”A copper is all they are worth?” he asks jokingly.
”That’s exactly what I was thinking, actually. That and the fact that these people, from the settlers to the Levetons and Kesten and the rest of our group, chose the two of us to lead them in this. It’s all just so surreal. Growing up I always expected to be the Lord of a House, but an actual King? The idea of it is just...”
His mind wanders back to the failed attempt at rebuilding the Silver Ravens back in Kintargo. He lets a hand fall to Isabel’s arm. ”We have to keep them safe. This time...”
Lisl is busy - always busy, it seems, exhorting people to be good neighbors, giving short dreamy speeches about the town that will one day rise up in this wild land, offering insights and settling disputes.
This particular day she happens to be at leisure as Darian and Isabel are discussing this and that. As is often the case, she seems to be a bit aloof, as if looking down at the goings-on of the day from a distance.
As she sidles up closer to her compatriots, her skirts shifting with the slight breeze, she looks at the Silver Raven with some deliberation, then says, "I don't recall you ever explaining the significance of the Silver Raven. If you would indulge me... ?"
Darian looks over to Lisl. ”The Ravens were a sort of organization that was for the people of Kintargo. They did what they could to protect their interests despite what the government may try and do. But House Thrune has crushed them entirely. With the appointment of Barzillai Thrune to rule directly over Kintargo, and his harsh martial law, we,” he says patting Isabel’s arm, ”found ourselves part of a movement to rebuild them and do something to help the people. But Barzillai must have learned of our movement somehow. His Dottari guards began systematically eliminating our friends one by one. We were the last. And so, to spare our families should our participation was discovered, we fled...”
”The Dottari agents that tracked us this far can only confirm he has discovered our involvement. I am loathe to think what my rebellious nature has...has condemned my family to...”
He sighs, ”But, my family is here now,” he adds with a smile as he puts an arm around both women, ”and the past is the past. We have the future of these people and this little country we are building to see to. And I won’t let my sorrows of Cheliax weigh me down like an anchor. So tell me, ladies. What should we look to do here beyond what we’ve got planned?”
He looks down to the north away from the fort. ”I am thinking over there, in that little valley, we should build up the Villas for you guys. House Morozov, Orlovsky, Garess, Velson, Haltine, Leveton, Ismort, and so forth. I wonder how many Villas we could fit into a lot? And then, over here,” he points to a neighboring hill to the northwest, ”we could set up a Town Hall for meetings for and with the people.”
Jory gathers up his gear and prepares his noble steed (pony) for the excursion to the Sootscales. Ludi seems a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility thrusts upon her, so Jory is keen to fill her with words of trust. "My dear, Isabel would not have chosen you by name for this task if she didn't have the utmost confidence in your abilities. Ever seen a kobold, have you? I hadn't before we ran across this tribe. Don't be taken aback by their bestial appearance. I assure you that their current leaders owe us for restoring their authority over the tribe. They've held to our initial bargain thus far, and we simply have to formalize the agreement , to the mutual benefit of both the Sootscales and our growing settlement here. No problem at all!"
Since Darian & Isabel are being sickeningly lovey-dovey most are glad to escape the burgeoning settlement for a few days. :)
Jory. Ludi has never been the most talkative person, but relaxes a touch when travelling with you. Eventually requesting some details from you on the Kobolds and what the agreement between them and the kingdom means. She is efficient and experienced in the wilds and makes a good travelling companion.
Freya & Josef. - Hex12.
A 3-mile stretch of the Tuskwater shoreline rises up above the water below here, presenting a swath of 40-foot- high cliffs and limiting access to the water below. The cliff tops are thick with stinging nettles.
A hidden trail is revealled that leads through the nettles and down a cliffside trail to a secluded pool, 50 feet in diameter, at the Tuskwater’s edge.
Freya & Josef, What are you doing?
|
"I think the town hall is important." Isabel agrees. "Silverhold will need centres and a castle makes one, but its not very approachable. Having a town hall will give a more accessable, intermediate place for people to go for problem resolution and so forth. Otherwise I think we need to focus on the economy - we want a town that can support itself, the gifts from Restov won't last forever. We should consider sanitation as well, maybe start piping the Tuskwater into cisterns where we're planning to build the most houses - this needs to be a clean place to live." She looks to Lisl with a smile, "I assume our resident Abadarian will agree with me on this?"
(free inspiration)
Freya makes a face, seeing the lush crop of stinging nettle. "That's unpleasant." she remarks, craning her neck to see as far as she can see.
Suddenly a grin graces the Ulfen woman's face. "It looks like someone or something has taken measures to try and hide a trail through the nettles down to that pool at the edge of the Tuskwater. Want to take a look?" she asks her two traveling companions.
Glancing upward she speaks to her familiar. "Muninn, lyst til å speide bassenget ut for oss? Men pass på at du er forsiktig."
"Path through the nettles? Good way to keep something hidden, I guess, but who are they hiding it from? Yeah, let's take a look, but be on the watch. People hide things for a reason."
Freya & Josef.
Freya, while looking around you see half buried in the mud by the pool a large gem?
Darian smiles and nods along with her, waiting for Lisl's reply.
"Sounds reasonable. And like you said, the stockpile will begin to dwindle, rapidly once we begin work on the castle here. The remains of this fort provide a good head start, but expanding the foundations, building proper stone walls...it's all going to take a lot of work and material," he says, turning to look over the fort. He dabbed the sweat off of his neck with the rolled up shirt he held in his hand, still trying to cool himself and dry off from his labors just minutes earlier. As a small breeze rolled through their elevated position on the palisade, he leaned back against the wall and looked up to the sky. He watched a hawk circle lazily in the sky, searching for game.
"Well isn't that a shiny bauble." Freya says as she makes her way over toward the gem with the ever present Fenrir at her heel.
"Is it? Finished? Raw? Either seems unusual for a muddy pit, don't you think?"
Lisl wriggles out of Darian's sudden physical contact and resumes a glacially calm pose.
"I agree that we need to sluice out waste... we should consider some more elegant engineering than simply dumping it into the Tuskwater. If the town continues to grow, the lake will serve as a necessary spot for fishing and eventually commerce, and to that end it shouldn't be filled with stench and bog," says Lisl.
"We should see about attracting some craftsmen... though so far the natural resources in this area are not exceptional; timber takes days to be carted in from the forest to the west, there is little useful natural stone, no signs of amber, pearls, or other similar valuables. The main draw of our town may well be that it is small, prosperous, and not plagued by the problems in neighboring lands."
"Also... we should think about setting aside some land as a park. A reminder of the lovely elements of nature that we found here. A fine city shows its grandeur with its ability to protect art, culture, and beauty - and an elegant park is something we can readily cultivate without special resources, that will remind people that we are more than a slovenly assortment of stone walls and ramshackle buildings," says Lisl surprisingly.
"Freya might argue that a park is just another case of civilization imposing itself on nature and imprisoning it, but... I expect that is a point of dogma on which we shall always clash." She smiles wanly.
"It may be worthwhile to encourage river trade. For now, loggers - a camp could even be started at the site of the old bandit camp - floating logs downriver to the Tuskwater for construction. That will give us sufficient timber for many of the homes to come. Later, a good road to Oleg's trading post."
Freya & Josef.
As Freya reaches for the large gem she sees a ripple in the water heading for her, a very large Hookjaw turtle lunges from the waters of the pool with a clearly hostile attitude.
What are you doing?
Jory & Ludi.
You arrive at the Sootscale Kobolds caves. The guards are surprised but not hostile and you are invited in to meet Chief Sootscale. Ludi looks around with interest and you reach the common area and find the chief seated and awaiting you. There are seats ready for you to siton prepared.
"Greetings again." The chief speaks, looking at you keenly. "My scouts have seen the longlegs travelling to your new camp. We have left them alone as was agreed. Why have you come to see us?"
Freya backs away from the water's edge, trying to calm the large, angry turtle.
"Easy now, big fella. No one wants to hurt you, and no one here wants to be hurt by you."
"Agreed," Darian says regarding tending to their waste. "There is no sense in dropping filth into our waters. Besides, Freya would likely not stand for it!" he says with a chuckle.
"But, I have to disagree regarding the resources. A gold mine and silver mine are less than a days ride from the town! And the forest is vast enough to supply us with more than enough lumber for any project we could think up. Stone, yeah, that's a problem, but fortunately our benefactors have given us enough to get started. We will need to find a good place to build a quarry."
He turns back to face the settlement growing before them as Lisl starts discussing a park of some sort. That would be nice. A place for people to go and just enjoy their day between work. And Freya might like it too. A little nod to respecting the nature around us.
"Gold and silver will pay for us to bring in things, but we need to make sure we are self-sufficient as well. And that silver mine was abandoned - we have no way of knowing how much ore it will produce or how long it will last; we should not consider it a source that will pay for everything forever," says Lisl prudently.
She looks out over the Tuskwater and says, "Also, a park is important for... children. They need open spaces to play. And a city must have room for children if it's to last."
Freya & Josef The hostile Turtle lunges out of the water trying to savage Freya
His beak sinking into her leg hard!
The party of two and NPC may now act.
Freya howls in pain as the turtle's beak nearly shatters her leg.
Hobbling away from the beast she focuses her gaze in hope of putting the savage snapper to sleep.
On the chance Freya's hex is ineffective, Fenrir steps in between Crackjaw and his master.
Not knowing what Freya is doing, other than trying to move away, Josef pulls his blade and attempts to strike the creature's neck or head.
"Akiros? This would be a good time to help . . .."
Freya & Josef.
Fenrir's bite skids off the thick, scarred shell of this cantankerous beast.
Josef finds a softer target and slices into it deeply.
Akiros moves forward and swings his longsword hard.
His blow skidding off the shell as well.
The Turtle ignores the hobbling Freya and spitefully tries to repay Josef for his wound.
Sinking his beak deep into him.
The party may go again.
Jory
Ludi it seems has hidden depths, she speaks Draconic and lays out the terms you wish to negotiate with the Sootscales as nicely as you could have hoped for.
Chief Sootscale listens to her words intently. Nodding his head as she finishes. "So Kingdom is being built and wishes to deal with us. This is our lands in the eyes of this new kingdom. That is good!"
You can see him eyeing his tribe, trying to gauge their mood. "Since you longlegs left us it has been good. No pesky Mites to steal from us. No bandits trying to take our home for themselves."
He sits back. "You keep your word to the Sootscales, and treat us as equals. We agree to your terms, but other miners must camp outside, and Dip-lo-mat must have own building outside too?"
He will speak with his scouts and give you a report on what they've found to the east.What are you doing now?
"Fenrir, attack!" Freya bids as she steps back and conjures a ball of ice to hurl at the turtle.
(flank)
(flank)
vs. Touch AC (engaged in melee)
The young man screams as the turtle chews on his leg. "Not how this is supposed to go you stupid bowl of soup! Get back and take this!"
Josef full attacks, activating Defensive Parry (+1 AC bonus)
"Freya, I could use some healing if you have any. Akiros? I know you know, but aim for the neck!"
The next morning, instead of putting on work clothes, Darian puts his armor and sword belt on. He makes his way to find Kesten Garess, and asks him to join him for a walk.
”How goes things with you Lord Garess? Do you or your men need anything?”
Freya & Josef
Fenrir again can't find anywhere for his teeth to sink in.
Freya throws a frozen ball but the shouting and rapid movement put her aim off and it freezes a patch of water.
Josef again finds the soft parts with an elegant lunge, his blade coming back with perfect form ready to parry.
Akiros grits his teeth if anger and swings hard.
Old Crackjaw hisses in rage and lunges at Josef
His heavy beak sinking almost to bone.
The party may now act.
Freya, seeing Josef suffer another serious bite moves in to try and heal some of the wounds, knowing full and well that she is not the healer that Lisl is.
Meanwhile, Fenrir again tries to bite the vicious turtle.
(flank)
(flank)
As Chief Sootscale pronounces his assessment of the proposal, Jory joins Ludi in thanking him for the kind consideration. "Ludi, be sure to let him know that I'm positive we can agree to these terms, and that any longleg workers or emissaries will abide by the laws of the tribe and quarter wherever the Chief decides."
"Aaaahhhhk! You better die quick, or I might."
Josef switches to a more defensive stance, but still pushes the attack, hoping to end this.
After missing, the duelist takes a slight adjustment away from the turtle . . ..
Freya & Josef
Fenrir sinks his teeth into a flipper and with a strong drive of his legs tips the heavy reptile onto it's back!
It's soft belly exposed the Turtle is finished off by a thrust from Josef who is on his feet thanks to Freya's spell.
You catch your breath as the waters grow calm again.
Elemental Gem (Water).
Rest and recovery time I take it?
Jory
Ludi repeats your words to Chief Sootscales, who is obviously pleased that he is being negotiated with as an equal.
He tells you two important items of information that his scouts have picked up.
1. In Hex 5 a large pack of wolves have settled in the territory, led by a large and cunning Worg.
2. In Hex 6 recent shifting of the earth has revealed some type of tomb or barrow, his scout retreated when they encountered undead within.
Both area are marked on your map.
What are you doing now?
(spending 1 inspiration)
"A water elemental gem...this could be quite useful." she says limping back toward the others.
Reaching into her pack she hands Josef a vial. "Drink that, it will help with the wounds. "Don't worry anything about it, I can make more when we return to Silverhold."
Tapping the pearl in her belt pouch, she recalls a previously cast spell and proceeds to cast said spell on herself.
"Let's find a place to rest for the night. I'll see what else I can do about healing your wounds once we've set camp."
"Thank you, Freya, but, now that the fight's over, I can take the time to find the potions the team gave me earlier. Let's see how well this goes . . .."
"That feels MUCH better. You go ahead and use the potion you're carrying." He turns and looks at Akiros. "Thank you. Without your help, that thing would have eaten me instead of us getting the chance to eat it. Speaking of which, I guess we should start cleaning it . . .."
Jory and Ludi will note the intelligence and set out to return to Silverhold to report on the proposed settlement with the Sootscales.
"Fair enough." Freya says, taking the potion back, uncorking it, and downing it.
Once a campsite has been determined and set, Freya walks back over to Josef. "Alright, let's see that leg. Magical healing did a lot, but let's see if we can clean that up a bit better.
After patching up the wounds, Josef feels about as good as he can given the day's circumstances.
"Thank you, Freya. That certainly looks much better now than it did with two big, open gashes through the meat of my leg. I can't offer the same level of expertise, but do you need help bandaging your leg? I think we'll be able to use the shell as a pot to cook at least some of the turtle in. Fresh meat's always better."
Freya waves off the offer. "Assuming I can get a decent night's rest, I'll be fine in the morning. I agree about the turtle though."
Josef & Freya
A new day dawns for you, a good nights rest and treatment of your wounds has fixed you both up and you are ready to continue.
Where to now?
Jory
The negotiations went well, the Sootscale Kobolds were pleased that you came and treated them as equals. They agreed to the terms you came to offer.
Once again you get the impression that the combination of secure shelter and a nearby food source has made the normally aggressive Kobolds less interested in raiding others and more concerned with keeping what they have.
Are you heading back now?
Freya wakes in the morning and prepares more curative spells than she did the previous day, learning the lessons the fight with Old Crackjaw had taught her.
Josef & Freya
As you travel south you begin to scent a foul odour, the scent of rotten eggs in fact, the area may have hot springs or mud pools ahead of you?
Of more concern is the creature trailing you, it is trying to be unseen but both Freya & Josef have spotted it. It appears to be a wolf of some kind, but by its self and following you which seems odd?
What are you doing now.
Lisl A pleasing moment for you as several heavily laden wagon arrive at the settlement, loaded with stone, marble and hardwood.
It seems the Master of the first vault is pleased with both your groups work in removing a threat to civilization, and in your efforts to create a new kingdom.
Josef & Freya, what are you doing?
Work on the Silver Raven Inn has completed just a couple of days ago, and workers were now getting to work on getting the castle up and functional. The people seemed glad to begin working on it, given the dangers that still existed living out in the wilds like this and the security such a structure offered. Darian was a bit more eager than the rest, as it was essentially the building of his new home. It had seemed so long since there had been a place or opportunity for him to call a place as such, but here it was.
The idea that everyone had chosen he and Isabel to lead things here in this frontier was still a strange idea, but one he was growing comfortable with as the days passed. The arrival of goods from the church of Abadar was also a good sign, even if their purpose behind the delivery was clear. Even so, a temple to the deity as an inevitable eventuality, and the fact they were willing to fund it themselves was a welcome and appreciated boon.
Rather than directly helping with the manual labor today, he rode around their planned area for their city and began planning where things should go.
Darian. Kesten nods. "I know it's early days yet, but the settlement is beginning to reach the stage that it starts to become tempting. I know you've got a lot happening, but some defenses in place over the next few months would make me rest a little easier."
He looks around. "You've got the castle up which is good, but if we have to pull back to it we can lose a lot!" He indicates the growing settlement.
Freya wrinkles her nose, "Gods...that's worse than the Skunk River."
"It would also seem we have some company, I would suggest we turn back and confront this lone wolf."
Darian nods. ”True. The defenses will eventually need shored up, but hopefully the castle will be enough until then. I’m thinking, in the most extreme of cases, we should have different fall back points. Maybe an outer wall and an inner wall, and ultimately the castle. That way even if a siege were to occur, a breach of the outer wall isn’t necessarily the end of the fight for us,” Darian replies. He then smiles and claps Kesten on the shoulder, ”But hopefully it never comes to that, right? ‘Prepare for the worst, hope for the best,’ eh?”