View source for Log:Along the Twilight Path Act One

{{Infobox Log
|name      = Along the Twilight Path At One
|summary   = A Twilight Path appears next to The Duchy of the Setting Sun.
|icdate    = 24 May 2021
|ictime    = Day
|players   = [[Hawk]] [[Erin]] [[Conn]]
|location  = The Dreaming
|spheres   = Changeling
}}

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Conn]]
[[Category:Erin]]
[[Category:Hawk]]
[[Category:Changeling]]


	The structure beneath your ground is the first thing you notice when you step onto the Twilight Path, is that it is high up. Very high. Ahead, where it curves to the left, you can see arches like those of a bridge. Large stone blocks placed with infinite precision create the floors and walls of the Twilight Path and beneath the stones, if you listen carefully, you can hear what sounds like water flowing. A wearing down of the stones in the centre with two ruts for caravans rather implies it sees frequent use from sentient beings of some form. Where the temporary glade that connects the Silver Path at Setting Sun to here there appears a signpost 

 ^
 | ELTHWARD:
 | Citadel of Lost Hopes, 2 day's travel
 | Redmire Thorp, 1 day's travel
 | Sleeping Wraith, 1 day's travel
<- Setting Sun, Amward 0 day's travel
 | ARTHWARD:
 | Desolace
 v
 

	 A literal caravan rests in the glade between the Silver and Twilight Paths, Conn sits at the reins and a rather irritated looking Unicorn clumsily tries to move forward "I'm just not used to having four legs, boss man, it'll just take me a minute to adjust okay," the voice belongs to the obstreperous Crow Chimera that has taken to hanging out in the rafters of the Murder of Crows. "Well," Conn says in response, "that sounds like a you problem. You said you'd tow the caravan and I've made plans around that arrangement Beanna. Plus, we both know that's not how the Metamorphosis Art works, I think you're just trying to welch on a bet." The unicorn gives him some serious stink eye at that and very slowly starts to trot across the makeshift bridge that has been set down between the glade an the Silver Path.
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	The Red head known as Erin, is seen coming this way along with her trusty companion Kringer. She looks around as they seem to be trying to find ah there he is Conn and that is where they head. She is wearing armor because well it be silly not to wear such things.

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Hawk chuckles from where he stands beside the wagon, "Should have just borrowed something from Ethan's stables. You don't get the satisfaction of turning your chimera into a unicorn, but most o f them know which foot to move first, and generally don't complain quite so much." He shifts the wide strap holding his sword on his back slightly and looks around, cause, well, you never know out here. Erin and Kringer are watched as they approach, with a glance to Conn to see if their appearance has the other troll at all worried.
 

	 "The problem with the Ethan's horses," the older Troll replies, "beyond their being Ethans, of course, is that they're not quite as sapient. Plus working magic on them is harder and it may be necessary at a moment's notice." Beanna, once he gets onto the giant aquaduct seems less interested in his usual banter and more in pretending that he's not terrified of falling "Walking this high from the ground," the Unicorn-Crow says, "is just not natural." "We were beaten onto the Twilight Path by a crowd that went thataway," Conn says pointing in the direction the sign refers to as "Arthward", "couple of Pooka, an Eshu and a Sidhe with a better made cart than mine, loaded with provisions. I reckon we go the other way. Not that either terminus points sound super enticing, mind you, but that may just be the nature of this bit of Silver Path. May have belonged to the other side at one point."

 

	Erin comes up close and does her typical greeting "Sup!" she smies and looks at the unicorn "ooo we got a unicorn neat!" she grins and up nods Hawk.

 
Hawk grins and waves to Erin once she's closer and apparently really is who she appears, then replies to Conn with "All good points, but they'd probably be happier about it then Beanna is." He walks beside the caravan as it crosses, apparently not too concerned with the height above the ground. "So now that we're out here, any idea what we're getting ourselves into?"
 

	Conn nods at Erin "Hey Erin, hey Kringer, hey Hawk. Yeah, I can do unicorn easier than horse, probalby just the Scathach thing, like how when I think 'bird' I get 'raven' or think 'dog' I get 'wolfhound', but it could just as easily be the whims of the Dreaming," either option seems equally likely and reasonable. "This is my first trip along a Twilight Path this go round, there's one in Galway somewhere, or was when I lived there in the 40s..." he shudders at the thought of 1940s Galway, "Chimera can attack us here without haemorraging Glamour, Adhene and Thallain can also walk here freely, but I think we'll have a good view of the path ahead."
	He takes his small pouch of scrying tiles out and casts them on the ground, "And I think we'll get warning if anyone comes on us from the other direction," he shakes his head at Hawk, "I could probably Soothsay it, but it's a tricky art at the best of times. There's a village a day's ride that-a-way. If the road was straight ... and not a mile from the ground, I'd recommend we Quicksilver it and go at very very fast speeds, but," he points at the road turning, "I reckon we make tracks, literally, for Redshire and see about whether or not we can head from there to the Citadel of Lost Hopes. Sound good?"
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	Erin smiles at Hawk and then looks in the direction where Conn is guesturing too and she nods "Sure, i'm here if you need me we can ride behind the wagon" as she guestures to Kringer

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Hawk shrugs a little, "It's your party, I'm just along as muscle and to start learning more about how things are supposed to work out here. You choose the path, I'll follow along and try and make sure nothing eats Beanna, since I think you can argue against being eaten for yourself." He stretches a little, "Besides, it's nice to get out of the noise and pollution now and then and just enjoy what we have here."
 

	Conn nods and waits for the pair to hop onto the back fo the caravan before giving Beanna the lightest touch of the reins. He tries to make small talk a couple of times over the course of the two or three hours of ride that pass, but it's not really the kind of conversation he's good at and so they pass over a raging storm he starts in earnest with teaching Hawk about the Dreaming. "That's the Firchlis, the wind of change that passes through the Dreaming, see how on the far side the countryside is all deserty and mountainous but it's all green and lush where we came from? That's what it does. Freeholds and Trods are immune to the effect, and it's not inherently harmful to us, but you may find that you were in a nice forest clearing before but are in a monster filled nest afterwards. It's kind of a mixed bag."
	Standing out of the storm on the right side of the Trod there is another leg of the Twilight Path joining this one. Conn takes out a pocket watch which has two faces on it, one ticking much much slower. "Okay, we've been at this about half a day from our perspective, but only half an hour in the Autumn has passed. I reckon we"... but whatever he was about to say gets cut off as the Firchlis rears up out of the ground, replacing the open space to the right with a loud battlefield. A non-Kithain, human looking, figure on the edge steps onto the Twilight path and huffs tiredly. "Don't mind if I join you," he says through panting breaths, "I've been stuck in that battle since I found myself in it, you fine folks wouldn't happen to know the date, would you?"
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	Erin and Kringer get in the back of the caravan as they look around as Conn explains things to Hawk she looks over with interest. She smiles a little bit then well they move somewhere else and someone is joining them and ERin raises a brow atching the warrior with a curious expression.

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Listening to Conn's instruction, Hawk still keeps an eye out around them as they move. The rather abrupt demonstration of the Firchlis garners a raised eyebrow and a twitch of his hand towards the hilt of his sword, but when the only figure that seems to be paying attention to them currently decides to talk instead of trying to pull them into the fight, he leaves the sword in it's sheath. "Well, May 23rd where I tend to hang out the most." He glances at Conn to see if he has any opinion on the new guy joining up, then shrugs, "Unless my companions have some issue, I can understand wanting to get out of a fight you're stuck in."
 

	Conn nods at Hawk and Erin, "May 23rd 2021, to be precise." A moment of shock crosses the man's face and he swears "Two fucking years I've been stuck in that godforsaken valley," he quickly blesses himself "forgive the blasphemy, not that I think you folk would mind. Do you happen to know where the nearest Trod to the world of men is? I have a ... well I suppose you'd call them a family to return to. But where are my manners, you may call me Theosophus. And what may I call you, my fellow travellers?" He seems friendly enough, mostly relieved to be out of an eternal war, but genuine enough and about him there is the hint of ozone, power but not Changeling magic as he drops his hands and the medieval battle-gear he was wearing is replaced by modern clothing.
	Conn nods and drops a stone on a line which hangs down and waves a little, as a pendulum will, and then hangs at an angle "The nearest patch of Silver Path is about half an hour thattaway, I can't tell you where you'll come out, but if you can enter it on your own you can get out. You can call me Breo, if we're not giving out real names which, given where we are, is probably the best policy."
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	Erin looks thoughtful at the stranger and stays close to her cat as she looks him over with some curiousity after all she is the little person in this caravan. She looks to Conn as he gives a different names and follows "Evelyn" she smirks at something about the name.

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Hawk shrugs a little, "Name I normally go by is a nickname to begin with, so no idea how that all adds up. So heck with it, I go by Hawk most of the time. You need a drink or anything? I think we can probably spare a water skin or something like that." He shakes his head and looks to Conn, "Well, now I have a little better idea the kind of stuff you've been talking about, would suck to have two years suddenly gone cause you got stuck in something you didn't expect."
 

	 "I suppose I should probably be hungrier and thirstier than I am, given I have not had a meal in two years, but I would not impose upon you. Plus, your food and water would provide me little in the way of sustenance and just prolong the hangover I will face when I leave this plane would it not mister Hawk?" 'Theosophus' replies, "Plus it would put me further in your debt than I already am and we believe it is never good to be too much in the debt of the Gentry."
	Conn nods at the figure in response to the food "Yeah it'd not be good for you, sure enough Master Theosophus, so I hear." He turns to Erin and worldessly mouths "Evelyn?" but shrugs "But, Master Theosophus, we are not your saviours and though I could explain the mechanism of your deliverance, that would incur a debt. And not one that I reckon you're liable to be willing to pay. But you can have the piece of string and rock in exchange for an equivalent kindness in turn to one of mine further down the line, when the opportunity presents itself. It will lead you safely to the Silver Path and then cease working. Do not deviate from the path it lays out or it will stop working. Do not try to figure out how it works, or it will stop working."
	The stranger nods, takes the pendulum and goes about his way, after no more than five steps he vanishes as though walking into a mist. When he's gone, Conn smiles at Hawk "Yeah, it's why I put together the two watches, I don't look at them too much because if you do you invite time to change its mind. Prodigals who venture into the Dreaming without one of us as guide invite whatever happens to them." And so the journey resumes, the junction comes upon them, the sign now saying

 ^
 | ELTHWARD:
 | Citadel of Lost Hopes, 1.5 day's travel
 | Redmire Thorp, 0.5 day's travel
 Sleeping Wraith, 0.5 day's travel ->
 | ARTHWARD:
 | Desolace
 v

	And though it has not been a half day of travel, nor the seeming of it, Conn nods "We're making good time, I guess. I suggest we check and see if Redmire Thorp is a Thorp as we reckon them and, if so, we make camp there. Unless both of you particularly want to go to Sleeping Wraith?"
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	Erin watches as the stranger poofs and hmms "Poor guy hope that his family welcomes him well she's so going to beat the shit out of him first though "She smirks then looks back to Conn "Oh are we? Well your the driver so we go where you take us" she snodsnods then pauses "Camp where and go where?"
 
Hawk shakes his head, "I'm in it for the experience and learning more about all of this, so don't have any particular need to see one place over another. When you're with someone who knows what he's doing, you follow his advice, is what I've learned in my life. Besides, I have no idea what Redmire Thorp is versus Sleeping Wraith anyway, so six of one, half a dozen of the other. If Redmire is what you suggest, Redmire bound we are."
 

	Conn draws a mark onto the sign on the road with something that looks like chalk and then smiles at Erin "The Citadel of Lost Hopes is our nearest neighbour to the .... Elthward, which must be the local version of North, someone else can have the privilege of mapping out the way to Sleeping Wraith, if they want." He nods at Hawk "See, the problem with directions in the Dreaming is that four rights won't necessarily lead you back to where you were, the normal inhabitants of this Trod must have their own set of directions. A thorpe is a kind of Freehold, like a small village with more than one balefire, it exists in the Autumn and Dreaming both, but if it's on the Twilight Path it may only exist here and, separated from the Autumn, there's no telling what state it will be in."
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	Erin ohs softly and smiles "So where we going then? what's the plan" she grins. Erin looks ot Hawk and smiles giving him a wink "Adventuring we go" she giggles

 
Hawk grins at Erin, "Exactly. Gotta have some fun now and then." He looks to Conn. "Besides, if this place is like a Freehold, we should see who's got hold of it. If it's not in Fae hands, we might be able to add some territory to Ethan's holdings if we reclaim it." He pauses, then adds, "If it works that way, that is. Not too sure how ownership of places like yours happens in the Dreaming, I'm fairly sure there aren't too many Sidhe real estate agents running around holding open Freehold events."
 

	Conn nods "Since a plan is called for, I say we investigate Redmire, which appears to be roughly half way between where we came from and the end of the road. If it is a Thorpe, we can then drop an attuned coin or something and use it to Wayfare back and forth. I don't know that I like the idea of going to somewhere called Lost Hope with just the three of us."
	He tilts his head this way and that at Hawk "It may not be that straight forward, it could well be that between here and there along the Silver Path there's an entire Duchy, or that we'll end up in a freehold that's already in a Duchy or that a Duchy has a rightful claim to."
	Soon enough, they can see a ruined keep on the horizon, and the Silver Path merges seamlessly with the Twilight path at the base. A troup of Chimerical creatures what would in most circles be referred to as Monsters, definitely the right side of Nervosa and Nocnitsa thankfully, stand between the party and the Thorpe. "Well, it looks like we have company. Weapons at the ready folks, Beanna, birds eye perspective if you will," whereupon the Crow says "FINALLY" and in a puff of Glamour is a bird once again, scouting out the path ahead.
 
 

	Erin is looking around and listening as Conn explains as she smiles though when Conn mentions they have company she gets at the ready she gets a concenr look and then gets her sword at the ready.
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Hawk draws the massive sword from his back this time, as these guys don't look much like talking. He hops down from the caravan since it no longer has it's 'engine' for the moment and looks over the opposition, cracking his neck first one direction and then the other, "So do we do anything formal here, or just start chopping? Wouldn't want to make you look bad if there's a proper process to this sort of thing."
 

	Conn shakes his head "Kill them before they kill you, no proper process, we are beyond such niceties at this point. And if you have to make a dash for the Keep, it's still on the Silver Path," the Troll lets go of all civility and rushes to battle with both Iontaofa and Righteous Indignation drawn. Claw and fang meet Conn's two swords and the battle cantrips he'd hung in the case of combat coalesce around the party, granting a nimbleness and resilience to their limbs that make them harder to hit and harder to wound, as Confounding Coils and Oakenshield settle.
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	Erin takes out a bow instead to try and take people out before they get to the wagon since there is no question or anything and it's kill or be killed so.. Kringer is in protection at frst depending how shit goes

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Hawk nods and calls out "Hermod, lend me your speed!" before rushing forward as his own Quicksilver cantrip takes effect. His sword darts right, left, then right again, far faster than a weapon that size should move, and three of the enemies reel away from him sporting massive wounds. One gets in a hit on him, but it seems to skitter off his clothing without doing any actual damage, thanks to Conn's Oakenshield.
 
 
 

	Conn moves with a confidence that lifetimes of battle provide a knight, his blade anticipating attacks before they come as he all-but dances through the fight and when it looks like one of them is about to land a blow, a blast of eldritch energy leaps from the gem in the pommel of Iontaofa and strikes the creature, reducing it to a pile of smoking dead monster and though the pitched fight is still a pitched fight, the three of them appear to be turning the monsters back.
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	Erin begins to take aim to the ones that are not in combat with Conn or Hawk as she gets ready to shoot at one and then releases her mighty arrow and hits her target right in the eye and they go down.

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Hawk spins and puts down two more of the creatures, his speed continuing to let him use multiple attacks. He may have picked up a new trick or two lately. The massive sword almost seems to flow into place to intercept the incoming claws of another monster and he wags an admonishing finger at it before simply swinging the hilt of his sword full strength into it's head with a loud crack, dropping it where it stands.




	 Those monsters that aren't slain quickly realise that they cannot stand before three battleready foes and flee, leaving their fallen fellows to their Dooms. Night falls, in its own time in the Dreaming, and the party head into the ruined Keep for security. Conn etches a circle in the ground with the one Arcadian glyph of Finding that he knows and gestures for the other two to enter. "I'll take us back to Lion's Reach, we can investigate this place tomorrow, I am not keen on exploring a ruined castle in uncertain lands the dark".

End of Act I