An Adventurer's Tale/The Daimons Part 1
Roleplay from Baldhart
Message sent to all adventurers in the vicinity of Enweilieos (19 recipients)
"Hurry up! I'm up to my arse in mud!" Baldhart hollered.
It was actually just up to his thighs, but he was wet and hungry and in no mood to split hairs.
"Just hold on, I'm coming!" Danost screamed back, doing his best to extend a tree branch out towards his partner.
Baldhart, struggling forward through the sucking muck, strained to reach the branch, just inches from his grasp. "C'mon, just a little Farther!"
Danost sighed, letting the limb dip slightly, shrugging his sore shoulders, working the kinks from his exhausted muscles. He had been stuck for two hours, and for two hours Danost had been struggling to find a way to get Baldhart out. "We should have stayed in Grehk," he mumbled.
They had left days ago, after their new partner, Calibann, had been called back to Mesh by a Duke who wanted to give him an important assignment. He had awoken earlier and slipped from their small room in one of Grehk's many Inns, leaving only a note explaining the situation and the route he would be taking.
"To hell with Grehk, Calibann needs our help!" he roared, forcing his right leg a little farther through the thick mud. It had started raining when they were on the road to Lopa, and had been forced to make camp hours later when it began to storm. Now, the rain had passed, but it had turned the ground into mud. Baldhart had just happened to stumble into a particularly bad patch of ground. "Now, get that damned branch out here-" he stopped just long enough to pull his left leg forward through the mud until it was even with his right, "-and get me the hell out of here!"
With a tired sigh, Danost reached the branch out once again, teetering on the somewhat solid embankment where he had a slight foothold, and held it there until Baldhart finally grabbed the limb, wrapping his arms tight around the bark and holding on with his life as Danost pulled with all his might.
Mud popped and churned as Baldhart was pulled forward until, finally, he got to his stomach on the embankment and was able to grab hold of a root. Cursing Calibann and the weather and Mesh and everyone and everything he could think of, he slowly pulled himself from the mud and up onto the embankment where he finally collapsed beside his exhausted partner, both men straining for breath.
"I think I lost my boots," he said, pushing himself to his feet.
Baldhart (Freeman)
Roleplay from Danost
(Personal message to Baldhart)
There was a pallor of fear hanging over the city of Creasur as Danost approached the gates. Commoners were flooding into the city in a continuous stream. Some had donkeys to carry their belongings, and a few of those even had carts. Some of the less prosperous were dragging sledges. The poorest carried their goods on their backs. Danost stood and watched them for a while, wondering what was happening. After a few minutes a routine city patrol came along to make sure things were going smooth. The guard captain caught sight of Danost standing and watching things. He approached Danost, slapping his free hand with a billy club held in the other.
"Hey, you! What are you doin' here? This ain't no place fer sightseein', move along!"
Danost regarded the man with mild amusement. "Good constable, might I ask what is happening here? Why are all the farmers fleeing into the city? Are the undead armies approaching the city? I haven't heard anything about an army nearby."
The constable looked at Danost suspiciously. "Where you been, haven't you heard?"
"No, good constable, I haven't."
"It's the daemons. The daemon army that we thought we beat in Cwellndell has reappeared, and is headed here. They'll be here at sunrise."
Danost wasn't sure he had heard the constable correctly. "Excuse me, did you say /daemons/?"
"Yeah, I did. The daemon army lead by Invisible is in Jaekind, and is almost here. The gates're closin' in about two hours. If you want the protection of the city walls, you had better get inside soon. Anyone outside the gates when they close will have to fend fer themselves. Now, either get inside, or get lost." The constable punctuated his last statement with anoer slap of his billy club.
"Uhh.. yes, constable, I think I shall head inside the city." Danost started toward the gates and the constables continued on their patrol.
About twenty yards farther down the road Danost stopped again. He turned and scanned the road leading away from the city. Still no sign of Calibann and Baldhart. What's keeping those two? They should be here by now... Not wanting to get locked outside the gates and left to face this daemon army, Danost turned and headed into the city. He'd have to search the cheap inns and whorehouses to see if by some chance they'd already made it into the city. If not, well... They were both good with a sword or a spear. But what good would a sword or a spear do against a daemon?
Danost (Freeman)
Roleplay from Baldhart (1 hour, 25 minutes ago)
Message sent to all adventurers in the vicinity of Creasur (16 recipients)
The walls of Creasur were little more than corpse-strewn rubble when Baldhart finally reached the city, the men and Knight's of her garrison broken and scattered, the path of their retreat marked by bloody and mutilated corpses.
He picked his way slowly through the line of broken bodies and rubble, his ears and eyes open, looking for any sign of life. Nothing, but the wind howling through his ears.
A gut-wrenching shriek erupted suddenly somewhere deep inside the city, joined by others, all rising into an howling crescendo. Baldhart jumped, scurrying across the battlefield, taking refuge behind a pile of rubble, and when it stopped he could hear the inhuman roar still ringing inside his skull.
I've got to find Danost.
Baldhart (Freeman)
Roleplay from Danost
Message sent to all adventurers in the vicinity of Creasur (15 recipients)
Danost set the trestle table back on its four stout legs. He took a rag from his belt and ran it over the rough-hewn surface. It has been worn by the many years of use, but was not much smoother for the wear. He grabbed the two toppled stools nearby and set them next to the table. The pieces of the four smashed stools were in no condition to be repaired, so they were tossed them in the fireplace. It was a hot day for a fire, but it was the easiest way to get rid of the debris.
Wiping his forehead, Danost glanced over toward the door. It still hung crookedly from its hinges. Well did he remember how it had happened. While the battle was raging over the walls of Creasur, Danost had taken refuge in this small inn. The fighting had rage for several hours before the alarm gongs signaled that the invaders had broken through and were loose in the city. Shortly after that the smashing of windows, shattering doors, and the screaming had started. The daimons had started to loot the city.
The people in the common room of the inn grabbed whatever weapons they had to hand and barricaded the door with table and chairs. Their efforts proved useless, as the powerful daimon smashed through the barricade with ease. Several of the other patrons had died before they drove the single daimon off, searching for easier prey.
For the past several days Danost had been helping the innkeeper put the place back together, in exchange for room and board. Businesss had been very slow, as many soldiers, the inn's normal patrons, had been killed. Several more regulars had died defending the inn from the daimon. Still, the inn had survived, unlike many other such establishments. Business would recover in time.
Heading back to the storeroom to look for any more spare stools, Danost paused to listen. He thought he had heard a noise coming from the back alley behind the inn. Danost slowly moved behind the bar and grabbed his sword. It was too awkward to wear around the common room, so he kept it in easy reach under the counter. Sword in hand, he headed back through the kitchen to the rear of the inn. At this hour of the day, the kitchen was empty. A stew simmered over the fire, so the cook was around, but probably napping in the pantry. Or drinking in the pantry. Or both.
Danost slowly drew back the bolt from the door and opened it enough to peer out. A man was trying to climb a drain pipe to get to one of the second story windows on the back of the in. He had already made it several feet off the ground, and would soon make it to the window. Something looked familiar about this man... Noting the window for which he was heading, Danost closed the back door, quietly drew the bolt, and quickly ran for the stairs. He ran up the stairs, down the hall, and stopped in front of one of the doors. He slowly drew open the door and noted that the shutters were still closed. Danost sheathed his sword and slipped into the room. He closed the door behind him, crossed the room, and flattened himself against the wall to wait for the man to come through the window. He didn't have long to wait.
The shutters slowly opened. The intruder grabbed the window sill and started to pull himself up and into the room. While the man was still off-balance, Danost reached over and grabbed the man's wrist. With a might heave he hoisted the man in through the window and sent him flying across the room. He landed on the floor with a heavy "Ooomf!" As the man lay on the floor, stunned, Danost started laughing uncontrollably.
There on the floor in front of the room, was his lost traveling companion, Baldhart. Baldhart shook his head, trying to recover from his heavy landing on the floor. It took him several moments to figure out that he was laying on the floor, several more to realize that someone was laughing, and a few more to figure out who it was.
"D.. Danost? Is that you?"
"Lucky for you, it is. Had it been anyone else, they would have cut your hand off, rather than giving you a hand through the window!" Danost reached down and offered Baldhart a hand up off the floor. "Gods, it's been what, two weeks?"
"Something like that. How'd you get here, in this inn?"
"Come on downstairs. We'll get you something to eat and drink, and I'll tell you all about it." Danost led the way back down to the common room. On the way past the kitchen door he hollered in for the cook to bring out two bowls of stew and some bread. He tossed his sword back under the bar. He then grabbed a couple wooden mugs and filled them with wine. As the cook brought out the stew and bread, the two men sat at a table away from the heat of the fire. They ate and drank, and caught each other up on the events that had transpired since they had last seen each other, before the daimon attack on the city. After they caught up, Danost looked at Baldhart and asked "What about Calibann, have you seen him?"
Danost (Freeman)
