18+ Demons in the Dark

[Thesius]

Pyrus scowled at the sudden influx of newcomers. The knight he could accept- maybe. This was High Rock, after all. One could throw a rock and hit some hedge knight seeking to make a name for themselves. Perhaps even the assassin. In the wilds, bandits flourished, especially this close to the roads. However, the assassin, the knight, and now a rugged looking nord ranger of sorts, had the paladins' suspicions screaming in his ear. He slid his hammer from the loop at his belt, and pointed its' master worked steel head at the group near the front of the wagon train. "By Arkay! Stand and face me. The three of you leap from the fringes of the woods and expect welcome?" He snorted, "I think not. This area is known for harbouring bandits and other assorted scum. Who told you of our coming?"

"Master paladin!" Exclaimed lord Gravus from the head wagon, "desist at once! I have already accepted these men into our company. You challenge my authority by questioning these fellows."

"With all due respect, lord Gravus, the paladins of Arkay do not bow to the authority of any mortal man. Stay out of this." He shouldered his way forwards, until he was well within striking distance of the knight and the other two newcomers. He was well aware of the masked axeman at his shoulder, and took care to keep an eye on him. He glared at the three, his gaze as hard as iron. "Answer the question."

Despite Pyrus' rebuttal, Jonathan Gravus was a stubborn man, and not used to be told to mind his own business. He called another halt, and hopped from the wagon bench several men at arms rushing to form a defensive screen between him and the newcomers. "Paladin Pyrus!" He shouted, striding towards the confrontation. "You swore to help me. If I vouch for these three, then they are beyond reproach unless they prove themselves otherwise. Is that clear?"

Pyrus' eyes narrowed, but the lord had a point. He and his sister had sworn to assist Gravus reclaim his home, and it was the lords' business who he invited into his company. With a grunt of suppressed anger, the paladin stepped back and inclined his head. "As you say, my lord. My apologies."

"Your apology is accepted. Now, we have quite a ways to go still, and I'd like to cover some more ground before night fall." With that Gravus returned to the wagon and his companions, and at a shout from the head wagon driver, they started moving again. He glanced over his shoulder to see Jysella shaking her head at his antics. Clearly, she was less than amused with his decision to take action. He stepped back into his position, but kept a careful eye on the three strangers.

 

[The_Lost_Foxtrot]

Mathias observed the ragged looking man that was talking With his new Lord, he said his name was Hjorik Blackmane. After he was done talking to Lord Gravus he walked up to the assassin and actually complemented him on killing the bandits, Mathias gave a quiet scoff as they walked down the road. "They were hardly a challenge, even so I thank you" he said beforelooking at the nord, "I can guess you would've taken care of them if I didn't?" he asked.

Just then a shout came from the side. The Grimm looked towards it to see one of the Paladins shouting about how him and the two others are untrust worthy, only to be ordered by Gravus to stand down. Mathias chuckled silently in amusment when he saw the other Paladin shake her head, "It is wise to not trust a Warrior of shadows, but I am man of my word, a contractor never breaks his promise, sir paladin" he reassured in a calm voice. But his purple glowing eyes danced With mirth as he saw the male Paladin's suppressed anger, "and I have given my sword to the Lord of house Gravus, you don't have to fear me stabbing anyone in the back" he stated.

 

[Rafen]

"They were hardly a challenge, even so I thank you" the man Hjorik had addressed replied, "I can guess you would've taken care of them if I didn't?" The nord nodded. "Aye. They were my reason for coming all the way out here. Besides joining the lords' company, of course. In truth, it was luck that I found you when I did. There are many hidden paths throughout these forests, and I only found this road by the noise your group was making." The conversation was interrupted by a man in steel plate, wielding a hammer like he knew how to use it. He demanded the three explain themselves, singling out the masked man in particular. Even the breton, or at least Hjorik assumed it the man armored in head to toe was a breton, seemed suspicious.

In his earlier days, Hjorik Blackmane would have been the first to draw a blade against the man. To do so now, though, would be hypocritical beyond belief. So instead he turned to face the hammer wielding man, a paladin of some sort, if the lords' words to him were correct. The man was quickly brought into line by the lord, but Hjorik was careful to place himself at the assassins side. To take on a pack of bandits might not have been a challenge, but it also showed he was a skilled fighter, and an invaluable ally. "We should not be making enemies among ourselves before we reach our goal, master paladin." The dark haired warrior-ranger said sternly. "We don't know what awaits us there."

 

[Drahkma]

"Our newest member seems to have you on edge. What do you know of him?" The masked nord remarked, and Landron glanced at him. " 'The Grimm' isn't only known among noble circles. He's an assassin, and his kind are more often than not honourless curs. I won't be surprised when he tries to drive a dagger into one of our backs." The paladin who he hadn't yet spoken to stepped forth next, his own weapon at the ready. However, he did not only accost the Grimm, but Landron and the newest nord man, a ranger of some sort, by the look of him. Behind his helm, the breton knights' lip curled in a sneer. "You'd do well not to include me with these others. I am a knight, sir, even if I don't prance around and spout lines about chivalry and glory."

The lord snapped at the paladin to stand down, much as he had Landron. Clearly the lord didn't want them fighting amongst themselves, at least not until they'd completed their quest. The nord newcomer chipped in, agreeing that making enemies among the group was not the best idea. With the situation temporarily defused, and the group on the move once more, he stepped away from the assassin, and fell in beside an imperial and breton woman. The imperial had a similarity to the other paladin, a sister, perhaps, while the breton seemed to watch everything with wide open eyes. "Greetings." He said to the younger woman, "I take it this is your first voyage with an adventuring company?"

 

[Madrar]

Aldrem watched the confrontation with mild interest, his hand never far from the hilt of his blade. The lord quickly defused the situation, but it was clear that neither the templar nor the newly joined knight really trusted the robed and masked man. Suspicion was to be expected, of course.

With most of the group being adventurers, used to their own small groups or even traveling on their own, the army of soldiers, and arrival of more dangerous individuals had them on edge. The wandering swordsman decided to keep an eye open when they finally did bed down, but other than that, kept away from the newcomers.

Instead, he drifed to the other side of the wagons, where the small dunmer woman was. "Quite a show. Seems these woods are not only traveled by animals and bandits."

 

[TheArgonianDrell]

"Quite a show. Seems these woods are not only traveled by animals and bandits." Aylira snorted, watching the pack of newcomers mill about at the front of the wagon train. "You don't say. Seems like there are as many adventurers lurking in the woods as there are birds in the sky. Maybe we should have announced our intentions to every peasant. Might have made more....friends." She drawled, glancing towards her tall argonian companion and the bosmer woman with the bow. "I wonder if we'll be able to trust them..." She murmured, mostly to herself.

 

[Thesius]

The train of wagons continued on, the minor confrontations between the new adventurers was resolved though Gravus kept a keen eye on the others, though he seemed to sleep in the drivers bench of the wagon, swaying back and forth gently with its' motion. They continued steadily north, towards the mountains of High Rock. Soon the sun began to dip below the horizon, and only the occasional rays of sunlight punched through the forest canopy. "Getting hard to see, m'lord" the driver murmured. It was no exaggeration; with the setting sun and the tree cover, the rough road was barely visible.

"Very well." Jonathan said, "pull off in that clearing just ahead. We'll set up camp for the night there." The wagons moved off the road, forming a defensive semicircle, and campfires were started. Sentries patrolled the perimeter, as the road weary adventurers set up camp, some removing bedding from the wagons and setting up tents or bedrolls of their own, or sleeping inside the wagons themselves. As night truly fell, a thick fog began to fall upon the camp, weaving between the trees and tents of the soldiers and mercenaries. The twin paladins glanced joined each other near the center of the camp, hands on their weapons. Both were uneasy about the fog, both because of the suddeness of it and their past experience with it.

Despite the fog, nothing came screaming out of it. No shouts of alarm were raised by the sentries, who were visible by the torches they carried. However, those who were still awake felt as if they were being watched by a malevolent gaze, and those that slept were plagued by nightmares. In the distance, night creatures shrieked and screamed, but kept away from the encampment. Conversations died down, soldiers and mercenaries feeling an almost physical presence pushing down on them. Something was out there, watching...waiting...it was going to be a long night.