Revision as of 06:30, 13 July 2014

Participants

• Angus
• Cassidy
• Jera
• Natska
• Sara
• Selena
• Sveta

Date

13/7/477

Log

Not more than five hundred metres away, the edge of the swirling mist awaits, cold and opaque as always. The edge has travelled considerably since it manifested a week ago - just how big is the old battlefield?

Selena sighs quietly, the wolfess looking about the camp with nothing less than livid frustration at the presence - or more likely absence - of a certain being, muttering something to herself. She's not above helping move some of the accumulated supplies around the camp either, but it's clear that her displeasure isn't with the situation itself.

"Trust that damn kit to show back up out of nowhere and leave 'her' pet project for nothing. Creators' sake." She spits, ultimately moving over to the mustering point mentioned in the call for help and waiting with an air of slight impatience.

Part of the Freesword detachment, Natska quietly approaches the camp behind Selena. She surveys the grounds with an impassive stare, her normally boisterous attitude muted, then glances over at Selena. "Mm. So where do we report?"

Cassidy makes her way along quietly, dapper as ever, despite the gravity of the situation. Her hands remain folded behind her back as she draws up next to Selena and Natska. "Hello, two friends. It is good to be seeing you, as unfavourable as the situation may be." She bobs her head for a moment, adjusting her hat with the momentum.

Eventually Sara shows up behind the gathered people hired, her slow stride taking the dragoness to the camp that apparently seems familiar to the woman. Making her way to the commanding officer of the camp she offers a crisp salute, and with a quick, "Sir, Sara reporting ready and able to work." sets about moving the non-essentials. Never one for conversation, the dragoness passes by the others hired to do the job with a nod, her attention however fully on moving, a well trained subject with her, showing in fluid movements, and few questions.

A great dragon spreads his wings and then lands gracefully on the ground in a clearing at the camp, a bow tied under one of the base of his wings and a suit of plate armor on the other. "Sorry I'm late." Jera explains, bowing his head. "I had other duties, so I rushed here on wing." He looks around for a place that will offer him some minor cover to change back into archer shape.

Angus adjusts the strap of his blunderbuss as he hoofs it towards the gathering point, a hand still on his hat as he skids to a stop near those that had gathered. "Evening everyone." He comments, a little short of breath as he looks around before he starts to head over towards the commanding officer to see how the evacuation was going.

Indeed, the carts have been assembled by the "gate", the earthern wall ready to be torn down

down at any moment now. There's an aura of stillness in the air, where even the occasional undead battering at the walls is nowhere to be seen. Preparations, perhaps, on both sides of the fence. It certainly feels that way.

Poised by the side of the activity, by the commanding officer, are the four callers who previously met Selena and Cassidy on the edge of the Gravefells, and as everyone approaches one of them, a grey wolf, breaks away from the conversation. "Yes, I understand, commanding officer. I will need to borrow the Freeswords for a moment. Well, longer than a moment."

"Welcome, Selena, Cassidy," he muses, turning to the group. "And the friends you have brought along, it seems. It is good that you could come. This situation is quite worrying - remember how I mentioned the mist might take two weeks to reach the camp? It's only been one. The situation is accelerating, and not in a good way. We've been studying the mist over the past week - and have some results I'll share later - but for today, the focus is on getting everyone threatened to safety."

"It is unlikely the Corrupt Court will be satisfied with driving us off the land, and will expecting to make a show of us. That must not happen. The camp may be lost by necessity, but there is no reason for lives to be. I'm not sure what they'll do, but that's why we have every being who can wield a weapon holding one. That, and the likes of us.

"When the signal is given...we will proceed out and south in an orderly fashion. The most likely course of attack that we will be expecting will be wraiths from the mist, forced into attacking us, but it's important to be on guard in all directions."

Selena looks back over to the callers, tsking quietly - though the small congregation of freeswords seems to give her a little solace, giving the others acknowledgement in either short greetings or nods if she's unfamiliar - with an exception for Angus, who's simply given a short stare before she looks away.

"Well, it'd be remiss of me not to come. For all the talk I've done of expecting the encampment to fail, that doesn't mean I haven't been doing my part in keeping it here either - unlike a certain vixen responsible for the place. I'll be interested to hear what you have to say about the mist, though, especialy since Kendrac had nothing to say about the matter other than that he was uncertain of what was going on."

Having said her piece, the wolfess sighs quietly, conjuring a familiar shape out of fire and earth beside her, turning to the kit fox in particular. "Jera, I haven't seen you for a long time. Congratulations, though; I heard about your lifebonding. It's not the best place to discuss that, though, or the right time."

Natska shoots Cassidy a quick smile at her greeting, and her eyes widen as she sees the dragon Angus for the first time. Two dragons, even. Her notched ear flicks, and she remains quiet as she listens to the caller - and when they are in the lull before the camp is pulled up, she turns to Cassidy with her question. "I... had not heard much about the mist. What is it?" she asks, quietly.

Cassidy tips her hat in greeting to the callers before looking towards Jera and Angus, smiling behind her mask. "I will help you to the best of my ability, yes. Does the mist still restrict magic usage?" She brushes off her coat and adjusts her lapels before trying to conjur up a few small embers. Nothing intense, just a test.

The true orders eventually reaches Sara's ears, most notably with the help involving the pointing of the guards and those dealing with the last of the moving. "Huh?" she asks as she looks to the officers talking to the others, "O-oh, right.." she mumbles, seeming ashamed of her previous actions. Making her way to the gathering of the other freeswords just in time to overhear Selena's statement on how the encampment would fail but doesn't speak on it, apparently still clueless about the entire ordeal the camp had been going up against. "I'll offer what I can to help fight the wraiths but I'm a bit rusty.." the dragoness offers to the commanding officers before pulling an old standard issue musket from underneath the travelers cloak she had been wearing.

Jera finishes shifting out of dragon form and changing into his black steel plate, laced with red trim. He nods solemnly at Sara and Natska with a serious look on his face, while his hands tested his large bow to make sure it wasn't damaged from the flight. "The mist is a terrible thing. I had an encounter at the Gravefells. It just felt like...I could hear people trapped reliving their final battles. An endless war going on, and on, and on...people who could've been members of my family at Mossy Stone..."

His voice goes hushed a little bit, hints of fear in his widened eyes. "It's terrifying." And then he pulls his visor on.

Angus gives the grey wolf a somber nod, tilting the brim of his hat down just a little when he recieves a look from Selena. "You said the mist can affect magic?" He asks as he draws his blunderbuss from his back, checcking the hammer and making sure it was loaded before turning his gaze back to those around him as he throws the sling over his neck once more.

Victor, the wolf, nods at Selena. "In the intervening week, we've learned some important things about the mist that will help us combat its hold on the land. Although we don't know the whys yet, the how is not as obscure as it once was. I'll tell you more once we're safe."

"For the benefit of your friends...the kit fox is right. One week ago, a wall of mist manifested itself in the middle of the old site of Lord Robert's battle to take back Mossy Stone twenty-seven years ago. Within it, the spirits of the fallen are being forced to replay the events of their final day over and over again. They die every day... and will, forever, if nothing is done about it. Furthermore, it is growing, and will in time encompass the entirety of the old battlefield. It exerts a force that dampens the ability of mathemagic, although we're not sure why. Although we will not be entering it today. Not until we are fully prepared."

While this little speech is going on, the final preparations are being made to break down the gate. The rank and file are fidgety, on edge, as the first cracks appear in the earthen wall, carefully deconstructed by earth mathemagicians.

Selena sighs quietly. "It is a fairly new development. I'm not too surprised you hadn't heard about it." She notes. "Though yes, it dampens magic somewhat. I'd be interested to know exactly how much, but that's a primarily meaningless number for the time being."

The wolfess sighs a little. "All that I know about it is that pyrrha is only tangentially related to the mist and that it's probably a collaborative effort from the old ones. That's all I've heard on that front, and I did ask Kendrac to keep me up to date with this particular event." She notes.

"The air in that place is worse than what's happening in it, Jera. It doesn't feel right at all, even if you look past it all being an illusion of sorts."

It takes a deep, controlled breath for Natska to ground herself, but then the jaguar nods. "Very well," she says, as she pulls her gauntlets from their loop on her tasset and pulls them on. She takes the sheath from the blade of her glaive and hangs it in their place, then gives the caller a slight nod. "We will get your people out safely." Then she looks to the other Freeswords. "I am guessing you have spells to snare whatever comes out of the mists. Who is in charge and how are we doing this?"

Cassidy props a hand on the pommel of her sword and wrinkles her nose. "Mm. Not me, preferably! I'm not much of a leader. But I will be here to lend both magic and blade against whatever comes out of the mist. And if we're not going in, that's all the better. Means I won't be as stifled."

Her grip tightening on the musket, Sara holds to the rifle for dear life, her own jittering joining in with the rank and file as the sound of the cracking wall reaches her ears. After looking to her feet and breathing a slow sigh to compose herself Sara looks up and over to Natska, "I'm just out of Freesword training myself. Don't think I'm cut out for leading, but.. since I'm not really burdened by lack of magic, I might help." the last bit said hopefully as if to help reinforce herself, and to dispell the fear gnawing at the edges of her mind.

I would like to lead the way, but I am also a fan of my bow, I'm afraid. If you guys will watch my back..." Jera is suited up in quite the heavy suit of armor too, even as he takes a bo strapped to his back and then spins it around fluently for a moment. "Make sure we get everyone out, ok?"

Angus takes a deep breath, calm and in his element compared to when he was stuck in front of a crowd last night as he looks over those around him. Definitly not a good moment to try and use a blunderbuss while with a group, drawing the dagger from his belt with his left hand as he draws his pistol in his right. "Don't know much about this fog, but I know how to kill the undead. I'll follow your lead."

"The commanding officer over there, as she explained it to me, she will lead. We are to guard the convoy all the way down to Griffon Rock, whereupon we should be safe. Too long have we tarried

"The commanding officer over there, as she explained it to me, she will lead. We are to guard the convoy all the way down to Griffon Rock, whereupon we should be safe. Too long have we tarried; the road south is dangerously close to the mist's edge, but making one's way across the contryside would open us up to other dangers. I am not an expert on minitary matters, so I shall defer to her.

"There's no way to know with absolute certainty what might assail us, or if we will even be set upon. I can only urge everyone to be on guard."

As the final words are spoken, the wall finally gives way with a rumble, the last of the mathemagic used to gently guide the rubble to the side where it won't be in the way. One by one, the carts start moving, mathemagics driving their wheels - there has never been place to spare for beasts of burden in a camp like this, after all. The convoy starts proceeding down the road, on alert, on edge, one eye trained on the opaque, pulsating edge of mist that's too close for comfort. Even at this distance, its oppressive aura presses lightly at the minds of everyone, testing, feeling for a way in.

Selena looks over to the Lizard, tapping the side of her nose gently. "You managed to get here in the first place; getting back shouldn't be any worse with a group." she replies comfortingly, sending her previously summoned elemental out ahead of the group.

"We do know what we're likely to see, but it's better not to be jaded in a situation like this. If anyone is able to summon elementals or other expendable targets, it'd be a good idea to keep them ready for use at any time."

The wolfess lingers a brief moment to cast a little water magic on the group to alleviate the trip ahead, falling in with whomever may be nearby.

Natska quietly snorts, then gives Jera a small nod. She falls in with the column, keeping to the outside of the group, and keeps her gaze watchful. Her tail slowly lashes back and forth, but her questions can wait until later.

Cassidy reaches down to her side and draws her side-sword, running a gloved finger along the flat of the oddly coloured blade before pointing it towards the ground and falling in for the 'march'. "Well, with fortune they will not hinder our travel too much, hmm?"

Sara flares her wings out, the leathery appendages creeping out the travelers cloak, "Usually helps when the creatures can't reach you." she states, answering Selena's earlier comment before returning them to their original hiding space. Though still the jittering does subside, being surrounded by other freeswords helping settle her mind. "But you're right, I suppose." After straightening her back, and clearing her throat she starts to march onwards, following close behind the convoy.