The Road to Sotavento

In time, Soelan returns and relays Commander Lasanti's orders regarding the survivors and the prisoners. It is then that the remaining soldiers in the landing boat begin to heft corpses into the two remaining craft for return to the main ship. They also collect the three survivors, shivering despite the administrations of Robyn and Cairrad, who give their thanks before boarding the landing craft.

Those who made the landing mostly unharmed are left standing on an unfamiliar shore with the sea to their back, a forest in front, and a distant building to their right. They are richer, though not much, and more powerful than when they arrived--the missive naming them Agents of Lodis confers the right of justice upon them in the province, and marks those who attack them as enemies of the state. It may prove to cause more trouble than good, or it may not.

The vista off the coastline is breathtaking as the Lodis Expedition ship weighs anchor and begins to sail west; the clouds are beginning to clear and rays of pure white are breaking through the gaps to illuminate the carnage on the beach. Two corpses remain landside--those of the fallen mercenaries--and the ground is waterlogged past its tolerance so that every step brings a squishing upsurge of liquid from the spongy soil.

Their orders are to gather information from the island and, where possible, to improve the dispositions of its rulers and inhabitants to lessen the chances of a full-scale rebellion. The rays of sunlight are beginning to drag heavily through the air; it is already late afternoon, and the shoreline will be frigid by nightfall.

Soelan looks around at the building, "So. What is in there. Did anyone look at that yet? I'm thinking it might make for a good place for a pyre for these dead mercenaries... just outside that building, perhaps. And I never did get an answer as to who can activate either of these healing wands. It's generally smartest to have healing wands in the hands of more than one person who can activate them."

Thenysil scratches at his tied back hair, his eyes closed and his stature seemingly neutral as he turns to regard the building in the distance. He gives the man a quizzical look, all this talk about pyres and proper treatment of corpses was truly troublesome. If anyone would agree with his idea that throwing the dead into the sea and giving them proper rites as they sunk to the depths was viable it would be the Halfling, but he wasn't quite interested in voicing that idea. Instead, he merely turns and begins his trek towards the building stating, "I will once I get there. The only people with stick magic seem to be you Jabber-Jaw and the nice Miss.

Robyn nods, "I can activate either wand, not with a perfect chance of success, though once I succeed it will be easier after that." She holds out her hand, "I leave it to you to decide who should carry it, since it was passed directly to you. But might I see the documents of our authority? Are we named on them and does it carry official seals... what's more are there copies for each of us?"

"I don't know much magic," Cairrad states in sullen tones, still slightly put off that they were expected to cross possibly treacherous country on their own with the threat of more battles and more deaths hanging in the air around them. "All I really ever learned was some basic teleportation and a bit of conjuration. If I concentrate, I can displace somebody and take their place, but that person has to be willing to make the spatial exchange with me."

Robyn takes the sealed envelope if Soelen proffers it to her, frowning and nodding as the obvious conclusions cross her mind. As Cairrad speaks Robyn brightens, "I know that spell too. It's a good one. I've also studied conjuration! Ever hear of the abrupt jaunt?"

As the group walks to the building, Soelen speaks up to Robyn and Cairrad, "I have some conjurations, but the good ones are very difficult to find in divine form. I would have gotten Dimensional Leap, a teleportation spell of the second circle -- for I had found a source for it as a prayer -- but it, alas, was prohibitively expensive. My collection of rare divine magics is sadly lacking in breadth."

Adora nods to Soelen, "Perhaps I can help you with that in the hopefully not too distant future."

"Uh, no?" Cairrad says to Robyn. "I'm no wizard - not even a sorceror. Elves aren't really... welcomed in most Lodosian academies. I learned what I could from my parents and their friends, but it didn't amount to much before they moved on and I stayed behind to enlist as a guard."

Robyn nods to Cairrad, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were trained in conjuration like me." She shrugs, "It seems we all have some magic within our group."