FC0 - CH 2: Night Stalker

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi considers the position that she is in. She doesn't have any weapons or armor to speak of, so she couldn't fight these guys even if she wanted to. She can't talk to them because they don't speak her language, and she can't even flee, as she doesn't know where she is going. ~This isn't looking good,~ she thinks to herself. Absently, she pushes away one of the goblins with her free hand as she feels him getting a little too close for her own comfort. ~This Night Stalker thing is my only hope.~

[JadedDM]

Eventually, after many twists and turns, they reach a square stone room, about thirty by thirty feet, illuminated softly by numerous black candles of various sizes, shapes, and lengths.

In the center of the room is a stone altar, stained with old blood. The shaman stands before it, looking eager. A number of goblins are decorating the shrine with small rat skulls, wolf pelts, and other sacred knickknacks.

The shaman smiles at her expectantly. "Beautiful," he says. "You will make an excellent sacrifice. Bring her here. Everyone else, leave."

Her honor guard escorts her up to the altar. All of the other goblins step out and close the door behind them. Now only Tavi, the shaman, the captain, and the three soldiers remain.

Tavi notices a wicked looking dagger now on the shaman's belt with a crooked blade and a jeweled pommel. The shaman gestures to the altar. "The hour is upon us, my dear. Lie down here and prepare yourself."

[HorizonsDream]

"Before I do that, I have a question," Tavi says as she takes in her surroundings. "You mentioned someone named the Night Stalker. Who is that?" she asks curiously.

[JadedDM]

"You have not heard of him?" the shaman asks. "It's of little consequence. He is a warrior, a human, who hunts our kind exclusively. I fear it is often difficult to separate fact from fiction, though. My people tend to exaggerate his prowess. Many speak of him coming into goblin homes during the day, slaughtering men, women and children as they sleep. He is a heartless, cruel monster incapable of mercy. We face many warriors like him, but he has a reputation for being among the most dangerous."

The shaman shakes his head as if to remove cloudy thoughts. "But such tales are better kept for scaring children. We have little time to waste. I suggest you do not stall. If anything goes wrong with this ritual, it will be your sisters who die in your stead."

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly to calm her nerves. "I have a proposal for you. In exchange for my life and my sister's life, what if I bring the Night Stalker in to you for your...sense of justice you seem to want," she offers. "You know I am capable of doing this."

[JadedDM]

The shaman laughs suddenly, as if told an unexpected joke. "You? What could you do? You did not even know who the Night Stalker was until a moment ago. How could you hope to find and track him, much less defeat him?" The shaman shakes his head. "And even if you could fulfill such a promise, we still need a sacrifice for the ritual. If not you, then which of your sisters would it be?"

[HorizonsDream]

"There are hundreds of pure girls in this world, maybe more," Tavi points out. "You probably all ready have a few in your ranks all ready with the slaves you have undoubtedly collected. If given my weapons and armor, I can track and find the Night Stalker, providing I have a general idea of where he usual hunts your kind. Though, I will only do this for you if you agree to free my sisters and myself. It is a risk, but with the Night Stalker gone you'll have better luck at rising as the great race you wish to be."

[JadedDM]

The shaman seems to consider her words. "You appear sincere...but still..," he hesitates, and thinks about it carefully. "You did prove yourself a cunning warrior. And I suppose if we release you and you never return, we can always just sacrifice your sisters instead." The shaman taps his chin with his finger.

"Very well then. I will allow this. However, you will be blindfolded and led away from our camp. I won't risk you trying to go to someone for help to return here and attack us. We will have a specified rendezvous point should you succeed in your task," he says. "You will have one week. If you have not returned then, with or without the Night Stalker, your sisters will take your place on this altar. Understand?"

==================

Tavi makes a CHA check (1d20): 2, pass.

[HorizonsDream]

"Agreed," Tavi says with a nod. "I would like to get started as soon as possible. Also, do you have any general idea as to where Night Stalker might be?"

[JadedDM]

"Our scouts can direct you once you're outside the cavern," the shaman says. "Bring her gear," he tells one of the soldiers, who hurries off to comply.

Within an hour, Tavi's gear is returned to her, she has her hands bound and is blindfolded, and is led outside by a captain and four soldiers. After another hour of being led around in the wilderness, the goblins cut her bonds and remove her blindfold.

It's very dark out. Only the moon and stars provide any light at all, but at least that's more light than there was in the cavern. She finds herself in a light forest near a large, gnarled tree with no leaves. In the moonlight, it appears rather sinister.

"When want to make contact," says one of the soldiers, "come to big tree. Wait here. We find you."

[HorizonsDream]

"Okay. Do you have any idea where I might find this guy?" Tavi asks. He was called Night Stalker, so it was quite possible that if she started just roaming this area she would find him, but she wanted a general idea of where to look for him first. She figured the goblins would know considering they were they were claiming to be the victims in this case.

[JadedDM]

The goblin points south. "Last seen that way, week ago. 'Bout three miles. Scout report that Night Stalker wipe out smaller clan, called Red Talon Clan. They camp that way. Camp destroyed," he says, his grasp of the Common tongue tenuous at best.

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi shifts the backpack on her shoulder, and starts walking south. It was still too dark for her to see or even learn anything for the moment, but she needed to get away from the goblins for the moment. Right now, she only a slight amount of hope that her plan here would work. It was completely insane, but it was the best that she could do in a short amount of time. "Whatever God is watching over me, please let this work," she says softly as she looks for a good place to camp for the night.

[JadedDM]

Tavi walks in a generally southern direction for awhile, until she feels the goblins aren't watching her anymore. Of course, she has no idea if she's being followed or not. She finds a spot that is as good as any other and settles down. She has no blanket and doesn't know how to start a fire, meaning she'll likely be having a cold and very dark night.

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi looks around for a few moments before she finally sits down. She removes her backpack, and decides that is probably the best pillow she is going to get for the night. With a sigh, she closes her eyes and tries to drift off to sleep even though she knows it will be a light sleep considering there are more than just goblins lurking in the night.