TT: Episode 1 Avalon is Magic
Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:24 amParticipating:
Mattea Boiardo
Kamilè (Mila) Laima
Gustaf
Caerleon is a lovely city where it is impossible to miss the Glamour that permeates the Isles. Colors seem brighter, scents more vivid (this is not always a good thing). The white palace shines above it all and the Market swirls with activity all day every day. Today a small funeral procession parts the crowds in the street. Three black, horse-drawn carriages draped in black cloth move slowly through. The darkness a sharp contrast to all the bright and lively activity around them.
Our heroes have been in Caerleon for only a short while, but long enough to no longer stare in awe at all of this. Gustaf can imagine the merchants make a lot of sales to newcomers who find themselves staring at spoons and everything else that are just more attractive and alluring than the ones at home. He's glad to be away from Vendel, and enjoys the treatment that an obviously well-to-do merchant receives here.
Mattea has only so much attention to give the scenery as she keeps her senses open for news of her lost brother. The trip from Voddace was long and included pirates. She is sure her brother is still alive and she prowls the Market hunting for someone who could provide her a lead, her coin is an offer to tell anyone who can help when and where to find their true love. The cards do not lie to her, you see. So far, information has been sparse.
Mila hunts for Dr. Stevens...the correct Dr. Stevens...who knew Stevens was such a common name? As she wanders the market deciding where to look next, she notices that the ivy on the walls is growing at a visible speed, climbing fast and dense. Startled, she remarks loudly on it, causing the crowd nearby to start to murmur.
As Mattea notices the awning above her growing mossy and soft, draping like a heavy robe from its supports, small mushrooms sprouting across the newly verdant surface. Everywhere around this corner of the market, everything is shifting and reforming, and the crowd's confusion and upset are growing.
The creaks and groans alert Gustav to the shifting of the elaborately folded canvas of a nearby booth's roof as it unfurls into leathery green-gold wings and the newly-there dragon opens a sleepy eye. The first shrieks ring out across the street, and the horses, already picking up the mood of the crowd, break into a panicked run, hooves and wheels a danger to all.
Ever ready to make friends and defuse a situation, particularly if it can be done with fermented goods, Gustaf approaches the dragon as the giant creature stretches catlike on its perch. With a flourish, he pulls a bottle from somewhere within his cape, uncaps it with a loud 'pop!' and offers it up to the sparkling lizard. The giant head lowers, and Gustaf realizes he could walk up into the cavernous nostril just as the dragon takes a great, exploratory sniff. Ever so delicately, it takes the wee bottle between forearm-length teeth, tips its head back and gulps the entire thing, taking a moment to chew. The sound of crunching glass is not even that loud over thundering hooves and panicked screams.With a last look at the merchant, the dragon unfurls great wings, sending everything into shadow for a moment. Then it takes off, wings buffeting the square, evidently pleased at the puny humans' offering.
Meanwhile, everyone else scrambles and scurries for cover, taking a few scrapes in the process.
Mattea, looks up to find a tall young man offering her a hand up. Lars Garrick tugs her aside, and hopefully out of danger, before running to try catching the harness of one of sets of runaway horses. Feeling that there's a touch of fate connecting her to the man, Mattea doesn't want to see him trampled. She reaches for the strands around her and pulls both him and one of the hapless carriage drivers to a somewhat bumpy safety.
Meanwhile, Mila leaps for the lead horse of the third carriage, which is looking ready to fly apart at any moment. She notices something odd about the carriage in front of her--dark, thorny vines winding every which way out of the carriage and reaching toward the panicked horses. The driver of that carriage has already leapt clear to avoid the thorns. Using her skills as a rider of many a horse, Mila calms the horse, slowing the wobbly carriage.
At the same time, Gustaf dashes to whip a bar rag twixt spokes and wheel and axle, gumming up the whole thing and dragging the careening cart even slower. Though he doesn't realize it yet, someone has noticed his quick thinking and lack of care for personal safety. City guards are beginning to arrive.
Mila slashes the harness and goads her mount forward, glancing within the vine-wrapped carriage as mourners wobble from the one behind her. The coffin within appears to the source of the strange growth. But she has no time to investigate as she races forward with calls of encouragement ringing from Gustaf behind her. Coming beside the lead horses she uses voice and the instincts of herd animals to encourage them to follow her mount's lead and slow down.
Gustaf dashes forward to slash the horses free from the second carriage as the thorns reach for them. You would not have thought that wee blade tucked in a walking stick could do that kind of work, and you would apparently be wrong. Frenzied by the unnatural thing behind them, these horses scatter as the carriage comes to a noisy halt on the cobblestones.
Mattea is trying to learn what is going on from Lars, learning that he believes this disruption to be something Sidhe in nature, and that managing such things is part of his job. Speaking of jobs, nice chatting, but he needs to go deal with this. Drawing his rapier, he scrambles back toward the chaos in the street. As he runs off, she notices papers in the dust at her feet, dragged there beneath the coachman she'd pulled toward her. Picking them up, she tucks them into her skirts to look at later.
As more mourners stumble from the lead carriage, the second one bursts apart in a shower of splinters and glass. Everyone nearby is bloody with myriad cuts by now. A tall, vaguely humanoid-shaped creature made of entwined vines emerges, the coffin still encasing its middle regions. Lars stabs at it ineffectually as Mattea scoops up an oil lantern and tosses it to shatter just above the coffin, soaking everything in oil.
Nobody wastes any time in taking advantage of this, quickly setting the rampaging plant thing on fire or hunting for more oil and other materials to help the flames burn hotter. Mattea turns on some charm to convince the mourners to join the effort, while Gustaf quickly cobbles together a tripping hazard that sends the flaming creature crashing to the ground, where it flares and fizzles, but moves no more.
Gustaf and Mila fall from their wounds, too injured to move, as Lars comes forward to see how he can help. As he searches for some material to make a stretcher, one of the well-dressed guards taking control of the fleeing horses and working to aid the injured people scattered everywhere approaches to see how Gustaf is doing and note his appreciation for the hard work and quick thinking of Mila and Gustaf. He names himself Arthur Dunbar, Queen's guard of Caerleon. After Mattea's blessing apparently gives Gustaf strength enough to recover and at least walk on his own (The canvas Lars found will certainly help with some of the other wounded), Arthur offers them a personal invitation to come up to the castle where their hurts will be mended.
Nearby questioning of the mourners reveals that the deceased, one William Blackmore, had died of a short illness recently. As a gleaming emerald and turquoise swirling locket was poked from the charred remnants of the burnt creature, it was explained that the object was a family heirloom passed through generations of Blackmores. Legend said that it had been a Sidhe gift back before they'd been closed away from this world. With no heirs, his wife had decided to bury it with him, rather than let it pass from the family. Lars carefully takes the item shaking his head. "A ban seed, and you went and planted it on a corpse."
The episode ends as the injured are escorted onward to the castle.
Mattea Boiardo
Kamilè (Mila) Laima
Gustaf
Caerleon is a lovely city where it is impossible to miss the Glamour that permeates the Isles. Colors seem brighter, scents more vivid (this is not always a good thing). The white palace shines above it all and the Market swirls with activity all day every day. Today a small funeral procession parts the crowds in the street. Three black, horse-drawn carriages draped in black cloth move slowly through. The darkness a sharp contrast to all the bright and lively activity around them.
Our heroes have been in Caerleon for only a short while, but long enough to no longer stare in awe at all of this. Gustaf can imagine the merchants make a lot of sales to newcomers who find themselves staring at spoons and everything else that are just more attractive and alluring than the ones at home. He's glad to be away from Vendel, and enjoys the treatment that an obviously well-to-do merchant receives here.
Mattea has only so much attention to give the scenery as she keeps her senses open for news of her lost brother. The trip from Voddace was long and included pirates. She is sure her brother is still alive and she prowls the Market hunting for someone who could provide her a lead, her coin is an offer to tell anyone who can help when and where to find their true love. The cards do not lie to her, you see. So far, information has been sparse.
Mila hunts for Dr. Stevens...the correct Dr. Stevens...who knew Stevens was such a common name? As she wanders the market deciding where to look next, she notices that the ivy on the walls is growing at a visible speed, climbing fast and dense. Startled, she remarks loudly on it, causing the crowd nearby to start to murmur.
As Mattea notices the awning above her growing mossy and soft, draping like a heavy robe from its supports, small mushrooms sprouting across the newly verdant surface. Everywhere around this corner of the market, everything is shifting and reforming, and the crowd's confusion and upset are growing.
The creaks and groans alert Gustav to the shifting of the elaborately folded canvas of a nearby booth's roof as it unfurls into leathery green-gold wings and the newly-there dragon opens a sleepy eye. The first shrieks ring out across the street, and the horses, already picking up the mood of the crowd, break into a panicked run, hooves and wheels a danger to all.
Ever ready to make friends and defuse a situation, particularly if it can be done with fermented goods, Gustaf approaches the dragon as the giant creature stretches catlike on its perch. With a flourish, he pulls a bottle from somewhere within his cape, uncaps it with a loud 'pop!' and offers it up to the sparkling lizard. The giant head lowers, and Gustaf realizes he could walk up into the cavernous nostril just as the dragon takes a great, exploratory sniff. Ever so delicately, it takes the wee bottle between forearm-length teeth, tips its head back and gulps the entire thing, taking a moment to chew. The sound of crunching glass is not even that loud over thundering hooves and panicked screams.With a last look at the merchant, the dragon unfurls great wings, sending everything into shadow for a moment. Then it takes off, wings buffeting the square, evidently pleased at the puny humans' offering.
Meanwhile, everyone else scrambles and scurries for cover, taking a few scrapes in the process.
Mattea, looks up to find a tall young man offering her a hand up. Lars Garrick tugs her aside, and hopefully out of danger, before running to try catching the harness of one of sets of runaway horses. Feeling that there's a touch of fate connecting her to the man, Mattea doesn't want to see him trampled. She reaches for the strands around her and pulls both him and one of the hapless carriage drivers to a somewhat bumpy safety.
Meanwhile, Mila leaps for the lead horse of the third carriage, which is looking ready to fly apart at any moment. She notices something odd about the carriage in front of her--dark, thorny vines winding every which way out of the carriage and reaching toward the panicked horses. The driver of that carriage has already leapt clear to avoid the thorns. Using her skills as a rider of many a horse, Mila calms the horse, slowing the wobbly carriage.
At the same time, Gustaf dashes to whip a bar rag twixt spokes and wheel and axle, gumming up the whole thing and dragging the careening cart even slower. Though he doesn't realize it yet, someone has noticed his quick thinking and lack of care for personal safety. City guards are beginning to arrive.
Mila slashes the harness and goads her mount forward, glancing within the vine-wrapped carriage as mourners wobble from the one behind her. The coffin within appears to the source of the strange growth. But she has no time to investigate as she races forward with calls of encouragement ringing from Gustaf behind her. Coming beside the lead horses she uses voice and the instincts of herd animals to encourage them to follow her mount's lead and slow down.
Gustaf dashes forward to slash the horses free from the second carriage as the thorns reach for them. You would not have thought that wee blade tucked in a walking stick could do that kind of work, and you would apparently be wrong. Frenzied by the unnatural thing behind them, these horses scatter as the carriage comes to a noisy halt on the cobblestones.
Mattea is trying to learn what is going on from Lars, learning that he believes this disruption to be something Sidhe in nature, and that managing such things is part of his job. Speaking of jobs, nice chatting, but he needs to go deal with this. Drawing his rapier, he scrambles back toward the chaos in the street. As he runs off, she notices papers in the dust at her feet, dragged there beneath the coachman she'd pulled toward her. Picking them up, she tucks them into her skirts to look at later.
As more mourners stumble from the lead carriage, the second one bursts apart in a shower of splinters and glass. Everyone nearby is bloody with myriad cuts by now. A tall, vaguely humanoid-shaped creature made of entwined vines emerges, the coffin still encasing its middle regions. Lars stabs at it ineffectually as Mattea scoops up an oil lantern and tosses it to shatter just above the coffin, soaking everything in oil.
Nobody wastes any time in taking advantage of this, quickly setting the rampaging plant thing on fire or hunting for more oil and other materials to help the flames burn hotter. Mattea turns on some charm to convince the mourners to join the effort, while Gustaf quickly cobbles together a tripping hazard that sends the flaming creature crashing to the ground, where it flares and fizzles, but moves no more.
Gustaf and Mila fall from their wounds, too injured to move, as Lars comes forward to see how he can help. As he searches for some material to make a stretcher, one of the well-dressed guards taking control of the fleeing horses and working to aid the injured people scattered everywhere approaches to see how Gustaf is doing and note his appreciation for the hard work and quick thinking of Mila and Gustaf. He names himself Arthur Dunbar, Queen's guard of Caerleon. After Mattea's blessing apparently gives Gustaf strength enough to recover and at least walk on his own (The canvas Lars found will certainly help with some of the other wounded), Arthur offers them a personal invitation to come up to the castle where their hurts will be mended.
Nearby questioning of the mourners reveals that the deceased, one William Blackmore, had died of a short illness recently. As a gleaming emerald and turquoise swirling locket was poked from the charred remnants of the burnt creature, it was explained that the object was a family heirloom passed through generations of Blackmores. Legend said that it had been a Sidhe gift back before they'd been closed away from this world. With no heirs, his wife had decided to bury it with him, rather than let it pass from the family. Lars carefully takes the item shaking his head. "A ban seed, and you went and planted it on a corpse."
The episode ends as the injured are escorted onward to the castle.