Dungeons & Dragons 2.0 (Active RP topic)

We have no need for 'lamp oil' newcomer.", said the Dragonborn just as he conjured a small flame and extinguished it. "It will provide us with enough light. Now let's go before we fall victim to another ambush of those foul creatures, the caves will inhibit their javelin tossing greatly." Athuk then walked into the cave and conjured up another flame. This one was larger and brighter. "And don't bother trying to shoot imaginary kobolds out of the trees, if they want us, they'll come after us and here... well here they can't surround or surprise us, if we keep our eyes open anyway." "That is true but you are incorrect. It is much easier to be surrounded in a confined space like that cave. And by the size of that cave, or at least from what I can tell, there are a decent amount of Kobolds. Not unmanageable, but enough to present a decent threat. I suggest we stay in the open. More space to spread out although, in the cave we will always know which direction the attackers are coming from. Its your decision. You point, I kill. Thats what Azul wants.", under his breath and with his back turned to Azul Garrel said, "Stupid, weird ass conjurer."

Shade strode to Garrel and into the clearing, walking to the cave. He was pushing the hooded man firmly from the small of his back.
As they neared the cave, Shade stopped, but gave Garrel a good shove to the entrance of the cave. "You say "You point, I kill?"" Shade said, louder now, standing next to Athuk. "Good. Right now," Shade raised his hand, pointer finger outstretched, "I'm pointing into the cave. Don't forget our terms upon letting you travel with us. You go in first."

Azul waved at Garrel as he entered the cave in an overeager fashion. "Best of luck buddy, if you get stabbed, be sure to scream out how many kobolds there are before they kill you."

Athuk simply stood at the entrance, his blue flame illuminating the tunnel leading into the earth, and briefly rolled his eyes at the newcomer's retort to his warning about another kobold ambush. The dragonborn smiled briefly as Shade accompanied him, while shoving the newcomer out in front and nudging the guy into the cave.

"Right. Let's get moving. Guys, you might want to get over here, with all that scum probably hiding the the bushes." Athuk gestured the rest of the group to join him, Shade and the newcomer in the cave-entrance. He then turned to the shady individual himself. "Now you get moving and scout ahead. We'll be somewhere behind you, I'll see if I can give you a bit of light. And remember to scream in pain when you get stabbed." Although the last line could have been identified as a joke, Athuk's deathly serious visage told otherwise. And the rest of the group already knew that dragonborn don't joke. Ever.

"You say "You point, I kill?"" Shade said, louder now, standing next to Athuk. "Good. Right now," Shade raised his hand, pointer finger outstretched as he said this, "I'm pointing into the cave. Don't forget our terms upon letting you travel with us. You go in first." Azul then said, "Best of luck buddy, if you get stabbed, be sure to scream out how many kobolds there are before they kill you."

"Right. Let's get moving. Guys, you might want to get over here, with all that scum probably hiding the the bushes." The Dragonborn gestured to the rest of the group to join Garrel and the others in the cave. "Now you get moving and scout ahead. We'll be somewhere behind you, I'll see if I can give you a bit of light. And remember to scream in pain when you get stabbed." The gaze Garrel received after the Dragonborn made Garrel think twice about whether that last line was a joke or not.

"My you you three are a comedic bunch.", Garrel said as there was no other retort that would fit the situation. He heavily considered running away and fending for himself, even against those mercenaries. "Well, if I die... we will just see about that when I get to that bridge.". Unsheathing both of his swords, Garrel proceeded forward, knees bent, swords defending his face, and primed for any traps or an ambush. He hoped that the Kobolds in the trees would attack from the rear. Even Garrel knew the way he was being treated was terrible. He had treated hostages better than this... well some hostages.

Sandor kept scanning the trees for Kobolds in case the hairy beasts attacked from the rear. "A platinum piece says he leads the whole lot of those kobolds to us," he quipped as he turned back to watch the assassin disappear into the cave. However, something didn't seem quite right in the party's immediate vicinity and the elvish woodsman wasn't quite sure what it was yet.

"I think we are all overestimating Kobolds. They aren't known for their intelligence. Chances are they're all sleeping in the cave like babies." Azul said. "Now, if it'll make you guys fell better, I'll summon Fang to check for an ambush with his superior sense of smell."

Azul gripped his staff and began chanting the incantations to summon his wolf friend. The massive Fang had a powerful sense of smell that would make finding an ambush easy. Not to mention, having him by his side would make Azul feel a lot better in a fight.

As Garrel slowly creeped deeper in the cave he heard, Azul say, "I think we are all overestimating Kobolds. They aren't known for their intelligence. Chances are they're all sleeping in the cave like babies. Now, if it'll make you guys fell better, I'll summon Fang to check for an ambush with his superior sense of smell." Looking back, Garrel saw little from behind the large Dragonborn obstructing his view, but he could tell Azul was summoning the creature he called 'Fang'. Garrel was beginning to suspect that he would have to go through with the cave. "Yes,", Garrel said. "Just like babies. And I suppose they will all have wings, pointy ears, and hang from the ceiling too." "Finally. A good witty quip.", Garrel thought. He had been waiting for one of those ever since he joined the group. "Laughter is medicine for the soul, and anesthesia for the mind. Knocks you right out.", he thought. "Athuk, would you mind outing that flame and standing in front of the sun.", Garrel said. "In a few minutes, my eyes will have adjusted to the dark. The light would wake up any sleeping Kobolds. It appears to be only 150 feet or so 'till anything changes in the cave structure. Just a guess. Don't worry. I will scream if I am massacred and horribly dismembered and mutilated. Not sure if I could count and tell you how many there are. You know, dying and all that fun, painful stuff." With that, Garrel waited for the light to disappear and for his eyes to adjust to the dark. As he waited, Garrel began to formulate a plan in his mind, "If I can, I might be able to escape. Hopefully, the Kobolds really are asleep. I can sneak past them and pretend to die. Leave my torn cloak, and I am dead to them. Then I just need to get out of the cave and find my way to the nearest town. Or I could assassinate the Kobolds while they sleep. Practice makes perfect, again."

The party lingers outside of the kobold cave for a few minutes while Garrel sits in the dark and lets his eyes adjust, the others growing more and more impatient all the while. Eventually the suspicious rogue calls over his shoulder that he is ready, and the rest of the party sets inward. Before they leave Azul has Fang investigate the clearing outside of the cave, though the wolf does not sense anything suspicious. He sniffs out the perimeter for the entirety of Garrel's adjustment period, and yet he finds nothing. At the end of the wolf's required service time, he disappears and leaves the party to go on with the knowledge that there is no ambush waiting for them in the clearing.

Immediately upon entering the kobolds' lair the party can feel the passage sloping downward steeply, bringing them further and further beneath the surface with each step they take. It is dark because of Garrel's request that Athuk not use his flame as a light, though the non-human members of the party are fully capable of seeing well enough in the black.

They continue onward without disturbance, until eventually they reach the bottom of the cavern and the passage levels out. They keep walking for a few more seconds before suddenly, without ever once turning down a branching pathway or tunnel, they come upon a dead end. Just like that, with no items of interest or any kobolds whatsoever, the cavern ends.

"Well," Shade said flatly. "That's ... disappointing." He shuffled forward in the pitch darkness and tried to tap the stone wall with his staff. "Athuk, I think it'd be perfectly okay for you to get your light ou-wait, don't do that." Shade stopped to think about what the consequences of that action would be. "If we got down here in darkness, there's a chance we haven't been seen yet..." he rubbed his chin. "Well, provided there's even anything down here..."

"Disappointing indeed..." Athuk agreed with Shade. "Don't reckon that those kobolds are smart enough to create secret passages or doors. Still, might be something more than just this, try and look for anything that seems out of place, maybe there's a lever or a rune or something." Athuk said to to no one specifically as he ran his hand across the stone wall.

"Well... I have to say I didn't see this coming.", Garrel said. Shade and Athuk spoke as well also voicing their disappointment. Garrel wished for some light to, but like Shade said, it might be the only thing keeping them hidden. Moving up to the wall, Garrel began to tap the hilt of his shortsword along the cave wall. "Maybe, there is a false wall somewhere or a receded panel hiding a lever. Kobolds aren't smart, but this may have been here already. " Turning to Azul, Garrel asked, "Do you have any spells that might reveal a hidden lever or activation device?". Moving out of Athuk's way as the Dragonborn ran his hand against the wall, Garrel sheathed his shortsword still holding the longsword in his other hand as he waited for Azul to respond.

"Spells? Who needs magic when yeh've got yerselves a dwarf?" Gurry asked, moving over to the rear wall. Placing an ear against the rock, Gurry slowly ran his hands across the stone, his rough hands probing for any cracks or protrusions. If there was something hidden, Gurry would be sure to find it...

Azul shrugged. "We magically inclined individuals have tend to specialize in certain areas. As a conjurer, I was trained to summon beasts, such as Fang, to do my bidding. Spells that don't involve summoning monsters tend to not work well for me." Azul explained.

"I suppose that there's no reason why I couldn't try a detection spell I learned from a friend a long time ago." Azul scratched his chin thoughtfully and leaned against one of the cave walls. "The spell is able to detect if there is any free space behind a wall. My staff will shine with light when it gets close to such a hidden passage. The only problem is, I'm not very good with such incantations. Chances are I'll pull it off poorly or very clumsily." The conjurer reached into his pack and turned to a page filled with Azul's horrible handwriting. "There's the spell. Do you guys want me to give it a whirl? I don't know if we want to keep out any lights."

((I'm not certain I can do this Muffy, but it would seem reasonable to me that Azul would have other spells, he would just suck with them. Let me know if you want me to edit.))

[No, Hawk, that's not gonna work 'cause Azul only knows the three spells that you put in your sign up. Specialists wizards can certainly learn spells outside of their school of magic (though like you said they won't be too good with them), but we already established at the beginning of the RP that the wizards and priests in the group only know three spells each. It would be unfair to pull out new ones all of a sudden, especially a spell that is so useful. Don't worry, the party's dwarves have your back on this one! ]

After a long silence and a good deal of searching, Gurry sighs and steps away from the wall. He tells Azul that he might as well try his magic, since he can't seem to find any hidden passages. Azul is about to begin chanting when he is stopped.

"Wait," a deep voice says in the darkness, a thick hand being placed on the conjurer's arm. "This old Dwarf doesn't have any idea what he's talkin' about. Allow me." It is Gerhild, and she nudges Gurry aside to try out her natural affinity for stone on the wall in front of her. After a few seconds and a bit of knocking on the wall, she steps back and taps the handle of her war pick on the stone three times. The entire cavern starts shaking and rumbling as an irregular section of the stone wall begins to recede back into the darkness before sliding aside, revealing a secret passage to the party.

With all that noise, there is no longer any doubt about whether or not the kobolds have heard them. The party's presence is most definitely known now.

"Right, that was sure to get the attention of everything nearby. Might as well make some light." Athuk snapped his fingers as chanted a few of the by now more or less familiar words that would conjure up his blue flame, while walking slowly into the newly opened passage.

((Last post for a while, back on Friday, seeya))

"Old? Pah!" Gurry muttered to himself, stepping through the hole. That wad the second time Gerhild had delivered the party, and Gurry was feeling quit inadequate. Maybe he was getting too old for the adventuring business. Back in his prime, he'd have spotted that door in seconds. Sighing to himself, the dwarf unslung his hammer and moved to the front of the party - as far from Gerhild as he could be. Despite his fondness for the dwarven warrioress, she reminded him too much if everything he'd been that he now wasn't. He didn't need that right now.

"Wait," a deep voice says in the darkness, a thick hand being placed on the conjurer's arm. "This old Dwarf doesn't have any idea what he's talkin' about. Allow me." This newcomer was Gerhild. Apparently, this newcomer was much more knowledgeable in the area of stone and stonework as she found a secret switch hidden in the stone wall. Activating it, a section of the wall moves away in the most noisy and shaky way possible. "Right, that was sure to get the attention of everything nearby. Might as well make some light." , said Athuk as he created a flame and began walking through the new entrance. The new source of light made Garrel squint for a second. "Well", Garrel said, "looks like my theory of a prior occupant is correct. Kobolds are too unintelligent to make something as complicated as this." Following Athuk, Garrel drew his shortsword and primed himself for an ambush of some sort.Walking next to Athuk, Garrel noticed Gurry taking the front. This made Garrel want to pry but decided against it. Everyone already disliked him. Best not to make enemies.

Garrel received a bop on the back of the skull from Staffy, and the assassin turned in anger to see Azul standing behind him in a creepily close fashion. "Come on now, they know we're here. Time to prove yourself by going in first."

"Make way for the bullseye...wait, I mean dead meat...no, um...walking corpse? That'll do. Everyone let this fine young man in ahead to check for Kobolds." Azul said as he shoved Garrel forward.

"Bop!". Something, or rather someone hit Garrel on the back of the head. I was no surprise who Garrel saw Azul behind him. "Come on now, they know we're here. Time to prove yourself by going in first. Make way for the bullseye...wait, I mean dead meat...no, um...walking corpse? That'll do. Everyone let this fine young man in ahead to check for Kobolds." Azul then shoved Garrel forward. Ending up in front of Gurry, Garrel stared hard at Azul. Garrel's eyes became slits and then he said, " I have to ask, why do you have such a grudge against me? I have done nothing against you. Yes we traded harsh words but let me prove myself on fair ground. I will fight alongside you. I give you my word."

Azul chuckled at Garrel's serious question. "Honestly, what's to like about you? We save your hide, and then you take a share of our pay, as well as withhold information. Do you honestly think any of us believe the little sob story you gave? I'm too smart to believe such a ruse."

"In addition, adventuring is tough work. Every job is a life or death situation. Payments as well as food must also be provided for each of us to survive, and adding another member to our group makes it harder on all of us. We ain't exactly been successful in our line of work, and many of our past jobs haven't been fruitful. Why else would we take on a quest to kill mere Kobolds?"

Azul then stood to his full height. "But what I really can't stand is your arrogance. You know that we have the choice of selling you off to the men chasing you for a considerable amount of cash, or letting you tag along as another mouth to feed, but you still withhold the truth from us. Furthermore, you have the gall to hold a knife to my throat as though you could actually defeat a conjurer in combat. Who are you really Mr. Garrel? Surely you're an assassin of some sort, who can you possibly have chasing you? What problems could be brought about by adding you to our group?"

"You ask for a chance to prove yourself? Then go and defeat the Kobolds. Show us that you're worth the trouble and money you've already cost us."

"A knife to your throat?" Shade asked, astounded. He turned his gaze to the assassin. "You ... " The necromancer's brow fell down hard across his eyes. "You dare threaten one of us? After what we've done for you?" His grip on his staff tightened, and he stood next to the conjurer. "I agree with Azul; by all means, go forth and prove yourself. And don't disappoint us." Shade's eyes carried the venom in those last words as he glared at Garrelgamesh. He then turned his head as though he could not stand the sight of the assassin anymore.

"I'm going to try a detection spell," Shade said, very quietly to the rest of the group. "Just to see what I can find. If there really are kobolds, and if there are too many, we will simply retreat. It's not worth dying down here for those insignificant monsters." He looked over his shoulder. "And the kobolds, too."

Azul chuckled at Garrel's plea for a drop of mercy. Azul chuckled at Garrel's serious question. "Honestly, what's to like about you? We save your hide, and then you take a share of our pay, as well as withhold information. Do you honestly think any of us believe the little sob story you gave? I'm too smart to believe such a ruse."

"In addition, adventuring is tough work. Every job is a life or death situation. Payments as well as food must also be provided for each of us to survive, and adding another member to our group makes it harder on all of us. We ain't exactly been successful in our line of work, and many of our past jobs haven't been fruitful. Why else would we take on a quest to kill mere Kobolds?"

Azul then stood to his full height. "But what I really can't stand is your arrogance. You know that we have the choice of selling you off to the men chasing you for a considerable amount of cash, or letting you tag along as another mouth to feed, but you still withhold the truth from us. Furthermore, you have the gall to hold a knife to my throat as though you could actually defeat a conjurer in combat. Who are you really Mr. Garrel? Surely you're an assassin of some sort, who can you possibly have chasing you? What problems could be brought about by adding you to our group?"

"You ask for a chance to prove yourself? Then go and defeat the Kobolds. Show us that you're worth the trouble and money you've already cost us."

After hearing about the little threat episode, Shade decided to weigh in as well. "You ... " The necromancer's brow fell down hard across his eyes. "You dare threaten one of us? After what we've done for you?" His grip on his staff tightened, and he stood next to the conjurer. "I agree with Azul; by all means, go forth and prove yourself. And don't disappoint us."He then turned to the group and conferred with them. Garrel then knew he had made a mistake staying with the adventurers... or at least, a mistake when introducing himself.

"You care so much about money Sir Azul? Then you can take it." Reaching into his money pouch, Garrel brandished the platinum coin, held it so it shone in Athuk's bright flame, then threw it square at Azul's chest. Continuing, Garrel spoke, "You are correct in calling my story false. However, do you really expect me to divulge my personal story after you threaten me, multiple times I might add. Yes i held a knife to you but you have equally threatened me as well. You outnumber and out-man me. If you wish to turn me in, you could do so, not easily, but you could still do it. And I know your troubles. I was truly a soldier for hire. I never settled on one job. I bounced from job to job, and sometimes went without a job for months. This line of work is hard, yet we choose to do it, fully aware of the benefits, AND hardships. In respect to my arrogance I say this. Is there one man on this Earth that has not been arrogant? You have been just as arrogant as I have yet you criticize me for it. One might call that hypocritical. Find me one man that has not been arrogant once in his life and I will give you all valuables that I possess. I have brought little stress to your group. I can hunt. I can fish. Feeding me is of little consequence to your group. Lastly, as for my story, I will be happy to divulge more of my life's story if it would please you. I have had a dark past. Garrel is the name I gave myself. I do not remember my real name. I never met my parents. I had a father, or at least a man I call father. He raised me as his own. Then I experienced a dark time. That is too painful to bring up. Whether you believe me or not. As for why I am chased, my story still holds true. I refused to kill for Sir John. His name is Sir John Gamefield of the North. I refused to kill, not innocent people, but a man that Sir John disliked. As for why he is chasing me, he wants something back from me. I stole some treasure from him. Most of all, his precious crown. I do not have them on me. I hid them with a trusted friend a few towns away. This is my true story. Whether you believe it or not, that is the truth. I apologize for any inconvenience I have caused. Now, I ask only that we fight side-by-side. Asking me to fight the Kobolds alone is like asking a man to pull the rope with his head in a guillotine. I will prove myself, yes, I will prove myself as many times as necessary to you. I would just like to be able to live if unforeseen circumstances occur." After speaking his peace, Garrel, turned and walked a couple steps forward, then turned his head back to the group and said, "Well, are we going to be able to set aside our differences and fight these Kobolds? I understand if you hate me now. But you have two options. The first is to fight the Kobolds with me. I will fight on the frontlines with you behind me. The second is you fight me, capture me, and turn me over, how that will turn out, even Ii can't predict. So, what do you say?"

Sandor looked on as Shade, Azul, and Garrel bickered about the assassin's place in the party. Azul did have a valid point, Garrel hadn't done much to benefit the party and was being quite the menace. In his defense, he did seem to have some undisclosed conflict about him that would need to be revealed in order for the group to trust him. The woodsman then drew his twin daggers to prepare himself for the inevitable. In the close quarters of the cave, they would be necessary for the incredibly intimate combat to come. His prized bow would do him no good here.

Azul stared as Garrel spoke up against him, and his hands began to shake in anger as he clutched Staffy. He truly hated this man and his whiny attitude, that and the fact that he was now trying to shift the blame onto Azul. It was insulting and repulsive. Subconsciously Azul began to think of the spell required to summon his legion of snakes to tear Garrel apart.

This man has insulted you. Robbed you. Threatened you. He is not worth keeping alive. Kill him now. No one here would question you. The voice of Norik, Azul's second personality began to speak in his head. Norik was the vengeful and angry part of Azul's mind, the same one that killed his former master, and was now plotting the many ways that Garrel's blood could be smeared on the wall. In an effort to keep his destructive side in check, Azul had stored this half of his personality in his subconscious with a very difficult spell. Norik was in a very strong cage, but the cage had open bars where his voice could still get through.

Kill him! Azul began to lift his staff as though he were about to cast his spell when the platinum coin hit his chest. Azul's personality reverted back into its happy go lucky nature as he plucked the shiny coin from the ground.

"Thank you very much. Shall we go destroy the Kobolds?" It was obvious Azul had barely even listened to what Garrel has said as he did a u-turn in emotions. He stored the coin in his pocket for later.