Adventure On!

[voidtreckermods]

"Good Morning passengers. Today is day six of the month of Horseshoe." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparation

The dressing room is indeed open as promised. The dressers and wardrobes are full of many different clothes. Shirts, tunics, skirts, dresses, robes, cloaks, leggings and even an array of fancy hats.

The cloaks are notable in that they look like standard fantasy cloaks but are completely waterproof, much like a modern jacket and they will keep them warm and dry. There are also a good selection of furs for those travelling into the tundra as well as some leather armour, both for protection against monsters and fire.

There are an array of tents- in more neutral colours, a lot simpler than the tents they have used before as well as some basic pots and pans for cooking. There are a range of bags and pouches for carrying any essentials!
They are a few hours before arrival and so there is plenty of time to prepare before the announcement. "Shortly arriving on world 5382110341. All passengers get ready to disembark. Next stop world 5382110341. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

Arrival: Royal Lake Hill

The train jolts and shudders as it leaves the void. It descends quickly and lands with a small bump. The doors open, it is a bit of a jump from the train to the ground but they land on soft grass. Anyone looking back at the train will find it almost not there… Unless they focus very hard it will seem just like a shimmer in the air, passengers jumping from nowhere.

They are a short walk from what seems like a small town, surrounded by walls. The gates are manned but the large group of people only get a quick glance before they are nodded in.

They get a few curious glances as they enter the town proper. It is not exceptionally busy, indeed everyone out and about are older or small children, who dart around unafraid of the strangers, staring openly at times.

A market place spans the square, predominately selling food, stalls are actually small huts, the front part open to the street for custom and a back room that is presumably used for sleeping. Some, like the blacksmiths are more solid with multiple rooms.

Each voidtrecker will have a dot on the map on their SCA showing them to the inn that their team should head towards. If they ask around they will learn that there is indeed a call to for adventurers at three of the town’s inns and they are to report there in early evening. As it is still early morning they have almost the whole day to explore, enjoy being in a town full of people and, for those who are keen, earn some spending money.

Whatever they end up doing with their day it is obvious when evening is approaching by the stalls beginning to be packed up, the streets quieting as people went home for their dinners. The inns are easy enough to find, even for those that didn’t find them earlier in the day.

Orange

Recruitment

Ducks in a Bucket is at the western gate. It is quiet, usually a tavern used by adventurers, the custom has dried up with all the adventurers protecting the kingdom. It is filled with large wooden tables and sturdy stools, not a fine dining establishment in any way but it has a friendly air to it.

Not long after they arrive a woman in a long cloak arrives. "I am here to hire adventurers. You will be aware, I am sure, of the blight storm that hit the kingdom. Many people across the land have been effected. Many areas are out of the crystals needed to restore those who have been blighted and there are rumours the army is in short supply as well. We require you to travel to the Singing Woodlands to harvest the crystals from the calla lilies that grow there. I have an image if it is needed."

Here she takes out a small scroll and passes it around, it is a painting of a simple, dark purple calla lilie.

"The huma have agreed to transport the collected crystals to the areas that need it. Unfortunately the land itself has been blighted and has become unstable, floating into the air. We can provide you each with two flight potions to help you travel up into the woodlands."

She holds out a bag to pass around, there are exactly enough potions for each person to take two despite the face she couldn’t possibly have known who was going to turn up to head the call.

"Please be warned that transportation magics have not been working in blighted areas and so you will be taken to the ground below. If you accept this quest please get ready to gate."

A moment later there is a flash of light and any who want to will vanish from the tavern.

Arrival

They will arrive on a grassy verge, in front of them is a canyon of dirt. If they look up they will see the land that should be filling it. In chunks the forest is floating on a series of islands stretching high up into the clouds.

Many of the islands feel too high to reach in ten minutes but there are a couple of lower ones that might be good places to aim for.

The potion works swiftly, making those who drink it feel lighter, all they need to do is jump and they are floating, moving in the air is easy, they can walk up as if on a ramp or swim through the air currents if they are feeling a bit more adventurous.

The islands themselves are teeming with life, plants of all kinds grow there and as they reach the lower islands they will see the huma birds and hopefully spot some of those calla lilies.

Purple

Recruitment

The Lion's Mane is the largest tavern in town. It has some customers, sitting in groups and drinking. There is a musician in the corner playing a lively tune and sat on a central table is an official looking man with a scroll case and a worried expression.

"Anyone." He cleared his throat, "Anyone who has come to be hired… As an adventurer please gather around. Now. Now. Can everybody hear me? Yes? Right. Well I am sure as you know the blight… Yes? Yes! Well there are some clusters of villages up near the dusty rivers, I can show you on this map..."

He unfurls a scroll, which shows a large expansive land mass. He points to an area in the far west. "They have a golem problem, their own golems that is. Turned on them." He shook his head, "Crystal magic, very susceptible to blight. They need some help, clear the area, purify the crystals. That sort of thing. You’ll probably be there a few days."

He rolled up the scroll. "I can’t gate you into the villages, earths all blighted. But I can get you close."

He did a quick head count. "If you don’t accept the mission please step back. Ready?"

He opens a gate, a few gates, and everyone who accepts vanishes from the tavern.

Arrival

They arrive in a small clearing in a wood. It is quiet, with not even the sound of birdsong. Trees are all around them though anyone checking their SCA will see that the village is indeed close.

A moment later there are footsteps, a young boy, no older than ten bursts into the clearing. He reels backwards at the figures, surprised to see them but then seems to realise that they are, for the most part, human.

"Quick! Come quick! The village!"

He turned on his heal and heading no call ran back the way he came. For those that follow the route leads them through thick overgrowth, there is clearly an easier way, to a small village.

A small village with a large golem and a large troll stomping through it. People are cowering in houses or behind walls as the troll swings its club back and forth, smashing things in its wake.

Red and Blue

Recruitment

The final tavern is The Thrice Struck Tree. It is small, dark and has a heavy air to it. There are a couple of customers, sat silently with mugs of ale in front of them. They give the voidtreckers suspicious glances.

They may wonder if they are in the wrong place but after a few moments a young woman in a smart looking uniform, dark blue tunic, shiny boots, enters. "Adventurers? I am captain Sienna of Irivar’s third guard. We have reports coming from the southern lands. The blight has depowered the crystals separating the frozen tundra from the fire lands. A disaster could occur if the are not recharged. They must be taken into the central fire mountains heart. It is a fair journey and the crystals must be carried. Please, for those that known the secrets of it do not attempt to place the crystals into the spaces between for easier transportation, it would be disastrous." She gave them a serious look before continuing.

"Furthermore the creatures of the area are reporting that the Glacial Sovereign has not been seen since the blight hit." She shook her head, looking worried. "You must find their guardians, the crystal wolves and attempt to regain contact with the sovereign." She paused again.

"Both the sprites of ice and fire have been corrupted by the blight and the area is very dangerous. I can gate you to the border and from there you must split, please decide amongst yourselves who is best to journey into fire and who is suited to the cold. I will give you a moment to be ready."

It is indeed only a moment before she opens the gate. Any who choose to travel will vanish from the tavern.

Arrival

They arrive in a strange place indeed. To the east there is black rock, lava streams and mountains billowing with smoke. To the west is white, icy bridges connecting land and glaciers. Far in the distance there is what seems to be a swirling mass of snow.

And right where they are is… a mess. Melted ice and frozen ash mixed together into a slippery sludge that sticks to their shoes and makes movement interesting.

But movement may be necessary as it seems their gate has taken them to a place surrounded by two packs of fire dogs and a few regular wolves. All look surprised at the sudden influx of people but it doesn’t take them long before the blighted creatures move in to attack.

Splitting

Once they are safe from wolves and dogs the teams can split. The crystals red need to collect are obvious, set out at even distances from each other. Red team are to head east, into the volcano range, Blue are to head west into the tundra.

Good luck void warriors!

Comments

[knifewithnoname]

"But she do be being a leader, so she can be telling them to be shutting up and leaving you alone."

Presumably. She nodded, "Do you be needing help earning money?"

[xue_yang]

"I think I'll be able to handle it from here but if there are some tasks you need help with then I have some time."

He has earned some so he is making steady progress towards it. But perhaps a few more quests can't hurt.

[knifewithnoname]

She shrugged, "Some farmer do be needing help rounding up her sheep." She said with a shrug, "Do you be knowing anything about animals?"

Because she really didn't. She just hoped sheep would move where she told them first time.

[xue_yang]

"I haven't herded animals but I do have experience with doing a similar activity with corpses. Perhaps that will be enough."

Herding the dead might actually be more difficult then sheep. At least sheep have some sort of brain capacity.

[knifewithnoname]

"Maybe, I did no never be herding corpses." Because corpses didn't walk where she came from. But she had never herded sheep either, so he had more experience than her.

"It do be worth trying."

[xue_yang]

"If we are not up for the task then they can find someone else to do it." But he is confident that it won't be that hard and they will be able to handle a few sheep.

These quests might not all be stimulating but at least they get him the money he needs.

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, but she was also pretty sure they could handle a few sheep. They were sheep. How difficult could it be?

She led the way, weaving through the crowds with the confidence of one used to living in a city. This city was different than her home, but it was at least familiar, no weird technologies to contend with.

"They do be wanting them gathered from the hills to a field just outside the walls."

[xue_yang]

Xue Yang follows, also clearly comfortable in the environment that they have found themselves in. This one far more normal then the others they have been to, but that doesn't mean things won't get strange once they start their mission.

"Hopefully they aren't going to give us so many that keeping them together will be impossible."

[knifewithnoname]

"I do be hoping not, sheep can be being stupid."

But they are out of the city now and she leads the way to the farmer she had spoken to earlier who explains the task in a little more detail, there are twenty five sheep, grazing on the hills, that need brought to the field. They can bring them in smaller groups if they wish.

She figures that might be better, twenty five sounded a lot.

"You can be counting on us." She told him before setting off to the hills.

[xue_yang]

He follows along, considering how many they might be able to handle. "Should we split the herd in half and do two trips?"

One half will be slightly bigger but a dozen sheep seemed a whole lot easier to herd than 25. Xue Yang has a few ideas as to how to keep them from straggling off but he wouldn't be able to test it with a group much bigger then 12.

[knifewithnoname]

"That do probably be being smart. Twenty five do be being a stupid amount of sheep."

Any amount of sheep was probably stupid, but the more there were the worse it probably would be.

[xue_yang]

"All we have to do is encourage the front few to go forward and the rest should follow. I don't foresee them being the kind of creature that wants to think too independently. They will want to follow the rest. So if we stay to either sides of the group and keep the front moving we should be able to handle it."

They will be well experienced with what it takes to keep them in control after the first group so the second will go much smoother.

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, sheep were stupid it was true. So as long as they could get the front ones to move the others should follow.

They were on the incline of the hill now and she could see dots in the distance that were probably sheep, getting bigger with every step towards them.

"Do you be having sheep in your world?"

She'd assume though, he doesn't seem surprised by the creatures.

[xue_yang]

"We did. I didn't have a lot of contact with them but they were around." It wasn't one of the animals that were in abundance where he was from but he at least knew of them. He wasn't much of a famer though and most of his work kept him in busier cities then in villages.

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, "It did be being the same in Gauig."

There had been sheep in the city, but mostly on the outskirts. She hadn't had much to do with them or those that herded them.

They were close to the sheep now, she looked at him. "Shall we be going to either side?"

[xue_yang]

He nods and heads towards the left to keep that side in control, counting how many there were until he could split them in half. He moves around and through the middle of the pack to divide them.

"This should be enough to start with."

[knifewithnoname]

She nods and runs around the other side of the herd of sheep, or half the herd, so that she was opposite him.

"Okay how do we be making them be moving? Shall we be making loud noises?"

That should startle them at least, but would it get them all moving in the same direction?

[xue_yang]

He looks around and manages to spot two long branches laying on the ground. He tosses her one.

"Try using that to guide."

He starts to wave his own up and down and watches as the sheep start to move away from it a little.

[knifewithnoname]

She catches the branch with a grin of thanks and then waved her own stick at the sheep, copying him.

"Be moving, stupid sheep. Be going." They began to move, hunching together and beginning to run.

[xue_yang]

Looks like they have some sort of plan that is working for the moment. He continues to move the stick but the motions slow a little as the sheep start to run. He figures once they get going they aren't going to really have a need to slow down. So he focuses on making sure none of them try to wander away from the group.

[knifewithnoname]

"Be keeping together."

She snaps at the sheep, waving her stick once more to keep them together. She was having to jog now to keep up with the herd.

[xue_yang]

Luckily Xue Yang doesn't need to run quite yet but he does manage to keep the sheep in order with a slightly quicker pace to his step. This definitely is much easier then repairing roofs.

[knifewithnoname]

Lucky him with his long legs. She keeps waving her stick and running beside the sheep.

Alright this isn't so stupid after all, it is quite fun actually. She wouldn't want to do it as a job, but she grins at him over the herd of sheep.

So far so good.

[xue_yang]

And they still have a second herd to move so there is plenty of time to get bored with it. He continues to keep pace and notices their destination just ahead.

"Looks like we are almost done with round one."

[knifewithnoname]

"Yes, the gate do be being open so that do be being good."

It would be harder with the second herd, as they would need to close the gate now to keep all these sheep in the pen.

But that was a later problem, for now they just needed to get them into the pen without any of them escaping into the town.