try to be cautious. Eh, fuck it.&quot; Sounds amused by this.<br> <br>Yvls has his shield smacked by a pick! The force driving him off his current target. He snarls, recovering, and then huddling up to his shield and trying to bash down his attacker.<br> <br>Rev steps forwards jeading straight towards the surviving criage, and inhales a deep breat. Then stops as sends another wave of flame in the direction of the charging Criage. He is of course being careful not to set any of his allies aflame by mistake. The kirin does however intend to make sure atleast one survives. As long as the others don&#39;t kill all of those he doesnt get to. <br> <br>What&#39;s this? Something glimmering amidst all the flashes of lightning and fire? Rainer&#39;s keen senses of LOOK! SHINY! hone him right in on the lizardman carrying that Crystal of Unknown Significance and he lets out an almost sinister chuckle as he twists a crooked, toothy smile and bears down upon the hapless rockbeast. &quot;Here&#39;s a little number I call the &quot;Bait and Switch Stab!&quot; Sword drawn, then... tossed into the air. &quot;Rule 11: Go for their knees!&quot; With his last steps to bring him into striking distance of the Craige he sweeps for the legs to knock it to the ground, following straight up with: &quot;Rule 18: Keep an eye on the sky!&quot; At which point he&#39;d be grabbing his sword on its decent to drive it deep into his toppled opponent. So it would be super embarassing if he screwed up any part of that, because it was dark. Or just due to clumsiness.<br> <br>Deciding that the others were doing just fine, Cassidy leans back against the wall and pulls up her spell tome, flipping it open and crossing her legs at the ankles. &quot;You lot have this. I don&#39;t want to expend myself, yet,&quot; she says, leafing through the pages with a controlled breeze.<br> <br>Natska quietly snickers, her tail slowly lashing from side to side as she watches the scuffle. She keeps back, protecting the party&#39;s mage, and makes a few mental notes about the Craige. &quot;These ones seem... ballsier than that first batch we ran into. Where is their overseer?&quot;<br> <br>It&#39;s over almost as quick as it had started, with two of the Craige workers freezing to the point where he could no longer move, and topples over. Rev&#39;s flames knocking out another as it flails and falls to the ground in a slump before Yvls knocks his own attacker out. Rainer&#39;s own strange manuevers pay of better than he could  have ever expected, the wolf not only catching the crystal in his hands but driving his sword cleanly through the creatures chest, and piercing into the stone below even! Thel&#39;s cannon rips through the air as well, cutting clean through one and making a small crater in the canyon walls as the fight is over almost as quickly as it had begun, the group left with almost eery silence for the moment.<br> <br>Fenris frowns at Natska&#39;s comment. &quot;You&#39;re not wrong,&quot; he says, &quot;The ones we fought before would have been napping when it got cold.&quot; He looks to Rainer for a moment. &quot;What do you have there Rainer?&quot; he asks, &quot;Any hints for us?&quot; The liger looks to the sky over the pass, wondering what the things had been watching for. &quot;Maybe I should go check up top?&quot; he offers.<br> <br>Thelergramor avoids his usual maniacal laughter. Is trying to be good for once. &quot;Got &#39;em. Anyone hurt? No? Not surprising.&quot; Starts reloading his cannon. &quot;Cannon was kind of loud, and they&#39;re dead... Anyone against me giving some light?&quot; Referencing his lantern.<br> <br>Yvls stumbles back up after putting his armaments aside, visibly shaken. &quot;You fucking fired a cannon at me?&quot; He accuses Thel once he goes back to the group.<br> <br>Rev trots over to rainer, and takes a moment to look over the crystal in his hand. As he scratches his chin. &quot;Hmmmm not anything I would recognize....Well If you are going up there to check it out. I&#39;ll go with you no sense in anyone wandering off on their own.... That being siad before we do that. Let&#39;s see if any of them survived.&quot; He then looks to Yvls. &quot;You are alive, and obviously not badly harmed so suck it up, and bitch at Thelergramor later.&quot;<br> <br>Rainer is ... elated. I don&#39;t imagine much more needs to be said about that. &quot;Oooh-hohoho-hoh MAN!&quot; Still poised over the lizard with crystal in one hand and sword in the other, he looks to the group, back down to the lizard, group, lizard, group, lizard, group, &quot;Did you guys -see that-?! /That was the coolest thing anyone has ever done ever/.&quot; If you needed more convincing that the teen wolf just comes up with these moves on the spot and hopes for the best... A bit of elbow grease and a lot of heaving and grunting finally dislodges his sword, which is then given a shaking to remove some of the... innard juices coating it, then when Rev comes over to inspect the crystal he begins... tossing it up and down, which probably doesn&#39;t make the Kirin-wolf&#39;s efforts any easier. &quot;No clue. One of them was holding it. Magical, maybe? Heads up, Cass!&quot; A moment for the fennec to register the warning, then he gives the prize an underhanded toss in her direction.<br> <br>Cassidy snaps her tome shut and lifts her other gloved hand to catch the thing tossed at her. &quot;What&#39;s this?&quot; She asks simply, peering at the crystal. &quot;Oh. This is the thingy it had, isn&#39;t it? What&#39;s it do?&quot; She shakes the thing in the air and hums before tossing it up and down. &quot;I figure I&#39;ll find out.&quot;<br> <br>After sliding her rapier back away, Natska gives her head a little shake. Her ears slowly straighten back up after the roar of the cannon, and she coughs. &quot;Hold on to it, love, and we&#39;ll check it out back at the camp; let&#39;s hurry up and finish our patrol, and get back before more show up.&quot;<br> <br>As the crystal is tossed up and down, and even motioned around, it seems to begin to glow as it gets closer to the wall the Craige had been at. Softly at first, and the closer it is held to the wall, the brighter it glows, as it seems whatever it&#39;s purpose, they had been using it to guide them to something... And just as well, if the cannon shot had alerted anything it is unknown, as the area around them remains quiet and calm as if the battle hadn&#39;t happened.<br> <br>Noting the strange behavior of the gem, Fenris moves toward the wall the creatures had been examining, calling a bit of light to his hand with a touch of fire magic. &quot;They were looking fir something here,&quot; he says, carefully searching the wall.<br> <br>Thelergramor just scoffs at Yvls. &quot;Hey, I knew it was a small round this time. And you&#39;re fine. If I did fire it at -you-, you&#39;d probably have felt it.&quot; Chuckles and finishing reloading: &quot;Now, this shot I loaded, I wouldn&#39;t fire if you were in front of me. Explosions and shit.&quot; Looks up at Rainer. &quot;Yeah, that was glorious, man.&quot; Walks over to the nearest body. Glances at Cassidy and her stone thing. Internally debates looting the craige. Does this. Quickly. Professionally. &quot;Alright, they were looking for something. Not that I&#39;m against looking around more, but apple guy probably wants to know about this, yeah?&quot; Shrugs. &quot;I&#39;m fine with whatever we do here.&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Fair enough.&quot; Yvls decides, folding his arms. He knows enough about Thel that he isn&#39;t going to struggle to milk an apology out of him. The lynx peering into the canyon. &quot;Let&#39;s retreat with our report, then? Leave one person behind on sentry in case we drew more attention, then they can sound a signal to give prior warning...&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Aw, we&#39;re not going to even -try- to find out what this glowing thing is all about? They could come along and dig it out with another crystal before anyone else got around to checking on this place, for all we know!&quot; Rainer protests, going into full pout: outthrust bottom lip, arms crossed over his chest, abrasive posture. &quot;We didn&#39;t stick around to have a closer look after the last time we scrapped with these things, and you&#39;ll remember how -that- turned out.&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy eyes the crystal for a moment, then the wall and hums. She reaches out to tap the gem against the wall directly, raising her brow. &quot;If they were looking for something to do with this wall... They must not have been very bright, considering they were standing right by it. So what, then?&quot;<br> <br>Natska narrows her eyes at Rainer, then shakes her head. She looks over at Cassidy, and shrugs. &quot;Well, they were looking for something there. Fenris? You are good at earth-shaping, right? Can you find anything strange on the other side of the rock?&quot;<br> <br>Rev frowns his brows press together, and after a moment of thought. He begins to dig through the dead bodys till ge finds one of the pickaxes the Criage had in their posession. The big man then walks over to the wall Fenris had begun to examine. &quot;Well they must have had these pickaxes for a reason. So lets see what is behind this wall. He says as he raises the pick axe, and swings it against the wall.<br> <br>The longer the crystal is set along the wall and motioned, the more it begins to glow when it reaches a certain point that had been hit by Craige picks before. The strike from Rev causes a sound of rustling on the other side for those with acute hearing, and it becomes aparant these workers were sent ahead to dig back and ensure a spot was clear before a tunnel could be made!<br> <br>Fenris lays a hand on Rev&#39;s back. &quot;Hold up, big guy,&quot; he says as he quickly fiddles with his soul gem, &quot;Let me take a look first.&quot; The liger closes his eyes for a second and lays his hand on the stone wall. First, he reaches out to feel the other side, to see what sort of thing lies beyond, then, should nothing strike him as terrible, he tries gently expanding the hole, just large enough for a being to look through.<br> <br>Thelergramor comes away from his looting with some craige tools. After a moment of dropping &#39;em into pouches/hanging a pick through his belt, stands back up. &quot;Huh, anyone hear that? Rustling or something.&quot; Rubs his mask, cracks a knuckle. Then the other one. Lights up his lantern. With matches. Magic attempt would probably fail and be overly extravagant for such an action. Adjusts his mask and waits.<br> <br>&quot;Thel? You might want to blast this passage open...just collapse the tunnel from the inside before we are overrun...&quot; He offers.<br> <br>Yvls does, that is.
+
Deeper still, comes the sounds of bickering in a harsh and sharp sounding tongue, almost akin to stone cutting stone. Those with acute vision would notice the outlines of some Craige workers, the shorter lizard like beasts boasting no show of flame about them, instead they seem almost completely made of stone. In total there resides ten of these workers, five making marking motions at a side of the pass, while five more are scanning the sky of all things... It&#39;s obvious they are searching for something.<br> <br>Fenris does not speak, only uses simple signs to point out the Craige where he can see them, keeping to the deep shadows. There is more to see here, he is certain, but first a little help. The liger focuses a moment on his mathemagic, using air and water to drop the ambient temperature. Hopefully it will slow down the Craige.<br> <br>Thelergramor glares at the craige. But not basilisk glare, just an angry stare. Yep. No effects. Uses his own magic to obscure himself in darkness. Near solid, cloying darkness. On his body. For extra armor! Then follows after Fenris. Quietly.<br> <br>Yvls suddenly draws a cloak of shadow from apparently nowhere, draping it around him and providing cover for himself. &quot;Going to see if I can&#39;t sneak in and make a distraction to draw the group together, and then you guys can strike. I&#39;ll make it out, don&#39;t worry.&quot; He starts pathing his way towards the craig, slowly. Trying not to get caught.<br> <br>Rev&#39;s ears twitch at the sound of bickering voices. The large wolf frowns, and a transformation comes over his form. A change that leaves him with a very distinct transformation that leaves the large wolf in the form of a kirin Which happens to rip the bandages away from the left side of his face. He stares at Criage, an then looks up as he wonders about just exactly they are looking for. However he only looks upwards for so long before returning his gaze to the criage. The kirin begins to prepare himself to cast righteous clames over some of the criage. Once the others go on the attack.<br> <br>Rainer hugs the wall of the pass most of the way, frequently turning his eyes upwards, that the little beasties might come flowing over the cliffs towering above them. Voices from up ahead draw his gaze, but squint as he might at the darkness no shapes emerge, even as he strains to follow Fenris&#39; direction. &quot;...neat.&quot; he utters underbreath to himself, as Yvls just melts away into the shadows. &quot;Wish I could do that... o well, just have to settle for bein&#39; the greatest swordsman in the world, eh?&quot; Grinning, he turns to gently elbow Rev, only to find a... horse thing where a wolf ought to be, doing a double-take and managing not to yelp in surprise... by a rather narrow margin.<br> <br>Cassidy lets out a soft little breath as she falls into step behind the others. Her foot steps make no sound, as usual, and she leaves her hands folded behind her back while her tome sways from her hip. After a moment, one of her hands starts to drift swords the rapier, but she does not draw it yet.<br> <br>Natska watches Yvls slip off, nodding her head. She sticks close to Cassidy and the others, easily settling into a readied stance as she waits to see how this develops; she makes a small adjustment to her hat&#39;s brim, her feather almost glinting in what light there is as she bides her time.<br> <br>The Craige seem mostly unknowing of the presence of the Freeswords, the five that are making marking motions continuing to look around and seemingly scout for something. As they get closer, some would begin to notice a small crystal held in the hands of one of them. As Yvls approaches however, just a few displaced rocks seem to cause the five that are watching the sky to tense up and look around. The Freeswords still concealed from their vision, they move closer to the others, while keeping an eye out and barking out what must be orders to the other. Fenris&#39; spell does take hold, and the temperature drops down some, however it seems that the Craige workers arnt as weak to the temperature as the past warriors had been...<br> <br>Fenris watches the creatures carefully, disappointed that they don&#39;t seem so susceptible to the cold. Still, the time to strike had not arrived yet. &lt;I want to see what they are waiting for&gt; he signs and mouths, hoping others will be able to interpret his meaning. The liger inches closer, wishing again that he had been able to get his &#39;sources&#39; to speak up about these creatures. Darn Spirits.<br> <br>Thelergramor looks over the actions being taken by the others... just waits, levelling his cannon at the targets. Which, he can clearly understand Fenris&#39;s signing for once. Success! Waits and watches. Ready to fire and make explosions. For recon.<br> <br>Yvls realizes that he&#39;s starting to blow his cover. Resting his foot on a heavy, reliable spot and then grabbing his small hand axe. Picking a target...inching nearer...and then he kicks off from his ledge and does his signature quick stab, trying to make his execution of craige as brutal as he could possibly make it with wild hacking at his target...trying to shake the others who get to watch.<br> <br>Rev nods in understanding to fenris, and holds off on attacking. However he does move to a better position. To blast the criage with his righteous flames. Once they have discovered what the criage are up to he intends to unleash his flames upon them. The large Kirin sighs, as he notices someone has already begun the attack so he raises his head, and unleashes a gout of righteous flame from his mouth, and attempts to coat as many of the cariage as he can.  <br> <br>Rainer gets over that mini-heart attack quick as he can, looking back to the rest, a touch unsettled, but he can see Fenris waving his hands about and mouthing words... What&#39;s that, boy? Timmy&#39;s fallen down the well? ...no, that can&#39;t be right. Half off all recipes at Sally&#39;s School for Artisans, today only? Getting warmer, I think... Suddenly there are sounds of scuffling! And then fire flying around! It must be time for the attack. &quot;Hah, finally! I was getting sick of all this sneaking crap!&quot; He draws his sword and charges into the fray! &quot;Come get some!&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy frowns a little as people start to jump into the fray. &quot;What a bother.&quot; She brings her fingers up and snaps them, a bit of purple lightning flashing up from under one of the opponents, this time, rather than being launched directly from her.<br> <br>Natska gives Fenris a little grin as the fighting starts, then shrugs her shoulders; she raises two fingers, focuses on her math, then flings her own bolt of lightning at one of the Craige, hoping to blast it off of its feet and leave it tazed while the group deals with the rest. That done, she draws her rapier and raises it in a guard stance, stepping just in front of Cass.<br> <br>As Yvls jumps out, one of the Craige falls beneath his blows as the others are suddenly washed in fire from Rev, two flailing and trying to put the flames out as Cassidy and Natska&#39;s spells fry two more whom fall to the ground charred and broken as the remaining five turn and go to try and retaliate! One driving his pick at Yvls, while the other four charge at Rainer and the others!<br> <br>Well. That had not gone according to plan. Fenris holds forth a hand at the charging lizard men, urging the very air around them to freeze. Perhaps a little forensic investigation would reveal what they had been up to, but best to finish the fight quickly.<br> <br>Thelergramor looks over the actions being taken by the others... just waits, levelling his cannon at the targets. Which, his companions will be relieved to learn, is not firing an explosive round. Just a cannon shot. At the nearest craige. &quot;...The one time I try to be cautious. Eh, fuck it.&quot; Sounds amused by this.<br> <br>Yvls has his shield smacked by a pick! The force driving him off his current target. He snarls, recovering, and then huddling up to his shield and trying to bash down his attacker.<br> <br>Rev steps forwards jeading straight towards the surviving criage, and inhales a deep breat. Then stops as sends another wave of flame in the direction of the charging Criage. He is of course being careful not to set any of his allies aflame by mistake. The kirin does however intend to make sure atleast one survives. As long as the others don&#39;t kill all of those he doesnt get to. <br> <br>What&#39;s this? Something glimmering amidst all the flashes of lightning and fire? Rainer&#39;s keen senses of LOOK! SHINY! hone him right in on the lizardman carrying that Crystal of Unknown Significance and he lets out an almost sinister chuckle as he twists a crooked, toothy smile and bears down upon the hapless rockbeast. &quot;Here&#39;s a little number I call the &quot;Bait and Switch Stab!&quot; Sword drawn, then... tossed into the air. &quot;Rule 11: Go for their knees!&quot; With his last steps to bring him into striking distance of the Craige he sweeps for the legs to knock it to the ground, following straight up with: &quot;Rule 18: Keep an eye on the sky!&quot; At which point he&#39;d be grabbing his sword on its decent to drive it deep into his toppled opponent. So it would be super embarassing if he screwed up any part of that, because it was dark. Or just due to clumsiness.<br> <br>Deciding that the others were doing just fine, Cassidy leans back against the wall and pulls up her spell tome, flipping it open and crossing her legs at the ankles. &quot;You lot have this. I don&#39;t want to expend myself, yet,&quot; she says, leafing through the pages with a controlled breeze.<br> <br>Natska quietly snickers, her tail slowly lashing from side to side as she watches the scuffle. She keeps back, protecting the party&#39;s mage, and makes a few mental notes about the Craige. &quot;These ones seem... ballsier than that first batch we ran into. Where is their overseer?&quot;<br> <br>It&#39;s over almost as quick as it had started, with two of the Craige workers freezing to the point where he could no longer move, and topples over. Rev&#39;s flames knocking out another as it flails and falls to the ground in a slump before Yvls knocks his own attacker out. Rainer&#39;s own strange manuevers pay of better than he could  have ever expected, the wolf not only catching the crystal in his hands but driving his sword cleanly through the creatures chest, and piercing into the stone below even! Thel&#39;s cannon rips through the air as well, cutting clean through one and making a small crater in the canyon walls as the fight is over almost as quickly as it had begun, the group left with almost eery silence for the moment.<br> <br>Fenris frowns at Natska&#39;s comment. &quot;You&#39;re not wrong,&quot; he says, &quot;The ones we fought before would have been napping when it got cold.&quot; He looks to Rainer for a moment. &quot;What do you have there Rainer?&quot; he asks, &quot;Any hints for us?&quot; The liger looks to the sky over the pass, wondering what the things had been watching for. &quot;Maybe I should go check up top?&quot; he offers.<br> <br>Thelergramor avoids his usual maniacal laughter. Is trying to be good for once. &quot;Got &#39;em. Anyone hurt? No? Not surprising.&quot; Starts reloading his cannon. &quot;Cannon was kind of loud, and they&#39;re dead... Anyone against me giving some light?&quot; Referencing his lantern.<br> <br>Yvls stumbles back up after putting his armaments aside, visibly shaken. &quot;You fucking fired a cannon at me?&quot; He accuses Thel once he goes back to the group.<br> <br>Rev trots over to rainer, and takes a moment to look over the crystal in his hand. As he scratches his chin. &quot;Hmmmm not anything I would recognize....Well If you are going up there to check it out. I&#39;ll go with you no sense in anyone wandering off on their own.... That being siad before we do that. Let&#39;s see if any of them survived.&quot; He then looks to Yvls. &quot;You are alive, and obviously not badly harmed so suck it up, and bitch at Thelergramor later.&quot;<br> <br>Rainer is ... elated. I don&#39;t imagine much more needs to be said about that. &quot;Oooh-hohoho-hoh MAN!&quot; Still poised over the lizard with crystal in one hand and sword in the other, he looks to the group, back down to the lizard, group, lizard, group, lizard, group, &quot;Did you guys -see that-?! /That was the coolest thing anyone has ever done ever/.&quot; If you needed more convincing that the teen wolf just comes up with these moves on the spot and hopes for the best... A bit of elbow grease and a lot of heaving and grunting finally dislodges his sword, which is then given a shaking to remove some of the... innard juices coating it, then when Rev comes over to inspect the crystal he begins... tossing it up and down, which probably doesn&#39;t make the Kirin-wolf&#39;s efforts any easier. &quot;No clue. One of them was holding it. Magical, maybe? Heads up, Cass!&quot; A moment for the fennec to register the warning, then he gives the prize an underhanded toss in her direction.<br> <br>Cassidy snaps her tome shut and lifts her other gloved hand to catch the thing tossed at her. &quot;What&#39;s this?&quot; She asks simply, peering at the crystal. &quot;Oh. This is the thingy it had, isn&#39;t it? What&#39;s it do?&quot; She shakes the thing in the air and hums before tossing it up and down. &quot;I figure I&#39;ll find out.&quot;<br> <br>After sliding her rapier back away, Natska gives her head a little shake. Her ears slowly straighten back up after the roar of the cannon, and she coughs. &quot;Hold on to it, love, and we&#39;ll check it out back at the camp; let&#39;s hurry up and finish our patrol, and get back before more show up.&quot;<br> <br>As the crystal is tossed up and down, and even motioned around, it seems to begin to glow as it gets closer to the wall the Craige had been at. Softly at first, and the closer it is held to the wall, the brighter it glows, as it seems whatever it&#39;s purpose, they had been using it to guide them to something... And just as well, if the cannon shot had alerted anything it is unknown, as the area around them remains quiet and calm as if the battle hadn&#39;t happened.<br> <br>Noting the strange behavior of the gem, Fenris moves toward the wall the creatures had been examining, calling a bit of light to his hand with a touch of fire magic. &quot;They were looking fir something here,&quot; he says, carefully searching the wall.<br> <br>Thelergramor just scoffs at Yvls. &quot;Hey, I knew it was a small round this time. And you&#39;re fine. If I did fire it at -you-, you&#39;d probably have felt it.&quot; Chuckles and finishing reloading: &quot;Now, this shot I loaded, I wouldn&#39;t fire if you were in front of me. Explosions and shit.&quot; Looks up at Rainer. &quot;Yeah, that was glorious, man.&quot; Walks over to the nearest body. Glances at Cassidy and her stone thing. Internally debates looting the craige. Does this. Quickly. Professionally. &quot;Alright, they were looking for something. Not that I&#39;m against looking around more, but apple guy probably wants to know about this, yeah?&quot; Shrugs. &quot;I&#39;m fine with whatever we do here.&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Fair enough.&quot; Yvls decides, folding his arms. He knows enough about Thel that he isn&#39;t going to struggle to milk an apology out of him. The lynx peering into the canyon. &quot;Let&#39;s retreat with our report, then? Leave one person behind on sentry in case we drew more attention, then they can sound a signal to give prior warning...&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Aw, we&#39;re not going to even -try- to find out what this glowing thing is all about? They could come along and dig it out with another crystal before anyone else got around to checking on this place, for all we know!&quot; Rainer protests, going into full pout: outthrust bottom lip, arms crossed over his chest, abrasive posture. &quot;We didn&#39;t stick around to have a closer look after the last time we scrapped with these things, and you&#39;ll remember how -that- turned out.&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy eyes the crystal for a moment, then the wall and hums. She reaches out to tap the gem against the wall directly, raising her brow. &quot;If they were looking for something to do with this wall... They must not have been very bright, considering they were standing right by it. So what, then?&quot;<br> <br>Natska narrows her eyes at Rainer, then shakes her head. She looks over at Cassidy, and shrugs. &quot;Well, they were looking for something there. Fenris? You are good at earth-shaping, right? Can you find anything strange on the other side of the rock?&quot;<br> <br>Rev frowns his brows press together, and after a moment of thought. He begins to dig through the dead bodys till ge finds one of the pickaxes the Criage had in their posession. The big man then walks over to the wall Fenris had begun to examine. &quot;Well they must have had these pickaxes for a reason. So lets see what is behind this wall. He says as he raises the pick axe, and swings it against the wall.<br> <br>The longer the crystal is set along the wall and motioned, the more it begins to glow when it reaches a certain point that had been hit by Craige picks before. The strike from Rev causes a sound of rustling on the other side for those with acute hearing, and it becomes aparant these workers were sent ahead to dig back and ensure a spot was clear before a tunnel could be made!<br> <br>Fenris lays a hand on Rev&#39;s back. &quot;Hold up, big guy,&quot; he says as he quickly fiddles with his soul gem, &quot;Let me take a look first.&quot; The liger closes his eyes for a second and lays his hand on the stone wall. First, he reaches out to feel the other side, to see what sort of thing lies beyond, then, should nothing strike him as terrible, he tries gently expanding the hole, just large enough for a being to look through.<br> <br>Thelergramor comes away from his looting with some craige tools. After a moment of dropping &#39;em into pouches/hanging a pick through his belt, stands back up. &quot;Huh, anyone hear that? Rustling or something.&quot; Rubs his mask, cracks a knuckle. Then the other one. Lights up his lantern. With matches. Magic attempt would probably fail and be overly extravagant for such an action. Adjusts his mask and waits.<br> <br>&quot;Thel? You might want to blast this passage open...just collapse the tunnel from the inside before we are overrun...&quot; He offers.<br> <br>Yvls does, that is.<br> <br>Rev raises the pickaxe and strikes the wall a few more times. Before Fenris stops him. Having gotten into the physical labor. Which is really the kind of work he prefers to begin with. However he listens to his companion, and lowers the pickaxe.&quot;Well that certianly takes the fun out of it.&quot; He says with a grin as he twirls the pick axe, and props it against his shoulder. Then frowns when he hears Yvls suggestion. &quot;Or we could wait to see if there is anything to worry about in there, and then check it out. Whatever is on the other side may be something we should check out before caving anything in.&quot;<br> <br>Rainer mumbles a little that&#39;sbetter when they end up sticking around after all, watching from as close as he can get without getting in the way while the others tinker away. &quot;Yes!&quot; hasty pointing in Yvls&#39; direction when the lynx suggests collapsing the tunnel. &quot;That! Absolutely! Or they&#39;ll be coming down the mountain in droves within days!&quot;<br> <br>Once the investigations on the wall start, Cassidy withdraws the crystal and peers at it for a moment before tucking it into an interior coat pocket. &quot;I think I&#39;ll have to study this more indepth, later. Do let me know if you need my help, though.&quot;<br> <br>Natska nods her head at Cass. &quot;Yes. I want to know what sort of maths these... &#39;craigs&#39; use!&quot; Then she looks over at Yvls and waves a hand dismissively. &quot;We already collapsed their main tunnel on them once. It did us no good. We may as well kill their digging  team before we go, give them some... discouragement.&quot;<br> <br>As the pick and earth magic do their work, Fenris would be able to feel a mass of something shuffling on the other side, If it was just workers, than that is a -very- large amount of him... And should he continue to open up a small hole, he&#39;d be greeted with the close up of armor and shoving as it seems the group on the other side fight themselves!<br> <br>Fenris peers cautiously through the hole. Ah. Of course. Closing his eyes again, the feline channels his earth magic once more to seal the place up, leaving just enough room for a full on magic and musket barrage. &quot;Warriors,&quot; he says quietly before sending a wave of frigid ice into the confined tunnel. That ought to slow them down!<br> <br>Thelergramor rubs his mask. &quot;Couldn&#39;t you have left the hole open, shoved my cannon in, and carpet bombed? Could still collapse the tunnel.&quot; Shrugs. Stomach growls. Is a hungry wolf. Takes a potato from a pouch, lifts his mask, starts chewing on it.<br> <br>&quot;And put your cannon at risk. And us, if the tunnel is open.&quot; Yvls chuckles.<br> <br>Rev chuckles, and steps up to the hole. &quot;Hey let&#39;s give them a nice warm welcome.&quot;The Kirin Inhales, expells a a torrent of righteous flames into the the tunnel, and continuee to do so as long as he can.  <br> <br>Rainer slinks over to give Thelergramor a conciliatory pat on the back, still watching the others do their respective things. &quot;If you want to get to do awesome things like me, you&#39;re just going to take up a more awesome weapon. Not swords, though, unless you want to live in my shadow.&quot; Eyebrows go up as they get a peek of the lizardmen seemingly fighting amongst themselves within the hidden tunnels, but... then again, they did seem to have a propensity for being violent towards one another. &quot;Tell you what: when we get back to town you can buy me an ale, and I&#39;ll regale everyone with the story of how -completely awesome- I was today, and then when they&#39;re all &#39;you so did not do that,&#39; you can say, &#39;I was there, and he did!&#39;&quot; He says this as if it would be a priviledge.<br> <br>Cassidy smiles at Natska and nods. &quot;Well. We shall take it back to the study with us when we go home. See what we can do to it and find out! What did you two fi- Oh. Fighters, I see. Well, good bye then,&quot; she says, turning and striding back out the way they came, hands tucked in her jacket pockets.<br> <br>Natska tilts her head to the side and watches the group at their little peep-hole, then taps her fingers to her hat brim. &quot;Have fun with your glory hole, gentlemen. I believe I will be following Cassidy back to camp to make our report.&quot; She grins, then turns and saunters along after Cassidy, sliding her parrying blade away in its sheath again.<br> <br>The magic frost and flames sent into the hole serve to further confuse and disorient the Craige on the other side, as the group is given full reign to dash back to the camp and inform the commander. Their rewards then paid out to the group, they get to witness the begining of the army contigent moving forward to surround that pass to intercept the craige when they break out!

Revision as of 06:12, 16 November 2014

Participants

Date

16/11/477

Log



The Airship that had been provided to those whom had replied to the request for help, find themselves first dropped off at Firebough before being loaded in a military wagon and carted up to the encampment. The trip itself takes a good deal of time, as traveling by wagon through the mountainous area is far more difficult than a simple air ship trip. However, as they make their way to the encampment on the ground, it's easy to see the threat of the 'Craige' wasn't taken too lightly, as almost one hundred and fifty men dash around with dozens of cannons to compliment them, strategically placed to keep the camp secured in a firing angle from all approaches.

When the wagon finally comes to it's stop, and the freeswords are ushered off and into the center of the camp, they come to find a regal looking lion with long braided hair and shinning plate armor standing within the commander's tent. "Let me see... No, second squad is far too discheveled for that position, and fourth is a man short... Hm... Now where are those freeswords I requested...?"

Fenris carefully adjusts his long coat and checks his gear as he walks through the camp. "Here we are," he says, "Where do you want us?"

Thelergramor is, as he tends to be, shirtless, wearing a red scarf and his typical mask. And pants, of course. Guisarme, cannon, knife, bow... Armed heavily, obviously. Walks up next to Fenris. "Yep, we're here."

Yvls makes his off the airship, carrying a massive tower shield that peeks over the head of the small folk feline, with an equally large life drinker to boot. He seems to have no problem with his loadout despite the disparity in size, the lynx evidently quite fit in combat. "Give the orders."

Rev leans back against the side of the wagon, and closes his eyes. The rather large wolf soon falls asleep. Prefering to be well rested when theh arrive than even a little tired. And when they to arrive the large man quickly awakens, and takes a moment to adjust his ranger coat. before gathering up his axe, and to strap his Zweihander across his back. Before disembarking the wagon, and being ushered off to the commanders tent along with the others. Upon entering the tent he does slightly adjust the bandages around his left eye. So that he could see out of them a bit better."Well we are here...What is the storh behind these bandits?"

Rainer manages to spend the bulk of the wagon ride asleep as well! Poor widdle guy must've had a late night workin'~ Pardon the snoring. And the drooling. And the near-constant twitching of his right foot that occassionally leads to a jerky kickspasm. Presumably someone has the good graces to elbow him awake when they arrive, so up behind Fenris and Theler he comes plodding, stretching his arms wide with a biiig yawn and swinging to throw one over each of their shoulders as he slumps down from it, brandishing a groggy grin. "Where's the food?... didn't they say there was going to be food?"

Cassidy didn't arrive by airship! She still managed to hear about the happenings, even out in her castle upon the side of Firebough. Bandits in the area? That was no good, so, dressed in her usual red tailcoat and her black skirt, she approaches the wagon to at least make her presence known, offering a smile to Natska. "Can't have bandits too close to home," she says, adjusting her top hat.

"Mmhm," Natska replies, quietly. "Or other things." She nudges the brim of her hat as she examines the encampment, then frowns slightly. "I heard about what happened at the expedition. I don't think they are taking this seriously, are they?" she asks quietly, as they approach the lion.

The Lion looks up as the group enters into his tent, dipping his head gently before motioning to one of the soldiers posted outside, whom closes the flap to give them all privacy. "No bandits, but it is a safer way to explain ravaged merchant caravans until I have more information. My name, is Commander Bennathian Makarius the Third, and I am in charge of the lives of the men in this camp."

The Lion gives one more nod, before motioning to his map table. "The farthest merchant paths have been ransacked lately by what we believe may be Craige that have slipped in somehow. No survivers, burnt wagons and supplies long gone. Shadows be damned, we rarely even find bodies lately. I've called for aid, because I do not have the means to spare to send out to investigate where we think they may be coming from. My men must stand firm and resolute here, and if a large craige threat does appear than we must reinforce the base of Firebough mountain so as to protect all on the mountain. That being said, here, in a small pass that dead ends farther in, we believe the Craige may have entered from. I need you to scout into here, and report if they are present or not."

Fenris almost flinches when Rainer throws an arm over his shoulder. He is well aware that the wolf would not recognize it, but he and Fenris had spent a rather strange evening together. From the fuzzy memories that Fenris had of it, a VERY strange evening. The liger steps up to look at the map and nods gravely. "Probably for the best to try to remove our new friends with as little disruption to the people as we can," he agrees, "I am glad to pitch in."

Thelergramor glances over the people, smiling behind his mask at a full party of people he knows. Approves. Turns back around and has a Rainer arm draped over his shoulders. Once again, approves. "Alright, so, go in, look around, come back? And if they are there, should we eliminate them?" Asking without a hint of bloodlust in his voice. Loads his cannon. "Kind of an important detail."

Yvls watches Rainer and Thelergramor and Fenris for a moment, noting something in his head and mumbling it to himself. More information to collect, wherever he goes. He puts his sword at his backstraps and listens into the commander. "These craige...I wanted to see for myself first hand rather than rely on militay reports. Wherever you send us, rest assured we'll hold the line."

Rev scratches his chin thoughtfully as he considers the details the group had just been give. He nods in agreement with Thelergramor. "That is a decent enough question. Shoukd we eliminate those we manage to find. Or do you believe their numbers are large enough that it would be suicide to do so more or less? Granted I don't exactly have any qualms with putting my life into significant danger to settle the threat."

"So... no food, then." Rainer furrows his brow and glances about as his question goes long unanswered, arm flopping down at his side as Fenris steps away. Head turns and sights are set upon two more members of the merry Divine Sentinels band. "Hey Cass, Natska!" He turns back to look around at those before him. "...that's weird, were they on the wagon? I don't remember seeing them get on the wagon. Or off the wagon. Or on or off the airship, now that I think about it. Although I never went below deck. ...Should have gone below deck, that's probably where the food was."

Cassidy smiles at Rainer from behind her mask and tips her hat. "Hello there," she returns as she regards the lion. "I suppose that is fair. Yes, I will most certainly lend my aid. I would like to see this new menace dealt with swiftly, lest they start to expand. I don't want to wake up to find them pounding on the gates of my new home."

Natska listens to the chatter, her ears perked; she nods her head, without anything else to add to the lion for the moment. She busies herself with one final pre-action check, making sure she has her chosen weapons and gear, and that her math equations are ready at hand, then flashes Cass a grin. "Alright. Let's."

The lion raises an eyebrow at Rainer and reaches into a small box by his cot, and tosses the wolf an apple. "I shall leave that to your determination. If you believe you can handle the threat, or halt what is occuring, than you are free to engage. We will not be able to support you in such an action, but have mats for wounded you may acquire."

The Lion gives one final nod, before opening the flap to his tent and leads everyone out into the camp, through the multiple tents set up around the area before stopping them at another wagon fully loaded for them, so they can group up onto it. "May you go with the blessings of King Good, and return to us safely. I shall await your return." The ride itself isnt too long, as the driver pushes as fast as he can, before slowing near the entrance to a pass in the mountains, with a plethora of burnt carts around it. "We're here."

The pass itself is only three carts wide, and thirty feet cliffs tower along both sides. The ground a mixture of rock and sand common to this area, with small splatterings of blood in various spots. The depths of the pass is black from the shadows cast by the setting sun, holding whatever lay within from view for now...

Fenris steps down from the cart and looks around. "I can see why the commander wouldn't want to send a lot of men down there," he says. The liger takes a quick look around at the others and shrugs. "Shall we?" He asks before sauntering quietly down the pass.

Thele's first thought upon arrival is: 'Damn, it's dark. At least I brought a lantern.' He does, however, have the common sense to not light it for recon. Drops from the cart. Tries to move quietly. And low to the ground. Which means his guisarme is dragging through the dirt. Fixes that by holding it in one hand. Strong wolf. "We shall, yeah." Glances back at the other beings. "Try not to die? I like you guys." Then quietly returns to moving up after Fenris.

Yvls keeps his shield held high, taking quick steps to head towards the front of the group. "Mmh. I'll provide the cover." The lynx offers, evidently wanting to get things done with.

Rev hefts his axe against his shoulder, and follows the others out the tent. Upon climbing into the wagon. The large wolf once again spends the teip sleeping despite how short it is, and awakens upon arrival. He gazes about their surroundings as best he can. Before heading deeper into the pass behind Fenris.

Rainer catches the apple out of the air! ...with his hands, not his mouth. "Yer a credit to yer house~" the pup coos in way of thanks, and he's got that fruit stripped to the core before they even make it to the second wagon. Hopping down on arrival in the pass he grimmaces at the strewn wreckage and lingering traces of bloodshed, hand straying near to his blade, consciously or not, and finding others making straight for the pass he scoots to fall in with them. "Shouldn't we raise a ruckus and spook 'em out? I mean, if we're going to get ambushed we might as well do it on our terms."

Cassidy taps on the chin of her mask before turning on her paws and setting off with the rest. "Well then! Let's see what we find," she murmurs before nodding at Rainer. "Yes. As we get closer, we should maintain quiet, if we can."

Natska keeps pace with Cassidy, quietly drawing her swordbreaker into her off hand as the group begins exploring. A small, tamed breeze dances around the jaguar, and she nods her head at Cassidy's suggestion, moving with silent steps.

The pass is mostly quiet as they make their way inside, passing into the darkness of the shadows forces them to take a moment to adapt to the new lighting. The deeper portions appear to be littered with boulders and fallen rocks, including an old dried tree trunk or two that seem perfect for hiding behind.

Deeper still, comes the sounds of bickering in a harsh and sharp sounding tongue, almost akin to stone cutting stone. Those with acute vision would notice the outlines of some Craige workers, the shorter lizard like beasts boasting no show of flame about them, instead they seem almost completely made of stone. In total there resides ten of these workers, five making marking motions at a side of the pass, while five more are scanning the sky of all things... It's obvious they are searching for something.

Fenris does not speak, only uses simple signs to point out the Craige where he can see them, keeping to the deep shadows. There is more to see here, he is certain, but first a little help. The liger focuses a moment on his mathemagic, using air and water to drop the ambient temperature. Hopefully it will slow down the Craige.

Thelergramor glares at the craige. But not basilisk glare, just an angry stare. Yep. No effects. Uses his own magic to obscure himself in darkness. Near solid, cloying darkness. On his body. For extra armor! Then follows after Fenris. Quietly.

Yvls suddenly draws a cloak of shadow from apparently nowhere, draping it around him and providing cover for himself. "Going to see if I can't sneak in and make a distraction to draw the group together, and then you guys can strike. I'll make it out, don't worry." He starts pathing his way towards the craig, slowly. Trying not to get caught.

Rev's ears twitch at the sound of bickering voices. The large wolf frowns, and a transformation comes over his form. A change that leaves him with a very distinct transformation that leaves the large wolf in the form of a kirin Which happens to rip the bandages away from the left side of his face. He stares at Criage, an then looks up as he wonders about just exactly they are looking for. However he only looks upwards for so long before returning his gaze to the criage. The kirin begins to prepare himself to cast righteous clames over some of the criage. Once the others go on the attack.

Rainer hugs the wall of the pass most of the way, frequently turning his eyes upwards, that the little beasties might come flowing over the cliffs towering above them. Voices from up ahead draw his gaze, but squint as he might at the darkness no shapes emerge, even as he strains to follow Fenris' direction. "...neat." he utters underbreath to himself, as Yvls just melts away into the shadows. "Wish I could do that... o well, just have to settle for bein' the greatest swordsman in the world, eh?" Grinning, he turns to gently elbow Rev, only to find a... horse thing where a wolf ought to be, doing a double-take and managing not to yelp in surprise... by a rather narrow margin.

Cassidy lets out a soft little breath as she falls into step behind the others. Her foot steps make no sound, as usual, and she leaves her hands folded behind her back while her tome sways from her hip. After a moment, one of her hands starts to drift swords the rapier, but she does not draw it yet.

Natska watches Yvls slip off, nodding her head. She sticks close to Cassidy and the others, easily settling into a readied stance as she waits to see how this develops; she makes a small adjustment to her hat's brim, her feather almost glinting in what light there is as she bides her time.

The Craige seem mostly unknowing of the presence of the Freeswords, the five that are making marking motions continuing to look around and seemingly scout for something. As they get closer, some would begin to notice a small crystal held in the hands of one of them. As Yvls approaches however, just a few displaced rocks seem to cause the five that are watching the sky to tense up and look around. The Freeswords still concealed from their vision, they move closer to the others, while keeping an eye out and barking out what must be orders to the other. Fenris' spell does take hold, and the temperature drops down some, however it seems that the Craige workers arnt as weak to the temperature as the past warriors had been...

Fenris watches the creatures carefully, disappointed that they don't seem so susceptible to the cold. Still, the time to strike had not arrived yet. <I want to see what they are waiting for> he signs and mouths, hoping others will be able to interpret his meaning. The liger inches closer, wishing again that he had been able to get his 'sources' to speak up about these creatures. Darn Spirits.

Thelergramor looks over the actions being taken by the others... just waits, levelling his cannon at the targets. Which, he can clearly understand Fenris's signing for once. Success! Waits and watches. Ready to fire and make explosions. For recon.

Yvls realizes that he's starting to blow his cover. Resting his foot on a heavy, reliable spot and then grabbing his small hand axe. Picking a target...inching nearer...and then he kicks off from his ledge and does his signature quick stab, trying to make his execution of craige as brutal as he could possibly make it with wild hacking at his target...trying to shake the others who get to watch.

Rev nods in understanding to fenris, and holds off on attacking. However he does move to a better position. To blast the criage with his righteous flames. Once they have discovered what the criage are up to he intends to unleash his flames upon them. The large Kirin sighs, as he notices someone has already begun the attack so he raises his head, and unleashes a gout of righteous flame from his mouth, and attempts to coat as many of the cariage as he can.

Rainer gets over that mini-heart attack quick as he can, looking back to the rest, a touch unsettled, but he can see Fenris waving his hands about and mouthing words... What's that, boy? Timmy's fallen down the well? ...no, that can't be right. Half off all recipes at Sally's School for Artisans, today only? Getting warmer, I think... Suddenly there are sounds of scuffling! And then fire flying around! It must be time for the attack. "Hah, finally! I was getting sick of all this sneaking crap!" He draws his sword and charges into the fray! "Come get some!"

Cassidy frowns a little as people start to jump into the fray. "What a bother." She brings her fingers up and snaps them, a bit of purple lightning flashing up from under one of the opponents, this time, rather than being launched directly from her.

Natska gives Fenris a little grin as the fighting starts, then shrugs her shoulders; she raises two fingers, focuses on her math, then flings her own bolt of lightning at one of the Craige, hoping to blast it off of its feet and leave it tazed while the group deals with the rest. That done, she draws her rapier and raises it in a guard stance, stepping just in front of Cass.

As Yvls jumps out, one of the Craige falls beneath his blows as the others are suddenly washed in fire from Rev, two flailing and trying to put the flames out as Cassidy and Natska's spells fry two more whom fall to the ground charred and broken as the remaining five turn and go to try and retaliate! One driving his pick at Yvls, while the other four charge at Rainer and the others!

Well. That had not gone according to plan. Fenris holds forth a hand at the charging lizard men, urging the very air around them to freeze. Perhaps a little forensic investigation would reveal what they had been up to, but best to finish the fight quickly.

Thelergramor looks over the actions being taken by the others... just waits, levelling his cannon at the targets. Which, his companions will be relieved to learn, is not firing an explosive round. Just a cannon shot. At the nearest craige. "...The one time I try to be cautious. Eh, fuck it." Sounds amused by this.

Yvls has his shield smacked by a pick! The force driving him off his current target. He snarls, recovering, and then huddling up to his shield and trying to bash down his attacker.

Rev steps forwards jeading straight towards the surviving criage, and inhales a deep breat. Then stops as sends another wave of flame in the direction of the charging Criage. He is of course being careful not to set any of his allies aflame by mistake. The kirin does however intend to make sure atleast one survives. As long as the others don't kill all of those he doesnt get to.

What's this? Something glimmering amidst all the flashes of lightning and fire? Rainer's keen senses of LOOK! SHINY! hone him right in on the lizardman carrying that Crystal of Unknown Significance and he lets out an almost sinister chuckle as he twists a crooked, toothy smile and bears down upon the hapless rockbeast. "Here's a little number I call the "Bait and Switch Stab!" Sword drawn, then... tossed into the air. "Rule 11: Go for their knees!" With his last steps to bring him into striking distance of the Craige he sweeps for the legs to knock it to the ground, following straight up with: "Rule 18: Keep an eye on the sky!" At which point he'd be grabbing his sword on its decent to drive it deep into his toppled opponent. So it would be super embarassing if he screwed up any part of that, because it was dark. Or just due to clumsiness.

Deciding that the others were doing just fine, Cassidy leans back against the wall and pulls up her spell tome, flipping it open and crossing her legs at the ankles. "You lot have this. I don't want to expend myself, yet," she says, leafing through the pages with a controlled breeze.

Natska quietly snickers, her tail slowly lashing from side to side as she watches the scuffle. She keeps back, protecting the party's mage, and makes a few mental notes about the Craige. "These ones seem... ballsier than that first batch we ran into. Where is their overseer?"

It's over almost as quick as it had started, with two of the Craige workers freezing to the point where he could no longer move, and topples over. Rev's flames knocking out another as it flails and falls to the ground in a slump before Yvls knocks his own attacker out. Rainer's own strange manuevers pay of better than he could have ever expected, the wolf not only catching the crystal in his hands but driving his sword cleanly through the creatures chest, and piercing into the stone below even! Thel's cannon rips through the air as well, cutting clean through one and making a small crater in the canyon walls as the fight is over almost as quickly as it had begun, the group left with almost eery silence for the moment.

Fenris frowns at Natska's comment. "You're not wrong," he says, "The ones we fought before would have been napping when it got cold." He looks to Rainer for a moment. "What do you have there Rainer?" he asks, "Any hints for us?" The liger looks to the sky over the pass, wondering what the things had been watching for. "Maybe I should go check up top?" he offers.

Thelergramor avoids his usual maniacal laughter. Is trying to be good for once. "Got 'em. Anyone hurt? No? Not surprising." Starts reloading his cannon. "Cannon was kind of loud, and they're dead... Anyone against me giving some light?" Referencing his lantern.

Yvls stumbles back up after putting his armaments aside, visibly shaken. "You fucking fired a cannon at me?" He accuses Thel once he goes back to the group.

Rev trots over to rainer, and takes a moment to look over the crystal in his hand. As he scratches his chin. "Hmmmm not anything I would recognize....Well If you are going up there to check it out. I'll go with you no sense in anyone wandering off on their own.... That being siad before we do that. Let's see if any of them survived." He then looks to Yvls. "You are alive, and obviously not badly harmed so suck it up, and bitch at Thelergramor later."

Rainer is ... elated. I don't imagine much more needs to be said about that. "Oooh-hohoho-hoh MAN!" Still poised over the lizard with crystal in one hand and sword in the other, he looks to the group, back down to the lizard, group, lizard, group, lizard, group, "Did you guys -see that-?! /That was the coolest thing anyone has ever done ever/." If you needed more convincing that the teen wolf just comes up with these moves on the spot and hopes for the best... A bit of elbow grease and a lot of heaving and grunting finally dislodges his sword, which is then given a shaking to remove some of the... innard juices coating it, then when Rev comes over to inspect the crystal he begins... tossing it up and down, which probably doesn't make the Kirin-wolf's efforts any easier. "No clue. One of them was holding it. Magical, maybe? Heads up, Cass!" A moment for the fennec to register the warning, then he gives the prize an underhanded toss in her direction.

Cassidy snaps her tome shut and lifts her other gloved hand to catch the thing tossed at her. "What's this?" She asks simply, peering at the crystal. "Oh. This is the thingy it had, isn't it? What's it do?" She shakes the thing in the air and hums before tossing it up and down. "I figure I'll find out."

After sliding her rapier back away, Natska gives her head a little shake. Her ears slowly straighten back up after the roar of the cannon, and she coughs. "Hold on to it, love, and we'll check it out back at the camp; let's hurry up and finish our patrol, and get back before more show up."

As the crystal is tossed up and down, and even motioned around, it seems to begin to glow as it gets closer to the wall the Craige had been at. Softly at first, and the closer it is held to the wall, the brighter it glows, as it seems whatever it's purpose, they had been using it to guide them to something... And just as well, if the cannon shot had alerted anything it is unknown, as the area around them remains quiet and calm as if the battle hadn't happened.

Noting the strange behavior of the gem, Fenris moves toward the wall the creatures had been examining, calling a bit of light to his hand with a touch of fire magic. "They were looking fir something here," he says, carefully searching the wall.

Thelergramor just scoffs at Yvls. "Hey, I knew it was a small round this time. And you're fine. If I did fire it at -you-, you'd probably have felt it." Chuckles and finishing reloading: "Now, this shot I loaded, I wouldn't fire if you were in front of me. Explosions and shit." Looks up at Rainer. "Yeah, that was glorious, man." Walks over to the nearest body. Glances at Cassidy and her stone thing. Internally debates looting the craige. Does this. Quickly. Professionally. "Alright, they were looking for something. Not that I'm against looking around more, but apple guy probably wants to know about this, yeah?" Shrugs. "I'm fine with whatever we do here."

"Fair enough." Yvls decides, folding his arms. He knows enough about Thel that he isn't going to struggle to milk an apology out of him. The lynx peering into the canyon. "Let's retreat with our report, then? Leave one person behind on sentry in case we drew more attention, then they can sound a signal to give prior warning..."

"Aw, we're not going to even -try- to find out what this glowing thing is all about? They could come along and dig it out with another crystal before anyone else got around to checking on this place, for all we know!" Rainer protests, going into full pout: outthrust bottom lip, arms crossed over his chest, abrasive posture. "We didn't stick around to have a closer look after the last time we scrapped with these things, and you'll remember how -that- turned out."

Cassidy eyes the crystal for a moment, then the wall and hums. She reaches out to tap the gem against the wall directly, raising her brow. "If they were looking for something to do with this wall... They must not have been very bright, considering they were standing right by it. So what, then?"

Natska narrows her eyes at Rainer, then shakes her head. She looks over at Cassidy, and shrugs. "Well, they were looking for something there. Fenris? You are good at earth-shaping, right? Can you find anything strange on the other side of the rock?"

Rev frowns his brows press together, and after a moment of thought. He begins to dig through the dead bodys till ge finds one of the pickaxes the Criage had in their posession. The big man then walks over to the wall Fenris had begun to examine. "Well they must have had these pickaxes for a reason. So lets see what is behind this wall. He says as he raises the pick axe, and swings it against the wall.

The longer the crystal is set along the wall and motioned, the more it begins to glow when it reaches a certain point that had been hit by Craige picks before. The strike from Rev causes a sound of rustling on the other side for those with acute hearing, and it becomes aparant these workers were sent ahead to dig back and ensure a spot was clear before a tunnel could be made!

Fenris lays a hand on Rev's back. "Hold up, big guy," he says as he quickly fiddles with his soul gem, "Let me take a look first." The liger closes his eyes for a second and lays his hand on the stone wall. First, he reaches out to feel the other side, to see what sort of thing lies beyond, then, should nothing strike him as terrible, he tries gently expanding the hole, just large enough for a being to look through.

Thelergramor comes away from his looting with some craige tools. After a moment of dropping 'em into pouches/hanging a pick through his belt, stands back up. "Huh, anyone hear that? Rustling or something." Rubs his mask, cracks a knuckle. Then the other one. Lights up his lantern. With matches. Magic attempt would probably fail and be overly extravagant for such an action. Adjusts his mask and waits.

"Thel? You might want to blast this passage open...just collapse the tunnel from the inside before we are overrun..." He offers.

Yvls does, that is.

Rev raises the pickaxe and strikes the wall a few more times. Before Fenris stops him. Having gotten into the physical labor. Which is really the kind of work he prefers to begin with. However he listens to his companion, and lowers the pickaxe."Well that certianly takes the fun out of it." He says with a grin as he twirls the pick axe, and props it against his shoulder. Then frowns when he hears Yvls suggestion. "Or we could wait to see if there is anything to worry about in there, and then check it out. Whatever is on the other side may be something we should check out before caving anything in."

Rainer mumbles a little that'sbetter when they end up sticking around after all, watching from as close as he can get without getting in the way while the others tinker away. "Yes!" hasty pointing in Yvls' direction when the lynx suggests collapsing the tunnel. "That! Absolutely! Or they'll be coming down the mountain in droves within days!"

Once the investigations on the wall start, Cassidy withdraws the crystal and peers at it for a moment before tucking it into an interior coat pocket. "I think I'll have to study this more indepth, later. Do let me know if you need my help, though."

Natska nods her head at Cass. "Yes. I want to know what sort of maths these... 'craigs' use!" Then she looks over at Yvls and waves a hand dismissively. "We already collapsed their main tunnel on them once. It did us no good. We may as well kill their digging team before we go, give them some... discouragement."

As the pick and earth magic do their work, Fenris would be able to feel a mass of something shuffling on the other side, If it was just workers, than that is a -very- large amount of him... And should he continue to open up a small hole, he'd be greeted with the close up of armor and shoving as it seems the group on the other side fight themselves!

Fenris peers cautiously through the hole. Ah. Of course. Closing his eyes again, the feline channels his earth magic once more to seal the place up, leaving just enough room for a full on magic and musket barrage. "Warriors," he says quietly before sending a wave of frigid ice into the confined tunnel. That ought to slow them down!

Thelergramor rubs his mask. "Couldn't you have left the hole open, shoved my cannon in, and carpet bombed? Could still collapse the tunnel." Shrugs. Stomach growls. Is a hungry wolf. Takes a potato from a pouch, lifts his mask, starts chewing on it.

"And put your cannon at risk. And us, if the tunnel is open." Yvls chuckles.

Rev chuckles, and steps up to the hole. "Hey let's give them a nice warm welcome."The Kirin Inhales, expells a a torrent of righteous flames into the the tunnel, and continuee to do so as long as he can.

Rainer slinks over to give Thelergramor a conciliatory pat on the back, still watching the others do their respective things. "If you want to get to do awesome things like me, you're just going to take up a more awesome weapon. Not swords, though, unless you want to live in my shadow." Eyebrows go up as they get a peek of the lizardmen seemingly fighting amongst themselves within the hidden tunnels, but... then again, they did seem to have a propensity for being violent towards one another. "Tell you what: when we get back to town you can buy me an ale, and I'll regale everyone with the story of how -completely awesome- I was today, and then when they're all 'you so did not do that,' you can say, 'I was there, and he did!'" He says this as if it would be a priviledge.

Cassidy smiles at Natska and nods. "Well. We shall take it back to the study with us when we go home. See what we can do to it and find out! What did you two fi- Oh. Fighters, I see. Well, good bye then," she says, turning and striding back out the way they came, hands tucked in her jacket pockets.

Natska tilts her head to the side and watches the group at their little peep-hole, then taps her fingers to her hat brim. "Have fun with your glory hole, gentlemen. I believe I will be following Cassidy back to camp to make our report." She grins, then turns and saunters along after Cassidy, sliding her parrying blade away in its sheath again.

The magic frost and flames sent into the hole serve to further confuse and disorient the Craige on the other side, as the group is given full reign to dash back to the camp and inform the commander. Their rewards then paid out to the group, they get to witness the begining of the army contigent moving forward to surround that pass to intercept the craige when they break out!