She nods to Ralora, "Okay.. I don't mind sharing at all. When can I pick up the rest of my stuff, by the way?"

"Where might you be off to? What happend to the rest of the folks that were with us?"

"Ah, yes, your belongings," Ralora ponders, "I had forgotten. Unless you need something for the evening, I think it would be easier to bring them to you in the morning." She pats Boltat on the cheek, and begins to walk. The bear follows along beside her, with Tina on its back.

Looking at Barry, Ralora continues, "When we met, you did not have any possessions with you beyond those you carry now. If one of Destindeterre's hunters has them, they have likely found their way to the armory. Otherwise, you will find them wherever you lost them."

Kilrath

Though you're certain you learned the names of everyone from the group, you can't recall his name at the moment. He had a short name. Fortunately, he solves the problem for you. "Aust. You seriously don't remember what happened? They swarmed over us like insects! I thought I was the only one who got away. How did you survive?"

"How far away is this accomodation, anyway?", she says, walking after Ralora, and then peers back at Barry.

[ 08-01-2003: Message edited by: Dr. Pvednes, PhD ]

ooc:
Sorry about the delay, a cold got the better of me. For anyone who hasn't checked the last post on page 12, I advise doing so.

Normally I prefer not to assume that a PC follows along unless the player says so. Characters always have the option to wander off (as Ara did at the beginning of the chapter), or to remain behind as others depart. In this case, I have decided to make an exception, and bring Barry along for the walk.

Ralora peers out the corner of her eye at Tania, and grins, "You should already know my answer to that question." She continues walking along the winding paths, her cane tapping gently against the walkway with every other step. You catch a glimse of the hanging gardens off to your right side as you pass them. Tina, riding on Boltat's back, giggles as the bear's steps bounce her around.

A moment later, you come to a large and very unusual building, even moreso than most of Destindeterre's structures. Red and purple blossoms cover its entire surface. Its shape resembles three domes stacked upon each other, with the largest at the bottom and the smallest on top, though all three are large enough to house several families. A single arched hallway, barely tall enough at the center for the large man's head to clear, leads into the building.

You hear sounds of talking and a few scattered musical notes from down the hallway, but cannot distinguish words from the general noise. "Please wait here a moment," Ralora tells everyone, "while I ask inside." She begins walking down the hallway.

Reyolen

You have a cooked bird and a rainbow of sliced fruits on your plate. Though a traditional elven diet consists mainly of fruits and vegetables, your time in Vista has helped you appreciate the value of well-prepared meats.

Neloreas eats slowly, keeping her eyes and mouth closed as she chews, though she lets out an occasional, "Mmmmm." Sastak gently presses a new slice of fruit to her lips whenever she swallows, and she accepts them elegantly. One hand remains atop her belly, while she shifts the other around, sometimes tracing Sastak's arm, sometimes resting on the table, sometimes hanging limp at her side. Though you remember her having a pleasant demeanor, Neloreas never seemed this happy when you were younger.

Looking up at the building, "Now that's.. well, interesting. And closer than expected."

"How did you make it out? And the others?"

ooc:
Taylen? Ukko? Need some input here.

"Weren't you listening?!" Aust exclaims. "They're dead, every one of them! I thought you were dead too... wait, did you say a silver-haired elf? Our kind never show grey before four hundred years." He pauses for a moment. "What do you want to know from the Elders? I spent the last hour at a hunter house, and they seem to know a good deal about recent happenings."

"You said you've spoken with the elders? I want to know if they know anything about the recent attacks, and their purpose. I also want to know if they have heard of any prison camps they might be holding...or if they've heard of anyone being taken alive by the beasts."

Arthur grows a bit sad, but slowly as his mind wanders to all the things that have happend, his eyes begin to fire up and an anger begins to grow inside him for what the foul beasts have done.

Arthur blinks his eyes and shakes his head brieftly as if waking from a daze or dream, before focusing his attention back on Aust.

"So what have you heard from the Elders, I want to know EVERYTHING." Arthur emphesizes.

"I don't care if there are blood sucking trolls in there, no one going to stop me from getting a good souper!"

Then Barry shrugs and walk in, watching to not hit his head on the ceiling.

ooc:
I sent Kilrath a PM about the contents of his most recent post. My reply to him will be delayed until he responds adequately.

After a brief mention of food, Barry trudges into the hallway. He has to duck to avoid the ceiling. He blocks most of the passage, briefly muffling the sound from within.

Ukko

Squeezing through the hallway proves slightly uncomfortable, and it takes you a moment to reach the other end. When you finally get out of the cramped hallway, you enter a wide hall glowing with many-colored lamps. A band plays cheery tunes from a stage in one corner of the room, and several dancing couples fill a nearby patch of open floor. People all around the room, at tables or standing in groups, nearly drown out the band with conversation.

Most of them happen to be very small people. Besides yourself and Ralora, the tallest person in the room barely reaches the base of your chest. Elves, dwarves, and smaller folk fill every table, including a five little winged people at one table that hangs from the ceiling.

Ralora sticks out like a sore thumb, talking to someone half her height at the edge of the dance floor.

Sometimes plans just don't work out. Besides, I'm hungry too.

"The others would be a tad less memorable. One is a male elf, named Silvan, he had a backpack full of stuff inculding an axe in there, he has blond hair and green eyes. He was dressed in fairly plain clothes last I saw him, and he tends to be a tad arrogent. Another male elf traveled with us, green hair and brown eyes, named Aust, again in plain clothing, but nothing really unusual about his appearence."

Taylen pauses to gather his thoughts, "The other two people traveling with us were a female elf and a male halfling. The female elf's name is Ara or Arianna, last I saw her she had green eyes and blond hair, though I have seen her with other colors of hair. She had a backpack that was fairly full of stuff, including a bedroll and grappling hook sticking out of it, and a cloth bundle hanging from it. The halfling is named Jean, he wears a very colorful though quite worn outfit, a beret, and a few rings. He is quite talkative and fairly friendly."

Taylen smiles "I would be greatly appreciative to know if you have seen them or might have any info about where they are."

Aust spends a moment in silence, seemingly deep in thought, then starts talking with hardly a pause for breath. "So far no one has put their finger on the reasons behind the attacks. However, there's definitely more going on than most people see. I only met the Elders briefly. They have taken great lengths to protect this city from some hidden threat. I don't know what could be so much more dangerous than orcs." He shudders, "Damnable beasts. Ambushed us on the way here."

"I was just on my way to go looking for my companions. One of them wandered off just after we arrived, and in my haste to find her, I forgot to ask the others where they wanted to meet. She... that is, the one I went to find, had a document with her that I thought the Elders should see. Now I can't find any of them. At least the hunters gave me some decent directions. I figured I'd look for the druidess in the gardens, then try around the inns for the rest of them."

"You want to come along?" he asks, finally giving you an opportunity to speak.

Pvednes

When you reach the end of the hallway, you nearly bump into Barry's back. You slip around him into a wide hall glowing with many-colored lamps. A band plays cheery tunes from a stage in one corner of the room, and several dancing couples fill a nearby patch of open floor. People all around the room, at tables or standing in groups, nearly drown out the band with conversation.

Your two companions stand out easily as the tallest people in the room. Elves and halflings, gnomes and dwarves sit at the tables. The dance floor flows with halfling footsteps. Daysprites hover around a table suspended from the ceiling. Ralora has taken up conversation with a gnomish gentleman in a bright green overcoat on the far side of the room, where the dance floor meets the dining floor.

Taylen

As you describe your companions, the bartender opens his mouth several times as if to speak, but does not interrupt until you finish. He then wastes no time in his response. "Can't say as I've seen the lizard around. A few fellis checked into a room about an hour ago, but it sounds like your friend wasn't one of them. Haven't seen any halflings like that, you could try the Nightshade on the other side of the tier. And it sounds like your elven girl could be just about anybody."

He laughs, "I think I can help you with Silvan though. He's in the back, catching up on old times with Sastakorlan. Your description landed right on the mark with that boy. Come around back," he says, gesturing towards the door behind you. Turning to the barmaid filling in for him, he whispers something in her ear, then resumes tending the bar, while she steps out of the room.

Arthur shrugs. "What are you and your companions up to? And did the elders say if they were going to meet with everyone again... I'm not familiar with the procedures in this..." Arthur pauses and looks all around him "mystical place."

"Where're you goin', hmm?"

Passing through the nearby door, you find yourself in a hallway lined with small moss-curtained doorways. The doorways nearest you on your left and right appear slightly larger than the others, with arched tops, and doors made from the same dull silver vine as the building's entrance and the door behind you. The other doorways are smaller, and roughly rectangular.

Regalor enters the hallway a few seconds behind you. "Why didn't you tell me you knew Silvan Koras?" he chuckles. "It would've saved a bit of time."

"Everyone's in... such a hurry... these days," a female voice pants, as the younger barmaid steps through a door to your right. Her sudden appearance causes you to step aside reflexively. She takes a deep breath, and blows it out forcefully, exclaiming, "Hoo!" After a few more seconds, she looks at Regalor, then at you. "Alright, gentlemen, this way."

She leads you past several rooms, some of which have the curtains pulled aside. The rooms are small, each with one or two tables and several carved wooden chairs. Quiet conversation issues from a few of the occupied rooms. About half way down the hallway, she stops, and gestures to a room on the right. "This is them," she says, then peeks in around the curtain. "Pardon me, gentlemen, missus. Two more have arrived for your table. Shall I bring them in?"

Reyolen

The remainder of the meal passes quietly. Most of Sastak's attention remains on Neloreas, as he feeds her fruit first, then carves off small pieces of the bird, which she picks up with her fingers. Once Neloreas has started feeding herself, Sastak returns to his own meal, though the two of them spend nearly half the time exchanging smiles.

Shortly after you eat the last morsels from your own plate, the slender and mainly featureless face of Menalora pokes around the curtains. "Pardon me, gentlemen, missus," she says, looking mainly at Sastak, since Neloreas has her back to the doorway. "Two more have arrived for your table. Shall I bring them in?"

Kilrath

"You're in luck," Aust laughs. "Normally the Elders are only easy to find during the sunset ceremonies, but it turns out the hunters have been asked to a meeting at sunrise. Some important news from Terranada, they said. I'm planning to go, they told me where to go... and how to recognize sunrise inside the city." He laughs again. "Gotta give the locals credit, they've taken plant magic to a whole new level."

He spends a moment looking around, then picks a direction, with his left shoulder pointing towards the spire. "The gardens should be this way, I believe," he tells you, and starts walking away.

Ukko

You catch a plethora of aromas in the air. Though the smell is generally appetizing, you can't separate one from another.

Pvednes & Ukko

When the band changes music to a new song, two of the daysprites leave their table, and begin hovering over the other couples on the dance floor. They fly around each other in patterns, apparently dancing, though with their feet off the ground, dancing looks a bit different from what you're used to seeing.

Ralora concludes her conversation with the gnomish fellow, and turns to face you. She then promptly puts a hand over her face, tilts her nose down, and shakes her head slowly from side to side. She walks over to the two of you, carefully weaving past the occupied tables around her.

"I'm sorry, they don't have any rooms suitable for someone your size," she tells Barry, then turns to Tania, "The proprietor said he might be able to convince one of his guests to share a room with you, but... well, it's better if I don't explain further. I rather hope he was joking."

"What's going on?" Tina asks, appearing behind Barry's leg. "Hey, this place is like one big party! Can I stay here, pleeeeease?"

"Perhaps tomorrow," Ralora answers her, sounding disappointed. "We already discussed your sleeping arrangements for tonight." She looks up at the two of you again, "I hope we have better luck at the Whispering Wood. Refugee housing has gotten horribly overcrowded."

"Oh, okay," Tina grins, and disappears back down the hallway leading out of the Nightshade.

Sastak frowns, "Who would come calling at this hour. Friends of yours, perhaps?" he asks, looking at you. Neloreas appears unphased, and sounds just as euphoric as she has been all evening, "Guests are always welcome, and friends ever moreso." Sastak nods, his frown fading away, "Alright. But we have a slight shortage of chairs, and it appears our meal has ended anyhow. Shall we all adjourn to the parlor?" Neloreas replies only with a nod and a cheerful, "Mmmm," even though she has not put any new food in her mouth.

As Sastak helps Neloreas out of her seat, Menalora draws the curtain back. Two male elven faces greet you, both familiar mainly from the past few days. First, the overburdened Taylen appears on the other side of the curtain. Then the second elf comes into view. The only Elder who did not show signs of his age, a chestnut-haired elf in familiar green robes enters the room and approaches Neloreas. He looks at Sastak, and asks idly, "Back troubles?" Sastak nods in response. The two of them walk on either side of Neloreas as she shuffles delicately towards the doorway.

Taylen

You can hear quiet discussion coming from behind the curtain for a few seconds. Three voices, two male, one female. Then your escort pulls the moss curtain aside. Three individuals sit at a table inside the room. On the left, the confused face of your recently acquired travelling companion, Silvan, greets you. Beside him, an elven woman sits with her back to you. On her right sits another elven man whom you do not recognize.

Before you can guess whether the woman might be Ariana, the man to her right rises from his seat, and begins helping her up. It becomes immediately apparent that the woman before you carries a child, and has done so for considerable time. Once she turns towards you, a quick glimse of her face affirms that she is probably not your missing companion.

Regalor slips past you, through the now open doorway. He walks up to the elven woman, and glances at the man helping her. "Back troubles?" he asks in the same whimsical tone as nearly everything else he has said since your introduction. The other elf nods, as the two of them help her towards the doorway.

"Let us be off," she says, turning to the door.

[ 08-19-2003: Message edited by: Pvednes ]

[ 08-19-2003: Message edited by: Reyolen ]

Taylen then pauses for effect, "When you don't know where something is, follow someone or something that does." Then gestures to indicate Regalor, before resuming following him.

Ralora follows behind you, squeezing past Barry, then walks by your side down the hallway. "The Nightshade sometimes has rooms available when other places do not," she explains as you walk. "However, I had chosen to bring you here before our friend's size became a factor. Hopefully we will fare better at the Whispering Wood." Her cane clacks on the floor as she walks.

When you reach the open air, Tina has already climbed onto the back of Boltat's neck. "There's room for you now, too," the little one grins at Ralora, reaching back to pat the bear's back. Ralora nods, and approaches Boltat, "So there is. You up for it, friend?" she asks, stroking Boltat's head. The bear nuzzles her hand.

Ukko

Tania and the old fellin woman walk past you, headed back out the way you came. The little man stares at you for a few seconds, then shrugs, and turns to a group of dwarves at a nearby table. The dwarves glance at you briefly, then all break out laughing a few seconds later, and one gives the little fellow a good-natured slap on the back. None of them pay any further attention to you, absorbed in their own conversation.

Kilrath

Aust leads you between the closed shops, back onto the winding paths of the city. After a moment, the paths widen, then dip down at their centers, forming soil-filled baskets as large as houses. Miniature forests of strange and exotic plants grow from the soil. Each hanging garden is different, and they reach as far as you can see.

"One of my companions doesn't like cities. She's a fellin, and I was surprised to see her at the ceremony. If she's still around, I think she'd be here." He starts wandering through the trails.

You don't see many people about, but there are some. A few elves tend the various plants. Elderly couples or solitary travelers wander through the gardens. A basin of dimly glowing flower bulbs on thin green stems hold a fellin couple's attention. They poke curiously at one of the bulbs, which lets out small flashes in response. A human stares at a field of bright red and orange flowers, an easel tucked under his arm. Soon after, you walk along a narrow gap through a cluster of mushrooms like the ones you've seen people sitting on. Aust pauses for a moment, scanning the horizon.

Reyolen

Regalor turns back to offer you a polite nod, "Your friend here gave me reason enough to come. We'll talk about it shortly, once we're settled." "Are you coming, or are you waiting for dessert?" Sastak adds jovially, glancing back over his shoulder at you just long enough to catch your eye. Neloreas giggles. The two of them lead Neloreas out of the room. Taylen follows them, after responding rather dryly to your comment about woodsmen.

ooc:
Since Silvan already knows his way around, he can follow at his leisure. When he does, use the description below.

After having just walked into the small room a moment ago, you find yourself led back out of it, back to the end of the hallway where you came in. Instead of walking out the door in front of you, the others pass through the silvervine door to your left, leading you down another straight hallway.

Strong aromas come from an open doorway on your left. As you pass it, you see a large kitchen. Two fellis stand inside, one of whom you recognize as the woman who carried trays of food around the front room. She bobs up and down on the balls of her feet. The other, a man wearing undyed cotton pants, an apron, and an earthen leather vest, tends to three roasting birds over a small stone-lined fire pit, while the two of them converse. Slightly further down, a doorway on your right leads out behind the bar.

Walking through a silvervine door at the far end of the hallway, you find yourself in a modest room. Blue moss pads the floor under your feet. Four glowing flower bulbs in the corners of the room fill it with a soft light. A dozen grey mushrooms, large enough to sit on, make a ring in the center of the room. Regalor sits down on one, while the other elven man leads his pregnant companion through a moss-curtained doorway on the far side of the room.

[ 08-20-2003: Message edited by: Kilrath ]

ooc:
Ukko, don't make me get the cattle prod.
Current status: Taylen is waiting for Reyolen. Pvednes is waiting for Ukko. Kilrath is waiting on Aani, but she's still taking a break. I had to talk to her before moving on, and I've done that.

"No, we only had one fellin in our group," Aust replies, continuing to scan the horizon. He sweeps his eyes very slowly, with a hand held over them even though the light around you is no brighter than a night lit by a crescent moon. "But I think..." he trails off, his eyes fixing on a point. "I don't see them, but if they're here, I can only find three places to look. She's a woman of the forest, she'll want trees around her thick enough to hide the city. We've already passed one place on our way up here, so that leaves two." After a few seconds, he starts walking again.

As he walks he scans about for the fellin in question, while still learning the layout of the city.

As you approach the entrance to the kitchen, you hear the fellin Linra's voice, talking excitedly. Her conversation cuts off as you pass the doorway, with an abrupt, "That's my cue," followed by quiet footsteps headed down the hall away from you. You see Sastak leading Neloreas through the curtains on the far side of their private parlor, towards the bedrooms, just as you enter.

Regalor motions for the two of you to sit down, "Come, sit down. We have much to discuss."

Taylen

Silvan enters behind you, leaving the door open. Regalor looks up at you once he has crossed his legs comfortably on the mushroom. "Come, sit down," he says to you and your recently acquired travelling companion. "We have much to discuss."

Kilrath

You notice as you walk that Aust frequently glances back, or sideways, at the city's central spire. Your path crosses a few familiar-looking plants, and several new ones. With all the twists and turns, and the fact that you're walking mainly through hanging gardens, you don't get much of an overview of the city.

After a couple moments walking, Aust leads you into a thick cluster of bushes, vines, and gnarled trees. Much larger than the other gardens, this one could easily hide several small domes like the one where Remus and his family live. Following Aust's lead, you brush leaves and branches out of your path as you walk.

"There you are," Aust says jovially to someone obscured from your line of vision, and comes to a halt. Stepping up beside him, you see a fellin woman wearing toughened earthen-tone leather, and a second, larger being. The larger one has his hood pulled over his face, and his feet tucked under his robes. His face is turned sideways to you, facing the fellin woman, and he doesn't move or speak when you approach.

The fellin woman looks up at Aust. "Wherre did you go? We werre going to.. meet at the Whisperring Wood, but.. I do not like it therre. If it werre.. safe outside, we would go." She speaks carefully, pausing often to find words for her thoughts.

ooc:
Now you've done it...

Barry steps to the side when the others walk past him. He sees the little man talk to the dwarves. When they all laugh, he steps forward threateningly, but relaxes when they ignore him. He turns around, and ducks his head again, squeezing back down the hallway after the cat woman.

When he gets out of the building, he asks, "So were do we go now?"

[ 08-29-2003: Message edited by: Pvednes ]

Ralora just grins, with her eyes squinted, and a broad, toothy smile that reminds you just how many teeth fellis have. She climbs up onto boltat's back behind Tina. If Tina saw the grin, she doesn't show any reaction. "I hope it's not too far," the little one comments innocently, "I'm kinda tired."

"Hold on tight, dear," Ralora says to Tina, and pats the bear's side, "Tk-tk." Boltat lurches forward, and begins walking back towards the gardens.

Arthur is a bit uneasy at this moment, being in a strange place with folks he doesn't know, hasn't ever really sat well with him; although lately he seems to find himself in these situations quite frequently. The darkness and seclusion of his current location also makes him a bit wary should something bad happen.

Dispite all this he stands patiently off to Aust's side with a half smile on his face waiting to HOPEFULLY be introduced, or to at least get to know some more information and get a better view of the pair.