"I don't want to spend any more time in Ratz - now's our chance to get out of town, before our friend starts looking for us. A tavern would be the obvious place for him to start, wouldn't it?"

Lurel thinks for a moment. "Let's buy some food at a stall or shop, and ask how long it takes to get to Luna. That shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Then we leave Ratz as if heading for Luna, and double back. Does that sound like it might work? Anyway - we need to get out of Ratz as fast as we can!"

ooc>Sorry i've been carp - i've been away for the weekend +friday
*Ari just looks stunned as the man dissappears*

*swears quitely when he sees the two men*
"I don't know this area so well, but i agree with ford, some form of misleading is certainly sensible, i think we should also try to find out who the well dressed man is."

"Just running would be fine if we had more information but it seems thats the one thing we are lacking... anyway you're call those are my thoughts."

"should i go speak to the stable boy see if they have horses lodged here, see if he heard where they're heading?"

"Hmm, I suppose we could do that, Lurel. If he's truly interested enough he'll probably ask around a bit. If not then there's only a 1 in 3 chance that he'll go the correct way and find us... it does still leave a small amount of risk, however..."

Ford ponders.

"Maybe a compromise? We ask around about him, and then we tell the stall owner which way we're headed. That way hopefully we'll be able to maximise our chances of avoiding them. How does that sound?"

"That works for me"

Lurel shakes his head. "I don't think we should waste time - and asking around might just attract attention. That person he was speaking to - he looked well off. If we start asking about him - well, we might be attracting the wrong sort of attention. I say we get out of here, and lay a bit of a false trail to give us a headstart."

He looks at the others, starting to get nervous. "We don't know how much time we have."

Something else occurs to him. "There were seven of them - maybe the others are already watching the roads out of town."

OOC> I'm moving this along slightly as I'm going on holiday for three weeks from Friday night and I want to get you all back together.

Lurel and party

You adopt your ruse, Ford mentioning to you about the very well-dressed man he had seen. The remark is not addressed to the shop-keeper but the man overhears.

"That must be Radovan Jelic. He has a huge mansion down by the river a little way out of town. I wouldn't advise you to bother him though. He has a lot of powerful friends. Rumour has it much of his income is from questionable sources. You'll see his place on the road to Luna."

Indeed you do see it as you set out ostensibly in the direction you enquired about. It is very heavily guarded. Shortly after passing it you turn south towards the mountain pass into Witten. For the foothills you may (or not as you choose) avoid the road but you cannot avoid the pass.

Siffli and Lisette

You return to your lodging and pass a peaceful night. When you meet for breakfast you are given a message. Smudge knows about you and will meet you in the main square at noon. You will just have time to find out about the other arrows if you hurry or you could leave them until the afternoon.

Lurel sighs with relief once they are back on their way to Witten.

"I hope that's given us a bit of a breathing space. Still, I suggest we try to make the best speed we can, before they decide to go looking for us again. Ari, what can you tell us of the way to Witten? Are there any more obvious places for an ambush? How long will it take us to get there?"

We hurry

Lisette and Siffli

Moving quickly you head towards the other area where a reasonable number of people have settled. On the way the tall empty houses remain as eerie and disquieting as ever. There is hardly anyone around on the streets. As you approach the second square you can see it is livelier than the first. There are far more children visible and there are more stalls and street traders.

The group of men gave you the name of the woman who had bought arrows - Irvana Marek. Asking for her you are directed to one of the houses. In this part of town the dwellings are much smaller. That pointed to you is only one storey. The door is closed but there is a bright gold knocker.

After a moment the door is opened by a tall woman of middle years. She wears light armour and carries a bow and quiver on her back. She also has a sword at her side and a selection of throwing knives.

"Hello. I was just going out. Can you be quick?"

"Theres one pass which is quite narrow and could be a potential ambush spot, but theres not really any way of avoiding it. do you think they'll try to ambush us there? or were you thinking of ambushing them."

"I must confess i don't like the sound of either option!"

"The pass is about a day or two ahead"

*ari keeps a careful eye on the sky for _any_ birds that appear to be tailing even in the distance*

Lurel's party.

You have no problem reaching the pass. It is narrow, bleak, cold and unguarded. The valley of the Wittental is shrouded by the strange cloud. Midge remains uneasy in general but you do not appear to be being followed. Perhaps the men you met are not travelling to Witten they said that their business was in Branden Forest. You have travelled overnight and most of the next day.

Lurel yawns. "So far, so good. Maybe our plan worked. Ari, do you know how far it is to Witten? I think we could all do with some sleep, but this place isn't exactly what you'd call 'hospitable'. If it's only another hour or so we might as well press on, and find an inn to rest in. What do you all think?"

He looks around, and shivers. "I don't like the look of that cloud."

"We may as well check into the other arrows, as long as we keep track of the time, we'll be fine."

Mal, what are our funds? Might be simplest to just buy the arrows...

Ford looks to Lurel.

"I agree. We should press on if at all possible, especially since Midge looks so uneasy. And this cloud is creeping me out. I'm not sure I could sleep here even if we tried..."

He grins nervously.

OOC> You would have funds to buy arrows if they were for sale. You'll have to ask her.

Lurel's party.

You might remember that the Wittental was blighted and is uninhabited apart from the city of Witten itself. You can camp on the Witten side of the pass but there are no lodgings before the city.

"We were informed that you recently purchased some arrows. We suspect that one of them may be the cause of the cloud...would you be willing to let us examine them?"

Lisette and Siffli

Irvana smiles. "I cannot imagine why the arrows can have caused this cloud. I'm sorry, I bought the bows and arrows for my nephew. He and his family are trying out different houses to see which suits them best. He will be back here tomorrow if you'd like to return. He may not have them with him but he'll at least know where they are. I can only tell you that they are in Witten somewhere and not around here. The boy Smudge was buying arrows at the same time as I was. Have you spoken to him?"

//OOC - how far is it to Witten from the pass?//


Lurel stretches and rubs his shoulder, adjusting one of the packstraps slightly.

"I'd really rather not stay here, and the idea of an inn sounds appealing. If everyone else thinks they can last a bit longer, lets just keep walking and hope we make it to Witten before we collapse."

He contacts Thail to ask her to find out where Lisette and Siffli are staying, and get directions to the inn.

Thail will tell you it is a day and a half from the pass to the town. Siffli and Lisette are staying in the Prancing Pony. Thail is unsure where that is as the name is new to her but she thinks you should find it easily enough. She asks if you want her to advise the others you are on your way.

Lurel sighs.

"Thail has just told me that it's another day and a half to Witten. So much for resting at an inn today! I suggest we keep on walking for a bit longer, and keep our eyes open for a better spot to camp than this place."

"Thank you for your assistance. We have plans to speak with Smudge, but if he isn't able to help us, we will stop by tomorrow."

May as well head to the main square, now.

*Groans* "ok, thats sounds like a plan"
"what is this blighted thing anyway and what does it do"
*Rearanges his pack then trudges on*

Lurel's Party

You make it through the pass unscathed. The descent down the mountainside is difficult and tiring. Although the road is being reconstructed parts of it are treacherous. It is wide enough in places to enable you to camp. There are small flat areas on either side periodically. None of them is welcoming. A cold wind is impeding your progress. Your options are to camp on the road, in one of the flat areas to the side, at the bottom of the mountain or not to stop at all.

Siffli and Lisette

You get back to the main square just in time. A small, snotty-nosed boy of about seven years old is waiting for you.

He says before you open your mouths. "I ain't got no arrers and I can't git none neither."

Lurel stumbles, and curses softly.

"I think we should stop soon," he sighs, "if only we could find somewhere out of this wind!"

He looks at the others to see how they are doing.

"I could probably make it to the bottom of the mountain - how about you? Might be a bit less windy down in the valley."

"Upon whose behalf were you acting as a buyer?"

Ford pants.

"I'm not sure... I might be able to make it to the bottom of the mountain... but this wind is so cold and strong... it's hardly going to be easy..."

He looks around.

"I wonder if there are any large rocks or anything that would break the wind near here... we can't just camp in the open, it's too cold..."

Lisette and Siffli

Smudge wriggles uncomfortably. "I don't tell on my clients. They wouldn't trust me if I did that. Wots wiv de arrers any'ow?"

Lurel looks around.

"I don't think even our tents would do as any good here. Shall we walk a bit further, and stop at the first place we come to that offers even a little bit of shelter? I could perhaps raise an earth wall ... but I don't know. I don't like playing around with that unless we're in danger."

The small flat areas to the side of the path offer no protection from the wind however the rocks are friable and many are simply lying on the ground.

The wind is very drying, chapping your lips and irritating your eyes. As you move forward you see that before you reach level ground there is a particularly deep gulch to be traversed. Unfortunately there is no flat land at the bottom of it.

Ford sighs heavily.

"This place is hell!"

He looks around.

"Well I don't know what to do... no cover, nothing we can stack up, everything's horribly flat and unprotected..."

He ponders for a moment.

"We have two choices I figure: either press on into this eye-stinging dry wind for hours more until we find a more viable camp spot, or we try your earth raising idea..."

*shivers as the chill wind bites deep into his slight frame*
*groans*
"uh, i'm not sure i can press on much longer."

"lurel, i know its not danger of being bit or attacked but weather and exposure can still kill, how about trying that wall"

"it would be more dangerous to try and traverse that in our current states!"

Lurel looks at the terrain in dismay.

"The only place that might be worth trying is that gulch.... I could try opening a cave in its side - but we'd still have to scramble down into it. Other than that... you can see how loose the rock is, a wall would probably just crumble."

He inspects the sides of the gulch more closely.

Ford ponders.

"Well, if we're going to use your earth power anyway, why not just create a wall against the wind? That would probably be safer than trying to slide down into that gulch when we're half asleep..."

The gulch is deep and steep sided. Evening has started to draw in.

Lurel grimaces at the gulch. "Maybe not."


He looks at the rocks, and tries to get a feel for the ground he has to work with.

"Oh well, here goes," he mutters as he tries to raise a wall of earth around them to provide shelter against the wind.

The magic is difficult and exhausting. The blight has caused damage to the elemental beings that usually respond. The best you can get is a semi-circular wall as tall as Midge. It will at least protect you from the wind.

Lurel groans, and drops to the ground.

"That was not easy... there's something about the ground here. I'm exhausted... I can't manage anything better than that, sorry."

He reaches for his pack to get his bedroll. "Does anyone want to try getting a tent up? The wall isn't much protection from the wind, but might just be enough to stop the tents from getting blown away!"

Ford heads over and helps Lurel to his feet.

"That'll do. Thanks Lurel!"

He grabs the tent from his backpack and attempts to set it up against the (protected side obviously ) wall. Assuming he is successful he helps the others put up the other tents as well.

Lurel and Party

You pass an uneasy night but nothing attacks. You stagger into Witten where the buildings at least act as wind breaks. You quickly find Lisette and Siffli. They are talking to a small boy about arrows.

The following information is now known.

The Held arrows were sold in three groups.

Group 1 were bought by the merchant Balthazar Zorn and given to his guard who is escorting in a shipment of furs. He expects them back tomorrow.

Group 2 were bought by Irvana Marek who gave them to her nephew. He will also be around tomorrow.

Group 3 were bought by Smudge on behalf of an unnamed client. The only thing he is willing to tell you is that his client resides in the sewers.

OOC> Unless I get access abroad I won't be posting for three weeks. However in my absence you need to decide whether you are intending to stay together to investigate the three groups of arrows and how you intend to find out where in Witten's huge sewer network you can find Smudge's client.

"Thank you for your assistance, Smudge. Can I offer you something for your trouble?"

To the others: "We may as well see what we can find in the sewers. Should we stay together, or split up?"

"Well, I would prefer to not split up again, the more the merrier".

Lurel nods. "I'd rather not split up again, and certainly not while we explore the sewers. Which reminds me.... we should probably try to find out as much as we can about the sewers before we head down there. I wonder if there's a department of public works or some such where they might have plans, blueprints or maps of the sewers? Even just knowing where the access points are would help! Lisette, Siffli - have you come across any public buildings during the time you were here that might house such a department... or even a library?"

"I know one house that might have access, but I don't know if we'd be allowed to use it." Lisette describes the encounter with the thieves.

Malchik, have we noticed anything else? Even a storm-drain, or summat?

When Lisette offers Smudge money he takes it eagerly.

"Look, if you are gonna go in dem sewers you better know de rules. Most people there ain`t interested in you. They`ll stay behind their doors if you make enough noise. If you wanna talk to 'em, knock. You just walk in you`ll get hurt. Best way to get into de sewers is de main square north side last building on the left. Go down two floors. Maybe you'll find out 'oo 'as de arrers too!"

He sniggers and then runs away.

Ford blinks. Once Smudge is out of earshot he mutters.

"What a strange little boy..."

He shudders slightly at the mention of the sewers.

"We have to go... down there? This almost makes Xetcherin sound attractive..."

"Well, that was worth it! Shall we get started, or do you still want to find out more? Also, Ford...do you need eye-drops?"

"A map would be useful," Lurel replies. "Even a map of Witten's streets, if none of the sewers exists. I don't really care much for the idea of stumbling through a dark, smelly maze, but at least having a map would tell us where to get out. Lights would probably also be a good idea - I imagine it could be rather dark down there. A little time spent on preparations might be prudent."

He looks at Lisette and Siffli. "Where would be the best place to acquire such things? Did you come across any libraries or public buildings? If we can't find a map, then something to draw on and something to write with will have to do - so at least we won't wander around in circles."

OOC> Have we seen anything like that malchik?

OOC If you want to know what you see you should post X looks around with high perception. Works best for Midge and Ari.

I don't usually give hints but because you did not all join at once you are not all aware of each others skills. You would be by now. So here is a reminder in alpha order.

Ari
Weapon skills - bows and arrows, high
Magic skills - none
Elemental skills - none
Other skills - sneak, hide, track, disguise, woodland lore, bow and arrow recognition all high. Detect traps medium.

Ford
Weapon skills - rope high, spear and lance etc. high, sword fair
Magic skills - none
Elemental skills - none
Other - Cannot be lied to and can tell instantly if anyone tries, country and farming lore high. Is persuasive with traders. Is very convincing.

Lisette
Weapon skills - Most high to excellent except bows and arrows
Magic skills - none
Elemental skills - fire including fire bolt, call flame, flame shield etc.
Other skills - block and medium armour high. Is persuasive with warriors etc.

Lurel
Weapon skills - rope high, sword fair
Magic skills - very high but limited by power levels
Elemental skills - earth including lycanthropy with wolf sense and call claws
Other skills - empathy high. Is persuasive with magic users.

Midge
Weapon skills - knife and rope both high
Magic skills - none
Elemental skills - none
Other skills - danger sense very high, steal, sneak and hide all high, lock picking good. Eidetic memory - will remember any list or route the latter even if blindfolded. Has street cred so is persuasive with the criminal fraternity.

Siffli
Weapon skills - anything that can be manipulated telekinetically good
Magic skills - none (although others may consider her skills as magic)
Elemental skills - none
Other skills - telekinesis, speed moving, levitation and flight all high. Command - good. Personality - high. Is persuasive with rulers and shopkeepers. Manifestation is a very risky skill and should be used only in emergency.

If we imagine Siffli flies after Smudge and persuades him back. If either Midge or Ford ask for details of the sewers they will get this.

On topic
The sewers are at least three levels.
The first level consists of thirty long tunnels n-s sloping towards the centre and thirty long tunnels e-w also sloping towards the centre. The tunnels extend beyond the crossing tunnels giving 60 short blind tunnels at the ends. The reservoir that fed the sewers is long dried and they are quite dry and empty. Because parts are used the four end tunnels n, s, e, w are lit with torches. The others are dark but are empty and quite safe.

The second level Smudge has only explored to the north west. It seems an exact replica but it is not lit. It is reached via one of two airlocks from the centre of the upper level. It is drained by a river that still runs through it.

Smudge has never been to the third level where there have been heard odd noises and there are romours of nasty creatures.

Ten groups have settled in the blind tunnels most but not all on level one. Seven groups are different Yar. The others are societies who keep out of normal human contact.

The groups block their tunnels with makeshift doors.

There are many ways down from the surface. Thirty storm drains are round at the edges of the city. These lead direcly into the blind tunnel ends. A further twenty are in the various squares. A further forty are from basements in buildings. Some thirty lead into the blind tunnels. Smudge directed you to one near the centre of the first level.

Good luck

*before ari goes down he would like to disguise himself so he's dressed like smudge mess the hair up a bit, in general make himself look like a local urchin.*

"ok well sewer it is."
*he looks less than happy about the prospect*
"lead on"

ooc> sorry i haven't posted guys, and sorry i havent pm'd you theta & switch, i'm still interested in helping, i've just had a few net problems (my usb wifi card melted:(, my isp played up, my windows socket layer got corrupted. 1 is replaced, 2 is now kind o' working slowly, 3 was left reinstalling windows when i left for work this morning so i should be able to post regularly from now and help.