A gentle breeze disturbed the otherwise still Agian Plains, the knee-high grass waving as the wind gently caressed it under a blood-red sunrise. The eastern sky warned of impending rain as dark masses of cloud swallowed the tufts of white that littered the sky at the moment. The vast plains were deafeningly silent, nothing, save the grass in the wind, moved; no morning birds called to each other, no rustlings of ground animals finding a morning meal, there was only the wind and Tagran. The proud soldier stood alone, utterly alone, in the middle of the plain, slowly turning his gaze in one full circle. As far as his eyes could see there was no sign of life, only the grass and the wind.

Tagran lifted his foot for a step to the north-west and felt his knee buckle. He fell to the ground, catching himself just short of slamming his face into the dirt. Tagran's hair, only a week ago a flowing jet black, hung in a mess infront of his face, white as snow and scraggy as an old man's, the hands holding him up were like leather, where there was once the healthy skin of a man in his prime.  He attempted to push himself to his knees, but succeeded only in draining the little strength his arms had left in them after catching his fall, he flopped onto the ground, eyes looking to the sky. A tear slid slowly down his face. The wind stopped with Tagran's last breath, and the plains fell into total silence.

A man walked up to Tagran's body, a beautiful, jeweled sword clutched in his hand. Dressed in a forest green cloak which covered his face entirely the figure gazed down upon the dead soldier. He shook his head and one corner of his mouth raised slightly in a satisfied grin. The cloaked man knelt beside Tagran and layed the sword beside the soldier, "I did promise this back, didn't I?" the cloaked man said quietly. He stood and turned, chuckling as he walked away from the body of the proud soldier, and in his wake not a blade of grass twitched, as if it refused to acknowledge his presence. He chuckled again and, just as smoke in a breeze, faded away. His chuckle rung in the slience for a moment longer before a bird chirped. The breeze returned with the bird's chirp and brought with it the life the plain had been lackin as if nothing had happened.

----

A simple inn is what most people would call it, the innkeeper would call it the finest in the surrounding lands, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. What is out of the ordinary is the reason you are here. You have answered the call of the local village counsel, which has asked for help with problem that has caught your attention. Recently a woman disappeared from this village without explanation. Normally the disappearance of one woman would not have peaked your interest, it is not unheard of, and certainly not necessarily the sign of malicious dealings, but this is the sixth disappearance you have heard of within the past month, one from each town along the Gold Road, starting in a village 50 miles from the trading road's hub, Agia.

You took notice with the fourth disappearance, following the road to the next village where you learned of the fifth, and now the sixth, but this is the first time you've heard any kind of clue as to what may have happened, or at least a way to find out. The mayor of this village has called a meeting for anyone willing to help find the missing woman, with a reward for the one who brings her back. The meeting will be held tonight, with information on the woman's disappearance. You now wait in the inn with the other men and women who have volunteered to help. Why they are here is unknown to you, perhaps simply to help, perhaps out of curiosity of the situation and a desire to find out what's behind it, perhaps for more personal reasons than you can guess, in any case here you sit, waiting for the mayor to appear to start the meeting.

((Off we go! Please introduce your characters and I'll bring the mayor in when we have a couple people.))

---

Curse you stumble button!

What could he say, old habits die hard.  A corner of his mouth twitched up in a weak grin.  'Well, I came looking for people, didn't I?  Well look now, I'm looking for people,' he mentally chidded himself as he nursed a coffee.  Never beer.  It never went well for him.  Hit him too fast and went by too quick.  Caffine gave one like him another high all together.  A rise in awareness that was enlightening in ways.  The weak grin turned to a smile as he let mentally latched onto the awareness, taking in his surroundings with a greater ease then before.  It's not like Qesun could do anything just yet, anyway.  He still had to wait for the Mayor to hurry up and give off the needed information.  Frankly, Qesun's personal bet was to make a rush for the next town after this and just catch the jackass in the act, but gods know, magic might be involved, which might just ruin that plan.  Best be aware.  For now, he watched the bar.  Perhaps... Just perhaps one of those he was seeking would also answer this call of adventure.

---

Serrif:

Reality-(noun) illusion caused by lack of alcohol
Beer(noun) medicine used to relive people from hallucinations

Technoguild

"Is anyone else thinking the mayor is taking WAAAY too long?" said a rather impatient looking adventurer, to noone in particular. He looked absent mindedly out the windows of the room and frowned. It was easy to tell he was simply bored of this 'meeting'. Jolly Feather was an odd sort, to be sure. His thoughts were never about bringing attention to himself, but he lacked tact. JF swayed and made sort of tired movements with his feet, in a sort of a half-dance. Nothing big or showy persay, but things to do in a feeble attempt to subdue boredom.

"Is he here yet?" JF whined softly, eyes scanning the room.

A hooded figure strode in late to this inn.  Normally Shelna was not one to arrive late but she had been meditating to see if she could get any insight as to why this is happening.  Normally the mage would do this after hearing what the person in charge would say but for some reason she felt this as a different case.  She walked up to the bar and asked the keep for some of his finest wine.  Normally she would ask for Elverquist but was in no mood to go through all the hassle of what might come of it since her identity was still a secret to the masses.  Hearin what the random adventuer had to say she things 'Silly people now-adays never have the patience to do anything of importance'.  After receiving her wine she looks around for an open seat but decides to stand at a spot where she could see around most of the inn and a good point to hear what the mayor has to say once he starts.

A door near the stairs to the upper levels of the inn opened and a man walked out, trailed by three other men. The man in the lead was obviously the mayor, dressed in fine clothing and wearing a pendant with a seal (presumably the seal of the city) around his neck, and those behind him were presumably the village counsel.

The finely dressed man stood upon the hearth of the fireplace at the front of the inn and faced the gathered crowd, his counselmen took seats at the front of the room, close to the man on the hearth.

Sure enough, the man adderssed the room saying, "Good people, thank you for coming to our aid. I am the mayor of Hunter's Field, this is my village counsel." He indicates the men who had followed him into the room, "I apologize for our tardiness, we have been discussing the various details we have gathered for you about this mystery and the reward we will give."

The mayor continues, "We have little information to give, as little information exists. As you all know, this is the sixth disappearance of a person from towns along the Gold Road, one from each town along the road in the month. We've asked travellers who have been passing through in the past few days about the disappearances and if there was any information on what was happening. The general concensus was that it was cleanly executed and planned, but it would take a lot of planning, and probably multiple agents to carry out so many over such an area in so short a time. This is why we called all you here. Our own kidnapping comes with a small bit of extra information, that whoever has done it was seen in the dead of night by a farmer who heard the screams. Says he looked out his window after hearing one scream and saw some figures carrying something to the northeast, along the outskirts of the nearby forest and the Agian Plains."

He sighs and shakes his head, looking apologetic, "It's not much to go on, but at least it's a start. My counsel, myself, and most all of the travellers we've talked to belive that there must be a camp somewhere nearby that has acted according to plans from a central source. This would explain the delay as a messenger came out from the hub to the various camps, as well as how they were able to organize at each village so quickly and efficiently. We'll let you decide how to go from here. The kidnapped woman's name is Adrianna, she is a young woman, barely 25. Her family says she has mid-back length brown hair that she wears braided."

"My counsel and I have discussed the reward we will give for the return of Adrianna. We are a farming village and cannot give the kinds of riches a larger city could, but we believe we can spare up to 200 gold pieces per person. We would like Adrianna brought back alive, and information we can send to Agia, but if that is not possible." He hesitated, "Please at least bring back her body for a proper burial." He siged again and shook his head sadly, "These are odd times for our village, it's been long since something like this has happened, but we thank you again for this far, and thank you even more for helping if you do. I have no further information, but wish you the best of luck. May the heavens protect you."

With that the mayor, bows gracefully and steps down from the mantel. His counsel stands and they retreat into the room they came from.

Several of the men and women listening got up and left, either deciding the information was not adequate, the reward not rich enough, or the task not worth their time. A small group remained, though, to the end of the mayor's speech, looking thoughtful or glancing around the room. The door to the room the mayor and his counsel entered is closed and it is dusk outside.

(Side note on gold: 50 coppers=10 silvers=1 gold coin. A suit of armor costs anywhere between 5 - 25 gold normally, a good riding horse would fetch 15 - 30 gold, where as a simple sword would be on the order of 1 - 5 gold. You get the idea, the point being the mayor isn't being stingy. More importanly, I'm not asking for an inventory of your coins purse. Suffice to say, you know how much gold your character carries around and basically buy anything within reason in towns. For example, a farming village won't have +5/+5 Super Armor of R0xz0rz, but will have plenty of leathers, foodstuffs, etc but you probably don't have to mention the buying of bread. Just have fun, play with detail but you don't have to mention "Favarin chews the bread he bought for 3 coppers in Hunter's Field from a quaint market booth at midday...etc ad nauseum." unless it fits with whatever else is going on such as "Favarin chews the bread he bought in Hunter's Field in silence, pondering the information they were just given by the mysterious traveller who had "happened upon their camp" in the middle of the night. Something wasn't sitting right with him, and he didn't think it was his food."  'n stuff. I'll tell you if you need to add some extra detail.)

(Also a note to late comers. We'll assume your character is in background mode up until a point that I'll note in a later post. We'll just say your character was sitting listening and following the PCs around until the point you come in. Groovy? Good. Sorry for the long read.)

---

Curse you stumble button!

Qesun had to admit, the money wouldn't hurt, as much as it wasn't either of the reasons he came.  As well off he normally was, there wasn't exactly any exchange centers for American Dollars here, and was currently on a tight budget.  Reguardless, he couldn't help but wonder...  Even for someone whose thoughts didn't make the deepest of the tide pools on the shore, he could still pick out the part that made it odd.  There was no perceptable pattern other then it being just one from each village.  Just one person from each village.  From what he could fathom, they held no positions or prominence in these villages, nor did their families.  Were they to be used for some sort of sacrifice or something?  As cliche as that would be, it would fit in the information he had.

He got up from the table, leaving a small tip for the waitress.  Supplies were needed if he was going to search the projected areas, which meant he needed to go shopping.  He headed out the door himself, heading towards the market.  It wasn't the busy market of a city, but it still had sacks, bread, and other supplies.  Grabbing a leather sack with a single strap, he filled it with dried meats and fruits, with some breads added on.  A canteen, too, filled from the local well.  All the while, trying to figure out what sort of plan these unfortunate people all fit in, and how many more were possibly needed.  Did this plan involve the Golden Road, or did the road just provide a certain convenience in executing it?

He began his way back to the inn to collect the last of his things.  Up into the rooms above.  Sure, the doors had no locks, but any theif that wanted to try and steal Qesun's arms would quickly find himself in dire straits.  He took the supply sack off while he put his sword on, putting the sack on so that it crossed over the other way from it.  His weapons and ammo all shifted into their proper sheaths, holsters, and pockets.  Now he was ready.  He headed back downstairs and started towards the door.

---

Serrif:

Reality-(noun) illusion caused by lack of alcohol
Beer(noun) medicine used to relive people from hallucinations

Technoguild

'This doesn't make any sense why this is happeneing.  Such a small town would never attract anything big enough or dangerous enough to do something of this sort.'  After finishing her wine once the inn was quite empty from once had been she decides it is time to prepare for a journey that might take some time even for her to figure out.  After the life she has lived something of this sort would have been an easy solve but something more sinister is at work here.  'Why is this happening?  It bothers me that I cannot think of any reasons as to why.  I must think on this more for this is quite odd.'  After this thought she sets her glass on the bar and exits the inn and heads towards her place of current residence.

'Why does this elude me so?'  she thinks as she wanders the streets.  'Once I get a chance I must meditate on this more, maybe something will come through the shadow.'  She arrives at her residency, she walks into her room and pauses for a minute.  'Maybe if I head in the direction that the farmer saw them disappear into maybe I can see more claviouently what is going on here.'  With this last thought she gathers her small amount of belongings and prepares for the journey ahead.

JF sighs a big sigh, almost in mocking of the mayors continual sighs throughout his speech. 'That took MUCH longer than expected,' he thought to himself. If you could see the look on his face, it would be that of utter confusing, with a slight twitching of the upper lip. He sits at one of the tables and scratches his head. For about a half an hour he takes in all of what was just said, and finally gives up. 'I'll just tag along with someone, hopefully. They were paying by person anyways. Group work is obviously appriciated.' Before it gets too late he goes and buys some provisions, then comes back to the inn.  'Too late to do anything today, might as well rest tonight.' He sits at a tables and takes out a small set of tools to finish work on a pair of sliding holdsters to keep his knives in up his sleeves. Whatever he does that works, he adds to a picture in a blueprints note book he keeps with him for his inventions. He becomes very absorbed in his work, so much so that he'll stay up VERY late, and will only be snapped out of it if interrupted.

Qesun: The marked was closeby and the merchants were friendly as Qesun bought his various supplies. Dusk had wandered into night by the time Qesun bought the last of his wares and headed back to the inn. Upstairs he found his room untouched and tidy, just as he had left (? I assume by your post) it. Glancing out the window he sees stars and a three quarter moon, indicating a clear, bright night. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he heads back downstairs and gives a return nod to one the bartender gives him. He heads for the door, noticing a man sitting at the table as he walks. Qesun remembers him as the same man who had been complaining about the wait for the mayor earlier, now intensely concentrated on some device with a spring, now apparently oblivious to the world around him.

Shelna: Shelna thanks the bartender who smiles and nods as she leaves the inn, noticing the man she had rolled her eyes at pulling out a small toolkit and a small device as she walked. She meanders toward a path leading about 100 feet from the village's square toward the local temple, noticing at the market a quiet creature who had also been present at the meeting buying a leather sack from one of the various merchants, a fox, by the quick glances she had had of him thusfar, as tall as an average height man; he, it seemed appropriate, was curious to her, but not the thing that was currently forefront in her mind.

She thought it best to stay at the local temple, one devoted to the godess Catrin, to further hide her identity from the rest of the village. Asking to stay in the temple by the grace of "her" deity and making a few odd hand motions she found silly would be a good way to hide her elvish descent. She greets the temple priest with the silly hand motion she had learned and a bow of her head before heading to the dormitory they had given her a bed in. She opens the trunk she was lent and takes her various belongings from it before closing the lid. She checks the small slit of a window in the dormitory to see a few stars in the now dark sky. Good conditions for nighttime travel.

Jolly Feather: Jolly Feather takes out his gadgets and starts tinkering, noticing as he did so the woman who had been sitting at the bar and the fox-man sitting not far from his own table leave the inn, though he did not notice the fox come back; by that time he was devoted to his tinkering, so much so he did not see the foxcoon enter, head up the stairs, or return down the stairs and begin walking toward the door.

---

Curse you stumble button!

'With this beautiful night, would be a great time to start this venture. I wonder if that fox is going to help out this village.  If I see him around I should have a chat with him to see his intentions.'  She thinks to herself as she makes her final preparations to leave the temple.  As she is departing she thanks the priests for being so hospitable to her and mentions that if any of her friends or followers ever around this town, she will recommend this temple to them.

'Now where shall I start my investigation. I guess I will head off in the direction that they said last person was taken and start there.'  She thinks to herself standing just outside of the temple.  Then she sets froth from the temple towards the market to gather a few last minute items that might be needed in the coming journey and also hoping to have a chance to run into that fox.

Qesun nearly went out the door, but stopped.  He remembered seeing the man now tinkering with... whatever that was earlier.  He was the impatient one before the mayor came.  Despite feeling like he might regret it, it was always nice to have a party rather then be on the lonesome for 'missions.'  He went over to the bar and ordered two drinks.  Two coffees, sweetened, and went over to Jolly Feather's table, setting one down near JF before sitting down himself, his sack getting set down against a leg of his own chair.  "I assume you'll be going out to try and find the lost folks?  Name's Qesun.  Hoping to get together with some of the other adventurers who might be going out.  Things tend to work better when numbers are involved."

---

Serrif:

Reality-(noun) illusion caused by lack of alcohol
Beer(noun) medicine used to relive people from hallucinations

Technoguild

JF doesn't notice the coffee at first, until Qesun begins talking, during which he sits there mouth agape and blankly staring. Once Qesun finishes talking, his face almost instantaneously brightens up. "Hey! That's exactly what I was thinking! Qessin(slurring it together) was it? That's an interesting name actually. You not from around here?" He immediatly has a 'wait something's wrong here' look on his face. "That's.. that's kind of a duh, huh?" He chuckles almost in a childish giggle.

"Well ya know thats okay. I like people that are from far off places! They fascinate me! The places I mean.. I hope one day to make a teleporter that can teleport you anywhere you wanna go, ya know. Thought that'd be a cool thing. I mean wizards can do that with spells and stuff, but what if the AVERAGE guy like me, or you; well you're far from average huh. Well what if WE could teleport. Even to alternate planes of existance! The possibilities are ENDLESS!"(all this is said in the the time frame of about a minute[or however long it takes to say this with out pauses]. Not that he talks fast, he just doesnt pause for long.)
"Sorry I'm rambling. I always ramble. I'm a rambler. Sorry." His face shows genuine apology in his eyes and he looks kinda nervous.

"Um, so Quanto, what's your plan of action? I couldn't really comprehend what the mayor was saying very well. I'm not dumb though! I can make stuff! See?"

JF shows Qesun his slider wrist bands and how they work.
"It's part of my arsenal of gagdets! Maybe next I'll make a utility belt!" He laughs for a second, then pauses. He then furiously writes something down in his book. He stops.

"Oh by the way, I don't drink caffiene. Thanks though."

A steeled gaze, a figure wearing black leather sat in the Inn, ignoring most of the side conversations going on in order to focus his gaze on those whom he had deemed to be adventurers, predators, those of a more outstanding fate.  Eyes of of a cold ice blue, short spiked hair of black, red highlights at its tips, and a cloak that kept him warm many a cold night, Ambrose stayed still and silent, a cup sitting in front of him mostly untouched.  His gaze settled on JF and Qesun, as they seemed to the only ones to settle in the Inn and communicate.  It was not his intention to leave before they were done.  Yet their conversation was of little to no importance to him, so as they discussed whatever trivialities they may, his mind settled on other things...

It was cold that night, colder far in memory than it might have been in fact.  The chill of the evening mist settled about the dirt road and fields beside that led Ambrose back to his home of many years, and he would have noticed nothing if not for the sharp cry of a woman, then silence.  It sounded like his older sister, and the even more unsettling silence which followed it frightened the young man.

"I have to get home" He muttered to mist about him, his gait going from slow walk to sprint as he rushed toward the image of his house in the night.

He fell out of his thoughts, shaking his head to get rid of the memory before picking up his drink and finally sipping it.  Sometimes the memories were too much for him, and he didn't have drive to fight them tonight.  Forcing the memory out of his mind, he was left with nothing but his thoughts, of these disappearances, of the shadowy presence which seemed interconnected with them, and of the possibility that he would once again dream of his family this evening.  Of all of them, he wasn't sure which would be the hardest to deal with.

---

"... if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for Destruction Ice is also great
And would suffice."
- Robert Frost

Qesun sorta watched JF like he was watching a toy train changing multiple tracks, wondering when the catastrophe would happen.  Luckily, there was none such catastophes, and at least the guy was energetic.  If he were to guess from the obvious signs, possibly even ADD, but that was all right.  Qesun smiled and nodded to half of the things and waited for him to finish for the others, sipping occasionally at his coffee while he waited.  "Yea, I'm not from around here, though this isn't my first visit.  Came here a while ago."  He grins with the next bit, as if not everything is being said, "Travelling alternate plans of existance has the room for many more possibilities.  You keep working at it.  It's a nice goal to shoot for.  And no worries about rambling.  It's not like you're the first I met who could ramble."  He nods to the comment about not drinking caffine.  "Ah.  Well, I flet it would only be polite to offer a drink.  Perhaps I shoulda asked first, but that doesn't stop me from purchasing your preference now."

---

Serrif:

Reality-(noun) illusion caused by lack of alcohol
Beer(noun) medicine used to relive people from hallucinations

Technoguild

The short man, with dark blue eyes and light brown hair, sitting in the corner stirs from being half asleep after the talk from the mayor. Erlex did not like small towns they always were boring, but these small towns also had the disappearances.  Erlex did not like anything that was boring that is why he was sent away from his own home town.  He pulled one too many pranks that his father was not too fond of.  Even though he was the prince his father sent him out hoped that adventures would teach Erlex to be more serious.  Ever since Erlex was adventuring his prank pulling has lessened because adventures were mostly always exciting.  Erlex does not show anything that would seem like he is a prince. He wears normal adventuring clothes with chain armor underneath and a dark cloak with a hood.  His only thing he has that would signify his royal heritage is his signet ring which he wears on a necklace under his clothes.

Stifling his yawn after he woke up from dozing off.  'Hmm, it is so boring just sitting here.  I wonder who else is going to do anything.  It seemed like half the people left.' He thought to himself. He then noticed JF and Qesun sitting off as JF tinkers with his contraption.  'Hmm, they where hear earlier.  I wonder… maybe they are going to take part in the fun.'  He gets up and again stifles another yawn as he walks to their table.  He yawns once more when he reaches their table. “Greetings, sorry to interrupt you from um whatever you might be doing, but I saw you guys here earlier when the mayor guy was telling all of us about this insanity.  Heh anyways, I was wondering if you guys were going to take part in this hunt?”  He said as he stood next to the table. “Oh sorry for being rude my name is Erlex.  May I join you two at this table?” 

---

A life, heh who needs one, I got it all here in RPing and video games.