Belelmund: The Folly of Sitanest

[Kai]

Myrnal ground her teeth at their response, but knew that if they wanted to do anything more than play around like this, they'd have to untie her from this pole. And that they might regret.

They were going to regret this already.

But Myrnal couldn't play the wounded damsel here. If these orcs were going to be macho idiots, she'd just be accepting their point. Still. She didn't allow any man to touch her. The very idea of it was repulsive on a more visceral level than even these orcs probably couldn't have expected. And like this...

But there was more. Myrnal forced herself to think. They clearly wanted to hurt her, and given that male prisoners presumably weren't as useful for such things... they had no reason to keep Dan alive. Which meant that they had some damned good reason to keep them alive and unharmed. Money? Slave trade wasn't that lucrative, and was not good enough reason to spare female prisoners.

Did they know? Know why they were all here in which case... did they want something from Trevor or Charles? Was this a hostage thing or what?

Myrnal couldn't think of anything to do that'd reliably get them more information, but she could try and prevent Dan from continuing to spaz once he got his breath back. She knew guys like Dan, the hero types. He wouldn't like what he just saw and that meant Myrnal didn't have the luxury of dealing with it right now. Every single second she spent indulging in disgust, bitterness, and that filthy sense of his fingers still on her was fuel for Dan to spin himself into a righteous anger on her behalf.

It'd be appreciated... another time. Right now every moment he spent thinking about her would just be a waste of time and energy. Instinctively she knew this, but she didn't expect Dan to understand it.

"This is what happens when orc broads don't put out," she told Dan. "Gotta start thinking outside the box."

[FF Fanatic 80]

Elsewhere, away from Myrnal and the others, the loud expletive from Anthony draws the attention of a fellow captive.

"I think you just summed up our situation very well."

The source of the voice is not the fair skinned and blond gentleman that first journeyed with Charles and company. Nor is it 'Greg', the dark haired persona pretending to be Daniel's cousin.

Instead, it comes from a man with tanned skintone. His short silvery hair is in disarray, covered with small patches of dirt. He glances around, his bright green eyes almost shining from the faint light falling in the darkness. As he looks down, his eyes go wide. He notes that his arms have their normal skintone, which likely means the rest of him is back to normal as well. To anyone from Baron, it is obvious that the man is Trevor Harvey.

"...so much for travelling incognito, I suppose. Is everyone alright?" Trevor asks, looking between Anthony, Leothe and Annetta.

[NebulaQueen]

When Neb first came to, she found herself greeted by the following: confusion, panic, fear and dread. One minute they were standing around the caravan, and the next thing she knew, she was unconscious. Quickly she was upgraded to conscious, in exchange to being bound, separated from her wagon, her merchandise, and her bodyguard- Wait a minute Neb thought, as she caught something - or rather, someone - out of the corner of her eye. She remembered Paul. She didn't know him very well, but she remembered him. He was a good kid. Young, optimistic, a bit naive, but he still had enough sense to make up for it. All he needed was a bit more experience, but, well, people couldn't have everything.

It was a shame what happened to him, but if Neb was completely honest with herself, she didn't feel much more than the gravest sense of grief. She had been too distracted, too busy really, for anything more. That was another regret, but Neb would have to focus on that some other time. She was about to pick her jaw up off the ground and hiss some question or another to him (...Anetta, Neb knew it just had to do with whatever Anetta and Dan were doing earlier...), when she was promptly interrupted by swearing from the woman who helped them in the fight, and a shout from the lovely young knight who had rescued her earlier.

And was further interrupted by the approach of the apparent leader of this group of thugs....who had shattered any hope of her jaw reuniting with the rest of her mouth, when he groped Myrnal and threatened to cut, maim, or just outright murder her.

Well, she thought bitterly, as she clenched her jaw shut, At least we know what sort of "hospitality" to expect. She scowled at no one in particular, and in a deadpan whisper said, "I don't suppose any of you work as a magician in your spare time. Some sleight of hand and an escape artist or two would be wonderful right now."

[Kelne]

Leothe was still coming to terms with their situation, which seemed, at the least, dire.Those fading screams sent chills down his spine all on their own, suggesting as they did that others had continued plummeting past them, most likely to their deaths. Had it been their comrades? Who else could it have been?

Raising himself up as best he could with his limbs bound, he intoned a brief elven prayer for the dead, followed by a few moments' silence. Only then did he raise his head to truly take in their situation. If that metallic clatter had indeed been their gear, there must surely be something sharp in amongst it all they could cut their bonds with. From there, they would have to see.

For the moment, at least, he was alive, and he intended to keep it that way. He wasn't going to leave his children orphaned, nor perish somewhere far from home as his sister had. Perhaps the gods would take note of his determination, and perhaps not, but embracing despair would surely be the death of him.

[FF Fanatic 80]

Leothe hears a sigh of relief quickly followed by "Thank Odin", as a nearby man with silvery hair man smiles in his direction.

"Perhaps there's hope for us yet. Do you see anyone else we know in here?" The man asks Leothe, his voice sounding somewhat familiar.

[FF Fanatic 80]

Whatever fears Daniel has about the fate of the Kings is momentarily gone. Instead, he quickly finds himself filling with rage. Not simply at being kicked, but at the recent 'handling' of Myrnal by the orc.

"...they're lucky I *can't* get out of these ropes..." Daniel answers Neb, struggling to see if something would come loose, "...because Goddess help me, if they lay another hand on any of you..."

[Kai]

Myrnal knew Dan wouldn't like it, and she knew he'd say something. Fact was right now it was the last thing she felt like discussing and she just wished that he'd-- "Shut up, Dan," she told him with feeling. "Anyway, I don't think they're after us. I think this is about someone else we're travelling with. And something makes me doubt that it's you guys," she added for Neb's benefit.

She looked down to inspect the ropes, hardly expecting to find they'd be easy to escape, but also unwilling to rule it out. Wouldn't she feel stupid if she could have gotten out the whole time and didn't try.

A thought occurred to her. If she did get out... what about the others? They'd have to find the other travellers before they could assist them, and part of Myrnal didn't care. It was the old part in the back of her mind that spoke with her mother's voice and told her no one was important but herself, no one was worth it.

She couldn't help but decide that part was wrong. She couldn't leave the others if they needed help. Before the realization went too deep that Myrnal might not be as hideous a human being as she thought, she distracted herself from the whole train of logic. And anyway Dan would never leave them. So I'd have to stick around and help him anyway.

"But I don't know where we factor into all that. Neither of... uh... our friends, we'll say, actually knows most of us that well. Doesn't make much sense to use us as leverage or anything." She shook her head. "So I don't know."

[Shinigori V2]

Anetta squirmed a bit. Somewhere, she just knew, someone was laughing at her. And when the time came, she was going to find that someone, and punch them so hard that they turned to a fine mist.

But it was time to focus on now. She looked around a bit, perhaps not bothered by the darkness, and answered for Leothe. "It's just us. Along with a couple of very fresh orc corpses."

As she spoke, she tried to wrench her arms free from the ropes. After all..

..They had no idea who they were dealing with.

[Besyanteo]

Annetta let out a calm breathe, and then suddenly jerked her arms outward with all her strength, trying to burst her bonds with sheer brute force. ... But all she seemed to be getting were rug burns and a less than satisfying crackling sound as the ropes strained, but held. Still, it meant that it probably wasn't impossible.

Leothe, sitting up, could see only a little better. He, Annetta, and some man with a nice tan and silvery hair were here, as well as that bodyguard of Neb's. He hadn't really noticed before, but the man has longish brown/black hair and wore travel worn leathers. His weapon, like Leothe's own, were missing. Anthony was present working to get off this sort of flat cart they were layying on, though he was obviously not used to having his arms and legs so impaired.

---

Myrnal tried her best to work her arms free of her bonds. While she felt them loose slightly now and then, whenever she got close to freeing herself they seemed to tighten up again. Still, it seemed like this might just work, eventually.

[FF Fanatic 80]

Part of Trevor is quickly being overwhelmed by the horror of the situation. They have no idea where they are. There is no sign of Charles or his knight Daniel. The two women other than Annetta are not here. And worst of all, Kobakk is nowhere to be found as well. He fears what may happen to the others, especially the women, if they can't find them soon. He also recalls the abruptly silenced screaming from earlier, wondering if they are in store for the same fate.

Such thinking is not going to get things fixed, however.

Right now, he has to remain calm and keep his wits. Panicing is not going to get them out of here. Paying attention and trying to think of a plan is a much better alternative.

"I know I heard something metallic earlier... is anything like that nearby? Perhaps we can use it on our bindings." Trevor mentions to the others, looking around to see if he can spot anything in the barely lit hole.

[Kelne]

Leothe shook his head, bending his efforts towards tracking down the source of that metallic clatter. He doubted an effort at brute strength would avail him much, though maybe he could work his hands free given enough time.

"Let's see what we can find," he said, forbearing further comment.

[Besyanteo]

Leothe, moving to the best of his ability under the circumstances, eventually came to the raised edge of the flat cart. Annetta and Trevor on the other end were enough counter weight to prevent the whole thing from tipping over and slamming Leothe's face into the dirt below. He could see an oblong bundle down there, wrapped in rough cloth and bound loosely with rope. Those were, most likely, the items he was searching for. It seemed things wouldn't be as simple as he'd previously estimated.

[NebulaQueen]

"We might have a way out," Neb said suddenly, keeping her voice low. She tried to avoid it, but if there wasn't another way... "Or a spell, rather. The problem is, we wouldn't be able to come back for anyone else." She paused and began to tug at her ropes, trying to see just how tight they were. "To be honest, I'd rather save it as a last resort."

[Kelne]

"You may want to be ready to reposition yourselves," Leothe said, "This thing is likely to tilt when I jump off." The drop looked manageable enough, certainly, though it would be awkward with his limbs bound. Then again, pretty well any activity was awkward like this.

[FF Fanatic 80]

"...I'm sorry, but the way you're describing this, it's not an option for me." Daniel says in a low but stern tone, "I refuse to leave if I can't get back to help anyone."

[FF Fanatic 80]

Trevor nods to Leothe, then tries to shift himself to a safer position.

"Be careful, we still don't know what may be down there."

[Kai]

Myrnal winced outwardly, but was glad on some level to have Dan say it. After all, it meant that she wouldn't have to. Openly expressing that kind of altruism would probably not have upset anyone, but there was her reputation to think about. Myrnal couldn't be seen expressing too deep a concern for other people or they might come to expect it.

"So we're in agreement," she said, still trying to writhe her way out of the ropes. "But once we get everyone back together, would whatever this spell is be able to get everyone?"

[Shinigori V2]

Annetta will simply give her ropes another try or two, while trying to locate her sword the same way she located the bodies earlier.

[Besyanteo]

Leothe, with some effort, shuffled off the edge of the cart. The fall, a mere four feet, was unpleasant but not damaging. The bag was now just before his face.

Annetta gave it another enthusiastic attempt, and was rewarded with a loud snap! A moment's wait didn't bring any new pains, suggesting she was successful rather than having broken a bone or ligament. She wasn't entire free yet, but another good tug saw her hands free of the now ragged bonds. At a guess, she'd say the rope must have been old. She scans around the area, and then finds what she's looking for: Her sword is on the ground, sheathed, inside a bundle on the ground. Leothe is there, still bound hand and wrist.

Anthony rolls off the side of the cart, and lands with a soft thud. He coughs for a moment and lays there.

"... Ow."

---

Myrnal continued to work at her ropes. She could feel them coming loose... looser... yet more... There. Her hands were free. Now she only needed to decide what to do with them.

[Shinigori V2]

"Hang on. I'm loose." Annetta said. She got the rest of her constraints off, and made to grab her sword, before working her way around to the others.

As she cut their ropes, they might notice that ...They're not actually being cut as she works on them.

A moment later, she steps back, and drives her sword back into it's scabbard.

[Besyanteo]

The moment Annetta sheathes her sword, everyone's bonds snap in time with one another.

Anthony just blinked in confusion, before standing up and getting his things.

"What was that...?"

[Shinigori V2]

"A long explaination." Annetta said, rotating her shoulder.

[Kai]

Finally managing to pull her hands free of the ropes binding them, Myrnal rotated her wrists a couple of times to get the blood moving properly in there again. "Gah. There. Stupid fucking things."

She glanced over to Dan and Neb, the sense of urgency reaching a higher pitch. She had to get them free, too, or else the fact that she was making progress out of these ropes would make it even worse for them all to get caught. It'd be bad for her, but the others were still bound and a lot worse could be done to them.

"Just gimme a second. I'll see if I can't do something about this mess." She turned her attention again to the ropes, hoping that having her hands free would make it easier to get herself the rest of the way free. After that? Find a weapon. After that? Find her weapons. After that?

A lot of people needed to die.

She hoped Dan would know better than to stop her from making some ghastly awful moral mistake. Myrnal was due for another one, and this seemed like as good a time as any.

[Besyanteo]

Myrnal found now that she could use hand properly, the knots were short and easy work. It seemed they weren't being watched to closely, as she managed to get everyone free without mishap.

[FF Fanatic 80]

"Thanks Myrnal..." Daniel whispers, shaking off the ropes.

Now free, there are two things immediately on Daniel's mind at the moment.

He checks everyone for injuries, just in case anyone is in need of a patchup with healing arts. While doing this, he keeps an eye out for anything that could be used as a makeshift polearm.

[Kai]

"Ngk-- damn it!" Myrnal muttered, swatting away the concerned paladin. "I'm fine. I've had enough pawing for one day, thanks." With a roll of one shoulder Myrnal reclaimed her usual sour and detached manner.

"Take care of yourself." With that she turned away and checked as quickly as she could for any small bladed weaponry she might be able to claim for herself.

[Besyanteo]

Dan found that the only one in need of care was Paul, who had a nasty looking crack on the head. He was conscious, which meant that he should be fine if Dan hit him with the right spell. As for pole arms or similar, there were none to be had. If only this tribe lived in tents... Nor could Myrnal see any small blade like things in the vicinity. Their captors were apparently just smart enough to remember that such things could be used to cut rope.

However, something glimmered in the sun as Myrnal moved... She turned her head slightly to see a weapon rack outside. Most of it was very primitive stuff, with one exception. There was a short sword out there that she didn't recognize, but it stood out well from the crude implements next to it. Maybe Paul's?

[Kelne]

With a quick 'thank you' to Annetta, Leothe set about reclaiming his own gear from the bundle. He was ever so slightly worried by the fact that it had been thrown down here with them. That suggested their captors felt there was something down here they were going to need it for.

Gear secured, Leothe went on to locate and examine the two orc corpses Annetta had said she'd seen. He was no longer at all sure that they'd been killed by the fall.

[Besyanteo]

Leothe's suspicions appeared to be unjustified. The orcs were mangled terribly, but they bore no wounds that suggested that they died before falling in.

[FF Fanatic 80]

Dan quickly heads over to Paul, using a minor cure to help ease his injury.

"How did you hurt your head?" Daniel asks.


(Cure 1, Paul)

[Kelne]

This done, Leothe set about checking the pit for other features or means of escape.

[Besyanteo]

Dan concentrated, forcibly bending his aura to such a shape that he could access the plane of holy power, and channeled a bit of energy into Paul. His head wound slowly closed, and his eyes came back into focus as it did. He looked up and smiled.

"...Thanks. I don't really know how I got hurt. That mist rolled over us, and I moved to defend Miss Nueva... and then all I remember is a flash of pain, and waking up here."

---

Leothe walked to the edge of the chasm. By now it was pretty obvious that they'd been dumped into some manner of cave system. In something this size, it was fair to guess that the bottom would be irregular and might lead off into other cracks and crevices in the earth. However, he couldn't actually see any of that; None of the light from the lip of the hole in the cavern roof spilled down into that expanse. They'd actually come perilously close to falling into it themselves.

Still, there was plenty of cavern left to explore aside from the cliff. He'd need a light sourced to do that properly, but in the light he had he could see a place not far off where the ground rose slightly, the dirt ending and solid rock beginning. After that it seemed to fall off, the space behind it starkly black. All of this was opposite the cliff edge. To his right or left, the cliff edge continued on past the light uninterrupted.

[Shinigori V2]

Annetta glanced around some, before sitting back on the cart, crossing her legs. She furled her brow in concentration, and began trying to channel her magic enough to get some illumination going from her hands.

Granted, it was far harder than it should have been, but maybe it would still work...

[Besyanteo]

Annetta was a bit out of practice with this trick, but it came back to her quickly. In a few moments, her hands were light up like twin torches. She and those around her could now more easily see the surrounding caverns. The cliff edge still extended down into utter darkness, but they could see a rock wall to Leothe's immediate left and another further to his right, this one bearing a crevice large enough that it could be called a passage, into what looked like another chamber. From this vantage they could see a back wall behind the higher ground, but not the ground that met it.

(Map for you lot.

Leothe in Green, Trevor in Silver, Annetta in Red, Anthony in blue, Orc corpses in black-lined gray-green, opened equipment bundle in white, that ugly peach thing is the cart, the gray brown is where the dirt stops and the rock begins, and the white behind it is where you're not sure what's there yet. The area lit by the hole in the cave ceiling is the slightly brighter brown floor. The rest is hopefully obvious. True north is not represented here.)

[Kelne]

"I suppose our path is clear," Leothe said, contemplating the tunnel before them, "Is everybody ready to go? We should definitely stick together."

[NebulaQueen]

Neb glowered when she heard that. Not that she was ungrateful for what Paul had done - quite the opposite, really - but it just made the whole thing more personal. However, before she could let irritation get the better of her, she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"Alright," she said, "We got out of the ropes, but how are we getting out of this hut? I don't mean to be a pessimist, but stealth illusions aren't exactly my forte, and I don't think the village is just going to let us waltz out of here. Plus, there's our lovely wardens..." She paused and rubbed her wrists, and made a thoughtful, humming sound. "We might be able to plan an ambush on the guards, but that still doesn't solve any of our other problems."

[FF Fanatic 80]

"The only other option I can think of, is finding or making another way out of here." Daniel comments in a hushed tone to Neb, thinking out loud, "Only problem being, we don't know what's on the other side of these walls. We could be opening a hole right into a platoon of their warriors for all we know."

He then looks between Paul and Myrnal.

"If either of you have suggestions or refinements in mind, I'm all ears."

[FF Fanatic 80]

Trevor manages to get out of the cart, standing near the edge of the dropoff into the darkness. He finds himself staring at the endless expanse of black, as the cries of horror from earlier echo in his mind. To think it could have been them, had they landed just a few feet closer, sent chills down his spine. But their potential death isn't the only thing disturbing the former king.

He thinks back to his imprisonment at Fort Eagle Rock, a notorious penal colony in Baron. Trevor often heard similar cries of panic and horror, as prisoners were taken away to be tortured. Never before in his life, had the young man heard such things from another person. At one point, he realized how often the soldiers of his kingdom must hear the same cries on the battlefield. He always logically understood the mental scars carried by some of the soldiers. In a very small way, having lost his father to war, he could somewhat empathise with their pain of losing people close to them.

But this... this is entirely different.

To hear someone screaming in terror, to see the look of horror on their face, and to witness that life coming to an abrupt end... for some, he could finally understand why it was too much pain to bear.

Trevor tries to get his focus back to the task at hand, helping Annetta and the others. But he can't turn his gaze away from the void. He can't stop thinking of all the lives that abruptly ended moments ago. And he can't stop replaying the abruptly ending screams in his mind.

[Besyanteo]

Paul didn't respond to Dan. Now that he was present enough to understand what was going on, he looked more than a little nervous, and apparently had no plan of his own to offer.

---

Anthony gathered his own things, replacing them on his person quickly. He was an older fellow, but he seemed spry enough, and was soon ready to go.

They set off into the next chamber through the crevice in the cave wall. The path dipped down on the way in, turning just slightly to the right as they went. After a few minutes, they came to a fork: To the left they could see something sparkling in the distance, not quite clsoe enough to make sense of with only the light of Annetta's hands. To the right, they could hear running water.

[Kelne]

Leothe was somewhat torn. On the one hand, water could lead them out. On the other, it could lead them deeper into the Underdark, and towards who knew what horrors. So no help there. Not a trace of light beyond the sparkle reflected from Anetta's hands, either.

It was the fact that water might attract things from the depths wanting to drink that decided him. "Left to begin with, I think," he said, moving slightly in that direction, but waiting for others to chime in if they wanted to.