Kelewen

Friend or Foe?

At Kamri's urging, Rook removed her right boot and rolled up her torn pant leg so the werebeast could tend the wound. It was 3 days old now and still throbbing and slowly oozing blood through the bandage Lord Octa's men had put on it. "How bad is it?" she asked, steeling herself in preparation for Kamri's ministrations. She almost missed what Kan was saying, but her attention riveted on him now.

She stared wordlessly at her large warrior friend hugging his knees, his demeanor unlike anything she had ever witnessed from him. She didn't think he was scared of anything, but if he was scared of this place...

It seemed the whole group was silent for a few long moments as the flames jumped high. Rook broke the silence as they died back down.

"Do we have another course of action then?"

Escape Ardwill Asylum

Lucy gave the huge dog a small pat at first, then a scratch on the neck once the dog decided they were friends. "She's nice. Sit down, beautiful, lemme take your picture."

*Snap*

She then snapped another quick photo of the pictures that Maya had pointed out, puzzling them over at the same time Nate was. She was still trying to figure out how the images were related to each other when Nate seemed to figure out the pattern. "Ah! You must be right!" she said excitedly, now looking around for what they were supposed to do with the word. Her nervousness was gone now, no reason to suspect this wasn't exactly what it seemed to be: a harmless escape room.

Directly across the hall from the pictures was an old scratched table with an odd object upon it. "I bet it goes here!"



And sure enough, the cryptex opened when she put in the word "psycho". And out floated a slip of paper:

Friend or Foe?

Well... now I'm dying to know if Kan has ever heard of these ruins! @EricWald (If not, maybe half the battle is finding those answers!)

Knowing is half the battle

Friend or Foe?

Still here, @Meep? I don't want to get too far ahead without giving you a chance to post.

Escape Ardwill Asylum

Kat, maybe set up this first hallway puzzle for us to solve?

Friend or Foe?

The blowing snow hid the tracks of the Wood Guard within minutes after their passage as they made their way through the dense forest over terrain too rugged even for horses. It was slow going, hampered by the weather, their unconscious prisoner, and Rook's injured leg. By the time they arrived at the impromptu camp, the sky was already beginning to turn grey with the first hint of dawn.

The camp was little more than a rocky overhang that had been blocked off against the weather by canvas tarps. Still, a small fire and no wind made it feel positively cozy compared to the elements outside the shelter. Rook sank down heavily onto a log that had been dragged inside and turned into a temporary bench. Her leg was throbbing and she wanted nothing more than a hot meal and peace enough to curl up in a blanket to sleep.

"I found the Moss Witch", she confirmed. Locating the reclusive seer and gaining the old woman's advice on how Octa might be defeated had been the objective of the ranger's mission, but her eyes reflected that those gathered might not like what she was about to tell them.

"She told me three things. First, that our captain would be betrayed." With Zula dead, it seemed this one had already come to pass. But who had betrayed him? Rook refused to believe it was one of her companions gathered here.

"Then, that a weapon to aid us could be found in the ruins of Burren," she glanced around questioningly at the others, hoping one them would have heard of these ruins as the Moss Witch had not told her where exactly they could be found.

"And the third," she hesitated, not yet understanding the meaning of the seer's instructions, "was to ask for help from the raven."

Friend or Foe?

"He got me pretty good here," Dane said, rubbing his cheek where it was already beginning to darken and swell. "Nothing to worry 'bout though, I'm sure he'll make it up to us, right lad?" He patted the top of Edwin's head, as if that sealed the agreement.

When they had gone the short distance back to the others, Dane and Rook exchanged smiles and greetings, "Glad to see you back, lass."

"Missed having someone to clean up your dishes after dinner, huh?" she said teasingly, already falling back into the easy camaraderie she shared with them.

"Thaliar," Dane said, looking at the elf and indicating toward Edwin, "Want us to bring this one along?"

Rook couldn't help but feel a small surge of anger toward the bound man slung over Kan's shoulder. She knew he wasn't the leader of the crew that had injured and captured her, but in her mind that didn't relieve him of his culpability. "Or tie him to a tree without a cloak for a few days... see how he fairs," she muttered, loud enough for only the sharp-eared non-humans to hear.

Friend or Foe?

Kaden's pleas grew louder and more desperate as they gained no response from Lord Octa. "Please, my lord! My father sent me! Lord Tobler! Please! Please, I've committed no crime against you!" Panic was beginning to set in and he struggled now against the dread knight, but the armored hand clasping the chain only pulled him ahead, then down a poorly-lit claustrophobic spiral staircase.

The four shackled captives were unceremoniously herded into a dirty cell, empty save for the skeletal remnants of a long-forgotten prisoner.

"Please..." the young lordling said, quieter now, as if he could not quite believe this was happening.

When the door clanged shut, he put his back to the cold stone and slid to the floor, not looking at the other prisoners... those criminals. And especially not looking at the skeleton still shackled to the wall. He closed his eyes, burrowing his head down into his shackled hands as if he could shut out everything. When my father hears of this, he will declare war on Octa!

Friend or Foe?

Now that we have some (really cool) story going, any suggestions for a better RP title?

Friend or Foe?

"I'll be alright. Go." Rook reassured Kan and watched him disappear into the blowing snow.

When the wolfish figure emerged from almost the same spot a few moments later, Rook's eyes widened in surprise and recognition. It had been months since she'd last seen the werebeast, both off on separate missions under Zula's direction. "Kamri," she greeted, "It is good to see you too." She glanced uneasily at the remnants of blood still around Kamri's mouth. Once upon a time, they might not have been allies, but desperate times had forced the Wood Guard to accept help where they could find it.

"That helps, thank you," she said gratefully, pulling the wool cloak tightly around herself, shackles now dangling from only one wrist.

"How far do we have to travel tonight?" she asked, looking from Kamri to Thaliar. With their base of operations gone, she assumed they had a temporary camp set up somewhere. "If it's not far this can wait until we're somewhere safer," she pulled back the torn fabric around the calf of her right leg to reveal soiled and bloodied bandages, probably a few days past due to be changed.

---

"Ain't that one you gotta worry about eatin' you," Dane said, grimacing from where Edwin's fist had managed to connect with his cheek.

"Get that rope from his belt, Kan. We'll bring him back and see what Thaliar wants ta do with 'im."

With Kan now there to help restrain the captive, they quickly had Edwin stripped of weapons and valuables and had his hands bound tightly behind his back. "And no need to be callin' for your friends to come help ya," Dane said, gagging him with a thick strip of cloth tied behind the neck.