Back to Basics Chapter 1: Where are we ?

[kintire]

Alia looks slightly flattered, and begins to sing.

The ballad starts with the heroic band departing the village and plunging into the forest, the wisdom and insight of the sage Professor guiding their every step and avoiding devious traps and evil snares. Approaching the village a warband of the foul foe awaits them, but Dalorna (who is as mighty in the arts as she is beautiful, a terrifying enchantress armed with unstoppable power) smites them with her arcane forces leaving four or five dead and the rest dazed and confused. Then Isidar (slow but inexorable, an unstoppable wall of iron) and Arnulf (an awesome warrior with rippling muscles, a true picture of savage manhood striking fear into his enemies and admiration into those under his protection, a terrifying blade in each hand) slaughter the remainder despite the summoning of a colossal boar with red eyes and froth leaping from its mouth, which is repelled by the Professor.

The group then approaches the heavily fortified village, but the defences are utterly set at naught by Dalorna's awesome arcane might and Sara (a lethal shadow armed with fire and thunder, as deadly as she is beautiful) infiltrates the camp and rescues the children. As the group falls back into the woods the enemy pursues!

They fall upon the group in an unstoppable horde, but the unimaginable sorceries of the mighty Dalorna and the huge gouts of flame of the invincible Isidar fell many. The chieftain, a huge figure towering over his companions strides forward, but is met by the unimaginably heroic Arnulf, his form radiating manly and heroic charisma as the ogrish thing falls back under his hurricane assault. As wave after wave of the things falls on the embattled group, the Professor stands against them nobly (if with unspecified effect), Isidar fells them left and right, Arnulf cuts them down like a whirlwind and Sara smites them down with huge explosions. At last, the warlord falls under a hail of blows and the last few are put to the sword as they flee in confusion. Triumph!

Discerning listeners (mostly the professor) may notice that much of the ballad consists of passages from earlier works hastily reworked, with the result that the battle passages often imply a rather more numerous and well armed opposition. A cursory listening might imply that some forty or fifty enemies fell.

Still its a stirring ballad!

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2583711/

What a use for a nat 20...

[ewancummins]

Dalorna claps her hands.

'' It's really nice, Alia.""

Inwardly...

Not very accurate, but it does sound good.

[steveflam]

"Whoa! That was really cool, Alia. You have a good knack for that. I liked how you talked about us all!"

Lorna talks then he adds. "Uh sure. Maybe we can find a way to get back home, sis. I do gotta admit that fighting was way cool. Ironheart woulda been proud of me, hee hee!"

[VAN]

Sara listens the ballad and then clapping her hands says"

"Way to go Alia, indeed is a great ballad!"

[ewancummins]

"Whoa! That was really cool, Alia. You have a good knack for that. I liked how you talked about us all!"

Lorna talks then he adds. "Uh sure. Maybe we can find a way to get back home, sis. I do gotta admit that fighting was way cool. Ironheart woulda been proud of me, hee hee!"

Dalorna sighs at her brother's childish words.

''Ironheart was a madman who beat you almost to death, Arnulf. Why you should care what he thinks is beyond me. Uncle told me about how he shamed and defeated that barbarian animal. Ha! Brains over brawn works for me. ''

[kintire]

Alia looks pleased at the reception of her ballad, and strides with some confidence towards the village

[steveflam]

Arnulf just shrugs his shoulders at Lorna's remark. "Girls", he mutters under his own breath, "they don't understand anything about fighting and being strong. Hmmmph."

The rest of his thoughts he keeps to himself. I'll prove to you I can be as big and strong as Ironheart, my hero, but use my brain too! I'll show you brawns and brains can work!

[ewancummins]

Dalorna changes the topic, dropping her voice a little so as not to call the children's attention to her words-


'''So, perhaps we'd better discuss this before we get to town. The locals are sure to ask us certain questions...but I don't have answers that satisfy me, not for some things. Does anyone know where we are? How we got here? This isn't Marsember, that is for sure. ''

Dalorna's raven familiar is keeping an eye out for an ambush or any traps along the way, and he's sticking close to his mistress.

[steveflam]

"Hmmm. Could we, uh, say, um that we were on our way home but got lost? That is honest isn't it?" Arnulf frowns, just now beginning to think about Lorna and his situation. He would do his best to keep her safe from harm. True she was a pain in the butt, but he'd give her the age thing for now. Being older means more experience, but look at that old fart the Professor. Lucky for him
we were here cause I think he'd of died of fright or something close to it.

Arnulf laughs out loud at his own private joke, then blushes and concentrates on getting back to the village safely.

[ewancummins]

''True- we were on our way home, or would have been after we made the delivery, and we did get lost. I'm just not sure how we got lost. Magic, probably, but I don't know what sort. The strange fog may have been the cause, or the means...or maybe it was coincidental. The Master would know, I'm sure, but he's not with us. ''

Dalorna's face takes on a sad expression.



''We'll figure it out ourselves, don't worry, Arnulf.''

[VAN]

Sara interjects:

"Oh believe me if you say that you have been lost and appeared here when a strange fog appear everyone will understand and will not ask further questions only from where you come from. I already told you, mists do this effect, everyone knows that. I'm really surprised you don't know this Dalorna. I don't know where is this Marsember you said but is hard to believe people there to not know the mists and that strange things happen when they arise."

[ewancummins]

Sara interjects:

"Oh believe me if you say that you have been lost and appeared here when a strange fog appear everyone will understand and will not ask further questions only from where you come from. I already told you, mists do this effect, everyone knows that. I'm really surprised you don't know this Dalorna. I don't know where is this Marsember you said but is hard to believe people there to not know the mists and that strange things happen when they arise."

''Marsember is built on the water- we have frequent fogs and people do sometimes get lost. Some aren't seen again, for whatever reason. I know not to follow a will-o-wisp but we didn't see anything like that. ''


Dalorna shakes her head.

''What worries me is that you have never heard of Marsember. Our ships trade all across the Dragonmere and the western end of the Inner Sea. Where do you come from, that you haven't heard of our city? I wonder if we are near your home, or ours, of far from both places...''

[steveflam]

"Why do not we worry about that when we get to the village? Let's just get there and see what happens after, guys."

[ewancummins]

''Yes.''

Dalorna keeps walking, keeping a sharp eye out for any lurking monkey-men or other woodland perils.

[VAN]

"Well indeed I haven't heard the name of you city or the seas names you just mentioned Dalorna. But I'm not very good at the geography and you can very well be from an island I don't know and not from mainland like me. But Arnulf is right better go to the village and ask there both where we are and if they can help us go back."