It was a dark and stormy night....Well, it was relatively early evening, with the sun amidst setting, and it was more sprinkling than stormy, but it was wet and hot. Tram was passing through a valley amidst the Icerim mountains. He had been running from his past for days. He had left his friend Debel behind, and he wanted to forget it.

He was struggling to convince himself that Debel would've done the same in the face of such an immense beast...Maybe he had. Maybe somewhere in these mountains Debel was running to. But Tram was still too scared to turn back. There was a city to the North, he was sure of it. If he could just get to the edge of the mountains, and out of white dragon territory. He couldn't be far now.

The skies opened upon him and Tram realized that it was dark outside. Whether the clouds had blocked the sun or he'd just been daydreaming too long was now irrelevant. He needed shelter, fast.

**I'm taking liberties here, let me know if you wouldn't do this**

He searched the nearby rock for shelter. Surely there would be an alcove nearby. He had nearly resolved to sleeping under the rain that now threw him off balance occasionally when he started to read the mountain differently, noting the way that some of the rock was thinning above a boulder.

His survival instincts told him there was a cave behind it...a large one...more than enough for him to hide from the winds and rain. He clutched the boulder, now blinded by the stinging rain, and pushed, struggling and failing to move the rock that was more than twice his size........

---

Roy recalled the map-maker's orders. Head East to the mountains, and skirt them to the north. They will curve east, so follow the edge of the mountains in that direction. As you do, look North for the great city of Tershland. He was certain such a place would be perfect to prove his worth, but these mountains were difficult to hike. There was no beaten path, and he found himself tiring easily. To make things worse, it was starting to rain.

He was so frustrated that he found himself kicking stones whenever he looked at his feet. A stinging sensation rose up from his big toe and Roy knew what it was. He stubbed his toe on a nasty rock and winced. He had found it easier travel at the edge of the mountainous terrain if he stuck to valleys instead of cliffs. If he had been on a cliff, he might have fallen off, but this trip up, only made him stumble a bit in this small valley. Rain swatted his armor now, and it was time to find shelter. It was a dreary night.

He found himself staring at the stone he had tripped over as the wind picked up and rain smacked him in the face and looked up, more out of honor than a desire to find a place to sleep. A three foot high gnome appeared to be trying to move a 10 foot by 8 foot boulder.

**again, liberties, let me know**

He decided to help the little thing and easily shifted the boulder aside, revealing an opening, though the rain made it difficult for him to do much more than dive inside, after the gnome of course.

--

It was wet, and though it was a warm day, it seemed a dreadfully cold evening for Siegfried. He had never adventured on this level before, but the excitement of new scenery was dulled by the long walk, and now by the heavy rain. In fact, the winds were starting to pick up, and he felt like, even at his size, he was losing his balance in the wind and rain. He gripped the wall as he continued to walk.

He had just started to think about shelter when, purely by coincidence, the wall disappeared from beside him at the same moment the wind blasted him with tiny particles of water and he fell into a cave....

As the wet adventurers rubbed the rain from their eyes, they heard the sound of water beating against the floor of the entrance, splashing their clothes further. The rain was only getting heavier. It seemed soon it would be hitting them in the face even in this shelter.

Their vision refocused in the darkness of the cave, only to realize it wasn't so dark. There was a lit torch at the wall opposite the entrance, near a wooden door that fit smoothly with the rock. The stone of the cave did not look worked, but the door fit snugly in the nook. They peered around, estimating about 40 foot width and 20 foot length (entrance to new door) and a second door on the far right of the cave.

The floor was wet, and water was starting to pool in the worn crevices. The doors looked worn with age and the lit torch did not illuminate much of the dark corners of the cave. Surely some nasty creepy-crawly hid there, waiting to pounce on a group of adventurers each 100 times its' size...ok, maybe not, but the corners were still dark.

Siegfried Hochvinde was excited! His first time weathering a storm without having his house to shelter him. There wasn’t much rain yet, but the wind was picking up. The young warrior removed his wide-brimmed hat, taking a few shots of water in favor of his cloak’s hook. He debating tying his blanket around his neck to help curb the harsh weather, but it was far too hot. I could make camp for the night, I have enough cloth… shelter would probably be better. I have to stay at my peak tomorrow.
“What is that…” he spoke aloud as the wind started to howl in the canyon. “I don’t understand. Speak up.” He knew the language of the skies… Auran. Its spoken word sounded as wind rushing past a surface, varying in strength as tone changed. Exactly like this. Was there an air spirit with him? His vocal cords could not yet produce the sounds of the tongue, but he could whistle and blow some poorly imitated phrases. It sounded as the wind was trying to warn him of something, but the words were jumbled. Probably just reading too much into this… it’s just the wind. Coincidence.
As if seemingly on cue, his cloak whipped around and inverted, wrapping around his head and obscuring his vision. He tried to fix it, but lost his balance in the increasing wind. He frantically searched with what vision he had left. Cave! He fought his way towards the entrance and let himself fall. At least it’s not wet in here… still hot though.
It seems he wasn’t alone. Two more, probably looking to escape the weather as well. One was horribly deformed… several feet shorter than he should be. Or perhaps a different species. Perhaps it spoke Giant – it wouldn’t be the first time a small-statured creature spoke the language of the tall ones. Siegfried kept a hand near the flail on his belt, which was much less threatening than the large spear on his back, something of an awkward appearance given the wet cloak held slightly off-center by it’s shape. His studded leather was soft, but it still creaked with rainwater as he positioned his hand near his belt-holster.

The air was tense. Siegfried was not a people person, but he was a good soul, even though he was not yet aware of just how much. His pupils glazed over with a platinum hue as his metallic-grey eyes lost color to the shimmer. He did not know it yet, but that was the sign his gifts from the platinum dragon were manifesting themselves. He could sense it again. Siegfried continued to lock eyes with the man in scales and the short one. He cocked his head slightly and gave a few sniffs in the air. Bugs… some winged, most of them crawlers. Maybe a spider or two… we are alone. A platinum glow began to shine on the floor beneath him. It’s back…Now I will know their intentions. The young man’s radiance shown – it was more than the platinum sheen, he had an otherworldly aura about him. If these two were indeed vile at heart, they would know it. If they walk in the light, they should sense an ally in Hochvinde.

“Hail… are you simply seeking shelter?” He called out authoritatively but unthreateningly, in Common quickly followed by Giant. Strange… there is already light and a doorway here, do they live here?
Siegfried stood firm awaiting a reply. He was not a terribly large man, although he seemed to be built to last. His muscles were firm and his body healthy and agile, but he definitely was not a physical paragon, as if there is unused potential in him – or perhaps it has been redirected elsewhere? He is burdened with seemingly too much adventuring gear… a backpack, sack, bedroll, two blankets, cloak, full body leather as well as studded armor. He was definitely out for the long one. He seemed a bit fluttery, almost as if he was too quick for his body, or at least as if his mind and body did not fully communicate. Half of him seemed to work on instinct alone, but yet his platinum eyes shielded a calculating mind. He stared each of them down alternatively, not jumping to conclusions but not being careless.

It was pouring when Riaharan pushed aside the thick branch of a maple tree to see how deep he was among the mountains still. Orcs were not common in these parts, but it was all new terrain to Riaharan. He was an islander, and the islands to the Southwest were not known for mountains, only ice...lots of ice. This hot, muggy weather was an entirely new experience, and altogether unpleasant.

Water drowned his armor and it creaked as he moved. The slick rock was easy for him to maneuver, his homeland had plenty of slick ground, but his eyes rolled back in his head when he saw that the tree only revealed another mountain to pass before he could seek permanent shelter.

**Liberties**

He blinked hard into the rain and tried to peer around for shelter. Much to his surprise, it looked like a mountain cave was not far off, and it was open. There was even a good-sized boulder nearby that he might use to protect himself from the rain while inside. He rushed into the cave, to find himself face-to-face with a stand-off..

--

Nature sought to fill his wish today. Valerick was nearly blown down by the force of the wind about him. He had never passed the mountains before, and he was quite probably the first of his kind to do so. It seemed to be full of life unlike any he had encountered before. He fought hard to endure the driving rains just a little further..just a little further when he slipped on the unfamiliar terrain, and found himself sliding in what appeared to be an avalanche of water down the cliff-side.

**Liberties**

His heart raced as he sought about for every opportunity to save himself from the tree-limbs that smacked his forehead. He caught a break with a large log that was flowing downstream as well. Must've been knocked over in the rain, he thought as the green leaves helped him slow his pace. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, The tree stuck, rather instantaneously, between a tighter crevice in the valley, and he nearly pulled his arm out of place trying to hold on.

He was dangling two or three feet from the ground, his skin sparkling in the flash of lightning that cracked thet sky. The stream emptied off the cliff-side only a few feet behind him. The ground he was dangling over ended only a few inches behind him. For a moment it occurred to him that, had the tree not caught the valley, he might well have plummeted to his death. He dropped down and glanced about for shelter. The weather was getting worse, and when the tree snapped in two and rolled into the pit below, he was fully convinced that it was time to get inside, somewhere safe.

Fortunately, nature was on his side today. A man...Must be a man, but those ears were weird... in leather darted past him as he landed, into a large hole to his right. He saw it as a great opportunity to gain shelter, and perhaps safe company.

"Am I seeking shelter?"Tram replied cocking his little head. "No, I live here and I sleep in that mud pile over there." Tram shakes his head and rainwater sprays about. He wipes his face then looks back. "Of course, I'm seeking shelter! I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but it's been quite a day." He looks to Roy, "Thanks for helping me with that boulder by the way." He found it to be typical, that out of all the people he'd be stranded in a cave with, they would all be taller than him.

Tram pauses for a moment gathering in the sight and sounds of his surroundings, "Although it seems someone might live here... Granted a crazy person, who likes to use both normal doors and big rock ones. I don't like the look of this cave, but for now it seems better than outside." Tram looks down the stoney corridor in a curious nature. Lucky for him, he can see in dark.

Valerick glanced to the waterfall that might have been his fate a second time. "A fool's mistake," he thought to himself, remembering the waterslide. He forced his mind to stop wondering how far the waterfall dropped before he was tempted too badly to scream, to relieve the day's stresses.
A second later and Valerick's angers and irritations were suppressed, then decided that the humanoid in the leathers had some idea where he was going and so followed him, doing his utmost not to startle the lightly armored man.

(Who is that in front of me? probably the other who got in late?)

Valerick saw the cave, even from behind, as soon as the other did. "That must be his destination, a good enough place to weather this rain," Valerick thinks, and follows him in. He cannot help but wonder if he was intruding upon an adventuring group's campsite as he saw the three already inside the cave. He was proved wrong, however as he saw that there was some dispute going at the entrance between a man and a shorter man.

To the others, two more people approach the cave to seek shelter from the rain. The second is about six foot tall, and visibly strong. His skin appears to almost glitter occasionally, when he turns this way, or that, as if a small amount of gem dust had alighted upon him. His eyes are like emeralds and his long brown hair is sopping wet. You also see that he wears a wooden medalion around his neck and rather heavy clothing, probably made heavier due to the fact that it is completely soaked. It may be raining hard, but this guy looks like he's been for a swim recently. He stays behind the other man and chooses to remain quiet but not as to hide.

Roy runs his hand through his hair, and sighs. The rain would only make his condition worse. He observed the cavern he was in, the people inside, and the dark corners of the cave itself. He wondered what had brought everyone here to the same spot as the rain began. When Tram speaks to Roy, he responds.

"No problem. And you are? If we're going to be stuck here we might as well get to know each other."

He lifts his arm slightly and pulls back his sleeve. A long, random pattern of green blotches and lines stretches down his arm. The largest spot is pusling slightly. Roy winces and slides his sleeve back into place.

The deformed one is irritable. Well that's understandable, I would be too I suppose.
Siegfried nodded at the short one's response.

"Well, it seems we are all here by chance, and it also seems we are someone's guests." The wiry man in leather spoke, his eyes returning to their dull metallic shade.

"My name is Siegfried Hochvinde. I hail from a villiage not too far from here. The storm is getting worse, and I do not think it a good idea to block our only exit with the stone, so perhaps we should knock..."

He eyed up the others. One of them had deformed ears, and even another was oddly familiar. He remembers seeing one in passing, his villiage wasn't far from the core of the psionic lands. Was this strange man a psychic too? No matters now. The man in scale mail looked like he could hold his own, and the psion, if that's indeed what he was, shared any of Seigfried's own power, then he would be valuable should things turn for the worse. The odd one with deformed ears and the short one he was unaware as to their abilities. Perhaps they were not even warriors - merchants or cartographers. He'd protect them.

With a bow, he walked up to the door and gave a few loud, authoritative knocks.

"Let us get to know our host then... I hope he has more torches on the other side."

"Greetings, I am Riaharan." responds the one with deformed ears, and noticing Siegfried looking at his ears says "I am an Elf, to be precise a Wood Elf."

"Do you think it's wise to knock, shouldn't someone just open the door and let the rest have a good line of sight if anything appears." he says drawing out his bow and loading an arrow.

As Valerick proceeds past the entrance of the little alcove, he sees that it is an entrance into some underground structure. Upon his body you see he wears a shirt of chainmail and leather pants. He wears heavy looking boots, a heavy green shirt, and leather bracers. There is a well worn sword at his hip, On his back in an equally worn shield. He either has seen a fair share of battles or he runs himself into the ground while training, you decide.

The shelter quickly transforms into an exploration as the man who declared himself Siegfried walks to the door and knocks. Presently he turns his attention however, to the man with large ears, calling himself Riaharan, a 'wood elf'. Valerick takes a moment to wring the water out of himself and casts his gaze over the others. A tiny man that he didn't notice at first, who could have been a child but for the look in his eyes. The only other occupant in the cave was the human who was just covering his arm when Valerick entered.

The 'elf' creature draws Valerick's attention again when he draws his bow. He had been listening to the conversation in the back of his mind so he knew what was going on. Before drawing his sword he decides to introduce himself, and in doing so, trigger the introductions of the two he hasn't learned the names of yet.

"I am Valerick Damasti, Priest of Storms and worshipper of violent weather," he says. Valerick had been preparing that line for the occasion that he had to introduce himself. Almost as if to make his point, he draws his longsword there, then begins working the sheild onto his arm.

Riaharan lowers his bow and turns to face the newcomer and says
"Greetings Valerick I am Riaharan and it is wise to prepare yourself for the unknown however I have no hostilities towards yourself or any other in this cave."
However during speaking he keeps an eye on the door.

Introductions ensued in the small chamber as a knock rang out from the door on the right side of the room. The largest man who had sniffed strangely upon entering was standing in front of this strange wooden door while the others mentioned their names.

The rain beat heavily from behind and those closest to the door, Riaharan and Valerick, shifted under its painful sting. The quick glance that followed resulted in a rather disconcerting observation. The room was filling with water. The water was now at least an inch deep all around the adventurers as they stared at the large man who stood in front of a closed door.

Time was passing, and Mother Nature was surely toying with them...

Valerick noticed the painful sting of the rain everywhere his armor did not cover. The rain pellets beating down on him like hundreds of tiny bullets. He moved away from the entrance of the cave with at least a little annoyance, where upon he saw the rising water level. "Alright, I vote we crash the party before we die out here." He insterted himself neither gently nor roughly between the door and Siegfried, and pulled on the handle. His sword is at the ready for anything that may be expecting the invasion.

"I'm with you Valerick" says Riaharan, reloads his bow and opens the door.

Do these men not know of the ambush? Surely their warfare could use some coaching.
Siegfried tries his best to stop Valerick's approach before he made it to the door, but does not do so violently or confrontationally. He simply wishes a word.

"My friend, it is not wise to push forward without hesitation, both my villiage and I are masters of ambush tactics. I have seen their devistational powers. It would be best if only one of us was to be the target of any initial attack, so that the others may return the blows. I have volunteered to take the possible brunt, but you are more than welcome to do so. I will fall back."


Siegfried will rush back, making sure to put at least 5 or 10 feet between him and the door, and draw his spear from his back to prepare for a fight, unlikely as it may be.