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Haahqae (Steel Tankard Inn, Common Room)
After having put on his show last night, Haahqae went to bed. He awakens on the morning of the last day of Autumn Harvest, his sprained leg feeling a little better, but his arrow wound is still quite painful. He shivers involuntarily due to the freezing air seeping in through the cracks in his poorly insulated room. The temperature must have dropped again. His window is frosted over to the point he can't see through it. It's definitely below zero at this point, around Morning Watch.

Getting dressed, including his new cotton jacket, he cracks open his spellbook and studies his new spells for the day, trying not to be distracted by his now visible breath. With that done, he gathers what gear he deems necessary for today's job, and heads downstairs to the common area.

The place is largely empty at this hour, but a few patrons are about. He spots Ismene sitting by the fire, wearing a thick, wool coat over her red robes. She rubs her hands by the fire, trying to warm them.

He also spots the two women he spoke to last night about the job. They are at the bar, and also dressed warmly.

(OOC: Haahqae regains 1 HP. He may choose new spells for the day.)

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
Kendra wakes up early on the last day of Autumn Harvest, around Morning Watch, her sleep having been fitful and full of bad dreams. Norris sleeps on the other side of the bed still, his back turned to her. He wouldn't be opening the shop for another few hours. It was rare she ever woke up before he did.

The window of her room is completely frosted over and she can see her breath a bit. No sign of snow yet, but it's only a matter of time at this rate.

Most of her injuries have healed now, save one sword slash remaining from her fight yesterday.

She wasn't expected to report in until Third Watch, so she had some time to herself.

(OOC: Kendra regains 1 HP.)

Tulbas Erogund (Unknown Location)
"Hurry son," Tulbas' father warns in the elven tongue. "They aren't far behind us."

Tulbas stumbles through the Silvanesti forest in a bit of a daze with his parents and sister. His mind was something of a blur. Was this right? Hadn't he done this already? He had a vague memory of being somewhere awful, surrounded by snake-like men who were...hurting him. Thinking about it was difficult, though. Was that a dream? Or was he dreaming now?

Slowly, the details begin to return to him. It is 349 AC, and his family is fleeing their ancestral homeland--the only home Tulbas has ever known. The Red Dragonarmy have invaded and they aren't terribly interested in taking prisoners. Dragons...long forgotten over the centuries, but they are no child's tale now.

The faces of his family are blurred, their voices distorted. Could he no longer remember what they looked like? He finds if he concentrates, their faces were slowly revealed to him.

Arulia Seroth (323 Three Forks, Seroth residence)
Arulia awakens the morning of Autumn Harvest 30th, at Morning Watch. It's quite cold, below freezing even, although no snow has appeared just yet. The windows are completely frosted over, though. She and her sisters get up and prepare to begin their days. Once she is alone, she also prays to Paladine for new spells.

They sit down together for breakfast as a family, nothing to eat but heated gruel again. Thoron speaks of putting the word out for suitors today. With any luck, they'll have applicants by tomorrow. That gave Arulia roughly 24 hours to find some miracle to save her family, so none of them needed to get married at all.

After eating, Cassilda heads off to Una's shop to begin her apprenticeship, and Thoron leaves for work at his own smithy. Vera, now jobless, has nothing to do so decides to give the entire house a good cleaning.

(OOC: Arulia may pick new spells for the day.)

Grubnick (High Hand Inn, Common room)
On the morn of Autumn Harvest 30, Morning Watch to be exact, Grubnick wakes up to find that the temperature has dropped another 5 degrees, if not more. He could see his breath, even inside, and the windows were completely frosted over.

On the bright side, the rest had done him well. He felt better, although he still had quite a few injuries. Getting dressed, he prays to Sirrion for new spells and then gathers his gear before heading downstairs.

At this hour, there aren't many people about. But he sees the minotaur and the half-elf he met yesterday entering the room around the same time as him.

(OOC: Grubnick regains 1 HP. He can choose new spells for the day.)

Felran and Ne-Chanz (High Hand Inn, Common room)
The morning of the last day of Autumn Harvest is a cold one. The temperature dropped below zero last night, and now the windows to their room is completely frosted over. The two could even see their breaths, it was now so cold. But there was no sign of snow outside just yet.

The two get dressed--Felran putting on his new winter outfit to keep warm--and gather up their gear. They head downstairs to the common area and find there aren't many people around at this hour. But they do see the goblin who offered to hire them yesterday entering the room around the same time as they are.

Grubnick makes his morning prayers, finishing with Guide my flame to your will.
[Grubnick will pray for Cure light wounds (5x), Aid, Cure mod, Hold Person and Find Traps]
He will immediately burn the Cure Moderate Wounds (1d10+1=7) on himself. He leaves his bandages in place to cover any miraculously healed flesh.

He then heads downstairs, nodding once to his new associates before heading out to find Gregeddin’s house from the directions Haahque gave him yesterday.

[OOC: weapons and shield in room, pack with me]

(Spells: Detect Magic, Grease, Audible Glamour)

Haahqae's gaze flutters over the room, finally resting on Ismene. Oh good, she's managed to get here safely. Skipping over he makes his presence known to her. "Hello Ismene, It's good to see you here. A bit chilly out isn't it? How's Arcane? Do ferrets do well in the cold? It looks like we're the first ones here. Oh, except those two, they seemed interested in joining us when I offered a share of the loot. Let's hope that they can find enough to make them happy, they seem to think they're much better then the common folk. How are you?"

Kendra stares up at the ceiling for a few moments before she gets up out of bed. She is quick to put on warmer clothes though. "The march is going to be miserable," she mutters to herself. Normally, she wasn't the one to make breakfast, but it seems like it would be up to her today.

Realizing he is about to wake up, Tulbas clings to his dreams in all his might. 'Father... Mother... No... I... I'm so sorry...' Tulbas tries to burn the faces of his family in his memory. His Father and Mother were murdered, and his Sister gone missing. And now Raetmal was also murdered. The feeling of lost and despair wakes him and then the agony from his physical injuries threatens to cover his senses with darkness again. Tulbas is terrified. The only other time he felt something as near as frightening was when he tried to protect Raetmal from Magnus with his own body, and the feeling of despair when failing to do that now returns.
Before opening his eyes he listen carefully to the surrounding. 'Let me be alone... Let me be alone...' he hopes, afraid his torturers will resume their work once he is awake.

==============================================================
(OOC: I've a feeling of de ja vu. The previous chapter was very, very similar for Tulbas. Only now his condition is much worse.)

Arulia awakens before sunrise. Giving thanks for the oncoming day, she says her prayers as quietly as possible so as to not wake her sisters. Once she finishes, she quickly dresses in her warmest clothing before descending the stairs to help prepare breakfast. She listens silently to her father's plans to marry her and her sisters off as she eats, but raises no objections and makes no promises to find another way this morning. Once finished, she walks with Cassilda to Una's shop. Once there, she stops before the door and pulls her sister close into a tight embrace. "I know that you will do well here, Cassilda. Work hard, be smart, and remember that all of us are wishing you the best. We only wish that we could be working with you, too."

After watching Cassilda report in for her first day of apprenticeship, Arulia leaves Una's shop behind. If she's going to provide enough for her family to make her father's plans of marriage unnecessary, she needs to find work for herself...and lucrative work, at that. But first, she decides that can spare enough time to check in with Kendra...perhaps the woman has had better luck with the Temple than she had. Pulling her cloak tight against the cold wind, she sets off towards Kendra's home.

(OOC: Arulia will re-take her previous selection of Command, Cure Light Wounds, and Protection from Evil for her first level spells, and add Hold Person for her second level spell.)

Haahqae (Steel Tankard Inn, Common Room)
"Good morning," says Ismene. "Gosh, it sure got cold fast, didn't it?" When Haahqae mentions Arcane, a sudden 'lump' in Ismene's coat forms and starts to move around her body, causing her to giggle as if being tickled. The lump comes up to her neck, and then Arcane pokes her head out from under Ismene's coat, twitching her little pink nose at him in curiosity. "Oh, there she is," Ismene remarks. "She's cold," she adds, by way of explanation.

"I suppose I'm a bit nervous," she replies to Haahqae's question. "But kind of excited. I don't know what to really expect, though."

Kendra Greylock (2527 Market Street, Greylock's Gorgeous Gems)
Getting dressed, Kendra heads downstairs to make breakfast. After an hour of cooking, frying and boiling, she finishes and sets the food out. The smell should wake up Norris soon enough. Before she can sit down, though, there is a knock at the door. Answering it, she finds Arulia standing outside. Kendra has not seen the half-elf since they parted ways at the Temple of Takhisis.

Tulbas Erogund (Unknown Location)
Tulbas struggles to wake up, but his mind seems to resist the idea. Almost like it knows something he doesn't, which is weird, as it is his mind. Maybe if he concentrates hard enough...

(OOC: Deja vu, indeed. That's why I thought it'd be fun to keep him occupied for awhile with flashbacks and give you the chance to flesh out his history. If you really want him to wake up, he can. But keep in mind it might be pretty boring just sitting there, waiting to be rescued--which might take weeks of real time, due to the slow nature of pbp games.)

Arulia Seroth (2527 Market Street, Gorgeous Greylock's Gems)
Stepping outside, Arulia and Cassilda find that the grass and the rooftops of nearly every building are covered in frost. It's a good thing they dressed warmly.

After walking her little sister to the weaponsmith, Arulia makes the long walk down to the merchant district, where Kendra lives. After knocking, Kendra herself opens the door and the smell of bacon, coffee, and fried eggs wafts out into the street.

Grubnick (300 Market Street, Gregeddin's House)
The moderate spell of curing Grubnick casts on himself heals all but two of his wounds--the most recent bite he took from a Histachii and that last arrow wound from that fanatic archer. Feeling much better, he heads downstairs and nods to the half-elf and minotaur (he never did catch their names) before immediately going out into the cold and trekking to the bard's house. The grass and the rooftops of nearly every building are covered in frost, making the whole city look white.

Following the gnome's directions, he comes to 300 Market Street--a large and very nice home that most have cost several hundred steel. Although nothing compared to the mansions up on the noble district, it's still pretty impressive. Knocking on the door and waiting, eventually he is greeted by Gregeddin himself. "Oh, it's you," he says, mildly surprised. The bard is all bandaged up from his numerous claw and bite marks and the arrow wound in his shoulder. "I honestly didn't think I'd ever see you again after yesterday's disaster. What do you want?"

Felran and Ne-Chanz (High Hand Inn, Common room)
The two watch as the goblin--they never did catch his name--nods to them and then heads outside. Well, he did mention some errands he had to run first. The smell of breakfast wafts through the kitchen as the two decide on a place to sit while they wait.

I wanted to give you a little information and ask you a question, He replies. I spoke with Haahque after you and I parted ways yesterday, he wants to make another attempt to recover your friend this morning… Shivering a bit in the cold and glancing around, Do you mind if we move this conversation indoors? pausing a moment for his response.

Whether Gregeddin invites him in or not, Grubnick continues. In agreement with the gnome I have retained the services of a few fighters to assist us… and make up the ‘front line’ of the endeavor if you take my meaning. Haahque convinced a mage friend of his to join us; and may also have been able to secure additional assistance. I’m heading to meet him after I leave here. My question to you is this: Would you care to come with us this morning? If so, I can perhaps… ‘bandage you up’ a bit more before we go... no need in us being overly foolhardy today…

If Gregeddin agrees, Grubnick will insist they be indoors (if they aren’t already), re-dress the bard’s bandages, and put a couple of cure lt wounds on him before suggesting they meet up with the gnome.

Arulia smiles at Kendra as she stands on the doorstep. She makes no move to enter the house, but glances inside quickly. "Good morning, Kendra. Is this a good time to talk?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Kendra says as she steps aside to let Arulia in. "I was just making breakfast. Norris will probably be up soon too."

Grubnick (300 Market Street, Gregeddin's House)
Gregeddin looks down the street both ways, then nods and allows Grubnick to enter. The two walk to the living room where a fire in the hearth is keeping the place quite warm. There is little furniture about, though; the place is largely lacking in decoration. Grubnick gets the impression that Gregeddin only recently moved in here.

"Hmm, so Haahqae is making another try at it, huh?" the bard asks, sitting down in a chair, his wounds still obviously bothering him. "I can only guess at his reasons, but what about you? You don't know Tulbas, so I can't imagine you care about him. Why are you so invested you would be willing to risk your life a second time?"

Grubnick considers the human for a bit before answering. As we discussed yesterday, I’m looking for a bit of freelance work so I don’t go starving… he takes out his briarwood pipe and holds it in his mouth but doesn’t light it, gnawing gently on the spout as he determines how much he should reveal. He takes it out to speak, returning to it during the pauses and gesturing with it unconsciously as he goes on.

You two were the first mercenaries I’ve had an opportunity to approach, really… or that I felt comfortable approaching at least. I wasn’t really expecting the mess we stumbled upon yesterday, but it threw some things into a new light for me… Whatever those lizard-things were, something seems… wrong about them… I’ve never even heard of a creature like that before… And those people with snake-like features, as if they really were becoming serpents… he shivers, genuinely at the thought of losing your own body bit-by-bit that way.

In addition to that, I suppose you could say I’m the curious type. I like to know, I like to understand… the invasion makes a certain sense… the cultists do as well… but these creatures… I can’t help feeling there is more to it… He looks into Gregeddin’s eyes, And then there are the two of you, and your friend… I found it quite a surprise to learn that he was an elf… how many others do you think there are remaining in the city? He asks rhetorically, just to point out the rarity of it. Or Gnomes for that matter? And to find one of each working for the temple as mercenaries… well, I could hardly ignore that… He sucks air through the pipe, enjoying the lingering aroma of tabac oil soaked into the wood from the day before.

Sorry, I ramble sometimes. he apologizes. More to your point. I wished to develop our… potential business relationship, for lack of a better term. I am still looking for work, and your short friend was quite adamant about saving the elf. I suppose I assumed you would be as well, but that was presumptuous of me. I feel the risk is much less substantial now with our additional sell-swords and whatever help Haaque has drummed up… Why not come along to meet him and take stock for yourself? But before we go, perhaps you could tell me why someone with your… obvious funds, he says gesturing to the fine house around them, would take up mercenary work for the temple in the first place?

Arulia slips in through the door and follows Kendra back to the kitchen area. "I was wondering what happened to you after I left," she explains. "Did you find work with the Temple?" She pauses, and a guilty look passes over her face. "I'm sorry that I didn't stay around, but I couldn't do it. And anyway, we weren't going the same way, so I'd have left you even if I had stayed."

"Don't worry about it," Kendra says with a light smile. "But I joined the army," she says as she sits down at the table. "And we march tomorrow."

Ne-Chanz sits down heavily at a table, making it rattle.