Kast nods to Othoe and Nimeon.
"Tomorrow. The Mill. Then we can enjoy tonight," Kast says with a smile. Kast takes another sip of his drink and tries to think of a raunchy soldier joke to tell (as is appropriate for soldier-types).
"Okay...so this soldier is returning from the Flumph Wars, the second, not the first, and come across a nymph and a she-ling...."
Dorial enjoys her drink and listens to Kast's poor taste of jokes. Before they all head off to bed she quietly pipes up, "Don't forget. There was mention that a willing sacrifice would need to take place. That may be trickier than convincing the town to change their ways."
The morning dawns bright and chilly, the smoke from the mill coiling lazily up into an ice blue sky. Breakfast is a quiet affair, though those that spend it in The Sitting Duck find it a hearty meal, including a porridge, meat, and eggs. If offered money, Eli declines. "I figure more than a few nights room and board for all you've done for us. You're money's no good here. At least until Brahm comes back."
When the group heads out, Fleur wishes them well with a smile, whatever irritated her the evening prior forgotten in the morning light.
While most people pass the group on their way to the mill with nary a nod, there are many that smile their thanks and a few more that mouth a "thank you", or a "welcome back".
Nimeon turns and faces the group of children, addressing the red head.
"What do you need lad?"
Nimeon turns and faces the group of children, addressing the red head.
"What do you need lad?"
The boy ducks his head, looking past Nimeon to Chrystosm."what uhm...I just uh...nothin' I guess."
The others look on - a young girl only a few years younger than Fleur, with dark lanky pigtails seems to lead the bunch, with an even larger boy, and a smaller, sneaky looking guy hanging with the baby in the back. The girl smirks, as if calling the kid's bluff, and the others snicker, except for the tallest boy, who just seems confused.
perception=20 His features catch your eye. His blue blue eyes tug at your heart, reminding you of someone, someone loved and adored.
perception=22 His blond frizzy hair falls over his eyes, and ruins whatever fondness his eyes engendered. as much as the eyes softened your heart, the curls harden it, reminding you of someone you'd rather watch die than raise any hand to help, even in passing.
perception=25 It's as if the features conflict in your mind's eye. They don't go together. They CAN'T go together.
Nimeon squints at the boy in the back. Tugging his ear he points with the other hand.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
[dice=Perception]1d20+14
Nimeon squints at the boy in the back. Tugging his ear he points with the other hand.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
The littlest kid doesn't answer at first, and then the girl steps forward, almost protectively, "Him? you don't know him, nope, not at all, I bet. He's just a kid. We ahhh, gotta go!" turning around to the others, she hisses, "I told you we'd get caught if we took him outside. Now they're gonna tell his Dad, and we'll all be toast. Worst than toast. We'll be the crumbs of toast!"
The little blue eyed boy dawdles, though, looking up with wide eyes at the tall man staring down at him. Finally, as if remembering something vitally important, he tugs free of the sneaky guy's hand, jutting his own little stubby hand out in close approximation of a greeting, "Mastah Juhwin Kweed, at youh sehvice! What happen to youh eawhahs?"
Nimeon carefully considers the child in front of him, the son of his hated enemy. He likewise extends his hand carefully.
"I was born that way. My father had pointy ears so I have pointy ears. I heard you were sick, your father must be very happy you got better. Run along with your friends and play."
I must not hate the child. Only red headed children are born soulless, the blond one is innocent. For now.
Blissfully unaware of anything else, Chrystosm feels his stomach knot up inside him.
Poor lad. I feel guilty - imagine how he feels....
He walks over to the redhead.
"Eli, I know what this looks like, and I bet you hear this from grown-ups all the time, but I *am* sorry and I really didn't mean to stand you up - there's, er, magic involved. We thought we were only gone for one night..."
He stops, closes his eyes, and massages his temples for a moment before continuing.
"Damn and blast, that sounds more and more stupid each time I say it. Anyway" .He turns to the rest of the group, "Listen, whatever we're doing can wait for half an hour, can't it? Eli, you and I are going to spar now - Kast might like to help too, and he's been at Lastwall, so he knows his guisarme from his bardiche..."
Kast rises and does his usual routine in the morning before heading to the mill.
He still walks with his bardiche as a walking stick and feels that he is getting more comfortable with the weapon every day. Of course, he has yet to try it in combat.
* * *
Perception
Yep, they be kids. Why aren't they in school? Who teaches them?
Along the way, Kast gives Nimeon plenty of space to interact with the children...this is, after all, his town and his people.
Kast keeps an eye out for danger while they are in proximity of the children.
Perception
Hahaha, Kreed's little boy playing with the big kids. Poor bastard. Hrm. I wonder if he is a bastard at that?
Othoe passes a few idle moments on this and other thoughts while the kids haltingly follow the party a while. He watches his purse more closely while they're about, but otherwise pays them no mind.
He struggles to keep up with the party as they head toward the mill.
Hmmm, this can't be good, Kreed's boy is likely to tell him what we're doing, best that these kids find somewhere else to play
Simon quietly lets the interaction proceed, hoping it comes to an end and the kids shuffle on their merry way.
Then again, that little whelp may one day be the owner of the mill, maybe we should encourage a friendly interaction?
"Eli, I know what this looks like, and I bet you hear this from grown-ups all the time, but I *am* sorry and I really didn't mean to stand you up - there's, er, magic involved. We thought we were only gone for one night..."
He stops, closes his eyes, and massages his temples for a moment before continuing.
"Damn and blast, that sounds more and more stupid each time I say it. Anyway" .He turns to the rest of the group, "Listen, whatever we're doing can wait for half an hour, can't it? Eli, you and I are going to spar now - Kast might like to help too, and he's been at Lastwall, so he knows his guisarme from his bardiche..."
The other kids snicker as the red head's face nearly crumples.
"See? I told you he didn't want to train you, doesn't even know your name, E-LIE!" Hollin, the little red haired kid, shakes his head and runs off, the other kids running after him, "E-LIE, E-LIE, Lives in the whore's Stye!"
The little blond kid, forgotten in their childish games blinks awkwardly up at Nimeon. It finally registers that he told him to run after the others and he nods and trundles off, calling after them, "Eewyyy! Eewyy!!...."
Kast sighs and wonders why he ever wanted to teach these miscreants...then realizes that he must learn to love it.
Soon it will be my job. I hope.
When the party is ready, Kast again heads to the Mill.
Chrystosm looks devastated. Gods, I cocked that up, didn't I?. He turns away from the retreating children, mentally kicking himself extremely hard, and follows the party up to the mill, in a very subdued mood indeed.
Nimeon stares after the children. Though it cannot be seen the notched ear is burning so badly it is almost painful.
I could shoot the worst of the offenders. It would teach them manners. They would learn not to prey on the weak. No, Erastil is watching.
Perhaps I could just wing the worst one?
Hollin? I thought his name was Colin.
Kast shrugs as he watches the kids run off.
They should be in school learning from a scholar.
Even work at the mill is lackluster in winter. A few souls work here and there, but not nearly the amount that were here just a couple of months ago. The huge stockpile of wood back remains, though close examination shows the wood as too wet to work just yet.
Entrance is easy, for those that notice have their own issues, and go back to work rather than deal with the visitors. Eventually, a large potbellied man comes out, tipping his hat back on his head as he studies the group.
"What can I do ya for, friend?" He grins at his own wit, showing off grungy teeth and swollen gums in the process. "Are you looking to buy, by any chance? Don't let the lot fool you, we've got a bunch ready to go in the warehouse."
"Well, we may purchase a substantive amount of wood later..." A darkwood manor for the group? That would be VERY nice - but so expensive! "For now though I would know how this mill operates. Do you have some time to instruct us in your methods? If your time has value, and i'm sure it does!, perhaps a few coin will make the task easier."
Othoe offers 5gp for a Mill tour and answers to his questions.
"Well...." the man thinks about it, eying the group. Finally, he grins again, sticking out a fat grimy hand to shake, and for the promised coin.
"Sure, why not. I'm Qelb. Who might you be?"
Kast checks out the mill as Othoe works out the details.
Not unlike the mill we had back in Sandpoint. Wood. Milling. A mill.
"Apologies for my rudeness. I'm Othoe..." he goes on to introduce each of the other members of the party.
He shakes Qelbs hand, "Now then, the wood is floated to you downstream, is that correct? What then?"
Othoe is genuinely interested in the whole process - not just as it pertains to the bark. He finds the mill-works fascinating.
"Well, then we pull it out and put it in the drying yard, like you see there. Used to, they'd let it dry for months, then wash it for some fool reason, strip it by hand and send the bark out for mulch or some such, but we've improved that a 100 times over or more, yes sir. " He walks along, pointing out firs the huge old troughs, now full of coal, though big enough to hold the largest of the logs.
"Now we start it drying, just long enough to get the water worms out, you see? and then run it through this baby!" A long table, with an odd belt on it's top runs down the back of the room. Halfway across, it disappears into a Huge metal box that even now warms the entire lofty space to an uncomfortable degree.
"we put it on here, the belt pulls the log down into the stripper, then it comes out the other side. Poof! no more bark, no more payin' someone just to walk it out into the woods. Just clean shining darkwood, ready to go. AND as an added bonus, the wood is even more durable this way. Something about the heat just toughens it right up." Clearly proud of his work, Qelb shows you the finished product. The mound of darkwood shining with a deep burnished luster, lays stacked, ready for the next leg of its metamorphosis.
Othoe nods his head at each step of the process - clearly interested.
"Wow, that is an improvement! When did you get this thing - and what is it exactly just some sort of furnace to burn off the bark?"
Efficiency at the cost of health. Poor fools. Convincing them to go back to the old ways will be tough.
Kast nods sagely as he learns how wood is made.
Wow. I could write a book on this...it might sell 10s, even 12s of copies.
"So, when did the processes change on how you dealt with the bark, agian? Do you know who made those changes?"
Chrystosm just stands there, poker-faced
Wood comes in, wood goes out. Wood wood wood. Same bloody difference.
Simon stands quietly, a sour look on his face, as the man explains the process that lead to trouble for his beloved town.
Fools! The plan to burn this thing down is sounding better!
Dorial grimaces at the sight of the large 'furnace'.
To think that someone came up with this monstrosity. I wonder if I could pull out a few bolts to make it not worth their time to use.
Nimeon watches the operation with disgust.
They come in and take. They take and take but now they don't even give back. This is wrong.
He stares intently at the contraption, looking for the Evil heart that beats to power it.
"Well uh, that's sort of the end of it, unless you want to walk over to the warehouse?" He eyes the group, his smile fading as they fail to match his enthusiasm.
"you're not looking to go into the lumber business,are you?" It suddenly occurs to him that sharing his secrets might not be such a good thing.
"Nevermind, I'm out of time. Got to get ready for the next shipment and all that." Urging the group out, he herds them out a back door.
"Sure, I'd love to see the warehouse. No, we're certainly not going to go in the business! It's clearly a lot of hard work. So, when did you get this new equipment again?"
Why is he dodging that question? I wonder...
Kast won't be shuffled away, seeking an answer to his question.
"So, *when* did the processes change on how you dealt with the bark, agian? Do you know who made those changes?" Kast asks again, a bit more forcefully.
Diplomacy
"Well I did. I *am* the Manager here, after all. And very busy. It took me over a year to convince the Gavel that we should modernize, but now we're going like gangbusters." He answers again, bristling at Kast's tone. "But once the old man Yerstyrl got retired, and I took over, the Gavel really started to listen. Now, I think its time you go. I have a business to run." His jaw juts forward and its pretty clear he is through with the conversation.
"Oh good. Then maybe you can help us save the town. If you started this, you can end this. I'll see if one of them can explain it to you."
Kast looks at everyone.
"What? What's wrong with the town? I didn't start anything but a ton of money and work flowing into this place!" so angry that a little bit of spittle flies out, wetting Nimeon's cheek, the man fumes and gestures, his shoulders bulking up as if ready to do violence to anyone suggesting otherwise.
1Kast
2Dorial
3Nimeon
4Othoe
5Chrystosm
6 Simon
Chrystosm, while not at all up to explaining the cause of the plague to the foreman, will assist the others in their efforts to do so.
"We're very sorry Qelbs, we didn't mean to suggest that you were personally responsible for any wrongdoing. We're just concerned about this contraption and the changes that were made to the logging processes."
"Never fear though - you have done wonderful things for the town!"
Othoe tries to calm him down and let him know we do NOT blame him for anything. It's not his fault! At least that's what we'd like him to believe.
"Now how about that warehouse huh? I imagine you have it bristling with darkwood ready for market! I'd love to see that."
If Othoe fails to calm Quelbs, he'll willingly leave rather than fight.
Kast will stand down a bit, trying to encourage Qelbs to talk further.
Diplomacy to aid the 'gnome'
Simon steps forward and slowly, almost casually, wipes the spittle from Nimeon's cheek, then turns a steely gaze on Qelb. "My family has been in this town before you were born Qelb, so I'll tell you what's good for it, and not the other way around." There isn't a hint of the shy man from a week ago, and the red glow can be seen rising in Simon's eyes. "Now you run a good business, there is no denying you do a fine job making this mill a profitable place and that is good for everyone here. But it seems the new methods may be cause for the plague that very nearly wiped us out, and a good businessman like yourself can't deny that your workforce dropping dead won't help anyone." Simon sets a firm look on the burly foreman, arms folder across his chest as the smoke starts curling from his fingers. "We've been to see the witch, we fought a great wurm at the ancient darkwood tree, we've negotiated with the Fey, and we're very certain that your machines and processes will be the death of us all if allowed to continue." A sly look crosses Simon's face. "Why, the plague very nearly took Kreed's boy from him, you should have seen the man when we brought the cure, I think he would have tore the very limbs from the person responsible for his boy getting sick, you wouldn't want that mantle hanging from you and your machines, now would you Qelb?"
"That's how its gonna be, now is it?" Qelb replies, "You're right, we wouldn't want something like that getting back to Mr. Kreed. That wouldn't be right at all."
The foreman steps back, as if giving ground, only to whistle loud enough to cut through the noise of the furnace and other machinery.
Dorial:
Kast:
Nimeon:
Othoe:
Simon:
Qelb:
Workers(3):
Chrystosm:...............21
Othoe:......................19
Simon:......................17
Nimeon:....................15
Dorial:.......................12
Qelb:.........................11
Kast:...........................5
Workers(3):................2
Round 1, init 21
Drawing his rapier with one hand, Chrystosm scoops up a handful of sawdust and rat droppings in the other and attempts to rub it into Qelb's face to blind him
Round 1, Initiative 19, Location: in the room
Weapon Equipped = Dagger
Conditions = none
Arcane Bond = none
Force Missile = 6/6
Wizard Spells Remaining:
0) Detect Magic, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost*, Spark
1) Burning Hands*, Comprehend Languages, Magic Missile w/Topple*
"Qelb! There is no need for bloodshed here - but if you insist we will take you down make no mistake!"
Othoe takes a 5' step away from Qelb, draws his dagger, and considers casting Burning Hands... but he looks around the room and decides on a Force Missile instead - targeting Qelb.
Kast awaits his turn to act which is sadly after Qelb.
The foreman yells and rubs at his eyes, but that only seems to make it worse!
"You'll pay for that, Chelaxian scum!"
Round 1 Init 15
HP = 18/18
AC = 15/12/13
Weapon Equipped = Longsword
Speed = 20'
Smite Evil = 1/1
Status Effects = None
Nimeon takes out his sword then watches the proceedings.
Simon burbles in an incoherent slur, but the timidness is gone and anger laces through the jumble of noises.
Simon strides forward, his arms unfolding as the smoke thickens and curls from his fingertips, and he reaches out to grip Qelb by the throat.
Round 1 | Initiative 12
Dorial takes a step back and the situation looks to get heated.
She readies a Flare (DC 15) if he attempts to attack anyone.
Blinded by the dirt, hit by a force missile, and burned by the crazy babbler, Qelb throws his arms up as if to protect himself.
"Stop, stop, I want t..to pray" Reaching into his shirt, he pulls something out from the folds, mumbling to himself as he holds it forth. Dark energy pours forth from his hand, striking all the members of the group, slamming into them and pulling their very life force from them.
Additionally, you see him reaching behind him, fumbling for tools. Three workers seem to be headed in the party's direction, carrying various tools, though holding them like weapons
Round 1, Init 5
Will Save
Know Religion
Definitely feeling stung by the evil energy, and not quite sure about the holy symbol but sure that it ain't right, Kast moves to E6 and strikes directly at Qelb.
to hit;
damage.
"That symbol is foul."
Soldiers fight.
"Urgathoa! He has sold his soul to evil!"