Guided Quest - Farm Heroes

[Rhaenar Talon]

Desert Breeze snorted and rubbed its head affectionately against the slowly stroking hand of Rhaenar before trotting off towards the oxen and an elderly man wizened by many years of difficult work out in the fields. Rhaenar watches the glistening muscles of the steed as it settles under the shadows of an ancient tree with its boughs filled with fresh apples. The most simplest of things, like an apple on a summer day, seem to spread a warm fuzzy feeling through his body like now that made him enjoy his decision to leave his home for the outside world.

The sharp slap of the heel of Skie's heels against the wooden beams of the fence snapped his attention back to her, "My name is Rhaenar. Unless the man that hired as spoke falsely you are the lass I am suppose to meet." He looks up at the towering ruins of the once mighty keep, "Before I came here I scouted out the surrounding foundation of the keep. It is in complete shambles with most of it in ruins, but I am sure you already knew this. Yet there was something that I thought was strange, the wall surrounding the keep seemed . . . well too perfect for its age. Under the creeping grasp of the vines is a worn, but fine ten foot high wall. Even the gate is fine with only slight rust starting to appear. Its strange. Magical almost; however, I found a way over the wall."

A laughter slips from his lips as he stares at the rather dumbstruck man who Skie, with a single flash a tense smile, crushed his hopes and dreams. With chuckles slipping from his lips once in awhile he slaps his hand on the half-elf's shoulder, "Oi, my friend, it seems that Skie is as much a heart breaker as she is a beauty to look at. Don't let it bring you down, you can drown yourself in ale after we accomplish our task." He squeezes the mans shoulder one more time before he looks at Skie untying a oxen from the fence, "I believe it is time for us to head out. Oi, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Rhaenar."

He follows the trail of bent blades of grass and crushed dandelions that Skie left when she moved to the oxen. "Desert Breeze is a strong, stubborn bastard, he can do any task that you set in front of him; however, I was not expecting that he would have to pull anything so I don't have a harness."

The wizened farmer ears perk up at Rhaenar's words and he quickly hobbles over to him and grabs his arms with a grasp that felt like sandpaper, "Sir, I have an extra harness that I have no use for. Sunflower, my mare, died months ago from old age so it has been just collecting dust in the barn. I could give you it for a price?" Licking his lips he hungrily stares at Rhaenar hoping for the lad to take the bait. Having no other choices Rhaenar accepts the offer and the elderly farmer turns and hobbles back towards his home for the harness.

Groaning at the sight of good gold coins being spent for his stupidity he turns to the little lizard-man, "Do you want to ride with me little Lizard-man?"

[Tythiss]

Tythiss snapped from his stare to look at the speaker. Ride with him?

I suppose it would be easier... wait... little? Tythiss paused paused to stare at the man on the horse. Well if they were to ride. He should learn.

"No" the Saurian stated flatly. " I have never ridden an "oxen" or anything. I suppose now is the time to learn."

Trail by fire, Tythiss' favorite. He moved back to the rope and knot, his tongue flicking at the "oxen" with a feigned bravado. Looking at the woman and mimicking her by deftly untying the knot that kept the beast's fury in check. His slitted eyes, locked on the "oxen's", daring it to try anything.

He stood there, holding a rope to a creature that outweighed him by, well a whole lot! Watching the woman's next move so that he may attempt to mimic it. casting the occaisional glance at his new charge to make sure it hadn't murdered him.

[Skie and Avery]

When all the beasts had been yoked and harnessed, the small company set out. Concordia lay ahead, the lush canopy hidden on the other side of the horizon. The ox she rode on clamored down the road easily, without much direction from the reins. She hadn't expected such obedience in a beast built like a brick house. She'd expected to have to urge it away from the lush patches of clover that dotted the side of the road, spilling verdant patches of sweet grass onto the dirt path they trundled across.

The sun was high in the sky when they could finally spot the great forest way ahead. Sweat had prickled along her brow, a red flush across her cheeks that she knew would sting later. The cattle they rode felt the heat as well, the calves of her pants damp with the sweat of the beast. As its thick tail swang from side to side to swat away the flies that were drawn to the smell of sweat, she looked back to see the other oxen in much the same condition.

"The carts are are the edge of the forest, by a stream. We can get some water there and stop to break bread and rest the animals. If we can get these carts on without much trouble, we'll be at the castle by sunset."

She thought back to what the mercenary said at the farm. "What way over the wall did you find, Rhaenar? We'll need to get the main gate open in any event to let the carts in." She paused, and despite the sounds of hooves plodding over the packed earth, she could hear the faint sounds of rushing water in the distance. Their camp was near.

"Just curious," she said, raising her voice so that all three of her companions would be able to hear her. "What were you told lay under the ruins?"

[Tythiss]

Bored! This was, way to easy! There were no real controls, his "oxen" just went. No adjustments needed, no life threatening leaks in fluid or air... Well, Tythiss' "oxen" did spring a coolant leak earlier, turns out it was urine.

The Saurian sat cross legged in the saddle, swaying his tail for balance as he likened to the loose time table and the question about what they were told they would find here. To be honest he had only overheard that there was an opportunity to be had. Tythiss didn't really stick around to eavesdrop for details. Coin would be useful, as it always is, perhaps raw materials would be found as well. Or ancient technologies... ancient technologies would be pretty awesome.

Tythiss just stared off into the distant nothing, his mind whirring over the technologies that might be locked away beneath the rubble, or enchanted tools! The reptile's tongue sampled the air on occasion, it being the last real link to this world.

[Cahill]

Laying forwards, on his arms, while straddling the ox that was assigned to him, Eric was doing his best not to fall asleep thanks to the gentle swaying of the animal and the warm sun. Talk had pretty much been at a minimum since they had set out earlier, only exchanging names between each other since Rhaenar had been so kind as to announce his to everyone. The woman was Skie, the reptile Tythiss and the man Rhaenar, obviously.

It seemed fun at first admittedly, the sky clear and with the early breeze, but the breeze ended after about an hour and then the heat set in, forcing the half-elf to hide under the hood of his cloak to avoid sunburns to his ears. Even the lizard became dull to watch after he decided the ox wasn’t a challenge and would follow the one that was in the lead.
Finally a forest of trees appeared by the mid-afternoon, planting a seed of hope that either the destination was near or that they’d at least stop for the day. ‘Come to think of it,’ Eric mused looking at the woman who they were to be accepting orders from. ‘I haven’t heard anything about our objective.’

It was then that Skie mentioned the resting spot and that they’d be at the location by day’s end. ‘Some of the best news I’ve ever heard,’ he thought, attention entirely vested on her as she continued further, talking to the man. His ears perked up slightly at the mention of the details about the job. So he straightened up and ushered the steer nearer to the conversing two, giving the lizard a light tap against the back of the head and motioning him to follow.

[Tythiss]

Instinctively the small reptile sprung from whatever touched him. He was weak and tiny he had to be fast and evasive also the interruption to his drifting into the depths of his mind scared the hell out of him. The downside he was perched on the top of a beast. Soon Tythiss was aloft, and landed in a controlled tumble.

He spun about to face his aggressor. The Saurian's stance was low and stable his feet spread and his left hand to the dirt, his right gauntleted hand cocked and held in a fist, a hiss working it's way through his maw of small needle-like teeth.

Wait... Tythiss cocked his head like a confused dog, looking this way and that, the confusion rising. Slowly he rose, absently slinging the dirt from his hand. His tongue sampled the air. Motion caught his eye and he focused on it, the elf was waving him over. Probably to goad him for starting like that... He sighed and bounded over to his "oxen" which had stopped and stared at the reptile as Tythiss approached. He grabbed the rope reins and turned headed after the Elf.

[Rhaenar Talon]

Unlike the rest who rode yoked and harnessed oxen Rhaenar was on his noble steed, standing straight and tall he seem out of place around all these oxen, even if he was clothed in mismatched armor. There was an ox without a rider, the one meant for him, that ponder its way behind Desert Breeze with a rough hewed rope that was tied around the ox's neck. The other oxen trotted along obediently with such discipline that their eyes never wavered off the trail. Not even when they past the meadows of lush green clovers. His was no exception; yet, there were a few times that Rhaenar had to pull at the rope to pull the pleading eyes of the ox away from the delectable clovers.

The well worn trail gave away for the canopies of the Concordia forest when the sun peaked its highest point in the sky, blanketing the countryside in sticky heat wave. Yet, this heat was not like the beating desert sun that burned down upon his back when he traveled across the sand. Both Rhaenar and Desert Breeze did not even notice the full extent of the heat until he heard the labored breathes of the oxen; his own ox started pulling at the rope around its neck, causing the rope to dig into its hide causing even more discomfort. Rhaenar turn his head away from the front of the trail trusting his steed to be able to transverse the trail without him directing it. Soft words of comfort were spoken to the trailing ox, the words seem to calm the beast slightly long enough for the group to hear the sound of running water.

Satisfied he turned away from the ox to the words of Skie, "Even though the wall is in a condition that seems to be nearly impossible for its age there is still some wear. On a part of the wall near the gate there is some part of the stones of the parapet and higher part of the wall that has collapsed. Luckily, most of the stones fell on our side of the wall so we can stack them up on each other and create some kind of ramp; however, it is still a pretty high distance even with the help of the ramp and the damage to the wall. Only the tallest and strongest of us can climb to the parapet. I was thinking that Cahill and I could climb onto the parapet and we both can find a way to open the iron gate for both you and lizard-man."

The party passes through a dense wall of tree limbs and bushes entering a meadow with a small stream cutting his way across the meadow into the dark, green depths of the forest. The canopy of the nearby trees spread out across the edge of the meadow its shadows laying across the bed of clovers that hug close to the watery banks of the running stream.

He swings himself off his steed and starts untying the ox from his saddle to let it graze in clovers, "My contact for this job was extremely vague in his details for the contract; however, he made up for the vagueness with the amount of gold he offered. Yet, I knew I could not run wildly into this type of contract so I met with some of the folks that live in the nearby region." He finished with the rope and the ox lumbered over towards the stream and clovers, "They tell me that at night they can hear grunting and howling coming from within the walled keep every full moon, and that smoke can sometimes can be seen billowing up from the keep during the early mornings. I believe that this is more than just some bumpkins letting their imagination getting the better of them. I think there are some creatures living in the keep."

[Skie and Avery]

Along the edges of the clearing where they were to set up camp, a small woodcutter's lodge was set up. Here was where the carts were held, the pasture by which they sat empty. The woodcutter had gone with his ponies to take an order of lumber to a client, and they'd been given permission to sleep within the safety of his cottage. However, Skie felt ill at ease in the homes of strangers. While she told her companions they were welcome to sleep within the cottage, she began to build a fire by the bank of the stream and unpacked her bedroll from the oxen. It was clear that only she'd been given information about what lay within the castle, likely to prevent another party from trying for the goal first.

"Creatures?" she had said with a scoff after Rhaenar had answered. She kept her silence until they camped. Now she felt it best to let them know what they faced, as it was only fair. They were far enough now from the open ears of the city that it was safe.

"The castle ahead was once home to a power artificer," she said as she warmed her hands by the fire. "They say he built a dragon of gold and gave it life, and it's heart still beats and it's breath still burns within the ruins. That's why we need strong oxen, and a cart. We're to leave the head and wings intact, but the rest of the body can be torn apart as we see fit to get it on the carts."

~~

It was midmorning the next day when they stood at the bottom of a steep hill. Looking up the rise, the ragged ruins of the ancient stone fortress jutted almost grimly beneath a cloudy sky. The day was muggy, the air full of the promise of rain.

"It may look easy to get in," Skie said, motioning to the rusting gate and the walls that had been knocked low in places. "Still, be aware of traps, and whatever else may greet us once we enter."

I sped us ahead a little bit, but I feel like we should get the real fun started.

[Cahill]

Seeing the foreboding walls that now stood in front of them, Eric wondered for the utmost time since it first came into view why he hadn’t snuck away the previous night whilst everyone slept. ‘After all, a dragon was reason enough to avoid the place, no matter how much it was worth,’ ran through his mind. ‘I am no warrior, I’m a thief. I hide and steal, not go charging into battle.’

Not much had taken place since they reached their camp ground the previous day. Idle talk, eating and sleeping was about it. Skie had also once again made it rather clear she wasn’t interested when he tried lying with her by the fire that night, arm around her waist and not shoulder this time. He rubbed his cheek at the thought, glancing at her. Tythiss amused Eric most of the night as well. The sight of the small lizard-like creature going about his business, making obstacles out of things that would be considered everyday, elicited quite a few chuckles. The morning consisted of eating, packing up and setting out once more.

Sighing slightly to himself as he dismounted his ox, he made his way to get a better view of the gate and wall. The three foot high, stone merging neatly with the iron of the same height. Skie’s words reached his ears, but he didn’t pay much attention to them. Past the gate a large courtyard could be seen with a few smaller buildings, of indeterminate substance from their vantage point, though he assumed wood and stone, and also the castle-like structure, all abandoned as far as he could make out.

Eric gave the iron gate a tug, trying to gauge it’s strength, but opting to inspect the wall in the hope that the others wouldn’t notice that he hardly shifted the gate. Rhaenar’s early observation had proven correct he saw. Even though the gate was unclimbable the wall would be easy to cross over, easier in his eyes since the wall had partially collapsed. ‘Besides that the stone of the wall was rough enough to leave countless crevices for nimble fingers and boot tips,’ Eric mused.

The Half-Elf turned to face his companions, seeing some had already dismounted. “Up and over?” he asked to no one in particular, before turning back, stepping on a fallen stone and starting to scale the wall.

[Skie and Avery]

She followed Eric silently, finding easy purchase. The stone walls had been pockmarked with time and disuse, making them almost a ladder for anyone who wanted to ascend the perimeter of the castle. When she reached the top, doubt nagged at the corners of her mind. If it were this easy to get in, why hadn't the golden dragon been looted years before? Surely their employer wasn't the only man who knew what lay within the dungeons deep below the hillside fort.

As she began the climb downwards into the courtyard, a rumble came from beneath the earth. Her feet slipped for a moment but she landed well, crouched and still. Her hand was on her sword hilt, her eyes glaring across the court. It was open, though the flagstones that once paved the yard were cracked and split. Tall weeds were growing through, swaying with the breeze. The smell of sulfur clung here, soaked into the brick and unable to be completely aired away. Skie motioned to the castle, where dark, sooty tendrils of smoke had begun to drift from holes in the aged roof.

"The entrance to the dungeons will probably be in the center of the manor," she said, frowning. Down the hill were the carts and the oxen, but how would they get a dragon made of metal out of here? She started to cross the courtyard, deciding they would cross that bridge when they got to it. As her nimble feet slid from one flagstone to another, careful to walk as silently as possible, the stone beneath one hill began to shift. Suddenly, the plicks and twangs of arrows being fired filled the silent air. From higher on the wall of the manor that faced them, scores of arrows shot down.Skie dove towards the manor wall, holding her breath and saying a prayer that she'd make it from the rain of ammunition that she'd foolishly tripped.