Abandoned (MOSTLY TEXT)

[Vancho1]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Well, I've had this urge to start an adventure, even though I don't have the time, skill, or motivation to draw for it. I guess that means this is a text adventure, but I might make a map or two if needed.

It is a beautiful evening. The sunset illuminates the treetops with a fiery glow, as the birds fly back to their nests. Out of the forest rises a cliff, upon which lies a crumbling building, and below flows a river which brings life to the lush land. Upon the cliff, you sit, watching the sun set beyond the horizon. Behind you, your men start lighting a fire, preparing to cook a deer they caught earlier. A few more climb on top of a ruined wall, setting up a watch for the night. As you sit in the main hall of the ruin, you think of what comes next.

But first, who are you? What is your name, and gender?

[Vancho1]

No replies? Come on, people, I have a story thought out here. I'd hate to scrap it now.

[Whimbrel]

Okay~

Hmm, gender: Female, name: Alyssa

[Vancho1]

Alyssa... That's right. Lady Alyssa, to be exact!

You are the Lady Alyssa Dakon, current holder of Ermund Province. The Dakon family has served the great Empire faithfully for many generations, providing the warhorses crucial to the Empire's battle tactics. You are the last of a long line of faithful warriors, never retreating in the face of danger. At least, not until now.

As the sun sets, you turn back to gaze at the reason you're here, and not on the field of battle. The stone door sits in the center of the ruin, refusing to open and let you through. There are two people examining it, but they turn and walk back to you.

The first is a tall, pale man, with dark hair and a carefully groomed goatee. He is dressed in dark robes, inscribed with curious symbols that weave around his body, and shift in both form and color.

The other is a short, bearded fellow, wearing a trenchcoat (albeit shortened) and carrying various instruments on a belt. If you hadn't known better, you might mistake this person for a man, but, you know who both of them are.

These two are Gavin Linn and Carmen Runeforge, your court sorcerer and alchemist. Gavin steps forward and bows respectfully, while Carmen curtsies. You acknowledge their respect and motion for them to speak. Gavin begins.

"My lady, I have grave news. While unable to travel through, I did manage to scry through the portal. The battle has not gone well, and the Emperor is nowhere to be seen."

Carmen takes out a scroll and continues.

"We examined the gate, and I've determined that there is no way to reopen it. To power it alone would require a grand master alchemist, and there's no way to be sure that we can find the right co-ordinates. Gavin only managed to catch a glimpse before the connection was severed."

You storm angrily to the closed door, and begin pacing back and forth.

"I never should have left! The emperor is probably dead, and it's my fault!"

As you pace, a third figure walks up. You need only to glance at the armor to determine that it is Captain Lucas Morrain, the head of your personal bodyguard. You lift your hand to shoo him away, but he stops you.

"Milady, your attitude will not help us! Need I remind you that the Emperor himself gave you the order to retreat? That his head sorcerer himself opened the gate?"

You sigh, and sit down on a cold flagstone.

"I suppose you're right, Lucas. How many men do we have?"

"Excluding us, twelve survived to go through the gate with you. Two of them are your Elite Rangers, four are veteran bodyguards:Two archers, and two swordsmen, and the rest are green troops, trained both with the short bow and spear."

"Don't we have any more?"

"I'm afraid not. Your best troops died holding the gate against the invaders. I was the last to go through, and by the time I left, the Emperor had moved into the Tower with his best men. I couldn't see more, as the Grand Alchemist shoved me through the gate and sealed it afterwards."

"Such a shame. Well, gather the men in the main courtyard. I'll have to decide what to do now."

It is currently Dusk. You currently have twelve men remaining: 2 Elite, 4 Veteran, and 6 Green. You also have your three advisers: Gavin, Lucas, and Carmen. Your people didn't bring any food, so you cannot stay at this ruin much longer. What will you do tomorrow morning?

[Whimbrel]

((Oooh, you write really well! I'm glad I saw it when you bumped it~!))

The rangers should scout for signs of a road, trail; anything that might point towards civilization of some sort (assuming you don't know where one is in relation to this side of the gate, that is.) Your sorcerer and alchemist should go foraging, assuming they know things about either using plants etc. for medicine, cooking, or at the very least for spell reagents. Two or three green soldiers should work on gathering wood for a fire; the rest should go hunting/foraging. They should keep an eye out for clean, running water; if you only find still water, you're going to have to boil it first.

[Vancho1]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Well, thank you. Now, all I have to do is keep this story going.

The soldiers gather in the courtyard, and stand at attention as you survey them. You start giving out orders.

"Loyal soldiers, we are far from home. The Emperor sent us through that portal, and it is our duty to preserve the Empire, no matter how far we are from Ermund, or the Empire itself! I have tasks for you, so that we can survive in these new lands. Rangers, you must go into the woods and seek out signs of civilization. To aid you, I have something that you might need. Gavin?"

Gavin steps forward and extracts two pendants from his robes. He hands one to each Ranger, while taking out a third and handing it to you.

"These pendants are combined communicators and trackers. Whenever you need to contact us, or if you want to find our location to return, activate the pendant. Just hold it while concentrating on who you want to contact or track."

The two Rangers start to open their mouths, but Carmen steps forward and interrupts them.

"Don't worry about enemy spies using the pendants to track us. I've tailored them to each of you. If anyone else tries to use them, we'll know."

The Rangers nod respectfully and take the pendants. They bow, and one of them steps forward.

"My lady, we shall depart. If we do not contact you within two days, assume the worst."

They run off, quickly blending in to the trees and disappearing. You turn back to the others.

"As for the rest of you, start working on gathering firewood, food, and water. We have to support ourselves while the Rangers search for traces of civilization. I know there's someone out there. This ruin is proof of it! There's a river right under the cliff, and plenty of animals to hunt. Get to work!"

Lucas and the men move off, and he quickly divides them into groups for each task. He moves off with the soldiers into the forest, leaving you behind with your alchemist and sorcerer. Alone, you turn towards them.

"Carmen, Gavin, you're my most loyal advisers. I want you to go out into the forest, and see if you can find any herbs, useful plants, or reagents. I know that Carmen knows how to brew potions, so try to find ingredients for known healing formulae."

Carmen goes into a side room in the ruin and returns with a small box. She sets it down.

"Are you sure you'll be safe here alone? We are in unknown territory, after all. You can come with us, or go out with Lucas and help the men with their tasks."

Time of Day: Late evening. Both Rangers have departed, and checking on their position reveals that they are moving in a standard Imperial scouting pattern. Lucas is organizing the men to gather firewood, food, and water, and Carmen and Gavin are about to leave to gather plants.

What will you do? Will you stay at the ruin, go with Gavin and Carmen, or try to help Lucas?

[Whimbrel]

Let's see if we can't find a suitably safe place for the troops to sleep, if the ruins can provide shelter, and set to fortifying it.

[Vancho1]

You shake your head at Carmen's request.

"I am sure that this place is safe enough. Please, do not fret over my safety."

Gavin and the dwarf bow.

"As you wish, my lady. We depart."

When they leave, you set out to explore this ruin a bit. Aside from the Courtyard and the Main Hall, there are two side doors that have not been blocked. Behind the first is a long room, empty save the dust that coats it. The other door leads to a staircase down. You carefully step into the dark, making sure not to lose your footing on the crumbling stairs. At the bottom, you can see that there is a torch already lit, though there is something strange about it. On closer examination, you see that it is Alchemical Fire, which burns without fuel until it is extinguished. The torch looks as old as the rest of the place. You doubt that Carmen lit it.

You take the torch and proceed further in, ducking under a low archway. Ahead, you can see what remains of an Alchemist's laboratory, with beakers and formulae scattered everywhere. You pick one up, but it is unfortunately written in a language that you don't recognize. The main portion is blocked by a cave-in, but a small side room still remains to explore. As you step in, you see that this room is much smaller than the rest, and is a dead end. You almost turn to leave, but you notice a barrel sitting untouched in the corner. It has a spigot in its side, and is filled with an amber liquid. You carry it up, and leave it in the main hall.

Your analysis of the ruin leads you to believe that this was once a castle, but it has long since been abandoned. The long hall seems suitable as a temporary barracks, and the walls look pretty well preserved. You suspect that the barrel contains some sort of alcohol, though you have to ask Carmen to identify it just to be sure.

As you wait, the men begin to filter in, directed by Lucas. They stack up the wood and carry meat and water. Lucas walks up to you and bows, before looking around the ruin, then back at you.

"Milady, where are the Sorcerer and the dwarf? Did they leave you alone here? You could have been attacked!"

You stand up and look over the wall for the two, before responding.

"Calm yourself, noble Lucas. 'Twas I who sent them out, and it was of my volition that I was alone. You need not worry, in fact, I think that they're approaching at this very moment."

Sure enough, behind him are your two other advisers. They are carrying a sack of plants each, and they lay them down respectfully at your feet. Gavin motions to his sack.

"In here, I have selected all the edible plants I could find. There were many that we didn't recognize, but we did the best we could."

Carmen lifts hers, then continues.

"And here are all the unknowns and alchemical reagents. If you'll excuse me, I need to get this down to the laboratory. Or, what's left of it."

You stop her, and point to the barrel.

"Wait. What is this liquid?"

She steps closer, sniffs the air, then continues to walk towards the stairwell down. She looks over her shoulder and calls back.

"That's mead, milady. High quality mead. It's still good."

Time of Day: Early Night. All ten of your troops are here, and all three advisers. The Rangers are still moving out, though it looks like they're searching for a place to stop. You currently have a barrel of mead, food and water for at least two days, and firewood.

What will you do now?

[Whimbrel]

Start the fire and get some food cooked; any meat that you're not going to eat right now should be dried/smoked to keep it from going bad. Then get some rest, but have at least two of your troops keeping watch through the night. Three shifts should be good to ensure that everyone is rested.

[Vancho1]

You look over the meat that the men have brought in. It's mostly small game, though there is a deer or two in the pile. You go to where the men had lit a fire earlier, and take a stick with a charred end from the ashes. You then turn to one of your veterans.

"Soldier, I want this meat cooked, salted, or smoked by the time we leave. Do you understand?"

He bows.

"Yes, my lady."

"Good. Make sure there's a watch set up for tonight. I want four rotations, one rookie with each of you veterans."

You then walk back to the ruin, motioning for your advisers to follow. You sit down on a part of the floor that's still intact, and draw a cliff with a river below.

"This is where we are. Lucas, did your men find anything of note in the forest while hunting?"

He takes the stick and marks three spots in the forest.

"These are places of interest. My men saw more ruins here. They're all within an hour's walk from here. We can go there tomorrow."

You nod, and stand up, motioning for them to go off to wherever they would sleep. Before he leaves, you stop Lucas and whisper into his ear.

"I want you watching the mead personally tonight, you understand? Don't want my men getting drunk."

He bows, and leaves to organize the soldiers again. As you walk back to the edge of the cliff, you notice a small door in the ruin that you didn't during your exploration. When you open the door, you notice that this room's stonework is much better, and that its contents are better preserved. Inside is a wooden bed, with a cabinet beside it. The cabinet is empty, and it seems that nobody else had been in this room. You decide that this is a good place to sleep, and turn around, noticing the single window in the room. It points towards the cliff's edge, and you can see the dark treetops extend to the horizon. You take off your armor, and lie down, slowly drifting off to sleep.........

An arrow whistles by your ear, missing you by a hair. There is smoke everywhere, and the yells of angry soldiers surround you. You pull your sword from the body of an enemy and charge forward, joining your troops. Suddenly, a tremor shakes the ground, and from it erupts a terrible beast of earth and stone. It roars, and you see the foul warlock commanding it from behind his men. With a cry, you charge and leap, catching the man by surprise. After you cut him down, you turn, to see a terrible sight; your home is burning, and your men have fallen. Beside you is the Emperor, looking frail in his ceremonial armor. As you fight off more enemies, you hear an otherworldly scream, and before you can turn to see what cried.....

You wake up to the pounding of a fist on your door.

"Milady! 'Tis morning already, and we require your guidance!"

You quickly dress and open the door, following Gavin to the courtyard. You can see that the meat has been neatly cut up and prepared, and your men are standing at attention. Gavin moves to the other advisers, and they turn and bow respectfully.

"Well, milady, what are your orders? The three sites of interest have been labeled One, Two, and Three."

Time of day: Mid-morning. Your troops are well rested, and your advisers are happy. The Rangers are still moving.

What will you do?

[Whimbrel]

Split into three groups, one to each site. Each group should have one adviser; Lucas to site one, Gavin to site two, and Carmen to site three. You shall go to site two.

[Vancho1]

You walk over to the spot where Lucas marked the three sites on the map.

"Alright. We have ten soldiers, and four of us. I want Lucas to take three men and go to the first location, Gavin will take four and come with me to number two, and Carmen will have the rest at location three. Understand?"

The advisers bow.

"Yes, my lady."

"Good. Let's be off."

You look over your men, as Gavin prepares his magical examination spells. When he finishes, he walks over to the soldiers.

"Men, your mission is simple. Guard the lady while we examine the area of interest. If any of you come under attack, shout for help. Is that understood?"

They all salute smartly, and shout in unison.

"Yes, sir!"

With that, you're off. You and your party march through the ancient forest, and you marvel at the sheer size of the towering moss-covered trees. The arboreal canopy casts the floor into a cool semi-darkness, with forest creatures and birds moving about. As you approach the site, you begin to notice crumbling stones, wrapped in the vegetation. They appear more frequently, until you suddenly break out of the forest into a secluded clearing. The sunlight falls upon a smooth pond, which shines in the beautiful light of day. You near the pond, and you see that it is larger than you thought before, large enough to be a lake.

You and your guards walk closer to the shore, enchanted by the beauty of the lake. You stop, right at the edge of the water, and look back. Gavin is standing far away from the lake; indeed, he is at the edge of the clearing, his brow furrowed in concentration. You call out to him.

"Come on, Gavin! The water's beautiful!"

He shakes his head and motions for you to go to him. Reluctantly, you order your guards back into the forest and walk to him. He sighs, and points for all of the soldiers to stand behind him. When they reach his side, he begins speaking.

"Milady, I, as a sorcerer, notice things that ordinary people cannot. This glade is enchanted, and I do not know what the purpose of the enchantment is. I managed to examine it and determine that it is an illusion, hiding something that is there. I believe that it requires one to go alone."

As the last of the men step behind Gavin, you see something that you did not see before. Tied to a post is a small rowboat, and, farther out into the lake, you can see an island, with a tall tree larger than the rest.

Time of Day: Late Morning. You have four soldiers; Two green and two veterans. Gavin is with you, but you cannot determine the status of your other advisers. The rangers are too far to do anything, but you sense that they are still going according to plan.

You have a few options here. You can choose to get in the boat, order Gavin or one of your soldiers to do it, or leave. What will you do?

[Whimbrel]

While caution would say that you should send in a soldier, CURIOSITY STRIKES AGAIN! Get in the boat!

[Vancho1]

"I'm going in Gavin"

"But my lady.."

"No buts. I am the one for whom the boat appeared. If I do not return, Lucas is in charge. Find a safe place, and settle there. Farewell, Gavin"

You turn from him and walk briskly to the rowboat, despite his cries for you to stop. You step into the boat, and sit down, grabbing the oars. As soon as you leave the shore, the whole place changes around you. The rest of the world disappears into a thick fog, as the boat moves steadily towards the island. Out of curiosity, you stop rowing, but the boat continues forward at the same speed as before.

Slowly, the island rises from the fog. You crane your neck to look at the top of the towering tree as you approach, but it seems to go up infinitely into the sky. The boat finally comes to rest at the shore of the island, and you step out, cautiously looking around. The landing is bare, save for a footpath that leads forward to the tree. You walk forward, quickly reaching the base of the ancient tree. From there, you can see a series of steps, not carved, but grown into the tree. They are made for something taller than a human, and you struggle to walk up.

The steps seem to be infinite in front of you, yet you see that with every step you climb you move closer to your goal. After what seems to be an eternity, you find yourself at the top of the tree, looking down, not upon the land, but the whole world. You see the swirling of the weather, the blue of the seas, the brown deserts, the rock-encrusted mountains, and the green of the seas and meadows. The world is far below you, and you feel cold, and afraid. A booming sound causes you to turn around, to face a great crystal on the very top of the tree. From it emanates a beautiful ringing, and it glows and sparkles more brilliantly than any gem. As you gaze upon it, you notice the heavens, spread out in their majestic emptiness above you. The stars, though bright, fill only a small portion of the void, and you can see all of the splendor in each distinct point. Each star makes light in the darkness, and each one is majestic and proud.

Again, a deep sound causes you to direct your attention at the crystal. You walk towards it, and carefully touch it, reluctant to ruin its beauty with your imperfect hands. As soon as you do, the world turns dark, and you can see nothing but the crystal in the void. From it sounds a melodic, yet sad voice, which echoes inside your mind.

(ORACLE TEXT (In White. Just for this one Orace))

"Welcome, Alyssa Dakon, Lady of Ermund. I am the Oracle at Ynor, the Oracle of Void. A long time it has been since one has come to seek my advice. The heavens, in their great emptiness, sing to me and direct my words. You shall face a great trial, in which you may lose hope. The Void's wisdom is never to forget that you are one among many. I cannot guide you further, but there is one thing I can do. Accept this gift from the voids, and remember my words."

The crystal grows brighter and brighter, and it suddenly flashes, blinding you. Your world falls into darkness.....

When you open your eyes, you see Gavin standing over you with a worried look on his face. He offers you a hand, and you get up, steadying yourself.

"Are you alright, Milady? You were out for nearly an hour!"

You nod, and let go of his hand, taking stock of your surroundings. You have been brought back to the ruin, and are in your room.

"What happened while I was at the island?"

"Well, as soon as you got in the boat, all the wards fell. Your men ran forward to stop you, but a fog descended upon the whole lake. We couldn't see a thing. I could see it was magical, so I told them not to follow you. After around half an hour, the boat returned. You were out cold, so we brought you back here. Forgive me, my lady."

"No need for apologies. Where are the others?"

He motions to the door.

"They returned half an hour ago. Lucas and Carmen are ready to make their reports."

You walk out, followed by Gavin. Lucas and Carmen are standing near the Gate, and are relieved to see you walking. They move to you, and bow.

"Lucas, you go first. What did you find?"

He bows again and begins speaking.

"We went to the site. It was a ruined tower, probably that of an Alchemist or Sorcerer. Most of the stuff inside was smashed, but we did find some texts in another language and a few undamaged instruments for a lab."

Carmen goes next.

"Our site was a stone circle. I examined as much as I could, but I didn't find much. There was an inscription, though. It was in an archaic dwarven language, and it said 'This place is that of the Children of the Wood.'. There was nothing else at the site."

You nod.

"Thank you for your reports. The second site was an oracle, but I believe that the prophecy was meant only for me. You may depart."

The three move off. You sit down, but there is something in your back pocket that you didn't notice before. You take it out, and, to your surprise, it is a small, glowing crystal. It has a chain attached to it, and, without thinking, you put it around your neck. Nothing happens.

It is mid-afternoon. All your men are back.

What will you do?

[Whimbrel]

Everyone except Carmen and Gavin does combat drills. In a situation such as this, the last thing we want to do is become rusty at defending ourselves. Carmen and Gavin should either look at the text or see what they can make with the lab equipment and the reagents they have.

[Vancho1]

You walk up to your soldiers, and they all stand at attention. As they stand, you walk down the line and give orders.

"Men! We are far from home, and this land may harbor unknown dangers. I want all of you to spar. The green troops should go against the veterans, and the two left over will spar each other. Everyone needs to practice with at least one veteran, so you need to rotate who fights who. Understood?"

"Yes, my lady!"

You then walk over to Gavin and Carmen.

"You two need to work on those texts we found. If you reach a dead end, start making potions. There's something wrong about this place."

Gavin moves closer to you and looks you in the eye.

"Does it have something to do with what you saw on that island?"

"I don't know. It's just something with these ruins. They're either abandoned, or left over from a war. Neither explanation makes sense to me, though. These are remnants of a people with advanced magics, plentiful resources, and defensible lands. Why would they ever leave? Or, if someone attacked, why are these ruins so intact? There is wood and paper here that hasn't rotted away. It's strange, that's all"

Carmen gives you a reassuring smile.

"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."

You nod and smile back.

"I am glad to have such loyal and intelligent advisers. Now, go to your tasks."

They bow and depart, walking to the door to the laboratory and disappearing down the stairs. You look around the ruin, and find Lucas, sitting on a rock and looking out over the cliff. You go up to him and sit down, staring at the landscape with him. You speak quietly into his ear.

"The men are sparring, in preparation for whatever awaits us out there. Let's make sure my skills are up to par."

He nods and gets up, moving back to the courtyard. You look once more at the sea of trees before following suit. The soldiers are training, as you told them. Lucas takes out a small vial and smears it on his sword, before handing it to you.

"They may fight with training weapons, but I prefer this. It's an oil Gavin makes for me. It magically dulls the weapon until you wash the blade. Much more realistic."

You take the vial and do the same to your sword. As you smear it into the blade, you can suddenly see a strange sheen around the sword, and when you look at Lucas's sword, it has the same aura. He stands at the ready.

"Don't hold back on me because I'm your lady. I need practice, not confidence boosting."

He nods, then beckons.

"As you wish, my lady. En garde!"

In an instant, his stance changes, and he moves in towards you. His sword flashes as he swings it, and you barely manage to parry. He turns and slashes at your side, but you manage to sidestep fast enough to get in an attack of your own. He smiles and dodges, stabbing at you. You block, only for him to suddenly strike your hand, knocking your sword to the ground. He grins as he goes in for the coup de grâce, but you kick and catch him off guard, knocking him and his weapon into the dust. You reach down and grab your sword quickly, before walking over to Lucas and offering him your hand. He stands up on his own and dusts himself off. You shake your head jokingly at him.

"Being a noble doesn't mean I have to fight like one."

He smiles and takes out a waterskin, washing off his sword and offering it to you.

"Let's hope your enemies make the same mistake, my lady."

You wash your sword and sheathe it. Lucas leaves to supervise the soldiers sparring, as you go sit down to rest. Suddenly, your pendant grows hot, and it starts glowing brightly. When you touch it, the voices of your rangers emerge.

"Milady, we have found civilization. The place we are is a day's march from here, at a fast pace. We will tell you more when you reach us."

It is the late afternoon. What will you do?

[Whimbrel]

We will make camp at the ruins again tonight, and in the morning we will march to the rangers.

[Vancho1]

You walk up to Lucas, and tap him on the shoulder.

"Back for another round? I'm sorry, milady, but I must refuse. These soldiers still need my guidance in their training."

You shake your head.

"New orders. I need this place packed up. We have to be ready to go by tomorrow morning, okay? You know what to do."

Without waiting for him to reply, you turn and leave, walking to the laboratory door. You walk down the stairs quickly, and look around the wrecked room for Carmen and Gavin. They are standing over one of the surviving tables, looking at one of the manuscripts with puzzled looks on their faces. You begin to hear their conversation as you walk closer to them.

"But the formula doesn't make sense.... unless you reverse the signs!" "Yes, I see it now! Then, this part would really be here, and...""The balance of the equation is restored. Now, this part makes no sense to me...""It looks like it's some sort of calculation, made by a philosopher, not an alchemist!""Aha! That explains this part, which means our previous explanation was wrong. I based it off of an alchemist's perspective. Now, since our previous assumptions were wrong..."

You finally reach them, and step behind them, leaning in between the two to look at the manuscript.

"I hope you're going to make more progress than this, because we're leaving tomorrow morning. The rangers told me they found civilization. Maybe there's someone there who can help. Now, get packing!"

You leave them before they can respond and run up the old steps. Once you exit, you immediately walk to your room. You open the door and sit down on your bed. There's a long day ahead of you tomorrow, and you intend to be prepared for it. You slip out of your armor and lie down, not noticing that you're drifting off as you rest.......

The city wall stands defiantly against the attackers, but it can not hold forever. The archers standing beside you shoot volley after volley into the invading horde, but with every passing moment the enemy moved closer. You scan the mass of soldiers for anyone who stood out, and quickly locate one soldier wearing better armor than the rest. He is surrounded by heavily-armed guards, and is shouting out orders to the men in front of him. Having found your mark, you remove your greatbow from your shoulder and nock an arrow to the bowstring. You draw it to your ear, and aim, letting loose your arrow. It sails through the air, hitting the man through the gap in his helmet. A sorcerer stands behind you, and he speaks into your ear.

"Your ladyship, it is most prudent to leave. The Free City of Lome will hold. There are other places that need your leadership."

With a flash of light, the city disappears. Your eyes focus, then.......

You open your eyes to see your room in the ruin. You get up and walk to the window. Outside, it is still dark, though it is beginning to get lighter. You slip back in to your armor and walk outside, to the courtyard. Your men are awake and ready, their packs full of supplies. Lucas, Gavin, and Carmen are all there, waiting for you. Lucas walks up to you and bows.

"I see you're awake. Where is it that we're going?"

You touch your pendant and focus, concentrating on the location of your rangers. You see their relative location in your mind, and point towards the sunrise.

"The rangers found civilization in the East. It's around a day's march, or so they said. Is everything ready?"

Lucas nods.

"As ready as it ever will be. Let's be off. These ruins disturb me, and I'm glad we're leaving them."

You set off, marching through the ancient forests and over the ruined remains of roads. Mid-afternoon, you finally emerge from the trees, and into lush meadows and fields. Nothing disturbs your march, and you reach your rangers' position by nightfall. They have set up camp near the end of a dirt road. You walk up to the tent and carefully part the fabric, then duck inside. They are sitting on the floor of the tent and bow as you enter. They speak when you are settled down.

"Milady, we have completed the mission as you requested. Here is what we have found out. The forest has been untouched for as long as the populace can remember. We are currently in the farmlands surrounding the only city in this region. The people call it 'The Free City', and know no other name for it. Apparently, there was a call for everyone to evacuate to the city, due to an attacking army approaching. The soldiers we asked said that they were a few days away. There is one strange thing we must report, milady."

"Report away. What is it?"

"Everyone spoke Imperial Common. There were some words and phrases that we didn't recognize, but otherwise the language is the same. They mentioned that the Lord Protector of the city was going to do something about the attacking army. Perhaps you could request an audience with him?"

"I'll see about that. Thank you for your report, Rangers. You may now return to the command of Captain Morrain."

You exit the tent and sit down on a broken milestone at the end of the road.

It is the Early Evening. You have all twelve of your men, though ten of them are fatigued from a long day's march. What do you do?

[Whimbrel]

The fatigued men should get some rest.

The Rangers should go see about setting up an appointment with the Lord Protector.

[goggleman64]

Find Captain Morraine, and ask if he thinks you'll have any trouble with this rumored approaching army.

Get Captain Morraine to pick out a detail of men for your personal bodyguard, and request an audience with the Lord Protector. Tell him that your men are not here to attack or threaten, and that you simply wish to resupply. DON'T tell him that you're from a different world; I'm getting sneaky politics chills from him.

Do you . . . have a general captain for the soldiers? If so, leave the micro-management of the troops to him/her. If not, promote Morraine to that position.

Find Gavin and Carmen, and show them the crystal you got from the Oracle. Tell them of the prophecy; tell Gavin especially of the odd dreams you've been having. Ask them their thoughts.

If you've got writing materials, record everything you can still remember about the dreams and the prophecy, for future reference.

[Vancho1]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

His name's spelled Morrain, not Morraine. One's a made-up name, the other's a glacial formation that's really annoying when you're on it.

You'd love to set up an audience with the Lord Protector right now, but you're not in the city! In fact, the rangers informed you that you were about an hour away from the city proper, and that these were just the outskirts. As for the thoughts about the army.....

Lucas has been your most loyal soldier for a long time, and you're not sure you want to put him into danger. You appointed him Captain of your bodyguards to keep him close to you, however, since you've gone into battle many times, he is quite the leader and strategist. Now, if your Rangers say that the people report an incoming army, it must be at least fifty men. How else could they expect to raid a city? Either way, your soldiers are a fraction of your usual bodyguard, and there's no way you could take on a battalion, much less a whole army. Still, it might be useful to talk strategy with him. You call him over to your tent.

He enters and bows, sitting down afterward.

"You wished to speak with me?"

You nod.

"Yes, Lucas. The Rangers reported that the city we're heading for is going to be attacked by a supposed army. What kind of chance would we stand against them, with and without the city?"

He furrows his brow, and thinks for a few moments, before answering.

"Well, without the city, we're pretty much reduced to making guerrilla attacks on any force larger than a camp of bandits. Considering that we don't know the terrain, survival would be nearly impossible if we chose to fight. Now, the city could probably hold an attack. It would depend on how strong their defenses are, but they're in pretty good shape. The recalling of farmers would suggest a siege, so we could help by either performing hit-and-run attacks with our veterans, or deploying as archers on the wall. Either way, we'd be relying on the city for support."

"Acknowledged. Thank you for your tactical analysis, Captain Morrain. You are dismissed. Could you call in Mister Linn and Madame Runeforge? I must speak with them."

He gets up and bows again to you, carefully lifting the tent door and exiting. Just before he leaves, he ducks in for a moment.

"Practicing your formality for the Lord Protector?"

You chuckle heartily and smile.

"Perhaps, dear Lucas, but I'm still waiting."

He departs. Not thirty seconds after he leaves, he parts the flap again, and clears his throat.

"May I present the esteemed Gavin Linn and Carmen Runeforge, my lady."

The two step in, and bow, sitting down next to you as Lucas takes his leave. When he is gone, you begin.

"Do you remember when I went alone to that island, Gavin?"

He nods.

"Why yes, I remember it as if it were yesterday.... because it was. What about your mysterious visit to that oracle?"

"Well, when I was there, the Oracle told me that I was one among many and that I would face a great trial."

Carmen snorts.

"Typical cryptic bullshit, pardon my dwarvish. Oracles are mysterious for a reason: so that they stay in business."

You sigh, and take out the crystal.

"You are excused. What you say may be true, but I also received this. It seems to be some sort of magical stone, yet I cannot determine the properties, as I am not trained."

Gavin takes one look at it, and shakes his head. Carmen takes out a magnifying glass and looks at its structure, but she shakes her head as well.

"It looks like a crystal to me. High-quality, but normal."

"Indeed, I sense no magic coming from it. It may just be a token that the Oracle gave to its visitors. Now, if you may excuse us, we were working on those manuscripts that you wanted deciphered."

You stop them before they leave.

"Wait! I have been having strange dreams, but instead of dreams, they're memories! Memories from the place we left behind!"

Gavin sighs.

"Guilt induced dreams, my lady. They shall subside eventually."

Carmen chips in as well.

"Aye, it's happened to me too. I couldn't stop seeing my poor family in my dreams after I left the Dwarf Lands. It'll stop in due time."

They depart, leaving you to yourself. You take off the armor you've been wearing every day and sigh, staring up at the fabric of the tent. The fabric fades, as a familiar darkness envelops you.....

You're so excited! Your daddy's back, and he's gonna take you to see the birds. There he is! You run up to him in joy, and he grabs you up, giving you an enormous hug.

"I've missed you, sweetie."

You look up at him and smile.

"Daddy! You promised to take me to see the birds!"

He sets you down and leads you by the hand to a long wooden building by the forest.

"And I haven't forgotten. In there is where we keep the falcons."

He opens the door and takes you inside. The place smells like hay, but not of manure like the other barns. Instead, you can smell raw meat, and you hear the sound of birds all throughout the building. Your dad puts on a glove and takes one of the birds. They're all hooded, and you can't see any part of the head. He takes a few bits of meat from one of the attendants, too. After that, he steps outside and beckons for you to follow.

"This here's a Kirian Falcon. We got them a long time ago from some people far away, and we use them to find bad guys. Every scout does, even the bad people."

He takes the hood off the bird, revealing its golden eyes and sharp beak. He throws the first bit of meat into the air, and the bird takes flight, quickly intercepting the morsel.

"Now, here's how they find people. Some of the guards are out there hiding. I'm gonna send it out to find them."

He blows on a whistle, and the bird immediately takes off. It flies around, before circling over one spot. It circles for a little while, then flies in a straight line back to your father, chirping a few times. He feeds it the rest of the meat and hoods it, taking it back into the building.

"So, daddy, how do you find out where they are?"

He sits down to explain.

"First, the bird circles over the spot where it's found someone. Then, it flies back to the scout in a straight line, telling him or her which direction they are. Finally, the bird chirps once for about a five minute's walk. We train them very well, so well that we can..........."

You awake as suddenly as you did every other morning. You slip back in to your armor and step outside. A shadow passes over you, and you look up, just in time to see a golden bird flying off in a straight line.

It's the early morning. Your twelve men are rested and ready. What do you do?

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Yay! Update ten! Thanks to Whimbrel, for finding this adventure when I bumped it and (nearly) singlehandedly getting me to the threshold needed to leave the Cradle.

[Whimbrel]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

More like thanks to you, Vancho, for taking pretty bare-bones suggestions and working LITERARY MAGICS~ ~◕ o◕~

QUICK GET THE FAL---oh a dreams. RIGHT.

Have the rangers get acquainted as best they can with the surrounding territory.

Take two veterans, two green troops, Lucas and Carmen with you to town; the others should forage/hunt for food.

Gavin should keep working on the magics/text.

[goggleman64]

> Go with Lucas and Carmen into town; have Lucas pick out some troops to accompany you.

> Besides seeking an audience with the Lord, look for supplies that you might need (for instance: arrows) and seek out . . . just, any information you can find. Especially seek information about the ruins, about Ynor, and about the Void.

> Have Carmen look for any special alchemical materials he needs.

[Vancho1]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Well, time to update this. I don't think my literary skills are magics. I just think it's fun to write.

The men are sitting around a fire, cooking breakfast, along with your three advisers. Carmen is sprinkling some herbs on the food, and tasting it every so often. You walk up to them.

"Good morning, everyone."

Carmen turns to you and smiles brightly, holding out a bowl of stew.

"Have some hot breakfast, milady. I made sure to make it as best as I could out here. I made sure all the herbs are edible."

You take the bowl from her hands and hold it carefully while you sit down. A savory aroma wafts from the stew as you lift it up to your mouth to taste it. You can taste the herbs and vegetables as you eat it, and, to your surprise, there is a little venison left over from the previous two nights. After you finish the food, you turn back to Carmen.

"That was delicious! I never knew you could cook, Carmen."

She blushes and bows slightly.

"Well, I thought to myself, 'cooking's just like alchemy', and put together the ingredients. It's nothing, really."

You smile and walk over to Lucas.

"So, what are our plans for the day?"

He furrows his brow, and sits on a rock, motioning for you to sit next to him.

"Did you see the bird?"

You nod.

"Yes, what about it?"

He sighs.

"Birds don't usually fly like that. I'm thinking it's a Kirian Falcon, or a bird similar to it. In any case, our camp has been discovered. What we don't know is which side that bird belongs to. It could be from the invading army, it could be from the city. Whatever side it is, the scout's going to investigate. We don't want to be caught outside the city, so we'd better pack up and get moving."

You protest.

"We could side with the army when they come! We don't know the territory, we don't know the lore, and we certainly can't make hasty decisions."

He sighs and shakes his head. With a stick, he draws a circle and several lines extending from it. He draws a much smaller circle at the end of the lines, and a big question mark on the other side of the city.

"We are here at the small circle. The lines are the outskirts, and the big circle is the city. The question mark represents the army. There is no reason why we would stay here. If the army is hostile, we'd be dead before we can even negotiate. If they're friendly, we'd probably be used to aid their siege, and gain little in return. The city, on the other hand, would be grateful for aid. We might get medals and be regarded as heroes if the siege is broken. I suggest we go to the city now, before it's too late."

You stare at the rough map for a few moments, before admitting defeat.

"I suppose you're right. Gather up the men and as many supplies as you can collect, and be ready to depart for the city."

In ten minutes, the tents are packed up and the soldiers are standing in an orderly column, ready to march. You go to the head of the column and give the order to move forward. The countryside passes beside you as the silhouette of the city grows larger ahead of you. You reach the gate in little under an hour, as expected, and walk up to a small window in the side of the wall. You knock, and it opens, revealing a bearded soldier holding a quill and a scroll.

"You're lucky you managed to get here. The order to lock the gates has nearly arrived. Your papers, please?"

You have all your men. It is mid to late morning, and the guard is asking for papers. Will you bluff him, or tell him the truth? Who will talk? Please write out some lines.

[Whimbrel]

"Unfortunately, I haven't any on me. We recently found ourselves in the area rather unexpectedly, you see. However, I've heard tell of army come to lay siege to this city; we intend to offer what aid we can in it's defense." We'll see how he responds to that.