Chapter 1 - Awakening

As the halfling leads you back, the first thing you notice is that the 3 wagons have some strange mechanism attached to where animal harnesses would normally go. A long, horizontal cylinder with numerous leg-like limbs coming off, you've never seen anything like it. As you approach, you hear pots and pans dinging out of one of the wagons. "I'm Tobin Fairdeal, trader extraordinaire. If you're traveling with me, you'll be working for it. In exchange, you can occasionally ride, you get the safety of my guards, and food." the halfling starts. "I've been all up and down the co..."

All of a sudden, a large spoon flies out the back of a wagon, striking Tobin in the arm. "That's Tobin Fleetfoot you mean! Calling yourself something else doesn't change your name, you olf!" A female halfling stick her head and arm out the back of the wagon, waving a ladle in the air. "Now you gentlemen and women seem to be down on your luck. I've got a pot of stew." She calls out to the other wagons and a three other halflings pop out to help her bring down a large pot and a large breadboard. Reigniting the hastily put out campfire, a hardy, simple meal is brought up in no time.

As everyone eats, Tobin lays out his proposal. "I'm heading to Cliffsedge next, and you're welcome to travel with me, as caravan workers, with whatever skills you may have. We don't have enough room for everyone to always be riding, but I'm sure we can work something out. Are any of you from Cliffsedge?" He looks around at your stoic, confused faces. "Oh right, no memory. Well, maybe some of the clerics there can help with that."

Poking the camp fire a bit, Tobin shrugs. "As I said before, no one I know has any idea what the castle is called. It's name, if it ever had one, is lost to history. I certainly didn't know anything about the undead or any power; no one enters that ruin. Almost no one enters this forest at all. But you see the ground over here. It goes from living to dead at a line, in a circle around the fell place. You don't have to be an archmage to know there's magic there, magic you shouldn't be messing with."

"There are numerous scholars there, but I'm not sure if any of them would know much. This is a topic few people are willing to think about, let alone discuss."

"There will always be people willing to talk about anything, but frankly, anyone willing to talk about that vile place are probably not people you want to associate with. And if your own curiosity drew you there, you deserve to have lost your memory." Visibly irked, he throws the stick he was prodding with into the fire and walks over to the lead wagon, tinkering with whatever is attached to it's lead.

The caravan is very quick at taking down the camp. Tobin gives each of you tasks, ranging from scrubbing pans to packing things away, with the guards keeping their eyes on you. Once packed, you notice Tobin, his wife, and the lead guard each take a seat on the wagons just behind the odd contraptions. They each take something they're wearing around their necks and place it into a compartment in front of them, with a long stick coming off it. They each push forward on the stick in turn, and the cylinder begins to turn, the protrusions acting as feet, pulling the wagon along. It's unlike anything any of you have seen before.

Tobin seems to know exactly where he's going, finding the thinnest patches of trees, large enough for the wagons to pass through. Through the trip, you find yourself walking along side the caravan, along with the guards, though on occasion some of the riding halflings will let you switch seats for a bit. The trip moves at a reasonable pace, but not strenuous. The trip through the forest takes a few days, breaking out to a well worn path wide enough to take all three wagons side by side. You can smell the wiff of salt water in the air, but the ocean is no where in sight. Over the next day of travel, the road turns away from the forest and towards a beach, with an ocean opening up in front of you. The road turns to stone-paved as the beach turns to cliff, with a large city at it's crest, going right to the edge hanging over the ocean. It's magnificent, with a large wall around it's border, guard towers, and you suspect much more. Most prominent is you notice the largest, nicest buildings are closest to the cliff's edge.

"Cliffsedge! And profit! But for you fellows, maybe some answers. Or at least a way to get back on your feet."

"An old city is the best place to start," Tobin says as he leads the caravan up the hill. "It's a diverse town; you shouldn't have trouble fitting in, even without memories. It's next to impossible for me to teach you culture; I'm not sure what you are or aren't missing. I'd say be careful of who you ask questions, but at the last, I'll introduce you to my cousin. He's a innkeep and can probably help you find some work for coin, and maybe answer questions as they come up."

As you get closer, you notice the gate you're approaching is enormous. Wide enough to take all three of Tobin's wagons in side by side twice over, and tall enough to take them stacked. There seems to be a redish haze at the portcullis, but it's not impeding people's entry and exit. Caravans of various sizes are parked outside the city, between the road and cliffside. As you look down the way, you notice very few caravans park near a portion of the wall that looks significantly more rundown than the rest of the walls.

"When you get inside, I personally recommend finding a healer. There are those who recommend priests, but I've never been one for the New Gods. I have to unpack the caravan, but I will meet you tonight at The Happy Foot in the Merchants' District." As you get down, you notice Tobin's wife walk right up to him, waving ladle in hand, apparently upset. A brief fight later, he catches up with you, a sheepish grin on his face. "She's right, you know, as always. Please, take this. It'll at least cover the registration fee if your mechano is an auto. Weeks of travel together and I'm still not sure; it doesn't talk or can't, and I'm not sure which. And obviously the clothes are yours to keep." He hands you a small bag and waves you off.