4. Footway Robbery - Waelass
05-07-2020, 04:16 PM
[Finch: 10,9,6,6,2 Result: Resting]
[Zwiche: 9,7,7,4,3,2 Result: Resting]
[Andrea: Too good to sleep the normal way]
[Judy (Healing): 10,9,6,6,1,1 Result: Shame you can't double action healing]
[Finch (Direction): 7,5,4,2,2,1 Result: DORA DORA DORA DORA ...]
[Finch: 7,6,6,5,4 Result: Resting]
[Zwiche: 10,10,7,5,2,1 Result: Resting]
[Andrea: Doesn't need no rest]
[Judy (Healing): 4,4,4,4,4,1 Result: Remember Simba, you can spread the love]
[Finch: 10,5,3,1,1 Result: Resting]
[Zwiche: 10,9,5,4,3,2 Result: Wah wahhhh]
[Andrea: Healing is for suckers]
[Judy (Healing): 10,9,8,5,2,1 Result: But it doesn't always work out]
The provisions are packaged and set aside. The party takes the rest of the evening to rest and remember their short lived comrades. Edmond and Aredfln each tell stories of Orkan and the trouble he'd invariably cause himself in every city. The following morning the pitch dark of night fades away and the dim dusky reflection of the distant ocean floods the valley with a speck of light. Each member of the party grabs their share of the goods to be hauled and make way out of the camp. Judy reveals to them a collection of sacks each with two straps. She demonstrates how these mind blowing inventions can be worn over the back to make carrying heavy loads across long travels more tolerable (She has a wealth of experience with such conjured "backpacks" as she fled from her distant home in the Western Marches).
Finch guides the party as is fitting. They light the last of their incense and take a long detour out the southern edge of camp. They curve east until a large hill obscures them from the view of any lookouts at the Imperial camp. The terrain along the eastern hills is far preferable to the infested jungles from a few days ago. The party continues even further northeast. They can see wild solitary grazing slugs the size of cows peacefully moving from one leafy shrub to the next. The creature itself is fairly repulsive, and since none of them have had the pleasure of eating slug steak tare tare they are unaware of what a rich meal such a creature makes. They ignore the slugs and continue on with their rations. The first had passed rather unremarkably. The party makes a camp in a small thicket and put up whatever rags they have on hand to obscure most of the campfire's light from other passerbys.
On the second day the party is forced to ascend hills for hours. Agrina grumbles about the choice of path several times and even Aredfln joins in with some passive aggressive commentary. About two thirds through the way the party is happy to discover the climbing is done and now whats left appears to be lesser jungle. Agrina and Aredfln are elated to walk beaten paths again but Finch rips away their happiness. He explains that the risk of encountering Imperial patrols along a singular path through the jungle is too high and they will have to cut their way through the thick of the jungle underbrush. With heavy hearts the pair do as they are told and follow the others through a several mile slog in mud and nettles. The night is much more relaxed. They make camp a short distance from a stream with seemingly clean drinking water. They fill their waterskins and wash their faces clean with the impenetrable jungle water. So far in the jungle they have no need to hide their firepit either. They elect against hanging rags all around but keep the fire a moderate size just in case.
On the third day the party awakes and set right back to their travels. The sky is halfway between dusk and night (as if any foreigner could perceive such a thing) when the party reaches the dwindling foliage that marks the edge of the jungle. From it they can behold a mighty sight, the city of Waelass:
The defenses of Waelass rise over forty paces and the buildings within rise beyond that. Dozens of lights dot the towering walls that surround the city. Small clusters of peasant homes abut the defenses, though some among them appear ruined or broken. Waelass is by all means a large imposing city with all the decorated keeps and sentry towers one would expect. Several massive billowing smokestacks rise from the inner region behind the walls. Yet, two features stand out far beyond any others of this behemoth of a city. The party squints with disbelief at first, thinking their eyesight is unfocused or plainly lying to them. The iron portucullis at the entrance visible to them appears to have been torn open from the center. More concerningly, the central keep of the city has been fortified many times over with a material the party has only recently become accustomed to: Smokematter. A skydock and at least three towers have been conjured atop the castle, tethered to the two skyships that escaped the carnage five days ago.
Agrina palms her face and lifts a finger to point out a set of fires barely visible around the other side of the city.
Agrina-[Imperial]: "Tis the sign of a camp of some sort. When thou considers our fortunes as of late it is all too obvious they must be Imperial soldiers. Haft we gone so far from the field of battle only to throw ourselves upon a different Imperial lord's spear?"
Aredfln interrupts Agrina's further lamentations.
Aredfln-[Imperial]: "Pay that no heed! There. Some manner of man or monster lurks in the outlying homes. I am certain of my eyes and my eyes are most certain of what they saw. And there! Some glimmers in the sentry towers indicate at least a guard remains in the tower overlooking the gate."
Edmond turns to Finch and Andrea.
Edmond-[Imperial]: "Ywacht uee hunnha duze?"
