Dragon's Egg - Act III

[Ireth]

Cadell

Looking more closely at Aldar, I find I recognize him, though we have not crossed paths in hundreds of years, ever since he left Aelwyd Eirian on some strange business of his own. Probably to get away from the crowds of Caer Celynnen and the rest of the woods; he has always been the solitary type, aside from a few close friends. I smile as I step forward to greet him. "Well met, Aldar! It has been too long! You remember Líadan, don't you?"

I look to the others, smiling reassuringly. "This is an old comrade of mine from Aelwyd Eirian. He left some centuries ago, and we have scarcely heard from each other since then. I can vouch for him, he is not an enemy."

Líadan

I smile, recalling Aldar as well. "Good to see you again, fy ffrind. I hope you've been keeping well?"

 

[Nihal]

"Baldhart, don't you think he was too timely?" I look at her with a 'I can't believe you're buying his story' look.

When the stranger talks freely about magic I go stiff. "What the hell? What kind of moron would admit this, here? Cadell, with all the respect, he may have not been an enemy in the past, but you can not say it now! He's clearly crazy..." I lower my voice to a whisper, "...he might be too consumed by the corruption already, and you know who else is completely corrupted in these lands. She could have sent him to sabotage us."

 

[SomethingToPonder]

Cadell

Looking more closely at Aldar, I find I recognize him, though we have not crossed paths in hundreds of years, ever since he left Aelwyd Eirian on some strange business of his own. Probably to get away from the crowds of Caer Celynnen and the rest of the woods; he has always been the solitary type, aside from a few close friends. I smile as I step forward to greet him. "Well met, Aldar! It has been too long! You remember Líadan, don't you?"

I look to the others, smiling reassuringly. "This is an old comrade of mine from Aelwyd Eirian. He left some centuries ago, and we have scarcely heard from each other since then. I can vouch for him, he is not an enemy."

Líadan

I smile, recalling Aldar as well. "Good to see you again, fy ffrind. I hope you've been keeping well?"

Aldar looks taken aback by the sudden coincidence of bumping into 2 of his old aquaintences.
"Cadell, Well met ancient one, It has been some time since we last crossed paths. How have you been keeping, Is your life still rich with adventure? Of course! Liadan" He exclaimed and a rare flick of happiness flared in his eye.
"Yes not bad at all, Keeping myself to myself as usual , I was working on some ancient scrolls i managed to find while on a quest 3 centuries ago and just recently made sense of them, I was travelling north to meet up with a friend That was on the original quest with me, However i passed his house around 3 weeks ago and there was no sign of him, But I could see from his hut he had left in a hurry.So i decided to continue north alone, And look for him along the way,It was only after travelling this far that i realized i may have bitten off more than i can chew this time.You know me, I dont get on to well with many people, But when i do Im loyal through and through."

He bowed to the rest of the group and proceeds to introduce himself to everyone.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I tilt my head, still watching Aldar. Mauve does have a point, and Aldar's words are strange. "...What quest is this you speak of?" Is it anything to do with ours?

 

[SomethingToPonder]

Cadell

I tilt my head, still watching Aldar. Mauve does have a point, and Aldar's words are strange. "...What quest is this you speak of?" Is it anything to do with ours?

Aldar shoots cadell a sharp glance, "The quest I am on was deciphered from an ancient scroll as you know, But what i havent yet told you is that the scroll was a clue, a clue of many which i have been following the trail for for centuries, This "scroll" was the last one in a line of hundreds. It tells of an ancient city built thousands of years ago, long before any of our ancestors would have been around. the dwarves built it underground Made from beautifull jewels and the rarest of stones. The halls are huge and resemble a full city in size, They are held up by towering pillars and giant staues. There is no mention of it in any history books or on any map, This scroll is the last thing n the world which could be of any clue as to where it is"

He quickly turned around and hoped cadell hadent seen the look of worry in his face, "Are t...., Can we?.... "He trailed off, Wondering if he had just given away too much information, "Can we trust them he whispered.

Aldar had always been to good natured in his early years and had found out the hard way you cant trust everyone

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Huh… completely ignored. Where did I go wrong, Nissa? I have this huge sword, blue paint on my face and arms, stood in his path ominously?

Well, you goofed up your intro. Maybe it's for the best.

Yeah, I guess.



I repeat, "I am Baldhart Eisenberg," and leave it at that. "So, you're a friend of Cadell's? Well, your timing is good if you're looking for trouble. We've got some, and intend to head south to meet it. We don't plan to stay long, but come in if you want to help."

I call out to the others, "Or are we ready to move now?" To—"Aldar, is it?"—I suggest, "Maybe we'll walk while we talk."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I do not look at Aldar, fully distracted by Mauve. Her eyes are not the same as they were before -- not the same as each other. The left one has a slight golden tint to the iris, and the pupil is flattened almost to a slit, like that of a cat... or a serpent. I look to Líadan, wondering if she saw it as well.

Líadan

Cadell meets my gaze, his expression just as worried as mine, and I know we must be thinking the same thing. The demon told us of Mauve's corruption, and this is a sure sign of it. I can only hope it does not get worse. To think of that girl turning into a monster like Calexa...

Cadell

I look back at Mauve and take her gently by the shoulder, pulling her back from the rest of the group and muttering in her ear. "We need to talk. Alone." With luck none of the villagers will notice her eye, or overhear our conversation.

 

[Nihal]

"What? Uhm... sure." I blink, confused. Did he saw something off in his friend? Maybe this stranger just betrayed himself by saying something Cadell's friend wouldn't.

Aslaug can change her appearance! Hah, I knew something was wrong!

I follow him, wondering if she taught it to some disciple. I'm sure she has mages following her, and could have sent one to meet Calexa—or us—to gain our trust. She made a mistake and chose the wrong man to the task, this guy doesn't seem particularly bright.

 

[SomethingToPonder]

Aldar looked at Baldhart , He gave him a slight nod of the head and greeted him" I am sorry baldhart, i was so shocked at seeing somebody i knew here, Yes i knew Cadell From many generations ago, I never look for trouble but should it befall me or any of those close to me i do not hesitate to face it full on,I shall journey with you for as long as need be, Yes lets i dont like being stationary for too long while im out in the open, Has this temple been explored yet"

Aldar glances at the temple eyeing it all over for magical markings.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I lead Mauve as far from the group as I dare, where I am sure they will not hear. Even so, I keep my voice down to a whisper.

"Mauve, I don't think you should keep using magic. The demon we met in the tunnels... it said that you would one day summon another of its kind. It said you were corrupted. I believe it... and it is starting to show."

I hold up my shield, making sure she can see the reflection of her face. "Look closely at your left eye."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((Baldhart's a woman — six-foot-nine and freakishly muscular, but wearing a dress and has a feminine hairstyle peeking out of that skull-shaped helmet.))

"Explored is an understatement," I tell him. "Come in."

I hope Mauve doesn't object to… where the hell is she?

 

[Nihal]

I make a face. "That's ridiculous, I will not stop—"

The dark haired woman in the reflection widen its eyes, staring back at me. It's a sorry creature, gloomy and with a scarred face, but it's an unsettling detail in the eyes what makes the vision unbearable. It's an unmistakable signal of corruption.

I turn away from the shield, feeling the blood being drained from my face, only to look again.

It must be a nightmare!

I cover the eye with my hand, as if it would jump out of my face on its own and murder someone and look back at Cadell, hopeless.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I lower my shield, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"We may be able to hide it, just so no one else will take notice and mistrust you, but a patch or a scarf would affect your sight and hamper your accuracy in a fight. In any case, I stand by what I said before. Unless a life is at stake, do not use any more magic. We don't want that getting any more noticeable."

I consider remarking on her rather hypocritical statement concerning Aldar -- how could she accuse him of being corrupted when she did not know the extent of it in herself? -- but think better of it. Now is not the time to make the poor girl feel any worse. We all need to stay strong and trust each other if we are to survive this.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I see Mauve and Cadell moved away from the others.

"Not to be rude, Aldar, but please excuse me. Um… perhaps Liadan can tell you what we're up to."

Is Mauve crying? Or…

I approach and Cadell mentions a patch or scarf. In a low voice, I ask, "Is something amiss?"

 

[SomethingToPonder]

"So baldhart.. whats the plan?" aldar asked ?
aldar was always very wary of everyone he met and always kept an eye out for people he thought may have a secret agenda of such. He had always been good at reading people, Getting that vibe and sense that something was just not quite right. He had it now, he just couldent pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, but he knew something was not just right in the group.

 

[SomethingToPonder]

"liadan... Perhaps you could fill me in then........"

 

[Nihal]

Cadell's motion breaks the spell. I turn my back to him and start to pace back and forth, my hand still covering part of my face and talking more to myself than to him, "No panic. Crap, calm do—"

I keep my head low and almost hit Baldhart, never really walking 'forth'. My stomach turns inside me and I say in a tiny voice, "Crap. Baldhart, I..."

 

[Ireth]

((Gah, ninja'd twice! Assume Cadell answers Baldy before Mauve does.))

Cadell

I look up as Baldhart approaches, but do not answer right away, biting my lip. How can I explain this to her?

Well, short and sweet always works. "Yes."

Líadan

I nod and look to Aldar, explaining quickly about the goblins, wargs and other dog-faced creatures. I see no need to go into detail yet about what happened in the tunnels; that is a tale best told when we are safe. Assuming we all live to see the end of this battle. But I shouldn't think like that... hope. I need hope. We all do.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"You…"

Eye contact. She's staring at my toes.

"Please look at me. No matter what, we're friends."

 

[SomethingToPonder]

Aldar starts getting the feeling that something very wrong is happening, The sense of evil seems to be building rapidly in the room.
Maybe it wasnt such a good idea going with these adventurers, something feels terribly wrong

"Is everything ok?" He asks with a strange suspicion.