Having Faith

The party dressed again and went to the bar for one last time before they left. They saw a stockily built man with a long beige coat on being pickpocketed by a halfling. He yelled and asked what the hell he was doing. The halfling handed the ammo he stole from him back and he snatched it away with a grunt. The halfling skittered away, giggling nervously. He noticed a Drow woman with a tail eating a strange tentacle creature and a very pale human drinking from a waterskin. He checked his bounty book and saw a face that matched the man in front of him. He knocked back his ale and wandered over to their table. He slammed down a bounty poster with Jaxon's name beneath his face, but it is misspelled. As it turned out, Jaxon was worth only 5 rands. The bounty read Jackson Witers, wanted for theft in Longridge.

Sakiran asked if they could help him. The man told them that the drawing looks a lot like him and asked if he was indeed the man named Jaxon. Jaxon tried to say no, but since Sakiran couldn't read Common, she kept asking why he was saying he isn't Jaxon. The man asked if he was lying. Jaxon admitted that he absolutely was. Sakiran confirmed that he had a tendency to lie and asked why he was looking for him. The man said that Jaxon was worth 5 rands and he wanted it. He explained that he was a bounty hunter and will hand him over to the law.

At this point, Flea sat down at the table with them. The man offered for him to pay 5 rands and he would leave them. Jaxon handed them over and said he was sure there are people worth much more than him. Flea saw this happening and cast sleep. Jaxon felt a wave of tiredness and cursed Flea as he fell asleep.

Sakiran asked what to do with him and asked for the man's name. He introduced himself as Leoric, and Sakiran introduced the party. Flea felt remorse for his actions and had Pog wake Jaxon back up. Jaxon felt a lick on his hand as Pog woke him up. Leoric questioned what Pog was as Pog grinned at him.

Sakiran said they were about to head back out and motioned for Flea to start talking. Flea wanted him to take Jaxon away for 10 rands. Leoric seemed interested in the proposition. Flea admitted that Jaxon scared him, as well as the fact that they're a mercenary group but did not divulge the specifics.

Leoric asked if the APC was theirs and Flea confirmed that it was. Leoric offered to join them, since they must get paid well to afford an APC. Flea said he was planning on running a travelling circus with Pog. Flea then changed his story and said that they found the APC. Leoric couldn't tell if he was lying so decided to take his word for it, and went along with them. They headed back to the APC since it is getting late.

Leoric saw the APC up close. It looked rusted with chrome paint and hand prints. It was originally in Gratus colours as he could see under the chrome. The seats inside were covered in animal fur, since Sakiran decorated it to be more comfortable.

Leoric was less than impressed with the shoddy condition. Flea told Leoric about the blood spatters from Sakiran being attacked and warned him to be careful. Flea asked Leoric to help him fit the turret ring on top of the APC. Leoric almost fumbled it, but Flea managed to hold on as he affixed it to the top of the APC.

Sakiran started to paint with a canvas that Pog was holding up. Sakiran was trying to paint a phagebeast from memory. As she painted, it started to look similar to the one Cirik, the homesteader from Avlan, told her to kill. It was painted with exquisite detail but still an abstract piece. She was pleased with her work.

Flah'fle decided to toast their newfound friendship and brought out a keg of their alcohol. Sakiran took a shot of alcohol straight away and Jaxon followed. After a few more shots, both she and Jaxon were heavily drunk. She started telling them how she missed her only son and he was similar to Jaxon - sanctimonious, irritating, but she loved him dearly. Jaxon was about to interject, but she continued with how she knew he hated her for what she did to his father and she desperately wanted to see him again. She then passed unconscious and Jaxon followed. Flea walked over to Jaxon and kicked him to ensure he was alive. Jaxon groaned and Flea closed the door to the APC. He welcomed Leoric to their home. Flea covered Sakiran with a fur blanket and laughed at Jaxon. Flea placed the blood barrel next to Jaxon for when he woke up thirsty.

Jaxon had a dream of his manor. It was hazy and cold. It started to fade away as he stepped towards it, disappearing completely. He woke up with a heavy hangover. Sakiran had pleasant dreams about Ranabi and how she looked after him as a child, then woke up with a splitting headache. She asked where the blanket came from and asked Jaxon if he remembered what they spoke about. He confirmed that he did and she apologised for bringing up something so personal. She looked away again as Jaxon wasn't sure what to say. Flea woke up and clarified that he doesn't hate Jaxon, and was impressed by what he did to the noble in the city and it took balls. He asked him to drive them to Bastion.

The party agreed that they were going to head out to Bastion. The landscape was replaced by stone pillars all over the sky as the road stops and they drove across open plains. There were a lot of open sprawling plains with some craters and ruins of damaged cities. Jaxon decided to take the party through the city.

They saw signs of habitation within the city, but there were bones that could have been there a long time. They saw that the weather was cold, with a thick mist. Even though it was daytime, the air was tinted blue. They also could not see very far in front of them. Jaxon kept driving and the party heard a steady banging. Sakiran and Leoric volunteered to investigate and opened the back. They tasted copper in their mouths and Sakiran noted it tasted like blood, though the air smelled clean. Leoric investigated the marks and recognised them as being from a Breacher, an automata used to claw into buildings and attack everyone inside. They hadn't been seen in a long time. Sakiran asked if they should carry on looking. Leoric said they should go back and let them know what they saw. They carried on down the road in the APC and it was very uneven and cracked. The banging got louder as they got closer. There was one building in good repair compared to the surrounding buildings. There were barricades in the building and the banging is an APC door trying to close over and over again. Flea summoned Pog and told him to investigate before anyone else did. Pog climbs in and said hello to an unknown person, then grabbed a skull and handed it to Flea. Leoric went to investigate and Sakiran went with him, along with Pog. Jaxon begrudgingly joined them. Flea then decided that he was not being left alone and so joined them. Pog kept picking up and throwing things.

They could barely see inside the APC. Leoric peered inside and saw a skeleton missing the skull that Pog took. He saw the remains of a Breacher inside that had shattered the ribcage of the skeleton. Flea tried to heat the metal of the breacher to test if it will work. It glowed red with heat in some portions and remained motionless. They saw gunshot scorches and claw marks across the wall and in the ceiling. Leoric examined the robotics and, though he wasn't sure, ascertained that it may well be a Breacher, since there was no flesh left on it.

Leoric, Jaxon and Sakiran looked around together and saw the door to the building had been welded shut, but there was an opening that had been peeled open. Sakiran cast Dancing Lights to illuminate inside the opening. They saw a lot of part-metal bodies and barricades that were set up to try and block them. Sakiran took point as they walked in.

Inside the building, there were two entrance ways to the right and left and two sets of stair cases. Sakiran moved her Dancing Lights to the right and saw something that was trying to claw upwards, and had died in that position. She approached it carefully and got a better look. The mechanical remains were missing the head. Sakiran threatened that if something were to jump out she would rather it happen now. Leoric urged them to progress. Flea caught up with them. They come to a barricade, though no one was strong enough to move it apart from Sakiran. She was barely able to move the barricade alone and made a hole large enough for them to fit through. She headed through first and moved her Dancing Lights ahead. Their footsteps echoed as they reach the upper levels. It was cleaner, but they could see a central floor leading into different rooms. Flea told Pog to have a look through the middle door. Pog pattered over and pushed its head against the door, but it couldn't open the door. Leoric put his ear against the door and hears only silence. They heard the soft whooshing of wind coming through the entrance.

Leoric pushed against the door and it was locked. Flea picked the lock successfully. Leoric peeked through as Pog did so, too. They couldn't see anything. Pog's hello echoed through and he wandered in. Leoric said he could use Sakiran's Dancing Lights right about now, and she offered to look for him instead, since she could see well in the dark. She saw another dark room with rows of seats entering onto a stage. Pog was walking down an aisle happily. Sakiran threw the door open with her longsword, Last Rites, ready. She was met only with crushing silence.

Pog handed her a child's skull and she threw it back down in horror. She made her Dancing Lights follow Pog and followed him as he said there were more skulls. The footsteps echoed around the hall and they heard crunching of glass and bone underfoot. There were skeletons in the rows of chairs and huddled together in the seats. Sakiran scolded Pog to stop disturbing the dead and Flea also told him to stop. Pog threw a bone down and went up towards the stage. There was a massive stone icon on the stage, about 45 feet tall, and a raised podium and pulpit. Leoric was pretty certain it was an Elvish religious icon. It was beautifully carved and holding a golden sphere with a gem inside. The head had been destroyed from impact. Jaxon recognised it as an Elvish creation myth. The creature, Estel, held it in its arms and protected them all.

Leoric deduced that it was a religious building and people barricaded themselves in and died. They then couldn't escape and died within the building. Flea and Sakiran shared in a sense of mutual unease at the realisation that their people died here. Flea muttered a prayer in Ancient Elvish and stroked Pog's head, not wanting him to feel bad for having played with dead elves.