Journey to the North (In Game)

[TheIrishOtaku]

The stable hand gives Odrosa a sympathetic smile, keeping his own voice casual to avoid embarrassing her.

''Here miss, let me give you a hand.....''

Through a bit of trial and error (Odrosa is quite a bit taller than him after all), he slowly guides her on to her steed. It leaves out a soft neigh, the stable hand running his hand through its mane.

''There you are miss, nothing to it! Liara here is used to handling beginners, many a noble lad or lass has earned their jodpurs on her back!''

He pats Liara lightly on the side, the horse grunting slightly at that.

 

[starelementpoke]

Z'ar will nod to the stable hand before glancing over to see how Orestina and Odrosa were doing. Seeing Odrosa's awkwardness he'll chuckle before turning back to his own steed. Glancing to the stirrups he'll brace a foot into one of them before pausing and glancing at the steed, double checking to make sure the horse hadn't been startled. As a moment passes and the steed remains calm he'll take a breath before pulling and leaping up, reflexively closing his eyes as swung himself up. As he feels his rear meet saddle Z'ar reopens his eyes. He had done it!- backwards. He had seated himself in reverse. Laughing awkwardly he'll spin himself right way around, facing forward.

 

[Autobass]

Orestina watched the others saddle up, noting the well-practiced motions of Sir Alec, the momentary hesitation from Odrosa and having to suppress a fit of giggles as Z'ar successfully mounted his steed... in reverse, before he corrected himself. Taking a moment to calm herself, she then slowly approached the remaining horse's side with a murmured "Heey there, let's get along with each other huh?"

Running a reassuring hand down it's shoulder and flank, she set to work on the straps and buckles, letting her time tending the horses of some of the more far-traveled rangers guide her hands. Satisfied with her work she set about climbing into the saddle before having to take a moment to right herself after over-correcting and nearly ending up flat on her back on the animal's opposite side.

 

[TheIrishOtaku]

Having mounted your horses, a few moments later the chamberlain arrives with servants in tow, each carrying the items three of you requested. Handing them to each of you in turn, he nods in satisfaction as the servants tie what can't be carried to your mounts.

''There you are, that should be everything. Now, if you will excuse me I shall take my leave. May the gods bless you on your journey.''

He and the servants hurry briskly off, the stable hand chiming in too with a cheeky grin and a wink.

''Its a lovely day for it, lets hope the weather holds! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!''

Chuckling, he waves goodbye and tends to his other duties, his flippancy revealing just how little he knows of what awaits you ahead.

The journey is a mild and pleasant one, the sun shining down on you as you make your way past the outskirts of the city. Sprawling noble estates (impressive but still dwarfed by Genis in both size and splendour) eventually give way to rolling fields and peasant cottages made of simple stone. Soon however it is just you four, rolling green hills and the sound of birdsong.

After a few hours ride, the sun begins to set, bathing the world in hues of red and orange. Deciding now would be the perfect time to make camp for the night, you eventually find a copse of woods surrounding an open patch of ground. Not the most comfortable spot in the world, but defensible at least. You still have plenty of time to light a fire and pitch tents before night arrives.

 

[Kalnath]

Sir Alec privately questioned the necessity of stopping. To his eye, the if weather was good and the road was visible, then they could easily have ridden straight through the night with only a few breaks for the horses to catch their breath. But then, he was used to that sort of travel. The others... Orestina (as he’d learned the half-elf’s name was) looked able enough with her ranger training, but the other two were plainly unused to horseback, let alone staying awake for more than one day at a time.

As the four of them set up their camp for the night, Alec posed a question to the others:

“I have been meaning to ask, now that we are all committed: how much experience do you all have with this sort of mission? Have you ever hunted down a rogue wizard, or anything else of a similar nature before?”

 

[starelementpoke]

Pulling the steed to a stop Z'ar will awkwardly swing himself off the side, landing in a low crouch and thud. Brushing himself off he'll stand and glance around at the clearing, beginning to scoop up twigs and branches for firewood.

"Never something this important nor long term I'm afraid. Most such people I've chased down were much more on the spot."

Bundle of wood in hand he'll toss it into a pile near the center of the clearing. Taking one of the sticks he'll begin to spin it back a forth rapidly between his palms, fast enough for a low whine to fill the air. Seconds later smoke begins to fill the air as the bundle of wood begins to burn.

"You? I take it you've been in service for quite some time. Ever been wizard hunting?"

 

[Kalnath]

“I have," Alec replied. "A few times over the years, actually. Hedge mages, renegade conjurers, a couple particularly dangerous thaumaturgists. None of them were quite like this one, though. The stakes were a fair bit lower, and we had a lot more time to prepare.”

He sat down by the fledgling campfire and placed his helmet at his side. He idly scratched at his beard for a moment while he thought about what else he could tell them. A full start-to-finish story would be too much, especially not when they hadn't asked for one, but he could at least provide a short summary of his experiences.

“Generally, when tasked with taking down a rogue wizard, the Order would send a small company of knights to track them: about a half-dozen men unless it were really serious. We'd find out where they were hiding, cut off all accessible routes of escape, and then close in. It’d be a pitched battle, of course, but usually that was enough. You’d be surprised how few mages actually know how to teleport.”

“Other times, however, we would have to bring in… specialists, of a sort. Trained assassins, mage hunters, people who had skills that we did not; who could move silently and out-of-sight, or had techniques that could interrupt a spell as it was cast. In these situations, I would usually have to draw the magi’s attention while my colleague waited for an opportune moment to strike. It was a crude strategy, but admittedly effective, and was how we dealt with most of the more dangerous individuals.”

He paused a moment, in case Z'ar had questions, though Alec was half-worried that he'd already lost the man's interest. It seemed to happen often, if he got carried away.