GAME CHAT 3: The Mournland

Outside Salvation, a titanic fogbank extends like a cliff wall along the border of the Mournland. As you approach it, the fog churns into ominous shapes: screaming faces, collapsing buildings, and outstretched hands. Explosions flash within the gloom, but no sounds are heard.

As Moisie follows Ovak, the Grey comes into view. A chill runs through her like a splash of cold water. "What in Clangor’s name is that?", she whispers in Goblin to her Orc friend.

She appears more awestruck, then frightened. Her mouth agape, but determined, she continues on toward the horrific, ghostly curtain. "The riskier the road, the greater the profit.", she says to herself, almost mantra-like.

Kata strolls up behind the pair, Vic following dutifully a pace behind her and to her right.

"Multiple folks I used to work with told me they'd attend my funeral when I said I was heading out here. I still haven't fully convinced myself they're wrong"

Fredo steps out with them, chewing a piece of bread. He hadn’t seen Malbor, but he had hoped to see him out here with the other crazies.

He says, "Well, let’s get this thing. That fog gives me the heebie-jeebies!"

Gabrielle loped along a few strides ahead of the main group, her longbow in hand with an arrow at the ready. Her keen eyes scanned the fields around, and particularly the road ahead of the party. She said little; the ominous wall of fog imposed on her mood.

Mordaky wasn't sure whether to draw his weapon or pray to a god he didn't have faith in. The fog bank was a horrible sight, he'd heard stories, but this was on another level. Still, he had to call this Mournlands bluff if he hoped to make a profit and escape his former life. His bones hummed with anxiety and his hands tightened into fists.

"Well, it's jus a bit of fog ya?" Mordaky said as he attempted to bluff a brave face.

Ovak says as she looking forward, "Mournland is never safe. We must move carefully and do our best not attack unwanted company." She motions to go forward slowly. She has her shortsword out and a shield in the other hand. She looks entirely ready for combat.

Malbor is up early, unable to sleep after the incident in the night. He stays at a distance from the others but observes and follows them. He considers reaching into each of their minds to see if they have any connection to the attack but eschews that course, knowing that it will require a lot of effort, and he will likely need to conserve his power for what is to come. Most of those present he can rule out immediately since their features don't match those of his attacker (Ovak, Moise, Fredo Mordaky) but still, he is wary.

He reaches out to touch Fredo's mind..

"Did you or any of the others, encounter anything unusual during the night? There was an incident in my room."

Fredo turns to look for his new, strange friend, and seeing him, Fredo's face betrays him by showing some excitement.

He smirks, and says, "Malbor! Wait, what?!? Guys, Malbor says something happened to him in his room last night."

Gabrielle frowns and turns around.

"Which one of you is Malbor," she says, "and what happened?"

"A good somethin' or a bad somethin'?" Mordaky says with a bit of caution in his tone.

"Guys, Malbor is my friend."

Fredo leans his head forward and says a little quieter, pointing to his head, "He speaks to me in my mind."

He grins and chuckles, enjoying how crazy that sounded coming out of his mouth.

Gabrielle puts on a too-friendly smile and nods slowly, looking at Fredo.

"And," she says, "Is... is this 'Malbor' here with us right now?"

Moisie pulls out her axe as they continue. She looks back to Kata and Vic, following along. She motions for the Artificer to join her and Ovak. "Kata, was it? That’s quite the contraption you’ve got there. Did you tinker it yourself?"

"Indeed I did. Originally they just helped me out, extra pair of hands ya know? I believe they're more than suitable to protect me these days though."

Once the group has moved far enough from the people of the town, Malbor approaches quietly. He says nothing, merely observing the various interactions between the members.

Entering the fog, the temperature drops and you hear whispering, scratchy voices inside your heads. You feel like you’re being watched from all sides: but before you have time to rethink your decision, you emerge from the fog into a gray, blasted battlefield. You have entered the Mournland.

You are following the road due north through a torn and blistered land. Scattered all around are the bodies of
soldiers, untouched by decay with expressions of choking and strangling frozen on their faces.

Gabrielle traveling ahead of the group sees a thick cloud of black fog blanketing the ground at a crossroad far in the distance.  Near this crossroad is the head of a warforged colossus.  The entrance to the Cannith warehouse close to the head just as Kalli described it.

As soon as Gabrielle saw the crossroads and more importantly the head of the colossus, she stopped and crouched down on the shoulder of the road to wait for the others to catch up. When they did, she smiled and pointed over her shoulder at the head, far in the distance.

"There it is, the head of the colossus," said Gabrielle. "I don't really know Kalli at all, but some portion of me expected this to be a false lead. Let's stay alert as we approach."

Moisie shudders at the cold and scratches at her ears as she passes through the fog. Staying close to Ovak and gripping her axe, she joins Gabrielle and looks around her shoulder to the crossroads and warehouse beyond. Her eyes narrow at the sight of the corpses and the black fog below.

"Good eyes Gabby, but the real test of this Kalli will be finding anything of value in there. If it’s this easy to get in there, how would we be the first to go in?", she says with hint of suspicion in her voice. "Unless it’s not, in fact, easy…"

She looks to Ovak and Kata for their thoughts.

"Honestly, without the info, I'm not sure I would have even given it a second glance. I'm kicking myself for not asking what she knew of the inside though. I expect we'll want to proceed with caution."

Vic has switched, without noticeable command, from behind her right shoulder to in front of it.