Open Delivery of House Sinclayr

Noi · May 19, 2025

| Quest:
Undelivered

Participants: House Sinclayr Knight, The Outsider, [OPEN]

A caravan heading North to the town of Jammore never reached its destination. Part of the cargo was a large and precious shroudstone, its crate stamped with the Sinclayr seal. The shard was needed to repair Jammore's Ring Tower. Without its tower operational, the town will be vulnerable to the rising blight that has taken over the nearby forest. House Sinclayr has promised to complete its trade contract. Either the shroudstone must be recovered, or they must find another way to protect the town while a replacement is sourced.

Options

Help House Sinclayr's Knight find the shroud crystal for the Tower. Or find a means to grab another.
Fight against Noi in obtaining the Crystal and survive the blight and blighted creatures
Protect the town

"Spread out! We must find the Crystal! Do not falter in your duties!" Noi trooped through the cobbled streets of the abandoned city, recent rains had dampened the soil and washed the stones. The recent blight had driven its inhabitants back from Shekem, a secondary village on the route to Jammore. Moonlight washed over the marbled stone as booted feet trooped around the area. Scouts had informed Noi of the location of the lost caravan shortly after its disappearance. Clad in armor, Noi peered out through her visor at the sky above. Clear and open with the stars to guide them through these thick woods.

"You, dispatch a message to Jammore, another wave is coming. We will take the assault from here, then try and follow the trail."

"Yes, Captain!" Turning in the saddle, the soldier rode off with two others and torches to light the way. Turning her attention back to the advancing parties of 5, she felt a wave of nostalgia. Miraj'Dah and the warm sands during their cave-clearing expeditions for crystals. The thought of another encounter with the shroud excited her. Gripping her spear tightly, she checked the straps of her shield and the sheath holding her macuahutli. Sauntering forward, her armored group followed in step.

"Masks on!" Noi cried out as she put her mask on. The ducts in the mask had shroud stones in them to help detoxify the air they breathed. They had 12 hours to roam the wood before needing to retreat to a noninfected area. As one, they continued their advance into the darkness of Shekem's woods. She would need to thank Palesa for the item later. For now, a trip back home will need to be delayed.

Thraah · May 25, 2025

Somewhere ahead in Shekem's woods Thraah, The Outsider, went ahead alone to find the shroud crystal.

Her own mask was a filter and not nearly as efficient as the ones Noi and her soldiers had but it worked well enough and she was tired of waiting and who cared about some nowhere town in the middle of nowhere anyway next to some stinking woods?

She was in the middle of a self sustained rant to herself when she realised that she was walking with little to no idea where to go.

"If I was a big shiny rock stolen by jerks..."
Her round head swivelled this way and that.
"Where would I go?"

"HALT!"

A voice called from the poisonous mist.
Somehow a troop of armed people who all looked like they had much better masks than her had completely gotten around her acute senses and highly trained detection skills.

"Shit biscuits!"

She put her hand to her sword and tried to eye them all. It looked like maybe five or six, or seven?
Numbers were hard when visibility was this low.

"Who are you?"
The leader demanded.

"I'm the queen of candy mountain!"
Thraah replied letting her smug smile through in her voice.

"Take her."
Two of them moved to restrain her and she considered frying them on the spot just BLAM and leaving only smoking boots but then she had the most brilliant idea, the kind of amazing and wonderful idea that the great thinkers of the world wish they could think of.
*If these dorks took the shiny rock and then they take me then they'll take me to the shiny rock!*

She laughed at how flawless her logic was, at how simply obvious and perfect her plan was.

"Oh no... I'm captured!"
She perfectly played it up, nobody could ever do it better.
"I'm so helpless against all of you. Really, you got me good."

Smiling as she was led away Thraah could not wait to tell the others of how she single handedly got the crystal back.
Even as her weapons were taken.
Even as her hands were tied behind her.
Right up until the moment she realised that they would probably torture her.

"Piss!"

After another while of marching the group spotted something and she was dragged down with them into cover.

She tried to get a look at what they were seeing. Looked like soldiers.

Sinclayr soldiers.

Noi's Sinclayr soldiers. Thraah would know those well built shoulders anywhere.

Standing stood abruptly she yelled
"HEY, NOI OVER HERE!"
right before getting tackled to the ground.

@Noi

Noi · Jul 12, 2025

As the troops approached the fallen brush, Noi heard her name through the fog. Raising a fist, she quickly approached to find Thraah bound by a scouting party not their own. Even as she approached, she signaled for her men to flank and maneuver into a more favorable position while she approached with a squad to the front. "There you are, Thraah! I was wondering where you had run off to!" Noi knew these lands had more than just the SinClayr family roaming the parts, yet she could not pinpoint who had shown up first.

Keeping her shield on and her warclub strapped approached the one who had been leading this rabble group. Towering over the man, she looked down in a calm, imposing fashion. "Noi, Knight of House SinClayr, unhand my man and let's get to the brass tax of it all.. Who the fuck are you?" Looking over their uniforms, they were blank and unadorned, unlike her units for identification purposes.

"That's none of your business, dog! Get out of here.. You're trespassing!" The man stepped forward as if to challenge her approach, yet Noi remained unfazed; it was clear these men were either a part of the heist or trying to gain something in the confusion. Stepping forward further, she wasted no movement in kicking the man back into another pair. Swinging her shield arm, it thudded into the side of another's head, holding Thraah in place. Her left hand pulled Thraah up and away as her soldiers advanced. "Subdue these dogs, then interrogate them.. Time is off the Essence, we must know where this crystal is.." Shouts came from further behind as her men surrounded and subdued the hidden, unmarked men in the fog.

"Unhand! me! Do you know who I am?!" As the man was bound in return, Noi rolled him over and kneeled on his stomach. Like in her grappling classes, there was nothing more painful in such an environment than a lack of oxygen in an already tainted space. His grunts and groans soon turned to choking as Noi lifted the mask to look into his face. Sliding it back down, he coughed and gasped. "From the looks, no one is important when dead, so whatever shred of value you do have now, let's use it to answer the questions. What are you doing here, and what do you know about the SinClayr caravan that was attacked?"

She spoke calmly and evenly as she waited, his body bunched and shifted, but her pressure did not subside. If anything, it increased as she knelt on him harder.

Thraah · Jul 14, 2025

Thraah practically bounced up.

"Woah, How do I get arms like you?"

The moment passed unnoticed but she stared anyway. Noi was huge and strong and Thraah had always appreciated that about her. Nothing demure here just pure ability and effort if a bit strict at times.

"I ran off because you were too slow, something about securing the town, taking care of the wounded or something. I'll not lie, I wasn't listening because I didn't care but now you're here and I'm here and all your big strong boys are here. We can get started."

She put her hands on her hips after adjusting her mask, it was not exactly comfortable.
The man on the ground was being a pill and she always wanted to impress Noi so she fought the urge to zap him on the spot to make him talk, it would kill him but it would make him instantly more tolerable to do so.

"I don't know anything about a caravan, nothing has been through here in..."

Thraah spat a gob of combusting spit that sizzled next to the man's head and followed it with a wink to Noi as the soldier re-evaluated his options.

"Three days ago, we saw a caravan. I sent a runner to report it but we didn't hit it. I swear. We just keep an eye on things and report back. That's all."

"Oh yeah, report to who?"
Thraah blurted out.

@Noi

Noi · Aug 2, 2025

Noi rolled her eyes lightly at Thraah, ever the impatient one, no doubt. Still, she was grateful for him in times like these; the man was quick to speak up, fearing for his life. Their contractor had been careful to be as distant as possible from the situation. One team to watch, another team to grab. The name he was given was Green. How ambiguous but wise, there were practically no clues to go off of with a name like this.

"To the East.. The Wagon went East down through the passes." He gasped as the pressure increased on his chest. Slapping his mask back on, Noi was somewhat pleased.

"Interesting.." She murmured, lightly rising to her feet, rolling the bound man down into the group of his soldiers. Noi patted Thraah on the shoulder, giving her a thumbs up as well. "Since you are so fond of first strikes, take two squads from my platoon. We are going to continue to comb. They should not have been heading East, which means the transport team is also missing." Frowning beneath her mask, Noi gestured for the rest to roll out, leaving the rogue soldiers to their doom within the fog.

"Come up.. Roll out, we are headed East from here. Two squads follow Thraah and keep up." Ten of her best stepped forward to gather with Thraah. Trained by Noi herself, they would have no problem keeping a decent pace with Thraah.

"Oh.. Don't lose my men. I'll strangle you myself if you do." Turning away, Noi moved on with the rest of the troop, combing the woods for anything of note, from enemies to shroud fiends aiming to strike the town.

@Thraah

Thraah · Aug 2, 2025

Thraah let out a little blast of warmth from herself at the pat from Noi, praise was good and she clearly deserved all of it forever.

"I AM fond of striking first, thank you for noticing."
She agreed before realising that she was in charge of something, somethings, someones... folk.

They broke rank and assembled about her, not one did not stand at least a head taller than her and she was very aware of it, in the way a short dog was aware of such things.

"I make no promises Noi but I will TRY not to break your toys."
Her smile was sweet but bothered. Thraah as a rule did not like to be put in charge of anything, least of all others.
Raising her voice she called after Noi.

"Hey, will they do whatever I say?"

She had plans, plans of watching them hop on one foot and make really tall people pyramids.
Like, REALLY tall ones.

Noi's look told her not to push it, so she didn't, only smiled and waved back before addressing the troops.

"Okay, I'm gonna move fast so keep up and I swear, if you die, Noi's gonna get mad at me so that means I will have to eat your bodies to get rid of the evidence and I already had a big lunch today so that's gonna make me all bloated and uncomfortable and it's gonna be a bad scene for everyone so keep your skin."

They snapped a salute in unison like many things that all had the same brain.

"Uhhh..."

This was going to be so freaking weird.

"Move, out I guess."

She started to run and they followed.

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It did not take her long to find the trail.

East wasn't much to go on and the glooming funk of the forest was hard to see in at some parts.
Preturnatural senses skipped her in her creation, she was more the raw destructive kind of Demon but at times she wished she had some better hearing or something, it would certainly be handy for this.

The squads made their way behind her keeping good time but she could not resist running them hard for a bit. Once she even took to a tree and hopped over a few before landing again and claiming they got lost.

Had to get your fun where you could.

Eventually, after what was certainly enough time for the world to end and start over twice at least, they came upon, something.

It looked like a big hole and really it was exactly that but it was also a few other things, a ruin for example, once a mighty... thing stood in the hole but now it was smaller and shitty and broken. It was also a camp, she knew that because of the tarps and fires and people walking around all armed and looking important.

Silly people, they were not important.

The shiny rock was important.

But she couldn't see the shiny rock, maybe it was covered or in a tent or a really big person was sitting on it. She hid things by sitting on them sometimes.

"Psst, hey, you, leader boy!"

"Church Ma'am."

"Never call me that again, okay Curch boy. You know all this..."
She waved a hand at the hole.
"Stuff and I'm happy enough to just do my thing but Noi is insistent that you all don't get horribly maimed and burned so tell me what she would do with this and if it's not too boring I'll think about it but if it sucks and is boring and bland and terrible I promise nothing to your safety and really, that'll be on you for making a boring plan. So don't fuck it up!"

Church was sislent for a moment as he looked from her to the hole and the encampment and back again. His mind was doing the thing Thraah saw military types do when they were trying to see the future. It always seemed to take longer than she thought it should.

"I suggest..." Church spoke carefully "that we split into our two divisions and rather than try to go in and take them all when we know not their number, we try to sow confusion and chaos. We make them think we are a bigger force than we are with strikes here, there and over that far ridge."
His hand pointed to spots, Thraah did not remember them.
"If we can get them panicked and running scared enough then they'll try to move the Stone if they have it and then we can delay them until Noi arrives to sweep up."

Thraah gripped Church by the face and stared deep into his dark eyes.
"You had me at "chaos" you filthy boy!"

It was time to ruin someone's day.

"Okay, make it happen or whatever Noi says to get you all to do the thing."
Idly as the preparations started Thraah considered that Noi would no doubt hear all the ruckus and come running.

@Noi

Noi · Mar 4, 2026

Preemptive Strike

Church stared at the demon with reservation and patience. Noi had been very adamant about their training. Consistent cardio over long distances, the extra physical training without pause had paid off for this very interaction. Working beneath those of House SinClayer was not for the faint of heart nor the uncommitted.

'By the spirits.. Commander Noi was not joking. Thraah is a peculiar one..' Church thought to himself, rubbing the sides of his helm where Thraah grabbed his face and stared at him.

When they had arrived, two had split off to investigate some parts of the enemy camp. Eyes peeled and heads low, the rest observed what Church and Thraah had been looking at.

Turning away slowly, Church gestured, calling the rest to fall in. Kneeling low, they started preparing properly with Thraah seated.

"We counted around 20 enemies in the hole below. Not much suitable ground coverage, but having the ridge and the ledge on the other end, along with the back of the hole to the right. There are only four tents too small to hide the Crystal. Yet near the back, there is a semicircle of wagons with a cover drawn over. Maybe extra troops we cannot account for." Liv said curtly, her tone hushed as she knelt to Church's right.

"Far Ridge is promising, the high vantage will suffice for range. Leo and Vine are on the way as we speak. The back of the hole has woods available to work with, should we need fire to help. There are twenty visible enemies. Five bodies to a fire and a tent. At least we ain't gotta deal in weave. Currently, they had four scouts watching the area. We've dispatched the closest two. Commander Noi may or may not be close due to the route we've taken, Captain. We cannot hope that the shroud stones we dropped actually worked like these masks are." Oliver confirmed the actions in motion and the layout before them. The rest remained silent, masked heads stared at the contemplative Church.

"Listen up, two groups of four in box formations. I am sure Leo will be able to lay down a convincing display to scare them. After all, I've never seen him miss a shot in poorer conditions. These odds are still slim but more manageable, I dare say. This fog is thick enough to muffle sound travel. If you see the other scouts take them out, stash the bodies. Then we shall try to scare them. We can only hope the stones worked. After all, they are still just experiments. Strike true and strike hard, open bellies and weeping necks.." Church smirked beneath his helm as the group split apart to handle business.

"Thraah, I am adapting this plan personally. We've already dispatched two of their perimeter guards."

Gesturing to the front to their left. "You get to break in the front door and scare the guards. You are, after all, the star of this action. If the exchange goes badly, we can cut down the numbers from all sides till they surrender. Slake your thirst with the two up front. In the back of the hole, we found a tent pitched over turned wagons. There might be the shroudstone inside! Just imagine the look of Pride on Noi's face if we all return with you as the prize winner for the SinClayer as well! I promise not to tell the Commander if a few go down. If anything, with your added overwhelming support, we could be back before dinner. " Shrugging, Church bowed and walked off to take the back wall.

The teams were Liv, Chase, Church, and Ivan taking the back wall, while Oliver, Halvar, Ian, and Zen took to the right ledge opposite the Far Ridge, where Leo perched with a longbow, ready with Vine as a second spotter. Taking a deep breath, Leo drew a heavy arrow, drawing back firmly, his eyes adjusted with ease. A gift of his elven heritage, watching the groups of four spread out to the back wall and far ledge, Leo nodded to Vine.

"Show time.. Vine whispered as she pulled out her binoculars and gazed upon the perimeter. She scanned counter-clockwise to Leo, allowing for more coverage and overlap.

On The Move

Flexing her fingers slowly, Noi was confident that something would be found in no time. The special unit she had prepared in advance would have a blast, no doubt. Footsteps drew her attention as Lt. Kana approached, saluting sharply. Nodding briefly, Kana stood at parade rest, beginning her report. Several hours had passed since Thraah left with her men; meanwhile, they had advanced themselves hopefully parallel to the squad.

"Captain, we've managed to pick up their trail. The engraved spark stones held their light and appeared to be going strong. This will be a viable option for the time being." As Lt. Kana finished speaking, a scout came jogging back to their position. Saluting both Noi and Kana, the man spoke quickly.

"There appears to be something amassing in the East coming this way. Looking left, her eyes narrowed as if she could see that far. In due time, whatever 'it' was would be upon them. Gesturing to them both, she pointed towards Thraah's location.

"Go grab some water and rally the troops. We move to catch up. Honeycomb positions and a steady pace, this is no heavy armor, but even medium armor can diminish a fit body. Steady on your breathing, the duration is still an unknown, as hard combat breathing in thickening poison mist and fog is still being tested. Go!" Her voice calm, Noi walked downhill watching her Company rise and return to their five man sqauds. As Noi approached the front, she was flanked by Lt. Kana, Lt. Myles, Sergeant Whisk, and Sergeant Lute. Gesturing forward, the Company let out a unified chest thump, starting their move.

ETA to unknown force . . . .. Pending.
ETA to Noi reaching Thraah . . . . . Pending.