Birthright 2: Promises to Keep

[Varrus the Ethical]

PENCHALLIN

"Hold a moment," Roald says when he sees what his horse kicks out of the dirt. He dismounts and picks up the vambrace to examine it, shielding his eyes against the wind.

[Adam]

Bennedict reigns his horse in, looking down at what the man has found. "Something buried?" he says.

[ewancummins]

PENCHALLIN

"Hold a moment," Roald says when he sees what his horse kicks out of the dirt. He dismounts and picks up the vambrace to examine it, shielding his eyes against the wind.

Roald finds no identifying marks of symbols on pitted, rusty iron plate. Whatever straps once held snug on a man's forearm have rotted away, leaving only one loose brass buckle.
A deep dent in the outer curve of the iron suggests a heavy blow taken, perhaps the clout of a mace or war hammer.

[Varrus the Ethical]

PENCHALLIN

Roald finds no identifying marks of symbols on pitted, rusty iron plate. Whatever straps once held snug on a man's forearm have rotted away, leaving only one loose brass buckle.
A deep dent in the outer curve of the iron suggests a heavy blow taken, perhaps the clout of a mace or war hammer.

"That must have hurt," Roald says, dropping the vambrace on the ground.

[VAN]

Croaker Norge

Filbert looks at the dark water for a moment and then Duke Devlin. Sighing he gets his cloak off, but keeps his sword and says:

"I'll join you your Grace."

[ewancummins]

CROAKER NORGE


Devlin and Filbert enter the pool, which spans about the length of a big man's outstretched arms.
Steam rises from the bubbling water; but the water proves only warm, not scalding.


Devlin dives, and Filbert follows.


Underwater, the light dies after a few inches, replaced with total darkness.

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Filbert feels something snag his left ankle. He can't get free. Pressure builds in his chest. Whatever it is that holds his ankle tightens its grip.
Something grabs his right hand, pulls hard.

Filbert feels everything spin around him-- or is he spinning head over heels underwater?

Now he rises...

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THE GARDEN OF DARKLING DELIGHTS


Devlin hauls Filbert out of the steaming pool.
He checks.
His friend still breathes. The Halfling cough, sits up, looking disoriented but not injured in any obvious way.


Looking about, the duke sees the familiar pillars and steps and vault of the pool-house.
Almost familiar; now the structure looks upright and cleaner, though still weathered and old.

Beyond the pool house spreads a garden of night-blooming flowers, willows and mulberries, classical Anuirean sculptures of rose and white marble. Without thick fog and with his mother's gift of elfin-sight, he can make out the steep walls of the gorge, further out past the flowers, trees, and statues.
Vapors do rise here, but not too thickly, and only from certain places among the foliage.

The air carries a curious mélange of hot metallic odors and honeyed scents; very like a place he once visited in Haes, a small perfumery set downwind from the workshop of a coppersmith.

He sees no sign of Gunnar, Safana, or the others.

Stepping out from under the vault and looking up, Devlin sees neither clouds nor stars nor any moon, only a great sucking void where the sky ought to be.

Higher up than Devlin, but lower than the terrible void, twilight gleams all across the top of the gorge. The dusky glow spills down into the humid bottom in a way Devlin has never seen natural light fall.
It moves like ground fog seeping into the dungeons of Caer Haes.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

PECHALLIN

Renn studies the surrounding hills, then at the vambrace in Roald's hands. "An old battlefield? We should keep an eye out for tracks. If the knifeys came through here, they may have dug around, looking for metal. Sounds like they're low on that."

He then wheels his horse over to Cormac. "A word?"

[kintire]

Safana watches as the duke and his squire disappear into the dark waters. She hestitates, and checks the wax seal on a small box at her waste. With the air of someone doing something she will regret she disrobes down to her underwear, and her light belt with the box. She takes several deep breaths and dives into the pool, swimming downwards as fast as she can, wondering every moment if there is anything below except dark water...

[alhoon]

Somewhere...

As usual, he was humming a tune while working.

"Warmth of the oven and sugar so sweet,
butter and flour, that's something to eat!
grab the towel and hoist the pan,
leave no stain, that is the plan!"

The tune wasn't a masterpiece and he knew it. But it kept his mind working and helped to pass the time as he labored. After all, there was not anyone else around to listen to his poems. Nobody that would care anyway.

[ewancummins]

SAFANA

entering the garden

The water closes over her.

She swims down through the heat and darkness until she feels everything about her spinning. After that, she feels herself rising in the water.
A moment later, she breaks the surface.

Looking about, she spots Filbert, Devlin, and the marble pillars and vault. But everything beyond the pool enclosure looks different; in place of the misty bog of Croaker Norge, a twilight garden spreads over the bottom of the gorge.

[ewancummins]

Somewhere...

As usual, he was humming a tune while working.

"Warmth of the oven and sugar so sweet,
butter and flour, that's something to eat!
grab the towel and hoist the pan,
leave no stain, that is the plan!"

The tune wasn't a masterpiece and he knew it. But it kept his mind working and helped to pass the time as he labored. After all, there was not anyone else around to listen to his poems. Nobody that would care anyway.

He finds that something has been at his sugar again, some little nibblers. Gone!
If he doesn't find something sweet for the cake, it will come out like a bland hunk of brown bread.

There is a bee's hive in the garden, where honey drips from a big comb.

But the drowsy bees sometimes do sting, so he'll need something to protect his hand.

[Adam]

Cormac nods, reigning his horse to the side to chat in private.

"Aye?" he says. "Ye need somethin'?"

[alhoon]

Cuisine:
Ugo frowned. He didn't like bee stings but he wouldn't make a bland cake. No. He got the towel, wrapped it around his arm, got another towel and covered his face below the eyes by tying it around his head. While doing so he touched the collar around his neck but he didn't register the presence of the iron band there. It was like a second skin to him after all this time.
He opened the door towards the garden and took a look at the kitchen. He would set up more traps to catch vermin and rats while the cake will be in the oven. Bee stings in the garden hurt really much.
He stepped outside and closed the door and started looking for the bee-hive to retrieve some honey. He held a small ceramic pot to leave under the beehive and a couple of stones in case he had to hit the hive, from a distance of course, to start the honey dripping.

[VAN]

Filbert blinks a couple times, breathing heavily and still feeling a bit disorriented. Realizing that Devlin saved him earlier he thanked him and them looks around at the strange garden.

"This sinister place...looks familiar..."

The halfling wanders a bit around avoiding touching anything though.

[ewancummins]

FILBERT IN THE GARDEN

Filbert blinks a couple times, breathing heavily and still feeling a bit disorriented. Realizing that Devlin saved him earlier he thanked him and them looks around at the strange garden.

"This sinister place...looks familiar..."

The halfling wanders a bit around avoiding touching anything though.

Wandering about the near part of the garden, Filbert spots another person moving down a side path, coming his way.

This stranger wears some sort of cloth veil over the lower part of his face, and what looks like a bandage wrapped around his right hand.
The stranger stands no taller than Filbert.