15th Sarenith, 4713 AR, about 7:00 p.m.
You sit at a table in the Wise Piper Inn, eating a meal of fresh bread with cheese and honey, washed down by watery mead. The inn is fairly large and busy, with quite a few people at other tables.
Leithe, though on the thin side, eats voraciously, munching on cheese and liberally dousing her bread with honey before taking huge bites of the sweet mixture, and washing it all down with the sweet mead... "Mmmmfff.. thiff iff fffo good... MORE MEAD, Pweeve.." she says, holding up the empty pitcher at the table.
She looks around at the others at the same table, wondering a bit about each of them. Sure, she'd been working with them as caravan guard for a while, but really knew little about them. Perhaps this quiet 'down-time' at the Wise Piper Inn might provide a chance to get to know each of them better.
She swallows her latest bite of cheese and smiles, a bit of brie stuck between her front teeth. "So you all know me a little, I'm Leithe," which she pronounces 'lay-thay'. "I'm from Magnimar originally. Dad's has an alchemy shop there, and mom is a professional dancer, none of her talent came to me though. I got Dad's smarts but Neithe and Damon got all the talent. I've been a Pathfinder for a few months, but the jobs have been few and far between, actually only one in all that time, which is why I became a caravan guard... gotta eat after all." And to punctuate that, she takes another big bite of bread and honey.
"So what brought each of you to this place... and don't just say 'the caravan', I mean, what's your story?"
Diana smiles simply as the half-elf introduces herself. In comparison the blond swords-woman is eating fresh fruits and vegetables (which she bought the previous day) with the bread and cheese from the inn. She eats slowly and quietly, thoroughly chewing her bites and deliberately swallowing before sipping from her glass. After taking a deep breath she replies, "I am Diana," , "and I am from Sargava. My family are all traveling merchants. I wasn't able to become a monk - Irori did not bless me with the...presence of mind for that life. Instead I try to honor her with the perfection of my technique with the blade." She gestures to the scimitar on her hip in its sheath.
Having finished her introduction Diana waits patiently, looking to the others at the table expectantly. She doesn't appear to notice how abrupt the end of her speech was.
"Traveling merchants, huh? That must have been an exciting life! To grow up on caravans, and such, moving from place to place! I would have loved that, I think... And that is a fine blade you've got... I'd love to use one someday. It looks heavier than my little stick-pin here," she indicates her rapier. "Perhaps I could practice with one while we're stuck in town here and you could give me some pointers?"
The large half-orc sitting next to them finished taking a long pull off his drink and slammed his mug down on the table.
"What could bring anybody to this place but a promise of gold? What could keep them here but a lack of gold?" he asks, not addressing anybody in particular. "I had already booked passage on The Northern Star. I could be on my way to study the ancient secrets of the Linnorm Kings..."
He trails off, then takes another generous swig from his drink, making a face as he did.
"Instead I'm stuck in this backwater drinking mead brewed by a halfwit who thinks yeast live off honey alone."
"Oh, my... passage to the land of the Linnorms... how devastating to miss your boat. Your anger is fully deserved, I think. And I don't know a lot about the making of mead... I thought it was just honey-brewed liquor. There's more to it than that? You are obviously far deeper than I expected... more than a caravan guard indeed - a scholar as well!"
As Diana is about to answer Leithe another at their table speaks up. Content to listen to the half-orc she waits quietly till he is finished speaking. "You didn't give us your name," she prompts him, gently. She then returns to her meal, listening to everyone with a rapt expression.
"Good point, Diana..." she turns her attention to the half-orc, hoping he will say who he is..
"Mikraft Pachis, famous explorer. Or I will be," he grumbles, "once those fools at the Pathfinder Society accept the truth and obvious importance of my journals."
It takes him several tries before he successfully grabs his mead. He drains the mug and starts looking for the waitress to provide another round.
With a smile Diana nods and says, "Well met, then. We may have traveled together, but the work can keep one too busy to really speak much. I do not know that much about the Pathfinders - have they been good to you? You seem more upset by them than their allegiance may be worth..."
"They are shortsighted fools who refuse to recognize results that have not been endorsed by one of their so-called 'Venture Captains'," Mikraft scoffs, then mumbles something. His words are growing more difficult to understand as the mead takes effect.
"Not to mention, the Society doesn't pay their agents anything... oh yeah, we can keep what we find, within limits, but it's never enough to pay the bills, at least it hasn't been for me, and I'm quite frugal... You know, they have so many agents, they can't keep us all in work all the time... Why else would I take a job guarding a caravan? Anyway, moot point I think... rehashing old ills does little good and only serves to open wounds best left healed. 'Let it go,' I say. Sounds like your beef with them is a bit different from mine, Mike, but I can understand your anger... let's talk about something more pleasant, or at least more likely to have results... like, what are we all going to do next? I came along on this trip to make money and now we are stranded in the middle of nowhere with no pay. I don't know about you two, but I doubt I have the rations to get to the next town. Maybe if we pool our resources? Or perhaps travel together and hunt along the way? I don't know... this all is making my head hurt. A good night's sleep might be in order... especially for you Mike... you're starting to slur your words."
Diana nods quietly as she listens, her open expression suggesting that she is learning about the Pathfinders for the first time. "I have never heard of these 'Venture Captains' before, but alright, we can change the subject," she says before continuing. "I try to never be caught without some emergency coin, but was disappointed when we got here only to have the job pulled out from under us. For now I plan to keep my eyes and ears open - there are always jobs out there for those willing to put their lives on the line for others."
Returning to her meal thoughtfully, the blonde turns to Leithe. "I doubt I can teach you much about swordplay - I am more of an aspiring novice myself - but I practice and drill every morning before dawn. If you are up for it we might be able to spar tomorrow..."
"I'd like that, thanks!... I wonder if I can get a scimitar here in town to practice with? Surely they have a blacksmith, but a weaponmaker? not such a sure thing... Perhaps some retired traveler or adventurer?"
"Well, I also have a rapier too if you would prefer to practice with a weapon you already have," Diana replies. "I don't generally drill with it as much, but could make an exception tomorrow morning..."
"That would be fine too if I can't find a scimitar to practice with... but it would only be temporary, because in time, I do want to practice with the scimitar. The rapier is fine for dueling and such, but I think the scimitar would suit me better as time goes on."
Diana shrugs and nods, her comfort with either option apparent. "I will be starting about an hour before dawn, out on the lawn," she says as she returns to her meal.
"Early then... fine with me... I'll be there"
A thunderous noise seems almost to shake the walls of the inn. Many people go outside, and stare wide-eyed to the northeast.
Mikraft jolts awake from his half-slumber and follows the crowd outside. Squinting against the nagging headache that foretells a hangover in his future, he wonders if there was something more than alcohol in his mead.
Leithe leaps to her feat and joins the crowd headed outside... She looks around, then notices the cloud of dust in the northeast. "That doesn't look good, wasn't there the ruin of a tower in that direction? Maybe the rest of it collapsed? But that's odd, I didn't feel an earthquake or anything. Who wants to go check it out with me?"
With a nod Diana says, "I'll go." She loosens the strap holding her scimitar in its sheath and starts off at a light jog, eating up the ground as if she was used to running all the time.
Mikraft shrugs.
"Better than choking down any more mead."
He ambles towards the rising cloud of dust, stumbling every time he crosses uneven ground.
A large crowd stands milling about near the tower ruins. Only fragments of the first and second floors still stand, and various fragments of black stone and broken wood lie scattered around the area. Two green scaled kobold corpses lie amidst the rubble.
Leithe examines the two corpses... do they look like they died from the collapse or were they dead before that (like from weapons or spells)?
The kobold died from the collapse. You also notice a trap door in one of the tower's surviving portions, presumably going to a below ground level. However the rubble near the trapdoor looks very unstable.
"Well, this sinkhole seems to be why the tower collapsed, but why a sinkhole here and now? and what were kobolds doing in the ruins? Maybe we should check out this trapdoor, eh? Does it look stable to you?... there's an awful lot of rubble around it."
"It looks stable enough for you to try it out. I'll be right behind you."
Leithe gives Mikraft 'the look' and scowls... "Riiiiight."
She gingerly steps over to the trapdoor and checks to see if it's locked (like anything obvious, like a padlock... ) and if not, she'll try to open it.
ouch
The trap door open easily, revealing a room below, mostly collapsed but there is another trap door in the floor, along with two more kobolds crushed under the rubble.
Diana follows behind Mikraft and Leithe quietly, looking about the area uncertainly. At the multiple dead kobolds and signs of trap doors and the unstable remains of the tower, she says, "Shouldn't we see if there is a sheriff or someone in charge? We don't even know who's tower this is - if it is a wizard they may not appreciate us sticking our noses into it without permission..."
Leithe will climb down and search the kobold bodies for anything of value if she can get to them...
"Perhaps you're right, but just maybe someone, like the owner or something, might appreciate being rescued from this place... I think we should poke around a little and see what we can find. We can always return to town and ask the local sheriff about it later. We're here now."
The kobolds don't have anything of value
A light appears from the edge of the rubble that reveals a tall half-elf peering at the group. His sandy hair sticks out in several angles and he's trying to straighten his belt with the hand that not holding the bit of carved antler that's glowing brightly. "Hey, what did I miss?" he asks as he blinks the sleep from his eyes.
"So we going to finish searching this place? It doesn't seem we've reached a group decision yet..just some differing opinions stated so far. and hello there, you've missed the collapse of this tower and some searching for survivors... were you inside when the building fell? Are you alright? Oh, and I'm Leithe. Who might you be?"
"In the tower?" the stranger chuckles. "Naw. I don't think that I'd be standin' here talkin' with you if I were in that tower."
He approaches gingerly over the rubble and holds out his hand. "Howdy, Leithe. I'm Xylas, um, Greencloak. I was sleeping at the inn: "Early to bed, early to rise..." as the Parables say. I got into town a few days before you all. I was doing some work trade for Talia until the caravan got in and I could join up. Too bad about Gribb. I didn't know he was crooked like that."
Diana nods at the newcomer and continues to cautiously watch the others. "Whatever we are going to do here, we should do it before more of the tower collapses," she says, obviously uncomfortable with the prospects of being buried under rock and stone. "Lead on, I guess - I will be right behind you..."
Mikraft tails the crowd on their way in.
Xylas swings open the trapdoor and shines his light in for a peek before turning to the others. "Ladies first?" he shrugs at Diana. "You've got the sword. Though I reckon that that fellow can see the best in the dark," he nods to the unintroduced half-orc.
The trapdoor leads down to another chamber, littered with rubble. How big it is hard to tell because the walls of the chamber have buckled in several places. The dry rotted frames of beds lie against many of the walls, and an iron statue sits in an alcove. across from the statue stands an iron door.
Diana enters the room, looking around but not seeing anything unusual in the rubble.
A pair of giant centipedes slither out from the rubble, lunging for Diana.
Xylas is caught off guard by the big crawlies. "Whoa. Are you alright, Diana?" The half-elf reaches out a healing touch to the fighter.
"Eww.. giant bugs... with lots of legs... " Leithe gives a disgusted shudder... as she awaits her turn...
Female Lawful Good Human Figher, Level 1, Init 5, HP 12/12, Speed 30 ft.
AC 18, Touch 15, Flat-footed 13, CMD 16, Fort 2, Ref 5, Will 0, CMB +1, Base Attack Bonus 1
Scimitar +7 (1d6+5, 18-20/x2)
Studded Leather Armor (+3 Armor, +5 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Condition None
With a start, Diana draws her scimitar and swipes it down at the centipede that bit her. "Ow! A hand here, please! And thanks for the healing!"