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	=Log=		=Log=
−	<div></div>	+	<div></div><br> <br>The airship departs from Firmament and begins its long journey towards Cliffside, however the airship won&#39;t be anchoring down in the city of Cliffside, thought its long marvelous spires could be spotted as the airship passes near it. Eventually, the airship would reach the western regions of Cliffside, cold and dreary weather coupled with mountains upon mountains and scarcely any settlement that could be spotted.
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		+	The airship would eventually reach its destination a relatively large settlement, situated on a slightly raised valley leading down towards ocean, and named Braevales, for Cliffsiders and students of geography they would most likely recognize this major settlement of Cliffside the biggest one situated on the western side of the country and dealing mainly with fishing around the western coast as well as mining operations in the surrounding mountains. While the city can&#39;t be compared to the jewel of the Sweetwater, Firmament, or the proud city of Cliffside it is by no means a small town and there is a degree of Cliffside elegance to it.
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		+	The airship would release its occupants and cargo on a situated landing pad on the outskirts of the city, and luckily for our adventurers there appears to be a large number of beings and carts near to the gate, with a slightly pudgy jasmine being ordering people around, looks like that caravan is the one who will be going on this expedition.<br> <br>Zuri spent most of the trip leaning precariously off the airship&#39;s side railing, enjoying the sights, open air, and dizzying heights. The small salamander being almost seems sad the trip is over, groaning as he grabs his supplies, tugs on his cloak and heads towards the ramp and out to the landing pad. Still a bit lost and awestruck by the sights, he seems content to look around like a lost tourist while the majority of the passengers are still disembarking.<br> <br>    Cirra had spent the trip reviewing the dance-like forms of her martial art, creating, quick, though elegant motions with her nimcha. At the landing pad she shrugs, though smiles a bit to herself, gladd she&#39;s not heading to the main city. That would raise some awkward questions. She hugs her robes closer about herself, curious what this adventure will bring.<br> <br>Something nearly resembling a smile manages to crack the muzzle of Mindaugas as he catches sight of the mountains they&#39;ll be journeying to. Admittedly, he had wanted to see if the heathens in Cliffside were any better than the ones Sweetwater, but there would be time for that later. And even though the mountains weren&#39;t as high and imperious as the ones that sheltered Thera&#39;Dor, it still felt like a more familiar territory. Pulling his fur-lined vestments tightly around him, he slips into the stream of departing passengers, attempting to disembark with a minimum of budging and shoving, despite his size.<br> <br>Fenris spent most of the trip here in quiet meditation, that and trying to convince his chaperone that this was not a phenominally bad idea. The liger turned curvaceous kangaroo had become quite comfortable in his new body. He had even almost come to grips with being a she! Elise, as she has chosen to call herself, sways gracefully down the gangplank to where the group is gathered. &quot;Adventure calls?&quot; she asks in a melodic alto, &quot;I assume that we are here to talk with the flower?&quot; She stretches her arms and shrugs her shoulders in her new clothes. She felt like they quite suited her. More than the dresses that Cassidy had been dressing her up in anyway.<br> <br>While she was almost reluctant to leave again not so long after arriving home in the first place, Cassidy wanted a bit of adventure! And she was going to have it. Dressed up in a pair of black slacks, a grey vest, and a red silk tie all under a black greatcoat, she was certainly sure to be warm, no matter the weather. And stylish. The fennec adjusts her mask as she steps off the airship with Elise, intent on making sure the kangaroo&#39;s story would hold, if she ended up in a bind. She wasn&#39;t concerned, though. They had already proven to be good at disguises anyway. &quot;I wonder what today will have in store!&quot; Rapier secured, and spell tome at her hip, she gives a wave to the only other one she recognizes right away. Cirra!<br> <br>Despite an absence from the airship itself, Selena makes an appearance nevertheless, approaching the caravan from Braevales proper, her bag fairly full from the looks of it - some books or other objects making visible creases in the material.
		+
		+	Noticing Cassidy and the rest of the gathered freeswords in the area, she offers a wave and smile to the group. &quot;Cassidy, what brings you all the way out here? It&#39;s a bit far from home.&quot; She observes, settling back against the wagon. &quot;Though I suppose you could ask me the same question.&quot;<br> <br>As the group got out of the airship and started getting their bearings, the cargo of the ship itself began being unloaded. One of the first things the beings gathered here would notice is the rather interesting attire the people around here seem to be sporting, noticeably unlike that of the rest of Cliffside. Looks like the men here have forsaken there trousers for heavy and warm looking. . .&#39;skirts&#39;.
		+
		+	Meanwhile back at the convoy, the heavyset jasmine continued organizing his caravan, stopping for a moment to speak with another jasmine being clad in a priest&#39;s garb, a machine priest from the looks of it, exchanging a few words before hastily departing again. Finally noticing the new arrivals, the pudgy jasmine turns around and waves towards the beings approaching him.<br> <br>Zuri gets the quick bit of exploration out of his system, having poked around the small area to his heart&#39;s content by the time he realises most of the passengers are clearing out, apart from a rather interesting looking Jasmine and a few stragglers. The short-statured Salamander straightens his jacket and heads in the being&#39;s direction, waving back at him. &quot;Greetings!&quot; He shouts as he approaches, putting on a bright smile. &quot;I assume you&#39;re the being I&#39;m supposed to meet then?&quot; He stops a few steps away from the Jasmine, having to tilt his head up to maintain eye contact.<br> <br>The nurse shark waves to Cassidy, intrigued by Cassidy&#39;s new partner. &lt;Who is the lady with the hips?&gt; She signs to the fennec as she approaches the caravan. She herself draws her robes closer, glad that her oilskin Jacket and creator wetsuit would protect her from the worst of the cold. She waves to the Jasmine, tilting her head. She signs to him, though might be reliant on Cassidy or someone else for interpreting her own words, as she still can listen.<br> <br>Elise winks at Cirra, moving a lock of hair away from her face with a toss of her head. &quot;Call me Elise,&quot; she says, &quot;I am Lady Solacious&#39;s attendant for this trip.&quot; The kangaroo stays near Cassidy, swaying over toward the Jasmine who seems to be in charge. &quot;That will be Mister Aeneanas,&quot; she says, watching Rokarion hurry off with interest. She had not realized that the Jasmine had left Firmament!<br> <br>&quot;Hello, Selean,&quot; Cassidy offers with a tip of her hat. &quot;I&#39;m a little surprised to see you here, myself. I was just looking for a bit of adventure! And I saw a notice for this job, so... Here I am,&quot; she says before looking towards Cirra. &quot;This is Elise, she&#39;s a friend. And one of my new staff in training.&quot; She tips her head towards the kangaroo. &quot;As she said, yes.&quot;<br> <br>Spotting their contact, Mindaugas splits away from stream of passengers and makes his way to the fat Flower being, that near-smile drooping once more into his moosely moue. &quot;Misterr Aeneanas?&quot; he asks coolly, awaiting an affirmative response. At the nod in response, he reaches large, meaty hand out towards the man--slowly, not threateningly, but firmly enough to impart assurance--textbook First Text handshake material, if he said so himself. &quot;Mindaugas Alderrmann.&quot;<br> <br>Selena smiles back to Cassidy and her &#39;attendant&#39;. &quot;Eloping with another woman? How does Natska feel about that?&quot; She quips, offering out a hand to the Kangaroo. &quot;A pleasure to meet you, Elise.&quot;
		+
		+	After her handshake is accepted or declined, she pulls out a small book from her bag, thumbing through some of the pages and sighing quietly. &quot;I&#39;ve been hosting a course at one of the colleges here on invitation.&quot; she replies after a few moments of consideration. &quot;Though I&#39;m here because I could do with a bit of excitement as opposed to staying indoors for another half of a year - at least, it feels that long.&quot;
		+
		+	Mindaugas&#39;s arrival is met with a half-wave, though she soon turns back to the familiar face and familiar face in unfamiliar &#39;clothing&#39;. &quot;I&#39;ve had to bar a few students from my class already for pressing me on... Political opinions. It&#39;s a shame, too, they were bright beings.&quot;<br> <br>The thickset jasmine smiles on the gathered beings, clad in grey robes with minimal ornaments; however, the badge of the growing clan as well as a little heraldry badge could be seen on his right breast. After finishing shaking hands with Mindaugas, Ridgewell coughs to gather the attention of the beings around him, &quot;Ah, welcome welcome, Freeswords. &quot;  he says in a sweet, confident voice. &quot;I see you have received one of my advertisements? To be honest with you, I was not expecting beings from Sweetwater or Thera&#39;Dor! Especially here in the western regions of Cliffside.&quot; He said with an amused smile.
		+
		+	With a gesture of his hand, Ridgewell begins walking towards the caravan, hoping that the gathered beings would follow, &quot;Anyway, you are here for the job, not sightseeing I assume. Things are simple; I require some able hands to protect this expedition of mine into the mountains that you see in front of you. I will pay you handsomely and you don&#39;t need to worry as I have hired more sell-swords and I even have the support of a the soldiery of Cliffside too.&quot; The middle-aged jasmine says as he points towards a group of Cliffside soldiers, clad in the skirts as well as their armaments looks like those are native soldiers.
		+
		+	Ridgewell then stops near the caravan and grins once more, &quot;You will be moving in the front and act as the vanguard, you know clear out threats or warn us about it to make the journey easier for the caravan. Any questions?&quot; he asks, a hospitable grin still on his face.<br> <br>Zuri looks around at the group. The Salamander keeps his bright smile as each of the other beings introduces themselves in turn. &quot;Good to meet you!&quot; He says to the group in general, quite used to not being noticed right away given his stature. &quot;I&#39;m Zuri, and uh..&quot; he pauses, letting the other beings talk, as obviously they are mostly familiar with each other. &quot;.. it&#39;s nice to meet you all!&quot; He speaks up, but clears his throat as Ridgewell starts talking. He nods along with the Jasmine&#39;s words, and follows along when bidden. He smiles brightly at Ridgewell once the explanation finishes. &quot;Scout for the caravan, clear a path. Easy enough mister Ridgewell, nothing we haven&#39;t done before. Am I right?&quot; The short Salamander turns back to the other Freeswords, that bright smile still on his snout.<br> <br>    The nurse shark raises her hand, waits until she has his attention before firing off rapid signing. &lt;What sorts of threats are expected on this journey? Bandits? Shadows? Monsters of another kind?&quot; She tugs at her gloves peeling away the fabric covering her spells.<br> <br>Mindaugas begins to raise his hand, two fingers pointing to the heavens--before Cirra jumps on his question first. He nods as she signs everything he had intended. Maybe he wasn&#39;t surrounded by Sweetwater heathens after all! <br> <br>&quot;Pleasure,&quot; Elise says, taking Selena&#39;s offered hand, then resting her hands on her hips, head cocked to one side as she listens to the flower speak. &quot;Sounds like as much a plan as anyone could hope for,&quot; she says, then smiles at Cirra, &quot;Sure there is nothing we can&#39;t handle.&quot; The kangaroo checks over her gear, then sets to stretching out her limbs from the long airship ride. It is probably a little more provocative than she realizes.<br> <br>Cassidy rolls her eyes and laughs softly. &quot;You know Natska is the only one for me, Selena,&quot; she says with a nod. &quot;But it&#39;s nice to see you! And you too, Cirra.&quot; Her attention towards, then, towards the jasmine. &quot;Protection? I can do that just fine. I&#39;ve done it before!&quot;<br> <br>Selena chuckles quietly, gesturing to Cirra. &quot;She has a point here. For an expedition, the amount of beings you&#39;re bringing is huge. What exactly are you expecting to find out here? To take beings from the army as well as everyone else would usually be considered a bit excessive.&quot;
		+
		+	Zuri on the other hand is given a slightly bemused look. &quot;You know, I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve ever seen a Freesword that excited for a job before.&quot; She comments, tone implying it&#39;s as much a question as a statement. The wolfess sets herself down, turning a page of her book as she waits; Cassidy&#39;s response prompts a chuckle, turning to the fennec and &#39;roo to reply. &quot;I&#39;m glad you can take the joke. It&#39;s good to see you too. Elise seems a little familiar too, though it could easily be from lectures, if they attend the Academy.&quot; She notes, rubbing her cheek before shrugging slightly. &quot;Either way, I probably shouldn&#39;t talk over our client, should I?&quot;<br> <br>Ridgewell eyes Selena and smirks, &quot;You are not being paid to ask questions about my personal affairs.&quot; He answers as jovially as always, &quot;You will find why soon enough.&quot;  He says, and interestingly enough one does notice that the caravan seems to have a lot of the scholarly types as well as more beings who seem to have different jobs. This expedition is not a small one for sure.
		+
		+	As Ridgewell answers Selena, a rather tall being walks towards, two meters and more than a half meter in length and with girth to match. The giant of a being looks like to be a &#39;Roaring Monarch&#39; or more commonly known as the Scottish Red Deer. The new being stands next to Ridgewell and eyes the group, clad in Cliffside military armor as well as wearing a dark red and green kilt. &quot;Ah, Officer Blair Buchanan, he is the current leading commander of the military unit accompanying me, a veteran of a couple of wars.&quot; Ridgewell adds, a bemused smirk appears on his face when he mentions the &#39;wars&#39;.
		+
		+	Blair himself walks closer to the group, allowing the group to get a good look at him, all muscles with a nasty scar on his face, and obviously looking in his late thirties, a truly old being! &quot;So, ye get me a bunch of Sweetwater bairns?&quot; the large red deer booms in a harsh voice, stopping at Mindaugaus and scowling, &quot;Back straight, laddie, and dinnae gie me tat look.&quot; He says as he walks back towards Ridgewell, &quot;Now enough wi ta gibble-gabble.&quot; He says before eyeing the group, &quot;Dinnae stan aroun like a bunch of stookies.&quot; He finally says still eyeing the group.
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		+	With a chuckle Ridgewell gestures to the front of the caravan, &quot;You heard the Officer, go to the front of the caravan, there will be a couple of others there. They will tell you more about the possible dangers you might face as well as guide you along.&quot; With that Ridgewell smiles and goes back to ordering people around, letting the group decide what will be their next move.<br> <br>Zuri grins at Selena, offering her a curt bow. &quot;Plenty to be excited about, dear lady. New sights to see, new people to meet, and new deeds to be done. That I get to do it in the company of my fellow Freeswords is a welcome bonus. Not to mention that....&quot; He was about to continue his tirade when Blair approaches and addresses the group, which causes the army-trained being to stand straight and nod curtly at the deer&#39;s words. Keeping his straight military posture he turns to the group, looking up at the other beings to try and make eye contact with them. &quot;Right friends, looks like we have our er.. orders, as it were. I hope one of you spoke his dialect because for the life of me I could barely make out a word.&quot; He grins toothily. <br> <br>Cirra eyes Blair. It&#39;d take, one, maybe two spells to bring him down, but she&#39;s not going to fight someone hired by her current patron. She shrugs, frowning that her question went unanswered, as well as being called from Sweetwater. She&#39;s not, and doesn&#39;t really hold any of their traditions. She heads to the front, putting a hand on the hilt of her nimcha, preparing.<br> <br>Mindaugas is triply caught between the embarassment of being called out by this mountain of a being (even tall than his antlers), bristling at being lumped in with Sweetwater, and a deep-seated obedience to anyone designated the leader of a scouting expedition. Murmuring something about being Thera&#39;Doran and well-acquainted with mountaineering, he shifts and shuffles about, attempting to stand taller than he had before. Was that even possible? He already stood with proper posture, didn&#39;t he? Like the First Text says, &#39;A straight spine leads to a healthy mind.&#39; In short order, he marches stiffly to the front, checking over his medical supplies.<br> <br>Elise&#39;s ears perk straight up when she hears the leader&#39;s name. &quot;Blair, &quot;The Red Wall&quot; Buchanan?&quot; she asks, then looks around at the rest of the group, recognizing the colors of an elite, and famous squad of Cliffside soldiers, &quot;He&#39;s a legend!&quot; The kangaroo, turns to Cassidy. &quot;If you can excuse me, my lady,&quot; she says, then waits for the go ahead to hurry after Blair. The deer had been a young man the last time Fenris had passed through Cliffside, but word of his deeds had reached even the far flung lands that the road rider had been travelling through. &#39;Mister Buchanan,&quot; the kangaroo calls in a melodic alto, &quot;I just want to say that it really is an honor to be traveling with you!&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy raises her brow at Elise&#39;s reaction, chuckling softly as she takes up a spot next to Selena, brushing off her coat. &quot;How&#39;s the teaching been going, then? I really do admire the kind of dedication that must take. I don&#39;t think I&#39;d have what it takes to do it, really! I&#39;m good at -knowing- but not so much conveying what I know.&quot;<br> <br>Selena raises an eyebrow at the somewhat flippant response from Ridgewell. &quot;And we aren&#39;t paid to walk into something blind when you have information that could save or lose lives.&quot; The wolfess replies sternly. &quot;You&#39;d do well to remember that.&quot;
		+
		+	With a slight sigh, she pushes off of the caravan she was lying against, closing her book and putting it back into her bag. &quot;If you say so, Zuri.&quot; She replies, &quot;Better to be excited and alert than not.&quot;
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		+	Buchanan is given a brief appraisal from the wolfess, who maintains an unimpressed disposition somehow. &quot;I hope they&#39;re as well aware of those dangers as you supposedly are.&quot; She comments, moving to the front with Cassidy. &quot;... Legend or not, if they&#39;re worth that respect remains to be seen.&quot; She mutters to nobody in particular; &quot;It&#39;s been going well, though - as I mentioned - I had to bar a few students due to pressing me on political issues. Aparrently that I continue to demand the Wirefurs to publicly acknowledge and apologize for Eldric&#39;s actions and my view on Wirefurs that do not consider it an issue are still on the tongue of... Certain beings here. It&#39;s almost enough for me to suspect ulterior motives, but that&#39;s neither here nor there.&quot;<br> <br>Ridgewell acknowledges Selena&#39;s response with a grin, an infuriating one at that, before going back to his business. Blair on the other hand eyes the kangaroo standing in front of him, &quot;Thenkrif fer tat, lassie. But ye better get back ta yer group.&quot; He answers, giving Selena a raised eyebrow, before shaking his head as he walks back to his place in the caravan, or limping as seems to be the case.
		+
		+	In the front the group would see a robed sparrow being with two other &#39;Red Wall&#39; soldiers. Noticing the group, the sparrow waves for them, &quot;Ah, so you will be accompanying us? Good to know.&quot; He says, his accent for those who knows seems to be from the villages around the city of Cliffside, &quot;Anyway. . .&quot;he continues as he shows the group a map and begins pointing at points of interest, &quot;Mister Ridgewell is aiming to go to this location. And this map has been prepared quite recently for this purpose. We have sent a number of scouting groups before and the road is more or less clear, it is a harsh road but such is the mountains and highlands here.&quot; The sparrow says before letting out a sigh, &quot;Of course we have received a report yesterday that a certain group of brigands might have moved into the area around where we are heading. Of course that was yesterday, and we still have no idea if they moved to another location or not. We have already sent another vanguard ahead of us, and we will be following them now. Any questions or should we move on?&quot; the sparrow asks as he moves towards the gate, followed by the two soldiers.<br> <br>Zuri nods along with the sparrow&#39;s words. He smirks at the mention of brigands, the Salamander viewing that obstacle as a plus thanks to an unhealthy amount of bravado. &quot;If a scouting group has already gone ahead then we shouldn&#39;t expect too much resistance, for sure. Nothing we can&#39;t handle.&quot; He turns back to the group, scanning them to see whom among them will naturally take the role of group leader. Certainly not the little Salamander, too short statured and impulsive to command anyone&#39;s attention...<br> <br>The nurse shark nods a bit. Groups. She likes fighting groups. Chaos, confusion and oh the storms. She smiles a bit, showing maybe too much tooth. She shakes her head, mentally preparing herself for the road.<br> <br>Elise sighs and watches the old deer walk away. Hard to fathom that she was nearly twice his age. She turns and makes her way back to the others. &quot;I guess there is nothing for it but to see what happens,&quot; she smiles, laying a hand on Zuri&#39;s head, &quot;I am always up for some excitement!&quot; She sways off toward the wagons, nodding to the bird who briefed them and carefully wrapping thin linen cloth around her fingers and knuckles, just in case of a fight.<br> <br>Cassidy tugs her spelltome up and flips it open, leafing through some of the pages while she walks, nodding. &quot;No questions here. I am ready for whatever comes our way, and I&#39;m quite sure we&#39;ll be able to handle it.&quot; She sets after Elise, brow raised behind her mask. &quot;Everything in place? Think you&#39;re ready for this?&quot; She asks. She figures Elise will pick up on what she&#39;s getting at.<br> <br>The sparrow nods, &quot;Good, good.&quot; He says as he gestures for the group to follow. Soon the assembled beings are on the road towards the location they were shown on the map, beginning the to walk the path up the cold and rugged mountains around them, &quot;Do keep an eye out for anything.&quot; The sparrow said as he navigated throughout the mountain paths, the caravan moving a good distance behind the group.<br> <br>Zuri takes up position to the group&#39;s left, following close to Elise. He parts this coat, exposing the hilts of his weapons so they are quick at hand in case they are needed. The Salamander watches the group carefully, noting the positions they take up around the Sparrow that seems to have taken the group&#39;s leadership. He looks up at the &#39;roo being, smirking. &quot;I trust you to have my back, miss. You seem more than capable of punching the living daylights out of some brigands if they decide to show.&quot;<br> <br>Cirra barricades herself against the cold, focusing on the spell at her chest, which she decides to go ahead and cast, coating herself in dense granite. She hopes it will be adequate protection against any ambush, as the cold is distracting enough to counter her earlier bravado.<br> <br>His makeshift spear at the ready, Mindaugas falls in line behind Cirra, interested in catching her ear (figuratively speaking--who&#39;s ever heard of a shark with ears?).
		+	&quot;Parrdon, madam. I see you wearr the attirre of the Arranians. Arre you of theirr orderr, then?&quot; he asks stiffly, sounding just a bit too cold to be friendly.<br> <br>Elise laughs melodically at Cassidy&#39;s question, then gives a little hop and turns an aerial! Landing gracefully she continues to walk backward for a short distance. &quot;I think I will be alright,&quot; she says, &quot;Not all of my meditation is done sitting down, after all!&quot; She grins at her foxy friend. &quot;Thank you for all you&#39;ve done to help out,&quot; she says in a softer voice, &quot;I owe you a lot.&quot; The kangaroo unhooks the long bladed spear from its holster on her back and uses it as a walking stick as the walk gets steeper. &quot;Shame that Mister Buchanan didn&#39;t feel like talking,&quot; she chats amiably, &quot;He is quite the figure! Very impressive.&quot; The curvy roo probably does not even realize how that statement might be misinterpreted.<br> <br>Cassidy nods at Elise and smiles. &quot;I am glad you&#39;re confident, then! I&#39;ll be near to keep anything from happening, just in case.&quot; But not too near, as she shuffles a pace away from everyone to prepare a warding spell of her own. Quite a bit different, this one, though. No rocks or stone, but flickering embers and tiny orbs of fire to surround her.<br> <br>The narrow mountain path eventually opens up into a little open field with many outcroppings strewn about. The sparrow stops the group and shakes his head, &quot;A perfect place for an ambush.&quot; The sparrow says.
		+
		+	The group does seem to notice a couple of sentries sitting on a nearby cliff, thankfully facing away from the group, &quot;Hmmm, looks like we got our brigands.&quot; He adds with a tap of his chin.<br> <br>Zuri slinks back to the edge of the group as the conversation drifts away again. He perks up as his surroundings catch his attention, the Salamander coming to a halt as their avian leader commands him to. &quot;Mmm..&quot; He draws his twin blades and peers around carefully, his very long tail flicking side to side as he appreciates the scene. &quot;Mm.. two.. no, three of them.&quot; He focuses for a moment, studying the shadows upon the cliffside. &quot;There&#39;s a path leading up there too, off the side. I think we could possibly flank them, catch them by surprise.&quot; He motions to the cliff with the hilt of one of his daggers. &quot;That path is heavily trodden too.. maybe there&#39;s more of them back there?&quot; He turns to the Sparrow, and then to Elise, unsure how to proceed.<br> <br>Cirra nods to Zuri. Unfortunately, she doesn&#39;t have any spells that are solely for knocking out. She does draw her sword, a sabre-like Nimcha, and prepares for battle, looking to Cassidy for better ideas or where to go.<br> <br>&quot;Arre...we surre these are brigands?&quot; Mindaugas mutters to the Sparrow. &quot;The First Text condemns violence forr its own sake and unnecessarry bloodshed. Can we not parrley with them, orr show we have the forrce to subdue them?&quot; Despite his size and demeanor,  the giant Moose almost seems nervous...<br> <br>Elise looks over the valley and up at the sentries. &quot;I suppose I could go out there and give them something to look at,&quot; she offers, &quot;keep them distracted. But then they might raise an alarm.&quot; The kangaroo pads over toward the cliff face, moving close to the rock to conceal herself from the sentries above, keeping a wary eye out to the meadow side. She rolls her eyes at Mindaugus as she goes. &quot;It will be fine,&quot; she murmurs.<br> <br>Cassidy looks up at the sentries and hums, nodding. &quot;Could sneak up on them,&quot; she says, patting her coat. &quot;I&#39;ve got my sleeping powder on me, and I can move silently. Unless they have eyes on the ground looking up, I can probably fly up around and get them from behind.&quot;<br> <br>The sparrow raises an eyebrow at the moose, &quot;We know what we are talking about. Those brigands have been stealing from nearby villages for over a month now. We don&#39;t want to kill them, but now that the opportunity presents itself, then we can take it.&quot; He answers before looking around.
		+
		+	The sentries remain unaware of the group, idly watching, apparently not expecting anyone. The group is still in a position to sneak upon them if they stick to the cliff, but one wrong move and they might alarm the sentries.<br> <br>Zuri nods. &quot;Plan. Let&#39;s take them.&quot; He slinks up the path towards the bandits alongside Elise, while simultaneously willing his colourful, bioluminescent patterns to dim down. The salamander would stay low to the ground to exploit his short stature, and when given the opportunity charge at one of the brigands with his twinned weapons, preferably at the same time as Elise to better benefit from the element of surprise.<br> <br>Cirra nods, following a safe distance behind cassidy. She&#39;s not good at stealth, but if a fight breaks out she&#39;d be close enough to join the fray. She activates the magic on her sword, preparing for a strike.<br> <br>Mindaugas shrugs off the rolled eyes and ridiculing glances of others, but hesitation and indecision enter his mein. Aldermanns are no mercenaries, to be bought off for a cheap buck, but he did agree to follow these orders--and he really didn&#39;t want to be chewed out by that gigantic hart again.
		+	After a moment of thinking it over, he nods. &quot;I will seek to subdue and arrrest, not kill. I implorre the rrest of you folk to do the same--we arre Beings that tame the wilds with law, not brrute crreaturres to rrule through blood,&quot; he urges quietly--though tellingly, he shows no interest in taking point in the ambush...<br> <br>Fenris moves quickly and quietly on her wide paws, pointing a finger and raising a brow when he sees the narrow incline, then proceeding along at a steady lope. She has gotten much more used to her feminine form since that first day of stumbling and hip bumping. Soon, the sentries should be in sight. She gets ready for Cassidy to make her move.<br> <br>Seeing as her offer for a stealth approach was not taken, Cassidy shrugs and wanders with the others. She lingers back, ready to light things up if they get hairy. With luck, they won&#39;t, but she was starting to doubt it at this point.<br> <br>Fenris and Zuri walk up the incline, and Cassidy following behind them. Sadly Fenris&#39;s wide legs accidently hit a small stone, making it fall and hit a larger rock and emitting a slightly loud sound, enough for the idling sentry to notice it and move towards the incline to investigate.
		+
		+	Down in the empty area near the cliff, the sparrow and his two soldier companions stare at the group as they work, before the sparrow signals to one of the soldiers to warn the caravan. &quot;So you two are support or some such?&quot; he asks Mindaugas and Cirra with a smirk, &quot;But yes keep them alive. I would rather not be the one to mention to Mister Ridgewell that his sellswords have killed a group of outlaws without an authorization.&quot;<br> <br>Zuri frowns at the sudden sound, but rather than stop his plan or blame his companion he improvises. The small salamander quickly steps forward and takes cover behind a rocky outcropping, ready to ambush the bandit as soon as he crosses his hiding place, or spots Elise.<br> <br>Cirra signs to the Sparrow. &lt;In a sense. More like siege engine support or cavalry. I come once the fighting has broken out to turn a tide of battle.&gt; She smiles. If the sparrow had any knowledge of magic, as well as a little mathematical aptitude (yes, Cirra writes her kevinoscopes in polar coordinates) he&#39;d be able to tell the power contained in her gloves.<br> <br>Disregarding the jibe, Mindaugas nods slowly. &quot;Aye. My practice is more in mending wounds and surviving the wilds, rather than...,&quot; Mindaugas pauses for a moment, &quot;...military tactics,&quot; he finishes as diplomatically as he can.<br> <br>Fenris, er Elise bites her lip and holds her breath for a moment as the stone tumbles away noisily. Realizing that there is no time to waste, she pads further up the incline, hoping to be in position to still catch the sentry off guard before he can sound the alarm.<br> <br>Cassidy reaches out to tap Elise on the shoulder, putting a finger to the painted on smile of her mask. She lifts a gloved hand and dips it into her coat, withdrawing a small black pouch. Pulling it open, she dumps some of the sleeping powder into the palm of her hand before curling her fingers lightly around it.<br> <br>The sentry arrives towards the incline, the wolf being looking around with a raised eyebrow as he notices nothing strange. With a shrug, he waves towards the other two before going back up towards his position.<br> <br>Cirra remains below, not really good at stealth, but if she needs to join the fray she will. if the sparrow doesn&#39;t understand her signing, she&#39;s not exactly in a position where her chalkboard would be helpful. Though her armor probably does have active magic signatures on it, as well as the formulae writting in several locations: the back of each hand, the pendant on her neck and  along the hilt of her swords.<br> <br>Elise nods to Cassidy, getting the message. The curvaceous Kangaroo slips from her hiding place to get closer, but one of her wide paws hits a patch of gravels, sending her skidding and crashing to her thick rump with a loud scraping noise!<br> <br>Cassidy stares at Elise as she falls, bringing her other hand up and pressing it against her face. &quot;And you said you were prepared,&quot; she murmurs teasingly before starting up the incline herself. Figuring that the noise might attract attention again, she stands right near the top, powder ready to greet anyone that might come investigating.<br> <br>Zuri stalks further up the path, the small salamander keeping a low profile as he seeks to flank the sentry and catch him off guard. He reverses the grip on his right hand side dagger with a little twirl. The blade is small, really, barely a paring knife by the standards of taller beings. He studies his target for just a moment when he hears Elise slip on gravel. Knowing that this could be it he walks around to the other side of the boulder and prepares to dash to the third sentry if he spots Elise, already planning an attack to disable him if he makes a move towards her.<br> <br>After Elise&#39;s rather embarrassing blunder, the wolf turns around to spot a curvy kangaroo sitting on her rump in front of the incline. The wolf tilts his head with confusion, quickly turning around and motioning to the other two sentries, before moving towards Elise, &quot;What exactly are ye doing her, missie?&quot; the wolf asks with a growl. Moving closer to Elise, the wolf has no time to react as Zuri jumps on him and strikes him in his calf, with Cassidy&#39;s own powder ensuring that the wolf is too lethargic to manage a scream. The wolf slumps down in front of the smaller salamander and the kangaroo. On the distance his two fellows could be spotted coming closer, thankfully a boulder is blocking their vision proper but they will notice their mate in merely a matter of a minute.
		+
		+	Down near the cliff, the sparrow notices the sentries moving away, &quot;Looks like your friends have done their job, hopefully.&quot; He says before he motions to the soldier near him and pointing upwards, &quot;Well let us move towards their aid then.&quot; He tells the shark and the moose. &quot;So, in Shralesta you guys keep your enchantments clearly visible to anyone to see, eh?&quot;  the sparrow asks with a little chuckle, &quot;Sounds like a good way to give your enemy an advantage if they know mathemagic.&quot;<br> <br>Deeper into the cliff the brigand&#39;s camp is obviously noticeable with a number of tents, but right now is not a good time to study the camp while two other guards are moving in.<br> <br>Cirra smirks as the sparrow makes a rather astute, though wrong observation. Cirra typically keeps them hidden from view, and the fact that they are in polar coordinates should be a good enough deterrent to keep and enemy from drawing them or understanding them. Not to mention, it&#39;s more of a threat, considering what she&#39;s packing, she shrugs a bit as she follows the sparrow up the mountain. It&#39;s not like she has anything like a rival or someone who would want her specifically dead.<br> <br>Elise snorts and rolls quickly to her feet. &quot;Shush you,&quot; she hisses, but it is through a bit of a smile. She nods at the approaching sentries and hooks the fallen soldier under the armpits, dragging him up behind the nearby boulder. The kangaroo stretches her neck and shakes out her shoulders, ready for a fight.<br> <br>Cassidy folds her hands behind her bag and stands straight, waiting. She had no reason to act, yet, and with luck they&#39;d either pass right by the boulder without looking at her, or they&#39;d be startled by her appearance.<br> <br>Zuri finishes his quick attack by pressing himself down onto the fallen sentry, quickly assessing the wolf has been downed by the combination of his attack and the numbing powder. He sees Elise dash over and grab the wolf to carry him back, and he helps as best as he can by gripping one of the wolf&#39;s limbs and dashing back behind the boulder. He&#39;s panting tiredly as he arrives at the save place, giving Cassidy a mischievous grin and a thumbs up. &quot;Good show, that.&quot; He turns to Elise, smiles at her, and returns to his position behind the far end of the boulder, waiting for the group&#39;s next move, or for a chance to pounce.<br> <br>The second group is already in the middle of the incline as the two other sentries arrive on the scene, closing in on the boulders, &quot;Where is that bastard, Johnny.&quot; Says a badger being as he shakes his head, &quot;That wolf and his pranks.&quot; He says with a grunt. The other being, a red squirrel lets out a hmm and points at the ground, &quot;Isn&#39;t that blood?&quot; he says as he moves closer with the badger.<br> <br>Cirra taps the Sparrow on the shoulder, tryign to get him to notice that the others seem to be hiding still, and that it might not be a good idea to head up to the camp just yet.<br> <br>&quot;Good enough,&quot; Elise mutters, then spins into action! The kangaroo leaps from hiding to land lightly on one wide paw. She spins hard in a dizzying piriouette to lash out at the nearest guard with her thick, powerful tail.<br> <br>Cassidy raises her brow as Elise leaps into action. She starts to move forward, but reconsiders and turns around to move around the other side of the boulder, if she can. She&#39;ll take the sentries from behind, if Fenris and Zuri don&#39;t deal with them first.<br> <br>Zuri watches as Elise darts off and leaps so acrobatically at one of the guards. Taking advantage of the massive distraction presented by an enormous spinning kanga-being, he darts out of his hiding place towards the other guard, low to the ground. Hopefully, with the guard distracted it will be easy to flank him and drive a blade into knee, again seeking to disable him from causing further harm to anyone rather than going for a straight kill.<br> <br>As the guards move closer, Elise jumps acrobatically and swings her tail at the two guards, hitting the squirrel and knocking him on the ground, but the badger manages to dodge her attack, ducking under the tail just in time to see Zuri attacking and aiming at his leg, &quot;Bastards.&quot; The badger mutters as he parries Zuri&#39;s blade with his spear before raising it and bringing it down at Zuri screaming, &quot;INTRUDERS!&quot; as he does so. Luckily with Zuri&#39;s fast reflexes he manages to dodge the badger.
		+
		+	There is noticeable movements in the camp as the brigands begin arming themselves and jumping to the aid of their ally. Two brigands with muskets can already be seen moving closer in to snipe at the group. The sparrow sighs as he hears the scream, &quot;Well here goes surprise.&quot; He mutters as the second group reaches the incline, &quot;Well Carl time to get our hands dirty.&quot; He says as the kilted soldier next to him brandishes his claymore and moves in to attack.<br> <br>Cirra, noticing the action going on nearby, pauses, watches the battlefield about to unfold before unleashing a powerful hailstorm upon her foes. It&#39;s not for no reason she is called Cirra Stormborn.<br> <br>Elise snaps a hard kick at the badger&#39;s chin. If there was one good thing that had come from all this, it was those powerful legs! &quot;I guess I&#39;m just not equipped for stealth, Cassidy,&quot; she admits as the fox comes around the other side of the boulder, &quot;But I can certainly do action!&quot; She spins her own spear in her hands, ready for a fight!<br> <br>&quot;That&#39;s why I prefer to engage in my stealth alone,&quot; Cassidy says, drawing her rapier and trying to smack the badger in the back of the head with the pommel from behind. &quot;Boo.&quot; She glances over her shoulder at the forming storm, ears perked aside her hat.<br> <br>Zuri narrowly avoids the blow, feeling the spear tug at and rip the hem of his jacket. He twirls around to face the guard again, squinting and flipping his daggers to a defensive grip. With all surprise lost, he has to fight dirtier. The salamander dances to the side, twirling with his tail as a distraction while aiming for the guard&#39;s thigh, a stab intended to puncture deep and bleed strongly.<br> <br>The badger grunts as he tries to shift his body to block the kangaroo&#39;s kick but too late, the hit striking him up his chin, sending him tilting backwards to which Cassidy ever-so-kindly reserves by hitting him square onto his head and sending him collapsing forward, good thing he was wearing a helmet or that hit might have done more than knock him out. Zuri, perhaps out of mercy or kindness decides to NOT stab the downed badger.
		+
		+	Cirra&#39;s storm manages to catch the two musketmen, locking them inside the storm, getting pelted by the ice shards as they try to get out. IN but a couple of seconds, three other brigands circumnavigate the storm and charge the group, following behind them a robed raven who utters some sort of incantation and gestures towards the short salamander, quite suddenly sickle shaped zephyrs head towards the salamander, who luckily manages to avoid them, only barely so.<br> <br>Cirra leaves the storm to take care of the two men inside it, drawing her blade and hoping to cross the battlefield in order to meet the mage in combat. She hopes her high speed and a boost of wind will help her catch up to him in order to prevent him from casting another spell.<br> <br>Elise charges toward the approaching brigands, laughing and whooping! &quot;It has been too long!&quot; she cries out as she leaps into the air, long bladed spear whistling as it spins. Fenris&#39;s first Freesword mission when he arrived in Firmament had been fighting bandits like this. It was almost nostalgic!<br> <br>Cassidy rubs her chin, taking stock of the battle field. She contemplates taking out that mage, but opts not to spoil  Cirra&#39;s fun. Instead, she singles out one of the poor charging brigands and sighs. She wanted someone with more... Bravado. A snap of her fingers, and she tries to pinpoint the moving brigand with a flash of lightning from the heavens. A large one.<br> <br>Zuri steps back away from the falling badger, returning his daggers to a forward grip and smirking down at the being. &quot;You put up a good fight..&quot; He turns around, and his eyes widen as he sees the incoming projectile attack. He barely has the time to utter a rather rude curse before he ducks to the ground, the attack overshooting him narrowly. He stands back up, still wide eyed. &quot;That was close!&quot; He watches his companions dart off, and picks up speed after them, daggers at the ready. Again taking advantage of the imposing kanga-being as a distraction, he slides off to the side and leaps acrobatically, twirling in the air to lash at a guard&#39;s arm with one of his blades.<br> <br>Elise strikes like lightning from above! Her spear&#39;s long, leaf shaped blade flashing in the light of the sun as it descends on the unfortunate bandit! Doubtless he sees his life flash before his eyes as the blad slashes down. . . and neatly slices through his belt, dropping his trousers around his ankles. The poor slob looks up just in time to look puzzled as the but of the kangaroo&#39;s spear jerks back up, sending him reeling backward to trip over his own downed clothes.<br> <br>And the combat begins! Cirra manages to weave her way through the brigands and reach the mage, who greets her with another cutting winds spell. The shark attempts to dodge the attack, but it manages to hit her square in the chest, thankfully her calcified flesh spell manages to absorb the attack before crumbling down around her.
		+
		+	One of the unlucky bandits can only manage to look in surprise as a thunderbolt descends upon him from the heavens, frying him to a crisp, an almost unnatural scream booming from him before he falls on the ground, dead and smelling of ozone with small sparks of electricity jumping on his metal weapon. Zuri&#39;s target does not fare any better, well he does in a way, as the nimble salamander manages to cut a gashing wound in his target&#39;s arms who attempts to strike at the salamander with his sword in retaliation, which Zuri dodges swiftly. Noticing his two other allies have fallen, the brigand simply drops his swords and grabs his wound before scowling at Zuri, &quot;You win you little scamp, I surrender.&quot; He mutters.<br> <br>Cirra winces as her protection is eroded by the sharp winds of her opponent. She has her own advantage, and that is the blade she swings across at him, aiming for a quick, decisive blow. She brings it down on him cutting his armor cleanly.<br> <br>Seeing Cirra engaging the troublesome mage face to face, Elise puts a heavy paw on the chest of her own fallen foe and pulls a boomerang, of all things, from her belt. The kangaroo, lines up and flings the weapon, hoping to brain the raven, or at least give the shark an opening.<br> <br>With her foe down and the rest following suit, Cass is content to remain on standby. She keeps an eye on the one that surrendered, though, adjusting her hat with her free hand. &quot;Seems like you&#39;re the smart one.&quot;<br> <br>Zuri twirls his daggers in his hands, smirking at the brigand. He nods at him. &quot;Good choice my fellow being. Bitter&#39;s kiss is much nastier than his twin brother&#39;s, eh?&quot; The salamander is referring to one of his daggers, the one held in his offhand.. not that anyone would know this, but he doesn&#39;t explain it any further. He looks sideways at the still resisting brigand, quirking an eyebrow. &quot;Better tell your friend to surrender, before..&quot; He glances briefly to the side, at his companions as they ready another flurry of attacks. &quot;Actually, too late for him I imagine..&quot; He looks up at Cassidy and nods at her. <br> <br>The raven mage tries to dodge Cirra&#39;s attack but the shark manages to strike him anyway, cutting through his leather armor and leaving a rather nasty wound on his chest. The raven lets out a squawk of pain before being hit by a boomerang that knocks him out on the floor, unconscious from the looks of it., the boomerang returning back to the kangaroo soon after.
		+
		+	The sound of footsteps can be heard from the incline as a squad of Red Wall soldiers arrive on the scene with a puffin being clad in a dark red and green kilt, signifying another officer, &quot;Ah, I see that ye &#39;ve gotten ta bastards. Get back to ta caravan will ye.&quot; He adds as he motions for his squad to move in, &quot;Me lads will get ta bastards back to Braevales.&quot; He adds before moving in. Looks like the only thing the group can do now is return back to the caravan and continue their journey.<br> <br>Cirra grins a bit, Glad she doesn&#39;t have to follow up with another wound. She smiles back to the Kangaroo. &lt;Thank you, Elise.&gt; She returns to the group, adrenalin fading from her body as she slows her breathing, magic deactivating as she looks to lean on Cassidy for support.<br> <br>Elise nods, tucking her weapons back into their holsters. &quot;Sorry to spoil the surprise,&quot; she says, long ears folding back,&quot; I really just don&#39;t kniw what to do with these things sometimes!&quot; She stomps her wide paws and shoots a quick grin to Cirra. &quot;No problem at all, Sweetheart,&quot; she says before turning back to the incline and swaying away. &quot;Last one to the caravan is a Cackle&#39;s Egg!&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy bows her head and turns about face, wandering back towards the caravan. &quot;Shame to have to kill that one. I might have to see about a lower-tuning version for adequate stunning, instead of lethality...&quot;<br> <br>Zuri looks around at the group as they all start heading back to the caravan. He follows along, sprinting after them to keep up with the much taller beings and their much larger paces. His blades are quickly sheathed and cloak tightened back up again. A proper gentlebeing should always be presentable, after all!<br> <br>The group moves back towards their forward scouting position with the sparrow and the two soldiers. They walk for nearly an hour more throughout the treacherous paths between the highlands and the mountains of western Cliffside. The group reaches a certain widening path between two mountains that curves slightly to the east, the sparrow sending one of the soldiers to quickly scout the frontal regions as the group slowly marched.
		+
		+	Soon enough, the soldiers returned and nodded his head towards the sparrow, &quot;Ta thing ta Aeneanas wanted, I think we found it.&quot; He said with a nod. The sparrow widens his eyes, &quot;Then what are you waiting for?! Go with Carl and inform Mister Ridgewell at once!&quot; the sparrow said in a rather excited tone before motioning to the group, &quot;Well ladies and gents, our prize is within reach.&quot; He said with a grin on his beak, &quot;Shall we move on?&quot; the sparrow added while motioning towards the curved path as the two soldiers darted off towards the caravan.<br> <br>Cirra blinks at the curved path, but is glad for the hour of only marching she had to do, as it gave her body a little time to recover after the battle. She nods a bit, ready to head up the path, though uncertain what lies ahead.<br> <br>&quot;Ready for anything!&quot; Elise says happily. She had enjoyed that fight! Well her bits anyway. The cooked being was undesirable, and she intended to talk to Cassidy about it sometime. &quot;What are we looking for?&quot; she asks.<br> <br>Cassidy rubs at the back of her head with her gloved hands, nodding. &quot;Well, if we&#39;re here, we might as well be ready and get a move on, hm? I&#39;d like to be back home before -too- long!&quot;<br> <br>Zuri follows along with the group, staying quiet without much else to add. He rubs at the ripped hem of his jacket, the little souvenir left by the spear-wielding brigand. &quot;This will need to be fixed the second we&#39;re back in Sweetwater..&quot;<br> <br>Having patched up those who needed it, Mindaugas casts his cold glare at Cassidy. He was pleased (as much as he ever is) that the majority of them had managed to maintain their civility and keep from overdoing it, but she seemed rather cavalier about the death she had caused.
		+	&quot;May the rrest of the jourrney be in peace, then,&quot; he declares solemnly to nobody in particular, before resting a large hand on Zuri&#39;s shoulder. &quot;I am no tailorr, but on the trrip home, I can mend it if it you wish. Must be easierr than stitching up beings, no?&quot; he asks in a tone that almost suggests a dark-humoured jest, though it&#39;s hard to read his deadpan tone and seemingly permanent frown...<br> <br>Waves the inquisitive members off, &quot;You will see once we get there , you should feel honoured really.&quot; The sparrow says as he continues his march with the group, not twenty minutes later do the group finally spot at the distance what looks like a rather imposing, yet ruined gate, one of its imposing doors lying on the ground while the other massive door is dented and strewn wide open, and white walls. Standing at almost twenty foot tall from one side of the passage to the other side, one would assume that behind that imposing gate is a city, and one could spot the outlines of a city from this distance as well.
		+
		+	As the group gets nearer, the markings and architecture of the walls and gate become clearer, obviously not made by beings at all, &quot;An ancients city. . . &quot; the sparrow simply says as he continues walking towards the city, &quot;A scouting party discovered it a couple of weeks ago, amazing that it remained hidden here no?&quot; he says with a smirk.<br> <br>Cirra gazes upon it in awe, curious that such a large structure is both seemingly uninhabited and in remarkably good condition (to her) for its age. She nods to the sparrow, curious if she&#39;s going to be needed for more, or if this is whereshe gets her pay.<br> <br>Cassidy raises her brow at the sight, settling her hands on her hips. &quot;Well now. This is certainly not what I was expecting to find. Quite impressive! The scouts must be proud... And were hansomely paid, I hope!&quot;<br> <br>Fenris is frozen as she stares. &quot;Yes!&quot; she breathes.<br> <br>Zuri nods at the moose. &quot;I&#39;d greatly appreciate the favour, my good being. Can&#39;t be going back to Sweetwater in this state, hm?&quot; His chuckle in interrupted by the introduction of the ruins, which draws an impressed whistle from him. &quot;Well, now that&#39;s something alright..&quot; He glances around the group, noting their reactions.<br> <br>Mindaugas scratches his chin in contemplation, his tone warming up somewhat. &quot;Imprressive indeed. Such a society, tucked away...will we be explorring these rruins as parrt of ourr duty?&quot; he asks, an edge of eager curiosity to his voice. This was the sort of thing he&#39;d been training and studying for: scouting, exploring, reporting back to the Church...seems he had chosen well to join this mission after all! <br> <br>As the group gets nearer to the gates, the sound of a cart can be heard behind them, looks like Ridgewell came here as fast as he could. Within a minute the cart has stopped next to the group, with Ridgewell getting off the cart, eyeing the group, &quot;Ah, perfect. I knew those scouts were not making things up.&quot; The pudgy jasmine said with a grin, as more beings disembarked off the cart and headed directly towards the ruins, clad in robes and having a scholarly air around them.
		+
		+	Ridgewell gets motions for a soldier who brings him a number of pouches, &quot;You did a good job Freeswords, and for that you deserve your payment.&quot; He said with a grin, &quot;Three hundred crowns for each one of you, and a Sweetwater coinage to ensure that you don&#39;t get any weird looks back where you came from.&quot; He adds in a jovial voice, &quot;Don&#39;t worry there is cart will return you back to the city where you can go back to Sweetwater or wherever you want to go.&quot; He adds before turning around and heading towards the ruins himself, &quot;Your services are no longer needed.&quot; The final statement comments, slightly more stern and with an air of finality to it, well looks like the jasmine here is not going to let a group of sellswords into a new archeological site. A pity as one can already peek at the magnificent ruins inside the city, noticeable even now is the head of Shaila, the spirit of family and fertility, thrown near the gate, the giant figure must have been part of the gate&#39;s adornments before it was destroyed.<br> <br>Cirra nods, looking over the statue and Signing to Ridgewell. &lt;I will return, and I will find out what is here. This is seriously making me itch jsut looking at it.&gt;<br> <br>Zuri spares one quick look at the ruins. He&#39;s not much of one for history and archeology, but even he can recognize something fascinating about this place. Still, his work here is done, and he collects his payment with a smile. &quot;Pleasure doing business, Mister Ridgewell. Do send word if you need of us again, we&#39;d be more than happy to assist!&quot; He pockets his share and returns to the caravan, already eager to return home.<br> <br>Mindaugas<br> <br>Mindaugas&#39;s drooping face falls at this sudden dismissal...though it&#39;s a bit hard to tell, given his usual appearance. He nods in accepting his pay, proffering another heavy handshake to Ridgewell. &quot;It was a pleasurre to be of your assistance, Misterr Rridgewell, and if I may be of assistance as a scout orr Churrcch liasion, I am at yourr serrvice.&quot; That said, the Moose turns reluctantly to head back to the ship--but since he has no contacts in Cliffside, he&#39;ll have to wait for response back in Sweetwater...<br> <br>Cassidy tilts her head and frowns behind her mask. &quot;Yes, I think I&#39;ll be with you, Cirra. I definitely want to see what&#39;s in there, one way or another. We&#39;ll come back sometime. For now, I want to get home,&quot; she says, turning to wander back towards the caravan.<br> <br>Ridgewell does not even bother to look back or answer Cassidy&#39;s and Cirra&#39;s complaints, but continues on his way towards the ruins. The rest of the caravan is already starting to arrive, unloading supplies and even beginning the set-up of tents and other necessary structures for a camp.  The Red Wall soldiers are already taking up positions around the ruins, a squad moving inside to clear out any possible pests. As the group load up in the caravan, they can notice the same treatment happening to the rest of the mercenaries, all of them being handed their payment and sent on their way. After three hours or so of a rather dull journey, the cart arrives back towards Braevales, leaving the beings to their own devices of whether going back towards Sweetwater or staying here.[[Category:RPLogs]]

---

Latest revision as of 03:46, 1 March 2015

Participants

• Cassidy
• Cirra
• Fenris
• Mindaugas
• Rokarion
• Zuri

Date

28/2/478

Log

The airship departs from Firmament and begins its long journey towards Cliffside, however the airship won't be anchoring down in the city of Cliffside, thought its long marvelous spires could be spotted as the airship passes near it. Eventually, the airship would reach the western regions of Cliffside, cold and dreary weather coupled with mountains upon mountains and scarcely any settlement that could be spotted.

The airship would eventually reach its destination a relatively large settlement, situated on a slightly raised valley leading down towards ocean, and named Braevales, for Cliffsiders and students of geography they would most likely recognize this major settlement of Cliffside the biggest one situated on the western side of the country and dealing mainly with fishing around the western coast as well as mining operations in the surrounding mountains. While the city can't be compared to the jewel of the Sweetwater, Firmament, or the proud city of Cliffside it is by no means a small town and there is a degree of Cliffside elegance to it.

The airship would release its occupants and cargo on a situated landing pad on the outskirts of the city, and luckily for our adventurers there appears to be a large number of beings and carts near to the gate, with a slightly pudgy jasmine being ordering people around, looks like that caravan is the one who will be going on this expedition.

Zuri spent most of the trip leaning precariously off the airship's side railing, enjoying the sights, open air, and dizzying heights. The small salamander being almost seems sad the trip is over, groaning as he grabs his supplies, tugs on his cloak and heads towards the ramp and out to the landing pad. Still a bit lost and awestruck by the sights, he seems content to look around like a lost tourist while the majority of the passengers are still disembarking.

Cirra had spent the trip reviewing the dance-like forms of her martial art, creating, quick, though elegant motions with her nimcha. At the landing pad she shrugs, though smiles a bit to herself, gladd she's not heading to the main city. That would raise some awkward questions. She hugs her robes closer about herself, curious what this adventure will bring.

Something nearly resembling a smile manages to crack the muzzle of Mindaugas as he catches sight of the mountains they'll be journeying to. Admittedly, he had wanted to see if the heathens in Cliffside were any better than the ones Sweetwater, but there would be time for that later. And even though the mountains weren't as high and imperious as the ones that sheltered Thera'Dor, it still felt like a more familiar territory. Pulling his fur-lined vestments tightly around him, he slips into the stream of departing passengers, attempting to disembark with a minimum of budging and shoving, despite his size.

Fenris spent most of the trip here in quiet meditation, that and trying to convince his chaperone that this was not a phenominally bad idea. The liger turned curvaceous kangaroo had become quite comfortable in his new body. He had even almost come to grips with being a she! Elise, as she has chosen to call herself, sways gracefully down the gangplank to where the group is gathered. "Adventure calls?" she asks in a melodic alto, "I assume that we are here to talk with the flower?" She stretches her arms and shrugs her shoulders in her new clothes. She felt like they quite suited her. More than the dresses that Cassidy had been dressing her up in anyway.

While she was almost reluctant to leave again not so long after arriving home in the first place, Cassidy wanted a bit of adventure! And she was going to have it. Dressed up in a pair of black slacks, a grey vest, and a red silk tie all under a black greatcoat, she was certainly sure to be warm, no matter the weather. And stylish. The fennec adjusts her mask as she steps off the airship with Elise, intent on making sure the kangaroo's story would hold, if she ended up in a bind. She wasn't concerned, though. They had already proven to be good at disguises anyway. "I wonder what today will have in store!" Rapier secured, and spell tome at her hip, she gives a wave to the only other one she recognizes right away. Cirra!

Despite an absence from the airship itself, Selena makes an appearance nevertheless, approaching the caravan from Braevales proper, her bag fairly full from the looks of it - some books or other objects making visible creases in the material.

Noticing Cassidy and the rest of the gathered freeswords in the area, she offers a wave and smile to the group. "Cassidy, what brings you all the way out here? It's a bit far from home." She observes, settling back against the wagon. "Though I suppose you could ask me the same question."

As the group got out of the airship and started getting their bearings, the cargo of the ship itself began being unloaded. One of the first things the beings gathered here would notice is the rather interesting attire the people around here seem to be sporting, noticeably unlike that of the rest of Cliffside. Looks like the men here have forsaken there trousers for heavy and warm looking. . .'skirts'.

Meanwhile back at the convoy, the heavyset jasmine continued organizing his caravan, stopping for a moment to speak with another jasmine being clad in a priest's garb, a machine priest from the looks of it, exchanging a few words before hastily departing again. Finally noticing the new arrivals, the pudgy jasmine turns around and waves towards the beings approaching him.

Zuri gets the quick bit of exploration out of his system, having poked around the small area to his heart's content by the time he realises most of the passengers are clearing out, apart from a rather interesting looking Jasmine and a few stragglers. The short-statured Salamander straightens his jacket and heads in the being's direction, waving back at him. "Greetings!" He shouts as he approaches, putting on a bright smile. "I assume you're the being I'm supposed to meet then?" He stops a few steps away from the Jasmine, having to tilt his head up to maintain eye contact.

The nurse shark waves to Cassidy, intrigued by Cassidy's new partner. <Who is the lady with the hips?> She signs to the fennec as she approaches the caravan. She herself draws her robes closer, glad that her oilskin Jacket and creator wetsuit would protect her from the worst of the cold. She waves to the Jasmine, tilting her head. She signs to him, though might be reliant on Cassidy or someone else for interpreting her own words, as she still can listen.

Elise winks at Cirra, moving a lock of hair away from her face with a toss of her head. "Call me Elise," she says, "I am Lady Solacious's attendant for this trip." The kangaroo stays near Cassidy, swaying over toward the Jasmine who seems to be in charge. "That will be Mister Aeneanas," she says, watching Rokarion hurry off with interest. She had not realized that the Jasmine had left Firmament!

"Hello, Selean," Cassidy offers with a tip of her hat. "I'm a little surprised to see you here, myself. I was just looking for a bit of adventure! And I saw a notice for this job, so... Here I am," she says before looking towards Cirra. "This is Elise, she's a friend. And one of my new staff in training." She tips her head towards the kangaroo. "As she said, yes."

Spotting their contact, Mindaugas splits away from stream of passengers and makes his way to the fat Flower being, that near-smile drooping once more into his moosely moue. "Misterr Aeneanas?" he asks coolly, awaiting an affirmative response. At the nod in response, he reaches large, meaty hand out towards the man--slowly, not threateningly, but firmly enough to impart assurance--textbook First Text handshake material, if he said so himself. "Mindaugas Alderrmann."

Selena smiles back to Cassidy and her 'attendant'. "Eloping with another woman? How does Natska feel about that?" She quips, offering out a hand to the Kangaroo. "A pleasure to meet you, Elise."

After her handshake is accepted or declined, she pulls out a small book from her bag, thumbing through some of the pages and sighing quietly. "I've been hosting a course at one of the colleges here on invitation." she replies after a few moments of consideration. "Though I'm here because I could do with a bit of excitement as opposed to staying indoors for another half of a year - at least, it feels that long."

Mindaugas's arrival is met with a half-wave, though she soon turns back to the familiar face and familiar face in unfamiliar 'clothing'. "I've had to bar a few students from my class already for pressing me on... Political opinions. It's a shame, too, they were bright beings."

The thickset jasmine smiles on the gathered beings, clad in grey robes with minimal ornaments; however, the badge of the growing clan as well as a little heraldry badge could be seen on his right breast. After finishing shaking hands with Mindaugas, Ridgewell coughs to gather the attention of the beings around him, "Ah, welcome welcome, Freeswords. " he says in a sweet, confident voice. "I see you have received one of my advertisements? To be honest with you, I was not expecting beings from Sweetwater or Thera'Dor! Especially here in the western regions of Cliffside." He said with an amused smile.

With a gesture of his hand, Ridgewell begins walking towards the caravan, hoping that the gathered beings would follow, "Anyway, you are here for the job, not sightseeing I assume. Things are simple; I require some able hands to protect this expedition of mine into the mountains that you see in front of you. I will pay you handsomely and you don't need to worry as I have hired more sell-swords and I even have the support of a the soldiery of Cliffside too." The middle-aged jasmine says as he points towards a group of Cliffside soldiers, clad in the skirts as well as their armaments looks like those are native soldiers.

Ridgewell then stops near the caravan and grins once more, "You will be moving in the front and act as the vanguard, you know clear out threats or warn us about it to make the journey easier for the caravan. Any questions?" he asks, a hospitable grin still on his face.

Zuri looks around at the group. The Salamander keeps his bright smile as each of the other beings introduces themselves in turn. "Good to meet you!" He says to the group in general, quite used to not being noticed right away given his stature. "I'm Zuri, and uh.." he pauses, letting the other beings talk, as obviously they are mostly familiar with each other. ".. it's nice to meet you all!" He speaks up, but clears his throat as Ridgewell starts talking. He nods along with the Jasmine's words, and follows along when bidden. He smiles brightly at Ridgewell once the explanation finishes. "Scout for the caravan, clear a path. Easy enough mister Ridgewell, nothing we haven't done before. Am I right?" The short Salamander turns back to the other Freeswords, that bright smile still on his snout.

The nurse shark raises her hand, waits until she has his attention before firing off rapid signing. <What sorts of threats are expected on this journey? Bandits? Shadows? Monsters of another kind?" She tugs at her gloves peeling away the fabric covering her spells.

Mindaugas begins to raise his hand, two fingers pointing to the heavens--before Cirra jumps on his question first. He nods as she signs everything he had intended. Maybe he wasn't surrounded by Sweetwater heathens after all!

"Pleasure," Elise says, taking Selena's offered hand, then resting her hands on her hips, head cocked to one side as she listens to the flower speak. "Sounds like as much a plan as anyone could hope for," she says, then smiles at Cirra, "Sure there is nothing we can't handle." The kangaroo checks over her gear, then sets to stretching out her limbs from the long airship ride. It is probably a little more provocative than she realizes.

Cassidy rolls her eyes and laughs softly. "You know Natska is the only one for me, Selena," she says with a nod. "But it's nice to see you! And you too, Cirra." Her attention towards, then, towards the jasmine. "Protection? I can do that just fine. I've done it before!"

Selena chuckles quietly, gesturing to Cirra. "She has a point here. For an expedition, the amount of beings you're bringing is huge. What exactly are you expecting to find out here? To take beings from the army as well as everyone else would usually be considered a bit excessive."

Zuri on the other hand is given a slightly bemused look. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen a Freesword that excited for a job before." She comments, tone implying it's as much a question as a statement. The wolfess sets herself down, turning a page of her book as she waits; Cassidy's response prompts a chuckle, turning to the fennec and 'roo to reply. "I'm glad you can take the joke. It's good to see you too. Elise seems a little familiar too, though it could easily be from lectures, if they attend the Academy." She notes, rubbing her cheek before shrugging slightly. "Either way, I probably shouldn't talk over our client, should I?"

Ridgewell eyes Selena and smirks, "You are not being paid to ask questions about my personal affairs." He answers as jovially as always, "You will find why soon enough." He says, and interestingly enough one does notice that the caravan seems to have a lot of the scholarly types as well as more beings who seem to have different jobs. This expedition is not a small one for sure.

As Ridgewell answers Selena, a rather tall being walks towards, two meters and more than a half meter in length and with girth to match. The giant of a being looks like to be a 'Roaring Monarch' or more commonly known as the Scottish Red Deer. The new being stands next to Ridgewell and eyes the group, clad in Cliffside military armor as well as wearing a dark red and green kilt. "Ah, Officer Blair Buchanan, he is the current leading commander of the military unit accompanying me, a veteran of a couple of wars." Ridgewell adds, a bemused smirk appears on his face when he mentions the 'wars'.

Blair himself walks closer to the group, allowing the group to get a good look at him, all muscles with a nasty scar on his face, and obviously looking in his late thirties, a truly old being! "So, ye get me a bunch of Sweetwater bairns?" the large red deer booms in a harsh voice, stopping at Mindaugaus and scowling, "Back straight, laddie, and dinnae gie me tat look." He says as he walks back towards Ridgewell, "Now enough wi ta gibble-gabble." He says before eyeing the group, "Dinnae stan aroun like a bunch of stookies." He finally says still eyeing the group.

With a chuckle Ridgewell gestures to the front of the caravan, "You heard the Officer, go to the front of the caravan, there will be a couple of others there. They will tell you more about the possible dangers you might face as well as guide you along." With that Ridgewell smiles and goes back to ordering people around, letting the group decide what will be their next move.

Zuri grins at Selena, offering her a curt bow. "Plenty to be excited about, dear lady. New sights to see, new people to meet, and new deeds to be done. That I get to do it in the company of my fellow Freeswords is a welcome bonus. Not to mention that...." He was about to continue his tirade when Blair approaches and addresses the group, which causes the army-trained being to stand straight and nod curtly at the deer's words. Keeping his straight military posture he turns to the group, looking up at the other beings to try and make eye contact with them. "Right friends, looks like we have our er.. orders, as it were. I hope one of you spoke his dialect because for the life of me I could barely make out a word." He grins toothily.

Cirra eyes Blair. It'd take, one, maybe two spells to bring him down, but she's not going to fight someone hired by her current patron. She shrugs, frowning that her question went unanswered, as well as being called from Sweetwater. She's not, and doesn't really hold any of their traditions. She heads to the front, putting a hand on the hilt of her nimcha, preparing.

Mindaugas is triply caught between the embarassment of being called out by this mountain of a being (even tall than his antlers), bristling at being lumped in with Sweetwater, and a deep-seated obedience to anyone designated the leader of a scouting expedition. Murmuring something about being Thera'Doran and well-acquainted with mountaineering, he shifts and shuffles about, attempting to stand taller than he had before. Was that even possible? He already stood with proper posture, didn't he? Like the First Text says, 'A straight spine leads to a healthy mind.' In short order, he marches stiffly to the front, checking over his medical supplies.

Elise's ears perk straight up when she hears the leader's name. "Blair, "The Red Wall" Buchanan?" she asks, then looks around at the rest of the group, recognizing the colors of an elite, and famous squad of Cliffside soldiers, "He's a legend!" The kangaroo, turns to Cassidy. "If you can excuse me, my lady," she says, then waits for the go ahead to hurry after Blair. The deer had been a young man the last time Fenris had passed through Cliffside, but word of his deeds had reached even the far flung lands that the road rider had been travelling through. 'Mister Buchanan," the kangaroo calls in a melodic alto, "I just want to say that it really is an honor to be traveling with you!"

Cassidy raises her brow at Elise's reaction, chuckling softly as she takes up a spot next to Selena, brushing off her coat. "How's the teaching been going, then? I really do admire the kind of dedication that must take. I don't think I'd have what it takes to do it, really! I'm good at -knowing- but not so much conveying what I know."

Selena raises an eyebrow at the somewhat flippant response from Ridgewell. "And we aren't paid to walk into something blind when you have information that could save or lose lives." The wolfess replies sternly. "You'd do well to remember that."

With a slight sigh, she pushes off of the caravan she was lying against, closing her book and putting it back into her bag. "If you say so, Zuri." She replies, "Better to be excited and alert than not."

Buchanan is given a brief appraisal from the wolfess, who maintains an unimpressed disposition somehow. "I hope they're as well aware of those dangers as you supposedly are." She comments, moving to the front with Cassidy. "... Legend or not, if they're worth that respect remains to be seen." She mutters to nobody in particular; "It's been going well, though - as I mentioned - I had to bar a few students due to pressing me on political issues. Aparrently that I continue to demand the Wirefurs to publicly acknowledge and apologize for Eldric's actions and my view on Wirefurs that do not consider it an issue are still on the tongue of... Certain beings here. It's almost enough for me to suspect ulterior motives, but that's neither here nor there."

Ridgewell acknowledges Selena's response with a grin, an infuriating one at that, before going back to his business. Blair on the other hand eyes the kangaroo standing in front of him, "Thenkrif fer tat, lassie. But ye better get back ta yer group." He answers, giving Selena a raised eyebrow, before shaking his head as he walks back to his place in the caravan, or limping as seems to be the case.

In the front the group would see a robed sparrow being with two other 'Red Wall' soldiers. Noticing the group, the sparrow waves for them, "Ah, so you will be accompanying us? Good to know." He says, his accent for those who knows seems to be from the villages around the city of Cliffside, "Anyway. . ."he continues as he shows the group a map and begins pointing at points of interest, "Mister Ridgewell is aiming to go to this location. And this map has been prepared quite recently for this purpose. We have sent a number of scouting groups before and the road is more or less clear, it is a harsh road but such is the mountains and highlands here." The sparrow says before letting out a sigh, "Of course we have received a report yesterday that a certain group of brigands might have moved into the area around where we are heading. Of course that was yesterday, and we still have no idea if they moved to another location or not. We have already sent another vanguard ahead of us, and we will be following them now. Any questions or should we move on?" the sparrow asks as he moves towards the gate, followed by the two soldiers.

Zuri nods along with the sparrow's words. He smirks at the mention of brigands, the Salamander viewing that obstacle as a plus thanks to an unhealthy amount of bravado. "If a scouting group has already gone ahead then we shouldn't expect too much resistance, for sure. Nothing we can't handle." He turns back to the group, scanning them to see whom among them will naturally take the role of group leader. Certainly not the little Salamander, too short statured and impulsive to command anyone's attention...

The nurse shark nods a bit. Groups. She likes fighting groups. Chaos, confusion and oh the storms. She smiles a bit, showing maybe too much tooth. She shakes her head, mentally preparing herself for the road.

Elise sighs and watches the old deer walk away. Hard to fathom that she was nearly twice his age. She turns and makes her way back to the others. "I guess there is nothing for it but to see what happens," she smiles, laying a hand on Zuri's head, "I am always up for some excitement!" She sways off toward the wagons, nodding to the bird who briefed them and carefully wrapping thin linen cloth around her fingers and knuckles, just in case of a fight.

Cassidy tugs her spelltome up and flips it open, leafing through some of the pages while she walks, nodding. "No questions here. I am ready for whatever comes our way, and I'm quite sure we'll be able to handle it." She sets after Elise, brow raised behind her mask. "Everything in place? Think you're ready for this?" She asks. She figures Elise will pick up on what she's getting at.

The sparrow nods, "Good, good." He says as he gestures for the group to follow. Soon the assembled beings are on the road towards the location they were shown on the map, beginning the to walk the path up the cold and rugged mountains around them, "Do keep an eye out for anything." The sparrow said as he navigated throughout the mountain paths, the caravan moving a good distance behind the group.

Zuri takes up position to the group's left, following close to Elise. He parts this coat, exposing the hilts of his weapons so they are quick at hand in case they are needed. The Salamander watches the group carefully, noting the positions they take up around the Sparrow that seems to have taken the group's leadership. He looks up at the 'roo being, smirking. "I trust you to have my back, miss. You seem more than capable of punching the living daylights out of some brigands if they decide to show."

Cirra barricades herself against the cold, focusing on the spell at her chest, which she decides to go ahead and cast, coating herself in dense granite. She hopes it will be adequate protection against any ambush, as the cold is distracting enough to counter her earlier bravado.

His makeshift spear at the ready, Mindaugas falls in line behind Cirra, interested in catching her ear (figuratively speaking--who's ever heard of a shark with ears?). "Parrdon, madam. I see you wearr the attirre of the Arranians. Arre you of theirr orderr, then?" he asks stiffly, sounding just a bit too cold to be friendly.

Elise laughs melodically at Cassidy's question, then gives a little hop and turns an aerial! Landing gracefully she continues to walk backward for a short distance. "I think I will be alright," she says, "Not all of my meditation is done sitting down, after all!" She grins at her foxy friend. "Thank you for all you've done to help out," she says in a softer voice, "I owe you a lot." The kangaroo unhooks the long bladed spear from its holster on her back and uses it as a walking stick as the walk gets steeper. "Shame that Mister Buchanan didn't feel like talking," she chats amiably, "He is quite the figure! Very impressive." The curvy roo probably does not even realize how that statement might be misinterpreted.

Cassidy nods at Elise and smiles. "I am glad you're confident, then! I'll be near to keep anything from happening, just in case." But not too near, as she shuffles a pace away from everyone to prepare a warding spell of her own. Quite a bit different, this one, though. No rocks or stone, but flickering embers and tiny orbs of fire to surround her.

The narrow mountain path eventually opens up into a little open field with many outcroppings strewn about. The sparrow stops the group and shakes his head, "A perfect place for an ambush." The sparrow says.

The group does seem to notice a couple of sentries sitting on a nearby cliff, thankfully facing away from the group, "Hmmm, looks like we got our brigands." He adds with a tap of his chin.

Zuri slinks back to the edge of the group as the conversation drifts away again. He perks up as his surroundings catch his attention, the Salamander coming to a halt as their avian leader commands him to. "Mmm.." He draws his twin blades and peers around carefully, his very long tail flicking side to side as he appreciates the scene. "Mm.. two.. no, three of them." He focuses for a moment, studying the shadows upon the cliffside. "There's a path leading up there too, off the side. I think we could possibly flank them, catch them by surprise." He motions to the cliff with the hilt of one of his daggers. "That path is heavily trodden too.. maybe there's more of them back there?" He turns to the Sparrow, and then to Elise, unsure how to proceed.

Cirra nods to Zuri. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any spells that are solely for knocking out. She does draw her sword, a sabre-like Nimcha, and prepares for battle, looking to Cassidy for better ideas or where to go.

"Arre...we surre these are brigands?" Mindaugas mutters to the Sparrow. "The First Text condemns violence forr its own sake and unnecessarry bloodshed. Can we not parrley with them, orr show we have the forrce to subdue them?" Despite his size and demeanor, the giant Moose almost seems nervous...

Elise looks over the valley and up at the sentries. "I suppose I could go out there and give them something to look at," she offers, "keep them distracted. But then they might raise an alarm." The kangaroo pads over toward the cliff face, moving close to the rock to conceal herself from the sentries above, keeping a wary eye out to the meadow side. She rolls her eyes at Mindaugus as she goes. "It will be fine," she murmurs.

Cassidy looks up at the sentries and hums, nodding. "Could sneak up on them," she says, patting her coat. "I've got my sleeping powder on me, and I can move silently. Unless they have eyes on the ground looking up, I can probably fly up around and get them from behind."

The sparrow raises an eyebrow at the moose, "We know what we are talking about. Those brigands have been stealing from nearby villages for over a month now. We don't want to kill them, but now that the opportunity presents itself, then we can take it." He answers before looking around.

The sentries remain unaware of the group, idly watching, apparently not expecting anyone. The group is still in a position to sneak upon them if they stick to the cliff, but one wrong move and they might alarm the sentries.

Zuri nods. "Plan. Let's take them." He slinks up the path towards the bandits alongside Elise, while simultaneously willing his colourful, bioluminescent patterns to dim down. The salamander would stay low to the ground to exploit his short stature, and when given the opportunity charge at one of the brigands with his twinned weapons, preferably at the same time as Elise to better benefit from the element of surprise.

Cirra nods, following a safe distance behind cassidy. She's not good at stealth, but if a fight breaks out she'd be close enough to join the fray. She activates the magic on her sword, preparing for a strike.

Mindaugas shrugs off the rolled eyes and ridiculing glances of others, but hesitation and indecision enter his mein. Aldermanns are no mercenaries, to be bought off for a cheap buck, but he did agree to follow these orders--and he really didn't want to be chewed out by that gigantic hart again. After a moment of thinking it over, he nods. "I will seek to subdue and arrrest, not kill. I implorre the rrest of you folk to do the same--we arre Beings that tame the wilds with law, not brrute crreaturres to rrule through blood," he urges quietly--though tellingly, he shows no interest in taking point in the ambush...

Fenris moves quickly and quietly on her wide paws, pointing a finger and raising a brow when he sees the narrow incline, then proceeding along at a steady lope. She has gotten much more used to her feminine form since that first day of stumbling and hip bumping. Soon, the sentries should be in sight. She gets ready for Cassidy to make her move.

Seeing as her offer for a stealth approach was not taken, Cassidy shrugs and wanders with the others. She lingers back, ready to light things up if they get hairy. With luck, they won't, but she was starting to doubt it at this point.

Fenris and Zuri walk up the incline, and Cassidy following behind them. Sadly Fenris's wide legs accidently hit a small stone, making it fall and hit a larger rock and emitting a slightly loud sound, enough for the idling sentry to notice it and move towards the incline to investigate.

Down in the empty area near the cliff, the sparrow and his two soldier companions stare at the group as they work, before the sparrow signals to one of the soldiers to warn the caravan. "So you two are support or some such?" he asks Mindaugas and Cirra with a smirk, "But yes keep them alive. I would rather not be the one to mention to Mister Ridgewell that his sellswords have killed a group of outlaws without an authorization."

Zuri frowns at the sudden sound, but rather than stop his plan or blame his companion he improvises. The small salamander quickly steps forward and takes cover behind a rocky outcropping, ready to ambush the bandit as soon as he crosses his hiding place, or spots Elise.

Cirra signs to the Sparrow. <In a sense. More like siege engine support or cavalry. I come once the fighting has broken out to turn a tide of battle.> She smiles. If the sparrow had any knowledge of magic, as well as a little mathematical aptitude (yes, Cirra writes her kevinoscopes in polar coordinates) he'd be able to tell the power contained in her gloves.

Disregarding the jibe, Mindaugas nods slowly. "Aye. My practice is more in mending wounds and surviving the wilds, rather than...," Mindaugas pauses for a moment, "...military tactics," he finishes as diplomatically as he can.

Fenris, er Elise bites her lip and holds her breath for a moment as the stone tumbles away noisily. Realizing that there is no time to waste, she pads further up the incline, hoping to be in position to still catch the sentry off guard before he can sound the alarm.

Cassidy reaches out to tap Elise on the shoulder, putting a finger to the painted on smile of her mask. She lifts a gloved hand and dips it into her coat, withdrawing a small black pouch. Pulling it open, she dumps some of the sleeping powder into the palm of her hand before curling her fingers lightly around it.

The sentry arrives towards the incline, the wolf being looking around with a raised eyebrow as he notices nothing strange. With a shrug, he waves towards the other two before going back up towards his position.

Cirra remains below, not really good at stealth, but if she needs to join the fray she will. if the sparrow doesn't understand her signing, she's not exactly in a position where her chalkboard would be helpful. Though her armor probably does have active magic signatures on it, as well as the formulae writting in several locations: the back of each hand, the pendant on her neck and along the hilt of her swords.

Elise nods to Cassidy, getting the message. The curvaceous Kangaroo slips from her hiding place to get closer, but one of her wide paws hits a patch of gravels, sending her skidding and crashing to her thick rump with a loud scraping noise!

Cassidy stares at Elise as she falls, bringing her other hand up and pressing it against her face. "And you said you were prepared," she murmurs teasingly before starting up the incline herself. Figuring that the noise might attract attention again, she stands right near the top, powder ready to greet anyone that might come investigating.

Zuri stalks further up the path, the small salamander keeping a low profile as he seeks to flank the sentry and catch him off guard. He reverses the grip on his right hand side dagger with a little twirl. The blade is small, really, barely a paring knife by the standards of taller beings. He studies his target for just a moment when he hears Elise slip on gravel. Knowing that this could be it he walks around to the other side of the boulder and prepares to dash to the third sentry if he spots Elise, already planning an attack to disable him if he makes a move towards her.

After Elise's rather embarrassing blunder, the wolf turns around to spot a curvy kangaroo sitting on her rump in front of the incline. The wolf tilts his head with confusion, quickly turning around and motioning to the other two sentries, before moving towards Elise, "What exactly are ye doing her, missie?" the wolf asks with a growl. Moving closer to Elise, the wolf has no time to react as Zuri jumps on him and strikes him in his calf, with Cassidy's own powder ensuring that the wolf is too lethargic to manage a scream. The wolf slumps down in front of the smaller salamander and the kangaroo. On the distance his two fellows could be spotted coming closer, thankfully a boulder is blocking their vision proper but they will notice their mate in merely a matter of a minute.

Down near the cliff, the sparrow notices the sentries moving away, "Looks like your friends have done their job, hopefully." He says before he motions to the soldier near him and pointing upwards, "Well let us move towards their aid then." He tells the shark and the moose. "So, in Shralesta you guys keep your enchantments clearly visible to anyone to see, eh?" the sparrow asks with a little chuckle, "Sounds like a good way to give your enemy an advantage if they know mathemagic."

Deeper into the cliff the brigand's camp is obviously noticeable with a number of tents, but right now is not a good time to study the camp while two other guards are moving in.

Cirra smirks as the sparrow makes a rather astute, though wrong observation. Cirra typically keeps them hidden from view, and the fact that they are in polar coordinates should be a good enough deterrent to keep and enemy from drawing them or understanding them. Not to mention, it's more of a threat, considering what she's packing, she shrugs a bit as she follows the sparrow up the mountain. It's not like she has anything like a rival or someone who would want her specifically dead.

Elise snorts and rolls quickly to her feet. "Shush you," she hisses, but it is through a bit of a smile. She nods at the approaching sentries and hooks the fallen soldier under the armpits, dragging him up behind the nearby boulder. The kangaroo stretches her neck and shakes out her shoulders, ready for a fight.

Cassidy folds her hands behind her bag and stands straight, waiting. She had no reason to act, yet, and with luck they'd either pass right by the boulder without looking at her, or they'd be startled by her appearance.

Zuri finishes his quick attack by pressing himself down onto the fallen sentry, quickly assessing the wolf has been downed by the combination of his attack and the numbing powder. He sees Elise dash over and grab the wolf to carry him back, and he helps as best as he can by gripping one of the wolf's limbs and dashing back behind the boulder. He's panting tiredly as he arrives at the save place, giving Cassidy a mischievous grin and a thumbs up. "Good show, that." He turns to Elise, smiles at her, and returns to his position behind the far end of the boulder, waiting for the group's next move, or for a chance to pounce.

The second group is already in the middle of the incline as the two other sentries arrive on the scene, closing in on the boulders, "Where is that bastard, Johnny." Says a badger being as he shakes his head, "That wolf and his pranks." He says with a grunt. The other being, a red squirrel lets out a hmm and points at the ground, "Isn't that blood?" he says as he moves closer with the badger.

Cirra taps the Sparrow on the shoulder, tryign to get him to notice that the others seem to be hiding still, and that it might not be a good idea to head up to the camp just yet.

"Good enough," Elise mutters, then spins into action! The kangaroo leaps from hiding to land lightly on one wide paw. She spins hard in a dizzying piriouette to lash out at the nearest guard with her thick, powerful tail.

Cassidy raises her brow as Elise leaps into action. She starts to move forward, but reconsiders and turns around to move around the other side of the boulder, if she can. She'll take the sentries from behind, if Fenris and Zuri don't deal with them first.

Zuri watches as Elise darts off and leaps so acrobatically at one of the guards. Taking advantage of the massive distraction presented by an enormous spinning kanga-being, he darts out of his hiding place towards the other guard, low to the ground. Hopefully, with the guard distracted it will be easy to flank him and drive a blade into knee, again seeking to disable him from causing further harm to anyone rather than going for a straight kill.

As the guards move closer, Elise jumps acrobatically and swings her tail at the two guards, hitting the squirrel and knocking him on the ground, but the badger manages to dodge her attack, ducking under the tail just in time to see Zuri attacking and aiming at his leg, "Bastards." The badger mutters as he parries Zuri's blade with his spear before raising it and bringing it down at Zuri screaming, "INTRUDERS!" as he does so. Luckily with Zuri's fast reflexes he manages to dodge the badger.

There is noticeable movements in the camp as the brigands begin arming themselves and jumping to the aid of their ally. Two brigands with muskets can already be seen moving closer in to snipe at the group. The sparrow sighs as he hears the scream, "Well here goes surprise." He mutters as the second group reaches the incline, "Well Carl time to get our hands dirty." He says as the kilted soldier next to him brandishes his claymore and moves in to attack.

Cirra, noticing the action going on nearby, pauses, watches the battlefield about to unfold before unleashing a powerful hailstorm upon her foes. It's not for no reason she is called Cirra Stormborn.

Elise snaps a hard kick at the badger's chin. If there was one good thing that had come from all this, it was those powerful legs! "I guess I'm just not equipped for stealth, Cassidy," she admits as the fox comes around the other side of the boulder, "But I can certainly do action!" She spins her own spear in her hands, ready for a fight!

"That's why I prefer to engage in my stealth alone," Cassidy says, drawing her rapier and trying to smack the badger in the back of the head with the pommel from behind. "Boo." She glances over her shoulder at the forming storm, ears perked aside her hat.

Zuri narrowly avoids the blow, feeling the spear tug at and rip the hem of his jacket. He twirls around to face the guard again, squinting and flipping his daggers to a defensive grip. With all surprise lost, he has to fight dirtier. The salamander dances to the side, twirling with his tail as a distraction while aiming for the guard's thigh, a stab intended to puncture deep and bleed strongly.

The badger grunts as he tries to shift his body to block the kangaroo's kick but too late, the hit striking him up his chin, sending him tilting backwards to which Cassidy ever-so-kindly reserves by hitting him square onto his head and sending him collapsing forward, good thing he was wearing a helmet or that hit might have done more than knock him out. Zuri, perhaps out of mercy or kindness decides to NOT stab the downed badger.

Cirra's storm manages to catch the two musketmen, locking them inside the storm, getting pelted by the ice shards as they try to get out. IN but a couple of seconds, three other brigands circumnavigate the storm and charge the group, following behind them a robed raven who utters some sort of incantation and gestures towards the short salamander, quite suddenly sickle shaped zephyrs head towards the salamander, who luckily manages to avoid them, only barely so.

Cirra leaves the storm to take care of the two men inside it, drawing her blade and hoping to cross the battlefield in order to meet the mage in combat. She hopes her high speed and a boost of wind will help her catch up to him in order to prevent him from casting another spell.

Elise charges toward the approaching brigands, laughing and whooping! "It has been too long!" she cries out as she leaps into the air, long bladed spear whistling as it spins. Fenris's first Freesword mission when he arrived in Firmament had been fighting bandits like this. It was almost nostalgic!

Cassidy rubs her chin, taking stock of the battle field. She contemplates taking out that mage, but opts not to spoil Cirra's fun. Instead, she singles out one of the poor charging brigands and sighs. She wanted someone with more... Bravado. A snap of her fingers, and she tries to pinpoint the moving brigand with a flash of lightning from the heavens. A large one.

Zuri steps back away from the falling badger, returning his daggers to a forward grip and smirking down at the being. "You put up a good fight.." He turns around, and his eyes widen as he sees the incoming projectile attack. He barely has the time to utter a rather rude curse before he ducks to the ground, the attack overshooting him narrowly. He stands back up, still wide eyed. "That was close!" He watches his companions dart off, and picks up speed after them, daggers at the ready. Again taking advantage of the imposing kanga-being as a distraction, he slides off to the side and leaps acrobatically, twirling in the air to lash at a guard's arm with one of his blades.

Elise strikes like lightning from above! Her spear's long, leaf shaped blade flashing in the light of the sun as it descends on the unfortunate bandit! Doubtless he sees his life flash before his eyes as the blad slashes down. . . and neatly slices through his belt, dropping his trousers around his ankles. The poor slob looks up just in time to look puzzled as the but of the kangaroo's spear jerks back up, sending him reeling backward to trip over his own downed clothes.

And the combat begins! Cirra manages to weave her way through the brigands and reach the mage, who greets her with another cutting winds spell. The shark attempts to dodge the attack, but it manages to hit her square in the chest, thankfully her calcified flesh spell manages to absorb the attack before crumbling down around her.

One of the unlucky bandits can only manage to look in surprise as a thunderbolt descends upon him from the heavens, frying him to a crisp, an almost unnatural scream booming from him before he falls on the ground, dead and smelling of ozone with small sparks of electricity jumping on his metal weapon. Zuri's target does not fare any better, well he does in a way, as the nimble salamander manages to cut a gashing wound in his target's arms who attempts to strike at the salamander with his sword in retaliation, which Zuri dodges swiftly. Noticing his two other allies have fallen, the brigand simply drops his swords and grabs his wound before scowling at Zuri, "You win you little scamp, I surrender." He mutters.

Cirra winces as her protection is eroded by the sharp winds of her opponent. She has her own advantage, and that is the blade she swings across at him, aiming for a quick, decisive blow. She brings it down on him cutting his armor cleanly.

Seeing Cirra engaging the troublesome mage face to face, Elise puts a heavy paw on the chest of her own fallen foe and pulls a boomerang, of all things, from her belt. The kangaroo, lines up and flings the weapon, hoping to brain the raven, or at least give the shark an opening.

With her foe down and the rest following suit, Cass is content to remain on standby. She keeps an eye on the one that surrendered, though, adjusting her hat with her free hand. "Seems like you're the smart one."

Zuri twirls his daggers in his hands, smirking at the brigand. He nods at him. "Good choice my fellow being. Bitter's kiss is much nastier than his twin brother's, eh?" The salamander is referring to one of his daggers, the one held in his offhand.. not that anyone would know this, but he doesn't explain it any further. He looks sideways at the still resisting brigand, quirking an eyebrow. "Better tell your friend to surrender, before.." He glances briefly to the side, at his companions as they ready another flurry of attacks. "Actually, too late for him I imagine.." He looks up at Cassidy and nods at her.

The raven mage tries to dodge Cirra's attack but the shark manages to strike him anyway, cutting through his leather armor and leaving a rather nasty wound on his chest. The raven lets out a squawk of pain before being hit by a boomerang that knocks him out on the floor, unconscious from the looks of it., the boomerang returning back to the kangaroo soon after.

The sound of footsteps can be heard from the incline as a squad of Red Wall soldiers arrive on the scene with a puffin being clad in a dark red and green kilt, signifying another officer, "Ah, I see that ye 've gotten ta bastards. Get back to ta caravan will ye." He adds as he motions for his squad to move in, "Me lads will get ta bastards back to Braevales." He adds before moving in. Looks like the only thing the group can do now is return back to the caravan and continue their journey.

Cirra grins a bit, Glad she doesn't have to follow up with another wound. She smiles back to the Kangaroo. <Thank you, Elise.> She returns to the group, adrenalin fading from her body as she slows her breathing, magic deactivating as she looks to lean on Cassidy for support.

Elise nods, tucking her weapons back into their holsters. "Sorry to spoil the surprise," she says, long ears folding back," I really just don't kniw what to do with these things sometimes!" She stomps her wide paws and shoots a quick grin to Cirra. "No problem at all, Sweetheart," she says before turning back to the incline and swaying away. "Last one to the caravan is a Cackle's Egg!"

Cassidy bows her head and turns about face, wandering back towards the caravan. "Shame to have to kill that one. I might have to see about a lower-tuning version for adequate stunning, instead of lethality..."

Zuri looks around at the group as they all start heading back to the caravan. He follows along, sprinting after them to keep up with the much taller beings and their much larger paces. His blades are quickly sheathed and cloak tightened back up again. A proper gentlebeing should always be presentable, after all!

The group moves back towards their forward scouting position with the sparrow and the two soldiers. They walk for nearly an hour more throughout the treacherous paths between the highlands and the mountains of western Cliffside. The group reaches a certain widening path between two mountains that curves slightly to the east, the sparrow sending one of the soldiers to quickly scout the frontal regions as the group slowly marched.

Soon enough, the soldiers returned and nodded his head towards the sparrow, "Ta thing ta Aeneanas wanted, I think we found it." He said with a nod. The sparrow widens his eyes, "Then what are you waiting for?! Go with Carl and inform Mister Ridgewell at once!" the sparrow said in a rather excited tone before motioning to the group, "Well ladies and gents, our prize is within reach." He said with a grin on his beak, "Shall we move on?" the sparrow added while motioning towards the curved path as the two soldiers darted off towards the caravan.

Cirra blinks at the curved path, but is glad for the hour of only marching she had to do, as it gave her body a little time to recover after the battle. She nods a bit, ready to head up the path, though uncertain what lies ahead.

"Ready for anything!" Elise says happily. She had enjoyed that fight! Well her bits anyway. The cooked being was undesirable, and she intended to talk to Cassidy about it sometime. "What are we looking for?" she asks.

Cassidy rubs at the back of her head with her gloved hands, nodding. "Well, if we're here, we might as well be ready and get a move on, hm? I'd like to be back home before -too- long!"

Zuri follows along with the group, staying quiet without much else to add. He rubs at the ripped hem of his jacket, the little souvenir left by the spear-wielding brigand. "This will need to be fixed the second we're back in Sweetwater.."

Having patched up those who needed it, Mindaugas casts his cold glare at Cassidy. He was pleased (as much as he ever is) that the majority of them had managed to maintain their civility and keep from overdoing it, but she seemed rather cavalier about the death she had caused. "May the rrest of the jourrney be in peace, then," he declares solemnly to nobody in particular, before resting a large hand on Zuri's shoulder. "I am no tailorr, but on the trrip home, I can mend it if it you wish. Must be easierr than stitching up beings, no?" he asks in a tone that almost suggests a dark-humoured jest, though it's hard to read his deadpan tone and seemingly permanent frown...

Waves the inquisitive members off, "You will see once we get there , you should feel honoured really." The sparrow says as he continues his march with the group, not twenty minutes later do the group finally spot at the distance what looks like a rather imposing, yet ruined gate, one of its imposing doors lying on the ground while the other massive door is dented and strewn wide open, and white walls. Standing at almost twenty foot tall from one side of the passage to the other side, one would assume that behind that imposing gate is a city, and one could spot the outlines of a city from this distance as well.

As the group gets nearer, the markings and architecture of the walls and gate become clearer, obviously not made by beings at all, "An ancients city. . . " the sparrow simply says as he continues walking towards the city, "A scouting party discovered it a couple of weeks ago, amazing that it remained hidden here no?" he says with a smirk.

Cirra gazes upon it in awe, curious that such a large structure is both seemingly uninhabited and in remarkably good condition (to her) for its age. She nods to the sparrow, curious if she's going to be needed for more, or if this is whereshe gets her pay.

Cassidy raises her brow at the sight, settling her hands on her hips. "Well now. This is certainly not what I was expecting to find. Quite impressive! The scouts must be proud... And were hansomely paid, I hope!"

Fenris is frozen as she stares. "Yes!" she breathes.

Zuri nods at the moose. "I'd greatly appreciate the favour, my good being. Can't be going back to Sweetwater in this state, hm?" His chuckle in interrupted by the introduction of the ruins, which draws an impressed whistle from him. "Well, now that's something alright.." He glances around the group, noting their reactions.

Mindaugas scratches his chin in contemplation, his tone warming up somewhat. "Imprressive indeed. Such a society, tucked away...will we be explorring these rruins as parrt of ourr duty?" he asks, an edge of eager curiosity to his voice. This was the sort of thing he'd been training and studying for: scouting, exploring, reporting back to the Church...seems he had chosen well to join this mission after all!

As the group gets nearer to the gates, the sound of a cart can be heard behind them, looks like Ridgewell came here as fast as he could. Within a minute the cart has stopped next to the group, with Ridgewell getting off the cart, eyeing the group, "Ah, perfect. I knew those scouts were not making things up." The pudgy jasmine said with a grin, as more beings disembarked off the cart and headed directly towards the ruins, clad in robes and having a scholarly air around them.

Ridgewell gets motions for a soldier who brings him a number of pouches, "You did a good job Freeswords, and for that you deserve your payment." He said with a grin, "Three hundred crowns for each one of you, and a Sweetwater coinage to ensure that you don't get any weird looks back where you came from." He adds in a jovial voice, "Don't worry there is cart will return you back to the city where you can go back to Sweetwater or wherever you want to go." He adds before turning around and heading towards the ruins himself, "Your services are no longer needed." The final statement comments, slightly more stern and with an air of finality to it, well looks like the jasmine here is not going to let a group of sellswords into a new archeological site. A pity as one can already peek at the magnificent ruins inside the city, noticeable even now is the head of Shaila, the spirit of family and fertility, thrown near the gate, the giant figure must have been part of the gate's adornments before it was destroyed.

Cirra nods, looking over the statue and Signing to Ridgewell. <I will return, and I will find out what is here. This is seriously making me itch jsut looking at it.>

Zuri spares one quick look at the ruins. He's not much of one for history and archeology, but even he can recognize something fascinating about this place. Still, his work here is done, and he collects his payment with a smile. "Pleasure doing business, Mister Ridgewell. Do send word if you need of us again, we'd be more than happy to assist!" He pockets his share and returns to the caravan, already eager to return home.

Mindaugas

Mindaugas's drooping face falls at this sudden dismissal...though it's a bit hard to tell, given his usual appearance. He nods in accepting his pay, proffering another heavy handshake to Ridgewell. "It was a pleasurre to be of your assistance, Misterr Rridgewell, and if I may be of assistance as a scout orr Churrcch liasion, I am at yourr serrvice." That said, the Moose turns reluctantly to head back to the ship--but since he has no contacts in Cliffside, he'll have to wait for response back in Sweetwater...

Cassidy tilts her head and frowns behind her mask. "Yes, I think I'll be with you, Cirra. I definitely want to see what's in there, one way or another. We'll come back sometime. For now, I want to get home," she says, turning to wander back towards the caravan.

Ridgewell does not even bother to look back or answer Cassidy's and Cirra's complaints, but continues on his way towards the ruins. The rest of the caravan is already starting to arrive, unloading supplies and even beginning the set-up of tents and other necessary structures for a camp. The Red Wall soldiers are already taking up positions around the ruins, a squad moving inside to clear out any possible pests. As the group load up in the caravan, they can notice the same treatment happening to the rest of the mercenaries, all of them being handed their payment and sent on their way. After three hours or so of a rather dull journey, the cart arrives back towards Braevales, leaving the beings to their own devices of whether going back towards Sweetwater or staying here.