CH. 3: Guardian Mountains

[JadedDM]

The party continues toward the mountains. Keet keeps his hood up, complaining of the bright sun, but it's readily apparent he is a kobold and his appearance causes ripples of concern over the pilgrims. But as the paladins and clerics do nothing about him, and the fact that he walks with Echo, the pilgrims seem to accept his presence for now.

It seems Echo's bravery in rescuing the pilgrims has spread among the group. She often overhears someone whispering about the 'Flame Sorceress' who saved them. That's quite a contrast to her old nickname, the 'Ice Princess.'

After a few hours, they finally leave the forest and reach the base of the mountains. At this point, the Pharise calls for a halt as the paladins search for a pathway up the mountain. Riding won't be as prudent anymore from this point. The pilgrims sit down to an impromptu breakfast, not bothering to build a fire or set up camp, just eating and drinking. The Pharise creates some food and water for everyone, and there is a little more leftover than normal, as the group is down by two now.

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It is now 10:00 AM.

[HorizonsDream]

"We should probably eat some of the food that was created before it is gone," Echo says to Keet, as she moves in to join the pilgrims in their breakfast.

[JadedDM]

The two get in line and wait for some food. Breakfast turns out to be flapjacks, eggs and bacon. Keet wolfs his down greedily, but the fact of the matter is the food is almost completely bland in taste, as if someone had sucked out all of the flavor. Still, it's filling, at least.

[HorizonsDream]

Echo watches Keet wolf down the food with wide eyes as she eats her own food. "You don't get to eat a lot, do you?" she asks.

[JadedDM]

Finishing his food, Keet burps a little and then smiles contently, his tail wagging. "One time, Keet got to eat twice in one day. Was best day ever!"

[HorizonsDream]

"Well, I can sometimes understand how you feel there," Echo says. She finishes up her food, and then stands. Since she doesn't know how long it will take for the paladins to find a way up, she decides to check on the pilgrims that were saved, starting with the little girl.

[JadedDM]

Keet remains behind for seconds, so Echo goes looking for the girl she helped rescue. She spots her, awake and active now, sitting with a young woman that must be her mother, as they bear a striking resemblance.

[HorizonsDream]

"Uh, excuse me?" Echo says as she approaches who she assumes is the girl's mother. "She seems to be doing better."

[JadedDM]

The little girl looks up at Echo, eyes wide. "Look, mama, it's the Flame Sorceress! The one who saved me!" she states.

The mother quickly gets to her feet and bows to Echo. "I had meant to say something sooner, but thank you so much for saving my daughter."

[HorizonsDream]

Echo looks down at the little girl, and smiles slightly if not a little awkwardly at being called the 'Flame Sorceress'. It was a drastic change from what she was called back at home. "You don't have to thank me," she says to the woman. "My name is Echo, by the way," she says to both of them. "And I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay."

[JadedDM]

"Everything is fine now, thanks to you...and Sir Redstone," the woman says, blushing slightly as she says his name. "Oh, I am Leonor, and this is my daughter, Sofia."

"Hi!" Sofia says cheerfully. "When I grow up, can you teach me to be a sorceress, too?" she asks.

Sofia.jpg (21.05 KiB) Viewed 12015 times

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Echo makes a WIS check (1d20): 3, pass. She notices Leonor blushing.

[HorizonsDream]

"Do you know Sir Redstone?" Echo asks Leonor curiously. She would have outright asked about her blush, but decided it probably wasn't the best idea. "Well, if you really want to be a sorceress one day, then I don't see why not," she says to Sofia.

[JadedDM]

Leonor's blush becomes more pronounced. "Oh, uh...not personally," she says, idly playing with her hair. "But we spoke a little when he brought Sofia to me. He seems...very nice."

Sofia grins widely at Echo's remark, revealing a couple of missing baby teeth. She then, without warning, throws her little arms around Echo's waist in a hug.

[HorizonsDream]

Echo stumbles a bit from the sudden hug. At first, she isn't sure what to do, but in the end she awkwardly returns the little girl's hug and gives her a small pat on the head. "I've only known him for a few days myself, but he is nice. He was also very determined to save your little girl along with the others."

[JadedDM]

"Yes, he sounded so...heroic," Leonor states enthusiastically. "What was he like...in battle? Was it just like in the stories about dashing knights and evil monsters?"

Sofia grins up to Echo again, then lets her go and skips around a bit aimlessly, burning off youthful energy.