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---------------------- Chapter 8: Tarok Lives !! ---------------------
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(DM:)
Arguing and bickering, you all head over to the former palisade to
retrieve those items retrievable. On the way, Kaeyar kneels at various
native bodies, and relieves them of their golden necklaces and
bracelets...

(Kaeyar:)
Kaeyar pulls a flask of wine from his backpack and begins sprinkling
it over a puddle of melted gold jewelry that was once worn by one of
the uncanny natives.  When it is cool enough to pick up, he does so.

OOC: On our way anywhere tonight, Kaeyar will stop to loot occasional
     native bodies, then run to catch up with the group...

(Keilan:)
As Kaeyar loots the bodies Keilan gives him a distinctly unsavory
glance, but says nothing and walks briskly to put as much ground
between him and the straggler as possible.

(Silver:)
On the walk back to the palisade, Silver will pointedly ignore Kaeyar
while he loots the bodies. She does not hold anything against him, but
she finds the act of looting corpses distasteful.

(Tatiana:)
As they walked along, she shook her head in disappointment in Kaeyar's
callousness.  She picked up her pace to catch up to Keilan "You fought
well!"  she said by way of encouragement.

(Keilan:)
"There is no such thing as fighting well.  The only good fight is none
at all."

(Kaeyar:)
Not a whole lot to say, I'm fairly busy fondling stinky corpses in
search of trinkets ...  except that Kaeyar is realizing that he's
tired, he hurts, needs healing (down to 23 from 31), and just wants to
get a few hours rest at the Commons before the night is up...

(Falrun:)
After the party is finished looking around, Falrun suggests, "I think
we should talk to Mendahl and see if there is any help to be given in
the other areas of the village."

(Shade:)
"I think the fastest way of knowing if fighting is still on is asking
Tuft" - said the drow turning to Tatiana - "Can you be our aerial
recon 'Ana?"

(Falrun:)
"Wherever we decide to go, I would like to stop by the area of the
wall that we defended.  I still have to recover my bow, if possible,
and any arrows that may still be there.  It will also give anybody
else the chance to do the same.  What say you all?"

(Shade:)
"Of course we need go back to the palisade, Falrun, - a wave of
sadness fogging his eyes - we still have to give our fallen comrade
Tarok a proper funeral."  Shadowdancer paused a moment looking at each
companion in turn, then, a stern look depicted on his face "I will not
let him buried in a common ditch and forgotten!"

(Falrun:)
Falrun turns to Shade and replies, "I'm certain that there is no more
fighting to be done tonight, I was only planning lending my services
to repair what needs to be done tonight and help whatever people have
been made refugees due to this vicious attack."


(Kaeyar:)
At mention of the dead Tarok, he frowns and nods and says "Yes, we
must attend to our fallen comrade.  Let us take him to the graveyard.
I think there will be many others busy there as well..."

(Keilan:)
Keilan wipes his sword clean with a bit of torn cloth and replies to
Falrun: "Not many arrows left at the wall.  What weren't fired in the
first volleys are probably burnt or broken.  Still, your bow is worth
finding.  As are my axe and knife.  I will go with you to hunt for our
belongings.  As for Mendahl, if you can find him, that IS the area
that needs help I'll wager.  He seems to be one ruler personally
involved in the protection of his lands."

Handing the sword and sheath to Kaeyar, "I think I'll not need this
again today."

(Tatiana:)
As the others talked about where they wanted to go she spoke up "Well
I left my bow back at the palisades as well, unfortunately it broke
when I fell from the top!  I head back there with you to retrieve it
anyways though.  Maybe a mend spell can fix it."

"Before we go let me see if Tuft knows about anymore skirmishes we
might be needed in"

*Anything we need to be concerned with or has most of the fighting
died down?*

(DM:)
Sometime during all this, Tuft tells you that there are no more
'native problems', and the settlers are retrieving their wounded.
Mendahl and gang are in the wide, aiding setting up a 'field hospital'
for the clerics.

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana relayed the information and sprinted off with the others to
recover lost equipment.

(Tatiana:)
As they walked along she tried to occupy her mind with composing a
ballad about the great deed done today.  She focused on the smaller
players rather than Mendahl and his impressive power show.  Dithion
was mentioned by name more than once as was Silver.

She stopped her composing as she approached the gaping hole in the
wall.


The party finally reach the palisade where the natives blew the wall
apart ....

(DM:)
Arlon is interested in the knives the natives were carrying, but
unfortunately they all cracked during their fiery baptism... the way
they cracked tells you that this is not a natural behaviour of the
substance, and you get the feeling they were tampered with more than
just a poison (?) coating. As you reach your former battle field, you
will only be able to retrieve solid items (swords, daggers, axes etc,
not bows and very few (d6 per person searching) arrows) here also more
natives lie, dutifully looted by our practically minded Kaeyar :).

(Keilan:)
Keilan reaches the battle field at the wall and is able to find his
axe and knife, the latter still imbedded in a native.  He scorns the
arrows he finds however, complaining about singed feathers or bent
shafts, "Looks like I'll have to make some more...Hey, Tatiana, owl
feathers make good fletching you know..." with a smile.  Keilan is
suddenly short a sheath and offers Arlon a look at the jade knife
since the others seem to have been destroyed.  "I don't know if it's
much like the others.  But it's a good knife all the same." (or was it
a dagger? hmmm)

(Arlon:)
"Thank you Keilan, I would like to show the knife (dagger?) and the
potion to Mendahl, after we are done here, and see what he can tell us
- it may lead into a mission!"

(Arlon:)
Meta: if anyone has any heals left, Arlon could use one.

Once the group looks mainly done with gathering items, except for
Kaeyar who may be too engrossed in picking up stuff from the natives -
although Arlon will take a piece of intact jewelry from a native if
Kaeyar hasn't gotten to it first.

(Tatiana:)
She combed the ground for their lost equipment with the others.  Her
heart grew heavy as she neared Tarok's body.  She continued to do her
work gathering her broken bow and what arrows she could find,
avoiding the dwarf as long as possible.

Unfortunately she still had her barely used quiver still on her back,
and it was folly to look for more arrows trying to avoid facing
Tarok's death.  She was daggerless at the moment and that needed
correcting but there were none to find her either.

(Falrun:)
Upon reaching the palisade and finding his bow broken beyond repair
from the fall, Falrun states, "Well, I guess I'll have to see if there
are any bowyers in the area that can make a new one for me." and with
a small show of remorse, Falrun tosses the remains of his bow to the
ground.

(Keilan:)
Keilan in a low, tired voice, "Aye, there is such a man present.  And
I'll be making arrows as well if there's a good birch in this cursed
place."

(Tatiana:)
When Falrun discarded his broken bow she spoke up "I might be able to
repair that as good as new, if it is not too badly damaged.  But I
need time to rest."

(Falrun:)
"Thank you for your offer Tatiana, but the bow appears to be pretty
far gone and besides, I fight better with these." Falrun replied while
patting his swords hanging at his sides.  "If I come across another, I
might take up the bow again."

(Falrun:)
He then walks up to Shade and says apologetically, "I'm sorry if I
came off as a little bit offensive when I clarified myself.  I guess
this bit of action after such a long boat ride has gotten most of us
more jumpy than a paladin in Zhentil Keep.

(Shade:)
The drow smiles "No offense taken, Falrun, and I didn't mean to be
harsh either - he bows - forgive me." Then he winks to the comrade
"We'd better get accustomed to these kind of thrills in a hurry, won't
we? It won't be nice if we finish snarling at each other after any
skirmish!"

(Falrun:)
"If you would like, I'll help you do what you see fit with Tarok's
body."(assuming that he is dead, of course).

(Shade:)
"Many Thanks Falrun, I appreciate your offer, but - he turns around
with a puzzled expression - first of all help me find Tarok: I do not
see either his body nor his possessions anymore...."

OOC: I assume he is alive and he walked away a little shaken from the
     blow...

(Tatiana:)
She was the first to approach Tarok's body and she stood over him as
he lay face up.  A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of a lost
friendship that was never to be.  He heart pounded as she grieved for
a life lost striving for greatness and being crushed out of existence
for no apparent reason.

The tear fell off her cheek and landed on Tarok's cheek close to his
eye.  His eye seemed to flinch at it's impact but she knew it was only
a trick of the light.

(DM:)
Tarok awakens with a crying Tatiana standing over him.

Tarok, your head hurts like you could handle a year's output of Advil,
and you feel VERY weak. Around you you find your companions, busy with
actions ranging from talking, arguing to looting the dead :)......

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana wiped her tears away quickly and her frown was replace by a
grin as Tarok stirred once more.

"Get up you mangy dwarf.  You've been sleep'n through the whole battle
while this outpost was in jeopardy!"

(Shade:)
The bard look perplexed for a moment, than an happy smile cheers up
his features "Wow!  Life can be so pleasantly unknowable sometime, -
he put a hand on his shoulder as if to take out his harp, then he
remembers he was not out on leisure - Hmm, I'll have to wait till we
get back to the Commons - he gently squeezed Tarok's shoulder - I owe
you a ballad comrade, you really dumbfounded us all!"  And singing
lightly he helps a not so stable Tarok to get on with the group.

(Dithion:)
Dithion looks shocked at seeing Tarok up and about.  He rushes to the
dwarf and says, "Are you in need of healing?  We thought you dead, but
I can see that the Sons of the Earth are hardy, indeed."

(Keilan:)
Keilan gets a puzzled look on his face as the dwarf stirs for the
first time.  But the look quickly turns to one of mirth: "Dwarves
don't much like being wet, Tatiana.  I told you that potion would fix
him up.  See, it just took a while.  It was an old potion I'd been
saving for a good cause, after all."

(Silver:)
Silver smiles at this, her face radiant at seeing her fallen comrade
arise once more. This is brief, since Silver then notices something
....

(Kaeyar:)
Kaeyar is very surprised when he sees his friend Tarok move and rise;
with a shout of joy he runs over to greet his friend.  Then, mortified
at having made a public display of a soft emotion, he steps away,
saying "hmm, well, I suppose Dwarves were always known for their
exceptionally thick skulls."

(Falrun:)
After examining Tarok and finding that he is indeed still alive,
Falrun approaches Mendahl with Dithion.

(Arlon:)
"Let's be off to the Wide for healing"