Birthright 2: Promises to Keep

[ewancummins]

UGO

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.

After preparing, Ugo leaves the kitchen and enters the garden paths.

He rounds the corner not far from one of the springs, and spots a stranger-- one about his own size--walking less than thirty feet distant.

[alhoon]

Ugo has dark, curly hair, stained clothes and an apron worn over them. He seams lean and is somewhat pale.
He spots the stranger and gasps, surprised. He looks around suspiciously and takes a step back, ready to throw the stones he carries at the interloper. "Back away! Thou are not welcome vere! I am armed!" he says with an accent not usually encountered in civilized parts of the world.

[Lord Skybolt]

Croaker Norge

After seeing Safana going down into the water Gunnar shakes his head and thinks for a bit then turns to Maeve "Mama I was wondering is there any way you can make it so I can breath underwater like fish maybe, otherwise it will be at least few minutes to take my armor off to get down there to help his Grace ."

[ewancummins]

Croaker Norge

After seeing Safana going down into the water Gunnar shakes his head and thinks for a bit then turns to Maeve "Mama I was wondering is there any way you can make it so I can breath underwater like fish maybe, otherwise it will be at least few minutes to take my armor off to get down there to help his Grace ."

Maeve replies,

"Hmmm, breathe underwater? Yes, let Mama fix that for you. Just hold still and don't strain against the enchantment."

The witch raises her hands and begins intoning a formula in a language Gunnar doesn't understand.

He feels tingling in his body; an odd but not painful sensation.

Devlin's priest watches a moment, but then slips into the dark spring before Maeve finishes her chant.

Maeve smiles at Gunnar and then disappears in a swirl of fog.

Devlin's torchbearers stare at Gunnar, mouths hanging open like drunken fools.
One of the men screams and staggers back into the fog.
Another doubles over in hysterical laughter.

Gunnar's medic steps up close and asks,
"Ah....Gunnar? Are you? Um...."

[Lord Skybolt]

"So what do I look like now ."Gunnar asks of his Medic .

[VAN]

Garden

Filbert looks around to make sure that nobody else is hiding around and then slowly raises his arms and takes few steps back. He tries to seem less threatened possible but at the same time is ready to jump if the man throws the stones at him.

"I'm a friend, I will not harm you. My name is Filbert and I came here with His Grace Duke Devlin Flaertes of Tuornen. We came in here through the river. We are just looking for something and then we will leave you alone. Nobody will harm you. What is your name?"

As talking Filbert tries to understand the man's accent and if he is sane. Someone at the bottom of Croaker Norge in a sinister garden isn't someting a sane person should normally do...

[ewancummins]

GUNNAR

"So what do I look like now ."Gunnar asks of his Medic .

''Ah.....bigger. Green. And , well, naked.''

The medic digs a steel mirror out of his surgeon's kit and holds it up.

Gunnar sees a distorted reflection of his face. Looks chubbier, younger.

A lot younger!

[Lord Skybolt]

"Ok well I hope I can give the Duke some help in this form . OK I'm going need something to wear considering ."(Looking at the the fellow laughing at him, Smiling to himself .)

[ewancummins]

GUNNAR

"Ok well I hope I can give the Duke some help in this form . OK I'm going need something to wear considering ."(Looking at the the fellow laughing at him, Smiling to himself .)

One of the men gives up his cloak to serves as a sort of kilt for the transformed Gunnar.

The medic tucks and pins the hanging cloth.
"It will fall off when you go down through the water, otherwise."


Gunnar goes into the water. He finds that he can breathe it like air. Although he has a lot less room to move now than he would have had at his normal size, swimming down through the dark, warm water proves an easy task--until he hits a cold current that makes his head spin.

Getting reoriented, he swims up, emerging from the well one arm first, and then his head and shoulder coming out of the water.

He clambers onto the stone steps of the pillared, domed structure that surrounds the pool.

Wobbling to his feet, he bumps his head on the vault.

He staggers out and straightens to his full height.

Safana, the priest, and Devlin stand nearby.




SAFANA AND DEVLIN

Devlin's chaplain emerges from the water, soaking wet and shaking.

He looks about.

''Haelyn save us, what is this place? A garden? But how..."
He clutches the holy symbol hanging at his breast.
"Oh! I feared it might be so, but I didn't really believe. The witch has sent us into--"

But before he finishes his sentence, water slaps the stonework behind him and washes over his boots.

Anyone turning to look sees a huge, green-tinted toddler splash up from the pool and lumber out of the pool-enclosure, nearly taking out two pillars as it steps into the garden.
It wears nothing besides a diaper of gray wool.
Weird as it is, there's something quite familiar about the face of this giant.

[alhoon]

GARDEN:

"I'm a friend, I will not harm you. My name is Filbert and I came here with His Grace Duke Devlin Flaertes of Tuornen. We came in here through the river. We are just looking for something and then we will leave you alone. Nobody will harm you. What is your name?"

Ugo seems confused. "I don't know thee, nor I know Grace Deke Duvlin. You will not take anything from here!" he says. "This is not yer place, thee're not allowed to take stuff from the Masters! Now get out of the way! I have chores to do" and motioned for Filbert to step aside, but makes no move to approach the other Halfling.

[VAN]

Garden

Filbert looks at the other halfling slightly perplexed that he doesn't know Devlin. On the other hand if he lived in a twisted garden at the bottom of Croaker Norge he may not knowing many things himself... He just shrugs and steps aside.

"Well, we actually don't know for sure if what we are looking for is even here. We just arrived and we don't even know where we are. Can you enlighten us? What is this place? As about your chores, maybe I will be able to help you. And don't worry I will not take anything I promise you that, I just want to help a fellow halfling."

[alhoon]

Ugo still looks him with distrust "I don't want yer help to collect honey. Thee wouldn't know how to collect it anyway and the bees would sting us both. Thee are at the Garden of Darkling delights, that belongs to my Masters."

[VAN]

Garden

Filbert tilts his head a bit at the right and looks at the hive.

"Well, you can always use smoke to send the bees away and then take the honey. Even if I doubt my companions will like to face a bunch of angry bees...But can't think anything else right now."

Looking around at the twisted garden around them Filbert continues:

"This garden looks like the place I come from, Caer Haes, I doubt you have heard of it though, you seem to have spent a lot of time in here. Are you alone in this place or your Masters are here as well? And what its name means?"

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

PECHALLIN

When they're out of earshot of the others, Renn asks Cormac, "What do you sense here? This place is either a battlefield or a burial mound--likely both. Do you detect any foul magic, any sign of undeath?"

[JMaytr]

Devlin stands before the others, protecting the others.

"Monster! Stay back!"